Well, now that I've put the finishing touches on it, I can start getting this going. This is going to be the info-dump topic that I can post all the stuff before the game starts. I'm just posting the GOO, the new Investigators, and an relevent Item/Ally information they may need. The rest of the new stuff (random items, new encounters, new monsters, etc) will be left to surprise, with whatever doesn't come up in game being kept for afterwards.
As noted before, this is an experimental game of course, being done to test balance and gameplay. Things are going to proceed regardless and we'll figure out how to rebalance things AFTER the game.
A general note is one of the gameplay changes I'm making for this is the ability to lower the Terror Level. While before you could only prevent future ones from happening, I figured this would be a way to make some new abilities work. This also allows new Allies to move into Arkham to replace those that have moved out.
The game is based on two D&D campaigns Andy and I were in, one of which Alex ran. I tried to include flavor where possible, especially on the Stories So Far, and I'll at least try to weave in into the Arkham stuff with the setup.
Anyway, for starters, you met the GOO in a previous topic:
The idea of a recurring GOO was very appealing to me, and how well the main villain of Chrysalis fit into this pretty much sparked the whole expansion.
THE INVESTIGATORS!First we'll go through the Chrysalis peeps, starting with...
Story So Far: Originally their plan was to rid their world of Nultros, The World Lich. However, they ended up unleashing him on the city of Arkham and getting pulled along for the ride. This is just what happens when plans backfire, but the heroes from the world of Chrysalis have vowed not to stop until they've fixed the problem and gotten themselves back home.
Keith Chiemi was a hunter by trade and a native of the country of Verdelea, but after a series of events that lead to him assassinating Verdelean Prime Minister Cheoman for the Toryllian military, Keith Chiemi became the number one target of Nultros' wrath, as Lord Cheoman was Nultros' human form. Nultros soon evened the score after one of his followers killed Keith in revenge, but it was by the grace of the god Levanter that resurrected Keith to continue his fight against the World Lich.
Somewhere in this vendetta, Keith managed to find the time to become close to and marry Niniel Armelios. An assassin and a masked vigilante does not lead to the most stable of relationships, but they make it work in-between the constant battles for the world and their very lives.
Adding a layer of tragic irony to the situation is his status in the former enemy nation of Toryll. After helping stop his father-in-law from taking over the country of Silathen, thus preventing an invasion of Toryll by Silathen, Keith was knighted by King Theoric of Toryll for his continuing services to the country and the world.
Since coming to this world, Keith has put his vast experience as a hunter to good use. You can often find him dealing with the shady characters down by the River Docks.
Personal Story:
Pass- Be devoured before the final battle with the GoO.
Effect- Loses all money, equipment, gate trophies, and monster trophies not on his fixed possessions list, as well as all penalties such as Cursed, Injury, Madness, or lowered stats. Place him back on his Home Location and draw
Enchanted Crossbow. If that is already in play, search the common items stack and draw the first two handed weapon from the bottom of the deck that is not discard after use.
Fail- The Terror Level reaches 3 or above.
Effect- Gain 1
Tabloid PaperHe's a pretty straightforward character. He handles monsters and he does it damn well, and has the speed to reach them and the Fight to kill them, at the cost of teamwork (no handing off weapons) and variety (no random items). Needs to watch his Will too. His personal story isn't that great, he loses his bonuses as well as negatives, but he gains a 2 handed weapon automatically on passing, and while it's also easy to fail, it's alright.
Story So Far: Niniel belongs to the rich and powerful Armelios family of Silathen. She watched from an early age as her father rapidly became much more power-hungry and corrupt, turning into one of the most notorious figures in the Silathen nobility. Seeking escape from the horrible conditions he subjected his family to, as a teenager she fled the country to Toryll's capital. Homeless, she took up pickpocketing. This is how she met The Capuchin, a masked vigilante revered as the avatar of the god Levanter. Without an heir, The Capuchin took on the poor girl and taught her the skills she would need to succeed him, which came quickly. On only her seventeenth birthday, she assumed the robes of The Capuchin.
A few years later, she learned Cheoman's assassin would be returning to Toryll. Uneasy at allowing such a person to roam free in the city she warded and unknowing of the full situation, she cornered Keith Chiemi when he was alone. Her downfall was that she did so out of her robes, as Keith was able to turn the tables on her and figure out her identity as the Capuchin. Thus began their bond of trust, and eventually their courtship and marriage.
During her father's attempted revolution in Silathen, Niniel succeeded in killing him, both out of duty and as revenge for everything he put her and the family through. The particularly savage nature of the act shocked everyone, including Keith, but everyone has seen fit to let sleeping dogs lie.
Niniel stays in during the day unless she has pressing business, so one can normally find her at Ma's Boarding House where the group from Chrysalis is currently staying. Finding her at night, well... if you see her at night you've probably done something you'll soon regret.
Personal Story:
Pass- Gain 4 Monster Trophies via Attack From the Shadows.
Effect- The Terror Level is reduced by 2. If the Terror Level is at or reaches 0, all monsters in the streets are returned to the cup.
Fail- If the Terror Level reaches 6 or more.
Effect- Loses the Bravery skill and Attack from the Shadows. If the Terror Level is reduced below 6 again, she regains Attack from the Shadows until the Terror Level reaches 6 again.
She's good at monster hunting, obviously, but she can easily use her ability to get other stuff done that turn too. Her personal story is great if passed, and while failing takes away her ability and a skill, it's relatively difficult to reach until very late in the game.
Story So Far: Originally their plan was to rid their world of Nultros. However, they ended up unleashing him on the city of Arkham and getting pulled along for the ride. This is just what happens when plans backfire, but the heroes from the world of Chrysalis have vowed not to stop until they've fixed the problem and gotten themselves back home.
At the time a corporal in the Toryllian military, Harkan was also involved in the assassination of Nultros' last human form, Verdelean Prime Minister Cheoman. However, he largely escaped the vengeful lich's notice, and he stays on out of obligation to both his friends and his country. A bit of a ladies man, he often finds himself successful in attracting women with his earnestness, but his relationships tend to end with
hilariously disastrous results. It's generally agreed that it will take a woman who really needs Harkan to make the relationship work.
Promoted to lieutenant for his vital role in foiling Jazir Armelios' plan to take over Toryll's neighboring country of Silathen, Harkan has carried himself with much more confidence than normal. His humanitarian efforts have also earned him great respect among the people of both Toryll and Silathen.
As a dedicated student, Harkan has been working tirelessly to learn about the types of magic in this world, as well as about the world in general. He usually splits his time between the Library and the Magick Shoppe.
Personal Story:
Pass- Spend $5 to put
1 Clue token on this card. If there are 4 tokens on this card, place "Harkan Ashland Memorial Orphanage" into play.
Effect- Gain 2 Allies
Fail- Lose Cham as an Ally.
Effect- Draw 1 Injury and 1 Madness card.
Harkan is an Ally-whore. He's a good mage and he has the stats to do other stuff, but his ability to get, keep and synergize with allies is the main thing. Of course, losing Cham can potentially cripple him, and make no mistake, I added more than a few ways to lose allies in this expansion.
And now, onto the Amaryllis PCs!
Story So Far: Whilst traveling the many dimensions trying to find their way back to their own world of Amaryllis, Hunter and his traveling companion Arianna Lanathan have landed square into an Arkham in crisis. Fortunately, they are able to lend their considerable expertise to the situation at hand.
Hunter has never excelled in any one area. He has no great fighting ability, nor that spectacular a mind, but he's always been competent enough to get by in any situation. No, whats gotten him this far is his uncanny luck for getting through danger alive. He doesn't always make the right decision- in fact quite often he makes the entirely wrong one- but when the going's gotten rough he's still managed to make it through. Of course, he always still has to get his friends' forgiveness with every screw-up, which gets harder and harder each time. It's only his keen determination that keeps him from just up and quitting.
His experience as a trader in his home world has allowed him to obtain a job at the Bank of Arkham as he and Arianna remain in the city.
Personal Story:
Pass- Don't be devoured before the battle with the Great Old One.
Effect- Can use Diehard in the battle against the Great Old One, instead rolling to prevent himself from being devoured.
Fail- Be knocked to 0 Sanity or 0 Stamina during the game.
Effect- Lose 1 Focus
Hunter is the encounter mule for this set. He's got very middling stats, but his ability is pretty sweet, even if it's offset by the whole Untrustworthy thing. His personal story is pretty easy to fail, but it REALLY pays off in the end if you do pass.
Story So Far: Whilst traveling the many dimensions trying to find their way back to their own world of Amaryllis, Arianna and her traveling companion Hunter Sopko have landed square into an Arkham in crisis. Fortunately, they are able to lend their considerable expertise to the situation at hand.
Arianna was an incredibly awkward and clumsy youth, but she always loved the stories and legends of great heroes. So much so that as soon as she became an adult, she bought herself a set of full armor and a spear and set out on her own! She quickly realized though that the reality of adventuring is quite unlike how she read.
Soon finding her and her friends in way above their heads, she also discovered that her very existence was one of seven holding the world together. However, she was able to cultivate the latent power this gave her, which made her strong-willed and incredibly potent in battle. She's used it to protect her friends from harm, vowing never to lose anyone close to her.
Despite everything she's been through, Arianna's curiosity for exotic and interesting things has survived. When she's not working her job as a waitress, she can often be found in the Curiositie Shop.
Personal Story:
Pass- Gain 3 Clue tokens via her Pillar of the World ability.
Effect- Gains 4 Clue tokens, but no longer gains Clue tokens via Pillar of the World, though the ability is still in effect.
Fail- Another investigator is devoured
Effect- Gain 1 Madness card
Arianna is another good tanky monster hunter that, effectively, can't really die. She gains clue tokens nicely, but she's not that great outside of her niche, and she'll more than likely fail her PS rather than pass it.
Stuff you may need to know about:
Cham! (ie, the best damn cat ever)
Cham is Harkan's starting ally, thus the need to know about her. She's got a good ability that Harkan makes even better. Just don't lose her...
Spear
Your average spear with some D&D flavor thrown in. Arianna starts with it.
Thats about it. In total for the expansion there are...
1 GoO
1 Herald
1 Guardian
5 Investigators
4 Monsters
3 Spawn Monsters
2 Common Items
3 Unique Items
3 Spells
4 Allies
5 Missions
1 Task
12 Mythos Cards
16 Other World Cards
18 Arkham Encounter Cards
Definitely going with a 6 player game, so people will be able to decide amongst themselves whom they want to play, with the 6th person getting to choose from any Arkham Investigator they want. The game will be run with the Kingsport expansion, since I know people have been wondering about it and the GoO actually allows it's mechanic the chance to come into play. I'll look back over the previous topic and figure out the player list, but for now, feel free to peruse and comment. Feedback is appreciated.
