Date: 7/3/1942
Time: 9:36 P.M.
Location: Paris,France
Agents on Scene: John[Redacted], Corvis[Redacted], Scarlet[Redacted]
Situation: It has been 2 years since the Reich has occupied Paris, The war has been going terribly for the allied forces, however there is a light on the horizon with America joining the fight. On the Japanese front.
Life in Paris has been hard, to say the least. The Germans have enforced strict cerfiews every night. Soldiers patrol the streets constantly, Most folks head to work, get their rations, then head back home. Everyone is on edge.
There has been a strange influx of activity from the Germans, they've began ransacking the houses of librarians, Book collectors, and scientists. They don't appear to be taking anything... At least not yet.
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Hello and welcome to Call of Cthulhu.
This game will be a relitivly small game, I'm not looking for any more than 3-4 players, Hell I'll even run it with only 2 but I would very much preffer more than one player. Your characters will be informants for the above mentioned agents- they will arm you with the tools you'll need to begin your investigation... Please note, this is before the Nazi rounded up the Jews, allowing you to start the game as one- just be aware that doing so might draw some ire from those you oppose.
1) Background: Your characters will be informants, you can be a local who decided they wanted to help and the agents came in contact With- you can be an agent yourself from one of the allied nations, or the Soviet Union. I'm gonna hand out some free items to you folks depending on your background- which will be given to you AFTER you have been selected. I will also be allowing you to be a Nazi Turncoat, or German civilian who never agreed with the Reich under some strict rules I will go over below.
2)Stats: you start your rolls with 4d6 qnd you may reroll them once if you don't like the lineup- however I will say that this game encourages flawed characters who can't fight.
3) Proffessions and starting wealth: you will be allowed to play any Proffession or make one up- but run it by me. You can't play anything that otherwise breaks the rules: i.e. you can't have Cthulhu Mythos as a core skill. I also suggest you take feats and Proficency to reflect your profession. I expect Soldiers to take Proficency with at least Rifles... KGB agents to take martial arts and such- I would be odd of your Proffession was soldier yet you can't aim a standard rifle or even a pistol.
Also- starting wealth will be halfed: you are after all in occupied Paris under strict rationing. For anyone playing a Jewish character that will be quartered because of realism.... But no worries the spies you're working with will help you out.
4) relationships at the begining of the game: Feel free to create linked backgrounds, Especially of there are only a few of you- it helps create a world and allows for further growth.
5) Aditional rules: I will be reducing some redundant things- so hide and move silently become just stealth, Listen search and spot all become perception, Tumble jump and balance become acrobatics. Just like Pathfinder. Additionally- feats like ambidextrous are no longer needed, Two Weapon fighting functions like it does in Pathfinder and doesn't require multiple feats to do properly. Finally: I will be implimenting a fear system similar to the fear system from Horror adventures by paizo- with tiers such as "rattled" and "shaken" to make encounters a little more teidious because this is a game where you're supposed to be powerless agaisnt cosmic horrors- and having Guns everywhere makes that a little harder to do because most pistols can down a deep one in one turn if you're good enough.
5)Starting languages: In addition to anyone's normal starting languages you will begin with French- unless you are a German or french local- you are after all expected to spy in France and it would make no sense if you couldn't speak French. French locals begin with french anyways, and Germans don't becuase you are formerly part of the occupation- and probably never learned it unless you invest into it.
6)German turncoats- Germans will be under some strict rules-first: the spies don't trust you and won't offer you any help. However you don't suffer any reduced starting wealth. You will have some special privlages because you're German, it will be easier for you to interact with soldiers because you're German, however this doesn't grant you immunity and suspicious activity will still be problematic. You will also be begining with a red armband I'm sure you're familiar with(Jewish characters will begin with a yellow one), and depending on your background either an SS uniform, German Infantry Uniform, Or some skill bonuses if you are not military. You will also begin taking 2d10 Sanity damage from seeing Nazi atrocities but will be uneffected by seeing dead bodies, Burned bodies, Or mutilated bodies.
Please let me know if you have any questions- I'll be glad to awnser them all.
Always loved Cthulhu mythos and set in WWII would be cool. Might as well toss the dice, see what they have in store...
= 15
= 16
= 13
= 13
= 16
= 15
Damn, that's solid. But that assumes a typical d20 6-stat array. I should ask, what system of Call of Cthulhu are you using, as that will affect number of stats? From your skill references and feat modifications, I am guessing it might be the older d20 based third edition system. But, If using 7th edition, there are 9 total stats, so here are 3 more rolls in case.
= 14
= 11
= 15
I think a couple have a +6 instead of one of the dice, but I don't have books on me at work. Not sure how you'd want to handle that.
*cough* The D20 Call of Cthulhu... Aaah, I would provide a link, But I can't seem to find one- Its the original one published by Wizards of the coast: the one that is a mash of d&d and Call of Cthulhu
Like....there are Link to get the books on pdf for free becuase they are open source but I don't want to provide them Incase doing so is agaisnt some rules or laws Somwhere
Sounds good! I definitely have the PDF at home, and may even have a hard copy kicking around in a closet somewhere. Will have some reading to do after I close the restaurant tonight.
D20 Call of Cthulhu set in WW2, hard to resist. I've started a couple 'Cthulu' games, neither got very far. I'm not super familiar with the D20 version, Pathguy has This character generator is it reasonably accurate?
How long are you keeping the recruitment thread open?
Let's give her a go.
17
14
12
14
7
11
Everyone's gonna die or go insane anyway, so I'm not rerolling.
7 STR
14 DEX
12 CON
14 INT
17 WIS
11 CHA
I'm thinking of a Catholic nun (Clergy[wo]man) with knowledge in the occult (spent a year in the office of the chief exorcist), local (having been assigned to this parish long before the war), and medicine (training as a midwife).
As a native of Switzerland, she speaks French and German fluently, and picked up Latin for her Bible studies. She claims to be neutral, but secretly provides nonviolent aid and assistance to the local Resistance, as well as downed airmen.
Will work on a name and further fluff & crunch if I get closer to being selected. I'm completely new to CoC (even the d20 variant) so I'm happy to be corrected on anything I get wrong.
D20 Call of Cthulhu set in WW2, hard to resist. I've started a couple 'Cthulu' games, neither got very far. I'm not super familiar with the D20 version, Pathguy has This character generator is it reasonably accurate?
How long are you keeping the recruitment thread open?
** spoiler omitted **
Yes that looks right!
I will be keeping it open for about a week, so next Friday- If insee some good applications that intrest me enough I'll close it earlier
Also that reminds me: YES you get the AC bonus becuase I don't want you getting killed by your own team if the offensive build goes crazy
Also, I would like to mention: I'm not a history buff. I know that late July wqs when the Jews where rounded up in Paris, and all that, but don't expect me to be 100% accurate to such things.
I am aware that D-Day is still 2 years away, and frankly of your game lasts that long then it will have a "Bad ending" as the events you should be stopping happen and history is altered forever. So your characters have 2 in game years to stop somthing from happening... That's all I'll give you ;P
As for linked backgrounds, he may know someone from the war, or from the college. He would have friends in the resistance, so he may know a Nun….
Hey TKK, I don’t have access to the actual rules, muddling through using the ‘Character Generator’ as best I can, so a couple of questions. Any specific information on the difference between Defensive and offensive options? Once I select a background I may need a little more information on cash and items purchasable.
I am thinking a romani street grifter turned member of the French foreign legion. Served in North Africa, was sent by allied forces back to Paris as an agent. Might try to build with stats straight in rolled order.
The defensive option means that you get half bab and 2 good saves; the offensive option means you get full bab and 1 good save.
I'm working on an American OSI member who was sent to support the French Resistance and act as a liason to the Americans.
I have completed my submission. Here it is:
LE Human (American) Agent 1
Str 11
Dex 15
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 12
Cha 15
HP 7
AC 12 (+2 dex)
BAB 1
Init +2
Fort +1
Ref +2
Will +3
Speed 30'
M1917 Enfield: +3 to hit (4 w/PB Shot); 2d10 damage (+1 w/PB Shot); x3 crit; Range: 200'
Skills:
Acrobatics r4 +6
Bluff r4 +6
Disguise r4 +6
Forgery r4 +6
Gather Information r4 +6
Open Lock r4 +6
Perception r4 +5
Sense Motive r4 +5
Sleight of Hand r4 +6
Stealth r4 +6
Feats:
Weapon Proficiency (Rifles)
Point Blank Shot
Profession Template: Agent
Core Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Open Lock, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Sense Motive
Offensive Option: Good saves (Will)
Throughout history, men of quiet resolve who are willing to kill for their country have always existed. Men who do not see glory, but instead do the dirty work that needs doing. They kill, steal, and basically do whatever is needed for victory. They don't care much about what people think of their acts; they know that victory can never be achieved without them.
Henry Batson is one such man.
Henry was born in Tempe, Arizona to parents who ran one of the city libraries. He grew up in a loving home with attentive parents: Henry, however, was what people in the future would learn to call broken.
Henry did as he was told and did well enough in school, but Henry was always a loner. If asked, no one would really say why Henry spent all his time alone, as he was well liked enough to fit in as needed. For his part, Henry never talked about it.
After high school, Henry enlisted in the Army. During the recruitment process, Henry took a psychiatric test, which revealed certain characteristics about Henry that meant he would make a terrible soldier, but a fantastic assassin.
After his enlistment was denied, he was approached by someone in the War Department, who never gave Henry his name. This man offered Henry a chance to serve his country in a different capacity, and Henry accepted. He was flown to a base in the middle of the desert and began training along a small class of like-minded people. During his training, Henry's talents with marksmanship were discovered and honed, and he soon became a skilled sniper.
Two years later, Henry had killed his first person.
It was a general in a small country in South America, and under the auspices of the newly formed OSS. The man died without ever seeing his attacker, and a regime changed to a much more American-friendly government.
Shortly after Henry returned from his 3rd such mission, he received orders to report to base; there, he was told he was being sent to liase with the French Resistance in the "little Europe" war. After being given the information necessary for his mission he was put on a plane to Algeria, and then boarded a smuggler ship headed across the Mediterranean Sea to France. Once there, he made his way to Carcassonne where he met up with his contact, who brought him into the resistance.
That was six months ago.
During this time, Henry assisted the Resistance by providing intelligence gathering and even working with them on missions where he primarily provided overwatch to groups of freedom fighters.
The defensive option means that you get half bab and 2 good saves; the offensive option means you get full bab and 1 good save.
I'm working on an American OSI member who was sent to support the French Resistance and act as a liason to the Americans.
Thanks Vrog, that explains a lot.
TKK do you want us to have been agents before 'contacted' or do you just want us in France?
So we have a Romani legionnaire an American OSI member, a French Nun and an anarchist art student that has a camera. I've decided to go Dilettante. Need to decide what country now, I may stick with mainland Europe or Great Britain instead of North America.
The defensive option means that you get half bab and 2 good saves; the offensive option means you get full bab and 1 good save.
I'm working on an American OSI member who was sent to support the French Resistance and act as a liason to the Americans.
Yes ^ this
Also since we are using the AC bonus rules both builds get a bonus to AC much like a BAB except that defensive builds have like a 1/2 level bonus to AC and offensive builds have a 1/4 level bonus to ac- this is there mostly to mitigate death from non-cosmic horror situations: I.E. you get spooked and spray your machine gun at everything that moves and hit an ally.
It also helps Because actual body armor outside the midevil kind won't be invented for 40~ years. Back then- your equipment was your armor.
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I like this idea so I'm throwing my hat in the ring.
That's a pretty good set of rolls, I'll keep them.
I'll get the character together over the next couple of days but here's the basic idea:
Simone Visser is a Dutch national. Her father Pieter is a physician who married Delphine, Simone's mother, while studying medicine in Paris. Simone's family split their time between Paris and Amsterdam when she was younger before settling permanently in Amsterdam where her father has a practice.
Simone worked in Spain as a journalist and photographer during the Spanish Civil War. Afterward she settled in Paris to continue her career. She currently lives as a French citizen under her mother's maiden name Boudier.
Simone is a committed socialist who broke with the PCF (French Communist Party) when it took a position of accommodation with Hitler's Germany. She has worked regularly with Partisan cells, especially those of communists who have disavowed (often secretly) the PCF's position. Her primary roles have been in procuring intelligence and as a courier.
*claps* so Just some info on the game- while you will have 2 years before the bad end, I'm willing to run this longer than that if you manage to disrupt events enough to prevent bad end from happening- you'll have time to learn spells and such, study artifacts and all that.
Infact you SHOULDN'T encounter anything monsterous until at least after the first year if you are careful, you'll encounter plenty of cultists and such, maybe a rat-thing or Nazi with magic- but nothing Alien... At least if you don't go poking where you're not supposed to.
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Shoot, I forgot to make my character blind, deaf, and illiterate.
I just lost at call of cthulhu. =,(
Ha! Yeah, When you make your aliases I'm gonna need easy access to your saves, HP, And Insanity- Thankfully it's easy to regain Sainity as long as you're fine doing drugs or relaxing, or seeking therapy- all of which won't be available in Nazi-Paris:
Also don't forget: A vegitable as well: You can feel it when the Deep one gets its slimy hands on you.
I guess I forgot track star, so I can run away at top speed.
You can never run from the memories.... They are always there... Always watching... Judging...
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Hey Robert: I can see your art student and Simone having a shared backstory. They were both in Spain so they could know each other from there. Maybe they were a reporting team, your guy as the photographer and Simone as the writer?
I notice there are no French character submissions. That seems just wrong for a campaign set in Paris! I'm weighing dropping the Dutch part of her backstory for being wholly French. On the other hand everyone's going to die three+ times so maybe my next character will the French. :p
Yeah, :P I know Call of Cthulhu is notorious for being hard- But it honesly isn't as long as you avoid angering most things- hell: most of the minor monsters are willing to talk with you after they've raped/made sure you're co-operative/decided that you're gonna die anyways. Assuming you haven't gone insane.
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KK: Hooray, very encouraging. :p
Simone's going to be more of a skills focused non-combatant so how are skills going to be aggregated? Is it going to be exactly like Pathfinder, for example Gather Information is part of Diplomacy, etc.? Or are only some of them combined like Spot and Listen becoming Perception?
KK: Hooray, very encouraging. :p
Simone's going to be more of a skills focused non-combatant so how are skills going to be aggregated? Is it going to be exactly like Pathfinder, for example Gather Information is part of Diplomacy, etc.? Or are only some of them combined like Spot and Listen becoming Perception?
Yes! Basically: use the pathfinder skill list, if this means some of your core skills are lost, just pick other skills to replace them
I always thought that if one learned to be stealthy, You learn to be quiet and hide! Of course moving while stealthed Actually gives a penalty to the stealth skill that not many DMs remember to do- I do.
I also know that COCd20 makes almost every player a Human Expert in layman's terms- so everyone can specialize skills. However if you learn too much then your mind breaks soooooooo honesly you're more likely to go insane than die with me as your DM
Hey Robert: I can see your art student and Simone having a shared backstory. They were both in Spain so they could know each other from there. Maybe they were a reporting team, your guy as the photographer and Simone as the writer?
Hey rdknight, sorry about not answering earlier, I'm working on finalizing and naming the character. He will be from West Flanders in Belgium, dad a shipping magnate and mother British nobility. So grew up speaking French, Dutch and English.
He would have decided on photography when returning to school after the war, he would have been in Spain to fight. I haven't decided if he was carrying a rifle in the infantry or a pilot flying a reconnaissance plane.
Of course there is no reason that they couldn't have met in the war, or in school, or in Paris; having similar political viewpoints. Though he is more of an Anarchist (he would prefer no large government) than a socialist.
I still have to finish up backstory and equipment but Simone's basics are finished.
I wasn't quite sure what to do with a few of the skill categories, specifically Research, Concentration, and K Streetwise. They don't exist in Pathfinder but I wasn't sure what they might fold into. I did put points in Research, so if Knowledge skills substitute for it I'll reallocate them.
@Robert: No problem. I could see them maybe knowing each other from around Paris. Simone is more of a "Fellow Traveler" than a hardcore communist. She's certainly not deeply aligned with Stalinist communism. She saw enough communist backstabbing in Spain to be aware that the International is just a Soviet organ that's willing to quash successes elsewhere in order to retain complete control over communist parties outside the USSR.
She'd probably be dismissed as having Trotskyite tendencies by hardcore PCF members. She went her own way after the PCF gave the Nazis a pass following the Molotov-Ribbentrop treaty, and the bombing of Rotterdam cemented her anti-fascism. Of course by the time the game starts Germany has invaded the USSR so Simone and the PCF are back on the same page since they reversed position.
Research: This is Basically you're ability to cross reference and gather information via a library and such to decifpher script- do math, Science: Basically this is using your skills to figure something out:
Concentration: this is your ability to continue to do something despite being under pressure: in older D&D it was mostly used so that if a caster got hit while casting a spell, they'd roll this and see if they concentrate enough to keep casting
Streetwise: this is how well you know how to live on the streets- talk to the local gangs, locate secret paths, Navigate alleyways: Basically This is Know: Dungeoniering with a little Know: Local thrown in only you can also use it to know street lingo or where to find the local speakeasy (illegal bar). On a game like this Streetwise ie important becuase it gives you the ability to know where the local resistance centers are based on secluded streets and whatnot: Paris was built before modern building and is a maze of criss-cross roads and alleyways
Honesly: I just feel bad for Italy who was like "WE ARE WITH GERMANY!" and then floundered for the entire war trying to do their best to do something but getting overshadowed by the larger powers.
Hey, TKK I appreciate all the extra help you've given me, but I'm struggling with combining different ideas into a cohesive character.
I can't find the balance between a 'regular joe' that would be in a 'call of Cthulhu' game with someone who would be spy against the Germans which would be more of a 'd20 modern game.
Thank you for running the game, it looks like you have several good applications so I am going to withdrawal mine. Good luck and good gaming all.
Hey, TKK I appreciate all the extra help you've given me, but I'm struggling with combining different ideas into a cohesive character.
I can't find the balance between a 'regular joe' that would be in a 'call of Cthulhu' game with someone who would be spy against the Germans which would be more of a 'd20 modern game.
Thank you for running the game, it looks like you have several good applications so I am going to withdrawal mine. Good luck and good gaming all.
Well the idea is to make your characters powerless- Just because you are not Proficenct with weapons doesn't make you unable to use them. Aditionally this is theb1940's soldiers where not trained like they are today, Most folks where handed a rifle and told "This is your gun, Don't loose it" before being sent to the front.
So you can make a soldier who has no skill with guns at all. The Character is after all more defined by your skills than feats. Feats at just things you got good at doing.
Infact it should be noted that most of your enemies are not gonna be Proficent with Firearms either! Infact one of the better feats for weapons is just to be Proficent with melee, as being able to pick up a bat and kneecap a Nazi is more effective than picking up a rifle and making two attacks at -4 to hit
If a character at lvl 1 is handed a M1911, one clip, and is Proficent with pistols- you can down 3 Deep ones in less than 2 rounds(that's a can not a will). Since most guns deal deviating damage. If you are given a fully automatic weapon... In ome round you can just unload the whole clip. Attacking continuously 3 rounds(Bullets) a roll, all rolls after those that would be a normal attack only hit on a 20- some guns have Alot of ammo.
Looking through equipment costs, I am noticing that there aren't prices on a significant number of the weapons. Am I missing something?
They are labeled at other places, infact any if the "Unique" weapons have no listed price becuase the prices are actually based on the caliber of the gun
I.e. a M1911 is .45 ACP so the price of the gun is $40 with the 1920 price or $575 modern
If you are looking at the same book as me: it's page 109
Recruitment will end tomorrow- now I am aware of holidays and such- so After I Finish recruitment I'm gonna give you guys a week to filter in and give your first post Via both the Discussion and Gameplay threads.
The only thing I should have left to finalize for this character is their equipment. I might end up changing one of their feats, but other than that he should be done. (This is Art Burd.)
Edit: I did end up changing the feat, instead taking Skill Emphasis on one of his knowledge skills.
Recruitment is closed! And I think I've already decided, Frankly there are only 4 of you applying and with the average player drop rate is say it's safe to just Accept you all!
Since I'm going over my wanted max of 3 for 4 instead- I'm gonna be a little cautious to make sure you can't make most things trivial: but those of you who are still following us can post in the discussion and begin figuring out if your characters know each other beforehand. Paris is a large city.
*poke*