Godefroy Family PC

Discussing all things Ravenloft
Post Reply
User avatar
Ender
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:49 am

Godefroy Family PC

Post by Ender »

In my upcoming Ravenloft campaign, a player of mine would like to be a descendant of the Godefroy bloodline (using the rules from Legacy of the Blood) and has asked me a question I can't immediately answer: how much does a Godefroy typically know about his curse? This stemmed from him asking if his character would know that he was going to return as a ghost when he died and, if so, if he knew that his spirit would be drawn to Gryphon Manor should he die in Mordent. Having consulted LotB, Gaz 2, and a couple other sources, I couldn't really tell. Michael Jendalis' entry in LotB certainly shows it's possible, and I know that Daniel Foxgrove has some information (though how much of that he learned from Lord Godefroy's ghost, I don't know), but those are the only two instances I could really find. Are there any good sources that anyone can think of that I should be checking (including novels)?
User avatar
Dark Angel
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 815
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:00 am
Location: Falentei, the Lands of Fire and Darkness

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by Dark Angel »

Outside of what you cited, I cannot think of anything specific. However, do not be afraid to make up or confirm one thing solid and wrap it up in as much superstition as you can think of (especially contradictory things.) "Yes you can be pulled into the manor, but not if you keep 12 silver and a daisy in your pocket at all times." "Only a fool believes that, that is so the thieves know there is coin on the body of as many people they can bludgeon to death." There is a useful article on domain superstitions in the Book of Sacrifices that I am fairly certain has Mordent related things in it.
"One does not stop playing when they get old, they grow old when they stop playing" George Bernard Shaw
"If you could be either God’s worst enemy or nothing, which would you choose?" Chuck Palahniuk
User avatar
Gonzoron of the FoS
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 7555
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
Gender: Male
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

Since LotB was one of the last books published in the line, you're not going to find much concrete about the Godefroy family curse. Do whatever works best for your character and campaign. There are any number of ways he could find out (vistani fortune telling, ghostly warning from an ancestor, helpful Stygian Attendant, direct threat from Wilfred...) or he could be blissfully unaware.
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
User avatar
alhoon
Invisible Menace
Invisible Menace
Posts: 8804
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Chania or Athens // Greece

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by alhoon »

:shock:
Godefroys are trapped after death in Gryphon Hill?

OMG! That's reason enough to seek lichdom. You're becoming undead anyway. Better be a powerful magic user than the whipping boy of an abusive darklord ancestor.

Can they be freed somehow? Is Legacy of Blood in DrivethruRPG?
If there's ONE thing I hate in Gothic Horror is that the Sins of the father weight on the children. It was even in Cosmic horror stories (Lovecraft). Too many likeable or at the very least non-bad heroes were doomed.

ON TOPIC:
Personally I would go: "At first, unaware. Then he slowly starts to get the picture through the campaign. And realizes his favorite sister/brother/mother/father/aunt/brother that died tragically to save his life are TRAPPED in something quite similar to hell along with all the abusive aunts/parents/siblings that made his childhood a living hell.
A living hell that favorite relative is trapped in FOREVER"

EDIT:
Can someone please point me to a legal PDF site? LotB is not in DrivethryRPG and Amazon sells the book only, not the PDF.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
User avatar
High Priest Mikhal
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1619
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:48 pm
Gender: Male
Location: It's dark and I hear laughing.

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Cosmicism is based on Gothic Horror. Some tropes are going to pop up. As for the sins of the father falling upon the children, that's part and parcel of Gothic horror. Evil does not die until it's faced and resolved. Even if that means that one's descendants must be saddled with the task.

The Godefroy curse is to become ghosts upon death, not become trapped in Gryphon Manor. Granted they'll have to resist the Vortex of Evil if they're in Mordent but even that isn't a sure thing.
"Money is the root of all evil...I think I need more money."
User avatar
Ender
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:49 am

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by Ender »

Godefroys are trapped after death in Gryphon Hill?
The Godefroys become ghosts after death and ethereal creatures are drawn to Gryphon Manor while in Mordent, eventually being trapped there. So it's more of a transitive property issue here.
Personally I would go: "At first, unaware. Then he slowly starts to get the picture through the campaign. And realizes his favorite sister/brother/mother/father/aunt/brother that died tragically to save his life are TRAPPED in something quite similar to hell along with all the abusive aunts/parents/siblings that made his childhood a living hell.
A living hell that favorite relative is trapped in FOREVER"
That's essentially what we're doing, I think. The player and I have decided that he'll eventually discover that his father's spirit is trapped in the Manor and one of his primary motives is to find a way to rescue him (That will be interesting). To expand on this a bit more, the player also asked if he could have been partly raised by the ghost of his father, who would have died while he was growing up. Aside from having a lot of ghost-related backstory (he's also taking the Haunted feat in a bit, but hey, he's a Godefroy, right?), I didn't see a big issue with it as long as they didn't live super close to Gryphon Manor. That way, his father may have resisted the pull for a while before eventually finding his way to the house. Does that sound reasonable?
Can someone please point me to a legal PDF site? LotB is not in DrivethryRPG and Amazon sells the book only, not the PDF.
I've tried to find legal PDFs of the 3.X books for some time to no avail. The only one that seems to be around is Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, which really doesn't count.
User avatar
alhoon
Invisible Menace
Invisible Menace
Posts: 8804
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Chania or Athens // Greece

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by alhoon »

Yeap, sounds nice. And you don't need our approval for your game. ;)
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
User avatar
Ender
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:49 am

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by Ender »

I know I don't, but I do value the opinion of other fans, particularly those who know a setting well. I do a lot of writing and this is kind of like getting alpha readers to spot the flaws before it goes to print :P
User avatar
Ender
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:49 am

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by Ender »

As a related question: for anyone who plays 3.X Ravenloft, how would you handle a a character with the Haunted feat approaching Gryphon Manor? Would the geist be subject to the pull like any other ethereal creature?
User avatar
High Priest Mikhal
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 1619
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:48 pm
Gender: Male
Location: It's dark and I hear laughing.

Re: Godefroy Family PC

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Given the unique nature of the anchoring, I ruled that geists from the Haunted feat are immune to the Vortex of Evil. Since I didn't want to run my own players through Gryphon Manor this was the least troublesome solution.

Another option is adding the PC's Will save modifier (if positive) to the geist's roll. As Magnitude One ghosts, geists also get a +1 bonus to said save.
"Money is the root of all evil...I think I need more money."
Post Reply