Re: [HOE] Harrowed as a plot tool

[Robert Holland <robert@macauley.com>]

>3) My personal fave, I liked the idea of starting an adventure with danger 
>being foreshadowed and the manitou taking over and trying to run away.  When 
>the party stops him, all the manitou does is kick and scream "We're going to 
>die here! Don't make me stay!!  Please! We must leave.... NOW!!!!" 
>
>    Then you do something that locks them in the 
>city/building/mine/desert/etc.  And all the while, the Manitou is telling 
>them how unstoppable the power that's coming for them is.  IT's information 
>is sketchy, but enough to convey, they're in a baaad place.  

Oooooh, nasty. I like that.

And it gives me another idea: can a Harrowed PC communicate directly with his
manitou? I may be wrong, but as far as I've seen, he can't. But wouldn't that be
sweet? Not only does the poor bastard have to deal with a demon trying to wrest
away control of his body, but constantly whispering to him in the back of his
head, trying to shake him up and break his will. "Ooooh, now doesn't she look
precious? I bet her screams would sound lovely."   "Oh, you don't want to pull
THAT wire. That one will set off the bomb. You want the green one. Of course I
could be lying."   "Can't you hear your 'friends', whispering around the
campfire at night? They hate you, you know. They're plotting to put you back in
your grave. You'd better put them down now, before they work up the nerve to
come after you."

Just pass little scrawled notes with the manitou's comments to the player now
and then. Keep him on his toes.

--Robert Holland