The Final Girl Trope for CoC 7e. Part 1.

 

If there is anything, we love more than Lovecraft and RPG’s here at DCotU, it is our tropes. So, for this Halloween we are going to combine the two. We present to you the Final Girl, as an occupation for COC 7 ed.

Final Girl

Though codified in 1992 in the book Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, the trope has been around since the 1970’s. The personification of the trope is the nerdy, virginal, good girl who avoids drugs and drinking, she is also the one who survives to the end of the movie, to battle the big bad. The FG became a staple in slasher movies, but has also appeared in sci-fi horror and supernatural horror movies.

Anna celebrates the end.

 

As an investigator she brings to the team, a fountain of curiosity balanced with caution, intelligence , keen senses, and a desire to live despite the odds. A keeper may also want to bless her (or him, there can be final boys too) with a higher luck score, to capture the feeling of the movies.

Final girl fighting fire with fire.

One of the reasons that this trope has survived for over 50 years is the fact that it is adaptable. The concept can be played with. From Buffy Summers, who takes concept of the damsel in distress and turns it on its head, to The Cabin in the Wood’s, Dana Polk, who is not a virgin but counts as  FG because. she is upset that her affair with a teacher, so  she is no longer on the market. One way to subvert this trope is if the FG is an NPC the Keeper can kill her off first, signifying to the players that the “rules” may not apply in this game.

Dana Polk breaks the rules

Occupation: Final girl.

Skills: Any interpersonal skill (Charm, Fast talk, Intimidate, Persuasion) Art (Any), Dodge,  either Listen or Spot hidden, Psychology, any one of Brawl, Climb, Jump, or Swim and any two personal skills.

Credit rating: 20%-85%.
Starting occupational skills: Charisma x2 Or Intelligence x2 + Education x2
Special: Though the name says Final Girl this character can be male.
Example: Lauri Strode from Halloween. 

Here is a final girl that can be used as either a PC investigator or as a NPC in a modern game. I boosted her Luck over the normal 55 (statistical average) that I use for most my PC examples, so to be more in line with the trope. She was created using the quick fire rules.

McKenzie Stiner, freshman at Miskatonic U

Name: McKenzie “Mac” Stiner

Age: 19                                                 Gender: Female                   Occupation: Final Girl.

Birthplace: De Moines IA                                                                  Residence: Arkham MA

Campaign setting: Modern Call of Cthulhu

Strength: 50                      Dex:       50                           Intel: 70

Con:       50                        Appearance: 60                    Power: 80

Size:       40                       Education: 60                         Luck:   75

HP: 10   San: 80     Max San: 80     Move: 9

Insanity:                                               Scars and injuries:

Skills: Art (Computer graphics): 40%, Computer use: 50%, Dodge: 60%, Drive (Automobile): 40% Fighting (Brawling): 45%, Other language (Spanish): 21%,  Own language (English): 60%,  Persuade: 50%, Psychology: 40%, Science (Physics): 50%, Spot hidden: 60%, Swim: 70%, Theology (Christian): 25%,

Credit rating: 40%,

Beliefs: Christian.

Favored possession: Photo of her family.

Favored location: Her dorm room where she can study and just relax.

Trait: Good girl/Strong willed.

History: Mac was born in the Midwest and was brought up in a conservative family. She was on her high school swim team and was good enough to get an athletic scholarship to Miskatonic University. She is majoring in physics with a minor in computer science. This is the first time in her life that she has lived away from her parents.

Her values and lifestyle are completely opposite of  those of her roommate Jenny who is a party girl. Still somehow these opposites have become good friends. Jenny wants her to wear make up and more stylish clothes, but so far Mac has been resistant.

Her father always knew that his bright little girl would someday go off to college, so ever since she was a high school freshman, he had her take self-defense classes, so she can take care of herself under normal.

She has seen a lot of new things since she started college, she comfortable with some of it. This isn’t all clash of cultures. Some of Jenny’s friends seem to be into something dark and sinister, and Mac is worried about her roomies safety.

Psychology: Mac is strong willed, and she is proud of it. She is religious but not judgmental. If someone wants to do something, like sex and drugs, all she can do is be an example, they are responsible for their own actions. If she encounters something supernatural, she is bound to see it in her world view of good and evil