Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Highlander
Highlander
Provided By
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
In the Beginning...
Becoming an Immortal
The Guidance
Requirements
The Quickening
The Immortal Code
The Death of an Immortal
the Gathering
The Prize
The Watchers
The Role of an Immortal
Anti Munchkin/Monty-Haul Tactics
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PREFACE
This small guide is provided for those people who play fanatasy
role-playing games and want to bring to the game information and rules
based on the Highlander movies and television series. Although
knowledge of Highlander is not necessary to play, it helps in
explaining the style and flavor that is unique to Highlander.
Also, Hank (DRISKILL@CS.UTAH.EDU) created a White Wolf system's
World of Darkness supplement for Highlander. Some of the Highlander
information presented in his supplement was used here to better
describe the workings of the Highlander world.
Hopefully you will enjoy this guide and I would be happy in
hearing of and changes or additions you have made in your Highlander
campaign.
--- McDier
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
IN THE BEGINNING...
The Immortals are created as above, but they fight to become ruler
of a planet, crystal sphere, or dimension instead of the entire
universe.
The Immortals are created so that the best Immortal may obtain
deity status. Maybe to start a sphere of influence that is non-
existent.
Maybe an Immortal is to replace a lost or destroyed god. For
example, a deity becomes destroyed. The deity's divinity is distributed
amongst the Immortals. When one Immortal kills another, he gets that
fragment of divinity and continues on. When the last Immortal is
killed, the survivor is granted all the powers of the dead deity, the
deity is "reincarnated" as through this Immortal. In this case, the
majority of Immortals should tend to be the same gender, race, and
alignment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BECOMING AN IMMORTAL
Immortal Potential
Immortal Creation
Deity Champion
Exile
Random
Violent Death
Immortals may be mortals who have died a violent death, but wake
up a short time later, alive and unharmed.
In game terms, after the initial "death" the Immortal wakes up
after 1d6 rounds (or 1d6+6 hours for GMs who desire).
Birthright
Killing an Immortal
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GUIDANCE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REQUIREMENTS
Armor Use - An Immortal tends not to use armor because armor seems to
hamper his freedom. If an Immortal does wear armor, the armor will not
provide any extra protection to the neck, i.e. a called shot to an
armored neck is no different then a called shot to a bare neck, the
head will come off just as easy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE QUICKENING
Mind Protection - An Immortal's mind, spirit, and body are tightly held
by his Quickening. Although mind effects may affect the Immortal, his
mind cannot be pulled from his body, nor may his spirit be removed
without his head being removed first.
Regeneration - An Immortal will begin to regenerate Immediately after
being wounded. Each round, an Immortal will recover 1 hit point for
every two levels until fully healed (GMs may adjust the regeneration
rate to suit his needs). Immortals reduced to zero or fewer hit points
fall to the ground, incapacitated but not slain. An incapacitated
Immortal continues to regenerate and can get up once he gets positive
hit points. After "waking-up" from "death", some Immortals feels some
pain and discomfort. This manifests itself as a -1 penalty to Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution for every fighter level under 10. Immortals
that are a 10th level fighter or more do not suffer such effects.
For example, Rath is a 7th level fighter who is killed and wakes up
as an Immortal. He will regenerate 2 hp per round. If he is ever struck
down and then "wakes up", he suffers a -3 to Strength, Dexterity, and
Constitution. Its lucky that Rath was a 7th fighter when he became an
Immortal or he'd be really hard off.
If an limb or body part is severed (with the exception of the
head), it will not reattach themselves like they do on other
regenerative creatures. A new body part will eventually grow as part of
the regenerative process. It takes one hour to regenerate one cubic
inch of lost body parts.
Fire and acid damage can be regenerated like all other forms of
damage.
The exception to the regenerative powers is wounds to the neck and
head. Wounds to the neck and head wounds are semi-permanent. They heal
as a mortal's wounds would head but the wounds scar as a mortal's
wounds.
An Immortal does not suffer brain damage. Damage to the senses
(sight, hearing, etc.) is up to the GM, but it suggested that no
permanent harm can come to the sensory organs.
Shared Soul - Two Immortals may become as one by combining souls. This
allows the Immortals to communicate with one another; even if one has
been killed. There is no real great benefit save for the eternal
brotherhood created.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Holy Ground - An Immortal may not fight on holy ground. Nor will an
Immortal disrespect holy ground in anyway. Holy ground is any place
dedicated to any deity (neutral, evil, or good) or any religion. Even
holy ground of a now dead religion is still a sacred place.
An Immortal may not stay on holy ground to avoid a fight once the
formal challenge is made. Some Immortals seek sanctuary on holy ground
for a time to get away from it all, but spending eternity hiding out is
not the way of the Immortals.
If two Immortals do battle on holy ground, the site itself is
always assumed to be the victor. When the victor takes the loser's
head, the loser's Quickening flows into the site, as does a portion of
the victor's as well. This loss of power and knowledge is sufficient to
dissuade even the most vicious of enemies from attacking on holy
ground.
However, an Immortal's head has never been taken on holy ground.
When an Immortal has engaged in combat and tries to take a head,
supernatural forces have prevented this act. It is recommended that a
GM follows this path and does not allow holy ground to be violated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GATHERING
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PRIZE
Only one shall get the prize, and the prize is great indeed: Ruler
of the universe. The Immortal is elevated to godhood status. Since the
concept of Immortals was created for the sole purpose of creating one
ruler of the universe, chances are all gods no longer exist. If GMs
still have existing gods, then the Immortal becomes supreme ruler over
them. Also, a variant prize as discussed "In the Beginning" section may
be used instead.
Part of the prize is the ability to know the thoughts of all
creatures. This ability is key to being ruler for it gives power
through knowledge.
GMs should note that it's not really necessary to define the prize
in game terms, since the Immortal who gains it will become in essence a
god. The Highlander movie left it deliberately vague, and in keeping
GMs may not wish to define the prize. Suffice it to say that an evil
Immortal gaining it would pose a danger to all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WATCHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Major work on the guide was provided by: Brent The Phantom, Joe
Delisle, Ronald "Greymoon" Jones, Hank. Some information was provided
from discussions from: Badger, Mandragore the Wizard, Bruce, Grabbit
Wileucan.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PROLOGUE
His name is Guillaume, and he was born in the common year 2 to a farmer
and wife outside the Gnarley Forest. All of this information about him
has come from our explorations of his mind and body, for despite his
incredible powers he is but a man, albeit a very special kind of man.
Through his mind, we saw his death and rebirth: unlike the mummies of
the undead, however, he does not travel to a spirit realm and beg to
return, but rather his internal power somehow regenerates his form, no
matter how damaged it has become. This natural healing is rapid,
causing him to return from the most grievous of wounds to his full
health in scant hours.
We tested his mind's visions, and in fact his wounds heal remarkably
quickly. He cannot be drowned, for somehow his lungs draw air from the
water itself. He can be burned and damaged, but he heals so quickly
that the most heinous of wounds are little more than an annoyance to
him.
Their kind have Rules, built up through centuries of conflict. The only
way to kill them is to remove their head from their shoulders,
separating their head from their heart (the two sources of life, as we
ourselves know). If this is done by another of their kind, the power
within them (which they refer to as their Quickening, or life) flows
into their killer, making him even more powerful. Their legends speak
of the Gathering, a time when all of their kind will battle, until only
one remains. That one, with all of their power as his own, will be like
unto a god.
Another Rule of their kind deals with Holy Ground, and the fact that
they cannot fight there. According to Guillaume, he can sense this
ground, much as he senses others of his kind when they draw near.
Through studying him and his memories, we have gained some information
as to this sensation. These connections to the Outer Planes are off
limits to them? Why is that? The answer lies in understanding their
battles.
When two of their kind fight, the energy within them begins to flow,
empowering them and their weapons, and literally filling the air around
them. When one loses, the winner draws his own energy back into
himself, as well as some of that belonging to his opponent... the rest,
with nowhere to go, wreaks havoc on the environment around them. This
energy he absorbs from his opponent carries with it a shadow of the
man's knowledge, indeed his very life... and in some cases, can
overshadow the life of the victor.
On a holy site, the energy from the loser flows not into the victor,
but into the Node itself. In this way, the victor not only gains
nothing, but in fact loses that energy of his which had mingled with
that of his opponent... a very pragmatic reason for the Rule they
follow.
There are many things about these beings still to be learned. They seem
as closely tied to energy as we ourselves, but at the same time seem to
be able to contain and harness this "Quickening" of theirs in other
ways. In some ways, they seem a living node to the energy planes: a
constant amount of Quickening within them, unused by their healing and
powers, and always the capacity for more. We will experiment more with
this subject, including channeling energy into him, to further explore
our theories.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------