Monday, December 9, 2013

Elementals

An Elemental from the Chronicles of Riddick

The Elementals are a race divided by five.  Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether. Human seeming, each fifth of their species expresses a different element.

Adria, from Stargate: the Ark of Truth

They exist in almost every universe, and they're mistrusted everywhere. The most common accusations hurled against them by their enemies is that they are atheists, witches, and spies.

This should surprise no one.

The Elementals eschew participation in other civilizations' religions, and claim to have none of their own. They're an offshoot of humanity dedicated to "the teachings and mathematics of Plato."  Instead of praying or worshiping, they calculate. They extrapolate the future from these calculations - when they aren't actively shaping it through their "prophesies" and prognostications.

Anyone who has read Plato's Republic should expect his followers to be arrogant, clever, and meddlesome. Little is known of the full extent of their powers, but it seems clear that they are not mainstream psychohistorians. The Elementals never share their calculations or the data sets from which their prognostications are derived. This reinforces others' mistrust and the sense that they are biased or actively manipulative.

Their arrival generally spells bad news for someone. That's why wise rulers often fetter these wily, clever and evasive visitors. You'll know an Elemental is visiting when you hear their approach accompanied by the clatter and clink of a train of adamantium chains.



OGL MECHANICS


The Elementals
Human offshoot race (neutral)

An Elemental of Air follows.

ASPECTS:
  • High Concept: The Embodiment of Air
  • Trouble: Distrusted as atheists, witches, and spies
  • Aspect: "Elementals... we calculate."
  • Aspect: Sought after for their prognostications
  • Aspect: "We can't fly but we glide very well"
APPROACHES:
  • Careful: +1
  • Clever: +3
  • Flashy: +1
  • Forceful: 0
  • Quick: +2
  • Sneaky: +2
STUNTS:
  • Breeze By: Take +2 to Quick Approach when attempting to move swiftly within or between zones.
  • Calculate: ALL Elementals regardless of Element take a +2 to their Clever Approach to Create an Advantage by mentally calculating the likely futures of an individual or a situation.
  • Glide: Air Elementals can't fly, but they don't fall either; they can walk in a straight line through open air. 
  • Not Stopped Easily: Air Elementals can walk through walls, unless fettered by adamantium chains. Chained or unchained, they are also are immune to hand-to-hand, melee, and traditional/conventional ranged weapons (e.g., javelins, spears, arrows, bullets). Energy weapons affect them normally. (This Stunt costs 2 Refresh.)
REFRESH: 2



2 comments:

  1. Linking them to Plato was inspired!

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    1. I can't take too much credit for the Platonism piece, as it is clearly stated at the Riddick wiki that the Elementals are followers of Plato. However it did get me thinking about the... kind of politics that the "Republic" proposes, and from there it was easy to concluded that the Elementals might be treated with suspicion and fear based on these associations. I mean in the Republic, the guardians are charged with controlling the citizens' thoughts through the careful selection of music and poetry. And of course, there are no real checks and balances on the guardians...

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