Children of Frankenstein

[Shadowsoul]

First of all, forget the lumbering poorly stitched brute of Hammer Horror fame.

 

The creatures that I've tried to represent here are descendants of the monster from Shelley's novel. He was an altogether more refined and accomplished being than the one I had always imagined before I read the novel itself.

 

The creature is described by Shelley as 'superhuman', not only superior to man in strength and stature but also possessing more flexible ligaments, a keen mind and a very impressive learning speed. He is also depicted as having a sophisticated turn of phrase coupled with the ability to persuade even the creator who loathes him to bend to his will, at least for a while.

 

In the novel the creature demands that Frankenstein create a bride for him and the scientist agrees, eventually reneging on the agreement for fear of creating a race of powerful fiends that would menace humanity.

 

This write up presumes that in some other reality the monster made its demand before it began slaughtering its way through Frankenstein's loved ones, so his hatred of it was far weaker and he fulfilled his creation's command.

 

As per his end of the agreement the creature and his mate retreated to some distant wilderness and did not bother humanity any further.

 

However, their union was blessed with children and thus a new race or sub-species of humanity was born; called either Homo Mortuus or Homo Maior by those academics who discovered or suspected their existence. These beings shared the powers of their progenitor but also his weaknesses such as hideousness and more importantly heightened emotional sensitivity which can lead to violent outbursts and extreme vindictiveness. A disadvantage and a hit to Ego simulate this second problem.

 

 

Children of Frankenstein.

 

Characteristics.

 

+10 Strength.

+6 Dexterity.

+5 Constitution.

+2 Body.

+3 Intelligence.

-2 Ego

-8 Comeliness

 

Superhuman Speed.

+1 Speed.

Running +2”

 

Bounding. Leaping +2”

 

Total Characteristics cost = 50.

 

Talents and Powers.

 

Quick Learner.

9 point talent that effectively consists of Linguist, Jack of All Trades and Scholar.

 

Life Support (Eating: Character can subsist on almost any organic matter; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat). (5 points total).

 

Terrifying: +5 PRE (5 Active Points); Conditional Power Only for fear based presence attacks (-1). (2 points total).

 

Total Powers Cost = 16.

 

Disadvantages.

 

Distinctive Features: Oversized, yellow skin, pale eyes and veins and muscles bulging through the skin (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses). -20.

 

Psychological Limitation: Emotionally volatile and easily affected by behaviour shown towards him/her. (Common, Strong). -15.

 

 

Final cost = 31.

 

 

Options.

 

Skills of the Father.

 

Climbing 12-

Survival 12-

Persuasion 12-

Stealth 12-

Tracking 12-

 

Total Cost = 15.

 

Ecology: The Children typically live in wild areas such as woods and deserts which they can survive in relatively easily due to their variable diet and resistance to changes in temperature. They do not see themselves as bound to obey their progenitor's bargain however and are quite capable of roaming into the lands of men in search of adventure, new knowledge and human affection.

 

Personality/Motivation: Typical sentient humanoid motivations. In theory as variable as men and as capable of good or evil; the Children tend to regard themselves as benevolent beings, but cruelty and harsh treatment can easily bring out a near uncontrollable rage and a highly vindictive nature. Alternatively if nurtured and accepted despite their foul appearance the Children have the capacity to be extremely good and affectionate beings, serving as staunch protectors to the ones they love.

 

Powers/Tactics: The Children are consummate imitators and students, they learn new abilities and skills very quickly. And so they display the full range of sentient humanoid tactics but will often use skills learned from observing the local humans. A good example would be Children living in the wilds of the new world who have adopted Native American tribal ways. Typically Children like to rely on stealth and cunning as much as brute force and they will not rush headlong into heavy odds.

 

Appearance: Although they are born naturally the Children still retain the inhuman 'walking corpse' look of their progenitor, they are unpleasant creatures with yellow skin and watery eyes and humans usually feel an instinctive repugnance when viewing them. They tend to be 7-8 feet tall with muscles to match. It is possible that some of the Children have acquired the secret of creating new life from corpses in order to avoid the problems of inbreeding in which case some 'home made' versions may have faint scarring from where they were sewn together.

 

Campaign Use: It is possible to downplay the intelligence and potential benevolence of the creatures and just use them as villains, monsters and minions. By tapping into their free will however it is possible to create far more morally ambiguous characters that may even prove to be allies of the PC's or at least creatures that they do not want to exterminate out of hand. In an Urban Fantasy, Champions or Dark Champions setting these creatures could begin to spread into human territory and start competing with humanity. Otherwise they can provide morally interesting villains or possibly a potential Player Race for higher powered campaigns whose players have strong stomachs.

 

 

Notes.

This is a package deal which will serve as a baseline for a typical 'Child'. It is best when combined with an appropriate cultural or professional package deal. I've included the closest equivalent to a cultural skills package which is a list of various abilities that the original monster demonstrated and might well have passed on to his offspring.

 

To create a more dangerous character you can simply add CSL's or even magic but if you want to create a memorable version of the original creature or want the Children to be a threat to high powered characters then by all means up the Dex to 18-20 and the Str to 25-30. Increasing Con and Body are also reasonable enough. If on the other hand you want to play up the brutish aspect of the creatures then you can drop the Int and Skill Enhancers and possibly include a Frenzy disadvantage coupled with even greater reductions in Ego, that will not work with the original but it is possible that his descendants did not inherit his quick mind or that they only learn fast when infants, like any other sentient humanoid.

 

 

 

Comments, suggestions and improvements are very welcome.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

Here is the HDC file.

[Curufea]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

I highly recommend having a look at Abominations and Mercurials in the Unhallowed Metropolis roleplaying game as well.

[sbarron]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

I like the idea. However, genetically speaking, how does cobbling a "superhuman" from the parts of other humans change the genetics contained in the sperm and egg of Frankenstein's monster and its wife?

 

Not that I would ever let real science get in the way of a good story, mind you. Just pointing out this apparent inconsistency. Since you've already altered the Frankenstein story a little, maybe you could go a little further? Somehow incorporate magic into the creation, or perhaps change the designing of the monsters to be more of a cloning/birthing excersice, and less of a sewing together of other various human parts into a greater whole?

 

In any event, don't let my nit-picking disuade you from this excellent idea, in whatever form you chose to give it. I love Frankenstein, and I love that you've stayed true to the original story.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

I wondered if anyone would notice this problem.

 

Effectively the idea that one could reanimate a body made from human parts and that the brain used would not recall its previous life and would not have been damaged by several days of brain death is pretty contrary to real science anyway. Frankenstein believed that his creature could breed true and so that's enough for the purposes of the story.

 

But this is fantasy, if you want to use 'its magic' as an explanation then by all means go ahead.

 

As a side note, one way the Children could become very scary is if they did decide that the best way to increase their numbers was through the Frankenstein process and so they began to look upon humanity as a big walking pile of spare parts ...

[Stephen Mann]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

Perhaps the artificial manner in which their ancestors were created (sewn together and quickened with Lightning!) gave the children a quasi-Lamarckian acquired-characteristics ability?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Children of Frankenstein

 

Talk about a family going to pieces.

 

Family reunions could be problematic too.

 

QM