Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Horror 13 - The Pritchman

This is the thirteenth 4E Anatomy of a Horror, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

This was written up for FASA's Halloween social media in honor of Kyle Pritchard.

The general concept here plays with Kyle, who I've worked with for years now and much more so since 2018 with Elven Nations, more in 2019 with The Adept's Journey: Mystic Paths, and a lot partnering for getting Iopos: lair of Deceit out the door. Between the latter, Empty Thrones, his continued work on Legends of Barsaive, things behind the scenes, and life in general—this has been a very busy year. Without hyperbole, he is one of the nicest and most humble people you will have the pleasure to meet.

This Horror is designed to be less of a nebulous plot device than the previous two, The Babcock and J'osh the Vexing Son, and more of specific threat to a location. Given his dual nature, he's easily a recurring threat and can easily continue being a threat even if he doesn't see it that way. In contrast to the inspiration's pleasant demeanor, the Horror is more visceral and brutal. While still maintaining that same demeanor.

The Pritchman

Easily one of the most insidious Horrors due to the complete sincerity associated with his actions. Nethermancers and scholars who discuss the accounts that filter to them debate The Pritchman’s true nature—to what extent is it a ruse merely to capture prey and wring the most possible from them or is it the bizarre case of a Horror attempting to make friends of a sort and simply being entirely unaware of how this is supposed to work. Despite these ruminations, the end result is much the same: The Pritchman lures in even the most wary with friendly acts and an unassuming demeanor before cutting them to the core.

The Pritchman can take the form of any humanoid Namegiver, but prefers the appearance of an innocuous human man when appropriate. He’s helpful, jovial, friendly, and entirely morally bankrupt. It’s impossible to not enjoy his company with an easygoing demeanor and this Horror is the first to offer help to anyone in need. However, it should be known he may have orchestrated that need in the first place, as he makes subtle use of Corrupt Reality to shape his victims’ world, forcing them to increasingly rely upon him. He never asks anything in return and feeds from the feelings of guilt this instills in these friends.

While many powerful Horrors prefer to work through constructs and lesser Horrors under their sway, The Pritchman is very hands on. He delights in inflicting the final betrayal on his victims, forcing them under his sway when they are overwhelmed by the enormity of the betrayal. It’s possible The Pritchman doesn’t see it this way and instead sees it as the way they can be together forever, by exchanging body parts. Horrors don’t tend to come from a good home life, but there’s still no real excuse for this behavior (though some Nethermancers still find a way to blame the victims).

There is no beholding The Pritchman’s true form in the same way as other Horrors. His astral form perfectly reflects his material form, though flesh is just as malleable as feelings to his fingers. Given the dangers of Barsaive, there’s nothing suspicious of the knives he carries on his person, though they aren’t wholly necessary since he can form weapons from his body just as easily. However, he does use them to different effects.

Challenge: Warden (Eleventh Circle)
DEX: 15        Initiative:                    17       Unconsciousness:      131
STR: 12         Physical Defense:  17       Death Rating:               149
TOU: 18        Mystic Defense:      19       Wound Threshold:     27
PER: 17         Social Defense:       20       Knockdown:                 14
WIL: 14        Physical Armor:      13       Recovery Tests:            6
CHA: 19        Mystic Armor:         10       Karma:                            11 (44)
Movement: 12
Actions: 3; Knives: 30 (24), Unarmed: 32 (22)
Powers:
Awareness (38, Simple): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 129.

Corrupt Compromise (25, Standard)

Corrupt Reality (25, Standard)
Cursed Luck (27, Free)

Damage Shift (27, Simple): The Pritchman can transfer one Wound per success to the victim. He cannot also transfer damage if used in this fashion and must spend one Karma Point per Wound transferred.
Displace (Standard)

Dual Nature: The Pritchman has an astral and physical form. They are not independent, but both must be destroyed to kill the Horror. As long as one form survives, it can reform the other. Attacks that deal Mystic damage affect both forms simultaneously.
Feast of Suffering: The Pritchman gains +1 to Attack and Damage tests for each Wound the target has.
Flesh of Theseus (Sustained): The Pritchman cuts off a piece of a marked victim and devours it, then cuts off the equivalent piece from his body and attaches it to the victim, which blends into the victim’s body shortly and gives them at least one Corruption Point (more may be appropriate for larger body parts at the gamemaster’s discretion). His body part quickly grows back and looks reminiscent of the victim’s body part. This functions like Horror Thread (Gamemaster’s Guide, p. 464), but there are no additional costs and it is always successful. However, The Pritchman can only control that affected piece of the victim’s body—this allows him to see out of their eye, listen from their ear, use their hand, etc. The Pritchman’s mark can never be removed or sequestered once this power is used.
Forge Construct (25, Standard): The Pritchman prefers to create boneless and grotesques from victims who outlived their usefulness, but still have a little left to give.

Foundation of Lies is Still a Foundation: The Pritchman gains +5 to all Action tests against a victim for every Attitude level above Neutral they possess towards The Pritchman. If the victim suffers a complete betrayal from The Pritchman, this bonus is maintained at the previous level until sunrise.
Harvest Energy (30, Free): If the harvested emotion is betrayal, guilt, or pain, The Pritchman gains an additional Karma Point, and gains a point even if the test fails.

Heart Knows What It Wants, The: The Pritchman can make close combat attacks against the target’s Mystic Defense (this can affect targets in astral space).
Horror Mark (25, Standard): The Pritchman can only use this power on targets who have at least a Friendly attitude towards him. In addition to the normal effects, the victims of The Pritchman’s Horror Mark find themselves increasingly relying on him, coming to trust him and gain a Corruption Point upon receiving the mark.

Karma Boost (Free)

Resist Pain (4)

Special Maneuvers:
Corrupted Wound (The Pritchman, Unarmed): The Pritchman may spend two additional successes on an Attack test to leave pieces of his corrupted essence behind when attacking with their natural blades. If the attack causes a Wound, it becomes corrupted and the next healing effect on the victim within 10 minutes causes damage instead; this includes potions, spells, talents, etc. If the effect has a duration, it causes damage for the duration of the effect.
Cutting Room Floor (The Pritchman, Knives): The Pritchman may spend two additional successes on an Attack test to ignore the target’s Physical Armor. If this inflicts more than one Wound, it may sever part of the victim’s body at the gamemaster’s discretion. The size of the body part should be proportional to the number of Wounds inflicted.
Fillet of Flesh (The Pritchman, Close Combat): The Pritchman cuts deeply into his opponent with his blade, easily separating flesh from bone by spending additional successes on their Attack test to reduce their opponent’s Wound Threshold by -2 for this attack. Each success spent in this fashion allows The Pritchman to inflict an additional Wound on the target based on the new Wound Threshold.
Hamstring (The Pritchman, Close Combat)

Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Horror 06 - J'osh the Vexing Son

This is the sixth 4E Anatomy of a Horror, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

This was written up for FASA's Halloween social media in honor of Josh Harrison. I decided to put up here as well to make it easier to find (for myself as well).

The general concept here plays with Josh, who I've worked with for years now and become good friends in the process, as he is when meeting him and some of the things he likes to say in jest. Such as no one can take your books and tell you how to play. It turns out, J'osh the Vexing Son can absolutely take your books and tell you how to play. Both are naturally biliophiles who spread a particular brand of madness.

This Horror is designed less as a villain to be defeated in the traditional sense, and more something that pops up every so often causing trouble. A lot of trouble, there is no doubt, but the source of the trouble is a mystery. It plays with horror themes and in a more whimsical fashion, though disturbing nonetheless.

J'osh the Vexing Son

There’s nothing J’osh the Vexing Son enjoys more than adopting a human guise and mingling with the masses. Spreading “the word” as the saying goes. In this case, “the word” is madness and the Horror’s favorite medium is the written word. It’s texts appear innocuous at first, but it doesn’t take long for those who experience them to descend into a particular lunacy, one unique to each victim, but all possess a singular drive to spread that hysteria onto others. These poor Namegivers force J’osh’s corrupted texts on their friends, loved ones, random individuals they see on the street, anyone who could possibly come to understand the brilliance and obsession of those books. And slowly, ever so slowly, the delirium spreads.

J’osh the Vexing Son’s favorite guise is a mild-mannered middle-aged man, rather banal, but with something just a bit off. Perhaps a little too animated. There’s an excitement and gleam of something not quite right in the eyes. By the time anyone notices these details, it’s far too late and their sense of reality is almost certainly affected. Powerful illusions cloak his true form as he moves seamlessly between personas. Those unlucky enough to penetrate his guise only see themselves reflected back at them, with subtle twists and shifts, drawing them in and beginning their descent to madness. By astral space once the illusions are penetrated, J’osh the Vexing Son is an undulating, non-Euclidian pattern of contrasts that invites delusion to any who behold it. At times whispers repeat and reflect J’osh the Vexing Son’s voice, changing the tone and inflection over and over, inserting fleeting words, causing even the simplest statements to challenge the listener’s perception of reality as the echoes become the listener’s voice.

While capable enough, J’osh the Vexing Son prefers to avoid combat at all costs. Instead, it taunts and cajoles its victims, preying on their wants, desires, and insecurities. Ultimately, J’osh the Vexing Son has no desire to kill, only to spread its madness. The Horror gladly aids its victims in any way possible, seeing it not as a predator and prey relationship, but itself as a partner or mentor to its victims. Even the Horror’s perception of reality is strained at times.

Challenge: Warden (Twelfth Circle)
DEX: 12        Initiative:                  12       Unconsciousness:      132
STR: 10         Physical Defense:  14       Death Rating:               148
TOU: 16        Mystic Defense:      24       Wound Threshold:     24
PER: 19        Social Defense:       24       Knockdown:                  12
WIL: 17        Physical Armor:      9         Recovery Tests:           5
CHA: 19        Mystic Armor:         16       Karma:                            12 (48)
Movement: 12
Actions: 3; Unarmed: 24 (22)
Powers:
Awareness (31, Simple): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 129.

Corrupt Compromise (31, Standard)
Corrupt Karma (29, Standard)

Corrupt Reality (29, Standard): This can be used at any range against a marked victim or a victim in possession of a corrupted text. If successful, the victim also gains a Corruption Point.
Corrupted Texts: J’osh the Vexing Son maintains at most thirteen texts that bear its words and madness. These can be manifestations of the Horror, or existing books corrupted by its will. When one is destroyed, it manifests another or searches the physical plane for a new text to imprint with its essence of insanity, which costs J’osh the Vexing Son 5 Karma Points. J’osh the Vexing senses whenever a suitable being ventures across one of these texts. When a victim reads the text, J’osh the Vexing uses Corrupt Reality to alter their reality to suit its whims. These are often pleasant at first, drawing the victim in before slowly twisting their perception of reality and making it indistinguishable from madness.
Cutting Words (31, Simple): As the talent, Earthdawn Companion, p. 52.

Cursed Luck (34, Free)
Disarming Smile (31, Standard): As the talent, Earthdawn Companion, p. 52.
Disguise Self (45, Standard): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 138.

Disrupt Magic (29, Standard)
Dual Nature: J'osh the Vexing Son has an astral and physical form. They are not independent, but both must be destroyed to kill the Horror. As long as one of the forms survives, it can reform the other. Attacks that deal mystic damage affect both forms simultaneously.
Favored Spell (Encrypt): The duration is measured in years.
Favored Spell (Ephemeral Bolt): J’osh the Vexing Son can spend a Karma Point to change the spell to True Ephemeral Bolt after the target decides to resist. The target doesn’t know this.
Graceful Exit (31, Standard): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 151.
Harvest Energy (31, Free): If the emotion is excitement, discovery, or related to losing touch with reality, J’osh the Vexing Son gains an additional Karma Point, and gains a Karma Point even if the test fails. This power can be used at any range against marked victims or a victim in possession of a corrupted text.
Horror Mark (31, Standard): This can be used at any range against a victim in possession of a corrupted text. J’osh the Vexing Son gains +2 to this test for every Corruption Point the victim has.

Karma Boost (Free)

Maddening Voices (31, Free): Before Initiative is determined each round, one Maddening Voices test is made and the result compared against the Social Defense of each opponent within 50 yards. If successful, the target is Harried for the round due to the voices surrounding them and tearing at their sanity. The penalties also affect Social Defense.
Madness Loves Company: Marked victims gain +1 to tests to convince others to read a corrupted text for each Corruption Point the victim has.
Mimic Voice (45, Simple): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 158.
Redact History (29, Sustained): J’osh the Vexing can perform a ritual that removes evidence of a target Namegiver’s deeds and existence, or the existence of a particular book or passage of the book (though this does not affect texts of different titles with the affected information or memories of the passage, often leading to a Mandela effect). The ritual lasts for one hour, during which time the victim must be immobile and touching the the Horror’s true physical form. J’osh the Vexing makes a Redact History test against the victim’s Social Defence. If successful, all written references to and depictions of the victim on mundane surfaces within 100 miles are removed, leaving only blank spaces. Memories and magic items are unaffected by this ritual.
Spellcasting (31): As the talent, Player’s Guide, p. 168.
Spells (Player’s Guide): (J’osh the Vexing Son is a Twelfth Circle Illusionist and Tenth Circle Nethermancer) Encrypt (p. 296), Ephemeral Bolt (p. 296), Fun With Doors (p. 297), Send Message (p. 298), True Ephemeral Bolt (p. 298), Unseen Voices (p. 299), Blindness (p. 300), Displace Image (p. 300), Mind Fog (p. 301), Fog of Jeer (p. 302), Nobody Here (p. 303), Clarion Call (p. 304), Stop Right There (p. 306), Illusion (p. 308), Presto! (p. 309), Switch (p. 309), Chosen Path (p. 310), Memory Scribe (p. 311), True Switch (p. 312), Twisted Tongues (p. 314), Vertigo (p. 314), Walk Through (p. 314), Face Lift (p. 315), Form Exchange (p. 315), Other Place (p. 315), Astral Spear (p. 317), Ethereal Darkness (p. 319), Spirit Dart (p. 322), Chilling Circle (p. 323), Shadow’s Whisper (p. 324), Viewpoint (p. 330), Debilitating Gloom (p. 335), Step Through Shadow (p. 336), Shadow Tether (p. 340)
Witty Repartee (31, Free): As the talent, Earthdawn Companion, p. 72.

Special Maneuvers:
Forgotten Magic (J’osh the Vexing Son): J’osh the Vexing Son may spend two additional successes on a test targeting the victim’s Mystic or Social Defense to use Disrupt Magic against them as a Free Action.
Madness Carries (J’osh the Vexing Son, Maddening Voices): J’osh the Vexing Son may spend two additional successes on a Maddening Voices test to make a Horror Mark test against the victim as a Free action.