Ombre su Yuggoth: an adventure for the Cthulhu Mythos

Today we present a new, complete and free adventure by #Born2BPlayer!

After ‘Abissi di Deimos’ for Augusta Universalis, here is an investigation for Call of Cthulhu, adaptable to Cthulhu Dawn and Trail of Cthulhu as well. The adventure was created in collaboration with Ilario Gobbi: from an idea of his, we developed, laid out and produced the adventure we now offer you.

The roaring ’20s, the discovery of a new planet. An eccentric astronomer murdered in a locked room, a mansion atop a cliff and three suspects. It looks like a classic whodunit, but appearances deceive. Enter Yuggoth Manor and uncover the mysteries hidden in its shadows.

For you who follow the blog, we have also prepared some tips to make the most of the adventure. Stay tuned to our channels: we will soon publish a Cthulhu ABC article analysing the main games inspired by Lovecraft’s Mythos.

SPOILERS

Call of Cthulhu

The game’s mechanics mean some clues can be “missed” because of an unlucky roll. The investigation can still reach its conclusion with at least some hope of a positive ending. As keeper, feel free to give your players a hint — even an indirect one — through one of the NPCs.

An additional scene, at the Keeper’s discretion, can be a chase in which one of the characters tries to escape the Hound — better still at a moment when the lights are out. Using the chase mechanics, the players involved will scramble toward ‘safety’, outside the house or in the observatory, while every attempt to block or slow the monster systematically fails. Remember, though, that it is not a fully fledged hound, so it will not use its powers with ease — giving the players more than one chance to escape. Until the final scene, however, the Hound must give no overt sign of humanity, and must never let on that it is Theodor’s new form.

Cthulhu Dawn

The story can be moved to the city of R’lyeh with small adaptations. The mansion could stand in one of its districts. Von Yuggoth’s discovery dates back years, and the old astronomer, now close to death, has set his plan in motion to obtain an immortal body. As an alternative to the hooks proposed in the adventure, one of the characters could be a friend or relative of the captured Mi-go, searching for it. Zedediah could be a Ghoul who obtained the Liao Drug from his own kind.

To keep a more detective-story tone, feel free to add a few hounds bound to Von Yuggoth’s will, ready to help the astronomer, if the investigators are particularly well equipped and the adventure turns out too quiet.

Trail of Cthulhu

In ToC the clues will certainly be found, but their interpretation may change depending on the character who finds them. In particular the Dust, the Dagger and the Ritual — excellent resources in the final confrontation — may spark arguments and friction in the group, with some characters willing to use them while others want to get rid of them at once. Likewise, the Mi-go and the Hound’s ambushes may elicit different responses from the players: some will want to fight them, some to solve the mystery while avoiding them, some to flee (use Drives to motivate them to stay).

To make better use of the madness mechanics, mysterious and macabre exhibits collected by Von Yuggoth can be scattered around the mansion: photographs of mythos monsters, fragments of blasphemous texts, objects of impossible geometry, fossil remains of monsters, or letters from his occult correspondents. Though irrelevant to the plot, they can ‘damage’ the characters’ mental health and psychic balance, letting you exploit psychoses to make everything more fun.

Use Pillars of Sanity and Drives to create some internal tension. If we have piqued your curiosity, you can download the file HERE! If you enjoyed the adventure, or want to leave us criticism or comments, visit our Facebook page and our site, where you will find suggestions for adapting the adventure to several of the RPGs it can be played with!