Mythos Corruption – Optional Rules

Call of Cthulhu encourages many different styles of play and formats, such as one-shot survival horror, short and deadly investigative modules, and long-form heroic campaigns to name just a few. The alternative Mythos Corruption framework we have presented may not mesh well with every game, but we would like to present some optional rules that could facilitate its incorporation at your table.  Modified Mythos Resistance (Sanity) Costs You may wish to compensate for the fact that your Investigators no longer suffer losses related to Mundane Horror by making a simple cost adjustment. Every check will result in the loss of at least one point of Mythos Resistance (Sanity). That means your Investigators will always experience

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Vulnerability & Mundane Horror

In our current Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, we have introduced Mythos Corruption as an alternative framework to the classic Call of Cthulhu Sanity mechanic. This modification to the existing 7th edition rules provides a slightly different means for tracking the effects of Mythos and mundane horror. By shifting the emphasis from deteriorating sanity to progressive cognitive corruption by incomprehensible forces, we have altered the effects of mundane horrors on our Investigators. Instead of the banal disturbances and terrors of our mortal world working in tandem with the Mythos to chip away at an Investigator’s mental health, these events lead to vulnerability and weaken a character’s resistance to the effects of Mythos exposure. In developing this simple

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Roger Carlyle’s Books – A Player Project

  The rare tomes hiding in Roger Carlyle’s library present tantalizing treasure for Investigators to hunt in the New York chapter. The quest for these hidden books can help further stimulate player interest in Roger and his ill-fated expedition during the hectic aftermath of Jackson Elias’ death. Your group will likely first learn of the books in Jackson’s bewildering note reticently provided by Jonah Kensington (Carlyle Papers, America #13), and Erica Carlyle may help lead them to Roger’s stash. It may be helpful to add additional clues pointing to these valuable tomes throughout the chapter. Once your players learn of the books, they may pursue several different paths to obtain them, and you may want

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Mythos Corruption, an alternative to Insanity

  The Sanity mechanic dates back to the original version of Call of Cthulhu from 1981 and has remained a fundamental aspect of the setting providing Keepers and players a means to convey and roleplay the effects of horror in the game. Many other game systems have incorporated, adapted, or been inspired by this concept. Throughout our MoN campaign, we have been challenged to reframe the “Sanity” mechanic to more convincingly reflect its role in both the campaign and the broader Mythos world.  Part of the impetus arose from recurrent concerns about the depiction of mental illness and insanity portrayed by both the players and the NPCs.  Our playgroup consists of health care providers with

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Random Events – New York

The main campaign delivers an open world for your players to explore, choosing what leads to pursue, cultists to investigate, and NPCs to interview. The metropolis of New York offers plenty of potential for chance encounters to enliven and disrupt your players’ dogged attempts to understand Jackson’s brutal murder and begin to uncover the truth about the Carlyle Expedition. These suggested random events can provide inspiration for some exciting improvisations that may be used in a variety of ways to punctuate your session at the beginning, middle, and end. We will start with events for the premiere location in New York, Manhattan proper: Cultists – As the chapter gets underway, your Investigators may have increasing

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Mythos Monsters – The Chakota

A unique Mythos monster worshipped by the New York sect of the Bloody Tongue as a spirit minion of their god, the Chakota provides a horrifying physical encounter in the Ju-Ju House basement for Investigators. Housed in a deep pit covered by a massive stone block, the PCs usually must make intentional efforts to expose this creature and may suffer dire consequences for their curiosity. Here we will explore this Mythos entity found only in MoN and discuss some additional ways to incorporate it into your campaign in the absence of a harrowing basement encounter.  Described as a spirit in the campaign book, the Chakota appears in the New York chapter as a very physical

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Fan Favorite NPCs – Trinidad Rizo

Intentionally crafted to go easy on Investigators, the Peru Prologue does serve up a particularly gruesome demise for at least one non-player character. Poor Trinidad Rizo, the industrious undergraduate assistant, lays critical groundwork for the Investigators. In exchange for her efforts, the campaign expects Señorita Rizo to meet her untimely, fat-ful demise (yes, he went there – Ed.) in a dank basement storeroom at the hands of Luis de Mendoza. At Prospero House, we believe in rewarding solid research work, so we would like to offer some suggestions to potentially get Trinidad a bit more Prologue face-time.  Though hard-working, Trinidad may occasionally sneak away from her books and artifacts to enjoy Lima’s nightlife. Consider introducing

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Jackson Elias – Your Quest Giver

CAMPAIGN SPOILERS BELOW In taking on the incredible task of leading your players through the Masks of Nyarlathotep, you will be joined at its outset by a charming, worldly fellow, one Jackson Elias. Aside from the titular villain, no other character in the campaign can come close to the legendary fame and importance of the daring author. You will lean heavily on your faithful companion to put your players on the path to investigate the Carlyle expedition and unearth the cultists’ dire schemes. Through Jackson’s interactions and revelations, you will stimulate your player’s intrigue. And through his untimely demise, you will provide them with personal motivation to take up the investigative mantle while seeking vengeance.

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Chapter Inspiration – NYC

Turning to New York, we have a nearly endless selection to dig into, but we’ll focus on some inspirational imagery. When imagining Prohibition-era East Coast life, we can’t help but draw from the HBO series Boardwalk Empire simply for the incredible costume and set-work alone. While primarily set in Atlantic City, the show includes a good deal of underbelly New York action. The gritty New York gangster film released in 1939, The Roaring Twenties, begins in the trenches of the Great War and offers some classic genre imagery in black and white, as well as incisive social commentary. For fans of such films, this is an absolute classic and features the last paired casting of Bogart and Cagney.

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Puno – Peru Prologue’s Sidetrack

  The expedition to the ancient ruins in the Highlands will take the team through Puno where they will disembark from their motorized transport and begin their long trek into the mountains. The campaign book provides suggestions for interactions in Puno, which center around Jackson introducing them to Nayra, a wise-local woman. She can provide the Investigators with directions to the ancient ruins, as well as further reveal the nature of the kharisiri and their master, the Father of Maggots. Depending on the circumstances, your players may not need or choose to meet with her. In essence, Keepers may simply want to consider exploration of Puno a sidetrack to the chapter’s main event. By acknowledging

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