Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: A New Threat
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun
Koekepan
There is a class of creature, frequently studied alongside arthropods, called a nematode. It is a sort of worm, generically known as a roundworm.

They are frequently parasites, of vertebrates and invertebrates alike.

What might a shaman of such a creature's spiritual face seem like?

Rather than the traumatic alteration into the physical hybrids of the insect shamans, perhaps the possession starts slowly, and gradually takes over more and more of the host's spiritual side until the humanity falls away, superfluous, and the manifest spirits breed and leave a nest of eggs which the shaman can use for more possessions, each of which gradually increases the shaman's power until the shaman's flesh, too, becomes mere food for more spirits.

Anyone have any thoughts on their lifecycle and statistics?
Koekepan
Aaron Webb was a regular guy. Watched urban brawl with his buds while sucking down whatever booze was around. Went on some dates, just like anyone, did market analysis like everyone in his office, but never told anybody about the dreams.

Every night he dreamed about the pale things, pulsing and growing fat in the moist darkness. Safe and warm and protected they were, and he envied them. He wanted what they had, and every day he grew a little wistful when he had to file another report and deal with the scorn of the manager who was terrified Aaron would take his job.

Then, hard to say how it happened. Maybe he wished upon the right star. Maybe it reached out and touched him, or maybe he let it all inside, but he could see himself as a being inside the body of humanity, slowly sipping on its sustenance, able to take the eggs from the other side, and bring them here.

The first was the easiest. He slipped it into her soykaf with a gesture and a whisper of ritual, and she swallowed it down without a murmur. It took a while, a few days, but then he heard the new larva inside her answering him, and he knew that he could do this again, and again. Not everyone would take this as easily, but that didn't matter.

The bunraku girl was a bad choice. Her implants wrestled with the egg, and she died. But there were others. The old squatter screamed and roared when they tasered him, held him down, stabbed his buttock and pushed the egg into his flesh, but it worked.

One by one, they gathered more, while the first shells decayed. Aaron sometimes feels a little nauseous, but he tells himself, the worm tells him that he has the strength to bear it. And at least he's protected, surrounded by the flesh of the people around him.
FuelDrop
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
Ellzii
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Dec 1 2013, 02:19 AM) *
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

I was thinking the same thing "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming" I can imagine once the parasites have enough biomass they form together into more and more horrid forms. Of course being from a far dimension they need to bring a bit of there own reality with them (Mana Domains and if you get a beastie big enough mayube a Mana Warp) If you are running Earthdawn carryovers it could be something higher on the food chain than a Horror. How do you corrupt something that drives you nuts and is more psychotic than you?

-LZ
Koekepan
What I really like about the idea is the slow development. It gives the players time to catch up to the idea, feel their way through it, realise just how horrible the potential, is, defeat it ...

... and then look around at each other and ask themselves how many others are still in incubation phase, walking around looking like everybody else.
Neraph
I'd say basically using the same rules as Inhabitation, but you start in Flesh form and slowly progress to True form or Hybrid form, as the little spirit gains Essence/Force from absorbing that of the host.
Stahlseele
Do you one better?
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...t&p=1270880
FuelDrop
I dunno... "Cthulhu devours 1d6 runners per combat turn" would be a pretty badass TPK. Also, who doesn't want to see a fight between a great old one and a battlemech (Rigger 4 had stats for one...)
pbangarth
QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Dec 1 2013, 08:26 PM) *

You are evil.
FuelDrop
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Dec 2 2013, 12:35 PM) *
You are evil.

you only just noticed?
Koekepan
Admittedly, it all depends on the group, and I tend to tailor big threats to the nature of the group, but as a general rule I like (meta)human opponents, because of the implication that in the end the players will have to deal with longer term social consequences. If they've just had fun squishing lots and lots of insect spirits, cockatrices, basilisks or other similar nasties, beyond a certain level Joe and Jane Soykaf just won't care what the characters did - or might even consider them heroes for humanity. If they burned down a factory and put two thousand folks out of work, they'd be lucky to escape lynching.

Some of the best play works out to when the players finish a hectic battle to the death, and instead of cheers and high fives, they look around and ask themselves what they have done.
Stahlseele
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Dec 2 2013, 06:35 AM) *
You are evil.

*bows* at your service =^.^=
Neraph
I'd actually like the bronies crap because it would mean I finally get to shoot the ************ out of those stupid things.
Ellzii
QUOTE (Neraph @ Dec 2 2013, 06:34 PM) *
I'd actually like the bronies crap because it would mean I finally get to shoot the ************ out of those stupid things.

It's a weird tangent, but it fits in my little warped mind. The horse was infected with the parasite. Not enough so that the parasite took over yet. The horse was shot. (I enjoy shooting my little ponies as well) In an age where soy is standard horseflesh is probably quality burger meat. Characters ingest it at a meet or a night on the town or whatever. (If you have a problem feeding this to them and they are not vegans shame on you as a GM) Not only are they infected, so was everyone else who ate at the restaurant that week. The authorities are not doing anything because they don't believe and or don't want to start a panic. The characters know what all these parasites are going to start eating folks faces off or whatever How do you deal with so many infected people in an area, and how many areas have the infection? For another twist, only people who ate a red meat dish got hit with this, so if you ordered whatever passes for seafood there you are fine. (Considering several Lovecraftian monsters are water based is where the irony comes in) Just running with this idea feel free to jump off at any exit you like.

-LZ
binarywraith
I'd say that we've already got what, three (Shedim/Bugs/whatever the fuck ate FastJack) possession/body horror villains already, what would we need more for? It's getting kind of absurd.

Come up with something new, for pete's sake, not another rehash of the literally 20 year old Universal Brotherhood story.
Stahlseele
QUOTE (binarywraith @ Dec 3 2013, 04:39 PM) *
I'd say that we've already got what, three (Shedim/Bugs/whatever the fuck ate FastJack) possession/body horror villains already, what would we need more for? It's getting kind of absurd.

Come up with something new, for pete's sake, not another rehash of the literally 20 year old Universal Brotherhood story.

oh i know!
i know!
Dragons . . no, wait . .
AI's! . . no, wait . .
Corporations! . . no, wait . .
Racists! . . no, wait . .
Aztlan! . . no, wait . .


ALIENS! . . see spirits . .
binarywraith
Unironically : Gangers.


My personal preference would be go-gangers who've gotten a kamikaze habit.
Stahlseele
Gangers are not threats.
If GANGERS of all People start becoming a global Threat, then something is off indeed.
First and Foremost, Lone-Star and Knight Errant and all other such Security Corps get shamed into bancruptcy.
Koekepan
Before gangers, I'd suggest political movements.

In a way, so is humanis, but this can be motivated by other factors. There is a lot of disaffection in the Shadowrun universe - maybe even more than in the real one.

Consider recent activities in Thailand, all over the Middle East, in Ukraine, various parts of Africa ... go nuts. Nothing like a good revolution who believe every word their puppetmasters told them about everyone else.
Ellzii
[img]http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/1541206/Cthulhu/[/img]

When in doubt go all out! smile.gif

-LZ
Neraph
You know what would be a good new threat... A technological one. For example, Deus is able to reconstitute and basically starts taking things over a-la Borg. Self-replicating nanites that make people and animals into biodrones.
Stahlseele
A Grey-Goo-Scenario?
Isn't there already a Nano-Panic going on?

And how would that be new anyway Neraph?
That was basically exactly what deus did in the Renraku Arcology Shutdown.
Tymeaus Jalynsfein
QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Dec 6 2013, 09:14 AM) *
A Grey-Goo-Scenario?


Actually, an XK-Red-27 Scenario...
Bigity
QUOTE (Neraph @ Dec 6 2013, 10:01 AM) *
You know what would be a good new threat... A technological one. For example, Deus is able to reconstitute and basically starts taking things over a-la Borg. Self-replicating nanites that make people and animals into biodrones.


A tech threat is nice, but AIs are old hat now.



Isn't this mystery virus a tech threat anyway?



KCKitsune
I think that there has been enough of the "Big Bad" threats. Not every Shadowrun has to have a Big Bad. The corps are bad enough and if you want to screw with the players then do something crazy. Have Aztechnology* pull some serious shit, but have a group that is normally a Bad Guy (Toxic or Bugs) fighting them. Aztec is futzing around with Blood Magic, and they've made mana voids, so play with that. I know this is a Big Bad, but it's closer to home and is a logical progression for Aztec.

I can even see this happen if you go the Bug route: "Yeah, normally you would be trying to kill us, and we would most certainly be killing you, but if we don't stop them then the whole world turns to shit! You want the world to be around because you live here. We want the world to be here because we want to take over."

Then you can have the "allies" stab each other in the back.

* == You don't have to have Aztec... you can substitute whatever Mega you want.
Koekepan
QUOTE (KCKitsune @ Dec 6 2013, 09:46 PM) *
I think that there has been enough of the "Big Bad" threats. Not every Shadowrun has to have a Big Bad. The corps are bad enough and if you want to screw with the players then do something crazy. Have Aztechnology* pull some serious shit, but have a group that is normally a Bad Guy (Toxic or Bugs) fighting them. Aztec is futzing around with Blood Magic, and they've made mana voids, so play with that. I know this is a Big Bad, but it's closer to home and is a logical progression for Aztec.



I like that, and that's part of the reason I like (meta)human threats. External threats are too easy to rally around, politically, emotionally, and are very simple (as a rule) to identify as opposed to the next slot jandering along who just happens to have you on his smoke list.

Otherwise Shadowrun turns into a monster-of-the-week show, and that gets really boring, really quickly.
Prime Mover
Not a fan of monster of the week, but I do like a big over arcing plot to involve my players in.
That said I think whole possession thing is a bit played out. Never resolving Tempo crisis before moving onto the next mental threat left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I've always considered tossing some variation of a doppelgänger threat at my players. Concepts behind Horror corruption played out in minor themes in my earlier SR games, shame cannon material can't expand on past events like Mr. Darke and his horror allies.
CanRay
I think the biggest threat around is that I'm now writing for the universe. nyahnyah.gif
Stahlseele
QUOTE (CanRay @ Dec 14 2013, 10:29 PM) *
I think the biggest threat around is that I'm now writing for the universe. nyahnyah.gif

nah.
your special kind of crazy will mostly get drowned out by the rest of it.
and if you do go over board, do you think bull won't try to reign you in?

and you have seen some of the things my mind comes up with, so eh ^^
Drevicious
Interesting idea Koekepan, If you don't mind me using it I'd like to add your idea to my list of Threats that I use for my campaign arcs.

Coming up with new and engaging threats is hard, I think its mostly due to the overuse of them all in various tropes throughout various games. Personally I tend to use more Mundane threats like the corporations, the government, gangs, organized crime, technology etc... and use Magical/Sci-Fi threats sparingly so I don't burn out my players on them. I've a few good threats that I've yet to implement but only because I'm little hesitant to put my players in situations where they don't have as much control over the outcome as they usually do.

-Drevicious-
Koekepan
QUOTE (Drevicious @ Dec 16 2013, 03:32 AM) *
Interesting idea Koekepan, If you don't mind me using it I'd like to add your idea to my list of Threats that I use for my campaign arcs.

Coming up with new and engaging threats is hard, I think its mostly due to the overuse of them all in various tropes throughout various games. Personally I tend to use more Mundane threats like the corporations, the government, gangs, organized crime, technology etc... and use Magical/Sci-Fi threats sparingly so I don't burn out my players on them. I've a few good threats that I've yet to implement but only because I'm little hesitant to put my players in situations where they don't have as much control over the outcome as they usually do.



Sure, let me know how it turns out.

The best way to deal with threats so that the game actually is involved, is to think them through and ask yourself what the in-world implications of these threats would be. Use these factors as hints to drop, so that they can actually form a picture instead of being completely blindsided. Then they can figure out a plan.
nezumi
What I find interesting is that frequently parasites have unintentional benefits. For example, there are current studies suggesting that tapeworms assist in reducing allergies and asthma. And given the threats rampant in Shadowrun, I could imagine this creating a genuine dilemma for characters. Imagine a setting where some people are intentionally infecting themselves with these parasitic worms because it protects them from the objectively horrible terrors of the world, or perhaps is even contributing some basic magical abilities! I'd love to present something which, by all accounts is a great implant, BUT you've got a weird, magical parasitic worm inside of you.

Related, I did do a campaign around 'white people'. I never came up with a name for them. The concept was a 'group intelligence' species of tiny, white, wriggling worms. Together they could alter their shape and appearance almost perfectly, letting them impersonate anyone they saw and heal injuries very quickly. They could also exist inside of another living creature, although if they lacked the threshold population that colony would not be intelligent, just available for use by other colonies. In my campaign, they were just trying to exist peacefully beside humans, as they'd been doing for thousands of years, but population pressures and better medical technology was making that tougher. Because they (justifiably) expect humans to destroy them if they're discovered, they do whatever is necessary to maintain secrecy, but are otherwise very peaceful. So great to know in general, but once you learn their secret, you're on the hit list -- of all of them -- and they can be whoever they want.
pbangarth
QUOTE (nezumi @ Dec 16 2013, 09:44 AM) *
What I find interesting is that frequently parasites have unintentional benefits. For example, there are current studies suggesting that tapeworms assist in reducing allergies and asthma. And given the threats rampant in Shadowrun, I could imagine this creating a genuine dilemma for characters. Imagine a setting where some people are intentionally infecting themselves with these parasitic worms because it protects them from the objectively horrible terrors of the world, or perhaps is even contributing some basic magical abilities! I'd love to present something which, by all accounts is a great implant, BUT you've got a weird, magical parasitic worm inside of you.

Hmmm... maybe a Dax symbiont?
Stahlseele
this sounds more like the worm people from futurama that invaded frys brain.
Neraph
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Dec 16 2013, 07:27 PM) *
Hmmm... maybe a Dax symbiont?

I always liked the trill. In fact, one of my KDF Aliens is a klingon with romulan ears and trill spots. I'm also close to being able to convince my GM to let me play a Puppeteer (going Telepath psion/Thrallherd) in an upcoming D&D game - should be fun.
nezumi
If my memory serves, the problem with the trill is that it overrides the underlying personality. That might be cool during chargen, but in play it makes it not an option for most players.
Stormdrake
Have been doing a rif on Ares messing with Insect spirits. I had an Ares bio division create a non-magical insect, super sized tick that are resistant to manipulation by spirits but open to inhabitation to act as a host for insect spirits which can then be used to transfer the spirit into guard animals. Ares took a batch of the ticks to Chicago where the torpored spirits in and around he nuke site attached themselves to said ticks. Ares then took the spirit possessed ticks back to their lab for experimintation without the need for keeping an insect spirit on site. Kind of a way to have a bunch of spirits on hand in a managible form that can be shipped to buyers where they can then infect (transfer) the spirit to their chosen animal.

Of course it went horribly wrong and the ticks got loose and began to breed and attract free insect spirits by giving them a way to join with humans that does not require rituals or summonings.

My players hate me, lol
Neraph
QUOTE (nezumi @ Dec 18 2013, 08:45 AM) *
If my memory serves, the problem with the trill is that it overrides the underlying personality. That might be cool during chargen, but in play it makes it not an option for most players.

It's not a replacement; it's a blending, forming a new entity. It's not a Perfect or Flesh Form, it's a Hybrid merging, like the Lich King.
FuelDrop
QUOTE (Stormdrake @ Dec 18 2013, 11:46 PM) *
Have been doing a rif on Ares messing with Insect spirits. I had an Ares bio division create a non-magical insect, super sized tick that are resistant to manipulation by spirits but open to inhabitation to act as a host for insect spirits which can then be used to transfer the spirit into guard animals. Ares took a batch of the ticks to Chicago where the torpored spirits in and around he nuke site attached themselves to said ticks. Ares then took the spirit possessed ticks back to their lab for experimintation without the need for keeping an insect spirit on site. Kind of a way to have a bunch of spirits on hand in a managible form that can be shipped to buyers where they can then infect (transfer) the spirit to their chosen animal.

Of course it went horribly wrong and the ticks got loose and began to breed and attract free insect spirits by giving them a way to join with humans that does not require rituals or summonings.

My players hate me, lol


In the FuelDropverse Ares is suffering from a bit of a problem with insect spirits.
Specifically, their corporate command structure has been rather heavily infiltrated. Obviously, this is not a good thing. Ares is suffering because of this as insect spirits don't get human stuff like advertising, economics, and running a company. A hive mind having difficulty working out how non-hive-mind creatures think and interact? Who'd have thought it?
Of course not all of Ares has been compromised, hence the power struggle detailed in the corporate guide. It's going to be very fun to get into that part of my campaign later...
sk8bcn
And why not a good old consiracy to add Seattle to your country and take it from UCAS. Something involving a few corporations who where promised huge advantages if they'd help out.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Nov 30 2013, 09:19 PM) *
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn


A number of years ago I saw someone wrote rules for that.

I think it's a compelling idea.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012