Draught of the Wolverine [TL5+1] [GURPS]

draught-of-the-wolverine-tl51-google-docs

Draught of the Wolverine [TL5+1] [0]

This ‘potion’ is actually not supernatural at all: it is instead derived from a carefully cultivated species of arctic fungus that grows in the vicinity of whatever super-material or substance that allows steampunk realities to function.  Once drunk, the Draught of the Wolverine essentially permanently infects the drinker’s body with a stable colony of the fungus.  Regular TL5 science cannot cure the condition, but TL5+1 super-science or a TL8 broad-spectrum antibiotic would be able to successfully clear up the infection.

The good news is that the Draught gives remarkable resistance to cold (as in, ‘wander around naked at the North Pole in winter’ resistance to cold) and an almost supernatural scent-based tracking ability.  The bad news is that the Draught also turns the drinker into a single-minded stalker and killing machine.  Mitigating this slightly is that ‘single-minded’ is almost literal: someone who has taken the Draught will ‘fix’ a specific target in his head at the time that the Draught is taken, and is usually indifferent to anybody else who is also not specifically trying to stop him.  On those somewhat rare occasions where a Draught-taker kills his target and is not in the process of dying himself, local folk legend has it that he will then wander off into the snow, scoop out a grave, lie down in it, fall asleep, and never wake up.

Taking the Draught of the Wolverine is typically not something that you should fear will happen to you.  The herbalists that concoct the stuff only use it to redress the most wicked of deeds, and so they typically prefer to get volunteers.  Those volunteers are invariably men and women who are already skilled at tracking, hunting, and survival; they are usually also already highly personally motivated by revenge, even before they take the Draught. Afterwards they are, if anything, calmer and more collected. And implacable.  Very, very implacable.

Effects: Acute Taste/Smell/5 [10], Deep Sleeper [1], Discriminatory Smell [15], Hibernation/2 [4], Temperature Tolerance/10 (-65 to 90 degrees) [10], Bloodlust [-10], Fanaticism [-15], Obsession (kill target) [-5], Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the In Nomine and GURPS systems from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

In Nomine and GURPS are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.