The Game at Carousel: A Horror Movie LitRPG

Book Five, Chapter 25: Itch

Antoine Stone is the Athlete.

No aspect has been chosen.

Antoine has a Plot Armor score of 26, Mettle of 7, Moxie of 4, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 7.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Off the Bench” the player feels more rested for each scene they are not in. Eventually buffs Hustle and Moxie.

“The Playbook” the user will be able to see when it is their turn to act in an established plan.

“Time Out!” allows him to send a fight scene Off-Screen for a set time.

“You were having a nightmare…” reduces traumatic memories to nothing but a lingering dream and can undo much of a storyline at a very high level.

“In Bed By Nine” allows the player to incorporate a restorative sleeping break into the shoot.

“Play it Cool” suppresses mental trauma if the user acts calm and collected.

“Gym Rat” buffs Mettle and Hustle by revealing athletic backstory.

Swinging it will cause his opponents to falter, if only for a moment, based on Moxie because of “Swing Away.”

Borrowed from Riley: “Out Like a Light” allows him to fall asleep instantly.

Kimberly Madison is the Eye Candy.

Her aspect is Celebrity

Celebrity: The Celebrity aspect treats the player like an actor and the storylines like films they sign on to. Using meta tropes to create hype, fan favoritism, and larger than life roles, the Celebrity is the most versatile of the Eye Candy aspects. Using past roles to help their “career”, the Celebrity can specialize in virtually anything if they have long enough to build a career.

Kimberly has a Plot Armor score of 27, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 10, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 1, and Grit of 6.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Convenient Backstory” allows her to believably change her backstory to assist with the current task, buffing the relevant stat.

“Social Awareness” allows her to see the Moxie stat of all enemies and NPCs and intuit relationship dynamics.

“Does anyone have a scrunchie?” allows her to shift Moxie’s points into another stat by putting her hair up.

“Carousel Academy Awards” buffs her Moxie based on the quality of her performance in the previous storyline.

“The Penthouse” The character will get the nicest, safest accommodations in a multiday storyline.

“Contract Negotiations” the user will get a buff to an Improvisation after “discussing” an improvisation with Carousel.

“Breaking the Veil of Silence,” the user will get warnings from knowledgeable NPCs. Outside of storylines, NPCs will warn of dangers to women and hint at storyline rewards.

“A Lip Cease” allows her to take the story Off-Screen by halting the conversation while exploring and then picking it back up in a different setting.

“When in Rome” buffs her Grit until Rebirth if her performance matches the tone of the movie.

Dina Cano is the Outsider.

No aspect has been chosen.

Dina has a Plot Armor score of 21, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 3, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 7.

Free Background Trope: “A Haunted Past” A background trope that gives her character some past trauma that haunts her, often literally.

Current Trope Limit: 8

“Guarded Personality” resists all insight abilities.

“An Outsider’s Perspective” alerts her to new, out-of-place, or unusual information.

“Encouragement from Beyond” soothes her when stressed, scared, or in pain and may provide useful information in the form of communication from the beyond.

“They Fell Off” allows her to quickly get out of handcuffs and similar restraints.

“Light Fingers” buffs the player’s attempts at stealing items from the set.

“Savvy Safecracker” tells the character how long it will take to pick a lock of some kind. Buffs Hustle in the attempt.

“You don’t know me, but…” creates a rescue that allows the player to guide NPC surrogates through the storyline from the shadows. If the surrogates survive, their postered player counterparts are rescued.

“Outside Looking In” grants her the ability to discern ideal spots to linger and observe events without actively participating in the narrative.

Riley Lawrence is the Film Buff.

His aspect is Filmmaker.

Filmmaker: The Filmmaker has a comprehensive understanding of the filmmaking process. They can manipulate the game environment effectively, altering the game’s dynamics in subtle but impactful ways. Their abilities are a mixture of meta-Insight and meta-Rule tropes. They have higher Hustle, reflecting their ability to stay out of the way, stay alive, and remain unseen as they manipulate meta-movie elements.

Riley has a Plot Armor score of 28, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 7, Hustle of 7, Savvy of 7, and Grit of 4.

Free Background Trope: “My Grandmother Had the Gift…” A background trope that gives Riley’s character some ambiguous connection to “The Gift” through his heritage.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Trope Master” grants him the ability to perceive enemy tropes, but at the cost of sacrificing half of his Plot Armor.

As an “Oblivious Bystander,” Riley remains untargeted by enemies as he convincingly acts oblivious to their presence.

“Escape Artist” buffs his Hustle to help enact plausible escape plans.

“The Insert Shot” makes allies aware of an object the player chooses. The object will be shown to the audience and its use will be buffed in the Finale.

“What Doesn’t Kill Them Makes Them Angry” allows the user to antagonize the enemy into attacking and lowers their Savvy.

“The Dailies” allows him to see a selection of raw footage from the day’s shoot.

“Cinema Seer” allows him to buff allies’ Grit and Savvy when making big meta predicitons.

“Just Out of Shot” allows him to see ‘cameras’ when sneaking near an enemy to avoid being seen.

“Method to the Madness” allows him to have increased in-character conversations with enemies Off-Screen.

Bobby Gill is The Wallflower.

No aspect has been chosen.

Bobby has a Plot Armor score of 24, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 7, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 5, and Grit of 4.

Free Background Trope: “Actually, I’m a Veterinarian” changes his character’s background to being an animal doctor.

Current Trope Limit: 8

“Background Noise” allows him to get background information from NPCs when Off-Screen.

“The Good Samaritan” buffs his Mettle and Grit for helping allies in a crisis if they have not met On-Screen and are strangers.

“Last-Minute Casting” recasts him as an NPC that is moderately involved in the plot. The selection is seemingly random. He will get some limited background information for the character and some access to the NPC script.

“From Humble Beginnings” debuffs the player’s stats 30% in the Party, then but buffs them 15% in Rebirth, the Finale, and the Final Battle resulting in a net 15% buff by the end of the story.

“Craft Services Are The Real Heroes” ensures that there is edible food and water on set somewhere during the storyline.

“My Only Role is Exposition” gives him some useful information to be relayed On-Screen but takes it away if he starts to bore the audience.

“If you Can’t see it, it Won’t Bleed” allows him to temporarily mend wounds by covering them from the audience’s view.

“Act Like You Belong” lets the user blend into any scene by quickly adopting small, fitting elements like props or attire. However, all these elements must work together to maintain their cover.

Cassie Hughes is The Psychic.

No aspect has been chosen.

Cassie has a Plot Armor score of 23, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 10, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 4, and Grit of 1.

Trope Limit: 8

“The Anguish” lets her see her allies’ health stats from anywhere and lets her take some of their pain by feeling it herself. This can reduce their overall injuries.

“We are not abandoned…” can keep her allies’ spirits high by weaving a narrative of some higher power in control. When done well, this trope can heal Incapacitation, certain forms of spiritual Infection, and even buff Grit.

“Reflective Jump Scare” allows her to get a glimpse of the enemy when she looks in a mirror, giving her some small insight into what is in store.

“Foreboding Signs” gives her insight into who will die next and how in character, allowing her to prepare for what is to come.

“Empathic Shield” buffs an imperiled ally’s Grit by expressing genuine concern for them On-Screen.

“At Your Own Peril” debuffs characters’ Grit and Effective Plot Armor if they ignore her psychic warnings.

“Clarity of Purpose” lets the user substitute Moxie for Grit when enduring tasks that cause constant pain, like handling dangerous objects.

“The Road Not Taken” allows her to get a sense of whether a certain choice will result in powerful emotions, but not what those emotions are.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Isaac Hughes is The Comedian.

No aspect has been chosen.

Isaac has a Plot Armor score of 18, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 4, Hustle of 3, Savvy of 4, and Grit of 4.

Trope Limit: 8

“If he’s still cracking jokes…” allows the player to reduce or eliminate injuries by using humor the next time he is On-Screen before the audience know how injured he is. Works on allies situationally.

“Weapons of Mass Absurdity” using humorous weapons Buffs his Mettle and Hustle. The buff extends to weapons that are used if the original weapon fails.

“Blood Loss Delirium” gives the player a pleasant drunken stupor when they have major blood loss and provides cover for antics.

“Gallows Humor” allows him to ease mental pain with dark humor related to a dreadful relevant topic.

“Trash Talk” allows him to debuff the enemy’s Mettle by insulting them.

“Hindsight is 20/20” allows the user to recognize mistakes they’ve made after the fact, helping them or their allies avoid similar errors in the future. Commenting on these mistakes increases the success of future plans based on the lesson learned.

“Lights Gone Out” grants the user a tragic backstory that makes them emotionally dead inside, providing resistance against mental manipulations and false hope that would affect a normal person.

“Bleeping Censors” allows him to take a scene he is in Off-Screen by cursing in an inappropriate way.

Ramona Mercer is the Hysteric.

No aspect has been chosen.

Ramona has a Plot Armor score of 13, Mettle of 1, Moxie of 3, Hustle of 3, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 3.

Current Trope Limit: 5

“Just Us Monsters” buffs her Mettle and Grit when she lets loose fighting against a monster alone.

“Afraid for Others” allows her to harness fear to use Moxie as Mettle when protecting or saving loved ones.

“Close-up Scream” allows the user to become the sole On-Screen character when screaming about something they see.

“Just the Jitters” allows the user to avoid feeling nervousness or unease by acting out those emotions intentionally.

“Before you get us killed” allows the user to divide the party, sending their group mostly Off-Screen and guaranteeing some success to the surviving group.