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Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 01:26 PM
Every year i run a Halloween game, this year its gonna be WoD instead of DnD and its gonna be based off of Evil Dead, so a bit campy. This is what i have for the basic premise; its 1870-something in Wyoming territory, Fort Dry Creek. The garrison has been killed, their corpses strewn across the surrounding wilderness, the fort commander is nowhere to be seen. Enter the party, a stagecoach carrying 4 passengers, a driver, and a guard enter the fort, they find two trappers and a Shoshone scout at the forts trading post. No one knows whats going on. The party has a chance to roleplay with each other before things get nuts.

After all the people eat dinner, and the sun goes down, things get weird. A strange banging is heard from one of the buildings, if they go to investigate they find a trapdoor chained closed with something trying to get out. This is when the first soldiers appear at the fort, and they try to rip someone apart with their hands and teeth.


This is all ive got so far. Im thinking that they need to protect the trapdoor so that the, now dead soldiers, dont get to it and let whatever is in there out. Now i feel like this isnt enough, as its pretty much just Nazi Zombies, but im drawing a blank, so i come to the playground for some help, thanks in advance.

Waker
2014-10-05, 01:32 PM
I suppose you could ask yourself a few questions. What was it that initially killed all the people at the fort before the party arrives? How did whatever is behind the trapdoor get trapped? Were the trappers and scout there when everything went down or were they simply the first to arrive? What caused the initial transformation for the first Deadite? Is there something special about the location itself or is there a cursed object/person responsible for what happened here?

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 01:43 PM
Well the thing in the basement is what killed everyone, and im not entirely sure how it became what it is, but it was the Captain's wife and hes the one who locked it down there.

As for the trappers and scout, they're just the first guys who got there (they are playable characters as i will be pre genning characters for this)

As for Site vs. Object, im still not sure yet. I mean i kinda want to use the Necronomicon, but i feel that that would be to obvious (as one of my players has seen Evil Dead). I mean it could totally be an extremely pissed off Spirit that started this by possessing the Captain's Wife.

Oh and the Captain is still alive and untainted.

Waker
2014-10-05, 02:01 PM
Well the thing in the basement is what killed everyone, and im not entirely sure how it became what it is, but it was the Captain's wife and hes the one who locked it down there.
I'm assuming the wife is either a KO event if she gets out or is intended for the final fight. Another question would be, why was it the wife that got turned? Did she have some contact with some evil juju, piss someone with power off or is she just a convenient target for someone with a grudge against the captain? It could also be bad luck on her part.


As for Site vs. Object, im still not sure yet. I mean i kinda want to use the Necronomicon, but i feel that that would be to obvious (as one of my players has seen Evil Dead). I mean it could totally be an extremely pissed off Spirit that started this by possessing the Captain's Wife.
Going with the ol' book of demonic rituals might be a bit obvious. You could go with an event occured that resulted in the possession/transformation. Every hundred years, some spooky stuff goes down. The wife hosted a Donner party. The captain arrested a witch doctor some time ago and he's back for some revenge.

Also what are the "win" conditions for the party? Are they meant to destroy all zombies, de-possess the wife or simply survive?

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 02:07 PM
I'm assuming the wife is either a KO event if she gets out or is intended for the final fight. Another question would be, why was it the wife that got turned? Did she have some contact with some evil juju, piss someone with power off or is she just a convenient target for someone with a grudge against the captain? It could also be bad luck on her part.


Going with the ol' book of demonic rituals might be a bit obvious. You could go with an event occured that resulted in the possession/transformation. Every hundred years, some spooky stuff goes down. The wife hosted a Donner party. The captain arrested a witch doctor some time ago and he's back for some revenge.

Also what are the "win" conditions for the party? Are they meant to destroy all zombies, de-possess the wife or simply survive?

Im thinking bad luck mostly, the Captain is actually a good guy, so i think ill go with the Event, possibly a rift that let something bad out. as for "win" conditions any of those three honestly, the big one is surviving and leaving, which will be a pain as the bridge is destroyed. (yup totally swiping that)

Waker
2014-10-05, 02:18 PM
Destroying the monsters is relatively straightforward, so I won't dwell on that. But as for the wife situation, how about you have some information lying about concerning this place. Maybe this has happened before in the past and the previous natives or settlers did something to take care of it. A relic was broken or misplaced, a ritual that needs to be performed every X years or some sacrifice to be made. But for whatever reason, this time around they people at the fort lacked that magic protection. Assuming the party can find the information and utilize it, they might be able to save the wife as opposed to using shotgun diplomacy.

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 02:30 PM
Destroying the monsters is relatively straightforward, so I won't dwell on that. But as for the wife situation, how about you have some information lying about concerning this place. Maybe this has happened before in the past and the previous natives or settlers did something to take care of it. A relic was broken or misplaced, a ritual that needs to be performed every X years or some sacrifice to be made. But for whatever reason, this time around they people at the fort lacked that magic protection. Assuming the party can find the information and utilize it, they might be able to save the wife as opposed to using shotgun diplomacy.

Im liking the preventative ritual, the fort is fairly new so this would never have happened before. The Shoshone scout would possibly know a little bit of it, probably just that a ritual is needed not the actual specifics.

I just had a thought, the Captain is alive because he left after his wife was possessed to go speak to a Shoshone Shaman and everything hit the fan when he left. He comes back after the party is in the fort and his guards and him are attacked crossing the bridge while the Deadites are trying to destroy it. If the party intervenes he and his men survive the attack (the bridge will probably be unsavable) if they dont just the Captain makes it, but hes well into the lethal and he may die from his injuries, but he has the ritual written down in this coat.

Waker
2014-10-05, 02:45 PM
Im liking the preventative ritual, the fort is fairly new so this would never have happened before. The Shoshone scout would possibly know a little bit of it, probably just that a ritual is needed not the actual specifics.

I just had a thought, the Captain is alive because he left after his wife was possessed to go speak to a Shoshone Shaman and everything hit the fan when he left. He comes back after the party is in the fort and his guards and him are attacked crossing the bridge while the Deadites are trying to destroy it. If the party intervenes he and his men survive the attack (the bridge will probably be unsavable) if they dont just the Captain makes it, but hes well into the lethal and he may die from his injuries, but he has the ritual written down in this coat.
Just to make sure I'm getting the timeline right here; Wife starts doing the thriller and gets the rest of the fort to join in with her, Captain plays Hide N' Seek with her in the basement, Captain goes native, party arrives to find a big mess, Night of the Living Dead opening credits start as the Captain returns.
Assuming the above is correct, are the Shoshone close to the fort? Do the Deadites rise one day later or do they just have to wait for nightfall? Does the party need to perform the whole ritual exactly or just do it more or less? Also you might want to think about the geography around the fort, so the party doesn't get a clever idea to circumvent the downed bridge after five minutes scouting.

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 02:59 PM
Just to make sure I'm getting the timeline right here; Wife starts doing the thriller and gets the rest of the fort to join in with her, Captain plays Hide N' Seek with her in the basement, Captain goes native, party arrives to find a big mess, Night of the Living Dead opening credits start as the Captain returns.
Assuming the above is correct, are the Shoshone close to the fort? Do the Deadites rise one day later or do they just have to wait for nightfall? Does the party need to perform the whole ritual exactly or just do it more or less? Also you might want to think about the geography around the fort, so the party doesn't get a clever idea to circumvent the downed bridge after five minutes scouting.

Time line is pretty much spot on, except that all the soldiers die after the captain leaves, so it looks kinda like this;

Night 1: Wife does thriller impression is locked in basement by hubby.
Day 1: Captain takes a few men and rides to the Shoshone
Night 2: Garrison gets wiped out
Late Day 2: Party shows up
Night 3: Soldiers get in on the thriller party, captain arrives around 10 or 11.

The Shoshone are kinda close, but the Captain rode non stop, so like 20 miles or so, a bit far to help the party.
The Deadites just need it to be night to rise, so the men with the Captain may rise.
As for the ritual, they just need to do a series of steps (havent worked out what specifically)
Geography wise its gonna be on a bluff that is shaped by a river, the only way to the fort is across the bridge. Now they could get some rope and climb down the bluff, but its a long way down.

Waker
2014-10-05, 03:10 PM
Night 1: Wife does thriller impression is locked in basement by hubby.
Day 1: Captain takes a few men and rides to the Shoshone
Night 2: Garrison gets wiped out
Late Day 2: Party shows up
Night 3: Soldiers get in on the thriller party, captain arrives around 10 or 11.

The bolded part is what confuses me. How did the garrison get wiped out if the wife is locked up? Is there a a threat aside from the wife, like the camera monster from the movies? Does she have some means to kill from a distance, ignoring physical barriers?

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 03:18 PM
I am ashamed that i cant remember the camera monster. As for other threats im thinking one of two things, either a) a guy was wounded and became a deadite at night and started the slaughter or b) theres a disembodied force that killed a few men and turned them into deadites (think Alan Wake or the end of the original Evil Dead). If i go with option B the reason it didnt do more is because it simply doesnt have the power.

Edit: Nevermind, i figured out you were talking about the disembodied force that nailed Ash at the end of the original.

Waker
2014-10-05, 03:44 PM
I am ashamed that i cant remember the camera monster. As for other threats im thinking one of two things, either a) a guy was wounded and became a deadite at night and started the slaughter or b) theres a disembodied force that killed a few men and turned them into deadites (think Alan Wake or the end of the original Evil Dead). If i go with option B the reason it didnt do more is because it simply doesnt have the power.

Edit: Nevermind, i figured out you were talking about the disembodied force that nailed Ash at the end of the original.

Yeah, I kinda felt like referring to the monster by a goofy name. And since the vast majority of the time you never see it, just the viewpoint it has, it is like the camera-man is chasing Ash or jumping through windows.

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 04:58 PM
Now i just need to figure out what the ritual needs to be...... Im thinking a strange powder (which the captain has on him) that needs to be mixed with some of the victim's blood, maybe a few other things, and then placed in a circle around the and burned. Maybe toss a weird chant in.......... im so tempted to use "Klatu Barada Nicto" but thats way to obvious.

Waker
2014-10-05, 05:24 PM
Now i just need to figure out what the ritual needs to be...... Im thinking a strange powder (which the captain has on him) that needs to be mixed with some of the victim's blood, maybe a few other things, and then placed in a circle around the and burned. Maybe toss a weird chant in.......... im so tempted to use "Klatu Barada Nicto" but thats way to obvious.

You did say you wanted it to be a bit campy. Unless you decide to forgo the exact words, you could try to find some Shoshone phrases.

Blackhawk748
2014-10-05, 06:19 PM
You did say you wanted it to be a bit campy. Unless you decide to forgo the exact words, you could try to find some Shoshone phrases.

I think ill just change the order, let my one player have a good laugh cuz he'll prbly be the one saying it.