If anyone has seen the movie Virus then i was wondering how one would turn it into a mission or two. ive gotta say its on my top ten favorite scifi films mainly because of the premise and wondered how best to turn it into DH.

2 words for you.

Obliterator. Virus.

Seriously.

*nod*

dont they actually have rules for that somewhere?

possibly when an expansion for Deathwacth comes out.

But until then, add a grade of Machine Trait, run it like possession, and scare the hell out of the players.

If you can, watch Tetsuo:Ironman as well, a bit grim in a couple of places, but it will give you an interesting idea on corrupted Adeptus Mechanicus and the Obliterator virus acting very fast...

Velvetears said:

Tetsuo:Ironman is not only grim, it gets absolutely absurd in the end (why do they have to use phallic symbols that much? The drillbit was enough, me thinks)

Anyway: I would not use a warp-machine-mutatins scheme (although, the Schismatical from CA might be a good approach) but either a simple plain heretek or a warp dabbler similiar to the Witches of Amenicus Tole or those wizzard that made things like the Bronzen Malifect. In short, I would keep the "you are used for parts"-concept instead of the "it will turn you into something else".

The Obliviates (not to be consued with olitaraitors) (CA, right?) of the Iron Techtrachs are a possibility, as well (which would be the heretek approach again).

Funny thing is, their have already been about halve a dozen threats like this where people started to boil up their own little nightmare base on "Virus"
Sad thing is: none of it ever appeard as writen & ready for copy(or download) fan based adventure

well for it to be in the spirit of virus i think it should be set in a Space hulk *curses the tavern like place of DH* that or a derelict RT ship which might be a nice adventure to tie into a RT campaign now that i think about it

i was looking through my books and thinking that perhaps schismatical (CA p. 29) could have taken control of an entire ship, but the crew successfully managed to destroy the drives (or something else to disable the ship) before they were taken for parts.

this also would go with a doctor who episode i once saw "The Girl in the Fireplace" where the AI takes the crew as parts.

however the crew wasnt enough or the schismatical didnt figure out how to use a few tens of thousands to fix the ship (maybe it was really that messed up)

the acolytes would just be investigating the ship filled with evil servitors or robots that can rip them limb from limb and their own ship gets taken as well (forces them to think up a way of escape as well)

Hi ThenDoctor,

I know the episode you are talking about. Nice approach.

Talking: what disabled the ship?
Damage to the drives is one thing, but how about destruction/venting of the fuels (plasma & over-highly-radioactive stuff, me thinks), the destruction of some key elements which would transport such fuel and (of course) self-destruction of the Tech-Priest so no bit of memory was salvageable (no 40K grimdark without some self-sacrifice!). The Schismatical, thereby, is in need of Tech-Priest in the know of how to repair & refuel those critical parts.

This could lead to the Schismatical allowing first investigatin of the ship, keeping itself back and evading the "invasors" while having an eye on them (this fine "we are watched"-feeling) until the salvage team reaches the reactor area. As soon the Schismatical is sure that the troops already onboard do not know how to reactive (they don´t do it and a kidnapped npc provides the information that no-one of this team knows...but their are the AdMech on the ship...) the Schismatical will launch an attack to bord the other ship. .. first, ignoring the pc. Giving them the chance to come close.

Can the pc use this machina hybris/misfunction of danger analysis and find a way to take the schismatical out? Can they leave before their ships leaves and/or bombs the dread SchisShip into next milennia? Or is (in a DH campaign) the RT-captain to loot hungry to destroy the SchisShip and even tries to reason with this "mechanic alien" by offering transfer to another fringe world with a admech demense world if it leaves the ship? (good, this RT has to be stupid!)

i dont think it should be a pc admech to try and fix the ship but the npc being a tech priest for ships makes sense, perhaps he's an explorator for the greedy RT captain and wants to be a scion for the virus (im sure some admech think the living data is a god of somesort)

any ideas for the particular monsters? id rather not just have run of the mill servitors...

or traps for that matter

@Any good monsters
Hmm..it´s a Schismatical, so let me see..

Dizzy Loader Sentinel
An infected loader sentinel (dangling with masses of cables wiping around wildly) could make a "kewl" opponent. Especially since he will be hard to damage. Make him clumsy and give him damaged gyro, so (or perhaps the gyro-thing is due to no pilot). And remember: their is ALWAYS a chasm in any big space construct!

Shuttle Shark
Somethiing for outdoors, during the final retreat from the ship. This shuttle will be huge (bigger then the flyer the pc use) and with "nose" opening upwards. Normally, for cargo, but now it tries to side-ram the other shuttle in order to attach itself and spread the virus.

ServoSkullHydra
An odd cluster of powercells, cable, industrial sheers, hydraulik parts and many-many servo skulls. The difference to a real hydra: this time that heads do not grow back. The core will be incredibly hard to criple, but taking out the "heads" is equal to taking out the sensors...living it as a blind, spastic, flaying mass..still dangerous, but something one can evade

Who let the ***** out?
A soaring and roaring array of cockwork (perhaps normally part of an hydraulic ramp?) with a motor attached to it and some proximity sensors. If you move quick, it senses you, roars towards you and tries to contact with so the cock pull you in and mack short work of you weak flesh.

Pouncing Piston
A powerfull piston with an auspex, a voxcaster and an some servitor remains to it. Propelling itself like the bastard son of a pogo stick and a battering ram. Mean thing is that it does not have to get you. Coming near is enough. And as long as you are out of side, the concussion could make your players believe that Tyranno Mechanicus Rex is coming!

On Rotation
Ventilation rotors flying round like helicopters..but still attached to a power cable (similiar to the Servoskull Hydra). They go for the pc and will selfdistruct on impact...but leave a grisly wound. Better not to get hit...or sever this high-power-cables...with something non-conducting.

CableConstricta
At some powercables to some mechandrites to some optical fibres to a power source and an optic module...and you get the first mecha-python that is able to electro-cute it´s victim. But must be attached to a wall somehwere.. well, should!

The Bronzen Malifect
It does not need to be warp powered, does it? The stats will work for a schismatical as well

Floating Grav rams
Again, at some antigrav to a power source to a motion sensor. At lots and lots of spikes...

Venus Wastecrusher Trap
Combine the StarWars waste recycling unit with some mechandrites..immoble, but effective

Flash-Voomer
With parts of the audio system attached to different sets of nail guns and small utility vehicle (like a a mobile lift/ramp) you could have a monster-car using sound/flashligt based attack to stun the opponent ("brown tone", anyone? Or Shock-Stroboscobe) and go for overrolling it (8wheeler) why eratically shooting out nails all around

...well..that´s it for now

Bladeballs
Take some servoskull antigrav unit, combine it with something spinning on a high rate per minute and add lots of blades and spiky bits. This time, leave out any optical sensors but fill the room with lots of them. Their is a sensor somehwere in the walls. The pc have to find & destroy that one or leave the area quickly!