The Cruelty of Crimelords

[southpaw]

K... so my bunch of fringer players have been tailing a doctor who stole certain precious... things... from the crimelord they owe a shipload to... and they've been sent to bring back the traitor's head.

However having caught the good doctor they've found the reason he stole the goods was to pay the blood-debt he owed another criminal figure, a "thing-in-the-jar" villain who's son was accidentally killed by the doctor during a cybernetic procedure. The Thing-in-the-Jar promptly grabbed the doctor's daughter and demanded a massive weregild to pay for the death of his son, leading to the doctor stealing the precious things to pay for his daughter's return.

The first conundrum is pretty straight forward: do they keep to their contract and bring the doctor's head to their master, leaving his daughter to her fate? Or do they try and rescue the girl somehow as well as complete their bargain? These guys are good guys are heart, and it's fun watching them squirm.

More squirmsome though is The Thing-in-the-Jar. He has no intention of returning the girl in one piece... instead he has surgically removed various appendages and reattached them as fleshy appendages and parts on six droid bodyguards who are programmed to defend the crimelord. She's still alive, though her brain soaks in a jar not unlike the villain, able to communicate with the outside world through cybernetic implants, and believing she is still part of the world, tricked by sensory relays from the six guards. if the PCs hurt the guards, they hurt her. Second conundrum.

How they get her back in one piece is anyone's guess.....

Lastly, the PCs have been invited to attend an auction by the Thing-in-the-Jar, where they could buy back the precious things for their master. THe auction takes place in the Thing-in-the-Jar's lair.... a converted refinery in the midst of a polluted urban world, and a number of the pipes have been replaced with the same goop he swims inside his jar-bot, and he can move around the pipes to various escape routes if need be.

What I was hoping for here were some suggestions for little vignettes, characters and scenes that the PCs might see around the lair as they make their way to the throne room, things that will creep them out without going overboard... the only catch is I've got 25 hours til we start the game.

Go!

(and thanks!)

[Fallon Kell]

Well, this seems like the type of place you might find something wearing someone else's face, for starters... Maybe toss in some conjoined multi-brained cyborg chimeras? Maybe have someone selling their arm for spice outside? Just consider a literal interpretation of Lego Star Wars for awhile, and I think you'll have it.
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[CRMcNeill]

First, welcome to the Pit

Second, Creepy! So the Thing-In-The-Jar did the same thing to the innocent girl? Is there any chance of her getting her real body back? As far as the organic parts being surgically attached to droids, that's what Ionization Guns or DEMP Carbines are for.

As an aside, the Thing-In-The-Jar sounds like a B'omarr Monk. Have you done anything on his back story?
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[Esoomian]

Perhaps it might be worth checking out some of the imagery associated with the 40K faction/race Dark Eldar.

They do a lot of stiching people together in terrible ways.



Fabious Bile is another possible source of inspiration.

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[southpaw]

[southpaw]

[CRMcNeill]

[southpaw]

[CRMcNeill]

[Esoomian]

Perhaps have some sort of memory elimination and a spathi cloaning cylinder standing by (hidden by the crimelord as a backup plan) so she can actually be given the choice of being put into a clone body but once that is done her new clone body will age twice as fast (unless they don't accelerate her growth and she has to start again from age zero)
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Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

[Raven Redstar]

The first thing that comes to mind when you mention a thing in a jar with tentacles is a Celegian. I remember there was a Jedi Master in Tales of the Jedi who was of their race and traveled around in a giant glass jar. There are stats for them in Gry's Alien stats book. I'll quote them here though.

[southpaw]

Raven, thanks heaps, the Celegian is spot on. I won't be revealing what the Thing-in-the-Jar really is, but it fits the mould perfectly. I wonder what its average stats are.

The is one Force-Sensitive among the group, but she's pretty damaged goods as it is. Still she is a voice of reason and compassion in the group, and they're doing everything they can to rescue her.

Redeeming the Thing-in-the-Jar? As it stands he's the bad guy of the week, not the major villain of the story. I can't see redemption for him, unless its at the end of a heavy blaster pistol. But being the complete psychopath that he is, if he has his plans ruined by the PCs but manages to gets away he'll become obsessed with bringing them down...

mwahahahahaha. ah.

[mdlake]

Brainstorm!

Foil stealth attempts with a thing with eyes in surprising places. Back of the head is traditional, but that thing with eyes in its palms from Pan's Labyrinth was pretty freaky.

Tubes acting as temporary (or not-so-temporary) replacements for absent parts. Think tracheotomy or those post-surgical drainage tubes.

A nurse feeding some horror by spoon, because the horror's hands are taloned, replaced by computer ports, or otherwise unusable for many mundane functions.

Island of Dr. Moreau: a dainoga, mynocks, or similar ickies given sub-human intelligence, rudimentary speech, dressed in suits, and trained to serve. To add pathos, make them visibly, govelingly grateful for being allowed to lift a tray of canapes to the unexpected but most welcome new parts shipme--excuse me, the PCs.

Intelligent aquatic species breathing air laboriously through a cumbersome prosthetic.

Something pleads piteously to be freed/rescued. It's willing to help, too, and wants to follow the PCs. But it also makes noises, gives off vomit-inducing smell, or otherwise proves accidentally troublesome. What force-sensitive hero wouldn't help, even if it means a -1d penalty here and there?

A person attached to a wall from the ribcage up; his bottom half is gone. He plays cards with the prototype head-in-a-jar, a hapless victim strapped to a boxy droid with spindly arms. As the PCs pass, they look up, and sadly, silently return to their game.

(Sounds like a scenario I'd like to play, by the way. Good job!)

[Hellcat]

[Esoomian]