King Of The Mountain - (Palladium Books - Dead Reign)

 Dead Reign: King of the Mountain

By: Josh Hilden

Authors Notes: This is a Dead Reign adventure using the information in Rifters 40 & 45 as the source material, although much of the information presented in the Dead Reign Main Book and Dead Reign Sourcebook One: Civilization Gone is applicable. This is an easy to moderate adventure (by Dead Reign standards) and is designed as a possible introduction to a Dead Reign game. GM’s should note that the world of Dead Reign has tended to be one of high player character death, hence the inclusion of the pre-generated characters that can be killed without the players feeling that 45 minutes to an hour of their time was wasted when their character dies in the second melee. If the group is only looking to play a one-shot adventure, this is a perfect setup, with a rescue ending ala Night of the Living Dead.

Geography Note: I have used the area that I live, The Great Miami Valley of Southern Ohio, as the template for the geography of the area, but have changed large portions of it to suit my needs.

Part One - Introduction:

The Wave hit the world at 12:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time on June 21, 2012. Civilization, with a few notable exceptions, collapsed within hours (please see the world and timeline information in Rifters 40 & 45 for a few details). The Player Characters are on a cross country bus trip (Detroit Michigan to Miami, Florida) and happened to be traveling through southern Ohio when the Wave hits. The bus had been traveling down I-75 and had exited the Interstate in order to avoid massive amounts of construction south of Dayton, Ohio.

While traveling on the back roads of the small city of Moraine, the bus runs off the road and into a steep ditch when the driver loses consciousness as the Wave hits. There were thirty-six people on the bus when it went off the road, including the driver. Seven of the passengers had been inoculated with Unisane before the Wave, and within three minutes of the Wave, they will rise as zombies (six Slouchers and one Runner, see their descriptions below). The player characters are obviously all survivors. Subtract their number plus one other (see NPC Martin Henry) from the total (excluding the seven zombies) for the total number of corpses after the crash. Of course, if you want to up the number of NPC’s, or if you want to have a few of the survivors munched on as a demonstration to the PCs, feel free to adjust the numbers to fit the needs of your game. I personally always have the PCs witness at least two NPC’s get eaten before they are attacked.

The Bus Zombies

Zombie Number One: Sally Anders (Runner)

Alignment: considered Diabolic

Attributes: IQ: 05, ME: 04, MA: 02, PS: 20, PP: 12, PE: 17, PB: 4, Speed: 15

Hit Points: 1

S.D.C. by location: main body: 21, head: 16, arms: 7 each, legs: 13 each

Armor Rating: 16

Horror Factor: 14 (packs of 6 or more Runners have a Horror Factor of 16)

PPE: 6

Natural Abilities:

·       Sense the PPE of living creatures: 30-foot range, cannot pinpoint the source unless within 15 feet.

·       Immunities: poison, toxins, drugs, disease, Horror Factor, fear effects, mind control/hypnosis, and many Psionic and magic effects. The spell “turn dead” has no effect because zombies are undead.

Skills of note: Climb: 40%, Track humans: 36%

Attacks: 4 per melee round

Damage: bite: 1d6 S.D.C. plus infection, punch/slam: 1d6 S.D.C.

Bonuses: +5 to Strike, +3 to initiative

Vulnerabilities: severe cold temperatures will freeze a zombie’s body and hold it in suspended animation.

Zombies Number Two-Six: (Left unrolled for GM’s discretion)

Alignment: considered Diabolic

Attributes: I.Q.: 1d4, M.E.: 1d6, M.A.: 1d4, P.S.: 3d6+4, P.P.: 1d6, P.E.: 3d6, P.B.: 1d6, SPD: 1d4

Hit Points: 1

S.D.C. by location: main body: 4d6+20, head: 2d6+6, arms: 2d6 each, legs: 2d6+4 each

Armor Rating: 16

Horror Factor: 12

PPE 1d6 (most of the PPE that zombies absorb from their victims is channeled to the central temple of Brulyx)

Natural Abilities:

·       Sense the PPE of living creatures: 10’ range, cannot pinpoint the source unless within 5 feet.

·       Immunities: poison, toxins, drugs, disease, Horror Factor, fear effects, mind control/hypnosis, and many Psionic and magic effects. The spell “turn dead” has no effect because zombies are undead.

Skills of note: Climb: 25%

Attacks: 2 per melee

Damage: bite: 2d6 S.D.C. plus chance of infection, punch/slam: 1d6 S.D.C.

Bonuses/Penalties: +1 to strike, -2 to initiative

Vulnerabilities: severe cold temperatures will freeze a zombie’s body and hold it in suspended animation. Although Slouchers are fearless, a fire will hold them at bay.

Martin Henry

Martin is an African American male, 53 years old, and walks with a limp supported by a silver-headed cane. Martin was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. His life was rough but not one of the horror stories portrayed in the media. At the age of 18, Martin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served with distinction for twelve years, attaining the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. On a mission in the Middle East that Martin refuses to talk about to this very day, he was wounded in an explosion that left his leg crippled and Martin with a permanent limp. During his rehabilitation, Martin was approached by two gentlemen in black suits and sunglasses. They made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Martin was recruited by and joined the Anderson Project, a United States shadow agency loosely affiliated with the National Security Agency (NSA). The Anderson Projects main goal is the protection of the country from internal threats of a unique nature (i.e., the Supernatural). Martin was doubtful of the validity of his work in the beginning, but a run-in with agents affiliated with the Cult of Brulyx/Benford Group in his second month as an agent put all of those doubts to rest.

Ironically Martin is on vacation when the Wave hits, traveling from his home in Detroit, Michigan to his daughter and son-in-law’s home in Miami, Florida. Martin will quickly determine the scope of the overall situation is worldwide, and while trying to help keep the PCs alive, he will bend all of his energies to contacting his superiors in the Anderson Project for orders. Martin will not reveal the nature of his work to the PCs, but when the troops from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base arrive, he will use his rank (equivalent to an Air Force Colonel) and security clearance to do whatever he decides needs doing.

Attributes: IQ 19, ME 15, MA 17, PS 17, PP 16, PE 22, PB 11, SPD 10 (was 19 before his injury)

Level: 10th Level Solider (USMC), 6th Level Secret Agent

Bonuses: Attacks 6, Strike +8, Dodge +4 (was 7), Parry +6 (was 8), Roll/Pull/Fall +4, Damage +5, +10 vs. Horror Factor

Skills of Note: Hand to Hand Commando, Radio 95%, Pilot Auto 90%, Pilot Truck 92%, Pilot Helicopter 82%, Pilot Boat 85%, Computer Operations 98%, Computer Programming 98%, Computer Repair 92%, Computer Hacking 88%, Streetwise 85%, Pick Lock 90%, Pick Pocket 80%, Jury Rig 75%, Targeting, WP: Auto Pistol, WP: Revolver, WP: Shotgun, WP: Hunting/Bolt-action Rifle, WP: Assault Rifle, WP: Submachine gun, WP: Knife, WP: Shot Sword (Machete or Bush Knife), WP: Blunt

Weapons and Equipment: .44 Automatic Pistol (3 clips with ten rounds each 5D6 SDC), 1 Combat Knife (1D6 SDC), 1 Multitool, I encrypted Satellite Phone (Damaged in the crash needs to be repaired), Zippo Lighter, 1 Oak Shaft Steel Headed Cane (1D6 SDC)

Part Two - The Battle on the bus:

Waking Up

It will most likely take longer for the PCs to recover from the trauma of the wreck than it will for the zombies to be reanimated. Therefore, the zombies will all have the initiative in the first melee after the first melee allow the initiative to be rolled like normal (see below for a few of my suggestions for human vs. zombie combat).

Getting off of the bus should be the primary concern of the survivors. They are not equipped to fight the undead, except for Martin Henry, and watching the obviously dead rise and come after them should completely freak them out when rolling for a save vs. Horror Factor everyone, but Martin is -10 (he gets a flat roll). The bus has four possible exits, two doors on the right side, the emergency exit at the very rear next to the restroom, and a roof hatch near the front with a drop-down rope ladder. The windows of the bus are shatter-resistant glass and would be extremely difficult to break or force from their frames.

The general chaos and panic should keep everyone off balance, allowing the zombies to dominate the playing field until the survivors manage to get outside where they can maneuver. Martin can be instrumental in getting everyone out safely, he is the only person packing a weapon, and his years of combat experience will allow him to keep a cool head and make him a force to be reckoned with in the opening minutes.

Sally Anders, the lone Runner on the bus, is the wild card in the opening moments. Her enhanced speed and reflexes will allow her to run roughshod over the PCs unless they are very careful. If she can be neutralized before she kills too many people, Martin should be able to handle the remaining zombies with little effort. If Sally takes out Martin, then the game will become much harder to survive

Outside

After the PCs make it off of the bus, they have two clear options open to them:

§  They can wait for the remaining zombies to exit the bus if Martin or the PCs have not already dispatched them. This should be straight forward as they will exit the bus one at a time, and there are many rocks and large sticks for the PCs to use as blunt weapons. If they choose this option, they would then be free to salvage the contents on the bus (see the chart listing the contents below).

§  They can simply run, either together or as individuals. This is a really bad idea because although this portion of Moraine is lightly inhabited, it is a small oasis in a rather densely populated valley. Unless they are very lucky most of them would not survive the next few hours.

§  They can stay right where they are, hold up inside the bus if necessary, and wait for help that is never coming

Assuming that the PCs decide to fight and win, they will then have about forty-five minutes of game time to catch their breath, discuss the situation, and figure out a plan of action. If they have cell phones or personal radios, and especially if someone thinks to try the CB radio on the bus, they will learn the following things:

§  Cellular services in the area are overloaded, and there is only a 10% chance of making a connection

§  This is happening everywhere

§  The various radio stations that are on the air are all broadcasting a similar message telling people to stay inside and lock their doors

§  The Interstate, and all main roads, are all jammed with accidents and are impassible

§  The city of Dayton, and surrounding communities, are in complete chaos

A few useful things can also be learned by simply observing the sights, sounds, and smells around them:

§  The smell of smoke is becoming more and more prevalent as the minute’s pass (a jet plane has crashed into the west side of the city of Dayton, and the fire is consuming the area).

§  The sounds of emergency sirens and gunfire can be heard in the distance

§  The sounds of helicopters can be heard in the distance

§  Every few minutes, the contrails of jet aircraft can be seen high in the sky (the PCs may or may not be aware that they are only 20 miles from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), and every few minutes, they are sure they can hear moaning in the distance?

The environment that they find themselves in is a ditch on the side of a two-lane back road that runs east/west. The ditch is to the south of the road. Past the ditch is a steep (45 degree) drop that goes down (80 feet) to a moderately sized fast-moving river. To the north of the road is a tall hill covered in dense foliage, the base of the hill butts up against the road, and there is a five-foot stone retaining wall. Looking straight south past the river, the PCs can see across this section of the Miami Valley with the small city of Moraine laid out before them and the city of Dayton looming to the east, smoke billowing from it.

As of yet, there are no other zombies in the immediate area, and as long as the PCs spend less than an hour at the wreck site, they are in no danger of attack. If they do not leave the area of the bus, it does make a deceptively safe looking area of the shelter. They are in danger of attack. Every 15 minutes that they stay past one hour, there is a 45% chance that 1D6 Sloucher zombies will attack them and a 5% chance that 1 Runner zombie will attack them.

If they decide to head out together, this is the option that Martin Henry will push for. They will have to decide whether to head east (the direction they came from) or the west (the direction they were going). If they go back east, they will run into a pack of 1D4x10 Slouchers heading west and filling the road. They are slow, but there are a lot of them, and the PCs would be advised to head the other way, but it’s their decision. Martin Henry will suggest that they go west regardless because of the smoke and the talk of chaos in Dayton that they have gleaned from the radio.

Less than half a mile from the site of the bus wreck, the PCs will come upon the large open gates of the Pinnacle Hill Landfill, aka The Mountain.

Chart – The Stuff on the Bus

Ø  01-05% - Flashlight with batteries

Ø  06-10% - pack of gum

Ø  11-15% - Portable DVD Player with the Clerks DVD inside

Ø  16-20% - Cell Phone Fully charged

Ø  21-25% - Baseball bat (1D8 Damage)

Ø  26-30% - Laptop with a broadband wireless connection

Ø  31-35% - Fishing rod and tackle box

Ø  36-40% - Six-inch hunting knife (1D6 Damage)

Ø  41-45% - Portable digital radio

Ø  46-50% - Cooler with three bottles of Coke

Ø  51-55% - 1 large bag of Doritos

Ø  56-60% - Game Boy DS with Super Mario 64

Ø  61-65% - First aid kit

Ø  66-70% - Six road flares

Ø  71-75% - 44. Revolver with 12 rounds (6 chambered and one-speed loader) and holster (5D6 Damage)

Ø  76-80% - 1 can of hair spray

Ø  81-85% - 1 Zippo lighter

Ø  86-90% - 1 case of Ramen Noodles (24 packs)

Ø  91-95% - 1 Hunting rifle in the case with scope and 100round of ammo (6D6 Damage)

Ø  95-100% - 1 stun gun, fully charged (10 uses)

Part Three – The Mountain:

Background

Opened in the late 1980s, the Pinnacle Hill Landfill (The Mountain) is the highest point within the Miami Valley. The mountain is a solid waste landfill that also serves as a Methane Tap for the local power grid, this source of methane extraction was the reason for the security upgrades The Mountain received post 9-11.

There were very few people on the mountain when the Wave hit. Most of the sanitation workers were out on their routes or at lunch at the time, leaving only a skeleton crew.

Arrival

When the PCs arrive at the Mountain, Martin will suggest that they close the large steel gates and secure them with their chain and lock. Doing this will be simple, and when the gate is closed, it will be able to withstand the pressure of up to a thousand Zombies pressing against it. The PCs will not know at this time that this is really the back gate of the facility.

The rear of the mountain is where the Methane extraction machinery, as well as the support and operations buildings, are located. This area is at the rear base of the landfill itself. It will be necessary to search and secure these buildings.

The longer that the PCs stay at the mountain, the more Zombies that will come, a total of 1D4x10, will approach the gates every 30 minutes from the time that the PCs arrive. If they do not seal BOTH gates, they will quickly be swarmed.

Layout and Descriptions

Use this list to make your own map of the Mountain (sorry folks, but I can’t draw to save my life). Also, there is a brief description of each place:

1.      The Landfill (The Mountain) Pit – The main area where the waste is interred, the two front end loaders and the two bulldozers that service the pit are idling in the work area

2.     The ditch – surrounds the entire landfill, acts as a catch basin for runoff. Twenty feet deep and 50 degrees steep slope. There are three Slouchers inside the pit

3.     The Fence – Ten-foot high-security fence surrounding the entire compound sits on the outer lip of the ditch, adding another five feet of height (15 feet total). Two Slouchers are wandering around the perimeter of the fence, trying to get out. There is a large break in the fence along the forest perimeter away from the road. Zombies will trickle into the perimeter at a rate of 1D6 per hour until the break is sealed

4.     The Perimeter Road – This road runs inside the inner perimeter of the ditch

5.     The Ramp – The ramp is the route that machinery takes to the top of the landfill. It is situated on the south side behind the operations area

6.     The Methane Pipe – The pipe runs around the top of the pit and down to the Methane Shed. It is three feet in diameter and sits on a rail two feet off of the ground

7.     The Methane Shed – The “Shed” is a medium-sized two-story building. The Methane Pipe feeds into the back of the shed. Inside the shed, the methane is feed into the natural gas main and incorporated into the grid. Methane is also bottled into tanks here (there are 22 full tanks). These bottles are used to power the generator in the “Power Station.” The pipe produces enough methane to fill 100 tanks every day, but most are fed into the grid. Turning one valve will stop the feeding of methane. There is one Sloucher in the Methane Shed.

8.     The Power Station – The station is the size of a two-car garage, the generator powers the entire mountain, and it uses the Methane tanks from the shed. Each tank will power the mountain for 24 hours at full power or 72 hours at minimal power. There are no Zombies in the Power Station.

9.     The Operation Building – The nerve center of the mountain with offices, cafeteria, infirmary, storage, and bunk room. There are three Slouchers inside

10.   The Security Shack – The Security Shack is a small trailer that is the center of security operations on the mountain. The monitors that watch the two gates and the monitors that watch the outsides and insides of the Operations area are located inside, along with:

a.     Four Multi-Channel Walkie Talkies (2-mile range, rechargeable)

b.     Four riot Batons (1D4 Damage)

c.     Four Nine Millimeter Pistols (3 magazines each with eight rounds, 3D6 Damage)

d.     Two 12 gauge Shot-Guns (50 Rounds each, 5D6 Damage)

e.     Four high power flashlights

f.      One set of keys for all locks on the mountain

g.     Long Range Radio

h.     One very scared 18 years old security guard (see below) with a 9mm pistol that is missing one bullet. He is in shock

i.       The body of one dead zombie in a security guards uniform, a bullet hole in his head

11.     The Motor Pool – The motor pool is an open area of ground with a covered area for vehicle maintenance. There is room for the two bulldozers and front end loaders (in the pit currently), 12 Garbage trucks (1 is present, the other 11 are out), and all employee vehicles (there are two pickup trucks and a Jeep present). There are also three ATV’s used for travel around the mountain. The repair area is capable of all major repairs, and there are 1000 gallons of diesel and regular gas. One Sloucher is wandering around the motor pool

12.   Front Gate – The Front gate is a large pair (12 foot high) steel bar gates that are locked with a heavy chain. It would take the pressure of a thousand zombies to force the gates, and only after several weeks of maximum pressure, the front gates are currently wide open

13.   Back Gate - The Front gate is a large pair (12 foot high) steel bar gates that are locked with a heavy chain. It would take the pressure of a thousand zombies to force the gates, and only after several weeks of maximum pressure, hopefully, the PCs locked the back gates when they entered

The Broadcast

If the PCs find the long-range radio in the Security shack, they will hear the broadcast from Wright-Patterson Air Force base. If the PCs haven’t discovered the Long Range Radio on their own, then have one of the NPC’s, if any are left alive, find and turn on the radio. The broadcast informs all that can respond to inform Wright-Patterson Command of their location, and a rescue unit will be sent out as soon as possible.

Once contact is established, the PCs will be informed that the soonest a unit will be able to get to them is Midnight, twelve hours from the time of the Wave. So, as you can see, the PCs only need to make it till then, easy, right?

The Refugees

At 9:30 pm, a group of five automobiles will arrive seeking shelter. They are all employees of the mountain and their families. There are 27 people total of 11 adults and 16 children. All of the adults are armed with small arms. These people are scared out of their wits, but they haven’t completely lost it. They have been fighting all day for their lives, and they just want to feel safe.

§  They just want inside, they don’t want the PCs to leave, and they are willing to work together

§  If the PCs choose to say no and fight, the Refugees have keys to the mountain and are willing to fight for entrance to what they consider “Their Territory.”

§  Three of the children and one of the adults have been bitten and are sick, they will all be dead within the hour, and the adult will be a Runner

§  There are almost 600 zombies following the refugees. They will begin arriving within 20 minutes. It will take one hour for all of them to arrive

Part Four – Resolution:

At 12:22 am, a helicopter will appear over the mountain. If no one has survived, the helicopter will move on. If there are survivors, one of two things will happen.

1.      If the perimeter is broken and the survivors are actively fighting off the zombies, the helicopter will begin to shuttle them to a safe zone, abandoning the mountain

2.     If the perimeter is holding and the fenced area is free of the dead, the commanders at Wright-Patterson will decide that instead of evacuating, they are going to reinforce the mountain as a safe haven. Within ten hours, a hundred troops and militia will arrive, and Fort Pinnacle will end up playing a key role in the evacuation of the valley and the Wright-Patterson Airlift (See Rifters 40 & 45), and the movement of 300,000 Americans to Alaska

No matter if the PCs are extracted or stay to help the troops, they will eventually be sent to safety at Wright-Patterson and, eventually, Alaska.