Parasites

being a die-hard cronenberg fan (he did not do The Hidden, btw), of course I see sorcerer as a game involving parasitic relationships. ;)

RON EDWARDS: The Hidden is one of my all-time favorite SF movies. Totally unpretentious, totally plot-driven, a buddy flick that actually works, Claudia Christian doing a strip-act, and a great classic-60s ending. However, in Sorcerer terms, the two characters in question are Possessors, not Parasites – they "take over" the host bodies.

Perhaps that Parasite category deserves as thorough a working-over as Possessors got a while ago. Here are some of the parameters: - the thing lives in or as part of a host body - it does not control or otherwise directly influence the host's behavior - its powers confer to the host's control

In other words, it's pretty much a lump of "gimme" powers unless the GM plays it very carefully. Some of the options include: - a Special Damage under the demon's control (bending the rules/guidelines a bit) so that it can "zap" the host, e.g. the nasty hooked thing that infects Cugel in The Eyes of the Overworld. - a crucial, plot-turning power that it only permits to be "on" if the host carries out very, very specific behaviors or in a very specific way. - some really interesting way of communicating with the character ... writing notes with his or her "off" hand when the host isn't looking, e.g.

Other good examples (or a very well-defined category of examples) include all those replacement eyes and hands that litter sword-and-sorcery fiction (not to mention the 80s version, cyberpunk fiction).

So my question is, what kind of good GMing or role-playing will bring out the story potential of Parasites, especially as distinct from any other kind of demon?

RAVEN: >Claudia Christian doing a strip-act

WHOO!! (Actually, I know her. We played opposite one-another at a LARP this past GenCon. She's working with the folks at Precedence Publishing to promote their game "Immortal", and I do a bunch of volunteer work for Precedence, so I was part of the impromtu "main cast"...incredible person, very nice, very approachable, excellent actress ). Anyways, completely off-topic, but I wanted to share. I don't get to tell my GenCon stories enough.

>Other good examples (or a very well-defined category of examples) include all those replacement eyes and hands that litter sword-and-sorcery fiction (not to mention the 80s version, cyberpunk fiction).

The Hand and Eye of Kwll(?) O boy, I'm forgetting my Moorcock.

>So my question is, what kind of good GMing or role-playing will bring out the story potential of Parasites, especially as distinct from any other kind of demon?

"You wake up covered in blood..." Take it from there.

JARED: Here's some stuff on Parasites (as player-characters) from a game I've been working on:

parasites are biological in nature, appearing as anything from microscopic viruses to some kind of parasitic lifeform. parasites always inhabit some kind of host body and most parasites will perish if exposed to less than ideal conditions (ie: outside of a host organism). the two most common forms of parasites are the virus (invisible, fragile but capable of infecting multiple hosts through some kind of vector -- blood, air, saliva) and the worm (which, despite its name, usually has a leech- or slug-like appearance). worms are usually transmitted to the host via invasive means (where the parasite burrows into its victim, attaches itself to the host's body or is somehow purposefully ingested by the host).

viral parasites benefit from being nigh-undetectable without special testing and are easily trasmitted to additional host bodies. viruses may also inhabit more than one body at a time, allowing great freedom and better transmission. unfortunately, viruses are very susceptible to changes in environment and cannot survive outside of the body.

worms can move from victim to victim, but may not inhabit multiple bodies. worms may opt to lay eggs or spores within the victims body, allowing it some kind of genetic longevity. some worm parasites can be very obvious, either to the host and also to outsiders. these parasites can also leave a dying host without "going down with the ship," as it were (unlike viruses, which are essentially hostage to their host).

all parasites will inflict some kind of damage to their host, be it serious or minor, physical or psychological.

(Also, for comparsion...here's a technological "virus" -- Ghosts)

ghosts are non-corporeal lifeforms that inhabit the virtual realm of telecommunication networks and electrical systems. although they all go by the name "ghost," they may run the gamut from human "souls" trapped within datastreams, malicious spirit-aliens (?) akin to the legends of gremlins, or actual computer intelligences that evolved into a higher state of being and self-awareness.

regardless of origin, ghosts share some common traits. they can travel at extremely high speeds over telephone lines and cables. they can temporarily "possess" a machine by imbuing it with a part of their essence (sometimes called their spark). they can channel and direct electrical impulses for offensive purposes. by splitting their spark, they may appear in two or more places at the same time.

ghosts rely on physical hardware. travel through air or water is impossible and without some kind of power source to feed their spark, the ghost will expire and die. one danger that ghosts face is their own kind. weaker ghosts will almost always be tracked down and consumed by stronger ghosts (who in turn become even stronger). ghosts communicate with their own kind freely but may only communicate with other beings through monitors, telephone speakers or computer terminals. of course, more inventive ghosts can use various coded signals (like morse code) to get their message across.

although ghosts are by their very nature invisible to the naked eye, each has a unique form and voice that it will adopt when communicating with non-ghosts. this form is static and will not change without supreme effort.

RAVEN: Anyone remember the first ads for "Mage: the Ascension" that were put out? The ones with the computer terminal with the face trapped in it(?) and the message stating how someone discovered the plans of someone else, and it hints that they are now trapped inside the machine...or something along those lines?

Anyone recall that or have I confused the lot of you?

Thought stemming from this for a Sorcerer campaign...Sorcerers rely on computers and electronics for their ghosts (as above)...they can attack one another through the machines, battle in the cyber-realm or even become permanent and unwilling residents thereof with the by performing the correct rituals...it seems they have amazing personal power (but as we all know, it is really their ghosts...of course, inside the machine they can do anything they want...fireballs and stunning visual effects in the cyberscape, because it is all really just data...manipulations of circutry and current).

Hey, the ghosts want something in exchange for their bindings...blood...their bones laid to rest... revenge... and somehow these techno-occult 'rituals' help bind agreements ("You must use the blood of my murderer in the ritual..." or other less directly vocal or obvious hints about the way to act).

(Hey, Ron, thanks for not writing a kids' game!!)

RON EDWARDS: >>So my question is, what kind of good GMing or role-playing will bring out the story potential of Parasites, especially as distinct from any other kind of demon?

And Raven wrote, >"You wake up covered in blood..." >take it from there.

Well, I'm not sure that's enough. That could apply to all sorts of demon types, and it's a crisis (a Kicker), but not really a premise yet. I'm trying to get at what the Parasite Type really offers to a GM or player that isn't offered by any other type of demon.

I've got some notions but I'd like to get some feedback on that basic question first.

RAVEN: >Well, I'm not sure that's enough. That could apply to all sorts of demon types, and it's a crisis (a Kicker), but not really a premise yet. I'm trying to get at what the Parasite Type really offers to a GM or player that isn't offered by any other type of demon.

You know, I realized that after I was back at school; it could have been any type of demon, possessor or parasite, most specifically. I think what I was trying to go for was the whole, "It does things with you when you are asleep that you don't know about," shtick, unfortunately, after much thought, I realized that might fit the image of a possessor-type more.

So, I thought it over more...a parasite wouldn't take control, but it might provide you with powers you don't really want. I'm thinking of the Hand and Eye from Moorcock's "Corum" series, here; he chooses to use them, but they have a life of their own, at times, the effects are ever-present and thus so is the price.

RON EDWARDS: Raven wrote, >So, I thought it over more...a parasite wouldn't take control, but it might provide you with powers you don't really want. I'm thinking of the Hand and Eye from Moorcock's "Corum" series, here; he chooses to use them, but they have a life of their own, at times, the effects are ever-present and thus so is the price.

I think this is definitely aiming somewhere. The only Parasite I've presented on the webpage was Sipe, who kept his little dead kid hosts alive ...

Parasites present several GM / story / player problems. For one thing, some way and some how, the terms of the Need and the Binding have to be articulated. It could be overt: the thing CAN speak or communicate, in one of two ways, (1) right out loud or telepathically, or (2) really spookily, e.g. the host looks in the mirror and his mirror image speaks to him with the voice of the demon, or something like that.

Or it could be covert: e.g. the terms of ANY Binding with this thing are laid out in some musty tome, or something like that, and the story could go one of two ways -- (1) the host or master knows about it first, or (2) he has to figure it out once the thing's in him or whomever.

I like what Raven's saying about the "agreement" being right out in the open in some way, at least brutally obvious whenever its terms are in effect. For those of you who haven't read the Corum books, he has these demonic implants, an eye and a hand. Basically, using them both, he can summon up whatever was last killed (by what? I'll explain, hold on), and it will kill whatever you want it to. Now when you do it again, the previous thing is gone and now it's the victim that was killed last time (that's what).

It does in fact make more sense, game-wise, for the implants themselves to be a demon and they/it permit a highly specific form of necromantic contact and summons, on a Pact basis (as described in Sorcerer & Sword). Anyway, the point is, once Corum uses the thing(s), he figures out the deal. I'm claiming that barring a certain degree of dramatic tension, Parasites are more fun when their terms are fairly explicit.

This question also leads to a whole realm of creativity that isn't too clear in the rules -- what's the Parasite (or Possessor, for that matter) look like when it's not in someone? That could be a really fun part of the game / story as well.

Maybe we could open the floor for some Parasite demon ideas. I'd like to hear some.