It may transpire that the characters, fi nding themselves in possession of a storied relic, earn the enmity of a large group of that artifact’s protectors. As well, they might have roused the locals who, oblivious to the presence or value of a given relic, nonetheless resent the characters’ intrusion on tribal lands, sacred grounds, or political borders.
The mechanics for this scene are adapted from those presented for a standard foot chase as presented on pp. 65-66 of the World of Darkness Rulebook. Rather than making individual rolls for each of the players’ characters and every single member of the pursuing throng, this scene considers both sides as single entities with their relevant dice pools determined with an inclination toward the dramatic.
Description: As the relic hunters emerge from the bar- row of Cúchulainn, they hear a fearsome, roiling din. It seems that the outsiders have gone too far in breaking into the tomb of the ancient hero. The villagers, in the throes of the warp-spasm, are closing in on them, swarming up the hill from the dour village below. They wield farm implements and homemade weapons in addition to modern fi rearms, the very image of the peasantry taking up arms against Frankenstein’s monster, frenzied and gnashing their teeth in a decidedly inhuman manner.
The skiff still fl oats in the river, tethered to the rock on the riverbank. It’s about a hundred yards away. To the other side, the villagers are about half that far from the mouth of the barrow. It’s time to run!
Dice Pool: The players’ characters’ lowest Stamina +
Athletics versus the mob’s highest Stamina + Athletics The key traits need not be from the same character. That is, take the lowest Stamina from any character and add it to the lowest Athletics of any character to achieve the dice pool. Assume the villagers have a base Stamina + Athletics pool of four dice, before any bonuses or penalties apply.
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Action: Extended, contested (each roll represents
one turn of running)
Run the chase as per the foot chase rules on pp. 65-66 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, counting each side as a single entity, whether pursuer or pursued. Assume the villagers’ mob has a Speed of 8.
Obstacles/Penalties: The villagers’ mob has to top
the hill first, so their first three turns of pursuit incur a -1 penalty.
Equipment/Bonuses: The players’ characters have a
significant head start from their position at the top of the hill, granting them three automatic successes initially. As well, their entire run occurs downhill, granting them a +1 bonus to each roll. The mob is running under the effects of the warp-spasm, the fury of which grants them a +1 bonus to their relentless pursuit. After the third turn of pursuit, the villagers will gain the +1 bonus for the downhill run, as well.
Consequences: If the characters manage to achieve
the requisite number of successes to outpace the mob (eight, as dictated by their collective Speed), they’ll be able to pile into the skiff in time to push off and avoid the raging villagers. Rifle shots will whiz dangerously but inaccurately past them as they pant in exhausted
relief. If the characters are overcome by the villagers, they’ll be beaten mercilessly be- fore being equally mer- cilessly dragged back to the village lockup. If the characters are overtaken, don’t both- er adjudicating combat - the villagers are too many and in the throes of Cúchulainn’s fenzy. Simply assume each character suffers two points of lethal dam- age and two points of bashing damage. If that knocks a char- acter unconscious, so be it, as he’ll regain consciousness in jail. If it kills a character, scale the damage back so the character is lin- gering at death’s door. She’ll likewise have a chance to begin recov- ery in jail.
Regardless of the chase’s outcome, either one of the villagers will tell the witch that they’ve found the characters or she’ll find out herself the next time she visits the village.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: During the scramble down (or
up) the hill, the characters cause a rock slide and tumble along with the rubble. Subtract any successes the group has accumulated by two (dangerous for the pursued characters), and assume everyone in question suffers two points of bashing damage from twisted ankles and barked shins. Future rolls in the pursuit occur at a -1 penalty for all of the splayed rocks and debris.
Failure: The group wastes time and gains little
ground in dodging rocky terrain, muddy shores, slick grass, or other hazards of the barrow-hill and the season.
Success: The group runs like all get out, making
much-needed progress either in the pursuit or toward the sanctuary of the skiff.
Extraordinary Success: The group makes excellent
progress and finds a stable pathway through the debris. The next roll the characters or villager (whichever is appropriate) makes occurs with a +1 bonus for the relatively unobstructed pathway.
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chapter four-tales of the macguffin