SPECTER
ph4nt()m__K1SS, nyandroid specter -- made in Hero Forge by yours truly.
“Wakarimasu ka who you are facing right now?”
No More Heroes 3 OST - ITADAKIMASU Sushi Shop Theme
You're dead to your peers, a revenant walking. The foolish mortals watched you patrolling the mall, black coat billowing behind you with a hand on the hilt of your blade, and they scoffed like you were lost. Whatever -- those sheep wouldn't know cool if it hit them with an exploding bike. You're a badass and you know it; and now that the plan's on fire and the cops are at the door, well... it's time to make sure everyone else knows it too.
Starting Equipment:
-ONE OF: a katana (medium sharp),
a kusarigama (medium reach sharp),
a fistful of shuriken (light sharp),
OR a sansetsukon (+1 medium reach recoil blunt) (1 slot for katana or shuriken, 2 for kusarigama or sansetsukon) (you do not yet have proficiency with this weapon);
-the last two cans from a six pack of limited-edition Abomination energy drinks with a video game mascot on them (1 slot);
-a billowing trenchcoat (medium armor) (2 slots) OR a hooded cloak (light armor) (1 slot);
-1 ration worth of nacho cheese tortilla chips (1 slot)
Limited Edition Abomination: Restores one action point when consumed. When consumed by a specter, also grants one Cool Point. Other editions of Abomination do not grant Cool Points. Encountered in the wild, such as by a collector, you’re likely to find it in a six pack that
takes up three inventory slots and costs a small fortune.
Level 1: wicked sick, dark attunement, master forgive me
Level 2: path of the twisted fucking cycle, +1 forbidden technique
Level 3: welcome to my twisted mind, +1 forbidden technique
Level 4: getting serious, +1 forbidden technique
Wicked Sick: You gain a Cool Point for doing something dangerous and badass. You lose a Cool Point for doing something uncool. The table decide by committee whether an action is badass, uncool or normal. Willfully endangering innocents or allies usually isn’t badass. There is no upper or lower limit on the number of Cool Points you can have, and you lose a specter level if you complete a rest with negative Cool Points.
Dark Attunement: At character creation, choose two damage types from Hot, Dry and Creepy. Whenever you use an ability with Attuned damage, it deals those damage types. You also deal an extra 1 point of damage using items with your Attuned types.
Master, Forgive Me: Go all out, just this once. You may spend a Cool Point to immediately make three attacks, and choose a target within range for each one. You may choose the same target more than once.
Path of the Twisted Fucking Cycle: You gain a twisted fucking cycle, which is unconcealably magical and wicked sick. It occupies 20 inventory slots if you’re physically carrying it. You can summon it in an area you could ride it in as an action. When riding adjacent to foes, your attacks gain a +[SPECTER LEVEL] damage bonus. The extra damage dealt is Attuned damage. You may leap off your cycle to have it barrel forward without you and explode to deal 5d6 Attuned damage, though this leaves you unable to summon it again until next nightfall.
Forbidden Techniques: Each specter manifests power in their own way – at every level after the first, you may select a forbidden technique to distinguish yourself from your peers.
Welcome to my Twisted Mind: Add +[SPECTER LEVEL] to your goal when resisting any mental effects inflicted by another creature, and if you succeed they must save or suffer the effects.
Getting Serious: When an ally falls to or below 1 Guard, you may use Master, Forgive Me immediately without consuming a Cool Point. You must either use the ability immediately or not at all. Summons or temporary mobs can only trigger this ability once per scene, but you can avenge your twisted fucking cycle if someone else destroys it.
When your dark work is done and you relinquish the mantle of the level 4+ specter, you may bequeath your twisted fucking cycle to a worthy successor, as determined by you. This successor should be appropriately wicked, but as a specter you decide what is cool.
Forbidden Techniques
Choose one of these every time you gain a specter level after the first.
Choose one of these every time you gain a specter level after the first.
Teleports Behind You: You may spend a Cool Point to reposition yourself behind an enemy as a reaction to an enemy’s attempt to attack you, canceling the attack.
Nothing Personnel: Every nightfall, you may summon [SPECTER LEVEL]+1 minions. They each have one point of Guard, zero in every stat, and your attack modifier. The nothing personnel take damage from sunlight.
Crystallize the Pain: Once per rest, you can grab an attack out of the air. You take full damage, and create a fist-sized pain crystal containing the attack as a 1-slot item. You can throw a pain crystal to permanently shatter it, unleashing the attack stored within.
Bad Girls And Bad Boys: In dungeons (broadly defined) that you visit, the same hot adversary in black leather can sometimes be found aiding the dungeon’s boss. They are opposed to you but will not allow you to fall if they can help it. They have specter levels equal to your total character levels, up to level five. For level 5, they gain the last applicable forbidden technique.
Searing Sigil: (Flashy) You may expend a Cool Point to inscribe a wall or large object with a personal, wicked sick sigil that glows dimly until you activate it. Upon activation, the sigil is expended, dealing one point of Hot damage to characters within one tile, and you explode through the wall with the sigil on it in a cloud of fire, riding your twisted fucking cycle. You may choose to destroy the wall. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements include Hot.
Shrivel: (Scary) You may spend a Cool Point and touch a target to deal [SPECTER LEVEL]d4 Dry damage. This does an additional [SPECTER LEVEL]d4 damage to targets with significantly Wet properties. You may also use the ability to destroy potions and other watery items; this is a SPARKLY contest if the items in question are equipped and you can destroy up to [SPECTER LEVEL] equipped items. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements include Dry.
Something to Fear: (Scary) When you take at least 4 damage in a single hit, you may spend a Cool Point to inflict one round of fear on the attacker. You may spend two Cool Points to grant an ally an immediate use of this ability by leveraging your reputation. The ally must be within 6 squares and their attacker must be able to see you or otherwise know of your association. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements include Creepy.
Burning Rubber: (Flashy) While riding your twisted fucking cycle, you can leave a trail of flame behind you. It burns intensely enough to ignite particularly flammable things and deal 1 Hot and Dry damage to any character who enters it. As a bonus action, you can spend a Cool Point and intensify the flames to deal [SPECTER LEVEL] more. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements are Hot and Dry.
Call To Below: You may spend a Cool Point to rip open a portal to Below, summoning a demonic biker-knight who will fight alongside you, or can service your twisted fucking cycle efficiently and competently. Your thrall will stay for [SPECTER LEVEL]+2 rounds. If it is slain, it will return home and will not respond to your call until the following nightfall. You may always avenge your thrall with Getting Serious, even if you avenged a different character or summoned ally this scene. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements are Creepy and Hot.
So Long Suckers!: (Loud, flashy) As an action, rev up your twisted fucking cycle and create a huge cloud of dust. When the dust clears, a decoy of you appears to be flipping off the nearest opponent, distracting onlooking enemies as you maneuver yourself elsewhere. This only works on each opponent once per scene. You may only select this forbidden technique if your Dark Attunements are Creepy and Dry.
CREDITS
thank you to phlox for bringing us the darke renegade, to whom the specter owes a great deal of its lineage, as well as the inspiration for the crystalize the pain ability.
thank you to my friend and collaborator gigi gutsygills for helping me bring this class to fruition -- don't tell the others, but the specter's kind of our baby.
thank you to my friends card and strong for being real life specters
NOTES
i thought it would be really funny to make the edgelord class be one of the core classes, and the more we developed it the more we realized it perfectly fit the tone of the setting. also, we've done a joker's trick by making the core class that most lends itself to being a dark and brooding type not only be an affectionate parody, but also by giving it a bunch of support abilities. being a team player is wicked sick, bro.
the specter is intended as a foil to the gallant, the dark knight to its light knight.
