The Modern Dispatch 062 - Suddenly...A Whiff of Gas, Podreczniki RPG, The Modern Dispatch
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The
Modern
Dispatch
Suddenly... A Whiff of Gas!
By David Cheever
Introduction
This issue of
Modern Dispatch
is another
example of Adamant Entertainmentʼs
Suddenly...Encounters
for the D20 Pulp line,
Thrilling Tales. Suddenly...Encounters
feature a brief encounter, a discussion of how
characters might interact with it, and an array of
elements you can introduce to further complicate
the situation. You can use the supplement to
jumpstart a stalled situation or as a jumping off
point for an entirely new adventure.
About
#
62
Content Manager:
Charles Rice, Chris Davis
Layout:
Chris Davis
Thrilling Tales
is Adamant Entertainment’s
line of pulp-genre gaming products for using
with Modern D20. The line features Advanced
Classes representing the major pulp hero
archetypes, a Gamemaster’s Guide, adventures
and supplements (including
Suddenly...
Encounters
, which features more encounters in
the style presented in this issue).
This issue introduces another staple of pulp
adventures - a sudden gas attack designed to
impair or even silently kill. The characters must
scramble to defeat this sudden and insidious
attack. Once the immediate threat of the gas has
passed they can look to assist innocent victims
and determine who was behind it.
Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying
Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Suddenly...
The Set Up:
At the conclusion of a
dayʼs activities, the characters gather at a
neighborhood diner. Updates about the dayʼs
activities are exchanged and the conversation
flows easily. After a time the conversation moves
away from business and on to mutual interests
and personal topics. Gradually the characters
lose awareness of the other individuals in the
diner and events going on around them.
d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the
United States and other countries and are used
with permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20
System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms
of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy
of this License can be found at www.wizards.
com/d20.
Suddenly...a whiff of gas!
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At times characters, especially when allowed to
assume some degree of control over the ongoing
flow of the campaign, fall into a pattern of
creating detailed plans for every encounter and
attempting to micro-manage their environment.
At these times the gamesmaster should remind
them that they will never be in full in control
of their destiny and the events proceeding
around them. With every success comes a
bit of notoriety and life will seek them out in
unplanned ways. They will not be able to control
events as suddenly...
unconscious in the next few rounds. Allow
any player characters within the diner to hold
their breath for a number of rounds equal to
their Constitution. After this period of time,
the character may attempt to continue holding
their breath by making a Constitution check
(DC 10) every round. Each round, the DC of the
Constitution check increases by 1.
to force the characters to make split second
decisions without any time for discussion
or to plan a coordinated effort. You should
allow them to communicate their reactions
to you without allowing them to coordinate
verbally with each other. Attempt to have the
characters demonstrate their basic strengths
and weaknesses. Which characters will run and
which will attempt to aid others in the diner?
Who will attempt to take charge and either fail
or succeed? This is a situation in which they can
fail and not suffer any long-term consequences,
but it should serve to remind them of their own
mortality.
Remember that holding their breath will
preclude any form of communication other than
passing written notes and body gestures. Any
attempt to speak to each other will immediately
end that characterʼs attempt to hold their
breath and in the following round they will fall
unconscious from the effects of the gas. The
gas although a lurid color is a simple, although
strong, knockout gas and will cause no long-
term impairment to the characters.
The Event:
A loud crash draws the characters
attention as a mechanical automaton crashes
through a wall of the diner. A large cloud of dust
briefly obscures the metal man but as it clears
the characters are able to make out the remnants
of a large glass container built into the chest of
the metal monster. A bilious yellow cloud leaks
from the container driven by fans mounted on
the shoulders of the automaton. At this point the
characters begin to react.
Things That Happen...
During the automatonʼs assault you can use the
following images:
1. The good-looking waitress who has been
Story Structure:
This encounter is designed
D20 Event:
A recommended stat block for
the automaton is included at the end of this
document. Throughout the encounter the
automaton will be attempting to penetrate further
into the diner and toward the target assigned
by its controller. Do not be afraid to move the
assault forward in real time even to the point of
allowing the characters to freeze in indecision or
squabble with each other.
The encounter starts with a surprise round,
which will allow the gas to overcome most
NPCs near the automaton and the rest will fall
Suddenly...a whiff of gas!
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serving the characters is quickly overcome
by the gas and sprawls awkwardly on the
floor spilling a large amount of small change
noisely across the floor.
This option will be most successful if the actions
of a player character toward other individuals
have passed beyond the standards of good taste
held by the majority of the group. It can serve as
a reminder of the heavy weight that they bear as
public figures and object of attention. It can also
be utilized to introduce new characters into the
group.
duel of wits with the characters and the public
at large he wishes to increase their anxiety by
proclaiming his intentions to the world. In this
situation the automaton will move across the
diner amid a loud martial march coming from
speakers within the metal man. The target will
receive notice of a “Duel of Wits” to end in their
public embarrassment and the end of their life.
2. The fans mounted on the shoulders of the
automaton blow food and papers across the
diner adding to the confusion and .
3. A couple in one of the corner booths
immediately embrace and indulge a heartfelt
and deep final kiss as the gas approaches.
Attention Seeking:
The person controlling
the automaton is seeking to gain notoriety
and attention for their own purpose or project.
Dramatic and impulsive by nature the individual
selects this method to announce his greatness
and glory to the world. The target of the
automaton will be a character or NPC employed
as a newspaper reporter or columnist. The
progress of the automaton across the diner will
be accompanied by a loud fanfare of music
coming from speakers within the metal man. The
target will receive a “Press Release” extolling
the genius of the automatonʼs creator and
promising further revelations to astound all.
This option will work most effectively if
the characters are publicly acknowledged as
guardians or protectors of the inhabitants of
the city where they live. Anything less than
a public acceptance of the challenge would
serve to lower them in the eyes of the public
and change the course of their activities. It can
also be effective when the characters are not
responsible at all for the events, which led up
to the challenge. Unjustly accused or not they
are still forced to defend themselves or face the
consequences.
Encounter Goals and Variations:
The automaton is being directed by an individual
outside of the diner toward a specific individual
inside the diner. The automaton, unless stopped
by the characters, will approach that individual
and leave a hand-written message on or near
them. If stopped before reaching the individual
or if the character manages to remain conscious,
the automaton will throw the message toward
them as a final gesture before fleeing or
shutting down entirely. The individual serving
as the focus of the attack and the nature of the
individual controlling the automaton will be
determined by which of the suggested motives
or variations is selected.
Unrequited Love:
One of the characters or
another individual in the diner is the target of an
unrequited love. The automaton moves toward
this individual and lays a single rose and a
brief poem of love beside them once they fall
unconscious. In addition, the gas is scented with
a perfume or cologne favored by the individual.
What Happens Next...
Eventually the characters will stop the
automaton or the device will complete its
delivery and flee. The characters, even if they
flee from the diner, will not see the controller of
the automaton who must be the focus of their
future efforts. Several possible options for future
actions by the characters are offered for each of
the three basic situations.
This option will work best if the characters have
achieved a level of public notoriety and fame
within the local community. Their hard-won
fame will be used in a cheap attempt to bolster
that of another individual. Soon or later the
characters will be forced into action simply to
preserve their name and reputation.
The Cut Direct:
The person controlling the
automaton is using this very public event to
announce his intention of seeking revenge on
those who have personally harmed him or his
associates. Before engaging in a no holds-barred
Unrequited Love:
Following the encounter the
characters will need to determine the true source
of the attack and begin to search for any possible
individuals behind the attack.
Suddenly...a whiff of gas!
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The
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UL1)
A former intimate friend of the
targeted character has allowed envy and
jealousy to taint their relationship. Watching
as the characterʼs star continues to quickly
rise while remaining in obscurity has driven
the friend into increasingly irrational acts
to win back the love and attention of the
character. The controller of the automaton
was hired and paid well for his services, but
does not know the identity of his client.
heroically rescue their romantic interest.
The fact that the characters were in the diner
is only incidental.
Attention Seeking:
By the very nature of this
sort of event, future episodes will continue to
escalate in degree and seriousness as the need
for ever more attention grows. The characters
will need to resolve this quickly to avoid having
innocents brought into danger and also to limit
damage to their own reputations.
AS4)
The automaton which crashed into
the diner is only one of several created for
a large budget movie set to open in the near
future. Although the entire scene was staged
to generate publicity for the movie, the film
company which owns the automaton will not
accept responsibility, claiming instead that it
was the action of a single crazed lover who
had access to the automaton.
AS1)
The scorned lover of one of the
characters has approached a local publisher
who agreed to hire a local inventor to stage
the event. His paper will have exclusive
photographs and the complete behind the
scenes story of the scorned lover. The
scorned lover will have their revenge in a
most public way.
UL2)
The builder and controller of the
automaton has a “fatal attraction” for the
targeted character. While the characters
might possibly recognize the face on the
controller as someone they have seen
before, the characters have had no previous
interaction with the stalker. The stalker will
continue to step up the extravagance of the
gestures and eventually attempt to kidnap
the character unless stopped.
The Cut Direct:
This encounter will only be
the first in a series of ongoing events and lead
into a long-term rivalry between the characters
and the group behind the assault. In true
“heroic” fashion neither side will ever be truly
vanquished once and for all, but each will serve
as a permanent thorn in the side of the other.
AS2)
A rural inventor has decided to shake
the dust of rural life from his shoes and
showcase his skills on a stage appropriate
to his stature. He has read of the characters
in the papers and created this scene to gain
publicity for his automaton. His next step
will be to offer his automaton and skills to
the police or local politicians in an attempt
to serve the “good people of this fair city.”
CD1)
A large local paramilitary
organization, frustrated by the characters
several time in the past has seized upon this
opportunity to publicly display their new
hardware and collect a little payback at the
same time. As the characters deserve to
suffer for a time before any “final solution”,
automaton attacks on the characters will
continue, gradually increasing in both
the degree of violence and frequency. In
addition, as the organization hopes to raise
the fear level within the city bystanders and
incidental victims will not be spared their
righteous fury.
UL3)
A low-level assistant to famed
inventor in the city has taken advantage
of the inventorʼs visit to another city and
purloined the automaton designed by his
boss. While the characters are familiar with
the inventor and his creations it seems very
unlikely that he would be sending love notes
with one of his automatons.
AS3)
A gang of bank robbers have stolen
an automaton from an inventor in a distant
city. In an attempt to divert attention from
their real goal and to test the functioning of
the automaton they have created this scene.
If the automaton was successful in knocking
out the inhabitants of the diner and escaping,
their next step will be to rob a local bank.
UL4)
One of the characters is the actual
builder of the automaton. He has hired
an acquaintance unknown to the other
characters to stage to assault and deliver
a love note to his secret love. The gas is
designed to give the character a chance to
CD2)
The son of an inventor investigated
Suddenly...a whiff of gas!
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by the characters has chosen this moment to
announce his intention to avenge the death
of his father. Although his father committed
suicide in a very public manner, the son is
convinced that the characters drove him to
it. As his revenge is intensely personal, great
lengths will be taken to ensure that none
but the characters receive any permanent
harm, but the frequency of the attacks and
encounters will sharply increase and serve
to frustrate any other plans the characters
might have for that time in an attempt to
drive them to the same end as his father.
CD3)
A corrupt politician exposed by the
crusading character with many friends still
employed by the local police is seeking
revenge by destroying the reputation of the
characters. Rather than attempt to kill them
he wishes to have them publicly disgraced
and rendered impotent in the public eye.
Every attempt will be made to make them
pariahs among the public by destroying
people and property in the vicinity of the
characters, but their lives will not be taken
unless by accident.
studded with a multitude of flashing lights and
mechanical relays. The legs and appendages are
in pairs equally spaced around the body of the
automaton.
Automaton: CR 5;
Large construct; HD
6d10+20; hp 55; Mas -; Init -1; Spd 25 ft;
Defense 14 (-1 Size, +5 equipment), touch 9,
flatfooted 14; BAB +4; Grp +15; Atk
+8 melee (1D4+7 nonlethal, 3 pincers) or +8
melee (1D3+7 nonlethal, probe); FS 10 ft x 10
ft; Reach 10 ft.; SQ construct traits; AL owner;
SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0; AP 0; Rep +0; Str
24, Dex 11, Con -, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 5.
CD4)
A group of rivals to the characters
have staged the entire event in an attempt
to discredit the characters in the public eye
and publicly humiliate them. The gloves
are now off and it is open war between the
groups. Every effort will be made to upstage
and outshine the characters in any future
endeavor that they undertake.
Locomotion:
Multiple Legs (5)
Manipulators:
Pincers (3), Probe (1)
Armor:
Alumisteel Armor
Sensors:
Class II Sensor System
Skill Software:
Skill Chip Demolitions (8
ranks), Skill Chip Search (8 ranks)
Ability Upgrade:
Dexterity Upgrade (+2) ;
Strength Upgrade (+4)
Accessories:
Fire Extinguisher (modified to hold
and eject gas); AV Transmitter, Internal Storage
Unit, Speakers, Fans
Character Information:
The description below supplies the capabilities
and skills of the automaton. These abilities can
easily be modified to fit the needs of a specific
campaign or to better match the strengths of the
characters in your group.
The automaton is a large mechanical skeleton or
armature with four legs and four appendages (3
pincers and 1 probe). It stands about 66 inches
high with the four articulated legs making up the
bottom 46 inches of height and the body being
the top 20 inches. The body is spherical and
Suddenly...a whiff of gas!
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