Javes
2013-09-19, 11:17 AM
So in my game, untrained use of magic leaves you open to demonic possession, which can often happen during dreams (when you are at your most vulnerable). The demons find it far easier to possess willing people - often by either tricking them or cutting deals, but there are also less subtle demons...
The short of it is that I am looking for some idea's of how some demons might try to get into someone's head...
(I am interested in story ideas, not mechanics)
This is in a 2 player game with my girlfriend and I. We have started playing recently and have had a lot of fun. She really enjoys the roleplaying and the stories I (we) have come up with so far...
For some story background:
Her character, S, is a pretty blond 16 year old girl who has recently started manifesting fire related powers, such as being able to light candles or hold a flame in her palm, and has also found that she cannot be burnt like other people. Under extreme stress she has also delivered flaming punches. As she hasn't been trained, her use of this power has left her vulnerable to possession.
She is currently under the protection and travelling with her wise mentor (a wizard), who is taking her to a magical school to be trained (The idea is to lead this game into a "hogwarts like" university). Unfortunately they are being chased by inquisitors, who wish to exterminate magic users.
I am thinking as a starting point for possession attempts she might dream of being in her childhood house with something sinister on the outside demanding she 'let it in'. (I need some help fleshing this out and making it more interesting and interactive then just "do you let the monster inside? (yes/no)", probably having her barricade the doors and windows is a good first step, but again I am at a bit of a loss what what more to do)
I don't know how quickly my gf will catch on to what is happening, but it doesn't matter at this point - if she does fail and invite the demon in then her mentor will wake her, prevent the possession and then explain the situation and give explicit warnings on what to look out for.
After this I am thinking of her having recurring nightmares (generally revolving around her village and house, but not necessary limited to that at all) in which the demons try to posses her. Some might try to trick her by (maybe by pretending to be a childhood friend), and others will be more overt in their attempts.
As time progresses I want the dreams to get more intense, and eventually she will find that injuries sustained in the dreams will still be there where she wakes.
The dreams are meant to help show that magic is dangerous and has a cost, explain why inquisitors might want to hunt magic users and give her an incentive to go to magic school and to finish this schooling. If I can keep things interesting for her we may spend a lot of time fighting these possessions, and if not it is easy enough to move on and just periodically mention that she is still having bad dreams/they are getting worse.
Think medieval Catholicism/Dante's Inferno for an idea of the religious atmosphere. I am using a heavily home-brewed version of Ars Magica for the system, which I have set in my own world (but really, the system and mechanics are not important here, so please don't feel left out if you are not familiar - again, I am interested in story ideas).
So I am turning to the playground (I am a long time lurker, first time poster) to ask for help coming up with some ideas to both flesh this out and make it interesting.
I would appreciate any help coming up ideas
e.g.:
-scenarios for various different possession attempts
-incidents that can happen within these dreams to help flesh them out and help make them interesting
-imagery and how I could describe the dreams and possession attempts
-goals that the demons could have within the dreams, where if they complete these goals she may be possessed (her mentor can save for if she fails, for now...)
(in her first dream the demon wants to get into her 'house', maybe later there can be combat)
-goals or conditions she might have during the dream for her to escape
-idea's or advice on how to make this whole thing interactive and interesting
(and perhaps even warnings on how not to do it)
-consequences when she is awake
(injuries from the dream, maybe someone possessed can find them in the real world and may attack, perhaps after being introduced in a dream?)
Feel free to include dark and/or adult material (or not) to your taste.
Thanks for your help!
The short of it is that I am looking for some idea's of how some demons might try to get into someone's head...
(I am interested in story ideas, not mechanics)
This is in a 2 player game with my girlfriend and I. We have started playing recently and have had a lot of fun. She really enjoys the roleplaying and the stories I (we) have come up with so far...
For some story background:
Her character, S, is a pretty blond 16 year old girl who has recently started manifesting fire related powers, such as being able to light candles or hold a flame in her palm, and has also found that she cannot be burnt like other people. Under extreme stress she has also delivered flaming punches. As she hasn't been trained, her use of this power has left her vulnerable to possession.
She is currently under the protection and travelling with her wise mentor (a wizard), who is taking her to a magical school to be trained (The idea is to lead this game into a "hogwarts like" university). Unfortunately they are being chased by inquisitors, who wish to exterminate magic users.
I am thinking as a starting point for possession attempts she might dream of being in her childhood house with something sinister on the outside demanding she 'let it in'. (I need some help fleshing this out and making it more interesting and interactive then just "do you let the monster inside? (yes/no)", probably having her barricade the doors and windows is a good first step, but again I am at a bit of a loss what what more to do)
I don't know how quickly my gf will catch on to what is happening, but it doesn't matter at this point - if she does fail and invite the demon in then her mentor will wake her, prevent the possession and then explain the situation and give explicit warnings on what to look out for.
After this I am thinking of her having recurring nightmares (generally revolving around her village and house, but not necessary limited to that at all) in which the demons try to posses her. Some might try to trick her by (maybe by pretending to be a childhood friend), and others will be more overt in their attempts.
As time progresses I want the dreams to get more intense, and eventually she will find that injuries sustained in the dreams will still be there where she wakes.
The dreams are meant to help show that magic is dangerous and has a cost, explain why inquisitors might want to hunt magic users and give her an incentive to go to magic school and to finish this schooling. If I can keep things interesting for her we may spend a lot of time fighting these possessions, and if not it is easy enough to move on and just periodically mention that she is still having bad dreams/they are getting worse.
Think medieval Catholicism/Dante's Inferno for an idea of the religious atmosphere. I am using a heavily home-brewed version of Ars Magica for the system, which I have set in my own world (but really, the system and mechanics are not important here, so please don't feel left out if you are not familiar - again, I am interested in story ideas).
So I am turning to the playground (I am a long time lurker, first time poster) to ask for help coming up with some ideas to both flesh this out and make it interesting.
I would appreciate any help coming up ideas
e.g.:
-scenarios for various different possession attempts
-incidents that can happen within these dreams to help flesh them out and help make them interesting
-imagery and how I could describe the dreams and possession attempts
-goals that the demons could have within the dreams, where if they complete these goals she may be possessed (her mentor can save for if she fails, for now...)
(in her first dream the demon wants to get into her 'house', maybe later there can be combat)
-goals or conditions she might have during the dream for her to escape
-idea's or advice on how to make this whole thing interactive and interesting
(and perhaps even warnings on how not to do it)
-consequences when she is awake
(injuries from the dream, maybe someone possessed can find them in the real world and may attack, perhaps after being introduced in a dream?)
Feel free to include dark and/or adult material (or not) to your taste.
Thanks for your help!