[Horror] Sketchy Setting & Some Monsters

[Max Schreck]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

I'd do it like this:

Gemini Morphology Lens [68]:

Advantages: 360-Degree Vision [25]; Extra Attack X1 [25]; Extra Arms X2 (Foot Manipulators -30%) [14]; Extra Head X1 [15]; Extra Legs (4 Total) [5];

Disadvantages: Arm = Foot Manipulator X2 [-6]; Horizontal [-10];

Aren't you double-dipping with the Foot Manipulators? I mean, they already had the -30% discount by paying 14 points instead of 20 for the Extra Arms being Foot Manipulators. They aren't going to receive 6 extra points for the very same thing under Disadvantages, are they? Arm=Foot Manipulator ×2 [-6] is redundant in relation to Extra Arms ×2 (Foot Manipulator, -30%), isn't it, or am I missing something?

Max

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Max Schreck

Aren't you double-dipping with the Foot Manipulators? I mean, they already had the -30% discount by paying 14 points instead of 20 for the Extra Arms being Foot Manipulators. They aren't going to receive 6 extra points for the very same thing under Disadvantages, are they? Arm=Foot Manipulator ×2 [-6] is redundant in relation to Extra Arms ×2 (Foot Manipulator, -30%), isn't it, or am I missing something?

The -30% discount is on the 2 Extra Arms, which would normally cost 20 points. Making the two default arms that all creatures are assumed to have for free into Foot Manipulators as well is then a [-6] Disadvantage per the rule on the same page, for a creature with a total of four arms which are also usable as feet and no other limbs.

[Max Schreck]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

The -30% discount is on the 2 Extra Arms, which would normally cost 20 points. Making the two default arms that all creatures are assumed to have for free into Foot Manipulators as well is then a [-6] Disadvantage per the rule on the same page, for a creature with a total of four arms which are also usable as feet and no other limbs.

Ah, gotcha! I suppose you are refering to the section "Modifying Beings With One or Two Arms" (p. 53)? Yes, yes, it is all clear to me now.

Phew, I hope that's the last of those pesky Gemini.

Max

[Max Schreck]

Okay, time to deal with the nature of Sodom. It's still sketchy, but I've had some time to think some things over, and here's what I've come up with. Everything here is subject to change, as I keep developing my ideas, but for now, bear with me. Some of these details are purposefully vague, as I don't want it told explicitly what this is all about. Let people fill in the gaps themselves.

What is Sodom?

"Unfortunately no one can be told what Sodom is. You have to see it for yourself".

No one knows what Sodom is, in fact most don't know it even exists. Sodom is an artificial construct within a shared, collective subconscious. One can only experience it with the mind, although once there, it will feel as if one is there physically as well. In fact, it feels so real that if you die there (a distinct possibility), you will die in mundane reality too. The cause of death will be a heart attack or a brain aneurysm. As to what Sodom is precisely, no one knows, as earlier stated. Here are some possibilities, some of them posited by people who have claimed to have gone to Sodom, and returned:

* Sodom is a depraved virtual reality simulation somewhere and sometime in the 22nd century. Rumours abound about a closed virtual world that caters to jaded palates, and that is open by invitation only. It is said that sometimes people are chosen, and receive subtle hints how to get to this virtual world. Should they follow these vague instructions, however, they get more than they bargained for. This explanation for Sodom's existence need not be limited for SF campaigns. In earlier times, it will be said that this virtual world has somehow crossed a temporal boundary, and is infecting the minds of those who pick up its wireless signals. Urban legends do not have to make sense.

* It is the fevered dreams of an opium eater. Who that is, and where he is, no one can say for sure. Some even say that this addict lived in a completely other time, and that (again) his dreams have broken the boundaries of time, and now affects past, present and future.

* It could be the death visions of a terminally ill patient at the Hôpital Saint-Joseph. Urban legend states that an unknown patient was delivered to the hospital by persons unknown. The patient had no identifying documents, and other means of identification were unsuccesful. The patient (that is male in some versions, female in others) suffers from a disease unknown to science that is extremely painful, and causes suppurating wounds that have to be bandaged and cleaned every day. This supposed patient has not uttered a single word since arrival.

Maybe it is all of these, and then more. Perhaps it is so that potentially all of humanity contributes to the creation of Sodom with their nightmares, drug fevers or pain-induced hallucinations.

Whatever it is, sometimes, for no apparent or explicable reason, people find themselves there, and some never leave. People who stumble into Sodom need not themselves be terminal patients or drug users, but mostly something triggers the translocation.

Entryways:

* Severe physical trauma: sometimes the translocation is triggered by losing consciousness by being shot, stabbed, strangled, or falling from a high-story building, all likely scenarios for the typical PC. Once consciousness is restored, the surroundings have changed. The trauma victim will find himself in a location similar to where he was before, but not quite. E.g., if he was shot in an alley, he will wake up in an alley, but the surrounding city will be a crumbling wasteland of derelict buildings and rusty steel.

* Anaesthesia: people undergoing surgery, especially in hospitals that for some reason have a somewhat sinister reputation (malpractice suits, abnormal death counts, etc.), risk waking up in a hospital in Sodom, where Torture Angels have donned surgical robes and nurse's uniforms. These Torture Angels differ slightly from their normal brethren. Instead of wanting to torture anyone they catch, they insist that any human in the hospital must be "sick", and in need of treatment and surgery. "If you're not a patient, then why are you in the hospital? Now, let's get you prepped for surgery. No, I'm sorry, we're all out of anaesthetic. Here, bite down hard on this."

* The Blue Pill: there is a hot, new designer drug out there that will really blow your mind. It's hallucinogenic and should open up the human senses to incredible new sensations and experiences. Unfortunately, all it opens up is your flesh, when the Torture Angels catch you.

* Nightmare: sensitive people with tendencies to violent and frequent nightmares (i.e. characters with the Disadvantage Nightmares) will sometimes find themselves in Sodom in their dreams.


Coming up next: How to leave.


Max

[Max Schreck]

How to leave:

Leaving Sodom is sometimes as simple as entering it: you fall unconscious in Sodom for some reason (trauma, drugs, fainting, etc.), and when you wake up, it's 2101 cyberpunk New York again, or 1969 Da Nang or whenever. Tales of sadistic angels with surgical tools and pliers and blowtorches will probably be dismissed as fevered hallucination, post-traumatic shock or temporary psychosis.

Sometimes leaving isn't that simple. Sometimes Sodom just doesn't want to let you go, or your mind won't let go of Sodom. In any case, potential escapees will have to do something active to get out. What they have to do will vary with each individual, but it will often be connected to something unresolved within the individual.

E.g.: James Travis lost his wife in a tragic car accident some time ago. He is still hurting, has trouble sleeping, eating, and just keeping down his day job. In short, he has a depression. One day, when he is out for a drive, the strangest thing happens: he is involved in a car crash again. This time, he isn't saved by the air bag/crash foam (depending on TL), and James goes into a coma.

While in a coma, James thinks he wakes up in the wrecked car. He feels bruised, but otherwise fine. Stepping out of the car, he sees that he isn't on his way to work, like he thought he was. He is on a lonely stretch of highway leading to an ugly, industrial town. The sky is darkened by the soot of factory chimneys. In the distance he spots someone very similar to his wife on the street. He runs toward her, screaming and yelling, but she disappears somewhere in the grimy city.

Now follows a horrendous odyssey, where James must track down what appears to be an apparition of his wife. He can't just leave, because Sodom goes on in all directions. After many encounters with the terrible denizens of Sodom, he finally finds his wife (or someone just like her) in a hospital. At this point, he has narrowly escaped open heart surgery without anaesthetic. James' wife is in her death bed. Trauma from a serious accident is evident; James talks to her, and discovers through his conversation, that he blames himself for her death, that he still misses her so much, but that it is time to let go. Once this burden is lifted from his shoulders, James can finally sleep next to his wife. He can now awaken from his coma in a hospital in the real world, a bit wiser, but marked for life. Perhaps Sodom really never relinquishes its captives, and he will find himself there once more.

And yes, I've ripped off many of the details. I'm in a hurry; I don't have time to come up with original content.

It doesn't have to be melodrama like the above. It can also be as simple as finding a red pill to counter the blue one that got you to Sodom in the first place. Maybe someone in Sodom is willing to sell a red pill, but first you have to find him, and then pay the exorbitant price. Or if you got to Sodom through the Pleasures of the Flesh virtual world, you will need to find out how to disconnect.

More to come later,

Max

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Max Schreck

"Unfortunately no one can be told what Sodom is. You have to see it for yourself".

F'n-A, now I have to write up a Matrix version of this with awesome Lucid Dreamers Vs Torture Angels wu xia fightin'. [/shaking fist] ;)

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

How about Nineveh? A massive historical city, is was at one point in the Bible mentioned as an Evil city. They repented of their sin, but then fell. They are supposedly the vast plain of ruins west of modern Mosul.

Yeah, it's there. I've walked over it. The province is actually called Ninawah. The modern day Assyrians are Christians. They no longer make a practice of sacking cities or impaling folks, I'm happy to report. they do have some lovely churches, though.

[vicky_molokh]

Yay, more fluff! Sounds good, mostly consistent with what I've read about Kult and Silent Hill. Just wondering: are you sure you can make it into a good CAMPAIGN? As I said, my ex tried to, and I'm planning to try some day, but I really have no idea how to make all the cool concepts actually interesting in-play.

[GodlessRose]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Yay, more fluff! Sounds good, mostly consistent with what I've read about Kult and Silent Hill. Just wondering: are you sure you can make it into a good CAMPAIGN? As I said, my ex tried to, and I'm planning to try some day, but I really have no idea how to make all the cool concepts actually interesting in-play.

I was thinking the same thing. It is an intriguing idea, but I wouldn't feel confident GMing it, myself.

[Max Schreck]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Yay, more fluff! Sounds good, mostly consistent with what I've read about Kult and Silent Hill. Just wondering: are you sure you can make it into a good CAMPAIGN? As I said, my ex tried to, and I'm planning to try some day, but I really have no idea how to make all the cool concepts actually interesting in-play.

Originally Posted by GodlessRose

I was thinking the same thing. It is an intriguing idea, but I wouldn't feel confident GMing it, myself.

Well, I don't know. I never know beforehand if an idea will develop into an interesting campaign; we'll have to see. When I actually run it for some players I'll let you know.

What do you think (both of you) would be the primary difficulty in running this campaign (apart from the fact that it is still a collection of incoherent notes). Character motivation? Character types? Adventures?

I'll give you a rough example of what I think could be an adventure for this setting. Maybe that will explain where I want to go with this.

(Warning! This adventure seed deals with abortion, a highly controversial and sensitive issue that I do not in any way take lightly, even if I use it in a fictional context. If you are offended by this, I apologize in advance).

Abortion Clinic

Somewhere in a small, rural town there is an abortion clinic, where women can go if they for some reason do not wish to continue their pregnancy. In this the clinic does not differ from many others all over the Western world. However, one of the head nurses was raised in a very strict religious household, and although she has grown up to be an independent moderate Christian without the bigotry of her parents, she has still come to feel very wrong about her job, assisting in the (as she feels it) murder of infants. She quit, but that wasn't enough. Because of her feelings of guilt, each night the nurse goes to Sodom in her dreams. The clinic has an otherworld version in Sodom, which is a personal purgatory for the nurse. At night in the clinic you can hear squeaking baby voices, and sometimes see random glimpses of the shades of the dead foetuses. Women who have an abortion at the clinic in the real world are often overwhelmed with guilt, more so if they had qualms to start with. These women are in their dreams pulled into the clinic as their purgatory, where they are impregnated and have forced abortions again and again and again...

The doctors in this Sodom-clinic are all sadists, who delight in their handiwork. Each abortion becomes a blood sacrifice to the Torture Angels, and hereby strengthen the link between Sodom and the real world, and the clinic becomes more and more twisted and unreal.

There are several options as to involving the heroes at this point, depending on the group.

* A female Dependent/Ally/non-paid-for acquiantance of one of the characters may be drawn into Sodom through the clinic. She need not have had an abortion, although she might. She could either work at the clinic, or just live nearby. Remember, Sodom isn't about "just punishment", but rather being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The dream emanations from the clinic and the nurse could pull women in, even if they have nothing to do with the clinic.

* A female character could take the role of the Dependent by prior arrangement and consent between player and GM. Tread cautiously. If this option is used, it is best to involve the entire party as quickly as possible and pull all of them into Sodom, so they may tackle it together, unless it's a solo adventure.

* A young woman seek out the PC's in their capacity of psychologists/priests/dream interpreters/occult detectives, and ask for their help, as she has had some very disturbing, highly detailed dreams about an abortion clinic. She has stigmata from some of the dream encounters.

* Etc.

In any case, as the protagonists involve themselves with the case (here the GM can insert any number of "normal world" encounters and events, such as therapy sessions, investigations of the clinic, etc.), their connection to the victim will pull them into Sodom. How the exact transition will take place is up the GM, and can be different for each character. See earlier post for examples on how to get to Sodom. In this case, it is likely that the characters all start sharing the same dream. Once in Sodom, they find that they can't leave. They have unfinished business...

Following a trail of clues through the city, where the characters can have unrelated encounters, the dreamers come at last to the clinic, where their friend/daughter/wife/client is held captive. Once inside, they need to free the involuntary patient to end Sodom's hold on her and them. The only way to do this, they find out, is through the nurse, whose nightmares have created this part of Sodom. If they can stop her nightmares, Sodom will let them go. How they do this, however, is up to them.

The nurse is held captive by Torture Angels, but she is not physically molested. Her torture is mental; she is strapped to a chair, and watches the Torture Angels at work. Her eyes are help open with clamps. If the heroes can persuade the nurse that she has done nothing wrong, that God will forgive her, and that she is a good person, she will let go of her feelings of guilt, and everybody in the clinic can leave Sodom. If this fails (or if they don't try), the heroes might have to kill her to free themselves. If the nurse dies, she also dies in the real world, and the link to Sodom is severed. The protagonists can go free. The only thing they can't run from is their conscience.

Or something like that... This very rough sketch was one possibility of how an adventure could play out in Sodom.

Max