I’ve been running a Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure campaign for a few months now to playtest my new DIY RPG Rules system (feel free to take a gander) and it’s been going really well. My players and I are having fun and the rules (thus far) are doing what I hoped for, so yay.
You can find sessions 1-3 here.
The session started mid-chase. The group was hunting down a mutant in The Slops. The alleys resembled WWI trenches. Rain splattered their faces. After much buffoonery and failed rolls to climb up the trenches they shot, kicked, punched, and finally tranquilized the mutant. Headed back to the White Queen where Huggle the Alchemist awaited his prize. Huggle gleefully mentions he can now start experimenting on the mutant.
Screeching halt. Group starts inquiring as to what kind of experiments and why… The mutant’s blood is believed to have healing properties and there’s profit to be had! The group debated for a long while and eventually struck a deal with Huggle that they get 15% of any future sales of whatever the hell that is developed by the blood.
Note: this was a fun moment because the group started debating as they would in RL- as in not the fuck at all with capturing, experimenting on, and profiting off someone.. But then the RPGing kicked in and some stuck to their guns (for a few) and then it turned into a negotiation. The old mantra of “well… this IS Hubris.” was said (funny how often that happens) and the group continued on.
The group hung with some NPCs, including Old Lady Thrune who was passing out delicious tarts to everyone (basically think of Tree Trunks from Adventure Time mixed with the “BOO” lady from Princess Bride) and their landlord Clovis.
As the group chilled four men wearing strange helmets, metal breastplates and black canvass clothing (like mechanic jumpsuit), tucked into combat boots entered the White Queen. Each had a rifle or pistol, and a sword and shield or two-handed weapon. One was holding a weird rectangular device with a spinning vicious-looking metal flower/gear thing at the top, making a beeping noise. The bar fell silent. These men followed the beeping of the device and walked over to a man passed on a table. One of the armored men grabbed a scruff of hair of the unconscious man’s hair and lifted his head; the veins in his neck bulged slightly and were blue. With a nod, one of the men picked up their target and walked from the bar. Not a single person moved.
The group had heard rumors of Seekers but hadn’t seen them.
Seekers
Description: Wears silver breastplates, shoulder, elbow, and knee pads. Each has a rifle or handgun and an axe/sword and shield, or vicious two-handed weapon.
Purpose: They look for stolen shipments of Morphite and seek Morphheads thar are on The Verge of turning into hideous monsters.
Rumor: Believed to take the “more stable” veteran Skeletal Gun Runners and promote them to this new organization.
Some of the group quickly went shopping. They hit the Crow’s Foot, a curiosity shop and one character picked up the Amulet of Misfortune. Two other players hit Slightly Used and Abused for new weapons, armor, and arrows.
Amulet of the Misfortune: This amulet is crafted from gold. The amulet has a spectral ghost screaming on it. Once per day the wearer can designate a target. Every round the target rolls 1d4 and 1d10. If the result is a 1 on the d4, look at the number on the d10 and consult the table below. Duration: 1 turn.
Amulet of Misfortune Roll 1d10 Result 1-2 Deal 1d6 damage to target and heal wearer of amulet for that amount. 3-4 Calcified nodes burst from the joints of the target, causing them to suffer Disadvantage to all Agility and Body tests and move at half speed for 1d4 rounds. If rolled again, increase to 1d4 hours. 5-6 A horrifying specter passes through the target, they suffer Disadvantage to all Rapport and Focus tests. 7-8 Black goop leaks from the target’s eyes, blinding them for 1d4 rounds. If rolled again, increase to 1d4 hours. 9 A horrifying specter passes through the target and then to the wearer. The target suffers Disadvantage to their next 1d4 rolls while the wearer gains Advantage on the same number of rolls. 10 Deal 2d8 damage to target. If this damage kills target, a small gem pops out of target’s chest and rests on the ground. The amulet’s wearer can consume this later and be healed for 1d8+1 HP and they roll Advantage on a test of their choosing in the next hour.
The group left The White Queen and ran into Onyx, the Officiant of the Black Queen and overseer of Outer Town and all its districts (The Slops, Ashtown, Smelteron, and The Gardens). Onyx asked for the help. Someone has attacked Foundry Five and killed nearly all the workers.
Group haggled and got the reward the wanted and charged in. At the entrance, the group found the lone shell-shocked survivor… all he whispered was, “Jasmine… Jasmine.” The group fed him one of Old Lady Thrune’s tarts (and rolled a 20). The man was instantly rejuvenated and recounted a horrible monster killed people but he didn’t get much of a look at it and fled.
The group charged in and saw the carnage. From the second floor catwalk a female voice asked why the group was helping “The Cogs?” The group bantered back and forth for a few and found out this group called themselves The Fractured and were fighting for the planet and trying to stop the Black Queen’s horrible experiments, constant mining, enslavement, and more importantly the use of Morphite.
Note: Here again the group had to wrestle with their RL feelings on the environment and conservation and then how their characters would act. It was actually a bunch of fun to see the discussion unfold.
After a few moments of the conversation not going anywhere and thinly veiled threats, one of the assailants ripped open their shirt, exposing nasty purplish flesh skin-grafted onto his own. He screamed as it bubbled and writhing. Behind him reality was violently ripped open, blood and viscera spilling out, exposing a portal to another location. The female held up her arm and it shivered and blood oozed out of the back of her hand. The blood exploded out into a hazy mist, emerging from it was a VW Bug-sized floating eyeball. Hanging down from the back were four tendril nerve-endings. Attached to these tendrils were small baby heads with bone needle teeth.
The group started to step back into the portal. One of the players shot a lightning arrow at the tear in reality, causing it to shut on the final retreating member, cutting him in half. The body fell with a sickening wet thud on the catwalk, guts trailing over.
The group battled the giant eye and kicked its butt because they won initiative on both rounds. They were doing their victory dance when one the baby tendrils, free from the eye, was on a character’s shoulder biting her cheek. Hilarity and horror ensued and eventually they curb-stomped all the baby heads.
Group met Onyx and filled him in. Each character gained 1d8 HP and were given a token that would let them travel to the Floating Island of Terror for free, a 500gp credit to the Crow’s Foot and were allowed to loot one item from Onyx’s ramshackle assortment of Island of Floating Terror tech:
- Pulse Canon– 1d8+1 damage, RoF 1. Close distance. 4-in-6 chance of “surging” and being useless for 1d4 hours. Shoots a blast of hot rays. Target must make an Agility test or be knocked prone. Large targets and bigger are immune.
- Toxin Mask– Filters out all gases and toxins in the atmosphere. Once per hour 4-in-6 chance of “surging” and being useless for 1d4 hours.
- Morphite Bomb– Small silver orb with buttons. Throw at target up to Not Close Enough distance. All nearby suffer 1d8 damage on the first round 1d8 damage on the next round. Consumes a small fragment of Morphite per use (50 gp). Given three chunks of Morphite.
- Electrowhip– Deals 1d8+1 damage. Close distance. 4-in-6 chance of “surging” and being useless for 1d4 hours. Wraps around target unless they succeed an Agility test. Wrapped targets are stunned for 1 round.
- Repurposed Seeker’s Mask– Can see in low-light conditions. Any changed target that uses a mind-altering ability, wearer gains Advantage on test. Once per hour 4-in-6 chance of “surging” and being useless for 1d4 hours.
- Teleport Bomb– Small silver orb with buttons. Throw up to Not Close Enough distance. All nearby suffer 1d8 damage when the bomb explodes. The wielder is instantly transported to bombs location and suffers 1d6 damage from the ordeal. Consumes a small fragment of Morphite per use (50 gp). Given three chunks of Morphite.
- Scroll (only one): Morph Object
- Scroll (only one): Summon Lightning
The group went back to the White Queen for a pint. Talked to the owner/bartender, Ami (a drag queen exiled from Fairweather) and looked at the Board of Woe (the job board) to see if anything caught their eye:
- Desperately seeking recipe for Sloppy Carnack Stew! — Billy the Chef (at the Jaunty Gent)
- Has anyone seen my dolly?! — Sally
- Interested in procuring four urns of grave ash. — Paul
- Desperate! My brother went missing in the Great Plains of Unbidden Sorrow on a hunting trip! I need to find him! –Street Rat Ryan
- The AMAZING and STUPENDOUS explorer and cartographer, Handsome-eyed Jack, is looking for a band to explore a newly discovered set of ruins in “The Mire.” Treasure assured (well… maybe). No hazard pay! — H.E.J.
- Potion brewer needed for special request. — Anonymous, talk to Ami.
- Cleaners wanted- Sewers have become infested with critters, monsters, and lard plugs! Need help! — Onxy, Officiant
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