Broken One

Broken Ones are a species of monster originating from Dungeons & Dragons, specifically Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; they are especially associated with the Ravenloft campaign setting, and may in fact have originated there. This is because Broken Ones owe their origins to the gothic horror story "The Island of Dr. Moreau", and specifically the man-beasts created by the titular character.

Broken Ones are hideous, deformed, twisted abominations whose bodies are based on the unnatural melding of man and beast - and rarely in so harmonious a fashion as the typical beastfolk race. Products of fleshcrafting, the original broken ones are animals torturously uplifted into a semblance of the humanoid form and faculties by Dr. Frantisek Markov (Darklord of Markovia), but others are former humanoids warped into a crude semblance of beasts as a punishment for whatever wrongs Markov feels they inflicted upon him. It's hard to say which version feels more pain and torment from their present status; whether the transformation was achieved through bloodthirsty surgical mutilation (Markov's method, oft-presumed the default), weird implants that induced physical corruption, bizarre radiations harnessed through science or sorcery, alchemical formulas or occultic rituals, the transformation is never pleasant.

As monsters in AD&D, Broken Ones are divided into Common and Greater versions.

The Common Broken One possesses inhuman stamina, with at least five hit points per hit dice and the ability to regenerate one hit point each round. Having survived the traumatic transformation that gave birth to them, they possess supernatural strength; their unarmed melee attack damage is 1d6, and certain specimens may be even stronger depending on what kind of creature they are based upon. Furthermore, they always have at least one ability derived from their animal half, and may have more.

The Greater Broken One is a truly superior specimen. Though still a frightening creature, they have emerged from the torturous crucible of their birth hardened into true monsters. In addition to their high minimum hit points, they regenerate 2 hit points per round and their unarmed strikes do 1d8 damage. When wielding weapons, their strength gives them between a +3 bonus and a +5 bonus on attack and damage rolls. They always have 1d4 animal abilities at minimum, and their abilities may be even stronger than those of their base creature.

The Ravenloft AD&D adventure "Thoughts of Darkness" introduced the Shattered Brethren of Bluetspur, who were later reprinted in the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III. Somewhat tougher than Common Broken Ones, if not as powerful as Greater Broken Ones, their unique attribute is the possession of innate psionics, which gives them a necessary edge against their hated illithid creators.

In 3rd edition, Broken Ones returned in a somewhat more generic format as a catch-all term for any individual rendered hideously deformed and mutated by scientific or sorcerous transformations.

Broken One PCs

In "The Book of Souls", the first semi-official netbook of Ravenloft content, 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 the at a time when the only unique race Ravenloft had to its name were the 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), 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.

1. 1. Armored Hide: Base AC is 7.
   2. Beastspeak: You can communicate with the animal species you were made from.
   3. Berserk Frenzy: You can continue to fight until reduced to -7 hit points.
   4. 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.
   5. Gills: You can breathe water and air.
   6. Glide: You can move forward 2 feet for every 1ft you drop.
   7. Gnawing Teeth: You can chew through solid wood, at a rate of 1 inch every 2 rounds.
   8. Heat Sensing Pits: You have Infravision 60 feet.
   9. Keen Hearing: +2 bonus to checks against being surprised.
   10. Keen Smell: You have the Tracking non-weapon proficiency, but when tracking, you only suffer the modifiers stemming from time and water.
   11. Keen Vision: Your vision ranges are doubled.
   12. Mighty Leap: You can jump 10ft straight up or 20ft straight forward from a standstill.
   13. Natural Camouflage: If you remain motionless in a natural setting, others must succeed on an Intelligence check to be able to see you.
   14. Night Vision: Reduce any penalties caused by low-light by 2 points.
   15. Pack Animal: Treat your Strength as +2 for determining your encumbrance.
   16. Padfoot: Others suffer a -3 penalty to their surprise checks against you.
   17. Powerful Lungs: You can hold your breath for rounds equal to your Constitution score.
   18. Quills: Any creature that hits you with a natural weapon takes 1d2 damage itself. This doesn't decrease the damage you take.
   19. Special Movement Form: You can move through one special terrain condition at your normal movement rate.
   20. 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 an animal. They become a mere deformed-looking animal and 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's even noted that this a cruel thing to do and most would be more compassionate by just letting the broken one go into the wild.