Somewhere in Northern Europe an initatory group summons a powerful free spirit and binds it using it's true name. Over months the group uses the spirit's powers to it's advantage. They use it to delve into forces that mortals were not meant to know and destroy anyone who stands in their way. However, a brash junior member of the group cannot stand sharing this newfound power and begins assassinating the other members.
At first, he plans elaborate accidents for his fellows. As his control over the spirit grows, he begins using it to do the dirty work. When the group's leader is the only other member left, the young mage confront's his mentor directly an the bound spirit is caught between them. It is ordered to manifest and take human form, but cannot choose between the orders of its conflicting masters. Instead, it uses this opportunity to break free and strikes out against both of the mages. Powerful and ancient magics are unleashed as the battle rages. In the end only a crater is left of the battleground. At the very center of that crater is a naked human with total amnesia.


Deep in the Aztechnology pyramid important research is being done, the most important research in the history of humanity. It is the next step in cybermancy and an answer to a problem far more important than metahuman immortality.
An anthroform drone lies on an operating table. It looks like little more than a skeleton. In this case, looks are correct. Precision machines work diligently and tirelessly completing the masterpiece. Within the skull, living brain cells are carefully attached to a state-of-the-art supercomputer. Along the limbs, vat-grown muscles are attached to the skeleton with cybernetic ligaments. A mechanical heart is installed in the chest. To it are connected veins and arteries that insulated with ballistic fibers. Eventually, the mechanism is attached in vat-grown skin. Then, the blood mages of Aztechnology join around the table and begins chants that are not ancient at all, but very new. They are trying something that has never been done before, creating a new type of magic. Their spells bestow essence upon the lifeless artifice, but that is the easiest of their tasks. One Thousand and one sacrifices scream and union as these pioneers of science begin the task of creating a soul.

For a small florida based biotech firm, things have no been going well. While the managment has been trying its best to remain independent, several big corps have made buyout offers and a hostile takeover is inevitable. It doesn't help that they've thrown all of their meager resources into illegal research. All of their hard work has paid off, however. Before the board of directors stands Adam, the world's first fully bioengeneered man. Although only a week old, he appears to be in his late twenties. He body was artificially matured using the same technology that have been used on cultured replacement parts for years. Thanks to reflex recorder technology, he was born with a plethora of skills. He happily demonstrates his his marksmanship, acrobatics, and swordsmanship. He is faster, stronger, and more intelligent than any normal human. The prototype has no magic ability, but there is no reason why the "mage factor" can't be engineered into more advanced models.
Now, if only they can find a good way to market the product.


As weird character ideas go, these come close to taking the cake. I'm pretty sure they all violate established cannon in some way, too. Nevertheless, I think they're good concepts if done appropertialy

The first, a free spirit with amnesia trapped in human form, flies in the face of common magical knowledge. But, our understanding of magic is constantly changing. We certainly don't know what kind of permanent damage Banishing might do to a spirit. That it is trapt on the physical plane in human form is more of a stretch, but anything can be explained away by waving a voodoo doll and chanting "ancient magic not meant for mortal minds".
Needless to say, such a character would be a normal human statwise, although all of it's stats would have to be equal. Skills would be limited, as would be resources. No cyber would be allowed and magic is iffy. The big question is, what do mages see when they assense this character? It is very difficult to mistake a force 6 spirit for a mundane human. But, it is also difficult to penetrate grade 6 masking.
All things considered, it is appropriate for low-powered RP heavy campaigns. This character is purely about self-discovery.

The second character is slightly less problematic, other than the zero-essence-loss deltaware at chargen, that is. It would have to be zero-essence-loss, since it is the character's natural state. Of course, this can be remedied by saying that the character's initial stats are natural and thus it gets no cyberware stat or skill bonuses, but it does get bonuses for items such as bone lacing. It would follow the otaku rules, except for the all 1s for physical stats option. Although partially organic, it would be considered an AI under the law. Another limiting option would be that it requires cybermancy to install any new components since its essence is far more fragile than a natural life form's essence. Although, regular maintaince does not. If the Azzie mages actualy created a soul or just counjured one up from whereve the heck it i that they come from is purely a plot concern. Again, this character is about self-discovery, but for high level campaigns only. It is either on Aztechnology's payroll or is Hunted by them.

The third character is probably the easiest to make using the rules. Just take a mundane and give him a lot of bioware. Add the corporate sellout or hunted flaws and he's good to go. Although, technically, he shouldn't have any bioindex because this is his natural state, it is easy enough just to ignore the healing penalities and use the essence index as a limit to the amount of cyber the character can ever take.

Just a few offbeat character ideas that popped into my head.

I once used something similar for a player who chose the fascinating combination of Amnesia, Mysterious Cyberware and State of the Art. With incredible glee I fashioned a background for him as a clone of Tiger Mitsuhama designed to replace the old man (note - in my game at the time, Tiger had not been seen in public for almost twenty years, and was in fact being kept in position as a mere figurehead by his son... well, it's a longer story than that, in fact, but that's the gist of it) but who was extracted by a shadow team before the aging processes were complete under the misapprehension that he was merely someone packing new bleeding edge cyberware.


But then I'm evil

That sounds like a fun character.


Why do I imagine a huge crowd of gladiators standing and proudly proclaiming, "I am Tiger Mitsuhama".

To me the ideas above seem more like a plot device for npcs or villians more than characters. Everyone loves getting out and dusting off the plot-by-evil-blood-mages idea and I especially like the amnesiac free spirit idea. Might save that one in my to-be-used-for-my-amusement category.

Actually, a player I run with is doing this spirit in a body thing. The GM keeps twisting how we view this character, is he crazy or really a spirit? It was also quite funny watching him rp out learning how to be human. He did not enjoy being trapped in his body at first.

Well, a new player just threw at me his empty char sheet, telling me "I take Amnesia -4, I want to be a Japanese Human Sammie... do it!"

Sure baby, you're one of Deus' Blues, even if you don't consciously know it.