Astral Projections - Characters from "Rappaccini's Daughter" for Genesys

Astral Projections presents A Literary Halloween! For October, I am providing stats inspired by tales from my favorite fantasy authors.

“Rappaccini’s Daughter” is my favorite of Dark Romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s writings. Much better than The Scarlet Letter in my opinion. Over the years, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” has been adapted as an opera and a 1963 movie starring horror icon Vincent Price as Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini.

The short story has a “Boy Meets Girl (and her deadly plant!)” plot. (A friend of mine wondered if Beatrice was the inspiration for DC Comics’ Poison Ivy.) A young student, Giovanni, catches sight of Beatrice tending plants in her father’s garden. In spite of his mentor Professor Baglioni’s warnings, he courts her–and learns that her scientist father has exposed her since infancy to the phytotoxins of the deadly plants he studies and creates. Beatrice is as lethal as they and regards the most deadly plant as her beloved sister. Giovanni tries to break the link and “detox” his lady so they can live happily every after.

DR. GIACOMO RAPPACCINI [Nemesis]
Human Alchemist

Characteristics
Brawn 2
Agility 2
Intellect 4
Cunning 3
Willpower 2
Presence 2

Skills
Alchemy 5
Medicine 4
Knowledge 4

Soak: 2 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Strain Threshold: 10 Wound Threshold: 9

Equipment
Medical & Alchemy or Biochemistry gear suited to the genre

BEATRICE RAPPACCINI [Rival]

Characteristics
Brawn 2
Agility 2
Intellect 3
Cunning 3
Willpower 2
Presence 3

Skills
Charm 2
Knowledge 3
Medicine 1

Ability
Breath of Death: Creatures or people within Engaged range, must succeed at a Hard Resilience check or take 5 wounds from Beatrice’s poison-laden exhalations. Each Threat generated inflicts 1 strain on the target due to the effort of fighting off the lethal effects. The GM can spend Despair to make the character test again next round, even if they disengage.

Soak: 2 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Wound Threshold: 10

Equipment
Purple Flowering Plant: Beatrice’s “Beloved Sister.” All creatures or people within Engaged range, must succeed at a Hard Resilience check or take 5 wounds. Each Threat generated inflicts 1 strain on the target due to the effort of fighting off the lethal effects. The GM can spend Despair to make the character test again next round, even if they disengage.

Design & Play Notes: The Rappaccinis and their deadly garden are suitable for fantasy, steampunk, “gaslight fantasy,” or even pulp settings. You might even try a modern setting, substituting genetic engineering for alchemy! While neither of the NPCs are intended as combat opponents, GMs might wish to arm Dr. Rappaccini with a low-damage weapon suitable for the genre–knife or pistol–and possibly give him a rank or 2 in the appropriate combat skill.

PCs may meet the family by what passes for chance in an RPG, such as staying at an inn that overlooks their garden, which tempts one or more PCs. A wizard or alchemist may see a source of components in a fantasy game; a steampunk/gaslight/pulp hero with an interest in botany will be equally fascinated. A bard or other character, like the hapless Giovanni from the original, may be attracted to Beatrice. Or one of Dr. Rappaccini’s rivals might hire the party to steal some of the specimens or find evidence proving their new patron’s suspicions about the reclusive naturalist.

However you arrange for the PCs to meet the Rappaccinis, be sure to play up the effects of being near Beatrice and the garden plants. Borrow from Hawthorne and describe insects or birds falling dead when they fly close to the blossoms. Describe a PC feeling dizzy or sick after a flirtation with the young woman–or overhearing her endearments to her favorite purple flowering “sister.” You might consider giving the other plants a similar but lower damage effect as Beatrice and the Purple Flowering Plant. The effects of the phytotoxins, by the way, are a reskinning of the Synthetic Neurotoxin drug from Age of Rebellion, Genesys’s sister system for Star Wars.

Image: The legendary Vincent Price (right) as Dr. Rappaccini, in United Artists’ 1963 film, Twice-Told Tales, which featured “Rappaccini’s Daughter” (alongside adaptations of 2 other Hawthorne works, “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” and The House of the Seven Gables.)

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Linda Whitson

Contributing Writer & Copy Editor at D20 Radio

Linda Whitson is a long-time RPGer, amateur musician & artist, & an officer in the Rebel Legion Star Wars costuming club. Linda met her husband in an AD&D game and they have 2 teenagers, an anime fangirl daughter and a son who plays on his university's quidditch team. She is the Lead Mod of D20 Radio's forums and Copy Editor for the blog. Linda can be reached at GMLinda@d20radio.com