Author Topic: Corpse Voyage  (Read 15968 times)

Offline oslecamo

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Corpse Voyage
« on: September 28, 2014, 10:59:52 AM »
Corpse Voyage


”Leave your corpses and evil spirits to me!
Shipping dead bodies to hell, Orin's wheelbarrow transport at your service.
In this Blazing Hell, we'll grow your corpse and soul into a really great evil spirit!”-Rin Kaenbyou, alias Orin, Corpse Voyage betrayer


Some say that death is when the soul is separated from the body. That is not exactly true, since an intangible connection remains between spirit and corpse after life ends. A proper funeral service and rest in peace is needed to completely separate both.

On the other hand, desecration of the dead body before the soul has properly started their voyage to the afterlife will result in fear overcoming the suddenly lost spirit. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering. The suffering of others that is as the new vengeful spirit goes in a short rampage until stopped. And of course where there is fear, anger, hate, and suffering, there will be someone cheerfully seeking to channel such things for their personal benefit. Some say the flames of hell themselves are fueled by the foul energies released from the extreme desecration of corpses to breed more and stronger evil spirits.

Then one day a certain devilish cat joined the Riverside View organization to further learn how to control the wandering spirits of the recently deceased, but instead of guiding them to the proper afterlife, she gleefully seeked and burned their corpses to ash while bribing the spirits with material money to further make them regret their losses, turning them into her maniac servants. And thus Corpse Voyage was born.

Since this school needs a steady supply of corpses to work, it includes several maneuvers to help collect them unnoticed, in particular calling on the natural stealth qualities of the cat, that can move mostly unnoticed in most sentient societies.
Anyway, if you die in pain and sorrow and all alone don't worry too much. There is someone out there who'll gladly take care of you completely free of charge.

This is a Forbidden School.

Parent School: Riverside View. Manipulating the dead for your own profit is one thing, but corrupting them into suicidical servants that will forever be denied the afterlife  is a  grave sin.
Forbidden Sign: You grow cat ears on top of your normal ears (if any). If you already had cat ears, you grow humanoid ears.
Forbidden Cost: Whenever you fail a Will save, you lose HP equal to your current Forbidden Price. Whenever you succeed on a Will save, you lose HP equal to half your current Forbidden Price, rounded down. You must always roll a Will save when called even if you would be immune to its other effects. You must also have a maneuver/stance level number of corpses from sentient creatures at hand that are consumed as part of initiating the maneuver or entering the stance, burned to ashes, or you're consumed yourself.

Corpse Voyage maneuvers that return the user back to life don't stop one from using Riverside View maneuvers and stances.


Girls are now collecting the dead, please wait.

(click to show/hide)


(click to show/hide)


Hey, sis, you wanna keep going?
Or you gonna turn back?


Maneuver List

1st level

Cursed Sprite “Zombie Fairy”: Strike- Playful servants wreck havoc.
Cat Sign ”Cat's Walk”: Boost- Kitty power!
Corpse Tour Guide:Stance-Carry off with the dead.


2nd level
Malicious Spirit: “Spleen Eater”:Strike- Devour enemy bad emotions.
Atonement “Needle Mountain of a Former Hell”: Counter-Pain as punishment.

3rd level
Be of a Good Cheer! : Boost- Someone's pure despair is somebody else's happiness.
Hellfires of Times Past:Strike-Ancient fires can still burn hot.

4th level
Monster "Blazing Wheel" : Strike- Hey, you're one of those fire chariots, right? Hey, hey!
"Rekindling of Dead Ashes":Counter–Zombie Fairy replaces destroyed Vengeful Spirit.

5th level
"Small Demon's Revival" : Strike–Bring back the wicked ones.
"Vengeful Cat Spirit's Erratic Step":Boost-Step so lightly you can walk on air.

6th level
Corpse Spirit"Vengeful Cannibal Spirit"  :Strike-Call Vengeful Spirits for a banquet.
Death Sign "Ghost Town":Boost-Turn the area into a city of spirits.

7th level
“Vengeful Spirit: Possessed Fairy” :Strike- Zombie Fairy gets powered up by strong spirit.
Atonement "The Needles of Yore and the Vengeful Spirits in Pain" :Counter- Mistakes are expensive.

8th level
"Corpse Shopping District"  :Strike-Mass animate corpses.
“Lullaby of a Deserted Hell”:Boost-You're so used to desolate places you're actually happy where others would be trying to escape.


9th level
Hell's Traffic Accident:Stance-The ultimate infernal transport service.
Drunkard's Walk "Cat Random Walk":Boost-Kitties go where they damn please, and then wreck havoc.


I see, so you're gonna go on anyway.
Do your best, 'cause remember, I'll be there to pick up your bones,
Big Sis Strong Corpse.

« Last Edit: July 15, 2017, 10:29:21 AM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2014, 11:04:07 AM »
Maneuvers explanations:
(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: March 11, 2019, 10:39:45 PM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2014, 11:04:36 AM »
(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: February 15, 2018, 05:05:52 PM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2014, 11:07:57 AM »
(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: February 15, 2018, 01:10:40 PM by oslecamo »

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2014, 11:08:52 AM »
Quote
Forbidden Cost: You let out an invisible yet quite disturbing aura. Any creature that considers you an ally that can sense your position in any way takes a -1 penalty to Will saves.  Every time you enter a Corpse Voyaga stance or use a Corpse Voyage maneuver, the aura penalty increases by an equal amount. You must also have an equal number of corpses from sentient creatures at hand that are consumed as part of the maneuver, burned to ashes, or you're consumed yourself.

What the fuck. Why would you ever want to use a school that wrecks the entire party's will saves, on top of having to cart around something as cumbersome as dead bodies?

Not really interested in the school as a whole, because it's yet another MAKE THIS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE thing.

Offline Anomander

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2014, 02:15:33 PM »
Is the cost applying to the initiator as well, since many effects that applies to allies often have to specify that it excludes the user?

Otherwise, screwing up the rest of the party actually sounds like a good thing for lone wolves since you can be a true forbidden discipline adept. The negative effect on others explains why nobody wants to associate with you, mechanically explaining your 'cursed' nature. I recall most of them either always being alone or doing duals while their associates fight somewhere else.

@RD: As for turning this as dark as possible/veering away from the Tohou sources, just ignore it. See the disciplines as disciplines that are inspired by Touhou and uses spell card names. The introduction fluff as well. Greatly inspired by it, that's all.
You can refluff stuff as you please when you use it. If you play a Touhou campaign, you can adjust it there.
Seen that way, it'll be a lot less frustrating.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2014, 02:22:04 PM by Anomander »

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2014, 02:31:32 PM »
It doesn't let me have fairies playing dress-up, so I'm not interested in it. :rolleyes

Offline Anomander

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2014, 02:32:41 PM »
It isn't finished. Give it a chance.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2014, 02:43:38 PM »
-Shrugs.-

Anyway, I see 'your allies are penalised for your actions' as an extremely bad forbidden cost, since it renders the school unplayable outside of a context where nobody needs to make will saves.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2014, 03:07:17 PM »
Is the cost applying to the initiator as well, since many effects that applies to allies often have to specify that it excludes the user?

Otherwise, screwing up the rest of the party actually sounds like a good thing for lone wolves since you can be a true forbidden discipline adept. The negative effect on others explains why nobody wants to associate with you, mechanically explaining your 'cursed' nature. I recall most of them either always being alone or doing duals while their associates fight somewhere else.
Indeed, the intent was the the initiator herself isn't affected by the penalty, so if she goes solo she isn't really affected. Exploring other forbidden costs here.

But ok, it would be hypocrite from me to bitch so much how D&D is a teamwork game and then punish teamwork, so changed that.

As for turning this as dark as possible/veering away from the Tohou sources, just ignore it. See the disciplines as just a disciplines that are inspired by Touhou and uses spell card names. The introduction fluff as well. Greatly inspired by it, that's all.
You can refluff stuff as you please when you use it. If you play a Touhou campaign, you can adjust it there.
Seen that way, it'll be a lot less frustrating.
Heck, and I here believing I was making this the most cheerful Forbidden School so far. Since one of Rin's most characteristic points is that she's the only character that actually seems happy with her current situation in SA (the oni doesn't count because she's completely drunk 24/7, of course she's happy).

The 1st level Boost is basically made of cat memes!  :P

Quote
Forbidden Cost: You let out an invisible yet quite disturbing aura. Any creature that considers you an ally that can sense your position in any way takes a -1 penalty to Will saves.  Every time you enter a Corpse Voyaga stance or use a Corpse Voyage maneuver, the aura penalty increases by an equal amount. You must also have an equal number of corpses from sentient creatures at hand that are consumed as part of the maneuver, burned to ashes, or you're consumed yourself.

What the fuck. Why would you ever want to use a school that wrecks the entire party's will saves, on top of having to cart around something as cumbersome as dead bodies?
You'll notice the first level stance makes carrying around corpses pretty easy and also hides them as a bonus. And you don't wreck your own Will saves.

But I'm open to other forbidden costs that would make sense for Rin.


Changed it to self-penalty (nobody sane would be happy with a job of carting corpses to fuel a deserted hell, also she lacks the will to tell her mistress that the nuclear raven is going mad with power)

Not really interested in the school as a whole, because it's yet another MAKE THIS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE thing.
Fun fact, one time Rin asked if she could join Byakuren's temple.

Byakuren "I love all youkai and want to help them reach salvation" basically told Rin "You're way too disturbing, please gtfo."

Considering that Byakuren is totally ok with literal manifestations of human-eating tigers and unresting drowned ghosts that used to sink ships as a hobby, the purple mage refusing to let Rin join her club really says something about the corpse carting cat. :p

It doesn't let me have fairies playing dress-up, so I'm not interested in it. :rolleyes
Well, if you insist, I now rememer I had created supernatural versions of the mob and unit templates, so may as well finally give them an use. Changed Cursed Sprite-Zombie Fairy to use dressed up pixies fairies. Enjoy! :)

Offline ketaro

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2014, 03:15:19 PM »
I don't see a problem with the antagonistic nature that'll bring the party down around your ears.
And even moreso when stuff like this is used for boss encounters! :D
Of course your allies should be penalized for allowed this shit to happen under their presence unless they are a totally evil party!

But the Forbidden Cost, the part that elevates the Will penalty when a maneuver or stance is used, could probably just be 1+1/2 the maneuver or stance level. And the the -1 constant when not using any of these maneuvers is still good.

Carting around dead bodies is only as cumbersome as carrying around a bag of holding or other extradimensional spaces too :p

Really though, it's a Forbidden School that actually can be used and abused constantly without having to worry about killing yourself from the Forbidden Costs stacking too high. Instead you have to worry about your party killing you~ :P

Edit: Bah, posting while I'm typing a post and making my post moot! Get out of here you scoundrel!  :shakefist

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2014, 03:18:10 PM »
Rin's the cheeriest thing despite her job being 'burn corpses', yes. And she gets fairies to play dress up. The fluff just looks dark, which (combined with lack of fairy dressup) put me off. :p

Now I get to have dressed up fairies! :D

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2015, 08:21:52 PM »
It's done! Yay!

Now to hope somebody besides me is crazy enough to read the whole thing.

Offline Vladeshi

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2015, 08:36:40 PM »
Already looked through it, mostly because this is the one I have been waiting for.
I love just about everything about it.
Of course now I need to get my DM to read it, otherwise he won't let me use it.

Two questions, when it says that "Zombie Fairies" have 10 in all stats is that counting the stat changes for the race or do I have to apply those?
Also when it says equal number of corpses in the forbidden cost is that equal to the maneuver level or the will save penalty?
The following explanation has been removed due to time constraints, character limits on posts, and the DC 30 Spellcraft checks to understand large portions of it.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2015, 08:56:38 PM »
What the hell is a Bezekira?

Offline Vladeshi

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2015, 11:14:23 PM »
What the hell is a Bezekira?
Hellcat from the MM.
The invisible evil lion.
Additional question now, since you advance the HD of the hellcat does that mean
size increase to huge at 11+ HD and all of the stat changes that would imply?
« Last Edit: June 25, 2015, 03:01:54 AM by Vladeshi »
The following explanation has been removed due to time constraints, character limits on posts, and the DC 30 Spellcraft checks to understand large portions of it.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #16 on: June 25, 2015, 07:41:34 AM »
Somebody noticed I had been updating this over the last days!

"What the hell is a Bezekira?" is quite an appropriate question since it's a devil cat from hell, core monster and everything since 2e at least.

Note to self: finish that Kasha base race I have on the works. But gah gotta campaigns to update...

Two questions, when it says that "Zombie Fairies" have 10 in all stats is that counting the stat changes for the race or do I have to apply those?
Also when it says equal number of corpses in the forbidden cost is that equal to the maneuver level or the will save penalty?

Racial changes apply, corpses consumed equals maneuver/stance level, clarified.

Additional question now, since you advance the HD of the hellcat does that mean
size increase to huge at 11+ HD and all of the stat changes that would imply?
Correct, but since the cats in the pics look more large sized, added an option where the cat gets a bunch of bonus if you choose not to grow.

Thanks for pointing those out!

Offline Vladeshi

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #17 on: June 25, 2015, 12:49:50 PM »
Somebody noticed I had been updating this over the last days!
You are very welcome, Touhou Battle Grimoire is half the reason I joined this board.

corpses consumed equals maneuver/stance level
Dang, I was hoping for half the number of corpses, guess I need to massacre more villages slay more monsters.

Kasha base race
I thought that I hit maximum happiness when I saw that this was finished and then you say that.

It just occurred to me that with Inferno Cart, since you have to maintain the fires for one year to make them permanant and the forbidden cost increases by one every hour means that you will have a total penalty to will saves of 8760 + 1 for entering the stance if you want eternal hellfire!  :twitch

Yet another question(this will probably happen a lot) Corpse Tour Guide states that you need both hands to move it, does it still exist if I let go of it? Can I leave it somewhere(say at the street while I go into the inn/tavern/shop)?
« Last Edit: June 25, 2015, 03:23:00 PM by Vladeshi »
The following explanation has been removed due to time constraints, character limits on posts, and the DC 30 Spellcraft checks to understand large portions of it.

Offline ketaro

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #18 on: June 26, 2015, 01:23:08 AM »
It just occurred to me that with Inferno Cart, since you have to maintain the fires for one year to make them permanant and the forbidden cost increases by one every hour means that you will have a total penalty to will saves of 8760 + 1 for entering the stance if you want eternal hellfire!  :twitch

Steadfast Determination!
Unexplained double entendre!

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Corpse Voyage
« Reply #19 on: June 27, 2015, 07:28:07 PM »
Somebody noticed I had been updating this over the last days!
You are very welcome, Touhou Battle Grimoire is half the reason I joined this board.

corpses consumed equals maneuver/stance level
Dang, I was hoping for half the number of corpses, guess I need to massacre more villages slay more monsters.
That's the spirit! :D

Kasha base race
I thought that I hit maximum happiness when I saw that this was finished and then you say that.

It just occurred to me that with Inferno Cart, since you have to maintain the fires for one year to make them permanant and the forbidden cost increases by one every hour means that you will have a total penalty to will saves of 8760 + 1 for entering the stance if you want eternal hellfire!  :twitch

Yet another question(this will probably happen a lot) Corpse Tour Guide states that you need both hands to move it, does it still exist if I let go of it? Can I leave it somewhere(say at the street while I go into the inn/tavern/shop)?

Hmm, after thinking for some time, I decided that the cart only remains while you hold it in at least one hand, otherwise there's just too many questions about what happens if somebody else tries to push the cart

Also reduced the extra cost on maintaining the cart for long periods of time, 24 hours now, and the flames only need 666 hours to become permanent. That's roughly -28 to Will save, nasty, but you can shrugg it off with a day and half of rest.