Editing Hunchback: The Lurching (section)

==So You're a Hunchback, You Poor Fucker==

So, some greater power in this world utterly hates you. Could be the God-Machine, a powerful and really bored vampire, a really dumb mad science experiment, some rat bastard of a spirit, blind chance, whatever. It doesn't really matter what it is, just that it hates you personally and because of this, you are a Hunchback. This (according to our lawyers at least) has nothing to do with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyphosis kyphosis], the medical condition that real-life people with hunched backs have. Instead, because you live in the World of Darkness, you have a mutation called the Hump. Unlike kyphosis, which is abnormal curvature of the spine, the Hump is more like a giant, evil tumor that affixes itself to the spine. The Hump is a store of mystical energy that allows Hunchbacks to recognize each other by something called the Lurching and use supernatural powers called Twists, with effects that vary from poisoning people to communicating with animals to physical enhancement.

But, you ask, this is the World of Darkness, so what's the catch? Well, you're right, there is a catch, and it's a doozy. The magical energy Hunchbacks use is called Misery, and it's essentially distilled emotional pain. If you wanna use any of those neat powers, you have to be insulted, rejected, and generally bullied. And if you want to just say 'screw it' and go cold turkey on powers so you don't need to be sad all the time? You're shit out of luck, because the Hump is an emotional parasite, and it will get its misery somehow. Your appearance is mutated to look utterly grotesque to the point where humans have to make composure rolls to stay in your presence, everything you do is made disgusting somehow, and in the extremely unlikely event that you do get your happy ending, you die as the Hump drains your life in lieu of your pain. Did I mention that your life sucks? Because it does.

Fortunately for you, there are some things you can do to make your life as a hunchback somewhat bearable. You can find a Tragic Love who you must admire from afar as they're subject to the same Composure rolls as normal humans. You can find a Master to serve and hope they'll like you if you kiss their butt enough. Or you can say 'fuck it' and join the emotionally dead serial killer Hunchbacks.