[DL] Re: Harrowed

[CybStalker@aol.com]

And now for something, completely rotting

SPOILER SPACE









<<If a posse member becomes Harrowed, why shouldn't the posse put him back
down as quick as possible?  Why should they ever trust him?  And when should
the Manitou make an attempt to gain dominion?>>

One thing that you're posse needs is a little wake up call about how much and 
what type of influence a manitou can have over a character.  Sure there are 
times when it will grab control, and it just may keep it eventually, but 
Harrowed could be an incredible force for good. Show then a Harrowed NPC who 
tries to be heroic, or even go far enough to make an old NPC Harrowed without 
alerting the party.  When the PCs learn that good 'ol Marshall Bill who's 
been with them on the past two adventure has been dead for two months, it may 
lighten the Harrowed in their minds.  And lulling PCs into a sense of trust 
is what being a arshal is all about. :-)

Also, how do the PCs know about the Harrowed? Have the characters faced them 
before? After all, the Tombstone Epitaph's Guide to the Harrowed, the Secret 
Identity to the Reckoner's, Stone's Shoe Size, and Reverend Grimme's 
Casserole Recipe isn't out.  The PCs probably act like they know more then 
they do.  If a PC comes back from the dead, he's not wearing "Manitou on 
Board" shirt.  They'd shouldn't even suspect the manitou's prescence.

As for when the Manitou comes out, remember that it's priorities are survival 
and the spreading of fear.  It  acts normal (remember it has all the host's 
memories),  and waits paitiently for an oppurtunity  Some examples of things 
Manitou in my game have done include

1) Eating the heart out of a corpse the host just discovered before he 
alerted the rest of the party.  This caused the party to think the killer was 
a cannibalistic monster when it was just a human murderer.  What's the 
result? Fear and confusion.  You don't need to kill someone to spread fear. 
Planting false clues is great.

2) The party was facing a Dust Devil.  The Harrowed and a saloon gal were in 
the Dust Storm. He winked at me, said "I push her toward the wagon," and 
pushed her into the Dust Devil.  It looked like an accident, and the party 
believed him.  Always have an alibi. Shooting a PC with your trademark 
Buntline when no one within a mile carries that type of gun is not as good as 
stabbing him.  And remember, the manitou doesn't really WANT the other heroes 
to die, unless its just TOO EASY.  The heroes go from adventure to adventure, 
leading the manitou for one playground filled with potential trouble to 
another!

<<It seems to me that as soon as the Manitou gains control and tries something
fishy he's a gonner.  Is a Manitou nuts enough to grab dominion and tip his
hand just to say, push one of our heroes in front of a speeding train
knowing that, assuming he was seen, he's done for?  Or does it prefer to be
more subtle like allow n Abomination access to the camp while he's on guard
duty?  (Not that my posse would ever let anyone they didn't trust compIetely
be on guard duty to begin with!) I guess I just can't seem to get inside a
Manitou's head (no pun intended!) and see why he would take such a risk.
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here but, isn't a Manitou basically immortal
unless he enters a human and creates a Harrowed?  Now he's very vulnerable.
Just doesn't seem worth it.>>


Book O' the Dead addressed that point.  They are risking their precious 
immortality.  Therefore, realize that the only manitous(or is manitou the 
plural form too?) that would posses a harrowed have to be the most evil, 
subtle, powerful, and downright crazy spirits in the hunting grounds.  And 
realize that the manitou thrive on trouble and fear.  
    The novelty of a human body to use is amazing.  In Ground Zero(If you 
haven't read that Dime Novel, you may want to skip the next sentance)  
when Ronan Lynch's Manitou  gains control, it spends ten minutes giggling as 
it carves its name into his arm an watches it regenerate.  A human body is a 
fun way to get into its bosses good graces.

<<Have I completely missed the point here?  Or am I just looking too deep?>>

Remember that the manitou is usually a subtle beast that works out of the 
rest of the party's eyesight, instead of a rambuctious spirit that 
ocassionally turns into a host into "THE EVIL MIDNIGHT BOMB WHAT BOMBS AT 
MIDNIGHT BABY!"  Trust me, Harrowed can be LOTS of fun to use.