Greetings, brethern

right at the moment, a group of three "beginning rank three" are travelling along the world of Dusk between a number of villages they have to check for "Mutants and other Corruption". They spend two or three days travelling between each village, so I need something to keep them occupied.

My problem is:
- while I emphasize the dangerous nature of Dusk, I do not want to turn the travell into a "monster of the day" affair (meaning: not a combat a day!)
- the region is rather isolated, so they are not going to meet much people outside of the villages

What I am searching/asking for are encounters in the wild that do not necessarly involve other humans and can be solved by other means then combat.

Thank you!

You could have them encounter a demonic mist where they have to make a will save to get out. Give circumstance bonuses if they all join hands and pray in unison to the emperor. Also every few hours you might have a lesser demon or corrupted human/beast wander out the mists to attack them. They better get to praying...

I ran an adventure on Dusk a couple months back that sounds like it is very similar to what you are looking for. (It was actually the follow on to Eternal Tide.) Some of what they encountered was combat, but a lot wasn't. Some things I would call challenges to overcome, while others were just random happenings.

I am not going to have the time to clean it up for publication for another couple months, but if you would like the notes I used to run it (which are all typed in Excel) I would be happy to provide them. Just email me at the address on my website.

Honestly, I feel the less you actually put on combat and the more on suspense the better. Trees whispering, grass seemingly grabbing/clinging to feet when you walk through them, walking in water and slipping on something that swims away (or better yet pulling said person under and drags them off for a bit), leaves seemingly coming towards and "attacking the PCs.

Stuff like that.

You could probably take a page from the IG omnibus where the Catachans are on a Deathworld that litterally fights back against them and the Orks (can't remember the planet's name right now) although Dusk wouldn't be nearly as extreme I imagine that there could be a certain patch of woods or marshes that the locals be sure to tell their children to avoid least they be seen ever again.

@Aethel
Thanks for the offer, eMail has been sended by me to the adress provided on your web site

@Lord Munchkin
That is a good idea! And on Dusk, it should be a "obivious". As I am writing, I remember this one "Dusk-Fluffl " in the IH of the confession of a heretic raider "Captain" that was ambushed by a form of "evil mist" on Dusk and lead out by a women... at the price of one of his eyes!
Will use this idea for sure (albeit without the attacking monsters... perhaps insanity points from whispers and other things? Willpower is a good idea, so. But I think I will use it as the "defensive attribute" against the malevolent effects of the mist. I am not quiet sure if Perceipton or Intelligence is better to get out of the mist...but I think perceipton will be it.

Not sure why gregorius, but I didn't get your email. I tossed the the file up here, so you can just go grab it:

aethel.net/darkheresy/adventures/dusk/

It looks like I did at least some reasonable fleshing out of the text on this one.. but I think the enemy stats I had on paper.

Basic setup, just so you understand some of the notes, is that they are there looking for a woman (Helena) who they suspect has a halo device. She is the apprentice of a heretic (Caerivus) they apprehended elsewhere. The trail from the planet where they caught him (Spectoris) led them to Razor's Refuge, a poaching camp on Dusk.

The Eldar who show up at the end are campaign specific.

Yeah I was think monsters was kinda lame. How about instead of real monsters coming out of the mists you could have wraith ones. They would atttack like normal monsters but would do insanity damage minus willpower bonus. Their weapons might also do half damage to the creature since their not entirely of this world. The players could avoid damage however by making a will save. Then they could try to find a way out. The mist being a mix of supernatural and earthly would allow them to add their perception and will bonuses to pass a DC, lets say 20 if you're feeling particularly cruel. You could have repeating litanies of protection add a bonus also. The players should be able to retry this every hour after which there is 50% chance of them running into a witch. The witch will offer to guide them out of the mist but only in exchange for some non-standard goods. For example if any of your players has a charm have the which ask for that from that players. Others include strands of hair, fingernails, a vial of blood, a picture of a loved one, etc... If they refuse have the witch leave angrily saying she'll "leave them to the spirits for mercy".

I am not quiet sure if Perceipton or Intelligence is better to get out of the mist...but I think perceipton will be it.

You could use both, just set a goal of x total DoS on two rolls, one against perception and the other against intelligence.

Gregorius21778 said:

Oh while I'm thinking about it, that quote was almost certainly a reference to the Dusk Hag on pg 244 of the Core Rulebook.

aethel said:

it is on page 22 in the Inquisitor's Handbook (Dusk as Homeworld)

Tetragon Tanebrae said:

Sorry, must not have been clear. I know the quote in question is from the Dusk homeworld package in the IH. I meant the witch who the speaker of the quote says saved him at the price of his eye is probably the Dusk Hag.

Okay, that is what it boiled down to, first...

The Nightmare Mist
While the pc´s travel through the fens and marshes, suddenly mist rises from the ground all around them. The speed is unnatural, they can see it rise around them far and wide. Ask the pc check for Fright, since this happenings are truly frightening (-10) . After a view moments, the group is completely engulfed by the mist, the sounds seem to be drawn out and sight is reduced to mere meters. It is warm and a breeze seems to come from this direction, ebbs and then comes from that direction in the next.

The pc will for sure try to get out. Ask them who will take the lead (and tell them that the checks will be against Intelligence+10 or Navigation(Land)+20 . Do not tell them that they will need 20 success in an extend check. Failure means no progress, three levels of failure result in the loss of a success, as does any to further two level of failure above the first three.
Every roll stands for around 5 minutes. If they pass the extended check, they will leave the mist, which will clear and dissolve as fast as it rose up.

For every 5 minutes the pc stay inside the mist, ask every pc for a disturbing(+0) Fright check . Remember, that this is a non-combat situation, so the frightened pc only suffer -10. However, if a test failed by 30 or more, the pc will not get insanity points.
Instead, a Dispayre r (Corebook; p.352) appears and attacks the pc for 1w5+1 rounds of combat. Same will happen if fright checks are missed in three conjunctive checks, even if not by the same pc.

A psyker can try to use his Psyniscience in the mist. It is an routine check (+20). As his mind reaches out, he will feel the contact of something old, alien and evil. The mist surrounding them! The pc must immediately pass an ordinary(+10) check for willpower. If he fails, he will gain a point of insanity. Never the less, success on the skill check will reveal that the mist feeds on fear … and with a level of success, the pc will also know it dwells on the feeling of being lost and alone.

The pc can take active measures against the evil. If they hold hands while walking (or hug each other), they gain a bonus equal to there own Willpower bonus. If a player speaks prayers (+30 check on Common Lore or Scholastic Lore (Imperial Creed) or sings (+30 Check on Performer(Singer)) the pc will gain a +10 on there fright checks. If more then one pc has useable skill, they can assist each other according to the rules.

If the pc simply stay where they are, in a circle hugging each other, they will have to check for for Fright -10 (turning there backs against what ever might be out there..). If no one of them fails, the mist will dissolve immediately... This idea should be worth some minor extra xp.

The feculent Fiancés
(Thanks to aethel for providing inspiration for them with there own dusk notes which can be found on here homepage: aethel.net/darkheresy/adventures/dusk/)

The pc´s are travelling through a swamp patch of the marshes. The ground is sucking there feed in to the ankle and huge slops brackish water dot the ground. At one point, a pc will notice the unclear reflections of other people in the water. People whom aren´t there. These will vanish as the pc try to show them to someone else. Nothing clear was to be seen, only that it where people. The night all the pc will have a similar dream: a person of the opposite sex will appear in this dream. A stranger, not beautiful, not ugly, of good health and very female/masculine (if a player ask what this means, give the question back to him! His answer is the answer for his pc). The person will court the pc and will ask for a kiss. Ask the players if there pc refuse or not. The dream will end there.

Those who not refused will see the reflections again on there next day of travel. This time the vision is clear, be the person is the one from the dream! And it looks at them through the reflection, reaching out and speaking unheard words. If they try to show it to someone, it will vanish. If a pc tries to listen or bows down to the puddle… a feisty fly will land on the puddle, blurring the vision.

Next night, the dream will return to those who did not refuse. It is the same person, but it has changed. The figure is now more corpulent, the scan is unclean and the hair a mess of withered plant. So the person stand before the pc in the dream, naked , partly covered in sludge and mud. “Do you stand by me? Are you true?” it asks. If the answer is “yes”, the person will step forth slowly, hugging the pc softly, whispering “Kiss me, gift me your odem and I will gift you with mine!”, the figure pleads. Lovingly caressing the pc while reeking of wet earth and smelling foul from the mouth. If the pc kiss the dream figure, it will weak up. Kissing the figure of his dream, but this time the figure is made of slug and earth and withered plants. And on top of him, in the pc mouth a crawling sensation. Ask for a horrifying (-20) fright checks. The figure dissolves and it feels like something long and widing is crawling inside the pc´s mouth..and down his throat! (Throwing up won´t help, but let the pc try!)

The same time, the same figures will evolve out of the camp ground. One for each of the refusing players. THOSE of the refusing players. They will attack them savagely, cursing like spurned lovers. While they will fight everyone opposing them, they will try to get at there “mates” first and foremost.

Those pc whom choose to kiss and to exchange odem will suffer the permanent loss of 1w5 of stamina (“there odem”) and will gain “Resistance” against Poison and Diseases. In addition, they will gain 1d5+5 points of corruption.

The foul fiancés
WS:25 BS:- S:25 T:25 AG:20 INT:30 PER:35 WP:35 FEL:10

Talents: Hatred (“Mates”), Daemonic (TB:4); Fear (2); Daemonic Presence (-10; 10m); From Beyound.

Wounds: 10 Weapons: Muddy Rootfists (1w5+2)

The missing village

If the characters are going from village to village in order to show there worth and helping where need be, why not let one of the villages be completely abandoned? Just empty. No, signs of strugle, no signs of earthquake, raging storms, plague or anything. Just an emptiness, a complete lack of life. But in the houses all the villages' belongings are still there. Clothes, playthings, books, tools are all there. In the kitchen they find rotten food on the table as if everyone just decided to up and leave in the middle of dinner.

An encounter of this sort aka lacking any form of encounter all together, should be a pretty eerie experience. If you want you could put The feculent Fiancés afterwards if tehy want some sort of explanation to what could have happened. Otherwise, just let them wonder. Strangething happens on strange planets.

/Eido

Eido said:

Gregorius21778 said:

Maybe they come across a fifth village on the way of one to the other that's not on their maps?

Or maybe they come back to one of the villages that they have already been to and find it abandoned?

You could pull a thirteenth warrior on them and have them all make perception checks. If they pass they can see things moving miles away in the tree lines. If they move to investigate, whatever was there is gone with few tracks eventually disappearing deep into the marshes.

Also have weird but harmless things in the few settlements they go to. For example have on village with no dogs at all but one. The single puppy there belongs to a small child. When asked if there are any other canines the villagers refuse to comment and quickly excuse themselves. It turns out that the "dog" a warp parasite that has latched onto the child's mind slowly feeding on it's soul until the kid dies a poor premature death. The villagers don't no how to be rid of this creature since it follows them wherever they move. Instead they reluctantly except their fate and treat the one "chosen" by the beast with pity.

Thanks, Lord Munchnkin,

The "13th Warrior" idea is a nice one. Ideed, I have a "band of mutants" as part of the major storyline. An "off-shot" of them could have been involved.


While your idea for the "warped dog" is good one, I shun away from employing any further "warp incursions" inside the villages. The players actually have a hard enough time to figure out what´s going on (which is already involving a form of a Dispayrer). I fear that involving other "non-storyline-warp-predators" that the group will get to confused to follow the "clues" instead of getting lost into "fluff-stuff".

Besides all the (much appreciated and very helpfull!) feedback:

Anyone any more "mundane" ideas which what I could bother the players with while on a 2 or 3 day travell between to villages?
Something that could be an "ill-effect" for not passing a "Survival" Check (which I call for for away travell)

What I am thinking about are

Minor disturbances for not gaining three levels of success
Major incidents for actually failing (and hammering more on them for failing badly / levels of failure)

I thought about "ticks" (but bigger and more ill-bringing) in fields of long grass as a "minor disturbance" with the possibility of catching a fever
which would just result in a constant level of fatigue till the fever is over (extended checks on toughness till 20 success are accumulated)

Well in the more mundane department there is also fun to be had. Earlier this year I wrote a scenario for warhammer that involved a hunt and put in some small mundane stuff, to slow the players down and get them to really annoy the crap out of each other.

1. waterfall. they come to a waterfall from the top and looks down. It looks veeeryy dangerous. Stones and stuff. And the height. how are they with big heiths and jumping from them? And are there creatures lurking in the water?

2. traps. Some hunter left a trap, for the players to walk right into. you know the one that puts a sling around the leg of one of the players and lets him hang in the air until helped down or killed by someone waiting...

3. insects. In the warhammer it was a beehive but who knows what kinf of creepy crawlers that makes small (or big) hives on small strange planets. So avoind it or have a serious insect problem on your hands.

4. Suprise - trap again. A big hole in the ground with or without the spikes. Are the players quick enough to discover it or do they fall in. And is there already something down there with them? Doesn't have to be the big bad, but strong enough to course trouble.

think that was it. Hope it helps.

/Eido

some of my random events

Body

• Someone important
• Mutant
• Wanted Person of Interest
• Animal
• Special (Orc or such)

Ruins

• Ship
• Village
• Unknown Origin

Traveller

• Locals
• Adventures
• Mutants
• Someone important

Weather Condintion

• Server lighting storm - lighting strikes
• Server rain storm - flooding
• Strange - fireball storm, warp storm, things out of the norm

Location

• Thick forest - travel time increased
• Swamp
• Death trap - gas lake (posion gas escapes from a lake killing everything around it -- based on true events) or tangle vines or quicksand
• Bad Lands