Instruments
of Terror
Music
can be a form of magic in the World Between; these enchanted music
instruments are but a sampling of its legendary melodious wonders.
The
Viola of Erich Zann – This ancient viola is said to have
belonged to a master musician named Erich Zann. According to legend,
Zann devoted his later years to studying how the power of music could
be harnessed to keep otherworldly evil from entering the World
Between. Zann's viola is believed to be imbued with his spirit;
indeed, any music played on this instrument gains an unnerving, alien
tone. Once per day a musician may frantically play the viola to
conjure forth weird music unlike any that can be heard elsewhere.
This music has the effect of a Protection from Evil 10' Radius
spell. Furthermore, once per day the viola can be played in front of
a portal to another dimension to seal it. However, portals sealed in
this way may re-open in 2d8 weeks.
I always felt that music-magic was under-used.
ReplyDeleteIt is encouraging to see it here, as well as to see a positive enchanted item in the World Between.
Thanks!
DeleteI could totally see that first face with a word balloon yelling "Herp!" and the second one yelling "Derp!" =)
ReplyDeleteWorking the mythos cosmicism into the gothic conventions is an interesting flavor because it leap-frogs the modern/enlightenment perspective. From humans being a tiny power in a world of spirits, right over the rational hubris, and back to humans being a tiny power with the added kick of being insignificant (beneath notice) as well.
I've been playing with magic items for the World Between,and how to make them. What do you think?
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/creating-magic-objects.pdf
Well, I tend to read Lovecraft as someone who is more indebted to the Gothic traditions that move "Lovecraft guys" seem to allow, so I suppose it makes sense considering how I am using Lovecraft's works here. I've also been thinking about Lovecraft's cosmic horror in terms of Burker's ideas on the sublime, but that's a another story.
DeleteRules on how to make magic items are interesting to me because I've never really had codified guidelines for that that I've used in play.
Lovecraft's writings are heavily influenced by many gothic writers, and most strongly by Edgar Allen Poe.
DeleteOver the years, as the Cthulhu mythos has been added to by other writers, the Poe influence is less pronounced, but it was always a strong element of Lovercraft's own writing style. Many of his stories are much more gothic tales than cosmic horror, it's just that the Cthulhu stuff tends to overshadow the rest.
But all of it is wonderful stuff to borrow from.
I think it's also noteworthy that so many artists and musicians play important roles in Lovecraft's writings. Creative people in his stories had a tendency to see deeper into the realms of the supernatural... often with disastrous consequences.
This is a good plot hook that is rarely used outside of Call of Cthulhu, and something that could be dropped into nearly any game that has supernatural elements.
Agreed 100%. Even Lovecraft scholars avoid the stories that don't fit their neat definition of what Lovecraft was up to in his fiction. And game designers seem to be even more "selective" that his work.
DeleteI thought it was important to put musical instruments as a right-away game option in my system. Player characters as artists is an important flavor element even if they aren't bards.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that mythos stuff and Gothic stuff are incestuous breeds. =)