[Bushw4cker]

I'm running a 5th edition campaign and I have an old run I wrote up a while ago for 4th edition. It's a Christmas Run, I would rather do around the Holidays. Where the characters spend 2 weeks at Disneyland in Seattle. One of the main antagonists is a Toxic Havoc Shaman who will be mostly using Spirits to make the characters run difficult.

Examples: He will have a Harrow (Toxic Spirit of Man) Santa Claus and will have a bag full of goodies such as Grenades, Pistols, ect. for the kids. (The runners get alerted to the situation when one of the kids shoots another in the leg, maybe before that if they are lucky and perceptive)

A Sludge (Toxic Spirit of Water) possesses the waste in one of the Restrooms. (Think Dogma Movie)

I was thinking I could have this NPC make an appearance (well one of his spirits anyways.) in my first part of my 5th edition Campaign, since the scenario would definitely fit a Toxic Havoc Shaman's type of situation. It is a riot after an unlikely Seattle loss vs. rival in an Urban Brawl match. The characters are going to be in the middle of the riot. (I posted couple of weeks ago.)  The runners wouldn't be on his mind and he might not even remember his first encounter with them.

What I would like some help on is fleshing out this NPC, and some ideas on how to use this character. I would prefer the characters don't directly encounter this NPC for a while.

So far... Some of the qualities I have for character... Blandness, High Pain Tolerance-3 (Maybe practices Awakened equivalent of Self Mutilation), Combat Paralysis (Not that he's afraid of combat, but more he is so fascinated by it and get absorbed in the chaos.) Gremlins-2 (Would probably be BTL snuff chip addict if he didn't have this quality)

He likes to watch the Chaos he causes and is usually in the Background, disguised as Squatter or someone else who wouldn't attract attention. He has a twisted sense of humor and his schemes reflect this. He is indifferent to his own mortality, doesn't really care if he lives or dies, but will defend himself (Agony or Death Touch).

He is an Initiate Grade 3 or 4. Metamagic: Masking for sure, Quickening and Centering.

Spells: Mob Mood, Influence for sure. Definitely some more Manipulation spells. He would probably have Manipulation Specialization. Agony, Death Touch.

Skills: Besides the obvious magic ones...Con, Stealth Group.

Any comments, suggestions or feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks )






 

[Lethal Joke]

Okay, it may not be relevant, but the image of a Santa Claus passing out guns and explosives is funny.

Anyhow, if he's a squatter, you could always have him show up to the scene of the disasters he's caused blending into the assorted poor, unwashed masses dumb or suicidal enough to get curious with the rest of the crowd and head towards such noises. If one of your party happens to scan said crowd, he (and a few other people) should have an out-of place grin on his face. But I doubt that they will. "A crowd rushes to see what the commotion is about" is practically shorthand for "this is just to set the scene."

But maybe you think that's risky, or maybe you already intend that.

[Bushw4cker]

Okay, it may not be relevant, but the image of a Santa Claus passing out guns and explosives is funny.

I thought so as well. )

Here is the NPC so far

[Lethal Joke]

Looks pretty good to me. Though while I've been a GM more than a few times, I'm still working on getting a Shadowrun game together. Got 6 runs planned out, just need a few players...

I like all of the spells, like mob mind and ignite, creating new ways for him to escape should they happen to catch on. Just cast it at a particularly flammable building or the crowd and throw them at the runners. Especially effective if your players are a bunch of people with a penchant for hooding (like mine.) By the time they look up, Mr. Toxic Evil Shaman should be long gone.

[Bushw4cker]

I have few players that would sell their own mother if the price was right... Another Player currently plays a Dragon Slayer Shaman...so the moral compass of team could quite varied.

[Voltron64]

I have few players that would sell their own mother if the price was right... Another Player currently plays a Dragon Slayer Shaman...so the moral compass of team could quite varied.

Are they all Archetypes, and if they are, which ones did they choose?

[Bushw4cker]

So far I have a Technomancer who the player is making on his own, I'm assuming he'll be human because it seems really hard to make meta techno. An Ork ganger, and the other players haven't made/picked a character yet. I'm assuming at least one of them will be a physical adept, just knowing the players. The Technomancer will probably be the goodie goodie..

[Lethal Joke]

I have few players that would sell their own mother if the price was right... Another Player currently plays a Dragon Slayer Shaman...so the moral compass of team could quite varied.

I've had occasions where I wish my players were a little less goody two-shoes. Ah. Well.

Still a good way to get your villain away in case he's noticed too early.

[Bushw4cker]

I hope my players are a little bit on same page. In a different campaign someone else is GMing. We have a 2 Sociopaths, a guy that's in the middle, and a goodie goodie. The Goodie Goodie gets left out of the loop sometimes. Kind of like when you tell a kid that the family pet ran away..

"What happened to that guy you interrogated?"... "oh we let him go.."

"They are exploding Gel Rounds!"