Adventure concept Options

[Char_Aznable]

Hello alles,

Our group recently converted their characters to 4th edition and I've got a nice idea for a first run.

The players are hired to track down a trio of Viral geneticists working for Biotechnica Seattle, a small firm that was recently bought out by Evo. The pay is 40,000 nuyen all together if they find them, with a 20,000 bonus if they are found alive.

The catch is that the Geneticists were tinkering around with the HMHV Virus, and somehow came into contact with a Wendigo, who has currently taken over the old "Brain eaters" street gang into a cannibalistic cult of sorts. The original geneticists have not really died yet serving as lieutenants to the wendigo, but have sort of gone hiding unto the streets. I intend the players to investigate a little, go to a Ghoul breeding ground, and eventually discover the nasty truth.

The group currently consists of: A Cybered up dwarf, (Aptly named Gunny) a Technomancer, a semi-burned out mage, (he's a hell of a character, we'll just call him Hyper Hooper) and a Cybered up Street Sam.

Wendigos are beefy, but the group has one ace...the Cybered dwarf. He has a Machine gun pool of at least 17 dice, which can easily make mincemeat out of anything. He is somewhat susceptible to magic though. How can I challenge these guys to make a good game? I want them to at least think they have to be careful.

Thanks.

[hyzmarca]

[blakkie]

If they don't think they have to be careful they haven't met a significant SR4 Spirit yet. ;) Unfortunately the Wendigo (being a shaman) can't toss out Spirits of Man (who are currently the only Summoned spirits that cast spells), but a Force 6 or 7 Beast Spirit sent on a remote service to mess with them when they start getting close should put the fear of the gods into them.

Especially if you play the spirit by RAW, complete with the likely error in the Reaction Attribute. Does the burn-out have Banishing? If not, and if "Gunny" doesn't have ex-ex or APDS ammo or doesn't figure out he needs to lay out a Wide Full Burst to keep the spirit from effortlessly Dodging most of his attacks, it could easily end up a TPK from a Force 7 because i don't believe HE grenades can harm them (without chunky-salsa), only Force 6.

EDIT: BTW check out the rules for conjurers lending out spirits to non-awakened types.

EDIT: Oh, and hyzmarca has an excellent poin there about the cooking and eating. Check out the text of the Essense Drain critter power. Basically that stuff is mostly window dressing to scare the crap out of the victim to aid the Essense Drain. So put on your Twisted Thinking Cap when painting the verbal picture for them because there simply is no such thing as too creepy. Maybe have them come upon very strang remains of such ceremonies, but only tiny, tiny clues that they won't put back together till later. This is of course more difficult to implement than it is for me to suggest. But this board is a good source of ideas for that as you are likely to find.

[Char_Aznable]

do you guys think a Wendigo would have any sort of metamagic? I would imagine masking his aura would be REALLY useful.

[blakkie]

If i was a Wendigo or other HMHVV infected, or something like a Shapeshifter for that matter, that planned to be in an urban area and i had Initiated that's the first metamagic i'd take.

[hyzmarca]

[caramel frappucc...]

Is there a reason why you call them Windigos?

[blakkie]

I believe that is an alternate Anglicized spelling for the original native american mythical creature the SR one is based on.

[hyzmarca]

[caramel frappucc...]

Nice save. :D

[Dog]

There're lots of spellings, the legends involving the wendigo were passed on orally through dozens of tribes for God knows how many generations before anyone ever tried to write the word down.
(Incidentally, in some places, it's almost synonymous for "white guy with authority.")

Anyway, excuse my ignorance of SR4, but why don't you just locate the gang/cult somewhere that they can't get to with a machine gun? Or they can, but with great difficulty. Or the beast knows something they need it to tell them?

[PBTHHHHT]

[Lindt]

The other mounts heavy weapons. Because what else would you do with an RV but stuff a ring mounted HMG on the roof.

[Tiralee]

Threats 2, "Can you see the real me?"
Ah, yes...
"A spirit with the compulsion power could really wreak havoc. Say, have an empty room with a large pot pull of boiling matehuman parts and a spirit with compulsion hidden behind cover. Someone steps near the pot and the spirit compells him to stick his arm in (cooking it in the process), pull out some metahuman flesh, and take a bite."

About _the_ best way to continue the Shedim evil. And the first Shedim story was waaaaaay up there for creepy atmosphere.

But you could do it Resident-Evil/Day of the dead style, but with blood-crazed gangers on Kamakazi and chainsaws... And an empty, empty room with nothing more than neatly-laid out utensils, a small table and the still-twitching, mostly eaten form of one of the scientists...

For this, crank up the "Oh, we're soooo F*ucked" vibe.
Sure the Dwarf may be able to dish out the pain, but what happens if it gets into melee, or the ammo runs out...or the glitch necessitates an un-jam or reload? (<-This is a _very_ bad thing to do to someone, oh yes.)

-Tir


Whatever happened to Ibm Eisa, anyway?

[SL James]

n/m

This post has been edited by SL James: Nov 5 2005, 08:28 AM

[nick012000]

Didn't Ibn Eisa die?

...

Again?

[blakkie]