The Strange/Character

IGNORANCE IS BLISS
You have never heard of the Strange. You’re a well-trained physical specimen of humankind—tough, fast, and smart—and you have no belief or interest in anything beyond what you can directly experience. If things around you seem to go your way, it’s just skill and luck. Advancement: You practice, and you learn new skills. You eat right, exercise, and train. If the Strange has something to do with your abilities, your understanding of that seems to have no bearing on your improvement, so why bother? You’ve always advanced and improved on your own terms—why stop now? Many PCs begin play on Earth with some knowledge of the dark energy network of the Strange, what it means to be quickened, how to translate between recursions, and so on. Such characters are said to be “in the know” versus “naive” PCs who begin with no knowledge of the dark energy network.

STRANGE ENHANCEMENTS
You excelled at all that you set out to do, but everyone has their limits, right? That was when you discovered a line of nutritional supplements that produced some interesting results. They were hard to get, however. You got involved with an organization to get access to the supplements, and you found that they could teach you steps beyond pills and dietary additives that could take you to even greater heights. Some of the processes and treatments were odd, but their results were undeniable, and you found no evidence of them being unsafe. You eventually learned that they wouldn’t work for everyone. In fact, you were one of a very limited group of people who had a connection to something...strange. Advancement: You need to continue to use the supplements and treatments provided by your rather secretive benefactors. With each new step you take in their program, your abilities increase. But will there be a price to pay later? Can you get these enhancements from another source? Time will tell.

CONFRONTING THE IMPOSSIBLE
There came a point where you found that you could do things that others believed impossible. Being an inquisitive sort, you began looking for an explanation. It took a long time, but you learned that you weren’t alone. There were others who had similar abilities and experiences. While some believed it to be mystical, others saw it as science. Advancement: The more you learn about the Strange and your connection with it, the more things make sense to you. You continue to learn, research, and explore. The answers are out there, and the only way to discover them is firsthand. To keep moving forward, you have to keep moving.

SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT
You believe your understanding of the Strange is better than most because you’ve applied the scientific method. Thanks to many experiments, you developed a verifiable (verifiable to you, at least) theory regarding the true nature of the cosmos. Alas, the more you know, the more you question. The vastness of the dark energy network that underlies the real universe is mind-blowing. On the other hand, your studies have shown you how to tap into the Strange. You find that you are best able to channel your abilities by using one or more scientific apparatus you built specifically to serve that purpose. Whether your apparatus is bulky or sleek, you can create amazing effects to change the environment around you. Advancement: You must continue to conduct your experiments. The Strange is cosmic, too much for a mortal mind to even come close to fully comprehending, but that’s what draws you onward. When your stats improve or you learn new skills, it’s because your latest experiments have confirmed a new theory you’ve been working on. You’ve made many advances, but to make a leap forward, you’ll have to gain access to a lab with better equipment or find the time to upgrade and build more of your own.

ESOTERIC ENCOUNTER
Years of study, diligence, and adherence to your religion, esoteric order, or new-age philosophy finally bore incredible dividends. You discovered the Strange as the result of an encounter with a being you don’t completely understand, but which you believe to be a representative of your faith. It showed you the kind of power that it could grant you in its name, and you swore to honor whatever favors it required of you. With your oath complete, a brain-searing blaze of understanding quickened you to the Strange. The secrets hidden in dark energy, the nature of cyphers, and the true dangers that swim in the Strange are now known to you. You also learned how to call upon your abilities— minor miracles of directed thought, meditation, or prayer—that allow you to be a force for change in the world. If your character begins the game as an operative of the Estate or is otherwise “in the know” about the Strange (as opposed to a “naive” character), choose your focus for Earth, Ardeyn, and Ruk when you first create your character. This pre-selection is one of the reflections of your character’s starting knowledge of the setting.

Esoteric Encounter Option
While working as an undergraduate during a paleoanthropological dig, you discovered an amulet that unlocked your quickened abilities. Advancement: You must continue your studies with the religious book, strange library, online conspiracy forum, or other source that led to your first interaction with your benefactor. Although it left you to your own devices, it promised to return soon to exact the favor you owe it. When your stats improve or you learn new skills, it’s because you have mapped another teaching or dogma to that which has quickened inside you. When you gain a new ability, it’s the result of long hours of study, prayer, or practice with your particular lore. At some point in your career, if your benefactor hasn’t yet returned, you’ll need to find it again to advance your studies.

STRANGE ACCIDENT
You haven’t always been different; in fact, you were completely normal before the accident. In the accident’s aftermath (whether you woke from a coma, were seemingly unaffected by radiation exposure, pulled yourself from a crash with hardly a scratch, or recovered from the bite of a mysterious creature), you discovered a new ability. Namely, the power to change the world around you—in small ways at first, but in larger and larger ways as you explore your strange new gifts. Advancement: The more you use the powers you already have, the more they quicken additional abilities and skills. Practice makes perfect, and it seems to be the primary way you have of strengthening your gifts. However, you think it’s possible that in order to awaken the upper end of your power, you might need to replicate your original accident.

WINNER
Certain card games, especially the many variations of poker, count on skill and luck, but they rely most of all on a player’s ability to interact, read, and persuade fellow players—and you know all about these things. You’re a pro at learning an opponent’s betting strategies, picking up on tells, and bluffing, which is how you won several major tournaments. During one such hand, you went all-in with a stone-cold bluff, and one of your opponents called you on it. That’s when your abilities were awakened. When you revealed your cards, you convinced everyone that you had the winning hand, despite the evidence of their senses. Advancement: You might have a connection to the Strange, but it comes through your ability to analyze odds, manipulate cards, and keep track of numbers. Therefore, you must continue to practice. When you improve, it’s because you have honed your skills or unlocked a new ability through repetition.

COMBAT
You joined the military. Proving yourself a natural leader on and off the field of battle, you gained a command. Those under you respected you, did as you ordered without complaint, and were loyal. None of that mattered when your last skirmish was FUBAR, which is when you learned your people would also die for you. When you woke in a military hospital with severe injuries, you discovered that almost everyone in your command was missing or dead. After you finished treatment, you were out of a job and starting a life with pain that will probably never go away completely. Having nothing left, you turned inward and embraced your ability to make others see things your way. You’d always sensed it lingering at the edges of your consciousness, but you finally spent the time exploring and developing your potential. That’s when you quickened to the Strange. Advancement: Your connection to the Strange is most acute when you’re devising strategies, issuing orders, and feeling combat surge around you. That’s when your abilities come most easily. When you improve, it’s through actual use. You believe that to gain the highest level, you may have to undergo another extreme test in battle, not unlike the original skirmish that changed your life.

GRIFT (ALMOST) GONE WRONG
You learned early that you could mislead other people to your own benefit. Call it social engineering or grifting, the process was the same: Approach a victim with a plan, elicit his interest through enticement using a variety of tricks, and, finally, make off with his goods. It worked beautifully for years, until your confidence game went as wrong as it could possibly go when you tried to grift someone who was quickened. You discovered you were the target of an even more elaborate con. But instead of leaving you bereft, the conner took you in as a sort of apprentice, showing you a whole new level of control. Advancement: Just as with regular confidence tricks, practice is key to maintaining and improving your abilities. When your capabilities improve, it’s because you’ve continued to hone your cons. The greater your successes, the more you’re inspired and able to unlock even more Strange abilities, such that one day you aspire to con reality itself.