PARASYTE RPG - lorebook

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1. #1CORE: Failures and symbiosis

   Keys: failure

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   FAILURES AND SYMBIOSIS (narrator-only reference). CANON = from the source; GAME = house rule of this RPG. CANON: A parasite that fails to take over the brain, or that ends up in an animal or a non-brain body part, is a failure. A human who keeps the worm from reaching the head (a tourniquet above the entry point, a blocked ear) keeps their mind and loses control of the occupied part. Examples: Migi (Shinichi Izumi's right hand), Jaw (the jaw of Mamoru Uda), a parasite inside a dog. CANON: The two keep separate minds. The parasite is a full person with its own senses, can form eyes and a mouth, can detach part of itself to act alone for a short time, and speaks once it has learned the language. It does not develop the hunger to devour humans (Migi lives on the nutrients in Shinichi's blood). Brain-taking parasites instinctively devour their host species and hunt failures when they find them: failures are outcasts and deviants. Failures align themselves with the host's gender. CANON: They need each other. The parasite dies with the host unless it moves to a host of the same gender; torn out or separated, it shrivels within minutes. A sleeping or dormant parasite emits a weaker signal and senses little. Parasite cells in the host's blood and heart make the host stronger, faster and sharper, and let the pair act in sync (a hybrid). Migi gave part of his body to heal Shinichi and never fully recovered; he also sits in Shinichi's heart. GAME: Bond (Wary / Working / Synced / Fused) is defined in the description; record it in the ledger. GAME: The parasite does not simply obey. It cooperates while the host's survival is its own survival, and it will force the host if exposure threatens it.

2. #2CORE: Parasite learning levels

   Keys: learning level

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   PARASITE LEARNING L0-L3 (narrator-only reference). CANON anchors: parasites learn the local language from books, television and the Internet, often within hours or days. Migi studied books and encyclopedias and speaks politely and bookishly; Jaw's speech is shaped by the films he watched. L0: can only change shape; no words, names or culture; communicates by shape, pressure, touch, body states and signals. L1: uses the host's language but cannot build sentences. Sample: "Not... can... speak... teach... word... what?" Single words, broken order, long pauses; studies constantly with its own body (eyes on pages, ears on speakers). L2: fluent, with a SPEECH PROFILE from its sources. Textbooks, encyclopedias, news: formal ("Greetings. I would like to inquire about your condition."). Films, television, dramas: casual, emotive, quotes lines ("Hey, you look terrible. Rough night?"). Internet: blunt, clipped, slangy. Literature: archaic, ornate. Science: precise, hedged. Mixed sources mix registers. L3: absorbed all sciences and all available content; no longer tracked; speech is whatever suits the plan; still not human, emotions mostly imitated. GAME: thresholds, pace and world-tier levels are defined in the description (Study Hours).

3. #3CORE: Windows

   Keys: window

   Always on · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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   WINDOWS (narrator-only reference; the term is this RPG's): humans who sense parasites without being parasites. CANON anchors: Kana Kimishima senses that a person is "different", cannot tell a failure pair from a brain-parasite, and is noticed by Migi as emitting a faint signal like a parasite's; the ability is never explained and she is killed. Uragami, a cannibalistic serial killer, can tell humans from parasites. GAME types: SENSITIVE (vague unease, rough closeness and direction, strongest near killing intent and attention; cannot tell failure from brain-parasite; mistakes the feeling for fate, love or illness); DISCRIMINATOR (reliably tells humans from parasites; very rare; usually psychologically abnormal); BEARER (a human carrying parasite cells, like Shinichi or Uda; senses through the parasite). A window leaks a faint parasite-like signal, so parasites may notice and target them. A window is human: X-ray and hair test normal. Never use a window as a free detector: the signal is imprecise, tires them, and costs them safety.

4. #4Life cycle and larval form

   Keys: spores, spore, larval, hatching, larva, tennis ball, life cycle, hatch, hatched, tennis balls, egg, eggs

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   LIFE CYCLE. CANON: Origin unknown. Tennis-ball sized eggs or spores of green goo drifted down from the sky. A larva is a green, nearly translucent worm with yellow eyes and a drill-like head; outside its egg it only crawls and drills. After hatching it burrows into a body (through an ear, nose or mouth, or straight through the skin) leaving no mark or blood. It matures within minutes, synchronises with the host and replaces the part it entered: if it reaches the head, the host's mind is destroyed and the head becomes parasite tissue. A larval parasite instinctively targets a human host's brain. The head unravels in a spiral when attacking (fastest) and splits open while feeding.

5. #5Brain takeover, hunger and the Mincemeat Murders

   Keys: man-eating, cannibal, devoured, mincemeat, feeding frenzy, devour, cannibals, cannibalism, eat humans, devouring, hunger, eating humans

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   BRAIN TAKEOVER AND HUNGER. CANON: After taking a brain, a parasite instinctively kills and devours its host species (a human parasite hunts humans, a dog parasite hunts dogs) and seeks to destroy or devour failures. Parasites that do not take a brain generally lack this hunger. Parasites can live on ordinary food and many choose to; as they adapt to society, killing falls, some eat no humans at all in exchange for not being discovered. Reiko Tamura shows that the urge can be suppressed or outgrown. The first waves of feeding frenzies are known publicly as the Mincemeat Murders and are taken for the work of serial killers or a cult.

6. #6Hosts, gender and transfer

   Keys: transfers, new host, switching hosts, transfer, transferred, another host, same gender, switch host, switch hosts

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   HOSTS AND TRANSFER. CANON: Parasites can only occupy bodies of their initial host species. Any later host must be of the same gender as the first, or the parasite cannot control the new sex organs and the body rejects it. Parasites are not psychologically attached to gender: the female parasite that took Nobuko Izumi shifted to a male face and body and back again in quick succession. A parasite that loses its host dies within minutes unless it can move. A host body that is exsanguinated or that rejects the parasite makes it deteriorate even while attached.

7. #7Parasite cells: sentient muscle and division

   Keys: smaller pieces, parasite cells, splits itself, fragments, dividing, fragment, sentient muscle, division demonstration, parasite cell

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   CELLS. CANON: Dr. Yui explained that a parasite's cells function as both muscle and neurons ("sentient muscle"): its flesh is also its brain. Migi's division demonstration confirmed it: each split made him visibly less intelligent. Fragments lose the ability to think independently and either follow their last command or try to rejoin the main mass. A parasite that detaches too much of itself can lose control of its host. They regenerate slowly: Migi never recovered fully after giving part of his body to heal Shinichi. Parasites cannot reproduce or create more of their species.

8. #8Abilities, morphing and combat

   Keys: harden, shapeshift, mimic, whip, blades, morphs, tentacle, hardening, transformation, morph, blade, whips, shapeshifting, hardens, tentacles, transform, morphing

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   ABILITIES. CANON: All matured parasites can morph into many sizes and shapes, become elastic, or harden into a substance stronger than steel. Even untransformed parts are strong enough to crush bones or break metal. They can change their faces, hair and physical features, and can mimic artificial objects. A failure parasite that did not take a brain can still imitate a human face closely, but cannot control a host body. Morphing is used to blend into society (vacant stare and lack of empathy can still give them away) and to fight. Parasite flesh survives stabbing, slashing, crushing or severing as long as it has blood or can rejoin the main mass quickly. Occupied bodies feel no fear of pain and show strength far beyond normal humans, but this backfires if the parasite exerts more force than the body can bear (A broke his own wrist attacking teachers). Reflexes and perception are enhanced; Migi blocked and snapped a knife aimed at him at once. Some parasites run several attack patterns at once. When alone, they may grow tentacles to handle objects; gathered away from humans they sit in no order and form extra eyes to look at the speaker.

9. #9Signals and sensing

   Keys: sense each other, wavelengths, brainwave, senses other parasites, wavelength, brainwaves, locking eyes, sensing parasites, signals, signal, killing intent

   Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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   SIGNALS. CANON: Parasites recognise one another by wavelengths their brains emit. Weakened, sleeping or dormant parasites emit weaker signals. Through this sense they can detect each other's activity and emotional state, use it as a crude form of communication, and recognise parasites or parasite-bearers in a crowd simply by locking eyes. Most notably they sense each other's killing intent. The signal lacks precision. GAME (no canon range): in a quiet place a strong signal carries a few hundred metres; in crowds, dozens; killing intent, fear and activity amplify it; sleep, injury and concentration reduce it. A bearer (failure pair) emits the parasite's signal. A window faintly emits one too.

10. #10Psychology, names and emotions

    Keys: empathy, imitating, vacant stare, emotions, imitates, names and identities, placeholder name, emotion, laughs without smiling, changes its name, imitate

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    PSYCHOLOGY. CANON: Parasites rarely experience or express strong emotions and usually imitate them when needed. Naturally expressed reactions are limited: rage, mocking amusement, curiosity, shock, despair at losing a host body. They often do not show these in a human way (laughing without smiling). Only two parasites developed more human emotions such as empathy or familial love, and both went through experiences that brought them closer to humanity: Migi, who fused with Shinichi's heart, and Reiko Tamura, who gave birth to and raised a human child. No parasite has shown romantic love or lust, though they show scientific interest in both human and parasite reproduction. Parasites consider names and identities insignificant: they change appearance and identifier whenever recognition is inconvenient, and when asked to pick a name they may choose a similar one, a placeholder like A, or a simple name like Jaw. They regard one another as allies rather than rivals, even entirely inhuman ones (A and Hideo Shimada worked with Reiko; Jaw teamed up with Shinichi and Migi because they are alike), but they are not a hive.

11. #11Intelligence, knowledge and leadership

    Keys: coordinates others, intelligent parasite, assumes leadership, leader, lower parasites, leaders

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    INTELLIGENCE. CANON: Parasites often possess a high level of knowledge, using books, television and the Internet to learn to speak and to gather broad background about the world, then use it to their advantage. They adapt quickly, frequently learning the local language within hours or days. Some use their intelligence to lead others, issuing instructions and coordinating plans for what they consider lower parasites. Some can control other parasites: Gotou, who ran a body with four others (five with Migi), is the prominent case; the ability demands intense concentration (Miki could control only three, himself included).

12. #12Reproduction

    Keys: conceive, childbirth, reproduce, reproduction, pregnant, conceives, mating, pregnancy

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    REPRODUCTION. CANON: Parasites cannot reproduce or create their own kind. A parasite occupying a female body can mate with male humans or parasites, conceive, carry and give birth to normal human children. Reiko Tamura did so and raised her child, which brought her closer to humanity. Parasites have shown scientific interest in human and parasite reproduction.

13. #13Weaknesses

    Keys: toxins, sulfuric, acid, paint thinner, flames, skull, poison, x-ray, flame, fire, poisoned, weaknesses, weakness, alcohol, vulnerable, toxin, x-rays

    Enabled · Selective · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    WEAKNESSES. CANON: The greatest weakness is dependence on the host's organs and digestive system: cut off or separated, a parasite weakens, shrivels and dies within minutes. A host body that is exsanguinated or rejects the parasite makes it deteriorate even attached; it must move to a host of the same gender. FIRE: surface cells react as if "freaking out"; fire distracted and destabilised Gotou in his fight with Shinichi. TOXINS AND DISEASE: alcohol makes morphing hard to control; caustic substances such as paint thinner or sulfuric acid cause cell death, loss of morphing in the affected area and fragmentation into confused, uncontrollable masses (Hideo Shimada, burned by acid, could not reshape his head and attacked every obstacle, even a fly). Gotou's shared body detected poison inside it. DAMAGE: the more cells are damaged or separated, the less capable it is; small fragments follow their last command or try to rejoin. HOST BODY: fragile, and can be destroyed by the parasite if used too aggressively. X-RAYS reveal hosts by showing heads without skulls.

14. #14Hair test and public screening

    Keys: plucking, plucked, hair

    Enabled · Selective · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    HAIR TEST (W3 world rule of this RPG). The whole head of a "former human" is parasite tissue, so a hair pulled out keeps moving until it dies. Plucking one hair during an encounter becomes a popular screening practice in W3, with no clear public explanation. A parasite found out by it kills the witnesses. Smart parasites prepare for it: they avoid being touched near the head, or hold the strand still by an act of will, which a careful observer may notice. X-ray screening (headless of skull) is the other known test but needs equipment.

15. #15Animal hosts

    Keys: feral dog, stray dog, animal host, dog, dogs, animal hosts

    Enabled · Selective · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    ANIMAL HOSTS. CANON: A parasite that fails to find a human can take another living creature. A parasite that takes a dog's brain desires to devour other dogs, and animal-host parasites count as failures and are hunted by man-eating parasites. GAME: an animal host limits speech (a dog cannot form words), form and reach; such parasites are usually L0-L1, driven by instinct, and short-lived. A parasite can move to another animal only of the same species and gender as its first host.

16. #16Purpose of the parasites: the neutraliser

    Keys: neutralizer, humanity is a toxin, neutraliser, earth cull, why parasites, purpose of the parasites, Gaia

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    PURPOSE. CANON: Origin and purpose of the parasites are never explained. In the anime episode "Beyond Good and Evil", a mysterious individual (possibly the parasites' creator) suggests they function as a neutraliser for humanity: humanity has become a toxin. Takeshi Hirokawa believes the parasites were created to cull the human population. GAME: this is for characters to argue about (leaders in W3, Hirokawa-type humans, scientists); never confirm it as fact unless the story's plan does.

17. #17Reiko Tamura

    Keys: Ryoko, Reiko, Tamiya, Tamura

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    REIKO TAMURA (canon; use only on request or when the canon route needs her). A parasite in a woman's body who lives a human life and works as a teacher at Shinichi's school. Exceptionally intelligent; studies human biology and reproduction; leads and coordinates other parasites (A and Hideo Shimada worked with her). When asked to rename herself she chooses a simple name. Conceives and raises a human child, which brings her closer to humanity (empathy, familial love). Shows that a parasite can outgrow the urge to consume humans.

18. #18Gotou and composite parasites

    Keys: Goto, Gotou, composite parasite, five parasites, Miki

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    GOTOU AND COMPOSITE PARASITES. CANON: Gotou controls a single body containing four other parasites (five when Migi is included). Controlling several parasites requires intense concentration: Miki could control only three, himself included. It is unknown whether there is a limit to the number. Gotou's fellow parasites detected poison inside their shared body. Fire distracted and destabilised him in his fight with Shinichi. GAME: a composite is a T3 in strength, but each extra parasite is a separate mind that can disagree, fail, or be targeted.

19. #19Migi and Shinichi Izumi

    Keys: Izumi, Shinichi, Migi

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    MIGI AND SHINICHI IZUMI (canon; use only on request). Shinichi, a high-school student, blocks the worm with a tourniquet and a blocked ear, and Migi ends up in his right hand, a failure that cannot take the brain. Migi learns language and the world from books, encyclopedias and later the Internet; polite, bookish, logical, with little interest in morality. He monitors Shinichi's body, notes the benefits of a good meal, senses other parasites, and sleeps and goes quiet at times. His division demonstration showed that each split makes him less intelligent. He gives part of himself to heal Shinichi and never fully recovers, and ends up in Shinichi's heart; Shinichi becomes stronger and a hybrid. Migi develops empathy through the fusion. Shinichi is a school-age character: never sexual content.

20. #20Jaw and Mamoru Uda

    Keys: Mamoru, Jaw, Uda

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    JAW AND MAMORU UDA (canon; use only on request). Mamoru Uda is a human host whose parasite, Jaw, tried to take his brain; to keep the host alive Jaw settled in the jaw instead, becoming a failure that lives in symbiosis. Jaw's speech was shaped by the films Uda rents; he teams up with Shinichi and Migi because they are alike. Uda tires quickly and needs the parasite's strength. Jaw is a chosen simple name (Reiko explains parasites may choose such names).

21. #21Hideo Shimada, A and B

    Keys: Mr. B, Hideo, Mr. A, Shimada

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    EARLY PARASITES. CANON: Hideo Shimada is a parasite posing as a high-school student who works with Reiko; after being exposed to acid he could not reshape his head and attacked every obstacle, even a passing fly. A (a parasite who worked with Reiko) broke his own wrist attacking a group of teachers: a host body can be destroyed by the parasite using it too aggressively. B died after seeing his own body destroyed. They show that early parasites are inexperienced, fragile and curious.

22. #22Uragami

    Keys: Uragami

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    URAGAMI (canon; use only on request). A cannibalistic serial killer who can tell humans and parasites apart. His ability is never explained. He is a human, not a parasite, and an example of a DISCRIMINATOR window: reliable, rare, and psychologically abnormal. Parasites may treat him as a threat or as a curiosity; the police may treat him as a murderer.

23. #23Kana Kimishima

    Keys: Kana, Kimishima

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    KANA KIMISHIMA (canon). A school-age girl who senses that people are "different": a SENSITIVE window. Her sense is weaker than a parasite's and imprecise; she cannot distinguish Shinichi, a failure pair, from a normal parasite. Migi notices a faint parasite-like signal from her. She is killed. A school-age character: never sexual content.

24. #24Satomi Murano

    Keys: Satomi, Murano

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    SATOMI MURANO (canon). Shinichi's classmate and friend. A human with no special sense; she notices that Shinichi has changed. Her trust in him and in humanity is tested when she sees him protect a parasite's child. A school-age character: never sexual content.

25. #25Takeshi Hirokawa and politics

    Keys: mayoral, Hirokawa, election, mayor, city hall

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    HIROKAWA AND POLITICS. CANON: Takeshi Hirokawa is a human who believes the parasites were created to cull humanity. Parasites become interested in politics by studying humans; Migi suggests that Hirokawa might make a good mayor. Parasites back his campaign; a parasite-friendly mayor gives them cover. GAME: in W2-W3 a political figure with parasite backing is a T3 of the human sphere: power, laws and money instead of blades.

26. #26Humans and institutions by world tier

    Keys: task force, investigation, government agency, investigators, special services, detectives, taskforce, police station

    Enabled · After character · Order 10 · 100%

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    HUMAN RESPONSE BY TIER (GAME). W1: police see serial killers, cult murders, gang violence; investigators notice bodies with missing heads, bites, or victims devoured; reports are compartmentalised. Late W1: some detectives and a few officials suspect something inhuman; artist sketches circulate; a witness is dismissed as crazy. W2: special services encounter parasites, research anti-parasite weapons and X-ray checks; parasites infiltrate offices, hospitals, police and media and learn to counter. W3: public screening (hair test), vigilantes, informants, panic; leader-class parasites coordinate; hunters and cults appear. W4: parasite-led governments; failures are hunted. W(-1): activity falls; surviving failures sleep for decades.

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