[CHAR] Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

[Tatterdemalion]

Elodie Faucher
the infernal

DESCRIPTION
Look: Dark Fairy Tale. Her hair’s only pink at the ends, growing out thick and dark again. She’s swapped out the hoodies for fur-collared red jackets and the cute leggings for ripped jeans.
Eyes: Flickering Eyes. Green as grass, but they are darting and skittish.
Origin: Emissary of Mother Earth.

STATS
Hot 2
Cold -1
Volatile -1
Dark 2

MOVES
Soul Debt: give strings to the Dark Power to use Bargains; at 5 Strings, go Darkest Self.

Dark Recruiter: whenever you bring an innocent soul to the Dark Power, mark experience.

Heightened Senses: when you rely on your animal instincts, roll +Dark, and on a hit take +1 Forward. On a 10+, ask three; on a 7-9, ask one.
# Where’s my best escape route or way in?
# Which enemy is most vulnerable to me?
# What’s their secret weakness?
# What poses the biggest threat to me?
# Who’s in control here?

BARGAINS
Elsewise Power: use a move from another playbook, just this once.

Uncanny Voices: ask for a secret, and be given a secret fear, desire or strength, their choice.

Sex Move: when you have sex, the Dark Power loses a String on you and gains a String on whoever you had sex with.

Darkest Self: you are shivering, needy and alone. The Dark Power makes daunting, open-ended demands; each one fulfilled brings you closer to feeling whole, and removes a String on you. You escape when the Dark Power is out of strings, or when you make a bargain with an even more dangerous entity.

STRINGS
2 on Timothy.
1 on Annalee.
1 on Carmen.

[Elanorin]

I know what I did. And I'd do it again. Which is why I'm here and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Vampires have long memories.

Our kind don't tend to have a lot of rules. Even murder isn't necessarily that big a deal. A human matters little, as long as it doesn't attract too much attention. But another Vampire is... a bit of a different matter. Even then, depending on the circumstances, it's not necessarily the end of the world. Your own family, though... there is no walking away from that. I guess, in a way, I should consider myself fortunate. It could be worse. At least I'm away.

This place is almost as familiar to me now as my own home. I've been here longer than any other student, in fact I've seen several classes come and go. I've even been here longer than most teachers and I'm likely to see even Mr Dover either retire or pass away mysteriously. Those seem to be the only established routes out for the staff. I guess this is not a place you'd choose to teach at if you had any other options. I've thought more than once of transitioning to the teaching staff myself and I've already started assisting in several classes. It breaks the monotony of attending the same classes over and over again.

My name is Samael Hale. Some call me Sam. Whether or not I like it depends entirely on the tone of your voice and the warmth of your blood.

Introducing

Samael Hale

The Vampire

LOOKS: Aloof. Thirsty eyes.
Male, ashy skin, dark messy hair, blue eyes. Modern expensive clothes.

ORIGIN: Many ages old. Appears as late teens.

STATS:
Hot: 2
Cold: 1
Volatile: -1
Dark: -1

CONDITIONS: SAVAGE

BACKSTORY:

I have Strings on:
Elodie Faucher: 3

Reasons:
- I am beautiful.
- She's got no chill and wears her heart on her sleeve and her heart says: death sucks.

Timothy Oglevee Crompton: 3

Reasons:
- I am beautiful.
- Timothy lives next to you, your bedroom windows face each other, and Timothy leaves his blinds open.

Annalee Sokolov: 0

Reasons:
-

Have strings on me:
Annalee Sokolov: 3

Reasons:
- I think I got a few drops of blood from one of your feedings on one of the days when it was my turn to clean the classrooms. You really should learn to leave less of a mess, some unscrupulous person might take advantage of you over that someday.
- It was you who let me in as dawn broke over the horizon when I was locked out of the manor at the edge of night. The angel's subtle answer to my not seeing the point in attending classes I've already passed in previous years. I'm grateful you were awake, even at that time, and that you unlocked the massive doors and saved my unlife.

Timothy Oglevee Crompton: 2

Reasons:
- Timothy lives next to you, your bedroom windows face each other, and Timothy leaves his blinds open.

HARM:
[X] [_] [_] [_]

When you take time to tend to your wounds, once per session you may heal 1 Harm. If someone else is there with you, tending to your wounds delicately and intimately – and perhaps with erotic subtext – you may heal an additional 1 Harm.

To avoid death, erase all harm and choose one:
- Become your Darkest Self,
- Lose all Strings you have on everybody.

MOVES:
Hypnotic: You can hypnotize people who have no Strings on you. Roll with Hot.
On a 10 up, they do exactly what you wish and have no idea that anything is wrong.
On a 7-9, the hypnosis works, but choose one:
- they realize exactly what you’ve done to them,
- they f'ck up your commands,
- their sanity is unhinged.

The Feeding: You feed on hot blood, direct from the source. If this is the first time they’ve ever been fed upon, you both mark experience. When you feed, choose two:
- you heal 1 Harm,
- you take 1 Forward,
- they definitely don’t die.

Darkest Self: Everyone is your pawn, your plaything. You hurt them and make them vulnerable, for sport – like a cat does with a mouse. Maybe you’ll even drain them dry, though you’ll certainly take your time first. You escape your Darkest Self when you’re put in your rightful place, by someone more powerful than you.

Special: When you deny someone sexually, gain a String on them. When you have sex with someone, lose all Strings on them.

XP:
[X] [X] [_] [_] [_]

IMPROVEMENT:
_ Add +1 to one of your stats.
_ Take another Vampire move.
_ Take another Vampire move.
_ Take a move from any Skin.
_ Take a move from any Skin.
_ You’re in a Vampiric Coterie.

[Anarion]

Introducing

Annalee Sokolov

The Witch

Look: Edgy clothing - makeup and eyebrows that say don't mess with me - wicked eyes
Dark hair - pale Russian complexion - medium height - a bit stocky
Origin: Taught by grandmother, Baba Sokolov

Backstory and Strings (and Tokens, marked with a carrot)
I've got a sympathetic Token on Samael (some blood)
I've got a sympathetic Token on Timothy (some hair)

Elodie caught me rummaging through their friend's stuff and hasn't said anything about it, so they have a string on me.

I made out with Timothy in the broom closet and I have two strings on him.

I opened the doors and let Samael in before the dawn, saving his life, giving me two strings.

Tim: o^
Sam: oo^
Elodie: o
Alextralia: o

Post play
took a sweaty Twilight Sparkle shirt from Elodie. (used)
took some of Samael's shirt sleeve when he slapped me (used)

NPCs with strings on Annalee
Margot: 1
G'eldriia: 1

Stats
Hot -1 Cold 2 Volatile -1 Dark 1

Darkest Self

The time for subtlety and patience is over. You’re too powerful to put up with their garbage any longer. You hex anyone who slights you. All of your hexes have unexpected side effects, and are more effective than you are comfortable with. To escape your Darkest Self, you must offer peace to the one you have hurt the most.

Harm: [X][][][]
Experience: [X][X][X][X][]
Conditions: Creep, Whipped, Truant

Moves

Sympathetic Tokens
You gain power from Sympathetic Tokens - items of personal significance taken from others. Sympathetic Tokens count as Strings.

Hex-Casting
You can cast Hexes. Choose two that you know. To cast them, either expend a Sympathetic Token during a secret ritual, or meet the target’s gaze and chant at them in tongues. Then roll with Dark. On a 10 up, the Hex works, and can easily be reversed.
On a 7-9, it works but choose one:
-the casting does you 1 Harm;
-the Hex has weird side effects;
-trigger your Darkest Self.

Hexes
Wither
The hexed loses all of their hair, or their teeth start falling out, or their period arrives unexpected and heavy, or their skin gets all sickly yellow and spotty. Whatever the specifics, it’s bad

Ring of Lies
Whenever the person attempts to lie, they hear a piercing ringing noise. Big lies will often make their knees buckle and disorient them. Severe lies can cause harm or even brain damage.

Binding
The person cannot physically harm others

Watching
Enter a deep sleep and see the world through the eyes of the hexed (including reactions and internal impressions of what they're seeing).

Illusions
Snakes and bugs, demonic visages, false prophecies, non-existent subtext. Pick one and the hexed sees it everywhere. (MC controls what exactly they see).

Sex Move: After sex, you can take a Sympathetic Token from them. They know about it, and it’s cool.

Advances

Add +1 to one of your stats.
Take another Witch move.
Take all the remaining Hexes.
Create a new Hex.
Take a move from any Skin.
Take a move from any Skin.
You belong to a Coven

[TheAmishPirate]

Introducing

Timothy Oglevee Crompton

(of the Wilkenstonshire Cromptons)

The Neighbor

LOOKS: Stilted. Averted eyes.
Male, muddy brown eyes, fastidiously stiff and tidy school uniform. Neatly combed medium-brown hair.
Small, but not short. Lean, but not gaunt. Wears glasses, but not stylishly.

ORIGIN: send help there's been a terrible mistake

STATS:
Hot: -1
Cold: 1
Volatile: 2
Dark: -1

CONDITIONS:
JEALOUS
DEFINITELY HEXED
CRYBABY
CRUEL

BACKSTORY:

Timothy and Annalee made out in a broom closet once.

Timothy's bedroom window faces Samael's. He keeps his blinds open for unknown (and probably unwise) reasons.

I have Strings on:
G'eldriia Despanna - 1
Annalee - 2
Samael - 2

HARM:
[_] [_] [_] [_]

When you take time to tend to your wounds, once per session you may heal 1 Harm. If someone else is there with you, tending to your wounds delicately and intimately – and perhaps with erotic subtext – you may heal an additional 1 Harm.

To avoid death, erase all harm and choose one:
- Become your Darkest Self,
- Lose all Strings you have on everybody.

MOVES:

Mixed Messages: When you’re alone with someone, decide if you’re attracted to them or not.
-If you are, tell them why you can’t be together and roll to Shut Them Down, adding 1 to the roll.
-If you’re not, tell them all the things they’ve got going for them (to let them down easy) and roll to Turn Them On, adding 1 to the roll.

Two Eyes: When you take your glasses off, your Hot becomes 3. You actually need your glasses, so subtract 2 from rolls where sight matters.

Nap Fan: As soon as you fall asleep somewhere, choose two for the MC to detail when you wake:
-Something was left for you
-Someone’s there
-Someone’s been trying to contact you
-Something’s been broken
-You had a nice dream.

Darkest Self: You feel... you feel like a monster. What kind of monster do you feel like? A werewolf, a vampire, a ghost, a queen... it can be anything you can think of. Tell the MC, and they’ll hand you that Skin or the closest thing to it. It can be different each time. Read their Darkest Self: you are drowning in metaphor. Choking on it. Your body isn’t supernatural, but you’re gonna take it right to the line. You become that Darkest Self

Current Darkest Self: (Ghost) You become invisible, unnoticeable. No one can see you, feel you, or hear your voice. You can still affect inanimate objects, but this is your only avenue of communication. You escape your Darkest Self when someone acknowledges your presence, and demonstrates how much they want you around.

Special: When you have sex with someone, tell them something you don’t want them to know.

XP:
[X] [X] [X] [_] [_]

IMPROVEMENT:
_ Add +1 to one of your stats.
_ Take another Neighbor move.
_ Take another Neighbor move.
_ Take a move from any Skin.
_ Take a move from any Skin.
_ You have Lots of Exes.