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written by Eldritch,
thanks for the additional ranks to Doc 'Mr Geek' Holliday |
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We were chasing the perp down narrow alleys and he led us deeper and deeper into parts of DownTown we never had seen before. I was really thankful for my direction sense, then. Coming out of the alley we suddenly stepped into a dimly lit street, thick fumes of acrid smoke and fog limiting visual range to an arm's length. But we could hear our quarry's muffled footsteps not so far ahead in the fog.
We had no time to recoginze it then, but now remembering this utter, deadly silence gives me the creeps. We should have known. Loss, our psychotic Stormer - and believe me, you have never met a psychotic Stormer until you have met Loss, which is quite difficult now - took the other side of the street while Fhlos Dhren, our sharp-eyed Raider and me stayed on this side, rushing after the perp.
Then we heard the scream, a high pitched wail full of terror and pain, conjuring up images of skinned humans and acid baths, piercing the silence. And only after this scream we noticed how silent it really was and I felt that the walls had grown eyes with which they watched us, but perhaps that was only an illusion of the fog. Fhlos stopped me and motioned me to listen and I noticed that the footsteps of our quarry had stopped.
We both drew our guns and, pressed to the mouldy wall Fhlos proceeded while I paused for a quick Ebb Calculation. And then the stench hit me full force - the depraved, rotten aura of an immensely powerful Necanthrope, that was somewhere around here. I had first mistaken the Ebb Stench for the odour of the fog, but my Calculation enhanced senses told me otherwise and I knew that he was right ahead.
So I prepared for another meeting with <deleted>
From behind I heard Loss' shout "Contact!" and then his heavy footsteps crossing the street, running towards the Necanthrope. I wanted to order him to stop, but then I heard the fateful mechanic of his Anvil's slide and I knew that it was too late. Now Loss was as hot as the bullet in the chamber of his gun and only spilled blood could cool his temper now.
I never really saw what hit him then, I only saw an electric blue shimmer wavering through the fog and then I heard this piercing cry again, only this time it was Loss' voice screaming. I had to know and while Fhlos began to shiver with the anticipitation of the end of a hunt I opend up my mind to another Ebb Calculation, but I never finished it. Suddenly this other presence lodged itself into my mind, revealing itself in its fullest horror. I saw a tall figure, clad in ancient, richly and intricately embroidered robes, leaning on an artfully ornamented walking stick with a opal handle. His frame was haggard and bent as if leaning into a storm and I could see his robes fluttering in the wind, although it was completely windstill in the street. His face was partially hidden under a heavy hood, the hem silver and ornamented with shifting glyphs, but in this waxen mass of almost molten, ancient flesh I could see the blackest eye I have ever seen. And floating in this eye were three little red dots, gleaming like the fires of Hades' oil rigs. Slowly the ancient lips, no longer pink, but blue and almost rotten, split and I awaited an bloated, oozing and grey tongue to appear, but instead a thin and increadibly spindly, three-jointed fingerlike tentacle, ending in a long and pointed nail or thorn slithered out of the mouth, almost probing the air. Somehow its probing made me think of Lustre's GoreCannon, nervously creeping from its master's shoulder around his neck and down the other arm in anticipitation of torturing and sucking blood or Ebb. But the voice of the thing in front of me shattered my thoughts. It was only a whisper, but inside my head it seemed like a shout and with the shout came the iridescent electric blue stream of unhealthy light and afterwards darkness.
I awoke later covered in stench. I tried to get up, but the carcass covered me completely and it took me some minutes to realize that the carcass was that of my own DeathSuit. And with that realization came an emptiness you people can never fathom, but I had to shove this emptiness and the pain away, I had to know. I slipped out of the dead DeathSuit only to find it covered with molten organic gore and in the stomach area a huge hole had been eaten through the DeathSuit. Probably still in shock I looked down at myself and noticed a similar wound on my stomach. The upper layers of skin had been completely removed and I could see the glistening red and white fibres of my muscles bleeding and oozing. Strangely there was no pain.
Fhlos was not far away. He, or what was left of him, lay spreadeagled on the dirty pavement and the rats were already beginning to feast. He had not been so lucky as me: torsoless, one of his grey eyes staring blankly and accusingly at me from the street not far away from the rest of his body.
I wanted to drop to the pavement and begin to cry, and I lacked the strength to look for Loss and face another distored mass of flesh that was once one of my friends, but then I felt the unsettling touch of a spindly, deathly cold slim finger at the base of my neck, and I heard the whispering shout of the creature "I will watch you" and I fell unconscious. The next thing I remember is one of your medics asking me if I would sell one of my livers to get more credits for the rest of the LAD operation, because my acount lacked the needed funds. And now let me get out of this room!
Operative Mandrel, Ebon, SCL 4E.2
shortly after recovering from LAD in an IA hospital, suspected of the brutal murder of two fellow operatives |
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Enhanced GoreCannons cannot be created (there are rumors among Ebb scientists that Dark Lament is working on a project to enhance a GoreCannon's sentience) - and they are considered as a "freak of nature". In all the 900 years of SLA Industries there has not been a single account of an encounter with an Enhanced GoreCannon, and Operative Mandrel's story is the first (and completely unconvincing) account of an encounter with such a creature.
Enhanced GoreCannons are utterly rebellious and they crave a life of their own, inhibiting dead bodies in pursuit of their quest for indipendence. |
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Disadvantage, only applicable for creatures who inhibit a dead body. Delays the rotting of the inhibited corpse for one week by spending an amount of FLUX equal to the total of points of all remaining relevant STATs (STR, DEX, CHA, HITS). If the amount is not spent, the corpse deteriorates and loses one point from one STAT per week. A corpse with STR 0 has its muscles reduced to a sinewy nothingness, DEX 0 makes the corpse unable to move, CHA 0 means that the decay shows VERY visibly, with rot everywehere visible on the body, while HITS 0 means that the corpse is dry as dust and can as easily be shattered. Thus a minimum of 1 point must remain in a corpse in order to function as a vessel for the inhibiting creature, although such a host body is clearly recognizable as a corpse. |
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New Ebb Ability. Allows an enhanced GoreCannon to merge its tentacles with certain areas of a host body with the aim to animate the body this way. Puppetry allows the GoreCannon further to supplement the host body's structure with it's tentacles with the effect of creating a STAT boost for the body. |
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I f the GoreCannon possesses a dead body, this will in effect create a vampire, as the GoreCannon cannot fill up her store of FLUX by herself, even an enhanced GoreCannon is not able of that feat. So, in order to replenish her used up FLUX she must either get filled up by her owner/creator (the Necanthrope she "belongs" to) or she must draw FLUX directly from Ebons or through the blood of sentient creatures. Enhanced GoreCannons should have higher DIA and CONC maximums, decreasing the physical characteristics as a trade-off. Suggest STR and DEX max. are 13, DIA 7 and CONC 10. |
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New Ebb Ability. Allows an enhanced GoreCannon to merge its tentacles with certain areas of a host body with the aim to animate the body this way. Puppetry allows the GoreCannon further to supplement the host body's structure with it's tentacles with the effect of creating a STAT boost for the body. |
Rank
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Name
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Description
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0
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Merge
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GoreCannon can infuse vital areas of the
brain with tentacles, enabling animation of the host body
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1
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Clot
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Heals 1 wound per 3 FLUX spent
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2
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Boost
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Merges the musculature of the host body
with tentacles of the GoreCannon for a short period. +1
to STR and/or DEX per 5 FLUX spent per CONC minutes. Takes
1 phase to merge flesh and tentacle for each +1 increase.
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3
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Heal Body
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GoreCannon can heal the host body with a
rate of 1 hit per flux spent.
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4
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STR Graft
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Permanently connects a tentacle
with the musculature of the host, strengthening it. Costs
1 permanent FLUX for each point of STR increased. Increases
about 150% normal are VERY noticable. GoreCannon can still
leave the body, but reconnecting to the tentacle takes one
day. If the GoreCannon is not reconnected to the host body,
the tentacle will begin to rot, causing the host body to
decay from within.
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5
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Soul Matrix
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Enables the GoreCannon to store 10 FLUX
in the host body.
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6
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Gore Skin
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Infuses the inner skin layers with Flesh
Friction Gore, thus protecting the body from non-Flesh Friction
attacks by attacking the projectile/weapon while it hits
the skin. Costs 1 FLUX to completely stop attacks with a
PEN lower than/equal to 3. Costs 1 FLUX per point of PEN
in excess of 3 and additionally 1 FLUX per point of DAM
soaked to effect attacks with a PEN greater than 3. However,
the maximum PEN than can be affected is 6.
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7
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Tentacle
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Allows the GoreCannon to manipulate objects
with a tentacle. The Tentacle comes out of the Host body
were the GC wishes (f.e. out of the hand). Tentacle has
a reach of 2m , but it can be stretched for 1m per 1 FLUX.
If the tentacle leaves the body through a non-permanent
cavity (eg. hand, torso, leg, toes) the host body takes
a wound if the tentacle is drawn back into the body. Costs
1 FLUX to prevent this wound.
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8
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Bone Manipulation
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Allows the GoreCannon to manipulate the
whole body for a short period of time, let him make moves
that are not allowed by the normal body skeleton construction
(f.e. turn the head more then his normal movement or/and
moving the arms/legs against their normal movement). Duration
CONC in Minutes, Costs 8 FLUX.
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9
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DEX Graft
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Permanently connects a tentacle with the
musculature of the host, making it more agile. Costs 1 permanent
FLUX for each point of DEX increased. Increases about 150%
normal are VERY noticable. GoreCannon can still leave the
body, but reconnecting to the tentacle takes one day. If
the GoreCannon is not reconnected to the host body, the
tentacle will begin to rot, causing the host body to decay
from within.
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10
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Gore Structure
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Infuses the cells of the host body with
GoreCannon particles, strengthening them. Costs 1 point
of FLUX per Hit gained. Only the Hits in body locations
can be increased and each location can recieve a maximum
increase of +5 above maximum per day.
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11
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Psycho Skin
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As Gore Skin, but costs 1 FLUX to completely
stop attacks with a PEN lower than/equal to 6. Costs 1 FLUX
per point of PEN in excess of 6 and additionally 1 FLUX
per point of DAM soaked to effect attacks with a PEN greater
than 6. However, the maximum PEN than can be affected is
9.
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12
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Speed
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Merges the Tentacles with the musculature
for a short period of time. Increases the Combat Actions
by 1 per 7 FLUX spent and Initiative by 5 by 1 point FLUX
spent. Additionally costs 1 FLUX per Combat Round to maintain.
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13
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Soul Matrix II
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Enables the GoreCannon to store 20 FLUX
in the host body.
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14
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CHA Graft
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Enables the GoreCannon to restructure the
flesh of the host body, thus enabling it to let it appear
more/less attractive. Each point of CHA modified (no matter
if this is an increase or a decrease) costs 1 point of permanent
FLUX. It takes one day for the body to adjust and the changes
to take effect. Changes can be revoked, in this case the
GoreCannon gets its point of FLUX back.
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15
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Melee Mastery
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Raises a melee-based skill by 1 rank per
5 FLUX spent. Costs 1 FLUX per Combat Round to maintain
the skill. Increases about Stat maximum are possible without
limit.
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16
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Speed Graft
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Enables the GoreCannon to connect permanently
to the body to give it more speed Increases the Combat Actions
by 1/2/3 per 5/12/23 FLUX spent permanently. The maximum
increase is 3 Combat Actions (for 23 FLUX, see above). Passive.
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17
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Friction Skin
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As Gore Skin, but costs 1 FLUX to completely
stop attacks with a PEN lower than/equal to 9. Costs 1 FLUX
per point of PEN in excess of 9 and additionally 1 FLUX
per point of DAM soaked to affect attacks with PEN greater
than 9. However the maximum PEN that can be affected is
18.
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18
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Soul Matrix III
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Enables the GoreCannon to store 40 FLUX
in the host body.
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19
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Hits Graft
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Infuses the cells of the host body with
GoreCannon particles, strengthening them. Costs 3 permanent
FLUX to increase Total Hits permanently and above maximum
by 1.
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20
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Friction Shield
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Emits a shield of impure Ebb energy around
the host body that can cancel a Flesh Friction attack. Creating
the shield costs 5 FLUX plus 3 points FLUX per DAM stopped.
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Get if for free from Adobe.com
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Visit Nightfall Games Ltd. |
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SLA Industries and all characters, settings, images and other intellectual properties pertaining thereto are (c) 1993-2000 Nightfall Games Limited, and are used without permission. No challenge to those copy-rights is intended or implied. |
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