Immortal Characters (An Extremely Dark Horror Campaign Idea)

[Malanath]

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 Jester]

First thing is, make sure your players like the idea of a dark horror campaign.

 

[Malanath]

Yes, that's the obvious first step.

I have one or two people in mind who will likely be interested, but of course the type of campaign I have in mind is niche. It's certainly not going to appeal to everyone... somewhat equivalent of running a Zombie Apocalypse campaign. Some people would find that fun, others boring, it's all a matter of taste.

However, I imagine people who enjoy playing Call of Cthulhu might find it somewhat appealing. It's a switch from unknowable alien beings, toward something more focused on traditional horror and evil. It's a nice change of pace in both tone and theme from the scope of traditional heroic fantasy.

However, I intend to select players specifically interested in playing in a dark horror campaign. There won't be any misunderstanding about the type of campaign that's about to be played.

Still, having never run a campaign like this before, I am seeking knowledge / experience from others who have either DMed or played in such a campaign. Both tips on how to keep tension high, and how to keep the game fun without jumping the shark.

Something that come readily to my mind: If the PC's are immortal there has to be something at risk... something that they stand to lose, which motivates, frightens, and compels them into action.

I can think of many fates worse than death, making falling into the hands of the enemy so terrible that death would be a mercy. Yet, once you've already played that card you can't really play it again because each time it is played it loses its edge.

Alternatively, there is the method of shifting things over onto NPC's that the players care about. In this case, they'd be motivated, frightened, and compelled into action to protect those they'd care about. Yet, at the same time, if those they care about end up into the hands of the enemy... you can only play that card once before players learn to adapt.

 

[Nymrohd]

You can make things sufficiently horrible without having to kill anyone (and thus without having to make anyone immortal). Death is certainly not the worst thing that can happen to someone. Moreover perhaps the antagonist is interested in the players and would rather keep them alive, if barely, in his attempt to turn them.

 

[Pyrex]

You could also make the immortality double-edged.

When one of them dies, he is reincarnated by the demon prince and re-aligned with him. The remaining PC's then have to track him, capture him, drag him back to the former wizard's lair and re-brainwash him.

 

[NichG]

I'd say one thing you could do to make death still have consequence even in less critical situations is the Planescape: Torment approach, where whenever one of the PCs dies, they steal the life of another to come back. You could do several things with this, anywhere from 'someone somewhere dies' to 'the demon can control who dies to feed the life of his minion, and uses their deaths to kill his enemies'. Furthermore, the people around the PCs could eventually track the deaths back to them, putting the PCs at odds with both the demon who they want to stop and the people they're trying to save.

A gory variation is that the means of coming back is literally that the dead PC grows within the target and bursts out of them at some point, which would very immediately connect the PCs to the deaths, but it might weaken that particular horror by being a bit over the top.

One thing I'd suggest for the endings is, there should be the possibility of an ending where the PCs can take the demon's place and steal his power, thus preserving their own existence and ending/limiting that of the demon. The downside being that the demon's power comes with his corruption, which twists everything they do to evil or just outright transforms them over a short time.

The reason for having an option like that is, currently the only 'evil' ending is pretty obviously bad for the PCs since, as you put it, demons lie, and that should be obvious from the point of view of people who have been pawns of the demon for so long. In order for the ending to even be considered, there has to be the promise of self-aggrandizement and it also has to look like it wouldn't be all that bad compared to other options at face value.

I'd suggest though leaving hints that to take the demon's power would corrupt them, so its not just a turnabout screw-you at the end of the campaign. It also opens the door to variation endings like, the party puts the demon's power in one of the PCs who can be more easily confined than the demon has been, and the rest act as their guardian to keep them locked away, or that one PC grabs the power because he doesn't want to die nobly and the others now have to track him down and take care of him. You can shift the chances towards that sort of thing if it only takes one person refusing to sacrifice themselves in order to prevent the demon from being destroyed.

 

[Malanath]

Nymrohd-

I've thought about that, but then the PC's are effectively immortal anyway as a result, right? What led me to consider immortality are a number of things:

1. I needed a way to explain how the PC's, and only the PC's, can stop the Demon Prince. There would obviously be many individuals interested in stopping such a being, both good and evil. Linking the PC's power to the Demon Prince is an easy way to explain that. It also sets things up in such a way that failure is not an option.

2. Immortality in and of itself is not game breaking. There are many ways to permanently disable and take a character out of the campaign if it ever comes to that. Becoming too insane to be a playable character is one such mechanism. While it isn't a literal death, it's still functionally the same.

3. As you point out there are many things worse than death, and by stripping them of their mortality it allows such to be explored. If they are mortal it closes off that list of options, and if necessary later down the line they can be made mortal. After all, their immortality is a result of magic, and thus it is easily believed that it can be stripped as well. It is also something that is completely controllable from the DM side of things. The reverse is much more difficult to both explain and have happen from a DM perspective.

4. I don't want to pull back any punches. Failure and falling into the hands of the enemy, rather than going light on them, they could end up spending weeks or months in their clutches... enduring horrific things... either falling to the dark side as a result, or waiting for an opportune moment to escape (which in and of itself may or may not succeed.)

The above reasons are why I decided to go with immortality. On the face of it, I think most people will immediately think of immortality as some type of blessing or boon. No, I plan to explore the darker aspects of it. Ideally, if I do well by the end of the campaign the PC's should view their immortality as a horrific curse, and thus if they choose the heroic ending and die, it should be considered a blessing... because living after what they've experienced should prove extremely difficult.

Pyrex-

One of the main themes I want to explore in the campaign is tempting the PC's toward falling to the dark side. That's a perfectly legitimate course of action. I intend for them to start out as "good" but where they go from there is entirely up to them.

When they ultimately realize that they're brainwashed tools / weapons for a demon, the point is to create an inflection point for the characters. They realize that everything they know about themselves is a lie, and then suddenly have the ability of free will for the first time. They get to choose who they are and what they become as a result. I'm likely also to provide a means that will protect them from falling victim to the same methods again. (Thus, if they're captured they can't simply be mindraped back into joining the demon - it must be chosen.)

As you point out it does have the potential to lead to inter-party conflict. One player might decide that resistance is futile, that it's better to rule with the demon than die destroying him. Another player might disagree. The ironic thing is that being immortal effectively ensures that they can't kill each other, which is how such a dispute might typically be settled.

The only alternative is persuasion and compromise.

 

[Malanath]

NichG-

That's awesome. I love those ideas.

I think I'll use the Planescape: Torment idea that you've proposed, but instead of doing a chest burster I'll go for something more psychological. When a PC dies their soul lingers for a time in some type of slumbering state. Someone else in the world has to die for them to fuel their return... and they get to witness and experience not only the agony of the person who died to return them to life but those around that person.

It allows things to be varied, and allows me to inflict harm upon them in other ways. Maybe the person is randomly selected from the people the PC's know and have contact with, but controlled by the demon (and perhaps there is also some randomness involved).

Thus, dying could mean that the PC's children, wife, husband, parents, friends, allies, and important contacts are always put at risk.

I think that provides sufficient motivation to prevent the, "I don't fear your blades! Kill me, I'll rise again!" Scenario. Sure, you may die a hundred deaths, but every ally you had is now dead.

To make matters even worse, the individual who dies has their soul automatically sent to the demon to be tormented. That could create interesting situations in which, say a PC's wife is killed, tormented by the demon, falls to the dark side, and is ultimately sent back to the material world as a demon to work against her former husband.

Also, their very existence becomes considered evil and unnatural - turning goodly ideologues against them. Which would ironically make them self-defeating since the PC's are the only ones who can stop the demon... but it provides a nice contrast with the ends justify the means vs what is morally right. It also provides them with additional enemies and obstacles to overcome. Not only are they working against the demon, but they are also forced into working against those who are also the most obvious enemies of the demon.

As for your ending suggestions, I am going with that plan. It provides a nice compromise. Perhaps not everyone in the group is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, but all can agree that the demon must be stopped. It also opens up the door for betrayals and such. It's even better if they know betrayal is a possibility, introducing an element of paranoia into the campaign - not only against the NPC's, but against each other.

...which is perfect for a demon, whose primary goal is evil and destruction.