Tuesday, February 9, 2010

[AFMBE] Angry Mother Earth and her rat army

Idea
Funny rat and cheese isolated on white background photo
I am now reading AFMBE, because after this ongoing Call of Cthulhu campaign it is the game next in line. Luckily AFMBE's Unisystem is easy enough to run, so there is more time for brainstorming the campaign than learning the rules.
I am going to run my idea of BBQ from Hell (posted about it here) but got this idea reading the rulebook I want to share.

Recent background

After world started to get great leaps towards advancement, it had its costs. Pollution, overpopulation, destroyment of nature - humanity has done in past few decades more damage to nature than in millenia. World is suffering. It is cycle of nature to reset Earth from time to time. When ecosystem is really screwed up, places are overpopulated, evolution takes it's step and starts to destroy the things what burden ecosystem.

Now or in near future is time for humanity to decrease in number.

Army of rats

Rats. They are everywhere. In rural areas of world to greatest and modernest capitals. Their number can be decreased, but they never will vanish. They are extremely adaptable and resilient for enviromental, or human, hazards. They also multiply fast in great numbers

They start to be everywhere. They increase in numbers no one has seen before. And they are big. And hungry. Rats aren't that picky. They can eat flesh as comfortable as grain.

Among rats is also new plague. It doesn't affect rats, but rats are carriers of it. It does spread easily amongst rats, as rats do bite and skirmish together. The main problem with this plague is, that it is really adaptable, so there is no cure for it. As soon as it can be cured, it has evolved to even more recilient.

Epidemia

What is the problem? There is swarms of rats. They are bloodlusty. That is only drawback of infection to them. They become bloodlusty and frenzying. Rats can also easily get almost anywhere. They can squeeze in small spaces, climb on high towers, even eat their way through a wall. You cannot hide from them. And if the swarm is big enough, they are capable even rolling a car over.

As said, infected rats lust for blood. And they are ready to eat human. They do kill humans on their sleep, or even attack whole office to bite and eat people. But after the blood turns cold on a corpse, rats start to find new fresh and warm prey.

What is the effect of the dicease to human then? After human is bitten or eaten to death, infection starts to affect dead tissue and nervous system actually animating the corpse. Half-eaten corpses rise in 24 hours (2D12) to shambling undead zombie terrors. And the contamination has done them bloodlusty also.
If human survives the rat attack, he must success on resisting dicease or he/she is still infected and turned to frenzying half-dead flesh eater!

Rats and zombies

You can find stats for zombie rats in AFMBE rulebook page 169. But you have to adjust the information a bit. Stats are okay though. They aren't dumb. They can teamwork. Rats are actually very intelligent and determinent rodents.

RATS:
They aren't actually living dead, but you can use zombie special stats for them. You can find stats for zombie rats in AFMBE rulebook page 169. But you have to adjust the information a bit. Stats are okay though. They aren't dumb. They can teamwork. Rats are actually very intelligent and determinent rodents.

Modifications:
Getting around: The Quick Dead. Even if this is for humanoids, you can simply use these rules for rats. Also Climbing but take a note, rats can climb even to places where human cannot.
Strength: Single rat isn't anyway compatible to human strength, but in a pack or swarm they can be pretty powerful. You can use your own advice to determining how many rats needs to be in a swarm to get benefices of each Strength category presented.
Senses: Like a hawk. Rats have very keen sense of smell. Scent tracking.
Sustenance: Need to Feed Daily and All Flesh Must Be Eaten. They are greedy and hungry little buggers, even if they don't consume whole body.
Intelligence: Teamwork. They do move in swarms and can even roll over a car if they are plenty enough. Still, they don't actually plan things, it is more a animal instinct thingie. You can also get Problem Solving, as rats are intellect and learning critters.
Spreading the Love: Both Only the Dead and One Bite and You're Hooked, as killed body is most certainly turning into a zombie, but also failing resistance of biting turns you to zombo.
Special Zombie Features: Diseased corpse. Yes, they are infected. They spread the infection by biting. Also, as there is swarms of rats they can carry other diceases as well.

DEAD WHO RISE:

People, who get killed from rat attack use basic zombie stats from AFMBE rulebook page 146. Although, they infect people same way as rats do.

THOSE WHO TURN ZOMBIES WHEN BITTEN:

Use basic stats of basic zombie on AFMBE rulebook, but add those specialties from rats to them. Even if they are like human, well dead ones, they behave a bit like rats do. It is like rabies, makes you animalistic.

Have fun

This was not much of an information, but more a idea. How does Cast members find out about rat epidemia, how does it affect them, and main question, how to survive - if to survive at all? Those questions need a bit more detailing, and can be described more specifically when making the campaign.

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