A Reaper Comes., What if the Kurians invaded the Sixth World. Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Zibik]

I've lurked here for ages so I figured it was time I contributed a bit. I've been tinkering with the idea of a small offbeat campaign. I want to pit a group of shadowrunners and various sixth world persons as a resistance group against the Kurian Invasion as described in E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth series. (if you're not familiar with the series it's worth the read!)

The first principle beyond campaign arc planning is the conversion of the various entities the Kur brought with them.

This is my first attempt at the Reaper. The basic framework for the stats and abilities are in line with the authors molding as presented in his Savage Worlds setting book and what I can remember from the novels.

[ Spoiler ]

REAPER (hood, night stalker, vampire, yelloweye)

Description: Humanoid, pale-skinned. Black nails and fangs. Yellow, slit-pupil eyes. Usually of intimidating height. Thanks to their thick tongue, used to stab the heart region and then drain the victim of blood, they do not vocalize well unless a breathy whisper. The tongue is described as a couple of feet long flexible garden hose like tongue with a sort of turkey baster barb on the end.
Generally dressed in a dark cloak or Robe. Basically take the classical grim reaper imagery, remove the scythe and add the above tongue.

Body: 6
Agility: 6
Reaction: 8
Strength: 8
Charisma: 2
Intuition: 2 (%1)
Logic: 2 (%1)
Willpower: 3 (%1)
Edge: 3
Essence: 6
Physical Initative: 9 (&1)
Iniative Passes: 3
Movement: 15 walk /25 run
Damage resistance: 10 + armor
Armor: B8/I6

Skills: Close Combat 4 (+2 Subdual), Athletics 4, Dodge 4, Perception 3 (+2 Lifesigns) (%1), Intimidation 3 (+2 physical), Shadowing 3, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Tongue attack) 5,

Knowledge skills: %1

Tongue Attack: Reach 0, (Str/2 +2)P, AP -4, +2 dice if targeting neck or unarmored chest.
Melee attack: (STR/2 +1)P
Claw Attack: (STR/2 +3)P, AP -4
Drain Attack: Special

Powers:

Improved Reflexes +2 reaction +2 initative passes

Hardened bones: A Reapers bones are made of extremely dense material. This confers bonuses of +4 to Body for damage resistance tests, adds +2 to both Ballistic and Impact armor and adds -4 to AP, and +1 to damage for claw attacks.

Black blood: A reapers blood turns to a thick tarry substance upon contact with air thus lessening the trauma from large wounds and quickly stopping bleeding. Any time the user suffers 2 or more boxes of damage, the damage is reduced by one at the start of the next pass. Any weapon not immediately pulled out has a chance (50 / 50 chance) to become stuck in the body as the tar hardens. Removal of weapon after tar has hardened requires a strength + body extended test (8, 1 minute).

Lifesign Sense: A reaper is able to perceive a sentient beings essence like a light eminating from them. Treat like astral sight but only for determining wholeness of entity (essence) and it's physical. Intuition + Perception test opposed by masking (int)%2 + Willpower. Test is modified by the essence rating of the individual.

modifiers

Light Fog/Mist/Rain/Smoke: –1
Heavy Fog/Mist/Rain/Smoke: –2
Target Among heavy flora: - 1
Target Among heavy fauna: -2
Perceiver is distracted: –2
Perceiver is actively looking for lifesigns: +3
Target not in immediate vicinity: –2
Target is far away: –3
Target has solid cover: -2
Target Individual 6 - 5 Essence: +1
Target Individual 4 - 3 Essence: 0
Target Individual 2 - 1 Essence: -1
Target Individual < 1 Essence: -2

Puppet: Reapers a live and sentient but are raised to be a puppet body controlled by a Kurian and thus uses the Kurian's mental statistics and Halves damage boxes for purposes of determining wound modifiers but does not actually reduce injury. Any damage taken is not transferred to kurian master. Death of reaper does momentarily disorient it's master.

Blood / essence Drain: If opponent is successfully grappled next pass a tongue attack can be used. Damage is 1 box of physical damage per simple action taken to drain, until target is completely drained or tongue removed. If condition monitor is exceeded treat attack as if bleeding out and character dies at Body in boxes of over damage. Draining of actual essence is 1 point per 3 condition boxes.

Weaknesses:
Allergy: Sunlight Moderate (dice penalties only, sunlight does not physically harm them)
Allergy: Quickwood Severe %3
Reduced Senses: Eyesight (sunlight)

Notes:
Reaper Hooded Cloak / Robe 6B/4I

%1 = When under masters direct control use masters stat / skill whichever is higher.

%2 - Masking (Intuition) is the skill of hiding the lifesign from those with the ability to detect it. Treated in this case the same way as Maskng Initation metamagic is used.

%3 Treat any weapon made from quickwood as if it were +4AP for the purposes of
overcoming reaper damage resistance and add +4 to the damage value.

I'm a tad rusty when it comes to critters and such so any thoughts, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

More to come of the critters to come as I have time.

Cheers!

[Aku]

The only thing i would say is a reach 1 for a tongue attach seems... gracious. it should probably be marked as - meaning no reach, or even a -1 if its truly like a human tongue where you would probably have to be close to the creature to begin with to get a hit on it...

[redwulf25]

The only thing i would say is a reach 1 for a tongue attach seems... gracious. it should probably be marked as - meaning no reach, or even a -1 if its truly like a human tongue where you would probably have to be close to the creature to begin with to get a hit on it...

If I'm remembering the series right (been a while since I read any of the books) it's almost nothing like a human tongue and should have reach.

[Zibik]

I knew I should i have hunted down a photo to add to the post.

Yeah the tongue is a long garden hose type deal. I'll edit the description to make it a bit more clear.

[img]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l247/Nags-rags/Vampire%20Earth%20sketches/Thirst.jpg[/img]

[Critias]

As much as I'm a fan of Shadowrun, and as much as I'm a fan of Mr. Knight's Vampire Earth series, I'm not sure just how compatible the two will be. I'll wish ya godspeed and good luck, though, and hopefully it'll be an awesome campaign.

[Zibik]

Thanks Critias!

I'm having to noodle around quite a bit to decide how I want to do a lot of it. On one hand I can see the whole idea dove tailing into the shadowrun universe fairly easily (I can totally see Aztech being one of the human groups that support the Kur...) but certain things have to be discarded for the purposes...(Immortal elves etc) still others are going to be problematic...Magic is a bit of an equalizer against what the Kurians can do, heh.

I'm beginning to wonder if it might come down to using the SR 4A rules and trappings to emulate a kinda sorta non magical version of Shadowrun's Seattle and run it that way.

[Aku]

Even based on that picture, i DON'T see it having reach, unless you're saying that this thing can strike 3-5 feet in front of its face,I dont see it having reach.

[hermit]

+0 Reach
-1 Reach (the baby will do str/2 stun as a thrown weapon)

Purely from their looks, though, the Reapers should be something like a cross btween Mutaqua and Nosferatu, with much more Nosferatu than Mutaqua. And uh. Why can't there be a vampire-y culture without relying that heavily on Nazi symbolism.

[Zibik]

Having slept on it I agree with both Aku and Hermit...I'll adjust the reach. Closer encounters probably make for better horror too.

Re: the nazi symbolism. The Authors setting is a pulply oriented setting and he does use some of it with a few organizations and in the histories of the world.

[hermit]

It's not about this special author. Nazi symbolism is literally all over WoD too. The only WoD-ish fiction I can think of that is not drooping swastikas and black suns is Lukjanenko's Watch series, and that's dripping Soviet melancholy instead.

[Zibik]

Here's the first of the grunt forces. Harpies and Grey Grogs.

Harpy

[ Spoiler ]

Harpy

http://vampjac.com/lj/fan_art/ve/ST/Harpy.jpg

Body 3
Agility 4
Reaction 4
Strength 3
Charisma 2
Intuition 2
Logic 2
Willpower 3
Edge 2
Essence 6
Initative: 6
Intiative passes: 1
Movement: 3/6 climb/30 flight

Lowlight Vision
Natural Weapon (Bite: DV 5P, AP 0, Toxin)


Skills: Flight 4, Close Combat 2, Exotic Melee Weapon (bite) 2, Stealth 2, Dodge 2,
Throwing 3, Perception 2 (+2 hearing),

Harpy Bite (toxin)
Vector: Injection
Speed: 1 hour
Penetration: 0
Power: 6
Efect: disorientation.

Harpies generally carry a satchel with six grenades in it.
3 Fragmentation 12P(f) DV, +5 AP, –1/m
3 High Explosive 10P DV, –2 AP, –2/m
3 White Phosphorus 8P/4P, -half AP, -1/m

Grey Grog

[ Spoiler ]

http://vampjac.com/lj/fan_art/ve/ST/GreyONE.jpg

Grey Grog
Body 8
Agility 3
Reaction 6
Strength 7
Charisma 2
Intuition 3
Logic 3
Willpower 3
Edge 3
Essence 6
Initative 9
Intiative passes: 1
Movement: 10/30

Qualities:
Natural Armor: 1B/1I
Hawkeye
Natural Aptitude (pick one ranged weapon type)
Night Vision
Technological Illterate
Uneducated
Oblivious (earth)
Reduced Sense of Smell
Code of Conduct (clan)
Reach +1

Skills: Athletics 3, Close Combat 3, Firearms 2 (longarms +2), Stealth 2, Dodge 2, Heavy Weapons 1,
Throwing 3, Intimidation 3, Perception 3, Survival 3

Leather Armor 2/5
Skullcap 1/2

Axe 2 reach, (str/2 +2)DP, -1AP
Rifle 7DP, -2AP, SA, 1(B), 1 RC

[hermit]

Harpy: give it two additional arms (metagenic qualities, RC), and body hair and enhanced senses.

Grey Grog seems okay. You might want to add armoured skin in some fashion, though (again, metagenic qualities).

[Aku]

I prefer my harpies more naked, and more feminine.... Also, you say they carry 6 grenades, but list 9 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

grog: I'm not sure how i feel about the reach bonus I would feel that the creatures seemingly hunched style of movement would largely negate any arm length, and it's tough to say how long the arms are in the first place. Remember trolls are the only core book race that has a reach advantage.

[Zibik]

I totally blew past the second set of arms and knew I was forgetting something. hmm I don't have my RC handy, so I'll have to will fix that when I get home. Thanks Hermit!

For the Grogs I modeled them after the troll to save some work ...hmm the author does describe them as having rhino hide esq skin...I wonder how that compares stat wise to the dermal deposits (The natural b1/i1) that trolls get. Any thoughts?

[hermit]

Dermal deposits are bony chunks in the skin. Elephant Skin in RC is what you're looking for. 2/5, does NOT stack with worn armour except the +X/Y stuff, and counts for encumberance.

[Draco18s]

E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth series.

Good author.
I've taken a peek at that series, but was unable to get into it (I recall thinking that the vampires aren't vampires at all).
In any case, EEK needs more love.

[warrior_allanon]

i have to agree that the troll would be a good base to build the grogs from, and while magic is a great equilizer, its simply one more weapon that the resistance would be using, it would just be more natural, offset that by making the mages/shamans stand out more to the reapers and thus be targeted more often. This would be easy if you use a vampire build for your reapers because if i remember correctly vampires are dual natured.