how to roleplay a character who saw cthulu.... and survived [Archive] - Wizards Community

how to roleplay a character who saw cthulu.... and survived [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
asteroth16
07-18-07, 03:42 AM ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point)
our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me

heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order.

to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off
and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy

basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts.

i really dont know how to roleplay him now.
Need_A_Life
07-18-07, 04:53 AM Proof that exploding dice are a wonky mechanic at best... and d20 isn't "best" for use of that mechanic.

Really, I'd probably ignore the "cure."

Really, Cthulhu and his buddies aren't so much monsters of madness, as they are wholly and completely beyond human comprehension - even geometry reshapes in their presence, creating impossible angles.

You saw Azazoth in his natural form, and lived to tell the tale. You're the most advanced human there is. Gods could've seen the same thing and died.

May the Fifty Aspects of Marduk be on your side,

Peace out
Kouk
07-18-07, 07:23 AM Maybe you are not really cured.

Perhaps viewing Azazoth opened a link to his consciousness (or whatever) and now you actually are his servant and strive to make whatever reality you think he wants?

I don't really know much about Cthulu stuff.
Zarith
07-18-07, 07:36 AM Maybe you are not really cured.

Perhaps viewing Azazoth opened a link to his consciousness (or whatever) and now you actually are his servant and strive to make whatever reality you think he wants?

That could be an interesting concept. Now you're like a sensor for him, another set of eyes and ears in this realm for him to gather information and the link can sometimes work both ways, you sense the madness radiating from him from time to time, sometimes it gives you great insight, sometimes it pushes your mind over the edge. Might talk to your DM about something along those lines.
TMX
07-18-07, 08:11 AM 2 Ways I'd do it. Become some sort of nutcase, the kind that waks around with sandwich boards, muttering about the end and predicting the end of the world.
"I have seen the truth, and it has tentacles!"

or

You have looked in to cthulu's eyes, and have lived to tell the tale. Nothing can harm you, and you take every opportunity to demonstrate this.
Saragon42
07-18-07, 01:33 PM First, read up on your Lovecraft. Not just The Call of Cthulhu but his other works as well (there's at least one good online collection out there; if you want the link I'll happily PM it to you.) Lovecraft, for all his other literary faults, was very good at describing the frantic madness brought on by experiencing things far outside normal human experience and how the mind recoils from it. It sounds like you've already got some of this under your belt, though, so I won't go into too much detail there -- my point is that anything you come up with on your own will be much more authentic.

Sanity is always relative. Are you a gibbering maniac? No. Do you now approach the world from a very different perspective? Absolutely -- you know first-hand something that the wisest and strangest mages only have an inkling of in their darkest dreams. Your character's priorities and behaviours are bound to change as a result; what they'll change to is up to you. He could become a degenerate pleasure-seeker trying to bury that knowledge in women and wine; he could become cold and aloof, believing that nothing around him is as real or important as everyone makes it out to be; he could dive into the day-to-day work of adventuring to make every moment of newfound sanity count; he could do something else entirely. This is where your knowledge of the character comes to the fore.

This "Knowledge: Crazy" mechanic is going to be rather awkward to deal with -- it's a mechanic without anything to affect. Talk to your DM; unless he has a specific plan for that skill's usefulness (unlikely - it sounds like this was just a bit of quick thinking on your DM's part) you might want to rework it into something else, like a significant (or random, like 1d6) bonus on Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Planes, and Knowledge: Religion checks when dealing with mad cults, alienists, abberations and the like. Simply knowing the original cause of all these things is enough to understand them better, I would think.
Silver_Bulette
07-18-07, 01:36 PM Mumble about seeing "the Goat". Because goats are funny.

Also, non- euclidean geometry is not scary, it means "things can have curves". If geometry turned euclidean, however, everything would be boxy and hard to move:rolleyes: .
asteroth16
07-18-07, 01:58 PM just so u know that exploding dice arent that wonky it was a 1 in 16000 chance of happening.
asteroth16
07-18-07, 02:05 PM we are still on the plane where i went wonky and there are things like phonograph and lightblubs and even a television, our wizard thinks its a scrying device of some sort and our dragonfire adept ingame is sooooo confused because none of it radiates magic. for knowledge crazy i could if i have high enough ranks start creating things that will CONFUSE TINKER GNOMES. and thats hard to do. since our dragonfire adept has knowledge every listed skill and from his feats he has a 16 in all of them whenever its something he cant explain its up to me. the way we play it is he has knowledge: Everything and i have knowledge: everything else
trapspringer
07-18-07, 05:02 PM I agree with TMX.

You should act off the wall, doing bizarre and unusual (but harmless) things. You should work with your DM to have them work out as the solution to strange problems.

Like someone already pointed out, your psyche is beyond human now.
Aucturos
07-18-07, 05:28 PM ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point)
our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me

heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order.

to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off
and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy

basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts.

i really dont know how to roleplay him now.

I have two words for you son: SHIFT. KEY.

I know you can use it, I can see your sig. I don't mean to nitpick, but it's a friggin' extra key-press every few words. Most of the time I don't even read these posts because it's like dragging myself through 4th nightmares of grammar. However, your spelling is excellent and the rest of your grammar is decent.

That being said, to the actual thread at hand:

Mumble to yourself about how Azazoth looked. You might start answering other party members' questions before they've asked them. You could relate perfectly well to the "insane" and be able to understand them perfectly. Perhaps you just blurt out a few magical phrases that help (or hinder), or just things which seemingly don't have any meaning at the time.

You might be twitchy, and anything that reminded you of Azazoth could send you into a relapse. Maybe you're extremely quiet and reserved because you're afraid the next thing you say might not make sense and explode the entire group.

From your campaign's standpoint, at least so far as you've let us know, you're not "insane", which means you think things logically through and can respond coherently to party members, but I doubt the after-effects would ever truly go away. Perhaps you're not even aware you have any after-effects?

Curious position you're in, sounds like a fun time.
Deekin
07-18-07, 06:13 PM Dude, Cthuthulu is only CR 32. We just killed him and took his stuff.
asteroth16
07-18-07, 06:20 PM Dude, Cthuthulu is only CR 32. We just killed him and took his stuff.

yes cthulu is cr 32 (even though he should be at least at intermediate deity status) but azazoth spits out beings like cthulu. he is the creater of the multiverse in lovecraftian mythos. his cr is uncalculable. his divine rank = YES, not a number but yes. and to the post about shift key i know it's a bit of a problem but my shift key doesn't work correctly it sticks and caps locks is a pain in the arse
asteroth16
07-18-07, 06:50 PM i also have a question of what ingame stats should be affected. right now the changes are
-10 to bluf
-10 to diplomacy
-10 to handle animal
plus 4 to intimidate
and the ability knowledge crazy.

i was thinking perhaps an ability of whener someones scrys me, dominates me or looks inside my mind they could go insane. what do you guys think?
Torrential
07-18-07, 07:18 PM ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point)
our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me

heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order.

to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off
and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy

basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts.

i really dont know how to roleplay him now.

Your character has seen through all of the illusions of your world. Perhaps, through all of the illusions, seeing the real truth...

Perhaps, that all the "beings" in your world (from the lowliest peasant to the highest pantheon god) exist as simply elements in a great, cosmic Game: where free will is only an illusion caused by chance, all beings are at the mercy of omnipresent "creators" who make all the decisions, and that the way the world works all boils down to a set of arbitrary rules created for the sole purpose of the creators' amusement.

Basically, your character realizes he's just a pawn in a stupid game, as are all the people, the environments, and the gods around him. (It should be noted, this is quite a Lovecraftian theme in and of itself). This, of course, would be quite sobering and would definitely change his outlook, if not actions. He can take life-and-death situations in a not-very-serious way. Perhaps he can approach decisions and strategies as if he were playing a video game. Or maybe just go through the rest of his life Breaking The Fourth Wall, Order of the Stick style.

The "Knowledge (Crazy)" can be used in this regard to see what information can be gleaned through such breaks in "The Fourth Wall."

$0.02
Jungingen
07-18-07, 07:32 PM The ability to "Break the Fourth Wall" really appeals to me. In a way, you've been handed the greatest and most perverse excuse for metagaming evar, just as long as your fellow players bear in mind that you're completely bananas and incomprehensible.

Of course, the rest of your predicament reminds me of a homeless fellow I once talked to about logarithms. He kept repeating that it as good that I was in school and that I've got to study The Logarithms, cause They know about The Logarithms and whoever has The Logarithms has The Power. Once you learn The Logarithms, you're set.

If you know a second language, especially a language none of the other players speak, try spending a sesssion speaking mostly, if not completely in something other than English. Everybody loves that one.
Mock26
07-18-07, 07:51 PM Be afraid of something that is seemingly innocent. In one Lovecraftian inspired story the man went crazy because he knew that the hounds of chaos could get to him through right angles. So, he locked himself in his apartment and used plaster and tools and such to get rid of all right angles so that he would be protected.

And, in case you're wondering, he was killed when a chunk of plaster fell off of a corner and the hounds got him.
o_b_livion
07-18-07, 08:02 PM Just play it off as if it was nothing. Just say, "Cthulu is nothing, my mama is more scarier and drives me crazy!"
mato_hibiki
07-18-07, 09:30 PM I'm fond of the fourth wall breaking idea... Deadpool and Order of the Stick are great examples.

But, this could be played another way. You'd have to discuss this with your DM, but you could resolve this as being, well, in the end it's being virtually immune to Intimidate checks and Fear effects...

I see it more like being River Tam.

I have a small aside to amuse you and explain my example, ready?

<Minotaur with a great ax confronts party with a mighty bellow.>

<Crazy PC gives a protracted, wide-eyed stare, maybe with a little head tilt thrown in there.> "... Look, a mass of base elements and minerals held together with six dimensional strings and spit..."

<Minotaur froths at the mouth.>

"Too much spit..."

Now, I know it's not acadamy award winning, but at the table, while in character, if that comes out of the blue it's gonna be a heavy 'Huh?' moment.

... One more one now that I thought of it... Try ordering "A mass of hydrogen and oxygen in a three dimensional container formed from the corpse of a tree, bound in the innards of a mountain." and se what kinda looks you get.

... If anyone missed that, it was 'a glass of water in a wooden mug'. Not the the bartender will be getting that one.

<EDIT> Though, it'll be impossible to make bluff and diplomacy checks. A fair balance? Maybe. Tough to share knowledge with the party too...
Lunar_Shadow
07-18-07, 10:08 PM I love the 4th wall idea. You could probally play him as if he knew everybody were just pieces in a game.
nightside_samurai
07-18-07, 10:11 PM ... One more one now that I thought of it... Try ordering "A mass of hydrogen and oxygen in a three dimensional container formed from the corpse of a tree, bound in the innards of a mountain." and se what kinda looks you get.

... If anyone missed that, it was 'a glass of water in a wooden mug'. Not the the bartender will be getting that one.

Dude...just...Dude.
mato_hibiki
07-18-07, 10:25 PM *Laughs.* Ah, so somebody did catch that one. I was afraid it'd either cause severe brain hemmoraging, or it'd be glossed right over.

Heavy 'Huh?' moment, no?
Prak, the Mad
07-18-07, 10:36 PM 2 Ways I'd do it. Become some sort of nutcase, the kind that waks around with sandwich boards, muttering about the end and predicting the end of the world.
"I have seen the truth, and it has tentacles!"

or

You have looked in to cthulu's eyes, and have lived to tell the tale. Nothing can harm you, and you take every opportunity to demonstrate this.

This is actually what I would suggest too, except both at once.
asteroth16
07-19-07, 12:00 AM ok the dm was saying that i now qualify for the alienist class if i get spellcasting, my question is has anyone homebrewed a physical based alienist?
trapspringer
07-19-07, 12:16 AM This'll help.

Imagining the tenth Dimension pt. 1 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JkxieS-6WuA), pt. 2 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=WmwrhO3-BN0&mode=related&search=)

It's not entirely... perfect, but it's easy enough to follow and you're not gunna' be applying this stuff in any kind of real capacity so it'll be sufficient.
d24478667
07-19-07, 12:17 AM First, read up on your Lovecraft. Not just The Call of Cthulhu but his other works as well (there's at least one good online collection out there; if you want the link I'll happily PM it to you.)

Could you PM that to me, please?
Ayra
07-19-07, 02:56 AM Who is Azazoth? I couldn't find much when looking on google. I have read the call of cthulu and some other stories bundled together a while ago, though. Maybe if it's something lovecraftian my mind has shut it out o.o;

Anyway, I'd suggest taking a look at Alienist if you're a caster. It's connected to the far realms, instead of what you're describing but the insanity is certainly present in both planes. You don't necessarily have to play an Alienist, but you can take over some aspects. The summons an alienist brings forth are horribly deformed versions of the original, things that would even make the toughest fighter puke. Well probably not, but it's still pretty disgusting having a monster with its insides growing on the outside.

Additionally you could live in a world of your own, but the rest of this thread describes that perfectly :)
asteroth16
07-19-07, 10:53 PM wikipedia azazoth if need be but to sum him up he is the center of the multiverse and he creater all other great elder ones in lovecraftian mythos
Jungingen
07-19-07, 11:00 PM "Azathoth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azathoth)" is the name given on Wikipedia, not Azazoth.
asteroth16
07-19-07, 11:10 PM so i messed up his name whoops.
Archangel62
07-19-07, 11:35 PM Well, as I know this group a bit...what about this, your character literally understands everything, he understands that he is just a character being played by a guy at a table at a local college?
asteroth16
07-20-07, 02:08 AM archangel youre suggestion is sound i think i will apply the mannerisms of deadpool to DND, he realizes he is in a comic and my charcter realizes he is a roleplaying caracter thats true form has been erased, re written, had soda of every shade of the rainbow spilled on and caught on fire. (and if any of you didnt catch that my character as had oh maybe 8 character sheets)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
asteroth16 07-18-07, 03:42 AM	ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point) our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order. to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts. i really dont know how to roleplay him now.
Need_A_Life 07-18-07, 04:53 AM	Proof that exploding dice are a wonky mechanic at best... and d20 isn't "best" for use of that mechanic. Really, I'd probably ignore the "cure." Really, Cthulhu and his buddies aren't so much monsters of madness, as they are wholly and completely beyond human comprehension - even geometry reshapes in their presence, creating impossible angles. You saw Azazoth in his natural form, and lived to tell the tale. You're the most advanced human there is. Gods could've seen the same thing and died. May the Fifty Aspects of Marduk be on your side, Peace out
Kouk 07-18-07, 07:23 AM	Maybe you are not really cured. Perhaps viewing Azazoth opened a link to his consciousness (or whatever) and now you actually are his servant and strive to make whatever reality you think he wants? I don't really know much about Cthulu stuff.
Zarith 07-18-07, 07:36 AM	Maybe you are not really cured. Perhaps viewing Azazoth opened a link to his consciousness (or whatever) and now you actually are his servant and strive to make whatever reality you think he wants? That could be an interesting concept. Now you're like a sensor for him, another set of eyes and ears in this realm for him to gather information and the link can sometimes work both ways, you sense the madness radiating from him from time to time, sometimes it gives you great insight, sometimes it pushes your mind over the edge. Might talk to your DM about something along those lines.
TMX 07-18-07, 08:11 AM	2 Ways I'd do it. Become some sort of nutcase, the kind that waks around with sandwich boards, muttering about the end and predicting the end of the world. "I have seen the truth, and it has tentacles!" or You have looked in to cthulu's eyes, and have lived to tell the tale. Nothing can harm you, and you take every opportunity to demonstrate this.
Saragon42 07-18-07, 01:33 PM	First, read up on your Lovecraft. Not just The Call of Cthulhu but his other works as well (there's at least one good online collection out there; if you want the link I'll happily PM it to you.) Lovecraft, for all his other literary faults, was very good at describing the frantic madness brought on by experiencing things far outside normal human experience and how the mind recoils from it. It sounds like you've already got some of this under your belt, though, so I won't go into too much detail there -- my point is that anything you come up with on your own will be much more authentic. Sanity is always relative. Are you a gibbering maniac? No. Do you now approach the world from a very different perspective? Absolutely -- you know first-hand something that the wisest and strangest mages only have an inkling of in their darkest dreams. Your character's priorities and behaviours are bound to change as a result; what they'll change to is up to you. He could become a degenerate pleasure-seeker trying to bury that knowledge in women and wine; he could become cold and aloof, believing that nothing around him is as real or important as everyone makes it out to be; he could dive into the day-to-day work of adventuring to make every moment of newfound sanity count; he could do something else entirely. This is where your knowledge of the character comes to the fore. This "Knowledge: Crazy" mechanic is going to be rather awkward to deal with -- it's a mechanic without anything to affect. Talk to your DM; unless he has a specific plan for that skill's usefulness (unlikely - it sounds like this was just a bit of quick thinking on your DM's part) you might want to rework it into something else, like a significant (or random, like 1d6) bonus on Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Planes, and Knowledge: Religion checks when dealing with mad cults, alienists, abberations and the like. Simply knowing the original cause of all these things is enough to understand them better, I would think.
Silver_Bulette 07-18-07, 01:36 PM	Mumble about seeing "the Goat". Because goats are funny. Also, non- euclidean geometry is not scary, it means "things can have curves". If geometry turned euclidean, however, everything would be boxy and hard to move:rolleyes: .
asteroth16 07-18-07, 01:58 PM	just so u know that exploding dice arent that wonky it was a 1 in 16000 chance of happening.
asteroth16 07-18-07, 02:05 PM	we are still on the plane where i went wonky and there are things like phonograph and lightblubs and even a television, our wizard thinks its a scrying device of some sort and our dragonfire adept ingame is sooooo confused because none of it radiates magic. for knowledge crazy i could if i have high enough ranks start creating things that will CONFUSE TINKER GNOMES. and thats hard to do. since our dragonfire adept has knowledge every listed skill and from his feats he has a 16 in all of them whenever its something he cant explain its up to me. the way we play it is he has knowledge: Everything and i have knowledge: everything else
trapspringer 07-18-07, 05:02 PM	I agree with TMX. You should act off the wall, doing bizarre and unusual (but harmless) things. You should work with your DM to have them work out as the solution to strange problems. Like someone already pointed out, your psyche is beyond human now.
Aucturos 07-18-07, 05:28 PM	ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point) our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order. to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts. i really dont know how to roleplay him now. I have two words for you son: SHIFT. KEY. I know you can use it, I can see your sig. I don't mean to nitpick, but it's a friggin' extra key-press every few words. Most of the time I don't even read these posts because it's like dragging myself through 4th nightmares of grammar. However, your spelling is excellent and the rest of your grammar is decent. That being said, to the actual thread at hand: Mumble to yourself about how Azazoth looked. You might start answering other party members' questions before they've asked them. You could relate perfectly well to the "insane" and be able to understand them perfectly. Perhaps you just blurt out a few magical phrases that help (or hinder), or just things which seemingly don't have any meaning at the time. You might be twitchy, and anything that reminded you of Azazoth could send you into a relapse. Maybe you're extremely quiet and reserved because you're afraid the next thing you say might not make sense and explode the entire group. From your campaign's standpoint, at least so far as you've let us know, you're not "insane", which means you think things logically through and can respond coherently to party members, but I doubt the after-effects would ever truly go away. Perhaps you're not even aware you have any after-effects? Curious position you're in, sounds like a fun time.
Deekin 07-18-07, 06:13 PM	Dude, Cthuthulu is only CR 32. We just killed him and took his stuff.
asteroth16 07-18-07, 06:20 PM	Dude, Cthuthulu is only CR 32. We just killed him and took his stuff. yes cthulu is cr 32 (even though he should be at least at intermediate deity status) but azazoth spits out beings like cthulu. he is the creater of the multiverse in lovecraftian mythos. his cr is uncalculable. his divine rank = YES, not a number but yes. and to the post about shift key i know it's a bit of a problem but my shift key doesn't work correctly it sticks and caps locks is a pain in the arse
asteroth16 07-18-07, 06:50 PM	i also have a question of what ingame stats should be affected. right now the changes are -10 to bluf -10 to diplomacy -10 to handle animal plus 4 to intimidate and the ability knowledge crazy. i was thinking perhaps an ability of whener someones scrys me, dominates me or looks inside my mind they could go insane. what do you guys think?
Torrential 07-18-07, 07:18 PM	ok let me set up the premise. i am a level 10 character primarily chaos monk with some other melee stuff put in. our dm had us go down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different plane.(well we did go voluntarily but thats besides the point) our arcane geniuses had realized that many of the things on the plane were illusions so i made a will save to disbelieve. heres where it gets wonky, our dm housruled exploding d20s on skill, saves, and initiative. so instead of instant success on a roll of 20 u get that plus your next roll. i exploded 4 times my rolls were as follows, 20,20,20,20,19 with a base will of 15. the dc to see the true form of the plane was 100. i rolled a 114. so i saw the true form, azazoth sleeping. (if you dont know who azazoth is he makes cthulu look like a level1 commoner) anyway the save to not go permanently insane was 70. i rolled a 5 so my total was 20. i went insane and only through the expenditure of a huge amount of gold and resources my party group found a cure and cast it on me heal followed by restoration, then greater restoration, then miracle, then limited wish, then wish. in that order. to recap my character is now "sane" but a bit off and i now permanently have a new skill call knowledge: crazy basically i can understand how a computer works but because of how loopy i am i only know how to use current day terminology so everyone else thinks im nuts. i really dont know how to roleplay him now. Your character has seen through all of the illusions of your world. Perhaps, through all of the illusions, seeing the real truth... Perhaps, that all the "beings" in your world (from the lowliest peasant to the highest pantheon god) exist as simply elements in a great, cosmic Game: where free will is only an illusion caused by chance, all beings are at the mercy of omnipresent "creators" who make all the decisions, and that the way the world works all boils down to a set of arbitrary rules created for the sole purpose of the creators' amusement. Basically, your character realizes he's just a pawn in a stupid game, as are all the people, the environments, and the gods around him. (It should be noted, this is quite a Lovecraftian theme in and of itself). This, of course, would be quite sobering and would definitely change his outlook, if not actions. He can take life-and-death situations in a not-very-serious way. Perhaps he can approach decisions and strategies as if he were playing a video game. Or maybe just go through the rest of his life Breaking The Fourth Wall, Order of the Stick style. The "Knowledge (Crazy)" can be used in this regard to see what information can be gleaned through such breaks in "The Fourth Wall." $0.02
Jungingen 07-18-07, 07:32 PM	The ability to "Break the Fourth Wall" really appeals to me. In a way, you've been handed the greatest and most perverse excuse for metagaming evar, just as long as your fellow players bear in mind that you're completely bananas and incomprehensible. Of course, the rest of your predicament reminds me of a homeless fellow I once talked to about logarithms. He kept repeating that it as good that I was in school and that I've got to study The Logarithms, cause They know about The Logarithms and whoever has The Logarithms has The Power. Once you learn The Logarithms, you're set. If you know a second language, especially a language none of the other players speak, try spending a sesssion speaking mostly, if not completely in something other than English. Everybody loves that one.
Mock26 07-18-07, 07:51 PM	Be afraid of something that is seemingly innocent. In one Lovecraftian inspired story the man went crazy because he knew that the hounds of chaos could get to him through right angles. So, he locked himself in his apartment and used plaster and tools and such to get rid of all right angles so that he would be protected. And, in case you're wondering, he was killed when a chunk of plaster fell off of a corner and the hounds got him.
o_b_livion 07-18-07, 08:02 PM	Just play it off as if it was nothing. Just say, "Cthulu is nothing, my mama is more scarier and drives me crazy!"
mato_hibiki 07-18-07, 09:30 PM	I'm fond of the fourth wall breaking idea... Deadpool and Order of the Stick are great examples. But, this could be played another way. You'd have to discuss this with your DM, but you could resolve this as being, well, in the end it's being virtually immune to Intimidate checks and Fear effects... I see it more like being River Tam. I have a small aside to amuse you and explain my example, ready? <Minotaur with a great ax confronts party with a mighty bellow.> <Crazy PC gives a protracted, wide-eyed stare, maybe with a little head tilt thrown in there.> "... Look, a mass of base elements and minerals held together with six dimensional strings and spit..." <Minotaur froths at the mouth.> "Too much spit..." Now, I know it's not acadamy award winning, but at the table, while in character, if that comes out of the blue it's gonna be a heavy 'Huh?' moment. ... One more one now that I thought of it... Try ordering "A mass of hydrogen and oxygen in a three dimensional container formed from the corpse of a tree, bound in the innards of a mountain." and se what kinda looks you get. ... If anyone missed that, it was 'a glass of water in a wooden mug'. Not the the bartender will be getting that one. <EDIT> Though, it'll be impossible to make bluff and diplomacy checks. A fair balance? Maybe. Tough to share knowledge with the party too...
Lunar_Shadow 07-18-07, 10:08 PM	I love the 4th wall idea. You could probally play him as if he knew everybody were just pieces in a game.
nightside_samurai 07-18-07, 10:11 PM	... One more one now that I thought of it... Try ordering "A mass of hydrogen and oxygen in a three dimensional container formed from the corpse of a tree, bound in the innards of a mountain." and se what kinda looks you get. ... If anyone missed that, it was 'a glass of water in a wooden mug'. Not the the bartender will be getting that one. Dude...just...Dude.
mato_hibiki 07-18-07, 10:25 PM	Laughs. Ah, so somebody did catch that one. I was afraid it'd either cause severe brain hemmoraging, or it'd be glossed right over. Heavy 'Huh?' moment, no?
Prak, the Mad 07-18-07, 10:36 PM	2 Ways I'd do it. Become some sort of nutcase, the kind that waks around with sandwich boards, muttering about the end and predicting the end of the world. "I have seen the truth, and it has tentacles!" or You have looked in to cthulu's eyes, and have lived to tell the tale. Nothing can harm you, and you take every opportunity to demonstrate this. This is actually what I would suggest too, except both at once.
asteroth16 07-19-07, 12:00 AM	ok the dm was saying that i now qualify for the alienist class if i get spellcasting, my question is has anyone homebrewed a physical based alienist?
trapspringer 07-19-07, 12:16 AM	This'll help. Imagining the tenth Dimension pt. 1 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JkxieS-6WuA), pt. 2 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=WmwrhO3-BN0&mode=related&search=) It's not entirely... perfect, but it's easy enough to follow and you're not gunna' be applying this stuff in any kind of real capacity so it'll be sufficient.
d24478667 07-19-07, 12:17 AM	First, read up on your Lovecraft. Not just The Call of Cthulhu but his other works as well (there's at least one good online collection out there; if you want the link I'll happily PM it to you.) Could you PM that to me, please?
Ayra 07-19-07, 02:56 AM	Who is Azazoth? I couldn't find much when looking on google. I have read the call of cthulu and some other stories bundled together a while ago, though. Maybe if it's something lovecraftian my mind has shut it out o.o; Anyway, I'd suggest taking a look at Alienist if you're a caster. It's connected to the far realms, instead of what you're describing but the insanity is certainly present in both planes. You don't necessarily have to play an Alienist, but you can take over some aspects. The summons an alienist brings forth are horribly deformed versions of the original, things that would even make the toughest fighter puke. Well probably not, but it's still pretty disgusting having a monster with its insides growing on the outside. Additionally you could live in a world of your own, but the rest of this thread describes that perfectly :)
asteroth16 07-19-07, 10:53 PM	wikipedia azazoth if need be but to sum him up he is the center of the multiverse and he creater all other great elder ones in lovecraftian mythos
Jungingen 07-19-07, 11:00 PM	"Azathoth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azathoth)" is the name given on Wikipedia, not Azazoth.
asteroth16 07-19-07, 11:10 PM	so i messed up his name whoops.
Archangel62 07-19-07, 11:35 PM	Well, as I know this group a bit...what about this, your character literally understands everything, he understands that he is just a character being played by a guy at a table at a local college?
asteroth16 07-20-07, 02:08 AM	archangel youre suggestion is sound i think i will apply the mannerisms of deadpool to DND, he realizes he is in a comic and my charcter realizes he is a roleplaying caracter thats true form has been erased, re written, had soda of every shade of the rainbow spilled on and caught on fire. (and if any of you didnt catch that my character as had oh maybe 8 character sheets)