Rossik Character Creation Thread

[drpete]

Hi Rossik!

The first thing that I would like you to do, as a step toward creating a character, is to select one "dark secret" and two "disadvantages". Your dark secret will be a thing that your character doesn't know, at the moment, and which you are not to develop, in detail, yourself... it is a thing that we'll develop in the game, as we go. Either I will fill in the details, or the other players will.

You can find these lists at the link here.

If you have any questions about what these things are, I would be happy to go into detail with a few. Generally, the disadvantages are ways that you will give me, to mess with your character.

After you have these picked out, we can move forward.

[rossik]

Nice!

Thanks for taking this time to teach me. The publisher i work for, in Brazil, just succeeded at a kickstarter to bring Kult to Brazil. This gamer should help me a lot!

So, my dark secret is:
Family Secret: Your family has a well kept secret, which has haunted you your entire life

Disadvantage
Bad Reputation (i had that story that i used excessive force and killed a about to be free prisoner. The media didnt like it.
Repressed Memories:: the death of his father and grandfather, in the same car accident

[drpete]

Alright, super!

Having family drama seems to be a thing we are interested in. I'd say that it's fine to have your repressed memories be about the death if your father and grandfather, and have it be related to a car accident. Keep in mind that this is the early days of cars, so it would definitely be unusual. In terms of the details there, I'd say that should be part of the secret...

I'm curious why you are thinking "bad reputation", and if there is any sort of connection, in your mind between this background and the violence he got "famous" for...?

For next steps, how about having a look at these questions, and seeing what you think...
viewtopic.php?f=875&t=9509#p461786

[rossik]

i thought about this:
he got a bad rep for being a brutal enforcer of the law. He choke to death (or something) a prisoner that was about to be released. The prisoner was indeed a innocent man who got framed, so all the reporters were expecting to meet this guy after his release. But they somehow discovered that my character killed him, and they start to harass him to get a story. He showed how violent he could be, and thats not wise when dealing with the media.

1) What types of crimes are the prisoners in your cell block primarily guilty of?
Crimes against life. Not necessary that they killed, but at least they tried. Something like that. If not possible, just murders then

2) Are you in the "new" section of the prison, or the "old" section?
Old

3) There is a fairly extensive black market in the prison. It can provide a good side income. How are you involved?
In no ways. My character believe blindly in the law of god and the law of man. But on his own twist, like when he killed the man, he was enforcing one of those laws (by his own perception)


4) A few powerful gangsters have been convicted of crimes, and in exchange for liberally greasing the guards' pockets, they enjoy a number of perks, making their prison time almost like a vacation. Do you have anyone like this in your cell block? What is your relationship with them like?
I have, and i hate them. If possible, i will make they lives harder.


5) What kind of work do you supervise during the day (this can be in one or the prison workshops, or maybe you supervise construction crews, or labor in one of the other institutions on the island... hospital orderlies, maybe?) Or have those in your care been restricted from work because they are too difficult to handle?
Library work. Alexander seems interest in the kabalah, but he cant find books about this


6) How did you impress the new Warden, Anthony Seymour, so that he elevated you to guard captain?
I caught a major escape act, killing the leader and breaking many rebels.

7) The prison is extremely crowded, and the Warden has been cracking down, trying to squash a violent and rebellious feeling among some inmates. Increased beatings and other rough treatment have kept a lid on things, but a several inmates have died. How do you feel about that? How have you been involved?
For those that deserved , thats good. I have participated in some of those beatings

[drpete]

Alright... interesting!

We already have someone who is in charge of the cell block with the murderers, but.... hrmmmm... how about if you are in charge of the "special" wing, with the death row inmates, and the solitary confinement cells? People who are being punished *more* than just being incarcerated?

I feel like the disadvantages you have selected are not a great match for the character you described... I'm a bit skeptical, at least, of the repressed memories choice. I think you've described someone with a very intense and antisocial religious outlook... a "fanatic".

The bad reputation one can be tough... it puts you in a position where you could suffer the consequences of that pretty violent act... basically, you'll roll at the beginning of the game to see how badly this reputation is going to impact you... roll low, and I will really twist the knife on the social consequences of that.

Potentially more redeemable might be "guilt" or "nightmares" as a result of something like what you described. Just a thought... we can do this either way

I don't think it's terribly realistic to expect a 1920s prison library (or a 1920s prison guard) to have a lot of Kabbalah information. Are you saying that you want him to be Jewish, or into the occult? How does that fit into this extreme moral philosophy he's got?

Also, as a "sleeper", your character has habits that keep idleness and attention to the cracks in reality away. If you engage in these habits for a few hours, you will regain "stability" (mental hit points). Some habits include:

Reading
Reading the Paper
Sports (baseball, boxing)
Exercise
Card Games
Dominos
Movies (silent films)
Dancing
Music (jazz?)
Drinking (note: it's prohibition)
Driving
Porn
Prostitutes
Catcalling
Other...?

What activity, of this general type, do you think your character engages in?

[rossik]

noting written in stone, so we can change anything you think is more suitable

His dad and grandfather could died at a boat accident, for instance.
I prefere him to be a person fascinated by the occult, but afraid to dive deep, then a religious person. I got the religious branch thinking about how one could get into angels, devils and such, in that time.

im spiritualist myself, working with some weird stuff once a week i know how every religion can have weird stuff. Some have more, some have less, heheh

So:
-Alexander is violent, thats a point.
-He likes the occult, but his curiosity is tempered with fear of the unknow
-He lost his father, a policeman, and his grandfather, a preacher (or something), both in the same day in a boat accident (maybe the reality is that some innsmouth people got them, heheh)
-He got promoted after killing the leader of a jail break


-He killed a "to be innocent" prisoner, and that reflected badly with the journals/reporters/news
-He likes to read
-He hate the gangsters, but know that he cant do much. Like the hydra, if you cut a head it will grow 2 more, so he prefer not to interfere with them.


what else do you think i should change?

-

[drpete]

Well, I suppose I was proposing different disadvantages, and wondering how you felt about them. Sounds like you want to go with the bad reputation, though? Not sure I heard an answer in your reply...

To be clear, the family secret, which sounds like it is connected to the deaths, is *not* something you can detail... that'll be my way to integrate you into the game, and we'll learn about what it is, together, as you gain xp. It will be more like how the character from Shadow over Innsmouth discovers that he is actually a monster, rather than that somebody killed his parents.

If you want a real occult connection, there are a few ways to get it... you can have an interest in some kind of "popular" occult stuff from the 20s, like spiritualism or hypnosis or ouija boards or something, or you can have a real connection, like an actual occult experience. You can't really be an occult scholar with this prison guard character. If you want occult experience, you might be an "involuntary medium" or have "returned from the other side"?

I guess, so far, I'm trying to work on some mechanical stuff to synch up your story with your mechanics.

[rossik]

and you are doing a great job,m thanks!

i prefer him to be connect at popular occult stuff, like ouija and such, but can he be a involuntary medium?

if you think the bad reputation will make the game harder to narrate, no problem, i can change that

[drpete]

Just want to make sure you want people to react to you as if you are a monster:

Bad Reputation
For some reason, you have attracted the public’s disapproval – even animosity. Perhaps you’ve been spotlighted in the tabloids as a pedophile or murderer, falsely or otherwise. In the first game session and whenever you attract the public’s attention, roll +0:

(15+) You blend in. Nobody is out to get you.
(10–14) You have been recognized. The GM takes 1 Hold.
(–9) Several people have recognized you. Anger and fear control their actions. The GM takes 3 Hold.

The GM can spend Hold to make a Move representing how your bad reputation sticks to you. For example, people might react with fear and suspicion towards you, a lynch mob forms to bring you to justice, your property is vandalized, your allies turn against you, and you can lose your job, agreements, and relationships.

One other option is involuntary medium:

Involuntary Medium
You are an open vessel for any spirits or demonic enti-ties who desire a medium to speak through or need a corporeal body to use for their purposes. Whenever you encounter spiritual entities or haunted places, roll +0:

(15+) You resist the possession.
(10–14) The entity gains influence over you. The GM takes 1 Hold.
(–9) The entity gains control over you. The GM takes 3 Hold.

The GM can spend Hold to make Moves for the being possessing you. For example, the entity may give you a vision, make use of your body, commu-nicate with or through you, try to harm someone else through you, follow you unseen, demand something from you, or drag you into another dimension.

Ultimately, the question is what kind of thing do you want to have happen to your character? That's what you are choosing, rather than "background" that won't matter... so let me know

If you want to see what others look like, we can look at some others.

[rossik]

the medium thing, then

[drpete]

Alright, so involuntary medium and repressed memories? Just checking...

You still want the intense law & order, punish the evildoer element, right? What about the religious aspect of that? It conflicts less with the medium idea than the "occultist" idea... maybe he's concerned about evil spirits possessing him, and pushes back with that intense, judgemental faith...? That's kind of what you described, right? If you want this, you *might* consider swapping out repressed memories for fanatic, but dont need to.

Repressed Memories
You have repressed a particularly unpleasant event from your past, but the memory of it sometimes rises to the surface. It could be a crime or some horrible thing you have done, been subjected to, or witnessed. The GM decides the nature of your repressed memory, usually based on your Dark Secrets. In situations associated with your repressed memories, roll +0 to determine if the memories resurface:
(15+) You continue to suppress the memories.
(10–14) The memories partly resurface, taking the form of flash-backs and/or hallucinations. You must Keep it Together.
(–9) You are overwhelmed by your repressed memories, com-pletely losing yourself to them. The GM makes a hard Move and you reduce Stability (−2).

Fanatic
You are a fervent adherent of an ideology. You interpret the whole world in accordance with your ideology, which must not be questioned. Whenever someone questions your ideology, roll +0:
(15+) You can keep your emotions in check.
(10–14) You become angry, confused, or frustrated. You take −1 to your next roll.
(–9) You are forced to choose between taking steps to chang-ing the person or situation to adhere to your ideology, or reduce Stability (−2).

Think about which of those you are more interested in...

‐------------------
Also, you said that he likes to read. That's great. The other PCs play cards together. Do you think your guy would play cards, too, or is he too intense for that?

Look at the other characters' sheets, and for at least one, decide what your relationship with them is (on your side)...

Do you just consider them a work colleague, or
A friend (+1 relation), or
Is he connected to your dark secret, or
Does he have something you are jealous of?

[rossik]

Alright, so involuntary medium and repressed memories? Just checking...

You still want the intense law & order, punish the evildoer element, right? What about the religious aspect of that? It conflicts less with the medium idea than the "occultist" idea... maybe he's concerned about evil spirits possessing him, and pushes back with that intense, judgemental faith...? That's kind of what you described, right? If you want this, you *might* consider swapping out repressed memories for fanatic, but dont need to.

Repressed Memories
You have repressed a particularly unpleasant event from your past, but the memory of it sometimes rises to the surface. It could be a crime or some horrible thing you have done, been subjected to, or witnessed. The GM decides the nature of your repressed memory, usually based on your Dark Secrets. In situations associated with your repressed memories, roll +0 to determine if the memories resurface:
(15+) You continue to suppress the memories.
(10–14) The memories partly resurface, taking the form of flash-backs and/or hallucinations. You must Keep it Together.
(–9) You are overwhelmed by your repressed memories, com-pletely losing yourself to them. The GM makes a hard Move and you reduce Stability (−2).

Fanatic
You are a fervent adherent of an ideology. You interpret the whole world in accordance with your ideology, which must not be questioned. Whenever someone questions your ideology, roll +0:
(15+) You can keep your emotions in check.
(10–14) You become angry, confused, or frustrated. You take −1 to your next roll.
(–9) You are forced to choose between taking steps to chang-ing the person or situation to adhere to your ideology, or reduce Stability (−2).

Think about which of those you are more interested in...

‐------------------
Also, you said that he likes to read. That's great. The other PCs play cards together. Do you think your guy would play cards, too, or is he too intense for that?

Look at the other characters' sheets, and for at least one, decide what your relationship with them is (on your side)...

Do you just consider them a work colleague, or
A friend (+1 relation), or
Is he connected to your dark secret, or
Does he have something you are jealous of?

Fanatic seems fine!
Sure, he can play cards too, no problem. Could he be friedns with Finn? maybe same school/church whatever

[drpete]

You guys all work at the same prison, and play cards together. Dunno if you need a further school/church relation. That said, you both have some kind of family drama, so who knows?

We can check to see if Finn likes you at the same level, but for now, I want you to do your part fleshing out the world with people you care about.

I want you to tell me about people you know on the island... people that you know and care about. I would also like you to come up with 3 other people, who preferably live or work on Blackwell Island. This would be people in the prison somehow (guards, prisoners or other employees), or people at one of the other institutions... the poorhouse, a hospital, asylum... what you like...

First, an acquaintance (level 0 relation). Could be a friend or co-worker. Someone you at least care about enough to not wish them harm.

Second, a meaningful relationship (level 1 relation). Could be a close friend, family member, romantic interest, mentor, etc. Someone you experience closeness with.

Third, a vital relationship (level 2 relation). Could be a passionate lover, your child, an obsession, soulmate, etc.

[rossik]

You guys all work at the same prison, and play cards together. Dunno if you need a further school/church relation. That said, you both have some kind of family drama, so who knows?

No big deal, just thought about a friendship relation and bounds. If work buddies is enough, than its ok

I want you to tell me about people you know on the island... people that you know and care about. I would also like you to come up with 3 other people, who preferably live or work on Blackwell Island. This would be people in the prison somehow (guards, prisoners or other employees), or people at one of the other institutions... the poorhouse, a hospital, asylum... what you like...

First, an acquaintance (level 0 relation). Could be a friend or co-worker. Someone you at least care about enough to not wish them harm.

Samuel Godfrey, a chubby and novice guard, always ready to help.

Second, a meaningful relationship (level 1 relation). Could be a close friend, family member, romantic interest, mentor, etc. Someone you experience closeness with.

Third, a vital relationship (level 2 relation). Could be a passionate lover, your child, an obsession, soulmate, etc.

His big sister, Nancy. She always cared for him, and even helped him to pay some bills in difficult times. They became closer when their father turned out a abusive alcoholic. Alexander help her when she got divorced (from a wife beating man), so they pretty much phone each other every day as possible.

[drpete]

Ok... we have a guard friend.

I'm happy to have your sister be your close relationship. If you want to call her every day, she can't be far away... maybe somewhere like Queens or Manhattan, while you live on Blackwell Island. Talking to her on the phone for an extended period will help you regain stability.

I fear that you are starting to write in a lot of family details... remember that if you'll have a repressed family secret, you need to leave room for that to develop.

[rossik]

Ok... we have a guard friend.

I'm happy to have your sister be your close relationship. If you want to call her every day, she can't be far away... maybe somewhere like Queens or Manhattan, while you live on Blackwell Island. Talking to her on the phone for an extended period will help you regain stability.

I fear that you are starting to write in a lot of family details... remember that if you'll have a repressed family secret, you need to leave room for that to develop.

no problem, everything can be changed. im used to explain relationships, so im forgetting about this.

if "i have a big sister that i talk a lot" is enough, so thats it

[drpete]

Super. There's an associate and a sister. Any thoughts about an npc "friend"?

Next, we need to set up your stats. Each stat corresponds to a different roll, as seen in the player move list.

First, distribute a +2, a +1, and a +0 among:
Willpower: Keeping it together under stress
Fortitude: Ability to endure harm
Reflexes: Ability to avoid injury

Then distribute +3, +2, +1, +1, +0, -1, -2 among:
Reason: Ability to investigate things
Intuition: Ability to read a person
Perception: Ability to observe a situation
Coolness: Ability to act under pressure
Violence: Ability to do harm to others
Charisma: Ability to Influence Others
Soul: Ability to see through the illusion