Malefice: City of Curses

Supernatural crimes are commonplace in the Underworld, a lawless region in the city of La Luna. However, some people take it upon themselves to combat the evils that lurk there. The player can play as one of five characters who work as occult detectives.

La Luna was once a vibrant city and tourist attraction. However, one area within this city became overrun by gangs with supernatural powers. Ordinary law enforcement was too weak to handle the powerful criminals, so it gradually became obsolete. The vice-filled region soon became known as the Underworld, and many people now avoid it. Most businesses in the Underworld are owned by the gangs, who use them as fronts to fund illegal activity. The only people who currently live in or visit the Underworld are those who cannot afford to leave, criminals, and rich magic users with powerful abilities. These magic users feel assured in their ability to protect themselves, and they enjoy the bustling nightlife and thrilling lifestyle found in the Underworld.

The Underworld looks glamorous with its bright signs, lavish hotels, and entertainment venues, but many people fear it. It is plagued by gangs and supernatural crimes, which often go unpunished. Most residents of the Underworld are Human, but there are also Ghosts and Werewolves lurking about.

Eden Hotel
The Eden Hotel used to be one of La Luna’s most famous luxury hotels. After the formation of the Underworld, it declined in popularity as tourists feared that not even the secure hotel could protect them from opportunistic gangs. The hotel is still in business, but most of Eden’s guests nowadays are rich and powerful magic users.

Harlequin Casino
The Harlequin Casino is located near the Eden Hotel. It is not the only casino in the Underworld, but it is the most popular. Games at the Harlequin Casino often have high stakes, with some players betting their lives for the chance of a big payday. Thrill-seeking gamblers who know how to use their magical abilities to cheat regularly challenge each other to dangerous games here.

Faust Theater
This theater hosts a variety of live performances, such as magic shows, plays, musicals, and concerts. One of its most famous performers is a magician known as “Illusio.”

La Luna Museum of Art
In addition to regular works of art, this museum holds a haunted painting with many Ghosts trapped inside. The Ghosts are contained by a magic seal on the back of the painting, and the painting is further protected by a glass box that prevents tampering with the seal.

Rosemary Mart
A store with a variety of items. Most of them are ordinary, common products one can find in any other convenience store, but potions are also available for the player to buy.

Pluto Jewelry
This shop sells both ordinary and magical jewelry. The player can buy talismans and magic rings here.

Characters:

Playable Characters:

Casey Blake (they/them)
Age: 23
Race: Human
Class: Rogue
Description: Casey is tall and lean, with pale skin, black hair, and gray eyes. They have the ability to manipulate shadows, which they use to fight enemies with stealth.
Stat: Dexterity
Special Abilities: Hide, Sneak, Shadow Slash

Lucero Martinez (he/him)
Age: 22
Race: Human (default), jaguar
Class: Fighter
Description: Lucero is a tall, muscular man with tan skin. His hair is unkempt and mostly a yellow-orange color, with black roots. He is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but also has the ability to transform into a jaguar. In his jaguar form, he has increased speed and strength, but he is unable to use items. He continuously loses small amounts of energy while in jaguar form. If he loses all his energy, he will be forced back into human form.
Stat: Strength
Special abilities: Transform, Bite, Claw

Aida Demir (she/her)
Age: 25
Race: Werewolf
Class: Tank
Description: Aida is a muscular woman with olive skin and short gray hair. She excels in close-range, unarmed combat. Her magic grants her accelerated healing and the ability to form a defensive force field. On full moons, she transforms into a gray wolf. In wolf form, all of her stats (Health, Defense, Strength, Speed) increase, except Willpower (resistance to debuffs), which decreases.
Stat: Defense
Special Abilities: Knock Back, Tackle, Bite, Claw, Shield

Alex Bai (he/him)
Age: 26
Race: Human
Class: Support
Description: A thin man with fair skin and white hair. He has the ability to form and manipulate a magical mist that has various effects on those who come into contact with it. These effects can be beneficial or harmful, depending on his intentions.
Stat: Wisdom
Special Abilities: Heal, Strengthen, Weaken, Drain

Clara Hayward (she/her)
Age: 21
Race: Human
Class: Shooter
Description: Clara has no magical powers of her own, but she studied magic as she grew up in the Underworld. She developed a comprehensive understanding of magic users’ strengths and weaknesses, which she can use to her advantage. She has dark skin and long box braids, which she dyes pink. She carries a handgun and a magical throwing knife that can temporarily disable magic users’ abilities. The knife, like a boomerang, flies back to her after stabbing her target.
Stat: Intelligence
Special Abilities: Read Enemy Stats, Shoot, Silence

NPCs:

Edwin Blythe (he/him)
A frequent patron of the Harlequin Casino. As he became addicted to the thrill of Harlequin’s games, he accumulated debt. Despite his worsening finances, he is always seen in expensive suits, and he stays at the opulent Eden Hotel.

Illusio (he/him)
A charismatic-yet-mysterious stage magician. With a tall stature, olive skin, and dark hair, many of Illusio’s fans find him attractive. While he has had many shows, he never performs on full moon nights. This has led to rumors that he is secretly a werewolf. It is said that his other family members are werewolves, so his lycanthropy may be the result of an ancestral curse. His career has been supported by the Luxuria gang.

Olympia Rayne (she/her)
The head of La Luna Museum of Art, Olympia is a middle-aged woman with pale skin and white hair tied in a bun. She wears a long, black dress. She placed a magic seal on the cursed painting to prevent the Ghosts from escaping.

Mobs:

• Gangsters
• Ghosts
• Vigilantes
• Werewolves (only active on full moons)

Gangs
Some of the most notorious gangs in the Underworld include:

• Mammon Business: A gang infamous for its greed. It owns the Eden Hotel and Harlequin Casino. Its crimes include illegal gambling, racketeering, loansharking, and murder. It also bribed law enforcement in the early days of the Underworld.
• Luxuria: The Mammon Business’ main rival. In the past, Luxuria accumulated wealth through similar crimes. However, as people fled or started to avoid the Underworld, it turned to other ways to maintain business in the area. Luxuria has tried to improve its reputation by moving away from crime and establishing entertainment venues such as the Faust Theater. It also offers a bodyguard service to encourage tourism to the Underworld. Despite its peaceful image, members of Luxuria still have frequent fights with the Mammon Business.
• The Whisperers: An elusive gang whose members use Ghosts to carry out crimes. The difficulty of tracking down and detaining Ghosts has been exploited by this gang to get away with its actions.
• The Pack: A gang made up of werewolves. They are not as prominent as other gangs and mainly commit small-scale acts of violence and robbery. This gang is rumored to have found out about Illusio’s werewolf identity and tried to convince him to join them. He is said to have declined out of loyalty to Luxuria.
• The Hunters: A vigilante group whose members believe all werewolves are evil. Their mission is to identify and kill werewolves.

There are several items the player can buy from shops.

Talismans come in the form of colorful amulets. They absorb debuff spells cast by enemies. Once a talisman absorbs a spell, it turns black, indicating that it cannot be used again.

• Slowing talisman: A gray talisman that protects the user from slowing spells.
• Poison talisman: A green talisman that protects the user from poison damage.
• Fire talisman: An orange talisman that protects the user from burn damage.
• Stun talisman: A purple talisman that protects the user from stuns.

Potions can temporarily buff players.

• Healing potion: A red liquid that restores HP.
• Speed potion: A yellow liquid that increases the user’s movement speed.
• Invisibility potion: A black liquid that makes the user invisible.
• Defense potion: A white liquid that makes the user immune to damage.
• Energy potion: A blue liquid that restores energy.

Magic rings allow users to cast spells that fall outside of their usual range of abilities. Since these spells do not come from the wearers themselves, they do not require energy. However, rings contain a limited amount of magic, and they will break once they have been used up.

• Slowing ring: A silver ring that slows enemies.
• Poison ring: A green ring that releases poison, inflicting damage over time.
• Fire ring: An orange ring that releases fire, inflicting damage over time.
• Stun ring: A purple ring that stuns enemies at close range.

Quest Idea 1 – Dangerous Game
Edwin Blythe was found dead in his room at the Eden Hotel. A sigil on his body indicates that he was given a death curse. After speaking to people at the casino and others who knew him, you learn that he had a gambling addiction and a high amount of debt. It is possible that someone he owed money to gave him the curse. You suspect this person is a member of the Mammon Business.

Pass: Find and defeat the killer.
Fail: Fail to defeat the killer.
Map areas: Eden Hotel, Harlequin Casino

Quest Idea 2 – Disappearing Act
Illusio has gone missing. He was last sighted at the Faust Theater rehearsing for his show. You wonder if his kidnapping has anything to do with his alleged curse. You question people at the theater and investigate the area around it.

Pass: Find and defeat the kidnappers; rescue Illusio.
Fail: Fail to defeat the kidnappers; Illusio is killed.
Map: Faust Theater, the Hunters' hideout

Quest Idea 3 – Phantom Thief
The cursed painting was stolen from La Luna Museum of Art! Not long after, there was a surge in attacks by Ghosts in the surrounding streets. Olympia Rayne suspects that the thief, a possible member of the Whisperers, broke the seal to release the Ghosts inside. Her ability to capture Ghosts is helpful, so she follows you as you investigate. In addition to catching the thief, you must also weaken the Ghosts by fighting them before Olympia can recapture them.

Pass: Find and defeat the thief; defeat all the Ghosts.
Fail: Fail to defeat the thief; fail to defeat the Ghosts.
Map: La Luna Museum of Art, the Whisperers' hideout