"Horrors of the Red Cathexus!" (Pathfinder players as monsters!)

[Beckoncall]

hey guys!

This is a call-back to a concept I ran semi-successfully on the paizo boards ages ago called "horrors of the red cathexus" -- the idea behind it being that instead of creating normal characters for pathfinders, the players create a unique race/type of "body-snatcher" whether it be a possessing spirit, a cursed mind-controlling artifact, or even some form of parasite... players hijack the stat-blocks of creatures at first low in the dungeon hierarchy and attempt to climb up the CR food-chain with better and more powerful monster forms.

I'll post more about char/race creation and other details after getting an initial interest check but it will basically be a chaotic and/or evil based campaign which might be an interesting change of pace for some of us. The parasite characters are supposed to be weak/vulnerable outside of a host -- but losing your host form doesn't mean you have to die, you may even be able to steal the body of the thing that killed you!

Think of it as "The one ring" meets "John carpenter's the thing"

As I said I got enough established to run this game for a while in another forum, so I'll get into mechanics and concrete specifics if there is interest.

Who wants to play pathfinder as the monsters and rise to become the BBGs of their own little corner of the underdark!?

 

[Bone2pick]

Interesting concept! I don't have the free time to play it atm, but if I did I might give it a go. I like the idea of an evil sentient artifact that puppeteers monsters. Possibly a ring, cape, or crown that can change size. But that might just be because I love sentient artifacts so much.

 

[Beckoncall]

I'll keep you looped in. we'll see if anybody else is intrigued.

 

[2Bornot2B]

can i join?

 

[Sherwood]

Sounds interesting. I would like to see some more info on this.

 

[Danzo]

sounds neat

 

[Beckoncall]

I'm glad this thread is starting to see some interest! Here below are some thoughts/ideas I have for the game so far, as I've run it previously but it petered out.

Expect hyper-cheese or ridiculously complicated rules morasses to either be discouraged, or banned. We may be breaking the game, but as a GM I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't get truly broken.

If some people are REALLY into it, I may set up established times (Pacific zone) to do mini-adventures in a chat client. Even if it is one player, it might be fun potentially -- and it could be a good way to get more involved people accomplishing more together. The bodysnatchers communicating and hatching plans together can be as important as carrying forward of the plans themselves...

The game, as I said, will be played fast and loose. If things do get Overpowered but it is still fun (for most players AND GM) I may just let it ride. But my ideas for starting a character are thus:

*The original forms players have are weak and vulnerable BY DESIGN -- you don't want to be caught without a host. If your host dies, you're either in big trouble, fleeing to find another victim to hijack, or you're already dead. I will likely require or encourage one or more dump stats to reflect the relative weakness of the bodysnatcher forms, but these dump stats will be replaced by the baseline stats of their hosts when they are hijacking, and some or all of their stats that are considerably higher than the host in their profile may carry over even onto the host form. Ie, "Fetch" has a 3 CON and a 4 WIS -- but his STR and INT are respectively high. His host form will have none of his weaknesses, but may have his strengths -- if his host dies he better not have to make a will save and he'd probably be crushed like a bug given his base hitpoints. This will likely not get much better even as players increase in CR, to keep emphasis on the hosts players must hunt/trick/occupy.

*I may, if players are interested, come up with some custom rules for character creation, or leave things nebulous if people aren't really into that aspect. My ideas so far are to give players a choice of the KIND of bodysnatcher they are, which may give them special advantages, weaknesses, and ways of securing hosts. Here are some examples:

Spirit -- hijacker form is like a disembodied ghost, light, or demon, with little or no ability to act on the world outside of a host. Advantages may be harder to spot/harm/kill once ejected from a host, but may need to consistently pass will saves to keep from being exorcised. The spirit may be even come back in circumstances where other hijackers are killed for good -- but it's never much fun to be a disembodied voice trying to trick creatures into "letting you in"... and if you don't find a host fast enough your voice may rapidly wane into nothing...
Abberation - who knows what this fleshy mass covered in eyeballs and mouths is, but it's on that ogre's neck and it's manipulating him like a godforsaken marionette. Abberations unlike some other hijackers are usually (or always) on the outside of the host, so can be attacked by those smart enough or intuitive enough to do so. They however may be hardier than other hijacker forms, or at least have fewer weaknesses. If hurt enough in combat, they may opt to detach and run for it. Perhaps, an Abberation is the ONLY form of hijacker that is formidable outside a host, at least in the short-term.
"The Thing" -- This Hijacker, like the movie-monster of it's namesake, doesn't occupy hosts as much as copy them. It is exceedingly vulnerable to certain forms of attack (perhaps fire?) and also when it is changing forms or it's current form is incapacitated. However, it may be able to turn into any type of creature it has previously copied -- so it doesn't need to depend on finding new forms or being caught at a disadvantage as much as when other player's host forms die. "I'm a dire boar AGAIN."
Parasite -- this thing is a bug that like the abberation usually clings to the outside of the host, but it can disguise or stealth itself to look like a crown, or a piece of armor, a bony ridge, what-have-you -- which may help it stay hidden and safe even if it's host dies... one may even be lucky enough to be worn by the killer of your original form? However, the parasite is not nearly as hardy as the abberation, and is perhaps the most easily squished if it is discovered for what it is...
Slime -- What it says on the tin. May cover hosts, or be ingested, bodysnatching slime may have distinct and profound weaknesses and resistances, which potentially change over time. It may be harder to kill outside a host, or have an easier time hijacking bodies than others -- but it's toxic nature kills host bodies faster than any other hijacker, so it will need that advantage.
Germ -- The player is the established consciousness of a collective of fungus, virus, micro-organisms that in concert, form a singular evil being. The germ is insideous, highly infective, and constantly mutating. What hurts it one day may do nothing the next, and previous immunities may be discovered lethal vulnerabilities the day after. It's hard to kill the entire germ, as the smallest part in the right environment will grow back to sentience-bearing volumes... but don't THINK you'll last a second if a cleric casts Cure Disease on you. Germs, because of their collective nature, may have advantages over other hijackers when it comes to using swarms as hosts -- possibly occupying several swarms at once, or forming horrible hybrid swarms with the shared abilities of various different creatures in a single mass…

“Preciouses” – these are items with powerful wills that supplant the will/soul of the creature carrying them. A cloak, a ring, or some other item that cannot move or effect the world much (or at all) on it's own, but manipulates it's wearer/wielder.

(I can understand why some people might like ideas like this, but I can also understand that some people might feel that if a mechanic is too far outside established bounds for some to feel like we are still playing a pathfinder game. I will endeavor to accommodate the most interested and faithful players, and beyond the wacky concept do my best to keep things "Golarion."

As far as a backstory, I'm going to leave it mostly true sandbox -- Players explore, I will keep expanding the world and adding new environments, Mega-dungeon style and the story may be as colorful or drab as the players motivations and goals -- hopefully growing from localized hack and slash into reigns of terror, hex-by-hex enslavement of entire areas or levels of dungeon, Stripping areas of life, that sort of stuff.

Couple things to keep in mind -- There will be little or NO surface dwelling in this game -- holes or cracks leading to the surface are EXTREME HAZARDS. Sunlight BAD, Moonlight barely if even tolerable. This should be an epic of unseen horrors the likes of which civilizations on the surface never dreamed -- adventurers MIGHT encounter the players, but it's equally possible a player will never see a single human, elf, or gnome for the entire campaign. Maybe. Going to the surface is something that if done, will almost certainly result in the quick or instant death of the character. My current mechanic for this is that the PCs -- the bodysnatchers, are actually unique, but weakened entities from the Dark Tapestry. Their existence on this plane is such an offense to nature and the gods that for the sun to fall upon them above ground they would be annihilated, perhaps explosively, as their horrific nature cancels out the natural order like a matter/antimatter reaction. To be seen by the gods of law and good (or by the naked eye of their agents) may be enough to violently rip them from the plane. You get the picture. Run and hide if you're short a host, and avoid such situations. The default backstory is that the players (however many there are) are all such beings slipping into this world through a horrible dark tapestry artifact known only as "The Red Cathexis" -- which if destroyed ends the campaign for EVERYONE. Hiding and protecting the Cathexis should be an early and often updated objective, especially as it may grow in size, vulnerability, or discoverability as players grow in number and power. Eventually a main objective of the campaign might be finding someplace dark and horrible enough to hide the Cathexis from it's enemies -- The players delving ever deeper into the underdark to hide it, find host creatures strong enough to protect it, and ultimately establish the players at the top of the dungeon food chain... forever.
(players who don't like this origin story MAY be given leeway for the backstory of their character -- I don't like dictating who or what my players choose to be (if I did would I have a crazy idea like this?)

Stuff like that is on my mind. Any of this stuff seem particularly interesting (or not?) Any of this conflict with what you perceive is typical of a successful/conventional PBP?

This WAS a wall of text -- but hopefully the subject matter is worth at least a skim. Thanks for your interest. Feel free to tap me about any of the above, and I'll start soliciting specs during the Thanksgiving holiday, when hopefully several people have time to start strong.

People who already have character concepts, origin stories, ideas/goals/plot-seeds for their characters (or have their own ideas they'd like to run by me or questions about char. generation) -- feel free to post in this thread or PM me if you prefer. I'll be checking back semi-regularly hereforward until we can officially begin.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS SHOWN SOME INTEREST!!

Sincerely,

-Beckoncall, drooling vortex of the Red Cathexis, Ripper of the Tapestries, The eye, the lie, and the gate!


PS -- please feel free to ask/attempt to stump me with questions!

 

[Beckoncall]

If you're interested in joining, lets talk in this thread to keep that interest churning rather than out of sight in PMs... if you want to play, give me an idea of your character concepts as I've defined somewhat above.

The main plot is that all players are entities from beyond "The dark Tapestry" and have arrived, in weak forms, to climb the dungeon food chain and assert power in Golarion's underdark. You'd start on level 1 of a dungeon and go DOWN DOWN DOWN!

I'd like to play the game with 4-6 players to start with... then add/subtract as we find a pace that works or people shuffle off to do other stuff, recruiting new people as needed.

I'll post the more fleshed-out plot seed when I have some character concepts to work with.

 

[Beckoncall]

2Bornot2B , Danzo , Sherwood , Bone2pick :

I am currently taking applications! take a look at the ramble I have going so far and hit me back with a character concept. Are you a slime bodysnatcher? A "Precious"? A parasite?

What attracts you to the campaign and what kind of monsters do you think it will be fun to be? As I said before it's 15 point buy with at least 2 expected dump stats, to drive home the idea that the primary form of the character is weak, but it can possess other monsters and carry over it's higher stats.

 

[SpiralErrant]

So lets say I'm in the mood to play a parasitic bug like this?

The Lone Soprano!

Out in the abyssal dark between the light of the stars, where all horrors make their home, there is one sentience that is both one and many. It is called The Choir. A hive that resembles the insects of the mortal realm but varied and infinite in impossible ways. They devour, destroy and assimilate anything that cannot escape or overcome them. All while losing themselves in a song and dance that no human could ever comprehend. Scholars say that to look upon a true gathering of The Choir is to hear a song as beautiful as the turning of the spheres, and to see movement that is beautiful in its severity. Then they assume you go mad from the sight, assuming you aren't devoured first.

So it's unsurprising that The Choir took no notice when some of its scouts were lost through The Red Cathexus, they were a drop in the ocean for them. One scout survived this mind shattering journey and found itself alone in the cramped dark. Cut off from the hive and the song it almost went mad in the silence but its purpose remained clear and through purpose it would continue. If it was to sing alone then this scout would have to find others to build its own branch of The Choir. It could not do this as it was though for it was only a scout, made to be swift and unseen, to take the bodies of others to study and learn, to bring new parts into the song. It would need a queen! Luckily it was an insect of terrible, eldritch, origin and biology was a narrow minded thing for mortals.

The way forward was clear! It would do what it was made to do, take a new body until it could find one with the materials to consume and alter itself to become a 'Mother' Then it would use its scout stings to find hosts with the materials needed to lay eggs. Of course that was a long way off, for now the scout would have to make sure it wasn't stepped on or devoured.
_____________________________________
And that's my pitch! An eldritch bug with dreams of grandeur. Physically it's a little insect made for sneaking or attacking in large numbers so it's got very weak strength and constitution and can just be stepped on like you put in the parasite description. Also like that description it relies on stealth and speed to get around when it hasn't latched onto someone and hidden itself under their clothes or disguised itself as a part of their body.

 

[Bone2pick]

Beckoncall If I had the time for another RP I'd like to take a swing at this, but as of now I don't. Sorry. Best of luck with this.

 

[Sherwood]

I am starting to cook up an idea of a parasite that burrows into the host, taps into its central nervous system, and controls the body of whatever it is in that way. I remember a Star Trek TNG episode where they had these bug-things that would crawl into the mouth and did the puppet master routine on them. Outside of the host, it would be very vulnerable, but inside a host, it would have the defenses of the body around it.

Would that concept work?

 

[Beckoncall]

When we have 4 people playing we can get more serious about kicking off!

So far 2 concepts fly!

 

[Sherwood]

What kind of character classes are we talking about? My particular concept wouldn't work too well as a fighter type, but would have a lot of points extra to raise up the mental attributes to be a good (or evil) sorcerer, wizard or evil cleric of some kind.

 

[Beckoncall]

Instructions for character creation below!

 

[Sherwood]

This approach is quite new to me. I'll try and adapt to it!

 

[Beckoncall]

Lets get this thing rolling!

 

[Sherwood]

Ok, I've made Pathfinder characters before using the normal character classes, and I know how to use the point buy system, but I don't know what to do with the CR 1 stuff. Can you help?

 

[Sherwood]

Also, do we get any bonus attributes or Feats starting out? And what skills do we start with?

 

[Probably George]

Anyone else hyped for pathfinder 2?

 

[Beckoncall]

Stay tuned, I’ve got wind of a way to make this happen smoother than I imagined!

 

[Silvis]

I'm quite interested but have never played pathfinder and don't have the books. If you're winning to help me get started I'd be happy to join you and come up with a slime bodysnatcher of some sort.

 

[Beckoncall]

Okay! I will make character sheet PDFs for people who want to play.

If you already have an approved concept we can hash out your character on RPN's discord or you can give me some information here and we can go from there.

Class: Rogue, Barbarian or fighter only
Stats: two 16s, a 14, a 10, and two 3s. you gain +2 in two stats and -2 in one stat of your choice.
Skills: (by class points) 4+int barbarian, 2+ int fighter, 8+ int rogue.

Steal body (Su) = after a successful touch attack, a DC 15 check is made to save vs. bodysnatching. Will, Fort, Reflex TBD by concept!

Size: depending on your concept, you will likely be small or tiny in size -- body-snatchers are supposed to be vulnerable.

This should get us started. I am willing to begin the game with as little as 3 bodysnatchers.

 

[Beckoncall]

If you want to try and chat with me send me a message Beckoncall on the RPN lobby 1 and hopefully we can get a talk going with any perspective players!

 

[SpiralErrant]

So if I've got this right my sheet looks something like this:

Choir Scout

Class: Rogue

Stats:
STR - 3
DEX - 16
CON - 3
INT - 10
WIS - 14
CHA - 16

Skills: 1 Rank in the following
Acrobatics
Diplomacy
Disguise
Escape Artist
Linguistics
Perception
Perform
Stealth

Steal body (Su) = after a successful touch attack, a DC 15 check is made to save vs. bodysnatching. Will, Fort, Reflex TBD by concept!

Size: Tiny