History TabletopGame / KULT

%%* AlienGeometries: Everywhere outside The Illusion.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Acts of kindness will usually keep everyone mentally balanced - and this is a setting where "mentally balanced" = "to be blind and trapped in hell forever".

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: The "Sexually Tantalizing" disadvantage. You're so beautiful that everyone wants a piece of you and nobody can listen to what you're saying.

A TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse reboot called ''KULT: Divinity Lost'' was released in 2018.

''KULT'' is a Swedish DarkFantasy/Splatterpunk (self-description) RolePlayingGame by authors Gunilla Jonsson and Michael Petersén. It takes place here and now, in the reality of today. But reality is not what we think. Around us the world is dark and dangerous and nothing is what it seems to be. Our reality is an illusion, created to keep us captive. We are imprisoned since the ages past by a dictatorial creator. The true world, invisible to us, is ruled by creatures who dominate the false facades, our prison wardens and torturers. And if your characters happen to steep too far into Evil, they might actually turn into monsters physically.

* AbandonedHospital and AbandonedLaboratory: Urban decay and blight are but one theme of ''Kult''.
* AGodAmI: Every human has the potential to be like this. And they would be ''right''.

* AxCrazy: The Angels of Death, who serve a similar function to the Archons, but are much, much more malevolent about it.
* BedlamHouse: Most asylums are like that, and often the doctors and wardens there are at least as mad as the inmates.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: The conflict between the Death Angels (Black) and the Archons (''very'' dark Gray).
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Quite unavoidable for any character who has high enough mental balance or truly accepts the truth about the world.
* BodyHorror: What can happen when your mental balance plummets low enough.

* DarkWorld: In the forms of Metropolis and Gaia, representing urban and natural landscapes respectively.

* FreakLabAccident: One possible archetype for player characters. Also a product of many of Malkuth's experiments.

* GeniusLoci: The Citadels of the Archons and Angels of Death are the true self of their owner.
* UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}}: The game borrows heavily from ancient Christian gnosticism.

* {{God}}: The Demiurge, more or less. The exact truth is a little more complex than that.
* GodIsDead: And the Devil is the only one who wants him back. Also, God is dying retroactively, being dead further and further back in history.
* GodIsEvil: Humans were immortal superbeings before the Demiurge took all our powers away and made us what we are.

* HappyPlace: One could say that in the world of ''KULT'', most humans are there.

* HeroicBSOD: One possible result of failing a terror throw.

* HumanoidAbomination: Lictors and Razids, and every other monster that can appear human. Also, humans themselves, when they Awaken.

* MechanicalLifeforms: The Techrones. Actually every piece of machinery can be one, including the monitor you're looking at.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The whole game is practically glued to the cynical end.

* WeirdnessCensor: Probably the only reason why ordinary humans can survive in this world without going mad immediately.

* WorldHalfEmpty: If you're lucky and it's not full empty for you.

Hell, almost any of the CrimeAndPunishmentTropes, EvilTropes, MadnessTropes or HorrorTropes might find a place in your ''KULT'' campaign.

* FightingAShadow: Subversion. Archons and other superbeings can have multiple incarnate avatars and it takes less than one day to create a replacement when one is destroyed. However, getting killed ''hurts'' and if several incarnates are killed in a short period, the pain can actually kill the being.

A reboot called ''KULT: Divinity Lost'' has recently been released, and is TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kult12.jpg]]

* {{Satan}}: Astaroth fills this role in the setting, being the opponent and dark mirror-image of the Demiurge. [[BlackAndBlackMorality Neither of them have ever had humanity's best interests at heart]].

* {{Hell}}: Inferno. Nowadays most souls end up in [[IronicHell Purgatory]]]] instead. Catch is, Astaroth no longer gives a damn about the place and lets his subordinates manage Inferno as they please, so you can get punished for sins you never committed. And with less souls coming to Inferno, they will give you some extra ForTheLulz.

%%* {{Satan}}: Astaroth

* CoDragons: Golab and Hareb-Serap, the two Angels of Death that are most loyal to Astaroth. They hate each other, but will ignore that for the time being.
* CosmicHorrorStory: It's difficult to judge whether this setting or the Franchise/CthulhuMythos are more horrific. On one hand, at least in ''Kult'' there's a chance of escape... Then again, in the Cthulhu Mythos, the horrible universe is indifferent to you, while in ''Kult'', the horrible universe ''hates'' you and wants you to suffer.
* CrapsackWorld: Even most horror settings have at least one faction who are not pure evil, even if it's just the mundane police. Not so in ''Kult''. All the governments, religions, and armies of the world are puppets of the lictors or the Angels of Death, who want to keep mankind ignorant.

* EldritchAbomination: Almost everything that exists, but most notable are the Forgotten Gods, who remain dangerous and beyond our understanding even after we Awaken. They're so powerful that the whole power conflicts between Archons and Inferno are no concern of theirs.

** First the Archons start fighting each other. Hod, Yesod, Chesed and Chokmah were destroyed. The remaining Archons don't get along too well either, with Malkuth being the enemy of the rest, except Tiphareth, who was working on both sides.

* EvilCounterpart: Angels of Death to Archons and Astaroth to Demiurge. Actually EvilerThanThou Counterpart since [[BlackAndGrayMorality neither of the pairs are truly good]].

* ExtremeDoormat, {{Hikikomori}}: The first version of Nahemoth, the Death Angel of apathy. Nobody cares about him except [[TheRival Malkuth]], and that means she wants to kill him.

%%* FreakLabAccident: One possible background for player characters.

* GodIsEvil: Humans were immortal superbeings before He took all our powers away and made us what we are.
%%* GoMadFromTheRevelation
* HappyPlace: One could say, in the world of ''KULT'' most humans are there.

%%* HeroicBSOD: Failing a terror throw.

* HumansAreBastards: Despite being embodiments of evil, Angels of Death found the darkness in humans' hearts surpasses theirs.
* HumansAreCthulhu: Humans are immortal superbeings; they are just slumbering and are unaware of their power.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: In a sense. While it's rather difficult to see the Demiurge/Archons as the good guys, truth is, the divine, pre-Illusion humans were completely amoral [[HumansAreBastards bastards]] that destroyed millions of lives and caused untold suffering to members of weaker species. Perhaps the setting's deepest, most interesting question would be "Do we ''deserve'' to Awaken?"

* JesusWasWayCool: He himself is still active in the world as the founder of one of the Ascension cults, ie the guys actively working to free humanity. He calls himself the son of the Demiurge, but doesn't seem to like his dad very much, and in fact his relationship is unclear.

%%* LightIsNotGood: The Demiurge.

%%* ReligionOfEvil

* {{Room 101}}: The Abyss, the great chasm where Demiurge's citadel once was. Only Astaroth has ever been known to get in there and return, but only barely alive. And he refuses to speak about anything inside that place.

* WarIsHell: Hareb-Serap the Angel of Death and personification of meaningless battle. According to the ''Metropolis'' sourcebook, Netzach as well.

Hell, almost every of the CrimeAndPunishmentTropes, EvilTropes, MadnessTropes or HorrorTropes might find a place in your ''KULT'' sessions.

* CrapsackWorld: Even most horror settings have at least one faction who are not pure evil, even if it's just the mundane police. Not so in ''Kult''. All the governments, religions, and armies of the world are puppets of the [[spoiler:lictors or the Angels of Death]], who want to keep mankind ignorant.

* EnemyCivilWar: Since [[spoiler:Demiurge]]'s disappearance...

* SoulsavingCrusader: The player can potentially become one of these, since [[spoiler:driving someone over the DespairEventHorizon can allow them to break free of the Illusion.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: Luigi Cantorre is an extremely powerful death magician because he's the incarnation of [[spoiler:Death Angel Togarini]]. He's possibly the most powerful incarnate of the [[spoiler:Angels of Death]], and is described as being more of [[spoiler:Togarini's mobile citadel]]. He has to be, for the [[spoiler:real citadel]] disappeared when [[spoiler:Astaroth crushed Togarini]] for the latter's failed rebellion. Without [[spoiler:the citadel]], Cantorre become the sole avatar of [[spoiler:Togarini]], and to kill him is to destroy [[spoiler:Togarini]] for real as well.

* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Every human]] has the potential to be like this. And they would be ''right''.
%%* AlienGeometries: Everywhere outside [[spoiler:The Illusion.]]

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:The Angels of Death]], who serve a similar function to [[spoiler:the Archons]], but are much, much more malevolent about it.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Acts of kindness will usually keep everyone mentally balanced - and this is a setting where "mentally balanced" = "to be [[spoiler:blind and trapped in hell forever"]].

* BlackAndGrayMorality: The conflict between [[spoiler:the Death Angels]] (Black) and [[spoiler:the Archons]] (''very'' dark Gray).
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Quite unavoidable for any character who has [[spoiler:high enough mental balance or truly accepts the truth about the world.]]
* BodyHorror: What can happen when your [[spoiler:mental balance plummets low enough.]]
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: Possibly the only inversion. It seems every other [[spoiler:eldritch horror broke its arm trapping US in the illusion, and it seems inevitable that we will eventually break out]].

* CoDragons: Golab and Hareb-Serap, the two [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] that are most loyal to [[spoiler:Astaroth]]. They hate each other, but will ignore that for the time being.
* CosmicHorrorStory: It's difficult to judge whether this setting or the Franchise/CthulhuMythos are more horrific. On one hand, at least in ''Kult'' [[spoiler: there's a chance of escape...]] Then again, in the Cthulhu Mythos, the horrible universe is indifferent to you, while in ''Kult'', the horrible universe ''hates'' you and wants you to suffer.

* DarkWorld: In the forms of [[spoiler:Metropolis and Gaia]], representing [[spoiler:urban and natural landscapes]] respectively.

* DisabilitySuperpower: Schizophrenia is actually the ability to [[spoiler:see behind the veil covering mundane reality]]. Mental illness in general is one of two roads to [[spoiler:supernatural mojo]]. [[spoiler:Sainthood]] is the other one, but power-wise they're mutually exclusive.

* EldritchAbomination: Almost everything that exists, but most notable are the [[spoiler:Forgotten Gods]], who remain dangerous and beyond our understanding even after we Awaken. They're so powerful that the whole power conflicts between [[spoiler:Archons and Inferno]] are no concern of theirs.

** First the [[spoiler:Archons]] start fighting each other. [[spoiler:Hod, Yesod, Chesed and Chokmah]] were destroyed. The remaining [[spoiler:Archons]] don't get along too well either, with [[spoiler:Malkuth]] being the enemy of the rest, except [[spoiler:Tiphareth]], who was working on both sides.
** In Inferno, [[spoiler:Thaumiel, Togarini and Gamaliel]] rebel against [[spoiler:Astaroth]], with various degrees of success. [[spoiler:Chagidiel]] also wants to join them, but doesn't have the courage to oppose [[spoiler:Astaroth]] yet.
* EnemyMine: Notably [[spoiler:Netzach]], who will join forces with [[spoiler:Malkuth]] or even [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] if it will help him defeat [[spoiler:Astaroth]].
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:Angels of Death to Archons and Astaroth to Demiurge]]. Actually EvilerThanThou Counterpart since [[BlackAndGrayMorality neither of the pairs are truly good]].

* ExtremeDoormat, {{Hikikomori}}: The first version of Nahemoth[[spoiler:, the Death Angel of apathy]]. Nobody cares about him except [[TheRival Malkuth]], and that means [[spoiler:she wants to kill him.]]
* FightingAShadow: Subversion. [[spoiler:Archons and other superbeings]] can have multiple incarnate avatars and it takes less than one day to create a replacement when one is destroyed. However, getting killed ''hurts'' and if several incarnates are killed in a short period, the pain can actually kill the being.

* GeniusLoci: The Citadels of [[spoiler:the Archons and Angels of Death]] are the true self of their owner.

* {{God}}: [[spoiler:The Demiurge]], more or less. The exact truth is a little more complex than that.
* GodIsDead: [[spoiler:And the Devil is the only one who wants him back]]. Also, God is dying [[spoiler:retroactively, being dead further and further back in history]].
* GodIsEvil: Humans were [[spoiler:immortal superbeings]] before He [[spoiler:took all our powers away]] and made us what we are.

* HaveYouSeenMyGod: Even [[spoiler:Astaroth]] is looking for him, since [[spoiler:the Demiurge]] is the only one who gave his existence a meaning.
* {{Hell}}: [[spoiler: Inferno]]. Nowadays most souls end up in [[spoiler:[[IronicHell Purgatory]]]] instead. Catch is, [[spoiler:Astaroth]] no longer gives a damn about the place and lets his subordinates manage [[spoiler:Inferno]] as they please, so you can get punished for sins you never committed. And with less souls coming to [[spoiler:Inferno]], they will give you some extra ForTheLulz.

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: Lictors and Razids]], and every other monster that can appear human. Also, [[spoiler:humans themselves, when they Awaken]].
* HumansAreBastards: Despite being embodiments of evil, [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] found the darkness in humans' hearts surpasses theirs.
* HumansAreCthulhu: Humans are [[spoiler:immortal superbeings]]; they are just [[spoiler:slumbering and are unaware of their power]].
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: In a sense. While it's rather difficult to see [[spoiler:the Demiurge/Archons]] as the good guys, truth is, the [[spoiler:divine, pre-Illusion]] humans were completely amoral [[HumansAreBastards bastards]] that destroyed millions of lives and caused untold suffering to members of weaker species. Perhaps the setting's deepest, most interesting question would be [[spoiler:"Do we ''deserve'' to Awaken?"]]

* JesusWasWayCool: [[spoiler:He himself is still active in the world as the founder of one of the Ascension cults, ie the guys actively working to free humanity. He calls himself the son of the Demiurge, but doesn't seem to like his dad very much, and in fact his relationship is unclear.]]

%%* LightIsNotGood: The [[spoiler:Demiurge]].

* MechanicalLifeforms: The [[spoiler:Techrones]]. Actually every piece of machinery can be one, including the monitor you're looking at.

* PossessionBurnout: There is a kind of [[spoiler:body stealer]] that will indulge in orgies of sex, drugs and violence after possessing a human body, with the result that said body really won't last very long.

* {{Room 101}}: [[spoiler:The Abyss]], the great chasm where [[spoiler:Demiurge's citadel]] once was. Only [[spoiler:Astaroth]] has ever been known to get in there and return, but only barely alive. And he refuses to speak about anything inside that place.

%%* {{Satan}}: [[spoiler:Astaroth]]

* WarIsHell: Hareb-Serap [[spoiler:the Angel of Death and personification of meaningless battle]]. According to the ''Metropolis'' sourcebook, [[spoiler:Netzach]] as well.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Malkuth's servants kidnap humans and perform wild experiments on them. She actually wants to [[spoiler:free all humans from the Illusion]].

* CosmicHorrorStory: It's difficult to judge whether this setting or the Franchise/CthulhuMythos are more horrific. Well, at least here, [[spoiler: there's a chance of escape...]]

''KULT'' can be used for any kind of horror game, from "splatter the attacking zombie hordes" to "solve the occult mysteries of the universe" to more subtle paranoia and conspiracies. Players play characters who somehow came into contact with darkness - whether purely theoretical, like students interested in the occult, {{Mad Scientist}}s or {{Mad Artist}}s; in reality, like [[IntrepidReporter muckrakers]], [[PrivateEye private detectives]] or Series/{{Cops}}; or actively fighting it, like soldiers, gang members or street fighters.

* ExtremeDoormat, {{Hikikomori}}: Nahemoth [[spoiler:the Death Angel of apathy.]] Nobody cares about him except [[TheRival Malkuth]], and that means [[spoiler:she wants to kill him.]]

* GeniusLoci: The citadels of [[spoiler:the Archons and Angels of Death]] are the true self of their owner.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: In a sense. While it's rather difficult to see [[spoiler:the Demiurge/Archons]] as the good guys, truth is, the [[spoiler:divine, pre-Illusion]] humans were completely amoral [[HumansAreBastards bastards]] that destroyed millions of lives and caused untold suffering to members of weaker species. Perhaps the setting's deepest, most interesting question would be [[spoiler:"Do we ''deserve'' to Awake?"]]

* CoDragons: Golab and Hareb-Serap, the two [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] that're most loyal to [[spoiler:Astaroth]]. They hate each other, but will ignore that for the time being.

* EnemyMine: Notable [[spoiler:Netzach]], who will join forces with [[spoiler:Malkuth]] or even [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] if it will help him defeat [[spoiler:Astaroth]].

* FightingAShadow: Subversion. [[spoiler:Archons and other superbeings]] can have multiple incarnate avatars and it take less than one day to create a replacement when one is destroyed. However, getting killed ''hurts'' and if several incarnates are killed in short period, the pain can actually kill the being.

* GeniusLoci: The cathedrals of [[spoiler:Archon and Angel of Death]] are the true self of their owner.

* SoulsavingCrusader: The player can potentially become one of these, since [[spoiler:driving someone over the DespairEventHorizon can allow them to break free of the illusion.]]

* WarIsHell: Hareb-Serap [[spoiler:the Angel of Death and personification of meaningless battle]]. According to ''Metropolis'' sourcebook, [[spoiler:Netzach]] as well.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: The conflict between [[spoiler:the Death Angels]] (Black) and [[spoiler:the Archons]] ((''very'' dark Gray).

** First the [[spoiler:Archons]] start fighting each other. [[spoiler:Hod, Yesod, Chesed and Chokmah]] were destroyed. The remaining [[spoiler:Archons]] don't get along too well either, with [[spoiler:Malkuth]] being the enemy of the rest, except [[spoiler:Tiphareth]], who was working on both side.
** In Inferno, [[spoiler:Thaumiel, Togarini and Gamaliel]] rebel against [[spoiler:Astaroth]], with various degree of success. [[spoiler:Chagidiel]] also wants to join them, but doesn't have the courage to oppose [[spoiler:Astaroth]] yet.

%%* BlackAndGrayMorality

* TheDragon: Golab and Hareb-Serap, the two [[spoiler:Angels of Death]] that're most loyal to [[spoiler:Astaroth]]. They hate each other, but will ignore that for time being.

* AxCrazy: The Angels of Death, who serve a similar function to the Archons, but are much, much more malevolent about it.

A reboot called ''[[TabletopGame/KultDivinityLost KULT: Divinity Lost]]'' has recently been released, and is TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse.

%%* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Every human]] has the potential. And they're ''right''.

* EldritchAbomination: Almost everything that exists, but most notable are the [[spoiler:Forgotten Gods]], who remain dangerous and beyond our understanding even after we awaken. They're so powerful that the whole power conflicts between [[spoiler:Archons and Inferno]] are no concern of theirs.

%%* {{God}}: [[spoiler:The Demiurge]]

* GodIsEvil: Humans were [[spoiler:immortal superbeings]] before he [[spoiler:took all our powers away]] and made us what we are.

* HumansAreCthulhu: Humans are [[spoiler:immortal superbeings]], they are just [[spoiler:slumbering and are unaware of their power]].

%%* LightIsNotGood: The [[spoiler:Demiurge]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Malkuth's servants kidnap humans and perform wild experiments on them. She actually wants to [[spoiler:free all humans from the illusion]].

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: In a sense. While it's rather difficult to see [[spoiler:the Demiurge/Archons]] as the good guys, truth is, the [[spoiler:divine, pre-Illusion]] humans were completely amoral [[HumansAreBastards bastards]] that destroyed millions of lives and caused untold suffering to members of weaker species. Perhaps the setting's deepest, most interest question would be [[spoiler:"Do we ''deserve'' to Awake?"]]

A reboot called ''TabletopGame/KultDivinityLost KULT: Divinity Lost]]'' has recently been released, and is TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse.

A reboot called ''KULT: Divinity Lost'' has recently been released, and is TabletopGame/PoweredByTheApocalypse.