Monster Squad Ideas

[Blue]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

1.What is causing the insanity at the asylum?

 

Good question. I had been giving it some thought and I didn't want to get too contrived in making it, say, another result of the family's evil. But I wanted it to be part of the building, not something inside it. I considered it might be "resonant" with insanity, as if the building absorbed it. But it doesn't quite work; I'm not real fond of the concept of the place being a battery for insanity, though I like the idea of people there getting more mad then when they came in. Maybe part of it has something to do with question 2.

 

2.Why isn't the water ghost haunting the elder heir?

 

Needless to say, he's in the asylum because he was previously haunted by the thing. But as for why it's no longer with him, I'll have to give it some thought. After all, it should be able to hit both places (in a metaphysical sense). And perhaps it has. Maybe that's why he's specifically in the basement. There could be signs of the decay of the place from the coming of the water. The inmates and residents are crazed from seeing this thing. Their health suffers, but they're already quite nuts (I have to work insanity into the transformation for people who see the ghost as well).

 

As I flesh this out it becomes easier to do in Call of Cthulhu. But I'd still like to give the DC packages a try.

 

3.How do the players uncover the drowned slave story?

 

Now this is practically up to the players. I'll let it depend on what sources they use to gather information. Research online, where available, the home's extensive library may have a few secrets, and anyone I allow to take a low-level psychometry or other power from their agency training may get visions. This I'm leaving intentionally wide.

 

Possable answers

#1 & #2

Since I've invoking a fetishistic approach to the raising of the folks in scenario 4, I'm trying to stay away from it here. I thought maybe the ghost appearing at the aslym might be enough to awaken something in the place, but I'm not sure how. I'd like not to get too much contrivance in how, but so far it's a mysery to me.

 

#3

Certainly a possibility. I think it's up to the skills the players bring to bear on gathering info.

 

So to me, the biggest block is the projected insanity of the asylum. Since the ghost is already captured by that time, he's not the cause of the ongoing problem certainly.

 

 

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Along the lines of what you mentioned, consider that in the basement some sort of ceremony was performed away from teh prying eyes of most of the staff, to try and cure Mr. White after someone on staff had seen the ghost visiting. Their amature use of the mystic arts might have triggered something. Perhaps the dead spirits of those who dwelled there now spur the insane on to further madness, unseen by the sane.

 

In fact, if one of hte characters goes the "commitment" route to entrance, they might while chemically imbalanced, witness such spirits of the departed mad. Hmmm.

 

Incidentally, thanks for the helpful suggestions!

[PoorWandering 1]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

If the ghost could reach him in the asylum why is he still alive? Does the ghost not want the family dead? The fact that he is still alive led me to the idea that something was protecting him. Add the fact that at some point he must have been functional enough to create the fetishes for the dearly departed and that the fetishes did not work as he intended them, the water ghost is still after the living branch of the family after all, and i see a slowish fall into madness. I could even see White as the one who woke up the ghost in an early experiment in necromancy.

Why is the ghost captured by the time the players reach the aslyum? I don't see the ghost being dealt with until after the undead branch of the family is destroyed. Otherwise why have the bit of scalp available? I could see the party figuring to freeze the ghost bevore they go to the aslyum but i can also see them reasoning that the water is simply animated by the ghost and if they froze it it would just animate a new body from another water source. Heck if the ghost is still around you could play with the players heads by simply having it rain when they first arrive at the asylum. By the end of the game you could have the players jumping at the sound of a faucet turning on esp if when the ghost attacks in the asylum it animates a body out of the water in the pipes.

If you do go with the "White's magic protecting the asylum while driving everyone mad route" you get the possability of the party, after breaking into white's cell, will destroy the master fetish holding the spell together. Everyone suddenly feels the grip of this place release, some of the inhapitents are having their first coherent thought in years. White turns to the party, his back straightens and the light of comprehension returns to his eyes.... and then the ghost attacks.

 

You gould really get a good water = threat = fear theme going.

[PoorWandering 1]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

He he if you scare them enough you might even get them to freak out at the watercooler back at hq when it gets cloged and makes a strange noise. They might even open fire.

 

Idea. Make then take the bit of hair back to where the boat sank. The ghost whish is by now quite insane sees this as a threat and attacks them. It's stronger on it's home turk so it is able to animate the rotting bodies of the slaves and the former crew. Perhaps even lifting the rotting boat out up to the surface. The party will have to board the boat, finght their way into the hold and find the correct corpse to give the hair back to. Then they hafe to run like blazes as there is nothing holding the boad together any more. Could be dramatic.

 

Course i also suggest the the "sane" heir be killed by the ghost. The party finds out about Mr White from the Heir's payments to the asylum.The party then races to mr white for round two. Cures mr. white by destroying the fetishes drives off the ghost after the attach on the aslyum learns about the bit of hair and the animated ancestors. Another race to the graveyard. The fetishes animating the ancestors are also keeping the ghost at bay so they are "safe" for now. The party learns the full story about the guide from the ancestors. After the ancestors are destroyed the party now knows where the boat sank and what they need to do to stop the ghost. Climatic battle on the boat party victorius. The now cured Mr.White takes over the family company gratefully funding the pc's org out of remorse for being the indirect cause of the Heir's death. Party praised back at HQ. Comic closing sting with the watercooler. Fade and credits. That's what i would do anyway. However this version is more like a 2-3 session Stalking the Night Fantastic/ CoC adventure than a one shot HERO Horror. In Fact if you don't mind i think i'll write it up as such to have in reserve in case i have to step in for a AWOL GM sometime.

~PW1

[sinanju]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

There's this new restaurant in town, see. Damien's Deep Pit Barbeque. And Damian ain't just whistling Dixie.

 

See, Damian is a servitor of a demon (or some other other-dimensional monster) which has dominion over...cannibals. There's more than just pork in the delicious pork barbeque Damian serves.

 

Unwitting cannibals simply open themselves to the demon's influence--they endure bad dreams and increasingly hard-to-resist temptations to indulge in various depravities. But those who eventually succumb to temptation and knowingly and willingly eat human flesh become vessels of the demon.

 

The demon can possess them at will, shifting from one vessel to another with a thought. And the demon, while in a mortal body, can work magic.

 

I ran this once in a GURPS-based "World of Darkness" campaign. My players were scared out of their socks because they had a devil of a time (har har) figuring out what the hell was going on. It didn't help that some of the victims of this scheme included various cops and city bigwigs who'd developed a taste for the very special "long pork" barbeque....

[Steve Long]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

Hmmm... reminds me of my goofy character Technomancer, who among other things owned the local Demono's Pizza franchise (motto: "We'll Go Through Hell To Get You Your Pizza On Time!").

[sinanju]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

Hmmm... reminds me of my goofy character Technomancer' date=' who among other things owned the local Demono's Pizza franchise (motto: "We'll Go Through Hell To Get You Your Pizza On Time!"). [/quote']

 

Sounds almost as bad as La Cosa Nostra Pizza (from Snowcrash). Your pizza in 30 minutes or you can shoot the driver, take his car, have the free pizza and the godfather himself will show up on your doorstep to personally apologize for the failure....

 

Needless to say, the delivery drivers try VERY hard not to be late.

[Basil]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

Hi gang,

 

As we have become embroiled in another non-hero campaign run by another player, I must look to the future. Once upon a time we used to run a halloween game. With that in mind, I'm thinking a Dark Champions level Monster Squad game might be interesting for a 1 or 2-shot session between games around All-Hallow's Eve.

 

In order to keep it from becoming a typical zomibe and vampire bash, does anyone have fitting suggestions for DC level monster foes? Who know, it may degenerate into a simple monster bash, but it depends on what foes I can come up with.

 

For a setting, I'm thinking either an abandoned Asylum, Prison, or maybe even a school (so I can throw in some spooky children). The players will likely be a SWAT-style group with limited paranormal technology (but a lot of guns) who don't really know what they're getting themselves into.

 

Take all the cheap, dumb, cheesy tricks used in yer typical neighborhood "Haunted House," and make them real.

 

E.g., that's not a strung-together bunch of cardboard cutouts, it really is an animated skeleton -- and it's after you! That's not cold elbow macaroni in that tub Joe Dude stuck his hand in, it really is a bunch of giant maggots -- and they're eating the flesh off his bones! It's not a rubber mask on a string, it's a flying face with huge, razor-sharp fangs! Look too long at the mirror, and it's you, not it, that's warped!

 

You get the idea, I'm sure. };-)

 

BTW, this would work even better if the PCs are normal cops, *not* SWAT types. };-)

[Edsel]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

There are a few things in the basic outline I have so far that strike me as a little flat. And I do like the idea of evil toys. Perhpas if I have time today...

 

I'll preface this by stating that I haven't read the rest of the posts in this thread. Since I am typing this at work the firewall will come-up in about 10 minutes so I don't have time right now.

 

In the anime Witch Hunter Robin there was an evil toys type of senario. Dolls who were attacking people who disrespected this particular girl. The real brief account of what was going on...

 

The girl had a sort of split personality. One was her normal submissive self. Pretty submissive to everyone she did not show much emotion. The other personality was the witch. The submissive personality knew about the witch personality and even cooperated with her due to her submissive personality. The evil dolls wern't actually evil at all. This was actually the way the witch's power manifested itself, she animated the dolls to get rid of those who she disliked or those who were in danger of discovering her seceret. She was apparently able to controll dozens at once, beyond line of sight and at a range of at least a couple of miles. The dolls mode of attack was usually a small knife of some sort. They were fast and, due to size, not easy targets. The witch seemed to only be able to animate dolls. The dolls she animated could fly as well as walk/run. Naturally it took the protaginists the whole episode to figure out what was actually going on. Until the witch/girl was stopped she could always animate more dolls.

[Pegasus]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

Anyone ever see the Saturday morning adventure show' date=' the Monster Squad?[/quote']

 

I can't believe you just said that! Yes, yes I do! It was my absolute favorite as a (very little) kid. I'd almost completely forgotten about it. Damn. Nostalgia trip!

 

...

 

Found this bit of fun, but that's it. It starred Fred Grandy of Love Boat fame! Who knew?

 

 

Damn.

[Pegasus]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

A lot of the posts here remind me of the haunted houses here at Howl-o-Scream. Some things we're doing that you might derive inspiration from:

 

Asylum Lockdown

Mortuary

Demonic Carnival (Always a pleasure)

Haunted church (a wedding, specifically)

"Corporate Nightmare" (Dilbert plus demons?)

Frankenstein's laboratory musical revue

 

...ok, maybe not that last one.

[Blue]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

I can't believe you just said that! Yes, yes I do! It was my absolute favorite as a (very little) kid. I'd almost completely forgotten about it. Damn. Nostalgia trip!

 

...

 

Found this bit of fun, but that's it. It starred Fred Grandy of Love Boat fame! Who knew?

 

 

Damn.

 

 

Wow, you guys are old!

[freakboy6117]

Re: Monster Squad Ideas

 

Had an idea based on a discussion with Mark Rand how about running a game set during the war with an early version of the Buffy verse initiative.

 

Called something like the Committee for Special Meteorological Initiatives the code name for the office that dealt with covert use of offensive and defensive magic and supernatural activities. You could do all sorts of fun stuff.

 

@ Parachuting behind enemy lines to help the resistance stop nazi black magic rituals

 

@ cloak and dagger journey to South America to investigate some disturbing pre-Aztec artifacts, only to find the jungle swarming with demon possessed Nazis and something dangerous about to happen.

 

@ The Japanese have trapped powerful samurai demons in jar and then float them over the pacific on balloons. Can you get to them before the demons are released and can you stop the ones that are?

 

@ Hunting an invisible magically equipped 5th columnist through New York

 

@ Steal back the plans for the Sherman tank from the nazis in Africa before they can decipher the hidden runes of protection that make them immune to nazi magic assault.

 

you could also split the game into two sections, the first section seems like a normal ish WWII/behind enemy lines spy romp and then just before you finish you hit them with the first paranormal to keep them on edge.