Bath Imaginable

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It’s safe to say my adventure wears its influences on its sleeve. I want to talk about two of those today: N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God by Douglas Niles and the Resident Evil series by Capcom.

An unlikely pairing? Maybe. But when I thought of running Reptile God with Electric Bastionland, the only framework I could imagine was N1 by way of Resident Evil 4.

I’ll show you what I mean.

O’Lane. Dark riverside town (many abandoned houses). Overgrown farms (wandering livestock; 1:6 chance of a Giant Reptile attack!).

• The Golden Goat Inn. A warmly lit tavern (bright green carpet). Staticky music on the jukebox
  (the patrons sway along in unison). Bert, the innkeeper, is tender and accommodating (he is secretly a Quarryman Cultist scheming to drug and kidnap travelers).
  • Small Guests’ Room. £2/night. The “only room available” (has a secret entrance used to
    kidnap guests).
• The Slithering Serpent. A dim roadside bar (red and blue neon snake sign). The owner,
  Bella, hosts rebellious youths in retro jackets (they play dice games and drink salty ale). Constant buzzing from the stage (the PA system is still rigged from last week’s Karaoke Night).
  • Green Room Sofa. £6/night. Crowded with cheap instruments (and numerous stale
    snacks and bottled beverages).

I like this map because it features a large church on the hill overlooking the town. Let’s call that the Temple of the Stars. There are 2d6 cultists there at all times, plus Father Abraham and the Temple Groundskeeper.

You don’t need to key the entire map of O’Lane, but you should at least decide where the Golden Goat Inn and the Slithering Serpent are located. Other things I would definitely want in my O’Lane include:

• A chop shop: Somewhere the players can find a specialist to repair their car.
• A battered, weather-beaten structure: A tavern destroyed by a mob of cultists weeks ago.
• The Constable’s Office: The local law is compromised by the cult.

I would mark at least half of the buildings as abandoned or boarded up. This conveys that the town is, in fact, dying, but it also gives the players a place to hide if the cult turns against them. For other homes and businesses, I would simply use a Luck Roll to decide if the inhabitants are cultists when the players interact with them (just keep track of the result afterward). There is no need to decide ahead of time.

Father Abraham HP 9
Driven to serve the Reptile God forever and ever and ever.
CHA 13
Ceremonial Dagger (d6)

Cult Mob HP 9
Driven to kidnap the uninitiated and take them to the Quarry.
Farm Tools (d6 BLAST, +d8 against solo targets).

Cultist HP 3
Farm Tools (d6)

Temple Groundskeeper HP 9
Driven to serve Father Abraham.
Armour 1 (Heavy Jacket)
STR 12
Chainsaw (d10, Bulky), target decapitated on Critical Damage.

Giant Reptile HP 6
Driven to get a quick meal.
Armour 2 (Thick Scales)
STR 14, DEX 12, CHA 8
Great Jaws (d6 +d8 near water).
Clever. Known to retreat if threatened and learn from its experiences.

*

With just a few notes, a map, and a couple of stat blocks, we have ourselves a situation. Once the players start poking around–or after Bert botches his kidnapping scheme (because it should definitely be obvious what he’s up to)–the town might erupt into chaos.

• Use the Temple Groundskeeper to keep the players from reaching their vehicle. Really telegraph the danger of that chainsaw.
• Use the Cult Mob to force the players off the streets and into a building.
• Trickle in Cultists through the windows and down the chimney. Really play up how unconcerned these people are with their own safety, and ratchet up the tension until the Players can make a frantic getaway.