THE SHIFTER PREVIEW

October 20, 2024

We are close... Almost there... The preview release of several The Lost Bay RPG modules, manuscripts, and digital editions is near!

And one of them is Heterogony of Ends, a Peter Pan and community theatre themed Urban Legend/Module with a gruesome body-horror twist. This module is by Watt, designer of the iconic Cloud Empress. In it you play high-school students,

preparing for their school play during dress rehearsal.

Here’s a snippet of the Urban Legend :

Kids in the district know a flesh-eating bacteria rampages inside Saint Nell’s walls. Stanley Monx ate infected lettuce from the salad bar five years ago and rotted away days later. It gets worse – students still die from the flesh-eating virus! Of course the teachers lie claiming missing children merely moved to another town on short notice.

I somehow strangely wish my high-school was like this. It certainly sounds more exciting!

As we release new TLB-compatible adventure modules, I’ll be bringing back to the center stage several Vibes that have been excluded from the core book. Considering the double theme of body-horror and theatre that runs in Heterogony of Ends’ veins, what better Vibe could I bring back from the hard drive than the Shifter? Here it is, in its ever-changing and unedited form (the gear list is missing), to make your skin crawl and your body feel not-quite-right. Caution: mild body horror.

THE SHIFTER

You are so much more than the decaying flesh vessel that serves as your body, and yet that body is your greatest gift. You collect masks, wigs and clothes, and own the pager number of a controversial esthetic surgeon. You like to dwell in fringe theatres and know the secret entrance to the Old Opera House. The scents of freshly melted latex and face powder fill your lungs with joy. You are one, you are a hundred, free to be anyone, yet sometimes you can’t remember clearly who you are.

To recover weird :

Mold an uncanny latex mask.
Mimic someone to perfection in front of a mirror.
Sculpt your flesh.
Participate in a theatre rehearsal.
Lose yourself in an overwhelming crowd.
Hunt for clothes in one dollar stores.

You’re a SHIFTER, and you serve the Mirror.

POWERS

Passive : BLEND into crowds and look like no one, anyone.

Active :

MOLT. Transform your whole body, face, voice. Shed your old skin in the process. Other PCs roll horror save. NPCs skip one round.
ABSORB a life form and its characteristics into your flesh. Lasts until you use another active power.
REARRANGE flesh. Contact required. Deal DMG or Heal as Flow..
ALTER memories others have of you. Contact or voice required. Permanent.
TRANSFORM small objects.
MIMIC someone you’ve kissed at least once. Lasts Weird rounds.

THE MIRROR

Form: Evanescent reflection in a mirror | A gurgling and crawling lump of flesh and hair.

Shrine: Flesh corrupted makeup booth.

Clergy: Retired make-up artist. Barely speaks.

Omen: You forget the names of mundane objects.

Relic: Barber razor, use it to sculpt and transform permanently someone’s face.

SHIFTER SCARS


1	DAZED. Everything blurs for a while, including your memories. Make a FOCUS Save. If successful, from now on feel a personal memory belonging to anyone you touch. Otherwise you’re not sure who you are anymore, and you lose 1 HEART for any Damage inflicted to your allies at Near. Can be reversed if you encounter The Mirror.
2	SPLIT. Your evil twin’s face grows somewhere on your body (Heart 3, Harm 1). Where does it sprout? Make a FORCE Save. If successful, you’ve just gained an ally, lose a power and get a new one. Otherwise, the new acquired face will work against you, and activate MOLT whenever you fail a Horror Save (don’t spend Weird).
3	MIRRORED. Next time you sleep, you’ll wake up with someone else’s face. Who are they? Make a FLOW Save. If successful, Molt doesn’t require the gross skin shedding anymore. If you don’t have Molt, get it. Otherwise, no one will believe you’re you.
4	MELTED. Painful bubbles erupt all over your skin. You’re off-putting and look only partly human. Make a FORCE Save. If successful, realize you’ve reached the most perfect physical form, gain a new power. Otherwise, the skin burst won’t stop hurting. Every time someone touches you, get 1 Damage (1 extra DMG in combat)
5	FACELESS Skin overgrows your mouth, eyes, and ears. Your voice is muffled and you can barely breathe. Make a FLOW Save. If successful, tear the freshly formed skins before it solidifies. If you don’t have ABSORB, get it. From now on when asked to roll a Horror Save activate ABSORB instead (don’t spend Weird). Otherwise, slowly suffocate as the new skin stiffens, and lose 1 Heart per hour. Removing the excess skin causes 3 DMG.
6	FICKLE. Bowels, muscles, and nerves rearrange deep inside your body. You can feel it, the others hear you scream. Make a FOCUS Save. If successful, feel empowered by all the possible lives within you, and get a new power. Otherwise pass out and lose BLEND. From now on, anyone seeing your face, will never forget it.

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