Nightbane
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| Nightbane | |
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 Nightbane:Core Book |
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| Designer(s) | C.J. Carella |
| Publisher(s) | Palladium Books |
| Publication date | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| System | Megaversal system |
Nightbane is a dark fantasy role-playing game and setting created by C.J. Carella and published in 1995 by Palladium Books. The game uses Palladium's megaversal system, which is also used by the multi-genre game Rifts and the horror game Beyond the Supernatural, among other games.
Originally called "Nightspawn", the name was changed after legal threats from Todd McFarlane, creator of the Spawn comic book.
The world of Nightbane is very much like our own modern world on the surface, but beneath that, it is more sinister. Disappearances and murders are common place. Reports of monster sightings are more frequent, and people tend to feel hopeless and helpless. The reason for this is that a secret cabal of supernatural beings from another dimension and their shapeshifting minions have quietly seized control of the world's government and corporate powers.
Contents |
[edit] Dark Day
On March 6, 2000 at 6:02 AM, the entire planet was shrouded in unnatural darkness. This darkness blocked out the sun, and neither the stars nor the moon were visible. Many believed it to be the end of the world. Governments blamed each other, thinking it to be the cause of some secret weapon. Riots, rapes, beatings, and murders were commonplace. Emergency call centers were flooded with reports of monsters roaming the streets and skies. Numerous people simply disappeared.
It was also during this darkness that thousands of people learned that they had become inhuman monsters. Many of them were killed before they knew what had happened to them. Some were killed by mobs of terrified humans, others took their own lives. Those that survived learned that they could return to their human forms. These shapechanging beings are called the Nightbane, for it was at night that they become monsters.
[edit] The Nightlords
What most people don't know is that Dark Day was an event used by a race of beings from neighboring dimension to invade our world. These beings are known as the Ba'al-ze-neckt (Lords of Night), or simply, the "Ba'al." The Ba'al are a race of psychic vampires that feed on the life energy of humans and Nightbane. Their true origins are a matter of debate. Some accounts say they were sorcerers whose cruelty and demand for child sacrifice caused their subjects to revolt. Others say they were always alien in origin. Whatever the case, it is known that they were banished to the Nightlands thousands of years ago. Now they have successfully weakened the barrier between Earth and the Nightlands and can come and go as they please. The Nightlords possess the ability to manipulate matter for various purposes (their greatest achievements being the creation of their vast fortresses).
[edit] Minions
- Night Princes: Ba'al-Zebul are the highest ranking minions of the Nightlords and are masters of illusion.
- Avatars: The Ba'al possess the ability to create a being that is a lesser version of itself. These are very powerful and are usually loyal to the Ba'al that created them.
- Doppelgängers: Supernaturally strong copies of humans, they dwell in the Nightlands and live their lives in a haze unless something awakens them. They are considered playthings for the Ba'al if actual humans are not available. They have lower PPE, minor psychic abilities (but a low incidence of master psionics). They are usually the opposite of their human counterparts on earth.
- Ashmedai: Shapeshifting worm-like monsters.
- The Hollow Men: Bug-like creatures that create humanoid constructs to move about in.
- Hounds: The shock troops, these armored warriors are the core of the Ba'al fighting force.
- Hunters: Winged versions of the Hounds.
[edit] The Nightlands
The dimension that the Nightlords rule is a warped reflection of our own world. In this world, the rivers run red and the sun never shines. Strange monsters roam vast deserts and barren craggy landscapes. There are reflections of many major Earth cities, stale mockeries of busy metropolitan areas. Roaming these cities are the Dopplegangers, alternates of Earth humans who roam the streets in a daze unless something happens to awaken them (i.e the will of a greater being, sometimes the death of their human counterpart).
It is heavily implied that the wasted nature of the Nightlands is due to the fact that the Nightlords have long held dominion over it. Most of the races and people that lived here before the Nightlords have been enslaved, slaughtered and mutated into various servants.
[edit] The Nightbane
Possibly the best hope for Earth lie with the Nightbane. No one knows for sure where they come from. Usually one doesn't know that he or she is a Nightbane until the time of the "Becoming." During a period of great need, the first change can occur. Nightbane are indistinguishable from humans (they call this the "Facade"), but they can transform into fierce monstrous bodies (called the "Morphus"). Sometimes known as "The Race with a Thousand Faces," there are as many different forms of the Morphus as there are Nightbane. They also possess the ability to inflict lasting damage on the Nightlords, making the two sworn enemies. Though their forms and specific abilities vary widely, Nightbane are universally of mysterious parentage. Every known Nightbane is a foundling or orphan of some nature.
Nightbane are rumored to have been instrumental in the first successful defeat and banishment of the Nightlords.
[edit] Guardians
The guardians are an enigmatic group. Most guardians don't fully understand who or what they are. From what is known, they seem to be normal men and women that have been transformed into supernatural beings with an instinctual desire to help humankind and destroy evil. Most of them remember little or nothing about their previous lives.
Most of them resemble normal humans, although are typically much shorter. They have smooth white skin and hair, and translucent eyes, which often gives them the appearance of being albinos. They have incredible psychic and healing powers, but their most interesting characteristic is their ability to create light that can used as shields or even blasts of energy that can inflict massive damage on supernatural creatures.
| Palladium Books | |
| Current role-playing games | |
| Fantasy | Palladium Fantasy |
| Horror | Beyond the Supernatural • Nightbane |
| Martial arts/war | Ninjas and Superspies • Recon |
| Post-apocalyptic | After The Bomb • Chaos Earth • Rifts • Splicers • Systems Failure |
| Superhero | Heroes Unlimited |
| Out of print role-playing games | |
| Anime/comics | Macross II • Robotech • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness |
| Science fiction | The Mechanoid Invasion |
| See also | List of role-playing games by genre |
