Beckoncall
World-Weaver and servant to the most-holy PC
This is where people are going to ask questions and post their fleshed our anti-heroes so we can get ready to play the game!
The game will be played fast and loose with player group actions in the forums as well as if desired real time questing on discord. Discord information will go at the bottom of this message. If things do get Overpowered but it is still fun (for most players AND GM) I may just let it ride. But my ideas for starting a character are thus:
*The original forms players have are weak and vulnerable BY DESIGN -- you don't want to be caught without a host. If your host dies, you're either in big trouble, fleeing to find another victim to hijack, or you're already dead.
As mentioned in the interest check, You're creating an EVIL BODYSNATCHER. This consists of a couple of main factors and whatever color you bring to it.
1. BODYSNATCHER TYPE:
Spirit -- hijacker form is like a disembodied ghost, light, or demon, with little or no ability to act on the world outside of a host. Advantages may be harder to spot/harm/kill once ejected from a host, but may need to consistently pass will saves to keep from being exorcised. The spirit may be even come back in circumstances where other hijackers are killed for good -- but it's never much fun to be a disembodied voice trying to trick creatures into "letting you in"... and if you don't find a host fast enough your voice may rapidly wane into nothing...
Abberation - who knows what this fleshy mass covered in eyeballs and mouths is, but it's on that ogre's neck and it's manipulating him like a godforsaken marionette. Abberations unlike some other hijackers are usually (or always) on the outside of the host, so can be attacked by those smart enough or intuitive enough to do so. They however may be hardier than other hijacker forms, or at least have fewer weaknesses. If hurt enough in combat, they may opt to detach and run for it. Perhaps, an Abberation is the ONLY form of hijacker that is formidable outside a host, at least in the short-term.
"The Thing" -- This Hijacker, like the movie-monster of it's namesake, doesn't occupy hosts as much as copy them. It is exceedingly vulnerable to certain forms of attack (perhaps fire?) and also when it is changing forms or it's current form is incapacitated. However, it may be able to turn into any type of creature it has previously copied -- so it doesn't need to depend on finding new forms or being caught at a disadvantage as much as when other player's host forms die. "I'm a dire boar AGAIN."
Parasite -- this thing is a bug that like the abberation usually clings to the outside of the host, but it can disguise or stealth itself to look like a crown, or a piece of armor, a bony ridge, what-have-you -- which may help it stay hidden and safe even if it's host dies... one may even be lucky enough to be worn by the killer of your original form? However, the parasite is not nearly as hardy as the abberation, and is perhaps the most easily squished if it is discovered for what it is...
Slime -- What it says on the tin. May cover hosts, or be ingested, bodysnatching slime may have distinct and profound weaknesses and resistances, which potentially change over time. It may be harder to kill outside a host, or have an easier time hijacking bodies than others -- but it's toxic nature kills host bodies faster than any other hijacker, so it will need that advantage.
Germ -- The player is the established consciousness of a collective of fungus, virus, micro-organisms that in concert, form a singular evil being. The germ is insideous, highly infective, and constantly mutating. What hurts it one day may do nothing the next, and previous immunities may be discovered lethal vulnerabilities the day after. It's hard to kill the entire germ, as the smallest part in the right environment will grow back to sentience-bearing volumes... but don't THINK you'll last a second if a cleric casts Cure Disease on you. Germs, because of their collective nature, may have advantages over other hijackers when it comes to using swarms as hosts -- possibly occupying several swarms at once, or forming horrible hybrid swarms with the shared abilities of various different creatures in a single mass…
“Preciouses” – these are items with powerful wills that supplant the will/soul of the creature carrying them. A cloak, a ring, or some other item that cannot move or effect the world much (or at all) on it's own, but manipulates it's wearer/wielder.
2. HIGH/DUMP STATS:
Stats are Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma.
The levels of stats are generally (though there may be other descriptors) range from WEAK, LESSER, NORMAL, HIGH, EXCEPTIONAL.
All horrors have a powerful force of personality or will, so all players start with EXCEPTIONAL charisma. What is left for you to choose is your bodysnatcher's main form's other stats, two EXCEPTIONAL, one Normal, Two WEAK.
When you assimilate/possess or otherwise claim a host your weaker stats will be replaced by the stats of the new form, (Your Exceptional Stats will carry over to the host however!) This conveys just how your character is vulnerable outside of a host, and how it enhances a host once/while it has one.
For example: Sulthus is a Abberation. His charisma is EXCEPTIONAL because all horror players have exceptional charisma. However, Sulthis' player chooses Strength and Dexterity To be EXCEPTIONAL stats, Endurance to be Normal, and Intelligence and wisdom to be weak. This means without a host Sulthis is dumb and ruled by instinct, but can gain powers of higher thinking if Sulthis can find/take a form that is smarter than it. Lets say Sulthis finds a sleeping orc shaman and crawls inside the poor chap. Sulthis' Strength and Dex stay Exceptional (better than the orc) the orc has normal endurance so that stays the same, but the orc shaman has EXCEPTIONAL wisdom and HIGH Intelligence. So Sulthis now can think better, is more clever and cunning in his host drawing on the language, memories, and wits of his new host.
Second example: The "Shiny One" is a "Precious" -- a magical ring that possesses the will of it's wearer. Shiny has EXCEPTIONAL charisma (like all players, barring exceptions) -- Being an inanimate object, shiny has chosen to have WEAK strength and WEAK Dexterity... in fact shiny cannot move on his own and is entirely dependent on a host or allies to move him. However, Shiny is an evil genius, with EXCEPTIONAL intelligence and EXCEPTIONAL wisdom. He picks to have NORMAL endurance, making him hardy but not unbreakable. Shiny catches the eye of a giant spider and glimmers at it, and the spider, touching/picking up shiny is successfully possessed. The Spider normally has HIGH strength, EXCEPTIONAL dexterity, Normal Endurance, WEAK intelligence and wisdom. The new spider has shinies advantages but not his weaknesses giving him the physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance) of the spider and projecting his EXCEPTIONAL intellect and wisdom onto the spider, along with his EXCEPTIONAL charisma.
Stat descriptors are basically only for comparative purposes for helping with resolving challenges and combat. So choose wisely!
TL
R / Summary:
1. Pick a bodysnatcher type and describe it.
2. Stats: FILL IN TWO EXCEPTIONAL, TWO WEAK, AND ONE NORMAL BELOW.
STRENGTH:
DEXTERITY:
ENDURANCE:
INTELLIGENCE:
WISDOM:
CHARISMA: (Default EXCEPTIONAL)
3. An Image of what your bodysnatcher's trueform looks like, if possible.
Couple things to keep in mind -- There will be little or NO surface dwelling in this game -- holes or cracks leading to the surface are EXTREME HAZARDS. Sunlight BAD, Moonlight barely if even tolerable. This should be an epic of unseen horrors the likes of which civilizations on the surface never dreamed -- adventurers MIGHT encounter the players, but it's equally possible a player will never see a single human, elf, or gnome for the entire campaign. Maybe. Going to the surface is something that if done, will almost certainly result in the quick or instant death of the character. My current mechanic for this is that the PCs -- the bodysnatchers, are actually unique, but weakened entities from the Dark Tapestry. Their existence on this plane is such an offense to nature and the gods that for the sun to fall upon them above ground they would be annihilated, perhaps explosively, as their horrific nature cancels out the natural order like a matter/antimatter reaction. To be seen by the gods of law and good (or by the naked eye of their agents) may be enough to violently rip them from the plane. You get the picture. Run and hide if you're short a host, and avoid such situations. The default backstory is that the players (however many there are) are all such beings slipping into this world through a horrible dark tapestry artifact known only as "The Red Cathexis" -- which if destroyed ends the campaign for EVERYONE. Hiding and protecting the Cathexis should be an early and often updated objective, especially as it may grow in size, vulnerability, or discoverability as players grow in number and power. Eventually a main objective of the campaign might be finding someplace dark and horrible enough to hide the Cathexis from it's enemies -- The players delving ever deeper into the underdark to hide it, find host creatures strong enough to protect it, and ultimately establish the players at the top of the dungeon food chain... forever.
This WAS a wall of text -- but hopefully the subject matter is worth at least a skim. Thanks for your interest. Feel free to tap me about any of the above, and I'll start soliciting specs during the Thanksgiving holiday, when hopefully several people have time to start strong.
People who already have character concepts, origin stories, ideas/goals/plot-seeds for their characters (or have their own ideas they'd like to run by me or questions about char. generation) -- feel free to post in this thread or PM me if you prefer. I'll be checking back semi-regularly hereforward until we can officially begin.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS SHOWN SOME INTEREST!!
Sincerely,
-Beckoncall, drooling vortex of the Red Cathexis, Ripper of the Tapestries, The eye, the lie, and the gate!
Horrors of the red Cathexis Discord: Join the Red Cathexus 3 Discord Server!
(if discord invite expires feel free to request a new one)
The game will be played fast and loose with player group actions in the forums as well as if desired real time questing on discord. Discord information will go at the bottom of this message. If things do get Overpowered but it is still fun (for most players AND GM) I may just let it ride. But my ideas for starting a character are thus:
*The original forms players have are weak and vulnerable BY DESIGN -- you don't want to be caught without a host. If your host dies, you're either in big trouble, fleeing to find another victim to hijack, or you're already dead.
As mentioned in the interest check, You're creating an EVIL BODYSNATCHER. This consists of a couple of main factors and whatever color you bring to it.
1. BODYSNATCHER TYPE:
Spirit -- hijacker form is like a disembodied ghost, light, or demon, with little or no ability to act on the world outside of a host. Advantages may be harder to spot/harm/kill once ejected from a host, but may need to consistently pass will saves to keep from being exorcised. The spirit may be even come back in circumstances where other hijackers are killed for good -- but it's never much fun to be a disembodied voice trying to trick creatures into "letting you in"... and if you don't find a host fast enough your voice may rapidly wane into nothing...
Abberation - who knows what this fleshy mass covered in eyeballs and mouths is, but it's on that ogre's neck and it's manipulating him like a godforsaken marionette. Abberations unlike some other hijackers are usually (or always) on the outside of the host, so can be attacked by those smart enough or intuitive enough to do so. They however may be hardier than other hijacker forms, or at least have fewer weaknesses. If hurt enough in combat, they may opt to detach and run for it. Perhaps, an Abberation is the ONLY form of hijacker that is formidable outside a host, at least in the short-term.
"The Thing" -- This Hijacker, like the movie-monster of it's namesake, doesn't occupy hosts as much as copy them. It is exceedingly vulnerable to certain forms of attack (perhaps fire?) and also when it is changing forms or it's current form is incapacitated. However, it may be able to turn into any type of creature it has previously copied -- so it doesn't need to depend on finding new forms or being caught at a disadvantage as much as when other player's host forms die. "I'm a dire boar AGAIN."
Parasite -- this thing is a bug that like the abberation usually clings to the outside of the host, but it can disguise or stealth itself to look like a crown, or a piece of armor, a bony ridge, what-have-you -- which may help it stay hidden and safe even if it's host dies... one may even be lucky enough to be worn by the killer of your original form? However, the parasite is not nearly as hardy as the abberation, and is perhaps the most easily squished if it is discovered for what it is...
Slime -- What it says on the tin. May cover hosts, or be ingested, bodysnatching slime may have distinct and profound weaknesses and resistances, which potentially change over time. It may be harder to kill outside a host, or have an easier time hijacking bodies than others -- but it's toxic nature kills host bodies faster than any other hijacker, so it will need that advantage.
Germ -- The player is the established consciousness of a collective of fungus, virus, micro-organisms that in concert, form a singular evil being. The germ is insideous, highly infective, and constantly mutating. What hurts it one day may do nothing the next, and previous immunities may be discovered lethal vulnerabilities the day after. It's hard to kill the entire germ, as the smallest part in the right environment will grow back to sentience-bearing volumes... but don't THINK you'll last a second if a cleric casts Cure Disease on you. Germs, because of their collective nature, may have advantages over other hijackers when it comes to using swarms as hosts -- possibly occupying several swarms at once, or forming horrible hybrid swarms with the shared abilities of various different creatures in a single mass…
“Preciouses” – these are items with powerful wills that supplant the will/soul of the creature carrying them. A cloak, a ring, or some other item that cannot move or effect the world much (or at all) on it's own, but manipulates it's wearer/wielder.
2. HIGH/DUMP STATS:
Stats are Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma.
The levels of stats are generally (though there may be other descriptors) range from WEAK, LESSER, NORMAL, HIGH, EXCEPTIONAL.
All horrors have a powerful force of personality or will, so all players start with EXCEPTIONAL charisma. What is left for you to choose is your bodysnatcher's main form's other stats, two EXCEPTIONAL, one Normal, Two WEAK.
When you assimilate/possess or otherwise claim a host your weaker stats will be replaced by the stats of the new form, (Your Exceptional Stats will carry over to the host however!) This conveys just how your character is vulnerable outside of a host, and how it enhances a host once/while it has one.
For example: Sulthus is a Abberation. His charisma is EXCEPTIONAL because all horror players have exceptional charisma. However, Sulthis' player chooses Strength and Dexterity To be EXCEPTIONAL stats, Endurance to be Normal, and Intelligence and wisdom to be weak. This means without a host Sulthis is dumb and ruled by instinct, but can gain powers of higher thinking if Sulthis can find/take a form that is smarter than it. Lets say Sulthis finds a sleeping orc shaman and crawls inside the poor chap. Sulthis' Strength and Dex stay Exceptional (better than the orc) the orc has normal endurance so that stays the same, but the orc shaman has EXCEPTIONAL wisdom and HIGH Intelligence. So Sulthis now can think better, is more clever and cunning in his host drawing on the language, memories, and wits of his new host.
Second example: The "Shiny One" is a "Precious" -- a magical ring that possesses the will of it's wearer. Shiny has EXCEPTIONAL charisma (like all players, barring exceptions) -- Being an inanimate object, shiny has chosen to have WEAK strength and WEAK Dexterity... in fact shiny cannot move on his own and is entirely dependent on a host or allies to move him. However, Shiny is an evil genius, with EXCEPTIONAL intelligence and EXCEPTIONAL wisdom. He picks to have NORMAL endurance, making him hardy but not unbreakable. Shiny catches the eye of a giant spider and glimmers at it, and the spider, touching/picking up shiny is successfully possessed. The Spider normally has HIGH strength, EXCEPTIONAL dexterity, Normal Endurance, WEAK intelligence and wisdom. The new spider has shinies advantages but not his weaknesses giving him the physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance) of the spider and projecting his EXCEPTIONAL intellect and wisdom onto the spider, along with his EXCEPTIONAL charisma.
Stat descriptors are basically only for comparative purposes for helping with resolving challenges and combat. So choose wisely!
TL
R / Summary:1. Pick a bodysnatcher type and describe it.
2. Stats: FILL IN TWO EXCEPTIONAL, TWO WEAK, AND ONE NORMAL BELOW.
STRENGTH:
DEXTERITY:
ENDURANCE:
INTELLIGENCE:
WISDOM:
CHARISMA: (Default EXCEPTIONAL)
3. An Image of what your bodysnatcher's trueform looks like, if possible.
Couple things to keep in mind -- There will be little or NO surface dwelling in this game -- holes or cracks leading to the surface are EXTREME HAZARDS. Sunlight BAD, Moonlight barely if even tolerable. This should be an epic of unseen horrors the likes of which civilizations on the surface never dreamed -- adventurers MIGHT encounter the players, but it's equally possible a player will never see a single human, elf, or gnome for the entire campaign. Maybe. Going to the surface is something that if done, will almost certainly result in the quick or instant death of the character. My current mechanic for this is that the PCs -- the bodysnatchers, are actually unique, but weakened entities from the Dark Tapestry. Their existence on this plane is such an offense to nature and the gods that for the sun to fall upon them above ground they would be annihilated, perhaps explosively, as their horrific nature cancels out the natural order like a matter/antimatter reaction. To be seen by the gods of law and good (or by the naked eye of their agents) may be enough to violently rip them from the plane. You get the picture. Run and hide if you're short a host, and avoid such situations. The default backstory is that the players (however many there are) are all such beings slipping into this world through a horrible dark tapestry artifact known only as "The Red Cathexis" -- which if destroyed ends the campaign for EVERYONE. Hiding and protecting the Cathexis should be an early and often updated objective, especially as it may grow in size, vulnerability, or discoverability as players grow in number and power. Eventually a main objective of the campaign might be finding someplace dark and horrible enough to hide the Cathexis from it's enemies -- The players delving ever deeper into the underdark to hide it, find host creatures strong enough to protect it, and ultimately establish the players at the top of the dungeon food chain... forever.
This WAS a wall of text -- but hopefully the subject matter is worth at least a skim. Thanks for your interest. Feel free to tap me about any of the above, and I'll start soliciting specs during the Thanksgiving holiday, when hopefully several people have time to start strong.
People who already have character concepts, origin stories, ideas/goals/plot-seeds for their characters (or have their own ideas they'd like to run by me or questions about char. generation) -- feel free to post in this thread or PM me if you prefer. I'll be checking back semi-regularly hereforward until we can officially begin.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS SHOWN SOME INTEREST!!
Sincerely,
-Beckoncall, drooling vortex of the Red Cathexis, Ripper of the Tapestries, The eye, the lie, and the gate!
Horrors of the red Cathexis Discord: Join the Red Cathexus 3 Discord Server!
(if discord invite expires feel free to request a new one)
