Nightbane
Encyclopedia
Nightbane is a dark fantasy
role-playing game
and setting created by C. J. Carella and published in 1995 by Palladium Books
. The game uses Palladium's Megaversal system
, which is also used by the multi-genre game Rifts
and the horror game Beyond the Supernatural
, among other games.
Originally published under the title Nightspawn, the game's name was changed after legal threats from the lawyers of Todd McFarlane
, creator of the Spawn
comic book
.
The world of Nightbane is a dark fantasy setting very much like our own modern world on the surface, but beneath that, it is more sinister. Disappearances and murders are common place. Reports of monster sightings are more frequent, and people tend to feel hopeless and helpless. The reason for this is that a secret cabal of supernatural beings from another dimension and their shapeshifting minions have quietly seized control of the world's government and corporate powers.
Originally written and created by C. J. Carella, the property was revived by Palladium in July 2009 with the release of the Nightbane Survival Guide written by Irvin Jackson and Mark Oberle, who, according to podcast interviews with the authors and Palladium founder Kevin Siembieda
, are expected to continue writing books for the line in the future.
It was also during this darkness that thousands of people learned that they had become inhuman monsters. Many of them were killed before they knew what had happened to them. Some were killed by mobs of terrified humans, others took their own lives. Those that survived learned that they could return to their human forms. These shapechanging beings are called the Nightbane, for it was at night that they become monsters.
s that feed on the life energy of both humans and Nightbane. Their true origins are a matter of debate; some accounts say they were sorcerers whose cruelty and demand for child sacrifice caused their subjects to revolt, while others claim they were always alien in origin. Whatever the case, it is known that they were banished to the Nightlands thousands of years ago. Now they have successfully weakened the barrier between Earth and the Nightlands and can come and go as they please. The Nightlords possess the ability to manipulate matter for various purposes (their greatest achievements being the creation of their vast fortresses).
The dimension that the Nightlords rule is a warped reflection of our own world. In this world, the rivers run red and the sun never shines. Strange monsters roam vast deserts and barren craggy landscapes. There are reflections of many major Earth cities, stale mockeries of busy metropolitan areas. Roaming these cities are the Dopplegangers, alternates of Earth humans who roam the streets in a daze unless something happens to awaken them (i.e., the will of a greater being, sometimes the death of their human counterpart). It is heavily implied that the wasted nature of the Nightlands is because the Nightlords have long held dominion over it. Most of the races and people that lived here before the Nightlords have been enslaved, slaughtered and mutated into various servants.
They resemble normal humans, although are typically much shorter. They have smooth white skin and hair, and translucent eyes, which often gives them the appearance of being albinos. They have incredible psychic and healing powers, but their most interesting characteristic is their ability to create light that can be used as shields or even blasts of energy that can inflict massive damage on supernatural creatures.
s made of fire), Choma (powerfully built metallic warriors) and Necrosis (dark beings with black skin and terrible powers). Each Athanatos also belongs to a sub-category that more or less resembles their outlook on life, and belong to either the Celestial or Infernal sects.
Though they are shrouded in mystery, the Athanatos are a powerful ally against The Dark and the Ba'al, but are forced to fight in the shadows while the Nightbane and Guardians battle on the streets. Their need for secrecy is tantamount to their need to fight the Ba'al, but those that find out about the Athanatos can make either a strong friend or destructive foe.
s are a constant threat in this game. Though their numbers are low, the undead are a terrible presence. However, the Nightlords, Nightbane and Guardians all consider the vampires their natural enemy, and often destroy them when encountered.
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
and setting created by C. J. Carella and published in 1995 by Palladium Books
Palladium Books
Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games perhaps best known for its popular, expansive Rifts series . Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin Siembieda, and is presently based in Westland, Michigan...
. The game uses Palladium's Megaversal system
Megaversal system
The Megaversal system, sometimes known as the Palladium system, is a set of mechanics specifically employed in most role-playing games published by Palladium Books, the exception is Recon. It uses dice for roll-under percentile skill checks, roll-high combat checks and saving throws, and...
, which is also used by the multi-genre game Rifts
Rifts (role-playing game)
Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously by Palladium Books since then. Rifts takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, deriving elements from cyberpunk, science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, mythology and many other genres.Rifts...
and the horror game Beyond the Supernatural
Beyond the Supernatural
Beyond the Supernatural is a horror role-playing game published by Palladium Books. It has seen two editions released, both of which have introduced innovations on Palladium's standard mechanics...
, among other games.
Originally published under the title Nightspawn, the game's name was changed after legal threats from the lawyers of Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
, creator of the Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
.
The world of Nightbane is a dark fantasy setting very much like our own modern world on the surface, but beneath that, it is more sinister. Disappearances and murders are common place. Reports of monster sightings are more frequent, and people tend to feel hopeless and helpless. The reason for this is that a secret cabal of supernatural beings from another dimension and their shapeshifting minions have quietly seized control of the world's government and corporate powers.
Originally written and created by C. J. Carella, the property was revived by Palladium in July 2009 with the release of the Nightbane Survival Guide written by Irvin Jackson and Mark Oberle, who, according to podcast interviews with the authors and Palladium founder Kevin Siembieda
Kevin Siembieda
Kevin Siembieda is an American artist, writer, designer, and publisher of role-playing games, and the co-founder and president of Palladium Books....
, are expected to continue writing books for the line in the future.
Dark Day
On March 6, 2000, at 6:02am, the entire planet was shrouded in unnatural darkness. The darkness blocked out the sun, and neither the stars nor the moon were visible. Many believed it to be the end of the world. Governments blamed each other, thinking it to be the effect of some secret weapon. Riots, rapes, beatings, and murders were commonplace. Emergency call centers were flooded with reports of monsters roaming the streets and skies. Numerous people simply disappeared.It was also during this darkness that thousands of people learned that they had become inhuman monsters. Many of them were killed before they knew what had happened to them. Some were killed by mobs of terrified humans, others took their own lives. Those that survived learned that they could return to their human forms. These shapechanging beings are called the Nightbane, for it was at night that they become monsters.
Nightbane
Possibly the best hope for Earth lie with the Nightbane. No one knows for sure where they come from. Usually one doesn't know that he or she is a Nightbane until the time of the "Becoming". During a period of great need, the first change can occur. Nightbane are indistinguishable from humans (they call this the "Facade"), but they can transform into fierce monstrous bodies (called the "Morphus"). Sometimes known as "The Race with a Thousand Faces", there are as many different forms of the Morphus as there are Nightbane. They also possess the ability to inflict lasting damage on the Nightlords, making the two sworn enemies. Nightbane are rumored to have been instrumental in the first successful defeat and banishment of the Nightlords.Nightlords
What most people don't know is that "Dark Day" was an event used by a race of beings from neighboring dimension to invade our world. These beings are known as the Ba'al-ze-neckt (Lords of Night), or simply, the "Ba'al". The Ba'al are a race of psychic vampirePsychic vampire
A psychic vampire is a person or being who claims to feed off the "life force" of other living creatures. Psychic vampires are represented in the occult beliefs of various cultures and in fiction...
s that feed on the life energy of both humans and Nightbane. Their true origins are a matter of debate; some accounts say they were sorcerers whose cruelty and demand for child sacrifice caused their subjects to revolt, while others claim they were always alien in origin. Whatever the case, it is known that they were banished to the Nightlands thousands of years ago. Now they have successfully weakened the barrier between Earth and the Nightlands and can come and go as they please. The Nightlords possess the ability to manipulate matter for various purposes (their greatest achievements being the creation of their vast fortresses).
Nightlands
The dimension that the Nightlords rule is a warped reflection of our own world. In this world, the rivers run red and the sun never shines. Strange monsters roam vast deserts and barren craggy landscapes. There are reflections of many major Earth cities, stale mockeries of busy metropolitan areas. Roaming these cities are the Dopplegangers, alternates of Earth humans who roam the streets in a daze unless something happens to awaken them (i.e., the will of a greater being, sometimes the death of their human counterpart). It is heavily implied that the wasted nature of the Nightlands is because the Nightlords have long held dominion over it. Most of the races and people that lived here before the Nightlords have been enslaved, slaughtered and mutated into various servants.
Minions
- Night Princes: Ba'al-Zebul are the highest ranking minions of the Nightlords and are masters of illusion.
- Avatars: The Ba'al possess the ability to create a being that is a lesser version of itself. These are very powerful and are usually loyal to the Ba'al that created them.
- DoppelgangersDoppelgängerIn fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
: Supernaturally strong copies of humans, they dwell in the Nightlands and live their lives in a haze unless something awakens them. They are considered playthings for the Ba'al if actual humans are not available. They have lower Potential Psychic Energy and minor psychic abilitiesPsionics (role-playing games)Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
(but a low incidence of master psionics). They are usually the opposite of their human counterparts on Earth. - Ashmedai: Shapeshifting worm-like monsters.
- The Hollow Men: Bug-like creatures that create humanoid constructs to move about in.
- Hounds: The shock troops, these armored warriors are the core of the Ba'al fighting force.
- Hunters: Winged versions of the Hounds.
- Great Hounds: A twelve-foot high version of the Hounds.
- Doppelganger Warlord: A more powerful version of the Doppelganger. When a Doppelganger proves itself to their Nightlord Masters, they go through an alchemicalAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
process to be transformed into a Warlord.
Guardians
The guardians are an enigmatic group. Most guardians don't fully understand who or what they are. From what is known, they seem to be normal men and women that have been transformed into supernatural beings with an instinctual desire to help humankind and destroy evil. Most of them remember little or nothing about their previous lives.They resemble normal humans, although are typically much shorter. They have smooth white skin and hair, and translucent eyes, which often gives them the appearance of being albinos. They have incredible psychic and healing powers, but their most interesting characteristic is their ability to create light that can be used as shields or even blasts of energy that can inflict massive damage on supernatural creatures.
Athanatos
The Athanatos (Greek for "undying") are as much a mystery as the Nightbane. Their "recorded" history states that they were among the first to exist in civilization, and are responsible for encouraging The Dark to become more prevalent in early human history. They, like the Nightbane, are also supernatural shapeshifters with incredible powers. Unlike the Nightbane, however, they can manifest a few of their attributes while still maintaining their human form. They can also use psionics, unlike the Nightbane, and are practically immortal. Each Athanatos has a specific form that they can transform into (also called their Gregorian form), like the Aeras (small, child-like winged beings), Hydros (giant, bipedal sea-horses), Pyros (winged angelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s made of fire), Choma (powerfully built metallic warriors) and Necrosis (dark beings with black skin and terrible powers). Each Athanatos also belongs to a sub-category that more or less resembles their outlook on life, and belong to either the Celestial or Infernal sects.
Though they are shrouded in mystery, the Athanatos are a powerful ally against The Dark and the Ba'al, but are forced to fight in the shadows while the Nightbane and Guardians battle on the streets. Their need for secrecy is tantamount to their need to fight the Ba'al, but those that find out about the Athanatos can make either a strong friend or destructive foe.
Vampires
VampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s are a constant threat in this game. Though their numbers are low, the undead are a terrible presence. However, the Nightlords, Nightbane and Guardians all consider the vampires their natural enemy, and often destroy them when encountered.