The Canon Callings (Character Concepts) for Unhallowed Metropolis!

Aristocrat - The Blue-Bloods, the Quality of Britain. Born to a life of privilege, they nevertheless struggle to
gain their ends. While they begin with many material and social benefits, they are ever mindful of how they
look and of the looming specter of scandal. (UnMet, Page 119)
Criminal - The Family, the dishonorable sons and daughters of the streets. The Metropolis is both bolt-hole
and hidey-hole to them, and they know its ways like nobody else. Prone to making their livings by any
means necessary; experts at marshalling unusual resources. (UnMet, Page 122)
Detective - A Detective may be a plainclothes policeman, an expert in criminology sought after for his
professional opinion, or a private investigator representing the interests of paying clients. In whatever
capacity, they are individuals who make their livelihoods seeking the secrets of the metropolis. (UnNec,
Page 44)
Dhampir - The Elegant Half-Alive Almost-Vampires. Beautiful, passionate and dangerous anti-heroes who
have won their place in Society. While powerful, they are plagued by their strong emotions and their halfalive state, and their tendency to fly into a berserk fury when confronted by a vampire. (UnMet, Page 125)
Doctor - The men and women of Science pursuing knowledge, often beyond the bounds of Reason and
Common Sense. To be sure, they are well-versed in Medical Arts; but also know Alchemy and other lores
that might give pause if discussed in common company. If you're hurt, then you must turn to a Doctor - best
to consult one you know well. (UnMet, Page 127)
Exorcist - Exorcists are devoutly religious individuals who have devoted their lives to delivering humanity,
great and small, from the predations of the invisible world. Relying on the power of faith and their sheer
force of will, exorcists cast out the spirits of the dead, forcing them to relinquish their hold on the physical
world. (UnNec, Page 48)
Medium - Throughout the world and recorded history, there have always been those who could speak to the
spirits - not just able to perceive them but also peer into the mists of the spirit world. For the medium, gazing
into the spiritual landscape is as natural as drawing breath, for they possess the Second Sight. (UnNec, Page
53)
Mourner - The Neo-Victorian Sitters for the Recently Deceased. No mere sineaters or professional weepers
for the departed, the Mourners are the Witnesses for the Perfumed Dead of the Aristocracy. Masters of melee
combat, they can be
relied on to end threats to the Quality with a very sharp blade, even from the risen recently-deceased.
(UnMet, Page 130)
Undertaker - The Stars of the Penny-Dreadfuls and Heroes of the Common People; Brutal and tough
professional bounty hunters who keep the streets of the Metropolis clear of the Undead and the Half-Alive,
whether it be Zombie, Vampire, Ghoul or Thrope. (UnMet, Page 132)

Physical Corruption
Aura of Deformity
I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a
strong feeling of deformity, although I couldnt specify the point.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886
There is an unpleasantness to your aspect not explainable by any single gross deformity but, nevertheless,
perceptible and inescapable. Animals have a deep and abiding hatred for you, and you inspire an
instantaneous and unreasoning loathing in all men. This places you at a disadvantage in social situations.
However, the unwholesome and menacing characteristics of your person may give you an advantage in
situations involving intimidation or violence.
A character that begins the game with this Affliction cannot take the Animal Empathy Quality.
Rating 1: You stand out in a crowd as not quite right. Animals are nervous around you and dont like to be
touched by you.
If the character has the Animal Empathy Quality, he now loses it.

Cursed
What you touch, spoils. In your presence, milk sours, mothers miscarry, and happy families are torn to sticky
bits by rampaging thropes. To touch your hand is to invite sickness and infection. Those closest to you are
doomed to misfortune. You are a harbinger of ruin.
Rating 1: You always seem to be in the right place at the wrong time. Once every few weeks, you observe a
tragic accident that coincidently happens in your presence. These accidents seldom, if ever, happen to
anyone you know.

Illness
Your impending death has been a constant companion since the day you were born. Something moves in
your veins, and someday it will kill you. If youre lucky, its something mundanea cancer, a poison, a
wasting disease. You may keep a stiff upper lip and appear healthy, calm, and collected, but it is an illusion.
When they arent looking, you spit up blood or are wracked with uncontrollable tremors that can leave you
weak and bedridden for days at a time.
A character that begins the game with this Affliction cannot take the Able Bodied or Long Lived Qualities.
Rating 1: You are prone to bouts of illness. Despite dressing as warmly as possible, you often complain of
chills.
If the character has either the Able Bodied or Long Lived Quality, he now loses it.

Monstrous
Tis true my form is something odd,
but blaming me is blaming God;
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.
Joseph Merrick, aka the Elephant Man
Horrific in the extreme, you draw unwanted attention wherever you go. Perhaps your body is a mass of
misshapen tumours and bloated flesh, or perhaps terrible burns cover your body. In any case, this Affliction
despoils your appearance, and it may also hinder movement and make meaningful communication difficult.
Whatever the cause of your deformities, you are a ghastly apparition, a living reflection of the corruption at
the heart of the Neo-Victorian world.124 K K

A character that begins the game with this Affliction cannot take the Haunting Beauty Quality or the Defects
Impediment.
Rating 1: You are unmistakably ugly. Your appearance may be slightly alien or deformed, but as of yet the
deformities are minor, difficult to place at a glance. Your features yet reveal little of the horrors this
Affliction has in store.
If the character has the Haunting Beauty Quality, he now loses it.

Ravenous
We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions, and organs with ourselves; we feed on
babes, though not our own; and the slaughter-house resoundsdaily with screams of pain and fear.
Robert Louis Stevenson, In the South Seas, 1890
You suffer from a powerful and insatiable hunger that will one day consume you. By day, you feed
gluttonously upon every morsel within reach. By night, you dream of feasting upon terrible delicacies of
tender flesh washed down with mouthfuls of hot blood. You may never admit it, but deep down, you dread
the day when you will no longer be able to draw sustenance from wholesome foods and must instead feast
upon the flesh and blood of the living.
Rating 1: You suffer anxiety at the thought of not eating. You carry food with you wherever you go and
keep a plate by your pillow at night. In your spare moments, you eat constantly. When you sleep, you often
dream of your favourite foods and wake hungry. You are irritable when you do not have food of your own,
even if you are not currently hungry. You are known to stare lustily at food on the plates of others.
The character must pass a Will roll (DR 11) to leave food behind and not carry it with him. When not in
possession of some article of food, the character suffers 1 on Charm rolls.

Desire Corruption

Addiction
You are plagued with addiction. In a vain attempt to escape misery, you discovered dependence.
Addiction itself is particularly abhorrent to Neo-Victorians, who view all loss of self-control as a dire
weakness. Despite this cultural bias, some addictions are more socially acceptable than others. You should
decide on the nature of your characters addiction before the start of the game or when this Affliction is
acquired. The character may be addicted to opium, alcohol, morphine, sex, or just about anything else.
Rating 1: You partake in your would-be addiction regularly, but not overly frequently. You show no overt
signs of dependence or addiction, but if you are denied access to your favoured vice, you become shorttempered and irritable.

Anhedonia
Anhedonia represents the death of desire, surrender to the spiritual miasma that plagues the soul. You have
lost the capacity to experience joy in life. Life itself has become an endless tedium in which you persist out
of habit or dread of the alternative.
Rating 1: You are perpetually bored and restless. The things that formerly gave you happiness or at least
provided some distraction have gradually ceased to do so.
This stage of the Affliction may drive the character to experience all facets of life in hopes of finding
something that can hold his attention.

Defiler
You are a predator. Nothing brings you so much pleasure as the corruption of innocence. Though in your
heart you may deny the truth, having once been the victim, your corruption now drives you to become the
abuser. Perhaps you prey on young love or ambition, promising the world to those who will listen to your
lies. Some would call you a Casanova, others a mad dog.
Rating 1: You are drawn to the young, innocent, and noble, but those lacking the vibrant spark fail to excite
your interest. Your exuberance for youth causes you to seldom act your age.
The character must succeed at a Will roll (DR 11) to force himself to participate in any tedious happening
(formal events, negotiations, etc.) without betraying impatience.

Hedonist
You have no higher calling in life than the pursuit of pleasure. In the eyes of others, you are a depraved
coward without the moral fortitude to face the pain and misery of the world. Instead, you lose yourself in a
blur of debauchery and thrill seeking. You are easily distracted, consistently late, and can never be bothered
to hurry. You cannot abide drudgery and avoid it all costs, especially in the company you keep. You live for
adventure, sexual escapades, and sensual pleasure at the cost of all else. Temptation will be your ruin.

Rating 1: You grow bored easily and tire quickly of lovers and activities. You require the stimulation of
novelty; once the thrill has faded, so does you interest. Sexual partners are discarded after a few enjoyments;
new pastimes pall in a matter of days or weeks. It is difficult for you to focus on work for any length of time.

Obsession
You are constantly preoccupied with an object, place, person, or event. While awake, the source of your
obsession is constantly in the forefront of your mind. When you sleep, it taints your dreams.
When a player selects this Affliction for his character, he must choose a single obsession. Once selected, the
subject of the characters obsession can only change with the Narrators approval, and it is unlikely to do so
unless the character goes through a major transition or spiritual epiphany, in which case he will only trade
one obsession for another.
Rating 1: You are constantly preoccupied with thoughts of one subject. You may find yourself collecting
related objects and memorabilia, and your home likely contains a shrine devoted to this subject. You speak
of your obsession constantly, subconsciously weaving it into conversation. Others may find your intense
focus irksome but will generally view it as a harmless eccentricity.

Drive Corruption
Consumed
The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
Anonymous
Sleep is a distant memory, hunger a weakness of the flesh, and human companionship a decadent luxury for
those with time to kill. You work tirelessly toward your goals, losing track of days and nights at a stretch.
Your body is merely a vessel for your ideas, a machine to carry out your works. Your obsessions demand a
terrible toll and will one day devour youbody and soul. Before then, you may accomplish incredible things
if your vision and talent match your drive.
Rating 1: You are accustomed to working late and skipping meals. People find it hard to get in contact with
you for weeks at a time.
The character must pass a Will roll (DR 11) to leave his work behind for any business that is not
immediately important, such as social occasions.

Craven
There is nothing in this world worth jeopardizing your life and prosperity. There is nothing you will not do to
secure your own safety, no act too loathsome, no one so highly cherished he cannot be sacrificed. You would
never fight when you could hide, never step forward when you could step back. You are, in short, a coward.
A character that begins the game with this Affliction cannot take the Resolve Quality.

Rating 1: You lack nerve. Though you may try to hide behind hollow bravado and brave words, you are
often shaken and are constantly afraid when alone. You seldom make eye contact with those you pass on the
street.
When confronted, your lips quiver uncontrollably. If the character had the Resolve Quality, he loses it. The
character suffers 1 on Charm Intimidation rolls.

Dissolution
Despite all your hard work, effort, and genius, all your accomplishments will come to naught. Your
enterprises will meet with ruin, your partners will abandon you, your childrenborn or created will turn
on you. The fruits of your labour are poison to you. The obsessions that drive you toward greatness will be
your undoing.
Rating 1: You have a tendency to make little mistakes in your work even when you double- and triplecheck. While nothing disastrous has happened yet, these errors are a constant source of embarrassment and
may be holding you back professionally.
These errors have little in-game effect, but the Narrator determines their nature.

Killer Instinct
Your overpowering ambition or obsession has rendered you inhumanly callous. Life has lost all value to you.
People are merely obstacles to your ambition or raw material for your experiments. You may feign interest
for short periods of time to satisfy your physical needs, but life is cheap and you can always find another
pawn. If you are crossed, you are compelled to destroy the offending party. Though killing may be
distasteful, it is often the most expedient means to your ends.
Rating 1: You appear calm and cool. You seldom do favours for others unless asked, and then only if there
is something in it for you. Though you are viewed as a consummate professional by your superiors, your coworkers find you callous.

Twisted
Your work is more art than science. Like a modern haruspex, nothing speaks to you like living flesh and
blood and never louder than when you are wrist deep in it. Under your careful ministrations, the secrets of
the flesh become transcendent. The act becomes as important as the observation, a ritual you alone
understand. There is certainly something malignant in your unconventional methodology: what you call
research, others call atrocity. Your experiments are misguided, ill conceived, mad.
Rating 1: You have a profound interest in scientific observation, especially in matters of anatomy. You are a
keen student of the human form and can be transfixed by a human body, in any state of repair, for hours.
A character with this Affliction must pass a Will roll (DR 11) to break away from the study of anatomic
specimens. The DR is raised to 14 if the specimens are particularly unusual or gruesome.