NB: This is a work in progress and spinning out much longer than I intended, so I'll post it unfinished and tinker at it during the holidays.
Too bad! It is splendid. I would dearly love to run a Ravenloft campaign with the same vibe.
Here are some random tables that might spice up a retroclone game of Captain Kronos. They are divided into PLAYER CHARACTER TABLES to make a protagonist, and VAMPIRE TABLES to make antagonists. These rules are meant to slip over your OSR ruleset of choice. If not using an OSR ruleset, substitute with minor bonus appropriate to the rules you are using.
PLAYER CHARACTER TABLES
Captain Kronos is dripping with atmosphere and intriguing character details. To replicate this in your game, roll on the following tables when creating Player Characters (PCs).WHO ARE YOU? (1d6)
1 Disgraced noble - Double your starting money, but any other noble has a 5% per level chance of recognizing you and scorning you for your secret shame.
2 Runaway peasant - Half your starting wealth, but other peasants always react to you kindly and have a 5% per level chance of pointing you in the right direction.
3 Mysterious hunchback - You have a 5% chance per level of having an item (potion, key, gadget) useful for the predicament at hand.
4 Handsome farmhand / Alluring peasant girl - You are astonishingly attractive. 5% per level chance of an antagonist sparing you and taking you captive instead, or revealing a damning secret to you.
5 Gypsy - You are always harassed by nobles and authorities, but your quick wits and wisdom always save the day. 5% chance per level of knowing a secret (a hidden route, relationship between NPCs, history of a mansion) that will be useful during a crisis situation.
6 Vampire Attack Survivor - You never talk of it, but the scars are plain to see. You get +1 to resist any spell or attack from a vampire.
WHAT DRIVES YOU?
Hieronymous: "He... he gets like this. Before a hunt."
Carla: "I know."
Hieronymous: "Memories, I think. Of his losses. His wife and his..."
Carla: "To be expected. That's what made him HIM."
Hieronymous: "Yes. It drives him."
Carla: "What did you lose that made you turn to the trade."
Hieronymous: "Me? Nothing. Just scientific curiosity. A scholarly quest into the esoteric."
Carla: "That got out of hand."
Hieronymous: "What drives you then, my dear?"
Carla: "I had no prospects. That village, that little world... it would have been my life."
Each PC has a drive that keeps them going in their fight, and gives them a certain edge.
2 Bloodlust - You see red and become a beast when fighting the undead. You get + 1 to attack and damage and can keep fighting to negative HP, but you cannot run away.
3 Scientific curiosity - Only knowledge can drive away the darkness.
4 Your family history - No one knows, but the blood of vampires is entwined with your lineage. Once a session, you can
5 Vengeance for a friend - Your friend's dying words compel you to avenge them.
WHAT DRIVES YOU? (1d6)
1 Lost loved ones - Their faces still haunt you, as does your failure to protect them. +1 or 5% to all rolls against the killer of your kin, and you get double vampire experience (see Advancement below) when you destroy them.2 Bloodlust - You see red and become a beast when fighting the undead. You get + 1 to attack and damage and can keep fighting to negative HP, but you cannot run away.
3 Scientific curiosity - Only knowledge can drive away the darkness.
4 Your family history - No one knows, but the blood of vampires is entwined with your lineage. Once a session, you can
5 Vengeance for a friend - Your friend's dying words compel you to avenge them.
6 Adventure - For the first time, you feel truly alive.
1) Bonus experience or advancement when you fulfill a mission.
2 Connections or support when in need.
1 Papists - Rome has sent you to purge evil and recover any holy artifacts you may find. Each relic found and returned counts as a vampire slain for experience purposes.
2 Gypsies - Your people survive due to their knowledge of the land and its inhabitants. Once a session, you can find a path, call on
3 Statists - The Empire wants the rule of law to extend to all parts of its domain. Once a session, you can call for reinforcements who show up on your side when you are outnumbered.
4 Pagans - You follow the Old Faith, and know certain charms to help you. Once a session,
5 Mystics - Your fellows and you crave mystical power at any expense. Each magic item found and recovered counts as a vampire slain for experience purposes. Also, you can
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET FACTION? (1d8)
All vampire hunters have links to various shadowy organizations that may help them with either of the following:
2 Connections or support when in need.
1 Papists - Rome has sent you to purge evil and recover any holy artifacts you may find. Each relic found and returned counts as a vampire slain for experience purposes.
2 Gypsies - Your people survive due to their knowledge of the land and its inhabitants. Once a session, you can find a path, call on
3 Statists - The Empire wants the rule of law to extend to all parts of its domain. Once a session, you can call for reinforcements who show up on your side when you are outnumbered.
4 Pagans - You follow the Old Faith, and know certain charms to help you. Once a session,
5 Mystics - Your fellows and you crave mystical power at any expense. Each magic item found and recovered counts as a vampire slain for experience purposes. Also, you can
6 Illuminati - Your secret council craves the keys to world domination, especially the secret to immortality.
7 The Academy - You are a (wo)man of science, a professor studying natural phenomena.
8 Vampire Hunters - The society of hunters
1 A holy artifact named after a saint. Does double damage against demons and the undead.
2 An Asian weapon (katana, nunchaku, or naginata). Does an extra die of damage, but hits you on a fumble if you don't save.
3 A steampunk weapon (repeating crossbow, compound bow, electric baton). Choose either double damage, damage to all in area, OR double number of attacks. Jams and is unusable until repaired during downtime on a fumble.
4 Blackpowder paired flintlock pistols or a musket. Does x2 damage, x4 if a critical is rolled. Can only be used once per combat.
5 Explosives.
6 A whip. It's almost an extension of your body.
"Each species has its own talents and peculiarities. Some feed on blood, others on vital essence, others still on youth. The variation is endless. Some cannot cross water. Others cannot abide salt. Many fear daylight and burn in the sun, while others could pass for you or me in broad day and offer 'Good morrow'."
In the world of Kronos, the word vampire means more than our narrow term, with its limited range of power and weaknesses. Instead, each vampire has its own unique powers and weaknesses, so the vampire hunter's first job is to find out what these are, then prepare to defend against or exploit them before launching an attack.
7 The Academy - You are a (wo)man of science, a professor studying natural phenomena.
8 Vampire Hunters - The society of hunters
WHAT'S YOUR WEAPON?
Vampire hunters are known for choosing curious weapons.
2 An Asian weapon (katana, nunchaku, or naginata). Does an extra die of damage, but hits you on a fumble if you don't save.
3 A steampunk weapon (repeating crossbow, compound bow, electric baton). Choose either double damage, damage to all in area, OR double number of attacks. Jams and is unusable until repaired during downtime on a fumble.
4 Blackpowder paired flintlock pistols or a musket. Does x2 damage, x4 if a critical is rolled. Can only be used once per combat.
5 Explosives.
6 A whip. It's almost an extension of your body.
ADVANCEMENT
Forget XP for advancement. Instead, if a character defeats as many vampire threats as their next level, they proceed to that level. For instance, if a 1st level character destroys 2 vampire threats, then he becomes second level.VAMPIRE TABLES
"Each species has its own talents and peculiarities. Some feed on blood, others on vital essence, others still on youth. The variation is endless. Some cannot cross water. Others cannot abide salt. Many fear daylight and burn in the sun, while others could pass for you or me in broad day and offer 'Good morrow'."
In the world of Kronos, the word vampire means more than our narrow term, with its limited range of power and weaknesses. Instead, each vampire has its own unique powers and weaknesses, so the vampire hunter's first job is to find out what these are, then prepare to defend against or exploit them before launching an attack.
SAVE VS VAMPIRE BITE
"But I survived a vampire's bite!"
"He is not the man you are."
Characters can save vs vampire bite.
"A vampire only bleeds at the moment of its death."
Hieronymous: "If a vampire should bestrode, close to the grave of a dead toad. Then the vampire, life shall give. And suddenly, the toad shall live."
There are as many forms of vampire as there are beasts of prey! As are the methods of their destruction."
VAMPITE HUNTER REPUTATION
"In the shadow-world your name is spoken with dread. A killer of the night-kind, emboldened by god."
The more vampires a hunter kills, the greater their renown both among townsfolk and the undead.
"So the cross hurts you, but not your children."
VAMPIRES AND THE WORLD
"This poor town is a place of livestock. Your prize herd is the unwitting population, nurtured and kept safe so that it may be milked of blood."
ANIMALS & THE UNDEAD
"The horse is spooked! It shies from the living dead here."
Animals always react to the presence of the undead.
"I'm a Castine by birth, and the Castine are blessed by many dark secrets."
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF VAMPIRISM? (1d10)
1 Biblical curse - The2 Family lineage - Instead of a lone vampire, their are an additional 1d4 family members sharing the same curse.
3 Occult studies - There may be a cure with a concerted effort of scientific and arcane research, followed by a quest for necessary materials.
4 Plague side effect - Remember the plague?
5 Deal with the Devil - Whether lusting for power or at a weak point, they signed a pact.
6 Cursed by witches - This means there are 1d4 witches in a coven nearby.
7 Returned from hell for being too evil - This vampire has known death and fell.
8 Turned by another vampire - The vampire might hate their actions and hope to die, but their sire will be waiting in the shadows.
9 Unholy relic
10 Heresy or great sin
METHOD OF VAMPIRE DESTRUCTION (1d20)
Each vampire can only be destroyed in one specific way. Scientists believe it is due to their physical make up, while the dogmatic believe it to be a curse by God.
Expect both a clue to the weakness in the surroundings, as well as one or more red herrings.
1 Flames
2 Strangulation - Whether hung by a noose or
3 Wooden Stake
4 Sunlight
5 Garlic
6 Steel
7 A cross
8 Running water
9 Explosion
10 Holy water
11 Blessed weapons
12 Salt
13 Decapitation
14 Silver
15 Gold
16 Its true name
17 Their own reflection
18 A house they enter uninvited
19 A saint's blood
20 A unicorn horn
WHAT DO THEY FEED ON?
Usually, the crimes committed by the vampire tells the tale of their hunger.
1 Youth - They suck the life energy out of the young, leaving their aged and shriveled bodies.
2 Blood
3 Strength
4 Constitution
5 Children
6 Intelligence
7 Love juices
8 Flesh
THEIR POWER (1d20)
1 Mesmerism
2 Invisibility
3 Incorporeality
4 Animal form
5 Bestial form
6 Giant form
7 Invulnerability
8 Immense strength
9 Speed
10 Wall climbing
11 Regeneration
12 Plague
13 Vermin control
14 Weather control
15 Necromancy
16 Alchemy
17 Possession
18 Projection
19 Shadow Form
20 Telekenesis
If PCs encounter a vampire, feel free to swap out the power used for an alternate from your rule set.
WHO PROTECTS THEM? (1d8)
Vampires rarely live alone, but instead surround themselves with humans and other monsters for protection or concealment.
1 Sellswords - They've hired the toughest fighters from miles about, who turn a blind eye for gold. They should be 1d4 levels higher in fighting skill than the PCs.
2 Brigands - The local highywaymen or bandits also double as guards for the undead.
3 Nobles - The vampire is nobility, and nobility protects its own.
4 Clergy - The church ironically protects the fiend. Have they been decieved, or is it a sign of vampiric infiltration of the clergymen.
5 Peasants - The villagers ironically take up arms against vampire hunters and protect the monster that feeds on them. Have they been deceived, mesmerized, or are they
6 Lesser vampires - This vampire
7 Ghouls -
8 Demons - Hellfiends are known to appear when the vampire is in peril.
MAGICAL ITEMS
1 Mask of Concealment
2 Spirit Horse
3 Book of spells
4 Mirror of Scrying
5 Candles of Slumber
6 Cauldron of Brewing
RUNNING VAMPIRE NPCS
"Whatever its breed, the vampire is a coward at heart."
As the above implies, vampires avoid direct confrontation, preferring instead to move in the shadows. This is because, as powerful as they are, their immortality makes them doubly afraid of death. The GM should only use direct confrontation as a last result, when the undead has no other options but to turn like a bear surrounded by hounds.
RUNNING VAMPIRE NPCS
"Whatever its breed, the vampire is a coward at heart."
As the above implies, vampires avoid direct confrontation, preferring instead to move in the shadows. This is because, as powerful as they are, their immortality makes them doubly afraid of death. The GM should only use direct confrontation as a last result, when the undead has no other options but to turn like a bear surrounded by hounds.
SCENARIO CREATION
All scenarios using the above tables should follow a similar pattern:
1 Vampire activity is detected and reported to the hunters
2 The hunters arrive on scene and gather information on the vampire's strengths and weaknesses
3 The identity of the vampire is discovered
4 The hunters move to end the menace
If the game continues for a long while, this pattern can be spiced up with any of the following
1 pre-emptive strike by the vampire's guardians
2 another monster is also operating in the vicinity
3 a copycat killer is mimicking the undead's moud operandi
4
Inspirations
I hope you enjoyed this little thought exercise, and read any of the below to be inspired.MOVIES
Captian Kronos, Vampire HunterVampire Hunter D
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