02-15-2020, 10:58 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Using Cults [Horror/Thaumotology]
By definition, a cult is a group of people with unusual beliefs or an unusual obsession, but they are not inherently bad or good. That being said, there is a negative connotation often associated with cults in the contemporary era, especially in the popular media. With the rise of the Internet, it is surprisingly easy for cults to spread quickly, and there are likely millions of active groups on the Internet that would technically be considered cults either because of their odd beliefs or strange obsessions.
Depending on the setting and genre, cults can range from sadly pathetic groupings of asocial nerds to world-spanning magical networks that secretly control the world. The majority of interesting cults tend to range between the two extremes, powerful enough to be a threat yet weak enough to be threatened by the PCs. On occasion, however, cults can be Patrons of the PCs, with their members being Allies of the PCs. While temporal power is useful, paranormal or supernatural powers can allow a cult to punch above its weight class, especially if such powers are not officially thought to exist. For example, a witch cult of only a few hundred members can be quite threatening if they have mastered RPM, especially in a secret magic setting. In such cases, cults will often be quite dangerous to organizations with a more mundane power base, especially if the cult uses asymmetric tactics in a conflict. How have you used cults in your games? Have they been antagonists or have they been allies to the PCs? What are some of the interesting cults that you have created or encountered in your game sessions? |
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