[Cryptworld] New Thing: Puppeteer

A Macabre Manipulator for Cryptworld

PUPPETEER
STR: 3 (45) --- WPR: 6 (90)
DEX: 4 (60) --- PER: 4 (60)
AGL: 3 (45) --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: 3 (45) --- PWR: 90
ATT: 1/45% --- WND: 12
MV: L 75†

Experience: 800

The Puppeteer is an evil mental manipulator who creates and controls human "puppets" as its mindless thralls. The Puppeteer uses these minions to sow discord, commit murders, and spread chaos for its own devilish amusement. It uses its puppets for all interactions with others as the Puppeteer is wildly xenophobic, avoiding contact with the "outside world" as much as it can. It leaves its lair for only two reasons: to retrieve a victim for use as a new puppet, or to flee when discovered.

A Puppeteer creates a new puppet by abducting a victim and imprisoning them in its lair. They then torment them over several weeks, subjecting them to its Usurp Willpower ability. These hallucinations cause the victim to give up all hope, causing their Willpower to eventually drain away. When the victim's Willpower is reduced to 0, their spirit is broken, and the Puppeteer can attempt to use its Create Puppet power. If successful, the victim's essence is destroyed, and they are forever a mindless shell to be manipulated by the Puppeteer. (Use stats for Zombies, CW rulebook, page 72, for all puppets.)

A Puppeteer's dominion over its puppets is absolute as they have become an extension of itself. Anything he wishes or wills, they will do. He can see through their eyes; hear what they hear; taste, touch, and smell what they do. A Puppeteer can control up to five puppets simultaneously, and its range of control is thought to be limitless, although a puppet must return to the Puppeteer's lair once a month for "upkeep". Because of this limitation, a Puppeteer usually keeps its puppets close at hand. The lair of a Puppeteer will have 2d10 puppets that it has created over the years.

However, a Puppeteer will sometimes have one puppet under control in the "outside world," doing its bidding undercover, by manipulating events and people to further the Puppeteer's unsavory goals. Friends and family of the puppet may not be aware that the victim's soul is gone, replaced by that of the Puppeteer.

When the Puppeteer grows tired of its game, or when its outside world goals are met, it will send its puppets out in waves to cause as much destruction and chaos as they can. Mass murders, catastrophic destruction, and other atrocities will be committed by the rampaging puppets as the Puppeteer orchestrates the carnage from afar -- before starting again with a new collection of puppets.

Puppeteer Powers

Usurp Willpower: Once per week, the Puppeteer subjects its imprisoned victim to mental hallucinations, visions, and nightmares that gradually drains the target's Willpower. The attack costs the Puppeteer 20 WIL and requires a specific PWR check versus the column corresponding to the victim's current WIL. If successful, a feeling of overwhelming hopelessness and despair will affect the victim. They will lose WIL as per the results below. This WIL cannot be regained unless the Puppeteer fails its check at some point during the process:

S = The victim loses 1 point of WIL from their current WIL score.
L = The victim loses 1d10/2 (round up) WIL from their current WIL score.
M = The victim loses 1d10 WIL from their current WIL score..
H = The victim loses 2d10 WIL from their current WIL score.
C = The victim loses 3d10 WIL from their current WIL score.

Create Puppet: Once a victim's Willpower is reduced to 0, a Puppeteer removes all remnants of the victim's mind (their thoughts, memories, personality -- all vestiges of what makes them uniquely human), leaving behind an empty, hollow shell. The Puppeteer must spend 1 full day uninterupted with the victim, forcing its will into the newly created puppet. The process requires the Puppeteer to make a general PWR check at a cost of 50 WIL. If successful, the victim becomes a new puppet for the Puppeteer to control. If unsuccessful, the Puppeteer must wait for one week to try again. The victim may be able to regain his lost WIL during this time.