|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hi all,
My title is a bit of a misnomer, as I am not at all talking about the current beloved Pathfinder iconics. Ezren, Meriziel, etc. They aren't involved with this.
The plan is this: A buddy of mine is getting married, and the night before his wedding asked me to run a game for him. He loves the horror setting. Ravenloft, Lovecraft, you name it, so I thought I'd run something horror-themed. Turns out "Return to Castle Ravenloft" has a 'run in one night' option (start at the castle all leveled up), so that seemed like a good thing to run.
This being a one night event, I decided to come up with a bunch of pregens, one of each class, to give the players some options. Then I thought... we could make this even cooler. How about if each pregen was themed off an existing horror icon? Hero, Antihero, some main protagonist of a horror-themed story.
The problem here is that, well, I don't actually watch a lot of horror. I have a few ideas of course; Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde for a rage-chemist (or maybe an alchemist most of the time, but barbarian when he 'changes'), Van Helsing for a ranger, Simon Belmont for a fighter, Ash from Evil Dead for a gunslinger, that priest from the Exorcist as a cleric (maybe?).
You can see I'm having issues here.
The goal is this: Have *one* pregen for each class (or maybe a cool combo like the Hyde one above). 9th level. Themed off a horror icon. More obscure is worth more points, but there is a limit (too obscure and no one will recognize them).
I'm taking any suggestions :D This includes all the Core classes, APG classes, Magus, and Gunslinger (not bothering with Samurai/Ninja/Antipaladin).
A classic horror party would be a fighter, rogue, alchemist and wizard...nothing holy about them, horrifically vulnerable to undead and with generally crappy Will saves, and no healing.
Heh. Ravenloft would tear them apart.
Now if you want a party EFFECTIVE there...that's a different story. 4 paladins, and you'll curbstomp the place.
==Aelryinth
Dhamphir bastard sword fighter (D)
Human Ranger (xbow) (van helsing)
Half Elf Inquisitor(dual wield kukri) (Paladin Alexander Andersson-hellsing)
Tiefling Bladebound Magus (elric)
Dwarf Gunsligner(musket master) (Ash-this is mah BOOMSTICK.)
Elf Fire oracle or Sorcerer (Witch Hunter Robin)
Expert or Commoner - any Lovecraftian protagonist.
|
A Dhampir Magus based on Castlevania's Alucard and Vampire Hunter D.
An extremely academic Bard -- Perform (Oratory) for his lectures, the "Fascinate" ability reflecting the extreme boredom that he induces. Massive Knowledge skills. Like one of H.P. Lovecraft's professor-types.
Dr. Faustus the Wizard -- gains his knowledge from an infernal teacher, who tempts him with hubris.
Any Witch, really. Power from a mysterious unknown patron, who has empowered her for a mysterious purpose.
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Some great ideas so far! I'm making a list to keep track of what has been suggested and classes that still need ideas (my preferences so far marked with an *):
Alchemist: Dr. Moreau (Island of), Herbert West* (Lovecraft)
Barbarian: Morlock (Descent)
Bard: Generic Scholar, Elizabeth Bathory (real)*, Dream (Sandman/Neil Gaimen), It (Stephen King)
Cavalier:
Cleric:
Druid: Willard* (movie of the same name)
Fighter: D* (Vampire Hunter D), Ben (Night of the Living Dead), Ripley (Alien), Alexandra Roivas (Eternal Darkness)
Gunslinger: Ash* (Evil Dead)
Inquisitor:
Magus: Elric (of Melnibone), Alucard* (Castlevania)
Monk:
Oracle: Alessa Gilespie* (Silent Hill), Sadako Yamamrua* (Ringu)
Paladin:
Ranger: Van Helsing* (Dracula)
Rogue: Norman Bates* (Psycho), Aleister Crowley (real)
Sorcerer: Witch Hunter Robin (anime same name)
Summoner:
Witch:
Wizard: Old Wizard Whately* (Lovecraft), Richard Flagg (S.King), Dr. Faustus (Marlowe)
Could use some more ideas for Barbarian, Cavalier, Cleric, Inquisitor, Monk, Paladin, Summoner, and Witch. :D Would one of the Belmonts be a Paladin? I was going to say fighter, but I'm not sure. Some great ideas so far, I particularly love the idea of Alessa or Sadako as an Oracle (and am torn between them).
Please, please, PLEASE keep up the suggestions! You guys are awesome! :D
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Solomon Kane is basically the archetypical Inquisitor, and since Howard's stories are all part of the Lovecraft Mythos feel free to toss Conan in there somewhere.
Cavaliers you could look at nick cage in Season of the Witch.
Cavaliers you could look at nick cage in Season of the Witch.
How was that film? I heard it wasn't at all that bad, just haven't had the chance to sit down and watch it.
gunslinger -alan quartermaine.(sp?)
barbarian - tonto (johnney depp's version in the remake of lone ranger.) more spooky/mysterious, get the spirit rage powers for the angry ghosts when raging.
fighter - IB Fahdlan from the 13th warrior. (alternately, any of the norse in that band would be fine as barbarians)
Cavaliers you could look at nick cage in Season of the Witch.How was that film? I heard it wasn't at all that bad, just haven't had the chance to sit down and watch it.
It was fair-i don't regret seeing it at the theater. I honestly didn't predict the final twist at the end in plot, which made it more enjoyable. To me it actually felt like an adventure a tabletop group would play which places it above all the D&D movies! ;)
It was also better then a lot of the classic sword and sorcery stuff. Not an emmy winner, but a lot of entertaining scenes. Felt like there were a few places they cut stuff for time. (parts of the journey seem to have a fade out time skip to a new area) All in all it's a fairly linear trainride, but enjoyable.
Carrie (stephen king) would also be a good fire-sorceror or oracle.
Buffy could easily be a monk. Easily.
Quasimodo could be a half orc barbarian with Cha as a dumpstat even.
Dot. Also a disturbing lack of Inquisitors so far. Isn't this kind of their schtick?
several have been tossed in already.
Jigsaw as a trapper archetype ranger
wild shape focus druid as a were (wolf or tiger shaman perhaps)
micheal myers built as an invunerable barbarian
Eddie Murphy from Golden Child as a monk or paladin
|
|
Updated the list with some of the new suggestions. Decided to remove some as well to keep things less cluttered. Kept in my personal favorites for each class, though I'm still open to suggestions for taken classes if the fit ends up being better.
Still looking for a Cavalier, Paladin, and Witch. Only Cavalier suggestions so far have both been a Nick Cage character (I can't look at Ghost Rider any other way now), and while I love that man in Kick-Ass, I just can't see him amongst all these other icons. :)
Thanks so much for all the help so far! I can't wait to start statting some of these up.
Alchemist: Herbert West (Lovecraft)
Barbarian: Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
Bard: Elizabeth Bathory (real)
Cavalier:
Cleric: Father Karras (the Exorcist)
Druid: Willard (movie of the same name)
Fighter: D (Vampire Hunter D)
Gunslinger: Ash (Evil Dead)
Inquisitor: Solomon Kane (Robert Howard)
Magus: Alucard (Castlevania)
Monk: Buffy (the Vampire Slayer)
Oracle: Alessa Gilespie (Silent Hill)
Paladin:
Ranger: Van Helsing (Dracula)
Rogue: Norman Bates (Psycho)
Sorcerer: Carrie (S. King)
Summoner: Old Wizard Whately (Lovecraft)
Witch:
Wizard: Richard Flagg (S.King)
well, this is local folk lore, but "pomperi possa" is a old swedish witch, said to curse and lure away children, and sometimes eat them, sometimes drown them. Otherwise, wicked witch of the west/east? or the fa.. evil witch in howls mowing castle?
As for paladin, Perhaps the original paladin, Charlemange?
Cavalier has got to be some variation on the Headless Horseman. Maybe a halfling in strange armor that covers his head completely, or a crazy disgraced knight that wears a pumpkin for a helmet, etc.
For the Witch...a Changeling that is completely Blair Witch Project, making peeps all stand facing into the corner with slumber hexes and such, cook people, the works.
The Paladin, think Denzel Washington in the Book of Eli or the Paul Bettany's character from the movie "Legion"...angel-blooded Aasimar, but dark and brooding as all get-out.
Also, how Jack the Ripper didn't make the list as a Vivisectionist Alchemist I don't know.
Annnd...Buffy would absolutely be a battle Oracle, not a monk.
For your Monk, think The Beast from Kung Fu Hustle. A disheveled seemingly paunchy older man who is just actually a brutal killer with unbelieveable power and absolutely no compunctions about horrific killing.
I'm firmly thinking your Inquisitor needs to be John Constantine, as well.
John Constantine as an Alchemist, since none of what he does is actually spellcasting that I know of. Also, Van Helsing is definitely an Inquisitor, that was the first thought I had when I saw the Iconic Inquisitor even.
|
|
Updated the list. Thought about Van Helsing as an inquisitor, and it does make sense. Moved him there, but now there is no Ranger. I like the idea of a 'headless' horseman for a cavalier. So except for the Ranger, I just need a Witch or Paladin. Book of Eli/Legion feel a bit too modern, and Charlemagne the opposite. Currently I'm leaning towards Roland from the Dark Tower series, as a "Holy Gun" archetype.
Willow for Witch could work, or the Witch of the Wastes from Howl's. I am leaning towards the latter.
Alchemist: Herbert West (Lovecraft)
Barbarian: Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
Bard: Elizabeth Bathory (real)
Cavalier: Headless Horseman (Sleepy Hollow)
Cleric: Father Karras (the Exorcist)
Druid: Willard (movie of the same name)
Fighter: D (Vampire Hunter D)
Gunslinger: Ash (Evil Dead)
Inquisitor: Van Helsing (Dracula)
Magus: Alucard (Castlevania)
Monk: Buffy (the Vampire Slayer)
Oracle: Alessa Gilespie (Silent Hill)
Paladin:
Ranger:
Rogue: Norman Bates (Psycho)
Sorcerer: Carrie (S. King)
Summoner: Old Wizard Whately (Lovecraft)
Witch:
Wizard: Richard Flagg (S.King)
How about for the witch, one of the fairy tale witches? Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, etc. Roland as a Holy Gun is brilliant.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The fairy tale witches aren't really 'horror', though I was half-tempted to go that route. In the end I decided to go with some ladies a bit outside my familiar source material, a pair of twin sisters (so I can essentially make the same stats but let the pregen be either) from the Vampire Chronicles series. Yay Wikipedia for having a list of fictional witches. :D
Also thought that the Witcher himself, Geralt of Rivia, would make a good ranger. Sure he uses alchemical potions and has a few spells, but they are minor enough that an archetype or some feats can make up for it, and rangers get spellcasting anyhow. He seemed to have a number of combat styles and was the 'monster hunter', so it works well enough for my purposes.
Thanks so much for everyone's help! I'll respond to this thread with all the pregens when I am done, if anyone is interested.
Alchemist: Herbert West (Lovecraft)
Barbarian: Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
Bard: Elizabeth Bathory (real)
Cavalier: Headless Horseman (Sleepy Hollow)
Cleric: Father Karras (the Exorcist)
Druid: Willard (movie of the same name)
Fighter: D (Vampire Hunter D)
Gunslinger: Ash (Evil Dead)
Inquisitor: Van Helsing (Dracula)
Magus: Alucard (Castlevania)
Monk: Buffy (the Vampire Slayer)
Oracle: Alessa Gilespie (Silent Hill)
Paladin: Roland (Dark Tower)
Ranger: Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
Rogue: Norman Bates (Psycho)
Sorcerer: Carrie (S. King)
Summoner: Old Wizard Whately (Lovecraft)
Witch: Maharet or Mekare (twin sisters, Vampire Chronicles)
Wizard: Richard Flagg (S.King)
Awesome! Awesome awesome awesome. I fantasized about this kinda shit waaaaay back in mid school. And I like translating things cross media anyway. SO. I'm initial ideas!
Alchemist: Victor Frankenstein, (Re-animator is hard to beat.)
Barbarian: The Goon (Read the comic if you haven't. It's amazing.), Gattsu (Berserk)
Bard: Rod Serling (Twilight Zone), Jack Skellington (Nightmare Before Christmas)
Cavalier: Headless Horseman, Any of The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse
Cleric: Rasputin (Anything you like. Real life if you want)
Druid:
Fighter:
Gunslinger: Roland (Dark Tower), Buzzard (Again, the Goon), Isaac Clarke (Dead Space)
Inquisitor: Solomon Kane (Great one. You guys seen the film?! It's so badass)
Magus:
Monk: Hellboy (though he needs a free Freearms prof feat...)
Oracle: Corvo, from Dishonored (Dark Tapestry Oracle-- to get Cloak of Darkness, Many Forms etc)
Paladin: A Big Daddy (Bioshock)
Ranger:
Rogue: Fox Mulder,
Sorcerer: Doc Strange (He is the Sorcerer *Supreme*, after all)
Summoner:
Witch: Circe (The Odyssey), Morgan le Fay (Arthurian Myth), Frau Totenkinder (Fables)
Wizard: Harry Dresden
...damn, gotta run. I'll be back though!
Ranger: Major "Dutch" Schaefer (Predator)
Paladin: Frank/Jeryline (Demon Knight: Tales from the Crypt)
If you're going with The Goon as barbarian, why not Frankie as a rogue?
"Knife to da eye!"
Whoof! First off, taking a Cavalier into Ravenloft is suicide. You DO realize most of the game takes place INSIDE the castle, right? How are you gonna maneuver a Large creature in there?! Horses don't DO spiral staircases, you know.
Second, speaking as a guy who has more horror flicks and books than you can shake a stick at, Van Helsing is no Ranger! He's too much the scholar for that. The man is a MD, and a noble.
More likely, he'd be a straight up Cleric, with the Knowledge domain. Tracking isn't necessary, as footprints aren't left in urban areas nor onboard ships/trains etc.
Third, I have a huge book of HP Lovecraft, the fancy sort of binding. Cost me a pretty penny, and I can assure you that Herbert West is no Alchemist. He didn't drink potions, and didn't toss bombs. He would be closer to a straight up Necromancer, but his Charisma would suck rocks.
I actually read a lot of Doctor Strange comics. He's a fave of mine. No Sorcerer is he. While he does tend to reuse some incantations, he's too big on specific spells for the job. Straight up Wizard, probably an Abjurer specialist. He favors the big protective spells. Plus, he doesn't fit the horror mileau, he's more of a fantasy man.
Rasputin, the Mad Monk, is quite likely not a Cleric. He wasn't religious in any sense. He was, however, highly manipulative and had a high Charisma. Quite the con man. My guess is, a Sorcerer with serious Enchantment spells.
I could probably do this for all the characters you have listed, either changing the specific class or altering the current choice to something more specific. Jason Voorhees would be, based on all the flicks (I have watched all of them I think, they got really cheesy), one of those Invulnerable Barbarian types. Probably with regeneration of some sort.
Oh, you do know that the module will have to be altered so that the monsters are replaced with ones out of the Bestiary, or you will be forced to reduce the EL by 1, right? It's an old adventure, and it wasn't built for 9th level characters. It was made for 6th, and mine got up to 8th by the time we got through it with the standard 4 characters. Of course, you don't know how much xp they will have gotten to. There's a nasty intro to the setting in the church above the town, where the opponent casts Circle of Death. I *told* my players that they should up their Will and Fort saves before they got there, but some didn't listen, and the spell killed half the party. They complained, and I replied that I did precisely what the adventure said, and even gave them foreknowledge of what they needed, but they blew me off.
Poor babies. I got no pity. I told them way ahead of time....
Oh, Hellboy is no Monk! He doesn't have the discipline inherent to the class.
He's a straight up Fighter, with a funky race. He basically adapted to whatever the environment was, using what weapons he could. Monks don't use firearms, or swords.
|
|
Whoof! First off, taking a Cavalier into Ravenloft is suicide. You DO realize most of the game takes place INSIDE the castle, right? How are you gonna maneuver a Large creature in there?! Horses don't DO spiral staircases, you know.
Oh, I'm aware. I've run this before, and have read the module thoroughly. Truth be told, I don't expect the Cavalier to be picked, but I wanted to make one pregen for each class. On the plus side, I liked the idea of doing "The Headless Horsemen" as a somewhat unhinged halfling with a pumpkin on his head. A small cavalier on a medium mount can easily maneuver around the castle.
Second, speaking as a guy who has more horror flicks and books than you can shake a stick at, Van Helsing is no Ranger! He's too much the scholar for that. The man is a MD, and a noble.
More likely, he'd be a straight up Cleric, with the Knowledge domain. Tracking isn't necessary, as footprints aren't left in urban areas nor onboard ships/trains etc.
This is why I went with the suggestion to make him an Inquisitor. Wise, monster lore, judgments, etc. Works perfectly.
Third, I have a huge book of HP Lovecraft, the fancy sort of binding. Cost me a pretty penny, and I can assure you that Herbert West is no Alchemist. He didn't drink potions, and didn't toss bombs. He would be closer to a straight up Necromancer, but his Charisma would suck rocks.
It may not be perfect, but come on. He's the Reanimator, and that's an alchemist archetype. On the plus side, the archetype replaces the Bombs, so there's less of that. He gets to alchemically create undead. Seems a lot closer. :)
I actually read a lot of Doctor Strange comics. He's a fave of mine. No Sorcerer is he. While he does tend to reuse some incantations, he's too big on specific spells for the job. Straight up Wizard, probably an Abjurer specialist. He favors the big protective spells. Plus, he doesn't fit the horror mileau, he's more of a fantasy man.
Rasputin, the Mad Monk, is quite likely not a Cleric. He wasn't religious in any sense. He was, however, highly manipulative and had a high Charisma. Quite the con man. My guess is, a Sorcerer with serious Enchantment spells.
I could probably do this for all the characters you have listed, either changing the specific class or altering the current choice to something more specific. Jason Voorhees would be, based on all the flicks (I have watched all of them I think, they got really cheesy), one of those Invulnerable Barbarian types. Probably with regeneration of some sort.
Oh, you do know that the module will have to be altered so that the monsters are replaced with ones out of the Bestiary, or you will be forced to reduce the EL by 1, right? It's an old adventure, and it wasn't built for 9th level...
I hadn't planned to use Dr. Strange or Rasputin (see my final list). And yes, I've converted 3.5 things before, I have no problems doing the needful in prepping it for PF :) I converted all of Legacy of Fire, I can handle the castle.
Thanks for the long post! I'm grateful for the advice :)
This thread is pure gold. Love the list.
mmm, I've examined Herbert West, not just through the original Lovecraft story, but I also have all 3 Reanimator movies. The man is no Alchemist. He doesn't toss bombs, he doesn't drink potions, period. Again, best guess is he's a straight up Necromancer. Given his proclivities, he'd oppose Illusion and Enchantment. Besides, the higher spell progression means he'd get access to higher level undead faster, and THAT is all West. He's not the patient sort!
Now, I can't see Van Helsing "judging" people. Not really much of a spellcaster, when you get right down to it. Wonder if there's a knowledge based Rogue variant? Cleric I suggested simply because of his general personality, but he's still not the religious type. Ranger might work, but you'd want to give up spells somehow, and shirk the country focus of the class for more of a "scholarly manhunter" type. Like a modern day detective.
As for the Halfling Cavalier, better idea. Try a Goblin on a Goblin Dog. Fits the adventure far better, as Ravenloft is more than a little warped.
I dunno, West did record his experiments, and obviously recorded his formula.
Might not have had a familiar, but then neither does any Wizard. Could have used an object as arcane focus.
West only valued one thing: Intelligence. His pride in it was unshakeable. The class that I know of that best concentrated everything into Intelligence is Wizard. You don't even need the Dexterity that Alchemists seem to need to function.
Plus, take a look at the granted powers of Necromancers. Being able to control undead is very West.
Just seems most appropriate, imho, to make him a straight up Necro. Besides, you can even use some ideas from the old 2nd ed Necromancer book. That one I still have.