Doomsayers

Edge: Arcane Background (Doomsayer)

Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Faith d6+, Spirit d8+

Arcane Skill: Faith (Spirit)

Power Points: 10

Starting Powers: 2 plus environmental protection

Backlash: Should a Doomsayer roll a 1 on her Faith roll, she is Shaken. On a critical failure, she gains a random mutation and does not get her extra card draw (see below).

Available Powers: Armor, barrier, blast, blind, bolt, boost/lower trait, burst, confusion, damage field, darksight, deflection, detect/conceal arcana, drain power points, elemental manipulation, EMP, entangle,

environmental protection, farsight, fear, havoc, healing, intangibility, light/obscure, mutate, slow, summon ally.

Special Rules:

• Mutations: Doomsayers begin the game with one random mutation (see page 95). Whenever a Doomsayer draws a mutation in play, she picks an extra card and takes the best result.

• Recharge: A Doomsayer who steps through a ghost storm (page 65) regains 1d6 Power Points or 2d6 if they get a raise on the Vigor roll.

History

The Cult of Doom is a mutant-led group of individuals who believe “normal” humanity is doomed, and that mutants are the next branch of the evolutionary tree. Some priests of the Cult believe “norms” should be wiped out to make way for mutant-kind. Silas Rasmussen and his green-robed priests—Doomsayers and the more powerful Doombringers—are intent on making humanity’s exit as bloody as possible.

One Doomsayer, a woman named Joan, rebelled against the “Mutant King” and splintered from the cult. She and her “heretics” donned purple Doomsayer robes and are attempting to bring about a peaceful transition to the masses. Joan has genuine compassion for her non-mutated brothers and sisters, but is also smart enough to realize humanity is very well armed and fearful of their impending doom. Those circumstances often lead people to do terrible things that will certainly cause more pain and suffering, and could even result in the extinction of mutants—or even all life.

Joan wants to foster good relations between the “Chosen” and the “Doomed,“ and the heretics’ purple robes are the key.

If enough purple-robed Doomsayers do enough good, she hopes norms will begin to see mutants in a better light. She doesn’t expect the Doomed to suddenly come around and believe all mutants are good, because that’s certainly not the case. In fact, mutants are more likely than humans to be a bit off kilter, or even downright crazy. Joan chalks this up to the Glow’s failed experiments. She does, however, hope that the good works of her followers will eventually convince the Doomed to give the Chosen a fair shake.

As such, Joan’s followers prove themselves by doing good deeds for mutants and norms alike. They protect villages, cure rad sickness, heal the wounded, and—most important—lead resistance against mutant attacks. Yep, you read that right. The Chosen might be humanity’s next branch on the evolutionary tree, but they haven’t been “Chosen” to kill, ravage, pillage, and plunder. Doomsayers are the first to wade into a den of these deviant mutants and start blasting (reasonable mutants allied with Silas are given the chance to convert to a more peaceable way of life before they’re nuked).

Silas’ followers greatly outnumber Joan’s, and their mutations cause many to be a bit unstable to boot. To make matters worse, a lot of norms don’t understand the schism and think all Doomsayers are out to kill them. This makes life pretty difficult for these desert do-gooders. Heretical Doomsayers are ordained by Joan or a select few of her original heretics and given a purple robe emblazoned with the symbol of the Cult of Doom: a combination of the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, superimposed over the flames of the Apocalypse. The symbol looks to many like that of a three-legged mutant.

Doomsayer Edges

Oppenheimer’s Chosen (Weird Edge)

Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane

Background (Doomsayer), Vigor d8+, Faith d8+

This priest of the Glow is blessed by one of the Nine Great Saints of the Cult of Doom. Unfortunately, the reactor that burns brightest also runs the greatest risk of melting down. All of the Doomsayer’s damage-causing powers, such as bolt, are increased a die type (so 2d6 becomes 2d8). However, should he suffer backlash on any power, he is Shaken and suffers 3d6 damage. If this kills the Doomsayer, the last miracle goes off as if it were successful with a raise. He then explodes in a burst of radioactive energy that causes 4d10 damage to everything in a Large Burst Template centered on the priest. Those who suffer a wound or more gain a mutation as well!

Doomsayer Powers

Jump to the Standard Savage Power List

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)

Rank: Novice

Power Points: 2–10

Range: Spirit

Duration: 3 (2/round)

An electromagnetic pulse fries non-shielded circuits and electronics. It’s a great way for a Doomsayer to level the playing field when faced with high-tech weapons and vehicles. To use EMP the Doomie places a Medium Burst Template anywhere within range and then makes a Faith roll. The difficulty of affecting a target depends on any shielding it might have, as shown below. Affected electronics are fried and generally must be replaced.

• Large Target: For two additional points, the Doomsayer may affect everything in a Large Burst Template.

EMP Table

Cost Affected Items

2 Handheld electronics

3 Home computers, vehicle ignition systems

4 Light military gear, industrial computers

6 Military computers, junker tech, shielded electronics, headbanger chips, cyborgs, normal robots

8 Heavily shielded electronics, automatons

Mutate!

Rank: Veteran

Power Points: 6

Range: Touch

Duration: Special

This insidious power is feared by “normals” and all but the craziest mutants. The Doomsayer must expend his Power Points and then make a successful touch attack against his opponent. With a success, he makes a Faith roll opposed by his victim’s Spirit. On a success, the victim gains one random mutation for a period of a week. With a raise, the mutation is permanent.

• Additional Effect: By reducing the Power Points spent to 1, the Doomsayer can control the Glow so that the effects are temporary (about 24 hours). This bestows minor but very noticeable mutations such as boils, purple skin, scales, horns, and the like. This is usually used to give a norm an appreciation of what their mutated brothers and sisters go through each day. It counts as the Outsider Hindrance among other norms.

Trappings

Doomsayer powers are bright, flashy, and often explosive. They glow with pure green radiation that can sometimes leave after-effects such as redness or skin pustules on those affected by them. A Doomsayer about to cast a power glows green with sizzling energy before unleashing it—a tell-tale sign to others that doom is nigh. The “children of the atom” tend to call their powers names associated with radiation, nuclear war, or famous scientists who worked in the field of atomic energy. Blast, for example is nuke, while multiple bolts are called MIRVs (a type of warhead that stands for Multiple Independently-targeted Reentry Vehicle), and lower trait is the “Curse of Marie Curie.”

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