Dark Dungeons: An Urban Fantasy HERO "Plotline"

[Jkeown]

I admit it. This isn't much of a plotline as obscure social satire. It's a reason for PCs to go blow up some cultists. Oh, and there are not-so-subtle parody elements to it. I know I'm gonna take heat for even writing this, but it's lunchtime in Indy, and I was bored.  As some background, Ravenna is the name of my Urban Fantasy campaign, which features modern elements and crossworld fantasy tropes. Evil things lurk in both the city streets and the shadows of astral space.  The Yigothu are a race of astral slavers I nicked from GURPS Cabal.

 

Dark Dungeons: a Ravenna plotline
Marcie “Black Leaf” Anderson was a typical gamer girl. Her GM, Ms. Vandela Frost, is an evil, Yigothu-worhipping dark priestess. She is luring the kids in her group to the Yigothu via a game called Dark Dungeons.  Recently, her lead gamer/acolyte, Debbie “Elfstar” Morgan, has shown promise as a spellcaster. She plans on handing Debbie over to the astral-travelling, magic-hungry monsters as soon as the girl increases her power a bit further. The Yigothu prefer developed spell-casters over mere “promising” students of the Arts.

 

During the games, the players are exposed to minor occult secrets and strange astral energy. Playing the game is addicting as a result.  When Marcie blows a roll, Frost uses the event as an excuse to drive Marcie away, no need to waste dice of Mind Control on girls who won't ever be proper slaves to the Yigothu.

A friend of Marcie’s notices a change in her after she is ejected from Ms. Frost’s group, perhaps alerting the PCs at this point. Alternatively, the PCs can be alerted after Marcie’s suicide. The PCs can track Marcie down, learn of Ms. Frost’s misdeeds and would have to face not only a powerful cult leader, but the rest of the Dark Dungeon players. If the PCs are particularly potent, the cultists might summon a Yigothu to deal with the pesky player characters.

Timeline:
Marcie is ejected from the game after failing a poison save. Debbie treats her cruelly during the debacle.
Elfstar is initiated into the Yigothu cult, her powers grow rapidly.
Marcie becomes depressed, an effect of the withdrawal of the Yigothu emanations that took place during the game and her outcast status among her former “friends.” She hangs herself in her room from a particularly sturdy light fixture.
Elfstar freaks out and encounters the PCs. 

Players lock and load.

They interrupt game night in spectacular fashion.

 

How they deal with the authorities investigating a shoot-out in a high class neighborhood is their problem.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Sounds like something from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

 

I like it!

[mikeward2534]

Hmm might have to run this with a group I play with (and am learning to GM with).

[Doctor Agenda]

A game inspired by a Chic tract (soon to be movie that will probably be hilarious) about D&D is one of the most awesome concepts I've heard, and you're playing it totally straight. I'm impressed.