Character Concept: Witch-born

1st edition? 2nd edition? It doesnt matter! Let's just talk Palladium Fantasy.

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
Hotrod
Knight
Posts: 3421
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2001 1:01 am
Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy

Character Concept: Witch-born

Unread post by Hotrod »

One aspect of the Witch O.C.C. that caught my eye a few years ago is the concept of a witch having a child and then giving or sacrificing the baby to the supernatural evil empowering that witch. This is one of the possible criteria for a minor pact in the form of a required child sacrifice. Fathering/bearing children and turning them to evil comes with the "selling of body and soul" major pact is another way this could happen.

Specifically, it made me contemplate the idea of creating a character who is the offspring of such a witch.

If it were publicly known that a character is witch-born, how would different cultures treat such a character?

Let's say, for example, that a child sacrifice (minor pact) gets interrupted, and some hero or heroes manage to rescue an infant. Presumably, the witch-parent would want to hung down the tyke; would the sponsoring demon do so too? Would the sponsoring demon permit the parent to retain witch powers in this process, or take them away?

Alternately, perhaps the child has been dedicated to a demon's service, but escapes. How might this shape a player character?

There's also a question in my mind as to what the effects might be on a child fathered or borne by a witch with the Gift of Union. How important would it be for the witch/demon to raise/sacrifice such a child in the service of evil?

I bring this up because it seems like it could be an interesting premise for a player character, NPC, or an adventure. Witch-born PCs might have to deal with being hunted, giving them a reason to wander and not settle down somewhere, and perhaps a premise for the character to grow and learn to face the character's literal demons. Witch-born adult NPCs might need help disappearing/escaping or defeating their evil parent or parent's master. Witch-born infants or small children could pose a dilemma for player characters who root out a domain of evil, only to find such a child who now needs protection.

Has anyone played with this in a game/campaign?
Hotrod
Author, Rifter Contributor, and Map Artist
Duty's Edge, a Rifts novel. Available as an ebook, PDF,or printed book.
Check out my maps here!
Also, check out my Instant NPC Generators!
Like what you see? There's more on my Patreon Page.
Image
User avatar
kiralon
Champion
Posts: 2800
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:05 pm
Comment: Kill it with Fire.

Re: Character Concept: Witch-born

Unread post by kiralon »

I used a witchborn in an adventure where a man made a pact with a female witch and became a lord and had to give up his firstborn (which was to the witch). The witch fled with the child as the now lord had second thoughts of being linked with a witch and had sent men to kill the witch and his child, but the witch won and fled and raised the child as a witch, and the witchborn and then sent the child into the castle when the lords known son was going to take over from his father as his father had died (thought it was natural, but the witch had sent her familiar to poison him), so on the night the known son was going to be affirmed lord on the known sons birthday as well so it was a big party, and the witchborn turned up with proof of being the firstborn and proof that the father had consorted with a witch, and then tried to kill his brother and burn down everything his father had done.
User avatar
Hotrod
Knight
Posts: 3421
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2001 1:01 am
Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy

Re: Character Concept: Witch-born

Unread post by Hotrod »

kiralon wrote:I used a witchborn in an adventure where a man made a pact with a female witch and became a lord and had to give up his firstborn (which was to the witch). The witch fled with the child as the now lord had second thoughts of being linked with a witch and had sent men to kill the witch and his child, but the witch won and fled and raised the child as a witch, and the witchborn and then sent the child into the castle when the lords known son was going to take over from his father as his father had died (thought it was natural, but the witch had sent her familiar to poison him), so on the night the known son was going to be affirmed lord on the known sons birthday as well so it was a big party, and the witchborn turned up with proof of being the firstborn and proof that the father had consorted with a witch, and then tried to kill his brother and burn down everything his father had done.


Wow, that's... dark. And tragic. Quite fitting for how vile that O.C.C. is.
Hotrod
Author, Rifter Contributor, and Map Artist
Duty's Edge, a Rifts novel. Available as an ebook, PDF,or printed book.
Check out my maps here!
Also, check out my Instant NPC Generators!
Like what you see? There's more on my Patreon Page.
Image
Post Reply

Return to “Palladium Fantasy RPG®”