The Things We Leave Behind

 -- Under Construction -- 

This article has been a work in progress for several years. I will keep it as an active post to encourage discussion, and to keep it somewhere a bit more visible to encourage me to work some more on fleshing it out... Comments and questions are encouraged.

NOTE: This adventure is intended to be played by any level of experience, letting the players and the GM decide on the level of difficulty.  While this game was written to take place in and around Cardania, it was originally intended to take place anywhere in the world of After the Bomb, so feel free to relocate it to wherever your campaign is taking place.

Player Background

The local government is looking for volunteers for an expedition to a distant ruined city.  Pay will be the usual advance for a scouting mission (4000 Bucks), with a bonus paid at the end depending on what information is brought back.  When the characters are ready read the following:

You arrive at the address listed on the posters for the scouting mission, a typical low key two story government office building of little note located downtown.  Inside you are directed to a large conference room where you met by a mid level bureaucrat, who carries herself with the air of someone with a military background.

“Good day, everyone.  My name is Samantha Gree, Director of Frontier Operations and I have been placed in charge of organizing the mission you have gratefully volunteered for.  Earlier this week we received a report back from Specialist Devrin Chram, a frontier scout that was investigating the ruins of Gaius, a city that is said to be host to numerous hostile creations from before the Great Death.  It is also rumored to be... haunted.  Both of these are reason enough that most scavengers never go near the place, and those that do are said to never return.  Devrin requested to investigate the rumors and the ruins to see if there was any truth behind any of them.  His first report verified that there were numerous savage creatures lurking the ruins and the surrounding wilderness, and that there were no other signs other activity in the area.  His last communication with us was as he was preparing to enter the ruins; that was three weeks ago.  Last week we were able to tap into the game camera that he had posted at his camp, and pulled several images before the connection or the camera died.  The images we recovered have caused us much concern.  In the earliest images, you can see the ruins of Gaius as you expect them, but in the last few images it appears that several of the buildings have been… rebuilt.”

Gree hands out a number of printed images.  These images are all taken at a good distance (approximately 5 miles), from the top of a hill overlooking the ruins.  The last two images show three 10+ story buildings that look bright and shiny in the daylight, almost brand new, and another that appears to be in process of renovation (the lower portion looks brand new while the upper two thirds look as rotten as the rest of the ruins).

“Nobody can build buildings like that anymore, certainly none of the powers that currently threaten us. So, we want to know who is behind this activity and why.  If this is a new power, we need to know who it is and what their intentions are.

“We will be outfitting you with a transport and communications gear, as well as cameras and video equipment to gather as much intelligence as possible.  Do not engage whoever is behind this, we do not want to be seen as an aggressor on this mission; especially if they have the technology to rebuild a city.  It’s a well known fact that it’s much easier to destroy a city than it is to build one…”

Game Master Information

Following her briefing, Gree is open to questions from the characters.  Not much is known about the ruins other than it was one of the newer cities build during the last golden age of humanity before the Crash.  Ruins like these have been notorious as scavengers magnets, but this one was always deemed taboo.  Gree may not admit it unless pressed, but she has long wanted to send someone into the ruins of Gaius, and quickly agreed when Chram requested the assignment.  Gree’s interest were piqued as a young girl when she heard about the city from an old human who told her that Gaius held great powers from before the fall of humanity, but that it was all now guarded from the world by the ghosts of those who perished and the monsters that they had created.

Gaius is located over 650 miles away through rough country with few intact roads and even fewer standing bridges.  With the transport, it will take the characters roughly five days to pick their way to the edge of Gaius.  Maps of the area are of little use for navigation, except to show possible alternate routes when the one they are on turns out to be washed out or blocked.

If the group is inexperienced or not well equipped, Gree will issue weapons and ammo, in addition to the transport, and equipment. (See mission equipment section, later in the module)

The group may, if they prefer, arrange for their own transport to Gaius, but Gree will not easily agree to subsidizing the expense unless persuaded.

Scenario Information

Gaius was one of over a dozen autonomous tech city projects that were built around the world in the years leading up to the fall of the human civilization.  These cities were serviced and managed by autonomous drones and androids, and directed by the Central Civics Management System, an Artificial Intelligence system named Gaius, after the city.  Humanity, now unburdened by mundane bureaucracies in these cities, were freed to pursue academic, scientific and artistic aspirations, while Gaius managed all the trivial details of daily survival. When an EMP was detonated over the city during the Great Death, the AI was shut down and the system collapsed.

In the decades that followed, bands of militants, survivors, and scavengers destroyed the the city and the few remaining automatons that still tried to service it. Gaius soon fell into ruin.  The ruins are now populated by wild mutant animals from the surrounding wilderness as well as bioroids.  Bioroids were genetically engineered creatures designed for all manner of purposes--mostly recreation and entertainment, but also combat.  Several of these bioroids progeny still roam the ruins looking for prey.

Soon after entering the ruins, Chram encountered one of these bioroids and was hunted for several days before he finally escaped into the CCMS facility. Wounded and cold Chram repaired several systems, which inadvertently reactivated the cities AI, after which he was misidentified as an escaped bioroid and apprehended by the cities reactivated security bots.

Reactivated, and sensing the state of the city, Gaius has replicated new automatons to repair and rebuild the city, and hopes that once it is restored to its former glory, it will attract a new populace to serve and manage as it did before.  Already it has sent out a small number of drones carrying the message that “Prosperity and Security await in Gaius, the city of tomorrow!”

---

Previous Notes: Reports of new buildings being seen in the ruins of an distant city have officials wondering who is building them and why.

A colony of constructor bots have reactivated and are hard at work rebuilding an pre-crash city.  In addition they have rebuilt and reactivated the cities civil defence network which are ready to defend the city against any aggressive actions.

Reference:
http://www.gizmag.com/maintenance-drones-repair-cities-leeds/40008/

http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2014/12/why-eel-drones-are-future-naval-warfare/100500

https://www.festo.com/group/en/cms/10216.htm

https://www.festo.com/group/en/cms/10157.htm

[sellingrobots.co.uk]

[NASA Clyde - newscientist.com]

[NAO - aldebaran.com]

More:
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/10-animal-like-robots-that-slither-hop-run-and-fly-150403.htm

Traits and Flaws

I've been toying with the idea of adding some form of "Traits and Flaws" system to my games, and this is the preliminary list of what would be available.  Still not sure how to integrate it into the game, if all players would get a standard pool of points to balance the purchase, or tie it to the Bio-E system.

This is still a work in progress, I'm just posting it for comments or for others to run with.

Addiction - The character has an addiction to a benign or harmful substance, which will cause the character distress if they are unable to acquire it.

Adverse Reaction - Whenever the character is exposed to a trigger (object, food, pollen, sound, etc), the character experiences an adverse reaction of some sort.

Age - Character got either an early or late start on the road to adventure.  Either way, people (their teammate are no exception) rarely take them seriously due to their age.

Amputated - One or more of the character’s limbs has been amputated for some reason.  This may be compensated for with a prosthetic limb, but it is always an issue.  NOTE: Bionic or Biotech limb replacements negate this flaw unless they are also flawed in some way.

Awkward, Physically - The character has a tendency to trip over their own feet, roots, rocks, power cords, etc.  This can also note that the character has a difficult time due to their physical size.

Awkward, Socially - Try as they might, the character just doesn't mingle well in social settings.

Conditional - The character has an ability or power that can only be used/activated when certain conditions are met.

Cursed - A darkness follows the character wherever they go.  Whenever something good happens to the character, it is always offset by something equally bad or much worse.

Easily Distracted - The character is easily...SQUIRREL!

Distinctive - The character has a something that sets them apart for the crowd: a booming voice, a birthmark, fur markings, etc.  Regardless, the character does not have the ability to blend in. (Prowl penalty)

Hair Trigger - It doesn't take much to set this character off.  Anger management is not in their vocabulary.

Halfbreed - The character is a genetically engineered cross of two species that is prominently displayed in their appearance, and causes the character to be shunned and/or discriminated against.

Hidden Past - The character’s past has been deliberately hidden or obscured from them by agencies unknown, and they may feel compelled to uncover the truth.  This may easily be tied with the Cursed, Nemesis and/or Obsessed/Seeker traits.

Hunted - There is a price on the character’s head.  Wanted Dead or Alive.  This differs from Nemesis in that it is normally impersonal, and the hunter is only interested in the reward.

Impaired Sense(s) - One of the character’s senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) is impaired somehow, requiring some sort of aid (if possible) to compensate for.  Alternatively, the character’s sense(s) may be so heightened, that their use impairs them.

Indebted - The character owes someone something that is difficult to impossible to repay, and they are constantly reminded of this fact.

Infested (rename?) - The character’s body is home to one or more colonies to nanites allowing them to purchase a number of Embedded Nanotech Systems. (I’m planning on this as a future project)

Mute - The character does not talk.  This doesn't mean that the character cannot talk, it’s just that they do not talk.  Character must be able to talk (speach partial or full) to take this flaw.

Nemesis - Someone for some reason has a rivalry with the character and is constantly interfering in the character’s affairs.  This may result in numerous confrontations, but will always lead to one ultimate showdown.  This flaw differs from Hunted in that this is based on a personal vendetta.

Obsessed/Seeker - The character is obsessed with the acquisition of a difficult to impossible to acquire object, person, location, or knowledge.

OCD - Not to be confused with the Obsessed/Seeker flaw, this character is obsessed with, or compelled to perform an act as to deal with anxiety, or to keep their perpetual anxiety in check.  If the character is unable to perform their rituals, things can get very unpleasant.  This flaw can be placed in check with the proper pharmaceuticals and/or therapy.

Phobia - The character’s has an irrational fear or dislike for a specific thing or group of things: dogs, dolls, heights, water, etc.

Prodigy - Amazingly, this character is a prodigy when it comes to a particular skill. That skill is automatically set to 80% and increases at +5%/level past the first, and may exceed 98%.  Weapon Proficiencies are treated as starting at level 5.

Shadowy Past - The character has a secret from their past that haunts them, and -- if it were to ever come to light -- would most likely destroy them or cause them no end of anguish.  This flaw cannot be tied to the Hidden Past trait as this flaw requires the character to know what is haunting them.

Significant Other - The character has an attachment to someone that they hold over all other considerations.  This could lead to severe complications if anything were to happen to their significant other.

Stalked - The character has one or more people who hang on everything the character does and says.  These fans will track the character’s exploits to the point of following them wherever they go, and even “taking souvenirs” when they get a chance.

Talented - This character just “gets it” when it comes to a certain subject.  Choose one skill group and those skills progress at 1.5 times as fast.

Trigger - There is something specific that will enrage this character.  Once this trigger has been tripped, the character will last out at the offender.

Unskilled - Try as they might, the character has a hard time getting the hang of things.  Skills progress at half the usual advancement rate.  This may be taken in conjunction with Prodigy.

Vulnerability - The character has an Achilles Heel, a weakness that can be either physical or psychological that can be exploited in combat.

Road Hog Character Background

Description: The Road Hogs are the biker gang that took control of all of the other northern biker gangs ("Join or Die") and now controls the western portion of what was Oregon State.  The character most likely joined the Road Hogs either as a matter of survival (once member of another gang), or in the quest for power and respect.  Anyone who leaves the Road Hogs will have a bounty placed on them that any Road Hog will gladly attempt to collect.
Apprenticeship: None (Road Hogs would rather force villagers to do the work)
Primary Skills: Mechanics: Basic, Wilderness Survival, four Physical Skills, three Weapon Proficiencies, two Pilot Skills
Secondary Skills: Select any five
Special Bonuses: +20 SDC, +2 PS, +2 PE
Money: 2D6 times 100 New Americorp Dollars
Equipment: Basic clothing and Road Hog leathers, two good quality weapons, and a vehicle worth $12,000
Relatives & Connections: The Road Hogs are a brotherhood of bikers and road warriors, and will have a 30% chance to recognize another 'Hog' not displaying their colors.  The motto "Join or Die" also carries with it the expectation that one is a Road Hog until they die, and they do not appreciate anyone who tries to leave the fold.

Ellizabeth 'Sparky' Shawll - Mutant Mulefoot/Choctaw Hog (Swine)

Alignment: Aberrant
Attributes: IQ: 16   ME: 13   MA: 11   PS: 24   PP: 12   PE: 12   PB: 7   Spd: 35
Age: 22    Gender: Female
Size Level: 10   Weight: 236lbs   Height: 6ft 4inches
Hit Points: 19   SDC: 57
Body Armor: Plastic Plate Armor   AR: 13   SDC: 80
Disposition: Distant, Aloof
Human Features: Hands: Partial   Biped: Full   Looks: Partial   Speech: Full
Animal Powers: Advanced Vision, Beastly Strength, Extraordinary Speed, Predator Burst (NOTE: cannot pull punch during predator burst)
Animal Psionics: Detect Psionics, Natural Mechanical Genius
Natural Weapons: Tusks (2D4 Damage), Hooves (2D6+9 Damage)
Level of Experience: 2nd Level
Occupation: Road Hog Lieutenant
Skills of Note:  Wilderness Survival 57%, First Aid 57%, Interrogation 52%, Athletics, Wrestling, HtH Expert, WP Shotgun, WP Sword, WP Blunt
Attacks Per Melee: 4 (Predator Burst: 6/5/4)
Bonuses: +2 Initiative on first melee round, +2 extra attacks on the first melee round, +1 extra attack on the second round, +2 Pull Punch, +3 Roll with Punch/Impact, +3 Parry, +3 Dodge, +1 Strike with Sword, +2 Parry with Sword, +1 Strike with Blunt, +1 Parry with Blunt, +9 Melee Damage (PS Bonus), -15% Prowl on hard surface
Personal Profile: Sparky has a personal vendetta against anyone with psionics, targeting them first in a fight using her silver plated bastard sword.  If she detects a fellow Road Hog with these powers, she won't blindly attack them, but she won't trust them either. Her main goal is to ascend to the leadership of the Road Hogs.  She currently commands a group of eight Road Hogs (5 motorcycles, 2 trucks, 1 RV) that patrols Route 99 from Weed to Roseburg.
Special Weapons: Shod Hooves (2D6+10 Damage), Silver Plated Bastard Sword (2D6+11 Damage)
Special Vehicle: Beth's motorcycle is held together only due to her Natural Mechanical Genius power.  She will refuse to let anyone near her bike for any reason; anyone who violates this will feel her wrath.

Ominus Rex - Mutant Wild Boar

Alignment: Anarchist
Attributes: IQ: 13   ME: 6   MA: 6   PS: 34   PP: 5   PE: 22   PB: 4   Spd: 7
Age: 25 Gender: Male
Size Level: 13   Weight: 410lbs   Height: 7ft 4inches
Hit Points: 31   SDC: 80
Body Armor: Plate and Mail Armor   AR: 15   SDC: 80
Disposition: Focused, Brutal
Human Features: Hands: Partial   Biped: Full   Looks: None   Speech: None
Animal Powers: Beastly Strength
Animal Psionics: None
Level of Experience: 2nd Level
Occupation: Road Hog Brute; Lieutenant.
Skills of Note: Wilderness Survival 55%, Detect Ambush 40%, Tailing 40%, Boxing, Wrestling, HtH: Basic, WP Blunt, WP Chain, WP Targeting, Pilot Special(Custom Quad ATV)
Attacks Per Melee: 5
Bonuses: +5 Parry, +5 Dodge, +5 Roll with Punch/Impact, +2 Pull Punch, +19 Melee Damage (PS Bonus), Automatic KO on Natural 20 (1D6 Melee Rounds), Pin/Incapacitate on 18-20, Crush/Squeeze 1D4+19 Damage, Body Tackle/Body Block 1D4+19 Damage (Target must Dodge or Parry to avoid being knocked down), +1 Strike and Parry w/ Blunt, +1 Strike w/ Chain, +1 Strike w/ Thrown Object, +4 save vs. poison.
Personal Profile: Ominus was raised by the Road Hogs from a very young age after his family was wiped out after a biker firefight demolished their farm. Already a large child, Ominus grew to be a terrifyingly large size as an adult, helped make him a handy method of terrorizing local villages and travellers. He has learned to communicate with his comrades through grunts, barks, hollers, and rough sign language. In combat, he is very focused, and will continue a fight until his opponent is incapacitated, dead, or is called off by a superior ranking Road Hog. He has also been known to use his fellow bikers bikes as weapons in combat; throwing them or clubbing opponents with them. Ominus is in charge of a group of five Road Hogs (three on bikes, two in a truck) that roam the southern portion of the Road Hog territory near village of Dorris near the old California/Oregon border on Highway 97 (considered a back road in Road Hogs). Their main encampment is at the Cal Ore Cafe located just north of town.
Special Weapons: Ominus wears a heavy 6ft long spiked chain wrapped around each forearm, which he can remove to use as a weapon (2D4+19 Damage). He is also carries around a 5ft club with a chunk of concrete at the end (2D6+19 Damage).
Special Vehicle: Ominus gets around in one of two ways. First is being hauled around in the back of a large truck, and second is on a customized Quad ATV.

Generic Low Level Swine Road Hog Thug

These thugs typically travel in groups of 2 to 5. It is rare to catch one on his/her own.

Alignment: Typically 5% Unprincipled; 30% Anarchist; 25% Miscreant; 30% Aberrant; or 10% Diabolic
Disposition: Arrogant, belligerent, and unpleasant towards any non-Road Hog
Size Level: 11    SDC: 55    Hit Points: 17
Body Armor: Studded Leather Armor   AR: 12   SDC: 28+1D10
Attributes: IQ 11, ME 9, MA 11, PS 19, PP 8, PE 12, PB 9, Spd 11
Animal Type: Mutant Swine, Pig
Human Features: Hands: Full, Biped: Full, Speech: Full, Looks: None or Partial
Age: 15+1D8    Weight: 230lbs
Powers: None
Psionics: None
Level of Experience: 1st or 2nd Level
Level of Education: None, typically illiterate. Most Road Hogs initiates are only interested in how to fire a weapon and ride a motorcycle. Beyond that, individual Road Hogs are on their own in learning a profession or anything that would be considered academic.
Skills of Note: Pilot Motorcycle or Truck 64%, Vehicle Weapon Systems 50%, HtH: Basic, WP Blunt, Plus two Weapon Proficiencies of Choice: Knife, Chain, Pistol, or Shotgun
Attacks Per Melee: 4
Melee Combat Bonuses: +1 to Strike, +4 Damage, +2 Parry, +1 Dodge, +2 Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact
Standard Issue Weapons: (Choose Two) Knife (1D6 Dmg), Chain (2D4 Dmg), 9mm Pistol (3D6 Dmg), 12 Gauge Shotgun (3D6 Dmg Buckshot)

Mutants of London

Found this info online today.  I've heard of the saying, "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.", but never knew this part of the story.
http://ultrafactsblog.com/post/116593278579/the-ravens-of-the-tower-of-london-are-a-group-of

The ravens of the Tower of London are a group of captive common ravens which live in the Tower of London. The group of ravens at the Tower comprises at least seven individuals (six required, with a seventh in reserve). The presence of the ravens is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the Tower; a superstition holds that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it."

I've never been a fan of the Mutants in Avalon sourcebook because of the Arthur angle it took, this look much more interesting.  You could use this as the background for a specific Tower Raven (Purebreed) animal species that would start with special perks.

The Beholders

About a month ago, a Palladium forum member (Dolcet) who was looking for ideas for 'a race calling itself the Beholders. These Beholders consider themselves to be the Paragons of existence; for only they can truly know what beauty is and all other living things must die for the crime of not being a Beholder.' [link]

I thought about this for a while, but initially dismissed it because I thought it too two-dimensional of an enemy.  Like the Daleks, Cybermen, and Borg, there really isn't much to them beyond kill anything that isn't you.  This would make sense if you were working with a hivemind species, but I felt that's been done to death (Aliens, Borg, Mimic, etc).  I then thought about the Beholders being more of a group or society of zealots instead of an elitist race. Then I realized how this could reflect that elitist hate that humanity is famous for (be it race, religion, nationality, or gender).  This, I started to think, was starting to sound more and more interesting.

The question then became, how are these "Beholders" conducting their genocidal campaign? I was stuck on this.  Why would The Beholders, a group that epitomized beauty, have access to weapons of war?  What weapons would they use?  As I mulled this, I started thinking back to a scene from the old 1950's War of the Worlds movies, three large war machines protected by impenetrable shields, slowly advancing across the countryside, killing all in their path.  It was a start.  Then came memories of old horror movies like the House of Wax and the Medusa Transducer from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

That was it! I'd change the heat rays to Medusa Rays!  Everyone struck by these beams would be turned into calcified (stone) statues. The Beholder's madness would see this as poetic justice, turning these pitiful creatures that cannot possibly understand or appreciate "true" beauty into works of art, and then leaving these statues scattered across the landscape for posterity.  Death by Art.

Then, today, I finally brought it all together:

---

The Beholders are a group of bioengineered humans (artists, curators, aficionados and the like) from before the Big Death.  They had engineered themselves with better senses and other talents so that they could create and/or appreciate art and beauty to the ultimate extent.  After the Big Death, these Beholders cloistered themselves away from the ravaged world for decades in an old art museum.  After all the decades secluded away from the outside world and surrounded by the beauty of the artwork they adored and protected, they fell into madness.  They never once considered leaving their museum, as nothing outside its walls could compare to the beauty that they guarded within.

As time passed, a few of these Beholders wanted to join the museums collection, and in a bid to preserve their own perfection, developed a method of rapid calcification of the body, figuratively turning them to stone.  Over the years, a handful of the older or more vain Beholders submitted themselves to this procedure, helping perfect it.

Then one day the museum was discovered by a band of scavengers looking for valuables from the old world to sell. The scavengers were quickly caught by the museums Guargoyles, and when the scavengers were interrogated the Beholders were horrified that these scavengers saw their artwork only as items to sell for profit, not appreciated and fawned over.  This revelation angered them to the point where they began their genocidal campaign against anyone that couldn't be identified as a Beholder.

The few mechanically minded among them built a number of majestic war machines, works of art that they would march out and across the land and do away with those who could not appreciate beauty like the Beholders could.  These war machines stood a hundred feet tall so that they could be seen and appreciated by all around it.  They were armed with calcification rays so that these blind ignoramuses could be turned into works of art to beautify the world.  And finally, they were protected by force fields that the museum had used to protect some of the larger displays.

On their first battle, if you could call it that, three of the Beholders machines came silently upon an encampment of Free Cattle late on the night of a new moon.  When dawn broke, the Beholders watched as the people came out to gaze upon these tall wonders that had appeared around them.  At first they Beholders thought that these people may be redeemable, but that one of them picked up a rock and threw it at one of the machines.  Immediately, the Beholders opened fire upon the Free Cattle and turned them all to stone before marching on in search of others.

---

The hook for the adventure would be that one of the scavengers was able to elude capture and then escaped the museum after the Beholders "killed" the rest of the scavengers and left on their genocidal rampage. The group could be brought into the story in a number of ways, here are some examples:

• After finding a village populated only by these odd statues, they encounter the escaped scavenger who relates his mad tale.
• Cardanian scouts capture and interrogated the escaped scavenger, and the group is assigned to validate his mad claims.
• A wealthy individual hires the group to discover what happened to the scavengers he hired to loot an old museum hidden in the ruins of a distant city. They then encounter the surviving scavenger and a few Beholders who have stayed behind to guard the museum.

I will work on and post some stats for the Beholders, their War Machines, and the Museum soon.

Functional Fungal

I love looking for new things to add to the background for my AtB games, and here is one that just crossed my radar.

Amsterdam designer Maurizio Montalti is working on using fungal organisms to replace, or act as an alternative, to plastics.  As you will see in the video below, he shows how he has used this to produce bowls, plates and cups.  He also discusses how it could be used for textiles (jackets, shoes, etc.).



Using nature to grow products isn't anything new, and in one book I recently read (The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton), they used a type of coral to grow buildings.

[read more]