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Costumes and Disguises at the Masquerade Ball

26 Thursday May 2016

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The people of the 18th Century delighted in Masquerade Balls. Sometimes the revelers would be dressed in fanciful outfits, and sometimes the mask would be their only disguise. The anonymity of the costume and mask seemed to melt away inhibitions, leading to numerous amorous intrigues. Cross-dressing (en travesti) was particularly popular, and many women took the opportunity to wear scandalously revealing clothes they would never dare attempt in ordinary life.

Presenters and Game Masters can use the following tables to randomly determine (or select) the costumes and masks worn by revelers at Masquerade Balls in their games. Players can use the tables as inspiration for the next Masquerade Ball their PC attends!

Male Costumes (roll d20)

  1. Chinese Mandarin
  2. Death
  3. The Devil
  4. Domino (black cloak)
  5. Dragon
  6. Egyptian Pharaoh
  7. En travesti – Laundress / Maid
  8. En travesti – Noblewoman
  9. En travesti – Nun
  10. Harlequin (Motley)
  11. Medieval Knight
  12. Medieval Nobleman
  13. Monk
  14. Native American
  15. Roman Senator
  16. Satyr
  17. South Seas Warrior
  18. Sultan
  19. Tree, or other plant
  20. Wildman

Female Costumes (roll d20)

  1. Bacchante
  2. Chinese Empress
  3. Columbina (the flirty servant girl of the Commedia dell’arte)
  4. Diana, Goddess of the Moon and Hunt
  5. Egyptian Queen or Priestess
  6. En travesti – Highwayman
  7. En travesti – Pageboy
  8. En travesti– Fop / Dandy
  9. Harem Girl
  10. Medieval Damsel
  11. Mermaid
  12. Nun
  13. Nymph
  14. Roman Matron
  15. Shepherdess / Milkmaid
  16. South Seas Woman
  17. Sultana
  18. Swan
  19. Sylph (with butterfly or dragonfly wings)
  20. Venus

Masks (Roll d20)

  1. Bauta (a full mask with a large nose, prominent brows and no mouth, but the triangular lower edge projects far forward and is open underneath. The wearer can therefore eat and drink without removing their disguise. Typically worn with the tricorn hat)
  2. Bird (Dove, Eagle, Hawk, or Owl)
  3. Bull
  4. Canine (Fox, Hound, Jackal, Wolf)
  5. Cat (House-cat, Leopard, Lion, Tiger)
  6. Colombina (a half-mask for women similar to a Domino, but covering the cheeks and ornately decorated)
  7. Devil / Demon
  8. Domino (the classic black oval mask covering the area around the eyes and nose)
  9. Dragon
  10. Equine (Ass, Horse, Unicorn, Zebra)
  11. Greek Comedy Mask
  12. Greek Tragedy Mask
  13. Green Man (or Wildman)
  14. Harlequin (a black half-mask mask with highly arched eyebrows and two horn-like bumps on the forehead)
  15. Larva (a full mask with all the facial features indicated, usually stark white, and possibly decorated)
  16. Moretta (a black oval mask for women, covering the face but without an apparent mouth. The mask is kept on by a peg held between the wearer’s teeth)
  17. Pantalone (a half-mask with a large nose and arched eyebrows, meant to represent a scheming old man)
  18. Plague Doctor (a full face mask with round eye holes and a long beak in place of nose and mouth)
  19. Skull
  20. Zanni (a half-mask with an absurdly long nose and sloping forehead)

Notes:

A costumed reveler at a Masquerade will generally either wear a matching mask, or else a simple Domino-style mask. If an attendee is not costumed, use the table to determine their disguise.

Many of the masks worn at Masquerades throughout Europe in the 18th Century were derived from those used in Venice during Carnival, and in the Italian Commedia dell’arte. In Venice such masks had specific cultural meanings, and the wearing of some (such as the Bauta) was regulated by custom and law. Party-goers elsewhere might freely wear any style of mask, however.

The mask might be worn tied to the face, or just as often be attached to a stick or baton so the disguise can be easily donned and doffed. Sometimes instead of an actual mask, the area around the eyes could be painted with burnt cork in a manner similar to a Domino.

20 Cursed and Haunted Beds

14 Saturday May 2016

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The astrologer of the nineteenth century (1825) (14577266807)

The grand canopied beds of the late-18th and early-19th Centuries, with their intricate carvings and dark hanging curtains, were often more like miniature rooms than simple furniture. An old bed might have a past as storied (and tragic) as the house itself. Visitors to an ancient manor or castle might find themselves in ancient bed that is more than a simple vehicle of pleasure and rest. Whether retiring for the night, or engaging in a clandestine affair, the unlucky occupant of such a bed may be confronted with the dark forces that fester in the corners of reality.

Some of these hauntings will invite further investigation – others are simply bits of interest to enliven a Gothic game or story.

20 Cursed and Haunted Beds

  1. If sleeping alone in the bed one will experience the unmistakable sensation that someone or something is lying next to them, but there is never anyone there.
  2. When the curtains are drawn the faint sound of an indecipherable conversation can sometimes be heard, but when the curtains are opened nobody is in the room.
  3. At 2:00 AM every night, the bed smells inexplicably like jasmine and musk, the favorite scent of the lady who was murdered in the bed by her jealous husband over 30 year ago. At 2:00 AM, of course.
  4. The bedclothes always become inexplicable messy, no matter how many times they are fixed during the day. It never happens if the bed is watched, but as soon as someone looks away the sheets become rumpled. Eventually the haunting will escalate to the point that the bed-sheet forms itself into a noose tied to a crossbar of the bedposts. The former occupant of the bedchamber hung themselves in such a way.
  5. The bed is oddly warm, even on cold days. Sometimes at night, there is a soft sound like someone breathing, and the mattress seems to rise and fall slightly. If the wood of the bed is ever nicked, it will bleed.
  6. People who sleep on the bed are oddly pale and weak in the morning, but don’t remember having any trouble sleeping. In fact, occupants always have a perfect, dreamless sleep.
  7. Those who sleep in the bed will have a dream that consist of a random memory from one of the bed’s previous occupants.
  8. The bed-curtains randomly pull themselves open for no apparent reason.
  9. The insides of the bed-curtains are printed with pictures of people and animals that change position overnight.
  10. Anyone who sleeps in the bed will dream of being chased down a basement corridor past a red door. This is a clue to finding the hidden body of someone who was secretly murdered in the house many years before.
  11. It sometimes looks at though someone is sleeping underneath the sheet, but if it is removed there is nobody there.
  12. In the morning the curtains and bedclothes are ripped to shreds, as if some wild beast had attacked them. There are threads in the sleeper’s mouth, and under their nails.
  13. The sleep will be awakened in the night by the feel of invisible fingers softly caressing their head.
  14. The sleeper will awaken in the middle of the night to the sound of soft whispers saying “marry me, or I am lost forever”. Next to them is a rotted corpse in a wedding dress, leaning in for a kiss.
  15. In the morning the sleeper finds 16th century Spanish Doubloons in the bed, which was once owned by a pirate captain.
  16. In the middle of the night a footman in an old-fashioned livery will awaken the sleeper, claiming that the house is on fire and all the guests need to evacuate. When the character is brought out into the garden the footman disappears and it is obvious there is no fire. Investigation in the morning reveals that no such footman works at the house, but he does match the description of a servant who burned to death at a fire in the house 50 years ago.
  17. Bloods continually appear on one of the club-like bedstaves, no matter how many times it is wiped off. That bedstaff had been used by a former occupant of the chamber to murder her children while they slept.
  18. Once the bed-curtains are closed they will disappear, revealing that the bed now lies in a glade within a deep forest. The forest is the one from which the wood for the bed was obtained.
  19. The bed is either extremely moralistic, shaking uncontrollably if anybody but a married couple makes love in it, or jealous, similarly shaking if a married couple has sex in it.
  20. Those who fall asleep in the bed will dream of killing a local peasant family. In the morning the sleeper(s) will find out that the exact family they dreamed about was actually murdered in the night. There is no way the sleepers could have exited the room without being observed, however.

What’s Down the Dark Alley?

22 Friday Apr 2016

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Roll a d20 on the following table to determine what the characters encounter when they foolishly decide to explore that narrow street where the sunlight refuses to dwell. The results are skewed towards a late 18th Century Gothic milieu, but would also be appropriate for most dark fantasy (and even some modern horror) games as well.

The Characters Find…

  1. A crime in progress (murder, robbery, etc.). The perpetrators may be dressed as animals, be wearing Carnival masks, or may even be the King and his courtiers in disguise!
  2. A mysterious shop that seems to sell antiquities, run by an unhelpful and shriveled old man with an unknown accent. The shop sees much large on the inside than it looks from the outside.
  3. A stinking pile of rotting garbage, with a peek of something shiny within. Perhaps it is a valuable object that was lost or deliberately hidden.
  4. A swarm of rats or insects rushing from an open door.
  5. A small shrine to an obscure saint, with inexplicable offerings left before it. The prayer to the saint is scrawled on the wall nearby, but there is no indication of what the petitioner should expect to receive.
  6. A pool of blood, but no body. Bloody footprints lead from the pool straight to a wall, and then up it.
  7. The remains of corpses stolen from their graves and then dissected by medical students. Naturally, one is a deceased friend or family member.
  8. A corpse with a mysterious object in its hand (key, unsent letter, etc.)
  9. A seedy tavern patronized by hostile people who do want to be found. The tavern may be a cover for a criminal operation of some kind (kidnapping, fencing stolen goods, etc.).
  10. The unassuming entrance to a palatial home. The inhabitants are dressed in an oddly out-of-fashion manner, and speak with archaic accents.
  11. Strange footprints in the mud / snow / dirt, seemingly left by some animal that should not be present (tiger, bear, bipedal goat).
  12. Gamblers playing dice, and making strange bets (a hand, the memory of their first love, the taste of sweetness).
  13. A prostitute servicing a client. One or both of them may actually be well-known members of High Society.
  14. The King of the Beggars holding court.
  15. A private club that caters to those with peculiar tastes. The password for entrance will be coincidentally easy to guess. Everyone inside is masked, impeccably dressed, and speaks with an aristocratic accent.
  16. The entrance to a street that is not on any map, and shouldn’t exist.
  17. The sound of weird chanting comes from a second-story window, followed by the sound of objects breaking, and screams. A headless body crashes through the window, and falls into the alley.
  18. A sinkhole, crudely covered up with boards. There are signs of habitation in the cavern below.
  19. A group of children playing an unknown game with strange and intricate rules, while they sing a song with ominous (or slanderous) lyrics.
  20. The studio of a mad artist, creating a work with dimensions that seem to constantly change, in colors that cannot exist.

20 Ominous Weather Events

15 Friday Apr 2016

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Here are twenty examples of portentous meteorological phenomena besides the generic “dark and stormy night”! Use them as background (or even central plot points) in your Gothic, horror, science-fiction, or fantasy games/stories. Surprisingly, many of the events described below have actually been reported. More examples of bizarre weather throughout history can be found in the books of Charles Fort, and at http://www.phenomena.org.uk/index.html.

20 Ominous Weather Events

  1. A fireball streaks across the sky.
  2. Small fish or frogs fall in a rain.
  3. A rain of small stones.
  4. The entire sky suddenly darkens (during the say) or illuminates like midday (at night).
  5. A fall of enormous, strangely colored hailstones (blue, green, red, etc.).
  6. A red rain.
  7. Green or purple lightning.
  8. The clouds form the unmistakable form of a human skull.
  9. All the stars have disappeared, but there are no clouds.
  10. A sticky, gelatinous substance falls from the sky.
  11. Freakishly unseasonable precipitation (a blizzard in the summer, warm rain on a freezing winter’s day, etc.).
  12. Sparks fall from the sky.
  13. Large raindrops fall, emitting electric discharges on any conductive materials they hit.
  14. Caustic rain that burns like lye.
  15. A howling wind that sounds like a clearly comprehensible word.
  16. A number of glowing orbs move slowly across the sky.
  17. A swarm of common insects (ladybugs, flies, butterflies) so large and dense that it obscures the sun.
  18. Rain falling only on a single house, tree, or other feature. The sky is clear all around it.
  19. The sound of galloping horses in the turbulent clouds overhead.
  20. A tornado, in which swirls numerous corpses lifted from shallow graves.

20 Weird Mornings

08 Friday Apr 2016

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Roll a d20 to determine what bizarre situation awaits a character once they open their eyes.

The Character Wakes Up To Find…

  1. Their mouth full of black feathers.
  2. They are wearing the clothing and body-paint of a distant, primitive tribe.
  3. A headless body lying next to them.
  4. They have become an animal (but retain the ability to speak).
  5. Their entire body covered with iridescent scales.
  6. Bags of money strewn around their bedchamber.
  7. Themselves naked, surrounded by beautiful (and also naked) people they can’t identify.
  8. Themselves in a cell, charged with a bizarre crime (theft of the color orange, contempt of gravity, etc.).
  9. An extra eye in the middle of their forehead.
  10. The whole world is upside down (i.e., they are asleep on the ceiling and looking down on the floor).
  11. Everyone else in the world has become a walking, talking skeleton.
  12. They now have wings.
  13. The entire population of the town has vanished.
  14. A door in the wall of their bedchamber, that wasn’t there when they went to sleep.
  15. They are standing outside of their body, which is still asleep.
  16. Everything that was once delicious is now disgusting, and everything that was disgusting is now delicious.
  17. The world is subtly different, because a certain historical event apparently never happened.
  18. It is still dark, because dawn never came.
  19. A letter inviting them to join the “Sodality of the Desolate”.
  20. A small man perched on their chest, asking if “today is the day we finally make our move”

Highdark Hall: The Enclosed Park & Outbuildings

28 Monday Mar 2016

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Highdark Hall - Park and OutbuildingsPresenting the latest addition to the popular “Highdark Hall” series, The Enclosed Park & Outbuildings. Venture outside the great house, and wander the gardens, strange follies, and haunted landscapes of the surrounding park. Highdark Hall‘s parkland is an incongruous spot of green amid the desolate moorland that surrounds it, and the seemingly natural landscaping of the park is mostly artificial in origin. It was a massive undertaking to create, and requires constant work to maintain. Rumors insinuate that the strange fertility of the parkland may also have another, more disturbing explanation.

Use the map for your Gothic, horror, and even steampunk games, or just lose yourself in dark reverie as you mentally explore the grounds. Imagine what secrets lie buried (quite literally) on the property.

Coming soon are descriptions of the parkland features, and details on the outbuilding servants (as well as the ornamental hermit paid to live on the grounds, dressed as an ancient Druid!)

20 Shocking Revelations About a Character

01 Tuesday Mar 2016

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Because everybody needs some terrible mystery in their personal history! Roll a d20 to determine a horrible secret about the past of a Player Character, Secondary Player Character, or Non-Player Character. Perfect for Ghastly Affair, or any other Gothic, Horror, or Dark Fantasy RPG.

20 Shocking Revelations About a Character

  1. The character and their True Love are actually long lost siblings (or parent and child).
  2. The patron (or best friend) of the character is actually the source of the local horrors.
  3. The horrible, bloody dreams of the character are actually memories of their childhood in a household of cannibals.
  4. The character is actually a crazed murderer in a temporary fugue, or is the unknowing Alter Ego of a Mad Scientist. All their memories of the past are false.
  5. The Devil (or another figure of supernatural evil) was promised the character as their infernal bride, in payment for some dark service.
  6. The real parents of the character are the realm’s most infamous traitors, whose baby was taken from them.
  7. The character is actually a Changeling, made from forest detritus animated by fairy magic.
  8. The character was “coffin-born” to a mother that committed suicide. She may have been cursed to existence as a Vampyre, and been searching for her long-lost child ever since.
  9. The True Love of the character is actually a Vampyre (or other evil being in human form). Note that the evil being may still have genuine affection for the character!
  10. The character is actually the last legitimate heir to the haunted castle/chateau/manor house where they are a guest, and which is currently occupied by a murderous family of usurpers.
  11. The King conceived a child during a Satanic (or Pagan) orgy. That child is the character.
  12. The character is an unknowing somnambulist who commits horrific murders in their sleep.
  13. The disembodied voices the character has long heard are actually made by a murderous ventriloquist trying to drive the character to kill.
  14. The entire childhood of the character was a stage-managed fraud, intended to keep them from knowing their true identity. Their parents, relatives, friends, etc., were all actors employed by the members of some conspiracy.
  15. The character died as a child, but was resurrected by a Mad Scientist (or Magician). Unfortunately, the PC now has no soul. That may also explain why the PC is experiencing strange waking dreams, or is developing such unusual hungers.
  16. The people the character thought were their parents are in fact the Housekeeper and Butler, impersonating the Lord and Lady of the manor. The PC’s real parents are actually imprisoned in the sealed wing (or basement) of their secluded estate.
  17. The poem that was often read the PC as a child actually contains a coded spell that will open the gates of Hell.
  18. The character’s true father was the Devil, who now wants the PC to assume the mantle of Antichrist.
  19. The family of the character is cursed with lycanthropy, which will begin to affect the PC on their next birthday.
  20. The character’s spouse has been administering slow poison to them, and plans on using the fatal dose soon.

Random Mishaps with the “Language of Fans”

27 Saturday Feb 2016

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The “Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual” discusses how upper class ladies of the Ghastly Age (1765 – 1820) use their hand fans to send coded messages, both to each other, and potential lovers. The “Language of Fans’ allows women to maintain a socially-mandated facade of demure passivity, while they actually engage in erotic intrigues and character assassination. Two ladies could appear to be exchanging social pleasantries, while they in fact hurl insults at each other with their fans. An assignation with a lover can be arranged right under the nose of a clueless husband or chaperon.

The “Language of Fans” is perilous, however, for anyone who hasn’t been raised as an aristocrat. Would-be social climbers who haven’t yet mastered the intricacies of High Society should make an Intelligence check each time they attempt to send a message with their fan. If they fail, roll on the following table to see what message has been mistakenly sent. Presenters could also rule that those who are completely unfamiliar with High Society must roll on the table whenever they fan themselves! The mistaken message will be received by a random recipient, male or female.

Alexander Roslin - The Lady with a Fan (The Artist's Wife) - WGA20067

Mishaps With The Fan
Roll d20 to determine message mistakenly sent

  1. “I insist upon an immediate kiss!”
  2. “Let us surreptitiously withdraw to some convenient chamber, away from prying eyes.”
  3. “I shall die if you do not share my bed tonight!”
  4. “Is it as large as has been rumored?”
  5. “Would you mind terribly were I to borrow your lover?”
  6. “Your presence fills my heart with revulsion and contempt!”
  7. “It was only last night that I was thoroughly enjoyed by your beloved.”
  8. “I am well aware of your nefarious deeds.”
  9. “Consume the contents of my chamber pot and perish!”
  10. “Apply your lips to my posterior!”
  11. “Render oral service to my unwashed womanhood, foolish she-dog!
  12. “Forbear to act, for suspicious eyes are upon us.”
  13. “Act quickly, for my husband is preoccupied.”
  14. “I am anxious that you should ask me to dance.”
  15. “I should have no interest in dancing with you, where it to happen that you alone among men survived in this world!”
  16. “I know of your nasty proclivities, and I shall not be party to their indulgence.”
  17. “I am amenable to indulging your peculiar desires, and have a few of my own.”
  18. “I would consider taking you as my lover, if you were to apply greater effort to the matter.”
  19. “Your hair and clothes betray your lack of taste and breeding.”
  20. “Your gown is quite splendid – I insist you reveal the identity of your modiste!”

The results could be absurd, embarrassing, or even unexpectedly fortunate. The cruel and heartless doyennes of High Society will naturally be quick to seize upon any obvious mistakes.

Even most aristocratic men attempting to interpret the Language of Fans (except for the handsome cicisbeos, cavalier serventes, and Libertines who are fluent) should also have to make an Intelligence Check. If they fail, they should roll on the table to determine what they think the intended meaning was. In an age of dueling, misinterpreting a message from another man’s wife or mistress can have potentially deadly consequences.

The Presenter should assume that all the historically published “translations” of the Language of Fans are deliberate misinformation, intended to fool the uninitiated and reveal interlopers. Any aristocratic woman who publicly revealed the actual Language of Fans would face complete social ostracism at best (and would most likely be poisoned).

Lord Byron: A Historical NPC for the “Ghastly Affair” RPG

19 Friday Feb 2016

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The notorious poet Lord Byron was a troubled (and troubling) personality whose shadow looms over popular culture to this day. The PCs could be caught in one of Byron’s twisted games of love, fall victim to his fearsome rages, or even be immortalized in gorgeous verse! Here he is presented for use as an NPC in Ghastly Affair, the Gothic Game of Romantic Horror.

Byron 1813 by Phillips

Lord Byron (June, 1816)
The Great Romantic Poet:“Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know”

Full Name: George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
Aliases: George Noel Byron
Class: Libertine (Aristocrat)
Level: 10
Appearance/Most Memorable Characteristic: Dark haired and handsome, with heavy-lidded eyes, an expressive mouth, and strong cleft chin. Walks with an obvious limp, and usually leans on a walking stick. Often wears Turkish and Eastern-European inspired clothing.
Age: 28

Charisma: 20 Intelligence: 14 Wisdom: 13
Strength: 13 Dexterity: 11 Constitution: 13
Perversity: 14
Assets (+3 Bonus): Genius Poet, Skilled Boxer, Great Shot, Strong Swimmer
Afflictions (-3 Penalty): Club Foot, Notorious, Prone to Melancholy, Easily Angered

Speed: 9 (-3 Penalty on all Speed Contests on land due to Club Foot)
Hit Points: 60
Attacks: 1 punch or pistol (+5 total Bonus if fighting unaided, +7 if a desired lover is watching)

Special Abilities: Disguise (+1) | Dueling (+1/+3) | Fraud (+1) | Aristocratic Skills (+1) (instead of Sneak) | Seduction (+1)
Weaknesses: Faithless Lover | Fascinated By Innocence

Typical Equipment Carried: A loose, white shirt with a frilled front and puffed sleeves. A banyan. A walking stick. A pistol. A locket with a miniature portrait of The Honorable Augusta Leigh (his half-sister). He may have an exotic pet (such as a monkey, crow, or fox) on or near him.
Current Residence: Villa Diodati, on the shore of Lake Geneva

Background (to June 10, 1816):

  • January 22, 1788: George Gordon Byron born
  • 1791: George’s father, “Mad Jack” Byron, died in France.
  • 1798: George became the 6th Baron Byron upon the death of his murderously eccentric great-uncle William (popularly known as “The Wicked Lord”).
  • 1801: Attended Harrow School.
  • 1805 – 1809: Attended Trinity College, Cambridge. Fell in love with Trinity Chapel choir singer John Edleston.
  • March 13, 1809: First attended the House of Lords as a peer.
  • 1809 – 1811: Went on his Grand Tour, but due to the Napoleonic Wars primarily visited the Eastern Mediterranean instead of the usual sites on the Continent. Took advantage of the Ottoman Empire’s comparatively more relaxed attitude towards homosexual activity.
  • 1811: Returned to England.
  • 1812: Published the first two cantos of “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”, which made him famous. Began a tempestuous affair with Lady Caroline Lamb (who would later deem him “mad, bad, and dangerous to know”). The two would show up up at events with Lady Lamb dressed as a pageboy. Lady Lamb’s husband (the future Prime Minister William Lamb) knew about the affair.
  • 1813: Published “The Giaour” and “The Bride of Abydos”. Began an affair with his half-sister Augusta Leigh.
  • 1814: Published “The Corsair”, an instant success. Augusta Leigh gave birth to a daughter Medora, likely Byron’s.
  • January 2, 1815: Married the extremely religious Anne Isabella Milbanke (often called “Annabella”).
  • December 10, 1815: Annabella gave birth to Byron’s daughter Ada (who as Ada Lovelace will later create the conceptual basis of modern computer programming).
  • April 25, 1816: In debt and facing public exposure of his bisexuality and incestuous affair with his half-sister, Byron separated from his wife, and fled England.
  • May 1816: The jilted Lady Lamb published her Gothic novel “Glenarvon”. The villainous “Lord Ruthven” of the book was instantly recognizable as a thinly veiled caricature of Lord Byron.
  • June 10, 1816: Byron takes up residence in the Villa Belle Rive, on the shore of Lake Geneva. He renames it “Villa Diodati”. As the weather turns cold and stormy, and reflecting the growing public hysteria that the sun will be extinguished in July, he begins writing the poem “Darkness”.

Personality and Role-Playing Notes: Moody, vain, and wildly passionate, Lord Byron is by turns loving and cruel. His appreciation of beauty is matched by his snobbery and egotism. He will casually belittle friends and lovers, then shower them with affection. He can fly into irrational rages that are followed by periods of tender concern – and vice-versa. His eating habits alternate between near fasting and over-indulgence (followed by induced vomiting). He is an animal lover, and will often have an exotic pet nearby. Above all, Byron is obsessed is transgressing boundaries of all kinds. He is proud of his aristocratic status, and unlike his acquaintance Percy Shelley, has no interest in fundamentally reforming society. Byron wants there to be rules, so he can have the thrill of breaking them. When playing Byron, remember that he is the archetype for every “Byronic Hero” from Heathcliff to Lestat. He is the original sexy “bad-boy” with a haunted heart and smoldering eyes.

Lord Byron in Your Game: The above describes Lord Byron during his self-imposed exile in Switzerland in early June of 1816. Soon the poet Percy Shelley, his eighteen-year old mistress Mary (daughter of radicals Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin), and her stepsister Claire Clairmont (obsessed with becoming Byron’s lover) will come for an extended visit. Perhaps the PCs are another group of visitors, unrecorded by history. They may even witness the wild night of June 18th, when Mary has her famous vision of a man reanimating a creature assembled from corpses! Maybe some of the ghost stories famously told that night simply recount the PCs’ supernatural misadventures. One or more of the PCs could be bringing Byron news from England, or be be rivals for his affections. Byron is bisexual, so he is likely to pursue both beautiful women and handsome lads. Maybe one of the PCs is a journalist who wishes to titillate their readers with scandalous stories of the infamous Lord Byron. Villa Diodata may be haunted, and the PCs come to investigate (either on their own or at Byron’s invitation). One or more ancient evils (such as a Possessor Demon) may have followed him home from the East, and have plagued his life ever since. Lord Byron is an excellent candidate to actually be (or eventually become) a Vampyre, since the creator of the first aristocratic vampire in literature, John Polidori, was Byron’s personal physician at Villa Diodati in the summer of 1816.

Byron’s limp suggests the legendary lameness of Asmodeus, the Demon of Lust. Presenter’s may wish to play up an atmosphere of Satanic menace whenever the PCs encounter the poet.

Giacomo Casanova for the “Ghastly Affair” RPG

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Ghastly Affair, Gothic Gaming, Historical Gaming, The Ghastly Salon

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Introducing the initial entry in an ongoing series of NPCs drawn from history and literature, “The Ghastly Salon”. Out first attendee is none other than iconic libertine “Casanova”! Casanova is here presented as he was in October of 1767, when he briefly revisited Paris in search of funds. Master seducer and consummate fraud, he can cause endless trouble for unwary PCs!

Note: All historical NPCs in Ghastly Affair should have maximum Hit Points, representing the “plot protection” of history. As suggested in the “Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual”, if PCs actually kill a historical NPC before their recorded death, the Presenter can handle it by ruling that the NPC is replaced by an opportunistic impostor, becomes a Vampyre, or is restored to life as part of a contract with the Devil.
Giacomo Casanova by Anton Raphael Mengs

Casanova (October, 1767)
The Supreme Lover, Libertine, and Adventurer of the Eighteenth Century

Full Name: Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
Aliases: Jacques Casanova, The Chevalier de Seingalt, Count de Farussi
Class: Libertine
Level: 10
Appearance/Most Memorable Characteristic: Well dressed, tall and powerfully built, with an aquiline nose and an olive complexion. Scar from a gunshot wound on left hand.
Age: 42

Charisma: 19 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 11
Strength: 14 Dexterity: 13 Constitution: 11
Perversity: 13
Assets: Highly Educated (Degree in Canon Law), Extremely Persuasive, Musician (Violin)
Afflictions: Compulsive Gambler, Notorious, Superstitious

Speed: 9
Hit Points: 60
Attacks: 1 dueling sword or pistol (+1 Bonus if dueling unaided, +3 if a desired lover is watching)

Special Abilities: Disguise (+1) | Dueling (+1/+3) | Fraud (+1) | Sneak (+1) | Seduction (+1)
Weaknesses: Faithless Lover | Fascinated By Innocence

Typical Equipment Carried: A set of fashionable clothes. A light brown wig. A walking stick. Various letters of introduction. Theater tickets. A piece of jewelry to be given to a potential lover. A book of poetry or occult philosophy. A dress sword. A box of condoms (sheepskin, tied with a pink ribbon). 100 Louis cash (2000p), Bills of Exchange totaling up to 8,000 livres (80,000p)
Current Residence: Hôtel de Montmorency, Paris

Background (to October 1767):

  • April 2, 1725: Born in Venice.
  • 1742: Graduated from University of Padua.
  • 1746: Attempted to live as a professional gambler in his native Venice.
  • 1746 – 1750: Worked as a violinist. Spent nights playing practical jokes and committing acts of vandalism around Venice. Saved the life (and gained the patronage) of a nobleman, by stopping the man’s doctors from killing him with their treatment! Gained a reputation as a wise doctor with occult knowledge.
  • 1750: Traveled to Paris. On the way, he was initiated into Freemasonry in Lyon.
  • 1753: Returned to Venice. Lived a flagrantly libertine life which attracted the attention of the authorities.
  • 1755: Arrested by the Venetian Inquisition and imprisoned in the Doge’s palace.
  • 1756: Escaped imprisonment and fled Venice.
  • January 5, 1757: Arrived in Paris, on the day that Robert-François Damiens tried to assassinate King Louis XV.
  • 1757 – 1760: Convinced French authorities to put him in charge of a national lottery, from which he grew rich. Passed himself off as an alchemist and occult adept in society salons. Met his patroness and dupe, the occult-obsessed Madame d’Urfé. Vied for patrons with his rival, the Count Saint-Germaine. Became a spy for France. Founded a silk factory. Squandered his fortune and was imprisoned for debt.
  • 1760: Fled to Germany. Adopted the aliases “Jacques Casanova de Seingalt”, the “Chevalier de Seingalt” and “Count de Farussi”.
  • 1763: Traveled to England to establish a national lottery. Contracted syphilis. Tried to kill himself after being rejected by a courtesan.
  • 1763 – 1766: Wandered Europe, hoping (and failing) to convince local rulers to put him in charge of national lotteries.
  • 1766: Expelled from Warsaw for a pistol duel over the affections of an Italian actress named Binetta. Wounded in his left hand.
    Early October 1767: Returned to Paris. (On November 6th, Louis XV will issue a lettre de cachet expelling him from France for threatening a nobleman. He will leave Paris on November 20).

Personality and Role-Playing Notes: Intense, charming and witty, Casanova prefers to begin his seductions with conversation. He makes every women feel like they are the most beautiful, desirable, and interesting person in the room. He desires the thrill and intense emotions of new love as much as the physical act. He will display apparent knowledge of a dazzling array of subjects, but is careful to compliment the intelligence of whoever is listening to him. He has been almost everywhere in Europe and met almost every important person, and will freely name-drop. He lies easily and convincingly, making the most outrageous statements seem obviously true. He often claims to have magical powers, and be a member of the mystic Rosicrucian Brotherhood. As a 10th Level Libertine, his lies are undetectable even with Preternatural aid. Casanova absolutely cannot resist the opportunity to pursue sex, or gamble. He will always seek to seduce any available females, and has absolutely no scruples or shame regarding his amorous adventures. Despite his libertine amorality, he is quick to resort to prayers when in trouble. While primarily interested in women, he enjoys an occasional homosexual liaison. The greater the risk, the more Casanova likes a situation.

Casanova in Your Game: Characters who are in Paris might encounter Casanova in any of the gambling halls, theaters, or smart salons. He will likely attempt to seduce all the female characters he meets (True Innocents first, of course!). He will be desperate to raise cash, and will likely try to fleece the PCs. He may try to involve them in a fraudulent money-making scheme, offer to induct them into a select secret society (which may or may not actually exist), or tell them that he can make them immortal (if only they can obtain certain rare and expensive items). He may know one or more real Magical Rituals, and for a suitably large fee will use them on the PCs’ behalf. Just as likely, any Magical Rituals he claims to perform will be completely fraudulent. Casanova may be haunted by the ghost of a woman who killed herself after he abandoned her, and ask the PCs to help him lay her soul to rest. He might have sold his soul to the Devil, and wants to find some way to get out of the contract. He is also a good candidate to actually be a Werewolf or Vampyre, should the Presenter wish.

Note that by 1767 he has already has suffered the effects of Second Stage Syphilis, and is in the latency period. At the Presenter’s discretion, anyone who has unprotected sex with him might have to save versus Constitution or contract First Stage Syphilis (see Appendix III: Drugs & Diseases in the Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual). Luckily, Casanova will use condoms!

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