TEXT: Gregorius21778: 
  Ghoul Succedaneum
  “A Different Heritage” for the “Gifted” Archetype
  Version 1.0; created by Kai Pütz 
  (c) 2021
  
  Legal & Stuff:
  Created by:
  Kai Pütz; (c) 2021
  My blog:
  www.gregorius21778.wordpress.com
  My further releases
  at drivethrurpg.com
  OGL:
  Please see the last page for the full OGL License.
  Artwork:
  Cover (“gnawed bone”) is copyright (C)2018 Bradley K McDevitt; used 
  with permission. 
  Page background copyright by Figu-Design; used with permission.
  Ghoul art  (p.3) (c) by Denis McCarthy; used with permission.
  Carcass artwork (p.4) copyright by Jacob E. Blackmon; used with 
  permission.
  Ghoul art (p. 5) is copyright by Bartek Blaszczec; 
  used with permission.
  Dark Streets & Darker Secrets™ is a trademark of Diogo Nogueira.  Old Skull Publishing™ is a
  trademark of Diogo Nogueira. Gallant Knight Games™ is a trademark of Alan Bahr.  Used with
  permission under license.
  
  About the Ghouls that Dwell Below....
  “(...)  seldom  completely  human,  but  often  [human]  in
  varying degree. Most of  [them], while roughly bipedal,
  [have] a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The
  texture of [their skin] (...) unpleasant rubberiness.  (...)“
  “(...)teaching a small child how to feed like [them] (….)The
  price of a changeling,  (…) [they] leave their spawn in
  cradles in exchange for the human babes they steal. (…)
  The dog-things [had]  developed from mortals (…).
  “ And no sooner had I wondered what he made of their
  own  young  as  left  with  mankind  in  the  form  of
  changelings, than my eye caught a picture embodying that
  very thought. It was that of an ancient Puritan interior—a
  heavily beamed room with lattice windows, a settle, and
  clumsy  seventeenth-century  furniture,  with  the  family
  sitting about while the father read from the Scriptures.
  Every face but one shewed nobility and reverence, but that
  one reflected the mockery of the pit. It was that of a young
  man in years, and no doubt belonged to a supposed son of
  that pious father, but in essence it was the kin of the
  unclean things. It was their changeling (...)”
  Excerpts taken from “Pickman´s Modele”, a story 
  by H.P. Lovecraft.
  Recently, I had been listening to a sound story base
  on “Pickman´s Model”, a story of H.P. Lovecraft. At
  the point in the story where the protagonist was lead
  through Pickman´s collection by the “man” himself,
  so that it became clear that (Lovecraft´s) ghouls had a
  habit of exchanging their progeny with that of mere
  humans, an idea struck me right out of the blue. Why
  not opening up a background as a ghoul-changeling
  (or as I rather call them,  ghoul succedaneum) as an
  option for player characters in Dark Streets & Darker
  Secrets  ™?  Not  “ghoul”  like  “blood-slave  of  a
  vampire”, but “ghoul” like “foul, corpse-devouring
  daemonic man-things from somewhere below...
  After all, the “Gifted” Archetype already includes an
  option for a Supernatural Heritage. While Richard
  Upton Pickman was not a sorcerous figure in the
  original story, this does not mean that a roleplayer
  may not bend the source material this way or that. 
  And  of  course,  there  is  this  A  Different  Heritage
  release of mine, that turns the “Gifted” from a spell-
  wielding  archetype  into  a  character  class  that
  develops gifts. The figure Richard Upton Pickman
  did not showed any supernatural abilities, yet the
  story mentions that  “Pickman repelled him more and
  more every day, and almost frightened him toward the last
  —that the fellow’s features and expression were slowly
  developing in a way he didn’t like; in a way that wasn’t
  human.”
  ...and as I said already, a roleplayer may bend the
  source material this way or that if the game profits
  from it. 
  So... here we are...  Ghoul Succedaneum: “A Different
  Heritage” for the “Gifted” Archetype. The release of
  mine of the same name is not needed to make use of
  it, this title includes all rules changes needed to put
  this archetype into use. Of course, getting -that- title
  of mine will offer up … further options.... to you.  
  And I would be a blatant liar if I would claim that
  I do -not- think about this release as a fitting
  little advertisement for my work....
  
  Ghoul Succedaneum
  Prime Attributes: Agility and Willpower
  Recovery Roll: 1d6
  Special Abilities:  either as the “Gifted” Archetype
  with  Consume  the  Flesh as  Heritage  ability.  Or,  as
  written in the rules of “A Different Heritage”, remove
  the I Make My Own Reality and There is Power in the
  Blood special abilities from the class. Instead, pick
  two of the following special abilities, in addition to
  the Heritage ability mentioned above. An additional
  one is picked at the third level, and every second
  level thereafter. 
  Rules  reminder:  These  abilities  can  only  be  used  a
  number of times per adventure equal to the character´s
  level (see DS&DS p. 19; Supernatural Heritage). 
  Ghoul Special Abilities:
  Consume the Flesh:  Spend an Action to consume
  the  flesh  of  a  human  corpse  to  regenerate  1d6
  Vitality points. Depending on its exact nature (and
  status of decay), a corpse may provide up to 5d6
  Vitality to those that feast. 
  Unnatural Bite: while the teeth of the character
  look normal, their bite is much more horrible. In a
  grapple, the character may bite for 1d6+1 damage.
  Creature  of  the  Night:  darkness  is  what  the
  character  grew  accustomed  to.  There  are  no
  penalties  from  darkness,  and  the  character  will
  actually gain an Positive Die to any stealth roll while
  in the dark. 
  Frightening  Fighter: there  something  in  the
  savagery of the character during a fight, something
  in the eyes and the visage that is enough to frighten
  common men. Any mortal character with less than 4
  HD must make a Moral Check after three rounds of
  combat, and every time that the character is able to
  take out an opponent. 
  One with Death & Decay: morbid is the nature of the
  ghoul, and morbidity holds no horror to their spawn
  once they are in touch with their own heritage. The
  character will not suffer Sanity loss from scenes of
  carnage,  decay  or  death.  Even  if  they  are
  supernatural in nature. 
  Monster´s  Visage: the character  may  change the
  own appearance at will, to gain horrible visage and
  appearance worthy a ghoul. It would take a person
  that knows the character well an Intellect test to
  recognize that THIS is the character. In addition, the
  claw-like  nails  of  the  ghoul-form  count  as  small
  weapons in melee. 
  Aberration: as the Supernatural Heritage on p.19 of
  DS&DS(tm).
  Call  of  the  Ghouls: the  character  may  give
  horrifying  cry  that  will  reach  even  further
  underground  than  above.  Any  ghoul  or  character
  with ghoul heritage within long (above ground) or
  distant  (below)  will  mystically  hear  it  (whenever
  possible or not) and feel drawn to the character. A
  random reaction is rolled for twice when they arrive,
  and the better result is kept.
  
  Further Releases of Mine
  A Different Heritage
  A set of rules to The Gifted Class of DS&DS from a 
  sorcerer-type into a scion of another kind, which will 
  develop more and more beneficial, supernatural 
  powers over time.
  For I am Your Creator
  A D20 table to define the reason for a vampireßs 
  creation. PWYW
  20 Ways to Embroil Mortals into a Vampire Feud
  System neutral hooks for a modern game that involves 
  vampires. Inspired by the “Blood War” scenario in Old 
  Skull Zine 1. 
  99 Quirks, Details and Habits for Vampires
  Further inspirational material to flesh out a vampire 
  character. 
  100 Items of Modern-ish JUNK
  Need some stuff to clutter up a place? Get some! Pay-
  what-you-want!
  99 Deformations
  No tentacles included!
  Foul is all Magick
  A small set of tables for the random generation of 
  “ingredients” for spells or rituals. System neutral; pay-
  what-you-want.
  Get-A-Goon
  Need some tuffs,thugs or hired muscle? No idea what 
  they are or look like aside from their stat block? Here 
  you are... pay-what-you-want.
  Strange & Cruel Personal Titles
  What evil will your players face next? Ask this three-
  table name generator. Perhaps it will be the Embodiment
  of the Erasing Call, or the Shadow of the Screaming Truth. 
  
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