[Provided] Things one could encounter during a Riot in Sinophia

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi,

WARNING! WILL EVENTUAL CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS FOR DAMNED CITIES!

 

 

the good old lad "Darth Smeg" seems to have a riot going on in Sinophia Magna. I wonder how this could have happend. Anyway, I somehow fell obliged to provide some ideas for scenes that could play out in the streets while a bunch of acolythes moves from A to B. Enjoy

 

 

[Mad Dogs]
 

 

As the pc make their way through the area known as “the shadowed Manses”, they come across a small pack of three cyborg-mastiffs (see IH). They seem to roam the streets freely instead of guarding the anything. With an ordinary(+10) sight based Perception/Awareness test the pc will notice some minor fresh wounds on their organic parts. They will already noticed the pc and move slow and erratically towards them, their vox-boxes producing a static-ridden growl and short barks from time to time.

Everyone with Common Lore (Tech) can tell that it is most likely that the programming of these three failed them after they switched into Attack-Mode. This creatures are now under now control and dangerous since the slightest thing might provoke them to attack.
If the pc want to avoid a confrontation with the dogs they need to pass a difficult(-10) test for either Wrangling (to calm the beast-side) or Common Lore (Tech) (to avoid anything that would trigger a combat reaction by the programming).If they fail the test or reach for their weapons the dogs will attack them.

Of course, they can try to slowly reach for their weapons to launch a surprise attack. A difficult(-10) test for Deceive or is need to hide their intentions good enough to fool the damaged programming of the cyber-dogs.

[The angry mob]
Ask the pc for a hard(-20) hearing based Perception/Awareness test. If they fail, the will be surprised to see about 20 (15+1d5) armed citizens move into their direction as they move around a street corner. Some of the Mob notice them immediately. If the pc try to go where they came from, the mob gives them a chase through the streets.
If they try to walk by the mob will address them from afar. If they are disguised as locals, they are demanded to join. If they are not, the mob accuses them of belonging to “the Quorums murder squads prowling the streets”. If the pc want to avoid a confrontation, they can either try to calm the mob down (Charm) or to bully they way through (Intimidation). No matter what, the test is hard(-20). If they are perceived as locals, they still need to talk themselves out of the situation (any social skill) if they do not intend to join the mob and steal away later at a good opportunity (Silent Move+10). If they cannot talk themselves out, the mob will call them “spineless lackeys of the nobles” and will try to lynch them for this.

Use stats for citizens, intermixed with some Undertow Thugs. If 2/3 are killed, the Mob will root.

[Arsonists on Stilts]
A group of malcontents has hijacked one of the stilt-walkers (imagine an open-toped van with six mechanic legs, turning it into a some ant-like vehicle resting about 8 meters above the ground) normally used to maneuver through the flooded areas of the city. They are four of them, one is steering the walker. They are armed with dozens of flamebombs and are heading towards the better district (or, if already encountered in one, are throwing flamebombs on buildings as they see fit). As they see the pc,
they will attack. Use the stats for Thugs of the Undertow. One is armed with an autogun with one spare clip while all of them have access to firebombs they will throw down on the pc. The walker has an AP:10 and it is up to the GM how many hits the thing will take. The Thugs are in cover while inside.

[barricade]
The Enforcers of the Quorum (or some house troops) have established a barricade at one point of a T-junction the pc are going to cross, including two heavy stubbers. Since they have been warned of an incoming mob, they are actually on over-watch regarding both corners and will fire away as soon as a pc comes around. It will take a challenging(+0) command/charm test to order them “on behalf of the Inquisiton” to make them hold their fire. Not because they are unloyal, they simply do not believe them and are unwilling to even allow the pc to show any signs of office, believing this to be among the ruthless tricks the Undertow Killer will employ to kill them off (with a grenade or something).
 

[Gregorius21778 249]

[Arm up!] (Best play in the Sinks)
From the other end of the street, the pc hear somebody shooting about one thing or another. At the end of the street lies a small plaza, formed by the meeting of five streets (in total). A truck parks right in the middle of it, and armed people on said truck hand weapons from the truck to a small crowed of people surrounding it. The shooting comes from a men who must be standing on some erased position (in fact, some wooden boxes) since he is clearly head and shoulders above the heads of the crowd. He yells and shoots about “the Enforcer coming in to kill us all” and about “taking arms to defend your homes” and that “now we will show them to whom this city belongs”.

 

The pc can either try to sneak by into the next side street (Silent Move+20), try to pose as sympathizers and get some arms themselves (Deceive+10 if they at least do not look snobbish) or open up fire (in which case the majority of the crowd will flee in panic, while only about 8 hardened criminals will stand and fight; use undertow thugs). 
 
Of course, the pc can take a detour and try another route (give them another encounter or make them show up to late for.... whatever they went out to do!)

[Gregorius21778 249]

TANKS!
From ahead of them, the pc hear the rumbling of armoured vehicles moving on treats. And they are heading for them! If the pc want to hide, they have three roles on an extended test for Concealment(+10). If they do not pass the test or do not make it, they are wittness to a chimera crushing through a corner, wrecking the building in the process. If the pc are still on the streets and visible, they can either yell commands and wave insignia (which will be successful on an ordinary(+10) Command/Fellowhisp test. 

If they did not seeked cover successfully and where not able to get noticed as neutrals/friends the crew inside the Chimera will see them as any combatants unless they are do not wear any visible arms (which pc does not??). Based on the stats available to the GM, the Chimera should be considered to be armed with either a Multi-Laser or an Heavy Bolter. While the Chimera will give chase, it is easy for the pc to dodge it in the ruins.

[Darth Smeg 234]

 Some great ideas, there!

My party will have a hard time blending in as locals with 1 Arbitrator in uniform, 1 tech-priest and 1 psyker with his face plastered on Wanted posters all over the city. The nearly-naked Sister of Battle (had to drop the power armour to drag her up from the bottom of the canal) carrying a Heavy bolter might be a bit conspicuous also

This will be fun

[Gregorius21778 249]

Off-Topic:
Nearly naked sisters of battle with nothing but a heavy bolter are -always- fun.... to look at. 

If you want to be generous... lead them across some back alley where some clothing has been hanging out to dry. Especially if the PLAYERS of
said Sister is a female... those tend to feel.... personally pestered if you "force" the pc to run around in underwear. 

 

[the 8 spider 0]

from france

i like classical and maybe off topic

so tentacles from massive unknown creature like a octopusy  emerging from the canal. the beast like to eat the corpse trow in the canal by the priest but the sound of the riot is really irritating to her.

plus as a fine gourmet she is not above living corpse or silent unmoving dead people.  but firt the empty men and now the shambling corpse give her acid stocmach probleme beacause she can't understand wht the corpses moves.

she destroy every one she fine the to be sure that the dead remains dead and fit in his predator/scavenger. guiding a mob  or  shambling horde toward her can be a help.

hope it help  cause totally improvised

 

[Gregorius21778 249]

[Run down]
While the pc move through the streets, two Enforcer ground cars dash around a junction at high speed. They charge forward into the direction of the pc,
closing in rapidly and seemingly not caring about the pc at all.

Ask for two ordinary(+10) tests for Agility/Dodge by all pc. If one of them is failed, the pc get hit by a car (but not completely overun by one). This will result
in 1d10+8 point of impact damage. AP will only count with their half value, but the armour will not be reduce further for being "primtive". 

[Dead Arbitrators]
The pc come across a recent battle site. Dozens of dead people lie on the ground, seemingly mowed down, some of them showing the grisely wounds
inclicted by bolter rounds. Strewn between them are corpses wearing the remains of Arbitrator Carapace ( Enforcer Carpace), all of them showing the signs of heavy burning in addition to numerous wounds. The armour isn´t complete anymore.

The troup of five Arbitrators was suprised while on a riot-prevention mission. They were attacked by a large mob throwing molotoves and charging them. They were overun. Afterwards, the corpse were looted of weaponary and most armour. 

When the pc loot the bodies for armour, they will recognize that one of them is still alive! The guy is near death and a real burden during the rest of the mission. If they escort him to safety, give them a fate point or some extra xp. 
If they loot the armour, you can give them different pieces of enforcer light carapace. All of them count as bad quality due to the damage from fire and combat. Anything else that had any worth was already looted by the mob. Even the identify markers and badges where taken for trophy.

[Darth Smeg 234]

Good ideas, as usual, my friend!

I'd like to include a Chase scene of some sort. Racing down the alleys and canals in stilt riders seem like fun, while being chased by leg-stealing cannibals and dodging firebombs thrown from rooftops 

Or a boat chase on the canals, inspired by James Bond's Live and Let Die, could also work perhaps.

My goal is to have a tense atmosphere where they are forced to move, quickly, or be overwhelmed by the mob. I don't want to be stuck in dice-rolling minutia an entire evening, so I want to minimize actual combat ( a few encounters are fine). So perhaps include a sequence of challenges, that unless overcome quickly and cleverly will cause them an inconvenient attack (which will drain scarce ammo, cause nasty wounds, slow them down, etc).

For example, they might need to cross a canal. The bridge is held by undertow-gangers, and is very exposed to the buildings on all sides. There might be some cranes they can scale, then leap to another on the other side. Or some barges they can use. If they cross the bridge, they will be fired upon, and a round later a man opens up with a flamer from a window next to the canal, covering the bridge in flames. Dodge into the canal, or burn!

Depending on how they solve these obstacles, they will outrun or be caught up by the chasing mob.

Ideas?

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi,

I think I caught your drift I see what I will be able to brew up till tomorrow evening (tonight it is Cowboys vs. Aliens). 

Are you found of the chase-rules presented in IH? I never was. The basic idea is fine, but it somehow does feel...wrong.
Their was one example of chase in a down-town area presented in a WoD Pupblication (Cities of the Damned, me guesses). I will see what I can
expand based on this.

[Darth Smeg 234]

Yeah, I'm not too fond of them. I once ran a very exciting motorbike/car chase, but it was the description of the "scenes" and my careful planning that made it.

Rules-wise it was just a long sequence of opposed Drive tests, not very exciting.

But I had planned little things like trailers crossing in front of the biker, making the driver describe how he turns, leans over and slides under the carriage between the wheels, etc. Fun!

Then there this little tool that adds a little inspiration, but it is still just a sequence of Drive tests.

I'd rather have the chase as a backdrop, the howling mob with their firebombs and primitive weaponry threatening to swallow them should they lag behind.

I'd like them roleplay their way out if this, not just roll dice and blow everything up. They'll need help. They'll need transport. They'll need to hide from their enemies (which are numerous). They'll need to conceal their true identities (not easy). They'll need to to cinematic feats of impressive recklessness, leaping from rooftops, crashing through buildings in a construction vehicle, threatening little girls, carrying wounded arbitrators to safety, avoiding lynch mobs, etc etc

[Gregorius21778 249]

Hi,

hard thing to imagine to happen as long as the Sister is having a Heavy Bolter with their. I do not think that to many mobs would keep storming in if mowed down by this. After all, they are no cult fanatics. Anyway, I brewed up a little boat chase. Of couse, the heavy bolter will ruins this as well.

Assumption: You (as the GM) has somehow chase the pc with a mob through the Sinks into the direction of the river. The streets are filled with water and after a few minutes the pc are knee-deep into it. They reach a section of street that has been seemingly turned into canals and on a pier, a half dozen motor skiffs in different states of decline is secured at an impromptu dock. The mob is coming in from behind, shots ring in the air and are underlined by the crowds calls for lynching.

 

This is intended as a chase. The pc start with a “head start” of about 5.

Chase-Scene01: Get onboard!
The pc need to run through knee-deep water in order to reach the pier, run along the pier and get into one of the motor skiffs. This is an extended test for Dexterity(+0), 5 success are need. If the pc make it under three tests, they gain one point of distance. If they take more then three roles, they lose one point of distance at the fourth test, then one at the sixth and one at the tenth.

Chase-Scene02: Start the engines
Of course, the pc do not have the key to start the boat. It takes an easy(+30) test for either Tech-Use or Security to hotwire the skiff or an easy Search test to find the key which is hidden near the steering wheel (under a damaged compass). The test is extended and only once success is needed. For every test after the first, they will lose one point of distance, so.

Chase-Scene03: Getting to speed
As the pc leave the pier, they can see how the mob behind them enter the different remaining skiffs to give chase. The quicker the pc leave the piers behind, the more distance they will have between them and their pursuers.
Ask either Intelligence or Dexterity+0 to handle the boat and ask for two test. Any levels of success that are achieved directly add to the distance (if any!)

Chase Scene04: Smoke on the water
The smaller waterways widen and the pc dash by some warehouse. Ahead of them (and to the left) one it is aflame and thick, oily smoke rolls down into the channel, forming a wall impenetrable to sight. The pc can decide how fast they wish to go through the smoke, which will determine the difficulty of their next Intelligence/Dexterity test (+30 for slow an -20 for neck-breaking fast). If they do not pass the test,
they ram into some debris while moving, losing one point of distance and one of the pc will lose one object that plumps into the waters, never to be seen again. If the past the test the will gain distance between them and their pursuers if they went fast (1 point for +10; 2 points for +0 and so on).
Unless they moved fast (-20 or -10) they need to pass a Toughness test as well as the smoke is nigh to
unbreathable. Use the reverse modifier of the handling test (+30 becomes -30; +20 becomes -20, etc… +0 remains +0). Everyone failing the test gains a level of fatigue.

Chase Scene 5: Engine dies down
While leaving the smoke, the engines starts to make unwholesome noises and the lose speed! Ask for extended test for Trade(Technomant)+40; Tech-Use(+20) or Common Lore(Tech)+10 or Logic(+0). If successful, the pc know that the air filter must have been suffering from the oily smoke and are able to exchange it by going under deck remove the filter entirely (detrimental in the long run, but the pc will not need to run for that long). If they do not do this, they will lose one point of distance on every following scene due to the motor not performing as it should be.

Chase Scene 6: Wreckage underneath the water
Ask all the pc for a difficult(-10) Perception/Awareness test (sight) to recognize that something is under the water ahead of them (an old ship wreckage that was never removed). If they do not recognize it, they will crush over it, making a jump. They lose one point of distance due to lost speed. In addition, every pc must test for strength, otherwise they get thrown of and they lose another point of distance since they need to “collect” their team mates.

Final Chase Scene:
A series of extended opposed tests. If the pc reach 10 (or already reached ten) they will escape, otherwise, they will be rammed from the site and perhaps boarded
 

[Darth Smeg 234]

 I doubt I'll ever get them into a boat again, after their traumatic experience with the boat-trap

As for the heavy bolter, she has no extra ammo. Just the 60 shots in the "clip". On Full-auto only, this is just 6 rounds, or six bursts. She can't waste it, so.

[Gregorius21778 249]

The following are just ideas for a chase scene.

[A stack of kegs]
The pc run towards a stack of kegs secured against a wall by a large wooden pole rammed into the ground. A pc who wants to release the kegs need to pass an ordinary(+10) strength test to remove the pole. If the pc is the successful, the kegs role toward their pursuers and the pc gain +2 distance.
If the pc fails, he realizes that s/he won´t be able to remove the pole before the mob closes in. But for not running the whole time, the pc (or the group) loses 1 distance.

[Grox Market]
A about half a dozen Grox are herded across the street the pc are running along. It takes an ordinary(+10) Dexterity role to get pass these massive animals without losing time. (1 Distance). Unsettling the Grox to create an obstacle for the pursuers is a hard(-20) test for Wrangling or very hard(-30) Test for Intimidation: the beasts are not only domesticated but castrated and are thereby rather docile.

[Young people]
The street is narrow and a large bunch of youngsters is standing their right in the middle, chatting and passing a bottle. It takes a difficult(-10) test for Command or Intimidate to get the to move out of the way… and a very hard(-30) Charm test get the slightly drunk youngster to try to oppose the mob (which will only be a minor distraction before they get pushed aside).

[Ladder]
A ladder leans against a house wall. Ask for Agility/Climb test to get up their before anyone reaches the foot of the letter. If enough level of success are achieved, the pc are able to pull the ladder up before anybody reaches it. Running on a roof is difficult in itself, and a lot of running and jumping needs to be done to lose the mob below.
And remember: rooftops might be in bad condition and there is now law against sending the pc crashing down through one after three jumps.

[Dead End Street Distillery]
After two bends, the street turns out to be a dead end. Said dead end is a distillery with large stained glass windows. Scrupulous pc could try to lay a fire. Stupid pc (or those lacking any skill in Chem-Use) might get things wrong and generate a explosion with themselves right in the blast.

[Channel Crossing]
A channel separates this side of the street from the other, it is about 2,50m wide. Jump?

[Church]
A church! A church! The lynch mob will not follow the pc into a church, right? Well, the mob will actually hesitate, but only if the parish priests orders them to stop (Fellowship/Charm on behalf of the pc). But the pc do good to quietly leave through the rear since the parish priest will only be able to make them stop for about 30 seconds. After that, some-one says “screw it!” and the chase is on again.

[Tool Bridge]
A couple of Undertow-Thugs turned the bridge ahead into their personal property and extort fees for passing. Clever pc just pay and run on. Quick-witted pc offer the armed thugs money in exchange for blocking the bridge after them (Barter; difficulty depending on the money the pc offer).

[Leper Sermon]
The market place ahead is of the pc is blocked by large group of lepers which are given a sermon by a priest so that first their souls may heal and then their bodies. The mob won´t follow the pc through their but take some side streets around. If the pc go straight through the GM should feel free to ask the pc for some easy(+30) Toughness checks. Otherwise, the pc might have caught a disease.
 

[Darth Smeg 234]

I used some of these with great results, Gregorius.

My players had trouble convincing the Angry Mob that they were locals, considering one was wearing Arbites Carapace, one was a techpriest with smoking wounds, one was wearing the blood-and-brain stained clothes of Marv the Reclaimator (a local he killed for the clothes) and the last one is the planets most-wanted, with his face on posters everywhere.

The almost-dead enforcer was brought to useful and loyal helper-status by a quick use of Seal Wounds, and he made it easier to get by the enforcer roadblock. I didn't get to use any more, as they decided to go by boat, thus bypassing my clever path of death and destruction, but thats players for you. 

No regard for the Gms evil plans.