Old Ones - How powerful are they?

[Rogerd]

Pretty much as per the title.

How powerful are they? No one has all the books, so what fluff out there is there to indicate what they are capable of?
Do you keep them at that power in your games? Nerf them? Or empower them some more?

[Nekira Sudacne]

Pretty much as per the title.

How powerful are they? No one has all the books, so what fluff out there is there to indicate what they are capable of?
Do you keep them at that power in your games? Nerf them? Or empower them some more?

Depends. Some of the weaker old ones are stated out: Vampire Intelligences are discribed as petty old ones for example, so minor they wern't wroth the trouble of sealing away because while a real and major threat, mortals can in theory manage to deal with them without divine intervention, though useually at great cost.

The Great Old Ones are discribed as casually wiping out entire races and pantheons of gods and even entire dimensions without actually taking the fight seriously.

[taalismn]

Great Old Ones are supposed to be the Lovecraftian horrors that should be your PCs' boogeymen. Annoy at your own risk.



Though if you REALLY wanted to turn things on their heads, have a fabled Old One turn out to be a very wimpy but immortal lifeforms that's really REALLY good at avoiding trouble and going unnoticed by all the other major powers and Old Ones out there.

[Warshield73]

Pretty much as per the title.

How powerful are they? No one has all the books, so what fluff out there is there to indicate what they are capable of?
Do you keep them at that power in your games? Nerf them? Or empower them some more?

Depends. Some of the weaker old ones are stated out: Vampire Intelligences are discribed as petty old ones for example, so minor they wern't wroth the trouble of sealing away because while a real and major threat, mortals can in theory manage to deal with them without divine intervention, though useually at great cost.

The Great Old Ones are discribed as casually wiping out entire races and pantheons of gods and even entire dimensions without actually taking the fight seriously.

I have never run PFRPG but I have used the threat of the old ones, both lesser and greater, since Rifts Atlantis came out as I believe it was after that that I purchased PFRPGs 1e Old Ones Book. I have a whole region near the core of the Corkscrew galaxy in Phase World that is a twisted dream realm of Netosa.

Also I NEVER nerf old ones, especially not lesser. PCs have no business trying to directly attack one so when I use them players are made to think how can they thwart the plans of such a being while still surviving. I love the old ones becomes sometimes you need something that can terrify even the gods.

[Rogerd]

Does anyone make a differentiation between Old Ones and Outer gods?
Those that are more personifications are more in the latter category.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Does anyone make a differentiation between Old Ones and Outer gods?
Those that are more personifications are more in the latter category.

Palladium doesn't have Outer Gods to worry about. It's just not a classification it has. an an outer god is just a regular god.

[Rogerd]

Palladium doesn't have Outer Gods to worry about. It's just not a classification it has. an an outer god is just a regular god.

I know, but I just wondered if people did add that distinction. It would make generic Old Ones less powerful and capable of being dealt with, while the heavy hitters (Outer gods) would be nigh impossible.

[Borast]

Ignoring Toth...
The lesser Old Ones are to the gods what A spluggie is to a Chihuahua.
The greatest of the Old Ones are to the gods what spluggie is to a virus.

[Riftmaker]

Ignoring Toth...
The lesser Old Ones are to the gods what A spluggie is to a Chihuahua.
The greatest of the Old Ones are to the gods what spluggie is to a virus.

This put its better than I ever could.

[Rogerd]

Ignoring Toth...
The lesser Old Ones are to the gods what A spluggie is to a Chihuahua.
The greatest of the Old Ones are to the gods what spluggie is to a virus.

Good explanation, but didn't the imorisonment, battle against the Old Ones, take place on Palladium?

[drewkitty ~..~]

To get more text about the OO there is "The Old Ones" PFRPG game book (both 1st & 2nd Eds). I do believe there is also information in the PF2 core book.

[Curbludgeon]

Leave that August Derleth noise at the door, pal. Quantifying things beyond imagining by placing them into various categories ruins them. The Old Ones are greater than they need to be. Considering the innumeracy expressed in the PPE thread I'm frankly surprised.

[taalismn]

Leave that August Derleth noise at the door, pal. Quantifying things beyond imagining by placing them into various categories ruins them. The Old Ones are greater than they need to be. Considering the innumeracy expressed in the PPE thread I'm frankly surprised.

And it gives the PCs false hope that they actually might stand a chance against them.
Though there are a few posters on these forums who I suspect might have had a go at them. They just haven't been right in the head ever since. Those that we've heard from.

[Rogerd]

Leave that August Derleth noise at the door, pal. Quantifying things beyond imagining by placing them into various categories ruins them. The Old Ones are greater than they need to be. Considering the innumeracy expressed in the PPE thread I'm frankly surprised.

You really should read Trail of Cthulhu then, as it gives a whole new way to look at them as Azathoth could easily be a Xeelee for instance.

There are some good ideas in Eldritch Skies regarding Old Ones and Outer gods. The former being partially ascended and need to feed psychically on pain and misery, while the Outer gods are part of the Void between universes.

Or some Doctor Who, as they make the ones in Palladium look like wimps! Full manifestation in a universe would pop it like a bubble. But they have rules of conduct preventing that - Eternity being really boring when everything is dead.

Considering the innumeracy expressed in the PPE thread I'm frankly surprised.

There is none.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I've learned one thing from reading the KotDT comic, when playing CotC burn all the books and not to investigate that houseroom, strange sound.

[Warshield73]

I've learned one thing from reading the KotDT comic, when playing CotC burn all the books and not to investigate that houseroom, strange sound.

Main thing I learned was never to go into a barn. No joke I have only played a Cthulhu game my character dies in a barn. But if I followed the "don't investigate the strange sound" rule I could probably avoid that too.