CoC Player Innovations

This Call of Cthulhu game I am running now really has my blood pumping!

Players are bringing their A-game, and so far they have made 2 innovations that have blown my mind.

1) SAN AS MORALE

I mentioned this before, but a player had the bright idea to use SAN as morale. One of the 3 investigators had just taken a slash from the leader of 4 knife wielding cult thugs. A cowardly PC ran off, while the 2 remaining pulled their guns and managed to wing their assailant.

How would we determine if the gunfire would scare off the thugs?

One player chimed in that we could use SAN. If they succeeded, they would realize it was crazy to bring knives to a gunfight. If they failed, they would charge into gunfire. They passed, and naturally fled the scene.

I only realized later on reflection how genius this decision is.

In Call of Cthulhu especially, SAN is an important resource. Ironically, cultists and their ilk have less of it, and thus are more likely to disregard danger in their service to their dark gods. Normal NPCs, however, are more likely to make the sane choice of running from danger. This means cultists and their ilk are more likely to keep coming in the face of superior firepower, which the PCs often have.

This is a Grad A+ houserule that I am keeping.

2) OUTSOURCE RESEARCH

One of the possibly tedious procedures of CoC is research, namely rolling for success repeatedly over days. This is why the Gunshoe system used in Trail of Cthulhu does away with rolls for clues in favour of automatic clues based on abilities.

My players went a step further.

One of them spent a morning researching, but wanted to go adventuring the next day. His solution? Rock up to the university and hire grad students.

As a former broke grad student, I can affirm that this is brilliant. Said player's character quickly got sliced up in an altercation, and the week he is in hospital students have done all his homework for him. He is out $5 a day for 3 grad students for 7 days, on total $105, but with a sheaf of clues to go on.

Worth every penny!

CONCLUSION

Call of Cthulhu 1-6E is an old mechanical system. However, my players are showing that with a bit of thought on how to connect the flesh of roleplaying to the mechanical bones of the D100 system they can make useful innovations. And Keepers should be just as willing to snag a player suggested houserule for their arsenal as they are to implement their own.

TGIF!

The Aftermath of The Haunting Session One

First, our wounded soldier is taken to Boston general. The First Aid on site would have netted 1D3 immediate healing, but that failed. Natural healing with rest is 1D3 per week, comes in after 7 days. If First Aid is applied successfully the first week of recuperation, +1D3 is netted (2D3 total). If instead Medicine is successfully applied, +2D3 is gained (3D3 total). So if J's character can be attendant physician and he makes the Medicine roll, C's soldier gets 3D3 healing. If the roll is failed, only 1D3.

Next, the Boston PD takes everyone's statements. Since you are all reputable citizens attacked by blade wielding toughs during the course of a lawful investigation, you are found to be the victims. The police cordon off the scene and determine that the house has not been broken into, and considering its ill repute, they decide not to go inside, but leave it locked. They do find the bloody switchblade in the grass, and the sigil on its handle turns out to be that of a cult involved in a major police action a decade ago, one that shocked the entire city. Of course you have all heard of the Church of Our Lord Granter of Secrets, the child disappearances and subsequent police raid that left several cultists and police dead in a fire at their downtown church, and lead to a massive cover up. The burnt ruins of the old church are still a mouldering eyesore southeast of downtown between the city center and the docks.

Police have fingerprinted the knife and found it to be of one Enki Giminez, a Catalan immigrant and former member of the above church. They have put out an APB and hope to apprehend Giminez and his group by the end of the week.

Mr Falstaff is quite alarmed at this turn of events, but is steadfast in his support of the investigators in getting to the bottom of the affair. He visits Hollinsworth in hospital to thank him for his efforts in protecting the property and assure him that the estate agency will continue the investigation until the matter is cleared up.

Falstaff also promises to try and find other investigators to bolster the group, and urges all members not to go unarmed, but carry a concealable firearm or other means of self defence.

Finally, the grad students will make their reports at the end of the week. Since there is no use in making multiple NPC rolls, this will just be several clues which should clarify what is going on with the house and lead the investigators towards a resolution.

The Haunting Session One Play Report

Diary of Robert Hollinsworth, Captain (ret.), His Majesty's Armed Forces

June 3, 1920

Boston, United States (former colonial England)

Having attended the offices of Mr. Falstaff after his intriguing invitation a ragtag team of investigators was formed to discern the nature of the troubles plaguing Falstaff’s newly acquired property. Said property fell to him after the death of an acquaintance, one Mr. Barns, who informed him of ill doings associated with the property. Apparently there was some sort of domestic affray there that ended with the incarceration of the parents in an asylum and the children becoming wards of the state. Barns requested that the property not be sold but Falstaff being a man of means intent on acquiring more naturally looks to profit on the property. Such is the nature of our investigation. Find what is amiss and report back so it can be properly felt with.


Our cabal of investigators comprises of three individuals who may not cross paths otherwise. There is a surgeon, a capable man, not at all swayed by the notion of things not of the natural world. We also have a somewhat suave socialite of considerable means who seems to be bored at the moment and has tagged along for some reason , maybe to get life experience, maybe to see how the other half lives, who knows. And of corse there is myself, a former soldier of the Great War turned historian, a man looking for the next intellectual pursuit and, more importantly, the next paying job.


Having formed we headed out and promptly went out separate ways. I to the library, the doctor to the police station, and the socialite for a pleasant morning adventure to the old property. Being comfortable with social interaction, a valuable trait in a doctor, the surgeon headed to the police station and spoke with an old acquaintance to learn more about the tragic tale of the family who lived there. Having found the name of the institution he next set out to speak with the medical staff there and possibly meet the family in question.




The socialite headed to the property. Though it was a fine day, the property close to his lodgings, and he in good health, he took a cab, which give his interaction proved to be a good idea. The property is situated in a neighborhood comprised largely on Italian immigrants and is quite overgrown and obviously vacant. It has not been the subject of vandalism. Either there is a civic pride in this area, or people give the property a wide berth. He did notice one curious element at odds with the surroundings. Someone had graffitied a symbol in yellow on the house. He reproduced it and showed it to us. Odd indeed. Noticing foot prints he followed these around the back to find two men who instead of talking chose to pull a knife and threaten him. He being of weaker fortitude, though probably right in action in the moment, fled back to the safety of the waiting cab.


I contented myself with hours of research in the library where I discovered the house was built pre civil war by a prominent merchant who fell ill and died. It changed ownership and the new person seems to have been sued by his neighbours in relation to untoward behaviour. Though this case was dismissed. In the afternoon we set about our chosen tasks. The surgeon and socialite headed to the institution holding the parents of the locations final residents. Under the guise of study the surgeon met with the director and found more about the situation, helped in the ethically tricky areas of professionalism by the application of money, or rather a generous donation to the institution, offered by our wealthy companion. The couple were by all accounts normal prior to the violent incident that landed them here. The man rambles continuously about red eyes and an old man of some considerable persuasion. The woman could not bee seen, though they did secure the reviewing of her file. The two seem to share with uncanny exactness the same delusion and psychosis. This the surgeon assures us in quite unheard of in the medical field.


Having heard of the street tuffs who threatened our companion I felt a stirring of adventure on though all but extinguished by the war. I decided to confront the tuffs to see what avenues that might lead down. But first I attended Harvard university and engaged the services of three grad students to continue the research. Thankfully a constant in this world is students who need money. I sent the geography doctoral student to the city to find any and all reference to the property and development in the area. The history student was sent to the newspaper to find all references to the said property and the anthropology student to the university archives to find all related to occult or ancient practices in the Massachusetts/Boston area.


The next morning after a good night sleep and a full breakfast we headed out to the property. Our socialite friend indicated there appeared to be more foot prints than on the previous day but as to whether they were made by the same foot or different foot he was completely oblivious, as he informed us, such trifling details mean little to him and his world. Not being one to hide from the enemy I chose to proceed directly to the back. The individuals were still here though apparently they had brought back up. Mustering my old Sergeant’s demeanour I greeted the gentlemen. Of what ethnicity they were we could not determine but their darker complexion, accent, and language suggests they were not originally from the United States. The individuals were clearly not in the mood to converse and pulled small knives. I chose not to draw my webley but to continue to engage, which was a mistake as it turns out as I had woefully underestimated the distance between us. The lead street tuff managed to tag me in the face with his blade. I tried to dodge the blow but my mind is far quicker than my body these days and years of war have taken their toll on my physicality it seem. As the blade sunk in I reached for my weapon. Fortunately the surgeon bravery came to my aid without hesitation. Quick of action but poor of aim he let off the first shot. This startled the lead attacker and gave me time to draw my revolver and blow a lump off of him. He at this all four would be toughs turns tail and ran. The doctor again with a spirited alacrity unleashed a few more rounds. He claims he was trying to injure the opponents legs to preserve them for questioning, but luck was not with him. I, being still on my feet after such a wound, for which I credit my previous service, managed two more shots but the wound to the face played the devil with my accuracy and I too followed the doctor’s path of failure. After the dust settled out fair weather friend returned. It seems when the situation touched off he decided it best to avoid a potential wounding, which as it turns out may not have been a bad course of action, though I am thankful the doctor stayed or it may have been a different story. Mistakes were made, lessons learned, and a new scar gained. The knife that struck me bore the same symbol that was painted on the front of the house. I shall provide this symbol to the student researchers to follow up on. We will need to take some to recuperate. It seems this is more involved than we first thought.

What I Learned From The Haunting Session 1

One of the things I love most about GMing a game, besides exercising my storytelling capabilities, is what I learn about the process of creating a shared fiction through roleplaying. Here is what I learned from last night's Call of Cthulhu session.

1) SHARED CREATIVITY IN RULINGS

We had a situation where a PC shot the knife-wielding leader of a group of toughs threatening the investigators. The question was how to determine if the toughs would stay & fight or cut and run.

I put the question to the players - in clunky old CoC, how should we adjudicate this?

One player suggested using SAN as morale when a henchmen sees his leader shot.

GENIUS! I applied it on the spot and the investigators rightfully drove the toughs off in a hail of gunfire, then got their wounded man to the hospital.

Rulings should not be the sole responsibility of the GM, but players should also be invited to bring their creativity to the process.

2) NO NPCS AS PUNCHING BAGS

I see this so much in players coming from D&D. They think social skills are magic and they can intimidate NPCs just by talking (I've posted on this previously HERE). I find it much more engaging and immersive if NPCs are the centers of their own worlds with their own objectives, and that the bigger world rolls on with or without the PCs. This makes even more sense in Cthulhu, where man is insignificant in the face of the cosmos, as opposed to the human centric conception of pre-Renaissance thought which also dominates heroic fantasy.

So when some NPCs with nefarious purposes were found hanging about the haunted house (my addition to the scenario), they of course tried to scare away the PCs and were deaf to any types of intimidation. The toughs were armed with switchblades, and although the PCs had firearms, they kept them hidden and just tried to scare off a group of toughs that outnumbered them.

Things escalated, a PC was stabbed, the investigators drew their guns (finally), winged the assailant and sent the thugs packing.

3) MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

One thing I found myself saying during the session was "Make it make sense," and this is now my GM / Keeper mantra. I think players get too hooked on rolls for social interaction and make up unconvincing stories just to get things out of NPCs.

For example, in our session, a surgeon approached a sanitarium where two survivors of a mysterious incident were kept. The players first discussed trying to fast talk their way in. This could lead to a dead end in the investigation, or even serious professional consequences if their ruse was found out.

"Make it make sense" I advised. I suggested they could offer themselves as wanting to learn more about psychology, or else offer to do a medical procedure.

"Why don't we say the surgeon is doing research on the environmental effects on victims of violent crime, and wants to interview the two patients?"

Brilliant. It made perfect sense in the context, and they rolled with it beautifully. I interjected once or twice when they strayed back into 'con the NPCs' territory, bit in the end they got lots of clues without compromising their professional standing.

And that is how it should be.

4) NO UNCLEARED ROLLS

Finally, I told the players to try not to just start making rolls without consulting the Keeper (me).  I am open to most suggestions, ie a player's idea of using SAN for morale was genius and I ate it up. But in my experience, players sometimes do a roll without clearing it with the GM first. The problems with this are the roll might not fit the situation, so the player wastes their time and feels dumb and the GM is uncomfortable having to shoehorn in something just because a roll was made. So better to clear it first so both sides can be satisfied.

CoC

 Did a first session of Call of Cthulhu’s The haunting last night. It was epic, and players were at the top of their game.

I will make a session report as soon as possible

In the meantime, this is what a player drew from the description of the cult sign I gave.. Stop showing them every little thing, explain, and just like a game of magic telephone, let the gaps between what’s in your mind and what’s theirs color the session.

1920 Conversation Starters

To get my players into the 1920 mindset, I did some research and made up this table of 1920 conversation starters.

Enjoy! 1920 Conversation Starters








1 What do you make of these ‘new women’? They got the vote, now they’re out all night dancing, bare ankles and arms. I’m all for it myself.








2 Y’know, I never even saw an automobile till the war. Now everyone has one. I can’t keep up with all the new makes and models.








3 Great time to be alive. You can’t lose on the stock market, new banks are popping up like mushrooms. It’s the start of a golden age!








4 Damn I could do with a drink! Who would have thought the crackpots would outlaw a stiff drink. After the war and wearing masks in the pandemic, we need a little diversion.








5 Have you heard this new music, what’s it called? Jazz! I bought my first radio now that they’re broadcasting








6 My new neighbors are blacks from down south. Nice folks, hard working, glad they got out of that place. We need more like them, not these communists coming from Europe!

Cultivating Curiosity, Social Media, Session Zero, and Prepping Atmosphere in Call of Cthulhu

So my CoC game is coming together, with 4 players signed up. As I noted, they are all D&D players with little to no experience with CoC. One sent me this text:


Q: Can you recommend any prep reading on the game itself or should I just check youtube to see what it is all about? I have heard of it but never played


In keeping with the horror genre, I want them to come with a sense of wonder and mystery, so replied thus:


A: I would say avoid the rules, get out of that game you mindset and get into having an immersive experience. Go watch the thing or season four of true Detective. Read the original short story the call of Cthulhu or watch the movie Dagon. If you just roll with it, lots of amazing crazy stuff happens. So just be open-minded.


With their curiosity peaked, I began my Social Media campaign with the following message:


Telegram from Mr. B. Falstaff. Require assistance with one of my properties. Checkered history, cannot keep tenants. Possible gas leak or criminal activity will provide remuneration. Please meet at my office downtown Boston next week at your leisure.


I also sent this photo from an actual Boston haunted house.

My message was so successful that one player was completely duped and replied,


Q: So you off to Boston then?


To which I returned:


A: Dated May 11, 1920


(To be fair, we are all distracted middle aged working dads, so a little confusion is to be expected)


Another played leaned into the game and replied:

To the honourable Mr. B. Falstaff. It is fortuitous that I should find myself delayed in my return home to England. Were it otherwise I would surely have missed your telegram. I shall forego my intended departure and make arrangements to travel to Boston on the earliest train. Your Humble servant, H.W.


This message was from the chap who had played once before, so he was doing a great job getting into the spirit and setting an example for the others. I answered him.


Dear friend, Thank you for your prompt reply. It encourages me that this matter will soon be concluded in a mutually profitable manner. Please note that you will not have to carry out the investigation alone. I have contacted a small number of professional men, like yourself, and await their replies to form a team of a half dozen redoubtable investigators. My contacts include the follow specialists: Journalist Parapsychologist Professor Historian Antiquarian Author Private Investigator Dilettante Doctor Lawyer Clergyman, etc Their company should help you conclude the investigation in a swift and safe manner. My acquaintances should reply in the next few days, and I await with anticipation to see the final make up of the team on Thursday. B. Falstaff, realtor Boston, MS

I was pleased when another player, who had never done anything except D&D, followed suit:


To B. Falstaff. Have concluded my research on the early colonies and the Salem witch trials and am happy to have received your offer. Will travel to Boston to meet and discuss the property in question, as well as remuneration. Looking forward to another adventure and funds to keep this old soldier going for a few more months. Your servant, Robert Hollingsworth.

The player who had played before also added the following note.


My Dear Mr. Falstaff, while the idea of profit does not intrigue me in the slightest. I have been meaning to come home to Boston for some time now and the idea of “gainful employment” may satisfy my benefactor’s wish that I “make something of myself”. Thus I shall be pleased to meet you at your chambers in a fortnight. Yours in mystery, William Fairweather III

Sadly, two other players were sidelined by real life and missed session 0, but I had a great time catching up and running them through character generation. They later sent me historical photos of their characters.

William Fairweather III, dilettante

Robert Hollingsworth, former soldier

Going to be great fun in two weeks!

CoC Rules Secrets & Surprises

As I noted with Stormbringer, a lot of the rules were fuzzy in my head from years away working, or else there were little tidbits of rules sequestered in different parts of the rulebook I had missed. I am finding much the same phenomenon with Call of Cthulhu, so here are the things that are standing out to me as I do my prep.

PARRY

You only get ONE chance a round at this, as opposed to multiple parries at cumulative 20% penalties in Stormbringer. Makes sense for Lovecraft as opposed to fantasy. Also, having parrying objects take damage also fits the genre, as opposed to weapons that only break on fumbles or criticals. Finally, not being able to parry Grapple is an interesting choice that I agree with as a martial artist.

DODGE

Surprising that this has two uses, as a kind of reflex save AND in combat. For the former, it is a good choice, but muddled in The Haunting by the DEX x 5% rolls to avoid falling. Just use the skill fellows! Allowing characters to try and dodge only the first bullet in a round is hilarious and very a propos.

In combat, having to choose between Attack & Parry OR Dodge & Parry has always been what I like about Chaosium games. I'll have to explain this well to my D&Ders.

IMPALES

I find it weird that with Impales, ie rolling 1/5 of skill with blades and bullets, you get this HUGE effect of doing double damage dice, but there is no equivalent advantage with blunt weapons. That is unless you apply the K.O. rule, which allows a roll of damage vs POW to knock out foes hit on a similar 1/5 of skill success. Since there is no mention of the need to call a K.O., I'll just assume that ANY critical with a blunt weapon has a chance to K.O. if the POW vs damage roll is failed. The low damage of blunt weapons vs high POW of characters should prevent this from being overpowered.

LARGE OPPONENTS

The rule with opponents over SIZ 30 giving human sized attackers +5% for every +10 SIZ is interesting considering the monsters they'll eventually face. Would also be worth porting to Stormbringer when facing dragons (20D8 SIZ, average 42) or similar creatures.

MARTIAL ARTS

I find this skill lackluster - you just get double damage if your roll is both a successful personal attack and under the Martial Art skill. Ho hum.

As a blackbelt in karate who has tried other styles, I would propose the following alternative rule:

Hard Striking Style (ie karate, sanda) - On a successful fist or foot attack AND Martial Arts roll, allows double damage die as above, also does normal damage on a successful parry.

Soft Striking Style (ie taichi, aikido) - On a successful defense (parry or dodge) AND Martial Arts roll, can also roll an attack, even if they have already attacked or are being defensive that round (ie parry and dodge only). Remember, characters can parry and dodge OR attack and parry in a round. This is a bit like the Stormbringer Riposte rule. Damage is NOT doubled, however.

Throwing (ie judo, jijitsu) - On a successful Grapple AND Martial Arts roll, can immediately apply the 2nd round effects (ie KO, immobilize, strangle etc) as per rulebook instead of waiting for the 2nd turn. If the Grapple succeeds but Martial Art fails, resolve effects as normal, ie over 2 rounds.

Of course, you could go through different styles of martial arts and make different combinations of the above effects, but it would be clunky and hardly worth the effort.

Call of Cthulhu Edition Changes

 So I've just found THIS thread that resumes how CoC has changed over the years.

TLDR, starting skill points has crept steadily upward:

1st Edition: 180 Skill Points (130 for Professional Skills and 50 for Personal Skills).

3rd Edition: 260 Skill Points (195 for Professional Skills and 65 for Personal Skills).

6th Edition: 390 Skill Points (260 for Professional Skills and 130 for Personal Skills).

7th Edition: Same as 6th Edition on average, although determined differently.

I think the last edition I played was 3E, and we were utterly useless and bumbling, so I don't think this will be a deal breaker.

Beaten to the Punch!

Looks like artist Jason Thompson has beaten me to the punch and already made a gorgeous poster for The Haunting!

If you want this work of art on your study wall, you can purchase it HERE.

I am not connected nor do I profit in any way.

Prepping The Haunting

So I am preparing to run that perennial Call of Cthulhu starter adventure, The Haunting, to a bunch of newbies. Having never played it myself, it was a bit of a shock to find how vague and almost unfinished it is. It reminds me of B1 In Search of the Unknown for D&D in that the DM (or Keeper in this case) has to fill in the blanks with lots of the adventure details.

I am cool with that, and adding the following:

The realtor, Mr Falstaff, who calls the group together

Some red herring toughs hanging outside the house (but who are secretly connected to the disappeared reverend)

A tighter story for the events of the night when the family left the house, inspired by The Shining

A two page graphic guide to the adventure, as I can't keep all the details in my head. It is like those illustrated D&D scenarios that were big a few years back. If there is interest I may share it here.

I am using 6E as it is what I have and I can't be arsed to learn 7E at this point. Maybe in future. But as you know, I have a soft spot for older Chaosium products.

Session 0 is Tuesday, wish me luck!

Here is the message I sent them via SNS:



Telegram from Mr. B. Falstaff. Require assistance with one of my properties. Checkered history, cannot keep tenants. Possible gas leak or criminal activity will provide remuneration. Please meet at my office downtown Boston next week at your leisure.

Dated May 11, 1920

Prepping D&D People for Call of Cthulhu

So, I have a roleplaying group forming of old friends. They have only ever played D&D, and so we are doing Call of Cthulhu as a bridge towards newer games such as Spirit of '77 or other Powered by the Apocalypse games.

I have told them to not read anything and to 'go in fresh'. But I think it only fair that I prepare a little screed that will help them get their heads geared towards a Lovecraftean horror roleplaying session after fantasy roleplaying.

There are LOTS of great articles out there on transitioning from D&D to CoC (THIS one particularly), but I thought I'd put down the salient points I see.

1) HEROIC FANTASY vs COSMIC HORROR

First, they should know the difference in how genre affects play. First, there is player character mortality:

HF: Never say die! We have enough HP and healing to tank any battle.
CH: Everyone dies eventually, unless they hide, run away, or go insane. The fun is in seeing how far you get.

Next, gear:

HF: Get a rune weapon! This well let you take on any Big Bad!
CH: Don't touch anything. Sure it might let you wield cosmic power, but that will only hasten your physical or mental demise.

Finally, victory.

HF: We cut though mooks until we storm Hell and take out the Demon Lord!
CH: We lost two guys to ghouls getting to the crypt of the unspeakable horror. We dynamited the entrance so that it can never come to the surface again.

2) NPCs

In fantasy, NPCs are to be saved or used for loot. In horror, they are denizens of the world all mired in their own little lives. If you run around brandishing weapons or threatening them, the authorities will be called. If you play your role and cooperate with authorities, you may be able to rely on them once in a while for information, limited material aid, or a cavalry charge.

3) POWER LEVELS & EQUIPMENT

This is not in the rules, as players used to horror gaming do this naturally. To help players coming from more heroic games, I have created this framework:

1 Babes in the Woods 
Starting Gear: Only improvised weapons or Luck roll to get occupational everyday weapon. 
Opponent Type: Opponents are usually human or low level supernatural.
Mortality: PC death unlikely but not impossible. 
Progress: Progress to next level after first encounter with evil (ie SAN loss, creature kill, or scenario finished.

2 Fighting Back
Starting Gear: Concealed legal weapons or occupational weapons.
Opponent Type: Opponents are basic supernatural
Mortality: Death possible, avoided only through careful roleplaying.
Progress: Progress to next level after first encounter with evil. (ie major SAN loss, 3 scenarios, or 3 creature types killed)

3 Hunted Become Hunters
Starting Gear: Any weapon they can obtain, legal or otherwise. 
Opponent Type: Opponents are alien or otherworldly.
Mortality: Death of one or all is a distinct possibility.
Progress: After a major milestone is achieved (ie one PC goes insane, campaign finished, or servitor or major entity killed)

4 Nuclear Option
Starting Gear: Whatever they can secure, but it probably won't do much good.
Opponent Type: Unimaginable horrors, 
Mortality: Probably unavoidable.
Progress: Death, insanity, or retirement to NPC mentor status.

If you have players coming from D&D or other power fantasy games, make sure they see this before you begin. Moreover, make sure they can see the fun in this style of play, otherwise the horror may be the gap in expectations and problems this cause during the session.

Reanimating Lovecraft # 3 - 4th Dimensional Horrors

So far, I have shown how adding moral complexity and reality warping damage can make gaming in Lovecraft's world fresh again. Now, I'll give some insights on adding 4th dimensional horrors, body horror, and surrealism into the mix.

4TH DIMENSIONAL HORROR

In the novel Flatland, 2D creatures can only see one crossection of 3D entities at a time. A sphere would thus be seen by a Flatlander as an increasingly large, then decreasingly small circle.

(XKCD had fun with the concept HERE)

In the same way, we 3 dimensional beings should only see higher dimensional beings in partial and disturbing forms. These abhorrent appearances also affect gameplay in the following ways:

EFFECTS OF 4D MONSTER APPEARANCE

1 Timeshifted Embryo - The entity looks like a grotesque embryonic form of itself inside of a sloshing embryonic sac. Roll 1D8 armor for cutting through it every time it is attacked.

2 Living Shadow - The entity looks like a silhouette form of itself. Its Dodge changes from DEX x 2% to DEX x4 %.

3 Undead Yet Alive - The entity looks like a grotesquely rotted corpse form of itself. SAN loss is doubled.

4 Pestilent Smell - The entity is invisible, but its horrendous stench presages an attack. Defenses and attacks against the monster are limited to the Smell % of the character.

5 Deafening Rush - The entity is invisible, but its unearthly susurrus presages an attack. Defenses and attacks against the monster are limited to the Listen % of the character.

6 Fleshly Touch - The entity can only be touched by living beings, all weapons pass right through it. Fisticuffs are the only way to damage it, but touching its scabrous skin incurs another SAN roll.

7 Must Be Atomized  - The entity shrugs off damage. It regains 2D6 HP per round until returned to full health, even after death, unless burned or otherwise atomized.

8 Reflector - The entity looks like the Investigator it attacks, and other characters must make a one time INT x 3% roll to tell the difference.

BODY HORROR

One thing hinted at in Reanimator and Event Horizon is the body horror implicit in many of Lovecraft's works, as humans devolve into monstrous forms. Strangely enough, the original Tomb Raider game also had an Antarctic facility that could change bodies into monsters, a very Lovecraftian horror in a suitable Antarctic cyclopean locale.

Keepers can introduce an ancient machine, a potion, a curse, or some other means to cause Investigators to undergo a horrific metamorphosis. Overt ime, the afflicted slowly morphs into one of the creatures below (feel free to substitute your own entries). NB: Keep the result of this roll secret for maximum dread.

1 Formless spawn

2 Ghoul

3 Deep One

4 Wendigo

5 Mi Go

6 Star Vampire

7 Serpent People

8 Hunting Horror

Every week of game time, the Keeper chooses an attribute of the monster to appear on the afflicted Investigator. These could include any of the following:

- Add or subtract 1D6 to an attribute. This process can continue until the number of dice rolled matches that for the creature.

- Add a physical feature, starting with minor features like sallow skin or dark eyes, and progressing to major ones like wings or new body form.

- Add a game mechanic power, such as armor, POW drain, etc.

- Add a characteristic such as unnatural speech or need to be in cold environs

For every change, the player must make a SAN roll equal to that of the creature the Investigator is morphing into. At the end of the transformation, if the Investigator still has any Sanity left, they are a monster haunted by the soul of an Investigator. If their SAN reaches 0, they have mercifully forgotten who they are and are completely subsumed by their new, monstrous identity. Time for a new character!

SURREALISM

Lovecraft's Dreamlands were a setting that brought his mythos out of cosmic horror and into surreal territory. I suggest leaning heavily into this for any scenarios that wander into the Dreamlands or other mythic territory.

In my last CoC game, the players were enthralled by the Dreamlands, where they had taken refuge after Nazi occultists had taken over the Earth. While there, they had access to the following arcane knowledge:

SUMMON CATS (spell, MP 4, SAN 1D4)

Only usable in the Dreamlands. In cities such as Ulthar, causes 2d100 cats to appear out of shadows and alleyways to stare in silence at the caster. If the caster is a cat lover or has done a good service to cats, he or she may receive a boon, such as being presented to The Mother of Cats, introduced to a teacher of the Cat Dance, or be told a secret. Note that there is no Control Cats spell, as cats only do what they want to do. Cats can also chase away Ghouls, Ghasts, and any other Dreamlands creature the Keeper sees fit.

CAT DANCE (skill)

A skill that can only be learned from the Priests of Bast. The skill can be used in two ways:

1) As an alternate Dodge skill. On the plus side, the character can Dodge and do any unarmed attack they know as they do so. On the minus, they can't use any weapons while Cat Dancing, and unarmed attack skill can never exceed Cat Dance skill.

2) As a show to make friends with any cat-based monster or deity. For example, meeting Bast.

Extended Dreamlands - The Keeper can borrow dreamlands from other media or their own inspirations, such as the Cat Dream from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, or from the works of Michel Moorcock.

How Call of Cthulhu Should Be Played

 THIS right here.

Brilliant stuff.

Threat Levels in Horror Gaming pt 2 - advancement

 I realized that in the last post I did not articulate a way to change threat levels. Here are some ideas for progressing from one threat level to the next:

Babes in the Woods

Lose 1/10 Sanity, finish 1 adventure, OR kill one Mythos creature.

Fighting Back

Lose 1/4 Sanity, finish 3 adventures, OR kill three types of Mythos creatures.

Hunted Becomes Hunters

One party member goes insane, the party finishes a major campaign, OR kill one servitor or major Mythos opponent.

Nuclear Option

The only way out is death, insanity, or retirement to NPC ally status.

Threat Levels in Horror Gaming

 Horror gaming in older systems such as Call of Cthulhu often does not work as intended because players don't follow the tenets of the genre. Whereas the first stop on many a PC's journey is the gun shop, arming up is usually a last resort for characters from cosmic horror, and is arguably futile.

In game terms, this mismatch often translates to a jarring gaming experience, such as a cakewalk against supposedly unstoppable odds, or a TPK from misuse of lethal weapons. I have had an entire campaign derailed by an attempt to rob dynamite from a construction site, and a PC commit suicide after being stopped for wielding firearms in broad daylight.

To keep the horror in horror while letting the PCs be heroes, I'll be using the following 4 levels of  threat escalation to determine what resources player characters should have access to.

Note that the key to using threat levels is to communicate them clearly to players and gain their agreement that the current level for individuals or the entire party matches their roleplaying motivation, backstory, or experience.

1 Babes in the Woods

The investigators don't know the horror is real yet, and are unprepared for it.Weapons are limited to improvised or any provided by occupation (ie a Policeman or woman would have a Luck roll to see if they are carrying their service revolver, nothing more). Opponents are usually human or near-human, such as cultists or disguised serpent men. Conversely, downed PCs may be captured or wake in hospital, and should rarely be killed.

2 Fighting Back

The investigators have caught a glimpse of the true nature of the universe, and the horrors within. PCs are limited to any legal armament that they have the time and finances to secure, but still have to conceal or secure these while in public or risk investigation by the authorities. They will still be unarmed in social or official venues. Opponents are bestial or monstrous, such as Byakhee or Mi Go. One PC may be killed, but fleeing should allow others to avoid a TPK.

3 The Hunted Become The Hunters

Investigators are now seasoned and somewhat paranoid, being the object of frequent attack, and never have less than one concealed weapon on them at all times. PCs have gained access to illegal armament, and are often in emergency situations where they can be wielded openly. Opponents can be aliens or servitors of the gods themselves, such as the Wendigo, or Cthuloids. If players aren't cautious, they should be warned that deaths of one or all party members are in the cards.

4 The Nuclear Option

Investigators can have any weapon, and may even call on airstrikes or torpedoes. However, considering that they are up against the Old Ones or Outer Gods themselves, this should be effectively useless, a time-biding measure to stave off armageddon. PCs are putting themselves in mortal peril, and the possibility of deaths or even TPKs should be acknowledged by all at the table.

Note that the Keeper can adjust the level of threat to match the campaign. Call of Cthulhu games typically can start as level 1 Babe In The Woods horror one shots, or else could be level 2 investigators. However, Esoterrorists characters are created with their first supernatural meeting behind them, so usually start out at level 2 or 3.

Social Class & Stormbringer Style Characters for Call of Cthulhu

So, character generation in Call of Cthulhu is boring and largely meaningless. Roll 2d6+6 for inflated stats, none of which will matter hereafter. Here is a list of occupations, a couple of skills, take an arbitrary lump sum of skill points and distribute them. Don't forget to look up the arbitrary skill defaults while you're at it.

Ho hum.

I know I’m a broken record on this, but I've always disliked the disconnect in Chaosium games between attributes and skills. It doesn’t matter how high or low your DEX is, everyone shoots a gun at the same starting percentage. This is not very realistic, and the lump sum distribution of skill points is equally uninspiring.

Although classic Stormbringer tried to connect these more, the calculations were a bit fiddly and not worth the trouble.

In the Stormbringer houserules I devised, skill percentages are determined by multiplying attributes, providing a much stronger link between skills and ability. If all soldiers have Weapon skill at DEX x 5%, one with a DEX of 10 will not be as good as another with a DEX of 15. A 50% chance to hit pales in comparison with 75%.

What if we port this over to Call of Cthulhu? Here is how I would implement it:

1) Introduction: Skill and Social Class

In this system, all the starting skills in the Occupation descriptions (see rulebook) are determined by multiplying the Skill Modifier by the requisite attribute. The average Skill Modifier is 5 x the appropriate attribute, but this may be reduced due to social class. Here is a list of all skills and their relevant attributes:

INT SKILLS

Accounting, Anthropology, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Electronics, Geology, History, Law, Library Use, Mechanics, Medicine, Natural History, Navigate, Occult, Other Languages, Own Language, Pharmacy, Physics, Psychology 

CHA SKILLS

Bargain, Credit Rating, Disguise, Fast Talk, Persuade, Psychoanalysis 

DEX SKILLS

Conceal, Dodge, Drive, Ride, Handguns, Hide, Locksmith, Operate Heavy Machinery, Pilot, Rifles, Shotguns, Sneak, Submachine Guns

 

STR SKILLS

Climb, Fist, Punch, Grapple, Headbutt, Jump, Swim, Throw

 

POW SKILLS

First Aid, Listen, Photography, Spot Hidden, Track

OTHER SKILLS

Craft (varies STR, DEX or POW)

Cthulhu Mythos (as normal rules)

Martial Arts (Decide whether you have learned a hard style based on STR or soft style based on DEX. 

For hard styles, when you roll an attack such as Punch or Kick, if a success is under both Punch / Kick & Martial Arts, you do double damage. Also, if a successful attack you roll is Parried, the parrying character takes half damage.

For soft styles, when you roll a Parry or Dodge as normal, if a success is under both the Parry / Dodge & Martial Arts, you can roll a Grapple attack to throw the attacker.

NEW SKILLS

You could also make up new skills based on this principle. CON skills are noticeably absent, so things like Resist Poison, Resist Pain, Resist Hunger etc could all be CON based.

2) Step One: Roll Attributes & Social Class

First, roll ALL attributes on 3D6. That's right, suck it up, buttercup! You'll be getting some historically accurate, wildly uneven people.

Your EDU score determines your Social Class as follows. This affects your starting money and occupational skill base of x 5% as follows:

3 Destitute. Starting money is 1/10. Skill modifier is  x 2% because you were always too busy making ends meet to concentrate on education.

4-5 Poor. Starting money is 1/4. Skill modifier (explained below) is at x 3% because you were stressed by your lack of means.

6-8 Lower middle class. Starting money is 1/2. Skill modifier (explained below) is x 4% because you had to work twice as hard as anyone above you.

9-12 Middle class. Starting money is as normal. Skill modifier (explained below) is normal (x 5%) because you were supported enough to reached your full potential.

13-15 Upper middle class. Starting money is x 2. Skill modifier (explained below) is x 4% because you were profligate.

16-17 Rich. Starting money is x 4. Skill modifier (explained below) is x 3% because you had it easier than most and coasted to success.

18 Millionaire class. Starting money is x 10. Skill modifier (explained below) is at x 2% because you never had to work a day in your life.

3) Step Two: Choose Occupation & Determine Skills

Occupations are classed into three levels, Lower, Middle, and Upper Class Occupations, and Occupational Skill Modifier is as above. Also, if you choose an Occupation from outside your class, you get a - 1 to your skills modifier for every level of difference . For example, an upper class character (base skill modifier x 2) would have no penalty being a doctor, but would get - 1 (so base skill x 1%) for 'slumming it' as a middle class police detective. This reflects both how rigid class distinctions are, as well as the reduced efficiency individuals have for doing a profession outside their habitus or social origin.

Level 1 - Lower Class Occupations (For Destitute, Poor, or Lower middle class Social Classes). Consists of disenfranchised, workers, outsiders.

Ex. Artist (unsuccessful), Author (unsuccessful), Entertainer (unsuccessful),Criminal, Hobo, Revolutionary, Tribal Fisherman, Tribal Warrior

NB: A player with an arts occupation PC rolls versus Luck or CHA x1% at creation to see if they are successful or not.

Level 2 - Middle class Occupations (For Middle class or Upper middle class Social Classes). Consists of professionals, public servants.

Ex. Athlete, Clergyman, Engineer, Farmer/Woodsman, Foot Soldier, Journalist, Missionary, Police Detective, Police Patrolman, Private Investigator

Level 3 - Upper Class Occupations (For Rich or Millionaire class Social Classes)
All Academics (until the 1970's when Neoliberalism kicks in and they become middle class). Politicians or leaders.

Ex. Antiquarian, Artist (successful), Author (successful), Dilettante, Doctor of Medicine, 

Entertainer (successful), Lawyer, Military Commander, Musician (successful), Parapsychologist, Professor.

For example, a middle class character (base skill modifier x 5) who wants to be a professor (one class above so will have skills at, while a 

4) Step Three: Determine Other Skills

Roll 1D6+2, then distribute these as attribute x 1% per point among any skills you want. You can beef up occupational skills or else take non occupational skills.

Emergency Defaults

In an emergency, a character is considered to have attribute x 1% in any skill they need that they could logically have. If you (surprisingly) haven't taken any skill in Pistol, if you pick one up in a firefight you are considered to have DEX x 1%, not 0%. However, a North American policeman character dropped into ancient Egypt would not be able to speak the language at INT x 1%.

5) Standard of Living

Along with the importance of social class for occupation and skill selection, it also strongly affects characters' lifestyles. 

ALL player characters lose 1% of their wealth between sessions to reflect the cost of living. This means lower class characters will also have to think of making ends meet while fighting cosmic horrors. In case rich characters hire poorer ones, or they get hired by NPCs, daily salary for the 1920's and 30's is INT in dollars per day, multiplied by social class level. So a character  would get INT x1 if lower class, x 2 if middle, and 3 x if upper class.

6) Roleplaying Effects

Social class also affects player and non-player character interaction as follows.

Same social level - Friendly, helpful.

One level apart - Guarded, does the minimum required.

Two levels apart - Arrogant or resentful, refuses help if not in their interest.

Conclusion

If you don't see the use or the fun in this proposal, don't use it. As for me, I think like my previous post on subtext in Lovecraft, this would really add depth to roleplaying, and is thus worth the effort.

Reanimating Lovecraft # 2 - Warping Reality

Lovecraftean horror has reached peak saturation in RPGs. However, except for possibly The Yellow King RPG from Pelgrane, I don't see much new being done.

(Disclaimer: I haven't played loads, so if you know of some groundbreaking Cthulhu mythos RPG, leave a comment).

My recent Call of Cthulhu campaign, for all the fun, was a whirlwind tour of old fiction and gaming tropes. Nazis? Check. Time travel? Check. Dimensional jumps? Check. Alternate histories? Check. Ancient aliens? Check.

Yawn.

There were moments where it felt like we were pushing the envelope, mostly after we hit The Dreamlands, but they weren't enough. In this post I'll take off the chocks and see how far we can push the genre. I wish I knew enough of other rulesets, but I'll stick with the old fallback Call of Cthulhu (CoC), pre 7th edition.

COSMIC HORROR BENDS THE RULES

As the cosmic horrors bend and shape reality, so too should they bend and shape the rules. One of the things that got most tedious in our CoC game was combat, especially the myriad rolls to hit, defend, or do damage. Here is a table to return terror to combat by having damage done reflect the eldritch nature of mythos creatures.

1 Aging - Every point of damage is a year added to your age. Physical skills become capped at 100 - age, so if you are 66, your maximum physical skill becomes 34% (100 - 66 = 34).

2 De-aging -  Every point of damage is a year subtracted from your age. Stats cannot exceed age, so for example if you are reduced to 8 years old, no attribute can be over 8. Skills are capped at relative attribute x 5%, so an 8 year old's skills couldn't exceed 40%.

3 Alienation - Damage is taken from your CHA. Maximum social skills (Persuade, Fast talk etc) are CHA x 5%. For example, if you have a Charisma of 3, no social skill can exceed 15%. If your CHA becomes negative, it is used as maximum value for a SAN damage roll. For example, if your CHA become - 3, you can do 1-3 SAN damage to someone who fails a Sanity roll when interacting with the soulless void you have become.

4 Withering - Damage is taken from your STR. Maximum physical skills (Climb, Grappling etc) are STR x 5%. For example, if  you have a STR of 3, no physical skill can exceed 15%. A STR of 0 means you die from weakness, your body a strange limp jellyfish that incurs a 0/1 Sanity loss to behold.

5 Warping - Damage is taken from your DEX as your body is warped into horrific shapes. Maximum agility skills (Dodge, Dance etc) are DEX x 5%. For example, if you have a DEX of 3, no agility skill can exceed 15%. If your DEX becomes 3 or less, you are an invalid unable to stand. A DEX of 0 means you die from spastic convulsions.

6 Dulling - Damage is taken from your INT. Maximum knowledge skills (any science, language etc) are INT x 5%. If you have a INT of 3, no knowledge skill can exceed 15%. If your INT becomes 3 or less, you are a vegetable unable to control your body. An INT of 0 or less means you die from brain implosion.

7 Draining - Damage is taken from your POW. This affects Sanity and magic casting as per the rules. If your POW becomes 0 or negative, you become a ghost (see rulebook) and rise from the dead the next night to drain your former comrades. 

8 Weakening - Damage is taken from your CON.  A CON of 0 means you die from weakness. If your CON becomes negative, you become a vampire (see rulebook) and rise from the dead the next night to slake your thirst from your former comrades. 

9 Shrinking - Damage is taken from your SIZ. This affects damage bonus done as per the rules. If your SIZ becomes negative, you shrink down to the Quantum Realm and have to battle its horrors. A TPK might spawn an entirely new genre of play.

10 Devolution - The strange energies from the horror knock you down the evolutionary ladder. Damage is recorded as normal, but when HPs reach zero, the character transmutes into a lower lifeform (1d4/1d6+1 SAN loss to witness). Keep INT the same but roll all other attributes as per the rulebook. New form is (roll 1d6) 

1 gorilla 
2 crocodile 
3 python 
4 giant squid 
5 condor 
6 Keeper's choice. 

The player can continue using the morphed character, but with logical limits (ie no human speech, lack of prehensile hands, need to be immersed in water, etc). The transformation incurs a 1/1d6 Sanity loss to behold.

11 Mutation - The strange energies from the horror change you into something... else. (roll 1d6)

1 Gains horrific glowing eyes that can see into other dimensions or angles of reality, including normally invisible things. No protection against SAN loss.
2 Has a semi-transparent body immune to normal damage but taking double from mythos creatures. 
3 Acquires movement that is out of step with reality, gains automatic dodge roll against any attack but fumble (00) means the PC slips into a crack in reality and is lost on other planes.
4 Becomes pale soul vampire, no longer requires mundane food but sucks POW for sustenance, needs 1 POW per day and an extra 1 for d6 healing.

5 Splits into two personalities, the normal good one, and a bestial alternate. Latter gains 1d to all physical attributes and doubles agility skills, but has unsatiable bloodlust, ie must kill in combat or daily.

6 Is a living corpse, immune to mental attacks, persuasion, gases, drowning etc, but also unable to use social skills and reeks of the grave. Can be destroyed by physical attacks.

The transformation incurs a 1/1d6 Sanity loss to behold, and 0/1 when seen thereafter.

12 Memory - Damage effaces your knowledge.  Choose a random skill and take damage from that. There is a reason Level Drain was so feared in D&D it was nerfed in later editions.

NEXT TIME

4th Dimensional Horror

Body Horror

Surrealism

How to Run CoC in 2021

 (taken from an exchange on the I'm Begging You To Play Another RPG Facebook page)

Question: "If there’s one thing I’ve learned from D&D, it’s that all RPGs have three core books. What are the core books for your game?"

Tedankhamen: CoC rulebook, Dreamlands of Unknown Kadath, my fevered brain

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• Mr X "my fevered brain" is my favorite rpg sourcebook 

  

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    Tedankhamen

    Yeah, it is why this game has gone 10 sessions with no signs of stopping, we've left Earth for the Dreamlands, and PCs are picking up skills like The Cat Dance and spells like Summon Cats. Epic, off the rails.

    

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  • Mr X summoning cats is definitely the most important spell

    

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    Tedankhamen I'm also realizing that CoC is dated and clunky, but also great fun when hacked this way.

    

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    Tedankhamen It will probably save their lives and end the campaign...

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  • Mr X I've yet to play CoC, but I imagine the weirder you go the better it gets

    

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    Tedankhamen Oh definitely! The rules themselves give an old school, clunky 'this is mundane reality' vibe, THEN you throw Dreamlands or non=Euclidean physics at them. It is the upending of the sane mesh of rules from whence the cosmic horror emanates bwahahahahaha

    

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  • Mr X I love that! I like challenging my players assumptions about how the world works (within reason) to keep them on their toes, or in this case, reinforce the themes of the game

    

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    Tedankhamen  It is unintended consequence of outdated game design and Beggar psychology / gaming methodology