Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 E._Ravenwood Jun 09, 2009 2:08:50	I'm about to start a WWII campaign where the PC's are enlisted in a secret department of the OSS known as P*I*C*E*S (Paranormal Investigation & Counter Espionage Sector) Basically a clandestine paramilitary group that recieve missions to many places all over the world. So far I've come up with missions to Haiti to stop an alliance between Haitian Voodoo Chieftens and Nazi U-Boat commanders, a mission to Panama to stop an attempt by the Japanes to seize the Canal, a mission about Ubersoldaten (supersoldiers), Mecha Battle suits, etc. However, I'm having trouble coming up with ideas for Paranormal missions. I've tried reseaching the subject but all I ever seem to find is information on the Thule Society and the Ahnenerbe. If any of you could help me with some ideas about Nazi occult and mystic ideas, I would be very grateful! Thanks!
#2 TheRealOrion Jun 09, 2009 2:14:45	Read a couple of volumes of Hellboy and/or BPRD from Dark Horse Comics. Seriously, all the source material you'll ever need.
#3 rhialto Jun 09, 2009 5:06:37	GURPS: Weird War II It's probably out of print, but I suspect warehouse 42 will sell you a pdf copy of it still.
#4 herbert_west Jun 09, 2009 5:48:25	Head on down to HERETema69, myself and a few others were building his WW2 paranormal campaign. You will literally find everything you want here. Also ask me about any specific peice of paranormal information. I'll probably know about it, because I did loads of research into it a few years ago.
#5 E._Ravenwood Jun 09, 2009 8:39:28	GURPS: Weird War II It's probably out of print, but I suspect warehouse 42 will sell you a pdf copy of it still. I actually own a copy of this and have been sifting through it lately. Thanks everyone!
#6 dan_vk Jun 09, 2009 8:59:33	BPRD/Hellboy, Weird War II (Pinnacle Entertainment Group, it is D20 and there a handful of supplements for it), and the link posted by Herbert West should be plenty of inspiration. Running into the Ahnenerbe-SS every time you turn around is a good thing when researching Nazi interest in the occult. It means you are on the right track and they make great antagonists in this sort of game. Browsing Wikipedia articles on A-SS expeditions should give you some more good ideas. If you need even more, though, I suggest the writing of Charles Stross, specifically the novels The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue. He gets hung up on the Cold War a lot, but the setting has a secret history perfect for a Nazi occult game. You can also read A Colder War for free, one of his short stories in a similar vein but unrelated to the novels. They all tie the Cthulhu mythos in with World War II.
#7 ironwolf85 Jun 09, 2009 13:22:02	hmmmm... once you get far enough into the war the Germans have lost a lot of men. one of their men specializes in necromancy. He tries to bring back the dead to fight alongside the living. He knows what to do in theory, and being an athiest thinks he's just reanimating corpses with energy. He's dead wrong (yay puns) his spell was to bring back german soldiers who died in the local vacinity. In the Town of Raux Falls he brought back ALL the dead germans from the Nazis that died recently, to the ones that died in the trenches of the first world war, all the way back to the barbarians that fought the romans. They are not happy about being disturbed. "In Raux Falls Everyone Dies" (yay more puns) Anyway, none of the diffrent generations can get along, each has their own section of the town locked down, they hate each other but usually hate the living more. These undead are intelligent, battlehardened, and not to happy to see the players. The source of the corruption is the book used to cast the spell, the spell is also beginning to warp the countryside into a nightmarish landscape of thorny hedgerows, fences, fortifications, and undead abomonations, even the animals in the nearby woods are corrupted. (More on them later) Enemies: Knights Tutonic The book itself was spirited away by the newly arisen Knights Tutonic and their chapter master Mattias St. Germane they hold the monestary at the top of the hill and the local nazi forces see them as "pure germans" the Knights care not for their idology and kill them anyway. Their once rightious sentiments and fanatical dark ages idology have been twisted, Germane and the knights are convinced they have been denied hevan for a reason and are trying to redeem themselves the only way they know how. With sword and fire. The Knights are tough but shun modern weapons, but years on brutal mideval battlefields have made them just as smart as they are fanatical. The Dishonored Dead: WW1 was the most costly war in history and thousands of unknown german troops were moved here, most only to die of their wounds in hospital beds hours later. They were too many to bury and were simply tossed into the catacombs below. now they have risen, denied a proper buriel, and seeing the Nazi's corrupt the motherland they fought and died protecting. Their rage is that of a generation destroyed, defeated, and dishonored. They are a force against the world, and hate drives their actions. They have fortified the countryside turning Raux Falls into a deathtrap for conventional armies. While bound to defend the book not all of them are in agreement over their deaths, some just want to see their famlies again, others just want to return to the grave. This means they are split up into diffrent units, and while they are all united in keeping outsiders from getting in, their ranks are rife with unrest, especally against some of the more hated officers. One ally to the players might be Sgt. Hans Frader, Frader died of a bullet to the head, and died painfully as a result. Frader was the unit's chaplin, and psychic to boot though he never developed nor understood his gift. As an undead Frader understands more than anyone what is going on and seeks to get back in the grave as soon as possible. Frader sees his existance as an undead as empty "when my body got up by soul stayed behind, I don't remember much of heven, but it's nice there." Barbarians: barbarian warriors (goths, vikings, etc throw in whoever seems cool even if they don't fit) that died here long before this was a town, their priests worshiped the falls as a holy place. Now risen again they have each tribe has come to diffent ideas, some think this is the afterlife, some think it's a second chance given by the gods, regardless they are looting, pillaging, and living up their afterlife. They find attacking soft targets to their liking. a few have gotten their bony hands on new modern weapons. Wolfen: the bodies of those who die in the nepolanic wars were neither preserved like the knights, nor as fresh as the others. As such they did not have bodies to return to and used whatever was availible, a pack of wolves happened to be nosing around the ruined graveyard the rest you can figure out. While akin to werewolves in appearance and lacking memories of their previous lives. Wolfen have no idea what they are or who they are, memeories they have are those of the creature they are inhabiting, this drives most of them insane anyway. Wolfen is a catch all catagory, other empty vessels in the woods are also used. Some spirits even use the trees. Another friend they might make calls himself Franz, the daughter of the local mayor was out riding with her friends. The Wolfen tore through them and the corruption animated their corpses and those of their horses as undead. These four are known locally as the four horsewomen. However before the mayor's daughter was slain her horse Franz was poessed, he came to the aid of his master and the two are holed up in a hunting lodge. Franz will tell them everything he knows if the players help him get Greta (mayor's daughter) to safety. He also sells whatever weapons he can scavange to the players, especally ammo. Horrors: not animated by the first spell, but instead by the corruption, they are your standard mindless cannon fodder undead. Russians: Raux Falls is in the direct path of the massive russian army, from their base to the east they have been hitting Raux Falls as hard as possible, and have yet to make a dent. worse yet their own dead rise to attack them. General Gregori is redused to shelling the hell out of Raux Falls. if the curse is broken the Russians will take the town in a matter of hours. Weather they try to betray the players is up to the GM. feel free to modify as you see fit
#8 trappedslider Jun 09, 2009 19:52:34	You could set up a game around this nifty item: Spear of Destiny Description: The Spear of Destiny is an ancient weapon. Forged near the beginning of time it has seen more battles and death than any other weapon in existence. Its most famous application was the piercing of Christ’s side by the centurion Longinus. From this singular event the Spear was cursed; anybody wielding the spear was destined to violent and bloody end, usually with its loss. The Spear was lost until found by the Roman Emperor Constantine. With this mighty artefact in hand he conquered great swaths of land for the empire, and converted to Christianity. The Spear appears sporadically throughout history in the hands of Charlemagne, or being sought after by the likes of Napoleon. The Spear eventually fell into the hands of the Hapsburgs, rulers of Austria, and remained in the country until the beginning of the Second World War. When Hitler invaded Austria he took the spear with him to Nuremberg, feeling that it would give him the power needed to conquer the world. When General George S. Patton captured Nuremberg, and in turn the Spear, Hitler committed suicide. The Spear was returned to Austria and there it still resides, or so it is assumed. Powers: The Spear of Destiny acts a +5 keen defending wounding shortspear. The spear also gives the character the Leadership feat, as well as a +4 enhancement bonus to Charisma while in the character’s possession. The Spear also has a powerful curse: should the current owner ever lose possession of it (this does not include intentionally setting the weapon aside), he suffers 4d6 points of Constitution drain (Fort DC 30 for half).
#9 E._Ravenwood Jun 10, 2009 1:37:20	Wow, thanks guys. I love the Raux Falls campaign, and I wouldn't mind running a few campaigns for the major religious relics (ie, Spear of Destiny, Ark if the Covenant, Holy Grail, Iron Crown of the Lombards) however, I think the campaign needs to be well established before the team goes chasing after those.
#10 TheRealOrion Jun 10, 2009 16:35:33	If I may say, the Spear of Destiny should be way more powerful, too. It's supposed to have been powerful enough to make or break the Nazis in WWII. It's an artefact.
#11 johannixx Jun 10, 2009 22:39:56	I second the recommendation for Pinnacle's Weird War II. While the later supplements had typos galore, the core rulebook and first few supplements are excellent. Hell in the Hedgerows, the pre-packaged adventure supplement, has a bunch of excellent adventures for low-to-mid-level PCs.
#12 E._Ravenwood Jun 11, 2009 2:23:48	Okay, here's what I've got in mind so far, feel free to add your input and whatnot where ever, mind you, some of these ideas have been borrowed from other sites, so I apologize if you've seen them before or think I'm stealing someone elses ideas... Haiti - PC's uncover an alliance between Voodoo Chieftans and German Naval Command. The Germans exchanging old obsolete weaponry (so the chiftan's can overthrow the govt.) for hiding spots for U-boats. Voodoo Priests create Zombies once the PC's make their assault. (Nazi's plan a double cross, they'd never let the natives run the country after their submarine campaign ends, might try to work this into the plot, something the PC's can use as leverage if they attempt to negotiate) Yucatan - Locals claim ancient spirits have been awoken and are attacking those that enter the jungle. PC's investigate only to find the ghost sightings to be fakes conjured by SS patrol units trying to keep natives away from the jungle. Away from what? you ask...A Mayan Temple (pyramid) is being used by Nazi scientists to create the Gepanzerte Kampfklage-Korps (Armored Battle Suit Corps) Suits that soldiers fit into that carry an arrangment of heavy machine guns and flamethrowers (possibly mortars or panzershraks (sp?) Panama - Navy intellegence uncovers a message from the Japanese navy that an attempt to overtake the Panama Canal is in operation. The PC's are sent in being the closest OSS unit. They discover nothing out of sorts, until locals start talking of a group of fishermen that went out one morning and never returned. The PC's will be lead to their camp, only to find the Fishermen butchered. They see a large tanker sitting off the coast. They recieve a report that a Chilean Ship has thought to have been lost at sea, but is in fact the mysterious ship sitting off the coast. Pc's investigate, and find that the fishermens boats were used by Japanese soldiers to board the tanker, have taken the tanker over, and are driving it through the Canal, with a U-boat hidden underneath it. Once into the canal, the U-boat will surface and attempt to seize control. (Plan on the PC's scuttling the tanker so it sinks on top of the U-boat, but you never know what they're going to do) thats it really for the ones I have completely thought out, here are ones I'm toying with and will probably use once my I can concentrate on them... Bolivia - Nazi Archeaologists trying to uncover the riddle of the Incans. Find out how the entire civilization disappeared and weaponize it. Giza (or maybe thebes) - Pyramid a large mind control devise Abysinnia - Uncover documentation of a successful prototype of Marconi's Microwave Death Ray. PC's are inserted to steal the blue prints, and destroy the Italian's prototype. Palestine - King Solomon's Mine uncovered, contains demons who the nazi's think they can control Burma - Japanese searching for a lost relic in an Angok-type temple that will reanimate an army of Samuri Raux Falls (from above) - set in the Ardennes or Argonne in Belgium. Bucharest (maybe, might change this) - Soviets request assistance, being attacked by uber-psycho humans. PC's Nazi Occultists forcing priests into reverse-exercisms to make demon-possessed soldiers. Paris - On the eve of D-day, Nazi's try turning the Eiffle tower into a massive Tesla Death Ray Lublin - Jewish Polish Resistance party uncover ancient writings and create a Golem. Golem goes crazy, now everyone in the ghetto is a target, including its creators (kind of inspired by other threads and the movie Rec.) Zeppelin - PC's discover Luftwaffe plot to deliver a nerve gas over Washington D.C. by using a heavily armored airship zeppelin. It flies too high to be affected by AA fire or scrambled fighters. PC's must sneak aboard and find a way to sabotage the ship I also noticed I have the PC's campaigning in nearly every type of pyramid, I was thinking of trying to link a storyline together with that, possibly a gate system or something. It should be noted also that the PC's arch-nemisis will be the Black Sun Society, a joint venture between the Thule and the Ahnenerb. They are comprised mostly of Archeaologists, Supernaturalists (rune sorcerers, what have you) Nazi Doctors, and their armed ranks consist of Fundementalist SS elite guards. Basing their leader on Karl Kraenen from the Hellboy movie.
#13 unrelentinghoror Jun 13, 2009 6:36:05	Well yeah Hitler was big into the occult it seems. He actually funded some guy to run around looking for the holy grail! Saw it on the history channel and I'm sure you could wiki it or whatev. Just take the idea of that kind of obsession, add in the whole swastika being a symbol for life but flipped backwards and any number of other occulty kind of things that well... you know actually was a part of Hitler's whole "thing". Well that considered you could probably justify near any occult funkiness being in your game that you wanted. Nazi Zombies, supersoldier programs using dracula's DNA, ancient relic hunts, spirit calling/demon summoning, the works! Just go for it man!
#14 backstabbist Jun 13, 2009 10:17:09	well, here is an idea from the Decay of Intrastructure thread: [indent] Which could explain where the Apoc cyber-mutant zombie nazis came from.... a secret Project Phoenix<1> left burried deep under the rubble of a ww2 failure to conquer the world. Cause as we all know, nazis are like roaches(or zombies), you can never stomp them all out<2> , they always seem to keep popping back up in one way or another... even from beyond the grave By 'evolving' into a group that doesnt shower, they can take over the world by depriving humanity of the infrastructure that allows showering.... resulting in the demise of mankind & victory for the C-MZN <1> Akin to Operation Last Laugh, rise from the ashes <2> Reference material: 'The Last Stand' game[/indent] just have your players run into the nazis setting up & starting their Project Pheonix
#15 ironwolf85 Jun 15, 2009 11:08:59	I see Raux Falls was a hit. I'm good with background and plot, not stastics. who knows I might write in that Franz in Raux falls winds up her guardian when it's all over. the mayor's probably dead. During the rebuilding of germany they help the americans, maybe even join the OSI. it might be fun if you do a modern occult game to have players meet old friends. though Franz would have a new body by then. Bucharest (maybe, might change this) - Soviets request assistance, being attacked by uber-psycho humans. PC's Nazi Occultists forcing priests into reverse-exercisms to make demon-possessed soldiers. most priests would die before betraying their faith like that. I have an alternitive The priests of the city sit on an awful secret. their city was the first line of defence in cathloic europe against the horrors that came out of the east, a sort of holy drag net protecting the vatacan's eastern flank. this is the reason most monster sightings in western europe were few after the plauge. In addition to European demons are a few eastern oni and ogers they followed genghis got caught in the net. (I just read the Book of Vile Darkness and I have some real evil stuff) European demons other than the ones in the monster manual include the following. (a few they might be familar with from lower levels) Rage: Rage demons feel only Rage, no love, no pain, no pity, only feral rage. However this makes Rage poessed soldiers, less soldiers and more bezerkers. they will empty an entire machine gun at the party then charge with whatever is the most painful weapon they can find. Rage poessed enemies become more feral but no less intlligent, their appearance becomes more feral as well. while they cannot modify their bodies supernaturally, many take massive doses of steroids, and will do ANYTHING to kill you, even if that means charging a tank with a 2X4 and a bomb strapped to their chest. Lust: lust not just sex, but for everything they don't have, they want to satisify a void that can never be filled. They don't want to kill you because they hate you like Rage, they want to kill you because it would be fun. They perfer to fight from long range and will melt away in hand to hand. with the exception of their Sargents who take joy in fighting in hand to hand, and unleashing unnerving moans when struck. many of these sargents mutliate themselves and do even more hanious things to their captives. Russian commisars are ordered to kill everyone rather than be taken alive, this is not a cruel method to enforce decipline, rather this is a kindness and a service to their unit. Sorrow: while some would argue sorrows are weak and frail from their plauge wracked bodies, it is true misery loves company, and they want to share their misery with you. They prefer to ambush enemies in close range where they can use their bite attack to infect them, then maul other targets with hand to hand weapons. their entire body is a sickly blue and slightly bloated from disease, they also stun and unnerve foes by telling them things they never wanted to hear "you're going to die, all alone and forgotten... poor thing" if at long range a Sorrow is an excellent sniper. Pride: these guys were what the Nazis were trying to do. perfect chisiled features, intelligent, well built, killing machines. Pride do not get along with one another, and that lack of team work is their major weakness. they assume they are the cause of everything good that happens, and blame others for everything bad that happens, even going so far as to kill allies over the most minor slight. That said they are really damn good at what they do and are boss quality foes. to them loss is unthinkable, that it is their own fault is impossible. Pride can never learn from defeat. sound good. oh for Raux Falls I had some other ideas for other poessed animals. Fettershin: a poessed deer, usually cowardly, but very fast and just wants to be left alone. they do not comprehend the new feelings a soul (even one that belongs in the ground) has granted them and have a hard time walking upright. They can become curious about the PCs should they venture into the forest. if the Wolves were soldiers in a previous life, then these were civilans. Wolverine: not a real wolverine it's actually a badger, violent and very territorial. Franz: (I fleshed him out) his soul belongs to Franz Gullime a German sapper who fought against Nepolian, he does not remember any of this. he has however kept a few mannerisims from his old life. He is chivilious to women, and genrally frendly, the large horse-humanoid-thing also has a penchent for explosives and knowing equipment. In a previous life he was addicted to absenth, that addiction followed him to the grave and to this new life. If Fanz drinks any of it he will instantly have the craving for it. Like most lower class germans of the time he was often found on the arm of many a "lady of the night" again he remembers none of this.
#16 E._Ravenwood Jun 15, 2009 12:30:35	Kewl! Yeah, I wasn't too crazy about priests doing reverse exorcisms, but I hadn't entirely fleshed out the entire idea. I was thinking about Nazi Sorcerors finding an exercists handbook constructed over centuries in an orthodox church and reverse engineering it to suit their evil ends. The Deadly Sins soldiers is a great idea!
#17 ironwolf85 Jun 16, 2009 15:03:27	not only that, instead of sending these eastern demons back to hell and have them reform, the monks imprisoned them. it's not quite a reverse exorsisim, as just letting them loose and instead of them picking bodies. The Nazis learned from their mistakes at Raux Falls, instead of letting them loose then trying to control them. They are using a machine to funnel the demons directly into their SS soldiers. However not every german soldier is SS, nor are all germans nazis, by this point in the war many troops are fresh recruits almost to young or too old to use a gun, the Nazi's are doing this because they are running out of soldiers. meaning the majority of the poessed soldiers are victims not volenteers. Just young patriots too blind to realize the evil going on behind closed doors, they think their going to get innoculations in case the russians use gas or disease against them. They have no idea about the death camps, no knowlage of the evil comitted by the regime they defend. if they knew what was actually happening to their comrades they would desert in droves. I think that works.
#18 rhialto Jun 16, 2009 17:21:06	How about a monastery in which the monks have imprisoned a devil that has possessed an innocent man. The devil is chained powerless in the monastery, and his screams echo throughout the monastery, although the monks act as if no one is screaming. Occassionally, the scremas may be heard in the distance from the nearby village. Hook options: 1) PCs stumble upon the monastery, and are left to wondner whether the monks are the good guys or not. 2) Nazis unintentionally cause the devil to be released. 3) Nazis knowingly release the devil, and use occult to control and direct it.
#19 E._Ravenwood Jun 19, 2009 1:17:55	Yeah, that would work better.
#20 shinfen Jul 12, 2009 23:47:28	I was thinking of running a campaign in that era, about 1936, after The Night of the Long Knives when the SS really comes into power. I am drawing heavilly from Bloodrayne 1, where she fights against the G.G.G. or Gegengheist Gruppe Adding a little Indiana Jones, some Hellboy and I think I have it, I don't want to turn this into a Zombie killing game, I can do that stuff in virtually any FPS game. Most adversaries will be SS, the various geo-political factions of the time or just the environment. My current GM is running a Post Apocalypse game that has turned into a undead fest out of being to lazy too create NPCs. I really hate that. So in a nutshell I am only using the Monster Manual for like 1 in 5 encounters.