Carrion Arts are what vampires in Harrowed World call their supernatural abilities. They are the unnatural gifts that separate predator from prey.
These are not just abilities you equip. They are expressions of your vampiric nature. Some are tied to your Legacy, ancient, guarded, and passed down through bloodlines. Others are shared, adapted, or stolen over time. Together, they form the foundation of how your character interacts with the world… and how the world responds in kind.
While some preliminary work has started, we want to involve you before things are too far along. We’ll first be gathering feedback from our relevant paid Patreon members, then opening the discussion up to everyone, so you can truly have your say in shaping these powers.
Since there’s a lot to cover, we’ll be breaking this topic into multiple parts. In this first post, we’ll outline the planned structure of Carrion Arts and give a high level look at what each one is intended to represent. While you may have seen the names of these Carrion Arts before, until now, their purpose has remained deliberately obscured.
Besides the term ‘Carrion Art’ and certain lore details, like how one Carrion Art is distributed per Legacy and the rest are communal, and the fact each Legacy has a single animal form, nothing that follows is set in stone.
Your feedback will play a key role, so don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
The Nature of Carrion Arts
Each Carrion Art is made up of three distinct abilities known as Artifices.
Each Artifice represents a focused expression of that Carrion Art, something specific, and deliberate. As you invest experience, that expression deepens, becoming more potent.
When you claim a Carrion Art, whether by choice during character creation or through the Legacy that you are passaged into, you will decide which Artifice first awakens within you.
Others may follow, but power demands sacrifice, unlocking additional Artifices comes at a far greater cost than strengthening one already mastered.
Some Artifices may also have effects beyond combat, such as influencing dialogue.
Heartstone
Heartstone is a Carrion Art that all vampires share but it manifests slightly differently depending on your Legacy. Heartstone is the only exception to the one Artifice per Carrion Art rule and does not to fit into either the Cognate or Communal categories.
The Heartstone Artifices would be:
Sana Corpus: Restore health using blood.
Beast Shape: Take on animal form, specific form depends on Legacy.
Beast Meld: Take on humanoid animal form, specific form depends on Legacy.
Cognate
You only get one cognate Carrion Art which is determined by your Legacy type:
Soma: Body Modification.
Vox: Voice Manipulation.
Celestis: Sleep Manipulation.
Ardour: Anger Manipulation.
Animalia: Animal Manipulation.
Communal
Communal Carrion Arts are abilities any vampire can choose. You will have the option to pick three of these at character creation:
Cruentus: Blood Manipulation.
Obcasus: Death Manipulation.
Hegemony: Mental Manipulation.
Sensus: Supernatural Senses.
Imago: Image Manipulation.
Motility: Supernatural Movement.
Salvos: Supernatural Strength and Resilience.
Click Here To Read Part 2 Now.
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