Promethean: The Created (Promethean) [Hardcover]

Promethean: the Created is a book in the New World of Darkness line, and is the first not to have a precursor in White Wolf's previous Old World of Darkness line. It is thus somewhat fresh territory, and it has certainly suffered criticism from some, for what is perceived as an excessively depressing feel to it. The production values are constantly good for this hard-cover book.

But I get ahead of myself. In Promethean, you play the role of an artificial person in the tradition of Frankenstein's Monster; made from human flesh, and re-animated using a metaphysical force known as the Divine Fire. The Monster itself is the "signature character" for one of the Lineages; the in-born grouping you chose for the character, and stars in the brilliantly written fiction which separates the chapters, calling himself Verney. That is in fact something I really like about Promethean; a lot of work has evidently gone into making sure that the game fits with its historical antecedents, as well as the more recent Hollywood portrayal of the monsters. For example, the name "Verney" itself comes from another of Mary Shelley's works, "The Last Man on Earth". The reason he calls himself that; well, it's brilliant, and fits in so well to the way that they use conventional mythology while twisting it. Likewise, the title of the game is taken from the subtitle to Frankenstein itself; "The Modern Prometheus".

The theme of Prometheus, and his theft of fire from the gods, is a recurring trait in the games metaphysics. The Prometheans (also called the Created) are human bodies, brought to life by another of their kind, or rarely a human Demiurge; the life created and sustained by a mystical force known as the Divine Fire. There is also a heavy alchemical theme in the game, which is something I personally love. You see, the Promethean state is something profoundly unnatural. Humans, including the other supernatural denizens of World of Darkness, and nature itself, rejects the presence of the Promethean. In humans it produces a phenomenon called Disquiet, where, after long exposure (or a few unlucky rolls), the human is driven mad, and begins to act in a way appropriate to the Lineage of the Promethean. This almost inevitably results in them trying to kill or capture the Promethean. In addition, wherever they go, they, if they wait in an area too long, cause an effect on the place called a Wasteland. The Frankensteins (one of the 5 Lineages) make the area suffer a near constant thunderstorm, in the style of the classic Hammer Horror films, while the Ulgan, the shaman Created, rip through the Gauntlet into the Shadow. And if you've played the other World of Darkness games, you'll know the Shadow is not a nice place.

Luckily for the Prometheans, there is a way out. The alchemical themes link together here, as they are on a quest (known as a Pilgrimage) to create a soul for themselves. As they gain Vitriol through the completion of milestones, such as learning about human beings, and bank the Divine Fire within themselves, called Azoth, they approach a point where (ST fiat, but there are guidelines for when they might be ready) they can attempt to transmute their inner Azoth into a soul; "Lead into Gold". And it's this hope which stops Promethean being too dark a game. Despite the fact that life, frankly, is terrible for them, they can become human. And that changes the whole feel of the game; you're working towards something, rather than just languishing. This isn't like Golconda in Vampire; it's clearly defined, and it is probable that characters which survive or avoid some of the worst sins a Promethean can indulge in will obtain it.

Promethean characters are created using the World of Darkness core book. The full rules are not contained within; only the rules for the Promethean template are in here, including new merits and all their powers. You create a mortal character, then apply the Promethean template. One of the Created by default receives some pretty amazing bonuses (can't go unconscious, can resurrect once). They also take Aggravted damage from fire, "Fire BAD!".There are five Lineages (the in-born, by nature "splat") and five Refinements designed for player characters, as well as one "antagonist" one, which can be used (chosen in-game, and there are more in supplements.

The Lineages are linked to alchemical humours and an individual mythological source, and each get an inbuilt ability and different manifestations of their nature. There are five lineages in the core; the Frankensteins (linked to fire, choleric humour and the Frankenstein story), the Galeteids (linked to air, sanguine humour and the story of Galatea), the Osirans (linked to water, phlegmatic humour and the story of Osiris), Tammuz (linked to earth, melancholic humour and the Babylonian story of Tammuz, and the Golem of Prague), and the Ulgan (linked to spirit, ectoplasmic humour and the Siberian mythology of Ulgan and Tengri). There is also two pages about the Nuclear Promethean, although these are just rumours. Full rules are given in an expansion, Saturnine Night. The Refinements meanwhile are choices on how to perform their Pilgrimage, and unlike other choices in the nWoD, they are expected to change them. They are named after alchemical elements. Gold studies humans, Iron studies the body, Copper studies the self, Mercury the Divine Fire itself, and Tin the rage and Torment of a Promethean. In addition, the mostly-NPC lineage of Flux studies the dark side of the Divine Fire.

This book isn't for everyone. The characters require work to play, and if you just use your powers in a more conventional RPG sense, then you'll miss what are in my opinion the best parts of the game. However, if you want a game which can be deep, which looks at what humanity is, and means to other people, and entirely coincidentally allows you to fire lightning from your sewn together hands, then I'd really recommend this game.