Taal, the following was so well written (especially the beginning) that it choked me up a bit. Well done Sir.
taalismn wrote:Forgive me for reporting my tables for Haunted Vehicles, since Haunted GBs seems to be common idea here on this thread...Maybe this will facilitate a few more ideas...
Just a little extra oldie goodies for people who want something else to toss about....
Haunted Vehicles
Under the layers of caked grease, sealant paint, dulling corrosion, and hardened animal droppings, there lays cold, hard, steel...
Or is it so cold?
For decades, they have lain here. slowly rotting away....They come to this place in the hot dry desert, still shiny and straight of line, and gleaming with purpose, and are placed in straight regimental lines as if any minute they will be called upon to take flight again....but the call never comes....No ground crew comes to service them, no flight crews come to board them....Only the passing of the days, and a slow degeneration marks their days....Paint scratches in the dusty winds, fades and pales, wears away...Canopy glass and perspex frosts, spiders, and purples with sun and wind...Oil drips free, thick, dirty, and contaminated with age....Once straight angles soften and curve with the burden of gravity...Rubber brittles and bursts with age.... Proud insignia fade and rub away to barely legible blurs....debris accumulates between the rows of sharp shapes, more often than not fallen from the aircraft themselves, or pushed in from less fortunate neighbors that have finally been cut apart for scrap. Aside from the occasional visit of the junkmen, and the roar of distant, high, man-made thunder, they are alone and forgotten in this place, their final resting place....
Then, after decades, in some cases, a century or so, the world explodes.........
It is hardly felt, at first, in this all-but-forgotten, lonely place....Over several days and nights, the horizon seems to glow with lurid colors...the sky becomes overcast and alternately becomes blacker than midnight, or is streaked with lines of burning unearthly hue...White ash, like snow, falls suddenly, in bursts, threatening to bury the landscape, but is then blown away by sudden winds bordering on hurricane velocity....In the distant hills, monstrous shapes can be seen, but there is no sign if they are real or shadows....
Then, one night, it happens....
In a place that life has deserted, something stirs, With a symphony of creaking and groaning, ancient metal strains and fights loose of its earthly entanglement. Rust falls in a red shower, like dried blood, from flowing metal, as with hissing and popping, broken wing spars and frames straighten out, rejoin, and knit together. Ancient canopy tracks screech as they fight rust and embedded grime to slide shut. Piles of brittle rubber scraps writhe like worms, flow like water, and reform into tires, gaskets, weather stripping, crawling back into place. Old dials and instruments quake in their housings, lighting up with eldritch light or spinning like tops, compasses gone mad. Old position lights flicker to incadescent life, adding red and yellow lighting to the scene.
A cough and a series of gunshot bangs punctuate the air as one of the old piston engines cranks to unearthly life. Screeching at first, as the ancient gears scrape corrosion and dried lubricant in grounds of greasy smoke, the propellors turning slowly, but accelerating, gradually working up into a blur. With precedent set, the process is repeated on the other intact engines, then on the other reforming shapes in the gloom. A throatier roar accompanies the re-awakening of ancient jet engines, adding their voices to the chorus.
Like a clutch of monstrous metal hatchlings trying their wings for the first time, the massive shapes move cautiously, but with growing self-assurance, towards open ground, from their debris-strewn metal nest. An old rusted chainlink fence offers no obstacle, pushed aside by the behemoths, or perhaps pulled aside by the equally old forklift that stutters to life.....Moving out into the open desert and the ribbon of pavement, the aircraft seem to instinctively fall out into an orderly flight line, then, with almost practiced precision, snap to a semblance of attention. One of their number smartly rolls out of the formation and takes point position on the road stretching into the distance. Engines revv to maximum, the first moves forward, moving faster with every passing moment, streaking across the desert, straining for the sky...
Then, impossibly, it happens...Straining and clawing, the vast metal shape lifts into the air, fighting for every inch of lift....almost faltering on the edge of success...then, suddenly, like a man slidding back into a familiar, comfortable suit of clothes, the aircraft FLIES......Steadily, gaining altitude, without tremor, pause, or hesitation....Landing gear smoothly roll up into their bays, flaps adjust for wind and course.
One by one, behind it, the remaining aircraft roll into position, taking their places for takeoff....Within minutes, the first ascension is repeated, until all are airborne. A brief orbit of their ancient resting place, and the resurrected warbirds wheel about and disappear into the blue-crossed night sky....
The mechanisms of haunting are believed to be understood by modern mystic scholars, and the antics and terrors of haunting and possessing entities well documented. Certainly, more than a few animate artifacts, in fact most of the accounts, can be attributed to diabolical or obsessed noncorporal entities assuming control of the material objects and moving them. While these hauntings can last months, years, perhaps centuries, there are also accounts of artifacts exhibiting entity-like behavior, but which, upon closer examination, do not seem to be, in fact, possessed by the troublesome beings. The most dramatic examples of this phenomenon are the reports of ‘haunted’ pre-Rifts vehicles.
The classic haunted vehicle is a pre-Rifts craft that has somehow survived the horrors of the Coming of the Rifts, and been transformed somehow, or invested with some sort of mystical qualities.
Explanations for this vary; it may be another new class of haunting entity that scholars have yet to classify and investigate. Another theory is that these vehicles, many of which were museum pieces or monuments(typically military) in the pre-Rifts era, in being paid attention by the passing public, may have been quietly accumulating a portion of the bio-energy unwittingly conferred to them by passersby, such as an errant directed thought, or a reverant touch. These inadvertant PPE inputs may have built up like static, priming the vehicle for the massive influx of energy that brought the Rifts. The semi-static thoughts and ideas that still hovered at a quantum level in the vehicle’s structure may have formed a ‘template’ for the magical properties that would manifest in the animated vehicle; for instance, an old WWII tank on display might have evoked feelings of awe and stalwartness among passing veterans and passersby, so the resulting haunted vehicle is inordinately tough and resilient. Yet another theory is that these haunted vehicles are really ‘soul refuges’ for the collective life-forces of the millions who died during the Coming of the Rifts, or the many pre-Rifts entities or souls displaced by the destruction of cemetaries and memorials in the Great Catastrophe. The favorite theory about haunted vehicles, especially among headhunters and other warriors, is that the original crews of the vehicles have returned from the afterlife to man their old rides, and continue to do their duty. This last theory is especially pervasive, since the greater number of haunted vehicles have been military craft, typically ground craft, but also including a number of air and sea craft.
The motivations and actions of these haunted vehicles vary greatly....Some haunted vehicles seem to simply lie in wait for some passerby to bring them to life, while other such entities actively roam the land on some unfathomable quest of their own. Some of these haunted craft appear intent on carrying out ancient missions, like fighting a last battle or saving a particular community or individual, though they may be thousands of miles from where that ‘mission’ might have been implemented, and the individuals long dead. Some are apparently some sort of champions, protecting places and nations that may no longer exist. Others are monsters, pure and simple, spreading death, destruction, and misery whereever they appear. And to whatever end these craft may be committed, their tolerance of the living varies; some require or appear to prefer having crews to man them again, while other ancient war machines will not tolerate any of the living to come near them....
Any pre-Rifts vehicle can concievably become a haven of this sort, but the likelihood of this transformation seems higher the older the vehicle is. The number of reports of haunted pre-Rifts Golden Age military equipment are much smaller/virtually nonexistant, for example, than reports of Vietnam War or WWII-era machines coming alive; the more recent machines may be too ‘young’ to have accumulated the required amount of PPE or emotional impressions to ‘come alive’. Likewise, military and working vehicles(especially emergency response equipment) seem more inclined to ‘wake up’, likely because of the emotions and life-and-death activities associated with them, than most designed-obselence civilian vehicles. Some factors that may help shape the manifestation, powers, and available PPE of a Haunted Vehicle:
*Size---Large vehicles, with larger crews, seem to accumulate PPE in larger amounts...it may be a function of size, or a matter of the amount of human activity/history aboard them.
*History----Vehicles with vivid, often blood-soaked, histories and backgrounds, may also take up the impressions of the previous crew, as well as absorb some portion of the lifeforce of deceased crew, giving the eventual Haunted Vehicle a particular theme or ‘flavor’.
*Location---Where a vehicle was displayed/stored/abandoned before becoming a Haunted Vehicle also can affect its eventual post-Rifts state, aside from the obvious of proximity to leylines and nexi. Vehicles in prominent places of memoralization and high-traffic public scrutiny/examination can also soak up ambient PPE and the thoughts/emotions of those around them. Even if they don’t come in direct contact with the vehicle, passersby can also affect the pre-Haunt, if the vehicle is in a position to be prominently visible in the community....The presence and appearance of the vehicle may evoke feelings of patriotism, dread, or ridicule/humor in those who see it, creating a larger ‘bubble’ of emotional energy around the craft. These, too, may affect the ultimate nature of the Haunted Vehicle.
*Condition---Physical Condition is also a factor in determining the state of a Haunted Vehicle. Extreme deterioration may prevent a vehicle from becoming a Haunted Vehicle, or may severely limit its capabilities/powers, as whatever mechanism re-animates them must expend more of its accumulated energy to regenerate and stabilize the Haunted Vehicle’s ultimate form. Thus, craft that have been on public display, or kept in good repair and maintenance tend to be more powerful, as they are that much closer to being operational at the time of their ‘awakening’. Generally, pre-Haunting, a candidate craft must be more or less intact and recognizable for what it was when it was operational/working.
*Age---The longer a vehicle has been around, especially if it is in service or in a prominent position of public display/access, the more time it has absorb ambient PPE and emotiona/psychic impressions. However not all ancient craft are in the ideal position or conditions to become haunted vehicles, and some parapsychologists wonder if there isn’t a ‘cut-off’ date, post-Rifts, preventing younger vehicles from acquiring the traits of Haunted Vehicles.
“There’s stories from the far north, of the Inuit seeing aircraft high up in the sky, circling. A glimpse of metal wings, a roar of jets high up, a ghostly contrail arcing across the sky... A few of them even claim to have gotten close looks at them, and I know of a few historians among them who claim to have identified them.....My friend Chiglac Thomas, a self-educated expert of the Golden Age and the times before, is certain that the aircraft he has seen are pre-Rifts aircraft....vintage relics that shouldn’t have survived the Golden Age, let alone the Coming of the Rifts...But he sees them, and he can name them.....Stratofortress, StratoBomber, B-36 Peacemaker.... long range bombers.... the relics of a bygone era, the stratgeic weapons of an ancient time and ancient politics....
But what is it he is seeing? Mirages cast across time from the long ago eras when the skies over the Inuit were the front lines of a superpower struggle? Are they images from other worlds, where the Cold War still holds its tense watch? Or have the ghosts of those long ago aircraft returned to the watches they once held, keeping a vigil over a land that is no longer the one they once knew and served? Or do they seek to complete missions they never finished, or were ordered to complete?”
-----Hadley Jerome Rustov Taglai, Rogue Scholar, Free Canada
“These reports of haunted old relics coming to life and roaring off on their own are just a load of bullwalla propogated by the magic-freaks and tree-huggers to make their case against science and technology. Why, if I follow their reasoning, the old ceremonial cannon in the park of my hometown, should now be able to throw hellfire all on their ownsome...Do they? Nope, they’re as dead as the day they were cemented in place there, centuries ago! Bullwalla, I tell you!”
----Corporal Peter Mazwitz, CS Militiaman, Whykin
“That old VW Bug’s more than a prized family possession...it’s PART of the family!”
-----Anonymous homesteader, the Relic
Abilities Common to Haunted Vehicles:
*Will of Its Own......Most haunted vehicles exhibit a will of their own, including the ability to carry out actions of their own(typically 1d6 actions per 24 hours). They may also refuse to operate, shut down, or give accurate readings, all on their own(doesn’t count as an action).
*Natural PPE---Most haunted vehicles fairly hum with magical energy....2d6x10 PPE for smaller vehicles up to trucks and small aircraft, 4d6x10 PPE for larger( corvette or bomber-sized) vehicles, and 1d4x100 -3d4x100 PPE for the largest vessels(like battleships and and aircraft carriers)....This reservoir may be tapped by crew members, or drained if the vehicle is destroyed(does NOT double with the destruction of the vehicle). Typically regenerate 10-20% percent of their base PPE per hour, DOUBLE on ley lines, TRIPLE at nexi.
*Natural Megadamage -----Somehow, old steel, metal alloy, and even wood have been transformed into MDC! This may not be immediately evident(looks chipped and rusted), but will become readily evident if the vehicle is attacked. If the vehicle has a known SDC rating(i.e., the GM found the stats somewhere, or went to the trouble of coming up with them), simply convert it to MDC(ignore Armor Rating) and divide by HALF...Otherwise, a few averages:
Cars: 200-450 SDC
Trucks: 450-800 SDC
Armored Cars 500-800 SDC
Tanks 800-1200 SDC
Airplanes(Civilian) 400-2,000 SDC
Airplanes(Military) 500-3,000 SDC
Watercraft(Civilian) 40-8,000 SDC
Watercraft(Military) 50-22,000 SDC
The vehicle also has a limited regeneration ability(unless otherwise noted), ....Materials(must be similar to the original) added to the main body will be assimilated and become megadamage materials within 1-2 weeks. Also note that if materials are removed from the vehicle, they revert to the original SDC values within minutes, and more often than not just rust or crumble into uselessness.
Please note that, aside from minor parts like gears and sprockets, modern megadamage materials(applique armor) CANNOT be added to increase the haunted vehicle’s total armor, nor can more modern systems be added...the vehicle rejects them, they crumble and break, or just fail to work, once installed.
Alignment of Vehicle: Alignment signifies the sort of attitude that seems to pervade the vehicle, and the sort of crews it will most likely ‘take a shine to’.
01-25 Good---The vehicle is most inclined towards heroic deeds, like defending others. In some cases, if its crew acts less than honorably, the vehicle may refuse their direction.
26-75 Anarchist----The vehicle most inclined towards survival, of itself and its crew.....In circumstances where its destruction seems evident, it may disobey its crew and try to escape.
76-00 Evil---This vehicle is most inclined towards acts of bloodshed; unless its lust for destruction is regularly met, it will likely turn on its crew
Reaction to Others:
01-40 Anti-Social---The vehicle will absolutely NOT allow anyone to come near it, let alone let anyone board it or enter inside it. If it can, it will avoid contact with them, by running away...If beings attempt to enter by force, the haunted vehicle will respond with force; attacking them with its weapons, running them down, slamming hatches on their limbs, etc....
41-80 Reserved----The vehicle will only allow those of compatible alignments aboard it, and only under dire circumstances.
81-00 Friendly----The Vehicle needs and wants a crew, and will pause invitingly, as if encouraging others to come aboard and take the controls.
Nature of the Haunting Entity(ies)(Optional)---Anyone attempting to do a Read Object or telepathic communication, may roll on this table to get the following:
01-30 Single Voice----The vehicle seems possessed by one single strong entity or persona, whether or a traditional haunting entity or a true spirit. This single entity can respond with clear thoughts, emotional projections, or visual impressions.
31-65 1d6 Voices----The vehicle seems possessed by several distinct identities/personalities...perhaps the original crew or owners. Like the previous entry, these beings/personas can communicate with words, impressions, or images, to a psionic probe.
66-00 Crowd----Anyone attempting to tap into the essence of the vehicle will get the impression of multiple voices/presences, all atttempting to communicate at once, and too numerous to make out individual distinctions or traits. Only the most general impressions can be made out in attempts to communicate with the vehicle’s essence.
Range:
01-25 -------Gas Guzzler---The vehicle eats energy like a hog and the range is 1d6x10% less than it should be.
25-75 -------Same as the original
76-00 -------Super-Efficient----The old clunker seems to be able to run on less with age....Double its effective range for the same amount of fuel/energy.
Speed:
01-25 -------50% slower than normal
25-75 -------Normal Speed
76-00 -------50% faster than normal
Reliability:
01-30 Cantankerous----The vehicle goes through spare parts twice as fast, and requires 1d4 times more periodic maintenance than normal. It is always breaking down, regardless of how much attention the mechanics lavish on it.
31-60 Wears out as normal.....Parts may be difficult to come by and require custom-construction, but given the simplicity of the technology, they should be relatively easy to make, and substitute materials can sometimes be used.
61-00 Old Reliable---They Don’t Build ‘em Like They Used To. The vehicle seems to never wear out. Parts either regenerate themselves, or there’s always another set in the trunk, or somehow the parts can be found in the immediate vicinity or on sale from a passing merchant.
(Roll or choose from the following)
Special Abilities:(Roll or choose 1d4 of the following)
01-10 Inexhaustible Propulsive Force---Range and fuel aren’t a problem; the craft seems able to go on forever, powered by a magical power source.
11-15 Mystical Regeneration---Rather than needing repairs, the vehicle actually regenerates itself, repairing itself at 10-20% of main body SDC/MDC per 24 hours, double that rate on a ley line, and triple that rate at a nexus.
16-20 Natural Warding----Evil Beings, entities, demons, vampires, and faerie folk CANNOT approach the vehicle or get inside it.
21-25 Magical Shielding---Occupants are +10 to save versus magic and psionics
26-30 Healing Hands----The vehicle seems somehow conducive to healing. Occupants of the vehicle heal at 2d6 times the normal rate. This is especially true of haunted ambulances or medevac vehicles.
31-40 Armor of the Soul----Occupants of the vehicle seem somehow more motivated and alert, as if they were filled with courage and pride, or as if there were other hands helping them. Occupants are +5 to save versus Horror Factor, and get a +1 to initiative
41-45 Lucky---Once per day, crewmembers get to reroll a bad strike or skill roll involving the vehicle.
46-50 Spiritual Advisor---The vision or voice of a former crewmember or other person asscoiated with the vehicle will occasionally appear to one or more of the present crew, and appear to asassociated pointing out how to operate something, or warning the crew at a crucial moment of some threat.
51-55 Natural Invisibility---The vehicle seems to be capable of assuming an invisible and perfectly silent state, even when running full out! The vehicle cannot engage in any sort of offensive action(like firing a weapon) without dropping its invisibility. Can engage this ability 1d6 times per day/24 hours, for 1d6x10 minutes at a time
56-60 Natural Intangibility---The vehicle has the ability to become immaterial and intangible, and ghost through solid materials. Can engage this ability 1d6 times per day/24 hours, for 6d6 minutes at a time
61-65 Holy Weapon----Supernatural beings vulnerable to Holy Weapons react in like fashion to the vehicle(any attacks made via the vehicle do DOUBLE damage to these creatures). Vampires shun it like a holy symbol.
66-70 Balefire----Any weapons that are mounted on the vehicle project magical energy instead of regular projectiles or energy, even if the weapons’ mechanism are fused junk! Weapons now do megadamage!
71-75 Magical Abilities---The haunted vehicle seems to be able to cast spells....The craft has 1d6 spells, usually related in ability/medium(for instance, a tank with Create Fog and Summon Storm). Can cast these spells 1d6 times per day, at 1d10 level of experience.
76-80 Natural MDC Structure---The vehicle is a natural megadamage structure with higher than normal MDC values. +1d10x10 % over the regular values
81-85 Mind of Its Own---The vehicle seems inclined to ‘act up’ far more than usual, and can carry out fairly complex actions all on its own! Has 1d6 APMs
86-90 Modification Ability----The vehicle WILL accept modern upgrades and newer systems, but also note that this requires appeasing the spirit(s) of the vehicle. Also note that any new additions will become part of the vehicle, and under its control.
91-95 Roll Twice
96-00 Roll 1d6 times
Quirks(Optional): These are those little pecularities that can really freak a crew out.
01-15 Ghost Voices----Snatches of archaic music or speech occasionalpeculiarities the radio system, even when it is turned off.
16-20 Ghost Glow---The vehicle seems to shimmer with a barely visible glow that usually intensifies in areas of high magic.
21-25 Translucent---The vehicle is solid as metal, but it still seems to be translucent and shadowy. Anyone going inside the vehicle will not note anything unusual inside, but they too will be caught up in the effect.
26-30 Power Item---In order for the vehicle to keep running, some small, eccentric ritual must be carried out, or item provided, like singing a particular ditty before going into combat, a wad of gum must be stuck behind the seat, or a beer periodically poured into the gas tank.
31-35 Vocal----The vehicle’s noises sound more organic than mechanical, as if it were a living thing....Engines grunt and moan, and the vehicle may seem to scream in pain when it takes damage! This can be quite disconcerting and disturbing to anyone hearing this(mean GMs might want to assign a low-value Horror Factor to see if newbie crewmembers bolt).
36-40 Drips Blood----Rather than gas or oil running out of the gas tank and engine, the vehicle drips what appears to be human blood.
41-50 Nightmare---Anyone sleeping in the vehicle will have particularly vivid dreams of the vehicle’s past adventures. This can be enlightening, or scary and disturbing.
51-60 Sleepwalker---Overnight, the vehicle seems to move, turning around, changing position in the parking lot, unless watched at all times.
61-65 Replay---Once a year, the vehicle(and any crew aboard it at the time) seems caught up in a micro-universe of its own in which it appears involved in a full sensory replay of some battle it(and its former crews) were involved in. Any passengers will be forced to relive the events, with no certainty that it is all a harmless dream sequence! The Replay rarely lasts more than 24 hours, at the end of which, everything returns to normal.
66-70 Ice Cold---Regardless of the weather or temperature outside, the craft seems to be near freezing to the touch and inside, as if it were sucking the heat out of its surroundings.
71-75 Nocturnal: The vehicle only operates/exhibits paranormal abilities once the sun has set.
76-80 Bias---The vehicle, or whatever entities are possessing it, seem to have a particular bias....They will refuse to operate or fire(or will ONLY operate/fire) in the presence of/or on certain individuals, species, nationalities, or those flying the insignia of certain countries or military units(like the U.S. 1st Division, anything of Japanese make, Pittsburgh police department, etc...). This may be more profoundly expressed as a ‘heritage gene’...the vehicle will work(or show a particular favor) for individuals descended from members of its original crew or unit.
81-90 Roll Twice
91-00 Roll 1d6 times
Darkside Quirks(Optional): These are darker, nastier, pecularities.
01-15 Possession---There is a high likelihood of crewmembers becoming possessed by a malign entity, or perhaps a former crew member! Crew members must roll once per week against mind control/possession(bonuses to save apply).
16-20 Alignment Shift----The longer a crewmember spends with/in the vehicle, the greater the chance of an alignment drift towards evil. Crew members must roll once per week against mind control/possession(bonuses to save vs psionics/insanity apply).
21-30 Hunger---Foodstuffs, rations, and other perishables left inside the vehicle disappear within 48 hours, or else rot, decay, or become otherwise unusable.
31-40 Death Aura----The vehicle fairly glows of death energy; anyone who looks at it can instinctively sense its necromantic energies. The life signs of the crew CANNOT be detected within, and are likely going to be assumed to be undead if and when they emerge from the vehicle.
41-50 PPE Absorption----Magic users will find that the longer they stay in or around the vehicle, the more PPE they lose! Magic users will lose 1d6 PPE per day during the first 1d6 days of being in/around the vehicle, then every day afterwards, they must save versus magic, or lose 3d6 PPE per day. After two weeks, this rises to 5d6 PPE per day!
51-60 Death Scream----The vehicle, whenever it enters combat, lets off a bloodcurdling scream(metallic or organic) that seems like a banshee’s death cry, inflicting a Horror Factor attack of HF 14 on all who hear it!
61-70 Blood Sacrifice---In order to get the vehicle to exhibit a particular trait or ability, the vehicle must be given a blood sacrifice; a crew member must cut themselves and drip blood into a part, a small animal must be sacrificed, or, in the worst cases, a sentient being must be killed, effectively making the haunted vehicle a Soul Drinker.
71-80 Curse----Anyone who enters the vehicle for any length of time comes away with a curse; this could be anything from a bad rash that persists for several weeks, to an Aura of Death that dooms the victim to some horrible death within a year.
81-90 Roll Twice
91-00 Roll 1d6 times
Nah, it is just stange. If I look specifically for them it comes up but if I look for all of my posts in the topic it doesn't find the old ones.
*ponders*
#“THAT’S Otto?!”#)