An alienist? [Archive] - Wizards Community

An alienist? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Alric
07-10-07, 04:22 AM I was reading complete arcane the other day and I ran into this class. And I just have to ask, has anyone ever played one before? It looks like it would be fun in a short game but I am not to sure how it would work out in a serious long term game. How do you play something like that, and how do you get along with the party without kind of freaking them out?
kheris
07-10-07, 10:40 AM To be fair, I don't know anyone who's played it. It's one of the classes my group refers to as "NPC-PrCs" (others include Cancer Mage and Oozelord). The essence of the Alienist, from what I gathered, is in dealing with truly alien (ala H.P. Lovecraft) beings. Think along the lines of the cultists who worship Cthulhu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu), Shub-Niggurath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shub-Niggurath), Nyarlathotep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep), etc. These people are, well... nutty.

To start out, you can go for the standard "I've seen things no one should ever see.." route, with the obsessive-compulsive drive to learn all about it. That's pretty much textbook "wizards dabbling in forebidden lore" style.

I doubt that you could really stay within a party and play a meaningful role once you got deep into the class, since, iirc, you become insane. Of course, the DM could be nice to you and let you remain lucid enough to function, but that's the only way I could see it working.
TheAnthroDM
07-10-07, 04:14 PM I disagree, becoming insane doesn't impair your function in the party as much as you would think. I've ran games with several insane characters and have played an alienist myself, and will post more on playing one as soon as I have time, but yes it is generally a NPC-PrC but theirs no reason a PC can't make it a viable class option.
OatsMalone
07-10-07, 06:13 PM An NPC in my campaign is an alienist. I haven't had the chance to run her yet, but I very much look forward to it. If you're familiar with Drusilla from Buffy, that's fairly close to how she'll be played; her animal companion, a crow, will be inside out, and she'll probably mutter some things about Cthulu. Sad thing is, she could be considered the sanest character in that leg of the campaign.
kheris
07-10-07, 08:51 PM I disagree, becoming insane doesn't impair your function in the party as much as you would think. I've ran games with several insane characters and have played an alienist myself, and will post more on playing one as soon as I have time, but yes it is generally a NPC-PrC but theirs no reason a PC can't make it a viable class option.

Makes sense... I had a rather extreme imagine in my mind... One of a babbling madman huddled in a corner, scrawling alien texts across the floor in his own blood.

:P

I guess a more active version would work pretty well... Dare I ask how you played/handled insanity? I'm more than a little curious :)
TheAnthroDM
07-11-07, 01:35 AM Let me illustrate a scene, since I don't have alot of time to go into deep details.

Kra walked into his library, a portal able whole with a library on alien text, they said he was insane to take all those books, insane to read them, but he knew... he knew the mysteries of the far realm were the only true source of power, and now that he could summon these creatures, he was on his way to becoming a god. The cleric would say he was mad, but he knew better. A Kra began pouring over the alien text he came across a rather interesting spell, he slowly tried to grasp the formula but it was far to complex, but he saw the similarities in the formula of the spells he so knows and loves. This was what he'd been searching for, a way to establish a gate to the far realm. He finished preparing his spells and left his library.

"Alright I'm done, let's go."
"You spend far to much time in that hole, I prepared all my spells an hour ago, what have you been doing."

Kra smiles "Things that you will only ever dream of, now lets go, I want to see these alien ruins the Illithids are suppose to inhabit"
"Aren't you worried about, you know, the Illithids!"
"Huh? Worried, no... just... interested.. Er, I mean, we've killed these creatures before, they're not that dangerous"
"....fine, let's go"

Insanity of Kra: Believe that the power of the Far Realm will make him a god, spends hours pouring over alien text, doesn't care about danger if it puts him closer to alien entities, cannot stop from buying literature on the Far Realm as he puts it, it "Calls to him"

Note that this was after attaining his first alienist level and obviously wasn't as detailed when RPed.
In memory of Kra Half-Orc Wizard 6/Alienist 4

Sadly I never reached True Insanity.
warwinner
07-11-07, 02:16 AM How can these people be oblivious to the horrors lurking just beyond their vision, thought and perception
They are blind
They will come for me soon !, was all this worth it ? the power the glory the knowledge ?
I know they are coming, but i won't leave all this that i've obtained, i must find a way to stop them from taking me away !
I must find the priests of pelor, they'll save me, they WILL

[Read h.p lovecraft's stories and short stories and you'll be playing an alienist in no time]
TheAnthroDM
07-11-07, 05:57 AM [Read h.p lovecraft's stories and short stories and you'll be an alienist in no time]

Fixed
warwinner
07-11-07, 06:26 AM Fixed

:heehee
kheris
07-11-07, 10:28 AM Let me illustrate a scene, since I don't have alot of time to go into deep details.

Kra walked into his library, a portal able whole with a library on alien text, they said he was insane to take all those books, insane to read them, but he knew... he knew the mysteries of the far realm were the only true source of power, and now that he could summon these creatures, he was on his way to becoming a god. The cleric would say he was mad, but he knew better. A Kra began pouring over the alien text he came across a rather interesting spell, he slowly tried to grasp the formula but it was far to complex, but he saw the similarities in the formula of the spells he so knows and loves. This was what he'd been searching for, a way to establish a gate to the far realm. He finished preparing his spells and left his library.

"Alright I'm done, let's go."
"You spend far to much time in that hole, I prepared all my spells an hour ago, what have you been doing."

Kra smiles "Things that you will only ever dream of, now lets go, I want to see these alien ruins the Illithids are suppose to inhabit"
"Aren't you worried about, you know, the Illithids!"
"Huh? Worried, no... just... interested.. Er, I mean, we've killed these creatures before, they're not that dangerous"
"....fine, let's go"

Insanity of Kra: Believe that the power of the Far Realm will make him a god, spends hours pouring over alien text, doesn't care about danger if it puts him closer to alien entities, cannot stop from buying literature on the Far Realm as he puts it, it "Calls to him"

Note that this was after attaining his first alienist level and obviously wasn't as detailed when RPed.
In memory of Kra Half-Orc Wizard 6/Alienist 4

Sadly I never reached True Insanity.

:w00t: Love it!!

Yeah, Lovecraft can do amazing things to your mind if you read just before going to sleep..... ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Alric 07-10-07, 04:22 AM	I was reading complete arcane the other day and I ran into this class. And I just have to ask, has anyone ever played one before? It looks like it would be fun in a short game but I am not to sure how it would work out in a serious long term game. How do you play something like that, and how do you get along with the party without kind of freaking them out?
kheris 07-10-07, 10:40 AM	To be fair, I don't know anyone who's played it. It's one of the classes my group refers to as "NPC-PrCs" (others include Cancer Mage and Oozelord). The essence of the Alienist, from what I gathered, is in dealing with truly alien (ala H.P. Lovecraft) beings. Think along the lines of the cultists who worship Cthulhu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu), Shub-Niggurath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shub-Niggurath), Nyarlathotep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep), etc. These people are, well... nutty. To start out, you can go for the standard "I've seen things no one should ever see.." route, with the obsessive-compulsive drive to learn all about it. That's pretty much textbook "wizards dabbling in forebidden lore" style. I doubt that you could really stay within a party and play a meaningful role once you got deep into the class, since, iirc, you become insane. Of course, the DM could be nice to you and let you remain lucid enough to function, but that's the only way I could see it working.
TheAnthroDM 07-10-07, 04:14 PM	I disagree, becoming insane doesn't impair your function in the party as much as you would think. I've ran games with several insane characters and have played an alienist myself, and will post more on playing one as soon as I have time, but yes it is generally a NPC-PrC but theirs no reason a PC can't make it a viable class option.
OatsMalone 07-10-07, 06:13 PM	An NPC in my campaign is an alienist. I haven't had the chance to run her yet, but I very much look forward to it. If you're familiar with Drusilla from Buffy, that's fairly close to how she'll be played; her animal companion, a crow, will be inside out, and she'll probably mutter some things about Cthulu. Sad thing is, she could be considered the sanest character in that leg of the campaign.
kheris 07-10-07, 08:51 PM	I disagree, becoming insane doesn't impair your function in the party as much as you would think. I've ran games with several insane characters and have played an alienist myself, and will post more on playing one as soon as I have time, but yes it is generally a NPC-PrC but theirs no reason a PC can't make it a viable class option. Makes sense... I had a rather extreme imagine in my mind... One of a babbling madman huddled in a corner, scrawling alien texts across the floor in his own blood. :P I guess a more active version would work pretty well... Dare I ask how you played/handled insanity? I'm more than a little curious :)
TheAnthroDM 07-11-07, 01:35 AM	Let me illustrate a scene, since I don't have alot of time to go into deep details. Kra walked into his library, a portal able whole with a library on alien text, they said he was insane to take all those books, insane to read them, but he knew... he knew the mysteries of the far realm were the only true source of power, and now that he could summon these creatures, he was on his way to becoming a god. The cleric would say he was mad, but he knew better. A Kra began pouring over the alien text he came across a rather interesting spell, he slowly tried to grasp the formula but it was far to complex, but he saw the similarities in the formula of the spells he so knows and loves. This was what he'd been searching for, a way to establish a gate to the far realm. He finished preparing his spells and left his library. "Alright I'm done, let's go." "You spend far to much time in that hole, I prepared all my spells an hour ago, what have you been doing." Kra smiles "Things that you will only ever dream of, now lets go, I want to see these alien ruins the Illithids are suppose to inhabit" "Aren't you worried about, you know, the Illithids!" "Huh? Worried, no... just... interested.. Er, I mean, we've killed these creatures before, they're not that dangerous" "....fine, let's go" Insanity of Kra: Believe that the power of the Far Realm will make him a god, spends hours pouring over alien text, doesn't care about danger if it puts him closer to alien entities, cannot stop from buying literature on the Far Realm as he puts it, it "Calls to him" Note that this was after attaining his first alienist level and obviously wasn't as detailed when RPed. In memory of Kra Half-Orc Wizard 6/Alienist 4 Sadly I never reached True Insanity.
warwinner 07-11-07, 02:16 AM	How can these people be oblivious to the horrors lurking just beyond their vision, thought and perception They are blind They will come for me soon !, was all this worth it ? the power the glory the knowledge ? I know they are coming, but i won't leave all this that i've obtained, i must find a way to stop them from taking me away ! I must find the priests of pelor, they'll save me, they WILL [Read h.p lovecraft's stories and short stories and you'll be playing an alienist in no time]
TheAnthroDM 07-11-07, 05:57 AM	[Read h.p lovecraft's stories and short stories and you'll be an alienist in no time] Fixed
warwinner 07-11-07, 06:26 AM	Fixed :heehee
kheris 07-11-07, 10:28 AM	Let me illustrate a scene, since I don't have alot of time to go into deep details. Kra walked into his library, a portal able whole with a library on alien text, they said he was insane to take all those books, insane to read them, but he knew... he knew the mysteries of the far realm were the only true source of power, and now that he could summon these creatures, he was on his way to becoming a god. The cleric would say he was mad, but he knew better. A Kra began pouring over the alien text he came across a rather interesting spell, he slowly tried to grasp the formula but it was far to complex, but he saw the similarities in the formula of the spells he so knows and loves. This was what he'd been searching for, a way to establish a gate to the far realm. He finished preparing his spells and left his library. "Alright I'm done, let's go." "You spend far to much time in that hole, I prepared all my spells an hour ago, what have you been doing." Kra smiles "Things that you will only ever dream of, now lets go, I want to see these alien ruins the Illithids are suppose to inhabit" "Aren't you worried about, you know, the Illithids!" "Huh? Worried, no... just... interested.. Er, I mean, we've killed these creatures before, they're not that dangerous" "....fine, let's go" Insanity of Kra: Believe that the power of the Far Realm will make him a god, spends hours pouring over alien text, doesn't care about danger if it puts him closer to alien entities, cannot stop from buying literature on the Far Realm as he puts it, it "Calls to him" Note that this was after attaining his first alienist level and obviously wasn't as detailed when RPed. In memory of Kra Half-Orc Wizard 6/Alienist 4 Sadly I never reached True Insanity. :w00t: Love it!! Yeah, Lovecraft can do amazing things to your mind if you read just before going to sleep..... ;)