Friday, August 19, 2022

The Watcher At the Breach, Mysterious Gatekeeper

This is the kind of opponent and environment that a group of heroes might encounter while dimension-hopping, and could also appear as a third party who winds up fighting against both heroes and villains bent on tampering with the reality breach they watch over. 

The Watcher At the Breach

The Watcher At the Breach is more of an archetype than an individual, something that manifests near spots where the fabric of reality is worn thin.  They are not necessarily supernatural beings, but are definitely connected to foreign dimensions and strange environments.  Their main motivation seems to be keeping firm control over the the rift they oversee, preventing passage beyond or meddling with the breach itself.  It isn't impossible to convince a Watcher to stand aside for a time, but no one can predict what cost there may be for their cooperation, or how long it might last. 

Description: A figure only vaguely seen at the best of times, as though concealed by great distances in a direction humans can't fully comprehend.  Perhaps it's a man concealed in a robe and cowl, but it seems taller and thinner than any man should be.  Even its color is indefinite, like a shade mortal eyes can't properly perceive.  If it has a voice none have heard it, at least not outside dreams and nightmares.  

Gender: None?        Age: Uncertain       Height: Variable      Eyes: Maybe?

Hair: None                  Skin: Probably Not                 Build: Cloaked In Mystery

Approach:  Bully                          Archetype:  Domain

Health:  55 + (5 x H)

Powers: Presence d10, Intangibility d8, Invisibility d8

Qualities: Imposing d8, Otherworldly Mythos d8, Unearthly Watcher d8

Status: (# of Environmental Targets & Challenges) 3+ - d10, 1-2 - d8, 0 - d6

Abilities:

Aura of Terror (I) Whenever you or your nearby allies Hinder, increase the penalty created by one.

Converging Energies (A) Roll any number of environment minion dice.  Attack every target in the scene (other than yourself) with those dice.  Remove those minions.

Open the Breach (A) Activate one of the environment's twists in its current zone or one closer to the Red.

Siphon Ghostlight (I) Roll any number of environment minion dice.  Recover Health equal to the total of those dice.  Remove those minions.

Unearthly Resilience (I) Reduce all damage dealt to you by two.

Upgrades & Masteries (optional):

Villainous Vehicle +15 Health.  Add a Unearthly Moon Overhead d12 Lieutenant with the following abilities to the scene:  Distance Attack (I) To Attack this vehicle, the Attacker must make an Overcome in order to get close enough to reach it.  Minion Deployment (A) Add a number of minions equal to half the die size of this lieutenant to an existing minion group.  The dies size of these minions is equal to the largest die size in the group.  If this lieutenant has a mod applied to this action, increase or decrease the number of minions created with the value of that mod.

Master of the Unfathomable (I) If you are in a situation involving eldritch forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to do the bidding of eldritch entities beyond human concerns.

Tactics

The Watcher is difficult to detect until it takes action, usually in response to someone tampering with the reality breach it oversees.  When it does react, it will use Open the Breach to trigger They Come From Beyond environmental twist, repeating until the scene is well-stocked with Ghostlight minions.  The minions will initially rely on Hinders to benefit from Aura of Terror, gradually shifting to more and more Attacks as time passes.  Unearthly Resilience will reduce the damage the Watcher takes, and when it reaches the Red Health zone it may expend some of its minions to heal with Siphon Ghostlight.  It usually holds off on doing a big Converging Energies strike till later in the scene, preferring to use the environment against its foes instead.  

Its upgrade produces a phantom moon in the skies overhead (even indoors, where the ceiling recedes to an impossible distance as reality twists) which proceeds to vomit more minions into the scene as reinforcements, using other actions only when that isn't an option.  Don't use this upgrade unless you're confident the heroes can handle the situation without it becoming a walkover.  The minions here are the major threat, both in and of themselves and as ammunition for the Watcher's strongest abilities.  Keeping their numbers under control is vital for the heroes.      

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Ghostlight d6 or d8 minions

Description: Balls of pale light about two feet in diameter, with the consistency of cold fog and accompanied by a eerie susurration. 

Not of This Earth: You may move as though you had Flight d4 and Intangibility d4.

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A Breach In Reality 

This environment represents the effects found in the vicinity of a dimensional breach, a soft spot in reality.  They have many origins, some mystical, some the result of fringe science, and a few are apparently the result of natural stresses of the multiverse.  Some breaches remain in the same physical space on our world, although their other ends may wander in both space and time.  Others are more transient and may appear and disappear irregularly or according to some cryptic pattern.  Most breaches are largely quiescent, but if one is appearing as an environment in an action scene then something is probably going to pass through if and when the scene tracker runs out.

Eerie Sounds d8, Ghostly Lights d8, Unexplained Phenomena d10

Green Zone

(Minor Twists)

I've Got A Bad Feeling About This: Roll the environment dice.  Start challenge.  Raise Morale 0 Hinder all heroes with the Min die until this challenge is Overcome.

Shroud of Darkness: Roll the environment dice.  Start challenge.  Pierce the Shadows 0  Hinder one hero with the Max die until this challenge is Overcome.

(Major Twist)

Reality In Flux: Each environmental challenge in play requires one extra success to Overcome.  

Yellow Zone

(Minor Twists)

Scything Rifts: Roll the environment dice.  Attack all hero targets using the Min die.

They Come From Beyond: Roll the environment dice.  Add Mid die Ghostlight minions to the scene.  They cannot act until next round. 

Visual Distortions: Roll the environment dice.  Start a challenge.  See Through the Veil 00  Defend all non-hero targets against all Attacks with the Min die until this challenge is Overcome.

(Major Twist)

Surging Unreality: Set all Ghostlight minion dice to d8. 

Red Zone

(Minor Twist)

The Breach Gapes Open: Roll the environment dice.  Add Max die Ghostlight minions to the scene.  They cannot act until next round.

(Major Twist)

Hasten the End: Advance the scene tracker by one.


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