AJ made a submission to Auto Crit’s Short Story Challenge last month. This is a bit not about me! But it’s actually a game play and we’ll share that too.
The human body contains sixty percent water — on average. In our modern day, end of the world scenario, water is more of a treasure than the gold of era’s past. It’s funny what you think about as you root around in the dirt and debris of this desolate land.
While tossing a rock to the side, the water I sipped made me think how precious all water is. A singular drop fell on the hot red rock I stood above. I winced in pain like it had hurt me more than a drop of my blood dripping from a deadly wound might. If someone saw they’d be scrambling to chase the steam and then scold me for my careless behavior.
No one was around. I was alone. Or so I thought, a scream from nearby pierced through the darkening cloud covered sky. I should mind my own business.
I’m a good guy at heart. At least that’s what I tell myself every morning I get to open my eyes. We must fake it till we make it, right?
I dash through the dust covered street looking for a way through to the other side. The opening was small, but I squeezed through. The rising dust storm was partial cover, but in this barren landscape it might not be enough to stay out of trouble. Another reason I should get the hell out of dodge and mind my own business. Slowly, I crept along until I saw the disturbance ahead.
The woman screamed again, drawing my eye to the scuffle going on. A ragged clothed ghoul with long claws and black ooze dripping from long teeth cornered the woman against a rock outcropping that might have once been a wall, or steel structure of some sort.
She was familiar. She was part of the last encampment I had ventured in to, to sell some scavenged goods. Except I’m pretty sure she was part of the crowd that chased me out when I got caught with my hand in someone else’s stash. Such is the life of a scavenger. Welcome until we get caught.
The spiteful guy inside me thought she’d get what she deserved. The good guy in me drew an arrow from the quiver of my hip. I knocked it to the bow and let loose. The wind picked up, shifted the trajectory and the arrow sunk into the wall beside the woman’s left ear. She screamed again as the ghoul’s claws sank into her body.
I readied another arrow and loosed it. The second arrow sank into the ghoul’s left shoulder. It howls in pain, but it doesn’t stop its claws from slashing across the woman’s throat and she falls to the ground. Well, fuck!
The ghoul’s dark eyes shift as it lops towards me in the rising wind. I have barely enough time to draw my machete before the ghoul is upon me and the cold burning rain falls from the sky. Lightning strikes nearby and the crack of thunder knocks us apart. The creature’s claws fan out. A gust of wind snags the claw, and my machete embeds into the creature. It roars in pain.
We do the same dance again. The dust and rain kept its claws from my body while the machete had an advantage and sunk into the body. The winds shifted and my next blow misses, my advantage gone.
The muscles in my arm tire as I whittle away at the ghoul, keeping it at bay. With every strike, its skin knits together while I watch.
Our battle rages on, and a cry of anguish, pain and rage shattered the sound of the falling rain. Out of the corner of my eye, a young girl who looks like the fallen woman bears down on us with a knife raised.
“Stay back!” I shouted.
It was too late.
The ghoul breathed its last breath, the squelching and sucking sound they made on death began its sickening song. It was a horror story waiting to happen. The girl reached us just as the eyeball popped out of the ghoul’s corpse and followed with a fleshy explosion, spewing toxic acid all over us.
The rain washed most of it from my armor and body. Only small patches landed on my skin and the flesh oozed, but was only just damaged. I was fine, but the girl. She lay dead in a pool of goo left by the ghoul’s explosion.
Kneeling down beside her, I sighed. “I told you to stay back.”
I rummaged through her corpse. Everything about her said poor. The child had no belongings or food in her pockets and the arrow that landed on the ghoul was nothing but blown up bits.
I retrieved the arrow from the wall and searched the woman’s body. She carried a pair of night goggles I slung over my neck. If anything, they’d fetch some food and water — nothing else of note except the rolled-up piece of paper I found in her back pocket.
The wind and the rain soaked the paper as I unfurled it to examine the contents — an old flyer for a motel northeast of here. It wasn’t the restful place that caught my attention; it was the hand drawn symbol of water in the upper right-hand corner that told me water was nearby. This was a map of sorts.
The paper was old and brittle, and the acid ate through it. So much for my treasure map. I knew where that place was — I found no signs of water. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough? Or…
It didn’t matter I needed shelter. The sun would set soon, and it was even more dangerous at night.
The flapping canvas of where the girl had emerged was gone, lost in a gust of wind. The entrance was nothing more than a hole in the ground. A place to hide from the sun and rain, but now the canvas was gone, and it was pointless.
Before I can even begin to find this so-called treasure, I need a safe space to sleep for the night. The scent carried on the wind from the north speaks of death and rot and likely where the ghoul came from. So instead, I headed east. At least partially in the direction the map said to go.
I searched for hours, but in this desolate land that I call home, well home for now, someone else picked through the zone. Sometimes, you get lucky and find a stash that someone else thought they hid well enough.
Today, I was that lucky someone to find someone else’s stash. In a stone outcropping that was probably debris from an old building, I found a cache of MREs, enough for six people for a week or for little old me — 42 days. Forty-fucking-two days of eating well. Do you know what that means?
My backpack could only hold so much. With what room I had, I filled it with food and water — thirteen days’ worth, by my calculations. It would be so worth it. Though, I could probably make that last a month if I tried. I was gonna eat like a king!
I returned the site back to its former glory of when I arrived. Maybe the last owners abandoned it, but probably not — a professional scavenger knows not to leave things looking like a stash. It’s dangerous for many reasons. Your stuff getting jacked was number one on that list.
Not long after finding the cache, I stumbled upon a distant light. The rain fell and the dust flying about still hid my location. I crept up on their tents and listened to the conversations.
“I wonder where Becky went? Sarah followed her,” one man said, followed by another. A third man echoed, “We should go find them. It’s getting dark.”
The men slunk off into the shadows and I shimmied around their tents. A sleeping man snored at the fire underneath a large-brimmed hat. A small, steady stream of water from his hat’s brim pelted upon the thick mustache. He’d wake to a painful surprise. Not that it mattered much, what was another scar added to his pock-marked face? Men like him meant survival. He probably killed more men than I had any right to know.
These were the folks I’d run from earlier this week. Payback was a bitch.
I snagged a bag from one of their tents before I scampered off in a northerly direction — away from the men who’d left and toward my water hole. Not that I believed it to be true, but one could only hope to find such a dream — water. Water that didn’t burn you. That was life.
Some distance away, when I can no longer see the light from their fire, I open the pack and check inside. Most of it’s garbage I don’t care about, but the simple med-kit I tuck into my bag. The rest can stay in the shadow of the falling light. With the water and MREs I found earlier, my load was more than I liked, but I couldn’t pass up that deal. No way. I hated leaving all the rest behind.
The sun was hours from setting and I hunt high and low for a place to crash for the night. The rain finally stops falling and I can hear the thunder in the distance, threatening a repeat, but in the failing light, the clouds are breaking up. That’s wonderful news, except tomorrow will be a hot day. No clouds meant the blaring sun striking your skin — a worse thing than the acidic rain that falls from the sky.
A tower comes into view, and I skirt around the edges. The tower might work, except for the large man asleep against the entrance. A guard meant safety, but also others. I wasn’t in the mood to share, so I moved on. I didn’t want a fight.
More time passes and the smell of smoke perfumed the air. A fire. A shout from the distance pulls me towards it — again, that good guy in me wants to help.
A hand sticking up from a fallen building, the surrounding fire diminished, but it’s still burning. I try to help — I do. I can barely lift the beams.
“Help!” cried the trapped man. “Help me!”
I didn’t bother saying I was trying as I lifted again. The soft sound of cracking grew louder. The roof tumbling down. Now I’m fast, but I’m not that fast — I tripped over debris and the roof pins my foot beneath it.
Holy shit, that hurt! I wiggle my toes, at least it’s not broken.
The man I was trying to help fell silent. I didn’t help at all, and now I’m trapped. I try to lift the beam.
The sun is below the horizon, and the shadows are deep. The sounds of the wild creatures emerging are all around me and I have no place to go, even if the beam did not trap me underneath its still burning weight.
I try again. It’s no use. I’m not that strong.
Slurping sounds grow near. Fuck! I lift again.
Snick.
A soft cracking sound emanates from the beam.
The moon provides no light, and the only sound is that of the slow slurp of a slithering ooze that is heading towards me. I can almost feel its acid touch on my skin, but it’s just the burning sensation left over from the rain.
I lift again. A sudden burst of energy and the beam breaks in two. The fire damage giving me an advantage for once. I scramble up just in time to see the yellow glow of the ooze inch around a fallen beam. I run. Nothing more I can do but run. My leg hurts, and I run until I can’t breathe.
The ooze doesn’t move fast, and I’m pretty sure I’m safe. Safe, at least for now.
I try to catch some sleep, but I can only manage a few moments before I feel the need to find some place safer.
A few more hours pass before I stumble, literally, into a hole in the ground. It’s not so much a hole as a cavern that starts at the ground and into the depths of the walls behind. A root cellar of some old place, maybe? It’s safe and dry, and looks like someone used it before as shelter.
I curl up in the blankets in the corner, and I sleep off the day’s events. I’m so exhausted.
The day dawns and afternoon approaches. I slept nearly twelve hours trying to catch up on much needed sleep. This was a rare find. I’d have to remember it if I stuck around the area for long.
Back on the route to the motel on the flyer. I remembered where it was still, but the image was fading from my mind. Doubt crept in as the sun beat down upon my brow. Pearls of sweat beaded on my forehead.
I wolfed down a packet of food as I walked towards the motel and sipped at the water. It was a decent day, despite it all. I didn’t need to scavenge. I had more than enough food for days, and shelter to go back to. Only thing left to do — find that water. That glorious, precious water we all needed so much to live.
The giant red ball of the hotel came into view. It had fallen long past and was nothing more than just a fallen bit of debris, but it was still iconic. The place itself was standing still, which meant it was a hub of activity. A place to be wary of.
Walking around the outside made my spine shiver. Strange sounds echoed all around, creaking and cracking and the often lost on the wind sounds that my mind turned into words. Phantom music drifted on the air. Ghosts might be real, though I’d yet to see anything out of the ordinary. Just my mind playing tricks on me in this heat.
I walk around the backside and find myself behind canisters of something that smelled awful. Like refuse, fecal awful. Beyond the barrels are 5 bodies, human men and women in a cage. Several others outside.
Men carrying spears. Women walking the perimeter. I hid in the barrels so they can’t see me outright. A man sitting in a beat up modified truck with spikes and metal looked fearsome, and he gnawed on an arm.
Cannibals!
It was a horrid practice — eating other men and women. No call for it. One needs to draw a line somewhere. That was my line.
I had to do something. I was a good guy, remember? A mantra I kept telling myself, even as I’m jerry-rigging a timer out of the bits of junk I’d picked up. Making bombs wasn’t my forte, but it’s worked in the past.
The barrels were as good as any for a place to place the bomb. Nearly half the barrels were propane. Fuel was as precious as water, but I didn’t care — I’d blow it to kingdom-come to rid the world of flesh eating monsters.
Except what was supposed to be a bomb is merely a fire. A time ill-conceived fire. The cannibals all react and I try to run away in all the confusion.
One of them catches me by the scruff of my neck and hollers. “Iz gotz me a skinny one,” he sniffs me and drags me off towards the cage the others are in and tosses me like a rag doll across the way.
Well, fuck me!
My things are still with me. They didn’t even bother to take it. Hell, the others in the cage still had their things, too. Why hadn’t they freed themselves yet? Where they a-bunch-of-no-gooders. People who’d given up on life. It’s not that hard out here — not so much as to be eaten alive by fucking cannibals!
No fucking way someone’s eating me. At least, not in an unfathomable way— of course, I could imagine other things. Things that were long overdue, but those weren’t thoughts for now. For later. For when I met someone. Good luck, I told myself.
Five other people were in this cage with me. Most of them watched the tall lanky guy in the corner who was muttering to himself. I watched for a long while with nothing else to do, anyway. Well, except maybe plan to get the fuck out of this place before I lost an arm or a leg.
I sat down next to an older looking man. He might be their leader. When he shied away from me, I was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. “Anyone know of a way out of here?” I asked softly.
The man moved away from me and continued to watch the man off by himself. I sighed. “Suit yourself.”
I got up and walked over to the man alone. “Got a plan?”
He grabbed my throat, and the others had to pull him off while the cannibals watched, laughing at us. We were doing the work for them — the killing each other; I meant.
A bell sounded, and a man came out of the motel behind us, a crowd of other cannibals behind him. The auction was about to start. I wondered what kind of currency they used. What was I worth? A ham? Or a bottle of water. I almost wanted to stick around and find out.
When the door opened and a cannibal came into grab one of us, I made a run for it. I slashed with my machete and I barreled over the guy. I was fast. I didn’t stop to look at the losers behind me. I didn’t give a fuck. I just ran. Ran until my legs could no longer carry me. I was so fucking tired by the time I stopped; I was sure they were going to catch up.
When I finally stopped, I hung my head and planted my hands on my knees and panted. Panted like I’d never panted before. Looking back, I saw nothing, no one following me — just nothing but the dust in my wake. The rain had all but dried up now. Nothing but dirt and sand and dust.
I craned my head around; I needed to get my bearings. I might never find that sanctuary again. I did not know where I was. So I spent the time to look around while I caught my breath.
In the dim light of the deepest shadows of an outcropped rock, I found a sign. It wasn’t an old school sign; they carved it into the rock and it was the same symbol that had drawn me out this way to begin with. Water!
I pulled out my flashlight and light the area to verify. I had found the water. Deep in the shadows, I went. The passage just stopped.
I kept looking.
I searched the area for hours and when the sun was failing and I was bone dead tired; I stumbled into a crevice and found a hidden crack. Not visible to anyone from any angle but this one. I smiled as I crawled through the opening. It was barely wide enough for one man for a long time.
The narrow crevice went on for a long while. Time had no meaning in the vast sameness of it all. I lost track of my steps and the hours. Hell, it was probably only minutes. The crevice widened and narrowed several times over before it opened into a wide, echoing cavern. A light blue glow from the water, and the plant life around the pool in the center gave the place an otherworldly glow.
The sight was beautiful, and more than for the picturesque view than the entire body of clean water. Glorious fucking water!
I sank to the ground in celebration. The air was cooler here. Yet it was still warm. Perfection came to mind.
As I scanned around the cavern, I saw a pair of skeletons wrapped up in each other’s arms. Death was the only certainty in every life. Water was the force that gave us life, and yet they died. Died because they probably never left this cave. A warning to me about the dangers of finding such a grand treasure and then doing nothing more. That wasn’t me. I couldn’t sit still. I got up and started searching for rocks. They at least deserved a proper burial, even after all these years.
I am a Resilient Stealthy Explorer who Scavenges
Tier: 1
Effort: 1
Armor: 1
Skills
- practiced: light weapons, medium weapons
- trained: intellect defense, stealth, scavenging
- specialized: might defense
- inability: moving, bending, breaking things, knowledge or figuring out problems/puzzles, heavy weapons
Asset
- attack rolls where the creature has been attacked
Abilities
- Fleet of Foot (short + action or long distance or long distance + with effort and hindered attack)
- Practiced in Armor (can wear medium armor without penalty)
Weapons
- unarmed, light 2 damage, eased
- machete, medium 4 damage
- bow, medium 4 damage, long range
Equipment
- appropriate clothes
- weapon of choice – machete
- armor of choice – Piecemeal light armor
- backpack, sleeping bag
- flashlight, lighter
- chocolate bar
- light tools
- bow & quiver (11 arrows)
- water flyer
- night goggles
- water stick
- 13 days supply of MRE
- medicine
- med kit
Junk
- electronics: 0
- textile: 2
Day 1
Adventure Status: 4 (12)
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [12] = 12)
Moan, Monopoly, Payment
Setting Desolate Land
Rites, Implicate, Seat
Q: Scavenge (12)
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Fail
[!note]
A scream draws your attention.
L4 Ghoul Level: short distance, hp 20, damage 5
regeneration (1 point per round), claw swipe (5 damage)
L3 Survivor: short distance, hp 14, damage 5
[!note]
A ghoul is attacking a woman.
Initiative:
- Ghoul 12
- Survivor 9
- Me 12
Q: Is there any cover?
(1d20+0: [3]+0 = 3)
No
Q: Does the ghoul see me?
(1d20+0: [9]+0 = 9)
No, but Chase, Village, Warrant
[!note]
I recognize the woman from the last village that chased me out. I have a warrant out for my arrest there.
Round 1:
Ghoul attacks the Survivor: survivor hp 14 -> 9
Skill Boost Cypher L5 (ease speed defense by 3 good for 24hrs or 5 times)
Survivor attacks the Ghoul: survivor misses
Round 2:
Ghoul attacks the survivor: survivor hp 9 -> 4
Q: Attack Ghoul with bow using effort (6) -> 2 might
(1d20: [3] = 3)
Fail
Developer: None
(1d20: [14] = 14)
Survivor attacks the Ghoul: survivor misses
Round 3:
Ghoul attacks the survivor: survivor dead
Q: Attack Ghoul with bow (9)
(1d20: [14] = 14)
Success
Ghoul hp 20 -> 16
Round 4:
Ghoul advances towards me (short distance) +1 hp 17hp
Q: I pull out my machete and attack the ghoul (9)
(1d20: [1] = 1)
Fail
GM Intrusion: No XP
Developer: But…
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Duty, Chill, Percussive
[!note]
A cold Thunderstorm stirs up the dust and dirt making it hard to see
Round 5:
Ghoul attacks me -> Skill Cypher -1 +1 hp 18hp
Q: Speed Defense (3)
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Success
Developer: NPC Inhibitor
(1d20: [17] = 17)
Glowing, Vessel, Nobility
Q: Attack the ghoul with machete (9)
(1d20: [19] = 19) -> Major Success +4 damage
Success
Developer: Find 1d6 Cyphers
1d6: [3] = 3
- L7 Nutrition and Hydration: The user can go without food and water for a number of days equal to the cypher’s level without ill effect. (393)
- L6 Remembering: Allows the user to recall any one experience they’ve ever had. The experience can be no longer than one minute per cypher level, but the recall is perfect, so (for example) if they saw someone dial a phone, they will remember the number. (396)
- L3 Intelligence Enhancement: All of the user’s tasks involving intelligent deduction—such as playing chess, inferring a connection between clues, solving a mathematical problem, finding a bug in computer code, and so on—are eased by two steps for one hour. In the subsequent hour, the strain hinders the same tasks by two steps. (391)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Ghoul hp 18 -> 11
Round 6:
Ghoul attacks me -> Skill Cypher -1 +1 hp 12hp
Q: Speed defense (3)
(1d20: [14] = 14)
Success
Developer: None
(1d20: [7] = 7)
Q: Attack the ghoul with machete (9)
(1d20: [19] = 19) -> Major Success +3
Success
Developer: None
(1d20: [3] = 3)
Ghoul hp 12 -> 5
Round 7:
Ghoul attacks me -> Skill Cypher -1 +1hp 6hp
Q: Speed Defense (3)
(1d20: [11] = 11)
Success
Developer: None
(1d20: [18] = 18)
Q: Attack the ghoul with machete (9)
(1d20: [7] = 7)
Fail
Round 8:
Ghoul attacks me -> Skill Cypher -1 +1hp 7hp
Q: Speed defense (3)
(1d20: [4] = 4)
Success
Developer: But…
(1d20: [8] = 8)
Tunnel, Argument, Daughter
Q: Attack the ghoul with machete (9)
(1d20: [11] = 11)
Success
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [9] = 9)
Gossip, Express, Warning
Ghoul hp 7 -> 3
[!note]
From a near by tunnel a girl shows up crying and yelling at me, how it’s all my fault and runs towards me with weapon in hand
L1 girl hp 1, damage 2
Round 9:
Ghoul attacks me -> Skill Cypher -1 (depleted) +1hp 4hp
Q: speed defense (3)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Success
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [12] = 12)
Weird, Eye, Warning
Q: Attack the ghoul with machete (9)
(1d20: [11] = 11)
Success
Developer: Find 1d6 Cyphers
1d6: [2] = 2
- L5 Repel: One NPC within immediate range who is of a level lower than the cypher decides to leave, using their next five rounds to move away quickly. (396)
- L6 Intelligence Enhancement: All of the user’s tasks involving intelligent deduction—such as playing chess, inferring a connection between clues, solving a mathematical problem, finding a bug in computer code, and so on—are eased by two steps for one hour. In the subsequent hour, the strain hinders the same tasks by two steps. (391)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Ghoul is dead
[!note]
Girl reaches me as the ghoul dies.
As the corpse falls to the ground the eye begins to expand and there is no warning before the corpse explodes.
Girl and I take 1 might damage -> girl is dead.
Retrieve 1 arrow (1 arrow blown to bits with ghoul)
Loot both bodies
Q: Loot bodies (6)
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Success
[!note]
Find a ‘flyer’ advertising water & night goggles
Q: Perception (12)
(1d20: [13] = 13)
Success
Developer: But…
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Web, Invite, Temper
Q: Can I see anything in the storm?
(1d20+0: [8]+0 = 8)
No, but Alcohol, Rancid, Pilgrim
[!note]
The smell of scum is rising on the wind. We don’t want to go that way.
Q: Is the smell coming from the north?
(1d20+0: [16]+0 = 16)
Yes
Go east -> 4-2
Setting Desolate Land
Escape, Step, Carry
Q: Scavenge (12) -> 2 hours
(1d20: [14] = 14)
Success
Developer: But…
(1d20: [8] = 8)
Talk, Magic Item!, Dripping
[!note]
Finds a water stick
Useful: 1d100: [90] = 90 -> MRE cache (food and water for six people for 1 week)
Junk: 3d6: [1, 2, 2] = 5 (Electronics, plastic x2)
Q: Is there a small structure here
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Glowing, Target, Patrol
Q: Is there a place to hide?
(1d20+0: [9]+0 = 9)
No, but Rope, Fire, Shame
Q: Is there a camp here?
(1d20+0: [17]+0 = 17)
Yes
Q: Sneak in behind the tents and grab something (9)
(1d20: [18] = 18)
Success
Developer: But…
(1d20: [8] = 8)
Original, Magic Item!, Mammoth
[!note]
Steals a med kit
Q: Is it getting dark?
(1d20+0: [14]+0 = 14)
Yes
Q: Did the storm stop?
(1d20+0: [10]+0 = 10)
Maybe
Q: Is it still raining?
(1d20+0: [4]+0 = 4)
No
Q: Is the wind still blowing?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Noxious, Accident, Prehistoric
[!note]
It’s not safe here at night
Go North -> 3-2 Desolate Land
Sea, Device, Medium
Q: Scavenge for a place to rest (12) -> 2 hours
(1d20: [4] = 4)
Fail
Q: Has the sun set?
(1d20+0: [5]+0 = 5)
No
Q: Is there anything here to bother me?
(1d20+0: [12]+0 = 12)
Yes, but Sleep, Gaping, Controller
[!note]
A tower with a sleeping guard
Go north -> 2-2 Desolate Land
Performance, Secret, Cover
Q: Scavenge for a place to rest 12 (9)
(1d20: [2] = 2)
Fail
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [9] = 9)
Trapped, Smoke, Unsafe
[!note]
There is smoke, someone is trapped in the makeshift cover
Q: Help the trapped person (might roll) (12)
(1d20: [4] = 4)
Fail
Developer: None
(1d20: [14] = 14)
Q: Try again with Effort (-2 might) (12)
(1d20: [4] = 4)
Fail
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [9] = 9)
Talk, Loot, Medicine
[!note]
You hear cracking of the roof falling in
Q: Leave quickly (15)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Fail
Developer: None
(1d20: [5] = 5)
[!note]
You are pinned under a wooden beam
Q: Lift the beam with effort (9)
(1d20: [5] = 5)
Fail
Developer: Find 1d6 Cyphers
1d6: [5] = 5
- L4 Stim: Eases the user’s next action taken by three steps. (398)
- L2 Effort Enhancer (Noncombat): For the next hour, the user can apply one free level of Effort to a noncombat task without spending points from a Pool. The level of Effort provided by this cypher does not count toward the maximum amount of Effort a character can normally apply to one task. Once this free level of Effort is used, the effect of the cypher ends. (388)
- L2 Strength Enhancer: All noncombat tasks involving raw strength—such as breaking down a door, lifting a heavy boulder, forcing open elevator doors, competing in a weightlifting competition, and so on—are eased by two steps for one hour. (398)
- L5 Motion Sensor: For one hour per cypher level, the user knows when any movement occurs within short range, and when large creatures or objects move within long range (the cypher distinguishes between the two). It also indicates the number and size of the creatures or objects in motion. (393)
- L5 Rejuvenator: Restores a number of points equal to the cypher’s level to one random stat Pool. (395)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Replace Reflex enhancer with strength enhancer and use it
Q: Lift again with effort (9)
(1d20: [7] = 7)
Fail
Q: Lift again with 2 effort (6)
(1d20: [11] = 11)
Success
Developer: PC Inhibitor
(1d20: [13] = 13)
Boy, Communion, Break
[!note]
The sun has set
Attempt to rest
Q: Does anything interrupt the 1 hour rest?
(1d20+0: [14]+0 = 14)
Yes
Q: Is it a creature?
(1d20+0: [13]+0 = 13)
Yes
Q: Does it see me?
(1d20+0: [13]+0 = 13)
Yes
Q: Is it a deathclaw?
(1d20+0: [2]+0 = 2)
No, and Symbol, Sea, Wilderness
Q: Is it a swarm of mutated rats?
(1d20+0: [8]+0 = 8)
No, but River, Proof, Thick
Q: Is it an ooze?
(1d20+0: [17]+0 = 17)
Yes
L3 Ooze, immediate range, damage 4 +2 acid damage
[!note]
I run away. The ooze can’t keep up.
Go west -> 2-1 Desolate land
Hole, Treacherous, Mammoth
Q: Scavenge for place to rest with effort (9) -> 2 hours
(1d20: [8] = 8)
Fail
Developer: NPC Inhibitor
(1d20: [17] = 17)
Crypt, Blood, Sleep
[!note]
There is an old crypt in a hole, getting tired
Q: Is anything in the area to hinder our progress?
(1d20+0: [6]+0 = 6)
No
Go North -> 1-1 Desolate Land
Gaping, Magic Item!, Smoke
Q: Scavenge for place to rest with effort (9)
(1d20: [11] = 11)
Success
Developer: None
(1d20: [7] = 7)
Junk: 3d6: [6, 1, 6] = 13 -> textile x2, electronics
Useful: 1d100: [11] = 11 -> Medicine (provides an asset to one healing-related task)
[!note]
Hiding in a rocky crag is a safe haven that looks like it had been abandoned[!Note]
Rested
1d6+1: [2]+1 = 3
1d6+1: [5]+1 = 6
Spent 4XP
Day 2
MRE -1
Go east 1-2 -> Abandoned building
Success, Gift, Calm
1d20: [6] = 6 -> Hotel
Q: Does someone live here?
(1d20+0: [9]+0 = 9)
No, but Natural, Loot, Fetid
Q: Scavenge (12)
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Fail
Developer: None
(1d20: [7] = 7)
Q: Are there multiple floors?
(1d20+0: [7]+0 = 7)
No
[!note]
It’s an old motel 8 type ‘hotel’
Q: Does anything impede my way?
(1d20+0: [10]+0 = 10)
Maybe
Q: Is it home to a creature?
(1d20+0: [14]+0 = 14)
Yes
Q: A ghoul?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Moan, Hairpin, Woven
GM Intrusion +1XP
Q: A deathclaw?
(1d20+0: [3]+0 = 3)
No
Q: A ghost?
(1d20+0: [20]+0 = 20)
Yes, and Bother, Awful, Indication
Q: Will the ghosts hurt me?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Fire, Refuse, Explosion
Q: If they are attacked by someone else will they attack me?
(1d20+0: [7]+0 = 7)
No
Q: Does the hotel explode?
(1d20+0: [12]+0 = 12)
Yes, but Gap, Protection, Blustering
Q: Is it a territorial fight?
(1d20+0: [8]+0 = 8)
No, but Sell, Livestock, Treacherous
Q: Is someone trying to steel someone else’s cattle?
(1d20+0: [5]+0 = 5)
No
Q: Did the livestock trip over something?
(1d20+0: [9]+0 = 9)
No, but Demon, Natural, Monopoly
GM Intrusion +1XP
[!note]
The livestock are humans at a Cannibal Auction
Q: Are there any gas tanks around?
(1d20+0: [20]+0 = 20)
Yes, and Hidden, Technology, Vacant
Spend 1XP for a Bomb Knowledge Cypher
Q: Craft a bomb (9)
(1d20: [3] = 3)
Fail
Developer: None
(1d20: [3] = 3)
[!note]
The bomb fails to go off but a fire is started nearby threatening the gas tanks
Q: Flee (12)
(1d20: [6] = 6)
Fail
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [12] = 12)
Silence, Performance, Ammunition
[!note]
Cannibal catches me
L3 Cannibal hp 12, damage 5, short L6 deception, persuasion intimidation, with surprise attack L5 +2 damage
Q: Might defense (trying to escape) (6)
(1d20: [1] = 1)
Fail
GM Intrusion: No XP
Developer: None
(1d20: [5] = 5)
[!note]
The cannibal throws you in the cage with the other livestock
Q: Are there fewer than ten others in the cage?
(1d20+0: [19]+0 = 19)
Yes, and Possession, Seat, Cloying
Q: Is there less than five?
(1d20+0: [4]+0 = 4)
No
Q: Is there more than five?
(1d20+0: [7]+0 = 7)
No
L6 HP 31, damage 7 Vengeful
L7 HP 22, damage 11 Lonely
L1 HP 17, damage 3 Frustrated
L3 HP 16, damage 4 Afraid
L4 HP 11, damage 7 Pity
Q: Does anyone look like the leader?
(1d20+0: [17]+0 = 17)
Yes
Q: Is Frustrated the leader?
(1d20+0: [2]+0 = 2)
No, and Important, Sleep, Whoosh
Q: Is Lonely the leader?
(1d20+0: [13]+0 = 13)
Yes
Q: Does Lonely have a plan?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Temple, Fire, Fancy
[!note]
My fire disrupted their plans
Q: Are the cannibals dealing with the fire?
(1d20+0: [13]+0 = 13)
Yes
Q: Are they safe from the fire?
(1d20+0: [2]+0 = 2)
No, and Cover, Forbidden, Vibration
[!note]
The fire is encroaching
Q: Is the cage made of wood?
(1d20+0: [11]+0 = 11)
Yes, but Camp, Woman, Blustering
[!note]
There is a female cannibal watching them
CB: L3 Cannibal hp 12, damage 5, short L6 deception, persuasion intimidation, with surprise attack L5 +2 damage
Q: Persuade the crowd to attack when the gate is opened (12)
(1d20: [9] = 9)
Fail
Developer: GM Intrusion: +1XP
(1d20: [9] = 9)
Implicate, Obligation, Food
[!note]
Another cannibal opens the gate and snatches one of them1 L6 HP 31, damage 7 Vengeful
2 L7 HP 22, damage 11 Lonely
3 L1 HP 17, damage 3 Frustrated
4 L3 HP 16, damage 4 Afraid
5 L4 HP 11, damage 7 Pity
6 Me1d6: [2] = 2 -> Lonely is taken to be eaten
CC: L3 Cannibal hp 12, damage 5, short L6 deception, persuasion intimidation, with surprise attack L5 +2 damage
Q: Bum Rush the cannibal with the door open and escape (9)
(1d20: [10] = 10)
Success
Developer: PC Inhibitor
(1d20: [13] = 13)
Rites, Maximum, Performance
[!note]
Step in some baskets on the way out. but outrun the cannibals
Head east -> 1,3 Treasure! Oasis
Q: Is the oasis hidden from view?
(1d20+0: [15]+0 = 15)
Yes
Q: Is there a sign that is recognizable from the flyer?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and Swear, Sea, Force
Q: Is there a symbol marking the location that was on the flyer?
(1d20+0: [18]+0 = 18)
Yes
The Mind of Nox 