Mermaids (UniSystem)

In the TV show to not be named, mermaids had a short time in which to find a man to fall in love with them or be banned to the sea forever. In legend and lore, they lead sailors astray, dashing their ships on the rocks atop which these beautiful creatures lounged and sang. Is it possible that they are possessed of Deceit (Angel RPG [ARPG], p.50) or worse (Cruelty?), given that they hold a wee bit of a grudge for their eternity spent in the drink?

Even those that do fall in love within the proscribed time bear a Secret - if not from their beloved (-2), then at least from everyone else (-1). After all, they weren't always mortal, and the sea still calls to them... like a Siren. Maybe its call becomes an Obsession, or leads to even worse? The life of a Mermaid is pretty complicated, especially if they are a PC!

As noted, Mermaids are Supernatural (Type) unless and until they fall in love, when they gain their Humanity. Those with The Sight (ARPG, p.58) may Notice something about the Mermaid, even in her pure Human form...

Mermaid (Charmed)
8 or 9-pt. Quality

0 Immortal
3 Sport (Swimming +2)*
3 Amphibious
2 Lang. Atlantean, NuSpeak
2 Emotional Influence (Seduction)*
1 Art (Performance, +2 Sing)*
0 Innate Magick (+3)
-1 Supernatural Form - Dual
-3 Vulnerability: Fall in Love or be a Mermaid permanently
-1 or -2 Dark Secret

BONUS: From Citybook V: Sideshow comes The Blue Maid (p.37-41), which is a fantastic way to introduce mermaid(s) into your campaign world. Of course, you'll have to do a bit of work if you're playing in contemporary (or later) times.

Mermen are also a thing and this template covers them, too. However, they may not suffer from the curse mermaids do and may have different rules by which they must abide. An underwater kingdom exists, whether or not the players discover it or adventure through it, and some thought should be given to it before introducing Merfolk to your campaign.

* Specializations cost +1 XP per Specialization (+2).

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Mermaids are not Sirens, but they are analagous and often mistaken for them. These stats work for Sirens, as well, but Sirens are traditionally Menaces. These mermaids were based around the TV show, Charmed, which played on WB at the same time as Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

© The Weirding, 2024

Bell, Book, and Candle - Accoutrement for BtVS/Angel

Sadly, we never got a reliable price guide nor equipment book with Buffy or Angel. The following comes from my own system and book entitled, Bell, Book, and Candle, in which you will find all sorts of accoutrement for spellcasters and their trade, as well as other products (some of which are under copyright and TM¹) that I link to here and/or elsewhere as an affiliate. 

These prices and BON assume the equipment was purchased from a reputable Occult source: Think DæmonsDæmonsDæmons, not S-Mart™.

Tarot Cards AVAIL:10 50¥ +1 Spirit Calling (Magic Box, p.73-74), Divination
Handcarved Wooden Carrying Box 175¥
Handcarved Ivory Carrying Box 500¥
Set AVAIL:10 200¥, 500¥

Crystal Ball 2" AVAIL:13 1000¥
Crystal Ball 3" AVAIL:15 5000¥ +1 Divination, Spirit Calling
Crystal Ball 4" AVAIL:17 15,000¥ +3 Divination, Spirit Calling

Séance Table AVAIL:20 25k¥ +3 Spirit Calling

Spirit Calling is the Cinematic UniSystem's Séance, needing three casters to touch pinkies while summoning and communing with the dead. Should they be startled, at GM fiat, DEX checks to maintain the circle may be required. Speaking of circles, clever Investigators will have already cast and drawn the ornate Circle of Binding (MB, p.83), to either kite the ghost into it or protect themselves from possible harm.

Confess PL 5

Compel the Spirit to Speak Truth. After a minor recitation, the Spirit is compelled to speak the truth without lying or omitting any detail, for one minute per Success Level. Confess pits the spellcaster's (WPR+PL[5]) against the target's (WPR+INT), not (WPRx2). The compelled target resists only if she garners more SL than the Confessor. Confess also works on people, but we're focusing our efforts on Spirits and Spirit Calling. The caster's (INT+Sorcery) must meet or exceed the value of the PL (5); the caster's (PCN+Ritual Magic) must be 25+ to learn this spell (Chill). Confess is located in several books, but mostly those directed at or focused on witches.

And accoutrements; here's some more modern-day stuff your Charmed Cinematic Unisystem PCs might need:

Pack of Smokes 15¥
Handcarved Wooden Cigarette Case 75¥
Handcarved Ivory Cigarette Case 575¥
Ceramic Cigarette Case 175¥

Lottery Ticket 5-25¥
WitchCult Today 15¥ (Print), 10¥ (Screamsheet)

1 Hex = 1 yard/1 meter or approx. 3' (5' in A/D&D)

Big-Assed Pistol AVAIL: 15 1500¥
Gun-Fu
Ammo AVAIL: 13 25¥
License AVAIL: 9 500¥

Big-Assed Pump X-Bow    AVAIL:15    750¥
A larger version of the X-Bow (not included in this post), also uses a larger clip.
Ammo: Bolts; target 3¥ e., Razor tip 5¥ e. (AVAIL:15), Carbon Razor 15¥ e. (AVAIL:17), this price includes the shaft which can, like the Big-Assed Pump Crossbow itself, be aluminum, fiberglass, or wood.
Getting Medieval (Siege).
Wt: 8lb.
Mag: 6/10 round clip
Price:    35¥    AVAIL: 13

Bolt Type     ROF Dam Pen Blk Mag SS Brst Rng
Target Bolt   PA     2         -     4     6/10  1     -      30*
Razor Tip      PA     3         -     4     6/10  1     -      30*
Carbon Razor PA  3         1    4     6/10  1      -     30*

*Can be fitted with a scope (not included), add +15 hex (45') to range.

Binoculars Light Amplification, MiliTech: Light Amplification Binoculars amplifies ambient light. Providing there is some light available, the character using them sees as though it were daylight; they are useless in total darkness and during daylight hours.
2lb.  1500¥ AVAIL (S/C)

Standard, Czech State Factories Spotter: The Standard Laser Rangefinder is a hand-held monocular. It measures distances up to 500h. It requires 1 ACT and the use of one of the character's hands.
2lb. 400¥ AVAIL (C/S/M15)

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¹ Their inclusion herein is no challenge to their holding, just an attempt to sell some books (both mine and others'). The Dark Conspiracy equipment and stats were modified slightly for use, and come from Gear Up!

© The Weirding, 2024

Multiversus #2

Multiversus #2

If it is what I think it could be (Charmed?) that's kind of cool. Charmed should be part of the DCU already; that was witches as superheroes, and it would be cool to not only see it recognized as such, but have someone take it further in that direction. Of course, I am available and do have a story arc for such an event, but Charmed had a short-lived comic series or two. They come and go in short bursts, but the cover art is usually really nice.

I don't know what Multiversus is, exactly, but it looks like it's for kids.

Rose McGowan - Planet 9

Rose McGowan - Planet 9

© The Weirding, 2018

Alyssa Milano Gets Show Date

Charmed's Alyssa Milano has a new ABC sit-com which will get a big push by following ratings-killer, Dancing with the Stars, Monday after next, April 12^th. Romantically Challenged is about four friends seeking love and happiness. Milano plays a recent divorcee.

The midseason replacement BLA BLAH. Milano recently appeared on the Alphabet Network with Nathan Fillion in Castle, which was also a midseason replacement show that became a break-out hit. Castle was recently picked-up for a third season. Romantically Challenged will precede Castle on Monday nights.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Alyssa Milano Hates Me

Charmed actress, Alyssa Milano, has been granted a restraining order against me a man whom she claims has been stalking her. A judge granted the actress a three-year restraining order against a Northern California man, Jeff Turner, Milano claims has hiked miles to meet her, shown up at her home uninvited, and made calls to events at which she was scheduled to appear.

Alyssa Milano recently announced her engagement to agent, David Bugliari, and enjoys a continuing, successful role in TV.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Charmed Star Seeks Restraining Order

Alyssa Milano seeks a restraining order against a fan who hiked miles to try and see her. The man has apparently insisted on meeting her and gone to great lengths before. Milano's request also includes protection for her mother and brother.

The Charmed star alleges the fan has repeatedly attempted to meet her and his behavior is becoming more aggressive. He recently tried to gain access to an upcoming event. A hearing is scheduled in January.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Charmed vs. Shannen Doherty

This is one of those posts that I have had lurking about for quite some time. TNT rebooted the Charmed series from the beginning here a week or so back and I always miss it when they do that! But I caught the episode they showed today and it struck me once again why Alyssa Milano had every right to consider Shannen Doherty somewhat less than charming...

Have you noticed that basically every Charmed episode with Shannen Doherty focuses on... Shannen Doherty? Three-lead cast gives you A-C storylines, but TV episodes work on A-B storylines (for more writing technicalese, check the Writing department), so pretty much every episode from the first three seasons has Prue in the A storyline and one or the other in the B story. Sit down and check them out; of all those episodes, Piper and Phoebe have starring turns only a handful of times!

Now, to be fair, around the fourth and fifth seasons, Rose McGowan (Paige) took mainstage more times than not, but the spotlight was pretty evenly distributed, and the first three seasons are not without Phoebe- and Piper-centric arcs, but Shannen Doherty dominated early Charmed.

And let's call a thing what it is: Shannen Doherty has a really bad rep for being a really big bitch. She appears in the series debut of the new 90210, but she left that show in a huff before it ended. She left Charmed in a huff after the third season, prompting a pretty good - and very pointed - episode where Piper turned into a Harpie, seeking revenge on Prue for "leaving them." And she was the first hostess of Sci-Fi's Scare Tactics, lasting only a season, maybe two.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, she appeared in Mallrats and basically blew everyone except Joey Lauren Adams and that Affleck guy out of the water with her performance. It was a strong performance and she and Jason Lee (who was still finding his chops) played well off one another, but the movie was a real acting bomb. Decent script, killer dialogue, really poor acting, blocking, cinematography, and direction (and Kevin Smith will tell you that, himself). Still, I half-expected her to make the move to the Big Screen following that turn, but I honestly believe her reputation prevented that.

And, so long as we're putting it out there, I'll go on-record as saying it must be well-deserved: Doherty has managed to have beefs with nearly every project with which she has been involved, yet the ones with whom she has problems never seem to have problems with anyone else!

But here's the thing: Shannen Doherty can't really help being a bitch; she's a Memphian. And yes, pretty much everyone from Memphis, TN is at least a little bit of an asshole.

Still, she is pretty and quite talented (note several of her scenes in Mallrats are filmed differently - they have a more experienced pacing and framing - and I am certain that was her influence on Smith; I would say she directed and blocked many of her own scenes, or at least had more to do with them than the other actors) and if she can just simma down, she is a sci-fi kinda gal.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Red Sonja Starring Rose McGowan

Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan (Charmed) announced at Comic-Con 2008 that Red Sonja is set to begin filming later this year. While they gave a 2009 release date, IMdB reports it as 2010. For now, enjoy the better of the posters they have released:

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

9021-Ooooh

Shannon Doherty is returning to the show that made her famous. She will reprise her role as Brenda Walsh on the CW renewal of FOX' classic teen-drama, 90210.

Doherty's character is now a famous director, hired to stage a musical for the local highschool, where fellow alumnus, Jennie Garth (returning as Kelly Taylor), now works as a guidance counselor. The two made tabloid headlines during the original run of the program through various fistfights and reported brawls.

Tori Spelling is also returning.

So: Garth and Prue used to duke it out, then she pissed-off Phoebe and managed to get killed-off on Charmed. She appeared in Kevin Smith's sophomore effort, Mallrats, and... nothing else. She was the first host for Sci-Fi Channel's Scare Tactics... for about 10 episodes. But all in all, she's done a hell of a lot of TV.

I do not care anything about 90210 (never watched any of its spin-offs, either) - I don't know why I would - but I am interested to see how far this goes. Shannen Doherty's turn will span several episodes, but she is not now considered a regular (though I have a feeling she will be recurring, as the series is bound to run for some time).

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Charmed Marathon

Duh! There is a Charmed marathon on all day today. Well, until 5:00 PM CST, anyway.

These are the episodes with Chris, and while they are key to the overall story and several of them are really good, the whole mood on the set is really dampened... a lot. Often.

These are those middle years I talked about the other day: you could miss most of these episodes and be fine. But a lot of the storylines and arcs that went through this part of the series were creatively brilliant, they just didn't translate well to the screen because of the players.

I hate to lay blame because I love the cast, but it's true. A lot of these episodes were more dramatic than the earlier and later ones and it really dampens the atmosphere; they kind of lost that light-hearted spark that was omnipresent throughout much of the series and some of the tongue-in-cheek jokes were decidedly more... adult in nature. But not exactly cute or sexy - or even all that funny... just point-blank and obvious.

Still a fun watch, if you like seeing hot people do cool things. And the SFX, though sparse, weren't bad around this time, either.

Charmed - marathon - now!

Charmingly... Tense?

It's hard to imagine there are Charmed episodes I haven't seen at least 14 times already, but I guess there are. One was on when I wrote this, in fact. I am still working through, but Charmed was a pretty good show - when it was good.

Like I've said a thousand times before, I guess it was pretty pedestrian, but it wasn't bad for what it was. The first few seasons were really good and the last season or two were really good; the years in the middle were pretty... you could safely pass on them and not miss anything.

I don't know the whole backstory on what happened with Shannen Doherty, but from what I understand, it had more to do with producers and so forth than any sort of conflict amongst the actors. Now, all of the players are professionals, but is it just my imagination or can you kind of sense the tension in some scenes between the girls? Particularly between Doherty and Milano.

Tonight's Geek TV!

Sci-Fi is re-airing the second season of the fantastic Eureka starting tonight and while I hate to suggest something else - especially since the second season was so good and Eureka is a great show - I was flipping around to see what all is coming on and I found that tonight's Nova (PBS) is about Samurai swords. It's all about the craftsmanship that goes into making them, as well as those interested in collecting them, etc. Sure, they may be playing on the popularity of Heroes, but it's an interesting topic either way, and most of us probably saw the whole season of Eureka. Of course, Sci-Fi's lead-in is Dead Like Me and nothing else better is on during the 6:00 hour - very little better is ever on, compared to Dead Like Me.

At 8:00 (CST) is the new Reaper over to the CW. I saw the pilot the other night and loved it! It's from Kevin Smith and the pilot was absolutely fantastic! It's silly in just the right way, even though the "best friend" character is your stereotypical Kevin Smith "hipster," and approaches the somewhat flimsy, ridiculous premise earnestly. Not to mention they didn't skimp on the SFX.

I have to give CW that much, in general: no matter the show, they do not eff-around when it comes to the special effects. Charmed went easy on them throughout much of the series, even though the early episodes had some really fantastic SFX work, but they obviously spent the brunt of their budget on getting big-name hotties to appear and that sustained them for nearly 10 years, so whatever's clever. But Smallville, Supernatural, Reaper - these shows pull out the stops when it comes to the special effects! Granted, they are not quite up to the level of anything over to the BBC (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Hex), but I'd submit that they rival most of the stuff we get from the Sci-Fi Channel.

Not to knock Sci-Fi; they have some great SFX work - as well they should, mind you - but but those of the CW are generally just as good. Further, many of Sci-Fi's shows and movies use lesser talent so they can focus their budget on the SFX, where CW tends to divide their money more evenly between talent and SFX, and you can tell it. Either way you slice it, BBC beats everyone, hands-down.

Those damn Brits!

Cole Wasn't Quite So Charmed, Was He?

Now I'm sorry, but I love Cole. I know, I know - he's Evil and shit - but I really do love Cole. I never thought of him as particularly bad, just misunderstood and troubled. But I have to admit, I hadn't really watched the episodes after Phoebe married him and became the Queen of the Underworld.

Cole truly was Evil!

I mean, he was a bad, bad guy there at the end, huh? I've often said that Phoebe was his downfall - a woman usually is to blame, you understand - but even I am starting to think that poor old Cole was just a bad man.

These were some of the better episodes, largely because this was such a good storyline. They mined it a few times, but these episodes they've been showing this week were really the capstones of the whole Cole/Phoebe thing. Really well-written and honestly heartbreaking for all sorts of reasons, but especially since you could really tell that them Halliwells loved Cole, despite his being, you know, Evil and shit.

My dang book still hasn't come in yet. I really expected it today, but nothing. Maybe it will come in before the holiday. I hope so because I certainly am ready to read. Being without cable this week reminded me just how much I miss reading. There's just nothing like being in the middle of a good book - I mean, I guess there are better things to be in the middle of, but they're not quite the same, now are they?

I've started watching My Family over to BBCA instead of Lou Dobbs because I sometimes catch the reruns of him late at night and he hasn't been hosting the past few weeks. Don't forget Supernatural tonight. It's a rerun that I have already seen, but it's well worth seeing twice!

Charmed vs. Hex

Hola, kids! Did you think I'd forgotten about you? Far from it. I'm just a little exhausted - haven't been sleeping well, as I'm sure you've noticed from the voluminous posting I've been doing of late. Not to mention that Blogger has been slowed to a C-R-A-W-L since early this morning (last night). Anyway, let's get into it:

I think I've posted on this about Charmed before: I used to think of it as primarily a "girly" show. It came out when the whole "witchcraft-as-Goddess-Hear-Me-Roar" thing was going on back in the '90s and I didn't get the WB back then, so I didn't rush right out to see it. Plus, whenever Shannen Doherty left, I assumed it was on the chopping block, so that provided a convenient excuse not to seek it out. I got into it last year in reruns and really took to it. But the big thing I discovered is that, while it deals with a lot of "girly" issues, it's not really a "girly" show. In fact, a lot of girls don't seem to like it as much as I thought they would.

One friend, in particular, slammed it for its dialogue (which I actually think fun), and she pointed-out how they always dressed "slutty." I think the exact quote was "fighting demons in Victoria's Secret underwear" or something. But Charmed is nowhere near Hex on the "hotness" level, as far as actual sex goes. It's nowhere near Hex as far as, like, the Occult, Witchcraft, daemonology, history, nor anything else along those lines.

It's not so much that Charmed is "watered-down" or anything, just that after Doherty's departure, it really took a more comedic turn, possibly because of Milano's executive producer role and sit-com chops, but it was a good change. Hex' humor is far drier and... I guess "base" (in a good way) is an appropriate term here - much like this blog's, in fact - whereas Charmed's is more congenial and lighthearted and largely family-oriented (in both the sense that it relates to familial situations - the Halliwells' - and that it's more family-appropriate).

Hex focuses on the individual characters and personalities and plays them off of one another, where Charmed focuses on the ensemble cast. There's also a "cuteness" factor in Charmed that is completely absent in Hex; Hex is intentionally darker, grittier, and more "YA" (Young Adult) -targeted. Charmed started off in this vein but, like I say, it took a different approach after Doherty's departure.

Further, Charmed's SFX and overall production also value suffered after Doherty left, but since Hex was only on for 2 seasons, it's hard to say whether or not it could have kept up its phenomenal level of production. I mean, when it comes to special effects, there is absolutely nothing on TV like our favorite witchy show - shit, few movies' SFX rival those in Hex. Plus, both series were filmed in 16 or 32 mm for the the first seasons, then Charmed switched to video once Doherty left, and you can definitely see the difference when you watch the seasons change, so to speak.

So, which wins? I'll let you decide, if you're so inclined, but the two shows have their own strengths; the only difference between them is that Hex has no weaknesses.

But don't make me choose between Ella and Phoebe or Cassie and Piper - that's... that's a fight that doesn't need to happen (but I'll definitely buy it on DVD, if it should!).

Obsessing Much?

So I'm talking to a female friend of mine the other day and I mentioned Charmed. Just a casual mention - okay, a few mentions - as to how I watch it everyday in the afternoons

And also in the mornings, if I'm up that early.

And also the mini-marathons on Monday.

Just casually mentioned I liked the show.

Anyway, she finally busted me out with a diatribe about how I need not mention the show to her again and how the dialogue wasn't any good, it was like Victoria's Secret models with superpowers, and I only liked it because the stars are so hot. I had to put down the phone because I heard electricity can travel through the telephone lines and she was tempting higher powers with her blasphemy. Once I was pretty sure no stray lightning bolts were coming from On High, I picked the phone back up and promised not to mention Charmed again for the length of our conversation.

Now, she was obviously suffering from nothing more than jealousy, but I have to admit that before I started watching it on a regular basis (and I literally only started watching last summer because there was nothing better on in its afternoon timeslot) I was inclined to agree with her.

I'd say Charmed has more basic drama to it than most similar shows - more interpersonal relationship-driven plots and storylines than others - but I don't know about that anymore. I mean, Hex was more true to the whole witchery angle and didn't shy away from religion and religious overtones, but it had a healthy dose of "mundane" drama, too. I've seen Angel more than a few times lately and it has a lot of interpersonal, relationship-based drama (though I must admit it keeps the fantasy elements firmly in place). X-Files is really the only show that didn't have so much of this, though it certainly came into play in the latter years of the series. I never watched Buffy, so I can't say how that worked.

Still, I don't think Charmed suffers from stilted dialogue, just rather "pat" relationships and storylines. I can appreciate the whole idea of their not really wanting their powers, so the focus is more on them as young women than their being witches; quite the opposite is true of Hex, in which the focus was rather solidly on witchery and witch-hunting. Dresden Files also focuses more on the spellcraft than on the characters and their relationships.

And I have to say, I tend to like those kinds of shows better, but Charmed was not targeted to appeal to me (excepting that the leads are gorgeous and they all wear skimpy and revealing clothing) - it was aimed at young and adolescent girls. I think it hit its mark well and really don't feel it suffers because of that. I understand and appreciate it for what it is: simple, basic fun.

The only real criticism I have of it is that it too often pandered to whatever was "hot and happening" at the time. For instance, when Pirates of the Caribbean came out, they did a pirate show; when Mr. & Mrs. Smith hit the box office (or right around then), they did a show where Paige's parents get possessed and become a married team of assassins; etc. Most of the shows where they did these things were obvious attempts at better ratings and just weren't that good.

Still, overall, I liked Charmed, but now that I've seen pretty much all of them twice (they still manage to come up with at least one episode I haven't seen every week or two), I would turn to check out other shows if there were anything good in its timeslot (sometimes I watch Gilmore Girls on ABC Family or something on the History Channel if it's one I've seen), so I wouldn't call that "obsessive."

Heh. Women. Can't live with them...

Where's My Charmed?!

What the living hell is going on over to TNT? A few weeks ago - like 2 or 3, mind you - they started advertising that Charmed would be on for 5 hours every Monday. They did it the first week, then showed some basketball game or something the next, then actually went through with the mini-marathon for a week or two... you didn't really know if it was going to go through until it actually did or didn't.

Now, it's not coming on at all today! They're showing an all night, all day Law & Order marathon!

Charmed isn't coming on this morning or this afternoon -- neither in its regular timeslots nor for its 5-hour mini-marathon; it's not on at all today! And it's not like they ever show anything but the same episodes and they never show them in the right order, but still... this basically means that there is absolutely nothing on all day today!

At least I might get something done, then... maybe...