ZZTRaider
2014-06-29, 05:34 PM
Hello, everyone.
I've been running a solo Pathfinder campaign for a friend of mine for the last few months. It's been going very well, and she's enjoyed how the story can focus so much on her character's development. She's started talking about what she'd like to do in the next campaign, once we finish the current one. That's still a number of months away, but I'm not terribly familiar with the sort of setting and genre she's looking for, so I think it's prudent to go ahead and start preparing so I can give her the best experience possible.
First off, she wants to play a vampire, though not of the traditional D&D variety. In her own words, "I like depictions where they are more human like, such as cursed humans but still with soul/seeking redemption/oh sad me kind of thing better than the pure evil incarnation because the creation of a vampire is by a sire sharing his/her blood therefore all vampires were human, and many were turned unwillingly. ... The undead part still applies to the sort of vampire mythology I find interesting because the vampire did die, therefore they are undead, but they are still essentially humans. I also like the idea that they have abilities they can focus on and develop as they age, so depending on how old a vampire is in a lot of stories that will determine what they can do (I.e. mind reading for a youngish vampire versus mind control for an older vampire, or illusion skills versus actual morphing skills such as turning into a bat)."
I haven't spent much time reading books or watching movies about vampires; really, the most fiction I've read involving vampires are the recent Order of the Stick comics. Can anyone recommend some good resources that would fit well with that description?
I'm also wondering if Pathfinder is really the right system for the next campaign. Obviously, the standard vampire template doesn't really fit; there's a host of immunities gained from gaining the undead type that don't necessarily fit and there's no sense of progression or uniqueness. I've looked briefly at White Wolf's Vampire, since I'm a bit familiar with Mage, but I'm not sure what other options might exist or what the real differences are between The Masquerade and The Requiem. Any advice?
From what I have seen about Vampire, it looks like both The Masquerade and The Requiem are set in an alternate modern day world. My friend, however, is looking for a setting closer to the "late 19th to early 20th century. Sort of around the time cars and electricity were invented but hadn't quite caught on. Aka the end of the industrial revolution." In addition, she's looking for a setting with a magic level somewhere between normal Pathfinder and a mundane world, where "magic is more special but not uncommon."
I described the setting of Final Fantasy 6 to her, and she seemed to think that was pretty close to what she's looking for. That's my only real experience with steampunk, however. Anyone have any good recommendations for novels or other resources to get more familiar with the genre?
I did see a system called Victoriana that looked like it might be a good fit, at least at first glance. I hadn't heard of it before I saw it in the store, though; does anyone have any experience with it?
Any and all advice or direction you all can offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I've been running a solo Pathfinder campaign for a friend of mine for the last few months. It's been going very well, and she's enjoyed how the story can focus so much on her character's development. She's started talking about what she'd like to do in the next campaign, once we finish the current one. That's still a number of months away, but I'm not terribly familiar with the sort of setting and genre she's looking for, so I think it's prudent to go ahead and start preparing so I can give her the best experience possible.
First off, she wants to play a vampire, though not of the traditional D&D variety. In her own words, "I like depictions where they are more human like, such as cursed humans but still with soul/seeking redemption/oh sad me kind of thing better than the pure evil incarnation because the creation of a vampire is by a sire sharing his/her blood therefore all vampires were human, and many were turned unwillingly. ... The undead part still applies to the sort of vampire mythology I find interesting because the vampire did die, therefore they are undead, but they are still essentially humans. I also like the idea that they have abilities they can focus on and develop as they age, so depending on how old a vampire is in a lot of stories that will determine what they can do (I.e. mind reading for a youngish vampire versus mind control for an older vampire, or illusion skills versus actual morphing skills such as turning into a bat)."
I haven't spent much time reading books or watching movies about vampires; really, the most fiction I've read involving vampires are the recent Order of the Stick comics. Can anyone recommend some good resources that would fit well with that description?
I'm also wondering if Pathfinder is really the right system for the next campaign. Obviously, the standard vampire template doesn't really fit; there's a host of immunities gained from gaining the undead type that don't necessarily fit and there's no sense of progression or uniqueness. I've looked briefly at White Wolf's Vampire, since I'm a bit familiar with Mage, but I'm not sure what other options might exist or what the real differences are between The Masquerade and The Requiem. Any advice?
From what I have seen about Vampire, it looks like both The Masquerade and The Requiem are set in an alternate modern day world. My friend, however, is looking for a setting closer to the "late 19th to early 20th century. Sort of around the time cars and electricity were invented but hadn't quite caught on. Aka the end of the industrial revolution." In addition, she's looking for a setting with a magic level somewhere between normal Pathfinder and a mundane world, where "magic is more special but not uncommon."
I described the setting of Final Fantasy 6 to her, and she seemed to think that was pretty close to what she's looking for. That's my only real experience with steampunk, however. Anyone have any good recommendations for novels or other resources to get more familiar with the genre?
I did see a system called Victoriana that looked like it might be a good fit, at least at first glance. I hadn't heard of it before I saw it in the store, though; does anyone have any experience with it?
Any and all advice or direction you all can offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks!