The Recurrent
The Recurrent is an eternally-remade fetch that remembers its past lives.
Overview
| “ | I remember you. I should. I was you, until you killed me. | ” |
This fetch seems to be cursed by the Wyrd to play doppelgänger to an endless number of changelings. It has been killed countless times, and each time, an Other takes the pieces left behind to build a new fetch. After so many “resurrections”, it has come to remember all its lives. It can only be killed by the changeling in whose image it is made, or by the use of a bizarre catch that changes each life. If killed by the former, it will simply be remade by one of the Gentry; the latter will end it forever — but only if an unrelated changeling deals the blow. Should it be killed in any other way than these two, it will simply fall dormant, reforming after twenty-four hours on the opposite side of the Hedge from where it died. The Recurrent’s only goal at this point is to kill its counterpart in the hopes that doing so will render it truly immortal.
Character Sheet
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 5, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes:* Strength 4,
Dexterity 6, Stamina 5
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 5, Composure 4
Mental Skills: Academics (History) 5, Computer 2, Crafts (Traps, Weaponcraft, Metalwork, Leatherwork, Repair) 4, Investigation 5, Medicine 4, Occult (Resurrection, The Fae, Changelings) 5, Politics 3, Science (Poisons, Chemistry) 4
Physical Skills:* Athletics (Running) 3, Brawl (Choke Holds) 4, Drive 3, Firearms 3, Larceny 4, Stealth 6, Survival 3, Weaponry (Knives, Clubs) 4
Social Skills: Empathy 1, Intimidation 4, Persuasion 1, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 1
Merits:** Ambidextrous, Danger Sense, Disarm, Encyclopedic Knowledge, Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Style: Boxing 5, Fleet of Foot 3, Language (any the Storyteller requires)
Willpower: 8
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Envy
Initiative: 12 (with Fast Reflexes)
Defense: 5
Speed: 18 (with Fleet of Foot)
Health: 10
Wyrd: 6
Glamour/per Turn: 15/6
Echoes: Attuned to the Wyrd, Death of Glamour, Enter the Hedge, Heart of Wax, Mimic Contract, Normalcy
Weapons/Attacks:
| Type | Damage | Range | Dice Pool | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | 2(L) | 20/40/80 | 11 | — |
| Shotgun | 4(L) | 20/40/80 | 13 | 9 again |
| Club | 3(B) | — | 12 | — |
| Knife | 1(L) | — | 10 | — |
*While the Recurrent’s form might appear weak or frail, it retains its Physical Skills and Attributes from one incarnation to another. It can therefore be deceptively fast, strong, and deadly. On occasion, though, the Fae steal a mortal bound to a wheelchair or with some other infirmity, and the Recurrent is likewise bound by any such restriction.
**A given incarnation might also have Social Merits such as Striking Looks, Resources, Allies, Contacts, or even Fame.
Fae Aspects
• The Catch: The Recurrent always has a “catch” in its current form, and this catch is a situation or weapon that can be used to truly end its existence forever. The catch can only be activated by someone other than the changeling upon whom that incarnation is based, however. The catch is always extremely arcane and elaborate, and the Recurrent knows the catch instinctively (meaning that if someone were able to read the Recurrent’s mind or enter its dreams, he might uncover it). An example of the Recurrent’s catch might be that it can only be killed by an arrow fashioned out of rosewood and fired from a homemade bow at sunrise through an open gateway from the Hedge. The changeling upon whom the Recurrent’s present form is based, however, has no need of the catch. Any attack it inflicts upon the Recurrent by any means causes aggravated damage. By contrast, the Recurrent, while it can attack this changeling, can inflict only one point of damage in a given attack, no matter how many successes the Storyteller rolls.
• Inscrutable: Perceptive and analysis-based magic doesn’t work well on the Recurrent, probably because it is so many different people. While it’s not impossible to read the Recurrent’s mind, any attempt to do so incurs a –3 penalty in addition to any Attribute-based penalties that might be assessed. This penalty also applies to spells, Gifts, Disciplines and any other supernatural powers that attempt to analyze, identify, or otherwise gain information about the Recurrent. This includes lie detection, attempts to read its aura, and powers that allow for postcognition. This power is always active.
References
- CTL: Night Horrors: Grim Fears, p. 108-111