Character Creation

[Mi-Go Agent]

Spellcaster sounds good to me.

Does that mean he is going theologian?

[Mr. Handy]

Do we have a fixed number of points to assign to our stats, or are we just supposed to pick values that are in line with what we could roll randomly that are geared toward our characters? With EDU, is it possible to increase it by adding to the base age as a human can? 3d6 isn't much, especially since humans get 3d6+3. Yet Deep Ones can live a very long time, and EDU can easily get out of hand that way.

I'm definitely going to learn Dance of the Deeps as my Martial Arts form. Extra attacks are always nice. In terms of weapons, I'm thinking of Rifle, Handgun, and Knife. I'd have the modern Deep One weapons that use those skills. In terms of Civil War era weapons, I can't see hauling around a 19th century Enfield or Springfield with powder and shot. I might have a revolver, perhaps. Disguise, Other Language:English, and Knowledge:Humanity are skills I'd want too. Given my Innsmouth background, I'd certainly have rank in the Cult of Dagon. Between these and the other skills I'm interested in, that will take a lot of skill points.

Are the Soldier occupational skills listed in the rules the same ones that a Deep One soldier would have, or are there changes?

[Tabs]

Theologian then, a worshipper of Dagon - I would like to cast spells! Um, which spells are available - do I look in my rulebook (3rd edition)?

How many points do we allocate to our skills? Is it EDU x15?

Weapons: HPG & Trident.

[Mi-Go Agent]

There is nothing wrong with being a scholar - this is still CoC.

If you do want to be more of a theologian (and therefore spellcaster), take a look through your rulebook for any spells that you might want. The spells in the rulebook it is possible to have studied in a library. Also, for every 20 points you have in a Cult skill, you have reached a better understanding with the deity and get a custom spell. As an inhabitant of the Atlantic, you are closer to Dagon, but only in a geographical sense. Dagon spells cost Mp while Cthulhu spells also cost POW - the Cthulhu ones are somewhat more powerful, and it is possible to restore POW (with some effort) in Y'ha-Nthlei.

[Mr. Handy]

I'll probably have a couple of Dagon-related spells then, since I plan to put 40% in Cult of Dagon (depending on how many skill points I end up with).

You never answered my earlier question about how we determine our stats.

[Tabs]

Priest in the Cult of Dagon.

My rulebook states a Deep One must have a POW of 14 or more, for 1d4 Spells:
Contact Spawn of Cthulhu, Shrivelling, Summon/Bind Byakhee

Stats: STR: 4D6 DEX: 3D6 INT: 2D6+8 CON: 4D6 POW: 4D6 SIZ: 3D6+6 EDU: 3D6 (4d6=12, 3d6=11, 2d6+8=12, 4d6=17, 4d6=12, 3d6+6=12, 3d6=5)

17 for POW!

[kabukiman]

I have the stats of Tschhh (my character name!).
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2185394/
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [5,1,2,-1] = (7)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [4,1,1] = (6)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [3,3,6,6] = (18)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [6,6,5,1] = (18)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [5,6] = (11)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [4,6,6] = (16)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [3,6,6] = (15)
3d6-1;2d6+1;4d6;3d6+1;2d6;2d6+6;2d6+6;3d6+3 → [1,5,4,3] = (13)
Str Con Pow Dex App Int Siz Edu
He is weak and have a low con, but great power and dexterity. And it was writen in Lumley book that Itahqua was afraid of the priest (but he never explains why).If you agree with this stats, I will make a list of skills (and spells) that I think that will make sense.

[Mi-Go Agent]

I'll probably have a couple of Dagon-related spells then, since I plan to put 40% in Cult of Dagon (depending on how many skill points I end up with).

You never answered my earlier question about how we determine our stats.

Sorry - looks like I took too long.

It was my intention that you would adjust the stats and skills yourselves so that your character lined up with the creature you wanted to play as. These are not going to be balanced human investigators, but horrible monsters. (In case you have not noticed from the weaponry and abilities, I am not going to say the word "overpowered" for this campaign short of a Starspawn.)

If you prefer rolling, that is fine too. EDU only affects Know, not skill points. Non-soldier Deep Ones are limited to two combat skills. Non-priest Deep Ones have Cult skills capped at 40%, and have to have a reason if you want to have studied spells (such as being an occult scholar or having a personal interest in one particular spell). Most Deep Ones have a high skill in at least one (probably more than one) Art, but a soldier and a priest are the two least likely - you would be fine each having one Art skill, or not. The same goes for the more academic skills. While the Deep Ones do have knowledge of and experts in the medical arts (which is why pharmacy and medicine are on the skill list), serious healing can be faith-based (oh, the differences between Deep Ones and humans), so it is not normal to have anything more than enough first aid to save comrades on the field.

If you adjust the skills yourself, you really don't need to care about occupational skills, but you can use them as a guide.

[Mr. Handy]

I decided to roll too and got some pretty good results:

Character creation rolls for Deep One: STR, DEX, INT, CON, POW, SIZ, EDU (4d6=17, 3d6=15, 2d6+8=15, 4d6=16, 4d6=16, 3d6+6=14, 3d6=4)

That gives me some rather fitting stats for my character concept:
STR: 17
DEX: 15
INT: 15
CON: 16
POW: 16
SIZ: 14
EDU: 4

HP: 16
MP: 16
Sanity: 80
DB: +1d4
Idea: 75
Luck: 80
Know: 20

Good thing EDU doesn't determine occupational skill points. Does age increase it? If so, I'd have a 19 EDU at my age (approximately 165). How many skill points should I have, both occupational and hobby?

[Tabs]

Jahee's DOB was 1593, so today that is 416!

Mi-Go, what about skill points, like Mr. Handy says? Did you write earlier that we can choose them?, the problem is I would allocate 100% to skills if that is the case.

[Mi-Go Agent]

Yes, it was my intention that you could choose them. Everyone playing is a Keeper, after all, and I thought that if you could design balanced monsters for an entire scenario you could do one for yourself.

If you really would go 100% on all of them... that is not going to work. I've done customs before and never had that temptation (it just wouldn't be fun). Alright, I'll have to think of something for you. I did already set out some guidelines, so I'll probably send you some more. I suppose I could just go ahead and create your character for you, but I know that for some people characrter creation is the best part of the game.

Mr. Handy, age does not count for EDU, since the Deep One character sheet is for Deep Ones over 100 years of age. EDU would count for younger ones. You can choose the skill values, although I did post some rules. These are essentially custom pre-gens.

[Mi-Go Agent]

This is my information on Ghouls for kouchpotato. Did you want to play as Eleanore Pickman, the (otherwise NPC) Ghoul heroine, or as her (custom) assistant?

Ghouls in General:

“Most of the bodies, while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of unpleasant rubberiness.”
(Pickman’s Model)
The word ghoul can refer to any carrion-eater or grave robber. The Ghouls are a race of cannibalistic, necrophagous humanoids that live beneath the surfaces of the Dreamlands and Earth. Ghouls are not only able to breed with humans but also to transform humans into Ghouls. Unlike Deep Ones, they are not purely biological creatures – the Elder Race never had a hand in their creation. Nyarlathotep or Nodens might have, but the true origins of the Ghouls, if a race that dwells in the Dreamlands can even have such a logical thing, are lost to history.

Ghouls are inherently magical creatures. In addition to being invulnerable to diseases and being oddly able to disregard biology when exchanging changelings, Ghouls can travel through their tunnels between the Dreamlands and the Earth. This is an innate ability in Ghouls. In any labyrinthine tunnel complex (not necessarily one constructed by Ghouls or one underground – the cargo holds of a ship or the twisting routes through a collapsed building would work), a Ghoul can scamper madly or lead others and find his way to somewhere beneath the Dreamlands. Only those tunnels leading from Earthly burrows to Dreamlands chiefdoms necessarily lead to the same place every time.

Ghoul Society:

Ghouls are the dolphins of the Mythos races. They do not care about the direction of the universe, the development of technology, or any grander philosophical or political issues. Ghouls just want to have fun. Ghouls will pursue their quest for amusement wherever it takes them. It leads a few down paths of scholarship or artistic creation, but most Ghouls delight in gruesome charnel feasts, the blackest of gallows humors, wild and macabre cemetery dances, the pursuit of the most unspeakable experiences, and maddened adventures in distant lands. If there is one racial aesthetic for Ghouls it is “Don’t think it, do it.” Instead of writing about a gruesome crime a Ghoul will commit it; instead of painting a monster a Ghoul will summon or construct it; instead of imagining bizarre situations a Ghoul will create them.

Ghouls do have a sort of loose, semi-anarchic social structure. Chieftains control tribes ranging from handfuls to hundreds; often chieftainship is hereditary, but weak leaders never last long. The Chieftain’s only real duty is organizing the construction of burrows and tunnel-labyrinths. Chieftains also lead wars for survival or out of sheer bloodthirstiness.

Some Ghouls choose to live amongst other societies, either as open citizens or as secret infiltrators, sometimes playing deadly serious games of intrigue for their own amusement.

Ghoul Technology, Magic, and Weapons:

Most Ghouls are content to burrow, feed, dance and fight unencumbered by anything more complicated than the occasional drum or bone club. Most Ghouls are intelligent beings and can understand and use the technology and lore of other races, if they so desire. If they feel like it, Ghouls might manufacture machines for a specific purpose, or learn magic straight from the spirits and demons of the universe. Wandering ghoul shamans exist, as do more ambitious sorcerer-chiefs.

Technology use is always an individual choice for Ghouls. While a rare sight, there is nothing unreasonable about a Ghoul finding a shotgun and deciding to use it. The same goes for Mi-Go scientific equipment or an enchanted sword. Of course, in order to use more complicated devices Ghouls have to be taught by someone or something, but they are fast and flexible learners.

[Mi-Go Agent]

Ammunition for the HPG:

Slug rounds do 1D10+2 damage.
AP rounds do slug damage but ignore armor.
Powder rounds have a range of 30 yards and do 4D6 shotgun damage.
Flares do 1D10+ignite damage.
Luminescent (safety) flares do 1D6 damage and give light longer.
Explosive rounds do 1D10+2 damage and 1D4 fragmentation damage in a 1-yard radius.
Injection darts can be pre-loaded or field-loaded. Damage depends on contents. Injection darts can be used as improvised syringes.
Water rounds do 1D8 damage and have a range of 2 yards. They leave no bullet inside the wound.
Gas rounds do 1D3 damage on impact, and dissolve. If both a type 1 and type 2 round hit the same target, they react to form a cloud of toxic gas.

Rate of fire is the same for all types of ammunition.

[Mi-Go Agent]

I could use a little help from the seasoned P@YSDC Keepers. I sent a p.m. to carnage_lee about the game a few days ago, but he has yet to reply. When should I start bugging him?

[kouchpotato]

I'll be the custom Ghoul Manservant/Assistant. I rolled up some stats.

STR 17
CON 15
SIZ 15
INT 18
POW 13
DEX 11
EDU 5

HP 15
SAN 65
DB +1D4
Luck 65
Idea 90
Know 25

[Mr. Handy]

I've been a Keeper, yes, but I've only ever run the two games I'm running now (and one just started a few months ago). I've never run Deep Ones yet, and while I'm certain I could wing it if I needed to, I just wanted some rough guidelines about how many skill points we should spend. The base skill levels and skill descriptions are all listed in your earlier post, but unless I missed it, I don't think you mentioned how high they should get.

Unfortunately, Argyle only gets +1d4 for his Damage Bonus unless you tweak your stats. You need a STR+SIZ of 33 or more for that, and 32 just misses the cutoff (my total is 31, so I know how you must feel). On the bright side, he does have 15 HP, not 13.

Carnage_lee is often busy, so he might take time to get back to you. Anything I can help you with? If you need someone to set up a forum, I can do that for you. Just give me a name for the scenario and a short text blurb. As a global mod, I have the gnarly (or is that Nyarly?) powers required.

[kouchpotato]

I've been a Keeper, yes, but I've only ever run the two games I'm running now (and one just started a few months ago). I've never run Deep Ones yet, and while I'm certain I could wing it if I needed to, I just wanted some rough guidelines about how many skill points we should spend. The base skill levels and skill descriptions are all listed in your earlier post, but unless I missed it, I don't think you mentioned how high they should get.

Unfortunately, Argyle only gets +1d4 for his Damage Bonus unless you tweak your stats. You need a STR+SIZ of 33 or more for that, and 32 just misses the cutoff (my total is 31, so I know how you must feel). On the bright side, he does have 15 HP, not 13.

Carnage_lee is often busy, so he might take time to get back to you. Anything I can help you with? If you need someone to set up a forum, I can do that for you. Just give me a name for the scenario and a short text blurb. As a global mod, I have the gnarly (or is that Nyarly?) powers required.

Gah! Thanks for pointing that out Handy.

[Tabs]

In 1592 Madinia Dee, daughter of Dr John Dee, sailed to the New World as supercargo in one of her father's ships; she was just 14 years old. The ship "Hermes" was on a voyage of discovery - the elusive North West Passage, however it was wrecked in a storm off Cape Cod and all hands perished. Or did they?
G'Yar (a Deep One) was chasing a fishy delicacy when the "Hermes" foundered, it saved a beautiful human who was clinging to flotsam: Madinia Dee.
Their courtship was peculiarly vile, and need not be discussed; 9 months later a son was born at an exclusive community on Rhode Island, his name is Elijah Dee. Fragments of his grandfather's knowledge has survived: mathematics, astronomy, astrology, occult, navigation, alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy.
Elijah Dee

Name: Jahee
Occupations: Priest in Cult of Dagon
Sex: Male
Age: 416
Birthplace: Rhode Island

STR: 4D6=12
DEX: 3D6=11
INT: 2D6+8=12 SWAPPING SOME STATS
CON: 4D6=17 12
POW: 4D6=12 17
SIZ: 3D6+6=12 5
EDU: 3D6=5 12
Idea: 60
Luck: 85
Know: 60
Sanity: 85
DB:
MP: 17
HP:
- Jahee is only a little critter.
Skills

Art: 5% +45
Bargain 1% +30
Biology 1%
Block Dex*2 %
Boating 1%
Carpentry/Woodcraft 10%
Cartography 1% +25
Chemistry 1%
Climb 45%
Computer Use 1%
Conceal 15%
Cult of Cthulhu: 1% +35
Cult of Dagon: 1% +75
Disguise 5%
Demolitions 1%
Dodge Dex*2%
Fast Talk 5%
Echolocation 25% +25
Electrical Repair 20%
Electronics 1%
First Aid 30%
Geology 1%
Handgun 20%
Hide 30%
History 30%
Hypnosis 5%
Jump 40%
Knowledge: Humanity 1%
Occult Lore 10% +60
Listen 30%
Martial Arts 1%
Mathematics 10%
Mechanical Repair 20%
Medicine 5%
Natural History 10% +30
Navigation/Land 1%
Navigation/Sea, Air 10% +45
Other Language: 1%
Own Language: EDU*5
Persuade 15%
Pharmacy 1%
Physics 1%
Psychic Will 5% +30
Pilot 1% +25
Psychoanalysis 1%
Psychology 5% +50
Ride 5% +65
Rifle 25% +10
Scent 25%
Shotgun 30% +50
Sneak 50%
Spot Hidden 30%
Submachine Gun 15% +25
Throw 25% +35
Archery 20%
Track 15%
Claw 25%
Grapple 30%
Club 25%
Knife 25% +45
Trident 25% +50
Weapons: HPG & Trident
Spells: Contact Spawn of Cthulhu, Shrivelling, Summon/Bind Byakhee

[kabukiman]

Name: Tschhh.
Occupations: Scientist/Priest in Theem'hdra, then Ice-Priest in Borea.
Sex: Male
Age: Several millions
Birthplace: Theem'hdra.

STR: 7
DEX: 18
INT: 16
CON: 6
POW: 18
SIZ: 15
App: 9
EDU: 15
Idea: 80
Luck: 90
Know: 80
Sanity: 90
Magic points: 18
Hit Points: 11

Skills

Astrology: 50%
Carpentry/Woodcraft: 30%
Craft: making books from skin: 70%
Climb: 50%
Conceal: 20%
Cult of Ithaqua: +75
Cult of Tsathogua: 45%
Cult of Yig: 45%
Dodge Dex* 36%
Hide 30%
Hypnosis 55%
Intimidation: 60%
Jump 40%
Knowledge: Humanity 0%
Occult Lore 60%
Listen 60%
Medicine 25%
Natural History 40% (of several millions of years ago)
Other Language (Serpent-men: read glyphs): 55%
Own Language (speak and write): 75%
Palaeontology: 55%
Poison: 65%
Psionic power: read mind (60%)
Psionic power: Communicate (60%)
Torture: 70%
Sneak 20%
Spot Hidden 50%
Throw 35%
Track 15%
Weather report: 55%
Grapple 30%
Club 25%
Knife 45%

Weapons: Dagger
Spells: Contact Ithaqua, call creatures of frozen land, (like a white bear) spend 5 magic points); control creatures of frozen land (2 magic points by creatures), provoke precipitation of snow/ice, (spend 10 magic points), lower temperature (10 magic points for 5 degrees celcius), call wind, turn water in ice (5 magic points), control mind (power versus power, spend 10 magic points), implant thoughts (power versus power, spent 5 magic points).
Most of those spell only work in cold places, so in the summer my character will be very weak.

Milions of years ago in earth, a race of pre-human made a civilization of great power, culture and technology. As the time passed they florished but they started to decay morally, bored by immortality. They worshiped the GOO, specially Ithaqua. The true rulers were the scientis who turn themselves in priests of the GOO to gain more knowledge from the universe. They commited blasfemous experiences and hateful rituals to please their masters with daily sacrifices. Until the population had enouth and revolted. The priests decide to explode the entire planet to teach a lesson to the rabble. Then Ithaqua appeared and tranposrted the most gifted priests to another world. The priests who stayed in their city, hadn't power enouth to explode the planet, and only managed to sunk the continent where they lived.
For the next milions of years, the ice-priest served Itaqua in the world of Borea, a frozen world. The priests had lost their previous powers, but they learned new ways. One of the priests, was bored of being stucked in that world, without much things to do, so after a long time of preparations, he made a ritual to return to earth.
The race of the people of Theem’hdra was taller and thinner than humans. They looked superficially similar to the humans who appeared millions of years latter (they were descended of simians who evoluted first), and by analysing the bones or the DNA the differences were easily noted. Yet in the very look and action there was a vague hint of a greater difference than mere distance of time-a hint of alien Time, of misty abysses and gigantic gulfs of eons lying between the modern human and the pre-human that was Tschhh.

[Mi-Go Agent]

Creating a forum was exactly what I needed to talk to carnage_lee about. Thank you, Mr. Handy.

About 360 skill points would be reasonable for a Deep One character. I'm also going to cap Cult skills for Deep Ones at 79%, since any higher means spending almsot every hour in the temples or engaged in holy work.

Trident uses the Trident skill, which has a base of 25%. I mentioned this in the weapon posting, but looking back I realize that I was not very clear. The HPG uses shotgun to fire powder shots, rifle to fire all other shots, and SMG to fire bursts.

Tabs, your sheet looks fine. None of the skills are at 100%, although at size 5 it looks like we have a Deep One dwarf. What art does Jahee practice? You can throw out some ideas for the Dagon and Cthulhu spells - I'll do the costs.

Kouckpotato, I'll post the Ghoul skill sheet. Did you use you rulebook to roll up that Ghoul? He looks pretty good - the 18 intelligence does set him on the better end of the bell curve for Ghouls.