Saturday, October 19, 2013

Morlocks

Tony McVey's Morlock Bust

Just gaze in the Morlock's face and you can see its humanity. Its sensitivity and intelligence. Teeth accustomed to eating meat. Intelligent meat of the healthiest kind.

The Morlocks are a robust abhuman subspecies which evolved from the bifurcation of human stock after a long ReIndustrial Age. In the far future, long after the collapse of the Empire, humanity started over. The long Ice Age had ended, and humanity could once again reclaim and rebuild the Earth.

The ReIndustrial Age proceeded much as the Industrial Age had. Appalling wealth was concentrated over generations in the hands of an idle class which grew ever more effete, indolent, and beautiful. The industrial proletariat tended the wheels and mechanisms of industry and grew ever more rugged, clever, and... ugly.

The Beautiful forced the Ugly to work, sleep, gobble and breed in subterranean factories. The Ugly provided for the Beautiful who lived lives of timeless, dull pastoral pleasure in the world above. In time, the Ugly realized that they no longer needed the Beautiful as bosses; they were able to manage the world below just fine on their own.

Worker self-management.

The Morlocks had broken their chains and won for themselves a world of industrial gloom.  

But the Ugly still needed the Beautiful. The Beautiful made the best food source, far better than the industrial goo that was their fare during the period of their industrial peonage.

The Beautiful. So fair.

And now docile. Compliant.

Good fare.

Tender flesh. Soft, snapworthy bones.

Tasty marrow to consume.

In time, the Visitor came to the Morlocks on his Time Machine. The Morlocks soon discovered how to use the Time Machine for their own advantage. It would allow the Morlocks to spill out of this future Earth into other times, places, and planes. So, they seized the Time Machine.

Soon, they found other machines to tend. Other flesh to consume. Other worlds to win.


OGL MECHANICS


Morlocks
Machine-tending subterraneans

ASPECTS:
  • High Concept: If you are Beautiful we will eat you
  • Trouble: The sun blinds us
  • Aspect: We love machines
  • Aspect: We hate the surface world
  • Aspect: We move freely across space and time 
APPROACHES
  • Careful: +1
  • Clever: +3
  • Flashy: 0
  • Forceful: +2
  • Quick: +1
  • Sneaky: +2
STUNTS:
  • Awaken Machine: Once per session, a Morlock may awaken and/or repair an ancient machine.
  • Find the Weak Spot: Once per session, a Morlock may find a weak spot in space/time and pass it through to another world.
  • Toolbelt: Take +2 to Clever Approach to Overcome an Obstacle by using just the right tool. 
  • We No Longer Feel the Masters' Blows: Take a +2 to Forceful Approach to Defend against physical blows or melee weapons.
REFRESH: 2

Morlock Mooks
  • +2 at: Capturing intelligent meat; Using tools as weapons
  • -2 at: Fighting in daylight; Persuading other humanoids
  • Aspect: Bestial, machine-loving, subterranean cannibals
  • Stress: 6 (12 Morlocks; 2 per stress box)

Do yourself a favor and also check out the Fine Young Cannibals Table at Hereticwerks, a shuddersome and outstanding collection of 20 Morlockian personalities to horrify, annoy, (and possibly) amuse your players.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting variant on the Morlocks. We have a table for Morlock Tool-Belts. It's very interesting that you have them being able to sense Weak Spots. We'd left that for their spell-casters, up to now, but it makes for a very appropriate special ability. The Morlocks in Wermpsittle have a few other optional abilities available to them.
    Love the Morlock Mooks note. FATE does a great job with that sort of thing. Labyrinth Lord could use a Mooks Rule...

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  2. Oooh, love to see that Morlock's Tool Belt table!

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  3. And it's interesting that with the Find the Weak Spot stunt, it is clear that I have adopted some of your language about Weak Points. In case the rest of humanity wants to know what we're on about, look at Weak Points.

    Sorry about all the deletes, folks! I keep messing up the hyperlink (and or text).

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