Help with 17th century Europe adventure plots!

Fetfreak · May 14, 2014

Hey guys.

Soon I will be running a campaign set in 17th century Europe. The campaign will have a horror/paranormal feel but it won't break our natural laws, maybe only exaggerate them.

What I mostly need help with is creating the weird horror within natural laws, but still make it almost supernatural for a 17th century European person.
Here is an example of what I have in mind.

Party is chasing a vampire who is in fact a mad serial killer with a sever skin condition. Or players might think they are under an influence of a spell or seeing monsters, while actually they've been drugged.
I need stuff like than. Something that could be explained today, but in 17th century, would almost be supernatural. I have more stuff like these prepared, but I'm interested in other people's ideas and perspective.

Thanks!

Celebrim · May 14, 2014

Read 'The Baroque Cycle' by Neil Stephenson. Also, the early Dumas novels such as 'The Three Musketeers' and 'The Count of Monte Christo' are set close to the right period.

Also, many episodes of 'The Wild Wild West' have the same sort of overlap between the arcane and esoteric science.

What you are going for is I think going to be very hard to pull off. A 17th century person might buy it, but your players will very quickly catch on. You are going to have a hard time keeping within two very delicate lines - believable 17th century science and supernatural horror.

For example, in the 17th century, someone who had sufficient understanding of magnetism and electricity to build very basic electrical devices would almost certainly been understood to be a wizard by people living in the 17th century. But the players will very quickly recognize any electrical device made by your 'wizard', and understand him to belong to the 'mad scientist' trope.

But anyway, an idea:

A monster is rampaging through the French countryside near the new royal residence at Versailles (1664 or later). It's described as an 8' tall hairy demon. The players may expect a great ape, and in a sense they'll be right. The monster is a Sasquatch, a northern American ape of surprising intelligence which will soon be extinct. The ape was captured by an explorer of New France and presented to a highly placed member of the royal court who is also a zoologist. Tracing the rampage back to its source and revealing the connection could make powerful enemies.

Fetfreak · May 14, 2014

[MENTION=4937]Celebrim[/MENTION]

Thanks for the advice. The players are aware of what you mentioned as a possible problem and we are a group that use rpgs for the roleplay and the mystery, so I hope that won't be too much of an issue. Also I failed to mention that the campaign won't be made of these unusual event. I will only use them from time to time to maintain the atmosphere and spice up the game. The feel is supposed to be like that of Brotherhood of the Wolf movie.

pickin_grinnin · May 15, 2014

I would start by researching unusual genetic conditions, obscure mental issues, historically accurate poisons, etc.

For example, the genetic disease porphyria has been suggested as an influence on werewolf and vampire legends, though that's just a retrospective diagnosis, and hence pure speculation (and probably not true). Hypertrichosis can make people look like wolfmen (ex. Fedor Jeftichew, JoJo the Dog-faced Boy).

Fetfreak · May 15, 2014

pickin_grinnin said:
I would start by researching unusual genetic conditions, obscure mental issues, historically accurate poisons, etc.

For example, the genetic disease porphyria has been suggested as an influence on werewolf and vampire legends, though that's just a retrospective diagnosis, and hence pure speculation (and probably not true). Hypertrichosis can make people look like wolfmen (ex. Fedor Jeftichew, JoJo the Dog-faced Boy).

Yeah, good suggestion. Thanks pickin_grinnin.

And when it comes to pushing the limits of nature and science, would you guys do it? And how far would you go?
I ask for I'm tempted to create potions and drugs that probably don't exist but could, or mechanical contraptions that would be very hard to pull of like cool switch daggers, repeating crossbows or gun prototypes that are more useful than single shot flintlocks.

pickin_grinnin · May 15, 2014

Fetfreak;6300665And when it comes to pushing the limits of nature and science said:
could[/I], or mechanical contraptions that would be very hard to pull of like cool switch daggers, repeating crossbows or gun prototypes that are more useful than single shot flintlocks.

It depends on how historically accurate you want the game to be. There are a lot of things that could easily have existed in that place at time, but didn't, and there are a lot of things that weren't found in that setting that could have been found in other parts of the world at the time.

The technology for a switchblade was around back then, but they weren't invented until much later, as far as we know. Repeating crossbows were invented in Asia about 1,500 years prior to the 17th century. In addition, there was a LOT of experimentation with guns and gunpowder during that time (and for a very long time before that), so a number of guns that would have worked better than single shot flintlocks may have been built, but never mass-produced.

Certain Asian cultures were significantly ahead of European ones when it came to certain technologies, both in the 17th century and earlier. Parts of the Middle East were significantly ahead in certain sciences, as well.

Given the general restrictions you have placed on the world, I would say that you could easily include something that could feasibly have been built by some culture during that period, even if (to our knowledge) it wasn't. The truth is that we really don't know what all has been built over time, and some things that have been discovered are still a bit mysterious. They have only recently figured out how the antikythera mechanism worked, to give just one example.

There are also a lot of things from the past that just haven't wound their way into our public consciousness. I was at a display of ancient Sumerian artifacts one time and was very surprised to see a device that was essentially a Swiss Army knife, with all sorts of fold-out tools (including a metal toothpick). You could put it in your pocket today and actually find a lot of ways to use it.

Fetfreak · May 15, 2014

[MENTION=6697674]pickin_grinnin[/MENTION]

Awesome. I think I have good idea of what I want to introduce in the game and what not.

I also wanted to introduce a new minor mechanic to the game.

A system of belief and skepticism. The idea is that if you are a believer (of any sort) you can more easily fall under the influence of a curse even though they don't really exist. And this could result in manner of a strong headaches and mild fevers. In return a blessing from your favored spiritual guide (priest) would result in a beneficial effects like a moral boost in battle or saving throw.
A skeptic would receive different benefits and penalties through the game. Like a bonus to a saving throw against mind affecting drugs and so on.
All would be in realms of plausible I guess. I'm still working on it.

Tonguez · May 15, 2014

17th century was the time of the scientific revolution, exploration and the general crisis.

You should utilise those things with things making a game that mixes natural philosophy, alchemy, exotic foreign mysteries and scheming and secretive aristocrats and clergymen with hidden agendas and dark pacts

Lots of cults would work, some weird science rationalist, church cabalist, zealots and pagan 'witches'

Bring in the mysteries of the orient, Hindu 'thugees' and zombi poison from the Carribean that leaves victims catatonic slaves

Or maybe an unknown tribe of albino african cannibals who need to consume pituitary glans of others to survive
(I wouldnt get too hung up on real diseases just plausible ones. I would look at natural philosophy and real world alchemy though)

pickin_grinnin · May 16, 2014

Fetfreak said:
A system of belief and skepticism. The idea is that if you are a believer (of any sort) you can more easily fall under the influence of a curse even though they don't really exist. And this could result in manner of a strong headaches and mild fevers. In return a blessing from your favored spiritual guide (priest) would result in a beneficial effects like a moral boost in battle or saving throw.
A skeptic would receive different benefits and penalties through the game. Like a bonus to a saving throw against mind affecting drugs and so on.
All would be in realms of plausible I guess. I'm still working on it.

That's a very interesting idea! I would give it a shot, if I were you. It could make for some very unique situations.

There have been a number of documented cases of people dying because they believed in a curse. Psychosomatic symptoms and the placebo effect are both good examples of the power of the mind to affect a person's health.

For example, see http://www.biology-online.org/articles/scared_death.html

saskganesh · May 16, 2014

A bunch of war haunted German and Czech mercenaries who are secretly cannibals. The Archbishop has employed them to hunt down witches (tenants of a neighbour the Prelate wants to bankrupt)
A Orientalist is back from Istanbul with a pet Sufi "Wizard". They possess the Lost Rose of Omar Khayyam and are looking to sell to the highest bidder.
Jacobins who ride at night as part of the Wild Hunt. (it's just drunk Irishmen in Celtic drag, but people are freaked anyway)
Hugenots, with a mystic Jewish advisor, are building their own golem to protect their community. But it's made of metal, not clay, and has the arm of a cannon. It moves on wheels.
Young alchemist Issac Newton, has gone missing. His laboratory his been destroyed by fire with most of his alchemical notes. People say he was making a Faustian pact.
A Russian giant (7'.6") is in town looking for adventure. His small and quiet German manservant is his 1) wife and 2) a spy for Czar Peter and 3) a thief. The Russian giant gets all the best invitations, is very bad at cards and likes to drink and fight.
A gypsy says she has the head of Charles I. She says the head can tell the past but is blind to the future.
Two fur traders back from the Far North West say they have found the Lost Viking Gold of Eric the Red. The next day one of them is found with an axe buried in his head and a rune carved on his face. A raven is seen eating his eyeball but flies off.