Chapter 2: Character
The Cuacuahtzin are dedicated to the protection of humanity, but they focus on the people of Mexico and Latin America. In recent times they have begun to expand their operations as more and more people emigrate to other countries, specially the United States. So if the character is to operate outside of Mexico, you should consider the reason; is the character a defector?, did her family emigrate and she is protecting them?, did the Masters charge her with a mission that takes her outside the country?
Character Concept
The Eagle Knights operate mainly in Mexico and Central America, and it is rare that any Knight is from a nationality other than the above, so the character should be Latin American or be a descendant of Latin Americans until the third or fourth generation.
Journey. The player must choose which of the Four Ways the character chooses to walk preferently; this pretty much affects how will the character evolve and how will she interact with others, as each of the Ways provides with different world views.
- Way of the Leader
- Way of the Sorcerer
- Way of the Warrior
- Way of the Worker
- Way of the Sorcerer
Attributes
As any other character, the Cuacuahtzin distribute 7/5/3 points to primary, secondary and tertiary abilities, in addition to receiving one free point in each attribute.
Abilities
The same as other Storyteller characters, 13/9/5 points are distributed among primary, secondary and tertiary categories, the difference with Eagle Knight characters, is that they receive a free point in the following abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Dodge, Firearms, Melee, Survival, Law and Occult.
The abilities listed in the character sheet are a combination of those presented in Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse and Mage: the Ascension; refer to them for description.
The Investigation Knowledge should be interpreted as per the Werewolf rules instead of the Mage version.
Advantages
The Cuacuahtzin are more than normal humans, and their advantages show it.
Renown
The Cuacuahtzin gain Renown within their society like the Garou do, and the rules for Renown in Werewolf: the Apocalypse 2nd. Edition apply to the Eagle Knights as well. Beginning characters begin with 3 temporary Renown points, and the player is free to assign them to any category. More points can be purchased with freebie points.
Rank
Rank determines the standing of the character in the Order; the higher the Rank, more priviledges and responsabilities are gained; a Cuacuahtzin is assigned a patrol of Knights of immediate lesser Rank, and is thus under the authority of those of higher Rank. The character begins at Rank 0: Novice. Each Journey demands a different combination of Renown in order to rise in Rank.
Backgrounds
The Backgrounds that work exactly as in other White Wolf products are Allies, Arcane, Contacts, Fame, Influences, Past Life, Reputation and Resources.
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Mentor.- indicates the power of the character's trainer within the
character's Journey:
| * | Mentor is an Initiate | |
|---|---|---|
| ** | Mentor is a Knight | |
| *** | Mentor is a Captain | |
| **** | Mentor is an Elder | |
| ***** | Mentor is a Master |
Nahual.- This trait is detailed in Chapter 7: The mysterious Nahual, but here it is again, adapted for the Knights.
At birth, a Knight may be bonded with an animal, a nahual, that holds special influence on the child throughout his life. This means that at least one of the character's parents is a Cuacuahtzin, or he is the Pride of a Nahual. Very similar to the Garou Totems, the animals impose bans and bestow special grants to their bondling, but they are too numerous to list here; take the Garou Totems and adapt them or make your own.
Unlike the Totems, the nahuals are a real animal, existing in the real world; the animals are special in their own way, as they are infused with a strong spirit force coming from the Wyld and the Knight's own soul. The animal can travel to the Umbra and has the standard Charms of a normal dweller spirit. Lacking the Gift of the Nahual, the Knight cannot enter or shapechange into his nahual unless he has achieved Level Four in the Way of the Sorcerer.
A great advantage is that the nahual, wether it's present or not, aids its bondling by granting her strength in whatever the nahual is strong. This translates in game mechanics as providing a Dice Pool according to the nahual's nature. This number of dice in this Pool is set as the Nahual Background rating; a rating of 4 will put four dice in the Nahual Pool. The Nahual Pool is used similar to the dice pools in Shadowrun II, but is restricted depending on the animal. A coyote nahual's pool is used to aid in rolls that involve Wits and Dexterity, a hawk nahual's in Perception; an owl nahual's in Ollin, a wolverine in Rage, etc. Be creative.
The Pool only refreshes at the beginning of a new day.
A major disadvantage of the nahual bond is that damage to either bondling is suffered by the other as aggravated damage. That is why Cuacuahtzin keep their nahuals very well protected and a secret to even their fellows; you kill the animal and you kill the Eagle Knight. The animal has the same health levels as the Knight; regardless of size or species.
The Four Ways
Knowledge of the Four Ways is as varied as the number of Knights in the Order; though some may lean to one or two Ways, which may or may not correspond to their Journey. All characters begin with 3 points to distribute in the Ways, plus one free point in the Way of their Journey.No Way can have more than three points for beginning characters.
Last Touches
Willpower
Given the strength of their mission and belief, Eagle Knight characters begin with 5 points of Willpower.
Ollin
Ollin fuels the Knights abilities; it's a sort of knowledge of the thousands of possibilities in the Eternal Movement. All Cuacuahtzin begin with 2 points in Ollin.
Freebie Points
Eagle Knights get the normal 15 points to buy any Trait according to the following table.
| Ways | 7 points per dot |
|---|---|
| Attributes | 5 points per dot |
| Abilities | 2 points per dot |
| Ollin | 4 points per dot |
| Willpower | 1 point per dot |
| Backgrounds | 1 point per dot |
| Renown | 1 point per temporary dot |
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Last Chapter | Next Chapter | Main |
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This page was done by Alejandro Melchor, and last modified in 4/Oct/1995