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Chaosium Digest Volume 30 Number 07
Chaosium Digest v30.7
Tue, 22 Feb 2000
The Thirteenth Man (cont.)
BLACK BEAR CAMPGROUND
Located in Sebago, Maine, this campground could be easily transferred to
anywhere else. I was running a New England campaign, and placed the grounds in
Maine. Washington State would be perfect. Wherever you place it, it should be
a cold, snowy place on a pond or lake. Players may be able to send Link into
the icy waters, and slay him.
There are many brown bears in the area, and will attack humans upon occasion.
This area is well known for bear attacks. Because of this, Rhode Island
gangster George Zingari bought and had the camp ground built to rent run away
gangsters, bootleggers, or people wanting to party in private. He has leased it
to Krieg's company Neue Weld Filmen, (New World Films), from Dec. 1, 1925 until
March 1, 1926. The ten foot fence is adequate enough protection from the bears.
If the campground is especially noisy, the animals will probably stay away,
looking for food and sleep elsewhere. The campground is located 1 1/2 miles
into the woods, reachable only by dirt road.
White Sand Pond is a very large pond, somewhat circular and almost a mile in
circumference. There is a public beach directly on the other end, but is
abandoned in the off-season. The water freezes in the winter and characters
with Size of 9 or less can travel to the other side without falling through.
There is a 10% chance of going through the icy for every Size point over 9,
(i.e. - size of 14 has a 50% chance of falling through). To cross the pond, it
will take three successful consecutive rolls. Making a Luck roll will allow a
not overly encumbered character to get to the surface for one chance to be
grabbed or take hold of the side of the hole with another successful Luck roll.
The Cabins
The Rauchen's Cabin - The couple keep two wooden and one silver cross, three
sets of rosary beads in the cabin. They place a cross on Anna's door as well.
Oma prays the rosary every night.
The three return from cooking the evening's meal about 6 p.m. every night, as
dinner is laid out promptly at five. Anna's grandparents are more than aware of
what the men's gazes and whispers are all about. They keep her with them
constantly, and this does not really bother the young woman. If investigators
are rude or inappropriate in the slightest with Anna, the couple will not speak
to investigators except under the most dire circumstances.
The have no weapons, but will carry a kitchen knife, mallet or cleaver if they
feel a situation could be unsafe. They always wear wooden crosses on rope
around their necks. Mrs. Rauchen is the fighter in the group.
Dining Hall
First Floor: Generic dining area, with one clean dining room and a fully working
kitchen. There are three tray slots, which are one foot wide and eighteen
inches long. There are sharp knives in the kitchen as well as hot and cold
running water. There is no ice-box. The generator is shut off every night at 6
p.m.. Presently, it has enough fuel at its current pace to last until January
21, 1926. The Rauchens
lock up at 6 p.m. sharp, and have been instructed to never enter the cellar.
Cellar: This place has gone from a food and wine cellar to the dread lair of the
vampire Drexel Link. This place is almost at freezing temperature and there is
absolutely no light.
A.) This room has a large set screen painted completely black covering the
doorway to room B. If a flashlight is shone upon it, a Spot Hidden roll is
needed to determine it is something other than a wall. Closer inspection will
show the true object.
B.) Werner has allowed his two pure-bred German Shepards to be used as a line of
first defense at those treading too closely to Link. Empty boxes conceal the
doorways, and a spot hidden roll -20% is needed to see the upper edges of a door
jamb. Taking enough boxes down will obviously reveal the doorways.
The dogs will attack anyone but Link, the two vampyres, Werner or Krieg. They
are very sensitive to light since they have been kept in the dark cellar with
little but three large candles, which are on the walls, as illumination. They
have been kept this way for almost a week now. They are nasty, but will run for
the outside at first chance. Each dog has St: 9 Hps: 11 Siz: 12 Dmg.: Bite 40%
1d.4 +1.
C.) The inner sanctum of Drexel Link. Herein lies the corpses of actors Cosmo
Stille and Ut Von Braun. Both were used in the ceremony to bring Link back to
this world. They are in fairly heavy stages of decomposition, and smell
terribly. They are both drained of almost all blood. Though
the symbol on the floor, drawn out of chicken's blood, looks ominous, there is
no danger in someone stepping into it. Just don't let the players know that....
Link's coffin rests on the cellar wall lip which is 2 1/2 feet above the floor.
The casket is a tight fit against the wall. The lid opens towards the wall.
Because there is no sunlight, Link can be awake during the daytime here if the
circumstance should arise. He fights at 3/4 power during the day time while in
the cellar.
Drexel Link
This despicable creation of Nyarlathotep is not a vampire in the traditional
sense. He was created by Nyarlathotep, not created from a human. Even if
destroyed, Nyarlathotep may bring him back to this earth again and again. It is
in this way, that Link is like his master and those who Nyarlathotep serves, in
that the world can never be rid of them. Nyarlathotep will pay attention if Link
becomes a destructive force, and will then aid him again. Nyarlathotep, the ever
neglectful parent, makes Link create a foothold before putting him in connection
with his money again.
Link is stockier than a prototypical vampire, and very pale. He appears to be an
intense, angry looking man, definitely a European, around age 30 - 35. This is
a facade to what he really looks like. Nyarlathotep has placed certain spells
on him to help in his survival on earth, and one is his camouflaged face. Only
those characters with Power scores greater than Link can possibly see his real
face. When these players meet the vampire for the first time, the Keeper should
secretly roll for success. For every one Power point the investigator has above
Link, he or she has a ten percent chance to see his real face: a very pock
marked skin pressed against a visible, blue glowing skull with rows of sharp
teeth like that of a shark. To really terrify someone, Link can rip this
imaginary flesh off his skull and show his real face. Seeing his real face
through the spell costs 2 - 2 d.8 Sanity loss. When Link exposes his face in
the violent fashion, it costs 3 - 3 d.6 Sanity Loss.
Link converses fluently in any language he chooses, right down to area specific
accents. He is almost unapproachable, and shuns all contact from anyone he does
not know well. Although told by his master to teach arcane lore to Krieg and
Werner, Link has done little more than sleep and eat. He enjoys turning into a
wolf, which he can do twice a day for up to three hours at a time, with a half
hour rest in between. If shot or clubbed while in wolf form, Link will take no
damage, but immediately turn back to his vampire form, with his true face is
exposed. He can turn into a bat five times a day, and a rat six. Link cannot
make more than three shapeshifts in a 24 hour period. Link will prefer to
shapeshift and flee rather than fight if he feels he may not win. He can summon
2 d.3 wolves, which will arrive within d.20 minutes. Somehow, these wolves seem
able to get through the gate.
Link also has an intense hypnotic stare. If he can corner a character alone he
may try to hypnotize them. Roll Power versus Power on the Resistance Table.
Characters may be hypnotized and given only the following commands: sleep, (for
1d.10 minutes), forget, (the past 1d.6 hours), walk away, (for 2 d10 minutes in
the furthest direction), and silence, (character is mute for 1 d.8 minutes).
Should Link fail, he can never hypnotize that person. The victim also becomes
aware that Link is trying to pull them under some sort of hypnotism or trance.
It takes 1d.20 minutes minus one minute for every one point of Power Link has
over his victim to complete the process. The vampire must not be disturbed
during his attempt, and may only try it on one person at a time. There is no
limit to the number of times he can do this per night. Link will not make any
male investigators slaves. He probably will not half drain a female
investigator, therefore making her a vampyre. He will probably just drink her
dry. Link's a thirsty one.... The only reason he has not drank from Werner and
Krieg is that their blood is rancid with heroin. He will kill them if he has to
through.
Link's history does not need to play into your game if you do not wish. Knowing
more about this beast will allow you to have a more fulfilling, exciting gaming
experience. As always, it is the Keeper's job to bring the character to life.
Link's stare should scare even those who can't see his real face. He is an
intense, hermetic individual. Women fear him. Pale blue eyes and paler skin,
he is handsome, but too disturbing to approach. His presence is always felt by
those near him. Not a lot of acting is needed by the Keeper, just a really good
stare.
Drexel Link, vampire
Str 18
Con 18
Siz 14
Int 18
Pow 17
Dex 18
San 0
Hps 25
Mps 18
Damage Bonus: +1 d.6
Special Abilities
Polymorph: Link can change into a wolf at the cost of 6 MPs, a bat for 4 MPs,
and rat for 2 MPs. He cannot polymorph more than 3 times in 24 hours.
Hypnotism: See above, costs 4 MPs per attempt. If the attempt is successful the
cost drops to 1 MP.
Crawl: Link can scale any surface at the speed of 30' a round. He may travel
up, down and sideways. He appears to crawl like a spider. Keepers may also want
Link to become a spider when crawling, therefore confusing the players even more
to what they are really up against.
Regeneration: Link recovers all damage once returning to his coffin and resting
for at least 7 hours.
Rage: When attacked, but not when attacking, does Link's Strength and Dexterity
scores double.
Scale: The beast can climb any semi-flat or flat surface as if they were a
spider. Anyone having read Dracula, will remember the vampire scaling the walls
of his castle. He may also move from side to side.
Weaknesses
The sign of the crucifix makes Link visibly uncomfortable and touching a cross
to his flesh does 1 d.3 hps of damage.
Exposure to Sunlight will instantly destroy Link, much like one of his master's
facades, the Haunter of the Dark.
Stake through the heart always does the trick. A player trying to strike an
awake and fighting vampire or vampyre must make a hit and a successful impale,
to hit the heart. An asleep or restrained, (who will be under Rage rule - see
below), vampire, is impaled on a successful hit.
Submerging the vampire in icy waters will get the job done. He must be fully
submerged for 1 d.20 rounds to perish. The creature goes to one hit point as
soon as he or she is dunked under the water.
Burning the vampire or vampyres will destroy them. They are quite flammable and
will light up 40% of the time when struck with a torch. Workout burning damage
as per COC rules book page 52, (Fifth Edition Rules). Acids will achieve the
same results against these monsters as per the rules.
Drexel Link's Timeline
Dec. 22, 1599: Created in Oxford England at a winter solstice celebration of the
Meeting of the Pale Man. The event takes place in the basement of a church,
with Nyarlathotep calling forth his hideous creation. From out of the aether
stepped Link, his skull face glowing an intense blue. The worshippers presented
Link with a 17 year old virgin, which he feasted on in front of the men. Those
who did not flee in horror spoke and celebrated with Link until early the next
morning. Little is known what happened to Link after a few nights of terror in
Oxford. Link murdered three women and two children over a period of 14 days,
then abruptly stopped. He is unheard of until
he is seen with the Black Man in a Salem, Massachusetts corn field in 1630.
Link takes residence outside of Salem Village and begins to develop a
stronghold. He helps witches and warlocks discover eldritch lore and knowledge,
given to him by "greater powers." By winter of 1632, he has killed as many as
35 women, created 4 vampyres, and slain scores of men and boys. His power is
feared throughout the countryside and lamb's blood crosses are on every cottage
door.
The night of the summer solstice, 1633, Witch Master Eric
Miller travels down from Haverhill, Massachusetts, and with
the help of 25 cross wielding men, drives Link out of his
abode and into a field of hay. Another team of men lay in
wait, then attacked the vampire with torches and oil. Link
immolates easily, but does not perish before killing four
men in the party, and wounding three others. Witch Master
Eric Miller suffered a bite on the neck, and dies three days
later of what we know now as rabies; though the cause of
death was thought to be much more insidious at the time.
December 22, 1866: Link is resurrected in a cavern located
somewhere in the Colorado Rocky Mountain range. He is
brought back by Nyarlathotep and six former Rebel Soldiers
who bargained for their lives with the messenger during the
last great battle in the American Civil War, Gettysburg.
(Nyarlathotep enjoyed the war tremendously, and relished in
the amounts of death, deformities and lives ruined).
Captured and feeling they were about to be executed, these
soldiers cried out to anyone who would listen, and a black
Northern soldier came to their aid. He said they would owe
him. Through dreams he called them here and in dreams they
met to release this wickedness into the world. Nyarlathotep
then sent these men through the dream into the real world
with Link.
Christmas Eve, 1865, the group attacks a local supply base,
slaying everyone there. Two in the attacking party are
seriously injured and three killed. Link drinks the
survivors dry. Over the next ten years Link destroys all
parties traveling through there, (much like he is about to
run through the base camp in Maine). Many fear the place
and by 1870 only the most desperate, snowbound parties end
up there. In June 1872, the army raids the base and forces
Link into sunlight. Five men who were Link's slaves, now
free from his trance, are tried and hanged December 22,
1872.
D.) Herein lies the drained corpse of Jo Jo Johnstone. Her stretched flesh
hangs over her skeleton. She is a ghastly sight, with a 1/1 d.6 Sanity loss.
Closer inspection of the body is needed to determine her identity. The vampyres
are quite full from all the blood and are presently at fullest power.
E.) The coffins of vampyres Wanda Lipinski and Katy Manning
are here. All slaying rules which are listed in the Drexel
Link section apply to these two women. Both can appear as
normal, frightened humans. They will use this camouflage to
lure investigators into a false sense of confidence. They
can keep this appearance for 12 hours straight, after this the
color fades from their skin and an odor of death takes hold.
A successful Sanity roll is needed to not lose 1 d. 6 Sanity
points for seeing them in their real form. You may want to
make undisclosed Spot Hidden roles for investigators, who,
if successful, see the real being. This also requires a
Sanity roll. Players having already seen Drexel Link must
still make a Sanity check for seeing these two women. They
have hypnotism powers, but cannot polymorph. They never
leave the cellar.
Ground Floor: Keepers can place large knives, hatchets, etc. here to aid hard
working players.
Cabin One
First Floor: A common recreation area with an unstocked bar. Oft-times used for
gangster parties or mob tortures. This place is off limits to everyone except
Link, Werner and Kreig. Nothing of value to players is here.
Second Floor:
A.) This is the personal lodging area of Werner and Krieg.
On the night-stand are several syringes, small vials - some
empty, some with a bit of heroin in it, butane lighter, two
spoons, several strong elastic bands. Inside the locked
drawer, (resistance 6), is close to two ounces of very good,
uncooked rock heroin.
Under the bed is a loaded 12 gauge shotgun belonging to
Werner. He is a paranoid, and will clutch the weapon during
sleep. Some clothing and personal artifacts cover the room.
B.) The door to this room is locked, (Str:11). Once inside, investigators must
make a Sanity check or suffer 1 d.3 loss. Hanging on the walls are dead
chickens. Blood is dried all over the floor, originating from the fowl's slit
throats. Drawn on the floor in what appears to be excrement, is an unholy
symbol. A notebook, (see later), lays on the floor, also covered with blood,
though readable. The two men have been trying to contact a more foul from of
Nyarlathotep, with the help of Link. Most of this is necessary for contact, but
some of the overkill is just for Link's own amusement.
The notebook is written German and full of no more than
scrawlings about topics the men have been discussing with
Link. Reading time is base 8 hours, due to the almost
incoherent nature of the writing and the practically
unreadable script. Glancing over it does nothing, but a
full read which is comprehended, gives the player 1d.4 to
Cthulhu Mythos, and cost 1d.6 Sanity if the ghastly concepts
are understood. The book mentions Hastur and Azathoth by
name. The main bulk of the text is about a filthy form of
Nyarlathotep yet unseen by humans.
C.) Three chairs are set up facing a movie screen. The
projector is fed and ready to go. The floor is heavily
stained.
The Unseeable Snuff. This film was recently shot by Werner and Krieg and stars
the vulgar Drexel Link. Because Link cannot be projected on film, it appears
there is an invisible assailant in each scene. Investigators will realize
quickly this is real.
Scene One: Three wolves enter on stage, (one located on the
beach - Keeper's choice). The film is lit poorly and an ax
appears to hang above them without support. One by one the
wolves are chopped apart by an unseen assailant. Sanity
Loss: 0 - 1 d.4
Scene Two: A woman, (Katy Manning) is in a cellar, (Link's
lair), and is being whipped with a belt by an invisible
being. She is naked and crying. The film is silent, but
the investigators hear her screams in their heads. Welts
rise on her body until she goes unconscious. Sanity Loss:
1 - 1 d.6
Scene Three: Jo Jo Johnstone is in a cellar, (again the
lair), and is being torn apart at all sides. The scene
lasts almost six minutes and is lit fairly well. Sanity
Loss: 1 d.3 - 1 d. 10
The film ends.
There is a 40% chance of Werner and Krieg being here at any
time during the late night or early morning. There is also
a ten percent chance Link is with them, though he is quite
uninterested in the film. Should the two men fall asleep,
he will leave them and go for the night's prowl.
The Night's Prowl
Early every morning Link is on the prowl in a wolf form. He is always
accompanied with 2 - 5 (1 d.4+1) wolves. They have traveled a great distance to
arrive here. He can also summon more of the animals. The wolves will fight to
the death to protect their master. Wolves are located on page 185 of the fifth
edition rules. After killing Anna Rauchen, he will begin to feast on the crew
and investigators, summoning them out at night, one after another, about three
days apart.
To summon Link sends a message through a dream, which he does via spell. The
verbal part of this spell calls for Link to howl in a certain rhythm while in
wolf form. It is then a power versus power roll, with Link as the active score.
Should an investigator lose the roll, he will be summoned, and leave the room
without making a sound. Link will then lead the man back to his lair where he
will feed. What he does not use, which is very little, he gives to the vampyres.
Of course, large investigators can be made slaves or beautiful women made
vampyres via a bite. These characters become NPCs and are turned over to the
Keeper.
And Now....
The players are now left with little choice. Try to run, which a sudden snow
storm can stop; slay the vampire; duck and cover until Link leaves with the
vampyres on January fifth, then wait another week for the crew to return. This
gives a keeper a lot of options on how to takes this game. I allowed the players
to dictate where we were going and it was quite a memorable. Link was able to
fend off the party when they attacked his lair. However, they were able to drive
him out near the bulkhead and expose him to sunlight, at the game's climax.
Victory?
If players slay Link, award them 1 d.8 points of sanity and
one to two points on their Sanity score. Killing a vampire
brings one great confidence, and should also benefit the
skills of Occult (1 d.6), Cthulhu Mythos (one point), and
any used in slaying the beast by at least 1 d.4.
Surviving the ordeal, i.e. - making it until Link goes away.
Link has big plans and will only stay the 14 days. He will
not directly disobey Nyarlathotep, and will stay the entire
duration unless he is overwhelmingly threatened with
destruction. No sanity should be given, as the players will
know all too well that Link is out there, anywhere, ready to
kill and violate as he wishes. Penalize players for
cowardly, (I do not mean smart), play. Letting Link survive
should cost at least 1 d. 10 sanity points, and perhaps a
phobia or two. Rhabadophobia, fear of being bitten;
Henophobia, fear of blood; Nyctophobia, fear of darkness;
Cynophobia, fear of dogs (wolves); hydrophobophobia, fear of
rabies; Odontophobia, fear of teeth; are all quite
applicable to any character losing sanity from dealing with
Link.
Nyarlathotep
I did not include the unholy messenger in this adventure, nor do I think he
belongs here. He is a constant threat which is always one step behind and one
step in front of us. Most of the world's evil springs one way or another from
him. This, of course, does not mean you cannot add him, or begin a
Nyarlathotep based campaign starting here. I am presently writing some other
adventures stemming from here.
In Closing
I hope you enjoy playing this adventure, and will openly welcome feedback.
Please give me hints, pointers, and I'd love to hear about your playing
experience with this scenario. You can reach me directly at
Monsterfashion@earthlink.net and visit my website at
http://home.earthlink.net/~monsterfashion/index.html Just click and paste the
addresses.
And in closing, never give a sucker an even break.....
-----------------------------------
PERSONALITY RULES FOR ELRIC!
It seems strange that a game that "should be more about
hate, love, vengeance, greed, and lust than tentacles and
unnamable things" has no rules concerning personality. I
hope that these Personality Traits rules do the job. I have
not playtested them, so any advice or suggestion is warmly
welcomed and thanked in advance.
First, let me say what Personality Traits are. They represent a character's
subconscious and instinct. They come into play when the character responds to a
situation according to his inner self, as opposed to his rational self - the
player. His POW represents the control he exerts over his instincts; this is why
the player has to oppose the character's POW against the Personality Trait value
if he wants his character to stay in his control.
There is not a definitive list of Personality Traits because such list would be
infinite although Honest, Wise, Sensible, Valorous, Lustful, Passionate are all
valid examples. Note how they overlap: it is up to the player to decide which
Traits influence his character's personality and how. Each Trait is also rated
with a value between 1 and 10, with 6 being the threshold above which the
character behaves maniacally in accordance with the Trait. Traits can increase
and decrease. When a Trait reaches 0 it disappears. There is no such a thing as
negative Trait scores - just take a positive score in an opposite trait.
HOW TRAITS ARE ACQUIRED
Personality Traits can be acquired during the adventurer generation, after and
consistently with step 5. The player chooses as many (or as few) Traits he wants
and assigns them a value. Only a third of the chosen Traits can have a score of
7 or greater - this rule ensures that no character is a caricature. The
Gamemaster may wish to enforce cultural restrictions or modifiers.
A Trait can also be acquired during play. If a character
shows a consistent behavior which could be represented by a
Trait the Gamemaster may assign, with the player's
agreement, to that Trait a score usually between 1 and 3.
The exact value is decided together with the player.
HOW TRAITS ARE CHANGED
Personality Traits are changed by experience, as with
skills, and by a deliberate effort to change on the part of
the character. They also interact with changes in the
Allegiance scores.
When a character behaves strongly according to a Trait, maybe because he lost
the Resistance Roll, the player can check the Trait as he does with skills. To
increase the Trait by one point, roll lower than 10 with a d00. This roll can be
performed as the same time of Allegiance checks or Experience rolls. A character
can also spend some time "practicing" the Trait, accomplishing small actions in
accordance with it, and generally behaving that way without there being any
significant event which tests the Trait. He cannot train during this period, nor
can he go adventuring and so on... After a time equal to his Trait score in
weeks, the player can try to increase the Trait as above. Finally, when the
character increases one of his Allegiance scores, all the Traits that the GM
judges to be linked to that Allegiance are checked.
A Trait score is immediately decreased by one point when the
character overcomes his instinct with his POW on the
Resistance Table. Likewise behaving generally contrary to
its nature can decrease a Trait. This is done as to increase
its value by training (see above) but after the required
time has elapsed, if the player rolls less than 10 with the
d00, the Trait score is reduced by one point. Finally, when
the character increases one of his Allegiance scores, the
Traits that the GM judges to be opposite to that Allegiance
are checked as above to see if they diminish.
HOW TRAITS ARE USED IN PLAY
Traits are used to determine a character's reactions in some
instances and provide the inspiration that augments the
chance to accomplish actions attempted under the influence
of the Trait.
When a character is taken by surprise, or when a situation
tests the character's control over his instincts, the player
must overcome with the character's POW the Trait value +10
on the Resistance Table. If the Trait value is 7 or more,
this roll must be made every time the character attempts an
action contrary to the Trait - he is in fact ruled by such a
powerful personality.
When two Traits are opposed simply roll on the Resistance
Table opposing the values. The winner is the side of the
personality which attracts the character, and against which
he has to defend.
The Traits may also provide inspiration provided that the
character is willing to abandon himself to his inner
personality. When he is under the influence of a Trait, and
for the duration of the scene which has triggered the Trait,
the player may add the Trait score x5 to one skill of his
choice that is pertinent to the situation.
EXAMPLE
During character generation, Sickboy's player (cf. last
issue) assigns his character the following Trait scores:
Shrewd 5, Prudent 4, Merciful (Abandoned Children) 7 -
Sickboy was one of them after all.
Then, during an adventure, the characters are fleeing from a
party of Darijorian knights through the streets of
Gromoorva. Turning a corner, Sickboy finds a sleeping child
upon a pile of trash. The GM instructs Sickboy's player to
oppose his Prudent to his Merciful. If the former wins,
Sickboy keeps on running, but if the winner is the latter he
stops to check for the child's conditions. Since he is still
alive, Sickboy's instincts tell him to take the child with
him. But he hears the sound of horses drawing near, so his
player would like to have him flee with his companions.
The player opposes Sickboy's POW against 17 (the Trait value
+10) on the Resistance Table. If he wins, Sickboy subtracts
one from his Trait value and keep on running. Otherwise he
checks the Trait, take the child and turns around to face
the knights who are now upon him, adding 35 percentiles to
his Dodge skill against their attacks until he has taken the
child to safety.
Note that this tension between what the player expects and
what the character actually does should be a great source of
role-playing ideas - remorse, for example. ¤
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