PRE-GAME: Intro and Character Generation.

[Raiko]

Okay, third time lucky for running Masks I hope.

This game will use the 7th Edition rules and the new 2018 edition of Masks of Nyarlathotep:

The adventure begins in Lima, Peru in March 1921 when a group of explorers, academics and treasure hunters have gathered to join Augustus Larkin - initially making contact after reading a newspaper article earlier in the year, or being notified of the expedition through academic or professional contacts:



From the previous game, so far we have :

**** UPDATED 30th July ****
Mallet - playing a Professor in Linguistics based in Paris, France.
Mr. Handy - playing Amy Lawrence (undergraduate student of history)
HelplessBystander - playing a jack-of-all-trades Dilettante
kabukiman - playing a younger version of Michael Anderson (Archaeologist)
Silver Priest - playing a bodyguard / chaperone of HelplessBystander's investigator

I'll help handle conversion of existing characters at the same time as generation of new ones.
For converted characters: We'll convert characteristics (ie times by 5), roll for starting luck, and just re-do skill points from scratch using the 7th edition method - then any mismatch between the skills of old and new editions is sorted once and for all.

Due to the expedition based start, the new edition of Masks recommends the following list of professions for investigators:

PROFESSIONS,[list][*][b]Knowledgeable types: [/b]Antique Dealer, Archaeologist, Author, Clergy, Doctor, Historian, Journalist, Linguist, Missionary, Museum Curator, Occultist, Scientist. [*][b]Expedition guides and security: [/b]Big Game Hunter, Boxer/ Wrestler, Explorer, Mechanic, Military Officer/Soldier, Sailor, Mountain Climber, Outdoorsman, Translator. [*][b]Aids and assistants: [/b]Butler/Valet/Maid, Photographer, Researcher, Secretary, Student, Bodyguard. [*][b]Those seeking an escape: [/b]Criminal, Dilettante, Gentleman/Lady. [*][b]Those seeking inspiration: [/b]Actor, Artist, Musician, Missionary, Occultist.[/list]

But any profession that you'd prefer could be worked in with a little work.

For the campaign, the following skills are recommended as being particularly useful, and so it would be beneficial if most of these skills were possessed by at least one investigator:

USEFUL SKILLS,[b]Useful skills: [/b]Archaeology, Disguise, First Aid, History, Library Use, Listen, Locksmith, Mechanical Repair, Natural World, Navigate, Occult, Psychology, Science (Biology, Engineering, Physics), Social skills (Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate, Persuade), Spot Hidden, Stealth, Throw, as well as Fighting (Brawl) and the odd Firearms skill. All characters should be at least reasonably fluent in English. Despite the adventure beginning in Peru [b]all[/b] the investigators should arrive in Lima from abroad - none of the starting characters should be Peruvian. Also: although Spanish language is useful in the prologue, it is of little use during the rest of the campaign.

Unlike previous editions of Masks, there is no need for any character to have met the author Jackson Elias prior to the game beginning. As the adventure begins four years earlier, it's easy to have exactly the same relationship developed by January 1925, but at the time of the prologue it is unlikely that you have already met.

I'll PM Dr Peterson and Andyw666 to see if they're interested, and we'll make sure we have six players before actually generating characters.

[Mallet]

Hello,

I already have a character that would fit in the list of desirable professions: A Professor in Linguistics based in Paris, France.

Is that OK ?

[Raiko]

Hello,

I already have a character that would fit in the list of desirable professions: A Professor in Linguistics based in Paris, France.

Is that OK ?

That sounds good. If you can imagine your professor heading off to Peru to investigate an ancient mystery, then he/she will be fine.

[HelplessBystander]

I don't have the 7E rules and I don't particularly wanna pirate them, so I may need a hand in character generation.

[Mallet]

Those who don't have the CoC 7e rules can download the free Quick Start Rules:

https://www.chaosium.com/free-quick-start-pdf/

[HelplessBystander]

The chat gen method wasn’t really outlined in the QuickStart...

[Silver Priest]

If you still have space, I'd like to join in. With Helpless's permission perhaps I could be a bodyguard to his character, sent to keep an eye on them?

I've also never played 7th gen, so a walkthrough may be appreciated.

[HelplessBystander]

Of course! No worries!:D

[kabukiman]

Is another language like Egyptian hieroglyphs important, or it's better that I use those points to another skill?

[Raiko]

The chat gen method wasn’t really outlined in the QuickStart...

I'll give everyone a hand with character gen in a few days.

If would have been nice if the quick start rules had been tweaked to include the standard dice generation though once 7th edition was released.

If you still have space, I'd like to join in. With Helpless's permission perhaps I could be a bodyguard to his character, sent to keep an eye on them?

I've also never played 7th gen, so a walkthrough may be appreciated.

I'm waiting to see if a couple of players reply to my messages, but I'll be okay if we start with seven investigators anyway, so yes you're in if you like.

Is another language like Egyptian hieroglyphs important, or it's better that I use those points to another skill?

Yes, I wasn't sure what to say about languages, spoiler-wise. The following could be useful to have:
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Arabic
Mandarin Chinese or written Chinese
Possibly Cantonese
French
Latin
There are also various languages of indigenous peoples throughout the campaign that could be useful, but the adventure expects that you'll need interpreters.

[kabukiman]

I understand the spoilers but let's face it: nobody will put points in Cantonese or hieroglyphs unless he knows it's useful.

[Mallet]

I understand the spoilers but let's face it: nobody will put points in Cantonese or hieroglyphs unless he knows it's useful.

[Mr. Handy]

Amy has Egyptian Hieroglyphics, though I did suspect they might be useful since I was aware that there is an Egypt chapter.

[Raiko]

I'll post some character gen stuff here a little later - and reply to previous posts.

I need to get onto my laptop for this, I'm using my phone at the moment.

[Raiko]

I've placed a copy of the traditional CoC two-page character generation summary from the 7th Edition Investigator Handbook in the spoiler tags, hopefully nobody from Chaosium will mind too much as it's not a lot of use without the book, but for our purposes it's better than the quickstart pdf.

7th Edition Character Gen Summary,If the image don't fully display on the forum, then click the image and it'll take you to the uploaded image on imgur.com. [url=https://i.imgur.com/SsfMHOF.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/SsfMHOF.png[/img][/url]

For characteristic rolls, we'll be using optional rule 3, which is shown below:

Option 3: Choosing Where to Place Rolled Characteristics
Roll and record five rolls of 3D6 and three rolls of 2D6+6.
Multiply each of these eight results by 5.
Allocate the characteristic values as you wish among the eight characteristics. There is a recommended minimum
value of 40 for INT and SIZ, although this may be lower, with the Keeper’s agreement.

Note: We'll be sticking to a minimum of 40 for INT and SIZ.

For those swapping their characters from the old game, you can just multiply characteristics by 5, or you can swap them around if you prefer - as the optional rule above is a little more flexible than the normal swap around method that I'd use in 5th/6th edition.

The spoiler box below has a full list of the occupations from the Investigator Handbook. If you don't have a copy, then let me know which career you'd like to use for your investigator and I'll PM you a copy of the text for that occupation.

7th Edition Occupations,Obviously, anything marled as [Modern] is not available. :) [list][*]Accountant [*]Acrobat [*]Actor [*]Agency Detective [*]Alienist [Classic] [*]Animal Trainer [*]Antiquarian [Lovecraftian] [*]Antique Dealer [*]Archaeologist [Lovecraftian] [*]Architect [*]Artist [*]Asylum Attendant [*]Assassin – see Criminal [*]Athlete [*]Author [Lovecraftian] [*]Aviator [Classic] – see Pilot [*]Bank Robber – see Criminal [*]Bartender [*]Big Game Hunter [*]Book Dealer [*]Bootlegger – see Criminal [*]Bounty Hunter [*]Boxer/Wrestler [*]Burglar – see Criminal [*]Butler/Valet/Maid [*]Chauffeur – see Driver [*]Clergy, Member of the [*]Computer Programmer/Technician/Hacker [Modern] [*]Conman – see Criminal [*]Cowboy/girl [*]Craftsperson [*]Criminal – also Gangster [*]Cult Leader [*]Deprogrammer [Modern] [*]Designer [*]Dilettante [Lovecraftian] [*]Diver [*]Doctor of Medicine [Lovecraftian] – also see Psychiatrist [*]Drifter [*]Driver [*]Editor [*]Elected Official [*]Engineer [*]Entertainer [*]Explorer [Classic] [*]Farmer [*]Federal Agent [*]Fence – see Criminal [*]Firefighter [*]Foreign Correspondent [*]Forensic Surgeon [*]Forger/Counterfeiter – see Criminal [*]Gambler [*]Gangster [*]Gun Moll [Classic] – see Criminal [*]Gentleman/Lady [*]Hacker – see Computer Programmer [*]Hobo [*]Hospital Orderly [*]Journalist [Lovecraftian] [*]Judge [*]Laboratory Assistant [*]Laborer [*]Lawyer [*]Librarian [Lovecraftian] [*]Lumberjack – see Laborer [*]Maid – see Butler [*]Mechanic (and Skilled Trades) [*]Military Officer [*]Miner – see Laborer [*]Missionary [*]Mountain Climber [*]Museum Curator [*]Musician [*]Nurse [*]Occultist [Lovecraftian] [*]Outdoorsman/Outdoorswoman [*]Parapsychologist [*]Pharmacist [*]Photographer [*]Photojournalist – see Photographer [*]Pilot – also see Aviator [*]Police Detective/Officer [Lovecraftian] [*]Private Investigator [*]Professor [Lovecraftian] [*]Prospector [*]Prostitute [*]Psychiatrist [*]Psychologist/Psychoanalyst [*]Reporter – see Journalist [*]Researcher [*]Sailor [*]Salesperson [*]Scientist [*]Secretary [*]Shopkeeper [*]Smuggler – see Criminal [*]Soldier/Marine [*]Spy [*]Street Punk – see Criminal [*]Student/Intern [*]Stuntman [*]Taxi Driver – see Driver [*]Thug – see Criminal [*]Tribe Member [*]Undertaker [*]Union Activist [*]Valet – see Butler [*]Waitress/Waiter [*]White-collar Worker [*]Zealot [*]Zookeeper[/list]

Finally, regarding languages and spoilers, you are of course correct and I'd been planning to give guidance, but wasn't sure what to include or not include in the list. I pasted the list of recommended skills straight out of the new Edition of Masks, and was surprised that there wasn't any mention of language skills.

For any particularly skilled linguists there's another optional rule that I think I'll use - i just need to take a closer look.

For now here is a list of locations (as countries) for the campaign, it's spoilered this time in case you genuinely wish to have no knowledge, so please do not discuss the locations out of respect for any players who prefer not to peek. If the campaign includes any visits to non-Earthly / Mythos locations, then those are NOT listed in the spoiler tag.

Campaign Locations,[b]Prologue: [/b]Peru [b]Part One: [/b]America [b]Later Parts in Alphabetical Order:[/b] [list][*]Australia [*]China [*]England [*]Egypt [*]Kenya[/list]

[Raiko]

Note: I've moved the old game into the graveyard now, but it's still available here, if you want to look at old versions of characters:

https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/vi ... .php?f=345

I think you need to be logged in to see the graveyard.

[Silver Priest]

I don't really see an occupation that fits my character idea of bodyguard. The quickstart says you can create your own background and chose 8 occupational skills for it. Should I go ahead and do this, or would you prefer I pick from the list?

Edit: Looking it up it appears every occupation has its own pool of occupational points, so that might complicate things. I may just go with criminal or boxer backgrounds, and see if that works.

[Mr. Handy]

You can't see the Graveyard from the home page without logging in, but you can click on the link and get to the old game whether you're logged in or not.

Amy is 18 in March 1921 but will be 21 in January 1925 (born February 14, 1903). I guess I should use the 15-19 age range. Will the deducted points be regained when we move to 1925? I'll use the Student occupation. Please let me know what the occupational skills are for it, and how occupational skill points are determined (my guess would be EDU x 4).

[HelplessBystander]

General Stats (3d6),[b]NAME:[/b] JOHN SMITH [b]STR:[/b] [dice]0[/dice] [b]CON:[/b] [dice]1[/dice] [b]DEX:[/b] [dice]2[/dice] [b]POW:[/b] [dice]3[/dice] [b]APP:[/b] [dice]4[/dice] [b]SAN:[/b] 60 [b]MP:[/b] 12 [b]HP:[/b] 11 [b]MOV:[/b] 8 [b]OCCUPATION:[/b] DILETTANTE [b]DB:[/b] +0 [b]LUCK:[/b] [dice]9[/dice]

SIZ INT EDU,[b]EDU:[/b] [dice]5[/dice] [b]INT:[/b] [dice]6[/dice] [b]SIZ:[/b] [dice]7[/dice] EDU IMPROVEMENT CHECK: [dice]8[/dice]

[Raiko]

I don't really see an occupation that fits my character idea of bodyguard. The quickstart says you can create your own background and chose 8 occupational skills for it. Should I go ahead and do this, or would you prefer I pick from the list?

Edit: Looking it up it appears every occupation has its own pool of occupational points, so that might complicate things. I may just go with criminal or boxer backgrounds, and see if that works.

Ah, yes sorry about that - it does say in Masks, with the recommended occupations that some of them (eg translator) are not standard CoC occupations - I just didn't realise that bodyguard was one of those.

For a bodyguard I'd say more often than not, assuming HelplessBystander's dilettante isn't from a criminal family, then you'd use the butler/valet occupation, but with prior "law enforcement" experience - 7th edition has a handful of "experience packages" that allow law enforcement / wartime experience, etc - giving access to a set of mainly combat skills to otherwise non-combat occupations - usually in exchange for a few points of starting sanity. One of these experience packages also allows prior Mythos experience (often just reading those books, like many Lovecraftian protagonists), if desired. Having wartime experience rather than police experience would also work, and be very common in 1921.

An alternative to a valet/bodyguard would be an agency detective - if you've been hired as a professional bodyguard. Or I guess PI if you're self-employed.

Otherwise, yes just use criminal-thug or boxer.

I do like the police / wartime experience kit things though for 7th edition "combat" characters - as it makes them less gimped in non-combat skills compared to earlier editions.

I've just had a look and the full list of experience packages, for anyone who thinks they would fit their backstory, is:

• War experience
• Police experience
• Organised Crime experience
• Medical experience
• Mythos experience

All except Mythos have minimum starting ages - and Mythos is an even more optional rule than the other four.

You can't see the Graveyard from the home page without logging in, but you can click on the link and get to the old game whether you're logged in or not.

Amy is 18 in March 1921 but will be 21 in January 1925 (born February 14, 1903). I guess I should use the 15-19 age range. Will the deducted points be regained when we move to 1925? I'll use the Student occupation. Please let me know what the occupational skills are for it, and how occupational skill points are determined (my guess would be EDU x 4).

I'll PM you the student occupation details straight after posting this.

Regarding the age stuff - yes 18 year old Amy loses some STR/SIZ and 5 pts of EDU, while 21 year old Amy will regain those points and make a single improvement check for EDU as well.

The same goes for any other investigators who cross the age boundaries between chapters. Anyone who's 39 in the prologue will get a second EDU improvement roll in chapter one, but lose pts from STR/DEX/CON plus APP.

General Stats (3d6),[b]NAME:[/b] JOHN SMITH [b]STR:[/b] [dice]0[/dice] [b]CON:[/b] [dice]1[/dice] [b]DEX:[/b] [dice]2[/dice] [b]POW:[/b] [dice]3[/dice] [b]APP:[/b] [dice]4[/dice] [b]SAN:[/b] 60 [b]MP:[/b] 12 [b]HP:[/b] 11 [b]MOV:[/b] 8 [b]OCCUPATION:[/b] DILETTANTE [b]DB:[/b] +0

SIZ INT EDU,[b]EDU:[/b] [dice]5[/dice] [b]INT:[/b] [dice]6[/dice] [b]SIZ:[/b] [dice]7[/dice] EDU IMPROVEMENT CHECK: [dice]8[/dice]

That's fine, don't forget though that we're using the optional rule (#3) that now allows you to swap around those eight characteristic scores as you wish - so long as INT and SIZ are at least 40 (and preferably EDU as well).