A playbook inspired somewhat by The Blackwell Series and Unavowed.
Under the Read Me has the playbook information.
The Haunted
You seem to be haunted by a spirit, whatever they may be. They do not seem to mean any harm, and sometimes even assist you when you’re monster hunting.
LOOK
This is what your Haunted looks like. Pick one from each category
You are haunted by a spirit that only you can see, hear, and feel so far. Are they a benevolent spirit tied to your family line, a malevolent wraith attempting to hinder your progress, or something else?
First, name your spirit. _____________
What does your spirit companion look like?
a child or teen, who may of either been murdered, died from an illness, or was killed in an accident.
An adult, dead from natural causes or by something else.
An animal spirit, who seems to have gained sentience after it died due to mysterious causes.
A monster spirit, somehow tied to you. You either killed it, or they died nearby and you were the closest thing they could attach themselves to.
They are here for a reason. What is their reason for staying in the mortal realm?
They cannot move on into the afterlife until they fulfill something, like a long lost promise.____________
You wronged them in a way, and now they won’t leave you alone until you atone for what you did. Decide what you did to make them mad._________
They are lost and have no memories of their lives except their name. They want to find out what happened to them.
One of your family members did something, and they cursed the family to have the spirit follow them around. What was it that they did?___________
You were curious and decided to use an ouija board in a cemetery, and now they’re stuck with you until you find a way to return them back from where they came from.
A family spirit sent to protect you as you live your life.
(Adult only)They are your lover and refuses to move on until you are with them in the afterlife
Each spirit has a certain tick that makes them extremely angry to where they lose control of their power. Something that brings back an unpleasant memory about or related to their death. Whenever you are around the thing that makes them angry, roll act under pressure to attempt to calm them down. If you miss the roll, they go berserk for a bit. What is it that sets them off? ___________
Finally, a quick “how to play” with your spirit companion-
Since they are tied to you, they can act for you. You are technically playing two characters in one, however only you OR your companion can make a move, not both. If you want to roll something, make sure to mention it is either you or your spirit companion making the move. You cannot roll Help Out to help your spirit companion with rolls, but your fellow hunters can. To the other hunters, they may or may not see your spirit companion, depending on their history with you.
You may talk with your keeper if you want them to roleplay as your spirit companion or if you want to double up on the conversation. You will still have to make the rolls for the spirit companion whether it’s the keeper playing them or not.
MOVES
You get all the basic moves, plus 3 Haunted moves.
You get these two:
Possession. When you take harm and your wounds become unstable, your spirit companion will attempt to take control of your body. Roll +weird if you want to resist them. On a 10+, you successfully resist them. On a 7-9, you resist them, but they will try again next round. On a miss, they possess you completely and take control of your body until you are in safety, the fight ends, or you die before the fight ends. You take -1 ongoing while possessed.
Spiritual power. Your spirit companion has supernatural power. Pick one:
Telekinesis: When you roll to use Telekinesis (Tome of Mysteries weird move) with your spirit guardian, add +2 forward to the roll.
Gust of wind: your companion can bring forth a psychic gust of wind to slam doors and objects across the area. When you let your spiritual companion roll to kick ass, their attack deals +1 harm forceful restraining.
Weapon possession: your spirit companion can go inside weapons, adding +1 harm magical to its tags while they’re possessing it.
Fear Inducement: Anyone that the ghost goes through will instantly feel fear within their body. Add +1 to a Manipulate Someone roll, and this will also help prove what is going on if the person needs proof.
And then pick one of these:
Search their mind. You can have your spirit companion look through a witness’ or suspect’s mind for clues, hints, and information when you use investigate a mystery. Roll +weird instead of sharp. On a miss, however, not only do you reveal information to your enemies, but the person your spirit companion tried to possess will know what you did and will run away from you, possibly drawing unwanted attention.
Commune with the dead. With the help of your spirit companion, you can converse with ghosts and living dead without them getting enraged. Not only that, you can see and hear ghosts all around you. You can use any basic moves on them. Missing a roll with these, however, will end the commune entirely.
Spirit sense. Your spirit companion can sense when someone is lying or not, and will let you know.
Life Absorption. Your spirit companion can attempt to absorb the life force of another living being and redistribute it back to you. Roll +Weird instead of +Tough when you use this move when you roll to Kick Ass.
On a 10+ the absorption is a success and the enemy takes +2 harm intimate life-drain, and you gain +2 harm back.
On a 7-9, the enemy takes +1 harm intimate life-drain, and you gain +1 harm back.
On a miss, you take +1 harm intimate life-drain and the enemy regains harm.
Astral Project. Your spirit companion can remove your spirit from your body, allowing you to phase through walls and investigate mysteries while invisible. When you do so, roll +weird.
On a 10+, your spirit companion successfully separates your spirit from your body effortlessly
On a 7-9, your spirit companion separates your spirit from your body but not cleanly. Pick one: you take 1 harm ignore armor from the body removal or you can only stay out of your body for a short amount of time before you can no longer return to it.
On a miss, it was unsuccessful. You take 2 harm ignore armor from the separation attempt.
On a 7+, your body will fall to the ground as if you had died, and your fellow hunters will have to make sure to keep your body safe from any harm or from it being taken away.
GEAR
You get two weapons. Pick them:
Brass knuckles (1-harm hand small)
.38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
9mm (2-harm close loud)
Golf club, baseball bat, cricket bat, or hockey stick (2-harm hand innocuous messy)
Pocket knife or multitool (1-harm hand useful small)
INTRODUCTIONS
When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your introductions together.
Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Haunted by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
HISTORY
Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each hunter:
They are family, whether its siblings, parents, cousins, etc. Decide if they can see your spiritual companion
They can see the ghost that’s with you. What was their reaction to seeing them for the first time?
They are your best friend, and they either knew about your ghost or they didn’t until now. Decide which and their reaction.
They are related to your spiritual companion in one way or the other and can see them. How did that play out?
They sensed your ghostly friend and tried to kill them (again) with rock salts and cold steel daggers. How did you stop them?
Your spirit companion found them near death and you managed to heal them.
LUCK
You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
Okay 🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵Doomed.
The Haunted Special: When you use a luck point, your spirit companion will act out. You cannot control them until the appointed time the Keeper gives ends.
HARM
When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
Okay 🗵🗵🗵|🗵🗵🗵🗵Dying
Unstable: 🗵 (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
LEVELING UP
Experience:🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵
Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you to, mark an experience box. When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
Get +1 weird (max 3)
Get +1 charm (max 2)
Get +1 cool (max 2)
Get +1 sharp (max 2)
Get +1 tough (max 2)
Take another Haunted move
Take another Haunted move
Take a move from another playbook
Take a move from another playbook
Gain a haven like the Expert. Pick two rooms
Gain an ally
Advanced Improvements
After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re below:
Get +1 to any rating, max +3
Your spirit companion gains another spiritual power
Exorcise the ghost haunting you, or help them move on. The Keeper will make the next mystery on that. If you are successful, you must change your hunter to a new class.
Create a second hunter to play as well as this one
Mark two of the basic moves as advanced
Mark another two basic moves as advanced
The spirit turns evil (either by corruption, becoming malevolent, or something else) and possesses the hunter, corrupting their mind. Retire this character, they become one of the Keeper’s threats.
This was spawned back near the end of my winter term, where i had sleepless nights studying for finals and finishing up projects
I'm so sorry
Under the Read Me has the playbook details.
The Furry
You are fully committed to your fursona to where you own a fursuit and believe you are them. No one really knows who you really are under it, and sometimes that is usually for the best.
Look from within the suit, pick one from each list
You are always in your fursuit, no matter what. You either do not want anyone to know who you are inside it, or you just like how hot and stuffy it is inside.
Which kind of suit do you have?
Full suit
Partial suit
Morph suit
What kind of animal is your fursona?
Mammal _________
Avian _________
Reptilian _________
Amphibian ___________
Exotic ___________
What color are they?
Striking/bright colors
Neutral colors
Dark colors
Clashing colors
Rainbow
Color vomit
Does it have any extra features, such as horns, wings, belts, markings, ect? __________
Moves
You get all the basic moves and 3 furry moves.
You get this one
Standing out: no matter where you go, you stand out in the crowd. When you enter a new location where there are people, roll +weird. On a 10+, no one pays you any attention or don’t really mind. On a 7-9, you draw attention and some folks might be wary of you. On a miss, you draw unwanted attention.
Then pick two of these
I'm one of you guys! Depending on the type of animal your fursona is, you can use the Manipulate Monsters on specific monsters.
Mammal: werewolves and mammal-istic creatures (must pertain to the type of mammal you are)
Bird- harpy, gryphons, bird-like monsters (must pertain to what kind of bird you are)
Reptile: dragons, wyrms, lizardfolk, other reptilian monsters (must pertain to what kind of reptile you are)
Amphibian: loveland frogs, salamanders, other amphibious monsters (must pertain to what kind of amphibian you are)
Exotic: insectoids, aliens, other animalistic monsters (must pertain to the kind of exotic creature you are)
On a 10+, the monster believes you
On a 7-9, they want proof and imitate one of their powers
On a miss, they are insulted and you are now their prime target
Comfort pal! If someone you are talking to is distressed, you can comfort them using your fuzzy-wuzzy charms. Roll +charm.
On a 10+, you successfully calm them down and you are able to get some info.
On a 7-9, pick one: you calm them down or you get some info, but it may just be a word or phrase or a short description
On a miss, you distress them even more.
I really am my sona. Your fursuit is actually enchanted. Pick one power that can relate to your fursona:
Speed- you run faster than a normal person.
Super strength- roll +weird instead of tough when you roll to kick ass
Stretchy- your limbs are like rubber. You take -1 harm when you are attacked by electricity or crushed.
Flight- you can fly. When you attempt to fly while holding someone, roll +weird. On a 10+, you fly them away effortlessly. On a 7-9, you lift them, but your speed is slowed down and you take -1 ongoing. On a miss, you drop them and they suffer +1 harm.
Animal speak: you can speak to and understand animals. When investigating a mystery and/or manipulating someone when its an animal, roll +weird instead of sharp or charm. However, when you do this around a public area, people will see and will not interact with you no matter the outcome.
Water breathing: you can breath underwater and can swiftly swim. However, your suit is going to be soggy and will slow you down on land afterwards for up to three hours.
I’ve seen some freaky shit on this. When investigating a mystery, you can choose to roll +weird instead of sharp if you can justify how you know about this from weird art or stories you might have seen on furry sites.
I’ll be a distraction! With your fursuit such a distracting color, you can chose to run out and distract the monster and put yourself in immediate danger. When you do so, mark experience.
Careful, I have claws. Your paw-gloves have sharp claws on them. You know, for authenticity. You can use them when you kick ass. Claw (1-harm, hand)
Its made from durable material! Your fursuit is counted as +1 armor. This does stack if you manage to get a flack vest over you.
Gear
You get two weapons that you can somehow hide within your fursuit.
Golf club, baseball bat, cricket bat, or hockey stick (2-harm hand
innocuous messy)
.22 revolver (1-harm close reload small)
Big knife (1-harm hand)
Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
Introductions
When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your introductions together.
Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Furry by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
History
Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each
hunter:
You met each other at a convention. Decide on which convention.
You are related to each other. Decide if you are siblings, cousins, parent-child, etc.
They mistook you for a monster and almost killed you. What did you do to tip them off that you’re actually a person in a costume?
You are romantically involved with them. Decide what your relationship is with them.
The two of you are close best friends. You trust them with your life and secrets.
They are also a furry. Let them decide what their fursona is.
They saved your life and you owe them a big debt.
You saved their life, somehow.
Luck
You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to
count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
Okay 🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵Doomed.
The Furry Special: When you use a luck point, something with your fursuit will happen. The keeper will pick one-
The fursuit rips and tears and you’ll have to get it mended
You lose your fursuit head, leaving your head exposed
Someone will recognize who you are in the fursuit, and it may or may not be a good thing.
Harm
When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
Okay 🗵🗵🗵|🗵🗵🗵🗵 Dying
Unstable: 🗵 (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
Leveling Up
Experience:🗵🗵🗵🗵🗵
Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you to, mark an experience box. When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
Get +1 weird (max 3)
Get +1 charm (max 2)
Get +1 cool (max 2)
Get +1 sharp (max 2)
Get +1 tough (max 2)
Take another Furry move
Take another Furry move
Take a move from another playbook
Take a move from another playbook
Advanced Improvements
After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re below:
Get +1 to any rating, max +3
Change this hunter to a new type
Create a second hunter to play as well as this one
Gain another fursuit. When you wear the new suit, change your look and, if you want, change your furry moves. You can only change your suit at the beginning of a new mystery.
, THE COPYCAT “Didn’t I just see you outside? How did you get in here so quickly… the doors are locked? Wait… isn’t that you out the window…..” CHARM Manipulate Someone COOL Act Under Pressure Help Out SHARP Investigate A Mystery R...
As a little pet project, I've been making my own motw custom playbook based on things like shape changers
T1000 terminator , doppelgangers, flesh crafters, ect as the inspiration.
It's still a super super rough draft that I'm actively working on, but I'm proud of what I have so far, so thought I'd share
I’ll be updating it as I go and review it
Very excited to be working on my own (unofficial) homebrew playbook for thirsty sword lesbians! I love this game so much and wanted to make my own playbook based on characters who have gone to a completely different world.
Still looking for playtesters if anyone wants to test it out and send me thoughts in their own game
So I said it’d be done in a day or two. I underestimated a little! Here’s the last (for now) of my MOTW playbooks. This is the celebrity, for playing Roddy Mcdowell/David Tennant in Fright Night, Peter O’Toole in Phantoms, or uh, Bruce Campbell in They Call me Bruce.
So when doing Powered by Apocalypse stuff, I try to avoid doing “Use stat Y instead of Stat X” moves or just plain +1 bonus moves if I can help it. I mean, sometimes a character type calls for that! But it’s kind of dull to build a character around just one stat exclusively, or if it’s very hard for them to get failures at all.
Which is why the celebrity playbook’s been stalled for a bit. I was trying to do a “I do my own stunts” setup and the -obvious- choice would be to let them use their primary stat of charm instead of the usual stat of tough for kicking some ass. But well, A: Kind of boring, and B: Potentially hard to justify in the fiction without limiting the options you can take (And other, similar moves have no such restrictions, which is bad from a game balance perspective.)
It was rewatching Leverage and reading John Rogers’ commentary on Christian Kane’s many, many on-set injuries that gave me the idea on a new way to approach it
Thus, the new move is:
I do my own stunts: You've been hurt on the job enough that you know how to treat your own injuries. As long as you're conscious, your wounds never go unstable.
Scream Queen: When you face a monster alone and let out a blood-curdling shriek, roll +Charm. On a 6-, you leave yourself open to monster attack. On a 7-9, someone is in earshot and comes to your aid. On a 10+, the monster flees the scene just as help arrives.
