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[Betrayal PbP] Holy Shit, Still Snowbound - Round 2: Heather Granville
Bitstream
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
OK, it's time to start thinking about the next round of Betrayal. This week is obviously going to be busy for everyone, so I figured I'd give folks plenty of time to get ready. I'm currently planning on getting started a week from today, on the 30th of November.
For those new to the game:
First Game
Second Game
The Rules
Full revised rulebook can be found here.
Here are the basics:
Movement
Each player can move a number of spaces up to and including his Speed stat. Movement is stopped upon discovery of a card icon (Item, Event, or Omen) unless otherwise stated by the card.
Post-Haunt, moving through a room with an enemy in it adds 1 to the move cost, and the cost stacks with each enemy. For example, if a room has three enemies in it, the total cost to move out of that room unmolested would be 4. Don't get ganged up on!
Building the House
As you explore, you'll draw new rooms and add them to the house. I'll post a scan of the room, update the map, and we'll resolve any room-related shenanigans.
There are three floors - the First Floor, where you start; the Second Floor; and the Basement, which is inaccessible at first but will be found eventually.
Dice Rolls
The usual, with a twist!
We'll be using InvisibleCastle for our rolling needs. The way Betrayal's dice work, we'll use an nd3-n structure. Rolling six dice would be 6d3-6.
and paste it the number of times you need to roll. A pain, I know, but such is the price we pay for interesting dice mechanics.
Post a link to your roll, please.
The Cards
Most rooms require you to draw a card, either an Item(cowskull), Event(spiral), or Omen(crow). I'll post the text of the card in the thread (scary stuff is always public!) and you post your reaction.
Every time an Omen is found, the player rolls six dice. If the number rolled is less than the number of Omen cards in play, the Haunt begins.
You may use a card in your hand at any point in your turn (unless otherwise stated).
Items
A player may carry as many items as they can find. Most item cards can be dropped, traded, or stolen.
Dropping: At any point in a player's movement, they may drop an item on the floor unless otherwise noted. That item becomes available to anyone entering the room.
Trading: Any explorers together in the same room may trade cards freely (unless noted). Some items' effectiveness is based on specific stats, so it may be more advantageous to give them to certain characters.
Stealing: A player making successful attack of 2 points or more (see below) against another character may steal a single tradable item (again, unless noted) instead of doing damage.
Combat
Pretty simple in this game. You can choose to attack a character or monster in the same room (unless using one of several ranged weapons) using your Might stat (some cards and scenarios allow attacks using other stats). Roll a number of dice equal to that stat, your opponent rolls equal to their own, and the highest total wins. Even results count as successfully defended.
If the attacker wins, the defender loses points in Physical stats equal to the difference between rolls. (example: Ox attacks a vampire using Might. He rolls a 5 and the vampire rolls a 3. The vampire loses 2 points in Might and/or Speed).
Some items may allow you to attack using your Mental stats, doing Mental damage instead.
You may not attack an opponent using a stat they do not possess - many monsters and minions lack certain stats.
In most cases, a defeating a monster (as opposed to another player) only Stuns it, causing it to forfeit its next turn. Some Haunts specify otherwise.
You may attack each opponent once per turn.
Special Rules:
Blizzard: Anyone caught outside (in the Balcony, Gardens, Graveyard, Patio, or Tower) at the end of their turn must make a Might roll of 3+ or take 1 die of physical damage. In addition, the deep snow drifts add 1 point of movement cost to those rooms.
Snowbound: The sight of snow piled up past the tops of the windows is more than you can handle. Anyone ending their turn in a room with windows (the Bedroom, Chapel, Conservatory, Dining Room, Grand Staircase, or Master Bedroom) must make a Sanity roll of 3+ or suffer 1 point of mental damage.
The Characters
For those new to the game:
First Game
Second Game
It is a dark and stormy night.
Six strangers find themselves in the foyer of an enormous, shadowy mansion.
Trapped, they must now explore the house and find a way out...
before something finds them.It's everyone's favorite cheesy-horror-movie-based survival boardgame, brought to you in glorious Web-O-Vision!
What is Betrayal?
It's a tile-based boardgame in which players explore a mysterious mansion in hopes of escaping whatever horrors lurk in the shadows. Players uncover new rooms, discover useful items, and eventually set off the Haunt, which is one of 50 scenarios based on your favorite scary B-movies. In most cases, revealing the Haunt also reveals one of the players as a traitor to the group, pitting that player against the rest.
It's a pretty great game, and sadly out of print for the last few years. Rumors abound of a reprint, but in the meantime we'll have to use our forbidden science to resurrect what was thought lost and... play it online.
The Basics
Players have four stats: Speed, Might, Sanity, and Knowledge. Pretty self-explanatory. The stats are affected by forces in the House, and should any one stat reach zero the player is dead (death by lack of knowledge seems especially grim). Each turn, players move around the board opening doors and drawing rooms from the deck to build the House. As they explore, they will find three different kind of cards: Items, Events, and Omens.
Items are objects you find along the way, usually helpful and sometimes very powerful. Events are those parts of the movie where the music gets really quiet and a single violin plays in the background until SOMETHING JUMPS OUT OH GOD and players are given a choice or at the very least a dice roll to determine the outcome. Omens are special items and events that are potentially important to the story and have a chance of starting the Haunt upon discovery.
The Haunt
The meat of the game begins when the Haunt is unveiled - each Omen has the potential to start a Haunt, and the Omen and the room in which it's found determine which of the 50 scenarios plays out. Players may be tasked with destroying Dracula and his minions, fighting a pack of resurrected dinosaurs, or simply outrunning a nameless pan-dimensional horror until the sunrise.
In the majority of Haunts, one player is singled out as The Traitor, who has secretly lured these fools to their doom. The Traitor often gains special powers or commands minions, and must defeat the players before they can unmake his nefarious schemes.
Yes, that's a scientist and a little girl with a teddy bear exploring a haunted house. You know you want to play.
The Rules
Full revised rulebook can be found here.
Here are the basics:
Movement
Each player can move a number of spaces up to and including his Speed stat. Movement is stopped upon discovery of a card icon (Item, Event, or Omen) unless otherwise stated by the card.
Post-Haunt, moving through a room with an enemy in it adds 1 to the move cost, and the cost stacks with each enemy. For example, if a room has three enemies in it, the total cost to move out of that room unmolested would be 4. Don't get ganged up on!
Building the House
As you explore, you'll draw new rooms and add them to the house. I'll post a scan of the room, update the map, and we'll resolve any room-related shenanigans.
There are three floors - the First Floor, where you start; the Second Floor; and the Basement, which is inaccessible at first but will be found eventually.
Dice Rolls
The usual, with a twist!
We'll be using InvisibleCastle for our rolling needs. The way Betrayal's dice work, we'll use an nd3-n structure. Rolling six dice would be 6d3-6.
and paste it the number of times you need to roll. A pain, I know, but such is the price we pay for interesting dice mechanics.
Post a link to your roll, please.
The Cards
Most rooms require you to draw a card, either an Item(cowskull), Event(spiral), or Omen(crow). I'll post the text of the card in the thread (scary stuff is always public!) and you post your reaction.
Every time an Omen is found, the player rolls six dice. If the number rolled is less than the number of Omen cards in play, the Haunt begins.
You may use a card in your hand at any point in your turn (unless otherwise stated).
Items
A player may carry as many items as they can find. Most item cards can be dropped, traded, or stolen.
Dropping: At any point in a player's movement, they may drop an item on the floor unless otherwise noted. That item becomes available to anyone entering the room.
Trading: Any explorers together in the same room may trade cards freely (unless noted). Some items' effectiveness is based on specific stats, so it may be more advantageous to give them to certain characters.
Stealing: A player making successful attack of 2 points or more (see below) against another character may steal a single tradable item (again, unless noted) instead of doing damage.
Combat
Pretty simple in this game. You can choose to attack a character or monster in the same room (unless using one of several ranged weapons) using your Might stat (some cards and scenarios allow attacks using other stats). Roll a number of dice equal to that stat, your opponent rolls equal to their own, and the highest total wins. Even results count as successfully defended.
If the attacker wins, the defender loses points in Physical stats equal to the difference between rolls. (example: Ox attacks a vampire using Might. He rolls a 5 and the vampire rolls a 3. The vampire loses 2 points in Might and/or Speed).
Some items may allow you to attack using your Mental stats, doing Mental damage instead.
You may not attack an opponent using a stat they do not possess - many monsters and minions lack certain stats.
In most cases, a defeating a monster (as opposed to another player) only Stuns it, causing it to forfeit its next turn. Some Haunts specify otherwise.
You may attack each opponent once per turn.
Special Rules:
Blizzard: Anyone caught outside (in the Balcony, Gardens, Graveyard, Patio, or Tower) at the end of their turn must make a Might roll of 3+ or take 1 die of physical damage. In addition, the deep snow drifts add 1 point of movement cost to those rooms.
Snowbound: The sight of snow piled up past the tops of the windows is more than you can handle. Anyone ending their turn in a room with windows (the Bedroom, Chapel, Conservatory, Dining Room, Grand Staircase, or Master Bedroom) must make a Sanity roll of 3+ or suffer 1 point of mental damage.
The Characters
Green indicates starting values.
Heather Granville
Speed X33456678
Might X33345678
Sanity X33345666
Knowledge X23345678
Special Power: Heather's perfectionist nature allows her to reroll 1 die in a Trait roll once per turn.
Age: 18
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 120 lbs
Hobbies: Television, Shopping
Birthday: Aug 2
Heather has always been perfect - perfectly petite, perfectly blonde, perfectly polite. Perfect, perfect, perfect. If even the teeniest, tiniest thing in her life isn't perfect, it gives Heather a headache. Sometimes her headaches get so bad it feels like something is trying to dig its way out of her skull. But even that doesn't wipe the perfect smile off of her face.
Heather's older sister is friends with Jenny - why, Heather doesn't really know. After all, Jenny's certainly NOT perfect. Heather knows Flash and Prof. Longfellow from school. Vivian is a friend of her mother's, has been for years. Heather's greatest fear is that she isn't actually perfect after all.
Jenny LeClerc
Speed X23444568
Might X3444568
Sanity X11244456
Knowledge X23344568
Special Power: Jenny carries the aura of the unlikely hero, and can roll 1 additional die on any roll once per turn.
Age: 21
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 142 lbs
Hobbies: Reading, Soccer
Birthday: March 4
Jenny is a quiet girl. She loves soccer, but sometimes she's too shy to cooperate with her teammates the way she should. Jenny's greatest pleasure is curling up in a tiny place reading a gigantic book - the older the book, the better. The books keep her from dwelling on her mother's disappearance, that day fourteen years ago when Mom went to the store and never came back, leaving Jenny alone. Alone forever.
Jenny's only real friend is Caitlyn, Heather's older sister. Jenny also knows Ox, since she grew up only a few doors away from him on Mulberry Lane. And Jenny knows Madame Zostra from the library, a place they both adore. Jenny's greatest fear is being trapped in a crowd or lost out in the open.
Ox Bellows
Speed X22234556
Might X45566788
Sanity X22345567
Knowledge X22335566
Special Power: Ox hits hard. Really hard. He does an additional 2 damage when he succeeds in combat. He also rolls 1 additional die (max 8) on Might checks in Events and Room text.
Age: 23
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 288 lbs
Hobbies: Football, Shiny Objects
Birthday: Oct 18
Ox Bellows was always a big kid. Never got beaten up. Always did the beating up... but only when he had to do it (well, except for that one time). Ox doesn't like to think about that, but the blood and screams creep into his dreams on cold, lonely nights. His greatest fear is of the dark.
Ox has known Jenny since they were kids growing up on Mulberry Lane. He met Prof. Longfellow at Greenwich University. Ox has known Father Rhinehardt all his life. He's been confessing his sins to the priest since he was small (except for that one sin he doesn't like to talk about).
Darrin "Flash" Williams
Speed X44456778
Might X23345667
Sanity X12345557
Knowledge X23345557
Special Power: Flash is at his best when running full-tilt. He gains 1 additional movement point if he moves his maximum number of spaces in a turn. In addition, he rolls 1 extra die (max 8) on all Speed checks for Events and Room text.
Age: 20
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 188 lbs
Hobbies: Track, Music, Shakespearean Literature
Birthday: Jun 6
Flash isn't the most original name for someone as fast as Darrin. But he likes it. Its comfortable and it fits him, just like his favorite pair of track shoes. Darrin lives to run and runs to live. When he's not running, Darrin feels like there's something coming for him... something Not Good. Even when he runs, the wind sometimes whispers in his ears, and he swears he can hear the Not Good Thing coming up behind him - fast. No wonder he's the star of the track team.
Flash knows Jenny from the neighborhood. She's okay, but she's real quiet. He's known Madame Zostra for his entire life. After all, he's her nephew. Zoe's his little cousin, but he's only met her a couple of times. Darrin's greatest fear is that he's going to be caught by the Not Good Thing (whatever that is).
Vivian Lopez
Speed X34444678
Might X22244566
Sanity X44456788
Knowledge X45555667
Special Power: Vivian's collection of local books and papers has given her great insight into the history of the area and the legends surrounding this house. As such, she receives 1 point less damage from negative Event results (min 0). In addition, she rolls one extra die in Haunt rolls.
Age: 42
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 142 lbs
Hobbies: Old Movies, Horses
Birthday: Jan 11
Vivan's perfect day is to get up late. have coffee and doughnuts, and then ride one of her horses all day. Unfortunately, she doesn't get to spend too many days like that, since she's so busy trying to keep her little used book store from going under. Some days she gets so frustrated she feels like burning the place down, or maybe just burning down the little shed out back... or the school. But she'd never do anything like that. Still, sometimes she has nightmares about striking the match...
Vivian is a good friend of Heather's mother, Sarah. She also knows Madame Zostra and Father Rhinehardt as customers at her little book store, Something Written. For extra money, Vivian has been babysitting Missy Dubourde at least once a month for the last few years. Vivian's greatest fear is of fire... and her fascination with it.
Madame Zostra
Speed X23355667
Might X23345556
Sanity X44456788
Knowledge X13444566
Special Power: Madame Zostra begins the game with a pack of Tarot Cards (which can't be dropped, traded, or stolen). The effects:
Age: 37
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 150 lbs
Hobbies: Astrology, Cooking, Baseball
Birthday: Dec 10
Madame Zostra, or "Belladina" as her mother named her, has been a tarot and tea leaf reader since college. She started out working part-time sitting in the window of an occult bookstore, but now she has her own home astrology business. Although Madame Zostra reads cards for a living, she won't ever read her own cards. She is terrified that she'll see her own death in the cards, something she can't bear to think about.
Madame Zostra is familiar with Vivian and Father Rhinehardt from seeing them at Vivian's bookstore. Flash is her nephew, and she never fails to buy him birthday and Christmas gifts. She sees Jenny regularly at the library. Zoe's mother comes to Madame Zostra for tarot readings. Madame Zostra is terrified of death, particularly her own.
Missy Dubourde
Speed X34566677
Might X23334567
Sanity X12345567
Knowledge X23445666
Special Power: Missy actually knows a thing or two about basic medicine, and starts the game with her own, toned-down Medical Kit (which can't be traded, stolen, or dropped). The effects of the Kit:
Age: 9
Height: 4'2"
Weight: 62 lbs
Hobbies: Swimming, Medicine
Birthday: Feb 14
Missy can't remember wanting to be anything except for a doctor. her favorite gift ever in the whole wide world was her first doctor's kit. She practices "medicine" on anyone who'll let her. she even cuts up dead frogs and stuff she finds in her yard. But sometimes that gets bad, and she dreams of dead frogs hip-hopping into her bed at night and smothering her. Then she screams.
Missy knows Peter (and his gross bug collection) from school. She knows Father Rhinehardt from Sunday school (he talks funny and smells like chocolate). Missy lives in the same neighborhood as Brandon. He delivers her family's paper, but she doesn't really know him (she thinks he's cute, though). Missy's greatest fear is of dead things coming back to life and hunting her.
Zoe Ingstrom
Speed X44445688
Might X22334467
Sanity X34556678
Knowledge X12344555
Special Power: Zoe has whole conversations with her doll, and sometimes it seems like the doll talks back. She can consult her doll like a Spirit Board:
Age: 9
Height: 3'9"
Weight: 49 lbs
Hobbies: Dolls, Music
Birthday: Nov 5
Zoe likes to play in her room with her dolls. Each doll has its own name, family, history, pets, and everything else a doll needs to be happy. Zoe helps her dolls play out little dramas, mostly happy ones, but sometimes the dolls get mad at each other and hit. Not that daddies would ever hit mommies. That doesn't happen. Leastways, you're not supposed to talk about it when it does. So, Zoe plays with her dolls.
Flash is Zoe's cousin, but she doesn't know him real well. Zoe's mom goes to Madame Zostra for tarot card readings. Zoe likes playing with her dolls under the table there. Zoe's family sometimes goes camping with Brandon's family. But Zoe doesn't like it, so she mostly stays in her tent and plays with her dolls. Zoe's greatest fear is of the Boogeyman... whoever he is.
Peter Akimoto
Speed X33346677
Might X23345568
Sanity X34445667
Knowledge X34456778
Special Power: Peter has become an expert at hiding from danger. He has a one-time-use Hide ability:
Age: 13
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 98 lbs
Hobbies: Bugs, Basketball
Birthday: Sep 3
Peter's two favorite places in the world are the basketball court and under his house. He likes the basketball court because that's where he can play his favorite game. He likes being under the house because it's a great place to hunt for bugs, plus it's a good place to avoid his five older brothers. Sure, all older brothers pick on their younger siblings, but Peter's brothers really pick on him. But what's a few broken bones among family? Peter loves bugs and wants to be an entomologist when he grows up - an entomologist who never has to speak to his brothers.
Peter earns extra money taking care of Prof. Longfellow's yard (and finding cool bugs - bonus!). He knows Missy from school. She likes to do pretend medical exams on him and check out his real broken bones, but she doesn't like it when he shows her his bug collection. Peter's greatest fear is that he'll get trapped somewhere and never be able to escape.
Brandon Jaspers
Speed X34445678
Might X23345667
Sanity X33345678
Knowledge X13355667
Special Power: Brandon's experience camping has taught him to always be prepared, so his pack always contains a small Knife (1 extra die on Might Attacks) and a Rope:
Age: 12
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 109 lbs
Hobbies: Computers, Camping, Hockey
Birthday: May 21
Brandon loves computers and camping. He takes his new laptop with him wherever he goes. That way he can program AND camp at the same time. Cool. Brandon's never liked playing with regular toys, action figures, or that kind of thing. in fact, he hates puppets. He had a clown puppet when he was little, and some mornings when he woke up he'd find it had moved closer to him. Once it even had a kitchen knife in its hand. Brandon's pretty sure his big brother Chris was messing with him, but he still hates puppets.
Brandon sometimes sees Zoe's family when they go camping. Zoe usually hides in the tent with her dolls though. Yuck. Brandon delivers the newspaper to Prof. Longfellow (in his big old freaky house) and to Missy's family. Brandon's greatest fear is of puppets, particularly clown puppets.
Professor Longfellow
Speed X22445566
Might X12345566
Sanity X13345567
Knowledge X45555678
Special Power: Longfellow values knowledge above all else. If he takes mental damage, he can choose to take it as physical instead. In addition, he rolls 1 extra die (max 8) on all Knowledge rolls on Events and Room text.
Age: 57
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 153 lbs
Hobbies: Gaelic Music, Drama, Fine Wines
Birthday: Jul 27
Professor Josiah Longfellow is very proud of his aristocratic roots. His family used to have money... at least until his father lost it all on gambling and alcohol. The Professor still lives with his aging mother in the rundown Victorian that used to be the finest house in town. His father disappeared one day. Ran out. His mother has a rather large life insurance policy, but of course, he doesn't want to collect on it any time soon, no matter how nice the money would be...
Prof. Longfellow knows Ox, Flash, and Heather from the University. Brandon is his paperboy. Peter mows the yard and takes care of other petty chores around the house. The Professor's greatest fear is that he will lose everything he has, proving to everyone that he's no better than his deadbeat father.
Father Rhinehardt
Speed X23345677
Might X12244557
Sanity X34556778
Knowledge X13345668
Special Power: Rhinehardt is a bastion of sanity for his fellow explorers. He gains the immunity effects of carrying the Medallion (unaffected by the Pentagram Chamber, Crypt, and Graveyard). He also rolls 1 additional die (max 8) on Sanity checks in Events.
Age: 62
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 185 lbs
Hobbies: Fencing, Gardening
Birthday: Apr 29
Father Rhinehardt was born in Munchen, Germany (or Munich, as Americans call it). He moved with his family to America when he was 15... and then gut beaten up for the next three years. Father Rhinehardt turned to religion for the reasons why people treated him so badly. Eventually he entered seminary and became a priest. Since that day, long ago, many people have confessed their sins to him. But there is one man who haunts him, every few years, a stranger who sits in the confessional and whispers of murder and madness. In recent years, Father Rhinehardt has found he's starting to agree with the madman's arguments. Blood, pain, death - they are all a part of life, of God's plan, are they not?
Father Rhinehardt is familiar with Vivian and Madame Zostra from seeing them at the Something Written bookstore. He knows Ox from hearing him confess his petty sins. He also knows Missy from her appearances at Sunday school. More than anything, Father Rhinehardt fears going mad.
Heather Granville
Speed X33456678
Might X33345678
Sanity X33345666
Knowledge X23345678
Special Power: Heather's perfectionist nature allows her to reroll 1 die in a Trait roll once per turn.
Age: 18
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 120 lbs
Hobbies: Television, Shopping
Birthday: Aug 2
Heather has always been perfect - perfectly petite, perfectly blonde, perfectly polite. Perfect, perfect, perfect. If even the teeniest, tiniest thing in her life isn't perfect, it gives Heather a headache. Sometimes her headaches get so bad it feels like something is trying to dig its way out of her skull. But even that doesn't wipe the perfect smile off of her face.
Heather's older sister is friends with Jenny - why, Heather doesn't really know. After all, Jenny's certainly NOT perfect. Heather knows Flash and Prof. Longfellow from school. Vivian is a friend of her mother's, has been for years. Heather's greatest fear is that she isn't actually perfect after all.
Jenny LeClerc
Speed X23444568
Might X3444568
Sanity X11244456
Knowledge X23344568
Special Power: Jenny carries the aura of the unlikely hero, and can roll 1 additional die on any roll once per turn.
Age: 21
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 142 lbs
Hobbies: Reading, Soccer
Birthday: March 4
Jenny is a quiet girl. She loves soccer, but sometimes she's too shy to cooperate with her teammates the way she should. Jenny's greatest pleasure is curling up in a tiny place reading a gigantic book - the older the book, the better. The books keep her from dwelling on her mother's disappearance, that day fourteen years ago when Mom went to the store and never came back, leaving Jenny alone. Alone forever.
Jenny's only real friend is Caitlyn, Heather's older sister. Jenny also knows Ox, since she grew up only a few doors away from him on Mulberry Lane. And Jenny knows Madame Zostra from the library, a place they both adore. Jenny's greatest fear is being trapped in a crowd or lost out in the open.
Ox Bellows
Speed X22234556
Might X45566788
Sanity X22345567
Knowledge X22335566
Special Power: Ox hits hard. Really hard. He does an additional 2 damage when he succeeds in combat. He also rolls 1 additional die (max 8) on Might checks in Events and Room text.
Age: 23
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 288 lbs
Hobbies: Football, Shiny Objects
Birthday: Oct 18
Ox Bellows was always a big kid. Never got beaten up. Always did the beating up... but only when he had to do it (well, except for that one time). Ox doesn't like to think about that, but the blood and screams creep into his dreams on cold, lonely nights. His greatest fear is of the dark.
Ox has known Jenny since they were kids growing up on Mulberry Lane. He met Prof. Longfellow at Greenwich University. Ox has known Father Rhinehardt all his life. He's been confessing his sins to the priest since he was small (except for that one sin he doesn't like to talk about).
Darrin "Flash" Williams
Speed X44456778
Might X23345667
Sanity X12345557
Knowledge X23345557
Special Power: Flash is at his best when running full-tilt. He gains 1 additional movement point if he moves his maximum number of spaces in a turn. In addition, he rolls 1 extra die (max 8) on all Speed checks for Events and Room text.
Age: 20
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 188 lbs
Hobbies: Track, Music, Shakespearean Literature
Birthday: Jun 6
Flash isn't the most original name for someone as fast as Darrin. But he likes it. Its comfortable and it fits him, just like his favorite pair of track shoes. Darrin lives to run and runs to live. When he's not running, Darrin feels like there's something coming for him... something Not Good. Even when he runs, the wind sometimes whispers in his ears, and he swears he can hear the Not Good Thing coming up behind him - fast. No wonder he's the star of the track team.
Flash knows Jenny from the neighborhood. She's okay, but she's real quiet. He's known Madame Zostra for his entire life. After all, he's her nephew. Zoe's his little cousin, but he's only met her a couple of times. Darrin's greatest fear is that he's going to be caught by the Not Good Thing (whatever that is).
Vivian Lopez
Speed X34444678
Might X22244566
Sanity X44456788
Knowledge X45555667
Special Power: Vivian's collection of local books and papers has given her great insight into the history of the area and the legends surrounding this house. As such, she receives 1 point less damage from negative Event results (min 0). In addition, she rolls one extra die in Haunt rolls.
Age: 42
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 142 lbs
Hobbies: Old Movies, Horses
Birthday: Jan 11
Vivan's perfect day is to get up late. have coffee and doughnuts, and then ride one of her horses all day. Unfortunately, she doesn't get to spend too many days like that, since she's so busy trying to keep her little used book store from going under. Some days she gets so frustrated she feels like burning the place down, or maybe just burning down the little shed out back... or the school. But she'd never do anything like that. Still, sometimes she has nightmares about striking the match...
Vivian is a good friend of Heather's mother, Sarah. She also knows Madame Zostra and Father Rhinehardt as customers at her little book store, Something Written. For extra money, Vivian has been babysitting Missy Dubourde at least once a month for the last few years. Vivian's greatest fear is of fire... and her fascination with it.
Madame Zostra
Speed X23355667
Might X23345556
Sanity X44456788
Knowledge X13444566
Special Power: Madame Zostra begins the game with a pack of Tarot Cards (which can't be dropped, traded, or stolen). The effects:
Once during your turn, you can roll 3 dice to use the Cards:
6 Search through the Events stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
5 Search through the Omens stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
2-4 The future is unclear.
1 Search through the Items stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
0 Search through the Rooms stack and take a tile. Shuffle the stack, then place the tile on top.
If you use the Cards after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters one space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don't have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move one space closer to you.
6 Search through the Events stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
5 Search through the Omens stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
2-4 The future is unclear.
1 Search through the Items stack and take a card. Shuffle the stack, then place the card on top.
0 Search through the Rooms stack and take a tile. Shuffle the stack, then place the tile on top.
If you use the Cards after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters one space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don't have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move one space closer to you.
Age: 37
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 150 lbs
Hobbies: Astrology, Cooking, Baseball
Birthday: Dec 10
Madame Zostra, or "Belladina" as her mother named her, has been a tarot and tea leaf reader since college. She started out working part-time sitting in the window of an occult bookstore, but now she has her own home astrology business. Although Madame Zostra reads cards for a living, she won't ever read her own cards. She is terrified that she'll see her own death in the cards, something she can't bear to think about.
Madame Zostra is familiar with Vivian and Father Rhinehardt from seeing them at Vivian's bookstore. Flash is her nephew, and she never fails to buy him birthday and Christmas gifts. She sees Jenny regularly at the library. Zoe's mother comes to Madame Zostra for tarot readings. Madame Zostra is terrified of death, particularly her own.
Missy Dubourde
Speed X34566677
Might X23334567
Sanity X12345567
Knowledge X23445666
Special Power: Missy actually knows a thing or two about basic medicine, and starts the game with her own, toned-down Medical Kit (which can't be traded, stolen, or dropped). The effects of the Kit:
Once during your turn, you can attempt a Knowledge roll to heal yourself or another explorer in the same room:
7+ Gain up to 2 points of physical traits.
5-6 Gain 1 point in a physical trait.
0-4 Nothing happens.
You can't raise a trait above its starting value using the Kit.
7+ Gain up to 2 points of physical traits.
5-6 Gain 1 point in a physical trait.
0-4 Nothing happens.
You can't raise a trait above its starting value using the Kit.
Age: 9
Height: 4'2"
Weight: 62 lbs
Hobbies: Swimming, Medicine
Birthday: Feb 14
Missy can't remember wanting to be anything except for a doctor. her favorite gift ever in the whole wide world was her first doctor's kit. She practices "medicine" on anyone who'll let her. she even cuts up dead frogs and stuff she finds in her yard. But sometimes that gets bad, and she dreams of dead frogs hip-hopping into her bed at night and smothering her. Then she screams.
Missy knows Peter (and his gross bug collection) from school. She knows Father Rhinehardt from Sunday school (he talks funny and smells like chocolate). Missy lives in the same neighborhood as Brandon. He delivers her family's paper, but she doesn't really know him (she thinks he's cute, though). Missy's greatest fear is of dead things coming back to life and hunting her.
Zoe Ingstrom
Speed X44445688
Might X22334467
Sanity X34556678
Knowledge X12344555
Special Power: Zoe has whole conversations with her doll, and sometimes it seems like the doll talks back. She can consult her doll like a Spirit Board:
Before you move during your turn, you can look at the top tile of the room stack.
If you use the Doll after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters one space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don't have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move one space closer to you.
If you use the Doll after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters one space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don't have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move one space closer to you.
Age: 9
Height: 3'9"
Weight: 49 lbs
Hobbies: Dolls, Music
Birthday: Nov 5
Zoe likes to play in her room with her dolls. Each doll has its own name, family, history, pets, and everything else a doll needs to be happy. Zoe helps her dolls play out little dramas, mostly happy ones, but sometimes the dolls get mad at each other and hit. Not that daddies would ever hit mommies. That doesn't happen. Leastways, you're not supposed to talk about it when it does. So, Zoe plays with her dolls.
Flash is Zoe's cousin, but she doesn't know him real well. Zoe's mom goes to Madame Zostra for tarot card readings. Zoe likes playing with her dolls under the table there. Zoe's family sometimes goes camping with Brandon's family. But Zoe doesn't like it, so she mostly stays in her tent and plays with her dolls. Zoe's greatest fear is of the Boogeyman... whoever he is.
Peter Akimoto
Speed X33346677
Might X23345568
Sanity X34445667
Knowledge X34456778
Special Power: Peter has become an expert at hiding from danger. He has a one-time-use Hide ability:
At the beginning of your turn after the haunt is revealed, you can choose to Hide. You will become invisible to the Traitor and all monsters until the beginning of your next turn, but will be unable to attack, pick up objects, or use Items or Omens.
Discard this card after using it.
Discard this card after using it.
Age: 13
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 98 lbs
Hobbies: Bugs, Basketball
Birthday: Sep 3
Peter's two favorite places in the world are the basketball court and under his house. He likes the basketball court because that's where he can play his favorite game. He likes being under the house because it's a great place to hunt for bugs, plus it's a good place to avoid his five older brothers. Sure, all older brothers pick on their younger siblings, but Peter's brothers really pick on him. But what's a few broken bones among family? Peter loves bugs and wants to be an entomologist when he grows up - an entomologist who never has to speak to his brothers.
Peter earns extra money taking care of Prof. Longfellow's yard (and finding cool bugs - bonus!). He knows Missy from school. She likes to do pretend medical exams on him and check out his real broken bones, but she doesn't like it when he shows her his bug collection. Peter's greatest fear is that he'll get trapped somewhere and never be able to escape.
Brandon Jaspers
Speed X34445678
Might X23345667
Sanity X33345678
Knowledge X13355667
Special Power: Brandon's experience camping has taught him to always be prepared, so his pack always contains a small Knife (1 extra die on Might Attacks) and a Rope:
When you use the Rope:
You can fall down or climb up to the Gallery or Collapsed Room without taking damage.
You can use the Mystic Slide without taking damage (but you must still attempt a Might roll to use it).
You can move from the Basement Landing to the Coal Chute.
Using the Rope doesn't count as moving a space.
You can fall down or climb up to the Gallery or Collapsed Room without taking damage.
You can use the Mystic Slide without taking damage (but you must still attempt a Might roll to use it).
You can move from the Basement Landing to the Coal Chute.
Using the Rope doesn't count as moving a space.
Age: 12
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 109 lbs
Hobbies: Computers, Camping, Hockey
Birthday: May 21
Brandon loves computers and camping. He takes his new laptop with him wherever he goes. That way he can program AND camp at the same time. Cool. Brandon's never liked playing with regular toys, action figures, or that kind of thing. in fact, he hates puppets. He had a clown puppet when he was little, and some mornings when he woke up he'd find it had moved closer to him. Once it even had a kitchen knife in its hand. Brandon's pretty sure his big brother Chris was messing with him, but he still hates puppets.
Brandon sometimes sees Zoe's family when they go camping. Zoe usually hides in the tent with her dolls though. Yuck. Brandon delivers the newspaper to Prof. Longfellow (in his big old freaky house) and to Missy's family. Brandon's greatest fear is of puppets, particularly clown puppets.
Professor Longfellow
Speed X22445566
Might X12345566
Sanity X13345567
Knowledge X45555678
Special Power: Longfellow values knowledge above all else. If he takes mental damage, he can choose to take it as physical instead. In addition, he rolls 1 extra die (max 8) on all Knowledge rolls on Events and Room text.
Age: 57
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 153 lbs
Hobbies: Gaelic Music, Drama, Fine Wines
Birthday: Jul 27
Professor Josiah Longfellow is very proud of his aristocratic roots. His family used to have money... at least until his father lost it all on gambling and alcohol. The Professor still lives with his aging mother in the rundown Victorian that used to be the finest house in town. His father disappeared one day. Ran out. His mother has a rather large life insurance policy, but of course, he doesn't want to collect on it any time soon, no matter how nice the money would be...
Prof. Longfellow knows Ox, Flash, and Heather from the University. Brandon is his paperboy. Peter mows the yard and takes care of other petty chores around the house. The Professor's greatest fear is that he will lose everything he has, proving to everyone that he's no better than his deadbeat father.
Father Rhinehardt
Speed X23345677
Might X12244557
Sanity X34556778
Knowledge X13345668
Special Power: Rhinehardt is a bastion of sanity for his fellow explorers. He gains the immunity effects of carrying the Medallion (unaffected by the Pentagram Chamber, Crypt, and Graveyard). He also rolls 1 additional die (max 8) on Sanity checks in Events.
Age: 62
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 185 lbs
Hobbies: Fencing, Gardening
Birthday: Apr 29
Father Rhinehardt was born in Munchen, Germany (or Munich, as Americans call it). He moved with his family to America when he was 15... and then gut beaten up for the next three years. Father Rhinehardt turned to religion for the reasons why people treated him so badly. Eventually he entered seminary and became a priest. Since that day, long ago, many people have confessed their sins to him. But there is one man who haunts him, every few years, a stranger who sits in the confessional and whispers of murder and madness. In recent years, Father Rhinehardt has found he's starting to agree with the madman's arguments. Blood, pain, death - they are all a part of life, of God's plan, are they not?
Father Rhinehardt is familiar with Vivian and Madame Zostra from seeing them at the Something Written bookstore. He knows Ox from hearing him confess his petty sins. He also knows Missy from her appearances at Sunday school. More than anything, Father Rhinehardt fears going mad.
Bitstream on
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Posts
Upper Level
Notes:
Collapsed Room leads to Dusty Hallway, Basement level.
Ground Floor
Notes:
Mystic Slide on Patio.
Basement
Notes:
Dusty Hallway is below Collapsed Room, Upper level.
Orange Soda - Vivian Lopez
Speed X34444678
Might X22244566
Sanity X44456788
Knowledge X45555667
Special Power: Vivian's collection of local books and papers has given her great insight into the history of the area and the legends surrounding this house. As such, she receives 1 point less damage from negative Event results (min 0). In addition, she rolls one extra die in Haunt rolls.
Inventory
Items:
Omens: Crystal Ball
Other:
Darian - Professor Longfellow
Speed X22445566
Might X12345566
Sanity X13345567
Knowledge X45555678
Special Power: Longfellow values knowledge above all else. If he takes mental damage, he can choose to take it as physical instead. In addition, he rolls 1 extra die (max 8) on all Knowledge rolls on Events and Room text.
Inventory
Items:
Omens:
Other: Currently under the effects of Lights Out
El Skid - Ox Bellows
Speed X22234556
Might X45566788
Sanity X22345567
Knowledge X22335566
Special Power: Ox hits hard. Really hard. He does an additional 2 damage when he succeeds in combat. He also rolls 1 additional die (max 8) on Might checks in Events and Room text.
Inventory
Items:
Omens: Skull
Other:
adventfalls - Heather Granville
Speed X33456678
Might X33345678
Sanity X33345666
Knowledge X23345678
Special Power: Heather's perfectionist nature allows her to reroll 1 die in a Trait roll once per turn.
Inventory
Items:
Omens:
Other:
Rawkking Goodguy - Brandon Jaspers
Speed X34445678
Might X23345667
Sanity X33345678
Knowledge X13355667
Special Power: Brandon's experience camping has taught him to always be prepared, so his pack always contains a small Knife (1 extra die on Might Attacks) and a Rope:
You can fall down or climb up to the Gallery or Collapsed Room without taking damage.
You can use the Mystic Slide without taking damage (but you must still attempt a Might roll to use it).
You can move from the Basement Landing to the Coal Chute.
Using the Rope doesn't count as moving a space.
Inventory
Items:
Omens:
Other:
TunnelRunner - Zoe Ingstrom
Speed X44445688
Might X22334467
Sanity X34556678
Knowledge X12344555
Special Power: Zoe has whole conversations with her doll, and sometimes it seems like the doll talks back. She can consult her doll like a Spirit Board:
If you use the Doll after the haunt has been revealed, the traitor can move any number of monsters one space closer to you. (If you are the traitor, you don't have to move those monsters.) If there is no traitor, all monsters move one space closer to you.
Inventory
Items:
Omens: Madman
Other:
Reserves:
samurai6966
ThatDudeOverThere
NotoriousBEN
How's the game hosting kit thingy coming along?
I just found out my brother forgot to bring my family's copy back home from campus for thanksgiving so I am itching to try my hand at running one of these.
edit: you know I really should try reading more carefully
after the last game I just kind of started taking the first few posts for granted and now they blend together
!
I hadn't gotten to the thread yet. This is fantastic news.
wait wait WHAT
tell me more
Now I just have to worry about transcribing the damn event deck and contemplating winter-themed horror.
Still planning to start on Monday, though I'll probably start the character-selection on Sunday to get things rolling.
I'm gonna be kinda busy over the next couple days, and I still need to take the time to figure that whole managing-cards-with-a-spreadsheet business, but I'm gonna give running a game a shot as soon as possible.
I'm going to play this round a little differently. We're coming into the winter months now, and I can think of no better way to celebrate than by playing a snowbound game.
The house is buried in the rising snow. As such, we've got some special rules in effect:
1. It's bloody cold out there! Anyone caught outside (in the Balcony, Gardens, Graveyard, Patio, or Tower) at the end of their turn must make a Might roll of 3+ or take 1 die of physical damage. In addition, the deep snow drifts add 1 point of movement cost to those rooms.
2. You're snowbound! The sight of snow piled up past the tops of the windows is more than you can handle. Anyone ending their turn in a room with windows (the Bedroom, Chapel, Conservatory, Dining Room, Grand Staircase, or Master Bedroom) must make a Sanity roll of 3+ or suffer 1 point of mental damage.
To make up for the cold rules and to add a little more spice to character selection, each character starts the game with a special power. See the character sheets in the second post for full details.
I've used a top-secret algorithm* to randomize player order, and Arivia gets first pick of characters.
Let's do this thing.
*May or may not be the order in which you checked in
Many of the special abilities talk about "events and room text"; do the bloody cold/snowbound effects fall under one of those categories?
edit: Also, Peter is a fraidy cat.
Correct. Assume that the snowbound rules are printed on the tiles.
I hope everyone's cool with the extra stuff. I've been tossing around ideas for submissions to the reprinted edition, and wanted to test a few of the mechanics. I tried to balance everyone fairly well (and make the generalist characters a bit more appealing), though looking at it now I feel like Brandon might need a minor bonus. His one-shot is super good, but may not get used in certain haunts. Suggestions?
Edit: Or not
Sorry, I should have explained - characters are color-paired, and only one of each color can be chosen.
Dammit. I thought it was that you couldn't take the second until the first was taken. whoops.jpg.
Very well, Ox Bellows then, hurfdurf
Without FLASH?
adventfalls
Rawkking Goodguy
TunnelRunner
Advent, choose already :P
[STRIKE]My plan to have Ox become the traitor on turn 1 and bash everyone else into oblivion can proceed[/STRIKE]
We can almost start playing- yay!
I was greatly considering taking Ox for this reason as well
Regardless,
Brandon Jaspers, 12 years old
is prepared to take on a man over twice his age and size.
This was a difficult choice between him and Missy.
The rope is only usable once, right?
Nope, it comes with you after use. It's a good oh-shit item for exploring, given the tendency of the house to throw you down holes.