[Mechanics] Everything you need to know about NPSG CoC 7e

[wodine]

 

What has risen may sink, and what is sunk may rise… Cthulhu still lives. —H. P . Lovecraft

I am forced into speech because men of letters have refused to follow my advice; first we must learn the ways of the play by post.

So, what is play by post?

Simply put, the game takes place on this gaming site via the form of a post. You will post your character's actions in response to posts made by the Keeper and other players. The game, in many ways, reads like a book that each person in the game helps to write.

That’s how play by post operates, but let’s go over a bit, how to format your posts.

Many of the people that start out on this site finally get into their first game and post things like:

"I open the door and look inside."

"My character will check for any clues near the clock."

"Yes."

Each of those may respond to a Keeper’s post but they are not very interesting for anyone else to read. Once again, I want to stress you are posting for others to read and they want to enjoy the posts that you write as much as you want the Keepers’s posts to be full of neat stuff for you. Be descriptive in your post but don’t feel you have to write an entire book.

"Possibly Gilman ought not to have studied so hard. Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics are enough to stretch any brain; and when one mixes them with folklore and tries to trace a strange background of multi-dimensional reality behind the ghoulish hints of the Gothic tales and the wild whispers of the chimney-corner, one can hardly expect to be wholly free from mental tension."

You'll note that these ideas are written in 3rd person. Almost all of the roleplaying on this forum is done in third person, and this is the tense that you should use for this game, unless your Keeper asks otherwise.

The more you post the easier it becomes to write a post that is interesting to read.

I hope this post helps to give you enough of a general idea about posts and posting to allow us to move to the next thing, character creation. Feel free to ask any questions you want at any time during this game!

 

Character Creation

When you apply to a game, most Keepers will tell you what they are looking for in a character; as well as additional necessary world information. Is the game Victorian, 1920s, Weird War II, etc? In play by post games most Keepers want you to develop a background for your character that fits in with the game. That usually happens well before dice are rolled or character sheets are filled out. The background you write is similar to an audition. It gives the Kepper a chance to get a feel for your writing and whether you will fit in their game.

Once the background is finished and submitted you might want to work on that character. Many Keepers will give you a place to make necessary rolls for stats once your character concept is accepted. Don’t roll any dice until the Keeper invites you to! It is rude, presumptuous, and clutters threads.

Dice (and all formatting) are done via bbcode on the site. That means you have to understand just a little bit about how to code things.

Dice are rolled using the following code: <dice>xdxx</dice>

Replace all <>s with []s for the code to work.

The x before the d represents the number of dice you want rolled. The xx following the d represent the type of dice you want rolled: d4, d6, d8, or most importantly for Call of Cthulhu d100.

Let's say you're trying to open a locked door, so you decide to try and pick that lock. That would mean 1d100 for your character. And you need to roll beneath whatever your locksmith skill is, let us say it is 15%.

Dice * Lockpick:

d100

92

If you should need to roll attack rolls, you should also roll damage. Usually, you do this all in the same post (where you roleplay out your attack). This keeps the game moving. An attack roll for a .45 would look like this:
<dice>1d100 1d10+2</dice>

OK, dice rolling is fairly easy. Then most Keeperss will tell you how they want the character rolled up or created. The point buy is the most commonly employed system as it alleviates much of the hassle and player griping at unfair rolls.

The character background is not important for this game but just to give you practice write a short one. Keep it simple, a paragraph at most. Remember, in most other games on the site the background is potentially the most important part of your character.

For this game we will use the simplified purchase method to create your first character.

Money: Unlike many roleplaying games Call of Cthulhu is less focused on counting pennies. Literally.

CoC uses an abstract known as the ‘Credit Rating.’

A character’s Credit Rating indicates their place in society by looking at liquid, solvable, and total assets. Depending on how many of your Occupation Skill points you allocate your investigator is...

• 0 ...Penniless, living on the streets.
• 1-9 ...Poor, possessing the bare minimum; Edgar Allen Poe
• 10-49 ...Average, a reasonable level of comfort; Average Person
• 50-89 ...Wealthy, some degree of luxury; Thomas Edison
• 90-98 ... Rich, great wealth and luxury; JP Morgan
• 99 ... Immense wealth; Rockefeller.

While money will not save you from a Byakhee it does opens doors and greases wheels. Credit Rating can be used in place of APP to gauge first impressions, as money also talks.

Credit Rating is tracked as a skill but doesn’t work exactly the same however a high Credit Rating can be a useful, and so should be paid for with skill points when creating an investigator. Each occupation has a starting range for Credit Rating and can be adjusted with skill points.

Call of Cthulhu does not require money to be carefully tracked; however, it is useful to know limits of your spending power — for example, can the investigator afford to employ a team of archaeologists to excavate an Incan tomb?

Because this is a tutorial game, and everything you need will be provided to you simply set your Credit Rating to average value for your chosen profession.

 

Clarence Finneas Garfield - Clarence Finneas Garfield lives a privileged life, starting from the moment he was old enough to overlook Forest Hill in Cleveland, Ohio. Going to the best schools and finest country clubs, he rubbed elbows with the Rockefellers, the Morgans, Chases, and other rich and famous industry moguls of the time. His familial lineage even includes a president, which afforded the family significant clout during the late 1880’s. The family’s significance in the city has declined as the new century came in, bringing new blood into the city. The family patriarch passed leaving everything two his two sons, both children at the time. Control of the family fortune was transferred to Clarence’s grandmother who lived alone in mansion, often muttering to herself. Clarence sold his his share of the company as quickly as he could and the summer cottage in Brighton Beach, moved to Arkham and spends much of his time away hunting in the great places of the world. Clarence is well connected in Happy Valley region of the Wanjohi Valley. His favorite place to hunt, Clarence has hunted the great beasts of Africa, though he has also hunted something far more sinister. One evening, one of Clarence’s local Mbeere associates convinced him to try an old herbal tea which was said to heighten the senses. Remembering only bits and pieces Clarence recalls the repulsiveness of the thing. It was endowed with a trunk and great, uneven ears, and two enormous tusks protruded from the corners of its mouth. The ears were webbed and tentacled, the trunk terminated in a huge flaring disk at least a foot in diameter, and the tusks, which intertwined and interlocked at the base of the statue, were as translucent as rock crystal. Clarence remembers the shot he took ringing in his ears, and then he remembers waking up in a medicine man’s hut. He never saw his Mbeere friend again. Spending the last several months recovering in Arkham, Clarence’s relatively high social standing forwarded him an invitation to a museum gala opening.

120 Personal Skill Points Remain

Clarence Finneas Garfield	Big Game Hunter	42	M
Residence: Arkham, Mass	Born: Cleveland, OH
Str: 38; 19; 7	Dex: 58; 29; 11	Int: 60; 30; 12
Con: 70; 35; 14	App: 39; 19; 7	Pow 60; 30; 12
Siz 60; 30; 12	Edu: 70; 35; 14	Move Rate: 6
HP: 13/13	Sanity: 60/98	Luck: 55/99	MP: 12/12
	SKILLS
Accounting: 05	Anthropology: 01	Appraise 05	Archaeology: 01
Art/Craft: 05	Brawl: 25	Charm: 15	Climb: 20
Credit Rating: 50	Cthulhu Mythos: 01	Disguise: 05	Dodge: 29 (1/2 Dex)
Drive Auto: 20	Elec Repair: 10	Fast Talk: 05	Firearms (Hand): 45
Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun): 75	First Aid: 30	History:05	Intimidate: 15
Jump: 20	Lang (Swahili): 50	Lang (Native-English): 70 (Edu)	Law: 05
Library Use: 20	Listen: 20	Locksmith: 01	Mech Repair: 10
Medicine 01	Natural World 25	Navigate: 10	Occult: 05
Op. Hv. Machine01	Persuade: 10	Pilot: 01	Psychology: 10
Psychoanalysis: 01	Ride 05	Science;Biology 01;10	Sleight of Hand: 10
Spot Hidden: 50	Stealth 40	Survival: 10	Swim20
Throw 20	Track 26

Weapon	Regular	Hard	Extreme	Damage	Range	Attacks	Ammo	Malf
Unarmed	25	12	5	d3+0	-	1	-	-

Credit Rating	50
Cash	250.00
Assets	25,000.00
Spending Level	50.00

Gear and Possessions:

Physical Description:

Ideology/Beliefs:

Significant People:

Meaningful Locations:

Treasured Possessions:

Injuries/Scars: N/A

Phobias and Manias: N/A

Arcane Tomes, Spells, Artifacts: N/A

Encounters with Strange Entities: Chaugnar Faugn

 

Call of Cthulhu 7th edition NPSG

Story Introduction The Lie in the Library Prominent Boston attorney, Joseph Edward Eliot (45), was arrested yesterday and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Florence Davis (22). Mr. Eliot was discovered wandering the countryside near his family manor located in Essex, Mass. It is reported that Mr. Eliot was found groggy, incoherent, and covered in blood. On arrival, local sheriffs discovered evidence of a struggle and grisly murder though no body was recovered. When questioned, Mr. Eliot was unable or unwilling to respond. Joseph Edward Eliot, Esq., a prominent Boston attorney, has nowhere left to turn and has sent a desperate message to his distant cousin in an attempt to clear his good name. Nearly three months ago Joseph and his lively girlfriend Florence were summering in the hills of Essex, Northern Massachusetts. The manor style home sits overlooking the Essex Bay and was built by Joseph’s great-great-great grandfather Samuel Eliot in the mid-1760s. This past summer Joseph and Florence were enjoying their season long vacation when it abruptly ended in tragedy and horror. In the early morning hours of June 2, 1928, Joseph was found wandering the Seaconke Trail by John and Martha Coolidge. Joseph was dressed in his pajamas, babbling incoherently, and his arms and chest were covered in someone else’s blood. His wife’s body has not been found and Joseph was arrested for the murder of his beloved wife. The Murder trial is set to begin on January 7, 1929. The Massachusetts State Police and the locale Essex Country Sherriff’s Department have already investigated the Eliot Manor; they’ve collected all evidence, photographed the scene and cataloged everything that the prosecution plans to present at the trial. Joseph’s defense attorney (and business partner), Charles Dwight, is doing his best to prevent Joseph from meeting his fate in the electric chair, but with lacking evidence, no alibi, and the blood found on Joseph, Dwight fears that Joseph is going to spend the rest of days behind bars, and that those days may be numbered. Over the weeks Joseph’s mind has returned to him, somewhat, and he has been ranting and raving that a ‘darkness’ took his beloved. The papers have wasted no time painting Joseph Edward Eliot as a lunatic or cold-blooded murderer who should be put down for his monstrous crimes. It is up to you, as an investigator and family member, to discover the truth, however heinous.

Keeper’s Note The Keeper's Truth Map Samuel Eliot was an American banker and businessman from Boston. He served as president of Massachusetts Bank, and was a highly successful Boston merchant owning and operating what was then the precursor to the department store. At the time of his death, he had amassed one of the largest fortunes in Boston, had founded the Eliot chair of Greek Literature at Harvard and was a corresponding member of the Society of the United States. In 1806, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences finally departing this world on January 18, 1820. In truth, he was more than that, he was a warlock who made a deal with a particularly nasty creature that bestowed the Eliot line with luck, wealth, fortune, and health. Of course, no such packs are done out of good faith and the creature demanded blood and bone as payment for the gifts it bestowed, and Samuel was more than willing to pay. Of course, Samuel Eliot was never quite satisfied and continued asking for greater and greater things; but he was too clever for his own good. He devised a method to trap the creature in his vacation home, where he and his bloodline would continue to reap the rewards of the pack but no longer need to sacrifice townsfolk to the beast. And so, the spell was completed, sealed with a ring that must be worn by an Eliot. As long as the ring is worn the spell keeps the beast sealed within a painting, housed in the Eliot Manor’s library. Time carried onward and the ring made its way down the family tree. The creature remained; mostly forgotten beneath the Manor, and as time continued to pass the truth faded, as the creature became myth and legend, and was eventually forgotten all together. The ring remained, passed down and worn out of unwavering tradition by the first-born male of the line; each in turn continued to reap the rewards of the bloody seeds Samuel Eliot planted. On June 2, 1928, Joseph Edward Eliot, the current Eliot patriarch, removed the ring placing it in his pocket while tending to chores in the manner. Meanwhile Florence made her way to the library to use the Edison Amberola phonograph located within, and accidentally stumbled into the long-forgotten creature’s domain and was attacked. Joseph heard the screams and ran to Florence’s aid only to witness the plucky woman’s body being torn asunder. Throughout the commotion, the ring popped out of Arthur’s pocket tumbling to the floor. The creature hid the ring within a handwritten and now hollowed out copy of De Vermis Mysteriis. The creature, having spent centuries encased in a painting, is now a rage-filled horror intent on revenge and the destruction of the Eliot family. It will torture and kill any of the Eliot line, and anyone who stands in its way. If an investigator of the Eliot bloodline can find and wear the ring, the creature will be forced back into the prison which was crafted so many years ago.

The Game Begins:

Charles Dwight, a shrewd looking man with bifocals, a receding hairline, and a goatee the color of salt and pepper, sat gently behind his plain yet well-constructed desk. He ran a finger along a strange looking black box, This device is a telegraphone, a very advanced piece of equipment. Luckily the Poulsen company is one of our clients, and we have access to such oddities. Think of it as a phonograph, only instead of music it plays back your own voice. Or in this case Joseph’s. I thought it best you hear it from him.

Charles pressed down a button and a wheel began to turn, and after a few scratchy notes the voice of [Name]’s distance cousin emanated from the strange box: Cousin! Please… I can’t explain all that’s happened, but you must help me. I didn’t believe, I couldn’t believe! It all seemed so fantastical, but the blessing, the curse of the Eliots, it’s true and it's alive and it's in the library! When I saw the wretched thing I must have dropped my ring, you must find it so you can prove to the police that the genie is real and that I’m innocent! The tape ended with an audible click.

I think we both know that there’s no such thing as genies. Charles opened a silvered cigarette case taking one for himself and offering one to [Name] as well. Closing the case, he continued with a half-cocked mouth as he reached for the matching silver lighter. Your poor cousin has been under tremendous stress these last few years, and he finally snapped killing that poor flapper girl.

Taking a long drag from the cigarette Charles handed [Name] a manila folder with a photograph of the library of the old Eliot Manor. The photograph, though black and white, shows shelves of books, a bust, and several out of focus paintings. There is a significant amount of blood splattered on the wooden floor. A truly horrific sight.

Charles slid an envelope across the table, The key to the Manor and a letter of access – in case the local authorities are still nosing around. I should note, it’s only due to my lingering love and respect for Joseph than I even considered this ridiculous desire of his. I doubt you’ll find anything the police missed, but good luck.

[Name] set out directly from Mr. Dwight’s office, taking the train to Essex and having a driver take them to the manor grounds. Having already inspected the grounds, and the entire first floor, [Name] made note of nothing of significance or interest, and continued on to the upstairs. [Name] stood with only one small wing of the manor left to be explored which housed a small conservatory, and the library which also contained a small gallery. The earthiness emanating from the conservatory filled the hall with a deep rich smell - and the almost oppressive aura of the library lingers in the air.

The Conservatory: The conservatory stood devoid of any signs of recent life or activity. The plants, which had likely once been lush and green have begun to wither and brown, no longer receiving care from housekeepers or tenants. A musty smell hung in the air reminding [Name] of the smell of an empty city street during fall when the leaves had just begun to fall and litter the ground. There was a sense of foreboding in the air, undoubtedly the result of knowing that beyond the next door awaited the library.

Clue Number One: With a Successful Spot Hidden roll, the investigator finds a small moldy chest tucked in among the plants. Edit: This is an important first clue I would allow two or even three rolls if they attempt to search different areas of the room.

[Name] looked around the room, they noticed an old chest tucked into the corner, mostly obscured by an overgrown ficus. Inside they found old sepia tone photographs, drawings, and journals. Additionally, there was a small painting of a stern-looking man in Puritanical clothing. The painting drew the eye to a large, black-jeweled ring on the middle finger of the man’s right hand. On the back of the painting near the painter’s illegible signature is written, “The Wizard Samuel Eliot.”

Keeper’s Note: The magical binding ring is featured in the painting.

Additionally, the painting's eyes seem to follow the viewer, burning intently judging his or her very soul. This calls for a Sanity check (0/1D2).

IF the Investigator fails their Sanity Check: The eyes of the painting seem to follow [Name] no matter how the painting is moved. Samuel Eliot's gaze burns to the very depths of [Name]’s being, making them question your reason for being here, and for existing at all.

If the investigator further inspects the box or the journal, call for a Language (English) check, to decipher the archaic script.

[Name] thumbed through a handwritten journal dated 1763. It appears to have been written by Samuel Eliot, the following passage stands out: Lo, the accords are sealed in the blood of innocence, and the bond has been set in colors of sinful Venice. Wealth and fortune shall forever floweth from the cup of the Eliot line. The price is blood, blood that has been defiled through unholy rites, but that which has been despoiled is righted in gold.

---

Any additional searches of the conservatory produce no additional information however;

If the investigator makes an additional spot hidden roll, on a success they find 1 of the following tucked in among the overgrown plants: Shovel (1D6+DB), Hoe (1D4+DB), or a Hammer (1D4+DB).

If they roll a hard success, they find either a Dagger (1D4+2+DB), or a Trowel with very sharp edges (1D4+2+DB); and if they have an extreme success they find a Calvary Sabre (1D8+DB) planted deeply into the dirt near a palm tree.

The Library:

[Name] approached the door leading to the library and steeled themself for the grisly scene awaiting inside. No one except for the police have been in the house since the murder – and the local sheriff certainly wasn’t going to clean things up. [Name] placed their hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before finally turning the knob, opening the door. A sudden wave of relief, mixed with disappointment and confusion washed over [Name], as they took in the sight of the room. There appeared to be no sign of the murder anywhere inside the library.

Second Clue: As the investigator enters the library, they recognize the library as the room in which the murder took place from the photograph shown to them by Dwight. No signs of the blood in the photographs are seen now, however.

If the investigator looks for blood and succeeds at a Spot Hidden roll, they notice tiny flecks of blood spatter on some of the books on a nearby shelf. It looks like tiny amounts of blood spray has soaked into some of the softer volumes, but there appears to be nary a drop on the floor.

Keeper note: the creature has devoured the blood.

As the Investigator moves through the library:

Hundreds of volumes filled the built-in shelves of the library. Topics ranged from literature, sea lore, philosophy and religion. Special items included an amateur history of the Eliot family and a handwritten copy of the Algonquian Scripture signed by its transcriptor, Captain Abner Ezekiel Ingersoll. Above the fireplace, the enormous figure of a woman carved in wood stared menacingly down upon the room like a wooden gargoyle her once smooth frame now splintered and weathered, paint chipped and faded. A beautiful Oriental rug covered the floor nearest the fireplace. Two wingback chairs faced the fireplace with a table between them, a large volume, bound in leather, rested atop the table.

---

If the investigator examines the leather-bound book:

[Name] fliped through the old leather-bound book and noticed that it isn’t a true book, but rather a scrapbook and journal. Through its pages it has several notable instances. Several of these instances date back as far as 1785 and each one was a horrible catastrophe. ‘Fire devastates farmland,’ ‘The Great Blizzard of 1888,’ 1869 Hurricane 100,000 damages and climbing,’ ‘Local Man Struck by Lightning.’ Each one of these stories discussed how the Eliot family escaped financial ruin.

If the player makes a successful INT check or inquires, note that the man struck by lightning is none other than a teenage Joseph Edward Eliot.

A spot hidden roll near the chairs, book, or fireplace will lead the investigator to the carpet, which has small blood stains and is covering a small trap door.

[Name] noticed a small spot on the ornate rug beneath the chairs and bent down for a closer look. There are several small flecks of dried blood caked into the carpet, and what’s more, from this angle they noticed a strange cut in the floor. [Name] lifted up the carpet and found a small trap door beneath.

The Trap Door:

Keeper Note: From this point onward every clue the PC finds has a chance to awaken The Beast. Use your best judgment or leave it up to the RNG gods - Your call.

---

Opening the trap door requires a successful Locksmith check, smashing the lock open (making noise and potentially alarming the beast), or finding the key (in the gallery).

After opening the trap door, the investigator finds a small subfloor approximately four feet deep spanning five feet in every direction and in the center of that small room is a pile of unearthed human bones. While many of the bones have been crushed and are unrecognizable, some may be identified as human— call for a First Aid, Medicine, Science (Biology), or Hard Know roll to determine their human origin. Discovery of the bones calls for a sanity roll (1/1D3 loss) and the realization of their human origin calls for a Sanity roll (1D3/1d6 loss).

[Name] finally managed to get the trap door open, and as they gazed into the pit a gasp escapes their lips. What they unearthed was a small room, no more than a few feet deep stretching out in all directions about five or-so feet, and there in the middle of the pit, was a pile of bleached bone.

As they peered at the bones, a chill ran down [Name]’s spine as they realized that they were human bones, belonging to a dozen, maybe more, people. How did they come to be here, and how had they gone unnoticed?

If the investigator actively digs through the pile they reveal a partial human skull, on which pieces of desiccated flesh still cling. A successful First Aid, Medicine, Science (Biology), or Hard Know roll identifies it as a female skull. It also becomes apparent the skull has been gnawed on and has teeth marks. The flesh clinging to the skull indicates the death was approximately 8 months ago (this is Florence Davis’ skull). The roll also confirms that the female died from a vicious animal attack—it is highly unlikely that Joseph Eliot could be responsible for Florence’s death.

[Name] dug through the bones and eventually found a partial human skull with bits of desiccated flesh still hanging on by the scalp; clearly the newest addition to the pile. The lightness of the bone, combined with the rounded forehead and pointed chin suggested that the skull originated from a woman, and that she has been dead for about eight months. There are large scratches in the desiccated flesh and tooth marks scrapped along the parietal bone, scratched which appeared to come from large, inhumane teeth.

That which goes Bump Image Courtesy of Wodine The Slavering Darkness The slavering darkness is a writhing mass of inky black tentacles which shine with an inhuman light, each tipped with a sharp ring of teeth. It has no recognizably humanoid or animal features; no eyes, no face, no soul. From afar the sight of the creature alone can be maddening, but the unctuous stench, akin to rotting eggs and an uncovered grave permeates the air around the beast. STR 70 CON 235 SIZ 80 DEX 35 INT 110 APP — POW 190 EDU — SAN — HP 22 DB: +1D4 BUILD: 1 MOVE: 7 MP: 33 Special Powers: Move through shadows: can use shadows as portals, allowing it to move from shadow to shadow within a twenty-yard radius. Each “jump” costs 1 magic point. The creature uses this ability for surprise attacks: allow an investigator to make a Listen roll: if failed, the creature gets a surprise attack against the helpless investigator. Telekinesis: able to hurl objects through the air, directed against the investigators as an attack or to distract them. Costs 5 magic points to activate plus 1 magic point per point of SIZ of the object being moved (e.g. a jar full of nails or a hammer costs 3 magic points, a spade or shovel 6 points, and so on). The Keeper should determine the damage caused by differing objects based on the number of magic points spent per SIZ, in a 1:1 ratio. Attacks per round: 1 Fighting Attack: Lashes with its tentacles for 1d4-1 damage, or can attempt the ‘bite and hold’ or ‘rip and tear’ (see below). Bite and hold (mnvr): if successful, one of the creature’s tentacles has looped around a limb and its teeth latch onto the limb, inflicting 1 point of damage. The creature needs to perform this maneuver five times for a human target, who may attempt to break free of each hold with a successful opposed STR roll. Steadfast comrades may also attempt to sever a tentacle gripping a friend’s head, arms, or legs with a successful attack roll (4 points of damage (after armor) is enough to cause a tentacle to release its hold)—note that a comrade’s fumbled attack roll means their attack hurts their friend rather than the creature. Rip and tear: this maneuver is only possible once all its target’s limbs have been successfully held. The creature cannot make a “bite and hold” and a “rip and tear” attack in the same combat round. If all of an investigator’s limbs and head are held, call for an opposed roll (instead of the creature’s attack roll), with the target’s CON opposing the creature’s STR. If the creature wins, the target is literally torn limb-from-limb, causing 5D6+1D4 damage. Should the target win, they suffer only half damage. Those witnessing such a sticky end should make a Sanity roll (1D4/1D8 loss). Stats: Fighting 40% (20/8), damage 1D4+1 Bite + hold (mnvr) 30% (15/6), damage 1 + limb/head held Rip and tear Automatic success, make opposed roll (see above) Dodge 10% (5/2) Armor: 1-point of extra-terrene biology—impaling weapons inflict half damage. Spells: none. Sanity loss: 1D3/1D8 Sanity points to see the creature of darkness.

The gallery:

Several large paintings hung on the walls in this room and several ornate sculptures stood on display on carved ionic columns of white marble. One of the paintings in particular, draws [Names]’s attention. The fiery backdrop and jagged ground left an area strangely empty in the foreground, where something should have been. A figure, a building, a standard, a person - anything. Everything on the canvas seems to wrap around a central place but that emptiness was strange and unnerving. [Names] find this painting very unpleasant, but also could not help but look. The frame was also strange, with odd ornate sigils carved into the bleached material.

Call for and Occult Roll.

Whether the Occult roll is successful or not, those viewing the painting find it difficult to tear their gaze from it, as it appears to writhe before their eyes!
Call for a Sanity roll (1/1D6 loss).

Keeper note: the magical painting binds the creature but requires the Eliot ring to be worn by a living descendant of Wizard Eliot to be effective.

---

The final clue: The Binding Ring

Now, the binding ring can be hidden anywhere but I usually choose one of a few places, either the pile of bones, hidden in the stack of books in the library, or on the floor near the ornate busts.

Because this is an intro game and I highly doubt any investigator will be able to kill the slavering darkness without the ring, I suggest making it available no matter where the investigator looks.

Ask the investigator whenever/wherever they look for the ring to make a Luck roll to find the ring. Hopefully, they've managed to figure out that if they put the ring on it will restore the spell, or at the very least end the madness.

The Binding Ring:

[Name] found an ornate golden ring with a large black stone set into the center. They grasp it in the palm of their hand, and they felt a sudden headrush, similar to the one experience when you stand too fast – [Name] could hear their pulse thrumming in their ears. The feeling slowly subsides, leaving their fist clenched around the ring.

Keeper Note: If the player is completely lost you may have the creature goad the investigator, giving them a clue in the process. Perhaps have the creature taunt the investigators, saying, “I will be free! The ring shall bind me no more!” If the investigator doesn't understand the significance of the ring, the creature could appear nearby and whisper, “Your blood is cursed! All Eliots must die!” Hopefully, such clues can draw the player's attention to the ring and their need to wear it.

---

Keeper Notes: Play out the ending as you wish however, as this is a tutorial it would be nice if the investigator was able to triumph by putting on the ring – but it is the nature of Call of Cthulhu to be brutal, thus it is imperative to make it difficult. Smack them around, cause some insanity – you know the drill.

When/If the investigator finally slips on the ring:
The ring slid gently onto [Name]’s finger – something about it just felt right. [Name] suddenly felt a slight prick near their knuckle, like a needle had stuck their skin. The black stone set in the center suddenly swirls with a deep crimson color, which then faded back to black.

Suddenly [Name] was overwhelmed with a lightheaded feeling, the sound of thunder rung in their ears as they heard the sound of screams; the writhing mass of inky darkness lunges one last time. Moments before the mass of teeth and tentacles could slam into [Name] the creature froze in place. It began to lose coherency gradually becoming more and more transparent. As its corporeal frame faded [Name] could see a dark form growing in that damn painting.

[Name]’s heart was pounding, but the creature was no more – somehow trapped in the painting which hung only a few feet away. With no idea how or why, [Name] somehow knew putting that ring on saved thier life, and that they are bound to this place forever, and can never remove the ring.

All that was left wass to decide what’s to be done about [Name]’s dear deranged cousin.

Putting on the ring and watching the creature phase out of existence costs the player an additional d6+2 sanity. If this would deplete the investigator’s sanity you may wish to roleplay their descent into madness or have them pass out only to awaken in a nearby sanitarium facing a similar fate as his cousin.

The choice is yours.

The End.