Jackson, IL: Am I Evil? NPCs of the Satanic Panic

Last week, I talked about running two different 80s-style teenage horror campaigns. My Sunny Valley, OH game with Dark Places & Demogorgons and my current Jackson, IL one with NIGHT SHIFT. 

I had such a good time talking about it that I wanted to explore these two games together some more. But the trick was finding a good pivot point for both of them. I started thinking, what do these two games have in common that I can really exploit for the 1980s? I came up with too many ideas to be honest, so I started thinking about characters. I decided my frame was going to be the Satanic Panic.

My Mother was a Witch

I recalled that the Dark Places & Demogorgons had a "Black Witch" class. In all my past witches for Sunny Valley, I used the White White class, naturally; all my witches tend to be "good." But I wanted to try something new. So I went to the Dark Places & Demogorgons Players Options & GM's Guide, and checked out their magic classes. I also looked into the Dark Places & Demogorgons Players Ultimate Edition for the Mystic Class. Both are great, really, the mystic is closer to the Mystic found in other Bloat Games products. I tried both, but to jump to the end of this, I went with the Black Witch.

On the O.G.R.E.S. side of things, I pretty much knew I wanted to try out the Sorcerer class from Wasted Lands, not that the class is all that different from the witch class; I did want to use some of the Heroic Touchstones from the Wasted Lands game. Again, long story short, I went with the witch and the sorcerer, but I could have stuck with the witch alone.  I did give them an Heroic Touchstone each, migth end up giving them some others later on. Both NPCs are more powerful than anyone character, that is by design. It also fits their backgrounds better.

I ended up with two NPCs and four character sheets. 

These two are going to be central in my Satanic Panic adventure that is going to pop up later on. How later? Well, game-wise, it is going to be Spring 1986, whenever I get to that. Currently, it is just before the 1985 Christmas break. One NPC is a central cause, the other will be a catalyst.

For these, I wanted to try and get each version as close to the other as I could so it felt like playing the same character in each game. 

Moria Elizabeth Zachary

Moria looks like a good girl. She attends the "other" school in town, St. Michael's Catholic High School. She will interact with the PCs either because she comes to take classes at Jackson Public High School (typically something like Calculus or another math class) or because one or more of the PCs have to go to her school (to take advanced Latin or Greek). This actually happened a few times in my own hometown. 

Moria is unassuming and very pleasant. She stands all of 5'1" and looks like the textbook definition of "harmless."

Trouble is, Moria Zachary is really a half-demon. Her mother was a witch from Sunny Valley, OH, and she moved here. Her father, well, he is not a local. Not to anywhere. He is a demon. Moria has moved her with her "Hellhond larva" dog and wants to stir up trouble now in Jackson. OR if you are using her in DP&D, then she is from Jackson and has moved to Jefferson Town.

Moria Zachary is a "mirror shard" of my own Moria Zami, who in my AD&D game is half-devil. Her job here is not to convince the characters to do evil, but to convince them that tools of "Good" are never going to be enough to stop what is coming, and they will need to "color outside the lines" in order to get things done. Moria doesn't care (and maybe doesn't even know) about the Hollow King. She wants the characters to commit evil acts to fight other evil creatures. In either case, Moria gets what she wants, and this is more evil. Her particular favorite is to corrupt other witches and turn them to evil. Failing that, any psychic class or sage is good. She avoids trying to convert theosophists and spirit riders if she can. Not that they are difficult, but they are no fun.

Moria Zachary (NIGHT SHIFT)
3rd Level Witch, Infernal

*Background: Infernal (half-infernal)

Base Abilities
Strength: 14 (+1) 
Agility: 15 (+1) 
Toughness: 16 (+2) N
Intelligence: 14 (+1) N
Wits: 12 (+0) 
Persona: 20 (+4) A

Fate Points: 1d6
Defense Value: 9
Vitality: 19

Degeneracy: 1
Corruption: 0

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +3/+1/+0
Melee Bonus: +0 (base) 
Ranged Bonus: +0 (base)
Spell Attack: +2
Saves: +3 to Spells and Magical effects (Witch) +3 to Wits saves (Infernal background).

Feed (Infernal): Must get witches to cast "evil" rituals

Witch Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (1): Innate Magic: Glamour

Witch Spells
First Level: Black Flames, Magic Missile
Second Level: Defile

Heroic Touchstones
2nd Level: Mystic Senses (Sense Witches)

Archetype: The Half Demon, false friend, witch rival
Quote: "I’m not trying to make you like me. I’m trying to make you stop hating the part of yourself that already does."
Quirks: Looks harmless, sweet, and innocent.
Theme song: "Am I Evil?" - Metallica

Familiar: "Mephisto Fleas"

---

Moria Zachary (Dark Places & Demogorgons)

Class: Black Witch
Level: 3
Alignment: Evil 
Languages: English, Latin, Greek, Infernal
Age: 15

Attributes
STR: 14 +1
INT: 14 +1
WIS: 12 +0
DEX: 15 +1
CON: 16 +2
CHA: 20 +4
SUR: 18 +3

AC: 10     HP: 23    Attack Bonus +1

Courage: 4
Critical: 3
Death: 5
Mental: 5
Poison: 3

Background
Parents are cultists

Class Abilities
+1 to saves involving magic

Skills
Art +3, Math +4, Science +4, Knowledge (Magic) +5, Paranormal +4, Botany +3

Possessions
Rosary with inverted pentagram, Hellhound Larva "Mephisto Fleas."

Money: $50

Spells
Minor (3), Major (1)
Glammerd Appearance, Magical Insight, Burning Ash hands,

Darren "The Sorcerer" Vale

Darren is different. He is a second cousin to one of my witch NPCs, Stephanie Vale. His family has money, but not as much as Stephanie's. Darren is also a little creep. I'll admit I wanted to make him out every negative stereotype of an 80s gamer I could. Because, let's be honest, we all knew/know someone like Darren growing up. That guy who would say something so profoundly stupid, sexist, or racist that you couldn't believe he was at the same table as you. 

Darren is also interested in witches, but not like Moria is. Darren will say stupid shit like "you know, witches are supposed to love guys named 'Darren'" and then laugh at his own cleverness. 

So in the world of Jackson, IL, "Dungeons & Dragons" was not the Greatest Fantasy RPG in the world. No, everyone plays Spellcraft & Swordplay. That is, except for Darren now. He has just been kicked out of the Jackson Public High School S&S Club for making other players uncomfortable, especially group members Paul, Amy Jo, and Kevin. All four used to get together to play on Friday nights, where discussions would drift into typical gamer talk of "Excalibur" the movie vs "Mists of Avalon" the novel, and how they could replicate the feel in a game. Paul, Amy Jo, and Kevin would want to have a fun but serious discussion; Darren always made it weird. 

Darren is one of those guys who got moved up a grade early on and never really caught up emotionally with his peers. He also became one of those kids who felt intelligence equaled superiority, and because he was a little smarter, he thought that made him better than everyone else. He is jealous of everyone in his school. It is not until he notices the supernatural (or maybe the Supernatural notices him as easy prey) that his jealousy really flares. In particular, why does his cousin Stephanie have power? Or why does a loner like Faye? Or fellow "gifted kid" Larina? He has something in common with all three of them, but he has no power of his own. He dismisses them as flukes and makes excuses for his own lack of power by saying he could have it if he tried. Well, something in the dark answers him.

Darren goes from a 0-level human to a 4th-level Sorcerer/Black Witch almost overnight. Something is granting him power. 

Yeah, maybe I should have called him "The Warlock" but the Stevie Nicks song "Sorcerer" was a big enfluence on this character, and *my* nickname was "Web Warlock" for a long time. And to quote that great hunter of the supernatural, "I'm not with this asshole."

Darren Vale (NIGHT SHIFT)
4th Level Witch, human

Background: Nerd

Base Abilities
Strength: 9 (+0) 
Agility: 9 (+0) 
Toughness: 10 (+0) 
Intelligence: 18 (+3) A
Wits: 12 (+0) N
Persona: 11 (+0) N

Fate Points: 1d6
Defense Value: 9
Vitality: 15

Degeneracy: 3
Corruption: 0

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +3/+2/+0
Melee Bonus: +0 (base) 
Ranged Bonus: +0 (base)
Spell Attack: +3
Saves: +4 to Spells and Magical effects (Witch) +2 to Int saves (Nerd background).

Witch Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (2): Innate Magic: Glamour, Innate Magic: ESP

Witch Spells
First Level: Magic Missile, Protection From Good, Chill Ray
Second Level: Invoke Fear, Beguile Person

Heroic Touchstones
2nd Level: Mystic Senses (Sense Witches)

Archetype: The Misanthrope
Quote: "You can't begin to comprehend my power!"
Quirks: Dresses in nice, expensive clothes but is ill-kempt and generally unhygienic.
Theme song: "Sorcerer" - Stevie Nicks

---

Darren Vale (Dark Places & Demogorgons)

Class: Black Witch
Level: 4
Alignment: Evil 
Languages: English, Latin, Greek
Age: 16

Attributes
STR: 9 +0
INT: 18 +3
WIS: 12 +0
DEX: 9 +0
CON: 10 +0
CHA: 11 +0
SUR: 15 +1

AC: 10     HP: 20    Attack Bonus +0

Courage: 3
Critical: 4
Death: 4
Mental: 6
Poison: 4

Background
Obsessed with Magic and the Occult

Class Abilities
+1 to saves involving magic

Skills
Computers +3, Art +1, Math +4, Science +4, Knowledge (Magic) +4, Paranormal +4, Electronics +2

Possessions
Well-thumbed copy of The Necronomicon with notes and penciled-in "corrections."

Money: $150

Spells
Minor (5)
Blind, Charm, Dark Blast, Pain Touch, Read Minds

Darren is not supposed to be a nice guy; in fact, he is dangerous. He will use his "blind" magic on Amy Jo, and likely his "pain touch" on Kevin or Paul.  BUT I am not sure if the characters should kill him. So, in any case, his demonic (or whatever it is) will abandon him in the end, leaving him dead or insane.

His parents never really paid him any attention before, but after this, his mother will go on a crusade against the evils of RPGs, creating the group P.A.S.S. or Parents Against Spellcraft & Swordplay.

The Satanic Panic

Both of these characters will stir up trouble in my upcoming Satanic Panic adventure. At some point, Moria will go missing, and the students will blame the occult (which is kind of true, in a way). Darren will end up either dead or insane, and his mom will blame Spellcraft & Swordplay (sorry, Jason!). Things will escalate when Darren's mom confronts Sylvia Velasco at El Espejo Oscuro. Sylvia refuses to stay silent. "I sell candles to fools every day. I do not sell knives to children. And I sure as hell did not sell real magic to that pendejo. Your son wanted girls without their consent and power without discipline. That did not come from my shop." Because of this, the mob ends up burning down El Espejo Oscuro.

I haven't worked out all the details for that adventure yet, except that Sylvia will be the obvious target and it will take place after the Hollow King arc. There's still time. I wanted to introduce these two now so both the players and their characters get to know them early. That way, it won't feel like a random new NPC shows up and is automatically innocent.

I want to make it clear that Moria and Darren aren't supposed to be surprise villains who suddenly appear out of nowhere. I want my players to meet Moria ahead of time, maybe seeing her smiling in the hallway at St. Michael's. Darren might be seen hanging around El Espejo Oscuro, making people uncomfortable and acting like it's just a coincidence.

To put it simply, Darren helps me show what NIGHT SHIFT characters are like in Jackson. In RPG terms, it might be easy to just label Darren as 'Evil' and move on. But that wouldn't create the atmosphere I'm aiming for. Darren is dangerous, not because he plays fantasy games or is interested in the occult or magic. Paul, Amy Jo, and Kevin do those things too, and they're good kids. Darren is different because he wants power over others, and he thinks magic will help him get it. At least, that's his plan.

This difference is at the heart of my Satanic Panic adventure.

Even though the Satanic Panic is always driven by hysteria, my adventure will have some real reasons behind the chaos. Something bad will happen and people will get hurt. Maybe Darren will die, or maybe he'll survive but end up in the State Hospital. Moria's disappearance could set off a chain reaction, spreading trouble through the neighborhood. The main point is that scared adults will look for easy answers, blaming games, books, music, occult shops, and any teenagers who seem different. This will eventually lead to the real fire at El Espejo Oscuro.

I don't have everything figured out just yet, but it is going to be a blast. Moria and Darren are going to help me out.

Crossover?

I am considering a crossover between my Jackson, IL, game and my Sunny Valley, OH, game, but I have not figured out how that will work just yet. They are about 420 miles apart. I DO have a pivot point, my witch Larina is an NPC in both games, she could use magic IF I think these games are in parallel universes. But that feels a little like cheating if I am being honest. 

Night Shift Larina "Nix" meets Dark Places & Demogorgons Larina "Creepy."

Mail Call Friday: Kibifig minis

 Rare Mail Call on a Friday since I normally do these on Tuesday. But Tuesday has become the day I report on my weekend game, so this works fine. Plus, what I have today is about my weekend games. 

I love new tech. If there is something I can do now that I couldn't do before, then I am interested. Current 3D printing is in that realm. We have a few 3D printers thanks to my youngest's major in engineering, and I take advantage of them every chance I get.  The new spate of image to 3D print has also caught my imagination. I have been playing around with many of them, they typically have similar offerings; upload a photo, pick a style, choose a size. There is typcially a preview, but I often don't trust those. But one, Kibifig, seemed a little better than the rest. Not so much with price, they are all very similar there, but in terms of features. Given I was working on my NIGHT SHIFT and Wasted Lands games while going through these, I uploaded some images of my witch, Larina. Well I got them in the mail late last night and frankly I am thrilled with the results.

Jackson, IL, Larina and Ash Witch Larina

That picture really doesn't do them justice. These are the 70-mm versions. I am certain that the 90- or 120-mm versions would be much better. In fact, they don't really recommend the 70mm, but I wanted to try it first.

It was pretty simple. Upload the photos and click through. It took about 3 weeks to get here from China, which, honestly, given everything, is pretty fast. 

The minis were packed amazingly well. 

The minis themselves are quite good and made of stronger material than I have seen in the past.

They also compare very nicely to their 2D images.

These are just 2D images. Thankfully, there was enough for the AI to work with, and it filled out the rest. 

The backpack looks good, and so does the Ash Witch's cape. 

They came with plastic disc stands, but they stand pretty well on their own. 

I did a preview of the 120 mm version of Jackson, IL, Larina, and it looks great, really. The AI even gave her Doc Marten's purple boot laces. I might have to get it just for that.

It missed some details, like the Ash Witch's streaks of gray hair and the dirt on her legs. But otherwise these are rather perfect in my mind and I am pleased with them. I mean, even "Spells" is clearly legible on Jackson Larina's schoolbooks, if the pentagram is a bit small. 

So yeah, I am happy with these. 

I threw the cover for my Advanced Witches & Warlocks and this is what it came up with. 

I might have to get that one.

Jackson, IL: Character Questionnaire

 One of the larger challenges of my Jackson, IL campaign for the NIGHT SHIFT^® RPG, hasn't been the rules or the supernatural, but rather getting players into the right frame of mind. Not just playing teens (for people like me who are 30-40+ years past their teen years) but also getting 20-somethings used to the world of 1985-86.

A lot of that will be a certain level of "hand wavem" where the reality of the game world gives way to the supposed reality of the time. For example, many of the twenty-somethings don't think to look for a pay phone. The fifty-year-olds forget what it was like to be teens and feel the things teens feel so intensely. I can't handle all of those, BUT I can at least get them going into the right place with their characters. 

To this end, I worked on a Character Questionnaire. Give the players a chance to think about their characters in a group and what this character is like as a teen in 1985. 

This is in addition to Quotes, Quirks, and Theme Song, I ask of all the characters.

I was thinking about my developmental psychology classes, back when I was closer to being a teen than I am now, and how teens feel like they are on a stage the whole time. They often feel everything they do is visible to (and judged by) all. Their thought process is not the same as an adult's, because their brains are still developing. So things they do (or did if you are feeling reflective) feel different. These different thought processes are one of the features of this game, not a bug.

Here is the Questionnaire, as it exists now. Note, the players fill this out AFTER the characters are rolled up. I might change these a bit as the game goes on.

Character Questionnaire

• What is this teen known for at school?
• How were they seen before Jackson, if applicable?
• How are they trying to redefine themselves?
• What classes fit them best?
• What are they good at?
• Who notices them, and why?
• What rumors or assumptions follow them?

Favorites 

• What are their favorite groups, bands, and/or singers? What is always in their Walkman?
• Favorite movie?
• Favorite TV show?
• Favorite clothes?
• Favorite colors?
• Favorite drink?
• Favorite food?
• What poster is on their bedroom wall?
• What store do they always stop in at the mall or downtown?

Home Life

• Who do they live with?
• What is their house like?
• What is their room like?
• How much privacy do they have?
• What is their relationship with their parent or guardian?
• What unspoken pressure lives in the home?
• What freedom do they have that other teens might not?

Weekend Life

• Where do they go first when they have free time?
• What do they do when left alone?
• What social places do they end up in?
• What teen rituals do they enjoy, tolerate, or avoid?
• What changed once they found their people?
• What does freedom look like to them on a Saturday?

Communication

• Do they have privacy on the phone?
• Who do they call most?
• Whose number do they know by heart?
• Are they better in person, on the phone, or in notes?
• Do they make mixtapes, write letters, pass notes, or invent codes?

Secrets

• What secrets are easiest for them to keep?
• What secrets keep leaking out anyway?
• What private fear drives them?
• What private need shapes them?
• What has this cost them?
• What part of themselves are they afraid others can already see?
• Teen Places in Jackson
• Where do they belong?
• Where are they watched?
• Where are they most themselves?
• Where are they least comfortable?
• What public place changes when they enter it?
• What hidden place matters only to them or their closest friends?

Teen Archetype

• How does the school see them?
• How does the town see them?
• Who are they in private?
• What role do they play in the game?
• What do they want?
• What do others wrongly assume about them?
• What emotional tone follows them into a scene?

Contradictions
Things that go against the grain or what is expected of their character.

I don't expect players to fill out all this. Some details will be learned in-game, and others may change as the game moves on. The point is not to make this "homework" but rather to use it as a device to focus on who this character is and what they do.

And because I can, I figure I'd fill them in for some of the NPCs. This also gave me the chance to try it before I gave it to the players. 

Character Questionnaire: Larina

School Life

What is this teen known for at school?
 Being the smart girl who still seems a little weird.

How were they seen before Jackson, if applicable?
 At her old school, she was the weird girl. After the fire, she became “the girl whose mom died.”

How are they trying to redefine themselves?
 Her old life was marked by estrangement, sadness, and loss. In Jackson, she wants to remake herself into someone people like rather than pity or mock.

What classes fit them best?
 Languages, literature, and the social sciences.

What are they good at?
 Languages especially. She has a real gift for them.

Who notices them, and why?
 Everyone notices her. She is the new girl, with bright red hair, striking looks, and an air that says she knows more than she should.

What rumors or assumptions follow them?
 Her mother died in a freak accident. True.
 Her father is on the run. False.
 She is like Carrie. Not entirely false, but not in the way people mean.
 She is a witch. True, though not in the way most think.
 The she, Faye, and Stephanie are all "involved." Not really, they are a coven.

Favorites 

What are their favorite groups, bands, and/or singers? What is always in their Walkman?
 Stevie Nicks. A bit cliched she knows, but she can’t help it. “The Wild Heart” is her favorite. 

Favorite movie?
 She just saw “Return to Oz” and loved it. Dorothy is a witch, and no one can convince her otherwise.

Favorite TV show?
 She loves “Masterpiece Theatre” on PBS. “Bewitched” is a guilty pleasure.

Favorite clothes?
 Has a plaid purple skirt she loves, a pair of black Jordache jeans she can still fit into, and her black Doc Martens.

Favorite colors?
 Purple and black.

Favorite drink?
Tea. Iced tea works fine, too. 

Favorite food?
 Thai, but there are no Thai restaurants in Jackson, much to her dismay. 

What poster is on their bedroom wall?
 A poster of Jean Rollin’s 1970 “La Vampire Nue.” She also has a star chart and poster of Latin verb conjugations. 

What store do they always stop in at the mall or downtown?
 Paula’s Bookstore downtown, always. 

Home Life

Who do they live with?
 She lives with her father, Lars, a professor of anthropology at MacAlister College.

What is their house like?
 A nice two-story home near the college, in a part of town that is respectable enough but not especially fashionable.

What is their room like?
 She has the master bedroom upstairs with an attached bathroom. Lars did not want it after her mother died.

How much privacy do they have?
 A great deal. She has most of the upstairs to herself. There is another bedroom and full bath up there, but Lars prefers the downstairs rooms.

What is their relationship with their parent or guardian?
 She loves her dad, and he loves her. They are close, but both still carry sadness over the loss of her mother.

What unspoken pressure lives in the home?
 Larina tries to take care of Lars more than a teenager should. He worries about her, but she worries about him, too. He cannot cook worth a damn, except for tacos.

What freedom do they have that other teens might not?
 She has unusual privacy, including her own teen-line phone.

Weekend Life

Where do they go first when they have free time?
 On Saturdays, she heads straight to Paula’s Bookstore downtown. After that, she usually ends up at Jackson Public Library, and sometimes one of the college libraries.

What do they do when left alone?
 She reads constantly. If she is awake, she is usually reading or taking notes.

What social places do they end up in?
 At night, she goes out with Stephanie and Faye in Stephanie’s car. Like most kids in town, they cruise Morgan Street and eventually end up at Sal’s Pizza.

What teen rituals do they enjoy, tolerate, or avoid?
 Larina is only an occasional drinker and does not care for drugs, though she has tried getting high a couple of times.

What changed once they found their people?
 She became more open, both to other people and to the world around her. Friendship made ordinary life feel worth entering.

What does freedom look like to them on a Saturday?
 Cruising Morgan with Stephanie and Faye, getting pizza at Sal’s, then bringing some home to share with her dad, who almost certainly forgot to eat, while listening to his records.

Communication

Do they have privacy on the phone?
 Yes. Lars got her her own teen line when they moved to Jackson.

Who do they call most?
 Faye and Stephanie.

Whose number do they know by heart?
 Faye and Stephanie.

Are they better in person, on the phone, or in notes?
 Much better in person. Her written notes tend to become long, intense, and overthought.

Do they make mixtapes, write letters, pass notes, or invent codes?
 She makes mixtapes for Faye from her dad’s record collection. She also makes Stevie Nicks tapes for Candy, partly out of affection and partly because it feels easier than saying what she means. She, Faye, and Stephanie have worked out a code so they can talk about supernatural things in public without anyone noticing.

Secrets

What secrets are easiest for them to keep?
 Other people’s secrets. If someone swears her to silence, she will keep it forever.

What secrets keep leaking out anyway?
 She cannot keep gift secrets at all. She buys birthday and Christmas presents months in advance and can never quite stop herself from hinting.

What private fear drives them?
 Larina believes her mother’s death was not an accident. She suspects something evil and eldritch was responsible. Her father insists it was faulty wiring in her mother’s spice shop, and the investigation officially agrees. (Spoiler: It actually was an accident, but it shapes her all the same.)

What private need shapes them?
 She is haunted by the fear that she can never know enough. That is why she is always reading, always writing things down, always trying to get ahead of what might happen next.

What has this cost them?
 She has not read a book purely for pleasure in years.

What part of themselves are they afraid others can already see?
 She likes girls and boys equally, and part of her is certain everyone already knows. Even if she doesn't really understand that all yet herself. (It's 1985, there is no internet to look things up, and no easy-to-access books.)

Teen Places in Jackson

Where do they belong?
 On ordinary nights, Sal’s Pizza. On quieter days, Paula’s Bookstore and the public library.

Where are they watched?
 In the school halls. Since Larina arrived, she, Stephanie, and Faye have become inseparable, and people notice.

Where are they most themselves?
 With her friends, or alone with a book and a problem to solve.

Where are they least comfortable?
 Anywhere she cannot make sense of what is happening. Confusion unsettles her more than danger.

What public place changes when they enter it?
 The public library. The librarians all know her by name, and her presence there feels almost permanent.

What hidden place matters only to them or their closest friends?
 Behind the school, in sight of the track and field, but far enough from the road to feel secret. Sometimes Candy and Denise show up.

Teen Archetype

How does the school see them?
 The new girl, who is still a little strange.

How does the town see them?
 The new girl. Professor Nichols’ brilliant daughter. The smart girl who is still a little strange.

Who are they in private?
 She is still trying to figure that out for herself.

What role do they play in the game?
 She is the Witch, the one who knows, or at least the one who tries hardest to know.

What do they want?
 To make sure no one else dies if she can help it.

What do others wrongly assume about them?
 That she is arrogant. In truth, she is still shy and more uncertain than she lets anyone see.

What emotional tone follows them into a scene?
 Alone, she brings quiet intensity. With friends, she brings frantic energy. When happy, she is openly affectionate. When angry, she is genuinely frightening.

Contradictions

  She wants to be known, but hates being misread.
  She is deeply affectionate, but guards herself carefully.
  She reads constantly, but almost never for pleasure.
  She seems confident, but is still remaking herself from grief.
  She keeps others’ secrets perfectly, but cannot keep a birthday surprise to save her life.
  Tries to shield herself from pain, but she will set herself on fire to save others.

Character Questionnaire: Candy

School Life

What is this teen known for at school?
 Being one half of the “Candy and Denise” duo.

How were they seen before Jackson, if applicable?
 She has always lived here.

How are they trying to redefine themselves?
 At the moment, she is not. Candy is not trying to reinvent herself. She is just trying to get through.

What classes fit them best?
 She actually pays attention in health class.

What are they good at?
 Candy is very good at first aid. She keeps her cool, acts fast, and gets things done when someone is hurt.

Who notices them, and why?
 Mostly teachers, because she is usually in trouble or seems about two seconds away from it.

What rumors or assumptions follow them?
 That she drinks all the time. Partially true.
 That she and Denise have hooked up. Partially true.
 That she is an airhead. False, but she lets people believe it.

Favorites 

What are their favorite groups, bands, and/or singers? What is always in their Walkman?
 Loves pop music, especially when it has a party feel. Loves Stevie Nicks as well. Has a copy of The Wild Heart that Larina gave her.

Favorite movie?
 She tells people, “Porky’s” to get a shock out of them. But in truth, she loves watching old black & white movies with her mom. 

Favorite TV show?
 “Who has time for TV?” but will have MTV on in the background.

Favorite clothes?
 Anything bright. She has a leather jacket she dug out of the "Lost and Found" of her dad's bar, which she always wears. 

Favorite colors?
 Pinks, yellows, oranges. 

Favorite drink?
 Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill wine. Coffee with a lot of sugar. Iced with sugar and Sweet-n-lo.

Favorite food?
 Pizza. Pepperoni with green olives, the same as Denise's. 

What poster is on their bedroom wall?
 An old, faded poster of “The Outsiders” Movie.

What store do they always stop in at the mall or downtown?
 “Strawberry Fields” record store at the mall. She always runs into Faye there.

Home Life

Who do they live with?
 Candy lives with her working-class father, “Ron”, her terminally ill mother, “Carol”, and her little sister, “Ronnie”.

What is their house like?
 Too small for four people carrying that much stress.

What is their room like?
 A wreck, but in a very normal teenage way for the time. Clothes everywhere, school things mixed with junk, and half-finished bits of life shoved into corners. Bags of chips, Coke cans, a forgotten bag of weed.

How much privacy do they have?
 Almost none.

What is their relationship with their parent or guardian?
 She loves both her parents, and they love her. But she is furious at the world for taking her mother from her piece by piece.

What unspoken pressure lives in the home?
 Everything in the house is organized around helping her mother. All the money Candy makes helping her dad goes to medical bills.

What freedom do they have that other teens might not?
 Her dad works at the local bar, so she stays out late more often than most teens can. She also has easy access to alcohol.

Weekend Life

Where do they go first when they have free time?
 Wherever Denise is.

What do they do when left alone?
 She hates being alone. Being alone means she has time to think about everything going wrong.

What social places do they end up in?
 Sal’s Pizza, parties, parking lots, anywhere Denise is, anywhere the night feels louder than home.

What teen rituals do they enjoy, tolerate, or avoid?
 She drinks most weekends, looks for parties, and avoids anything that feels too much like school spirit or forced enthusiasm.

What changed once they found their people?
 She met Denise in junior high when they were both sent to the principal’s office, and they have barely been apart since.

What does freedom look like to them on a Saturday?
 Not working at her dad’s bar. Not being stuck at home. Being out in the world with Denise, even if they are doing nothing.

Communication

Do they have privacy on the phone?
 None.

Who do they call most?
 Denise.

Whose number do they know by heart?
 Denise.

Are they better in person, on the phone, or in notes?
 In person, but she is constantly passing notes.

Do they make mixtapes, write letters, pass notes, or invent codes?
 She passes notes constantly. She and Denise have nicknames for every teacher in school.

Secrets

What secrets are easiest for them to keep?
 Anything between her and Denise stays buried.

What secrets keep leaking out anyway?
 She makes inappropriate jokes about everyone’s sex lives and sometimes reveals more than she means to by acting like nothing matters.

What private fear drives them?
 That she will end up alone.

What private need shapes them?
 She wants to help people, but does not know how to do that in any lasting way.

What has this cost them?
 She rebels. She drinks. She sleeps around. She makes herself seem harder and less breakable than she is.

What part of themselves are they afraid others can already see?
 That deep down, she is terrified. Terrified, she will be left alone. Terrified she will lose her mother. Terrified that she will lose Denise as her best friend. Terrified something will happen to her dad or Ronnie.

Teen Places in Jackson

Where do they belong?
 Anywhere she decides to be. In Candy’s mind, no place is off-limits.

Where are they watched?
 Mostly by adults.

Where are they most themselves?
 With Denise.

Where are they least comfortable?
 By herself.

What public place changes when they enter it?
 School. Sal’s. Any place where people know she is about to bring noise, trouble, laughter, or all three.

What hidden place matters only to them or their closest friends?
 Behind the bleachers near the track and field, where she and Denise go to smoke and be alone together.

Teen Archetype

How does the school see them?
 As a troublemaker.

How does the town see them?
 As a troublemaker who ought to be home helping her sick mother.

Who are they in private?
 Far more caring, frightened, and vulnerable than people realize.

What role do they play in the game?
 The party girl who is deeper than anyone expects.

What do they want?
 To live her life, keep the people she loves, and not lose anyone else.

What do others wrongly assume about them?
 That she is stupid.

What emotional tone follows them into a scene?
 Excitement, chaos, heat, and the sense that something impulsive is about to happen.

Contradictions

 She is flighty, but loves with her whole heart.
 She acts dumb, but is actually pretty bright.
 She seems careless, but cares deeply about the people around her.
 She runs from pain, but is the first to act when someone else is hurt.

Candy surprises Larina after Larina saves her life.
 "Don't make it weird, babe."

Ok, I like these. They really give the characters more character. One thing I added after I did these was, in addition to a theme song, "What songs are on their mix-tape?" But I then had to explain what a "mix-tape" was when I did the first version of this, and I died of old age right in front of the players.

Artifacts of a bygone age.

Night Shift^® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC.

Tales of Jackson, IL: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 It's April and I want to kick off a semi-regular feature on my Jackson, IL game for the NIGHT SHIFT^® RPG.

I want to talk about the characters and the adventures from my "Tales of Jackson, IL" game.

The NIGHT SHIFT^® Character Keeper!
The MUST-HAVE school supply for the 1986-87 school year!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

This first adventure, For Whom the Bell Tolls (all adventures will be named for songs from the 1980s) begins over the Fall of 1985. The large school bell, which hasn't worked since 1935, begins to ring. The problem is that only people and creatures of supernatural backgrounds could hear it. So PCs and some NPCs do. So do all the monsters in the nearby area, and they are all coming to Jackson. If that sounds uncomfortably like a "diner bell," then you would be right.

The antagonist of this adventure is/was "The Bell Ringer." His job is to announce the arrival of an even bigger bad guy later on. I have not hinted this yet, but this Big Bad is known as The Hollow King. He was pretty easy to deal with once found, but he had already done his damage.

I'll detail some of the player characters in future posts. One of the characters that was here for this adventure did not make it to later ones. No character death, just new characters. But I wanted to make this so that characters can come and go as needed. 

For levers, this is a Cinematic game, with Cinematic violence and healing. 

Look, I am wearing my influences here on my sleeve. This is Stranger Things meets Charmed meets Buffy meets Supernatural meets The Craft. But also a little bit of Dark, since I do pick up these characters many years later. 

Welcome to Jackson, IL!

The Cheerleader, The Outsider, and The New Girl

Jackson, Illinois, seems like the kind of town that blends in with a hundred others in the mid-west, at least until night falls. On the surface, it is all Friday night football, crowded school hallways, two local colleges that give the town just enough polish to feel more important than it is, and grown-ups going through the motions as if nothing is wrong. 

It is the 1980s in full neon color, with mixtapes, faded denim, old trucks, pay phones, greasy diners open too late, and gossip that never stays quiet for long. But under the steady pulse of small-town life, something far older and far stranger is waking up. Forces beyond understanding are creeping into the edges of everyday life, and the kids of Jackson are about to learn that coming of age can be just as frightening as anything lurking in the dark.

At the center of the story is a close-knit group of friends and families: outsiders, golden boys, first loves, brainy overachievers, and kids who have already seen too much. Each of them carries private wounds and hidden truths into the shadows. Some have never left Jackson. Some have only just arrived. Some already know that the town is not what it pretends to be. Together, they become the emotional core of the campaign, a web of teenagers and adults bound together by fear, loyalty, and survival in one deeply haunted American town at the tail end of the Reagan years.

What I want to do with this series, at least, is present some of the games we have played and the NPCs. The NPCs were where I started here because I wanted these halls to feel like they were filled with people, not archetypes like "The Jock." "The Wierd Girl," "The Cheerleader." I wanted them to have names and motivations. So I started building them based on characters I have posted here before, which gave me instant personalities and buy-in. But not every character I have is a good fit. Grýlka and Doireann, for example, are a lot of fun, but to fit them into this game, I'd have to take so many liberties with the characters that I might as well have started from scratch. So I used mine, and since I had a pack of Pathfinder minis sitting on my desk here, I started adding them as well. 

I also very specifically did not want to do a modern version of West Haven. West Haven does appear in the NIGHT SHIFT^® rules, but that is the future (or rather the present day). I wanted something smaller. Plus, I already have a NIGHT SHIFT^® version of West Haven going with Elowen. But that is not an ongoing game at the moment.    

I have teased some characters, but again, I want this place to feel alive. I think I owe that to the players. 

The Witches

I knew from the start I wanted three witches who look like they come from three different walks of life. I knew Larina was going to be one of them; in fact, I wanted to use the date I first created her, July 1986, as the time when this game starts. But I needed at least one summer break, so I pushed it back to 1985. Why are you so specific about the dates? One big reason. Music. Music was a big deal in your 1980s high school. So I wanted to build authentic playlists.

• 1985
• 1986
• Tales from Jackson, IL (Campaign playlist)

Of course, with three witches, they all can't be "the weird one," so I split that up a bit. Since Pathfinder was at hand, I adopted Feiya and Seoni as Faye and Stephanie, respectively. 

Everyone starts out at 1st level, but the girls here are just a notch higher in case they need to rescue anyone.

Larina "Nix" Nichols

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 9 (0)
Agility: 10 (0) 
Toughness: 11 (0)
*Intelligence: 18 (+3) P
Wits: 17 (+2) s
Persona: 17 (+2) s

Vit: 3 (1d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Steph and Faye)

Skills: Research (Int)

Languages: English, Latin, German, Greek

Spells
1: Magic Missile
2: Continual Flame

This is not witch queen Larina, or even really powerful Larina. This is "new girl in town" Larina. Normally, she is the "weird one," but here I am opting to make her "the smart one." She is the one with the research books and systematized knowledge. So if the PCs need help they can go to her.

Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue

Archetype: The New Girl
Quote: "I am sure I just read that somewhere..."
Quirks: Right-handed, wears her watch on her right hand.
Theme song: "Night Bird" - Stevie Nicks

Family: Her father, Lars Nichols, is a professor at MacAlister College. Mother died 18 months ago.

Faye Thorne

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 10 (0)
Agility: 12 (0) 
Toughness: 14 (+1) s
Intelligence: 18 (+3) 
*Wits: 18 (+3) P
Persona: 17 (+2) s

Vit: 4 (1d6)
DV: 7 (leather jacket)
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Steph and Larina)

Skills: Intimidate (Cha)

Languages: English, German

Spells
1: Chill Ray
2: Cause Fear

Fiona Voss, or as she is known now, Faye Thorne, is the creepy goth girl outsider. She lives with her two very strict and terrifying aunties (really hags in disguise), and hides under headphones, a leather jacket, and enough sarcasm to power a small city. She and Steph used to be best friends until their falling out a couple of years ago. Unlike Larina, Faye has learned all about witchcraft by doing it.

Hair: White
Eyes: Gray

Archetype: The Outsider
Quote: "Wow. You really think your opinion matters to me."
Quirks: Always wears headphones and a pentagram necklace. Loves super spicy food, scary spicy.
Theme song: "A Forest" - The Cure

Family: Her parents, the Vosses, died in a car crash when she was a toddler. She was raised by her aunties, who changed her name. Her aunties are really disguised hags hoping to use her natural magic.

Stephanie "Steph" Vale

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 14 (+1) s
Toughness: 13 (+1)
Intelligence: 13 (+1) s
Wits: 10 (0) 
*Persona: 18 (+3) P

Vit: 4 (1d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Larina and Faye)

Skills: Drive (Agl), Gymnastics (Agl)

Languages: English, French

Spells
1: Charm Person
2: ESP

To the outside world, Stephanie Vale is a ray of sunshine, but on the inside...yeah, she is pretty much the same. Stephanie is a nice girl who moves in and out of social situations with the skill of an adult twice her age. She just broke up with her long-time boyfriend, Val, and her mother and father wish she would start dating Andy Thompson. But Andy is so deeply in love with Rowan that Hallmark follows them around for ideas. She is captain of the Cheer team, but now she is involved with new girl Larina and Faye Thorne, of all people. 

Like many things, witchcraft comes naturally to Steph.

Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue

Archetype: The Cheerleader
Quote: "Alright, everyone! Teamwork makes the dream work!"
Quirks: Positive attitude hides a crippling desire to please everyone.
Theme song: "We Got the Beat" - The Go Go's

Family: Second-richest family in town (behind the town founders, the Thompsons). Father Arthur is a lawyer, and Mother Beatrice is a stay-at-home mom. She has an older brother in college, whom she thinks is the best ever, and a younger sister who spends a lot of time on a computer.

--

My NPCs are coming along. I will likely talk about the "nice" ones, since they are most likely to help the PCs. By halfway through the first quarter, watching Stephanie, Faye, and Larina always hang out together will be the stuff of talk and darker gossip. 

I will say this. These characters have been a blast to use, and I am so pleased with them.

Because I like to think of these things, I also have plans for everyone some years later. Just have not nailed all that down at all yet.

Steph, Faye, and Larina at breakfast. Why is Larina wearing sunglasses? Photogray lenses? Maybe she is hungover.

--

Night Shift^® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC.

NIGHT SHIFT: Tales of Jackson, IL

 My son's group has been splitting their Sunday games up into two sessions lately. Usually, it is D&D 5e first, then dinner, then something else. Lately, the "something else" has been AD&D 1st edition (which they love), along with a combination of NIGHT SHIFT, Wasted Lands, and Thirteen Parsecs.

I got a chance to run some games with them. Since I was fresh off my "Stranger Things" high of this winter, I wanted to run a "proper 80s" style game with them. So I picked Jackson, IL, and set their adventure in 1986. The fun part was reminding them that no, there were no cell phones, no Internet, no Wikipedia, and if you wanted to call someone and you were not at home, you had to find a payphone. Cultural shocks aside, it also gave me an excuse to pull out some NPCs I have been dying to use.

Stephanie, Faye, and Larina

The players are all familiar with Pathfinder, and the various Iconics have made guest appearances in their D&D 5e games. Largely because we have the minis for them and they are all easily recognized. So I decided to have a little fun and fill the halls with characters they would recognize, but as high school students in 1986.

The big ones are Stephanie (Seoni) Vale, Fiona "Faye" (Feiya) Voss/Thorne (I'll explain later), and, naturally, Larina Nichols. They are likely the stars in their own tales, but here they are the NPCs. Everyone whispers that they are witches. Everyone is right.

Yeah, Larina is right-handed and wears her watch on her right hand. She was a weird kid.

Val (Valeros) is here as a super jock, as is RPG/LARPER dude Ed (Ezren), and more. Most of them just fill up the background of a school that has a lot of weirdness going on. But a few stand out.

Kyra is a sweet girl known as the "Preacher's Kid" and a star on the girls' track team. She is always hanging out with troublemaker Meriko (Merisiel). Kyra, though, thinks demons, devils, and other evil things are hiding in the shadows. She is also not wrong. Meriko dresses like a mid 80s ad for "Ninja culture" because she likes to irritate her conservative parents. 

Kyra and Meriko

Others include some originals. 

Rowan and Andy are the "it couple" at Jackson High and "were born dating," according to Faye. Rowan is the local horse girl who spends more time with animals than people. Andy is the star player of the football team, the son of a wealthy businessman, and an all-around nice guy.

Rowan and Andy. Aren't they adorable?

I have to admit, I was writing their background and got really carried away, and now I kinda love them both. 

They met when Andy's father, who owns the stables where Rowan's dad works, thought his son needed discipline, so he spent the summers cleaning the stables. Rowan, who always hangs out at the stables to ride the horses (she can't afford to be a member), showed Andy how to do the work she and her dad did. After friction, not liking each other, and even fighting, Rowan saw that Andy, despite everything, wanted to do a good job in hopes his dad would notice, and Andy saw how natural Rowan was with all animals, especially the horses. They fell in love in typical, even clichéd, 1980s Rom-Com fashion, including a special scene where Rowan has to enter the horse she loves into a show to win, or he gets sold. She loses because a rival cheats, and the horse is sold. TWIST: Andy buys the horse with his college money and gives it to Rowan!  They realize they love each other. Spoiler. They get married right out of high school and adopt a dozen pets. 

I said I spent way too much time on them. The irony? They haven't even shown up in the game yet!

The first "episode" adventure was called "The Midnight Bell For Whom the Bell Tolls" about the big school bell that was hung in the tower and has not rung since 1936. It rang and every supernatural creature heard it. The Big Bad (they don't know this yet) is "The Bell Ringer." He is a harbinger of more bad guys. I have a faerie lord slumming it at the high school who up to no good. Faye has two "Aunties" who are really Urban Hags. I also have some creepy kids, some fake-Satanists, some real Devil-worshipers, a hidden graveyard, tunnels under the town, and an abandoned mall filled with zombies. So yeah, basically shit from my own childhood!

I hope I get to do more with this. Plus, I am enjoying all the "cameos" I am throwing in. They love the time and keep asking how things were in the 80s. The oddest thing? These 20-somethings LOVE "Hall and Oates."  I am trying to play Iron Maiden, and they want to hear "Maneater."

Ah well. Maybe you all will enjoy my 1985 and 1986 playlists.

OH! quick reminder.
Night Shift® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC. 2026

Fantasy Fridays: Symbaroum

 Today at 9:46 Central Time, the March, Vernal, or Spring Equinox takes place. The moment of equal day and equal night. Now the sun gains ascendance. The perfect metaphor for the Dark Fantasy RPG Symbaroum.

I have been fascinated with Symbaroum, along with Vassen, ever since I saw them at Free League's booth a couple of Gen Cons ago. I grabbed the hardcover of Vassen since the Victorian era interested me more, but I grabbed the PDFs of both. Both cover that Fantasy-meets-Horror feel I love in my games. Also, both cover a theme I revisit time and time again: magic in the face of something new. In Vassen, the Old Ways are confronted by the Industrial Revolution. In Symbaroum, it is magic, and its corrupting effects in the face of the new, Sun-based, monotheistic faith.  Given that today is the day when day and night are equal, Symbaroum edges out in terms of theme.

Symbaroum is a Swedish dark fantasy tabletop RPG set in a world where a fragile human civilization clings to its borders, and just beyond them lies Davokar, an ancient, sprawling forest saturated with ruin, magic, and corruption. It's equal parts high fantasy adventure and creeping nature horror, drawing on Nordic, Celtic, and Slavic mythology to tell a story about the price of ambition.

If the Vernal Equinox represents the perfect, fleeting moment between day and night, Symbaroum is the RPG that lives in the twilight. Created by Free League, it is half High Fantasy and half Folk Horror, wrapped in some of the most evocative art the hobby has ever seen. 

I do want to mention the art first. The illustrations by Martin Grip are extraordinary: haunting, earthy, and alive with dread. It's not just the look of the art, it is the feel. This game feels like a cold, rainy day in an unknown Scandinavian village. Winter is over, but this is still not spring or summer. 

The premise is simple: A people have fled a dead, war-torn land to settle on the edge of the ancient forest of Davokar. They want to rebuild their empire, but the forest is not a passive backdrop. It is a living, breathing, and deeply vengeful entity. 

Fantasy

Knights, queens, treasure hunters, witches, and wandering barbarian clans; Symbaroum has all the archetypes of classic fantasy. The world of Ambria is richly detailed, with political intrigue, warring factions, and ancient lineages. There are ruins to explore, artifacts to recover, and a vibrant cast of cultures that feel genuinely distinct from generic Tolkien-esque fare.

Horror

The forest is the horror. Davokar is not simply dangerous; it is wrong. Every spell cast, every ruin disturbed, every artifact pocketed risks accumulating Corruption: a creeping darkness that twists body and soul. The elves of the Iron Pact do not protect the forest; they enforce its quarantine. Something ancient sleeps beneath the trees, and the game's entire mechanical design keeps reminding you that you are trespassing. Think Princess Mononoke, but the forest wins.

Most horror-fantasy hybrids bolt the genres together. Symbaroum weaves them into the same thread. The Corruption system means magic, the engine of fantasy, is also the engine of horror. Every powerful choice leaves a mark. 

Dark Fantasy

This game is not one of high fantasy or even low-magic, gritty dungeon crawls. You are not on an epic quest. You might be a hero, but you are not Conan, or Frodo, or the Grey Mouser. You are not even really Elric, though Elric would understand this world better than the previous three. You are searching for ancient secrets, you are going to go into that forest for the same reasons characters have been going into dungeons. But now the stakes are higher and darker. 

Symbaroum does something quietly different from most fantasy RPGs. Instead of presenting a world waiting to be explored and conquered, it gives us a world where exploration feels like trespass. Civilization stands on the edge of something ancient and dangerous, and every step forward risks awakening powers that should perhaps remain buried.

It is a game where the heroes are not simply explorers. They are intruders.

While not strictly "Old School" in its math, Symbaroum shares the OSR soul. It is deadly. Combat is fast and often ends in a single well-placed blow. It rewards caution, preparation, and a healthy respect for the unknown.

There are hints of dark fantasy, reminiscent of the grim worlds of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. At the same time, the folklore elements feel closer to Scandinavian myth and old fairy tales, where the forest is mysterious, alive, and often dangerous. In ShadowDark, there is the Dungeon-as-living-thing, or maybe more to the point, Darkness. Symbarous does the same thing for the forest, or, again, more to the point, the unknown frontier. 

The Old Ways are not lost. They are still out there, and they don't care about your sun god.

There is also a subtle echo of cosmic horror. The ruins of the old empire hint at terrible magical forces that once reshaped the world. Many players discover that the deeper secrets of Davokar may be far older and stranger than anyone suspects.

It creates a world where curiosity and dread walk hand in hand.

Rules and Mechanics 

Symbaroum is a d20-based system where you want to roll under your attributes. Attributes give you "bonuses" in terms of negative numbers (what you subtract from the die roll). Low attributes can even give you penalties for positive numbers you add to the die roll. Mostly the scores are between 5 and 15, with an average of 10. A 15 gives you a -5, and 5 gives +5, and so on. Pretty simple, really. 

The Game Master never rolls dice. Players roll for their attacks, and players roll to defend. This shifts the focus entirely to the players’ choices and their struggle to survive.

The core of the game is the Internal Balance. Every time a mystic (magic-user) casts a spell, they gain Temporary Corruption. If that total exceeds their Threshold, the corruption becomes Permanent. Once your Permanent Corruption reaches a certain point, you transform into an "Abomination" or a monster of the night. I am sure there are lots of ways to get corruption, but I focused on the mystics 

It is a literal struggle to keep the "light" of your humanity from being overtaken by the "darkness" of the forest’s influence.

Sometimes it is fine to take a point of corruption for a greater good. This is pretty typical of how the witches in the game work. They will sacrifice some humanity or light if it means a great goal is met. For me that is kind of a key element in playing a witch and one I really like. 

The rules themselves are divided up between Setting, Player's Guide, and Game Master's Guide. Not a bad division by any means. Though there is some flipping required. To create a character, I kept going back and forth between sections of the Player's Guide. So this part could be streamlined a bit. It is no worse than, say, the rules for the WitchCraft RPG and better than the rules for AD&D 1st edition.  

The system really supports the setting well. The corruption, as I mentioned, is a key element and really sits well within the setting. Moreso than say Fear and Horror in old Ravenloft. It is more akin to how Sanity works within Call of Cthulhu, or Taint in WitchCraft/Armageddon. The setting and the mechanics support each other well. 

Larina and Elowen

Normally, I try out a character for a new game, typically my "Drosophila melanogaster" Larina. But since witches are assumed to have a witch-in-training with them, I am opting to add Elowen as well. For this I gave Larina another 80 experience points (roughly 5-6 adventures worth) to boost her up. In this darker world of Symbaroum, I don't think a witch like Amaranth would work. BUT oddly enough, I could easily do Grýlka and Doireann. Ogres and Goblins are among the races you can pick. Ok, Grýlka is a troll and not an ogre, but what are the differences really?

In this, I am saying that Larina was already living on the edges of the Davokar forest and has gone somewhat native. Ok. Feral might be a better word. Elowen is still from the civilized lands and has gone to learn witchcraft because she sees ghosts everywhere. 

Larina Nix
Human (Barbarian) Witch

Shadow: White with flecks of rust and ash, appears as her reflection (Nature).
Quote: "I have dedicated my life to witchcraft, and it has given me a life in return."

Toughness: 10*/10
Pain Threshold: 3

Corruption: 1/1
Corruption Threshold: 7

Defense: 7

Experience: 80 (0)

Accurate: 10 (0)
Cunning: 15 (-5)
Discreet 9 (+1)
Resuasive 10 (0)
Quick 7 (+3)
Resolute 13 (-3)
Strong 5 (+5)
Vigilant 11 (-1)

Contacts (Witches)
Witchcraft (A)
Witchsight
Loremaster (N)
Ritualist (A)

Curse (Evil Eye) (A)
Lay on Hands (A)
Nature's Embrace (N)
Storm Arrow (N)

Familiar (Ritual)
Fortune Telling (Ritual)
Witch Circle (Ritual)

Age: 30
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 125 lbs
Red hair, blue eyes

Larina here is a "barbarian" only because she has been living on the edge of civilization for a while. I could have given her more experience points to bump up her powers, but I thought this was pretty good.

Elowen Hale
Human (Ambrian) Witch

Shadow: White with ash-gray flecks, appearing as a ghostly image (Nature).
Quote: "I died once. I am not looking forward to doing it again."

Toughness: 10*/10
Pain Threshold: 4

Corruption: 1/1
Corruption Threshold: 8

Defense: 5

Experience: 25 (0)

Accurate: 10 (0)
Cunning: 11 (-1)
Discreet 9 (+1)
Resuasive 10 (0)
Quick 5 (+5)
Resolute 15 (-5)
Strong 7 (+3)
Vigilant 13 (-3)

Privledged
Witchsight
Alchemist (A)
Witchcraft (N)
Ritualist (N)

Curse (Evil Eye) (A)
Inherit Wound (N)

Familiar (Ritual)
Necromancy (Ritual)

Age: 19
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 114 lbs
White hair, gray eyes

Ok, both of these work really well for me, to be honest. I figure Elowen's power manifests as ghosts rising up to perform her actions. Yes, she still sees ghosts.

Who Should Play This?

With today's theme, this game has equal parts light and dark, fantasy and horror, civilization and the great wild unknown. So, regardless of which side of the old-school/new-school divide you come from, know that this game is darker than most new-school games and is closer in tone to many old-school ones. 

This is a game for players who prefer tension to triumph.

If your idea of fantasy is leveling up, clearing dungeons, and becoming untouchable heroes, Symbaroum is going to feel uncomfortable. Progress here is real, but it always comes with a cost. Power is never clean. Magic is never safe.

But if you enjoy games where every decision matters, where the question is not "can we win?" but "what will it cost us if we do?" then this is the game for you. 

And maybe most importantly for me, this is a game for players who like their witches a little dangerous.

Not safe, not sanitized, not "spellcasters with a theme," but witches who bargain, who risk, who take on corruption because sometimes that is the only way to get things done. If that resonates with you, then Symbaroum is not just a good fit. It feels like it was made for you.