a 'Darkest Dungeon' themed RP

INTRODUCTION

Those of you who are unfamiliar with the game “Darkest Dungeon” by Red Hook Games, I highly recommend you check it out, now in Early Access on Steam.

Note: You don’t NEED to be familiar with the game to participate in the RP. Whether you are a veteran or have never heard of Darkest Dungeon, all are welcome.



It’s been nearly 2 months since the heir of the land has returned to claim what is his and started this campaign to purge the evil inflicted upon the land by the blind and mad ambitions of his ancestor. In this time, word has spread of his call for help, promises of bountiful rewards, great glories and a sense of duty have attracted many brave men and women ready to stand against the evil that plague this once proud and illustrious estate. In time, the small hamlet that serves as a base of operation for all these would-be heroes, has slowly seen activity restored with uneasy trading routes brining in traders with ample supplies at profitable prices, people who once owned a respectable establishment returning in hopes of brining their broken business back on its feet and sturdy work-force willing to help bring the estate to its once former glory brick by brick….all for a price, of course. Purging the evil that plagues this land is no easy task in any way, many have died or simply fled with terror in their hearts, until only very few remained, their spirit scared by the horrors they have witnessed and somehow survived, still pressing on to this maddening task for one reason or another. The lord himself seldom if ever shows himself to the people in his service, staying behind the locked doors of a modest building which once served as a guest house back in the days of yore, now taking the place of the venerable mansion that stood proudly atop the moor. The caretaker and a personal servant being the only ones allowed inside, one reporting the progress of the campaign, fetching new instructions and the details to new assignments which he will later pass along to those who came here seeking fortune and glory, while the other bring the lord his meals and takes care of more domestic matters. It’s been nearly 2 months and a bit of progress has been made, yet evil that plagues this land still has a tight grip upon it and almost all who were willing to venture out and confront it have either perished or gone mad, few still remaining. Today, the stagecoach has returned after a long expedition, brining in fresh new blood who have enlisted themselves to this task. Whether it be for fortune, glory or other reasons, they will soon be fighting for their survival and sanity as they thread through the blackened corridors and battle through the nightmarish creatures that lurk deep within….the Darkest Dungeon.

You are one of those who have heard the call for help from Weaverstar Estate and its returned lord, Sylas Weaverstar, deciding to enlist along with others to help fight against the evil that has plagued the once noble land. Your reasons for doing this are your own, yet you are not alone and soon enough you will have to rely on these strangers to fight by your side and ensure survival as well as sanity of mind.

This is a dungeon-crawler style RP, where our heroes will be wandering through dark corridors in search for both treasures as well as the source of the darkness that grips and corrupts the land. However, our heroes are not the stalwart and unshakeable sort from High-Fantasy, they more human and are affected both physically and psychologically by the horrors they face. Team-work is key, for a lone adventurer will soon find himself in an early grave after being overrun by what lurks deep beneath.

Terrifying creatures, dark halls and rooms with but a flickering torch guiding the way, limited supplies and the different quirks and flaws of each character, all will have an impact on our party and the odds of success for each expedition.

There is no particular order of posts yet I will assume all of you will be understandable enough not to spam 3+ posts while other barely got one through. My posts will consist in both a ‘regular’ post of my character as well as the environment and narration of the story which will react to your decisions.

When dealing with battle, rather than ‘godmodding’, describe your character’s actions, his intentions and the expected outcome.
Example : “Reynald rushes forward, swinging his mighty blade at the foul creature and hacking it in two.” Vs. “Reynald rushes forward, with a tight grip on his sword he raises the blade up taking a swing at the foul creature, aiming to hack it in two.”

See the diference?

Think of it like playing a Dungeons & Dragons game, where every outcome to a certain action is determined by the roll of the dice, just in this case I as the GM will play the role of the dice.

Warning : Expect things to go pretty badly for everyone ;)

Each character is unique from the other, each has its own personality and just like in real life, you are not always guaranteed to get along with everyone else. The traits and quirks of your character will have an impact upon their relationship with other characters, events that may happen and the environment itself. An alcoholic warrior would most likely be with a bottle in hand when wanting to relief some of the stress rather than trying to find contemplation in prayer, he may also not see eye to eye with another character who has sworn off liquor for whatever reason. Events and experiences may also alter your character’s personality, adding new quirks, changing existing or both. A long night of unanswered prayers may change the character’s religious beliefs ; a confrontation gone bad with an Undead may have made the character more fearful of their kind, thus reducing his prowess against them in the future ; a night of revelry at the tavern may have made a character addicted to drinks; I encourage you to be as creative as you can :)

Note on “Emotional Response” : When the stress of the task becomes to much and your character reaches their breaking point, they may react strongly to the situation. An ‘emotional response’ will affect both the character’s behavior to some degree as well as those around him. A character crippled with fear and terror may occasionally freeze in combat from the sheer horror that they confront and their frantic babbling may affect the rest of their party, for example. Again, be as creative as you will.





"Battle-hardened and stalwart, the Crusader has held the front lines in a hundred holy wars. He either attacks foes head-on with righteous fury, or embraces a melee support role by leveraging his powerful defensive buffs & off-heals. The Crusader wears heavy plate mail and wields a longsword. While affording him excellent protection and damage, his armor restricts movement, and his sword cannot be swung effectively in the back ranks"



"The warrior nun channels her zeal for battle into healing abilities, holy judgements and dazzling explosions of light. A strong backbone to any party, the Vestal can also hold her own on the front line with a powerful mace bash and close-quarters condemnations. Blessed plate-mail encases the Vestal as she delivers terrible violence and healing comfort in equal measure. A mace in one hand, a holy book in another - a study in contrasts, and all the more effective for it!"



"A rogue, a thug and a thief, the Highwayman has honed his skills with dirk and flintlock to devastating effect. Whether at range or in a melee, he is equally effective at dispatching his foes. Be it a grapeshot area-of-effect, or single target bleed, the Highwayman's skills focus solely on dealing damage in a variety of ways. The Highwayman's reinforced overcoat will dull a knife-strike, but he relies more on evasion than damage mitigation. His flintlock and short-sword afford him great versatility; he is never out of position or caught unawares"



"A brutally efficient single-target executioner and crowd control specialist. For the Bounty Hunter, planning is key - mark targets for bonus damage or look for opportunties to capitalize on a stunned foe. He can also wreak havoc on an enemy party's order using his grappling hook, flashbangs and powerful uppercut. The Bounty Hunter favors a hand-axe and grappling hook, a pairing that allows him to ensnare and execute his quarry with proffesional efficiency. His tough leather and scale armor grants decent protection, without sacrificing mobility"



"The Grave Robber is a versatile and nimble combatant, moving back and forth through the ranks with ease. She strikes without warning and retreats to the shadows, continuing her assault at range. If her throwing daggers and poison darts aren't getting the job done, she can return to the melee, buffed and slinging her pickaxe! A light coat is all the Grave Robber will wear, she favours mobility and dexterity over protection. Concealed within her garment are razor sharp throwing daggers, and buckled to her back - a pickaxe and shovel"



"Wild, unpredictable, and utterly ruthless, the Hellion thrills to the spilling of blood! Her massive glaive affords her impressive reach in combat, while its razor sharp edge leaves lasting wounds on enemies. Certain skills leave her exhausted, however, and she may occasionally need to take a turn to recharge her adrenaline before entering the fray once again. Crude leather and furs may offer little protection, but the Hellion lives to bear the scars of battle proudly. Her priority is wreacking havoc with her massive glaive and bathing in the blood of her adversaries"



"Combat is a power-ballad - a slow build up, and a grand finale! On offense, the Jester leaps to and fro in a bloody cacophony, positioning himself for a glorious end in the front ranks! Alternatively, he can hang back, delivering chilling melodies and unsettling riffs that terrorize his foes, and give strength to his allies. Clad only in mildewed cloth, the Jester makes a mockery of battle. Only a foul would underestimate the vicious bloodletting power of his sharpened sickle, or the discordant throng of his lute"



"A ruined man, a warrior, and a poet. The Leper is most effective when given a turn to focus himself before raising his massive blade. When he swings, it is all or nothing - crushing blows and massive damage or the empty whistling of a glancing blow. He is entirely self-sufficient, drawing strength from his life of trauma, and able to channel it into heals, protection, or unrelenting fury. Heavy and restricting, the Leper's bronzed curiass can absorb all manner of punishing blows. His massive sword is slow to swing, but delivers crushing damage to anyone caught in its unstoppable arc"



"A lifetime of scholarly inquest into ancient and forbidden lore has opened the Occultist's mind to the powers of the void. Debilitating curses and maddeningly impossible support skills are his specialty. The void, however, is an unpredictable power, and consequently skills' effectiveness can vary dramatically, and usually come at a cost of light, or stress. Scholarly robes, better suited to the library than the harsh realities of adventuring, are all the Occultist has brought with him. His rituals and chants require deft movements of hand and finger, so better he be unencumbered that he may channel the power of his morbid fetish: the polished skull of a dead man"



"A doctor, researcher and alchemist who prefers to hang back, eating away at her foes with stacking damage-over-time abilties like toxic clouds & plague-filled grenades. She is equally effective in a support role, blinding and confusing foes while enhancing a party's survival with damage-increasing tonics, and remedies for bleed and blight effects. The Plague Doctor wears only light cloth - intent on remaining as far from melee combat as possible. From a distance she lobs toxic satchels that can blind, disorient and eat away at her foes"

NOTE : Feel free to modify and make your own twist of these available classes.



Name
The name and/or nickname of your character

Age
Self explanatory . No younger than 23, please.

Gender
Self explanatory

Appearance
Picture or description are good, both are awesome

Personality
Self explanatory

Class
Refer to the “Classes” section

Gear
Describe the equipment and items that your character has upon their person at all time. You may use images if you like. Note – ‘miscellaneous’ items such as bandages, food, keys, etc. are to be excluded unless they are class related, such as a Bounty Hunter’s flash-bangs for example

Proficiency
Describe your character’s abilities, what he is good at in combat.

Traits
List the positive traits and quirks of your character and how they may affect themselves and/or other people. No more than 2, no less than 1

Flaws
List the negative traits and quirks of your character and how they may affect themselves and/or other people. One more than the positive traits.

Emotional Response
When the stress becomes too much and your character is reaching their breaking point, what will most likely be their emotional response and how will this affect those around?

Excerpt
This serves as a form of back-story for your character. Instead of simply explaining your character’s past, consider this as something like pages from a journal, where we get to see a glimpse of your character’s past from their own point of view. Be sure to also include how they heard of this place and why they enlisted. This can be however long or short as you wish.

If you have any questions, feel free to address them, no matter how small or complex. Ask and I will answer as best I can.