Sangria

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Sangria is a world of modern fantasy. This involves Vampires, Weres (Shifters), Fae, and various other types of non-human beings. In Sangria, it is a world where the supernatural exists, and overtly, but many people do not acknowledge or believe in supernatural events or beings. Some of these beings also have reasons to keep themselves hidden, or their existence secret, from the rest of the world. It is a world often of suspicion and paranoia, of something perhaps terrible or wonderful lurking in the shadows or around the corner.

Abilities Scale

Main article: Character Abilities

Character Abilities in Sangria are typical of what one might see in a show like Teen Wolf or Buffy: The Vampire Slayer up to the level that one might see in a film like Twilight or Harry Potter or a novel such as The Dresden Files or Percy Jackson. Characters may be of power sufficient to, say, pick up a large automobile or smash through an armored bunker as Supreme level feats of strength, such as a werewolf or elder vampire might have. Enhanced strength is akin to that of a "slayer" or a more typical vampire.

• Enhanced: Physical strength sufficient to bend and twist metal bars, smash through most non-armored structures, and break through a brick wall with sustained moderate effort. Usually able to push up to a few tons and dead lift a small motor vehicle. Speed up to 250 miles per hour. Reflexes up to fifty times normal peak human ability.
• Supreme: Physical strength sufficient to bend and twist metal girders, smash through armored doors or stone walls, and break through a bank vault with sustained moderate effort. Usually able to push up to 1-2 dozen tons and dead lift a large motor vehicle. Speed up to 500 miles per hour. Reflexes up to one hundred times normal peak human ability.

Remember, these limits hold true even for characters Traveling from other worlds.

The Mists

Main article: The Mists

"The Mists" are a magical phenomenon that is only somewhat understood, but they seem to be a function of how the collective unconscious of humankind interacts with the borders between the Earth realm and the Otherworld. Their exact nature is very uncertain, but they seem to aid in a subtle way to help keep the mortal world separate from and ignorant of the supernatural world. This is seldom as overt as "people cannot see the supernatural," but it tends to help people rationalize away seeing things they cannot explain, instinctively get a "creepy feeling" that leads them to avoid certain locations, and otherwise provide a subtle, indirect barrier between the world of humans and that of more magical beings.

Modern Fantasy vs. Modern Horror

• This section is adapted from Before the Dawn MUX's Theme Page.

Sangria is generally a modern fantasy setting, not a modern horror setting--despite some of our sources being much more horror-flavored. By this, we draw the distinction between horror themes of kill-or-be-killed survival and hunter-vs-hunted that dominate the genre and the potentially broader, more varied themes of a less specific modern fantasy world that is not explicitly horror-themed. In practical terms, this means that our world isn't just about Slayers staking Vampires or Werewolves being hunted. Sometimes that certainly happens! However, in our world, the "monsters" aren't faceless villains, they're people.

Some people are horrible monsters who the heroes are justified in taking out. Others are just trying to get along in the world. So, we aren't focused on hunters tracking down creatures of the night and killing them just for existing. The plot hook of "The hunter heard there's a vampire nest in town and plans to exterminate it" isn't especially appropriate, here, as those vampires might not in any way deserve to be killed, in which case the hunters would be the real monsters, and so forth. So, an indiscriminate hunter would be far more of a villain than, say, a vampire or werewolf just trying to get through their day. (Even Sam and Dean Winchester, here, don't just go hunting things for no reason. They definitely help people, though!)

The main thing is, here we're interested in telling stories about characters with some depth and personality. Rather than just treating any particular type of character as disposable or "just there to be hunted," we ask that everyone think deeply about the characters they'll meet and tell stories where the "monsters" are people--some good, some bad, many just trying to get through the day.

Example Sources

The following published sources have been adapted into use in Sangria so far:

Harry Potter

Characters and inspiration from the Harry Potter universe may be adapted for use in the Sangria setting. For those wishing to pursue modern magical school style play, we recommend the Queensmouth Academy. It should be noted that Sangria does not have the same political structure or magical rules as the Potter books, however. Magic does not follow the same assumptions or restrictions as in the books or films. For instance, while wands and staves are commonly used to help mages focus their powers, they are not required for spellcasting--they merely make it far easier. Further, there is no "Ministry of Magic" or similar. Still, with a bit of adapting to suit the setting, such characters and concepts are quite welcome!

• Many people may believe that Harry Potter is a fictional character due to an unauthorized, fictionalized biography published by Rita Skeeter under the nom de plume "J. K. Rowling." In keeping with the notes above, many may assume that he is, in fact, a fictional character.

Percy Jackson

Characters and inspiration from the Percy Jackson universe may be adapted for use in the Sangria setting. For those interested in exploring demigod characters and what it means to be related to the gods, this source may be a good fit and offers some jumping off points. Such characters, if of a younger age, might also benefit from study at the Queensmouth Academy, and if they're a bit more accomplished, they might teach at the academy or live in Port-Au-Feu or Queen's Cove. Note that we are not using the general setting of the Percy Jackson stories--for instance, Olympus is not in New York City--but they may serve as a good source to adapt characters and concepts from, so long as in the end they fit the Sangria setting. There are plenty of options here!

Setting Notes

The Hidden World

Call it the Masquerade, the Statute of Secrecy, or whatever else--the supernatural beings of the world have learned, in many cases over superhumanly long lives, that for their safety and survival they must remain hidden from human society. As such, a cardinal rule of essentially every supernatural society is just that: ensure that their presence is not revealed to humans. This is not so difficult as one might assume, for in an era of social media and mainstream news manipulation, deepfakes, and similar--to say nothing of the old standbys of government, corporate, and similar figures being manipulated, corrupted, or coerced by various powerful supernatural interests--there are effectively endless ways for the often ancient members of those societies to ensure their secrecy. In addition, many such figures command vast resources and influence, both of mundane and mystical types. Certain witches and vampires, in particular, tend to go to great lengths from outside the public eye to exert subtle or overt influence over mortal society and to ensure that the supernatural world remains hidden. For the reason of this need for secrecy, supernatural beings tend to only very cautiously involve themselves in government organizations or other positions where they might be "outed" in a particularly dangerous way that could risk exposing their societies. In the world of government investigation into unusual clams, Fox Mulder is a great example: there are those who believe in the paranormal, but they often have wildly fanciful ideas about the "truth," and they are not at all widely believed and tend to be labeled as crackpots and conspiracy nuts. (In point of fact, many of them are crackpots and conspiracy nuts, so this does not help their cases.)

Government and Military

As noted above, the supernatural world is by necessity kept secret from human society. Given this, supernatural involvement in government or government adjacent roles--such as law enforcement or, especially, the military--tends to remain extremely limited and almost universally indirect. Government involvement tends to invite a high degree of scrutiny, which is unwise for supernatural beings, and military service in particular tends to highly limit personal privacy and autonomy. While a simple blood test or basic medical is not likely to reveal a supernatural being's status in most cases, the risk of one's supernatural nature being exposed in a military or similar role is simply too great. Vampires, after all, must generally drink blood to survive. Werewolves tend to heal extremely fast, and in the military there's a greatly increased risk of injury and, thus, the discovery of said superhuman healing abilities. (These are only a couple of examples; obviously there are many more ways that this could be an issue.) More broadly, supernatural societies in general tend to take an extremely dim view of any of their members occupying such roles because of the risk it poses to their communities. Anyone known to willingly serve in such a high-scrutiny role risks ostracism--or worse--from their supernatural society. It is quite common for powerful supernaturals to take immediate, decisive, and potentially lethal steps to stop members of their society from risking that kind of exposure. As a result, supernatural beings playing active roles in the military or similar organizations is exceptionally rare (and, from a game perspective, is thus very unlikely to be approved as a character concept).

Locations

Major locations in Sangria include:

• Port-Au-Feu is a large city, home to many supernatural beings, with a flavor that is best described as "New England New Orleans."
• Queen's Cove is a small coastal town with a thriving community, nestled amidst woodlands frequented by many werewolves.
• Misthaven, a mysterious mountain town, is home to the Queensmouth Academy.

Groups and Races

There are limitless kinds of beings in Sangria. However, there are larger groups that are more common than others. Between these races are some things in common, such as generally not flaunting supernatural status, even if the individual may not exactly hide it. For a number of reasons, most all who have supernatural abilities or heritage don't go out of their way to show it off.

Vampires

Vampires are a broadly varied species. They don't even all have the same strengths and weaknesses, but they tend to have a few things in common: they are primarily nocturnal, immortal, superhuman in their senses and abilities, and their power and continued existence stems from feeding off the blood of the living. Outside of that, however, they can be as different as apples and oranges. Most vampires have at least some distinctive ability that is either rare or unique to them.

However, it's no fun to play a character with great powers who has absolutely no weaknesses, so of course any vampire should have at least some kind of vulnerability. The most typical flaws of vampires stem from something living for a very long time which may not have been ready to do so: many vampires have a variety of mental and emotional issues, such as compulsive counting, being persistently outdated and unable to understand aspects of the modern world, and even physical repulsion at religious icons.

Were-creatures

Weres, or shifters, are beings who are otherwise human but transform into something else. Some are cursed and have little or no control over their transformations, while others have complete control over theirs. It typically has something to do with lunar cycles, and can increase strength or trigger a transformation when the Moon is full. (As a note, "lycanthropy" and "lycanthropes" specifically refer to werewolves; for other shifters, the correct term is "therianthropy" or "therianthropes.")

Weres can transform into a wide variety of animals, and they tend to take benefits from their animal correspondences as well. They also can take vulnerabilities from them, and most weres have a weakness against certain substances used against them, such as silver. Much of this depends on their natures and how they came about their abilities, but of course every character should have some vulnerability, as playing an invincible character is largely unrewarding on the long term.

Fae

Fae are mysterious, inscrutable beings who seem to be ubiquitous in the world, but who rarely appear overtly to humans. Most Fae, even when they take an illusion to make themselves appear human, are enthralling to most who look upon them or hear them. Most anything and everything about a Fae is pleasant and enticing. Fae tend to be peaceful and don't usually have any interest in human world politics or power plays; they are above all that.

Fae tend to have great powers over perception and illusion, although many also have other abilities as well. They tend to have distinctive, individual vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and these are usually highly guarded. However, even if a Fae endures defeat, he or she will only be returned to the Faery Realm, to return once regrouped. Fae are almost never overt in the human world, and so they appear quite rare, although they can often be found in great concentration in certain places.

Mages

There are numerous kinds of mages, but all of them have either a gift for magic or have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of magical knowledge and understanding. Mages tend to focus on a certain type of magic, but that type can be a broad class indeed. Some mages function only with reagents, or physical components, for their spells, while others use foci like magic wands and daggers. Still others use only the focus of their own minds, and mages of that level are rare and exceptional indeed.

Many mages are somewhat possessive of their secrets and discoveries, and although several will take apprentices and students, most do not do so readily and can be extremely choosy about their proteges. Many mages are also otherwise humans, although there are some who are not quite human; for example, they may be descendants of Lemuria or Atlantis, and thus more inclined towards magic power, or part-Fae. These come with their own benefits and drawbacks.

Psychics

Psychics, psionics, mediums, and other such people are many in Sangria. There are some who are glad for the gifts and some who even use them for monetary gain, and others who view their powers as a terrible curse and wish they had never been saddled with them. Whatever the circumstances and attitude, people with these abilities are often their own greatest asset and flaw as well. People tend to regard them with uncertainty and suspicion, especially those who are overt with their powers. Most psi don't try too hard to hide their powers, primarily because their abilities are generally invisible and no one would know without them telling anyway. Most psi deal with great skepticism and hostility for these powers, but some simply attempt to keep their powers from interfering with their lives, if they can.

Notes on Weaknesses

Many classical weaknesses of various supernatural creatures, as defined by popular culture, do not actually work. In this section, we will keep track of such weaknesses and offer write-ups that can be copied onto a character sheet in case you would like to use one anyway.

• Silver: The traditional bane of werewolves and things regarded as evil, silver is largely unreliable as proof against most supernatural beings. However, this character suffers from a vulnerability to it, which can cause discomfort upon contact and, depending on the nature of this contact and its extent, could be seriously harmful or even fatal. To make matters even worse, it's one of the most commonly-known things believed to work against specifically this kind of supernatural being, which means the risk of being exposed to it is extremely high.

Adventures

So many possibilities exist for adventure in Sangria! There are plain quests to find information, and of course the popular intrigue, playing politics against others in a group, or between groups. There are conspiracies and secrets everywhere in Sangria. Additionally, anyone of non-human heritage or superhuman powers may be targeted by intolerant groups who can fancy themselves some sort of heroes or protectors of humanity.

Different races and types can work together for purposes, or they can be at odds from the start. There are endless approaches and endless goals! These are the people shaping this world and making the future, whether they realize this or not.