Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - AgentSchneider

Pages: [1]
1
DFRPG / Making Oaths/Promises Over Water
« on: March 23, 2016, 08:37:26 PM »
I know that running water is supposed to ground out magical forces, but what effect does it have on the making of magically-bound oaths and promises? Does making these oaths over running water ground them out, or are they still legitimate? I don't remember if the books had mentioned anything like this - it's been a while. The only instance I really remember is in Grave Peril when Harry keeps Lea and her minions out of the graveyard due to the flowing water.

Additionally, if oaths CAN'T be made over running water, what about over still or tamed water? Does being on a man-made lake decrease the effect of water on impairing magical forces? After reading The Paranet Papers I was inspired with the idea of a magical riverboat that travels the waterways, secretly entrapping mortals in unintended oaths as well as being a place where supernatural big-wigs could throw down some power.

2
Hey all! I'm a long time reader of the forums but this is my first actual post. My group started off playing a New Orleans game a few years ago but within the past few months I have been voraciously reading up into the rules and structures of the system and was inspired to whip up a side campaign to play that takes place in Pittsburgh (I go to school at West Virginia University, which is about an hour away, so a lot of us are somewhat familiar with the area). While I have most of the general ideas figured out, I'm trying to work really hard in the downtime we have to get a lot of the finer details figured out, including what the endgame for the campaign arc will be. This is my first time ever running a game campaign (which the DFRPG makes easier through the hefty player input) and so I come seeking some guidance, as I'm not sure if my current end-campaign idea is good, could use some work, or if it just sounds ridiculous.

Setting the scene:
Magical Pittsburgh:
Because the city is at the site of where the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers meet, they function as a natural threshold that surrounds the city proper. As a result, the city acts as a common supernatural dealing/bargaining site between factions. Additionally, the threshold acts to make the area more conducive to everyday mortals - the technological industry is able to boom more in Pittsburgh in part because of this latent repulsion of outward magical energies. The Unseelie Accords are still fairly in place, but Winter's influence in the area isn't very great so Pittsburgh skirts the boundaries more (falls on the scale more towards the Vegas setting from Paranet Papers than Chicago in terms of influence).

Timeline:
The story is taking place starting ~6 months after the events of Changes (so RCV's are out of the picture)

Major Players:
White Court Vampires:
Two minor offshoot families of WCV have set up shop in Pittsburgh over the past few decades: House Vakarian (Despair) and House Saless (Anger/Rage). Vakarianhelped to orchestrate the rise and fall of the steel industry in the city in order to gorge on the resulting despair felt by the steel workers and their families in the city proper and the surrounding steel towns (City Theme: Broken Steel...). Saless came around in the late 80's and has been in the shadow of House Vakarian, trying to establish MMA as a prominent industry, supporting professional football and hockey, and maintaining underground fight rings throughout the city. Over recent years the mood of the city has begun to change as industry has begun to return, so House Vakarian is looking to keep a grip on the power that is slowly beginning to slip through their grasps as hope begins to return to Pittsburgh (Theme:...But Not Broken People).
Brotherhood of Broken Steel (aka The Bobs)
Founded in the aftermath of the steel industry collapse, many former steel workers were saved from despair and taken in by the Slavic Diety of Light Bielebog (if anybody has read American Gods he shows up towards the end) who runs a place called "Bobby's House". They act as a mortal/minor practitioner "neighborhood watch" in the city proper using steel smithy hammers.
Chernobog: Slavic Diety of Darkness/Shadow (if you've read American Gods he is Mr. Wednesday's Slavic friend with the hammer)
Much like the Summer and Winter Court, Chernobog and Bielebog act as opposite forces of nature. While Bielebog is seen as "good" and Chernobog as "evil", Chernobog isn't inherently evil, he's just a force of nature that balances light and growth with darkness and decay. He has an Emissary who was a former mob snitch that he brought back to life who uses Sponsored Magic and a big ass sledgehammer.
The Fomor
In recent months they have been snatching people up along the riversides and taking them away for experiments. Because of their increased activity The Bobs have had to divert forces to actively combat them more often. Their end-goal is typical Fomor stuff (so who really knows lol?)
Wyldfae
While the Summer Court does have a fair amount of influence in the area (lots of parks and zoos nearby) and the Winter Court does have some sway in the area (although to a lesser extent), the old Appalachian and Native American folk tales surrounding Pittsburgh are very much alive and real and prominent. The hills and rivers around the area are heavily populated with the Wyldfae, but recently members of their clans are being abducted, taken away by an unknown group for an unknown purpose.
Red Court Vampires (or rather lack of Red Court Vampires)
The Reds had a pretty strong hold on the technological and medical industries in the city over the past century (although the Whites crippling the steel industry was a blow) and had plenty of people hooked on the Red Spit, so their disappearance has left an economic and supernatural power vacuum and plenty of (affluent) junkies trying to find a fix.
Kemmelarian Necomancer
As yet unintroduced. Has come to the city with a plan involved in the campaign end-game.

Sorry if that was too much info, but I figured it would help set the scene for the end-game. TL;DR summary is that House Vakarian (Despair WCV), Chernobog (Slavic darkness diety) and his Emissary, and the Kemmelarian Necromancer are all plotting together to perform a major ritual that uses the city's independence against it: a spell that would surround the area within the rivers in a barrier that blocks out sunlight and prevents magical incursion from outside the city boundaries and even from the NeverNever. The WCVs get to feed on the tasty despair that develops as a result, Chernobog promotes his agenda and stakes a claim in the city by drowning it in shadow, and the Necromancer sets himself up with a seat of power where he doesn't have to worry about his army being disbanded once the sun comes up (with the initial ritual turning out to have been provided by the Black Council if the PCs want to delve into the events further).

So does this just sound like a dumb idea or does it sound like a fun thing to oppose in a campaign? Obviously I can't talk about this with any of the players as it would spoil the story so I came here. If this seems like a ludicrous or boring idea another end-game theme that could be explored is our establishment of the idea that there is no Supernatural King of Pittsburgh and the power vacuum there. Thanks for anybody who read this and I appreciate any and all feedback!

Pages: [1]