Cannibals
General
Cannibals are Paras who gain all the knowledge, memories and powers of the people they eat. Eating hearts, adds to their lifelines. Eating brains adds to knowledge and power. They may eat other organs but these are biggies. Organs have to be eaten raw to be beneficial. Cooking body parts ruins them.
Powers
Cannibals can change their scent to suit their needs and are even better at masking their presence from other Paras than Borrowers are.
Cannibals can not only smell other Paras at a distance, they can often see the aura that other Paras emit, depending on their power level. Weak Paras are often hard to detect, but, then again, they're not usually on a Cannibal's menu.
Some Cannibals have a taste for some Paras over others.
While body parts can't be cooked, they can be frozen and thawed for later consumption.
Cannibals exude a pheromone which makes them very attractive to other human Paras. It helps them draw other Paras to them.
Cannibal pheromones help them "charm" other Paras but do not seem to have the same effect on human "normals".
Are immune to all known blood-born pathogens.
Absorb, permanently, the power of the Paras they eat. This allows Cannibals to become extremely powerful and dangerous. Weak Cannibals can only access one or two powers at a time while strong Cannibals can access as many of the powers they’ve added as they want to.
May feed on regular humans as well but they only absorb the knowledge, lifelines and memories of the human "normals" they feed on since there are no powers to absorb. Don’t add to their lifelines however, while eating Paras, only normals.
Can usually sniff out disease in their victims before hand. Some diseases make a potential victim less tasty and thus, less likely to be eaten. This is especially true with ‘normals’.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Weaker during the day than at night, usually. A very few have the reverse situation.
Lead. Aluminum foil. Tin. All interrupt powers. So too, silver.
A silver bullet always kills them, no matter what, no matter what power they are using
Lifestyle
Don't like canned or processed foods, only fresh foods. Also, not much on carbs.
As you might guess, they're not accepted by other Paras. Many other Paras will kill any Cannibal they discover out of ‘self-defense’.
Many Cannibals have a hard time forming relationships with others therefore, they seem more likely to be loners.
Not all Cannibals are "practicing". Some Cannibals choose not to use their powers and attempt to live a "normal" life.
Cannibal feeding preferences are as varied as that of any human's. Some are moralists and only seek out Paras who fail their moral test to feed on. Some single out certain groups, types of Paras, one gender or come up with some other rationale that makes it okay for them to feed on the victims they choose.
Side Effects
Cannibals often lack human empathy and meet psych criteria for being sociopaths. Often are highly narcissistic.
Some Cannibals are severely allergic to some Paras. They may not know this until they try and "consume" the para. For this reason, some Cannibals are "human only".
Can confuse the memories of the people's brains they've eaten with with their own.
Are prone to insanity. Odds seem to increase with the more "troubled brains" they consume. Eat too many Alzheimer's brains, that's bad for you.
Some insane Cannibals seem to forget they have any powers at all.
Other Paras
Cannibals are generally immune to Ubi powers and vice versa. If an Ubi can land a Cannibal, though, they say they make very tasty treats. If one species is going to get to the other, the Undead usually have an advantage over the living.
Their minds can't be read. Puppeteers can't control them. Their dreams can't be dived into. Borrowers can't borrow from them.
For some reason, Cannibals don't know why, they can't see or smell Invisibles when they are Invisible.
While they are generally very good at attracting other Paras and hiding their true nature, some Telepaths can see right through them.
Are very vulnerable to telepathic mental attacks. Drones' mental chatter can overwhelm them.
Werebeings seem less influenced by their charms.
Recorders can often see visions of the murders they've committed when they are near, if they're not charmed immediately. If they see a vision first, charming them later is basically impossible.
Are as neutral around Neutralizers as anyone else.
Copyright 2012, M.R. McCaffery. All rights reserved.
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