Copyright crap: The author of this thingy would like to take a moment to acknowledge that most of these things strongly resemble creatures envisioned by numerous other people, and that any resemblance to what those original authors intended is strictly coincidental. The terminology, concepts, and similar stuff relating to the film Highlander and the Highlander television series are owned by other people than me (notably Rysher Entertainment), as are the gaming goodies relating to the TimeLords System and the CORPS (in this case, BTRC). The use of their trademarks in this essay is without ANYone's permission. Some concepts used herein have been used elsewhere in the Highlander: The Gathering, 2d ed. Storyteller System supplement, by Hank Driskill and John Gavigan, but I refuse to ask for permission for things I coincidentally thunk up myself. As I have no intention of making any money with this stuff, this should in no way be construed as a threat to their trademarks or copyrights (and in fact might be considered as free advertising...). On the other hand, I would appreciate being mentioned should any of this stuff ever be used. I. Marc Carlson LIB_IMC@CENTUM.UTULSA.EDU 9 December 1997 *************************************************************************** Highlander Immortals for TimeLords and CORPS. Explanatory Note Terms marked with an asterisk (*) are "Canonical" according to the producers of the series, as reported in the FAQ. All material and interpretations that follow are as closely grounded in the "canonical", based on the first and third Highlander Movies and the television series up to the end of the third season. Areas of absolute speculation on my part are marked by two asterisks (**). Special Notes are bracketed ([]). All Gaming specific information will be given in the form (where appropriate) of (TimeLords)/(Corps). The origins of the so-called "Immortals" are unknown, perhaps lost in the dawn of time. Methos, the legendary "oldest Immortal" is said to be old enough that even he can't recall his origins, with his first real memories being the taking of his first head five thousand years ago; "before that, things are a bit fuzzy". Indeed Methos may simply be the oldest LIVING Immortal, with their history extending to the very origins of humanity. There are two likely explanations for the existence of Immortals. The first is that they are some mutation of humanity, and that everything regarding them has some simple, rational (if pseudoscientific) explanation. The other is that they are some form of supernatural entity. This latter tends to be supported by the producers' contention that all Immortals are foundlings. In the end, I selected, where possible, the least miraculous interpretation, as that seems to fit better with the gaming design philosophy behind the TimeLords system and the CORPS system. Immortal Biology I suspect that Immortals are human mutations, perhaps the next stage of evolution. Their parentage is perfectly normal and they can appear in any human population. [I think that it would be safe to suggest that Immortals are no more common than one born for every one million people. This may not seem as though it were a lot, but the implications of that would mean that up to the current day, there have been roughly 10,000 Immortals born throughout all of history into the 1990s. If 90 percent of those older than a century have been killed off, that still leaves about 5500 active Immortals on Earth. As the population continues to increase, there will be a proportional increase in the population of Immortals.**] There is no outward indication of which humans are destined for Immortality, although there is they can somehow be identified by Immortals (how this happens is not known, but it is clearly different from how they recognize other Immortals). These proto-Immortals live and age normally until the day they die. There has been no clear statement of any difference between the proto-Immortal state and the normal human condition, so it may be assumed that they suffer illnesses, and so forth, like normal humans. It is assumed in the series that proto-Immortals are sterile, unable to father or bear children. [Although if they could, this would help explain the passage of the mutation into future generations.**] At the point that the die, the proto-Immortal ceases to age. Any scars, disabilities, mental difficulties, and so forth are carried forth as the "basic form" that the Immortal will regenerate to (with some exceptions discussed later) every time that they are "killed". A proto-Immortal that is a child at the time of his or her death, will remain a child thereafter. [There has been no indication that I am aware of, in either the movies, or the series that a person capable of becoming an Immortal, who has died of old age has undergone the transformation, and so it might be that only death by violence or accident contains sufficient psychic trauma to trigger the metamorphoses.**] After they "die" for the first time, and for every time thereafter, they only appear to die, as they begin to regenerate their damage. They usually seem to awaken before they are fully regenerated, and during these few moments of their new life, they are often disoriented and in discomfort. If the cause of the Immortal's "death" is more than the individually regenerating cells can easily cope with (for example, a knife in the heart) the Immortal will enter a form of bodily stasis, until the interference is dealt with. It should be remembered regarding bullets that it is the hydrostatic shock of the projectile's impact, more than the physical presence of the bullet that does that damage, and that shock only lasts but a moment. The presence of a bullet rarely interferes with an Immortal's regeneration [The bullet is usually expelled by the body through an as yet revealed process, but is probably similar to the body's working a splinter out.**] Lethal damage is healed quite rapidly, while non-lethal damages is overcome no more quickly than for normal humans, although such wounds do not leave lasting scars. Limbs will regrow, and so forth, returning the Immortal to the "base form". There have been a few cases of an immortal healing a wound instantly, with just a spark of lightning. Since the times this has appeared to occur, the Immortal in question was unconsious, it is unlikely that that it was an intentional effect. Wounds caused by certain psychically enhanced or magical weapons, however, heal no more quickly than mortal wounds, and these may leave scars. This is particularly true of wounds caused by a certain intensity of attack, for example, a blow intended to decapitate that Immortal caused by another Immortal. A limb severed by such an attack will never regrow. [I suspect this is because there is a surge of surge of psychic energy from the wielder of a phsycially charged or magical weapon focusing on the decapitating blow. It is this *extra* psychic energy that causes scars.**] It is also possible that there is sufficent psychological trauma induced by a wound that brings them so close to death that the Immortal somehow subconsciously inhibit total healing, and allowing a scar to form. Drugs and poisons will effect Immortals as normal for humans, although at times they seem to have a greater resistance to the long term effects of poisons and they are unlikely to die from an overdose (although if they do, the damage resulting from the overdose is healed by the regeneration. [Note that some drugs often do more damage than is readily noticed, for example, absinth functions by destroying the neural sheathing in the brain, and this generally leads to death. [In Immortals, this is also the trend, and the neural damage is only healed after death.] Broken bones will realign and reset themselves, often quite suddenly and painfully. Burns are healed a bit more slowly than regular lethal damage, but also without scarring. Immortals appear to have a great resistance to electrical effects and burning from such effects are healed at a rate equal to normal lethal damage. [It may be supposed that an immortal that is absolutely reduced to ashes, or vaporized, will not regenerate.] Immortals do appear to have a complete resistance to all diseases, although if this is due to their regeneration or some form of advanced immune system is as yet unrevealed. [One particular author of Highlander Fanfic has suggested that Immortals have enlarged spleens and a hyperactive lymphatic system, resulting in antibodies in their blood for every disease they have ever encountered. If the immunity is due to their regeneration, then they are likely to be immune to such diseases as HIV, but if it is simply their advanced immune system, this may not be the case.] An Immortal can survive for a long time underwater or in bad air (or even possibly in a vacuum), their regeneration allowing them to retain life as their lungs draw whatever oxygen it needs from the environment. Given time, an Immortal will succumb to the water or bad air. If there is some other effect, this apparent "drowning" will occur much faster. An Immortal that succumbs to starvation, or the cold, will recover normally, although that does not mean that they will not succumb to the same influence. It is possible, along the same vein that an Immortal can drown, only to eventually succumb to that bodily stasis that will sustain them though seemingly "dead" until the situation changes. An Immortal CAN be killed however, by decapitation. It is assumed that it is the large scale neural disruption that actually kills them, and therefore they can be killed by any attack that destroys the Brain/Body psychic connection**. [It is my hypothesis that Immortals can be permanently killed by any attack that actually destroys the head, such as a heavy caliber bullet to the head, hand phaser, nuclear explosion, a hot enough fire, etc.**] Psychic Powers Clearly Immortals are beings with high levels of psychic power, some of which they even seem to be able to use, after a fashion. The first and formemost of those psychic abilities are a form of Extra-sensory perception, called by some "the Buzz", while others refer to it as "The Presence" or even "The Quickening", possibly refering to that power of life that infuses the Immortal and is the source of his powers and existance. This Extra-Sensory Perception is a passive power that allows them to detect the presence of other beings with high levels of psychic power, specifically other Immortals, at a few tens of yards range. [I presume that this range is the based on the extent of the Immortal's aura, and that as it interacts with another Immortal's aura, the ESP registers the change in the ambient psychic levels.**] However, this Perception is not a definitative thing, only indicating the presence of an Immortal, not who or where they are. Unfortunately, this power has not been shown to be sensitive enough to register the comparitively weak power of mortal psychics. [There *have* been one or two instances in the series of an Immortal seeming to be able to identify another Immortal, or to gauge a direction of that Immortal, but these may be cases of unique training, or, more likely, simple simply a luckty interpretion of the impression on the part of the Immortal. Also, in one case, Mako, an Immortal is able to mask his presence from a young Immortal, Richie, long enough to sneak up on him.] The symtoms of "the Buzz" are often traumatic, taking the form of dizziness, tunnel-vision, a form of "tunneling" of the senses, a feeling as though the world were tightening in on the Immortal, nausea, or similar things. In one case, the "buzz" triggers sneezing, as though it were an allergic reaction. There is a passive Perception that can some how detect the subtle "signature" of proto-Immortals, and determine the limits of "Holy Ground". With training, this passive ESP can be trained to actively used to an extent. By focusing on the psychic power emanations of other Immortals (and perhaps other psychically endowed entities) even at a distance. This power is similar in form to the passive version, although it is possible that more specific information can be obtained, even about non-Immortals, animals, determine limited psychic impressions in a location, and so forth. Their psychic powers can be trained to be used for coersive effects, to an extent. For example, some Immortals seem to be able to make "suggestions" or give a slight psychic "nudge" to other people, although this ability is more like weakening the inhibitions the target might have towards doing something they might want to do anyway, or just to break their concentration for a moment. (Source: the first movie (Police Station Scene), and the Episodes "The Lady and the Tiger" (Amanda on the Tight-Rope), and "The Watchers" (Duncan's escape from the Hunter's grip).) As a related ability, some Immortals are able to (perhaps unconsciously) maintain some sort of psychic cloak of invisibility, a sort of "You don't see me" field around their weapons when they are sheathed. (Note: The Novel "The Element of Fire" suggests that this is simply that the weapons are hidden in sheaths sewn into their garments. I think a little of both may be occurring.) There may be some sort of unconscious weather control, although this is probably just an environmental response to the high-level psychic energy released from an Immortal, either in combat, or simply anger. Psychically Charged Weapons Judging from the battles, sparks striking, extra-strength, cutting through materials normally impervious to such attack, it would seem that Immortals are able to focus their psychic power into their weapons, infusing them with that power during a battle (it makes sense to me then that they would use only the best weapons for this...). In some cases, this can serve to strengthen the weapon, improve accuracy, etc., and causes them to make wounds in an Immortal that will heal no better than a mortal would heal (I.e, wounds will have scarring and residual damage, limbs removed will not regrow, etc. The Quickening* According to the producers of the series, the "Quickening" is the process by which an Immortal's life force is transferred to another. The use of the term "Quickening", meaning "to give life to", states clearly that the psycho-kinetic release of energy in a massive display of electromagnetic force, electricity, ectoplasmic effects, and so forth that occurs is secondary to the subsumption of the life force by the killer. This energetic effect can both start, and absorb other energies, such as fire. The above mentioned subsumption constitutes the Killer's receiving of all an Immortal's knowledge and strength, and emotional essence. It has been shown that an influx of "Good" or "Evil" from a powerful Immortal can overwhelm and radically alter an Immortal's personality (e.g. Darius and the "Good Immortal" and Duncan's "Dark Quickening") [There is some question of just how effective this gaining of power and strength is, and what effect it has on the Immortal gaining the power. Certainly, Duncan appears to have improved in his combat skills since the series began, and Kane was most certainly able to use the Illusion and Teleportational powers of the Ancient Sorceror, but there are other bits of knowledge and skill that do not seem to have been transferred. It should be noted that according to the Animated Series, the Quickening can be a voluntary process, without the Immortal having to die, although this does seem to make them mortal.] There is no Quickening if a mortal kills an Immortal, or they are decapitated in an accident, unless there is an Immortal within the "Buzz" range.** If there is no Immortal present, that energy is lost, dissipated back into the ambient psychic energies. After a Quickening, the surviving Immortal is nearly always weakened and badly impaired by the "afterglow" for a few minutes. Holy Ground Immortals are forbidden to kill one another on Holy Ground, which is defined as ground that is holy to Any people, past or present. They may *fight* on Holy Ground, but may not kill. This prohibition is followed even by the most "Evil" of Immortals. It is presumed that this prohibition extends to killing mortals, as well as killing Immortals, but this has not been tested in the evidence we have at hand. An immortal that *does* try to kill another on Holy Ground, seems to trigger a vast energy release around them, as though the spirits or Gods were taking a hand. This release is sufficient to destroy even a psychically charged weapon. An Immortal CAN be killed on Holy Ground, by mortals. [I suspect that since many holy sites are situated on Ley-Line Nexi, that it is that a Quickening within the increased power of the Nexus that is to be avoided. I suspect that such a slaying would produce a Quickening easily powerful enough to vaporize the winning Immortal, but also destroy much of the surrounding environment.**] Weapons The sword is the traditional weapon of an Immortal. The reasons for this are fairly simple - the sword is the most efficient weapon with which you could efficiently decapitate someone. They have been the most common weapon throughout history, and Immortals have used them for millenium, passing the tradition on to the Immortals who followed them. [Technically, the oldest and most efficient weapon for decapitating one's opponent in combat is the Axe or Sickle-bladed swords, such as the Kpsh and the Falx, from which the sword ultimately derived] An Immortal will often have a weapon which he has used for many centuries. To an Immortal, their weapon is more than just a piece of steel. It becomes an extension of their body - they keep it with them most of the time, and it becomes a part of them Life as an Immortal Although Immortals are, after all, Immortal, and don't necessarily need to eat, sleep, and so on, failure to do so will result in them becoming weaker, and eventually die of hunger, thirst or exposure, only to be reborn. However, as a rule, hunger, thirst and cold make Immortals as uncomfortable as they do mortals, and therefore, it is desirable to have a roof over one's head, and money, in order to make your life more comfortable. Most Immortals live among mortals as though one of them. Some Immortals are able to amass great fortunes during their extended lifetimes. However, since Immortals must maintain their masquerade, the illusion that there is nothing strange about them, this can involve having to leave their worldly assets behind. [In the film, Connor used to leave his goods to children who had died whilst very young, and "die", only to return after a suitable interval to assume the identity of the dead person and claim their inheritance. This is probably the best way of ensuring that an Immortal doesn't have to give up whatever worldly possessions he has earned when he has to move on, in order to prevent his true nature being discovered. Doubtless, there are Immortals who travel around quite a bit, but it's likely that, after several centuries of travelling, an Immortal may wish to stay in one place for a while.] Obviously, if an Immortal has settled down in one place, they will need to have some way of paying for their lifestyle on a day to day basis. Duncan, for instance, has extensive stock holdings, but he is also an antique dealer, as Connor was. Immortals' abilities often mean that they are superlative soldiers. Memory and Skills It is arguable that an Immortal has a sort of Eidetic Memory from the time that they take their first head on, but is simply, at this point, a matter of speculation. What is more likely is that they remember things perhaps a bit better than most Mortals, but not supernaturally so. What this means is that there is the possibilty for a gradual deterioration of skills that are not used, and a continual learning of new skills. OTHER STUFF: The "Game": The Gathering and the Prize Down through the ages, a legend has been passed from mouth to mouth - that of the Prize. The legend says that at a time when the number of Immortals in the world grows small, the remaining Immortals shall feel an urge to travel to a far-away land, where they shall fight until only one remains. The final survivor shall win the Prize. No one knows exactly what this Prize is, but to win it is the goal of every Immortal, as it is assumed that the person who wins it would be, in effect, a god. The legend of the Gathering has been passed down from Immortal to Immortal, through the ages... The Gathering is the name given to the time when but a few Immortals remain. They shall feel "an irresistible pull towards a far-away land... To fight for the Prize." In this respect, Immortals are doomed to fulfill a pre-determined role. It is their destiny to battle one another until a single Immortal emerges victorious. According to the series, the time of the Gathering is upon us, and the Prize is waiting to be won. [I personally suspect that both the Final Gathering and the "Holy Ground" are myths generated by the Immortal Subculture, and since both have their uses, they have been maintained, and may well be believed by all. However, there may be some basis to the "Holy Ground" taboo. **] The Prize The Immortals battle for "The Prize" in "The Game": either to win it for themselves, or to keep it from falling into evil hands. Mankind, it is said, would suffer an "eternity of darkness" if the Prize came to an evil Immortal. Exactly what the Prize is is difficult to define, but essentially the Immortal who gains it will become as a God, holding in themself all the power and knowledge of all the Immortals that had ever existed. It is reasonable to suppose that the Prioze includes some sort of extremely high level Psychic Awareness. [In the Movie, Connor could read people's thoughts if he concentrated, and could also have children, grow old and die, if he wished.] On the other hand, it may well be that the legend of the Prize is simply a tale, and that the Gathering will never take place. Perhaps, new Immortals will continue to be born forever, thus ensuring that there will never be a single victor. To an Immortal, it matters little whether the Prize is but a legend. He must battle on, for if he stops, he will surely lose his head to other Immortals who *do* believe in it. The Rules of the Game The "Game", as well as Immortality itself, has a number of specific "Rules" that are followed by most, if not all, Immortals. These include: "No fighting on Holy Ground" "No fighting in public, or where mortals can see you" (This rule is unknowingly violated quite often, particularly with regards to "Watchers" (q.v.)). This rule is tied to the strict stance that one should not reveal one's Immortality to Mortals, although that is itself often violated by Immortals, particularly with regards to loved ones. "An Immortal must fight when they are challenged." This may be an aspect of the martial subculture of the Immortals. "In a challenge fight, there can be no outside assistance. All fights must be one on one." This may be because the Quickening can not be divided, or it may be an aspect of the Martial subculture of the Immortals. To some Immortals, these rules are just guidelines. To others, they are followed with a religious fervor. It can be clearly seen that combat is a fact of life for an Immortal. Whether he or she likes it or not, unless they learn how to use a sword, and, more importantly, are prepared to use it, they will surely lose their head. You can't run forever, and if you try hiding, you'll eventually be found by another Immortal. Only by killing your fellow Immortals in combat can you hope to survive and have any chance of winning the Prize. When two Immortals meet, they don't have to fight (we have seen in both the movie and the series how two Immortals may become friends), but when the time of the Gathering comes, it will be their destiny to battle until only one remains. They ultimately have no choice in the matter. "There can be only One." The Watchers The Watchers are a Mortal secret society that has existed for untold centuries, specifically for the purpose of covertly "watching" and recording the lives and activities of the various Immortals. Until recently, Immortals have remained unaware of the existence of the Watchers. The origins of this organization have not yet been revealed, but it has been said that they have been watching Immortals for millennia, never interfering with the objects of their research. They could easily share the Motto of Anne Rice's Talemasca "We Observe and We are always there". Watchers are distinguished only by a tattoo on their wrists, a circle with a "Y" shaped symbol, all in blue. Watchers who break their vows of secrecy are killed. The hierarchy of the Watchers has only been barely explored, but it appears to be made up of a number of levels. The first level of the organization is made up of researchers scholars and historians, who do not do field observations, but are involved in more in-depth studies of the Immortals. There are general field observers, as well as specific Watchers assigned to particular Immortals. Those asigned to watch specific Immortals are given a great deal of latitude and authority, and seem to be trained to recognize most if not all known Immortals. They are supervised by regional administrators, the regions dividing up the globe. Field Watchers follow a Mentor/Student pattern of education that is similar to that used by the Immortals that they study. It is not know if Watchers are paid for their services, but it is reasonable to assume that they receive a generous stipend for their efforts. Where that money comes from is not known. Rogue Watchers Not all Watchers are interested in the idle study of their subjects. Some have gone astray for a variety of reasons. the best known of these are sometimes referred to as "Hunters", who have in the past few years have become dissatisfied with the idea that *any* Immortal is worthy of winning The Prize. These have taken to killing Immortals on their own. Another group of Watchers recently went rogue tempted by the legendary power of the Methuselah Stone. The Methuselah Stone This ancient crystaline object may not exist, although legends about its powers have existed for over 5000 years. Allegedly, it belonged to Methuselah, who eventually gave it to Noah, who used its power to survive the Great Flood. According to the legends, it will protect its wearer from death. In the hands of a Mortal, it will make them immortal. It will make an immortal invulnerable. A stone purported to be the Methuselah Stone was broken up by the Immortal Rebeccah and the individual crystals passed among her proteges. It is thought that if those individual crystals were reassembled, they would recombine into the intact Methuselah Stone. The special abilities of Immortals fall into one of two categories, Regeneration, and Psychic Powers. Regeneration: Immortals recover from wounds much more rapidly than mortals. * Lethal Impairment = # of minutes (Psi/Magical damage = #of days)/ Current HLTH/30 Minutes (Psi/Magical damage = Current HLTH/30 days) * If BP/HLT impairment exceeds -20/0 the Immortal will appear "dead" until the stat regenerates to better than -20/0 * If there is some reason that the regeneration is blocked (say, a knife in the chest), they will not regenerate until that blockage is removed. Nor for that matter will they get worse. If they are unconscious, they may remain that way. * Falling damage is healed quite violently when Impairment exceeds -20/0 as the broken bones realign and reset themselves. * Non Lethal Impairment = # of Hours/Normal * Impairment due to Poison = Normal/Normal * Effective immunity to Disease * Burn Damage Impairments = # of Days/Current HLTH per day. Healing leaves no scars. * Electrical Damage Impairments heal as Non-Lethal Damage. * Drowning/Asphixiation causes 2 DL per hour cumulative Impairment, until -20 is reached sending the body into stassis until breathable air is found. Healing is then # of Seconds. Benefits of regeneration: Breathe Water An Immortal can survive for prolonged periods underwater, their regeneration allowing them to retain life as their lungs draw whatever oxygen it needs from the water. They will *eventually* drown from this, but will recover as soon as they are able to breath freely again. Drugs & Poisons Drugs and Poisons affect Immortals in the same fashion as they do mortals, with the exception that while an overdose might make them quite sick, or incapacitate them for some time, they are unlikely to kill them. Psychic Powers: ESP/"The Buzz"*/the Quickening/the Presence Passive Immortals will automatically pick up on psychic power emanations of other Immortals (and perhaps other psychically endowed entities) who are nearby. They can even detect the subtle "signature" of proto-Immortals. This power takes the form of "tunneling" of the senses, a feeling as though the world were tightening in on the Immortal, a sense of nausea. Specific information is not given, nor is the Immortal's location determinable, or even the presence of more than one Immortal. The range of detection is incumbent on the Power of the Immortal being detected. (TL: 1 meter/pt of Power; CORPS: 2 meters/pt of Power). Active Some Immortals can, by focusing on the psychic power emanations of other Immortals (and perhaps other psychically endowed entities) even at a distance. They can even detect the subtle "signature" of proto-Immortals. This power is similar in form to the passive version, although it is possible that more specific information can be obtained. The range of detection is determined (TL: 1 km/pt of ME; CORPS: as per the Power "Clairsentience"). ESP/"Scan" Passive Danger Sense Active Some Immortals can mentally scan an area, picking out potentially dangerous things, such as hidden weapons, etc. This ability also allows them to, by scanning other people distinguish pertinent details, such as their name, etc. The range of detection is determined (TL: 1 m/pt of ME; CORPS: as per the Power "Clairsentience"). Domination Effects (all of these require relative calm to generate and maintain) "Ping"/Psi "nudge" Mind Attack ME = Non-Lethal DV (note: should not have a total effect of more than 1) with a called shot to the Head required. Coercion/Overcome Inhibition ME = Impairment to Willpower. Suggestions are very simple (e.g. "Lose your temper", "Let me go") and can be shaken off with minimal effort, or disrupted by any sort of distraction. Range is less than a meter, and eye contact must be made and maintained. Weapon Invisibility ME = Impairment to perception. This effects everyone around the Immortal who can see him or her. Note that the Immortal *must* be making some attempt to conceal the weapon by more mundane means as well. Psychically Charge Weapon Immortals are able to focus their Power into their weapons infusing them with psychic power during a battle, sometimes seen as a PK/EM discharge as the weapons strike each other. In some cases, this can serve to strengthen the weapon, improve accuracy, etc. It will cause then to make wounds in an Immortal that will heal no better than a mortal would heal (I.e, wounds will have scarring and residual damage, limbs removed will not regrow, etc.). Any Immortal who strikes for a decapitating blow will instinctively cause this damage. To increase IA and AV of a weapon requires a special skill. The effect is based on the weapon enchantment rules, and only lasts as long as the Immortal is concentrating on that effect. Quickening Effects: The lightning/protoplasmic effects cause 1 DV/Hex for a number of hexes equal to 1d10 * (.5 POW + WIL of the Immortal killed) for (POW of the Immortal killed) seconds. The suviving immortal takes none of this damage, but is at -10 Total Impairment for (POW of the Immortal killed) minutes. The POW and Major Skills are converted to .5AP and .5SP and then added to the surviving Immortals POW and Skill Banks (Behavior change is left up to the player). Basic estimates for NPC Immortals. Age AP/SP Power (TL) AP/SP Power (Corps) 0-30 300-356/600-1020* 10 (25 AP) 30-60 356-475/1020-2220 11 (30 AP) 60-100 475-600/2220-3420 12 (40 AP) 100-150 " " 14 (50 AP) 150-200 " " 15 (60 AP) +50 - - +10 AP Specific ideas for designing Immortal characters: Friends/Allies An Immortal is likely to have a number of friends, allies, henchmen and acquaintances, some of whom may be in a position to offer some help to the Immortal if it is needed. These should be detailed. Please note, that it is unlikely that these friends are going to know much about Immortals, although some that do (a la Tessa and Richie in the TV Series and Rachel in the movies) are possible. Note that the more friends and allies an Immortal has, the more chances for the "Lois Lane Syndrome" they are also likely to have (i.e., hostages to other Immortals). Enemies An Immortal is also likely to have enemies, both Mortal and Immortal, who would like to cause the Immortal trouble. These can include other Immortals in the Game, "Hunters" as well as any standard foes that people can collect. Mentor A mentor is an older Immortal who trains the beginning Immortal in the "Rules of the Game", as well as the basics of long term survival. Just who this mentor is, and their relationship tot heir student, can have an influence on what sort of person the Immortal turns out to be. Without a Mentor, the young Immortal is likely to lose his or her head at the first opportunity. Students Many Immortals will take on newly created Immortals as students for a while, and these may be around long enough to take part in their adventures. Immortal Reputation Sometimes, particularly active Immortals can develop a reputation among other Immortals. Since both Connor and Duncan are known as "The Highlander", and their exploits are added to the reputaion of this common identity, "The Highlander" is a person of great renown. This can lead not only to help them with the respect of those they meet who have heard of "The Highlander", but also cause many young "hot shots" looking to build a reputation, or to gain a major Quickening to seek them out to challenge them. Mortal Reputation Often in living a day-to-day existance, an Immortal's current identity will become known to Mortals around them. In the Movies, Connor doesn't have much of a reputation among Mortals, while Duncan spent some time being known to the Authorities and Press in the cities where he lived. Note that this is *different* from their reputation among Watchers, which is more akin to their Immortal Reputation. Concepts for Immortal Gaming: Flashbacks: Perhaps you could alternate scenarios between the past and today. That way you could have an adventure in the past, then have that adventure influence people and situations today. Similarly in the way most Highlander shows have a link to a particular episode in history. This might be useful also if all the players don't show up for an evening. If only three players show up, then the GM could run an adventure in the past where the characters also knew each other. This might be difficult, but if you kept a couple of loose adventures ideas brewing, it might help. It would also give those characters a frame of reference that would go back into time. They could make references to people and places long gone. That might create a unique atmosphere for Immortal gaming without role playing flashbacks in the middle of the game. Governments and Police There has been in fanfic at least two stories involving an X-Files/Highlander crossover, and a few of those implications. Based on the TV Series and the Movies (1 & 3, that is), it is unlikely that the Government knows, or even suspects that Immortals exist. However, as we have seen, it is also likely that the presence of at least one serial killer who leaves decapitated corpses lying strewn about will eventually be noticed and investigated. While this can get pretty old in a TV Series (as the Producers determined fairly early on), it might be an interesting aspect to a gaming scenario (Particularly if it leads to trying to answer the question of where all the bodies go).