eBranch (Necroscope)
Call of Cthulhu
I’m a huge fan of the Call of Cthulhu RPG from Chaosium. I’ve run the game occasionally over the years, but I intend to kick off the epic Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign at ORC over the next year, and I also have Shadows over Scotland to run! Arunstoun, my new setting, is also going to be part of the Dark Edinburgh theme – details will be appearing in the wiki soon!
The system is also what I use to run my Necroscope games too.
NOTE: this page is still under construction!!!
Crawling Chaos
No, it’s not a reference to my flat or my mental state. It’s a reference to the HP Lovecraft creation known as Nyarlathotep. He/it is also mentioned in the Metallica song the The Thing that Should Not Be, which is about Innsmouth and the Deep Ones.
With Halloween creeping closer, I’m getting back into the Call of Cthulhu RPG. To this extent I’m awaiting the new edition of the super-campaign Masks of Nyarlathotep – over 100 hours of play contained within (I also intend to get the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion). The plan is for me to run this at ORC, probably starting in the New Year – I anticipate a high turnover of characters, as it is supposed to be lethal! This should work rather well for anyone new to ORC or looking for one shot games, and I’m going to really try and make it the highlight of my GMing “career”.
I’ve not run much Call of Cthulhu in recent years although my eBranch games (see Necroscope) have used the system. As intimated on the Home page, I’m also working another on the setting of “Arunstoun” for the game. Some of it I will use in Masks (risks less sanity when I say it like that!), and I’ve a great idea for a new Mythos race: how this will fit into the campaign as a whole I don’t yet know. However, as I get on with the campaign I’ll likely blog about the progress, or put stuff in the wiki.
Arunstoun is going to be set in the West of Midlothian, not in Edinburgh itself, and will likely be quite similar to Ramsey Campbell’s Cthulhu Mythos setting, Goatswood.
RPG rules for the Necroscope series
Necroscope, Wamphyri & eBranch Rules
This page provides some RPG rules for Brian Lumley’s creation: the Wampyhri. Vampires of the worst kind, they are hideously evil and nowhere near as angst-ridden as their Anne Rice counterparts…
These creatures pop up (or slither up!) in various forms throughout his Necroscope series, and the perfect nemesis for a group in a modern setting, especially espionage games. Given the pathogenic nature of Wamphyri vampirism, they also provide an alternative to zombie-style RPGs, in the vein (so to speak) of Resident Evil.
As well as the Wamphyri, the books describe the most secret organisation of the UK Security Services: Ebranch. As well as being the first line of psychic defence for the UK, they are also the foremost adversaries of the Wamphyri and are adept vampire-hunters.
I chose the Call of Cthulhu RPG rules as Lumley’s work also features in the Cthulhu Mythos.
Psychic Powers
Throughout the Necroscope series a number of psychic powers are mentioned:
- Cryokinetic
- Empath
- Evil Eye
- Guardian Angel
- Jinx
- Mistweaver (Wamphyri only)
- Necromancer
- Necroscope
- Null
- Precog
- Pyrokinetic
- Shields
- Telekinetic
- Telepath
Wamphyri statistics
The phrase “Wamphyri” covers a number of varieties of vampire. The true Vampire itself is an 18″-long grey-green parasite similar to a corrugated leech. It instinctively tries to acquire a host and can show considerable cunning and intelligence. Vampire tenacity is legendary.
char. |
rolls |
averages |
|
STR
|
1D3
|
2
|
|
CON
|
2D6
|
7
|
|
SIZ
|
1
|
1
|
|
INT
|
2D6
|
7
|
|
POW
|
2D6
|
7
|
|
DEX
|
2D6+3
|
10
|
|
Move 7
|
HP 4*
|
* A Vampire regenerates 1 HP a round unless the wound is caused by UV light, silver or fire.
- Av. Damage Bonus: -1D6
- Weapons: Bite 35%, damage 1d4 first round, blood drain thereafter.
- Skills: Hide 30%
- Sanity Loss: 0/1D6 to see a vampire in leech form. 1D4/1d8 to be attacked.
When the Vampire enters a host, either through the form of an egg or by force they become Wamphyri.
Vampires can be divided into four different categories and have the statistics given below .
- The Leech: the actual Vampire itself, an eighteen-inch symbiote that requires a host (see above).
- The Thrall: a mortal (human, wolf, bat, etc) that has been bitten or otherwise infected with the vampire spore (through saliva, blood or other bodily fluids). Although stronger and tougher than they were as mortals, they are nowhere near as powerful as the Lieutenants and Wamphyri themselves.
- The Lieutenant is a vampire who is older, and much stronger and tougher than common thralls, infused with more vampire essence. They have been known to manifest their own leech over time, becoming wamphyri themselves.
- The Wamphyri themselves are humans bonded with a Leech symbiote. They are considered to be “Great” Vampires (the true Wamphyri “Lords” and “Ladies”).
|
Thrall
|
Lieutenant
|
Wamphyri
|
|
|
char
|
rolls
|
||
|
STR
|
Host +1D3
|
Host +1D6+1D3
|
Host +1D6+1D3
|
|
CON
|
Host +1D3
|
Host +1D6+1D3
|
Host +2D6+3
|
|
SIZ
|
Host +1D3
|
Host +2D6
|
Host +2D6
|
|
INT
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
POW
|
-
|
Host +2D6
|
Host +2D6+6
|
|
DEX
|
Host +1D3
|
Host +2D6
|
Host +3D6
|
|
Move
|
As Host*
|
As Host +2**
|
As Host +2**
|
* A thrall regenerates 1 HP a round unless the wound is caused by UV light, silver or fire.** A Lieutenant or Wamphyri regenerates 2 HP a round unless the wound was caused by UV light, silver or fire.
- Av. Damage Bonus: as host.
- Weapons: Bite 35%, damage 1d6 first round, blood drain thereafter.
- Skills: As host
- Spells: As host + other psychic powers
- Sanity Loss: 0/1D3 to see a vampire feeding. 1D4/1d10 to be attacked or face an enraged Lieutenant or Wamphyri.
Previous Games
- Lost in America
- Shooting the Past
- Hunters Moon
- Synchronicity 2
- Blood-dimmed Tide
Links
- Official page of Brian Lumley.
- Chaosium, makers of the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
Necroscope ® is a registered trademark of Brian Lumley.
