Bookworms

Edge: Arcane Background (Bookworm)

Requirements: Wild Card, Novice,

Smarts d6+, Spirit d6+

Arcane Skill: Bibliopathy (Smarts)

Power Points: 10

Starting Powers: 2

Available Powers: Armor, banish, beast friend, blind, boost/lower Trait, confusion, deflection, dispel, divination, fear, greater healing, healing, light/obscure, quickness, slow, slumber, smite, speak language, stun, succor, warrior’s gift.

Special Rules:

• Book Spirits: Bookworms tap into the power of book spirits, which reside in books and other physical texts. If the text isn’t on the bookworm’s person, he suffers a –1 to his Bibliopathy roll. The text must be within 50 feet to connect with the spirit. If the book is destroyed, the bookworm loses the power until it is replaced (see Real Books, page 28).

• Disconnection: When a bookworm rolls a 1 on his Bibliopathy die (regardless of the Wild Die), his Bibliopathy is reduced by a die type until he spends an hour reading and reconnecting with the book that granted the failed power. A bookworm’s skill can never be reduced below d4 by Disconnection.

• Book Types: When a bookworm chooses his initial powers, and any time he takes the New Power Edge, he must draw a card on the Book Type Table (page 28) to see what kind of book he’s found, how much it weighs, and any special effects it confers.

Jump to the Savage Arcane Powers Page

History

All Librarians understand the importance of preserving humanity’s knowledge. A rare few, however, called bibliopaths or more commonly these days, “bookworms,” have an even deeper understanding of the power of literature.

Bookworms have learned that lesser spirits can come to reside within certain inspirational and important texts. If properly dealt with, the book spirits can even impart power and energy—just like manitous, nature, or tech spirits. Book spirits inhabit a single, physical book that has brought great emotional inspirational to another. An old bookstore might have five used copies of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, for example, but only one might house a book spirit. Maybe that copy got a young man through a tough time in his life, inspired him to fight against censorship, or was simply a foundational stepping stone in his own budding career as a great novelist. That inspiration—that hope—gave rise to the spirit, which is forever after contained within that specific volume.

Book Type

Roll on the table below whenever the New Power Edge is taken to see what kind of book the spirit dwells in.

Card Book Type

2* Damaged: The book is damaged in some way and the power costs 1 additional Power Point to activate.

3–6 Hardback (1 lb)

7–8 Large paperback (.5 lb)

9–10 Small paperback (.25 lb)

Jack Magazine (.2 lb)

Queen Comic book (.1 lb)

King* Special Edition: The bookworm adds +1 to Biblipathy rolls to use this power.

Ace* Signed Edition: The Power Point cost to activate the power is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1).

Joker* Signed Special Edition: The book has both effects listed above.

*Draw again for the type of book, ignoring results of 2 or King or higher.

Librarians & Bookworms

The vast majority of bookworms are Librarians—the two go hand-in-hand like pen and ink, and all bookworms were at least once Librarians. But they don’t have to be that way currently. Some bookworms have drifted from their Librarian responsibilities for personal reasons, and some may have fallen out with the Grand Library and decided to go it alone.

A rare few bookworms have even turned into something more vile called “page eaters” They actually devour the book spirit and gain its power permanently. This is an irredeemably evil act, however, so such characters are villains under the Marshal’s control.

Real Books

Book spirits can only reside in some sort of organic material. That means physical books—not data readers, palmcorders, or slugs. A typical paperback printed on pulp paper is a fine housing for a book spirit. A parchment book with organic ink and a leather cover grants the inhabitant an even stronger channel to the physical world, and thus grants any bookworm attached to it more power (see the Book Type sidebar).

The book must be special in some way. It doesn’t have to be Shakespeare or Plato, but it must show true artistry and understanding of the human condition. A well-written issue of The Incredible Hulk comic works just as well as Machiavelli’s The Prince—assuming both inspired someone somewhere along the line since their printing. If a bibliopath’s book is destroyed, the power goes with it until a replacement can be found. This should usually be the subject of a minor adventure or at least a hunt for a Very Rare text. It doesn’t have to be the same book–in fact, it’s probably not. It just has to be one with a similar theme that has inspired someone before and given rise to a book spirit.

Bookworm Edges

Arcane Owner

Requirements: Novice, Spirit d8+, Smarts d8+, Bibliopathy d8+

The bookworm finds a volume which was inspirational to a person with a different Arcane Background. The character gains a power from another Arcane Background’s allowed list, getting the New Power Edge as long as she meets the Rank requirement. The power uses all the rules for bookworms, but has the effect and trappings of the other Arcane Background. The bibliopath gains no other benefits or drawbacks of the other Arcane Background.

Memorized Every Word

Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane

Background (Bookworm), Smarts d8+, Spirit d8+, Bibliopathy d8+

The bookworm has memorized the text of one short but powerful piece of work and knows how to temporarily call a book spirit to inhabit the text. Once per game session, the bibliopath can copy the text into physical form and imbue it with a book spirit and a single power. The power can be any allowed to the bookworm (subject to Rank restrictions). It has half the creator’s Power Points. Once used up, the Power Points do not recharge and the book spirit returns to the Hunting Grounds. Any bibliopath can use the text. The book spirit is only temporary, and regardless of the number of Power Points remaining, the spirit leaves at the end of the game session. The ritual to scribe the text takes 1d20 minutes and must be done on some form of paper, anything up to light cardboard will work.

Browser Spirit

Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane Background (Bookworm), Spirit d8+

Book spirits live in the organic material of actual books, but bookworms can also communicate with lesser tech spirits that

live in “the Net,” the spiritual repository of all remaining human knowledge. If the bookworm can access a powered data device (such as a palmcorder), she can make a Bibliopathy roll at –2 to tap into the net and the “browser spirits” dwelling there. Failure results in Fatigue that lasts for one hour (this can cause Incapacitation but not death). If successful, the bookworm gains as much information as might be found on an open data network (like our current world wide web) or any data device she is touching. A raise grants her insight from more obscure sources, such as private research computers (even if powered down) in distant locations. Each attempt, regardless of success or failure, takes 1d6 minutes.

Vampiric Knowledge

Requirements: Novice, Vampirism, Arcane Background (Bookworm)

You are able to absorb the knowledge of a book just by touching it, and this an give you a +2 to investigation and specific knowledge skills. The process of absorption does take time, 1d6 rounds for every hundred pages. After the book is absorbed in this way, it becomes blank. If there is a book spirit in the book, then it is destroyed in the process.

Knowledge Cyphon

Requirements: Heroic, Vampirism, Arcane Background (Bookworm)

You can channel the knowledge absorbed from books and spirits into a weapon.

This power is usable a number of times per day equal to 1/2 your Smarts rounded down. This is an action with a range of 12" requiring the target be seen. the caster makes an opposed Spirit roll against the target. on a success, the target is shaken, and losses a die type of Smarts (min d4) for 2d6 days. on a raise, the loss is permanent and the victim suffers a wound. If incapacitated, by this power, the victim's skull explodes...

Trappings

Visual effects vary enormously based on the book. Armor derived from a book about Joan of Arc may resemble a shining suit of chain mail or plate, for example.

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