Ghastly Affair VENUS Packages II: Grave Robber, Gypsy, and Libertine

It is recommended for mature audiences, after all.

Now with original author approval!
In the early years of Wine and Savages, one of my obsessions was adapting Savage Worlds to Gothic Romance in the style of The Castle of Otranto, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk, and other such early classics. I made some progress, but Daniel James Hanley beat me to the punch with Ghastly Affair. a charmingly horrific D20 RPG of Gothic horror in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is, frankly, brilliant and I encourage the curious to check out Hanley’s site – The Engine of Oracles – and download the free version of the game (or buy the nifty illustrated version).

Thankfully, utilizing the Savage Worlds Horror Companion easily allows one to adapt the setting to our favorite game – especially if one uses Ghastly Affair’s character classes as the basis for V.E.N.U.S. (Venturers, Experimenters, Navigators, and the Unusually Skilled) packages. Here – with Hanley's approval – are the second three of nine.  Quotes are taken from Ghastly Affair.

 

Grave Robber

“An opportunist who steals from burial sites.”

• Bonus Attributes: +1 die Agility, Strength, and Vigor.
• Bonus Skills: +1 die Knowledge (Occult), Lockpicking, and Notice. 
• Bonus Hindrances: Wanted [Minor; involved in various criminal enterprises, which make the grave robber’s life difficult] and player’s choice of Mean or Ugly.
• Bonus Edges: Monster Hunter (ghosts, skeletons, and zombies)*
• Bonus Gear: “A shovel, a hammer, a dozen coffin nails, a crowbar, a saw, a knife, garotte, 1 set of rugged clothing, a book of anatomy, old rags, a vial of rat poison, 1 set of fine but stained clothing pilfered from a recent grave, a piece of stolen jewelry, a human hand, a wheelbarrow, a loaf of black bread, a bottle of gin, a wooden stake & mallet…”

*see Savage Worlds Horror Companion

 

"Gypsy"
"A restless wanderer who lives by their wits.”

• Bonus Attributes: +1 die Spirit.
• Bonus Skills: +1 die Fighting, Knowledge (Occult), Lockpicking, and Stealth. 
• Bonus Hindrances: Enemy [Minor; gypsies attract the attentions of ghosts and the undead, as often for amorous reasons as violent ones] and Outsider.
• Bonus Edges: Martial Artist and the player’s choice of Beast Bond or Beast Master.
• Bonus Gear: “1 knife or set of brass knuckles, a set of patchy but flamboyantly colored clothing, a curio from a foreign land, an amulet against the evil eye, several gaudy rings, a deck of cards, a set of dice, a trained pet or pack animal, a semi-precious stone, a cooking pot, 1 day's worth of dried food, a sack full of worthless trinkets, a musical instrument, a head of garlic, a packet of herbal medicine…”
• "Gypsy" Curse: The hero has 2 Power Points with which they may cast lower trait, using their Spirit as the casting die. The effect, duration, range, etc. may all be modified using the rules for rituals.*

*see Savage Worlds Horror Companion

 

Libertine
“A social adventurer who flouts conventional morality.”

• Bonus Skills: +2 dice Fighting and Stealth; +3 Persuasion. 
• Bonus Hindrances: Delusional [Major; obsessed with corrupting the innocent and reveling in sin and decadence], Touched [Minor].
• Bonus Edges: First Strike and the player’s choice of Attractive or Charismatic.
• Bonus Gear: “1 weapon (brass knuckles, bullwhip, cat-o-nine-tails, club, horsewhip, rapier, sap, sword cane, or thin dagger), 1 set of extravagant clothes, a piece of jewelry with a secret compartment (for a miniature erotic picture, or poison), a walking stick or parasol, a journal, pen & ink, a box of condoms, a pipe with hashish, a vial of laudanum, a small book of erotica, love letters, a make-up kit, forged credentials, a lock of hair from an early conquest, [$500] (all or part of which may be forged bank-notes)..”
• Faithless Lover: Libertines may never receive Bennies from heroes with the Common Bond Edge.
• Scoundrel: When using Persuasion to defraud, dupe, or seduce others, a libertine may move the target’s attitude one step per raise with no maximum limit.*

*see Persuasion in Savage Worlds



https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/ghastly-affair-the-gothic-game-of-romantic-horror/