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Old 09-15-2007, 07:35 AM
Rafael Chandler's Avatar
Rafael Chandler Rafael Chandler is offline
Pandemoniac
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 635
Re: [RPG]: Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium, reviewed by Jocelyn Robitaille (5/4)

Hi, C.W.,

Thanks for the questions!

*SPOILER ALERT* -- Some of these answers give away information that isn't known to players when the game begins (but it's safe for GMs).

Quote:
Originally Posted by C.W.Richeson View Post
Can you tell me a little more about the magic? Is it religious in nature, dark and twisted, or more like fantasy magic? What is its mystical source?
Initially, the characters are led to believe that they have been 'blessed' with magical abilities by their angelic mentors. Later, it's revealed that they are, in fact, being imbued with demonic power (since the Mentor is a risen demon). So its mystical source is infernal in nature. This would explain the nature of the spells. Most of them are dark and/or grotesque.

For example, Glossolalia allows you to speak with someone else's voice. When you cast the spell, your tongue stretches out, wraps around the neck of your victim, and renders him mute. When your tongue snaps back into your mouth, you speak with his voice (temporarily).

Vore allows you to recover from injuries, but first you must drink someone's blood.

When you cast Viscera, your stomach rips open, and your bowels turn to lampreys, snakes, and eels that slither out (though still connected to your body) and attack your enemies.

In brief, the magic is gruesome, and reinforces the notion that the Disciples are every bit as dangerous as the demons that they hunt.

Quote:
Originally Posted by C.W.Richeson View Post
How easy is it to build my own demons?
Mechanically, it's quite easy. There are three types -- Hunters, Stalkers, and Defilers. Each follows a fairly specific range of attributes, which shouldn't be hard to mimic (if you look at the Hunters, you'll see that they all have a Strength score between 7 and 9, a Sense score between 4 and 6, et cetera).

The challenging part (at least for me) is creating a modus operandi. Each demon targets a specific kind of victim, and follows a pattern of behavior. Some stalk their victims, others are murderous brutes, and some demons engineer mass destruction that kills hundreds of people at a time. Whatever the case, the goal is to create a pattern that the player characters can pick up on and intercept.

Hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know.
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Last edited by Rafael Chandler; 09-15-2007 at 07:50 AM.. Reason: typo
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