Sunday, October 9, 2016

Nothing crushes freedom as substantially as a tank. 3.X DnD / Pathfinder

 
Kills folks with more efficiency than any other tank on the market. Pictures Mangled By: Me

A metal shell, three cannon muzzles, one atop another, pointing forward, the bottom a writhing skirt of glistening and mottled flesh. Embedded into the riveted gunmetal shell, sideways turned eyes, the irises a bilious yellow, gaze darting about with a frantic energy. Smoke billows out a smokestack attached to the rear of the metal thing. Looming above the construct, half a masculine face, its eyes open and black, the lower portion missing, a forked lance protruding where the mouth had been, a neck like the segmented body of a millipede. The face turns, and the sound of a sweet feminine voice singing as a a bolt of strange energy bursts from the face's forked lance.

Pictures Mangled by Me: Any picture with this in its caption means it is a collage I made using 19th and early 20th century illustrations. All these illustrations are public domain, meaning I didn't rob anyone by using these pictures for my own gains.

To understand the full story, you may want to read the entries for:

Excerpt of a letter from Odilan Ovea to her husband. Dr. Ovea was the lead researcher for the Infinite City Unified War Department during the last decade of the Storyteller Wars.

Love,

Did you cover the mirrors as I asked? Aelfar... A. E. L. F. A. R. Aelfar aelfar aelfar aelfar aelfar a R. SfhfosihfljgsdoIHgahg podhgsdapohg.

Sorry... I needed to write that. See? Maybe you don't, understanding requires proximity. You're so far. The Aelfar don't understand gibberish, and will avoid documents with it. Understand? Do you? Or do the mirrors keep the you logic from you?

Last known picture of Doctor Odilon Ovea.

We perfected them last month... No, I. I. I. I. I perfected them. I was able to isolate their nervous system from the rest of the body. Who are they? Oh silly love, Templum Achatina Sapiens, of course, you are so very silly, it is why I love you so.

I BROUGHT THEM BACK, I was able to bring the original creatures back, I undid the mutations made to them, made them WHOLE again. Then. Then. Then. I contacted the AELFAR, I found references to contact rituals in the old documents they gave us.

The janitor is a KoBaLoS. Kobalos. See? No... You don't. They, Aelfar, used to OWN the Kobalos, but grew tired of the entire race and threw them away in the Infinite City. I killed the janitor, and then I took him apart according to the texts. Then THEY stepped out of the mirror!

Dr. Ovea's letter was found on her travel desk.

So very nice! They told me exactly what to do to make them into real weapons! Then I did it! Weapons, armor, everything! !!! ! !

The Aelfar said they would take care of the body of the Kobalus. And they did! No more body, they said they would take care of you too! We will be together soon. No one will remember you or the Kobalus, then we will be together.

ARCHIVAL Note No. 118-A6-T3:
This, along with a number of other undelivered letters, were found in the room of Dr. Odilan Olvea. Apparently, she had committed suicide, using a piece of broken mirror. According to records: Dr. Olvea had never been married and Facility 11A never employed a Kobalus as a janitor.

It is unclear whether she had successfully contacted Race 010, however, all of her personal belongings were destroyed and all documents pertaining to Race 010 have been secured, as per Regulation 314 Paragraph 13. All possible instances of Crossover, MUST be treated as having actually occurred.

Beware of what stares back at you when you stare into a mirror.

Summary of Technical Specifications for the Mark I “Proteus” Battle Leviathan.

Crew: 5 (2 Engineers, 2 Gunners, 1 Controller)
Combat Weight: 18 tons
Armor: 0.23 (6 mm)
Dimensions: Length: 25 ft. Width: 15 ft.
Armament:
Gunner Operated
1x 1.89 inch (48 mm) Inferno Cannon (Forward Facing)
1x 2.20 inch (56 mm) Tempest Cannon (Forward Facing)
1x 2.52 inch (64 mm) Winter Wolf Cannon (Forward Facing)

Controller Operated
1x Aria Device (Turreted)
6x Gazer Devices (2x Forward Facing, 1x Left Facing, 1x Right Facing, 2x Rear Facing)

WARNING: All controllers must submit to a psyche analysis by a military alienist after every mission. All crew are required to report any out of the ordinary behavior of their assigned controller. 

External view of the tank's control helmet. Pictures Mangled By: Me
 
Pathfinder / 3.X
CR 10
XP: 9,600
N Gargantuan vermin
Initiative: -4
Senses: Senses Dark Vision 60ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE
AC: 30, touch 4, flat-footed 30; (–4 Dex, +20 natural, +8 Armor –4 size)
HP: 126 (12d8+72)
Fort +12, Ref +0, Will +5
DR: 10/slashing or piercing Immune acid, mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE
Speed: 20 ft. - May move up to 2x base speed and still use a Cannon and a Device.

Cannons: Crew may fire 1 cannon a round.
Inferno: Range: 300 Ft. w/ 20 ft. radius Burst Damage: 8D6 Fire (Reflex DC 22 for ½ Damage) [Avg. Crew To-Hit: +5. Must hit an area, rather than an individual. AC 10]
Tempest: Range: 120 Ft. Line Damage: 8D6 Electric (Reflex DC 22 for ½ Damage) [Avg. Crew To-Hit: +5. Must hit an area, rather than an individual. AC 10)]
Winter Wolf: Range: 40 Ft. Cone Damage: 12D4 Cold (Reflex DC 22 for ½ Damage) [Avg. Crew To-Hit: +5. Must hit an area, rather than an individual. AC 10]

Devices: Controller may use 1 device a round.
Gazer: The controller may attack everyone within 60 ft with a single ranged touch attack to-hit roll. Anyone the controller would normally hit, takes 1D8 points of fire damage. [Avg. Crew To-Hit: +5]
Aria: Range: 400 Ft. w/ 20 ft. radius Burst Damage: *D4 (Will save DC 22 to avoid Fading). [Avg. Crew To-Hit: +5. Must hit an area, rather than an individual. AC 10]
Notes: The aria device does a number of D4 dice of damage equal to the level/HD of the target. Those that survive a blast must make a Will save DC 22, for those that fail their save a piece of their body fades partially from sight. While this does not have any mechanical effects, it can be very disconcerting to the individual. These faded victims will occasionally feel sensations of being touched, scratched, pinched by phantom assailants. Those that are killed by this power do not leave a body behind, just an empty space where the poor soul used to be. For a chart to figure out which part gets faded permanently, consult the chart at the end of the post.
Space: 25 ft x 15 ft.
Reach: 20 ft.

STATISTICS
Str 35, Dex 2, Con 22, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
The Intelligence of the creature is equal to the Controller using it.
Base Attack: +9
CMB: +21
CMD: 25 (can't be tripped)

Internal view of the tank's control helmet with controller ganglion. Pictures Mangled By: Me

Special: The controller completely controls the movements and activation of the various 'devices' on the Slug Tank. Despite the fact that the organism is largely thoughtless, it is still very taxing on the controller's mind to integrate with another. After every mission, the controller must make a save versus magic. A failed save results in the character gaining a number of Psychosis Points (1: If no damage was taken. 2: Less than ½ the tank's total HP was lost. 3: ½ or more of the tank's HP was lost). For rules, see the end of the post.

These Creatures are Vehicles: These creatures are vehicles that can be piloted by characters, which use the crew's ranged to hit rolls. If you want to allow characters to have access to these monsters, it is recommended that you use the Psychosis Point rules. 

Many soldiers came back from the war faded, wounded soul and body.

WHAT PART GOT FADED?
This is largely a chart by Robert F. Miller, Sr. from RPGGeek that I repurposed. If you know Robert F. Miller, Sr, tell him I think he's awesome!

Step 1: Determine Location
1 Head
2 or 3 Left Arm
4 or 5 Right Arm
6-8 Upper Torso (Breast, Collar, Armpit)
9-14 Lower Torso (Abdominal Region)
15-17 Left Leg
18-20 Right Leg

Step 2: Roll on that location's chart

Head
1 or 2 Cranium (Skull)
3 or 4 Left Eye
5-7 Left Ear
8 or 9 Nose
10-12 Mouth
13-15 Neck
16 or 17 Right Eye
18-20 Right Ear

Arm
1 or 2 Hand
3 or 4 Wrist
5-8 Forearm
9-11 Elbow
12-15 Above Elbow
16-20 Shoulder

Upper Torso
1 or 2 Left Pectoral Region
3 or 4 Right Pectoral Region
5-8 Left Collar Region
9-11 Right Collar Region
12-15 Left Armpit (Axilla) Region
16-20 Right Armpit (Axilla) Region

Lower Torso
1 or 2 Umbilical Region (Belly Button)
3 or 4 Genitals
5-8 Upper Left Quadrant
9-11 Upper Right Quadrant
12-15 Lower Left Quadrant
16-20 Lower Right Quadrant

Leg
1 or 2 Foot
3 or 4 Ankle
5-8 Lower Leg
9-11 Knee
12-16 Upper Leg/Thigh
17 or 18 Hip Joint
19 or 20 Buttocks 

War always involves the willful madness on the part of a tyrant or 'leader'. The rest of the world must play along in order to stay alive.
 
EFFECTS OF PSYCHOSIS POINTS
If you want to have your players roleplay out the their character's slow descent into madness, require that they act out a certain number of behavior symptoms or gain 10% less experience than the rest of the group. Particularly good/entertaining acting should receive a 10% experience bonus.

1 to 3 Points: Must act out one of the behavioral symptoms once during a session.

½ Wisdom Score in Points: Must act out two of the behavioral symptoms at least once each during a session.

½ Wisdom Score +3 in Points: Must act out three of the behavioral symptoms at least once each during a session.

Full Wisdom Score in Points: Must act out four of the behavioral symptoms at least once each during a session.

Full Wisdom Score +3 and Over: Must act out Five of the behavioral symptoms at least once each during a session.

War is often inescapable, but an attempt must always be made to avoid it.

Behavioral Symptoms:
These are all real symptoms of Schizophrenia, now you've learned something. Also, these are all general symptoms, so don't go diagnosing the player sitting next to you.

Thought Interference: Interference of unimportant, irrelevant thoughts that hinders thinking and concentration.
Thought Perseveration: Repetition of thoughts that have little or no salience.
Thought Pressure: Many thoughts with no common theme pop up uncontrollably.
Thought Blockages: Sudden loss of train of thought that may be accompanied by the intrusion of a new thought.
Disturbance of Receptive Language: Lack of immediate comprehension of speech or text in one's native language.
Disturbance of Expressive Language: Difficulty producing speech or text that is appropriate to one's message in one's native language.
Disturbances of Abstract Thinking: Difficulty comprehending idioms and metaphors.
Inability to Divide Attention: Difficulty doing something with one sense (such as vision) while simultaneously using another sense for something else (such as hearing).
Captivation of Attention by Details of the Visual Field: Attention is drawn to unimportant details as if one were "spellbound".
Decreased Ability to Discriminate Between Perception and Ideas, True Memories and Fantasies: Difficulty discriminating between what one has observed and what one has imagined.
Unstable Ideas of Reference with Insight: Sub-psychotic referential ideation that is thereafter immediately corrected by the person.
Derealization: Sense of disconnect or unreality in one's environment.
Visual or Acoustic Perceptual Disturbances with Insight: Disturbances of the perception of brightness or loudness, color or sound quality, or distortions in one's perceptions that are recognized by the person as false.

Getting Rid of Psychosis Points
Each day the character goes without integrating with the Slug Tank, they lose a Psychosis Point. Once a day, a character may spend an hour speaking with an alienist, this reduces the character's total Psychosis Points by one. No known form of magic, outside of the Wish spell, can reduce these points.
 

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