Frankenstein

This article is about the Lineage from Promethean: The Created. For other uses, see Frankenstein (disambiguation).

Frankenstein
Plural	Frankensteins
Pronounce	fran'-khehn-stiyn'
Nicknames	Wretched, Karloffs (or Elsas), Thunderstruck, Patchwork Men
Progenitor	Adam, Frankenstein's Monster, possibly Mr Verney
Element	Fire
Humour	Choleric
Bestowment	1E: Unholy Strength, Spare Parts 2E: Titan’s Strength, Spare Parts
Mockery	Torch-Born

Frankenstein is the name of a Promethean Lineage, also known as the Wretched. Members of the Lineage are shambling creatures whose limbs and organs were culled from multiple bodies. They were given life by the element of fire in the form of lightning, and they suffer from an excess of choleric humour.

Origins

The Progenitor of the Frankenstein was Dr. Victor Frankenstein's famous monster, sometimes known as Adam. A Frankenstein by the name of Mr Verney claims to be the Monster, though whether this is the truth or merely delusion is currently unknown.

If the Lineages can be compared to experiments, then the other four Lineages were successful - they provided the results their founding demiurges sought. Not so for the Frankensteins. Dr. Frankenstein sought to create life, to create the perfect man. His creation, however, was an aberration, a freakish abortion.

If what Verney says is believed to be true, then after dwelling in an icy wasteland in the North Pole, the monster studied his creator's notes and replicated it, birthing the lineage.

Creation

The Frankenstein creation rite requires that body parts from several corpses be put together to form a human body. Whilst the would-be creator tends to go for the most perfect parts possible, the process of gathering parts tends to get more rushed towards the end due to time, linking to the creation's future disfigurement. After gathering the parts, the Demiurge stitches them together with whatever material is available.

When the body is assembled, the creator will strike it with an arc of electricity - this can be lightning from the sky, electricity from the grid, or whatever other means the creator can find - and it jolts the new Promethean to life. This jolt causes the Frankenstein to awaken in horrible pain - a pain they will retain throughout their entire pilgrimage.

Frankenstein pilgrim mark

Culture

Refinements

Being passionate creatures who usually come to rely on rage and brute force more often than not, the Wretched seem to resonate with the Stannum Refinement; learning to use Torment constructively has gotten many Frankensteins out of difficult situations. As their natures tend to drive others away, many Wretched are also known to practice Cuprum. Of the rare Refinements, Aes tends to appeal to many Frankenstein, who crave the companionship it gives them that they are normally denied. Cobalus too resonates with them; their fragmented and flawed bodies and the mistake they are descended from gives them more than ample drive to study it.

Traits

Frankensteins are constantly and painfully aware of the gulf that separates them from mortals. Many have short-fuses and are easily driven to acts of violence as an immediate solution for the problems at hand, though they usually end up regretting acting in such a rash manner. However, they are also capable of acting with a zeal and resolve that puts the other Lineages to shame; a Wretched will rarely give up on a goal they think of as important.

The lineage's short temper and tendency to act spitefully or to hold a grudge is linked to their Choleric Humour. This means that their Torment involves them blindly destroying things that they love out of rage, before realising what they did. In addition, their body parts may also act on the accord of their previous owner.

Thanks to their Bestowments, Frankensteins are usually possessed of great physical prowess. In addition, some can further improve their physical form in a patchwork nature similar to the conditions they were created under.

Stitches cover the Wretched's body

Frankenstein Disquiet causes people to make the blame fall upon them. The Wretched quickly becomes the scapegoat for all the problems, minor errors, or bad luck the area they inhabit fall upon. This is not helped by their humour, which causes them more often than not to fall into torment and lash out.

Their wastelands too, become inhospitable and volatile. Fires catch randomly, lightning storms brew, and temperature rises.

Disfigurements

In the Frankensteins' human guise, observers get a feeling there is something physically deformed about them, though no deformity may be visible. Eyes may be odd colors, two limbs may be of differing sizes, or their features don't match in general, reflecting their method of creation. When using Pyros or healing themselves with electricity, their disfigurements show the horrible patchwork nature of their bodies: mismatched skin tones, needlework or scars at the joins, and the electrical terminals which are the conduit for the animating electrical current.

Known Frankensteins

• Frankenstein's Monster
• Verney
• Sister Stitch
• Cynthia Mask
• Baker
• Godwin

Gallery

Frankenstein 2nd edition template from corebook pg.21, art by Bryan Syme

References

• PTC: Promethean: The Created Rulebook, p. 55, 67, 99-102
• PTC: Magnum Opus, p. 58, 70
• PTC: Strange Alchemies, p. 19-26
• PTC: Web spoiler, June 5, 2006
• PTC: Web spoiler, June 6, 2006
• PTC: Web spoiler, June 7, 2006
• PTC: Promethean Promo (PDF download), released June 29, 2006
• PTC: Promethean: The Created Second Edition, p. 20-22