I have been running a campaign (of sorts) at Pentacon conventions for the last 10 years.  This convention meets in Ft Wayne IN every November, usually on the second weekend of the month.  Most of my scenarios have been set in or around Vegaz (Las Vegas).  About the only common material is the background; I get new players, new characters, new storylines, and new NPCs each year.  I use the v4 rules (more or less).

This year, Pentacon was scheduled a bit early - the weekend after Halloween - so I decided to have a spooky feel to the scenario.  As I usually have a wild-and-wahoo style game, the spooky part kind of fell apart in a hurry.  Oh, well.  I took a suggestion from the WotC message boards, and printed a copy of the Deadlands: Hell on Earth adventure "The Shape of Things A-Coming" from their website.  Then I went to work modifying it.

The PCs (a partial list of what became important)

1) Humanoid.  PS 24 DX 5.  Heightened PS, Antlers, Taller(+80%), Photosynthetic Skin, Telekinetic Flight, Gamma Eye.  Enforcer - makeshift weapon/armor 6

2) Mutated Cactus.  Razor-Edged leaves, Saw-Edged Leaves, Dissolving Juices, Telepathy, Mechanical Genius, Fear Generation(16), Total Healing(17), Thorns and Spikes.  All humanoid traits.  Esper.

3) PSH.  Examiner

4) Mutated Macaw.  IN 23 DX 19.  Light Generation(17), Radar, Duality, Military Genius, Stunning Force(16), Beguiling, Heightened IN.  Anti-stealth (brilliant colors).  Scout - Wilderness Survival 6

5) Humanoid.  Partial Carapace, Radiating Eyes(14), Psychometry, Confusion(8), Cyrokinesis(16).  Esper.

6) Humanoid.  Partial Carapace, Heightened Balance, Horns/Antlers, Radiated Eyes (16), Plant Control(17).  Classless (merchant).

The NPCs
15 Goons - All have 1 mutation.  All use stats of 10 unless I had a reason to do otherwise.  I used two mutated Plants, 7 Humanoids, and one each: Coyote, Armadillo, Camel, Termite.  5 were armed with 6 Spears each.  The rest had a Club.  One Plant rolled Poisonous Thorns as his mutation, so I gave him a Blowgun and let him pull 1d10 thorns off himself (that smarts) to use as ammo.

Eyebiter - the leader.  PSH  Carries a Revolver (15 bullets) and wears Studded Leather Armor (AC 16).  Has an IR Laser Pistol w/battery hidden away for tough cases.  Due to PS and DX bonuses, has a +3 bonus "to-hit" for all combat.  Book describes his nickname as being derived from his favorite melee tactic.

The PCs began as the survivors of an ambush against a merchant caravan.  The caravan was supposed to be going from Vegaz to Fenix.  Fenix (which is barren nasty desert) is the Zona nomads' traditional political center. Nobody wants to live there - no grass for animals - so it makes a good place to meet and settle disputes on 'neutral ground'.  Sore losers can be dumped in the nearby Sonoran Desert (which is like Dune IMC).  The merchants in the city-state of Mead (Lake Mead, near Vegaz) found out about this arrangement and decided it would be the best place to meet the nomads and conduct some trading.  So off they went.  Along the way, they met somebody tough enough to take out an escorted caravan.  (I haven't decided who; maybe one nomad clan wanted the really good stuff for themselves and for free.)

The PCs, waking up and finding themselves alone in the desert, decided it might be a good idea to scavenge what they could from the wreckage.  This took the form of rolling on the standard equipment tables.  They found some chain, some rope, a map, a compass, and a little food.  I permitted them to make Spears out of shards of wood.  This allowed them to have weapons of a sort.  PC#1 decided to try to make a makeshift weapon.  He rolled a '1' - perfect success!  Checking the TL1 weapon charts, I decided he had made a Morning Star (most damage) with automatic double-damage.  Given his PS modifier, this worked out to (2d6+3) * 2 HP of damage to target each swing!

The Macaw, meanwhile, had decided it might be a good idea to take a look around.  The caravan was in a valley, going uphill, with hills to left and right.  He saw a dust cloud coming from the left.  The Telepathic Cactus rolled successfully to Scan the area, and confirmed a dozen or so minds coming their way.  The Macaw also saw a storm front coming up out of the Desert and over the mountains.  Movement away from the wreck and towards shelter suddenly seemed like a good idea.

After a few hill-and-valley crossings, the PCs saw a huge building in neo-cube architecture.  They also saw that the chasers were not gaining, but the storm was.  They chose to find a way in the building.  This fortified structure had had its front gate forced open by a vehicle crashing through it and into a wall.  They found that the smashed vehicle had not really damaged the wall, but had broken a single window.  Except for the Taller guy, everybody fit in.  He took 1d6 from sharp glass shards on the way through the window frame.  Inside they found tables and benches bolted to the floor.  They concluded they were in a jail.  (I later was told that one PC had played the scenario in Deadlands format; oh well.  Teach me to steal other games' ideas!)

Inside the dark building, they set a trap for the pursuers.  To no avail; the pursuers (who by now were in the storm) were let in the building by the back door, so says the script.  After a little bit the PCs set out to explore the building.  They went through one floor of the front office complex, then found a passage to the next building.  Off they went.

In the next building - a cell block - they were to get their first clues as to the horrible Abomination that lives in the jail.  They looked carefully around and found the second passage into the cell block.  They went through and ran into the pursuers in the passage.  Exit, stage rear!  Back in the cell block they barred the door closed and set up a battle plan.  The macaw flew up to the second floor balcony over the door and held his Stunning Force at ready.  The Tall Humanoid set up for a charge with his Antlers. Two other Humanoids took up spear-launching positions, one to left and one to right.  The PSH was standing in the middle of the room, all his spears in hand.

The pursuers rushed down the hall and into the cell block, 1d6 at a time. On the first turn of battle, not a lot happened; spears were thrown all around at the leader.  This did not kill him.  PC#1 set out on his charge.

On the second turn, PC#1 continued his charge.  (Due to his low DX, his action came last.)  More foes came out the door.  Confusion and Fear Generation were used on the foes, successfully - two tried to run back out the door.  This stalled the mob's momentum RIGHT IN THE DOORWAY.  The PSH threw another spear at whoever was closest.  Then PC#1 arrived.  He rolled well (a 2, I think) and impaled his target.  Ouch!  Due to the size of his rack of antlers, he also swept up two more guys with him.  Because of momentum and low DX, I ruled that he would take a full turn to stop and turn around.

On turn 3, more Fear Generation and Confusions.  Spears actually were fired at the PCs.  The charge ran out of steam with (I finally thought to do a head count) PC#1 vs 6 foes, 1 of whom was impaled.  The impaled foe failed his DX roll to get off the rack (and PC#1 failed his DX roll to get him off); he was still impaled, blocked PC 1's sight, AND was laid across so as to block weapons blows, too.  The other foes all swung at PC#1 but hit their own guy, killing him.

By turn 4, it had become obvious that our PSH had a problem: he was outnumbered 10-to-1 (or thereabouts) and we had no more effective fire support.  The Macaw took this opportunity to remember that he had been doing nothing all this time, he was a Military Genius, he had surprise, and he had Stunning Force.  He used the latter.  It succeeded.  The whole mob, and our PSH too, fell down flat.  The other two PCs in the cell block hopped down and charged the prone crowd, planning to deliver coup de graces.  They knew they would have at least 1 minute of free hits.  PC#1, in the hallway, and his crowd were not affected.  They did have to make morale rolls.  Half
passed; half failed.  I ruled that the ones nearest the door away from the fight were the ones who failed; they ran away.  Without telling the players about it, I checked which people had just run away.  Eyebiter (there goes his bossmanship), the Poisonous Thorns plant (darn), and a Clubman.  The other two foes fought on. They swung but missed, striking the dead body of their companion.  PC1 got out his makeshift Morning Star and swung.  He hit.  This blow halfway-killed one opponent.  Our Cactus (who had been out to see the restroom) came back into the battle and charged into one of the Fearful.  This set off his fresh Dissolving Juices (5d6 - SPLAT).  That nearly killed the unfortunate fellow. Then the Cactus rolled for the Razor-and Saw-Edged leaves.  When all that was done, the Fearful one was, in fact, dead.

The next turn or two saw the Macaw delivering coup de graces (two at a time - Duality) while the Cactus and the Humanoids ran down to help our Taller friend.  Not that he needed much help.  After taking a turn to pull the dead guy off his Antlers (and taking a few blows), he was ready with the Morning Star of Death again.  WHACK and the wounded foe went down.  The Cactus decided it might be fun to use the remaining fellow as 'home plate' and slid into him (fortunately making his to-hit roll for a charge attack), knocking the fellow off-balance.  The Cactus succeeded, and the foe failed, to make a DX roll.  This put the poor guy on top of some Leaves (again). The wounded fellow now made a Morale Check, and failed.  He just lay there, blubbering.

Meanwhile, back in the cell block, all the foes had been coup de graced by the Macaw.  The PSH, who takes double effect from Stunning Force, was still nowhere near recovering.  The Macaw moved him into an open cell.  Just in time - the Abomination had heard the ruckus and flowed over the floor, looking to see what was up.  It had time to absorb two of the fallen foes as the other PCs came back into the cell block.  A quick conference - what do we do about that THING?!  First, let's get the GM to give us a description...

I have a skill for the anticlimactic, and it came through again - at this point, the house loudspeaker came on and announced that the Gaming Session would be over in 10 minutes.  Darn, this is just the wrong time!  We took names all around, and began packing up our stuff.  I hope to see these guys again.

PENTACON 16 is scheduled for the weekend of 2-4 Nov 2001, at the Ft Wayne Grand Wayne Center / Hilton Hotel.  All readers are invited to attend.  I will be running something that Saturday morning (if I get my request for a slot).

Brian Judt, GM