(Interest) DnD 5e Modern Occult Detective Campaign

Good Morning Everyone! Long Time Listener First Time Caller. I wish to try and Playtest a campaign idea.

System: Dungeon and Dragons 5e. (With possible Added Homebrew rules)

The Pitch: Occult Themed campaign. Will be based in modernish times. Depending on characters will be a mix between Constantine, Sandman, Hellboy, and Dresden. A lot of ideas will come from character backstory and style of character. So would like some holes to fill into your backstory. Missing Father, Something kidnapped your sister, family curse, ect... Once character and back story are built we will decided on which Major city the campaign will be held in. The characters may or may not know each other. Then we will go from there.

Once I see Character backstory we will build characters after that. I need to get a feel of your characters Powers or abilities to decided what the starting level will be.

I have DMed for a while but most of it has been PbP style on Discord. While Forum based games are not knew to me I haven't ran or played one in a while.

Tempting. I’m in too many games at the moment, but I really like the approach here. Count me as interested.

Also in a bunch of games already, but I’ve been wanting to play a setting like this for some time, so put me down as interested too

Ooh... and with the new Sandman Netflix show out. I'm interested too, though I'll admit I'm similarly involved in a number of games too, but I want to try playing a character idea of a man with what seems to be multiple personalities, but is actually possessed with multiple souls.

I'm actually planning on running a similar game IRL in a few months, and I was sad I wouldn't get to actually play in one... but here one is! Put me down as very interested!

Same as everyone, I'm in too many games already. But damn, that sounds like fun!

I would also be interested, though may I want to double check assumption that "modernish times" mean non-fantasy world including:

- There no goblins on the roads, owlbears in the forest and dwarfs in the mountains. No elements, dragons or plant life, at least none that PC would be able to read in the books of.
- NPCs would only be humans (perhaps some Yuan-ti/Changeling/Kalashtar/Shifter hiding their non-human abilities)
- For PCs exceptions may be approved by DM, allowing non-human races, i.e. summoned Aasimar, humans transformed to Simic Hybrid by means of occult rituals or warforged made by mad but genial scientist.

- Firearms related DnD features may be allows (feat gunner, subclass gunslinger, etc.)

There are several other systems outthere designed for a Modern Occult Detective Campaign.
Vaesen, Bookhounds of London, Call of Chtullu, just to name a few. What made you go with D&D5e?

Like many others, I like the idea, but I'm in too many games to jump on this one.

I don't have any experience with running other RPGs. 5e can be flexible enough to run a lot of different styles of games. That and with enough homebrew or reflavoring anything is possible.

True, but that being said, D&D5e is very good at heroic combat, mystical investigation not so much. I don't what to rain on your game, just let you know that there are other systems out there, that are built for the game you want to play.
I wish you a fun game

Goblins, Dwarves, Orcs, Elves, ect... could still be about but unknown to normal humans. More like an underground hidden society or protected in plan sight behind a shroud or those places in rumors you hear about... the places horrible stuff had now is untouched by man. Maybe even nestled on another plane of existence. You might walk pass a man who plays the violin everyday and not even know he is of elven make and centuries older then he looks.
All of the Fairy tales creatures or beings that go bump in the night could be real. What the stories say might not always be correct and the creature you are facing is much more hellish or monsterous now. You can never trust what is written so other may have gotten it wrong.

Most races will be allowed (maybe not Owlin or Aarakocra) and reflavoring can be done to better suit your appearance or need. Normal humans may fear or ridicule or worst depending on your appearance. If you want to play as say an Orc. You can take all of the racial features of an Orc but reflavor your appearance to be more human. You could even base your "true form" as a curse. Barbarian rage style When ever you rage you transform into a hideous demon like monster. Or a weathered duster that allows you to cast Disguise Self once a day.
How you reflavor race, class, spells, ect is all up to you. Use your imagination but keep it consistent.

Guns and such will be allowed. There is a Homebrew book called Ultramodern I will steal some stuff from if needed. Otherwise reflavoring anything how you wish also. Firebolt as an enchanted pistol. Mage Hand is small ghostly spirit you captured. Heck if you want to theme your character to use only ice spells we can change damage type to cold for everything if needed. If there is something we can not find we can homebrew something to fit.

Really almost anything is possible might take some homebrewing or reflavoring things on all of our parts. We will work together to figure everything out.

All of you that are interested!

Can you please either post a short character idea here or PM me. Depending on which characters ideas will mesh best is who I will choose.

Not knowing what we’re going for, I came up with three ideas. The examples you offered seemed to indicate the characters would have elements of the supernatural not necessarily just be investigating.

Idea 1: Social Media influencer who posts about supernatural and conspiracy things. Possibly gone silent recently or made some disturbing posts. Maybe he’s seen something real or got turned into a werewolf?

Idea 2: Bridge troll part of a criminal family of bridge trolls who uses supernatural means to prey on humans. Not evil per se. Maybe more of a gremlin/agent of chaos or someone living at the bottom of society. Alternatively, could be a gargoyle "watcher"

Idea 3: leprechaun who lost his treasure. Can’t seem to find it no matter how many rainbows he seeks out.

@Smiley May I ask two more questions
1) Do you plan this as an investigation heavy game
i.e. game where players need to do heavy OOC investigation, pick clues and make conclusions, not just roll an investigation checks for DM to narrate the investigation results?

2) how to you define "modernish times" ?
Are we talking about modern firearms that makes most of the 5e armor obsolete, about cars and bikes instead of mounts. Are we going to reflavor every martial aspect of 5e? Or should we just avoid 5e classes that would usually wear chain male and walk around the city with a greataxe on the back?

1). Could be a mixture of both depending on character/player. If you as a player know lore about creatures I am fine with you using OOC knowledge with or without a Check. BUT not everything player/character learn may be true. Rumors may be false or miss leading.
One of the players could have had something happen to them like Nick Burkhardt from Grimm. His Aunt was a "Monster" hunter. Passed away and left Nick with a trailer full of books, weapons, potions and such to teach him out to hunt monsters also. We could also do Player roll Investigation and I just post what Character learn. There are a lot of options.


2) From reading Dresden Files I learned that sometimes old fashion armor is still good enough to stop a claw or a bullet. When it comes to Armor and blades they will still be useful. Fey creatures can't stand the touch of Iron, Werewolves and silver. Sometimes a normal bullet just won't cut it. Having to separate a head from a body is easier to do with Swords then a bullet.

Car, Trucks, Taxi, Ect can be bought or rented. We might be able to add in fun mounts also. Nothing like chasing after a bad guy on the back of a undead unicorn...

I know a few free game rules that I tried that allows for almost any genre of games. I suggest Fate, or Open Legends for simple and flexible character Creation. With Fate, you may want to do some customising of what the attributes are and can do.

As for character ideas, I'll do give modular options of what I have mind. I welcome feedback on which options is better with which. I may add more here later.

Ability:
1) Their way of casting spells is through tarot cards or similar. When they play a card, it bursts into fire or other relevant effects to manifest the power.
2) Their way of casting spells is through an ancient revolver. Each bullet can be an attack to inflict damage, or explode like a blank to manifest the effect.
3) They carry with them an old medieval weapon and cosplay as a Knight or samurai when they have to deal with the supernatural. Any use of magic will be secondary to their skills with the blade in the modern era.

Personality:
A) They are a person who has multiple souls trapped in them that can take over the body. Each personality can have their own favourite spell to cast. Their multiple personalities have made them a force of chaos, but they have a reasonable amount of control over which soul gets to be the leader.
B) They are rapper who dreams of going big and famous. But one day, their rhymes ends up transforming their environment according to their lyrics. This effect doesn't happen every time, but it happens enough to convince them that it is their destiny to be an actual rap god.
3) A con artist who used to sell fake magical artifacts. One day, they found that magic items and creatures really do exist. Probably in an incident that nearly cost them their life, and now have an obsession with acquiring real magic items.

OK, I've got a draft idea for a PC.
A young man is working hard to hide his inherited lycanthropy from his friends, who noticed already that no dog would ever bark when he is approaches. Hopefully they have not yet noticed that his scars heals too fast and bruises never appear....

He lives with his father in a forest house. Father works as guide and first few days of an absence is just normal, but after a week or something he receives a letter is signed by father that says something like "the worst has happened, you may not see me any more. You are to keep our family secret, unfortunately you will need to finish your training all alone". But there is also a clue about what could have happened to the father, so his own search could begun.

mechanically it would be shifter-wildhunt, class: Barbarian of Path of the Ancestral Guardian. I would not do reflavoring any of race or class abilities, I believe they fit as is.

Character idea: Private eye who has seen a little too much.
-- Nothing magical about him, at least to start, but once you start knocking on those types of doors, well, maybe you need a little extra fire power.

If you're at all familiar with some of the lore for Universal Studios Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights event, Boris Schuster was sort of my character concept inspiration.

I am going to give it the weekend to choose the 3 players to try this game out.
Give others a chance to post or PM also.

I have invite 3 players who characters I would like to try and see how they fit. If something doesn't go right I will grab someone else who was interested.

Thanks Everyone!