Victim Creation
Each victim is made up of a combination of cards which have written descriptors on them. There are no numbers, attributes, or stats like in normal TTRPGs. Instead, cultists make arguments for why the cards in their hand should make it easier for their victims to perform certain tasks. If the argument is accepted by their fellow cultists and the Shaman, they add one additional die to their roll for each relevant card, increasing their chances of success in that task.To create characters, the Shaman will ask the cultists a series of questions. Each cultist will write 2-3 answers to each question on seperate blank cards and then put them in a bowl in the center of the table. Once everyone has put in their answers to a question, each cultist will draw one card at random from the bowl. This card becomes a core part of their victim’s personality. The process continues until each question is answered and every cultist has a full hand of cards (3-5 depending on the scenario).
EXAMPLES OF VICTIM CREATION QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What is your name & major in college?
- Dabel Dennis, Theatre major
- Track club
- Smooth talker
- Anger Issues
- Lost the college championship table tennis match on purpose so I could go out with a member of the opposing team
The bulleted items above would be the cultist’s cards and makes up the personality and skills of their victim.
DESIGN THINKING
This character creation system is designed to function similarly to the start of many improv games and should be an entertaining part of the process itself. By allowing cultists to create their own descriptors, it helps make each Ritual feel unique to every group. By randomizing which cards the cultists ultimately recieve, it ensures that no “min-maxing” can occur - this means that cultists cannot purposefully create a victim who is perfectly tailored to succeed. Every victim will be unique and strange and unpredictable.
This character creation system is designed to function similarly to the start of many improv games and should be an entertaining part of the process itself. By allowing cultists to create their own descriptors, it helps make each Ritual feel unique to every group. By randomizing which cards the cultists ultimately recieve, it ensures that no “min-maxing” can occur - this means that cultists cannot purposefully create a victim who is perfectly tailored to succeed. Every victim will be unique and strange and unpredictable.