Call of Cthulhu 4E - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Call of Cthulhu 4E

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ddangel
Dec 21, 2008 21:11:35 Hi everyone,

I'm working on a campaign about Cthulhu. The Story will start as the adventurer, been summon to the great priest. The great priest will ask that to investigate an mysterious city that have rise from the depth of the sea. The priest say that in the old book that the city is call R'lyeh. They will ask them to investigate that place. Since it not every day that mortal can have a chance to explorer an ancient city.

Well Im here to ask if anybody know where a can find a map of R'lyeh. stats for cthulhu, what creature just I put and should I start that the city is populated by ''normal'' that live a normal live every day or should I start as a ghost city.

Well for the cthulhu stats I could do it but what size should he be, what type
( I was think maybe (abberant(dragon))), etc.

I was think also to start this campaign at lvl 1, lvl 5 or lvl 10. I want this to last long.

Thank in advance for the help.
#2
ViolenceJack
Dec 21, 2008 22:55:21 For maps, I don't think it's been mapped, but check google just in case. If I were running it, I wouldn't map anywhere near the whole thing... just parts that are relevant to the story. Maybe a vague plan, but nothing too specific for the city as a whole.

One thing to feature if you do draw your own maps is that the sight of the city with its alien geometry and all is supposed to drive people mad. So there should be a whole lot of parts to it that don't make sense... stairways to nowhere, alleyways with impossible angles. One idea I just thought of now would be a room that was different depending on which doorway you came in, or parts that overlap depending on which hallway you take. Gravity that behaves oddly so you end up walking on the ceiling in parts, that kind of thing. Really crazy stuff; the crazier the better.

I'd probably not give away the name of the city right away either; let the crazy geometry and mutated goblins (just make them aberration type)/aberrations clue them in slowly. I'm lazy, so a lot of the lower-level aberrations would just be regular creatures described in different ways.
#3
ddangel
Dec 21, 2008 23:19:36 ok thank alot ^^
#4
ViolenceJack
Dec 22, 2008 2:16:00
ok thank alot ^^

Not a problem. Just talking with my wife about it right now, and another thing I thought of is have the players map it as they go along, but make sure that it doesn't work. Parts overlapping that shouldn't and whatnot. When they tell you that their map isn't working, just shrug and be evasive.

As to whether or not it's inhabited, it would probably be best to have humans living there, but make sure to have a creepy twist to each section they go to. Take lots of inspiration from horror movies and I'm sure you'll think of lots of good stuff. Doesn't even have to be threatening to the PCs to be nice and creepy. Have somebody making tea from a teabag that screams and writhes, that kind of thing.
#5
ddangel
Dec 23, 2008 3:30:22 ok thank, any suggestion for horror movie I could inpisred myself on.

I want to make them feel the madness of Great Lord Cthulhu:coolcthul

:D any by any change is there a thread about Cthulhu 4e. Because if there is I don't want to create a thread for nothing ^^
#6
stonehydra
Dec 23, 2008 13:54:23 Hear is an idea there could be several sets of npcs doing the same job at the same place not aware of yachters existence but in no doubt doing the same thing. Have it so one disperses another appears and they switch off. You can gradually decrees the subtlety in witch you do this to mess with any player. You can even have it so at times of the day there are more or less people maybe midday being a bussing metropolis and at midnight its empty. Add a few buildings that do this to and it can get rally unstableing.:D o and to it to a set pattern early on and slowly take the predictability of the events away as they catch on.
#7
crashbeedo
Dec 23, 2008 16:43:40 Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is an early 80's Call of Cthulhu campaign that spans the globe and culminates with the investigators battling a cult (the Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight) on Easter Island, with the final showdown on R'hlyeh itself. It was also reprinted, but I don't recall the name of the reprint... either way, should be PDF available, try Chaosium.com... Anyway, it includes a basic map of R'hlyeh and methods for raising the island and releasing Cthulhu.
#8
ogrepuppy_dup
Jan 16, 2009 16:54:39
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is an early 80's Call of Cthulhu campaign that spans the globe and culminates with the investigators battling a cult (the Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight) on Easter Island, with the final showdown on R'hlyeh itself. It was also reprinted, but I don't recall the name of the reprint... either way, should be PDF available, try Chaosium.com... Anyway, it includes a basic map of R'hlyeh and methods for raising the island and releasing Cthulhu.

Shadows of Yog-Sothoth was reprinted as...oddly...Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. It's name didn't change at all.
#9
koradzi
Jan 16, 2009 17:50:53 One thing to keep in mind: in the tabletop Call of Cthulhu game, the players were always underpowered compared to the threats they were faced with. Trying to hack or blast your way through even the most basic monsters was certain death, and that was part of the draw of the system. The fact that players couldn't solve every problem with force put more of an emphasis on detective work and creative problem solving -- the trick wasn't to hack the monster up, it was to figure out how to perform the ritual that would banish it.

If you try to translate CoC into D&D without taking that into account, your players aren't going to have that sense of danger -- the dread that comes from knowing that any given monster would thrash them in a straight-out fight. I'd recommend either consistently throwing them up against critters that are much higher level and forcing them to think their way around them, or being very stingy with magic items (most of which are likely to be of dubious background).
#10
Vatras
Jan 16, 2009 18:06:00 The CoC RPG had a psycho mechanic to simulate the slow descent into madness when being close to the Old Ones and other terrors. You can partially simulate it by giving the monsters various fear powers/effects, and removing everything that grants immunity to fear to keep it a threat.

I don't think anyone ever mapped R'lyeh, as visiting it wasn't an option in a standard campaign (it is below the ocean after all), but you could check CoC boards or fansites, maybe someone has drawn something.

Cthulhu as a monster is about as good as any of the top dogs, as he is the head of the pantheon of the Old Ones.
#11
crashbeedo
Jan 16, 2009 18:27:32
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth was reprinted as...oddly...Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. It's name didn't change at all.

Ah, I see it was reprinted again a few years ago! Strangely enough, there was a period of time after 1989 when it was in print as Cthulhu Classics... I don't make this stuff up, I lived through it: Cthulhu-Classics-RPG

Either way, if OP wants a map of R'lyeh and a cool campaign centered around raising the island, he can check out Shadows of Yog-Sothoth (or Cthulhu Classics, giggle)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ddangel Dec 21, 2008 21:11:35	Hi everyone, I'm working on a campaign about Cthulhu. The Story will start as the adventurer, been summon to the great priest. The great priest will ask that to investigate an mysterious city that have rise from the depth of the sea. The priest say that in the old book that the city is call R'lyeh. They will ask them to investigate that place. Since it not every day that mortal can have a chance to explorer an ancient city. Well Im here to ask if anybody know where a can find a map of R'lyeh. stats for cthulhu, what creature just I put and should I start that the city is populated by ''normal'' that live a normal live every day or should I start as a ghost city. Well for the cthulhu stats I could do it but what size should he be, what type ( I was think maybe (abberant(dragon))), etc. I was think also to start this campaign at lvl 1, lvl 5 or lvl 10. I want this to last long. Thank in advance for the help.
#2 ViolenceJack Dec 21, 2008 22:55:21	For maps, I don't think it's been mapped, but check google just in case. If I were running it, I wouldn't map anywhere near the whole thing... just parts that are relevant to the story. Maybe a vague plan, but nothing too specific for the city as a whole. One thing to feature if you do draw your own maps is that the sight of the city with its alien geometry and all is supposed to drive people mad. So there should be a whole lot of parts to it that don't make sense... stairways to nowhere, alleyways with impossible angles. One idea I just thought of now would be a room that was different depending on which doorway you came in, or parts that overlap depending on which hallway you take. Gravity that behaves oddly so you end up walking on the ceiling in parts, that kind of thing. Really crazy stuff; the crazier the better. I'd probably not give away the name of the city right away either; let the crazy geometry and mutated goblins (just make them aberration type)/aberrations clue them in slowly. I'm lazy, so a lot of the lower-level aberrations would just be regular creatures described in different ways.
#3 ddangel Dec 21, 2008 23:19:36	ok thank alot ^^
#4 ViolenceJack Dec 22, 2008 2:16:00	ok thank alot ^^ Not a problem. Just talking with my wife about it right now, and another thing I thought of is have the players map it as they go along, but make sure that it doesn't work. Parts overlapping that shouldn't and whatnot. When they tell you that their map isn't working, just shrug and be evasive. As to whether or not it's inhabited, it would probably be best to have humans living there, but make sure to have a creepy twist to each section they go to. Take lots of inspiration from horror movies and I'm sure you'll think of lots of good stuff. Doesn't even have to be threatening to the PCs to be nice and creepy. Have somebody making tea from a teabag that screams and writhes, that kind of thing.
#5 ddangel Dec 23, 2008 3:30:22	ok thank, any suggestion for horror movie I could inpisred myself on. I want to make them feel the madness of Great Lord Cthulhu:coolcthul :D any by any change is there a thread about Cthulhu 4e. Because if there is I don't want to create a thread for nothing ^^
#6 stonehydra Dec 23, 2008 13:54:23	Hear is an idea there could be several sets of npcs doing the same job at the same place not aware of yachters existence but in no doubt doing the same thing. Have it so one disperses another appears and they switch off. You can gradually decrees the subtlety in witch you do this to mess with any player. You can even have it so at times of the day there are more or less people maybe midday being a bussing metropolis and at midnight its empty. Add a few buildings that do this to and it can get rally unstableing.:D o and to it to a set pattern early on and slowly take the predictability of the events away as they catch on.
#7 crashbeedo Dec 23, 2008 16:43:40	Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is an early 80's Call of Cthulhu campaign that spans the globe and culminates with the investigators battling a cult (the Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight) on Easter Island, with the final showdown on R'hlyeh itself. It was also reprinted, but I don't recall the name of the reprint... either way, should be PDF available, try Chaosium.com... Anyway, it includes a basic map of R'hlyeh and methods for raising the island and releasing Cthulhu.
#8 ogrepuppy_dup Jan 16, 2009 16:54:39	Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is an early 80's Call of Cthulhu campaign that spans the globe and culminates with the investigators battling a cult (the Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight) on Easter Island, with the final showdown on R'hlyeh itself. It was also reprinted, but I don't recall the name of the reprint... either way, should be PDF available, try Chaosium.com... Anyway, it includes a basic map of R'hlyeh and methods for raising the island and releasing Cthulhu. Shadows of Yog-Sothoth was reprinted as...oddly...Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. It's name didn't change at all.
#9 koradzi Jan 16, 2009 17:50:53	One thing to keep in mind: in the tabletop Call of Cthulhu game, the players were always underpowered compared to the threats they were faced with. Trying to hack or blast your way through even the most basic monsters was certain death, and that was part of the draw of the system. The fact that players couldn't solve every problem with force put more of an emphasis on detective work and creative problem solving -- the trick wasn't to hack the monster up, it was to figure out how to perform the ritual that would banish it. If you try to translate CoC into D&D without taking that into account, your players aren't going to have that sense of danger -- the dread that comes from knowing that any given monster would thrash them in a straight-out fight. I'd recommend either consistently throwing them up against critters that are much higher level and forcing them to think their way around them, or being very stingy with magic items (most of which are likely to be of dubious background).
#10 Vatras Jan 16, 2009 18:06:00	The CoC RPG had a psycho mechanic to simulate the slow descent into madness when being close to the Old Ones and other terrors. You can partially simulate it by giving the monsters various fear powers/effects, and removing everything that grants immunity to fear to keep it a threat. I don't think anyone ever mapped R'lyeh, as visiting it wasn't an option in a standard campaign (it is below the ocean after all), but you could check CoC boards or fansites, maybe someone has drawn something. Cthulhu as a monster is about as good as any of the top dogs, as he is the head of the pantheon of the Old Ones.
#11 crashbeedo Jan 16, 2009 18:27:32	Shadows of Yog-Sothoth was reprinted as...oddly...Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. It's name didn't change at all. Ah, I see it was reprinted again a few years ago! Strangely enough, there was a period of time after 1989 when it was in print as Cthulhu Classics... I don't make this stuff up, I lived through it: Cthulhu-Classics-RPG Either way, if OP wants a map of R'lyeh and a cool campaign centered around raising the island, he can check out Shadows of Yog-Sothoth (or Cthulhu Classics, giggle)