So I want to build a campaign from level one with Keyser Soze (from The usual suspects) as the eventual BBEG. Mr. Soze, (working through a Kobayashi type to be named later) is the one who will initiate the party getting together using the movie device of "You have all stolen from Mr. Soze and now it's time to pay off your debt". (It beats having them all meet up in a tavern) They are all CN for this adventure so far so this will not be a good oriented adventure. I also know that regardless of whatever happens they will want a shot a Mr. Soze eventually (I know I would) which is why I will need to get him stated up at some point.
But it raises the question. Who exactly should Keyser Soze be? Godfather of gangsters working out of a place like Riddleport? A legendary mythical free Pirate of the Shackles? A major player behind the scenes in Cheliax? Not one person but a group of people working for some nefarious goal?
Expanding on that theme, which high level champion of a God or Goddess in the Golarion pantheon would be the most interested in the role if the campaign makes it that far? Asmodeus? Norgorber? What AP's are the most easily adapted to such a premise?
I have some thoughts, but more input is very welcome.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Well, if you are playing him to be close to what he is in the movie, he should really be one of the PC's.
Thinking about it, that could be seriously cool, tell all of them they have these...
blackouts,
Where they wind up waking up some time later & neither they, nor any of their companions can figure out where they were or what they were doing. Not all the time, just every so often. Then, once one of the characters dies permanently, figure out how s/he could have really faked the death & use that character as the actual Keyser Soze from that point on.
The looks on your Players faces when they figure it out will be worth the inevitable blunt force trauma they will inflict on you.
Good idea, yes, one of the players should be Soze, but don't tell them until near the end, or it will come out early.
|
Well, if you are playing him to be close to what he is in the movie, he should really be one of the PC's.
Thinking about it, that could be seriously cool, tell all of them they have these...
blackouts,
Where they wind up waking up some time later & neither they, nor any of their companions can figure out where they were or what they were doing. Not all the time, just every so often. Then, once one of the characters dies permanently, figure out how s/he could have really faked the death & use that character as the actual Keyser Soze from that point on.
The looks on your Players faces when they figure it out will be worth the inevitable blunt force trauma they will inflict on you.
LOL...I see what you did there. That's pretty stinkin' clever. There are a lot of options for that sort of character, and I almost always have some sort of mysterious character like that...but that's a damn sweet twist.
I would defenitly go with Irnks idea. For the final confrontation you don't need to use just the powers s/he had as a character. Soze would have hidden at least some powers while he was in the group.
The first thing you need is a absurdly high bluff, I think of him more as an controler than a frontline fighter. High int is logical as well. (the character who "is" Soze doesn't need a high bluff or int.)
So do you kill off the player so he can make a new character? My group would enjoy it, but not everyone would. It would go better if the death happened at a low level, so the player had time to get used to the new character.
You could look at Rite Publishing Way of the Yakuza. While this is a yakuza focused book rather than just any criminal syndicate, there are complete rules for designing your own criminal organization based on the GMG city stat block. Included criminal activities are gambling, smuggling, prostitution, protection - you could add or subtract as best fits your needs. Changing the fluff from Japanese to any other ethnic background is done easily enough. Might be worth a look.
Also from that same book is a prestige class for mob bosses of the yakuza called Machi-yakko.
The master spy prestige class has several abilities that would fit the character idea.
So do you kill off the player so he can make a new character? My group would enjoy it, but not everyone would. It would go better if the death happened at a low level, so the player had time to get used to the new character.
No, no. You don't decide which one is Kayser Soze...
Kayser Soze is whichever one dies first, & stays dead. S/He actually just took that opportunity to remove him/her-self from the equation once matters were proceeding along down the desired course. Of course that idea might not work as well if the First character to die does so right out of the gate...But on the other hand...