Ghoul from SRR: Dragonfall
Ghouls (Homo sapiens wichtusare, former known as Manesphagus horridus) are metahumans infected by a virus known as HMHVV, specifically the Krieger strain. While they are not un-dead, they do exhibit the same vampire-like behavior. Ghouls must consume raw human flesh and have an allergy to sunlight. Though they are physically blind, they are endowed with an enhanced sense of smell and hearing, and have an astral and physical dual-nature that allows them to perceive the astral plane. Ghouls are especially sensitive to the presence of foreign substances within their bodies, which makes it difficult to use cybernetic implants on them. Their strength and body are greater than that of a normal human, but their intelligence and charisma scores suffer greatly. Their fingers elongate and they grow sharp claws from their fingernails. Finally, they are also completely immune to the VITAS plague.
Some ghouls regress to a feral state after the change, while others retain their sanity. Those who remain sane often undergo extreme plastic surgery to pass for human and usually replace their blind eyes with cybernetic implants to allow them to see.
Ghouls have created their own country in Western Africa, the Ghoul Nation of Asamando, which isn't recognized officially by the UN yet but by the Corporate Court.
Ghoul Infection Changes[]
The effects of HMHVV III on metahumans has changed over the years. In the 2060's and early 2070's, a ghoul could sustain itself with only a small amount of human flesh - about 1% of its body weight per week. Starting in the mid 2070's, the amount of flesh a ghoul needed started to dramatically increase. Now ghouls need about one meal of flesh per day to sustain themselves.
Ghoul allergies have grown stronger during this time as well. Before the mid 2070's, ghoul's only had a mild allergy to sunlight, causing them annoyance but not much else. Around the mid 2070's, this allergy has grown to a moderate allergy, becoming intensely painful when exposed to sunlight.
Ghoul Regional Variants[]
Ghouls infected by the HMHVV III virus has also been shown to possess geographically-localized variants that create distinct ghoul sub-species based not on metatype but on race:
- IIIA Sasabonsam, long-limbed ghouls from Western Africa (The majority of the population of the ghoul nation of Asamando are Sasabonsam)
- IIIB Busaw, ghouls allergic to citric acid from the Philippines.
- IIIC Gaki, from the Japanese archipelago.
Index[]
Sourcebooks[]
- Critters
- Cyberpirates!
- Portfolio of a Dragon: Dunkelzahn's Secrets, 28, 31
Runner's Companion, 76-80, 83- Shadowrun
- Shadowrun Second Edition
- Shadowrun Fourth Edition
- Shadowrun Companion Revised
- Shadows of Europe, 224, 229
- Shadowrun Fifth Edition, 404
