Tales of a Dark City (All Hell, Pyramid Head)

[The Stray]

The Ghoul King



“Would you like me to describe the taste of your liver? No? Then get out of my sight. I have work to do.”

Concept: Revenge-bent scientist turned flesh-eating ghoul
PL 10; PP 150

Appearance:

Abilities: Str 8, Dex 8, Con 30, Int 30/20, Wis 16, Cha 6

Saves: Toughness +16, Fort +10, Ref +1, Will +11

Combat: Attack: +6; Damage: -1 (Unarmed); Defense: 14/12; Init -1

Skills: Computers +18 (8 ), Craft (Chemical) +22 (12), Craft (Electronic) +18 (8 ), Intimidate +6 (8 ), Knowledge (life sciences) +26 (12), Knowledge (physical sciences) +24 (10), Medicine +11 (8 ), Profession (Scientist) +13 (10)

Feats: Assessment, Equipment X (Usually around 100 equipment points, including HQ’s and Vehicles), Fearsome Presence 7, Improvised Tools, Inventor (biotech) (Biotech variant--uses Knowledge (Life Sciences) for design checks), Master Plan, Minions X (Ghouls and thugs), Second Chance (Craft (Chemical) checks), Skill Mastery (Craft (Chemical), Medicine, Knowledge (Life Sciences), Intimidate), Startle

Powers:

Enhanced Intelligence 10, Immortality 7 [Regeneration 2 (Resurrection 2; Extra: True Resurrection), Immunity 3 (Aging, Poison, Disease)], Poisonous Bite 5 [Paralyze 5; Extras: Alternate Save (Fortitude), Poison], Protection 6 [Extras: Impervious; Drawback: (Noticeable), Innate], Regeneration 24 [Recovery Bonus +9, Recover (Injured) 5, Recover (Staggered) 5, Recover (Disabled) 5; Flaws: Source (Human Flesh); Power Feats: Persistent, Regrowth], Super Senses 1 [Infravision], Super-Movement 1 [Wall-Crawling]

Drawbacks: Weakness (Cold-Blooded) (Uncommon, -1 Dex/20 minutes)

Notes: Max Atk 6/Max DC 14; Max Defense 4/Max Toughness 16

PROFILE
Alternate Identity: Dr. Remial Mortos
Identity: Public
Occupation: ex-Researcher
Group Affiliation: The Cryptkickers
Base of Operations: The Lair
First Appearance: Tales of a Dark City #4
Sex: Male
Age: 65
Height: 5’ 7”
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Yellow (Wears glasses)
Hair: Bald
Abnormal Type: Gentech Mutant
Allegiances: None
Motivations: Revenge, revenge, and yet more revenge!
Complications: Obsession (Revenge against Dark-Hawke Industries), Enemy (Dark-Hawke Industries), Rivalry (The Bloodfangs), Temper, Addiction (Human Flesh), Reputation (Mutant Cannibal Mad Scientist)
Virtue: Justice. Dr. Mortos firmly believes that good works shall be rewarded (despite his setbacks) and the wicked (those ingrates who oppose him) will be punished.
Vice: Envy, Pride. The Good Doctor is never satisfied with his gains, comparing what he's accomplished to the accolades given to those "less deserving" than himself. His ego forces him to constantly try to prove himself.
Nature: Competitor. Life is all about winners and losers to Dr. Mortos, and he intends to win at all costs.
Demeanor: Perfectionist. Nothing is ever good enough for Dr. Mortos, and he strives to improve on his own work.

Background: Once, Dr. Remial Mortos had it all. Fame, power, wealth...he was the Golden Child of the Genetic Revolution during the Avatar Crisis. He was also, by all reports, an arrogant and amoral SOB who conducted unethical tests on behalf of a government desperate for results.

Tragically, his work engendered as much envy as acclaim, and eventually one of his rivals decided to get personal. During an experiment with a new Bio-Regenerative formula, Dr. Mortos's lab was demolished via fiery explosion. The good doctor was presumed dead, and Dark-Hawke Industries, the firm that had funded most of his research, gathered what it could of his research.

Not long afterwards, however, a new gang of mutants sprung up in the Hellhole, challenging the then-dominant Bloodfangs in ways no other gang had previously been able. These new mutants were vicious and ugly, with rotten, scaly skin and long, jagged teeth that delivered a paralyzing saliva to victims. Worse, these new "Cryptkickers" were apparently impervious to harm, shrugging off bullet wounds, blunt force trauma, and knife wounds with easy. Those few things that did manage to scratch them healed rapidly. Even worse, though, was the craving for human flesh that led to these mutants being nicknamed "Ghouls."

Outright gang war between the Bloodfangs and the Cryptkickers tore Drake City apart, especially after a break-in at the Hamill Research Facility released the Dirty Dozen, 12 criminal abnormals being used for secret experimentation by Dark-Hawke Industries. With the release of the Dirty Dozen, Abnormal crime in Drake City skyrocketed, and the public demanded that the government do something. This lead to the formation of the Superhuman Terrorist Armed Response (STAR) squad, under the control of the Abnormal Registration Division. It wasn't until the Cryptkickers seized control of the WRBT tower, however, that the truth behind the monstrous Ghouls was revealed.

The Ghoul King himself, as horribly warped and disfigured as his followers, broadcast his manifesto to the world. He claimed to be Dr. Remial Mortos, and blamed Dark-Hawke Industires for sabotaging his work so they could steal his research. He then went on to declare that he would offer his services as a geneticist to whoever could pay unless the Federal Government shut down Dark-Hawke Industries for good. The ARD sent in the STARs instead of meeting the Ghoul King's demands, and the vigilante group known as the Watchmen also intervened, capturing the Ghoul King after a fierce battle.

However, the Ghoul King would not be held so easily. Eventually he escaped, and is currently at large, making good on his threat to sell his talents to the highest bidder. Anyone who can pay can undergo the Good Doctor's treatments, as long as they can find him and can deal with the inevitable "side effects" of his treatments. His Ghouls still roam the slums, warring for territory with the Bloodfangs. Truly, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Design Notes:

And here is The Ghoul King, completing my Trio of major ganglords of Drake City and the Brave New World's resident Mad Scientist. Of the three major ganglords, he's the most reclusive. Sure, he CAN take a major beating and get up afterwards, but combat is a wasteful distraction to him

No, he doesn't meet his combat caps as written. He's more of a Mastermind, plotting behind the scenes and generating monsters and minions. That said, his Equipment x-trait can generate significant combat advantages and his minions tend to be diverse and tailored to his current needs. And his Regeneration and Immortality insure that he'll be back to devil the party again and again, as long as he can feed his cannibalistic appetites.

Update 5/3/07: Minor clean-up. I removed his Enhanced Con and added it straight to his normal score. It saved on making it Innate, and it fits him because he's a mutant and that's more of a permanent change to his physiology anyhow.

[The Stray]

Rotten Hearts

May 31st, 2028 (current continuity)

The sewers of Drake City held all sorts of filth in them, but no filth so foul as the meth labs run by the Cryptkickers. The toxic air and raw sewage made the already-volatile process of meth cooking even more unstable, and the chemicals they had to work with were truly substandard, so only the mutated ghouls had the metabolism to even be around the stuff. But to fuel their bosses genetic research, they had to procure funds, and the "sewer meth" was just as addictive, if slightly more dangerous, than meth cooked anywhere else in the city, and they had undersold all the other pushers long ago.

The cops, the homeless, those looking for a fix...they all knew better than to try and track down the source of their chemicals, because the Crypts dealt harshly and usually lethally with anyone not sporting the trademark green bandannas and throwing up the right signs.

Demons, however, were not regular intruders. The four-armed monster waded through the filth towards the Lair, heat rising from glowing cracks in its black hide. A red mist seemed to cling to it as it moved. The ghouls, alarmed, took up defensive positions, riasing pieces and overturning furniture in the hovel for cover. Two ghouls stepped into the demon's path.

"Hey! ugly!" one shouted, shoving his piece in the demon's face. "We don't know who you are, but you turn the f#c& around now or we blow you away. You dig, motherf#c&er?"

The demon slowly lowered his gaze to the insect in front of it. "Run along, little rottling," It growled, "Or I shall feed you that gun. I am here to speak to the Ghoul King himself, not his pitiful subjects."

"Doc don't see NO ugly Von Jeggett wannabes without an appointment!" The ghoul shouted, trying to sound tough. He wound up sounding more scared instead.

The demon tried not to grin. A fight with these rottlings would delay him...but they would be an excellent test of the powers it had acquired from the seal it had broken.

"Then remove me, Rottlings." It chortled. "If you can."

Up Next: Sgain Dubh vs. The Cryptkickers!

[The Stray]

Typical Cryptkicker Ghoul (PL 6; PP 90)

Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8

Saves: Toughness +12, Fort +9, Ref +1, Will +0

Combat: Attack: +4, +6 (In Sewers); Damage: +3 (Pistol), +6 (Bite); Defense: 10/10; Init +1

Skills: Craft (Mechanical) +4 (4), Drive +5 (4), Intimidate +7 (8), Knowledge (Popular Culture) +2 (2), Knowledge (Streetwise) +4 (4), Swim +8 (6)

Feats: All-Out Attack, Distract (Intimidate), Environmental Adaption (Sewers), Equipment 4, Favored Environment (Sewers), Power Attack, Startle

Powers:

Bite 4 [Strike 4; Extras: Secondary Effect; Power Feats: Mighty, Alternate Power: Stun 4], Features 1 [Iron Stomach], Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Poison, Disease], Protection 8 [Extras: Impervious 6; Drawback: Noticeable], Regeneration 18 [Recovery Bonus +6 (Flaw: Source [raw meat]), Unconscious (1/standard action) (Flaw: Source [raw meat], Resurrection 8 (1/full round, not if immolated); Power Feats: Diehard, Regrowth], Stench 6 [Nauseate 6; Extras[i]: Area (Burst), Duration (Sustained); [i]Flaws: Sense-Dependant (Smell), Sicken Only]

Equipment: Leather Jacket (Protection 1), Light Pistol (Blast 3), Acid Flask (Blast 2 [Extra: Secondary Effect; Flaw: Unreliable (5 uses/batch)]), Motorcycle

Drawbacks: Weakness (Cold Blooded, Common, -1 Dex/minute, -5 points)

Quick revision to the Ghouls after seeing them get totally wasted in the fight with the demon.

[Wordmaker]

Nothing like a good dust-up with a bunch of mooks.

[The Stray]

Sluice



“You screeching monkeys of humanity have had your day. Like the dinosaur, you are no longer necessary. You are obsolete. It is time for a new breed to rise to prominence. Your legacy is our future.”

Concept: Old, canny terrorist with elastic body; PL 10; PP 150

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 12

Saves: Tough +11 (3 Impervious), Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +7

Combat: Attack: +10; Grapple: +15/+20 (Elongation); Damage: +0 (Unarmed), +10 (Dehydrate); Defense: 19/12; Init +5

Skills: Acrobatics +17 (12), Bluff +7 (6), Computers +9 (6), Disguise +3 (2), Escape Artist +17 (12) (+23 w/ Elongation), Gather Information +5 (4), Intimidate +5 (4), Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) +5 (2), Notice +6 (4), Stealth +13 (8 )

Feats: Acrobatic Bluff, Dodge Focus 4, Elusive Target, Evasion 2, Grappling Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, Improved Pin, Improved Throw, Redirect, Uncanny Dodge (Visual)

Powers:

Gibbering 5 [Confusion 5; Extras: Area (Auditory Perception); Flaws: Range (Touch)]

Super Senses 3 [Radius Visual, Visual Danger Sense]

Elastic Body 12 [Active Container; Flaws: Action (Standard); Power Feats: Subtle]
Insubstantial 1 [Liquid form], Elongation 5, Protection 10 [Impervious 3], Elastic Form Array 15

Elastic Form Array 15 [Power Feats: Dynamic]

Base Effect: Engulf [Snare 10 (Extras: Engulf, Constricting)]
--DAP: Blood Drain [Drain (Constitution) 10; Extras: Duration (Sustained); Flaws: Requires Grapple; Power Feats: Incurable, Slow Fade 5 (1/day)]
--DAP: Dehydrate [Damage 10; Extras: Alternate Save (Fortitude), Duration (Sustained); Flaws: Requires Grapple]
--DAP: Movement [Super-Movement 10; Stunts: Permeate 2, Slithering, Slow Fall, Slow Fall, Swinging, Wall-Crawling 3, Water-Walking]]

Notes: Max Attack: 10/Max DC: 10; Max Defense: +9/Max Toughness: +11

PROFILE
Alternate Identity: Victor Wynn
Identity: Public
Occupation: Abnormals-First Terrorist
Group Affiliation: The Teragen, The Dark Knights, The Dirty Dozen
Sex: Male
Age: 43
Height: Variable
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Black with white irises
Hair: White
Abnormal Type: Nova
Personality: Allegiances: Belief System (Abnormal Supremacy)
Motivations: Abnormal Supremacy, Hatred
Complications: Reputation (terrorist, bigot), Hatred (Baseline Humanity), Obsession (Reforming the Teragen), Phobia (Incarceration)
Virtue: Prudence. Sluice is willing to wait for the opportune moment to get what he wants and acts with forethought and caution.
Vice: Pride. Sluice has nothing but contempt for those who are not “gifted” and is confidant in his superiority.
Nature: Director. Sluice plans. He plots. He schemes. He sets up organizational structures, which is how he was captured in the first place.
Demeanor: Fanatic. Anyone talking to Sluice for more than a few minutes will completely understand his "cause." More than a few abnormals over the years have been swayed by his conviction.

Finally presenting Sluice, Abnormal terrorist and former member of the Knightmare's Dark Knights. He is the ultimate grappler, not only because of his Elongation but because he can instantly escape any grapple he chooses with his Insubstantial form. And the whole array is subtle, meaning that he doesn't appear different than normal until he attacks and can hide his elongations and transformations...if he wants to.

[The Stray]

The Minister



“I hurt myself today...to see if I still feel...Please, God, forgive me...”

Concept: Penitant Preacher, crusader agaisnt abnormals; PL 6; PP 90

Abilities: Str 16, Dex 10, Con --, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16

Saves: Tough +6, Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +7

Combat: Attack: Melee +3; Grapple: +9; Damage: +3 (unarmed), +6 (Bite); Defense: 13/11; Init +0

Skills: Bluff +6 (3), Concentration +7 (4), Diplomacy +10 (7), Gather Information +7 (4), Intimidate +6 (3), Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) +9 (8), Language +1 (1) (Latin), Notice +7 (4), Perform (Oratory) +8 (5), Profession (Minister) +7 (4), Sense Motive +8 (5)

Feats: Benefit (Minister), Connected, Startle

Powers:

Immunity 30 [Fortitude saves], Impervious Toughness 6 [Flaws: Limited: Not effective Vs. Silver or Fire], Protection 6, Regeneration 6 [Resurrection 1/week (not if staked or beheaded), Recovery Bonus +5 (net +0); Flaws: Limited--Source required (Blood)], Super-Strength 3 [Power Feats: Dynamic, DAP: Leaping 6]

Vampire Bite 3 [Strike 3; Extras: Vampiric; Power Feats: Mighty]

--AP: Blood Drain 6 [Drain (Constitution) 6; Extras: Vampiric; Flaws: Requires Grapple]

Weakness: [12 pp] Vulnerability (Fire, +1 to DC, -2 pts.), Weakness (Dependance on blood, -1 Checks/20 minutes, -2 pts.), Weakness (Repuled by Holy symbols; Dazed for one round if beaten on opposed Charisma check, -3 pts.), Weakness (Sunlight, -1 on all ability scores/hour, -5 points)

PROFILE
Alternate Identity: Father Jason Kaje
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Minister
Group Affiliation: The Ministry
Base of Operations: Candle Hill
First Appearance: Tales of a Dark City #49
Sex: Male
Age: 68 (appears in his mid 40’s)
Height: 6’
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Silvery blonde
Abnormal Type: Imbued (vampire)
Allegiances: Belief System (Christianity), Ethical Philosphy (Law), Organization (The Ministry)
Motivations: Redemption, Reponsibility
Complications: Hatred (Created Abnormals, especially vampires), Obsession (destroying the Bloodfangs and Youngbloods before his own secret is discovered), Responsibility (Minister), Secret (Vampire)
Virtue: Justice, Faith. Jason is a man who believes. He is tireless in his efforts to stamp out what he sees as evil, and while he has precious little faith in himself, he still believes in his Lord's plan for him.
Vice: Pride, Wrath. Self-rightousness and occasional outbursts of uncontrolled anger are Jason's largest failings.
Nature: Penitent. In many ways, Jason feels responsible for the Bloodfangs and the Youngbloods, and for his own current condition.
Demeanor: Judge.

Background: The sins of the father are visited on the son, they say. This is not always the case. Sometimes, the sins of the son are visited on the father.

Father Jason Kaje is a man of faith. He is a tireless worker for the cause of The Lord, and a member of the Ministry, a group of like-minded individuals who work to rid the world of demonic forces, particularly Abnormals who were created through blasphemous science or demonic pacts. There's just one problem. Jason is dead.

Jason is the father of Vincent and Deacon Kaje. He lived by the credo of "Spare the rod, spoil the child," so his sons tended to live in quiet fear of him. Deacon did, at any rate. Vincent was Jason's problem child. He was rebellious from a young age, and Jason was at a loss for how to deal with his son's vices, especially his growing facination with The Adversary's tools. Jason's punishments stopped short of abusive, but sometimes only just. But it didn't seem to stop Vincent's slide into Satanism, and finally Jason washed his hands of Vincent, disowning him and tossing him out on the streets. Such was his arrogance that he thought his son, after seeing what homelessness was like, would see the light and give up his wickedness.

When Jason next saw his son, however, it was at the head of a gang of vampires, who broke into his house. It was immediately obvious to the minister that his son had sold his soul to the Devil, and he tried to fight back. He was no match for his son, however. His wife, bless her soul, died that night. But The Vampire Prince was not willing to let his father have the luxury of a quick death. Instead, he was fed the vampire's blood, and then left for the dawn.

Jason was ready to accept his fate and let the sun take him, but whatever curse had been laid on him was not so kind. The police had been called, and he found himself rushed to Mercy General Hospital. When the sun came, it burned, but it was a slow torture, not the fast explosion he'd been half-hoping for. When the sun set and he was still alive, he knew that he had been truely damned. He was moved to a darker ward, and his body recovered. He was eventually released from the hospital, but he had no idea what to do now.

Thoughts of staking himself were tempting, but he knew that was not a way out. God abhorred suicides. He felt trapped in his half-dead state, and returned to his job, only to find the very symbols of his faith hurt to touch. But this was his punishment, he decided, for allowing his son to fall to evil. He vowed to make amends.

He joined with the Ministry, not revealing his own powers, and now lives two secret lives. One is devoted to tracking down abnormals who break God's plan by making pacts with either demons or science to gain powers. The other is his own private torment of living with the Hunger and keeping his vampiric abilities concealed from his fellows, who might not understand his predicament. He works to bring down the Bloodfangs in any way he can, but he cannot move directly against his son, as much as he'd like to...his blood bond with his creator renders him powerless to harm Vincent directly. And so he waits, and plans, and looks for those who could offer him a chance for salvation.

[The Stray]

Rotten Hearts, Part 2: Rumble With the Cryptkickers!

"Hey! ugly!" one shouted, shoving his piece in the demon's face. "We don't know who you are, but you turn the f#c& around now or we blow you away. You dig, motherf#c&er?"

The demon slowly lowered his gaze to the insect in front of it. "Run along, little rottling," It growled, "Or I shall feed you that gun. I am here to speak to the Ghoul King himself, not his pitiful subjects."

"Doc don't see NO ugly Von Jeggett wannabes without an appointment!" The ghoul shouted, trying to sound tough. He wound up sounding more scared instead.

The demon tried not to grin. A fight with these rottlings would delay him...but they would be an excellent test of the powers it had acquired from the seal it had broken.

"Then remove me, Rottlings." It chortled. "If you can."

This one is going to be fun…I haven’t run a straight one-on-goons fight in a while. My predictions? Sgian Dubh is more built for one-on-one fights, but he has high damage output and a high toughness, and his Absorption, while low, will knock two points of damage off every strike that hits him AND give him an instant recovery check, so taking him down will be tough. However, the Ghouls were meant to be tough themselves, and can take a pasting. Since they are minions, Death and Unconsciousness are really the only damage conditions they have to worry about anyway, and so they come back from the dead. So, they’ll have a chance to wear Sgian Dubh down.

Sgian Dubh is acting as the PC for this fight, so he starts with 1 Hero Point. He’s facing a pack of ghouls in their Favored Environment, as well, so he gets another one, for a total of two. There are 10 ghouls. Since they are Minions, Sgian Dubh can take 10 to hit them if he wants.

There are two Ghouls in melee range with Sgian Dubh. The rest are inside the lair, which is a 40’ x 30’ room with the Entrance to the north and two tunnels, one leading east and the other south. Three ghouls have overturned a couch in the middle of the room and are using it as cover. Two wait on either side of the door, ready to jump whoever walks through. The remaining three are scattered throughout the room.

The demon suddenly lashed out, and the gangbanger screamed as it lifted it into the air by its ankle. The other ghoul’s eyes went wide as Sgain Dubh whipped his homie around like a club at him, and barely managed to duck the now flying mutant. The ghoul hit the side of the sewer tunnel with a sickening crunch.

“Waste him!” one of the ghouls shouted, and they opened up on him. Bullets ate into the wood and ricocheted off stone around the demon as he turned his attention to the remaining Cryptkicker in front of him. “Your friends have poor aim.” He grinned. “What a pity for you.” The ghoul whimpered.

“Doc needs to hear about this!” one of the ghouls, Skuz, muttered, and slipped down a side passage. He flipped a sign at a hidden sensor, and winced, waiting for a strike to fall…sometimes the doc turned the sensors off, so he could be assured of no interruptions. Only last week had Skuz taken a beaker full of acid to the face because the Doc didn’t want to be disturbed. Nothing happened this time, however. He let out a sigh of relief, and went to the door at the end of the hall.

Round 1

There is no surprise round, as both sides are aware of each other. Initiative is rolled; Sgian Dubh has 16, the Ghouls get 13. Sucks to be them.

Sgian Dubh opts to grab the ghoul in front of him and throw him into his buddy. He auto-succeeds his attack roll. Sgian Dubh’s grapple check is 34…The ghoul has no real chance of beating that. His throw at the other ghoul is handled as a normal attack…And Sgian Dubh gets a Nat 1. He fails to hit one ghoul with the other, and the thrown ghoul hits the sewer tunnel (a Toughness 5 stone wall). His toughness save is…13. ouch. One ghoul down.

The Ghouls go next. One of the unattached ghouls takes the south exit, to fetch Dr. Remial Mortos, who happens to be on-site. That leaves 8 ghouls to fight the demon this round. The one remaining in Melee attempts a Stun bite, but fails to connect. The two unaligned ghouls use Aid actions on one of the three ghouls behind the couch…both succeed. The Ghoul gets a total of +4 to hit. He will Combine Fire with the other two ghouls behind the couch. Only the Aided Ghoul hits, though. Sgian Dubh faces a piddly DC 18 Damage Save, reduced to 16 from his Absorption. The Healing is wasted, since Sgain Dubh isn’t injured. He rolls 4. With his toughness, that just barely makes it. The Ghouls behind the door ready Grapples for anyone who comes through.

The ghoul in front of the demon tried to run, but Sgian Dubh snatched him up and lazily tossed him towards the couch being used as cover by his homies. He crumpled as he hit the couch…but the couch held. The Crypts returned fire, but their efforts only seemed to annoy the demon.

Skuz burst into the Doctor’s lab. “Boss! We’ve got a problem!” he shouted at a dark figure hunched over a bench.

“Then…DEAL with it.” Came a snarling hiss from within the lab. “That…is what I keep you around for…is it not?” The dark figure reached out and flicked on a Bunsen burner. “I…have work…to do.”

“B-but it’s a demon! A real-live f#c&ing demon!” Skuz whimpered.

The dark figure stopped moving. “Hssssss.”

It stood a while in thought. “Bar the door. I’ll need some time.”

“But, the others…” Skuz started.

“They’re…expendable. My research…is not. End of discussion.”

“Yes, Doc.”

Round 2

Sgian Dubh isn’t done hurling Crypts yet. He grapples the remaining Melee ghoul easily, and throws him at the ghouls behind the couch. He hits, and the ghouls take his Unarmed damage. The hurled ghoul fails and is taken out of combat, but the ghoul behind cover saves.

Ghoul’s turn. The Ghoul who ran off last round contacts Remial Mortos and spends the round explaining the situation. Mortos will roll initiative next round to join this fight. Meanwhile, The two ghouls at the doorway Ready grapples again, and the others do the same Aid and Combine Fire that they did last round, with the exact same results. Boy, these ghouls are rolling horribly tonight.

Slimy, scaly hands begin to work fast, assembling pieces and mixing components with practiced easy. Skuz nervously watched the door as his master worked, listening to the sounds of the demon tearing up his friends in the next room.

In a flash of hellfire, the monster vanished from the corridor, only to appear next to the three frightened ghouls behind the overturned sofa. Four massive arms lash out around the apparent leader of the group, lifting him high into the air before pinning him beneath the demon's bulk. The Crypts rushed the hellish beast, biting and clawing. They open up a few wounds, but the tears in the demon's hide close almost as fast as they open.

Round 3.

Remial Mortos rolls 19 for initiative, modified to 18 thanks to his penalty. He Fiats to begin an Invention. He opts to create a 10 rank Exorcism effect, flawed to Ranged range. It will take him 10 rounds to build. He makes a Craft (Chemicals) check, DC 25…Rolls a Nat 1, but his Second Chance kicks in, and he rolls an 18, for a whopping 40. He also orders his minion to bar the door and block it. Sgian Dubh gains a Hero Point for the Fiat.

Sgian Dubh decides to be flashy. He activates his Teleport, and arrives behind the couch. He grapples the ghoul who’d been benefiting from all the Aid actions. He opts to Pin the hapless ghoul.

Ghouls go next. The ones who had readied actions opt to charge the demon, as do the two who had been aiding. The four ghouls gain +2 Attack, -2 Defense. The two behind the couch don’t have the luxury of charging, so they attempt Stun bites. Three of the charging ghouls connect, but the Stunning ghouls don’t. Sgain Dubh faces 3 DC 19 toughness saves. The first one succeeds, The second one fails by 5, rendering him Stunned, Bruised, and Injured, but a recovery check from his absorption removes the Injured condition and the last toughness save succeeds. The Ghoul in Mortos’s lab spends the round fortifying the door.

"Annoying insects" the demon growled, grabbing another ghoul with two of his free hands. He lifted the mutant off the ground, his powerful limbs bulging. There is a crack as the ghoul's spine gives out, and the demon tosses the limp boday away like a rag doll. "Pathetic, really." Sgian Dubh growled. "I would have thought you to be tougher, given your reputations."

The ghouls trapped beneath the demon whimpered and tried to crawl away, but he had no leverage. The others bite and claw in furious anger, but the scratches they inflict only seem to make the monster stronger.

Round 4

Remial continues working on his device. He has 9 rounds left. This part of his lair has a toughness save of 15 and has an Obscure against Accurate Teleports. It also has a PL 10 Defensive system.

Sgian Dubh shakes off the stun with a Hero Point, and maintains his pin on the Cryptkicker. He opts to grab another one with a free hand. This one, too, is caught. Instead of pinning, he decides to simply crush it. The ghoul fails his save miserably, leaving only 5 ghouls able to fight him.

The ghoul in his pin tries and fails to escape the pin. The ghouls try a Combined Attack with their stun bites, but only two connect. Sgian Dubh is immune to poison anyway, and the Ghoul bites have a poison descriptor. He still has to save against the secondary effects of the bite he suffered last round, though…and while he heals from his remaining bruised condition, he rolls a 3 and burns a hero point to re-roll, leaving him with a single HP left. Meanwhile, the Ghoul in Mortos’ lab readies a beaker of Acid and waits for the demon to break down the door.

The demon grabbed another ghoul, and then began to move southwards towards the tunnel. The mutants struggeld in his iron grip while the others tried to pry their frinds loose.

Round 5

Remial has 8 rounds left on his device. He continues working.

Sgian Dubh grapples yet another Ghoul, and maintains his pin on the first. He pins this one, too…he has two other arms to attack with. He then moves towards the south tunnel.

The 4 remaining ghouls decide to attack en masse again. None of them roll above 11.

"W-what do you want with us?" shrieked one of the ghouls as the demon latched on to yet another one. "Why don't you just kill us and get it over with?"

"Because this corridor is probably trapped." Sgian Dubh grunted. "And I need ammunition."

The mutant shrieked as the demon raised his arm high...

Round 6

7 rounds left on Remial’s device.

Sgain Dubh maintains his pins and grabs a third ghoul, which he pins as well.

The three remaining ghouls suddenly realize what he’s planning and back off out of melee range. The other three struggle to escape their pins, but are stuck fast. The retreating ghouls draw flasks of Acid.

Flying without the aid of wings, the ghoul smashed into the iron door at the end of the corridor. He struggled to his feet, but before he could give the correct sign to the sensors, flasks of acid dropped from the cealing, and he scremed as his rotten flesh fell compltely away from his bones.

The other ghouls stared in shock for a moment before redoubling their efforts. They tossed beakers of acid at the demon, who simply bated them out of the air.

Round 7

6 rounds left on Remial’s device.

Sgain Dubh hefts one of his pinned ghouls and hurls it down the tunnel towards the iron door at the end. This activates the Defensive system, which attacks the hapless ghoul. The ghoul survives the attack, only to smash into the door at the end…and he’s down.

The three ghouls Combine Fire with their Acid…two natural 1’s and a 4. Spectacular. The Ghouls in the demon’s grasp struggle futilely to escape.

Sgian Dubh grinned evilly and lobbed a gout of Hellfire at the mechanism. The Abyss-born flames burned fiercely, but the mechanism held. The demon huffed in annoyance...and then hissed in pain as a beaker of acid broke over his hide. "You will pay for that insult!" he growled, turning to the remaining ghouls.

Round 8

5 rounds left on the device. Remial keeps working.

Sgian Dubh switches his Array to a blast and lobs it at the defensive mechanism he spotted earlier. He hits, but the device rolls a Nat 20 toughness save, and I rule that it has a toughness of 5, so it only takes a hit. –1 to its toughness. He continues maintaining the pins.

The remaining Crypts again Combine Fire, and this time two actually hit him. His Absorption cancels out the increased damage, so the DC is only 17. Sgian Dubh, however, rolls a 2, and thus takes a Bruised and Injured hit. He also gets really, really angry.

Hellish green flames pooled in the demon's hands as he eyed the mutants. Volly after volly of hellfire bolts slammed into the room, leaving nothing behind but the angry stench of brimstone and the lingering moans of dying Crypts. The two ghouls remaining in the demon's grasp watched the monster charbroil their compatriots in silence, knowing they would soon follow.

Round 9

4 rounds left on that device…man, the Jury-Rigging rules kinda suck. I might have to give Mortos the actual Gadgets power.

Sgian Dubh has had more than enough of these Ghouls, so he’s going to take them all out. He uses Extra Effort to AP a Touch-Range, Targeted Cone Area Hellfire attack. He easily hits all the ghouls, and their toughness DC is 27. None succeed.

He makes his save against the Secondary Acid effect, and his Absorption removes his Lethal hit. The two pinned ghouls try to escape their grapple to no avail. He has them stuck fast.

Another gout of hellfire smashes into the defense mechanism in the corridor. Sgian Dubh grunts in satisfaction, and raises one of the ghouls high again. The ghoul struggles...his shirt tears...and, for a fleeting instant, the ghoul is almost free! But then the demon tighens his grip, his razor-sharp claws peeling away rotten, scaly flesh, and the ghoul realizes he is doomed.

Round 10

Another round is spent on the device…3 round left.

Sgain Dubh spends his final Hero Point to shake off the fatigue, and hurls another ball of hellfire at the Defense system. He hits, and it breaks.

The two remaining ghouls try once more to escape the pin…and expend extra effort to boost its check by two. One ALMOST succeeds…but Sgian Dubh has improved Pin, so the success is turned into a failure. The ghouls are boned.

The ghoul flies through the corridor, narrowly avoiding yet another trap. He twists just before he hits the door, and manages to roll with the impact. He stands and grins, aiming his gun at the demon. "Whatcha gonna do now, fool?" he crowed.

Then he saw the demon's grin, and remembered that he had no where to go. His smile faded.

"Catch." Sgian Dubh chortled, and hurled the last ghoul at him. The two collided with a sickening crunch, and collapsed in a heap. The demon lazily wandered down the now defenseless corridor.

"Remial Mortos! I demand an audiance!" he bellowed, and began to pound on the iron doorway.

Round 11

2 rounds left for the device. Remial is in the home stretch now.

Sgian Dubh hurls one captive at the door again, trying to trip any remaining defensive devices. This ghoul actually avoids a Snare trap, and rolls a Nat 20 on his Toughness save to avoid being whacked by the door!

He rolls into a crouch, pulls his gun, and grins…but he’s trapped between the demon and the doorway. The other ghoul struggles weakly in the demon’s grasp.

Round 12

1 round until the device is finished. About damn time.

Sgian Dubh hurls the last ghoul at the one at the doorway. CRACK! The two collide. Neither make their save, and collapse into broken heaps. The minion fight is officially over.

The Winner: Sgian Dubh. Yikes. That was one long exercise in futility for the Cryptkickers. The demon managed to take down one almost every round, even when he was just playing around. I defiantly need to spruce up their build and let them heal quicker, because they seem to go down and stay down just like regular minions.

On the other hand, Sgian Dubh’s absorption was monstrous, even at low levels. Not only did it zap a couple of damage from him with every strike, it also healed him with every hit! He’s going to be a tough monkey to put down for good, that’s for sure.

Up next: Sgian Dubh confronts The Ghoul King!

[The Stray]

Coming Soon!

The Conclusion of Rotten Hearts!

Doppelganger, infiltrator and agent provocateur of the Brotherhood of the Third Eye!

The Outlaws, Drake City's street-level saviors!

The Patriot Society, the US Government's homegrown superteam!

The continuation of the Three Years Earlier storyline!

[Wordmaker]

Cool. Pretty hefty bout there.

[The Stray]

Meh, Rolling up the fight got kinda dull about the fourth round or so, when it became painfully apparent that the ghouls couldn't hurt him. And I got to see just how much the current jury-rigging rule suck for coming up with cool stuff on the fly.

OTOH, it was fun to throw ghouls down a corridor.

[Wordmaker]

Yeah, GM fiats, Extra Effort, and Hero Points are really the best way to pull off quickie devices in combat. Jury-Rigging's only really worthwhile before combat starts.

[Sunbear]

Damn dude. Your stuff is just blowing me away.

You need to compile a bunch of it and make a PDF or word doc. I could print it out and read it. I hate reading stuff sitting in front of the PC.

[The Stray]

Damn dude. Your stuff is just blowing me away.

You need to compile a bunch of it and make a PDF or word doc. I could print it out and read it. I hate reading stuff sitting in front of the PC.

I have no idea how to make a PDF. I have make some Word documents, though. I might eventually make some compilations. How would one make a PDF, anyway?

[Novac]

Damn dude. Your stuff is just blowing me away.

You need to compile a bunch of it and make a PDF or word doc. I could print it out and read it. I hate reading stuff sitting in front of the PC.

I have no idea how to make a PDF. I have make some Word documents, though. I might eventually make some compilations. How would one make a PDF, anyway?

I think you need the full version of Adobie Acrobat. I know on Word docs I just click a button and it makes it into a pdf for me. I know I have the full version running around somewhere on my HD.

[The Stray]

The Outlaws

The Watchmen have been a force in Drake City for most of its history, in some form or another, but they are not the only team of concerned citizens in town.

In 2020, Robin Kingsley, AKA the vigilante "Nighthood," was arrested for a murder he did not commit by an overzealous ARD agent and his gang of personal thugs. He escaped to find the real killer, working with the Watchmen to bring down the Abnormal serial killer known as The Sandman. The Sandman confessed to framing Nighthood, and it only seemed to be a matter of time before Robin would be cleared of the charge, but The Sandman escaped again, and when he was cornered, Eric Lang, the leader of the Watchmen, dropped him down an elevator shaft rather than risk him escaping again.

This act formed a rift between Robin and the rest of the Watchmen. Though he had been cleared of the murder charge, he had several Grand Larceny charges against him as well as an escape charge from his break-out. He also came to feel that Eric Lang's Watchmen were more concerned about dealing with Abnormals and didn't focus enough on the common man, so he went into hiding in the Hellhole, where the local police rarely ventured. He decided to try and work on the problem on the inside, and went recruiting his own team of abnormals.

He named this team The Outlaws, and, true to form, the team is not registered with the Virginia Code of Vigilance. The team consists of a few core members and various allies and hangers-on. Their main goal is to act as a buffer between the various gangs and they have been trying to drive out the Bloodfangs and the Cryptkickers for years. Their gains have been minor to date, and some politicos have leveled criticism at them for operating mostly like another gang themselves. In particular, Councilman Jimmy Farvo has been a vocal and persistent enemy of the Outlaws.

The Outlaws are the street-level heroes of Drake City. They typically leave larger threats like Nemesis or Holocaust to the ARD or the Watchmen, and focus on wrecking the plans of the gang leaders Remial Mortos and Vincent Kaje and avoiding the machinations of Dark-Hawke Industries, Pentex, and The Smith Foundation.