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Bloatmage with a fetish. Doesn't really matter what kind of fetish :)Honestly, Bloatmages as a concept is creepy without any added squick.
Yeah, bloatmages are one of the most disturbing "out of the box" options you can have, especially when you make it go with an unnatural racial combination like elf. Play one of those who likes the aesthetics of it for a really disturbing effect.
Certain sorcerer bloodlines can also be horrific, particularly in seemingly weird/unnatural combinations via the Cross-Blooded Archetype. Celestial and aberrant for example, taking some notes from religion and mythology on some of the crazy eldritch abomination-like depictions of angels they have in there. Check here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurAngelsAreDifferent.
At the other end of the spectrum, you don't necessarily need to go body horror to be creepy. An enchanter/illusionist type can be surprisingly effective in being creepy by his potential to mess with your mind. The various illusion spells, Suggestion, and Modify Memory are really good for gaslighting somebody or at least making them question their perceptions of reality. Unconscious Agenda (Rise of the Runelords AE) is a particularly insidious spell in that it essentially creates a Manchurian Candidate type situation. And creating a simulacrum of somebody to show them when they come visit you just to show that you can can be quite frightening. (it's actually used in at least one officially published scenario.)
Transformation themes (either mental or physical) can be good for highlighting not only the features you gain, but also the features you lose. An alchemist going into master chymist can be good for showing the effects of a gradual loss of humanity over time. A synthesist summoner might be creepy if you played up the eidolon armor as coming from a pact you made with an alien entity to allow temporary control of your body and then roleplay the change in personality.
Of course, a creepy transformation doesn't always have to be to a darker self to be creepy. The paradox of transforming into a purer/more enlightened self through unnatural means can be disturbing simply because it's such a paradox. It could highlight that the normal self is so bottom-of-the-barrel vile that any other change could only make it more noble. Or it could reflect a change to a more "Good" alignment but represent the loss of some thing we as normal mortals take for granted. (like say the ability to relate to other people as a normal human being or to fathom certain emotions from a human perspective.)
Of course, the concept of alien Good is something that I enjoy in that it's a type of creepy that usually can't be blasted/destroyed/put in a box like alien evil can (via the notion of the Bug-Eyed Monster categorization.) It plays on our conceptions of what is good and what is evil and can force people to reevaluate these conceptions.
I never expected this thread to be as big as it was. I have enjoyed reading all the suggestions so far. I can definitely glean some good ideas from this thread. I particularly like the idea of halflings with the childlike feat, maybe a adopted halfling with memory lose who actually does think he's a child. Thank you everyone for your contributions so far!
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Ultimate Campaign has rules for actually playing children. I say skip the faux child, make an 8 year old orphaned girl with abandonment issues. A gravewalker witch that carries around her dolly everywhere, sniffs out other children and collects a cadre of immortal playmates.
In one prior campaign, we had a caster who was very fond of fire spells. His first question whenever a new character joined the group was, "Are you flammable?"
One my GF just mentioned: Any race, any class, always carries around needle and twine. Used to work as a mortician, but got fired for reasons. After battle, always insists on stitching corpses back together, and then burying them. When asked why, "Well, they died such a beautiful death... They should have a beautiful corpse". Gets very animated and outraged over how mages tend to kill people, namely, in ways that they can't have the beauty of death that they never had in life. Will sometimes, when he can't find all of the pieces, use any 'extra' pieces lying around to 'complete the corpse' in a rather Frankenstein kind of way. "I have mastered the art of death, and they shall be fabulous in the after life!"
If you want to up the creepy factor, feel free to make him a secret necromancer. Though, its' not advised, really.
I had been thinking once of playing a synth summoner who's eidolon was more symbiotic in a way that it would slowly be influencing him more and more. Slowly he'd become more predatory of other creatures and beings. Turning a genuinely kind, well mannered person, into a hungry, primal force driven by instinct and anger. All the while, the person is trying to fight it when he realizes it.
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A "human?" "Female?" Sin eater archetype inquisitor/ evangelist of Zon-Kuthon. Character is always in some state ever increasing altered state do to the self mutilation. Make thenmLN. They attempt to "convince" people to self mutilate along with him/her as part of a path to enlightenment. They spread the glory, truth, and honesty of pain. They go around attempting to explain things using gory metaphors....like every day things.
When they kill people they eat a small piece of their victims flesh along with their "sins" in order to move the person's soul along to the midnight lord.
Not overtly evil character but definitely questionable
@damocles: so they'd fit right in with the addams family.
a suggestion of my own: you wanna see unsettling? read some of the case files/psych evals of actual child soldiers. that's some creepy stuff right there.
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A couple more:
A sin eater (inquisitor archetype, Ultimate Magic) that is a a glutton for eating sin and always makes disturbing taste/smell comments relating to the sin he's eating.
A character with an animal companion (or just a plain trained animal) that takes after Caligula (or some depictions of him) and talk to your animal as if it's a person. And then give indicators like "mhhhmm" and "un-huh" like the animal is giving you valuable advice. Despite what others tell you, act surprised they don't hear this as well. Your animal companion is such a wise advisor you might want to appoint it to an office of power. Occasionally pass notes back and forth with the DM to add more uncertainty to mess with people's heads. Oh, and it can be really creepy (or humorous, depending on the mood of the game/players) if the character has no other (obvious) signs of madness.
Cleric or anything really of Aldinach the Demon Lord of Scorpions. Her demonic obedience thing from the book which mentions it is to eat a LIVE scorpion every single day. A cleric X/1 Ranger with the animal domain and boon companion is pretty nice. If it is a home game ask the gm for the desert terrain domain as well, or if it is not a home game use the separatist archetype to get desert. Get a giant scorpion as your animal companion and have fun with your new flanking buddy/sacred animal to the demon lord of dying of thirst.
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A couple more:
A sin eater (inquisitor archetype, Ultimate Magic) that is a a glutton for eating sin and always makes disturbing taste/smell comments relating to the sin he's eating.
A character with an animal companion (or just a plain trained animal) that takes after Caligula (or some depictions of him) and talk to your animal as if it's a person. And then give indicators like "mhhhmm" and "un-huh" like the animal is giving you valuable advice. Despite what others tell you, act surprised they don't hear this as well. Your animal companion is such a wise advisor you might want to appoint it to an office of power. Occasionally pass notes back and forth with the DM to add more uncertainty to mess with people's heads. Oh, and it can be really creepy (or humorous, depending on the mood of the game/players) if the character has no other (obvious) signs of madness.
"Go for the eyes, Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!!!"
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There's another thread around here about the "scariest monster" in Pathfinder. (I voted for derro, and just added another reply, so it should be easy to find) Take a look at that thread, pick what you think is super creepy, and then make a character that "admires" that monster. It could be as simple as thinking they're cool, maybe just having a picture of one on your shield and occasionally mentioning their "noble" qualities. Then you start comparing people to this monster when you want to compliment them. You find a way to mention this thing whenever you need to talk to an NPC. You start buying potions of Monstrous Physique/Beast SHape/Undead Anatomy/whatever (or learn the spell, if you're a caster) just so you can be more like this creature. Let it grow into an obsession.
Eventually the GM is going to succumb to the temptation to pit you against one. What you do then is up to you.
This is an old character of mine which may give you some ideas. His name was emoicus or "emo the lamentor" a herald and gaurdian of the dead, keeper of dirges, and in general just a sad sack of emo.....
It's a little tongue in cheek but may give you some ideas....
Essentially he is sorc 1/Bard 5/Shadow dancer x ..... the dip in sorceror allows him to use all his enchantment magic on undead from which the bard spell list dips heavily.......
he was a lot of fun.....
EDIT: I just put him in the spoiler of the next post...
http://www.ourrpgs.com/extras/community-creations/work-area/emoicus
COMMUNITY... take a peak and let me know what you think....
Emoicus "Emo the Lamentor"
Bard /Sorcerer/ Shadow Dancer
Quick Description: A tongue-in-cheek character concept that despite the comedic relief, always welcome at the table, will still be quite effective in the party as buffer/debuffer/scout/ skirmisher and generally creepy fun character. Emo combines a dip into sorcerer to get the Undead Bloodline. This allows the ability to apply many bard abilities and most of his spells to the undead. This will also lead to a nice fusion of abilities and theme with Shadowdancer prestige class around 6th level. Enchantment Charm spells and Bards, who pull heavily on this school, have always been by mind affecting immunity undead have, This build counteracts that.
Funny Character Moments and Character Shine Times: Think M.J.'s "Thriller", skeletal drummers, hypnotized zombies, being able to fascinate a vampire for once, laughing Mummy's, casting Charm Person on a Lich, True Strike and Disarm with the whip, bard inspire abilities and spells.
Race: We had to choose Elf as it was a Single- Race Campaign and we decided to be elves as a party while making characters. So Elf was the best choice for this character. Best and only choice. Furthermore, the DM conceptualized the Elves of the world as more Tolkien-esque so on top of the normal Elf racial traits we replaced the standard ability score modifiers with +2 to ever stat.
Class: When I was fishing around for online materials and doing research for a new Pathfinder game I was starting I was rather excited to find this site and before too long I had made 5 characters, Emo being one. I was pleased to notice while exploring Bards long-term growth that they seem a perfect fit for almost every Prestige Class. Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Dragon Disciple, Duelist, Loremaster, Pathfinder Chronicler, and Shadowdancer all seem to be easily qualified for. Only Eldritch Knight really seems inappropriate. We started level 1, but the DM decided to give us a free spell-casting class level of our choice, in order to more accurately reflect the magical nature of elves in the world. So we really started out second level.
Stats: This character will need a good CHA and will need to rely on often. A 16 is probably the mimum and will enable me to cast the highest level bard spells, fuse with sorcerer abilities, even though they will be few, and also affect many Shadowdancer abilities. A good intelligence will also benefit me as the bard is strong in skills. After that perhaps beefing up the physical stats more. After the special race bonus and the 25 point build I got stats of
Str: 14 Dex: 14 Con: 14 Int: 18 Wis: 14 Cha: 17
Every Ability Score increase will probably go into Cha and with the massive ability Score Bonus ensure no dump stats or weaknesses being present are present.
Skill: Bards get plenty of skills, skill bonuses, and skill special abilities. Naturally, a high INT really helps concrete Emo as the most skilled member of the group. 5 Ranks of Stealth and 2 Ranks of Perform (Dance) are needed by 5th level in order to qualify fo Shadowdancer for the 6th level. Though Perform (Dance) should be the 3rd perform and will probably not need to rise above 2 ranks (unless I decide I just want to be a good dancer). Plan ahead and don't put ranks into the 4 skills that the two versatile, granted at Bard 2 and Bard 6 to performs will replace.
Feats: Need Dodge at 1rst, Mobility at 3rd, and Combat Reflexes at 5th to be able to get Shadowdancer 1 at 6th level. Any extra feats or DM gifts should probably go to Weapon Focus: Whip and then Dazzling Display or Spring Attack Combat Expertise and then Whirlwind Attack sound pretty awesome and since shadowdancer requirements include half of the chain it is particularly enticing.
Spells: Normally mixing 2 different spell casting classes is fatal to the long term survivability and overall power level of the character but the bard is not a dedicated spell caster (like Wizard or Sorcerer) and Emo is more of a skill and theme based character as opposed to a metagaming or optimized character. The character will get a large amount of cantrips (bard and sorcerer) and should put these to as much use as possible. Emo will get a few sorcerer spells with the 1 level of Sorcerer but sorcerers get Arcane Spell Failure chance so the few sorcerer spells Emo gets he doesnt want to get ruined by wearing armor. Feather Fall, Hold Portal, True Strike, and Ventriloquism are the first level sorc/wiz apells without somatic components. True Strike seems like an easy choice and it will help do tricks and combat manuevers with weapons a low BAB would never pull off. All bard spells can be cast in armor so its not an issue.
Combat Tactics: True Strike is a great choice as one of the sorcerer spells without arcane failure chance This works well with a trick weapon (disarm,trip,sunder,bash,etc.) and combat maneuvers. Eventually Weapon Focus: Whip and dazzling display could be useful. You could also go the bow road, though feats are scarce.
Progress: The first 6 levels of progression are laid out below. After the first 6 levels the next 3 or 4 levels of bard offer 3rd level spells and some terrific abilities such as a second versatile performance, and suggestion. The shadowdancers abilities are the thematic highlight and when the character really comes into his own. The Shadowdancer abilities granted allow some awesome
Character Level Class Level
1 Sorcerer 1
2 Bard 1
3 Bard 2
4 Bard 3
5 Bard 4
6 Shadowdancer 1
Alignment / Personality: The character was made N/G and this creates some amount of natural character conflict as the line between evil necromancy and a shepherd of the dead becomes thin when you communicate and control undead magically or through musical songs. He is responsible for (likes to?) keep track of the dirges, tragedies, elegies, requiems, and funeral marches of the world. It is nice to know that if the majority of the players or the campaign takes on a more evil tone Emo's abilities will still be useful. Hiding in plain sight at 6th level while shortly thereafter gaining companions and more serious control over the undead and some rogue abilities could make for a unique assassin. A few or even a single level in
This might work better for an NPC villain, but if you can find someway of making a chronomancer or other time traveler, I think an "Auditor of Reality" could make for a very fiendish character.
"Oh, the horrible accident that caused the Sky Citadel to fall and destroy your people? Yeah, I know it well. I caused it. It had to happen, the consequences for the time stream would be too great if we allowed the Sky Citadel's continued existence. But you won't remember this conversation in a few seconds."
I suppose some sort of pan-sexual, self-cannibalising Gnomish ghoul with Kyuss level hygiene problems, a shoe fetish & a pathological desire to host a baby beauty pageant.
....'Cos, you know, Gnomes are disturbing.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, Contributor
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I find little is creepier than a simple charm person/ dominate person based caster. Perhaps fey blood or kitsune.
There are so many disturbing things you can do with charmed people that don't need to be sexual in nature.
Stealing children to carry your gear while you go adventuring. Having them carve up dead enemies for you and making them engage in cannibalism. Sending them ahead of the party to trigger ambushes and find traps. Feeding them to monsters.
They are small so you could keep a spare in your bag of holding.
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Yeah, bloatmages are one of the most disturbing "out of the box" options you can have,Bloatmage with a fetish. Doesn't really matter what kind of fetish :)Honestly, Bloatmages as a concept is creepy without any added squick.
I guess I never saw them as creepy having read the Soldier's Son trilogy already by Robin Hobb, which the bloatmage was probably taken from. In there the "big man" of a tribe is literally a "big" man, who wields magic, but if he wields too much becomes skinny. ("Big Man" is an anthropological term)
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I suppose some sort of pan-sexual, self-cannibalising Gnomish ghoul with Kyuss level hygiene problems, a shoe fetish & a pathological desire to host a baby beauty pageant.
....'Cos, you know, Gnomes are disturbing.
Yes they are. Also, the first Gnomes to leave First World, and migrate to Golarion, had no souls.
It was after they began to breed on the Material Plane, that they began to develop souls, after a generation or so.
It is not too far a stretch, to think that the rare Gnome is borne a genetic throwback, and has no soul.
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So it turns out that Aasimar and Teiflings can be Small…
In game terms, the difference between non-human tieflings and human tieflings is purely a matter of size. Unless they have specific tiefling-related size modifiers, the tieflings of each of these races are the same size as their non-fiendish ancestors.
So here's your concept-
Some terrible demon did what terrible demons to, and it did it to your mother. She carried you as long as she could, but you were jus too big. She didn't so much 'give birth' as she did 'rupture'
And thus came you to this world.
Even as an infant your demonic heritage allowed you a certain degree of cognisance. It also let you survive what would normally kill a newborn. For instance, lying for a whole night exposed to the elements with nothing but your mother's corpse to keep you warm.
By morning she just wasn't as warm as she used to be.
It was alright though. Someone else came. She said she heard you crying and she 'accepted the sacrifice' you offered up, whatever that means.
She asked you what you wanted.
Like any child, you only had one answer.
My best way of unsettling people isn't this boring creepypasta stuff. Nah, the best way to unsettle someone is to come up with something wrong, that everyone knows is wrong... and get them to agree with it anyway. Twist the mirror a little bit.
Like... my gnoll cleric of Lamashtu. She's not evil, but she is... alien to the other PC's - How exactly does one relate to a being hailing from a society of supremely chaotic dogfaced battle-monkeys who eat their own dead?
And she's on a Mission From God™, to bring Lamashtu into greater prominence, trying to secure her as mother-goddess of nature's true face. She encourages a broader worldview, one where the "people" of the world see and learn from the "beasts," and see how little different they are from one another. Nature if a bloody, messy, howling, horrible thing, and no matter how thick the whore of civilization slathers herself in makeup, she is STILL a creature of nature and falls to her base nature in an instant.
Lamashtu doesn't promise salvation, no. But that's what's worth respecting her for - she tears the veils and lies of the other gods from your eyes and shows you the truth, the barenaked, visceral reality of the world. The mother of monsters is not a friendly goddess, no, but she's undoubtedly the most honest one of the bunch (well, aside from Rovagug, of course, but the world was made for living, not destroying...)
it's a simple, brutal philosophy.. .that meshes pretty perfectly with most groups of adventurers that aren't just Paladin tag-alongs. Adventurers kill and loot, they desecrate tombs and flaunt laws - they are mostly agents of chaos who break down the chains of civilization in order to suit their own whims - and when they're sorting through copper coins after having just slaughtered a tribe of kobolds, how can they honestly ignore what this woman is saying?
Go for that "Charlie manson" vibe - not hte "freaky stare-guy carving his own forehead" charlie manson, but hte one who convinced a group of peopel that it was perfectly okay to just go chop people up with axes.
A mentally disturbed little girl with psychic/psionic abilities, which she uses to make other characters distrustful and paranoid so that they turn on each other.
Build a guy around syringe spears. Fill the spears with his urine, especially if he's diseased. Name him Bear Grylls.
Permanent Skin Send Alchemist. When the party goes to sleep he tries to creep onto them to they are wearing him like a suit.
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This is the most amazing thread.
I just...
I can't even...
<3
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I have been toying with the idea of a pyromaniac gnome summoner from Cheliax. The summoner and eidolon both wear evil clown costumes of black and red with a little bit of white, Chelaxian colors. The gnomes hair likely looks like an afro of hell fire. The eidolon could have big clown feet without actually hindering speed. They don't just laugh at their enemies, they do pointing evil laughing.
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I've been messing about with a concept for a rage prophet with the body bludgeon rage power:
A Halfling family with an infant loses said child in an accident that most may consider a tragedy that the parents could have prevented. Somehow, while being unable to bring themselves to bear a new child, the parents come across a half-orc baby, perhaps abandoned at their door or found alone at the edge of their community. They raise the child with as much love as their first, with an added caution that some may consider unhealthy.
The half-orc is usually advised to stay in his room for his own good, unknown to the Halfling parents that the spirit of their dead child now haunts the very room the half-orc child now resides in, attempting to fill the half-orc's mind and dreams with visions, suggestions, and madness.
Any noticeable changes in the half-orc only came to be known during his adolescent years, where his 'imaginary friend' urges him towards strange behaviors, bringing his Halfling parents great concern.
After 10 years of becoming slowly possessed by this infant apparition, the half-orc is driven to his first rage -- a rage that causes him to kill his own parents in an attempt to bring the first child and his parents back together in death. Having found great joy in reuniting the Halfling family, he now wanders the world with the corpses of his mother and father, which he keeps remarkably preserved and maintained through the use of various medical techniques and Gentle Repose. He is pressed onward now not just by one voice, but by three.
His method of fighting involves using the preserved corpses of his foster parents as two-handed weapons via the body bludgeon rage power.
An Antipaladin passing as a Paladin.
Purposefully teaching people to be corrupt and to give in into their darkness desires. Teaching an extremely evil version of senseless justice and prejudice. Creating conflicts for his own pleasure, always looking noble but being evil incarnate.
This is the most amazing thread.
I just...
I can't even...
<3
Well, it's no succubus in a grapple, but it's pretty interesting nonetheless.