[Sign Ups] - The Dark Star

((I'm researching Call of Cthulhu, didn't know a game already existed with rules to copy. Anybody have the rules and character sheet for the game? Ill still looking around for them that are freely available.))

((Coldfront channel open. /join #TheDarkStar))

Character Sheet - Version 2.0

You have 50 creation points to assign to your stats. All stats start off at 0. You may choose to spend 10 CP on gaining a special item or special ability like healing others or yourself or speaking with ghosts.

Name: John Doe
Age: 25
Health/Combat/Fortune/Magic/Sanity (ranging 1 thru 100)
Special Items:
Companions:
Psyche:

Age can be anywhere from 15 to 60 years of age at game start.

Health represents your physical well being. Eating food, drinking water, not getting hurt will maintain and improve your health.

Combat represents your prowess in combat and your ability to defend yourself.

Fortune represents your luck in life. When you move into a hex a your character will naturally search for special items or have to dodge traps. The higher your fortune the greater chance of you finding a special item or avoiding a trap.

Magic represents your ability to manipulate the supernatural energies of the world.

Finally we have Sanity which represents your ability to handle deeply disturbing situations and stress. Losing sanity is dangerous as if you go below 30 you will receive roll penalties for your orders. If you go below 20 you will lose your mind and must wait until your character recovers in a safe place (if you're lucky). Sanity also represents your resistance to the evil temptations and influence of the dark star's energies. Once you go below 50 sanity you will become more susceptible to evil impulses. For example at below 50 sanity you might begin committing horrible act or become haunted or something via the result of a die roll. These events cause your sanity to go down even further. Sanity begins at 100.

Special Items provide bonuses (and some negative consequences) to your character. An ancient sword may allow your to kill enemies easily but might also bring with it an evil spirit that haunts you. At game start you may choose to invest 10 creation points in obtaining a special item. This initiates a die roll to determine what stats the item will have. This is a gamble because the die roll may give you something lower in worth then the 10 points or you may gain +20 combat points.

Companions are NPCs that you control that are much like special items except that they're sentient beings and therefore add to role-play as well as the variables. A companion may be a loyal friend and fierce fighter but also may be an alcoholic or haunted by a ghost.

Psyche is the state of your character's psychological wellbeing. If you lose at least 10 sanity at once you can gain a mental disorder or a equally negative trait for your mind. Psyches will start off as blank or normal for all characters at game start.

Dark Star Lore

For thousands of years secret societies and private individuals even governments have investigated, fought, and even tried to control the energies of the dark star. Ancient weapons like the Ark of the Covenent exist but are kept hidden away from common people. Since the Renaissance the influence of the dark star has waned as its source of power (the insanity of human beings and lifeforms) has grown weaker with modern ideas like democracy, pacifism, and rationalism. The world wars however broke down some of the resistance toward this energy allowing the evil forces of the universe to establish a foothold on Earth once again.

The Dark Star itself is ancient knowledge known by the Egyptians and Assryians, Mayans and Incans primarily. In the distance past it is said that human kind harnessed the power of the atom but had become a civilization in peace and prosperity. The fabled Atlantis is a commonly known city but what they were is not known. Atlantis was a great city who built space ships and possessed replicating technology. They were not the only place of with such technology and development. Indeed the entire world was on the verge of settling Mars and the Moon until a particularly strong wave of energy from the Star passed through Earth and led to mass insanity and chaos.

Little was known of the nature of this star although it is thought that Atlantis understood much more than human beings since have understood. Although their civilization eventually died some of their knowledge was carried forth by the survivors who established the roots of Egyptian civilization. After this great wave eradicated this ancient advanced civilization its vestiges persisted in the form of the undead, vampires, and other terrifying beings. By the Roman Empire these vestiges knew little of their own history and origins. Indeed many of them were simply of the dark offspring of a dark offspring of a dark offspring.

Cultural perception and folklore transformed these beings into comic book horrors but the truth is that they are much more and it seems there are no answers to why they exist. Why this dark energy flows through the universe ravishing worlds and life without empathy.

More lore and creature descriptions coming

Orders

If you're over 60 health you can move at a maximum of 5 hexes a turn. From 40 to 60 health you can move at a maximum of 3 hexes a turn. Below 40 you can only move 1 hexa turn at max. Every turn I will post the allowed movement. Some turns may last a week in game time while others a month so movement may differ from turn to turn. If a turn lasts say five hours or two days you won't be able to move 5 hexes of course. Typically a turn will represent two weeks in game time.

Your orders should be simple for this game. For example:

Move to Hexa 5,9. Avoid battle between zombies and cowboys.

Standard Order Types

Move to *insert hexa or location*
The you must choose to either Engage to Avoid. Engaging means that if there is an enemy you will fight the enemy with all your character's capacity. If you avoid then you will remain hidden from your enemies as best you can. If there are no enemies then engaging will have you searching for special items, companions, supplies, and information. Avoiding will simply keep your character hidden.

After engaging and winning a battle you must engage for the next turn in the same hexa to do a regular search. Loot however will be provided instantly.

Manifestations of the Star

Vampires

These beings are undead and must feed on human or desperately on animal blood to survive and to keep away the terrifying lucid nightmares they experience while they sleep in their quasi death slumber. Vampires are often tortured entities with all their faculties intact who are infected with a virus from another world. They can transmit this virus by exchanging bodily fluid commonly from biting anywhere on the body. Vampires possess great strength and agility. They can heal themselves quickly from most injuries. They must be burned to ashes or have their head cut off to be killed.

Werewolves (Lycanthropes)

These entities are infected with their unique virus from another world that forces their transformation during full moons. During partial moons they do not change but become aggressive and agitated. The people who become the werewolf live disjointed lives often drifting from town to town after nights in their werewolf form. In their human form they possess all the frailties of a human being however. In werewolf form they are mindless murderous beasts that kill indiscriminately. Werewolves are incredibly strong and swift super wolves that must be killed by silver bullets for mysterious reasons. If you survive a werewolf attack and are injured you will become a werewolf by the next full moon. Werewolves live around ten more years after being changed.

The Reanimated (Zombies)

The dark energies of the star is quite powerful and it is common that in environments where dark energy is present that the dead will rise and stumble around aimlessly. Zombies are mindless hordes that are easily agitated and will follow any sort of stimuli like loud sounds from a siren for example. Our zombies do not turn others into zombies although if one dies with a lot of dark energy around they will transform into zombies. Zombies are of mixed strength and capability and do most of their damage in packs.

Ghouls

Scarred by dark energy these former humans are plagued with a flesh eating disease from another dimension that gives them the appearance of melting. They however typically have their full senses about them but hunger for human flesh and organs so much so that they have been driven insane. Ghouls often roam in small gangs that ambush their prey. They possess great strength but their bodies are perpetually falling apart.

Witches

They are descended from pagan cults of women who were attuned to the Seams (spirit world) but due to their alienation formed isolated covens. Witches worship spirits of the earth that have been dormant for millions of years but can be channeled and awakened with enough willpower. They can wake the dead, perform spells (and curses), and create complex illusions. Their powers however rely on the strength of will of the group/coven. Rogue witches or witches that walk the world alone are extremely rare. Witches are always female due to their attachment to their Earth Mother.

The Ancient Ones

Ancient beings that are godlike that have been exiled on Earth or have arrived only recently. They feed off dark energy and require tremendous quantities of the it to maintain their existence and powers. There are dozens of these beings laying in dormant throughout the world although by game start some are already active again. There are isolated cults worshipping these beings that are often demented and very secretive. They are not traditional deities that control weather or aspects of the universe. Their purpose and abilities are shrouded in mystery.

Dark Winds (Evil Spirits)

Existing in the Seams they have the ability to manipulate the mortal plane by possessing animals and humans, causing terrifying nightmares, and if they focus enough they can create fires or cause sudden physical rushes of stress and fear. Affecting the physical world requires a lot of willpower for these beings which is why they rather possess a body to do their work. Stories of demons can be attributed to some of the activity by dark winds.

Ghosts

The remnant of a perished being that is trapped in the mortal plane due to complex emotional reasons they often will haunt their former homes or other locations that were significant in the lives of their human selves. Ghosts with enough willpower can knock over physical objects and interact with the physical world in general. They cannot possess anybody however. Ghosts however run out of steam fairly quickly and are often informants to stronger and more aware beings.