Zoned Out (englisch)
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Über das Abenteuer
Zoned Out ist ein englisches Abenteuer, das in der Ausgabe Nummer 68 des "Challenge" Rollenspielmagazins erschien, welches zwischen 1986 und 1996 von "Game Designers' Workshop" verlegt wurde. Der Verlag wurde 1996 aufgelöst.
ZONED OUT
The snatch and grab went like clockwork. Just a lew more hours of waiting in this gopping jamhole, then Zeta-Impchem gets spammed, a payback they're long-overdue. Jasper looked over at the young Elven girl strapped to the cot. She groaned and weakly struggled to regain consciousness. The prison drug in her system was working -that should keep her harmless for awhile. Suddenly, the sound of heavy artillery pounded outside the steel-plated access door of the warehouse. Jasper grabbed for his Bountyman and clicked off the safety. Get a grip, chummer, he told himself. It's just another day in the Squeeze, and the Surfers are just taking care of business as usual.
Description
This adventure was specifically designed for use with FASA's London Sourcebook, but with slight modification, it can be used in any city. The group will need at least one mage (preferably hermetic), but will not need a decker. The story begins with Julia Saint- Smythe (the daughter of Lord Reginald Saint-Smythe, earl of Cameiliard, being abducted by members of Deep Green, ecological terrorists of radical disposition. The terrorists, however, are not really in control of the situation -they are being set-up by a Toxic Druid group, which plans to kill them and take the hostage to be used as the main sacrifice in a blood ritual.
Deep Green
Terrorist Leader
- Name: Jasper
- Bod: 3
- Quickness: 4
- Strength: 3
- Charisma: 5
- Intelligence: 5
- Willpower: 3
- Essence:3.5
- Reaction: 4(6)+1D6
- Skills: Armed Combat: 3, Car: 2, Demolitions: (B/R) 3, Firearms: 6, Psychology: 4, Unarmed Combat: 4, *Leadership: 5, Negotiation: 4
- Cyberware: Smartgun link, wired reflexes 1
- Gear: IWS Bountyman (Ares Predator) with smartgun link, armor clothing, FN-HAR assault rifle with smartgun link
Average Terrorist
- Same stats as leader, but without Leadership or Negotiation skill.
Watcher Spirit
- Force: 6
Toxic Earth Spirit
- Force: 5
- Bod:8
- Quickness: 2x2
- Strength: 8
- Charisma: 1
- Intelligence: 4
- Willpower: 5
- Essence:4A
- React/on: 7/12
- Attacks:4S3+\ reach.
- Special Powers: Alienation, concealment, corrosive secretions, fear, manifestation, noxious breath
LOUNGING LIZARDS!
The characters are contacted by a fixer called James the Silent, who informs them of a job. James has a reputation for representing "clients" of noble background. Most of the jobs are highly dangerous, but the payment usually matches the risk. If the characters accept his offer, James will inform them that a black Nightsky with a gold diamond crest emblazoned on the hood will arrive within the hour to pick them up. A meeting will take place at the Lounging Lizard nightclub, a place the characters have never heard of and would never be able to find on their own. The Lounging Lizard is a members -only corporate nightclub and is well protected by a hermetic ward, with physical muscle to back up the magical defenses. The characters will be led to a private room in the back, where they will meet with James the Silent, a man in his late forties, very much overweight and dressed in the latest fashionable, corporate-style suit. James will allow them to order what they wish from the bar, and once they are served, he'll get right to the point.
He tells them that a few hours ago, Julia Saint-Smythe was abducted by Deep Green agents while she was leaving her flat in South Kensington. The job consists of finding Julia and rescuing her from the terrorists. His "client" is offering £30,000 plus an additional £10,000 if the characters keep the job quiet enough to stay out of the trashfaxes. If the characters do not accept the job (their loss!), they will be detained, then magic and mind-altering drugs will be used on them to erase all knowledge of this meeting. If the characters accept the job, James will show them a holo-pic of Julia. She's [helix:Elfen|Elven]], blonde, 20 years old and looks like a simsense starlet. Any mages in the group who pass an INT success test at target number 4 will realize that some of the pieces of jewelry she's wearing are spell foci. The last instructions from James are that when the girl is safe, the PCs should call BTG# (717) 555-8238, and a team will show up to pay them and take the girl. He will then bid the PCs good-day and have them escorted to the Nightsky they arrived in and transported to their original pickup point.
THE SQUEEZE
Julia is being held captive in the Lambath Containment Zone, a.k.a. The Squeeze. The Squeeze is the UK version of the Redmond Barrens in Seattle (for more information on The Squeeze, see the London Sourcebook, pages 109-114). The terrorists are holed-up in an abandoned warehouse (what else?) in the New Cross district. It has a security rating of F. Whenever the characters enter and leave The Squeeze, roll for an encounter on the Squeeze Encounters Table.
Encounters In The Squeeze
2D6 Result
2-3 Magic:
- The characters encounter what looks like a young woman trying to comfort a group of hideously deformed children. The children are actually 42-24 victims that live in the alleys and streets of The Squeeze. The young woman is a free spirit that has taken pity on the children. If the characters offer to help in some way, the spirit will grant them one wish within her power. If the runners ignore the children or abuse them in some way, she will curse them and throw Alienation on the offending characters.
4-8 Gang:
- The PCs run into the middle of a gang war between the New Cross Surfers and the Brixton Boys. As soon as the runners appear, the Brixton gang takes off, thinking the runners are the Surfers' backup. The Surfers are suspicious of the runners but offer to lead them to the Deep Green hideout for a small fee -50% of the gear the runners get from the terrorists.
9-10 Beggar:
- 42-24 victim
11 Animal:
- The runners are attacked by a pair of Gargoyles.
Bod: 10/3, Q: 4x3, S: 8, /: 2/4, W:4, E:5, R: 3, Attk:(STR)S2.
Powers: Concealment, enhanced physical attributes (strength, once per day for 5D6 turns), noxious breath.
Vulnerability: Iron.
12 Underworld:
- A fixer offers to hook the runners up with some black market weapons. Whether this guy is legit or not is up to the gamemaster.
TERRORIST HIDEOUT
The Deep Green terrorist hideout is a small, abandoned warehouse in the New Cross District of The Squeeze. It is a singestory building. The interior walls are made of normal construction plastic (barrier rating 4). All the windows have been covered with thick impact plastic (barrier rating 10), and all exterior doors are reinforced steel sheet (barrier rating 24). The locks are heavy bolt, tooled steel. STR test to break the lock is target number 10. The Toxic Druid group that hired the terrorists has placed a Watcher spirit to keep an eye on them. When the player characters attack the Deep Green members, the Watcher will report the outcome to its masters immediately following the battle. A Toxic Earth spirit, force 5, has been placed outside the building with orders to attack anyone who leaves the warehouse with the girl, including the terrorists. However, the girl is not to be harmed in any way. Damaged goods do not make good sacrifices. The number of Deep Green members is double the size of the party, plus one leader.
Locker Room: Used by warehouse employees when the place was in operation.
Office: Empty.
Crates: These are old, rotting and empty. If someone hides behind them, they will provide hard cover.
Lounge: This area provides minimal comfort, with a table, some chairs and two couches. The terrorists will most likely be in this area.
Sleeping Area: This area has a few flimsy screens for privacy. This is where Julia is strapped to a cot. One terrorist will guard her at all times. Julia will not be much help to her rescuers -she has been pumped full of drugs to keep her from doing any magic. If the characters have a medkit, they may be able to bring her back to consciousness, but will she will be at a +4 modifier for all her tests.
DON'T CALL US...
If the characters are successful in their rescue of Julia, they will eventually find themselves calling the phone number James gave them. The phone will be answered by James, who will inform them that a team will be dispatched immediately to pick up the girl and pay the runners. However, the Druids have dispatched their own team to get the girl from the runners. This Druidic strike force consists of team leader Ian MacGregor, an
Elven street samurai named Kinslayer and a number of regular agents equal to the PC group. The Druids have sent a second team to intercept and dispose of the team sent by James. If the characters have neutralized the Watcher, the Druid team will start searching for the characters immediately, then attack as soon as possible, in order to gain the element of surprise. If the Watcher wasn't neutralized, it will lead the Druid team right to the characters, where they will pretend to be the contact team James is sending. Below are some possible ways the characters might be tipped off that they
are impostors:
• If the characters previously set up a password-counterpassword with James, the false team will not know the correct response (unless it was mentioned in front of the Watcher).
• Unless the characters mention payment, the false team will not have the money.
• Mage characters may decide to do an Aura Sensing, Mind Probe or Analyze Truth.
If the characters fail to cooperate with the Druid team, of as soon as the Druid team can catch the characters off -guard, the Druids will attack the runners, then grab the girl and run.
Druidic Strike Force
Team Leader
- Name: Ian MacGregor
- Initiate Grade: 1 New Druid Movement
- Bod: 2(4)
- Quickness: 4
- Strength: 2
- Charisma: 4
- Intelligence: 5
- Willpower: 5
- Essence: 5.1
- Magic: 6
- Reaction: 4 (8)+1D6
- Skills: Conjuring: 3, Etiquette (Druidic): 2, Firearms: 3. Magical Theory: 4, Sorcery; 6, Unarmed Combat: 2
- Spells: Manaball: 5, Powerball: 5, Clairvoyance: 5, Detect Enemies: 2, Detect Guns: 4, Personal Combat *Sense: 5, Heal Moderate Wounds: 3, Increased Reaction +2, Mask: 3, Armor: 5, Confusion: 4, Power Focus: 1 (Golden Sicle), Spell Lock: Armor/2 successes, Spell Lock: Personal Combat Sense/4 successes
- Cyberware: Boosted reflexes 1, cybereyes with thermographic/lowlight
- Gear: Armor jacket, flash packs (3), HK227 SMG with laser sight, 50 rounds standard ammo
Second In Command
- Name: Kinslayer
- Use Elven street samurai stats on page 104 of the Street Samurai Catalog.
Average Druidic Agent
- Use the average terrorist stats.
PICKING UP THE PIECES
over to the proper people, the runners got their pounds and everyone is happy -except Roy Chambers. Who?!! Roy is the Toxic Shaman who was going to sacrifice Julia to empower a spirit. This failure has decreased his threat rating by one, and he is most unhappy. He knows who is responsible and will be seeking revenge.
Team Karma:
Award
- 2 points for defeating the Toxic Earth Spirit,
- 1 for neutralizing the Watcher,
- 1 for surviving the mission,
- 3 for handing Julia over to the proper people,
- -5 for giving Julia to the Druids.
Individual Karma:
Award a bonus as per the Shadowrun rules.
