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Chaosium Digest Volume 21 Number 12
Chaosium Digest Volume 21, Number 12
Date: Sunday, September 28, 1997
Number: 1 of 4
Contents:
The Damp Man (Frank Sronce) CALL OF CTHULHU
Announcement: Glorantha Con VII (Janice Sellers) MISC
Editor's Note:
This week, material for a variety of systems. V21.12 features a short
adventure for Call of Cthulhu as well as an announcement of next
year's American Glorantha Con (see V17.6 for info on Glorantha Con VI,
to be held at the start of next year in Australia). V22.1 features a
vehicular combat system for Call of Cthulhu, some cars for CthulhuPunk
(see V19.2, V19.7, and V20.4 for more CthulhuPunk articles), and the
last of Cedric Chin's Mythos Decks (which appeared throughout
V21). Finally, this week's digest is finished up with a big Pendragon
scenario that runs from V22.1 to V22.3.
For the next issue, I currently have some Nephilim articles pending,
but that's it. Send in your submissions!
Shannon
RECENT RELEASES:
* Nephilim - _Major Arcana_ (Chaosium, 160 pg., $21.95), by Kenneth
Hite, has just started shipping and should begin arrive in stores
in about a week. It includes a complete run down of all the arcana,
and features new spells, tons of scenario seeds, a history of the
tarot, and more.
(FRENCH) MAGAZINE SIGHTINGS:
* Call of Cthulhu - "Jack is Back", a four page scenario concerning
the possible return of Jack the Ripper, Backstab #5 [Sept/Oct, 1997]
RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE:
* Elric! - _Michael Moorcock's Multiverse_ is a new 12-issue comic
series put out by DC/Helix comics. The first issue just came. It
features a trio of stories that will be serialized throughout the
run: "Moonbeams and Roses", "The Metatemporal Detective", and "Duke
Elric". All the stories are original, and written by Michael
Moorcock. They center around his recent "Second Ether" trilogy
(_Blood_, _Fabulous Harbors_, and _The War Amongst the Angels_). The
first issue also has an interesting little essay by Moorcock on his
multiverse. Recommended for Moorcock fans; highly recommended if you
read and enjoyed any of the "Second Ether" books.
--------------------
From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank Sronce)
Subject: The Damp Man *or* Swim Meet of Doom!
System: Call of Cthulhu
Not long ago, I purchased and read the collection called _Weird
Tales_, which included stories originally published in the magazine of
the same name. One in particular struck me as being very appropriate
for a single-session Call of Cthulhu adventure, or "Tale of Terror."
What follows is adapted from the story of "The Damp Man" by Allison
V. Harding. I've already run this once for a small group of local
players, with great success. If you can read "The Damp Man" first, by
all means do so.
The adventure works best in a modern setting, but could be moved to
the 1920's without much effort.
Kiz
[The _Weird Tales_ anthology was published by Barnes & Nobles, and
likely is only available through them. Editor is Marvin Kaye, and ISBN
is 0-7607-0118-0.]
INTRODUCTION
The Setting
The adventure begins with the investigators all attending a local
swimming competition in which the local girls are working towards the
state championship. The contestants are fairly young, ranging from
16-24 years in age.
The Investigators
While you could easily integrate this adventure into an ongoing
campaign, I think it works better when the investigators are all
ordinary people, who have never encountered the unknown before. Mythos
knowledge can be misleading, and even downright dangerous in this
scenario.
Possible investigators could be relatives of the contestants, college
recruiters or scouts, coaches, fans, and of course the occasional
security guard.
The Setup
All of the PCs should be in attendance at the swim-meet. The various
contestants perform fairly well, but their performance is marred by a
lack of concentration. Observant characters should realize that
something is bothering these girls.
If someone manages to gain the trust of one of the girls, she may
admit that a strange man has been following them around. She describes
the fellow as a large, fat man in a dark suit. Checking with the other
contestants will reveal that several of them have seen this man, but
none of the coaches or other attendants have seen anything at all. The
stalker appears to be quite stealthy, for all his bulk.
The Girls
Several of the contestants are extraordinarily talented swimmers,
Linda Mallory in particular. Their coaches believe that they possess
olympic potential; certainly they are much, much more at home in the
water than the other girls. It is this small group of exceptional
swimmers that the stalker seems most interested in.
POSSIBLE LEADS
The girls may have been approached by Mr. Remsdorf, a large,
overweight man with unpleasant looks and an extremely damp and sweaty
handshake. He passed around business cards and offered them the chance
to attend a very special training camp for particular gifted young
swimmers, sponsored by Remsdorf International. Mr. Remsdorf prefers
to make this proposal in an isolated area, away from the press.
However, his unappealing manner and something distasteful in the way
that he looked at them has caused all of the girls to hesitate about
taking him up on the offer.
Lother Remsdorf, Jr.
Mr. Remsdorf is the billionaire son of the brilliant scientist, Lother
Remsdorf, Sr. Remsdorf Sr. was a nobel-prize winner who managed to
build a huge international company based upon his discoveries in the
biological sciences. He and his young wife died nearly a decade ago in
a strange explosion, which destroyed his research facility.
Remsdorf Jr. only came into the light after this event. According to
press releases, he suffers from a metabolic imbalance which causes his
body to retain water more than it should, resulting in his bloated
appearance. He has shown no desire to follow in his father's
footsteps, but has instead acted as a talented businessman, making
Remsdorf International into an enormous corporate power.
Reclusive and camera-shy, little is known about him beyond his
fabulous wealth and odd metabolic problem. He is unmarried.
When playing Remsdorf, remember that he is suave, confident, and
highly educated. He always maintains a reasonable tone, even when he
is threatening investigators.
Rumors About Remsdorf
Almost nothing unsavory has ever been printed about him. He is the
third richest man in the United States and owns dozens of corporations
as well as Remsdorf International. If the investigators really dig,
they may be able to find a few notes about him from various conspiracy
theorists, who believe that Remsdorf, Jr. is not actually the child of
Remsdorf, Sr. They point to discrepancies in his birth certificates
and claim that the documents may have been forged after the scientist
died, allowing this pretender to suddenly appear and claim a huge
inheritance.
A few other stories claim that his metabolic disorder is much more
serious than he claims and that he will die in just a few short years
unless a cure is found. As he has no family or heirs, no one knows
what the the future of his fortune would be if he were to perish
suddenly.
THE MURDERS
If the PCs do not immediately become interested in finding this
stalker, then one of the girls will be murdered. The police report
will tell that the girl was strangled, but not what with. Anyone with
police contacts will be able to learn that the victim's throat was
crushed but that tests were unable to ascertain what the murder weapon
was. Their only clue is the excessive dampness around her neck,
indicating that the weapon, whatever it was, was wet.
If they have very close contacts in the police department, perhaps
with the coroner, the investigators will learn that the girl was not
raped or abused, but that it appears that a blood sample was taken
from her before she was killed.
Linda Mallory
After the first girl's death, Linda will become terrified. The
mystery man will follow her wherever she goes. Finally, she will flee
to one of the investigators, preferably a relative.
THE STALKER
The mystery man follows Linda everywhere. He is obsessed with her. He
does not want to hurt her, yet he cannot permit her to go her own
way. He may call her and whisper to her about how she has been chosen
to be his bride. He will follow her whenever she goes out on the
street.
If an investigator sets himself as Linda's guard, the stalker will
become resigned to the fact that he cannot find her alone and will
become bolder.
Although he wears a heavy coat and a concealing hat to help hide his
identity, it is very possible for an investigator who stands between
him and Linda to get a look at his face. The stalker is Lother
Remsdorf, Jr., himself, though he will not indentify himself as such
to investigators.
The Kidnapping
If the investigators are slow to protect Linda, or just have one
person protecting her, Remsdorf may decide to seize her. He will only
do so if he believes that he can do so without being recorded on
camera; while he could squash any investigation into his doings, it
would incur a lot of unwanted media attention if he were caught
breaking into a girl's apartment.
If Linda is kidnapped (which could easily happen; Remsdorf is more
than a match for any single investigator), she will shortly thereafter
manage to escape and will flee to the police. She will explain that
she came to consciousness lying on the back seat of a very
posh-looking vehicle, perhaps a limousine. Not daring to move, she
waited until the vehicle stopped at a light, then popped open the door
and ran for it. She didn't dare stop to look back and see what kind of
car it was or who had grabbed her.
Observant investigators may notice a small, blue bruise on her
arm. Anyone with medical training will be able to deduce that someone
took a blood sample from her, and did so in a fairly clumsy manner.
After this point, however, the stalker will abandon all interest in
any of the other girls, and will focus on Linda Mallory alone.
Going to the Police
The police are, naturally, supportive of Linda's story at first. If
any murders have occurred, they will be glad to offer police
protection. Remsdorf International will contact each surviving
contestant, saying that Mr. Remsdorf himself is horrified by these
events. Remsdorf International will gladly offer a secure lodging and
even hire bodyguards for the girls if they so desire. Of course, any
girl who accepts this protection will shortly vanish. Remsdorf
International will claim that the girl never actually arrived at the
supposedly secure location and will deny all knowledge of her
whereabouts.
Complaints against Remsdorf International are a complete waste of
time. Mr. Remsdorf has billions of dollars to spend and can easily
bribe or blackmail any government official that he needs to. If the
investigators manage to find a policeman too steadfast to buy off,
Remsdorf will merely buy off one of their superiors and have them
ordered to drop the case. Company lawyers will quickly leap on any
attempts to "defame" the good name of Remsdorf, making investigators
look like con-men. Mr. Remsdorf will let it be known that Linda is his
fiance, who has been seduced away from him by one or more con-men.
Investigators who appeal to the law will be cautioned to butt out or
they will find themselves brought up on charges.
If Linda takes police protection, Remsdorf will leave her alone while
pushing the department to drop the protection. If necessary, he has
the police lawyers appeal to an old regulation stating that police
protection will not be provided for more than a week to anyone who can
afford to hire their own protection. And since Remsdorf International
has agreed to cover all costs involved in hiring such protection...
And remember, if investigators try to accuse Remsdorf of following
them, his lawyers can always claim that they have actually been
stalking the billionaire, or even that they are criminals who have
kidnapped or conned Remsdorf's fiance. Who are the police more likely
to believe?
GETTING VIOLENT
If the investigators make it difficult for Remsdorf to pursue Linda,
he will decide that they are coming between him and his bride-to-be.
After that, he will start demonstrating his personal power. Bank
accounts will be frozen. Assets will be seized as part of a tax
investigation. Jobs may be lost when Remsdorf Internation buys the
very company that the investigator works for and decides to "downsize"
him.
If financial leverage is not enough, or if the investigators attempt
to use violence to warn him away, Remsdorf will decide to reveal his
true nature. He will simply shoulder his way through any and all
opposition, and attempt to chase down and seize Linda. Investigators
who put up too much resistance will be killed, although Remsdorf will
want to minimize the shock to Linda.
If investigators turn to firearms, Remsdorf will just chuckle at their
foolishness. SAN rolls will probably be called for when Remsdorf
demonstrates his invulnerability to normal weaponry. Investigators who
flee or just stand there muttering will be ignored. Those who keep
trying to stop him anyway will be killed or incapacitated.
If someone actually asks Remsdorf what he is, he is not adverse to
explaining his origin. Indeed, under the right circumstances, he might
unfold the whole story to an investigator just to show them how
hopeless their situation is. If Linda escapes but an investigator
remains, Remsdorf might explain his purpose to them so that they will
understand why it is essential for the future of humanity that Linda
Mallory become his wife.
Remsdorf's Story
Lother claims that at birth he was premature and sickly. His father's
experiments managed to change his genetic structure so that his cells
were permanently altered. While he appears to have a human form, his
structure is really more like some sort of slime or amoeba. When
wounded, he bleeds nothing but pure water, and he can reform from
almost any wound. He has massive strength and no vulnerable internal
organs to be damaged or fail. He believes that his father's goal was
to replace the current, frail human race with a new, superior
species. Lother is the first of that stock, wholly superior in body
and intellect to poor old homo sapiens. Lother is wholly devoted to
"his father's quest" and believes that any reasonable person will
understand how important his quest is.
Unfortunately, due to the vast amount of genetic drift between his
genetic structure and that of a normal human, Lother has found himself
unable to fertilize normal women. He believes that if he can just find
a woman whose genetic code shares even a few of his traits, he will be
able to impregnate her and so father a new race to rule the earth. His
(fairly unscientific) study has convinced him that a woman with a
natural affinity for the water will be most likely to be able to bear
his child. Thus he has been attending swim-meets and such, looking for
likely candidates.
Of course, even after he finds a likely girl, there must be blood
tests and DNA analysis. When a possible subject turns out negative,
Lother tends to go into a violent rage and kill her. If he has managed
to kidnap Linda and extract a blood sample, Remsdorf will become
convinced that her genetic pattern is almost perfect. She is the girl
he has been looking for, the woman who will bear his children and
allow him to create a new master race.
While Lother appears to have flesh and even scattered hair, if this is
removed from his body it melts into water. Any major injuries
inflicted upon him (such as being hit by a car) will result in a
splash of water, but no blood. Weak blows (such as a punch) will only
cause his flesh to ripple, without breaking the surface. Anything that
manages to break his skin will cause water to spray out.
He is not wholly invulnerable, however. Fire can turn his watery
tissues to steam, and intense cold can freeze him solid. Chemicals
which react with water could be used to destroy him, but his "skin"
would first have to be penetrated with some sort of physical attack.
Lother Remsdorf, Jr.
STR 45 CON 40 SIZ 20 INT 18 POW 25
DEX 6 APP 4 Move 7 HP 30
Damage Bonus: +3d6
Weapons: Punch 60%, up to 4d6 damage
Grapple 40%, capture or crush for 4d6 damage
Armor: 5 points of surface tension. Remsdorf heals from physical
damage at the rate of 10 HP per round. He is completely unaffected by
electricity and takes minimum damage from all impaling attacks. Even
if sufficient physical force is exerted to tear him apart (such as
ramming him repeatedly with a car), he will only melt into water and
pull himself back together. Of course, after such damage he will
probably be weakened. He will want to retreat and absorb some more
fluid to restore himself to full strength.
San Loss: Recognizing Remsdorf's true nature entails a 1/1d6 San loss
roll. This will usually come about when Remsdorf first shrugs off a
volley of bullets. Similar San loss may occur if investigators see
someone killed by Remsdorf's full strength.
Skills: Credit Rating 200%, Stalk Victim 80%, Swim 100%, Persuade
75%, Drive Auto 50%, Hide 60%, Law 25%, Electronic Security 25%
Remsdorf has one really big weakness, however--his superiority
complex. He really believes that he is wholly and completely superior
to ordinary humans and has nothing to fear from them. He won't hire
criminals to kidnap Linda for him, because criminals are untrustworthy
and unreliable, and they might go to the press and embarrass him or,
worse, injure Linda. When it comes to doing something illegal,
Remsdorf prefers to handle it himself, not trusting those fallible,
mortal scum.
He uses detectives and spies to find out where Linda is, but he will
always approach her in person. Somehow he still hopes that she will
come to her senses and realize that he is her destiny, but as time
goes on he will grow more and more determined to have her, willing or
not.
STOPPING REMSDORF
Ordinary means are almost useless against him. Flight merely means a
short breathing period before Lother's detectives manage to track
Linda down again. He is quite tireless in his pursuit.
Investigators who attempt to stop him by violent means before they
understand his nature may well be killed. It will take a creative
solution to save Linda from a fate worse than death.
In the original story, "The Damp Man," Remsdorf foolishly follows
Linda to a city in northern Canada, then attempts to tail her through
a blizzard. He freezes solid before he realizes his danger and becomes
a harmless statue of ice.
In play locally, the investigators consulted with a chemist about what
sort of chemicals might reduce the surface tension of water. We
decided that soap might be able to weaken the structure of his watery
body. They loaded up super-soakers with concentrated liquid soap,
hocked all their jewelry to buy some shotguns, and laid a trap for
him. While the shotgun wielders blasted his watery flesh open, the
others sprayed his insides with the soap. The plan didn't work as well
as it might have--while they steadily weakened him with their
two-prong attack, Remsdorf was still able to kill one investigator and
injure another before he became too weak to fight back.
The Keeper should use his own judgement as to the effectiveness of any
particular strategy. Remember, what it really boils down to is that
Remsdorf is animated water, and anything that could kill a creature
made out of water ought to be able to hurt him. Reward cleverness and
punish foolishness by having Remsdorf slaughter investigators who
foolishly think that bigger guns are the answer.
--------------------
From: Janice Sellers <janice@chaosium.com>
Subject: Announcement: Glorantha Con VII
System: Misc
ANNOUNCEMENT:
GloranthaCon VII
May 22-25, 1998
Los Angeles, California
U.S.A.
Plans are now being made for the next U.S. GloranthaCon, which will
take place in conjunction with the Gamex Convention at the LAX Wyndham
Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Featured Guests
These will include Greg Stafford and Sandy Petersen.
Hotel
The convention will take place at the LAX Wyndham Hotel, 6225
W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045; (310) 670-9000. Room
reservations must be made directly with the Wyndham. The convention
room rate is $84 (plus taxes)/night for a single, double, triple, or
quad. The cut-off date for this rate is May 8, 1998.
The Wyndham runs a free shuttle between the hotel and
L.A. International Airport.
For those driving, parking at the hotel is $6/day ($9 for valet
parking) with convention validation, and free (but still $9/day for
valet parking) for hotel guests.
Events
We are currently working on the schedule of events for the convention.
Anyone interested in running an event should contact Roderick
Robertson at robertson@delphi.intel.com.
We will have live role-playing, RuneQuest tournaments, Glorantha
miniatures, speeches and seminars, and all the other things you expect
from a GloranthaCon.
Registration
Preregistration is $27.50 through May 1, 1998. Checks and money
orders must be in U.S. funds and should be made out to "Strategicon."
Please mail them to:
GloranthaCon c/o Janice Sellers
Chaosium, Inc.
950 56th St.
Oakland, CA 94608
For further information, please contact Janice Sellers at
janice@chaosium.com.
--
