Interest Check: Pathfinder Horror

I had the idea last night for a survival horror Pathfinder game set in a spooky mansion. Features:

A spooky, possibly haunted mansion and the surrounding grounds. I'm honestly not sure about what threat will be there at this stage, but I wanted to get an interest check first. Might not even reveal the threat until you see it in the game, leave that extra bit of tantalizing suspense.

You'd all be playing Level 1 Commoners, with homebrew perks I design. Basically, instead of classes, you'd choose your role in the horror story. If you've seen Cabin in the Woods, those roles are something like what I have in mind.

I'd put special work into expanding upon the status effects, especially fear effects, and how they apply to roleplay as well as stats. I would also be implementing a form of sanity system inspired by Call of Cthulhu.

Instead of making it all about combat, the central conflict will involve stealth, improvised tools, sneak attacks, and coping with the horrific environment.

Anyway, I'm open to running multiple variations with different threats. Anyone who survives the night can keep their character for next time if they like. But you can also abandon your character or replace a dead one. Is anyone into something like this?

I can provide more accurate details if it would make the idea more appealing to anyone. I just didn't want to get too invested until I learned if there was support for the idea.

I could manage probably being in one more game. Im not familiar with pathfinder though, so it would take some reading.

Thanks, but I've pretty much given up on this one (given that my last post was 13 days ago). Doesn't seem like there is much support for it in the community. Would you be interested in the other one I posted about recently?

I wouldn't give up on it. Simply bump it occasionally. These types on non-standard games sometimes get buried a little bit, or people see them a couple of times before committing to them.

I would also advise against expectations of frequent posts to topics like this. Most people here partake in PbP because the format is conducive to infrequent posting while they focus on real life. They will sometimes go weeks only checking/posting their game forums and not the other forums like the Games Tavern.

I made a post checking if anyone was able to run a Curse of Strahd game which didn't get much traction for a while, then people started posting. Next thing I knew someone was very generous and agreed to run it for me.

So, keep at with your playing and ideas. Don't be surprised if a couple of months from now, someone makes a comment and it catches on when you least expect it.

Well, that is certainly encouraging. If I can get a few more people interested in this game, I'll run it. I just like throwing ideas out from time to time and seeing what sticks.

Sounds interesting if you can get the horror aspect to work. I'd join.

Alright, that's two people by my count. I'd settle for four, but I'd like five or more.

I am interested - I am familiar in Pathfinder but not in spooky so it might be an interesting experience :)

Also would like to add I have never taken part in PbF before... just FYI :)

Three! Excellent. If I can just get one more person, I'll run this.

I'm definitely interested, I've never played Pathfinder but I've had several people suggest it to me and the horror aspect sounds really interesting.

Alrighty, I'll put the finishing touches on it. For now, I'll reward those who were looking to get involved. Here's a little taste of what I have in store. (Please comment with your thoughts, as you will be playing one of these)

The Hunter - Level 1 Commoner
STR 14, DEX 10, CON 12, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 12
HP: 7; BAB +0; Fort +1; Ref +0; Will +0
Skills: Climb (1 rank); Proficiency (Club, no armor, no shields)
Feature: Take Me Instead! (use: 1/game)
If the enemy’s attack would kill one of your friends, you can move up to 30 ft.
as an immediate action and try to replace them with yourself. If you are close
enough at the end of that movement, the attack roll is weighed against your
AC instead of your friend’s. Even if the attack roll fails, the feature is spent.
You enter the friend’s space, and they are moved 5 ft. in any direction you like.
Feature: Power Ball (use: 1/day)
You can take a -1 penalty on a melee attack to gain a +2 bonus on damage.
If you are using two hands, this bonus becomes +3 instead.
Feature: Gimme a Boost! (use: 3/day)
If you give someone a boost when they’re trying to climb,
they may roll Climb as if they were you.
Feature: Improvised Weapon (use: at will)
Any object heavy enough that you can pick up and bludgeon with,
you can use as a club, if a proper weapon is not available.

The Butterfly - Level 1 Commoner
STR 10, DEX 12, CON 12, INT 10, WIS 8, CHA 14
HP: 7; BAB +0; Fort +1; Ref +1; Will -1
Skills: Craft (1 rank), Knowledge (nobility, 1 rank); Proficiency (Wooden stake, no armor, no shields)
Feature: Spare Them (use: 1/game)
Touch a target creature, which must make a Will save. If they fail,
their attacks only deal nonlethal damage until the end of the next round.
Feature: Hey, Look at Me! (use: 1/day)
Even though you are untrained in Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate,
you may use this ability to give yourself a +5 bonus the next time you roll one
of these three skills.
Feature: Pretty Flash (use: 3/day)
Spend one use of this ability to cause one humanoid creature in 30 ft.
to become dazed. They are not stunned, but cannot take any actions
for 1 round. After a creature has been dazed by this feature,
it is immune to the effects for 1 minute.
Feature: Buck Up (use: at will)
Inspire your friend to do better, by granting them a +1 on their next roll.
This feature can be applied to any kind of roll.

The Priest - Level 1 Commoner
STR 10, DEX 10, CON 8, INT 14, WIS 12, CHA 12
HP: 6; BAB +0; Fort +0; Ref +0; Will +1
Skills: Bluff (1 rank), Diplomacy (1 rank), Knowledge (religion, 1 rank), Sense Motive (1 rank); Proficiency (Dagger, no armor, no shields)
Feature: Everybody Out, Now! (use: 1/game)
As a standard action, you can create a 30 ft. radius emanation centered on you.
Until the end of next round, every friend caught in the radius can make one extra
attack per turn, gains a +1 attack bonus and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex
saves, and their land speed increases by 30 ft.
The cost is severe: both you and all enemies in range are staggered, and must choose whether to take a move or standard, take a -1 attack penalty, -1 AC, and -1 on Reflex saves, and move at half normal speed.
Feature: No Need To Fight (use: 1/day)
As a standard action, you can cause yourself or a creature you touch
to vanish from sight, along with anything on their person or in their hands.
The creature remains hidden yet audible until the end of the next round.
Feature: Let’s Think About This (use: 3/day)
As a standard action, you can create a 60 ft. cone that lasts for 1 minute.
In this emanation, you can detect whether the source of a scary light/image,
sound, smell, or otherwise sensation is just your imagination, supernatural,
or has a logical explanation.
Feature: Be Prepared (use: at will)
As a standard action, you can create a 10-foot-radius field of protection
centered on you that lasts for 2 rounds. You and all friends in that range
receive a +1 deflection bonus to their armor class.

The Ragged - Level 1 Commoner
STR 12, DEX 12, CON 10, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8
HP: 6; BAB +0; Fort +0; Ref +1; Will +2
Skills: Knowledge (local, 1 rank), Use Magic Device (1 rank); Proficiency (Morningstar, no armor, no shields)
Feature: Ambling Shuffle (use: 1/game)
For 10 minutes, you gain a 30 ft. climb speed and a +8 Climb skill bonus.
In addition, as long as you have 10 feet of space to make a running start,
you can make a long jump of up to 10 feet without making an Acrobatics check.
Feature: Adrenaline (use: 1/day)
For 1 minute, gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity,
or Constitution. For 30 minutes after this feature ends, you lose the bonus,
and also suffer a -2 penalty to whatever you boosted.
Feature: Stinking Cloud (use: 3/day)
As a standard action, you can create a 5 ft. radius cloud around you.
It persists for 3 rounds, and you can move it 20 ft. per round.
Creatures inside the cloud take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and Perception
skill checks for as long as they remain inside and for 1 round after exiting.
Creatures inside gain concealment from attacks made by opponents
that are not adjacent to them.
Feature: Take No Prisoners (use: at will)
Whenever you attack a creature that is unaware of your actions, add +1d6 dmg.

The Oracle - Level 1 Commoner
STR 8, DEX 12, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 12, CHA 10
HP: 8; BAB +0; Fort +2; Ref +1; Will +1
Skills: Handle Animal (1 rank), Knowledge (nature, 1 rank); Proficiency (Spear, no armor, no shields)
Feature: Last One (use: 1/game)
If you would die as the result of an enemy attack, you are instead brought up
to 1 hp, but remain unconscious for 1 minute. When you wake up, the enemy
who attacked you will have moved on, presuming you to be dead.
Feature: Stop This, Now! (use: 1/day)
As a standard action, the target humanoid is paralyzed until the end of the
next round. If you choose to spend your daily on a friend, they are not paralyzed.
Instead, you may heal the friend for 2d8 HP.
Feature: Please, Be Safe! (use: 3/day)
As a standard action, you can grant all your friends 1d6 HP.
They must be within a 30 ft. radius of you to gain benefit.
If any enemies are caught within that radius at the time of activation,
they are stunned for 1 round and may take 1d6 damage, if they are
the right kind of enemy. You won’t know who is affected this way until
you try it out.
Feature: Word of Warning (use: at will)
As a standard action, you can grant a friend a +1 resistance bonus on saves.
There is no need to grant this to yourself, because it is already active on you
at all times. After this ability has been used, you lose your own bonus for
1 minute, then regain it.

I like the roles and their abilities, the way you described them really do well to give us a clue on what kind of situations we can find in the game later. Everything is easy to understand as well. My only question is probably because I've never used pathfinder, but what does it mean when the feature says it can only be used 1/game, does that mean we can only use it once throughout the entire rp or is it something specific to the story that we can understand later?

An excellent question, especially since it is not a Pathfinder term. "At will" means that you can always use this feature, any time you have the opportunity. 1/day or 3/day refers to in-game time specifically. At a table, this time would usually pass faster than real time. But here on Gamer's Plane, we do play by post, so an in-game day will probably take weeks or months. Days will pass during the game, of an unspecified number, then the game will end. In certain conditions, you might learn that you only have a certain number of days left, or that surviving the night will end the game.

That brings us to the "1/game" notation. This means "once per game." Passing a day will not gain the ability back. You get one use. One. When the game is declared Over and a new cycle begins, you might choose to play the same character (if they survived last time) and you'll get your ability back. But you could just as easily play someone else and have their "1/game" ability instead.

Important note: you can permanently lose a character, and cannot play it again. You may play the same type ("the Hunter") by another name and face, but you cannot bring back the same name, face, experiences, items, etc. If your character survives a game, they can come back with everything they had before, and might even come back stronger. You are a Commoner, an NPC class, so you'll never be a great fantasy hero. But you could have a little edge that a Level 1 character would not.

Here's a section of rules I wrote on Navigating Areas, since we'll be doing something a little special in that regard.

The standard these rules set is such that, you must spend a turn to investigate a room, fight, solve a puzzle, or open a new door. However, you can travel through any area or areas you have already seen at a more rapid pace, by spending Prep. Each room you skip costs you 1 Prep. Alternatively, you may carefully check a door (even one already opened), and sneak into a room, regaining 1 lost Prep. You cannot use this to gain higher Prep, as you can with other +1, +2, etc. Prep bonuses. It merely allows you to approach the "full" amount you started with, or the new high point set by attaining special bonuses. Creeping around in this way requires a Stealth roll, for which the DC varies.

(Note: "Room" is written elsewhere in my rules as "localized area," because these "rooms" include outdoor areas.)

Filthy_Casual, Elveron, Daan, and Sellanancy, you are the people who have showed interest so far. If you are still interested, here's what you need to know (since I've gotten a few people saying they don't know much Pathfinder).

Most of the gameplay takes the form of d20 rolls. At a physical table, that would be a 20-sided-die. A 1 is the worst result you can get, and a 20 is the best result. Sometimes you will be called on to roll something else, like a d6, or a d8. You add any modifiers on your sheet to the roll, as is relevant. For example, if you were rolling Stealth, you would roll a d20, then add your rank in that skill, and your ability modifier from the right score (Dexterity, in this case). Your objective is to get a high enough result that you meet or exceed the Difficulty Class (or DC).

The rest of the normal rules are far more complicated than that, but we'll be working with a simple version modified to suit my needs for a horror game. The main gameplay will involve exploring, investigating areas you are in, and avoiding "The Threat" -- a horror monster of my choosing. At the beginning, you will not know what it is, or where it is, and your characters will not even know there IS a threat to begin with. Any questions so far?

Nope - I have played lots of PF so looking forward to see your modifications :)

Me neither, I think I can handle this :)

Before I explain any more of my homebrew changes, do you two have any thoughts on what you'd like to play? From the list above.