Idea shamelessly stolen from an edgy Japanese Cartoon

When it comes to the undead, not all of them are raised by a necromancer. Perhaps some are self-raising from having an unjust or traumatic death, or maybe evil spirits stalk the land to inhabit the bodies of the dead; which is why a proper burial is preferred. But it could also be something that nobody has any control over; an astrological effect, or the result of necrotic energy that naturally raises the dead to attack the living.

In order to keep their numbers done, people are called to hunt down the zombies when they come out during the night of the year when they rise up from the dead; the living-dead night. While the zombies will burn and disappear when the sun comes up; having them able to wander around and try to break down barricades or find people hiding is bad, so distracting them with armed citizens called 'Exterminators' is the best way to prevent mass death. Some Exterminators may die, but for many its exhilarating.

As incentive to slay them and keep their numbers down during the night; the church has set up a prize system. Every dead person is buried with a metal plate in their neck, so when they rise again as a zombie the slayer can keep proof of their deeds. When enough plates are collected, you can turn them in for prizes.

But what sort of prizes do they offer?

(This is from Dorohedoro btw)

Living-Dead Plate Reward Table

P.	Prize
1	Hard candies, bag of chips, plastic noisemakers, paper charm. Shit prizes.
3	One ticket for a random lottery. The grand prize is like $1000. Seems like a lot but its a lottery and you risked your life to kill three whole zombies and you aren't going to win it.
5	“I survived Living-Dead Night and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt” T-Shirt
8	Coupon for a free lunch for you and your friends at a local restaurant.
10	Hand knit blanket or pillowcases
15	Cans of spraypaint, firecrackers, etc. Appeals to that one insane group of children who kill zombies every year for fun.
20	Pet rats- start with two. For every three extra plates you turn in, get another one.
25	Ninja sword. Will break if you try to use it next year.
40	Small and convenient household appliance. Toaster oven, handheld radio, etc.
80	Actually useful appliances for households or small businesses. Air conditioners, meat grinders, small fryers, etc. Your PCs are shooting for this.
300	New car!

I made up 8 Stands

[1] 「BIG K.R.I.T.」
Type: Medium Range, Average Stats
Ability: This stand launches objects with telekinetic force. The amount of force is the same no matter the size or air resistance of the object, so small objects like stones or coins are launched as hard as bullets, where as large objects like cars are shoved only a few meters. The object cannot be a living thing, but severed limbs could work.

However, once an object is launched, it will then rapidly begin to heat up over the course of one minute. The object will give off an amount of heat in proportion to its size. Small objects will get so hot that picking them up will burn your hand, where as large objects will get so hot they'll start to melt metal and cook the air around them. After this minute, the object will begin to cool down at a normal speed. Objects still warmed from this ability cannot be fired again with the telekinetic blast. The heat generated from this ability also will not damage the object itself, but anything around it can be affected.

[2] 「MURDER AT MIDNIGHT」
Type: Remote Control Stand
Ability: This stand appears as a weazel ball made of flesh, with a highly stylized wolf connected to it. This stand can be used on anyone if the user makes them bleed- it can be from a cut, punch, medical procedure, etc. The 'ball' will sink into the person and become dormant. At the exact moment a digital clock would end in a 0 (as in, every 10 minutes), the Stand will activate and begin to explode the person from the inside out with large, bite-shaped holes over their body once every minute.

If you are affected by this stand, it is possible to transfer it to someone else by drawing their blood before the clock hits the zero. If the time is up, the Stand will not stop attacked until whoever it is within is dead, but if they manage to survive for long enough then it will be transferred to the next person whose blood was drawn by whoever the stand was in last. It is also possible to transfer the Stand into animals, blood bag storage room in the hospital, etc.

 

[3]「MINNIE THE MOOCHER」
Type: Close Range Power Type
Ability: Whenever this Stand punches someone with a solid, good hit- one bead on the right (yellow) side of its abacus is slid over. Once all the beads on the left side have slipped over, one bead on the left (red) will slide over and all the right beads reset.

For every left side (red) bead that is active, the Stand can perform one totally unerring hit. This hit ignores physical terrain, range limit, and other Stand abilities. Once this hit is done, the bead slides back and is considered used up. As the power of this Stand grows, the number of beads on the right side of the abacus decrease, thus making it easier to use the more powerful left side beads. Also, as a surprise this Stand could potentially have right-side beads get slid over by "defeating" another Stand user in a game or sport preemptively before a battle.

If the Stand hits anyone else while it has active beads, ALL of its beads are reset, both on right and left. This Stand is only good with one on one battles.

[4]「HELL N BACK」
Type: Swarm Type, Excellent Defense
Ability: This Stand appears as a swarm of flower blossoms with no stems. Whenever this Stand is used, the user can create exactly one flower on an object. Because this is a swarm type stand, destroying just one flower head deals essentially no damage to the Stand user. Every few seconds, the flower buds will start to multiply- first creating a bud, and then 'blooming' when its active. Destroying a flower will prevent it from multiplying, but Flowers can be placed in sneaky places like inside a pant leg or handbag, or even inside your mouth and can multiply to go totally out of control.

Once there are at least two or more flowers, the person must repeat any action they attempt equal to the number of flowers on their body. If the flowers are on an object, then you must use the object that many times equal to the number of flowers. For example, if the flowers were placed on you and you took a step, you'd need to step as many times as there were flowers. If you fired a gun covered in flowers, you'd need to pull the trigger equal to the number of flowers on the gun and so on.

[5]「LIONROCK」
Type: Closer Range Power Type, Poor Stats
Ability: This Stand looks liked a golden, idealized version of a man with a wrestling championship belt. It has a hole where its face should be, which from behind the user almost looks likes its framing their face. This Stand's ability is to just make everything the user does, says, or attempts to do look incredibly intimidating and powerful.

Against this Stand and its user, you'll feel as though you're hopelessly outmatched, unless thought is used to see that the effects of his actions are mediocre at best. The Stand is actually really weak and shitty, it just tricks people into giving up by seeming unbeatable.

[6] 「NATIONAL ANTHEM」
Type: Remote Control Stand
Ability: This stand is a small instrument or music player. The Stand Master simply has to play or begin the tune around the intended target. From then on, the target will start to hear the Stand from any other device that can play music, such as phones, televisions, music players, intercoms, street musicians, and so on.

As they hear the music, their body will begin to transform into an animal. The animal is always a stereotype of their body and personality- a big hairy guy might start to turn into a bear, a slim swimmer will turn into an otter, flirty librarian will turn into a big fancy bird, and so on. The transformation takes a long time, but goes faster the longer they are within range of the music. The person turning into an animal will retain their full human mind and ability until the transformation is complete, in which case they are fully an animal in both mind and body.

 

[7]「ABRACADABRA」
Type: Medium Range, High Defense
Ability: This Stand has a long purple cloak which is used for its ability. If this cloak covers any part of a living thing, that part of the living organism will turn into a robotic version of it. The person or animal still retains full control of that body part, but it now has the capabilities of a machine and the disadvantages of a machine at the same time.

For example, a person with their legs turned into a machine's legs mean they are as hard as metal, and they won't get tired from running around, but they would 'short out' from getting shocked or their metal parts would rust very fast if submerged in water, and so on. Any stand that heals living things won't work on robots, but anything that can repair or modify machines could work on the robot body parts. The user of this Stand can use it to turn themselves into a machine for strength, or enemies to try and disable them.

[8]「BLIND GUARDIAN」
Type: Long Range
Ability: This stand appears like a flat, chrome eagle. This is a long range stand, and the user can see anything reflected in its body as long as they are outside at the same time (they look at the reflection on its body with a supernatural sense of sight). The eagle itself cannot see, and requires its user to guide it. As it flies, it can turn sideways to become nearly invisible to anyone on the ground, but if it turns sideways towards its user they will not be able to see anything through it.

This stands ability forces anyone the user can see to "trip". The person can trip in any direction, even straight up. The ability deals very little damage on its own, but can obviously be used to 'trip' people into dangerous objects or into other people to start fights etc. People who are agile can recover from these trips, but the more injured you are the more powerful these trips become. Eventually the "trips" become more like being flung several feet in any direction the Stand user choose- even including straight up to slam them against the ground or kill them from a far height.

World of Horror - Some Thoughts

Sup. I've been playing World of Horror recently. At the time of this writing, the game is still in early access, but mostly feature complete and well polished minus the save system. Still, it's great fun.

If you haven't heard of this game- it's great. It sets out to be a Japanese-ish computer adventure game from the 80s heavily influenced by Junji Ito and it succeeds at that 100%. One of my favorite things is the name- it's the WORLD of Horror. It's not just a single case file, but many events linking together a loose story, while you battle against an inhuman force beyond your ability. It's exactly as though you were thrown into an Ito manga and were genre savy- but brave enough to stick around and actually try to stop whatever is happening. It's a bit of a Roguelite adventure game, with turn based combat and random story events. I'd highly recommend it just to support the developer if anything- small game with a big heart.

But the primary purpose of this blogpost was to talk about some of the mechanics from World of Horror that I really liked. World of Horror is somewhat similar to a TTRPG in many ways- stat rolls, combat systems, procedurally generated story, you get the idea.

For starters, the way your followers or companions who you have join you during an adventure is great. They don't directly add to your combat power, nor do they show up to help you with the weird shit so much. Instead, they act as a stat bonus (or sometimes negative- I try to kill these ones off as soon as possible of course) and can be used in combat as a one off attack (which always kills them) or they can be used to “distract” an enemy, which has a chance to kill them and grants you some more combat speed for the encounter. I think this design to hirelings is really interesting and, in the grand scheme, kind of unique. Having an extra hireling or follower who doesn't directly double your player's ability to do stuff is pretty nice, it's the sort of abstraction in gameplay I think works well. You can also consider that a highly charismatic character could have an entourage of a bunch of helpers, but all they do is add maybe a small bonus to a roll or act as a meat shield for an attack. I think that would be a nice way to “balance” out the player characters with a lot of charisma versus the ones with a little that doesn't involve just letting them have a ton more powerful helpers. Of course, balance isn't necessarily a primary goal of a game, which is why I put it in quotes, but it's still nice to strive for a “balance”.

Secondly, the combat has some really unique aspects to it in the form of the “religious aspects”. You fight ghosts almost totally different from other enemies. You can't just attack ghosts, you need to actually leave them offerings, appease their spirits, or perform a combination of claps and bows, like bowing at the waist. I'm not exactly sure what the correct combination of claps and bows actually does, since it seems you can do it on regular monsters and not just ghosts, and I've never been able to successful do it since it's kind of hard. I hope it's not cultural insensitive but that seems extremely culturally Japanese feeling, perfectly fitting for the game.

But my absolute favorite mechanic is something so minor, so abstract, that I was originally going to just name this as a “Vagueposting” article. But it's the “Power” stat. All enemies have a power stat. What does it do? Well in World of Horror, all it says it does is that it makes the enemy harder for you to hit with your attacks. That's it. Not a approximation of their “level”, not a damage or spell power modifier- It's essentially just dodge chance. In the tutorial case, you can perform a ritual (correctly) to weaken the scissor woman. If you do it incorrectly, she has a higher power and is harder to defeat.

I have no idea why I find this so fascinating. I have a weird thing for games with “Power” as a sort of generic stat, or all encompassing thing, but to me in World of Horror this seems perfectly fitting. Like the more powerful something is, the more impossible it is for a vunerable human like yourself to actually fight it. It's not that it necessarily dealing more damage to you, because enemies in this game can do more things then just damage your basic health or sanity. It's more like it's “presence” is more powerful. Harder to destroy and physically harm, it's pull on the world is supernaturally stronger. While it rubs slightly against the concept of a clear division of ghost enemies (which can't be hurt by physical attacks at all) and more regular monsters or creatures which can be anything from weird mutant people to serial killers to otherworldly entities. The more powerful they are, the more they transcend the physical reality you live in, the less you can do against them. Like they seep into the shadows of the room, their malovelnce almost makes them intangible. Almost like they are more of a presence then a flesh and blood creature you ever hope to fight.

But now, let's talk about a few negative things. As far as an “early access” indie game goes, World of Horror is really well polished. But the spread of content is weird to me. It feels like the developer put a lot of effort to finish a lot of things that aren't as impactful as the obvious, main things that everyone will notice. If that doesn't make sense, let me be more specific. The game has multiple characters with multiple costumes, you can also pick from several backgrounds which have unique events and parameters that make each run harder- this is great. But the game only has a total of about 12 case files, which is something you will need to be doing over and over again on any given run.

Edit: While writing this, the developer came in and dropped a new case file and a bunch of new events, so that's one me I guess. Like I said, this game is in development and has some great vision behind it!

The case files I think are the worst thing about the game; not the files themselves; most range from decent to really good. The idea to give case files multiple endings was brilliant- it adds to replay value and gives you an incentive to play a specific way if you're looking to get everything. But you have to do five of them every run, which always ends at the lighthouse. Because of this, you'll be doing almost half of the case files every single time you play, so the more runs you do (and since you'll die a lot) you'll be seeing the same cases over and over.

So here's my suggestion- make it so you only do 4 case files. This would cut down on seeing the same cases over and over, though obviously that would make the game much easier. In that regard I could see an overall increase in either the amount of Doom you get from events, or cutting down the amount of free healing you get after a case file. First you get a free +1/+1 for simply solving a mystery, then you get ANOTHER +1/+1 for taking a bath, and finally you get to pick another point to restore for either Stamina (health) or Reason (Sanity). This means you're getting a total of 5 stat points restored for completing a case file!

Second; the above issue is also present for Doom. In my first playthrough where I got to the lighthouse, I had about 90% Doom. I was excited to see the end of the game so close to the wire; but then I saw that I was getting Doom for climbing the staircase at the end even without failing a skill check. This I thought was terrible- since all games must end at the lighthouse, and you can't go into town or do anything (unless if you have an item or spell or something that reduces Doom, getting to 100% Doom isn't actually an automatic game over. Have a certain 90%+ Doom is actually a game over, since it's unavoidable Doom. This I felt wasn't very fun, but it's ultimately a minor complaint, as any playthrough where you have such a high level of Doom you're probably screwed anyway.

Finally; the events. After finishing a mystery, the game will have random events that can make it more difficult. I think these are great, but my problem with them is that they are not at all “balanced” with each other. What I mean is that some are relatively minor, and some are almost crippling. If after doing the first mystery my event is “Contained Water”, I just restart my run. Why? Because that event prevents you from bathing between missions. This bath restores +1/+1 to your stats, and you get to pick either +1 Reason, +1 Stamina, or +5 XP (usually not worth it unless if it's your first bath when you full health anyway). As such, this one is pretty terrible to get, especially early. However some of them, like the TV signal going out, doesn't do anything as far as I am aware!

So here's my suggestion for this- make it so finishing a mystery doesn't actually restore any stamina or reason. Why? Because this makes your recovery more reliant on the events, and ultimately more difficult. Instead, you can both bathe once after finishing a mission, and relax once, which uses the TV. Taking a bath restores +1 Stamina, and then you can pick another option- one option can be to restore another +1 Stamina (hot water?), and one option could be to soak (removing a minor injury). This would better fit the theme of the bath being your physical recovery. You could also keep in the option to bottle up some bath water (which I thought was hilarious, until I saw that it just gives you the “bottle of water” item you can drink- so stupid! Make it so you can sell your bath water to a perv. Much better and more fitting). Then, the TV acts as your ability to recover your reason. You automatically restore 1 Reason, then can watch a comedy (+1 more reason), watch the news (+5 xp perhaps?). I'd also like to see an option here to reduce Doom, perhaps watching a nature documentary reduces Doom somehow, or calling in things of what you found to science organizations as they work to understand it.

The reason why I suggest these changes is because at the end of the day, it's actually less stats total (+2/+2 maximum instead of the +2/+2/+1 choice of stat you get as vanilla) and makes the random events less totally punishing. You could also take the above and make it so one recovery action (bath or relaxing) can be done to recover the other stat as an option. So like in vanilla, you can take a bath to restore +1 Stamina, but can choose to use cold water which restores +1 Reason. This way, if the water is contaminated or the signal goes out, you still have a small, steady supply of healing, it's just slowing dwindling. This I feel matches the game's tone a lot better.

Regardless of my minor nitpicks; World of Horror is a great game. Even if the words “indie early access” frighten you, I already put about fourteen hours into the game with what it has to offer already. The music and art is enough to push it to yet another level- and I haven't even checked out the modding scene yet. This game is great and I'm eagerly watching its development- I can't recommend it enough.

Familiars = Stands

I was watching Jojo's Bizzare Adventure recently. This came to mind.

Art @Rowena Morill

Familiars = Stands

Sometimes, Wizards bind their souls to demons. Perhaps in this hypothetical setting, magic can only be cast by supernatural beings, and as such it is required to have a familiar to cast spells. Maybe the magic of a familiar spirit is the only kind of magic that is available to humans, beyond pesudo-works such as Alchemy. Perhaps Wizards don't have familiars, but you decree that your Warlocks do instead. Perhaps Wizards don't need familiars, but having one is a seductive power boost.

When a Magician binds a demon to themselves; it appears to them. Only those with familiars can see other familiars. Familiars can only be damaged by other familiars, or by “magic” weapons. Familiars can be Turned, but only if the Cleric knows one is present. To those not with a familiar spirit, the demon is invisible. The “attacks” of the familiar appear as spontaneous wounds on the victim's flesh, but it is truly the work of the demon perched invisibly on the Wizards shoulder.

Finally; nobody can get rid of a familiar, and everyone can only have one. Once you have it, you have it, and that's that. The familiar is banished if the user dies, except in the cases of suicide. Exceptionally forceful or ambitious demons will sometimes manipulate fate to make their user kill themselves, so they can be free, but by doing so lose access to the mental and spiritual energy that allowed them to manifest. As such, they trick their user only to kill themselves with a cursed blade they can reside in, or within a circle of standing stones that become their home, and so on. 

Familiar Stats

• All Familiars start with AC 10 and a To-Hit bonus of +0
• Any damage taken to the familiar go to its user.
• Familiars can move or pick up small objects, like books or keys. What most people believe a levitation or floating spell is actually a familiar carrying the object to its master
• Familiars cannot be seen except with True Sight or by anyone else with a Familiar
• Familiars can only be harmed by magic weapons
• Familiars feed off their user's mental strength and are primarily manifested by it. Add the user's Intelligence modifier to the Familiars To-Hit and AC
• Familiars are demons; they can be Turned.
• Familiars have a maximum range from their user, which is based on their power level.

Familiar Power Levels

Not all familiars are equal. Each familiar has a different level of power, represented by their size.

Imps are about as big as housecats to small dogs, and are the weakest and most common type of familiar. They deal 1d4 damage on a hit. Their maximum range is equal to a whole valley. Those with imp familiars often send them to spy on foes, or to deliver secret messages.

Devils are about as big as a human. They deal 1d6 damage on a hit. These include the ranks of succubi and incubi. Their maximum range is within a few rooms or a small forest clearing.

Danavas are about as big as an ogre. They deal 1d8 damage on a hit, and have a maximum range of one pace away from their user. Mostly, this means the master has to touch a target to harm them.

Familiar Powers

Familiars may have special powers. These are like signature spells, and if luck would have it the Wizard's new free magical ability could give them a serious edge over the competition, those once again it is the familiar doing the work.

In order to generate a familiar power, roll on the Cavegirl Gifted tables. Once for Aspect and once for Methods. Then, roll a 1d12 to see its damage/effect die size and then another 1d12 on the range if applicable. This isn't a perfect method but could get you close to something a random stand-power generator might be.

Side Notes

You could easily fit this concept of Familiars or “stands” into your game as a supplemental magic system. If you're one of those people with a hypothetical “you don't level up but get more powerful by stuff in the world” sort of guys, then this concept would work well as a side method of advancement for Wizardly characters. I would probably say getting bound to a familiar means you get +1d6 hit points, since Familiars are just an extra target for you to take damage from.