Dungeon Master Forum

Would you rather play as:
"an undead general who has been cursed by a town to live an eternity as a frightening living specter, unless he can break the curses with deeds fit to undo the atrocities he committed as a man. Will he find the death he has craved for so long.. or will he find a reason to live?"
or
"A mother who's son vanishes on a university trip. However during her investigation, she discovers a government secret and her son is actually a spy and not off on a university trip gone wrong. Finding tech along the way, she vows to find her son. She may not have the formal training, but her quick mind and determination might be enough"


or both? or an alteration to either storyline?

Definitely the former. Undead all the way!

Yeah, on balance I think I'd rather go with the undead thingy too - much better to be worried about yourself than someone else, I think .

Yeah, me too.

Funny, we would all rather be undead than someone's mother.

I like the idea of an undead haunted by such a self-treason to his core values that he can't forgive himself and cease to exist, neither live in peace. Whichever the dimension, this ghost would occupy the irreducible space of his contradiction, and keep existing.

To reach the undead condition just for what you believe and have done. To be soiled beyond death by killing what one cares about the most. To reach the highest sense of trust and truth with someone or a cause, and selling them by an error of judgment, through a unstoppable, a dumb, a cursed weakness. To have the eternity to think about the mistakes. To be stuck within this undying remorse, this lost hope.

Or to love so strongly that one can't let go the loss, and keep longing, yearning, trying and failing. And, yet, since we need a story, to become so great a champion of despair that one challenges the stars and start fighting to alter the course of destiny, to bend the curse itself. Ah, to breathe again, to feel, to run and cry freely! (and possibly naked). Ah, the chance to mend what was broken, to better one's self, to right the wrongs - or to accept one's own self and find peace...


This idea inspires me much, definitely, though the second has its own merits too. ^ ^

Yeah I'll take the specter guy, sounds a bit less uncertain...

Hmmm I think they both sound quite intriguing! To be honest, if either one of the ideas were put into a movie format, I think I'd watch both of them! If I had to choose between them, as they are now, I think I would pick the first one. There is definitely something special about a mother-son relationship, especially if it has to do with some sort of secret conspiracy... but to think of a mother as a "badass" (pardon my french!) is a bit of a stretch in most cases.. now maybe if she was an ex-agent, or trained in some sort of skill to help her in finding her son would be even more exciting, and perhaps more realistic.

Something I also like about the undead general story is that it has a supernatural aspect, along with what would likely be a good character arc - going from bad to good. The mother-son story is a bit too fixed in reality for my personal taste, I like supernatural and fantasy elements, not so much government agency stories.

Both are good though in their own way

I would also prefer the undead general - more supernatural.