Editing Broken One (section)

==Broken One PCs==
In the fan-made netbook "[[Books of S|The Book of Souls]]", rules were presented for playing a broken one player character inspired by rules for undead and [[golem]] PCs that had earlier appeared in "Requiem" and "[[Van Richten's Guide]] to the Created". The idea was that, as tormented victims of hideous experiments struggling to hold onto their dwindling or "gifted" humanity, broken ones made perfect sense for PCs in a gothic horror-fantasy setting.

Especially as this was at a time when the only unique race Ravenloft had to its name were the [[Half-Vistani]].

The rules presented covered both playing a broken one who had been created and then escaped and for having a former player character still remain playable after being warped ''into'' a broken one.

===Base Rules===
::Ability Score Rolls: 2d10 for Physical stats, 2d6 for Mental stats.
::Ability Score Range: Strength 2-20, Dexterity 2-20, Constitution 2-20, Intelligence 2-12, Wisdom 2-12, Charisma 2-12.
::Optional Rule: A broken one has an ability to pass itself off as human, equal to 10% chance per point of Charisma.
::Base Movement Rate: 9
::Hit Dice: As Class
::Class & Level Restrictions: [[Fighter]] (12), [[Avenger]] (12), [[Rogue|Thief]] (12)
::Natural Armament: A broken one has a natural attack ability that does 1d6 damage. This is treated as its own form of weapon proficiency slot, so the broken one suffers a penalty if it places no points in this. 3 points of specialization increases the damage to 18, whilst 5 points increases the damage to 1d10.
::Regeneration: 1 hit point per round, can't regenerate acid or fire damage, will not continue to regenerate if killed.
::Salient Ability: A broken one has '''one''' salient ability from the following list.
##Armored Hide: Base AC is 7.
##Beastspeak: You can communicate with the animal species you were made from.
##Berserk Frenzy: You can continue to fight until reduced to -7 hit points.
##Charging Attack: If you can move at a run straight at your opponent for at least 40 feet, you can make a charging attack with your natural attack form.
##Gills: You can breathe water and air.
##Glide: You can move forward 2 feet for every 1ft you drop.
##Gnawing Teeth: You can chew through solid wood, at a rate of 1 inch every 2 rounds.
##Heat Sensing Pits: You have Infravision 60 feet.
##Keen Hearing: +2 bonus to checks against being surprised.
##Keen Smell: You have the Tracking non-weapon proficiency, but when tracking, you only suffer the modifiers stemming from time and water.
##Keen Vision: Your vision ranges are doubled.
##Mighty Leap: You can jump 10ft straight up or 20ft straight forward from a standstill.
##Natural Camouflage: If you remain motionless in a natural setting, others must succeed on an Intelligence check to be able to see you.
##Night Vision: Reduce any penalties caused by low-light by 2 points.
##Pack Animal: Treat your Strength as +2 for determining your encumbrance.
##Padfoot: Others suffer a -3 penalty to their surprise checks against you.
##Powerful Lungs: You can hold your breath for rounds equal to your Constitution score.
##Quills: Any creature that hits you with a natural weapon takes 1d2 damage itself. This doesn't decrease the damage you take.
##Special Movement Form: You can move through one special terrain condition at your normal movement rate.
##Venom: Your natural attack forces the victim to pass a Save vs. Poison or take +1d6 damage due to your poison.
::Double the cost of armor and the cost of clothing.
::Roleplaying Penalty: A broken one's horrifying appearance will make them stick out in a crowd, and not in a good way. They may even provoke Fear and/or Horror checks in NPCs.
::Roleplaying Penalty: Fear of Creation - broken ones should be subjected to a Horror check whenever presented with a reminder of whatever created them, most commonly either surgical procedures or magic.

===Converted PCs===
Converting a former PC into a Broken One differs from making one from scratch in only two ways.

Firstly, when determining the Broken One's ability scores, they will receive either a penalty or a bonus to the ability score role based on their previous score. Apply a -1 penalty for each point below 7 in the original score, and a +1 for each point above 14 in the original score - this will max out as a -4 penalty for an original score of 3 and a +4 bonus for an original score of 18.

Secondly, a converted Broken One's class level limits are derived from its original racial limits, although it is still restricted to the [[Fighter]], [[Avenger]] and [[Thief]] classes.

===Regression===
This semi-optional rule - in that the article encourages you to use it, since it's so "gothic", but it's such a hassle (and so easy to abuse) that you can easily just discard it, since Ravenloft encourages the DM to be a prick too much as it is - covers the great gothic horror issue facing a Broken One PC: the constant threat of the beast overtaking what's left of the man.

A DM needs to keep a list of Beastly Behaviors and Human Habits - behavioral traits that either reinforce a Broken One's human aspects or its bestial aspects, and make a running tally of the actions that the PC performs. Ideally, a DM and a player should work together to establish what is most appropriate for the character.

At the end of each week, compare the total marks for bestial or human actions engaged in during that week. If the broken one acted more like a Beast, than it immediately loses 1 point from each of its mental stats. If they acted more like a human, they gain 1 point in each of their mental stats. If the tally evens out, their stats remain as they are.

If the broken one's Intelligence or Wisdom drops to 1, then they have lost the battle of beasthood. The other two scores will drop to 1, at the rate of 1 point from each score per week, and once all three stats are at 1, the broken one has completely reverted to to its bestial origins. Now physically and mentally nothing more than a mere deformed-looking animal, they will run away into the wilderness.

A broken one who truly fears that they are succumbing to reversion can always take the drastic step of having a fleshcrafter attempt to stabilize them. Still, whatever the means of doing so - surgery, sorcery, alchemy - this is not without its risks. Even if the broken one is willing (or restrained by well-meaning friends), the stress of the procedure upon body and mind forces them to take a Saving Throw vs. Death Magic. Success restores their mental stats to their maximum value (the score rolled at character creation). Failure leaves them dead.

If a broken one succumbs to beasthood and is then forcibly restored by [[fleshcrafting]], their old persona is lost; the broken one starts over as a 1st level character in every fashion. It bears mentioning that this a cruel thing to do and most would be more compassionate by just letting the broken one go into the wild.