Random Characters

A board to post ideas and stuff. Rules proposals, half-finished characters, or just random chatter.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: Random Characters

Post by kitsunenotsume »

Here's what I have so far. I think it's done, aside form equipment.
[+] Augustus Bertrand Fairthingsworth
Augustus Bertrand Fairthingsworth (Pronounced Fur’thee’zwuth)
Archetype: Addled Aristocrat
Motivation: Truth
Flaws: Curiosity, Delusion

Augustus Fairthingsworth (occasionally ‘Bertie’), is a local of Lastfell’s upper-crust. The Fairthingsworth bloodline has held respect for many generations due to their substantial claim to one of the mines on Level 0, and Augustus was raised as a proper lord and gentleman. Instructed by private tutors in a plethora of topics from fencing to philosophy, the young Augustus excelled in his studies and was the favorable scion to oversee the family interests.

After a routine visit to inspect the mines, the normally sociable lord vanished from the public eye, resulting in numerous rumors. Gossip proposed he had been taken for Experiments, others that the family had Marsh blood, yet more that he had succumbed to a terrible unnatural wasting disease. The closest to the truth were those tales that mentioned the chunk of dull, black, lightless stone delivered from the Mines to his quarters the last day he was seen, and the regular supply of raw crystal and geodes sent surreptitiously to the manor.

Months passed, then years, before the discrete reappearance of Lord Fairthingsworth. A black-draped carriage departed the manor and its lone occupant was (following an attempted conversation with a shrubbery) hastily guided by his manservants into the back room of a private tea-house. Eyewitnesses said his bearing was unmistakable, but seemed gaunt and atrophied compared to the strapping lad they knew. The return was marked by a brief surge in popularity, followed by scandal as the nature of the Fairthingsworth heir’s isolation became visible.

To call Augustus ‘touched’ would be an understatement. While he has begun to integrate back into the noble tracts, his tendency to carry on lengthy conversations with inanimate objects or the sky is practically unavoidable at parties, going to far as to introduce his fist-sized jet-black uncut stone broach as “Mirtha”. His attendance is tolerated however, partially due to his standing and competence at the family business, but the flowing wallet of eccentric (some might say non-euclidean) cuts of fine jewel and crystal certainly doesn't hurt.

Stats:
Strength 1 , Dexterity 1, Body 2, Intelligence 4, Willpower 4 (Rating 5 w/ Iron Will), Charisma 3

Size: 0, Move: 2, Perception: 9, Initiative: 5, Defence: 3 (A1, P2), Stun: 2, Health: 6, Sanity 8, Horror 10

Skills: “Level (Rating)”
Academics (Philosophy) [Int]: 0 (4)
Academics (Occult) [Int]: 1 (5)
Alienism [Int]: 5 (9)
- (Metaphysics)*: (10)
Art [Int]: 4 (8)
- (Jewelcraft)*: (9)
Connoisseur [Int] : 0 (4)
Diplomacy [Cha] : 1 (4)
Focus [Will] : 1 (6)
Gambling [Int] : 0 (4)
Melee [Str]: 1 (2)
- (Swords)*: (3)
Spying [Int]: 0 (4)
Stealth [Dex] : 0 (1)

Talents:
Mentalist (ESP)
Iron Will

Resources:
Status 0: Accursed Heir - The Fairthingsworth family is in good standing, but Augustus has acquired a somewhat detestable reputation since his return due his peculiar affliction and habits.
Artifact 0: Shard of Mthura [Rechargeable Occult Relic; Enhancements - Ally 0 [Patron 0?] (+1 Enhancements)*, Skill: Elder Lore (Artifacts)* (+2 Enhancements), Ritual: Contact Q'yth-az (+1 Enhancements); Limitations - Flaw: Illiterate (-2 Enhancements), 1 Sanity Damage (-1 Enhancements)] This faceted fist-sized chunk of darkened alien stone is covered with countless tiny scratches. When exposed to starlight, random scratches begin to glow faintly to form patterns that can be read by an interpretive mind. One potential translation of the shard of allows the user to commune with a trace of Lightless Mthura, home of the Crystalline Intellect. The warped nature of the insight gilds the mind against rational concerns, but the working and writing of the lucid mind are lost. As the comprehension fades, the viewer is left wracked and grappling with which set of truths apply, any notes taken becoming illegible and useless evidence of their irrational trance - and the instinct that they could read the wisdom if they just tried again.
*: I figure it's sentient, so it needs the Ally trait?

Augustus cuts jewels while under the influence of the Shard, convinced that their irrational, imperfect, and often warped geometries can capture those insights in a manner the pen never could and give the stones voice. His regular and repeated exposure have resulted in attending the Tea-house to permit his ‘addiction’.

Equipment: (minimum)
Sword-cane (Yes, I know he can't use it well)
Collapsible Telescope.
[[The book doesn't answers what to do with rechargeable items taken without the Weird Science talent, and Leagues of Cthulhu never refers to Occult Relics either to say they do or don't exist or what rules apply - simply that the Magic skill isn't there. The artifact I made here follows the appropriate rules, as best I understood them, but is far more occult in nature than technological, so I don't feel like science is applicable.

I'd probably end up picking up the Weird Science talent, eventually to make jeweled devices and orreries, but the talent also seems biased to Science/Craft also, making/recharging anything interesting needs it, so I might want to switch Art (Jewelcraft) to Craft (Jewelcraft), unless using art instead is acceptable. We have a very intelligence- and craft-focused party, from the looks of it, so I feel like we could probably do with spreading out thematically from just Science and Craft. For example, I'd be interested to use Academics (Occult) or similar for Weird Science, to represent less ... deductive inspirations to the similar design.]]
Last edited by kitsunenotsume on Fri Mar 29, 2019 2:10 pm, edited 12 times in total.
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Joshua
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Joshua »

Well Educated (Elder Lore) does not exist. it's the one skill you cannot get that for. Plus, you'd lose 5 sanity for every level of the skill in that case.

Occult artifacts are in the Gothic Horror Book. Which is also where the other half of the magic rules are. (I don't know why they didn't just reprint them... they didn't.)

Rechargeable artifacts generally take one hour per level of artifact, or as appropriate. For something that costs a sanity per scene to use... go crazy?

They neglected to include creation rules altered to fit Cthulhu, so... here are the ones altered to fit Lastfell:

Aside from a few tweaks, as indicated below, the standard rules for creating weird science gadgets apply equally well for magicians seeking to create occult relics.
  • As the Magical Aptitude talent doesn't exist, we'll be using Weird Science. You can specialize in Academics: Occult (for magic artifacts) or Alienism: Metaphysics (For psi-devices that only a psychic can use), or may justify another option to me.
  • Spark of Life is still required for living creations given a semblance of life by arcane means, like animated gargoyles, zombie servants, and living corpses akin to those first created by the notorious Victor Frankenstein.
  • Academics: Occult (or Alienism: Metaphysics) is used in the design phase and an 'appropriate' skill is used to construct them. The appropriate skill is based on your method of making items and may not be interchanged for another. Elder Lore may substitute for either.
  • Rituals can be added at +1 Enhancement per Rank. Rituals added to a relic have no magical tradition.
    Also of note: You must have a justification, such as already knowing the ritual. This is a little relaxed for items you can't recreate.
  • Gamemasters may allow the Mentalism Talent to be installed in weird science devices by a conventional weird scientist. Activating these devices uses the normal rules for the Talent. (Probably not... but this is a case-by-case.)
Wyvern
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Wyvern »

Okay, so if the proposed artifact's effect is illegal, what would you suggest as an alternative?
kitsunenotsume
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Re: Random Characters

Post by kitsunenotsume »

my understanding is that you lose one sanity for every level of Elder Lore that you have, not for your total Skill Rating. artifacts give you a 4 skill rating, but no Skill Levels, so I didn't think you'd take sanity from that effect specifically.

Clarification or suggestions as to what else might function for the intended effect would be appreciated.

thank you
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Joshua
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Joshua »

What's the goal?

To gain lore, the simplest way would be:
Artifact 0: (+1) Ritual (Contact Q'yth-az)
(No flaws needed, casting the ritual uses your Will + Cha, so takes about 5 - 6 tests on average. It's not really worth paying for it to have its own magic skill, as yours is good. And then a horror 5 check, which results in, on average, 1 sanity loss. You may explicitly use this to learn spell rituals from the elder god, that's half the point of the spell.)

Or, if you plan on getting the Elder Lore skill:
Artifact 0: (+2) Skill Aptitude Elder Lore (Artifacts), (-1) Sanity Damage (again, you take this per scene you use the +2.)
(This seems a lot safer than trying to give it the Elder Lore skill, as that sorta has to make it sentient.)

Did you want to link it to your gem-cutting?
change that stuff for art (jewelry).
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Joshua
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Joshua »

Elder Lore cannot have the Well Educated talent. Said comment was about that. sorry about the confusion

Artifacts that have an Elder Lore rating don't technically drop your sanity, although, what they say can expose you to horror checks or other mad ramblings. It can be used to invoke rituals the artifact has.
kitsunenotsume
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Re: Random Characters

Post by kitsunenotsume »

I can't seem to find Skill Aptitude on the list of Gadget Enhancements. I can find "Skill" on p146 of LoA, which says it "Provides the user with a specific Skill. This may include Specialized Skills." However, I'm not sure why that would imply that the item was innately sentient.

Did you mean to suggest that it could grant the Talent "Skill Aptitude"? That looks like it results in the same thing, but seems like it needs a rank 0 Skill to be applicable.
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Joshua
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Joshua »

Yes. The Talent Skill aptitude. You would need to get Elder Lore at at least rank 0 for that to be helpful. Or it might only matter once you get the skill. Elder Lore is going to end up on that character's sheet, so... I wouldn't worry about it too much.
kitsunenotsume
Missing Some Marbles
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Re: Random Characters

Post by kitsunenotsume »

It seems that the Elder Lore skill can have the Well-Educated Talent, though I suspect the RAW intends for said talent to be off-limits to heroes and PC.

I state this because, verbatim from LoC p84, in the second paragraph of "Notable Persons", it says as follows:
Note that villains have no Sanity score. Many are already unhinged to a greater or lesser degree, and none suffer madness for witnessing the entities of the Mythos or for casting rituals. Further, all have the Well-Educated Talent for Elder Lore.
That said, I'm not about to argue on whether it's available to PCs. None of the Villains are Sane, after all.

I do like the suggestion of incorporating a ritual, and hadn't really looked into those much, since I hadn't known (at the time) how to deal with Occult artifacts in the setting.

Also, I was under the impression that Rechargeable gadgets had two main features apart from a standard gadget: 1) anyone can use them, not just the owner, and 2) they need certain conditions or practiced to recharge (I'm planning to enforce this narritively anyway). There is 3), that it can be activated multiple times simultaneously, seems to be a less likely factor since wouldn't help here unless multiple people used it.
There is also the question of what constitutes a 'scene' - which is a fine narrative time-frame, but based on how one can Increase or Decrease duration is somewhere between "One day" and "One minute", suggesting a default scale of somewhere between ten minutes to an hour per activation. Restoring one charge per hour for an hour duration seems off.
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Joshua
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Re: Random Characters

Post by Joshua »

Yeah, zero sanity is NPC only. Ultimately, that's an 'all bets are off when you're permanently insane'. 200-year-old witches and immortal sorcerers can do what they want. Still, I think they mostly did that as a time-saver, instead of fully fleshing out the NPCs.

Pulp Cthulhu has Inanity Talents, and if I can figure out a way to add them to this system, then it might work as an insanity talent. At the least, I can say it's not available to starting PCs or sane people.

--------

The recharge is variable based on the type of artifact.

For example: Karl the Broken's device technically 'recharges' through the damage he takes. Which is why he takes that damage every scene.


As for the rest:

1) Anyone can use any weird science gadget within reason*. You do not have to be the owner of the item.

This breaks down through narrative choice, such as Karl's receivers needing brain surgery to be used by others. Likewise, magic items might have requirements, or might have to be bonded with. Alternately, you might need a skill to use, such as Pilot to use a car, or firearms to use a gun. (Or Academics: Occult to use a radiating blue crystal.) In some versions of the story, Dr. Jeckle's formula only works for him and is a deadly poison to anyone else. But these are narrative designs for the device, and don't directly affect the point value. (Unless you want to use said formula as a stat boost and regularly assassinate people with it. But, yeah.)

The line you might be referring to is that the gadget only grants bonuses to the person using it. So, If I put on a pair of night-goggles, you can't see in the dark. It doesn't mean that I can't hand said goggles to you so you can use them.

2) The time to recharge is a suggestion. There's a weird science book that goes into it, but ultimately, it is squishy and narrative driven. The big thing is a device has a theme, and as such, that theme should be enforced. So, a Jetpack needs rocket fuel, a blood-stone might need dead chipmunks, etc...

3) Multiple simultaneous usage is the big difference between standard and rechargeable. Dr. Jeckle can technically give 5 different people his formula and have them all drink it at the same time. Again, this is affected by narrative effects. A rechargeable gun that has 5 rounds cannot be used by 5 people to fire 5 times simultaneously. Even though it is rechargeable.

_________________
*: No, Tempest, Mistress of the Elements, cannot pilot a mole-tank without training! You're character is an amazon-goddess, she can't drive a car, let alone a ... seriously, not arguing this. It's a mole-tank, the controls are way too complicated, it doesn't even have a steering wheel or a gas pedal.
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