Soulbonder:
the Liberation

an adaptation of the Storyteller system for Soulbonders, by
Laura Gilkey

Introduction

Opening Notes, Disclaimers, and Acknowledgements

	Although this game is based on my actual experience of Soulbonding, it is, like all Storyteller games, not to be taken as fact.  While I hope that some of you can relate to Soulbonding and share my pride in being what this game would call an “Unliberated” Soulbonder, keep in mind that Liberated Soulbonders do not exist, except in our imaginations.
	Especially if you do relate to the material, this game may make it especially inviting to “play yourself.”  If you do this, as with any role-playing situation, make sure that you consider it a fictional version of yourself, and always maintain a clear boundary between yourself and your character.
	On the other side of the “not to be taken as truth” coin, keep in mind that real-life Soulbonding is a many-splendored thing, and this game represents merely a fictionalized account of one Soulbonder’s personal take on it.  In other words, other Soulbonders playing with this are encouraged to neither take my words as gospel nor be offended if they disagree with my viewpoint.
	My sincere apologies to any readers whose intelligence I have just insulted.  Please understand, I prefer to err on the side of safety.
	As for acknowledgements, my thanks to the JFW for being a fun happy Soulbonders’ club; to everyone at the Sword and Serpent Tavern, for much the same reason, and also for telling me that this game was a good idea; to Kati d’Esprit for being my best friend/fellow Soulbonder/sounding board, and for the word sa; and finally to Carol Pearson, whose book “The Hero Within” provided the 6 Great Archetypes.
	Also note that in this text I use the word “sa.”  This is a word invented by Kati d’Esprit, a non-gendered personal pronoun without the inhuman connotations of “it.”  It is used in place of “he or she” or in the case of androgynous subjects, although the word itself is not meant to imply androgyny in parties referred to.  The English language is in desperate need of such a word, so we have been trying to bring “sa” into general usage in any small way that we can.  Please, pass it on!

What is a Soulbonder?

	Soulbonders are generally not unlike normal people; they are human in every way, and can come from all races, socioeconomic classes, and walks of life, although the trait does tend to favor the young.  What sets them apart is that they practice Soulbonding.  No two Bonders would describe Soulbonding in quite the same way, but generally, it is a profound closeness to one or more fictional characters, so much so that these characters feel like a part of you.  They seem to live in your mind; if you concentrate, you can talk with them in your mind and see how your world would look through their eyes, and the stories of their lives play over and over in your head.  It is not a case of schizophrenia or multiple personality, and it is more than the term “imaginary friend” generally implies.  It is a deep, profound relationship with a fictional character, with a person who just happens to live in a fictional world.
	In this game, what a Soulbonder is is taken a bit further.  Soulbonders have the power to produce Avatar States in their Soulbonds, to call them into more than just a mental existence, allowing the Soulbonds to experience the real world and interact with their Bonder more directly, and sometimes, to aid their Bonder in times of trouble.  It is this ability that sets Soulbonders apart from other humans.
	There are five Avatar States.  The first two are “basic” and can be used by anyone who Soulbonds.  They allow a SoulBonder to keep a Soulbond so firmly in mind that the Bonder “sees” them as a mental image, and to directly act out the will of a Soulbond as best they can with their own traits.  The other three Avatar States are “advanced,” and represent the unique abilities of Liberated Soulbonders.  They allow a Bonder to give Soulbonds form as “phantoms” which are incorporeal but can be seen and heard by others, to let a Soulbond take their place both mentally and physically, or, in the most advanced Avatar State, to give the Soulbond a separate, tangible existence of their own.  Normally a Bonder can end an Avatar State whenever they choose, but Soulbonds do have minds of their own...

	The nature of the Soulbonding premise has given this system a few acknowledged and unavoidable flaws.  First, Character Generation will take much longer in Soulbonder than in other Storyteller games, because each player must generate a Bonder and each of their Bonds separately.  It may also be a bit demanding to play, because every player will play multiple characters: a Bonder and at least one Bond.  Both of these problems can be eliminated by giving Soulbonds their own Players.  Your Chronicle might even focus entirely on the adventures of a single Bonder, with the Bonder and each Soulbond being played by a different member of the troupe; or the Bonder could be portrayed by the Storyteller, and all the player characters could be Soulbonds.  This has the advantage of accenting the differences of viewpoint and goals that often exist between Soulbonder and Soulbond (which could alternatively be achieved by “handing off” a Soulbond to another player at times; I’m told Shadow Guides in Wraith work this way).  Giving Soulbonds their own players may in fact be necessary if Soulbonders are used in live-action roleplaying, to avoid the awkwardness and confusion of interacting with “invisible people.”  However, this also introduces the problem that the Soulbond players will have to depend on the Bonder’s actions and dice-rolls to determine whether they can take actions that affect the physical world, and of course the players would have to cooperate closely on the process of generating such an intimately connected group of characters, although Storytellers are encouraged to relax some of the Character Generation and Avatar State Inducement rules if they become too troublesome in a case like this.  Soulbonds as player-characters may also introduce an uncomfortable limit to the number of Bonders who can be played by a manageably-sized gaming group.  Which approach you use will depend entirely on the needs and desires of your troupe.

Chapter 1:
Soulbonders in the World of Darkness

The Beginning

	No one knows where the cycle began, but since the beginning, People and Stories have thrived in a symbiotic relationship.  People’s love and enthusiasm for stories has given those stories spiritual life in the form of Archetypal spirits.  Every fictional character of whom anything is recorded or remembered exists as such a spirit; their Archetype emcompasses and distills the essence of every existing version of the character—every recorded story about them, and every conception of them in the mind of every reader or viewer.  These Archetypes in turn are emcompassed by the Great Archetypes; spirits perhaps as great as the Sun and Moon who embody the world’s ideas of epic heroism, or villainy.  Archetypal spirits repay the people whose love creates them; they imbue human life with all the joy and meaning of Stories.
	No one knows who the first Soulbonder was.  It would not be unreasonable to assume that Soulbonders have existed for as long as stories have, and that stories have existed for as long as sentient life has.  Soulbonders have always stood out among those whose love feeds the Archetypal spirits.  Their love is great enough to give spiritual life to their own mental conception of a fictional character, producing a spirit who is at once an aspect of their Bonder, an aspect of their Archetypal spirit, and a unique person in their own right.  For ages, these spirits have lived and interacted with their Bonders in secret friendships that profoundly affected and enriched both of their lives.  These unseen partners could best be understood by others as “imaginary friends,” and perhaps they were, but to their Bonders, the phrase never does them justice.
	Then, only a few short years ago, came the Liberation.
	Very few people know how it first happened that a Soulbond stepped across the border into the “real” world.
	But it did happen, and nothing would ever be the same.

Soulbonders in the Present Day

	SoulBonders draw their power from the Archetypal spirits, and in this age of mass media communications, stories have been able to reach broader audiences than ever before, characters have been loved by more people than ever before, and Archetypal spirits have become larger and more powerful than ever before.  This, it is generally believed, is what made the Liberation possible.  Even as others believe the world to be at an end, Soulbonders have reached their heyday.
	However, the present day holds challenges for Soulbonders as well.  Soulbonders’ devotion to their fictional Soulbonds is often not understood by other humans, and Soulbonders all-too-typically are scorned by their peers as “weird” and become secretive about their abilities in order to be accepted.  Even worse, it is not uncommon for a young Soulbonder, who often has never met another one of sa’s kind and may well believe saself to be the only one, to struggle for an explanation of the ability and hit upon schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder.  Such Bonders may believe themselves to be insane, or be thought insane by friends and family, but they tend to avoid psychiatrists because being “cured” is perhaps their worst fear.  In the World of Darkness, such fears are not groundless.  Many Soulbonders who have sought “help”—or even been involuntarily committed by their families—have suffered various abuses at the hands of therapists, and many have been stripped of their abilities.
	This need for secrecy has made it difficult for Soulbonders to find each other.  The Internet has made huge gains toward this goal, and has enabled many Soulbonders to meet in a safe environment, despite their geographical separation.  However, most Soulbonders are still isolated from each other, and as a result most do not yet share in the benefits of the Liberation.  Liberated Soulbonders constantly try to find and teach others, but they remain very rare.
	No one knows how many Soulbonders there are, although it would not be unreasonable to suggest that one in one thousand humans Soulbonds to some degree.  Indeed, every human may have the potential to Soulbond.  However, at present, there are probably no more than a hundred Liberated Bonders in the world.  Nonetheless, they do hold promise to become very numerous, and soon they will likely be a force all the supernatural peoples of the World of Darkness will have to reckon with.
	The modern era also presents Soulbonders with other challenges.  Their fledgeling status puts Soulbonders as a people in a critical and vulnerable position, and they already face major challenges.  Even as the Archetypal spirits have been built up by mass media storytelling, they are also threatened by it, as stories have become an immensely profitable industry, and profit-mindedness has begun to weigh in on storytelling as never before.  Since Archetypal spirits are composed of all existing versions of a character, a flawed portrayal of a character introduces a flaw into their Archetype.  As any good author or storyteller knows, fictional characters are not merely puppets of their creators; each one has a distinct identity and will which a good story will not violate.  Nonstandard but nonetheless honest interpretations of a character strengthen their Archetype by expanding sa’s scope and possibilities, but a story in which a character is stripped of sa’s freewill for the convenience or profit of the storyteller amounts to rape of the Archetype and can greatly damage sa.  The line between these two can at times be fine, but Soulbonders and others whose love of stories puts them in close communion with the Archetypal spirits will be keenly aware when this line has been crossed.
	Some of this damage to the Archetypes is in fact intentional.  Pentex is believed to have inadvertently brought about the Liberation while conducting experiments with the goal of using Soulbonders’ powerful connections in the Spirit World as a weapon against Garou.  However, Soulbonders swiftly saw through and rebelled against the corruption of Pentex, and the corporation has since used its subsidiaries in the entertainment industry to attack the source of Soulbonders’ power, as much as the viewing public would allow.  Just as a good story is the food of Soulbonding, the trash fiction with which Pentex and other corporations flood the bookstores and airwaves is its poison.
	But even an organization with Pentex’s power can never eclipse the love people have for a truly good story.  And no matter how bleak their situation becomes, this fact will always be the Soulbonders’ guiding light and spark of hope.

Soulbonders and Each Other
	Most of the world’s Liberated Soulbonders know, or at least know of, one another, but their “society” is very loose, a sort of workable anarchy.  They love to meet in person, but tend to stay scattered, maintaining close contact through the Internet.  Many Liberated Bonders are wanderers, especially since they are often fugitives from Pentex or other authorities, while others, particularly among the Unliberated, are young people without the resources to travel on their own.  Because Liberated Soulbonders face these threats and are still a small enough group that wiping them out utterly would be quite possible, large congregations of them are very rare, except online, and even that can be risky.  Pentex has its claws in many websites, web-hosting services, and ISPs, and is not above using the information it gathers to target Soulbonders.
	Soulbonders are loth to make laws, preferring to talk out their problems as they go along.  They are also too new to have any traditional responsibilities, but certain attitudes and expectations do prevail among them.  These are of course sweeping generalizations; the attitudes of individual Soulbonders are as varied as those of human society at large, and Soulbonds even moreso.
*	Liberated Soulbonders are expected to seek out and train Unliberated Soulbonders.  Liberated or not, unless a Soulbonder has a special reason to be wary, sa will normally treat someone as a kindred spirit from the moment they discover that the person Soulbonds.  Many Soulbonders have spent much of their lives isolated from others with their talents, so with someone who shares them, they tend to form a deep and immediate bond.
*	Soulbonders have a rule: “Views of the Bond do not reflect the views of the Bonder.”  In some ways, a Soulbond is an aspect of their Bonder, but they also have their own will.  Soulbonders have generally agreed that nothing said or done by a Soulbond should be held against their Bonder.  Ostensibly, this even holds true in cases where Soulbonds do become an outlet for some of their Bonder’s hidden frustrations and resentments.  At the very least, the Soulbond had to assume such a role of their own will.
*	Soulbonders have always been secretive about their talent, and Liberated Soulbonders are keenly aware that they have more to fear and more to lose now than before.  However, Soulbonders have no iron-clad tradition surrounding this secret, such as the Masquerade of Vampires or the Veil of the Garou.  They expect one another to exercise discretion, but no Soulbonder would ever be expected to submit to death, serious injury, or torture to protect the secret rather than bring a Soulbond into an Avatar State to save them.  Soulbonders value their secret, but they value their members far more.  Also, Soulbonding is not only a power, but a relationship which Soulbonders deeply enjoy; not only can they produce Avatar States in their Soulbonds, but they love doing it.  They are generally discreet, but some other races may see them as being strikingly unabashed in the use of their powers.

Soulbonders and Soulbonds

	The relationship between each Soulbonder and each Soulbond is utterly unique. Some Bonders’s relationships with their Soulbonds are the most harmonious and even loving of their lives.  Others have unruly Soulbonds whom they butt heads with and struggle to keep under control.  However, their relationships are always deep and meaningful, and all Soulbonders consider this relationship sacred.
	Every Bonder arranges their relations with their Soulbonds differently.  Some do not usually interact with their Soulbonds directly, but involve themselves deeply in the stories of their Soulbonds’ lives.  Most converse with their Soulbonds in a kind of neutral meta-story, and even let them interact with each other.
	When this happens, Soulbonds are similarly varied in their relationships with each other.  Some characters from much different stories immediately find a common bond and become fast friends upon meeting each other via a Bonder.  Others can be rivals, or even bitter enemies.  However, Soulbonds of the same Bonder share a particular relationship; as they are all partly aspects of the common Bonder, in a way they are like siblings, and are often referred to as Bond Brothers or Bond Sisters.  Even if they don’t see eye-to-eye, Bond Siblings are usually protective of each other if outside forces threaten.

Soulbonders and Others in the World of Darkness

	Having found their powers so recently, Soulbonders are in a unique position in dealing with the other supernaturals that inhabit the World of Darkness.  They don’t have centuries of history to determine how they deal with these others, and even partake surprisingly little in humans’ relations with them.  Although some relationships and enmities have had time to form, the Soulbonders of today essentially have a fresh start in dealing with the various Supernaturals of the World of Darkness.
	In general, Soulbonders are well aware that their powers are a new development, and thus tend to be forgiving about having their toes stepped on by others.  If some Mage, Garou, Changeling, etc. offends a Soulbonder (usually this entails coming between them and their Bonds), but the damage is repairable and the transgressor is genuinely contrite and tries to make amends, the Soulbonder will usually forgive it as an honest mistake, knowing that the person is unlikely to have encountered a Liberated Soulbonder before.  If it happens a second or third time, however...

Vampires
	Vampires are the one race not well-tolerated by Soulbonders, for one reason.  Vampirism is hostile to Wonderment, the trait which allows Soulbonding.  If a Soulbonder ever recieves a Blood Pool, it replaces and wipes out sa’s Wonderment.  Thus, a Soulbonder who is made into a Ghoul loses sa’s abilities until all of the Vampiric Blood is out of sa’s system.  A Soulbonder who recieves the Embrace loses sa’s Soulbonding talent permanently.  (A Storyteller may choose to relax this rule, to allow Vampires a modest Wonderment pool and the possibility of Soulbonding, but only in the case of a Vampire who is in Golconda or otherwise has extremely high Humanity.)
	Some Soulbonders, however, remain fascinated by Vampires, and alliances between them in individual cases are possible.  Clan Toreador in particular is fascinated by the high level of creativity common to Soulbonders, and tries to maintain amicable relations with them.

Mages
	I must admit at this point, I have practically no familiarity with Mages, and thus cannot say much about how they and Soulbonders would interact.
	All Liberated Soulbonders and many Unliberated ones are Awakened.

Faeries (Changelings)
	Changelings will usually command a Soulbonder’s instant fascination and respect.  Changelings’ and Soulbonders’ needs and goals are quite closely related, as well; Changelings thrive on Dreams, Soulbonders thrive on Stories; it is difficult to draw a line between those two things (I would go so far as to say that Glamour and Wonderment are the same thing described from two different viewpoints).  Thus, Changelings and Soulbonders make natural allies.
	Soulbonders are also Dreamers, and Changelings have looked to them for Glamour with predictably polarized results.  Changelings who inspire Soulbonders to produce Glamour can form lifelong friendships with them, but the less gentle means of procuring Glamour can damage a Soulbonder’s Wonderment (any Banality a Soulbonder gains is taken out of sa’s Wonderment), making them a lifelong enemy.  As a result, Soulbonders tend to avoid and fear Unseelie Faerie.  A Faerie who permanently burns out a Soulbonder in this manner will have sa’s name spread through the entire network of Soulbonders, and will be considered a fiendish enemy by them all.

Garou and other Shifters
	Soulbonders have nothing against Garou and other shapeshifters in general, and in fact, Liberated Soulbonders are immune to the Delirium.  Soulbonders have even begun to develop friendships with some Garou tribes, particularly the Fianna, due to the shared love of stories, the Glasswalkers, who can relate to Soulbonders’ ties to mass media technology and Internet access, and to a lesser degree with Children of Gaia, Stargazers, and Silent Striders.  The ability to “step sideways” into the Umbra (the Spirit World) enables many shifters to encounter Soulbonds directly, and can allow them to form deeper friendships and deeper enmities with Soulbonders than most of the other races.  Soulbonders can help find and petition aid from Archetypal Spirits, who are normally very elusive to shifters.  More importantly, a Garou who helps a Soulbond “lost” in the Umbra return home will be a friend for life, but woe to one who injures or destroys a Soulbond in Spirit Combat—not only will their Bonder and Bond Siblings be enraged, but so will their associated Archetype.  Some of the prouder Garou tribes, such as Silver Fangs, Get of Fenris, and Shadow Lords, still scoff at the idea of respecting the powers of a human Soulbonder who is normally rather weak in saself, but a few have already learned first hand that the aid such a “mere human” can summon is nothing to scoff at, and neither is the anger of an Archetype.

Hunters
	Thus far Hunters have found Soulbonders singularly confusing.  Most do not know of Soulbonders’ powers, and encounter them as normal people to be protected from the monsters of the night.  However, if one encounters a non-human Soulbond in an Avatar State or witnesses a Soulbonder’s true powers, sa will have to decide for saself how to react.  Naturally, this reaction will reflect the circumstances and the Hunter’s Creed.  An Innocent will probably assume the best of you, an Avenger may well attack, and a Judge would probably try to ascertain whether you posed a threat to society and act accordingly.  If your Soulbonds are generally well-behaved, you’ll probably be all right...
	Occasionally, Hunters have even attempted with great determination and ferocity to protect a Bonder from sa’s own Soulbond.  Or, a Hunter might try (successfully?) to persuade a Soulbonder to join the Hunt with their powers.

Soulbonders and the Grand Scheme of Things

	Garou know they are the defenders and avengers of Gaia.  Hunters know they must take back the night from the beasts.  Soulbonders, however, are too new for such certainty.  They do not yet know their place in the Grand Scheme of Things.  Generally, they feel they are the defenders of Stories, the champions of the much-disdained, much-maligned “Not Real.”  However, their role may be more than this.  Perhaps they represent the unlocking of ordinary human potential, and someday every ordinary person will be a Liberated Soulbonder.  Perhaps they represent a return to the days when the world was built by dreams, and in the future they will be the Faer-folk of a new age.  Perhaps they were even created to save the world from final destruction, where all the others have failed.  The search for this ultimate destiny is an epic theme that can be expored in any Soulbonder chronicle.

The Obligatory Lexicon

Action Hero: The Reality Shift describing Soulbonds who bend or break natural laws, but still remain some pretext of realism.
Archetype: 1. Also “Archetypal Spirit”: A spirit which embodies the collective essence of a fictional character in all sa’s versions and forms.  2. A Trait denoting the Great Archetype with which a character is most closely associated.
Avatar State: A state of existence for a Soulbond which consists of more than sa’s Soulbonder’s thoughts.  Basic avatar states allow a Soulbond more direct influence on their Soulbonder.  Advanced avatar states allow a Soulbond to directly effect those other than their Soulbonder.
Bond: Short for “Soulbond”
Bond Brother/Sister: A Soulbond connected to the same Soulbonder as another; the nature of the relationship varies widely, but Bond Siblings will normally protect and help each other in times of need.  Normally used as a term of description, not one of address.
Bonder: Short for “Soulbonder”
Great Archetypes: A small number of extremely powerful spirits who embody the collective essence of Archetypal Spirits as a small number of quintessential character types, such as Warrior, Wanderer, Altruist, etc.
Image: A Basic Avatar State, the most basic one of all in fact, which allows a Soulbonder to experience a Soulbond as a mental image.  The Bond and Bonder may interact directly, and the Bond can effect the Bonder socially, but the Soulbond has no physical presence.
In the Flesh: The greatest Advanced Avatar State, allowing a Soulbond to appear as a complete entity separate from their Bonder, having a physical presence of their own, as well as access to all of their own capabilities.
Liberated: Describes a Soulbonder capable of achieving Advanced Avatar States.  One who has experienced the Liberation.
Liberation, the: The event that marked the beginning of Liberated Soulbonding.  The first time a Soulbond entered an Advanced Avatar State.  Also refers to the event of an individual Soulbonder gaining the ability to produce Advanced Avatar States.
Ordinary People: The Reality Shift describing Soulbonds who are completely realistic as normal beings.
Phantom: The most basic of the Advanced Avatar States; causes a Soulbond to appear as an illusion which can be seen and heard by others and thus can effect them socially, but has no physical presence.
Playing Avatar: A Basic Avatar State in which a Soulbonder allows a Soulbond to act out sa’s will as best sa can through the Bonder’s capabilities.
Reality Shift: A Trait describing how “realistic” a Soulbond is.
Toon: The Reality Shift describing Soulbonds who maintain no pretext of believability.  Named for the fact that cartoon characters account for many of these.
True Avatar: An Advanced Avatar State which allows a Soulbond to act through their Soulbonder with all of the Soulbond’s capabilities.  The Soulbonder’s body may even take on the Soulbond’s appearance during this Avatar State.
Unliberated: Describes a Soulbonder who can only achieve Basic Avatar States.  One who has not yet experienced the Liberation.

Chapter 2:
Character Generation

	Character Generation in Soulbonder provides some unusual challenges, as mentioned in the Introduction.  Each player may choose to play a Soulbonder and all of their Soulbonds, in which case Character Generation will be greatly lengthened by the need to generate multiple characters.  Or, the players may decide to play one character each, with one as the Bonder and the others as Bonds.  In a case like this, the troupe will have to cooperate closely, since some of the Bonder character’s decisions will affect the generation of the Soulbonds—In a case like this, the Storyteller’s guidance and role as a mediator is especially important.
	Bonders and Soulbonds are generated differently from each other; the rules below are for Soulbonders, followed by rules for generating Soulbonds.
	More detailed descriptions of the Traits you are asked to choose in Character Generation can be found in the next chapter.

Generating Soulbonders

Step 1: Concept

	First, you must decide on a concept for your character.  If you are generating a Soulbonder, what country is sa from?  Is sa a he or she?  Rich or poor?  Young or old?  Soulbonders come from every walk of life, so your options are quite open.  An old man who has hidden his talents for years and now finds more of his kind and is Liberated, a young and talented Soulbonder who just can’t bring herself to push her Soulbonds around no matter what trouble they cause, or one of the first Liberated Bonders, whose Soulbonds’ powerful magic rescued her and her friends from a Pentex research facility—these are all good Soulbonder concepts.
	There are a few other basic questions you will have to answer about your character’s concept:
	Is sa Liberated, or will sa begin the game still Unliberated?  Hearing rumors of a Liberated Soulbonder, then finding sa and asking sa to teach you the gifts of the Liberation would make an excellent first adventure.
	What Great Archetype is the character most closely identified with?  The Great Archetypes are the ultimate essence of quitessential character types, and they repay the human love that feeds them by giving meaning to human life—humans (as well as Soulbonds) can see these models of heroism in themselves.  There are six Great Archetypes, each with a Heroic and a Dark side:
The Orphan: The Archetype of Survival and Perseverance, the one who knows what it is to be deprived of safety and comfort, or to fall from grace.  The Heroic Orphan is realistic, resilient and empathetic, while the Dark Orphan is distrustful, cynical, and quick with complaints.
The Wanderer: The Archetype of Searching and Independence, the one on a quest to find sa’s true self.  The Heroic Wanderer is individualistic, a pioneer and free-thinker; the Dark Wanderer is a loner, unable to fit in and afraid of closeness.
The Warrior: The Archetype of Strength and Victory; the one who fights sa’s own battles and proves sa’s worth.  The Heroic Warrior is assertive, disciplined, and strong in sa’s beliefs, whereas the Dark Warrior is ruthless and inflexible, sometimes even violent.
The Altruist: The Archetype of Care and Giving; the one who devotes saself to something greater than saself.  The Heroic Altruist is conscientious, caring, and generous, while the Dark Altruist’s gifts come with the strings of of indebtedness to sa’s intrusive, controlling nature.
The Innocent: The Archetype of Joy and Faith; the one who finds happiness in sa’s life as it is.  The Heroic Innocent is faithful, optimistic and trusting, while the Dark Innocent is naive and gullible, often blinded by sa’s rose-colored view of the world.
The Magician: The Archetype of Balance and Transformation; the one who can change sa’s life and sa’s world.  The Heroic Magician is a visionary, creative and powerful, but the Dark Magician is strange and manipulative, and can take too many risks.
	No person (and no fictional character worth sa’s salt) will be fully described by just one of the Great Archetypes.  Nor can anyone find in themselves the Heroic face of an Archetype without bearing any taint of its Dark side.  For the purposes of character generation, you are merely asked to choose the Archetype your character is most closely allied with.  The one they see in themselves most, display most, or revere most.
	A person’s Archetypal affilitation may in fact change over time—a devastating loss or defeat can turn an Innocent into an Orphan, and an old Warrior may grow mellow and generous and become an Altruist.  Such changes may not be made on a whim; you can only change your Archetype if your character has naturally grown to show the new Archetype’s influence.  Your Storyteller will be the final arbiter of whether your character’s Archetype can be changed.  This will change the way the character regains Willpower.  However, the Archetype you initially choose will determine some of your character’s starting Traits, and even if you change your Archetype later, these Traits will remain the same.
	If desired, the Archetypal affiliation can take the place of a character’s Nature and/or Demeanor.  In any case, characters will regain Willpower according to their Archetype, not their Nature.  So in sum, Nature and Demeanor have no bearing on the game mechanics of Soulbonder.  However, if they help your roleplaying experience, by all means use them; they are fairly universal and can be found in any other White Wolf system.

Step 2: Attributes and Abilities

	This step is performed as in any other Storyteller game.  Attributes and Abilities will only be detailed in the next chapter if their application in Soulbonder is unusual.

Step 3: Advantages

	You may choose Backgrounds for your character as in any other Storyteller game.  Backgrounds whose application is unique in Soulbonder will be described in the next chapter.  Just use common sense in importing Backgrounds from other Storyteller games.  Contacts and Resources are universal, but there is really no such thing as a Pure Bred Soulbonder, and it is exceedingly rare (though not impossible) for one to own a Fetish or Chimera.
	Soulbonders do not have any advantage powers such as Garou Gifts or Vampiric Disciplines.

Step 4: Tempers and Health

	Soulbonders have Willpower as other Storyteller character types, and other attributes that operate in similar fasion, such as Rage and Gnosis in Werewolf or Blood in Vampire (strangely, the mechanical workings of Devotion, the power of a Bonder’s love for sa’s bonds, are most analogous to that of Vampires’ Blood).  However, Soulbonders’ “Tempers” have their own distinct natures and applications:

Wonderment
	Wonderment indicates a character’s sense of awe, desire for learning, and appreciation of beauty, majesty, all that is wonderful in this world or another.  Characters with low Wonderment scores may be hardened or cynical, while characters with high Wonderment scores are delighted by new experiences.  Practically, this trait represents the breadth of love and fascination a Bonder has to give their Soulbonds, and therefore the number of close Soulbonding relationships they can support at a given time.
	Wonderment is a scale of 1-10.

Devotion
	While Wonderment describes the breadth of a Soulbonder’s love, Devotion describes its depth.  High Devotion scores mark characters with relatively stable and long-lasting Soulbonding relationships, and allow Soulbonders to support their Soulbonds during Avatar States.
	Devotion cannot be raised above 10 during character generation, but may be raised thus in later Character Advancement.

Willpower
	Willpower is a classic; it measures the character’s assertiveness and mental discipline—their force of will.
	Willpower regenerates completely between stories.  If a character fulfills their Archetype (if a Warrior stands up for saself, if an Altruist cares for someone, etc), they regenerate Willpower as a result, as with Willpower regeneration based on Nature/Demeanor.

	A Soulbonder’s initial Wonderment, Devotion, and Willpower are determined by their Archetype.  If you haven’t already, look up your character’s Archetype in the next chapter and record their starting scores in these three Traits.

Health

	Soulbonders’ use Mortals’ health system.  Seven health levels with associated dice penalties and no regeneration.
Step 5: Soulbonds’ Shares of Wonderment

	A Soulbonder character must invest Wonderment in every character whom they Soulbond.  This does not require the expenditure of Wonderment Points; each Soulbond simply accounts for a part of the Bonder’s permanent Wonderment rating.  Each Soulbond “ties up” at least one Wonderment point, although Bonders may allot more than one point to a Soulbond to make them more powerful (each extra point gives the Bond additional Freebie Points).  However, spending more Wonderment on a Soulbond also makes sa more difficult to bring into Avatar States.  No more than four points of Wonderment can be invested in any one Soulbond.

Step 6: Freebie Points

	Every character now recieves 15 Freebie Points to spend on Traits of their choosing.
	First, decide if you want any Merits or Flaws for your character.  Merits and Flaws may be imported from other Storyteller games as appropriate.  To use examples from the Werewolf Player’s Guide, the Moon-Bound merit applied to a Soulbonder would be complete nonsense, whereas anyone can have Luck or True Love.  As with Backgrounds, common sense will guide you truly here.  There are also some special Merits and Flaws that apply only to Soulbonders, which will be detailed in the next chapter.
	Please use Merits and Flaws for what they do for your character, not what they do for your game mechanics.  If you see a Merit or Flaw that looks interesting to role-play or befitting for your character, take it.  Otherwise, they’re better left alone.  (At the Storyteller’s discretion, you may even lose Merits if you fail to role-play them.)  My personal suggestion to Storytellers is to look askance at players taking more than one of each.  Once you’re done selecting Merits and Flaws, figure up the point total of your Flaws and add it to your Freebie Points; the most points you can gain in this manner is 7.  Then, figure the point total of all your Merits and subtract that number from your Freebie Points.
	Now you can use Freebies to polish your character’s other Traits.  Costs of common Traits are the same as in any other Storyteller game.  Costs of traits unique to Soulbonder are as follows:
Wonderment: 2 per dot
Devotion: 1 per dot

Generating Soulbonds

Step 1: Concept

	With Soulbonds, your character-concept options are literally infinite.  If something can exist as a fictional character, it can exist as a Soulbond.  A Soulbond could be much like a normal person, or a normal animal, or a mythological being (even a Werewolf, Vampire, etc.), a cartoon character, a talking car or kitchen appliance, anything!
	There is one catch: I am simply not able to provide a catch-all rule system to approximate every kind of Soulbond, so all Soulbond characters will be “imported” from another Storyteller game.  Enough books and sourcebooks have been published by this time that I believe almost any character concept can be statted in this manner, more effectively than I could invent rules for here.  Your Soulbond character can be anything—as long as you have at your disposal Storyteller rules to approximate sa.  Bygone Bestiary is a particularly useful sourcebook for mythological creatures.  For even more options than you can find in rulebooks, many fan-authored Storyteller system rules are available online, and I will provide some URLs for these in an appendix.
	Within that limitation, make up any sort of character you choose.  A cartoon cat whom his Bonder pitied because he took so many beatings from his intended prey, a stalwart female knight errant out to prove that women can slay dragons as well as men, or the Bonder’s favorite Werewolf: The Apocalypse character will all work quite nicely.  You can even adopt characters from your own favorite stories.  Batman, Bugs Bunny, and James T. Kirk can all be generated as Soulbonds.
	Of course, in the case of a Soulbond, the Liberated/Unliberated question is irrelevant—although real life Soulbonders have known this to occur, a Soulbond who is also a Soulbonder is not allowed under these rules.
	However, you must still determine a Soulbond’s Archetype for the purposes of Willpower regeneration.  See the captioned descriptions under Soulbonder creation, or the descriptions of the Archetypes in the next chapter.  The starting Tempers listed for the Archetypes do not effect Soulbonds; Soulbonds’ Tempers and their starting values are determined by the rule system the Soulbond is generated under.
	You must also decide a Soulbond character’s Reality Shift.  There are three Reality Shifts; Ordinary People, Action Heroes, and Toons.  “Ordinary People” are characters who are just that: normal, realistic people.  Action Heroes are characters not totally bound by natural laws, but still maintaining some pretext of believability; their wildest abilities tend to range from the barely possible to the subtler shades of impossible.  Toons are characters who maintain no pretext of reality—often, such a character is literally a cartoon come to life.  Action Heroes and Toons can withstand more damage and perform more outlandish feats, but are more difficult to bring into Avatar States.

Step 2: Attributes and Abilities

	Perform this step according to the rules you have selected to generate your Soulbond under.

Step 3: Advantages

	Depending on their nature, Soulbond characters may be able to use any Background yet published.  Again, use common sense.  There are some unique backgrounds for Soulbonds (notably Powerful Archetype), which are described in the next chapter.
	Other advantages are determined as per the rules the Soulbond is generated under.

Step 4: Tempers and Health
	Again, see the particular character generation rules you are using.
	Health will generally depend on those rules also, although it may have to be changed in order to conform to the character’s Reality Shift.  Reality Shift’s directives regarding Health are described in the next chapter.

Step 5: Freebie Points

	Soulbond characters receive Freebie points as per the character generation rules they are using.  In addition, Soulbond characters also receive 10 extra Freebie Points for every extra dot of their Bonder’s Wonderment that they tie up.
	Depending on their nature, Soulbond characters can potentially use any Merit or Flaw.  If the Soulbond happens to be a werewolf, all Garou Merits and Flaws could apply.  Again, common sense will guide you.  See also my comments on Merits and Flaws for Soulbonders.  Any Merits and Flaws unique to Soulbonds will be detailed in the next chapter.
	Remaining freebie points may be spent on traits as per the applicable character generation rules.

Breath of Life

	Whether you’re generating a Soulbonder or a Soulbond, you’re now through with the number crunching; this is the step where you make it all really mean something.  The dots and ratings you have on your character sheet now are merely an interface between your character and the mechanics of this game; they are not your character saself.
	Now it’s time for you to decide what your character is really like.  What does sa like to do?  What are sa’s favorite stories?  How did a Bonder and sa’s Soulbonds meet?  In the case of Soulbonds, make up at least some of the basics of their story.  What motivates your character?  It is these abstract considerations, not all the dots and boxes, that will make your character fun and rewarding to play.

Chapter 3:
Traits

	This chapter describes those traits whose existence or method of application is unique to Soulbonder.  They appear here in roughly the same order as in the Character Generation chapter.

Archetype

	Archetype is analogous to Tribe, Creed, etc., and also takes the place of Nature and Demeanor for Willpower regeneration in Soulbonder.  However, Archetypes are sufficiently general that if a player wants to declare a Nature and/or Demeanor to fine-tune their character’s personality for role-playing purposes, they are welcome to do so.
	As with Legacies in Changeling, the Storyteller should award characters a point of Willpower when a character lives out sa’s Archetype, and the Storyteller may take a Willpower point away or exact other penalties if the character acts in a manner severely anathematic to their Archetype (such as an Altruist acting like a coldhearted miser).
	Each Archetype has a “Heroic” and a “Dark” side, both of which are present to one extent or another in a character of that Archetype.  They may be thought of somewhat like Seelie and Unseelie Legacies in Changeling.  Most characters strive for (and regain Willpower by) their Archetype’s Heroic face, but will sometimes take on the Dark side pattern in stress or trauma, or if their Willpower runs low.  When a character’s Archetype changes, the new Archetype will often cast its “shadow” ahead of it before its Heroic side comes out, as well.  For Soulbonds based on “evil” characters, the Dark Archetype may in fact be their native hue.
	As mentioned in the last chapter, no character is likely to be fully described by just one Archetype, and Archetypal affiliations can change over time.  Most characters will be closest to one Archetype at a given time, however, and that should be the one they are identified with.  Changing a character’s archetype is only possible after the character has already come to display a primary connection to the new Archetype, and with the Storyteller’s approval.  Only the Archetype that a character begins play with determines their stats, as in Character Generation.
	There are six Archetypes, as follows:

Orphan

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 2
Devotion 2
Willpower 6
	The Orphan is the Archetype of suffering and survival.  It is often the primary archetype of those who have experienced terrible pain or suffered betrayal and disillusionment.  Orphans may see themselves as failures or victims, and have learned the hard way that the world in which they live is neither gentle nor safe.  Their focus is on surviving, dealing with their pain, and/or seeking rescue and safety.  The Orphan’s fall from grace leaves characters with this archetype in a world that seems stripped of beauty and love (Wonderment and Devotion), but still they continue with irrepressible Willpower to survive.  To the Orphan, the personal battle is to protect oneself from harm, and victory is being safe and secure.
	The Heroic Orphan owns and deals with sa’s suffering, and emerges from it more realistic, more resilient and secure in sa’s ability to survive adversity, and more able to empathize with the suffering of others.  Such an Orphan often seeks to express sa’s pain as a way to acknowledge and work through it, and to express empathy with others.  A Heroic Orphan regains Willpower when sa survives and perseveres in the face of adversity.
	However, the Dark side of this Archetype allows saself to be compromised by sa’s suffering, falling into cynicism and helplessness.  The Dark Orphan trusts no one, afraid of yet another betrayal, and may even victimize others, believing that in a world that cares nought for any person, no one can be blamed for taking what one can for oneself.  Yet at the same time, sa’s expressions of pain often take the form of complaints, and are often aimed at manipulating others and vying for attention, pity, or status.  An Orphan who has fallen to the Dark Side of sa’s Archetype regains Willpower whenever sa gets someone to care for sa, or otherwise manipulates sa’s way into a position of security or protection.

Wanderer

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 4
Devotion 2
Willpower 4
	The Wanderer Archetype is exemplified by a solitary quest, which characters of this Archetype undertake in order to determine their true strengths, opinions, competences—their true selves.  Wanderers often view their situation, or the situation they have just emerged from, as a cage, and themselves as prisoners.  Where the Orphan desires rescue and safety, the Wanderer strives for escape and freedom, and is willing to sacrifice much for that freedom.  Wanderers have low Devotion, as they often find themselves breaking Devotional ties, but their Willpower to take their personal journey is strong, and they open themselves up with Wonderment to their experiences, seeking to find themselves therein.  A Wanderer’s personal battle is to behave in a manner true to saself, and being that Self fully and freely is the Wanderer’s prize.
	The Heroic Wanderer finds individualism and confidence in sa’s autonomy along sa’s lone quest.  Sa’s refusal to be fenced in by the expectations of others can make sa into a pioneering thinker, producing brave new solutions to problems.  Sa will stand by sa’s knowledge and beliefs without regard to whether these beliefs are popular.  A Heroic Wanderer regains Willpower when sa remains true to saself rather than giving in to pressure to conform.  This does not mean short-circuiting teamwork by insisting on sa’s own way at all times or refusing to go along with the team’s plans, but rather not giving up on sa’s own opinions without good reason.
	The Dark Wanderer takes sa’s desire for freedom a bit far, pushing away others and even villifying them as “captor” figures.  Such characters fear closeness or community as just another set of rules to become entrapped in, and may lash out blindly at such percieved cages, sometimes even engaging in rebellious, destructive behavior, breaking any rules they can find simply for the sake of doing so.  A Dark Wanderer regains Willpower when sa succeeds at a task alone, especially if sa has disregarded directives from others in order to do so.

Warrior

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 2
Devotion 4
Willpower 4
	The Warrior is the Archetype of the classic, dragon-slaying hero.  Characters of this archetype will use all of their figurative and at times physical force to achieve their goals and desires and stand up for their beliefs.  Life for a Warrior is a battle, and the Warrior intends to win through effort, discipline, and excellence.  Warriors press on to their goals without taking much time to stop and smell the roses (ie, foster their Wonderment), but the Devotion and Willpower they bring to bear on those goals are considerable.
	The Heroic Warrior is the archetype of personal strength.  Assertive and disciplined, sa takes pride in sa’s strength, but has the humility to turn that strength toward the common good and to understand—rather than blindly attack—other viewpoints.  Such characters gain strength and confidence from their willingness to take a stand and, if necessary, fight for their beliefs and loved ones, but they do not rush to solve every problem by brute force.  In fact, their strength of conviction and sense of responsibility for their power make Heroic Warriors fight all their battles with honor.  A Heroic Warrior regains Willpower when sa achieves a goal through discipline and effort.
	The Dark Warrior is a common archetype for villainous characters, posessing power and drive without the maturity and responsibility to turn it to good purpose.  Pressing relentlessly for what they want whether or not they even know what that is, casting altruism and principle aside for the sake of their goals, Dark Warriors are ruthless and inflexible, leaving no room for input from or empathy for others in their quests.  Often they lose sight of their goals altogether and lose themselves in a frenzy of competition and victory for its own sake.  This may be the Archetypal affiliation most prone to physical violence (although make no mistake, most Dark Archetypes have violent potential of their own).  A Dark Warrior regains Willpower when sa proves sa’s superiority over another, regardless of how dirty sa has to play to do it.
	
Altruist

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 2
Devotion 5
Willpower 3
	The Altruist is the archetype of care and giving.  Where a Warrior is willing to stand up and fight for sa’s objectives, an Altruist moves beyond sa’s own goals to devote saself to something greater than saself, and is willing to sacrifice and even (figuratively or literally) die for what is important to sa.  Sa epitomizes the phrase “‘Tis better to give than to receive.”  Life is an opportunity to give, and the act of giving is the Altruist’s triumph.  Altruists are defined by their Devotion, moreso than Wonderment or Willpower.
	The Heroic Altruist gives freely out of love, without strings or expectation of repayment.  In doing so, sa paradoxically experiences a sense of bounty, teaching saself that sa has enough to thrive and then enough to share as well.  Not to say that such Altruists only give what is easy; their caring and generosity run deep, and they are willing to sacrifice greatly for what they truly believe in.  Heroic Altruists are not selfish, but open themselves to recieving as well as giving, placing themselves in a reciprocal pattern in which all are strengthened by co-operation, and the Altruist experiences the joy of giving enormously without leaving saself feeling deprived or used.  A Heroic Altruist regains Willpower when sa helps or gives to someone else.
	The Dark Altruist does not give out of true generosity and love; as such, sa cannot fully let go of the “gifts,” which inevitably have strings attached—the strings of guilt, and of the Dark Altruist’s intrusion and control.  Often such an Altruist has been taught that sacrificing for the sake of doing so, even to the point of pain and deprivation, is the only way to be a “good person.”  That intent completely backfires; the Dark Altruist gives until sa has compromised saself, and then, finding saself hollowed out and in need, turns to those to whom sa has given, demanding some remedy to sa’s own emptiness which the recipient-victims of the scenario have no way to provide.  The image of the nagging, manipulative, guilt-tripping mother/wife who, seldom in so many words but unmistakably, demands some undefinable repayment for the sacrifices she has made for her family epitomizes this Archetype.  A Dark Altruist regains Willpower when sa recieves gratitude, again regardless of how dirty sa has to play in order to get it.

Innocent

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 5
Devotion 2
Willpower 3
	The Innocent is the archetype of joy and faith.  For characters of this Archetype, this world may not be paradise, but nonetheless, life is good.  The Innocent’s battle is fought with positive attitude, and victory is simply happiness.  More than any other, the Innocent is the Archetype of Wonderment, seeing and appreciating the beauty in the world as enough to take joy in, whatever hardship may arise.  Devotion and Willpower are secondary to the awe of that beauty.
	The Heroic Innocent is the Wise Innocent.  Such a character sees and accepts hardship and suffering in the world, yet maintains sa’s faith that life is a blessing and appreciates the goodness to be found in the ecstasy of joy or the midst of sorrow.  Sa will not deny the reality of negative experiences, but will often deny their power to destroy the Innocent’s faith.  The Heroic Innocent will do sa’s best in good faith and will often look for hidden blessings or lessons to be learned when life is difficult, optimistically trusting that while God may not “make all things good,” the Big Picture will come out good when all is said and done.  A Heroic Innocent regains Willpower when sa experiences and acknowledges hardship but still maintains a positive outlook.
	The Dark Innocent is the Archetype of childlike innocence gone wrong.  Viewing the world through a rose-colored lens, sa’s joy comes from denial, and sa’s faith is that if sa does what sa has been told is “good,” then things will turn out all right.  The Dark Innocent’s gullibility and naivete probably make it the archetype most easily led astray, and its evil is evinced by the heights of depravity that the most normal and “good” of people can commit without blinking an eye if they are “supposed to.”  A Dark Innocent regains Willpower when sa contents saself to act on blind faith (whether in a religion, a superior’s orders, a societal norm, etc.) rather than realism.

Magician

Starting Tempers:
Wonderment 3
Devotion 3
Willpower 4
	The Magician is the archetype of balance and of transformative power.  Like the Innocent, the Magician trusts that the world is unfolding according to some divine plan, but the Magician sees and claims sa’s ability to draw up that plan, or at least cast a vote.  Magicians consciously focus the way they live their lives toward their true desires and visions, and if they win their “battles,” they transform the world around them.  As the Magician is the very Archetype of balance, Magicians strike a balance between Wonderment, Devotion, and Willpower.
	The Heroic Magician envisions a better world, and lives toward that vision.  Sa does not bring this about by beating the world into the desired shape, but by reshaping the world within saself.  By living out their visions day-to-day, pros and cons all on the table, Heroic Magicians can achieve a non-coercive yet somehow irresistible charisma.  When the Magician is near, people feel more themselves, and life somehow “falls into place,” although the Magician seems to do nothing but be saself.  These characters are visionaries and catalysts for change, but they always start inside.  A Heroic Magician regains Willpower somewhat like a Heroic Wanderer, but in a more “projective” way: a Heroic Magician should have some vision of a beautiful world or beautiful life, perhaps a utopian vision or a code of honor for saself, and regains Willpower when sa makes that vision real as much as possible in sa’s own life.
	The Dark Magician, on the other hand, is a particularly dangerous archetype, common to the “Evil Overlord” character type.  Like sa’s Heroic counterpart, this Archetype seeks to change the world, but the Dark Magician refuses to see sa’s own faults or shortcomings.  As a result, sa sees the need for change everywhere except within, and uncontent to live out sa’s vision for saself, sa uses the Magician’s visionary charisma and power to alter the people and situations around sa according to sa’s specifications.  Dark Magicians tend to be manipulative and eccentric, and may take excessive risks for their visions—risks that will cost anyone else they have drawn into their projects.  A Dark Magician regains Willpower when sa is in control of the people and events surrounding sa.

For Soulbonders

Attributes and Abilities

	The nine Attributes are the same in this as in any other Storyteller game, and they operate in the same way.  As in all Storyteller games, any Attribute or Ability with four or more dots can be given a specialty, with a bonus to rolls made within that specialty.
	Soulbonder uses the following list of Attributes:
Talents
Alertness
Athletics
Brawl
Dodge
Empathy
Expression
Intimidation
Persuasion
Streetwise
Subterfuge
Skills
Animal Ken
Crafts
Drive
Ettiquette
Firearms
Leadership
Melee
Performance
Stealth
Survival
Knowledges
Computer
Enigmas
Investigation
Law
Linguistics
Medicine
Occult
Politics
Science
Stories

	Most Abilities operate in Soulbonder just as in any other Storyteller game.  However, the following are applied uniquely in Soulbonder.

Skills:
Survival
	This skill is a bit more generalized in Soulbonder than in most Storyteller games, because so many Soulbonders are young people, suddenly thrown out into the world on their own because of their talent, and many of them have to live “on the lam.”  Characters without dots in Survival are dependent on some sort of household for their survival and welfare.
1 dot: You can survive a day out in the world on your own.  Two days and you’ll come home exhausted and hungry.
2 dots: You can scrape by day to day out there on your own, or survive short stays in the wild.
3 dots: You can find a fairly comfortable niche on your own in human society, and you can get by on your own in the wilderness.
4 dots: You thrive in any civilized area and can find plenty of food and a warm place to sleep wherever you are.
5 dots: Any spot in the world is your mansion.

Knowledges:

Computer
	Because the Internet is vitally important to Soulbonders, even those with no dots in Computer are assumed able to boot up a computer, sign onto the Internet, and use a simple e-mail program and web browser.  Further levels are described below:
1 dot: You are comfortable with most of the features of a wide range of software, including word processors, paint programs and photoeditors, etc., and you basically understand the file system of your computer.  Not only can you go online, you know pretty well what you’re doing there.  You can design your own website with simple HTML and/or wysiwyg editors.
2 dots: You have a complete understanding of online ettiquette, and you can design and post a website using complex HTML, frames, Javascript, etc, and do other simple programming.  You are totally comfortable maneuvering through the file system of an average computer.
3 dots: You are a capable programmer or software designer.  You are starting to know the ins and outs of how computers really work, can design websites with the most advanced features,  and are comfortable accessing your computer’s BIOS.
4 dots: You are a capable hacker; you can normally get anything you want out of most systems.
5 dots: You are on or ahead of the cutting edge of the Information Age.  You can achieve programming feats that Microsoft would kill to know about.

Stories
	Because stories are so important to Soulbonders, this Knowledge is a measurement of the stories the character has filed away in sa’s mind.  If you know the story that another Soulbonder is interested in or that a Soulbond comes from, it’ll give you insight into their character, and it always helps out when people are sitting around telling stories.  (The actual telling of the story, however, requires a performance roll.)  And the more stories you’ve heard, the more material you can draw on in making your own.
1 dot: You know all the ins and outs of your Soulbonds’ stories, and are familiar with a few more in the same genre.
2 dots: You have a good working knowledge of the classics, and a pretty good smattering of modern work, probably focussing on a single genre.
3 dots: You know a great many of the major stories, past and present.  If you have a favorite genre, you know all of its best.
4 dots: You know a story for every occasion, for every kind of company.
5 dots: While you love listening to storytellers, it’s rare that they tell one you don’t already know.
Posessed by: Storytellers, Soulbonders, Literary Scholars
Specialties: Classics, any particular Genre, Author, or Culture, Contemporary Fiction, Fan Fiction, TV series, Cartoons, Comics, Movies, Urban Legends, Folklore

Backgrounds for Soulbonders

	I currently do not have any unique Backgrounds for Soulbonders.

Tempers

Wonderment
	Wonderment is the trait which allows Soulbonding.  It could be variously described as spiritual sensitivity, a “Sense of Awe,” the heart of creativity.  Wonderment is perhaps the special birthright-gift of the human race, although all-too-few humans have a respectable amount of it.  Characters with high Wonderment scores are likely to strike mundanes as eccentric, but that is merely because they shed the definitions society gives them in favor of following their own interests and loves, treasuring the sensations that things provide without preconceptions of their worth.  No matter how old such a character becomes, sa will retain a childlike sense of fascination and play.
	It may seem paradoxical, but Wonderment points are spent when a Soulbonder puts pragmatic concerns first and performs certain actions that are anathematic to Wonderment, particularly exerting brute-force control over sa’s Soulbonds.  A Soulbonder who is low on Wonderment will begin to feel drained and cynical, and one completely out of temporary Wonderment cannot induce any Avatar States until at least one point of Wonderment is returned.  At the start of each story, each Soulbonder rolls their permanent Wonderment rating, difficulty 4.  The number of successes is the number of temporary Wonderment points sa begins the story with.  The Storyteller may give more points if the Soulbonder takes time to appreciate the world around sa or for artistic endeavors (such as writing or drawing) or play, rather than just doggedly pursuing sa’s practical goals.  Ironically, a Soulbonder low on Wonderment will often find saself resistant to such activities, just at the time when they are most needed.

Devotion
	Devotion refers to the depth and commitment of a character’s fascination and love.   In itself, it could not produce Soulbonding; a person with only Devotion and no Wonderment would likely find saself Devoted to an uncolorful rut of living.  However, a Soulbonder who had only Wonderment and no Devotion would be terribly flighty, with a high “turnover rate” among sa’s Bonds.  The truth is that while some such Bonders exist, most Soulbonding relationships last for months at least, and often for years: a true sign of Devotion.  However, lest a purely domestic idea of Devotion prevail, this Temper also represents the raw power of love and protectiveness, and a Soulbond who might otherwise not present a problem to an attacker can suddenly be strengthened to inhuman levels by the force of that love.
	Devotion points can be “given” to a Soulbond in order to restore sa’s Tempers or Health on a 1 to 1 basis.  A Devotion point may also be spent to increase a Soulbond’s Physical Attributes for the remainder of the scene on a 1 to1 basis; a Soulbonder must spend an action to do this, and may not increase a Soulbond’s attributes to a level greater than the Soulbonder’s permanent Devotion rating or 10, whichever is lowest.  Or Devotion may be given simply as an expression of love—see the Soulbond Turnover rules in the Systems chapter for possible ramifications of this.  The maximum number of Devotion points a Soulbonder can give per turn is equal to sa’s Empathy rating.
	A Soulbonder low on Devotion points will begin to feel distant, even grouchy toward those close to them.  The Storyteller may restore points if the Soulbonder takes time to “bond” with Soulbonds or friends.  (So get with the character interaction!)  Between stories, a Soulbonder may roll Charisma+Empathy and add the number of successes to their temporary Devotion.

Merits and Flaws for Soulbonders

	The following Merits and Flaws are unique to Soulbonders or unique in their application.

Soulbond Sight (3-pt Merit)

A Soulbonder with this Merit can see other Bonders’ Soulbonds in Avatar States that are usually invisible to others.  They can see and interact with others’ Soulbonds in the Image state, and will see the Soulbond, not their Bonder, in the Playing Avatar and True Avatar States, where someone lacking this merit could not.  This Merit also allows convincing physical interaction with Phantom Soulbonds, but as with their bonder, the Soulbond cannot attack the character using Soulbond Sight.

Irresistible Bonder (1 or 2-pt Merit)

A Soulbonder with this Merit has an easier time courting new Soulbonds than usual.  For 1 Freebie point, this Merit reduces the difficulty of the “Soulbond-courting” Wonderment roll to 6; for two Freebie Points, the difficulty is reduced to 4.

Need for Control (3-pt Flaw)
A Soulbonder with this flaw has a deep inability to relinquish control of sa’s body.  As a result, Sa cannot achieve the Playing Avatar and True Avatar States.  In inducing Avatar States, these are still in the sequence (i.e., it is still two steps from Phantom to In The Flesh) and must be rolled for as usual, but their effect is the same as the previous state, making the sequence of Avatar States thus: Image, Image, Phantom, Phantom, In The Flesh.

Unliberated (7-pt Flaw)
The character is an Unliberated Soulbonder and cannot produce Advanced Avatar States.  This flaw cannot be taken if the character’s Liberation is the subject of the first story.

For Soulbonds

Reality Shift

	This Trait, used only for Soulbond characters, is a description of how believable a Soulbond is.  There are three Reality Shifts: Ordinary People, Action Hero, and Toon.  Each one has its own strengths and disadvantages.  The three exist along a spectrum, and certain characters may land in areas where the boundaries between them are fuzzy.  A character who is a Gold-Medal Olympic Athlete could be Ordinary People, but because of the awesomeness of sa’s ability, sa could be considered an Action Hero as well.  The boundary between Action Hero and Toon is even less well-marked.  In such cases, the character’s Reality Shift is simply up to the player’s preference and/or Storyteller’s judgement.

Ordinary People
	Despite the name, Soulbonds described as Ordinary People are often far from ordinary.  
They are often responsible for great achievements, and have been on great adventures; at the very least, they were extraordinary enough for their story to catch a Soulbonder’s attention.  What Ordinary People are is plausible.  The true measure of whether a Soulbond is of this Reality Shift is this: if their Bonder were to completely describe them to an un-Awakened person in the average-to-cynical range, would the listener have any major problems believing that it was a real person (or other real creature or object)?  If not, Ordinary People is that character’s just Reality Shift.
	Ordinary People are a bit fragile and limited as compared to other Reality Shifts.  They take damage in the manner of ordinary humans, as do Soulbonders; seven health levels with various penalties, no automatic regeneration of damage.  (All Soulbonds can heal quickly when they take refuge in their Soulbonder’s mind or receive Devotion, and supernaturals or Soulbonds with healing powers can use them to restore Ordinary People’s health, but Ordinary People may not posess any beyond-realistic regenerative power of their own.)  They also lack the incredible abilities that are available to Action Heroes and Toons.  They cannot do anything that a normal living being with sufficient training could not do.
	But this Reality Shift is not without its advantages.  The primary one being that Ordinary People fit naturally into the real world, an important ability for those with a Liberated Soulbonder.  They are relatively easy to bring into Avatar States because their Soulbonder does not have to face their incongruity with the world sa is bringing them into—Ordinary People have no constant modifier added to the number of successes needed to produce Avatar States.  They also tend not to arouse too much attention while in Avatar States.  One of these Soulbonds can walk among real people and never be noticed as something different or alien.

Action Hero
	Though the name may sound rather specific, this Reality Shift embraces a very wide variety of characters, from the true “Action Heroes” of Hollywood or superhero comics, to science fiction characters who could exist if only the requisite technology actually did, to supernaturals and magic users.  The test of whether a character is an Action Hero is not quite as cut-and-dried as that for Ordinary People, but the general rule is that Action Heroes may bend or break the laws of nature, but still have some respect for them.  They may perform superhuman feats of strength and agility, or be able to fly or even raise the dead by magical or technological means, but if an Action Hero walks off a cliff, sa will fall whether or not sa realizes there’s nothing under sa’s feet.  Unless of course, sa’s powers include anti-gravity of some kind...
	This is perhaps the most common Reality Shift among Soulbonds, providing a happy medium between the limits of Ordinary People and Toons’ irreconcilable break with reality.  Not as fragile as Ordinary People, all Action Heroes have some sort of health bonus, either a regenerative power from their native rule system, or an extra health level and relaxed damage penalties as below (which is used is the Storyteller’s option in cases of dispute).  Action Heroes also have access to many superhuman/supernatural powers, though some truly outlandish ones must be reserved for Toons.
	However, Action Heroes don’t quite fit with the real world.  As such, there is a constant modifier of 1 extra success required when a Soulbonder tries to bring an Action Hero into an Avatar State.  How easy it is for an Action Hero to lay low in the real world varies widely.  Some of them may look ordinary enough not to be noticed.  Most, however, will at least have a striking appearance that stands out in a crowd, and many cannot be passed off as normal humans at all, on account of wings, horns, fur, or some similar dead giveaway.
	If an Action Hero’s native rules system does not gift sa with a Health bonus, use the health system below:
Scuffed
Bruised
Hurt
Injured (-1)
Wounded (-1)
Mauled (-2)
Crippled (-3)*
Incapacitated
*If this Health system is used, a Crippled Action Hero can take one action per combat turn at a +3 bonus by spending a Willpower Point and devoting their entire dice pool to that action.  This is done to reflect the highly formidable “desperation moves” often seen in Action Heroes.

Toon
	Soulbonds of this Reality Shift throw aside all the bindings of plausibility, the real world, and the laws of physics.  Many of them, though not all, are just what the name implies: cartoons in the manner of Road Runner, Goofy, or Bugs Bunny come to life.  If a Soulbond is able to break the laws of nature with something less than a conscious thought, and produces no serious repercussions by doing so, sa is most likely a Toon.  (Some of the more powerful and volatile Action Heroes can also break the laws of nature by accident, though usually with more serious consequences.  I warned you that the borderlines could be fuzzy, but in general, you’ll probably know a Toon when you see one.)
	Toons are the most powerful and durable of Soulbonds.  In terms of durability, they don’t have Health Levels at all!  Damage a Toon takes in combat can stun them, sometimes even for the remainder of a scene, but does no permanent damage to them—see below.  These effects depend solely on the amount of damage done in a single attack and are not cumulative in any way, nor can another begin until the first ends; a stunned Toon can be knocked about, but the duration of the stun will not be increased (In fact, if another blow to a stunned Toon results in a botch, it will bring them back to their senses).  If the Soulbond’s native rules system provides an extreme health advantage, it may be used in place of this damage system, at the Storyteller’s option.
	Toons also have the most outlandish abilities available to them.  Even low-powered toons can produce objects out of thin air, including weapons and explosives, and many can routinely defy the law of gravity, and these are just a few examples.
	The disadvantage Toons have is their utter lack of plausibility or subtlety.  They face a constant modifier of two successes required to bring them into Avatar States, as their Soulbonder must struggle with a massive schism between the real world and the character they are bringing into it.  Once there, Toons cannot help but attract attention.  Many of them are far from human, and even those who are human tend to be oddly-shaped caricatures when compared with a real person.  No Toon can be passed off as a “real” creature for more than a few seconds.
	The Toon Health system is as follows:
1-3 damage: No effect.
4-6 damage: The Toon is stunned for one round (loses sa’s next action).
7-9 damage: The Toon is stunned for two rounds (loses sa’s next two actions).
10 damage or more: The Toon is stunned for the remainder of the scene.

	Given the name of the “Toon” Reality Shift, I feel I should note that whether a Soulbond is based on an animated character, or one otherwise depicted in an “unrealistic” way, has no effect whatsoever on their Reality Shift.  Animation, comics, etc. can depict the most plausible of characters, or the most outlandish.  When such Soulbonds are brought into Avatar States, they will not look “drawn,” but will appear as solid and real.  Even if Ordinary People are drawn, the Soulbonder’s mental image of them will easily translate into a solid, realistic human form.  The realism of this image may be relaxed in proportion to the general plausibility of the character.

Backgrounds for Soulbonds

	The following Background is unique to Soulbonds..

Powerful Archetype
	This Background is available only to Soulbond characters, and measures the power-level of the character’s associated Archetypal Spirit.  Archetypal Spirits will not step into gameplay often, but they can be called upon in times of dire need, and those who know something of Soulbonding will leave Soulbonds with Powerful Archetypes in peace, rather than risk offending such powerful spirits.  Characters with no dots in Powerful Archetype are considered the original creations of their Soulbonder, and are known to no more than a handful of other people.
1 dot: The character is loved by a small number of people.  The Archetype is quite weak.
2 dots: The character is from a work that has been published in the mass media or online, and has a modest number of fans.  The Archetype is fairly capable but still not terribly powerful.
3 dots: The character has a moderately large fanbase.  The Archetype is somewhat strong.
4 dots: The character is from a best-selling work of fiction or strongly-rated television show, and has a great many devoted fans.  The Archetype is quite strong.
5 dots: The character is an aspect of a cultural icon which is loved by millions.  Some of these characters come as close as possible to being Great Archetypes without actually doing so.  The Archetype is extremely powerful.

Merits and Flaws for Soulbonds

	The following Merits and Flaws are unique to Soulbonds or unique in their application.

Self-Will (7 point Merit)
A Soulbond with this Merit may enter Avatar States beyond Image without their Soulbonder’s consent or effort, even if the Bonder is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated—although if a Soulbond began Playing Avatar in that situation, they would be effected by that condition just as their Bonder would (True Avatar would not suffer these effects, however).  Sa may also remain in a pre-existing Advanced Avatar State if their Bonder loses consciousness.  To enter an Avatar State, the Soulbond must roll to induce the Avatar State just as their Soulbonder would, using their Charisma+Expression dice pool.  Alternately, they may enter the Avatar State automatically by spending Willpower as their Soulbonder would spend Wonderment (2 points for In The Flesh, 1 point for all other Avatar States except Image, which has no cost).   Once this is done, the Soulbonder (unless unconscious or incapacitated) will have the option of ending the Avatar State with a Willpower roll or Wonderment expenditure—and your Bonder may not have much patience for you if you try to take over sa’s body.  If a Soulbond with Self-Will attempts to enter an Avatar State while another Soulbond is in an Avatar State, the two Soulbonds must make a contested Willpower roll.  If the Soulbond using Self-Will fails, sa cannot enter the Avatar State; if sa succeeds, the other Soulbond is displaced back to the Image state.

Normal Appearance (2 or 4-point Merit)
This Merit is not available to Soulbonds of the Ordinary People Reality Shift.  It costs 2 Freebie Points for Action Heroes and 4 Freebie Points for Toons.  A Soulbond with this Merit either naturally looks like a normal person/creature/object, or is able to disguise saself as such.  The result is that sa’s appearance does not arouse suspicion among mundanes during Advanced Avatar States.

No Health Bonus (4-pt Flaw)
This Flaw is not available to Ordinary People.  An Action Hero or Toon with this Flaw does not receive the usual health bonuses sa’s Reality Shift.  They take injury as Ordinary People do, seven health levels with the usual penalties and no regeneration.

Culture Shock (4-pt Flaw)
A Soulbond with this Flaw comes from a fictional world much different from the present day World of Darkness, and is not able to percieve the Real World through their Bonder under normal conditions.  Thus sa will become disoriented when brought into Avatar States.  Sa’s Bonder can give sa directives to generally tell sa what is going on and what sa should do, but sa will be out of sa’s element with no real understanding of the world in which sa finds saself.  Whether the Soulbond suffers memory blackouts during Avatar States or just never gets the hang of it, this disorientation will never be overcome unless the Soulbond spends advancement points to “buy back” this Flaw.

Character Advancement

	Soulbond characters advance according to the rules of their native system.  Renown systems don’t generally have any social/reputation effect, but will of course allow the character access to higher level Advantages.
	Experience points for Soulbonders have the usual purchasing power for advancing Attributes, Abilities, Willpower, Backgrounds, etc.  Their unique tempers have the following Experience Point costs:
Wonderment: current rating x 2
Devotion: current rating.
	Soulbonders have no renown or rank system.

Chapter 4:
Systems

	This Chapter provides the systems unique to Soulbonding; how Soulbonds are gained and lost, how they are brought into Avatar States, etc.

Meetings and Partings

	Every Soulbonder has a certain amount of “turnover.”  Soulbonding relationships are deep and meaningful, but most don’t last forever.  At best, a Bonder will sometimes have one Soulbond who stays with them through the years while others come and go.
	It’s up to your troupe whether you want the meetings and partings of Soulbonders and their Soulbonds to be within the scope of your game.  It would be perfectly reasonable to assert that changes that happen so slowly wouldn’t happen in the course of your chronicle, and that’s just fine.  Especially in a game where Soulbonds have their own players, I would reccommend that to avoid cheating said players, Soulbond Turnover not be addressed, except as their players wish.  However, if you do want to include this aspect of Soulbonding, here are the systems for it.
	Soulbonds rarely tell a Bonder when they leave.  They typically don’t even leave “Dear John” letters.  They merely fade away until one day their Soulbonder happens to think of them and realizes that they aren’t there anymore.  Typically, neglect causes it.  If a Soulbonder goes for an extended period of time (say, a month or more) without bringing a given Soulbond into an Avatar State or spending Devotion on them, the Storyteller can begin rolling the Bonder’s Devotion on a daily basis, with a difficulty starting at 5 and increasing the longer the Soulbond is neglected (add one difficulty per week; Willpower may not be spent on these rolls).  Every time this roll is failed, one of the Permanent Wonderment dots the Bonder has invested in that Soulbond is freed, however this does not have the usual effects of decreasing the Soulbond’s Traits or the difficulty of bringing them into Avatar States.  If all of the Wonderment dots are lost in this manner, the Soulbond fades away.  The Soulbonder must try to court them again before being able to bring them into Avatar States.  If at any point in this process, the Soulbonder spends Devotion on that Soulbond or brings them into an Avatar State, the effects of the process are reset, but without continued attention, a shorter time (say, a week) will elapse before it begins again.  If a Soulbond has begun to fade and is thus rescued, the Bonder may also choose to lower the amount of Wonderment they have invested in sa.  At this point however, the equivalent of 10 Freebie Points for every dot of Wonderment freed must be deducted from the Soulbond’s traits.
	Of course, once a Soulbond leaves, the Bonder has some free Wonderment.  A Bonder may also have free Wonderment after character generation, or after increasing sa’s Wonderment score with Experience Points.  Whatever the reason, a Soulbonder with free Wonderment dots may begin looking for a new Soulbond.
	This isn’t as simple as looking for a new pair of shoes.  For most Soulbonders, the formation of Soulbonding relationships is hardly a matter of choice.  Every now and again, the Bonder is just lucky enough to encounter a character who strikes a chord with them, and even then they can only open the door.  The Soulbond has to step through it.  Having free Wonderment points does nothing beyond making that magical moment possible, but for most Soulbonders, it doesn’t take long to fall in love again when there’s a gap to be filled.
	Practically, however, it would be boring to roleplay characters watching TV, reading books, and going to the movies until someone rings the metaphorical doorbell.  At this point, the player may generate a new Soulbond character, or attempt to rekindle relations with a previous Soulbond.  The character and the GM can arrange for a Soulbonder to encounter the story of a new Soulbond.  At this point, the Soulbonder begins rolling their Wonderment, difficulty 8, no more than once per day.  Willpower may not be spent on this roll, but a point of Devotion may be used in its place.  If this roll succeeds, Soulbonding has occurred, and the Bonder has invested one dot of permanent Wonderment in the new Soulbond.  If a botch occurs at this point, however, the door is closed, and Soulbonding that character will not be possible.  To invest more Wonderment, the Soulbonder may continue to make the Wonderment roll daily, adding one dot per successful roll.  A botch at this stage will deduct one dot from the Soulbond’s share of Wonderment, and if this brings the Wonderment investiture to 0, the connection to the new Soulbond be lost and the Soulbonder must try again.
	There is no bonus for making these Wonderment rolls to regain an old Soulbond rather than attracting a new one, nor is there any penalty.  By some accounts, it is easier for old friends to return, but by others, reviving the level of interest needed for Soulbonding is difficult.  Wonderment is, at the core, a fascination with the different and new, and thus may tend toward new relationships, rather than ones that lack that mystery.  But in the end, I thought it was most fair to just call it even.

Creator’s Privelege?

	This is just an observation I would like to make, and this seemed to be as good a place for it as any.  One might think that the original creator of a character would have an unusual privelege in dealing with that character as an Archetypal Spirit or Soulbond.
	Yes, and No.
	Yes, in that the original creator of a character has the exclusive privelege of deciding that character’s “canon.”  And while everyone who experiences the story will have their own personal interpretation and thus their own version of the character, most differ from the original work only subtly.  Thus, the original creator usually has far more influence over the Archetypal Spirit of the character than anyone else.
	Soulbonding, however, is a somewhat different matter.  Every Soulbond is to some extent the creation of their Soulbonder, even as they are an aspect of their Archetypal Spirit.  However, the original creator doesn’t seem to have any particular advantage when it comes to Soulbonding relationships.  Don’t get me wrong, some Soulbonders bond with their own creatons exclusively, but “courting” them is no easier than doing so with a character from elsewhere.  So in the end, I thought it most fair for the “meetings and partings” rules not to consider this variable at all.

Avatar States

	And now, the system I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: Avatar State Inducement.  The Avatar State inducement rules are reminiscent of the transformation rules from Werewolf.  Hey, if it works, I figure why fix it?
	There are five Avatar States, divided into Basic and Advanced Avatar States.  Basic Avatar States may be induced by any Soulbonder character, where Advanced Avatar States may be induced only by Liberated Soulbonders.
	The five Avatar States are as follows, in this sequence:

Basic Avatar States:
Image
	The most basic Avatar State of all, the Image state allows a Soulbonder to experience a Soulbond as a mental image.  The Soulbond can interact directly with their bonder mentally and socially, but has no physical presence.  A Soulbond appearing as an Image cannot normally be seen, heard, or otherwise sensed by anyone except sa’s Soulbonder, although some supernatural’s ability to sense spirit-beings may detect sa.  Sa cannot physically manipulate or affect anything or anyone, not even their Soulbonder.
	Image is the default Avatar State.  In a game in which Soulbonds have their own players, they are always in this state at least.  If they do not, then Soulbonders can begin and end this avatar state at will, without even taking an action to do it, and Soulbonds can even enter it on their own.  Avatar State inducement is assumed to begin from this state.  This is also the only Avatar State that a Soulbonder can achieve with multiple Soulbonds at once, which can be done without limit.

Playing Avatar
	The second Basic Avatar State, the Playing Avatar state allows a Soulbond to act out sa’s will through sa’s Soulbonder, but with the Soulbonder’s traits rather than sa’s own.  The Soulbond has no physical, visual, or otherwise detectable presence of sa’s own, but rather unites with sa’s Bonder and may physically affect the real world via said Bonder.   Essentially, the Soulbonder is play-acting as the Soulbond, hence the name.
	Soulbonders may take no other actions while in the Playing Avatar state; they have given all their action to their Soulbond.  The only exceptions to this are trying to induce a more advanced Avatar State (for Liberated Soulbonders), and ending the Avatar State.  An uncontested end to this or any Avatar State requires no roll and has no cost.  Ending the Playing Avatar state against the Soulbond’s will requires a Willpower roll, difficulty 5, or the expenditure of a Wonderment point.  If the Soulbonder objects to an action that the Soulbond attempts to take, they may make this roll to prevent the action.  Strenuous objections will result in even lower difficulties; to take the extreme, this roll is automatically successful if the Soulbond orders the Bonder’s body to commit suicide.

Advanced Avatar States:
Phantom
	The Phantom Avatar State is reminiscent of the Image state.  However, in this Advanced version, the Soulbond can be seen and heard by everyone in line-of-sight and earshot.  Sa can affect anyone with sa’s Mental and Social Traits.  Sa also has enough physical influence over sa’s Soulbonder for the two to physically interact convincingly, but may not attack the Soulbonder.  To others, the Soulbond does not even have that much physical presence, and others will pass through the Soulbond as if sa were a ghost.  Be careful with this Avatar State on a crowded street, and forget Japanese subways.  This Avatar State may be ended without the Soulbond’s consent with a Willpower roll, difficulty 6, or the expenditure of a Wonderment point.

True Avatar
	The Advanced version of the Playing Avatar state.  A Soulbond in the True Avatar state is united with sa’s Soulbonder rather than having a presence of their own, and may act out their will with their own Traits.  If the Soulbonder has 1 dot in Brawl and the Soulbond has 5, this avatar state allows the Soulbond to use their 5 dots, even though sa is acting through the Soulbonder’s body.  The Soulbond can also speak any languages that they know and their Soulbonder does not.  The Bonder’s body may even “shapeshift” into the aspect of the Soulbond, although this varies with the individual.
	True Avatar is perhaps the most dangerous Avatar State from the Bonder’s point of view, as it is the one in which sa has least control.  Soulbonders cannot take any actions while in the True Avatar State, except attempting to advance to the final Avatar State and trying to end the Avatar State.  Ending the Avatar State without the Soulbond’s consent, even to prevent an action the Soulbonder strenuously objects to, is also far more difficult in the True Avatar state.  The Willpower roll is made at difficulty 8; alternately, the Soulbonder must expend a Wonderment Point to end the Avatar State.

In The Flesh
	This most advanced Avatar State brings a Soulbond into a fully tangible and empowered existence separate from sa’s Soulbonder.  The Soulbond may act as sa pleases, using all of sa’s Traits, and the Soulbonder may also act as normal during the In The Flesh state.  Essentially, the Soulbond is fully present as an independent character.  Sa may even run away from or attack sa’s Soulbonder.
	This Avatar State is also very difficult for a Soulbonder to control.  Ending this Avatar State without the Soulbond’s consent requires a Willpower roll at difficulty 9 or the expenditure of two Wonderment points.  However, the Soulbonder is still free to act on sa’s own, putting sa in a less dangerous situation than in the True Avatar state.

Inducing Avatar States

	As mentioned above, the mechanices of inducing Avatar States are much as those for shapeshifting in Werewolf: the Apocalypse.
	The dice pool used to induce Avatar States is Wits+Empathy.  The roll is made against a difficulty equal to (5 + Wonderment cost of the Soulbond).  If the Soulbond tied up only one point of Wonderment, the roll would be at difficulty 6; if sa tied up 3 points, the roll would be at difficulty 8.  As noted in Character Generation, no more than 4 points of Wonderment may be invested in a single Soulbond; thus the difficulty of this roll will not normally exceed 9.
	The “constant modifier” for the Soulbond’s Reality Shift (0 for Ordinary People, 1 for Action Heroes, and 2 for Toons) is then deducted from the number of successes.  If any successes are left, then the Soulbonder may advance the through a number of Avatar States equal to the number of successes.
	For example, if a Soulbonder is attempting to induce an Avatar State in an Action Hero who accounted for 2 Wonderment points, starting with the Soulbond in the Image state (which requires no roll), they would roll Wits+Empathy at difficulty 7.  If they score 3 successes, they then deduct one for the Action Hero constant modifier, and may then advance the Soulbond two Avatar States, from Image to Playing Avatar to Phantom.  If the Soulbonder wishes to induce a more advanced Avatar State, sa must roll again on sa’s next turn and again deduct the constant modifier.
	Avatar States may also be induced by spending Wonderment, much as Changing breeds can shapeshift using Rage.  Just as expending a point of Wonderment can automatically end an Avatar State, doing so can automatically induce any desired Avatar State with no dice-roll, no matter what Avatar State the Soulbond is starting from.  The only exception is the In The Flesh state, which again requires two Wonderment points.
	If a Botch occurs during Avatar State Inducement, usually any Avatar States already achieved end and the Bonder temporarily loses touch with the Soulbond in question and cannot bring them into any Avatar State (including Image) for the remainder of the scene.  However, if the Botch occurs at an advanced stage, the Storyteller may rule that the connection is severed, but the Soulbond also does appear—In The Flesh, completely out of the Soulbonder’s control, and possibly coming from an unintended portion of sa’s life story and/or suffering the effects of the Culture Shock flaw even if sa does not normally posess it.
	If a Soulbonder becomes Incapacitated, any Avatar State they have induced immediately ends (unless the Soulbond in question posesses the Self-Will merit).
	Note that Unliberated Soulbonders only use this system to induce the Playing Avatar State, since the Image state requires no roll.
	Other than Image, a Soulbonder may only have one Soulbond in an Avatar State at one time.  That is, if one Soulbond is Playing Avatar or is in an Advanced Avatar State, none of sa’s Bond Siblings can advance beyond the Image state.

Soulbonds and Damage

	Damage systems for Soulbonds are described above; normally these operate in the True Avatar and In The Flesh states, as these are the only states in which a Soulbond is physically manifested, thus the only ones in which they can take damage.  Obviously, Images and Phantoms cannot take physical damage, and any damage taken while Playing Avatar is applied to the Soulbonder.
	If a Soulbond in the True Avatar State reaches Incapacitated, the Avatar State immediately ends, and the Soulbonder returns at the same level of Health as when the Avatar State began.  The damage was done to the Soulbond, not sa’s bonder, and vanishes as the Soulbond does.  However, a Soulbond In The Flesh who is Incapacitated will not disappear on sa’s own.  The Soulbonder may bring an uncontested end to the Avatar State, but if sa cannot (perhaps they are some distance away), the Soulbond can be killed, at which point sa’s bond with the Soulbonder is severed.  Some Soulbonders have known “dead” Soulbonds to return, but they must do so under the “Meetings and Partings” rules, and most Soulbonds who have such an experience are somehow altered by it—the Soulbond may even return as a ghost!
	Supernaturals who posess means of affecting incorporeal entities (such as Changing Breeds engaging in Spirit Combat) can attack and damage Soulbonds in all Avatar States (in the case of Playing Avatar, either the Soulbonder or the Soulbond may be damaged by this, depending on the nature of the attack—Storyteller’s best judgement), and may “kill” Soulbonds as noted above.
	Soulbonds heal quickly in the safety of ther Soulbonder’s mind.  Withdrawal to this safe haven from physical combat requires only ending the Avatar State as usual.  A Soulbonder may withdraw a Soulbond from harm’s way on the spiritual/astral plane as well—which is unusually difficult as Soulbonds will generally resolve at least into an Image to interact with anything directed at them in such a way.  Such an intervention on the Soulbonder’s part is always considered a contested end to the Avatar State and will remove a Soulbond from all Avatar States, including Image.  In the Image and Playing Avatar States, it requires a successful Willpower roll, difficulty 6, or the expenditure of a Wonderment point.  In Advanced Avatar states, it uses the usual contested Avatar-State-ending requirements.
	Once a Soulbond has thus been brought back to safety, the Soulbonder rolls sa’s Devotion rating.  The Soulbond recovers a number of Health Levels equal to the number of successes on this roll every scene until completely healed.  A failure means that the safe environment fails to provide this advantage, and the Soulbond heals at a normal rate.  A botch means that the Soulbond’s injuries remain for the rest of the story.  In any of these cases, the Soulbonder can heal the Soulbond by spending Devotion on them.  The Soulbond may also be healed by any supernatural healing powers posessed by sa’s Bond Siblings, or by others, although the injured Soulbond be brought into an Advanced Avatar State to receive such help from those outside their Soulbonder’s internal family.

Appendices and Extras

Resources Online

Soulbonding Resources

	The following are online resources for learning more about Soulbonding as it is actually practiced:

Riesz Fenrir’s Soul Whispers (http://childofmana.tripod.com/soulbonding.htm): A personal favorite Soulbonding resource page.  Includes Links to the Sword and Serpent Tavern’s Soulbond Sanctuary forum.

The Soulbond Database (http://illvision.net/sbdata/): A collection of questionaire-answer testimonials from Soulbonders, with the goal of reflecting the breadth of Soulbonding experience.

My own Soulbond Page (http://www.shininghalf.com/soulbond.html): Because I just can’t resist the temptation of the shameless self-promoting plug.  Visit this page to learn who my own Soulbonds are and what they mean to me.

Gaming System Resources

	Here are online resources for Storyteller Games, including character sheets, fan-authored rules, etc.

White Wolf Online (http://www.white-wolf.com/): White Wolf’s official website, with online shopping, release news, and everyone’s favorite: downloadable PDF character sheets!

BJ Zanzibar’s World of Darkness (http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~adashiel/wod/): A treasury of fan-authored rules for Storyteller systems, including rules for many many character types not covered (or not covered well ::coughdhampir::) by the official games, including Angels, Demons, Immortals a la Highlander, and much more.

Beast Wars Transformers (http://www.secondtruth.com/bwtf): A version of the Storyteller rules based on Beast Wars Transformers, useful if you’d like to Soulbond a Robot In Disguise.  Plus it was designed by the ever-wonderful, ever-talented Amanda Flowers, a longtime friend of mine.

Optional Rule: Object Soulbonds

What are Object Soulbonds?
	“Object Soulbonds” are just that, Soulbonds who are personalities ascribed to physical objects.  They are fairly uncommon, most common among child-Soulbonders, but an interesting enough case that I decided to provide rules for them.
	It is not uncommon for children, and even adults to a lesser extent, to ascribe human qualities to objects in their daily lives.  The family car likely has a name, its headlights are eyes, that band of decoration on its front bumper a mouth...  It’s not too much of a jump for it to be someone in its own right, and such a car can be Soulbonded.  In some cases, the line between normal Soulbonding and Object Soulbonding can be a bit blurry: consider children’s toys.  When they are available, Soulbonders likely collect physical representations of their Soulbonds.  And, to take an unlikely crossover possibility, if a Werewolf were to bind a Soulbond into a Fetish, sa would then become an Object Soulbond.  It’s not a terribly difficult call to make in the end: is the Soulbond a character whom the object represents, or is the Soulbond the soul of the object itself?

Rules for Object Soulbonds
	A few special rules apply to Object Soulbonds, most of them admittedly disadvantageous.  For that reason especially, gaming groups are free to disregard the Object Soulbond rules.
	The thing about Object Soulbonds is that they do exist as entities in the Soulbonder’s mind, but they are also strongly connected to a particular object.  Inducing Avatar States is very difficult without the object present.  Also, due to their nature, Avatar States have different effects on Object Soulbonds.
	For Object Soulbonds, the Image state is present by default only if the Soulbonder is in close proximity (within 5 meters/15 feet) and line-of-sight to the object.  If the Soulbonder is within 5 meters but not line-of-sight, they must make an Avatar State Inducement roll to achieve the Image State, difficulty 6.  If they are 6 or more meters away from the object, they must make a roll with a difficulty equal to their distance in meters from the object.  This difficulty is increased by one if the object is not in line-of-sight.  However, the difficulty of this roll is not to exceed 9.
	Further Avatar State Inducement is not so complicated once the Image State is attained, but still suffers +1 to the difficulty if the object is not in line-of-sight.
	These are the effects of the Avatar States for Object Soulbonds:

Image
	The Soulbonder can, in their mind, see the object moving and hear it talking.

Playing Avatar
	Same as for normal Soulbonds.

Phantom
	In this state, the Object Soulbond can leave its physical manifestation to act as for a normal Soulbond.  Their Phantom will look exactly like the object and have no more abilities than a normal object of that type; for example, a car-Soulbond cannot jump.

True Avatar
	The Soulbonder can act out the Object Soulbond’s will using the Soulbond’s Mental and Social traits.  At the same time, sa can “telekinetically” animate the object, which will obey sa’s will, but not exceed the normal abilities of such an object.

In The Flesh
	In this Avatar State, not only does the object move and act under its own volition, it is posessed of any abilities that it has in the Soulbonder’s imagination, even if the object does not physically posess them.  If a child imagines sa’s toy as life-size, it will become life-size.  If a Soulbonder imagines sa’s car-Soulbond as having a variety of James-Bond-like gadgets equipped, in this Avatar State, it will.

	In general, Object Soulbonds are generated just as normal soulbonds.  However, stats should be provided for the object as a normal object as well as for the character.  Object Soulbonds also have a Reality Shift just as normal Soulbonds do.  Ordinary People means an Object Soulbond which has no abilities unusual to the object other than the ability to move of sa’s own volition and talk.  Action Heroes have abilities which are very unusual for such an object, or which transform the object’s nature in a logical way, but within the realm of possibility, say, a car that can transform into a boat, or a cowboy doll that, when In The Flesh, transforms into a real cowboy complete with working guns.  Toons are just that, as with normal Soulbonds.
	However, because the “true nature” of an Object Soulbond does not come into play except in the In The Flesh Avatar State, only the inducement of that Avatar State uses the constant modifier appropriate to their Reality Shift.  The inducement of Avatar States through True Avatar uses no constant modifier.

Optional Rules for Werewolf Crossovers

	Werewolf: The Apocalypse is the storyteller game I have the most experience with, and as a result, it had more influence on Soulbonder than the other games did.  Also as a result, I brainstormed up more extensive crossover rules for Soulbonder and Werewolf than I can provide for any of the other games.  Using these is purely at the Storyteller’s option, as any crossover game can be prone to game-balance problems, but I’m providing these here as an “extra.”
	Soulbonders have nothing against the Changing Breeds generally, and any attitudes they develop are likely to be no more than the repayment of any favors or slights done to them.  Some younger Garou and more liberal tribes such as the Glass Walkers and Children of Gaia appreciate this new supernatural power appearing in the World of Darkness and have tried to forge amicable relations with Soulbonders, although they’re not letting their guard down.  However, older Garou and more traditional tribes such as the Silver Fangs, Shadow Lords, and Get of Fenris openly disdain and/or distrust Soulbonders, and not without reason.  The Liberation was originally brought about Pentex, which hoped to use Soulbonders to turn Archetypal Spirits against Garou in the Umbra, and while most Soulbonders quickly rebelled against Pentex’s corruption, the conglomerate may well have some Soulbonders in its employ for just such a purpose.  However, the Garou may fail to realize that their best defense against such rogue Soulbonders is the friendship of those who remain to convince the Archetypes that the Defenders of Gaia are not their enemies.
	Soulbonds and Archetypes are Spirits.  Generally, the Garou care nought for human Mass Media, and as such Archetypal Spirits tend to avoid them and are difficult for Garou to find—with one exception.  It is quite concievable that some of the Garou heroes of the past either did not really exist or were embellished beyond recognition by years of tale-telling, and yet, in the Legendary Realm, those heroes will appear alongside all the rest, just as the stories say.  The spirits in the Legendary Realm, even assuming that they are bona fide ancestor spirits, gain strength from the love, respect, and fascination of their stories, much as Archetypes do.  Garou cannot Soulbond, but their Kinfolk can, and may even form bonds with these Garou heroes.
	Although Garou do not often encounter Archetypes, Soulbonds are much more accessible as they cling to their Bonders along the Periphery.  A Garou in the Penumbra (or one using Pulse of the Invisible) will see Soulbonds as flickering shades surrounding their Bonder—Unliberated Soulbonders appear as shadows in the Penumbra, and Liberated Bonders appear as hazy images.  Each Soulbond at all times accompanies sa’s Bonder as a shade.  A Soulbond in an Avatar State—including the Image state—will appear as a fully realized entity.  A Garou in the Penumbra or one using Pulse of the Invisible will see the Soulbond, not the Soulbonder, performing the actions of the Playing Avatar and True Avatar states, even if this is not normally the case.
	Even Soulbonds who are not in Avatar States can be communicated with using Spirit Speech, and will resolve into an image and interact with the Garou addressing them.  If this is done from the physical realm using Pulse of the Invisible, the Soulbond automatically enters the Image state and the Soulbonder is fully aware of the exchange.  When a Garou does this from the Penumbra, the Soulbonder must make a Wits+Empathy roll.  If the roll botches, they have no idea that anything is happening until hours later; if it fails, they only have a general sense that something is going on.  If the roll succeeds, the Soulbonder is increasingly aware of the situation, until at 4 or more successes, they can see the Garou and interact with sa across the Periphery (a strange sight to anyone watching the Soulbonder in the Physical Realm).
	As noted in Chapter One, this ability to directly interact with Soulbonds greatly intensifies Garou and Soulbonders’ friendships or enmities, for good or ill.  Soulbonds’ Sense Triat readings depend entirely on the nature of the character: an “evil” character is likely to smell like a Bane, which may lead some Garou to attack.  A Soulbond destroyed in Spirit Combat is lost to their Soulbonder, and the unfortunate Garou becomes not only an enemy of Soulbonders, but also the pet project of the Soulbond’s associated Archetype—not a good position to be in.  Whether a Soulbond will flee from Spirit Combat depends on their own personality, but in such an event, their Soulbonder will also lose touch with them.  If the Soulbond is returned, the bond will be renewed with joyous reunion.  Unfortunately, Soulbonds are made for the company of their Soulbonder, not the wide open spaces of the Umbra.  They have no native Airt Sense, and can have great difficulty finding their way home on their own—to make matters worse, the “meetings and partings” rules then come into play.  If the Soulbond does not return to achieve an Avatar State or receive Devotion, after a month the Soulbonder must begin to make Devotion rolls, and the Soulbond is at risk of fading away.  If a Garou encounters such a lost Soulbond, the Soulbond will be able to explain their situation (practically all Soulbonds thus lost will be eager to get back to their Soulbonder’s showering of Devotion, even if they aren’t on friendly terms), and a Garou who helps the Soulbond return home will have earned a great deal of Soulbonder gratitude.  Guiding a Soulbond home need not be a complicated quest; they can be returned via post, phone, or even e-mail.  Children of Gaia, Fianna, and Glass Walkers in particular are usually sure to return any lost Soulbonds they find.  The story goes that the Fianna first learned of the existence of Soulbonders from such a “foundling.”
	On rare occasions, Garou have bound Soulbonds into Talens and Fetishes.  The function of these items again depends on the nature of the Soulbond’s character, and while a Soulbond is thus bound, their Soulbonder will lose touch with them unless they are in close proximity to the item—at the Storyteller’s option, such a Soulbond may use the Object Soulbond rules.  A Soulbonder who finds a Garou thus in posession of their Soulbond will of course ask that they be returned, and the Garou’s response is usually up to sa as few tribes have “official policies” on the matter.  In the interest of good relations, some Garou will simply break a Talen to free the Soulbond, and a Garou who isn’t being mean-spirited will at least set the Soulbond out to be used on the earliest occasion for a Talen of that type, promising their Soulbonder that sa will soon be returned.  Fetishes of course are much more problematic, as the bond into the item is generally permanent.  The Soulbonder treasures their Soulbond, but the Garou treasures the Fetish, and solutions must be reached on a case-by-case basis.  However, a Garou should make some kind of concession; Soulbonds will generally want to be reunited with their Bonders, and forcing the two apart in such a way could well result in a “cursed” Fetish.  Soulbonders are automatically attuned to Fetishes containing their own Soulbonds, and can fully use their power, as well as being able to induce Avatar States while in close proximity to the object.  However, the Soulbond cannot do both things at once.  The powers of the Fetish cannot be used while the Soulbond is in an Avatar State, and if an Avatar State is induced while the fetish is being used (regardless of who is using it), its powers lose effect.
	The friendship of a Soulbonder provides Garou with one considerable advantage: while most Archetypal Spirits are elusive to Werewolves, they are attracted to Soulbonders, and a Garou who brings a Soulbonder into the Umbra with sa will thus be able to find these powerful Spirits.  The Archetypal Spirits associated with the Bonder’s Soulbonds are of course easiest to find, but Soulbonders can help seek out other Archetypes, and can be a big help in petitioning for their aid, where the Archetype would normally be content to return the Garou race’s general indifference.
	A Garou pack travelling with a Soulbonder in such a way can even befriend an Archetype such that sa will agree to be the pack’s Totem (although I wouldn’t want to be the young Garou asking the Sept Leaders to call to the spirit of Bugs Bunny in the midst of a serious Rite).  Archetypes can be very powerful and provide good advantages, and Totem status is so rare that even very powerful Archetypes will usually attend on packs themselves.  However, an Archetype may not understand the usual customs by which Garou relate to spirits (most Archetypes have never seen a Rite of Contrition before).  Moreover, their Bans are not always in keeping with Garou’s general goals and expectations, and traditional Garou will tend to distrust and disdain those with Archetypal Spirits as pack totems.  As such, an Archetypal totem will typically cause sa’s Children to lose 5 temporary points of both Honor and Wisdom, and deduct one point from Honor and Wisdom awards.  Depending on the nature of the character, the blow to renown could be even more extreme.  If the Garou elders find the Archetype objectionable (as with an “evil” character), or if the Sept is of a traditional/fundamentalist bent, the pack could even become Ronin.  Storytellers are encouraged, when designing Archetypal pack totems, to provide their Children with relatively low Background costs and significant advantages to offset the obvious disadvantages.
	The following are a few examples of Archetypal Spirits as Pack Totems:
Batman
Background Cost: 4
Batman is an excellent example of a Powerful Archetype, a widely-loved and very formidable character with a strong, vital, and extremely varied canon.
Traits: Children of Batman can call on an extra 5 Willpower points per story, and gain 3 dice to Investigation dice pools, 2 dice to Stealth, and 2 dice to Intimidation.  However, they lose Renown as noted above.
Ban: Children of Batman must fight crime in human society.
Himura Kenshin
Background Cost: 4
Kenshin, the title character of the anime series Rurouni Kenshin, is not as popular a character as Batman, but has a strong fanbase that loves and respects him and is an extremely powerful character.  (Storytellers: do not allow Kenshin as a pack totem unless you’ve seen enough of his show to be familiar with him.)
Traits: Children of Kenshin can call on an extra 4 Willpower points per story.  Each pack member permanently gains one dot of Empathy, and they may additionally call on 3 extra dice for Melee and 2 extra dice for Empathy rolls.  In addition, if a pack member is caught in a situation in which sa is helpless to defend saself (unconscious, etc.) and otherwise unaided, Kenshin will materialize up to once per story to protect his Children from harm.
Unfortunately, not only do Children of Kenshin lose Honor and Wisdom renown as above, his Ban will make it difficult for them to gain Glory and will generally cause the pack no end of problems.
Ban: Children of Kenshin must never intentionally kill a sentient being.  If he agrees to become a pack’s Totem, he understands their nature as Garou and will not abandon them if a pack member occasionally kills someone in self-defense or in a Berserk Frenzy, but his Children must never go into a situation planning to kill anyone, and they must be genuinely contrite about any deaths they do cause and take steps to help prevent such tragedies in the future.
Bugs Bunny
Background Cost: 5
Bugs Bunny is one of the ultimate Trickster Archetypes, with properties somewhat similar to Coyote.  And of course, whenever his Children communicate with him, he will greet them with “Ehh, what’s up, doc?”
Traits: Children of Bugs Bunny receive +3 to Subterfuge dice pools, +2 to Stealth, +1 to Survival, and he teaches the Level 1 Homid Gift: Persuasion (note his ability to fast-talk opponents into believing almost anything).  They lose Renown as noted above.
Ban: Bugs insists that his Children never hunt or express disrespect for rabbits, and that they drop carrots into holes in the ground or bury them for him on a daily basis.