I am contemplating several new campaign ideas. One campaign idea revolves around an imprisoned Cthulhu-esk Primordial Demon Prince. This will be a fantasy horror game with a strong emphasis on ***extremely*** dark horror.
The Demon Prince would be played too the hilt, to the point I expect the players to fail multiple times along the way - simply because they'd be out maneuvered. I want to play a villain so smart and powerful that it'd be like cranking the difficulty level up to Insanity. Not impossible, just extremely good at what he does... with victories and failures being exchanged by both sides along the way. Having a villain that the players themselves fear is necessary for the desired tone.
Because I fully expect the PC's to fail several times along the way, and I don't really like having to kill off characters and then go through a whole new introduction process I am thinking about making them immortal.
The backstory: After character creation each player would be informed about a few minor details about their characters, namely a tattoo / marking, and some other secret information which would vary depending upon their background. They would be required to keep this information from the other players (at least at first). Each of them would be required to have a "good" background (i.e. non-evil).
The campaign would begin with the players traveling with a merchant caravan, with everyone heading seemingly to the same destination albeit for different reasons. The caravan trip gives the players time to get a feel for their characters and get a chance to know the other PC's.
Unknown to the PC's they're all looking to meet the same contact in the town... but the contact is dead. There are also some other events going on in the town which would ultimately lead them to discover some horrifying truths... about themselves.
Basically, the players will learn that their contact was really a rather powerful wizard who served the aforementioned Demon Prince. His corpse would be found, along with the corpse of his apprentice, and although almost everything they'd find there would be destroyed, smashed, or otherwise ruined they would come upon a nearly destroyed journal.
In this journal they'd come upon enough knowledge to realize that what they believed to be their lives is a lie. Everything. The truth is that they are weapons for this Demon Prince. However, they've been mind raped by the wizard, and set up as Manchurian-esk spies / assassins. They were to meet this wizard to receive their new "orders" as well as relay all the knowledge they've collected. Their entire persona had been painstakingly constructed to be nearly non-detectable.
They were the perfect tools / weapons: they served unknowingly, obediently, and could not betray their master. As part of being the perfect tool / weapon they'd have a number of "suppressed" supernatural powers / abilities which could be triggered at the appropriate time to carry out their missions. One of these is immortality. The others would surface as they advance through the campaign.
Seeing as how the wizard is dead and they're "stuck" in their good persona, this should illicit horror, revulsion, and panic. If not it will in time as the Demon Prince attempts to... shall we say... collect his wayward tools. Preferably turning them back to the dark side... of course, it also doesn't help them much that the Demon Prince knows them better than they know themselves.
For the first time in perhaps numerous generations they have a free will of their own. Ideally, they will turn against the Demon Prince (at least in the beginning), and work to destroy / stop him permanently.
A downer ending is assured for this campaign, as I foresee the following potential outcomes:
1. The players destroy the Demon Prince. Unfortunately for them their immortality, their very existence, is linked to his existence. Destroying him also kills themselves literally destroying their soul. However, it is the most heroic possible ending. They are the only ones, due to their unique circumstances that can destroy the Demon Prince. Otherwise he is invincible with near Cthulhu-esk power.
2. The players fall to the dark side and serve the Demon Prince. In this case they end up freeing him entirely to consume and destroy the world, dooming every living soul to eternal torment and damnation. (Of course, they'd be told they'd get to rule the world or some other such nonsense that would appeal to them... but demons lie.)
3. The players find some way to secure the prison of the Demon Prince. This is a middle road. The Demon Prince can and will attempt to break free from his prison some day. Of course, the PC's are immortal, and can conceivably be prepared to stop him should it come to pass. Numerous other bad things would also likely continue to take place (to the world and possibly themselves) as a result of their failure to choose the heroic path (self-sacrifice).
The campaign will likely end no matter what choice is taken, though if the third option is chosen I may allow it to continue as they clear up any lose ends. Obviously, regardless of what is chosen I anticipate this to be a long running campaign with the players being very powerful by the end.
My questions and desires in posting this are as follows:
First, I'd like to hear critiques and suggestions on the above campaign idea. Second, I want to hear about other DM / Player experiences with either having a player in the group who had a character who was immortal or playing a character that was effectively immortal (such as liches or vampires).
To be clear by immortality I am not talking about simply non-aging characters, though this would certainly be a component. I am currently debating on either allowing them to fully regenerate their body (magically) back from even a single cell, or being more restrictive by requiring them to consume organic matter to regenerate. If the latter then they could still die through various methods, depending on other secondary limitations I apply to the immortality.
I have some concerns about having PC's who are immortal. Namely, that when they learn they are immortal (which they likely won't learn until one of them "dies"), that they would do silly things that would undermine the horror aspect of the game. Toward this end, I am thinking an insanity mechanic is necessary where death incurs an insanity point... eventually overtime sending the PC toward gibbering madness if they aren't careful.
However, I think giving the PC's some type of plot armor (hence immortality) is necessary to ensure that they can actually survive to the end. If I were to run a campaign such as this, I wouldn't plan on holding back any punches.
My entire purpose behind running a campaign such as this is that I'd like to really do a dark adult horror game... something on par with being transported into the nightmares of Jigsaw (the big bad in the Saw movie franchise). Obviously, not something for the faint of heart or kids, but something that delves into true evil itself... while trying to create a demonic villain worthy of being called such, and a campaign that will be remembered and feared forever.
Finally, I haven't chosen the appropriate system for the campaign as of yet, so if anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome. Also, anyone who has played or DMed an extremely dark horror game before I'd like to hear about their experience and things that worked and things that didn't. Feedback / suggestions / comments and such on both of these as well as the immortality aspect of things would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!
The Demon Prince would be played too the hilt, to the point I expect the players to fail multiple times along the way - simply because they'd be out maneuvered. I want to play a villain so smart and powerful that it'd be like cranking the difficulty level up to Insanity. Not impossible, just extremely good at what he does... with victories and failures being exchanged by both sides along the way. Having a villain that the players themselves fear is necessary for the desired tone.
Because I fully expect the PC's to fail several times along the way, and I don't really like having to kill off characters and then go through a whole new introduction process I am thinking about making them immortal.
The backstory: After character creation each player would be informed about a few minor details about their characters, namely a tattoo / marking, and some other secret information which would vary depending upon their background. They would be required to keep this information from the other players (at least at first). Each of them would be required to have a "good" background (i.e. non-evil).
The campaign would begin with the players traveling with a merchant caravan, with everyone heading seemingly to the same destination albeit for different reasons. The caravan trip gives the players time to get a feel for their characters and get a chance to know the other PC's.
Unknown to the PC's they're all looking to meet the same contact in the town... but the contact is dead. There are also some other events going on in the town which would ultimately lead them to discover some horrifying truths... about themselves.
Basically, the players will learn that their contact was really a rather powerful wizard who served the aforementioned Demon Prince. His corpse would be found, along with the corpse of his apprentice, and although almost everything they'd find there would be destroyed, smashed, or otherwise ruined they would come upon a nearly destroyed journal.
In this journal they'd come upon enough knowledge to realize that what they believed to be their lives is a lie. Everything. The truth is that they are weapons for this Demon Prince. However, they've been mind raped by the wizard, and set up as Manchurian-esk spies / assassins. They were to meet this wizard to receive their new "orders" as well as relay all the knowledge they've collected. Their entire persona had been painstakingly constructed to be nearly non-detectable.
They were the perfect tools / weapons: they served unknowingly, obediently, and could not betray their master. As part of being the perfect tool / weapon they'd have a number of "suppressed" supernatural powers / abilities which could be triggered at the appropriate time to carry out their missions. One of these is immortality. The others would surface as they advance through the campaign.
Seeing as how the wizard is dead and they're "stuck" in their good persona, this should illicit horror, revulsion, and panic. If not it will in time as the Demon Prince attempts to... shall we say... collect his wayward tools. Preferably turning them back to the dark side... of course, it also doesn't help them much that the Demon Prince knows them better than they know themselves.
For the first time in perhaps numerous generations they have a free will of their own. Ideally, they will turn against the Demon Prince (at least in the beginning), and work to destroy / stop him permanently.
A downer ending is assured for this campaign, as I foresee the following potential outcomes:
1. The players destroy the Demon Prince. Unfortunately for them their immortality, their very existence, is linked to his existence. Destroying him also kills themselves literally destroying their soul. However, it is the most heroic possible ending. They are the only ones, due to their unique circumstances that can destroy the Demon Prince. Otherwise he is invincible with near Cthulhu-esk power.
2. The players fall to the dark side and serve the Demon Prince. In this case they end up freeing him entirely to consume and destroy the world, dooming every living soul to eternal torment and damnation. (Of course, they'd be told they'd get to rule the world or some other such nonsense that would appeal to them... but demons lie.)
3. The players find some way to secure the prison of the Demon Prince. This is a middle road. The Demon Prince can and will attempt to break free from his prison some day. Of course, the PC's are immortal, and can conceivably be prepared to stop him should it come to pass. Numerous other bad things would also likely continue to take place (to the world and possibly themselves) as a result of their failure to choose the heroic path (self-sacrifice).
The campaign will likely end no matter what choice is taken, though if the third option is chosen I may allow it to continue as they clear up any lose ends. Obviously, regardless of what is chosen I anticipate this to be a long running campaign with the players being very powerful by the end.
My questions and desires in posting this are as follows:
First, I'd like to hear critiques and suggestions on the above campaign idea. Second, I want to hear about other DM / Player experiences with either having a player in the group who had a character who was immortal or playing a character that was effectively immortal (such as liches or vampires).
To be clear by immortality I am not talking about simply non-aging characters, though this would certainly be a component. I am currently debating on either allowing them to fully regenerate their body (magically) back from even a single cell, or being more restrictive by requiring them to consume organic matter to regenerate. If the latter then they could still die through various methods, depending on other secondary limitations I apply to the immortality.
I have some concerns about having PC's who are immortal. Namely, that when they learn they are immortal (which they likely won't learn until one of them "dies"), that they would do silly things that would undermine the horror aspect of the game. Toward this end, I am thinking an insanity mechanic is necessary where death incurs an insanity point... eventually overtime sending the PC toward gibbering madness if they aren't careful.
However, I think giving the PC's some type of plot armor (hence immortality) is necessary to ensure that they can actually survive to the end. If I were to run a campaign such as this, I wouldn't plan on holding back any punches.
My entire purpose behind running a campaign such as this is that I'd like to really do a dark adult horror game... something on par with being transported into the nightmares of Jigsaw (the big bad in the Saw movie franchise). Obviously, not something for the faint of heart or kids, but something that delves into true evil itself... while trying to create a demonic villain worthy of being called such, and a campaign that will be remembered and feared forever.
Finally, I haven't chosen the appropriate system for the campaign as of yet, so if anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome. Also, anyone who has played or DMed an extremely dark horror game before I'd like to hear about their experience and things that worked and things that didn't. Feedback / suggestions / comments and such on both of these as well as the immortality aspect of things would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!