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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

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    Default Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    So, a couple months back, in one of my many creative tangents, I was reading a number of sourcebooks - mostly D&D 3.5's Heroes of Horror and the d20 adaptation of Call of Cthulhu - and I started wanting (again) to run or find a horror-themed campaign. I was particularly inspired by the aforementioned Call of Cthulhu conversion, which had a section near the end describing how a Dungeons and Dragons game might go if the only deities were the almost-all-evil-by-D&D-standards eldritch gods of the Cthulhu Mythos.

    It's certainly an interesting idea, with clerics being, essentially, practitioners of dark magic, where healing is rare and anyone could be a cultist to dark gods. Doom lurks just out of sight, with countless elder evils ready to descend on the mortal world.

    So, I came up with a setting to run in such a case, based largely off an indie action-platformer called Odallus: The Dark Call, which also contains mind-bending horrors and distant, impersonal gods. And maybe a touch of Dark Souls, too.

    Spoiler: The Dark Call
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    Once, humankind was in darkness.

    Beset on all sides by beasts and savages, they struggled to survive in a hostile world. Their insignificance was perhaps their greatest asset - in this world, they were just a minor prey species. Though extinction was unlikely, greatness was impossible under these conditions.

    Then, They came, the beings who would eventually become known as, variously, the Old Gods, the Dark Ones, or the Fell Powers. Wielding great power, they promised humanity a taste of power and freedom, but demanded sacrifice and obedience in exchange. Humanity accepted.

    With the power of their new gods, humanity rose to prominance. They beat back the darkness, and forged great empires, ruled by the gods and their servants. It was a time of prosperity, of a sort. Survival demanded sacrifice. Mercy, while not frowned upon, was a luxury in a hostile world.

    Then the Old Gods began to fade. None are truly certain why. Perhaps they had a task, now completed. Perhaps they were simply bored. But either way, they slowly retreated from the world, eventually leaving their priests to rule in their stead. Meanwhile, humanity, having had a taste of power, yearned for more. Eventually, they rose up and overthrew the servants of the Old Gods, and found no retribution coming for them. Thus, they believed the true Age of Man had come.

    Their nations grew and flourished, while their understanding of the world deepened. Yet their rulers, uncaring of the greater world, lost themselves in petty politics and wars, while the wizard-scholars grew frantic as every question they answered raised two more... and some went mad as they to piece together true knowledge of the world.

    Philosophers and commoners alike claim there are no gods, and that humans are masters of their domain. Hubris will not protect them, for there are far worse things than the Old Gods that lurk amongst the stars, ever vigilant for prey...


    ...Riiiiiight. So, essentially, the setting and campaign are about the discovery of the Many Bad Things that lurk in the world. Humanity has scorned the protection of the Old Gods, leaving them vulnerable to countless threats. Can the threats of the world be fought back? Is the only hope to beg the Old Gods to claim them once more? Or do other options exist?

    So anyway, it's kinda fun to think about what such a D&D setting would be like. In particular, since religion is considered evil, divine magic (and with it, its healing properties) is rare and taboo. Clerics and Adepts are the slaves of fell gods. Paladins are absent, if they ever existed (though perhaps they were once the champions of the Old Gods, albeit not tied to good or evil). Druids and Rangers, while not considered evil per se, serve a different calling than that of king, country, or even humanity.

    Arcane magic is seen as a liberating force, meanwhile. Wizards are akin to the scientists of the Enlightenment period, busily researching the universe and performing wonders. Bards and Sorcerers are seen as examples of humanity's potential.

    But of course there are other sources of power as well. Monks refine their bodies to perfection as always, while Warlocks consort with dark powers.

    Now, since I need to curb my habit of really long OPs, thoughts? Suggestions? Modifications?

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Yora's Avatar

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    The Old Gods leaving seems rather tame and underwhelming. How about the humans rising up and slaying their god kings. And only much later they realize that they actually did protect them from a great threat.

    Druid magic could be treated as people searching for an alternative source of supernatural power after the disappearance of the gods, which they found in the savage and violent aspects of nature. It's a "clean" source of power that is uncorrupted by the influence of the new alien horrors, but that doesn't have to mean it's peaceful and gentle. Instead it's all about blood sacrifice, teeth, claws, and berserker strength. The civilized people may think it savage, barbaric, and primitive, but it works at repelling nightmare beasts and cleansing the corruption of other magic.
    We are not standing on the shoulders of giants, but on very tall tower of other dwarves.

    Spriggan's Den Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying

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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    Quote Originally Posted by Yora View Post
    The Old Gods leaving seems rather tame and underwhelming. How about the humans rising up and slaying their god kings. And only much later they realize that they actually did protect them from a great threat.
    Well, the idea is that the Old Gods are still out there, are indeed still worshipped by secret cults, and could perhaps be called upon again. And of course, it's also how it was in Odallus. Beyond that, I'm not sure humanity is actually capable of destroying them, though they perhaps could have been simply driven off. Here's an idea - what if humanity thinks they destroyed the Old Gods, further fueling their hubris, but in reality the Old Gods just sort of decided humanity wasn't worth the trouble. Or, alternatively, the Old Gods are playing a long game, and they intend to teach humanity a lesson by leaving them alone, just like they want...

    Druid magic could be treated as people searching for an alternative source of supernatural power after the disappearance of the gods, which they found in the savage and violent aspects of nature. It's a "clean" source of power that is uncorrupted by the influence of the new alien horrors, but that doesn't have to mean it's peaceful and gentle. Instead it's all about blood sacrifice, teeth, claws, and berserker strength. The civilized people may think it savage, barbaric, and primitive, but it works at repelling nightmare beasts and cleansing the corruption of other magic.
    I kinda like the idea that nature magic is tolerated, partially because of its usefulness, but also because the civilized sages don't believe they pose a threat. After all, humanity scared off the Old Gods, what can a bunch of primitives praying to trees and howling at the moon do? But the Druidic influence is strong, as people at the fringes of civilization turn to them for healing magic, as well as for something to believe in. And what the Druids provide is a glimpse into a primal force far more powerful than humanity, one that pervades all mortal life. Perhaps it's even sentient, or sapient, and has designs on the planet that don't include civilization... I can see it now - a slow rise of Awakened animals, magical beasts, and lycanthropes... with the last category describing their transformations as a euphoric, incredible experience of being possessed and directed by a far greater power, and allowed to indulge in feral pleasures unlike anything they've ever experienced...

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    Yora's Avatar

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    That would all obviously work very fine for a fantasy world, but where's the Lovecraftian Horror element?
    We are not standing on the shoulders of giants, but on very tall tower of other dwarves.

    Spriggan's Den Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying

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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Daemon

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    Seems like a fine campaign pitch. I think the old gods need a little bit of work (as it is, they don't sound any worse than most real life historical civilizations, so serving them doesn't seem to be any kind of moral compromise), and you need to explain why the other godlike entities out there are both a) different from the old gods, and b) worse than them.

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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    Quote Originally Posted by Yora View Post
    That would all obviously work very fine for a fantasy world, but where's the Lovecraftian Horror element?
    Quote Originally Posted by Blake Hannon View Post
    Seems like a fine campaign pitch. I think the old gods need a little bit of work (as it is, they don't sound any worse than most real life historical civilizations, so serving them doesn't seem to be any kind of moral compromise), and you need to explain why the other godlike entities out there are both a) different from the old gods, and b) worse than them.
    At first I thought maybe my definition of Lovecraftian was different than yours, and then I read Blake's post and realized what the problem was - I hadn't described either set of gods very well. It's perhaps something I need to work on, as in my mind the rule of the Old Gods was just sort of generically brutal.

    So, the one thing I know for certain is that the Old Gods, in some fashion, protected humanity from the dark forces in the world - wild beasts, savage humanoids, ravenous undead, and hostile outsiders. Security is a huge thing for people, so whatever the Old Gods demanded in return must have been unbearable. Or perhaps the people simply switched the targets of their fear, becoming afraid of their masters rather than their enemies. It would have to be, for the things demanded by the Old Gods - sacrifices and servitude - would have seemed a paltry cost for safety. Of course, there's also several centuries of distortion and history-by-the-winners to take into account. In the present day, it's claimed that the Old Gods were holding humanity back, and that may be true, but it certainly wasn't a concern at the time. Perhaps the resistance was an effort by a powerful minority, whose descendants now spin tales of cruel and capricious masters who took what they wanted from humanity and were scarcely better than the threats they warded against. Perhaps those tales are partly true. I would certainly enjoy having my players try and unravel the mysteries of the past...

    But as for the present... well, the biggest difference that can be said between the Old Gods and the new horrors is that the Old Gods had plans that involved humanity, and the things they were protecting humanity against most certainly do not. As an example, an overarching idea I had involved what was essentially an Elder Evil coming to the planet, infecting the world with its Taint and corrupting everything in it. It seeks to remake all life in the world in its image, but while the transformation is occurring, the victims are turned into insane mutants that spread terror and carnage to those not yet affected. It cares not for the suffering its future subjects undergo while the Taint changes them... while its herald does care, and revels in it.

    In essence? The Old Gods saw value in humanity. If the new threats to the world see value in humanity, it's only as food or playthings - and they don't seek a future or a world that favors humans.

    ...I'm not sure if that all makes sense.

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    ElfPirate

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    Why would people throw out their powerful (if nasty) gods? The idea I have is that someone offered them an apparently better deal. Maybe some archmage(s) or demigod (possibly a trickster) offered to do the same job of protection without the human sacrifices, and they did ... then they died or went mad and the protection stopped.

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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    Quote Originally Posted by avr View Post
    Why would people throw out their powerful (if nasty) gods? The idea I have is that someone offered them an apparently better deal. Maybe some archmage(s) or demigod (possibly a trickster) offered to do the same job of protection without the human sacrifices, and they did ... then they died or went mad and the protection stopped.
    I've wrangled over this issue quite a lot, and I'm still not satisfied with my own answers. Main thing I've settled on is the notion that the overthrow was done by a few powerful heroes and wasn't necessarily the will of the majority, no matter how much the current establishment spins it as such.

    It's really hard. As I've mentioned, security is a huge thing. But also, people really don't seem to like being ruled by foreign powers, for some reason. I've never really considered independence in and of itself a good causus belli, but there's wars all across human history for it. Perhaps I should combine the two - the rule of the Old Gods was harsh, and over time humanity grew more and more secure and felt less threatened by the creatures of their world.

    As for your suggestion, I kinda feel like it adds an unneccessary layer to the history, like they swap the old protectors for new protectors, and then the new protectors fade. Either the new protectors are going to be another faction I'll have to deal with, or they won't come up at all. It does, however, give me an idea - perhaps the ancient mages created powerful artifacts to protect the world from the Beyond, but over time people forgot how to maintain them, and even forgot their true purpose... and perhaps the cost of operating them was catastrophic in its own way.

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    gtwucla's Avatar

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    Default Re: Dark/Lovecraftian Fantasy - Old Gods and New Horrors

    If the gods were overthrown by heroes, why don't you make the heroes corrupted tyrants. Either they were beforehand or were corrupted with power. And then it follows that nature abhors a vacuum so the void is filled by your lovecraftian horrible gods. Maybe even the lovecraftian gods were part of the tyrant's corruption, slowly seeping into their mind-holes. At some point the lovecraftian gods become these heroes and manifest in their true forms, or rule through these vessels.

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