spook

Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

Spook is a much sought after drug with potent effects. Many Hivers believe Spook to be legend whereas other devote their lives or money to seeking it out. Not only does Spook have fantastic onerogenic and euphoric effects, but as a side-effect which is often unknown to the user, it increases psychic potential or power. Spook is a strange substance which affects the mind and soul of the user. It weakens the astral link between body and soul. If this link were to break, death would ensue, the body would die and consciousness would be annihilated within the flow of the Warp. However, when this link is weakened, the body comes into closer contact with the spirit realm, resulting in an influx of energy and the sensation that one if having very vivid and very powerful dreams. Occasionally Spook trips can be horrifying and leave a user completely insane. This is often due to daemonic influence. If the user is psychic daemons may be able to possess her/him due to her/his vulnerability. Usually though, a user will leave the trip with temporary powers, which s/he may or maynot be able to control. Accidents or power-trips ensue. After a certain amount of use (depending on how psychic a person was already), user will become permanently psychic. Aside from the amazing and beautiful effects, Spook is sought for this reason too by those groups that know its long-term effects.

Spook is highly addictive however, though only psychologically, a users physiology is barely effected. This is an addiction of the soul, a soul increasingly empowered by warp-energy which the Spook allows to be conducted. Due to its rarity and its properties, Spook is extremely expensive. Usually only the very rich can afford a dose, and after one use a dealer will always up the price for next time. Spook addicts are desperate people, haunted by visions, spontaneous psychic fluctuations and a growing awarness of their own emergance into a new realm of reality and spirituality. Because of its dangerous and taboo effects, Spook is highly illegal and only ever whispered about. The Imperial authorities will take Spook from known dealers and users and execute them. (Unless they pass certain psychic tests in which case they will be used for various Imperial purposes instead. This maybe training or sacrifice to the Almighty).

The Imperium wants Spook as much as the rich and depraved. Spook is found only on Necromunda as far as the Imperium is aware, and as a source of psychic empowerment sanction psykers in the employ of the Imperium can find it highly useful. Navigators can use it onboard ship to aid their warp-jumps, warrior-psykers can use it on the battlefield and astropaths can send clearer longer messages at further distances.

Everyone who believes it wants Spook, but only a few are strong or rich enough to afford it.

As described in White Dwarf #130 Spook is an ancient synth-diet found in the lower-levels (known as Forbidden-Cities). A strange mutant mould has grown on the synth-diet which is made partially of re-cycled human tissue. It is green is appearance and is powered into a tincture - the ultimate "magic potion". This is one explanation. It is bes never to let players really know what Spook is, so that it seems all the more mysterious and dangerous. Here are some alternative explanations you could use:

Spook is found in the ancient tombs of the lowest levels. Inside some of these tombs (marked with whatever strange symbols you please), the dust of ancient skeletons are found. Sometimes, with the cavities of the skulls, or where the skull used to be, a strange green powerder is found. This is Spook, the left over remains of a psykers brain once it has rotted. Imbibing it embues one with an essence of this former power, connecting one with the psychic dead.

Spook is an experiment from ages past. Who by? What for? It is found in jars in old laboritories without any hint of how it is made (though such notes would be highly sought after). Such ancient labs are ransacked for the substance which appears to be human-made.

Spook is a substance made from a plant or animal that used to live on Necromunda, but which is now extinct. It is some sort of extract or compound which may have other ingrediants, or requires exposure to some sort of energy.

In my campaign Spook was found as a flower-like shape, it looked like a blue rose and only grew in Caraytid droppings in the darkness in the lower levels which had a certain amount of radiation. This plant was not totally organic, nor totaly vegitable. The scavvies had a small amount of it and were making a killing, though all attempts to cultivate it failed. The nomads had a massive cache of it in an ancient ruined Spire out in the wastes which they used to trade with the authorities. It increased the psychic powers of several charcters and attracted Caraytids.

A Caraytid's appearance is humanoid, indeed, they look like well fed babies or around 18 months with small, vestigal bat-like wings which somehow allow them to fly. they have little pointed teeth and strange, unnerving eyes. Their skin is blue and almost always marked with strange patterns. Sometimes these pattern only cover a small area of flesh, other times the creature is totally covered by them. These patterns are self inflicted scars. By this scarification, one can tell a Caraytids age, the more scars, the older the creature is. A young Caraytid is virtually untouched. An ancient Caraytid is covered and knotted with a multitude of beautifully patterned and layered scarring, giving it a fearsome appearance. Caraytids carry small blades they have found or been given with which they (painlessly it seems) carve such patterns. They are asexual creatures with smooth loins and no obvious way of reproducing. Usually they live in the deepest levels of the UnderHive. However, many are found in Churches attached to Preachers. They fly high in the air with thirables, spreading incense and singing hymns in strange insect-like high pitched angelic tones.

Caraytids are viewed as harbingers of good luck and are called things like "Cherubim", "The Emperor's Angels", "Bearers of Fortune", and so forth. Not only are they seen as lucky omens, but they are said to be attracted to people in a position of power and influence, or people who are soon to become influential and powerful but do not yet know it. Indeed, when a Caraytid adopts a Hiver s/he almost always becomes rich, powerful and successful. The reasons for this are varied but related.

Caraytids are psychic creatures. They have the powers of levitation and precognition which vary in degree of ability according to experience and Spook ingestion. Their precognitive powers allow them to seek out those Hivers they see will be successful. It also allows them to flee prior to the failure or death of the adopted Hiver. Because of this, when a Caraytid leaves its partner, its departure is viewed with horror. Misfortune or death are bound to follow.

Typically both good fortune and bad fortune are self-fulfilling anyway. If a Caraytid joins a Hiver, other Hivers will want to join her/his gang because they are expecting good luck and power. Because of this increase in gang size and strength, power inevitably follows anyway. The opposite is the case if the creature leaves.

As a result, Caraytids may join someone they want to become powerful. From the powers below, one can see a Caraytid can alter its adopted host if it pleases, and the adopteee an become very reliant on it for information & advice. Caraytid typically whisper into the ears of their hosts whenever they use their powers (say, detecting a lie) which makes any other interacting character very very nervous and intimidated. Usually, Caraytid never speak alound, choosing to adopt sinister whispering voices into their hosts ear. When they want to frighten someone (which is very easy anyway), they will stare fixedly at them or growl deep in their throat. If they are frightend they will hiss and spit like a cat, and if they are injured they mew and cry pitifully like human babies. Typically they can also be bribed to stay with a Hiver is s/he has a lot of Spook to offer. These creatures have a close relationship with Spook due to their close affinity with it and their addictive psychic need for it.

Caraytid also highly likely to adopted psykers. They are attracted to psychic energy and consider these humans powerful. They will endeavour to help and empower the psyker. Only obviously doomed psykers will not be chosen. Caraytid do not worship the Emperor, or any other power. They will turn to worship whomever their host does, or will, which will have affects on their appearance and abilities (possible mutations or chaos powers). It is possible they will lead a psyker into worship of whatever god they see as being the most useful at the time (useful that is in helping them aquire Spook).

Initial note: the vicitim must be human and within the Caraytids LOS for these powers to take effect. They will not work on aliens, nor if the Caraytid cannot see the human. It can only affect one human at a time. Each power takes one round to complete, and no power cards or points (whatever system you are using). The Caraytid is at no risk from using its powers and cannot be possessed. It can be detected and attacked by psi-powers as normal however, and can defend itself as such also. The vicitim is always allowed a WillPower test each time a power in used against her/him. The test is modified by the difference between the Caraytid's (which is always 10) and the vicitims. So if the victims WP is 8 the test is taken at a minus 2 modifier (so the vicitim needs 6 or less on two d6). Failure allows the power to take place, success means the vicitim is unaffected and notices nothing unusual.

After "Empathy" each power below is required so that later powers will work. So, for example, a Caraytid cannot dominate if it does not have Empathy. Each must be taken in turn.

Levitation - starting power: Caraytid can float up and down and move around with the help of its wings.

Precogonition - starting power: Caraytid can see 1 month into a possible future. Add one month to this power per 10 experience or 1 Spook dose.

Empathy - 10 experience or 2 Spook dose: Caraytid can feel the emotion presently felt by the victim.

Detect Lie - 20 experience or 3 Spook dose: Caraytid can tell whether victim is lying or telling the truth.

Clarvoyance - 30 experience or 4 Spook dose: Caraytid can see in another location as per usual LOS. Add 10 feet to initial range per experience bracket or Spook dose.

store Power - Caraytid can store psi cards or points. 1 per experience bracket or Spook dose up to a max of three. This can be used by the host only.

Read Surface Thoughts - 40 experience or 5 Spook dose: Caraytid can "hear" the present thinking of victim.

Read Conscious Thoughts - 50 experience or 6 Spook dose: Caraytid can "hear" the ongoing and multitudinous thinking of victim.

Read Unconscious Thoughts - 60 experience or 7 Spook dose: Caraytid can "hear" the unknown, unwitting and unthought thinking of victim.

Cause Hatred - 70 experience or 8 Spook dose: Caraytid can induce this psychological state in victim.

Cause Stupidity - 80 experience or 9 Spook dose: Caraytid can induce this psychological state in victim.

Cause Panic/Fear/Terror/Horror - 90/100/110/120/130 experience each or 10/11/12/13/14 Spook dose each: Caraytid can induce these psychological states in victim.

Cause Insanity - 100 experience or 11 Spook dose: Caraytid can induce this psychological state in victim.

Cause Frenzy - 110 experience or 12 Spook dose: Caraytid can induce this psychological state in victim.

Telepathy - 120 experience or 15 Spook dose: Caraytid can send brief messages to the vicitims mind - as many messages as allowed per round.

Mind Link - 130 experience or 16 Spook dose: Caraytid can link its mind permanently to the owner, sending messages and hearing her/his thoughts. Mind link allows a Caraytid to carry out any of the powers below automatically on its adopted host.

Search Memory - 140 experience or 17 Spook dose: Caraytid can sift through a victims memories from 1 year ago. Add 1 year per experience bracket or Spook dose (so 5 doses will be needed to read back 6 years for example).

Wipe Memory - 150 experience or 18 Spook dose: Caraytid can wipe 1 days memory from a memory found using the power above. Add 1 day per experience bracket or Spook dose. In this way a Caraytid can cure insanities and psychological trouble, cause problems for interaction and work so as to alter a persons character (see below).

Control - 160 experience or 19 Spook dose: Caraytid can control a persons actions until s/he passes WP. Actions cannot be obviously suicidal or life threatening.

Alter Personality - 170 experience or 20 Spook dose: Caraytid can alter fundamental character traits and flaws, eventually changing (& thus destroying) a person completely.

Dominate - 180 experience or 21 Spook dose: Caraytid can completely control victim, even inducing her/him to blow her/his own head off if Caraytid pleases.

Caraytid's are extremely greedy for Spook. They will seek it out & demand their share. They view all other Caraytids are enemies, potentialearters of their share of Spook. Caraytid will not let it be known how much they need or crave Spook, but they will try to take it in anyway they can, which is usually very easily. It will soon be evident to a host with Spook that "their" Caraytid is empowered.

Sometime Caraytid are simply using their host and will suck him/her dry of Spook, or be using her/him as a means to this end befroe departing. At other times they will join the Host becuase of her/his potential and may become loyal and lifelong partners - partners that are viewed as being "owned" or "pets" by the Hiver host, but who in actual fact could be easily detroyed by the creature.

Alien life: Caraytids visited Necromunda sometime ago. They stayed because they became addicted to Spook, or were trapped and couldn't leave. They arrived by flying through space, or an via Eldar Warpgate. Their aim is survival, escape (if they remember where they came from), or simply Spook.

Daemonic: Caraytids found a way into real space from the Warp. Either they found a Warpgate, possessed psykers (weak ones, or psykers on Spook trips), or impregnated human females so as to be born into real-space. But in this case, what are their aims?

Indiginous life: They have survived since humanities arrival on the planet. No-one is sure how they did this, probably through their relationship with humans.

Deformed humans: Caraytids are deviants who hav fled into the UnderHive. Occasionally a female will give birth to one of these creatures, which will subsequently fly away.

Ghosts: Caraytids are the trapped spirits of dead Hive-psykers who were addicted to Spook. Spook use has damaged the astral link between body and soul to such an extent that the Spirit has been trapped in the material realm with a constant hunger for Spook. Often 15 000 years old tombs that were once built at the very bottom of the Hives are found. Inside are sleeping Caraytids, lying amongst the dust of their former bodies.

It is possible Caraytids may grow. Their baby shape is suggestive of immaturity. Perhaps when a Caraytid reaches great power it grows angelic in size and appearance. It may depart, or it may stay with its host. Perhaps the shape it due to one of the factors above. Or maybe you don't need an explaination. Players love mystery. In my campaign they will never find out. Best to just let them enjoy the strange litle things as enigmatic.