Religious Serial Killer Idea.

[Jkeown]

I was going to write this up as a mega-post, but the idea was so obvious to me that I felt sure it's been done before. I'm certainly not going to use it in my current DC game, as it's just too offensive to a few of my best gaming pals.

 

Okay... Look at the Catholic calendar. Full of the dates on which saints were martyred. Our killer finds a pure soul, waits until the Feast of a given martyr and kills them in the fashion that the saint in question died.

 

Now... I'm sure it's been done, but I couldn't find a source. Clue me in. Is it an original idea, or unintentioned plaigarism?

[Shaft]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

Okay... Look at the Catholic calendar. Full of the dates on which saints were martyred. Our killer finds a pure soul, waits until the Feast of a given martyr and kills them in the fashion that the saint in question died.

 

Predators has at least 2 psycho priest/killers in it: I'm sure one of them could be adapted to fit this bill.

 

Good idea. Repped.

 

As for any unintentional plagiarism, in a game, it's not much of a concern? It's not like you're trying to get it published. A great deal of gaming involves adapting other ideas for your own use.

[mattingly]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

In a Daredevil/Spider-Man crossover arc in the '80s, there was a character called Sin-Eater, who was a Normal that would kill sinners and "take their sins" so that the murder victims would enter Heaven, although he was damning himself to Hell by doing so. Not quite what you're looking for, but it was quite well done, and could provide you some inspiration.

[Jkeown]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

In a Daredevil/Spider-Man crossover arc in the '80s' date=' there was a character called Sin-Eater, who was a Normal that would kill sinners and "take their sins" so that the murder victims would enter Heaven, although he was damning himself to Hell by doing so. Not quite what you're looking for, but it was quite well done, and could provide you some inspiration.[/quote']

 

I remember that arc... it was frustrating waiting for the end of it... how long did it last? like 4 issues of each? Good stuff.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

I once considered using a serial killer charatcer who was dubbed the Levite, whose motivation was that God was punishing the world because the crimes detailed in Leviticus and Dueteronomy weren't being punished properly, and hoped that he could inspire the adoption of the Law of Moses as civil law by his example.

 

How that would work in-game is kind of difficult to determine, and since almost everyone does something that is a capital offense in Leviticus at some point in their lives whether they realize it or not (just try finding a usable pair of briefs that doesn't have some sort of blending of fibers) it wouldbe very, very hard for the Levite to find anyone who WASN'T going to be on his list for death anywhere on Earth.

 

Of course, he could rationalize away those doubts and go on his massive killing spree anyway, and possibly attract followers who are just as delusional as he is.

[Sundog]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

Back in the old Swamp Thing, there was a character called Foolkiller, who killed anyone not of the "correct" religion (can't remember if he was Catholic or one of the Protestant sects - doesn't overly matter) with a blast of "pure, white light", i.e. a laser pistol. He killed a bunch of people before Swamp Thing got him (IIRC (it's been awhile) Swampy had trouble with this guy because his religious mania made him immune to fear, and Swampy only burned those who had fear).

 

The Foolkiller guise was picked up by another guy who was eventually institutionalized. A third Foolkiller had his own miniseries, but that guy had pretty much abandoned the religious aspects of the character (and the Foolkillers' rather cool white panama hat and white swashbuckler costume - the new guy just looked like a thug with a S&M leather hood).

[Vondy]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

 

How that would work in-game is kind of difficult to determine, and since almost everyone does something that is a capital offense in Leviticus at some point in their lives whether they realize it or not (just try finding a usable pair of briefs that doesn't have some sort of blending of fibers)

 

Bad example. Not a capital offense. Most aren't.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

Bad example. Not a capital offense.

 

I must defer to the rabbinical student on that point.

 

The question of practical application of religious law codes that were written before the advent of modern technologies, such as Mosaic and Sharia law, will have to wait for another time. My point is that this particular character, a delusional fanatic, would have a very hard time finding someone who had not done something worth being killed for, even without realizing it. It is more a question of abnormal psychology than anything else.

 

"He is killing people because he is insane" is not interesting in itself. But if the nature of the madness that causes him to kill people is something universal, that is part of all human beings but that most of us are sensible enough to temper with compassion, mercy and reason -- THEN we have a potentially compelling villain.

[CountZero]

Re: Religious Serial Killer Idea.

 

I was going to write this up as a mega-post, but the idea was so obvious to me that I felt sure it's been done before. I'm certainly not going to use it in my current DC game, as it's just too offensive to a few of my best gaming pals.

 

Okay... Look at the Catholic calendar. Full of the dates on which saints were martyred. Our killer finds a pure soul, waits until the Feast of a given martyr and kills them in the fashion that the saint in question died.

 

Now... I'm sure it's been done, but I couldn't find a source. Clue me in. Is it an original idea, or unintentioned plaigarism?

 

It sounds original. Keep in mind, though, that the killer will probably be dubbed by the media "The Crucifix Killer", as many of the martyred saints were crucified. It's not until he gets to the saints that were stoned to death or flayed alive that people will figure out that he's the connection with the feast days of the saints, and how they were martyred.