Awakened Octopus

[Daledonjon]

So, I will soon be running Strange Aeons for a somewhat experienced group (though they don't know much about the Mythos :) )

And one of my players just asked me this: Can she play an awakened octopus? More precisely, an awakened octopus vigilante with the serial killer archetype.

Now, that player is generally the one to play really normal characters in comparison to the other players who always ask me to play hyper exotic races and whatnot.For that reason and other ones, I can't exactly say ''no'' (and honestly, I don't really mind)

I wanted your opinion: should I use the stats as the octopus animal companion as race? Would it be ''Overpowered''? The other players are big optimizers while she is not really, so I want it to be as balanced out as possible.

What would you come with?

[Andre Roy]

I would recommend looking into Skirmish Publishing The Noble Wild it's about Animal as PC.

[CorvusMask]

My comment: ...You do have read the entire ap right?

Nothing about that really makes sense. I mean, 1) why would count Lowl hire an awakened octopus 2) why would you want a serial killer in part of the party. I mean, yeah, you can play Strange Aeons with evil characters, but thats distruptive.

I mean, I need more context here, are you altering the start away from starting at asylym with characters having amnesia?

Also, octopus are aquatic animals, they can't breath air and they need moisture. Seriously, is the player trolling?

['Sani]

Yeah, why would the party of amnesiacs, when waking up in a cell watching a shape changer torture a man to death, immediately trust and accept the talking tentacle monster they find next to them?

[Haladir]

If I were the GM, I would say "no" to that request.

To echo what CorvusMask said... Have you actually read all six volumes?

I simply cannot see how an awakened octopus PC could work at all in this AP. In order to shoe-horn in such a bizarre concept, you will need to re-write large sections the adventure, to the point where you might as well just run a homebrew campaign.

That said... I could see an awakened octopus PC work in Skull & Shackles!

[Kileanna]

It would make the first dungeon easier... The grindylows might end worshipping it!

[Daledonjon]

...I should have known I had to precise the fact that I will not be running the AP as is, so yeah, that. They will be amnesiacs, but having the strange feelings they 1-can trust, 2-vaguely know each others.

For all your inquiries: Yes, yes I did read all of the AP and for the specifics, I have already thought on how I will go about it storywise, it is far from a problem.

For the aquatic part: a water container. Also, octopus can survive a certain amount of time out of water (depending on the specie, from 10 minutes to a full day). I will be ruling it as holding its breath.

Thanks for the answers so far.

[CorvusMask]

Umm, okay, well good luck with that .-. I guess you are making it more horror comedy than horror?

But yeaaah, I doubt it would be particularly over powerful since octopus would have a lot of problems and vigilantes aren't super powerful anyawy.

[Benchak the Nightstalker]

I told my players about this--I liked their responses.

"People confused him for his alter ego. The other awakened octopus."

"No, see that murderer was a squid. I am octopus. Totally different."

[Kileanna]

It is so hard keeping an alternate identity when you are an octopus.
Unless your alternate identity is served on a plate with potatoes and cayenne...

[kadance]

Could actually be easier if no one knew about your mad camo skills.

['Sani]

Daledonjon wrote:

For the aquatic part: a water container. Also, octopus can survive a certain amount of time out of water (depending on the specie, from 10 minutes to a full day). I will be ruling it as holding its breath.

In a desert?

In a desert so dry and harsh that it's not even fully mapped?

I'm not so much concerned about it holding it's breath as I am about it shriveling up like the worlds most unappetizing raisin.

Personally I think having the party being weirder than the things it faces takes a bit away from the whole Lovecraftian aspect of the AP, but if you don't care much about that and want a more lighthearted campaign, then you do you, and have fun with it.

[Here4daFreeSwag]

Guess I hafta go and show my support for teh tentacled aberrations and stuff. ;) or maybe have some special homebrew vigilante talent to wildshape all "tentacularly" and druid-like. ;)

[Dreaming Psion]

Would it be possible for the player to play a summoner and have the octopus be an eidolon that basically controls the summoned as a thrall rather than the other way around as normal? Like, from a meta perspective, the octopus eidolon is the PC, and the humanoid body is mainly a meatbag to interact with this world with?

Alternatively, the summoner could be really weak willed and the octopus is their imaginary "friend" that tells them what to do? Only the PCs can see it most of the time, until it becomes fully manifest.

[GreatKhanArtist]

I dunno. I kind of think Hal should stay in "Finding Dory". I echo Dreaming Psion, a summoner or spiritualist could be a good idea, lots of opportunities for it to gain tentacles as a manifestation of the horrors it or its master was subjected to.