Monsterhearts 2 Skin - The Mortal v0.5

None of them would understand. What you have here, in this dark and secret place, it’s beautiful. They’d warn you that this sort of beauty is dangerous, like a raging fire. Well some things are worth getting burned for.

Love has eclipsed all hope, and the dark has left you feeling beautiful.

Identity

Your Backstory

Choose one person to be your Lover. Give them three Strings on you. Take one String on them.

Darkest Self

Nobody understands you. Nobody even tries. You do so much for the people you love, and they walk all over you. Enough is enough! Betray them. Show them what its like to be uncared for. Reveal their monstrosity and yours. Only seeing the pain that you’re causing your Lover will let you escape your Darkest Self.

Harm

Conditions

Stats

Choose one stat set
Hot 2 Cold -1 Volatile -1 Dark 1, OR
Hot 2 Cold -1 Volatile 1 Dark -1

Mortal Moves

You gain True Love, and choose two more:

True Love: You always have exactly one Lover. The first is chosen during Your Backstory. If you ever fall in love with someone else instead, give them a String and they become your new Lover. You always carry 1 forward to earning your Lover’s heart or fancy.

Mess With Me, Mess With Him: When using your Lover’s name as a threat, add 2 to your roll to Shut Someone Down or Keep Your Cool. Your Lover gains a String on you.

Entrenched: If you and another character have a combined total of 5 or more Strings on one another, gain 1 to all rolls against them.

Sympathy is My Weapon: Every time you forgive someone for hurting you, and excuse their base nature, gain a String on them.

Excuses Are My Armour: When you ignore some blatant problem with your Lover or how they treat you, mark experience.

Downward Spiral: When you Gaze Into the Abyss, you may cause yourself 1 Harm. If you do, add 2 to your roll.

Down the Rabbit Hole: When you go poking your nose in affairs not meant for your kind, someone involved in the situation gains a String on you, and you mark experience.

Sex Move

When you have sex with someone, it awakens something sinister within. The next time you take your eyes off them, they become their Darkest Self.

Playing The Mortal

Vulnerable, magnetic, and beautiful. For anybody else, giving away a String would represent a loss of control. For you, it’s more symbiotic - you get power by giving it away. The Mortal explores co-dependency, power imbalances, and wide-eyed eagerness.

The two stat choices for the Mortal both have Hot 2, because the Mortal is desirable and special. They differ depending on whether the Mortal is more impulsive and panicky (Volatile 1) or brooding and lonely (Dark 1).

True Love is about who you’ve currently placed at the center of your universe. You don’t necessarily need to be in a relationship with someone to declare them your Lover.

Your Sex Move might seem like a major drawback, but remember that the Mortal can gain a lot of leverage from victimhood. Having lovers suddenly get weird, scary, or hostile after a moment of intimacy gives you a perfect opportunity to take advantage of moves like Sympathy Is My Weapon, Excuses Are My Armour, and Down the Rabbit Hole.

Monsterhearts 2 Skin - The Mortal