Right, this time the Monday group is trying the classic Cthulhu campaign Masks of Nyarlathotep, together with Ken Hite's Adventures into Darkness (Truth and Justice Edition).
Two characters only (so far).
Jason is playing George Chance (aka The Ghost)
The Ghost
Qualities
Master [+6] Circus Performer,
Expert [+4] Intimidating,
Expert [+4] South Asian Lore and Languages,
Expert [+4] Stealth,
Master [+6] Yogi Training,
Poor [-2] Show-off.
Powers
Master [+6] Astral Form (Meta-Power),
Expert [+4] Sorcery (Meta-Power).
stunts
Acrobat (Circus Performer Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; adds to defense rolls against attacks that can be dodged)
Air-Walking (Astral Form Signature; Good [+2]; 0 HP; form of Flight, includes walking on water, featherfall, walking without tracks, etc.)
Animal Control (Sorcery Spin-off; Good [+2]; 1 HP)
Animate Objects (Sorcery Spin-off; Good [+2]; 1 HP; animate up to 1.5 tons of matter, more with more HP)
Escape Artist (Circus Performer Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP)
FTL Travel (Astral Form Spin-off; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; Limitation: Light-speed only)
Invisibility (Astral Form Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; also inaudible; Limitation: Can Be Sensed By
Animals)
Knife Throwing (Circus Performer Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP)
Phasing (Astral Form Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP)
Skull-Like Pallor (Circus Performer Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; stacks with Intimidating against criminals),
Telepathy (Astral Form Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; Limitation: Only with people he knows).
Notes
All of the Ghost’s Powers have the Limitation: Must Have Hands Free.
Martin is playing Dick Martin (aka Pyroman)
Pyroman
Qualities
Expert [+4] Electrical Engineer,
Good [+2] Physique,
Good [+2] Presence,
Expert [+4] Sidekick (Professor Clark),
Poor [-2] Resistance to Head Blows.
stunts
Disintegrate (Lightning Bolt Shifty Business; 2 HP; range drops to Good [+2], damage increases to +15
against non-living normal targets)
Flight (Electromagnetism Control Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP)
Power Tap (Electromagnetism Control Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; adds +4 to any of his Powers while able to drain other electrical power sources)
Repel (Electromagnetism Control Signature; Expert [+4]; 1 HP; acts as Super-Armor to metallic projectiles).
Notes
All of Pyroman’s Powers have the Limitation: Except When Fully Grounded.
I changed the background for the hook character Jackson Elias as follows (BEWARE - SPOILERS)
Background:
The Great War affected many people. including the characters. Drawn together by their unique talents they fought German agents at home and abroad, under the aegis of the United States Government. After the war they continued their fight - this time against the forces of chaos within - organised crime, grandiose villains, and stranger foes.
One of their number was Jackson Elias (see below).
After the War, Jackson devoted much of his time to research and scholarly studies, virtually abandoning his role as The Green Wizard. At the beginning of the story you have not heard from him for some time.
Jackson Elias is 38, of medium heigh and build, and dark complexioned. He has a feisty, friendly air about him, and as an orphan in Stratford, Connecticut, he had to make his own way early in life. He has no living relatives and no permanent address.
Some time during his early years, he visited the far East, and learned some strange techniques. Though he was always vague about the details, he returned with abilities considered extraordinary in the West. These included the ability to communicate with his thoughts and move things with his mind. He used these during the Great War, and for a while afterwards before concentrating on more scholarly pursuits.
You like him, and value his friendship, even though months and sometimes years separate your meetings. You’d be upset and probably crave vengeance if anything happened to your friend. The world is better for his presence.
His writings characterize and analyse death cults. His best known book is Sons of Death, exposing modern-day Thuggees in India. He speaks several languages fluently and is constantly traveling. He is social, enjoys a drink and smokes a pipe. Tough, stable and punctual, he is unafraid. Mostly self-educated, his well-researched works always seem to reflect first-hand experience. He is secretive and won’t usually discuss a project until he has a final draft in hand.
All his books illustrate how cults manipulate the fears of their followers. Insanity and feelings of inadequacy characterize death cultists, feelings for which they compensate by slaughtering innocents to make themselves feel powerful or chosen. Cults draw the weak-minded, though cult leaders are usually clever and manipulative. When fear of a cult stops, the cult vanishes. Despite his astonishing mental powers, Elias never found proof of supernatural powers, magic or dark gods - he remains a sceptic.
All his books have been published by Prospero Press of New York City, and all have been edited by owner/editor Jonah Kensington. Kensington is a good friend of Jackson Elias, and you know him well.
We started with two flashback episodes showing The Ghost, Pyroman and the Green Wizard in action.
The first flashback was during the Great War when the threesome tackle a group of Prussian Agents breaking into one of the big banking houses to plant false papers that would embroil the banking establishment in a terrible scandal to delay American entry into the war.
Action is joined as they watch the enemy from a nearby rooftop, as they enter the premises through a back door, disguised a cleaners.
The Ghost scouts ahead in invisible astral form, and communicates with the others by telepathy to coordinate a two pronged attack on the Prussians....
Re: Adventures into Darkness: Masks of Nyarlathotep
The Ghost becomes visible, arms spread wide, as Pyroman blasts through the outside door, the Green Wizard at his side.
Scoring an awesome Intimidating roll, the Ghost panics the spies - the leader flees deeper into the building, while the others blaze away with their (useless) weapons.
The Ghost pursues the leader of the gang, while Pyroman disarms the others with his magnetic powers. The Green Wizard renders them unconscious by telekinetically banging their heads together.
The Ghost catches the leader and uses Animate Objects to trip him, so that he falls and bangs his head on a pillar, bring the unequal combat to an end.
The flashback ends with the team handing the captured spy ring over to the authorities...
The second flashback is at the height of prohibition. The three heroes are working with the police, and have infiltrated a well-known speakeasy, where they hope to corner the notorious "Spats" Domino, a mobster the police are keen to get their hands on.
The Ghost is in civilian clothes, carrying out a circus act on the small stage, involving an attractive assistant and knife-throwing.
The Green Wizard is dressed as a dilettante customer, sat at one of the tables.
Pyroman is similarly "disguised" as a customer, and will be signalling the police to begin their raid when the time is right.
The stage show goes on, and after a short time "Spats" turns up, with a couple of torpedoes in tow. Improvising, the Ghost invites him on stage to participate in the act. "Spats" agrees, and in short order finds himself immobile under the threat of an Animated knife.
Pyroman raises his arms and sends lightning bolts through the skylight, signalling the police to start their raid.
The Green Wizard starts taking out the torpedoes by hurling stuff telepathically at them, and Pyroman joins in the fun with lightning bolts galore.
The flashback ends with congratulations to the team from the captain of police, and the picture slowly dissolves into "present day" New York...
Re: Adventures into Darkness: Masks of Nyarlathotep
Having set the scene for the players relationship with Jackson Elias, we move on to the story proper. At this time, The Ghost and Pyroman are still active heroes, and know each other in their civilian identities as well. Neither has heard from Jackson for some time - he has virtually abandoned his role as The Green Wizard, devoting more and more of his time to travel and his writing.
Early in January George and Dick receive a telegram:
"Have information regarding Carlyle expedition stop need reliable investigative team stop arrive January 15 stop signed Jackson Elias"
George rings Dick to find out if he has received a similar telegram (which he has of course). Jackson is due to arrive tomorrow, so the pair decide to meet up and to spend some time refreshing their memories about the ill-fated Carlyle expedition, that cause so much press interest at the time.
In keeping with the pulp feel, the searching of newspaper archives is glossed over with a few cut scenes, and the players were handed the press clippings. For those unfamiliar with the campaign these tell the following story:
About 6 years ago Roger Carlyle, wealthy playboy, puts together an expedition to Egypt, consisting of himself, renowned Egyptologist Sir Aubrey Penhew, fashionable psychologist Dr Robert Huston, photographer Miss Hypatia Masters and Carlyle's friend Jack "Brass" Brady.
Initially heading to England the expedition makes it way to Egypt where there are rumours of discoveries being made. However, the expedition members take a break by way of a trip to East Africa. Here tragedy befalls, and they vanish, with evidence of a massacre coming to light a year later. Five Nandi tribesmen are hanged for the crime, and Roger's sister, Erica Carlyle, takes over the family business empire.
Scouring the archives takes most of the day, and George invites Dick and a few friends back to his apartment for a party, which ends up going on rather longer than intended... The following day, after they have recovered from the previous night, they spend some time talking about old times, and their friendship with Jackson. Over lunch they both experience a strange (but not unfamiliar) phenomenon - Jackson makes mental contact with them via his telepathic abilities. He asks them to meet him that night at his hotel room (Chelsea Hotel, room 410) at 8pm. He then severs contact, but not before George and Dick both pick up something quite unusual for Jackson - a strong undercurrent of disquiet and fear...
Sharp at 8pm they approach Jackson's room in their civilian identities.
George knocks on the door - there is no answer, but he hears a sound, suddenly stilled. Motioning Dick to silence he separates his astral form (invisibly) and drifts through the door into the room. The ghastly scene inside nearly makes him lose control of his invisibility - Jackson is on the bed, dead, with his chest carved open and a strange rune or marking cut into his forehead. Several strange figures, wearing hideous masks with what appears to be a long red tongue hanging from the forehead, stand frozen into immobility, staring at the door. They have obviously been ransacking the room..... and one of them is huge.
George briefs Dick telepathically, and simultaneously Dick blasts open the door with a lightning bolt while George becomes visible in an attempt to intimidate.
A free for all breaks out. George uses a combination of Animate Object and Telekinesis (spin-off from Sorcery) ending with one cultist being hurled through the window and falling to his doom in the street below (just as he was trying to enchant his cult dagger so it would affect George's Astral Form). Dick finds the giant cultist no pushover - until he blasts the floor out from under his feet, precipitating a fall to the floor below. The remaining two cultist try to flee down the fire escape, giving Dick the perfect chance to zap them through the metal of the fire escape...
George tries to pursue the giant cultist, but he has made good his escape. They do however have a plethora of clues in the hotel room, one dead cultist, and two stunned prisoners.
They decide to involve the authorities, and change into their hero identities before calling the police. The call is answered by Lt Martin Poole and his men, who are pleased to be working with The Ghost and Pyroman. After a careful examination of the crime scene they return to police headquarters with Lt Poole to discuss the case further...
Re: Adventures into Darkness: Masks of Nyarlathotep
Poole tells them there have been 9 similar murders over the last two years, with the victims having no apparent connections. The deaths are thought to be linked to an African Death Cult, about which the Harlemites have refused to speak. The heroes decide to involve themselves in the case, and The Ghost suggests that Jackson may have turned something up in his studies into death cults that resulted in his death. He also realises that Jackson's publisher, Jonah Kensington (who was aware of Jackson's alter ego, as well as that of George and Dick) may be in danger. He asks the police to mount a guard, but in the meantime, separates from his body and speeds to Jonah's house in Astral Form. Here, after giving Jonah a scare, he mounts guard until the police arrive.
Taking the opportunity to pump Jonah for information, he discovers that Jackson thought that a blood cult had massacred the Carlyle expedition, but that not all the principals had been killed. He explains that he has documents and papers in his office and suggests they meet the following day. Eventually the police arrive, and The Ghost feels reassured enough to depart back to his body. Realising that they have a number of leads to follow up, the two heroes turn in for the night, having decided to split up the following day to cover as much ground as possible.
The next morning Dick calls Miriam Atwright at the Widener Library (a letter from her was found in Jackson's room). She explains that Elias sought a book, "Africa's Dark Sects", but that it had vanished mysteriously from the library. She is upset to have read about Jackson's death in the papers and promises what help she can. Dick decides to visit her to see what other information she might have available. He travels by train and road, rather than using his powers.
Arriving at the Widener library he meets Miriam - a rather severe looking lady who starts to flirt with him (to his surprise and the amusement of some of the locals). He discovers that the book in question vanished from the shelves one day, leaving an "unspeakble odour" behind. SHe offers to help identify the mysterious rune carved into Jackson's forehead, and the two set to work. Eventually they discover that it belongs to an ancient cult, thought to have been an offshoot of a nameless cult driven out of ancient Egypt. The cult is that of the god of the Bloody Tongue, centred in Kenya. Miriam also finds reference to further details about the cult in a book known as the G'Harne Fragments. She dos not have access to a copy but promises to find out more. Dick heads back to New York to see how George has got on.
George first tries ringing Erica Carlyle's home. He gets through to a cultured flunky who gives him the runaround. After several attempts e has got nowhere, so he decides on a different approach. Having found a business card for Emerson Imports in Jackson's room, he changes into his hero duds and heads for the establishment by taxi. During the journey he is mortified to be mistaken for The Mask (a second rate hero) and asked if he can "get Pyroman's autograph" for the cab driver. Consequently he is not in best of humours when he arrives.
He is shown through to Arthur Emerson's office (still without the effect he might have hoped for), but is cheered up by gettign confirmation that Elias had been there, checking up on importers with connections in Mombasa. He leaves with the address of Ju-Ju House, a small shop in Harlem, run by one Silas N'Kwane.
The ghost next heads for Jonah's offices where he picks up the papers and documents that Jonah told him about the night before. He takes these away with him to look at with Pyroman on his return.
Pleased with his success in his hero identity, he heads for the offices of Dunstan, Whittleby and Grey, where Erica Carlyle's lawyer and confidant, Bradley Grey, has his offices. Here he has a very gratifying effect on Bradley's secretary and gets to meet Bradley. Bradley in turn agrees to set up a meeting with Erica - and does so then and there - at Erica's house, tonight, at 8pm.
The Ghost leaves, well pleased with his efforts.
That night, The Ghost and Pyroman, resplendent in their hero costumes, arrive at Erica's mansion by cab. The Butler barely raises an eyebrow as he shows them into Erica's office...
Re: Adventures into Darkness: Masks of Nyarlathotep
Quote:
Awesome. I love the pulping up of Masks.
Thanks, I'm really enjoying this one - the two players are great as well, and the failure to be recognised in the back of a cab looks set to be a running joke.
Erica Carlyle is cool, elegant and sophisticated, and offers expensive cigarettes before asking the heroes to take a seat.
"Good evening Mr Ghost, Mr.... Man. Please take a seat..."
During the course of the interview Erica reveals a number of interesting facts.
- She always thought the African expedition was more than just one of Roger's whims. She believed that some secret fascinated and worried him
- Prior to the expedition Roger had fallen under the influence of a dark-skinned foreign woman called M'Weru. SHe thinks she had something to do with his obsession
- After M'Weru appeared on the scene Roger started to have dreams that would wake him screaming in the night, though he would never talk of them
- Roger believed M'Weru held secrets that he must have
- She persuaded Roger to see Dr Huston about his dreams, which she now regrets as she believes the doctor persuaded him to undertake the expedition. SHe encouraged Roger at first, believing he would eventually see that M'Weru's tales were just mumbo-jumbo
- She now believes M'Weru drove her brother over the edge into insanity
Eventually the interview comes to an end and Erica rings for her butler to arrange a car to drive the heros back into town. Just as they are about to leave she mentions that towards the end Roger spent a lot of his time poring over some old books that he kept in his safe in the library. On questioning it appears the books are still there, and that Erica has the combination to the safe. She readily agrees to lend the books to the heroes (in return for a receipt of course), and they soon find themselves gazing at four strange tomes: The Pnakotic Manuscripts, Selections de Livre D'Ivon, People of the Monolith and Life as a God. They decide to take them away and try reading them later (one is in French, not a language either of them are familiar with).
Shortly afterwards they find themselves being driven back to town in a large, luxurious limo by a large, handsome chauffeur, who implies Miss Carlyle might be "good catch" for one of them. They are dropped a short distance from George's apartment (they want to enter unobserved via the back door) and the evening is rounded off by a passer-by who makes n off-colour comment about the odd-looking pair....
The following day they have a further meeting (in costume) with Lt Poole. The cultists he holds in custody have thus far refused to talk. The Ghost offers to help in the interrogation, but Poole is reluctant - probably concerned what a good lawyer could make of such a departure from procedure. The police have turned up no other leads, so the heroes decide they will visit Ju-Ju House in their civilian identities.
Back at George's apartment they change out of their costumes (Dick wears his under his suit ready for action at a moment's notice, and George slips his domino mask into hi pocket, just in case). Dick takes the opportunity to follow up one more lead from Jackson's hotel room, and telephones Professor Cowles at Miskatonic University, who recently gave a lecture on "The Cults of Darkness", a flyer for which was found in Jackson' room. Disappointingly, the Professor has never met Jackson, and his lecture related to Australian aboriginal cults and myth-cycles, with no apparent links to Egypt or Africa.
Finally George and Dick read through the papers Jonah supplied.
These are too lengthy to reproduce in this write up, but indicate that Jackson was onto something big, with links to London, Kenya and China, as well as Egypt. The notes also show his increasing fear and anxieties about what he was discovering...
That afternoon the characters set off for Ju-Ju House. They discover it in a grimy court off a dirty alley in Harlem. Although the artifacts for sale seem genuine (Dick makes a successful purchase), the owner, Silas N'Kwane, seems evasive, especially when they question him. It soon becomes apparent that they will make no headway with this type of approach, so leave to discus what to do next. As they do they are accosted by an old drunk, who arranges to meet them later, a couple of blocks away when he will give them "information" in return for suitable payment of course.
The Drunk tells them that old Silas has "strange meetings" after dark "certain nights of the month". By pulp-style coincidence, tonight is the very night. As the drunk's filthy apartment overlooks the square, money changes hands, and he agrees to be absent overnight....
The hours of darkness find Pyroman on the roof, The Ghost in the drunks apartment, and a number of suspicious-looking characters turning up to be admitted to the Ju-Ju House by Silas.
Invisible in Astral Form, The Ghost swoops down to observe what is happening and enters the shop with one of Silas's "guests". For a moment it seems The Ghost may have been detected, as the huge, handsome African with Silas turns and stares directly in his direction for a long few seconds, before shrugging and moving on. Raising a trapdoor behind the counter they descend into a basement area. The Ghost follow, and eventually finds himself gazing at a strange ritual chamber beneath the shop. Half naked cultists start to beat on drums, and others start to haul on ropes that seem to be attached to a large stone cover or plug at one end of the room.
The Ghost flits back to where Pyroman awaits, and suggests the well-tried plan they have used in the past - Pyroman blasts his way through the door, while The Ghost becomes visible inside the room for maximum surprise effect. Pyroman agrees, and magnetically glides down into the court, while The Ghost heads back to the room.
The locked door is no barrier to Pyroman, who blasts the lock with a lighting bolt and makes his way inside, and down the stairs below the trapdoor. Meanwhile the Ghost has re-entered the ritual chamber, and waits for Pyroman's appearance, around him the drumbeats have grown louder and faster, and the stone plug has risen significantly from when he last saw it. Outside the room Pyroman has arrived, and uses his magnetic powers to warp and burst the door's hinges. lock and frame, so that it falls inwards with a loud crash. The drums halt. Pyroman strides into the room with lightning crackling round his fists, as The Ghost becomes visible as a green, glowing form.
Just at that moment, the stone plug slides free of the hole it was blocking, and a hellish, unearthly scream bursts forth. Sliding at random across musical scales, and producing warped notes of hellish weirdness that should never have been heard on our plane of existence it has a catastrophic effect on the two heroes
Sadly, the creature rolled well on its Expert [+4] Unearthly quality (which includes the impact of its wailing) and the heroes rolled badly on Yogi Training (for The Ghost) and Presence (for Pyroman)
Pyroman sinks to his knees, hands clapped to his ears in agony and tiny lightning bolts play across his body as he loses control of his powers.
At the other end of the room The Ghost drifts backwards, his face a grimace of pain, and drifts into the stone wall, vanishing from view....
Tune in next time, and remember, never go anywhere alone; if it looks bad, don't look; and save the last bullet for yourself....
Re: Adventures into Darkness: Masks of Nyarlathotep
for the interested, here are some stats for the npcs so far
Room 410 (p21 of MoN)
This unfolds as written.
The difficulty of hearing movement inside the room is Average [7]
If they try the handle first, the difficulty rises to Good [9]
Breaking down the door - is Average [7] difficulty
The Cultists
Good [+2] Cultists
Good [+2] Close Combat
Poor [-2] Obedience
Accompanying the Cultists is a giant of a man, known only as Jomo
Jomo
Expert [+4] Brawler
Good [+2] Cultist
Good [+2] Strong
Poor [-2] Wits
The clues available in the room are exactly as laid out in MoN.
Preliminary Investigations (p26 MoN)
This section is essentially unchanged, except that clues should be easy to come by, in order to facilitate a fast, pulp-like pace.
Lt Martin Poole
Expert [+4] Cop
Good [+2] Determined
Average [+0] Charming
Erica Carlyle
Expert [+4] Businesswoman
Good [+2] Horsemanship
Good [+2] Attractive
Average [+0]
Joe Corey
Expert [+4] Brawler
Good [+2] Strong
Average [+0] Marksman
Good [+2] Devoted to Erica Carlyle
Bradley Grey
Expert [+4] Lawyer
Good [+2] Business Accounting
Good [+2] Researcher
Jonah Kensington
Expert [+4] Editor
Good [+2] Scholar
Good [+2] Amateur Psychologist
Miriam Atwright
Good [+2] Librarian
Good [+2] Occultist
Professor Anthony Dimsdale Cowles
Expert [+4] Anthropologst
Good [+2] Archaeologist
Average [+0] Scholar
Miss Ewa Seaward Cowles
Good [+2] Anthropologist
Good [+2] Attractive
Average [+0] Archaeologist
Horror at Ju-Ju House
The door at the end of the corridor - breaking it will be a Good [9] task
A Good [9] scholar, occult or similar will recognise the symbols as relating to “the great old ones”
The heavy stone block weighs 2 tons - a Good [9] task to move with a power
The Chakota’s wails have the Good [+2] Unearthly Quality.
The Items
Africa’s Dark Secrets - this has Average [+0] Unearthly Quality to read. It also confers Poor [-2] Sorcery on the reader
Copper Bowl - required sorcerous tool for casting Send Dreams
Carved Sceptre - imparts 5 extra Hero Points to the holder, which can be used only to augment the Sorcery ability.
Mask of Hayama - Good [9] task establishes its Congo origin. It works just as described on p39. The god seen is generated randomly as indicated. The viewer must resist its Expert [+4] Unearthly quality, or they scream in terror and pass out - on recovery they will be “disturbed” for the rest of the scene. It does confer Poor [-2] Cthulhu Mythos/Arcane Lore ability.
Headband of grey metal - works as stated.
Rites of the Bloody Tongue
Cultists
Good [+2] Cultists
Good [+2] Close Combat
Poor [-2] Obedience
Zombies
Good [+2] Dead
Good [+2] Strong
Good [+2] Unearthly
Poor [-2] Dead
Poor [-2] Stupid
Poor [-2] Slow
Chakota
Good [+2] Large
Good [+2] Fierce
Good [+2] Multiple Mouths
Expert [+4] Unearthly (includes Unearthly wails)
Good [+2] Super-Armour
Good [+2] Super-Strength
Average [+0] Elasticity
Mukunga, High Priest
Good [+2] Arcane Lore
Good [+2] Brawler
Good [+2] Strong
Poor [-2] Cruel
Expert [+4] Sorcery
Sorcery Spin-off Stunts
Raise Zombie, Summon/Bind Hunting Horror, Mind Blast, Power Theft, Telekinesis, Contact Nyrlathotep
VP - 5
Silas N’Kwane
Good [+2] Sneaky old bastard
Good [+2] Cultist
Average [+0] Arcane Lore
Poor [-2] Combatant
Linear Mode
