Stage 4: The Slum
Fiction from the World of Hunters, Inc.
by Richard Fichera
Artwork by Brad McDevitt
Stage 4 - The SlumAfter that last encounter, you are glad to tumble into this refuse-strewn hallway. The air is musty and close compared to the thin air of the skyscraper, and smells heavily of rotting garbage, vomit, and urine, but the floor is firm and stable, and that is a welcome feeling. Most of the light bulbs are burned out, but a few dim ones light the hallway, revealing the peeling wallpaper and the mildewed carpet. An occasional rat can be seen scavenging through the garbage piled against the walls. There are door on either side of the hall at 10-foot intervals, alternating between the left and right. Some of the doors hang ajar and reveal one-room apartments littered with trash, broken glass, and smashed furniture. All of the windows are boarded up and only the night sky can be seen through the cracks. Occasionally (20% chance), the room will be occupied. The tenant will be a lone man or woman suffering from some severe skin disease similar to radiation poisoning, lying on a bare mattress or sitting in a dilapidated stuffed chair, either crying or catatonic. All of them will show severe signs of drugs use, with oozing track marks all over their arms. Scabs cover various parts of their bodies, and the players should get the general impression that these people could be highly infectious. At the end of the hallway, they will come to a stairwell headed down, which will lead to another hallway similar to the previous one. At the far end of this hallway can be seen a steel door with a spring bar. As the party travels down this hall, they will notice the growing smell of offal and feces and begin to hear the muffled sound of babies crying. The smell comes from behind the apartment doors, but the sound is coming from an indeterminate source. It continues to grow louder and more infant voices seem to be joining the chorus with each passing minute. When the group is about 40 feet from the door, a dozen of the apartment doors will fly open with considerable force and 20 maniacal toddlers suffering severe radiation poisoning and birth defects will swarm towards the characters. Their cancerous skin has numerous open wounds. They are all nude and caked in body waste. Their eyes are nearly closed with infection but their mouths are wide open, screaming, and filled with rows of pointed teeth. These mutant toddlers will attack the guards with the following statistics: Toddlers:
Movement: 4m/combat round Actions: 2 Initiative bonus: - Damage bonus: -1 Damage capacity: 3 scratches = 1 light wound 2 light wounds = 1 serious wound 2 serious wounds = 1 fatal wound Endurance: 55 Natural armor: - Attack modes: Bite 8 (scr 1-8, lw 9-14, sw 15-22, fw 23+) The toddlers are mindless; they will attack until they are all dead. It is possible for the group to escape, however. If they can reach the door, pass through, and close it behind them, the toddlers cannot follow. Prison Break
Stage 1: Steel Corridor Stage 2: Abattoir Stage 3: Above the City Stage 4: The Slum Stage 5: Skid Row Stage 6: Darkness to Light Ready Made Characters Back to Shadis #31 Table of Contents © Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. |