In a different light - random encounters

[JasonW]

 

Hi All,

 

I plan to run the the scenario "In a different light" which seems like a great scenario to run, I have read numerous forums and posts which details its virtues however I am interested to know if anyone who ran this scenario used any random encounters in the scenario apart from the obvious renders and dissolvers. 

Also please dont post any scenario spoilers just in case anyone on here hasn't played the scenario.

Edited August 14, 2017 by JasonW

[dce]

Hey Jason,

As the guy who many years ago wrote "In A Different Light" I'd be quite interested in hearing anyone's experiences too. [In case folks don't have the free PDFs -- you can get the 34 page scenario from this link; there's an additional 8 pages of handouts in another PDF here].

To answer your question, though, the times I've run this scenario I've only used the Mythos creatures that are statted for the scenario itself. However, I guess if you wanted to increase the number of inter-dimensional horrors that would be easy enough to do. The basic plotline for the adventure is based on the premise that recent advances in technology had the effect of opening human perception to adjacent dimensions (or whatever), which allows things from those weird places to seep back into Arkham. I guess that if you decided that the strange side dimension was also home to Dimensional Shamblers, or other similar things that would make sense. Or maybe all this messing around with dimensions attracts the attention of something from further afield (Hounds from Tindalos? Daoloth?). Also -- if you own the Chaosium book "The Stars Are Right!" I guess you could use the Fractal creatures that are described in one of its scenarios. They seem kinda similar (assuming you can describe fractals in 1920s terminology I suppose).

Anyway, I hope that you and your group enjoy "In A Different Light" when you run it!

Thanks,

 

Dean (from Adelaide)

[JasonW]

 

Hi,

I am hoping Dean from cthulhu reborn can answer this but I have a few questions as I am about to come to the conclusion of the "In a different light" scenario.

PS this may contain spoilers...

So somehow the players have now got to Crawfords Rise and Sudbury with the captured Professor Duncan (who I made into Hamlin Hayes due to a bit of confusion on my part). They now seem pretty intent on blowing up the cave in the Mountain without having done any more research on the Sudbury Disappearance. 

So I am thinking that the players should some how manage to lay the explosives and cause the land slide to expose the monster. I am also thinking that Hamlin Hayes should some how escape and he will be captured and killed to cause the final activation.

I know the players will then probably try to kill the creature which will force it back into the cave but what happens then???should it disappear should it just simply not seem to take anymore damage??

Also if they dont attack it and it moves of into the forest what should the creature do then?? I am running the adventure as part of a campaign so I dont want this to be a would ending thing or the players become obsessed in just constantly trying to hunt the thing down?? 

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[dce]

Hi Jason,

Dean here -- as is usually the case with Call of Cthulhu scenarios there are several possible ways that a Keeper might handle the player's reaction to the events described in "In A Different Light". What I would personally do is probably only about as valuable as what your own intuition says you should do. Having said here's what I think might be some options I would (as a Keeper running this scenario) consider.

(sorry but I don't know how to format paragraphs to hide spoilers on this forum, so it's here in normal text -- look away if you you're a player!)

The climax of the scenario as written involves the hidden creature in the cave being exposed to the moonlight -- and in your situation it seems like, despite the fact that your players have Duncan (or his proxy in your version) captive, they are likely to use his explosives to basically do the same job that he had planned himself. I wouldn't deter them from that path ... since it means that the big reveal can happen pretty much as written. I would suggest that perhaps the hidden creature might be exposed but initially invisible to most of the players, but that a massive cloud of the phosphorescent powder get thrown up into the air to waft over them. Hopefully a few of the investigators (or any NPCs the players have brought along) can become "awakened" by that, thereby providing targets for the extradimensional creatures to target as they aim to collect the final pineal glands necessary to bring the sleeper back to life.

The twist for your group is that they have Duncan (or his proxy) in their custody the whole time -- this offers an interesting opportunity to mess with the characters and try to push the players towards a dramatic resolution (e.g., the above). By the time that they encounter Duncan he is not only hell-bent on applying maximum force to destroy what seems to be a perfectly ordinary cave (which is weird) ... but also dangerously paranoid. As a captive he will automatically assume that the investigators are somehow agents of the thing, somehow working to free it from its bonds. He will doubtlessly rant and rave while the investigators are preparing, telling them that whatever evil they have planned will likely doom the whole of humanity to a horrible fate (or something similar). If the investigators try to question him as to what the heck is going on, I would make his replies cryptic ... and also manipulative. While he is their captive, there is nothing to stop Duncan from trying to trick the investigators into doing the exact task that he was planning to do. So, perhaps he might hold out under questioning before finally telling them what he thinks they want to hear -- dressed up in a form that suggests that they blow up the hill to achieve whatever goal they seem to be pursuing.

The other intriguing potential that you might like to explore is the fact that Duncan's perception is fully awakened which means that as soon as the sleeping monstrosity is exposed to the outside world he will gasp in terror, even if few if any of the investigators can see anything. This can be played for drama. Similarly, if the investigators are put off by the insane professor's insistence that they destroy the cave and instead decide to explore it first, he can be an NPC witness to the horrible scene inside the cave.

Regarding what might happen if the creature is exposed but not defeated in combat (or allowed to escape) ... I think the best way of handling this situation is by highlighting the fact that there are still insidious things happening in Arkham that are basically feeding energy to the creature. Sure, it's not going to be an instant "end of the world" scenario, but if the players get convinced that their failure to comprehensively expunge the horror has left a lingering but persistent series of disappearances in the poorer streets of Arkham they should understand that nobody is really safe until the creature is destroyed. Whether Duncan (or his proxy) helps or hinders this effort is up to you -- and also how the events at the cave unfolded. Does the professor still think they are evil cultists? Does he blab to the local authorities? Does he decide that their actions have shown the investigators to be good guys after all?

You could let the players initially think that they have "won" and even move on to a different scenario ... but then drop in subtle clues that people around Southside are still going missing in similar ways ... and then plan your own sequel scenario where the investigators need to track down the marauding creature as it lurks in some other nearby dark hollow or cave slowly building strength from the nourishment its servants bring nightly. You could either tip them off to the hiding place of the thing by some unnatural phenomenon (maybe all the local farmers' cows are mysteriously producing glowing milk?) or you could make them hunt down stray clues to narrow down a set of potential locations. One thing that you should definitely consider is penalising the investigators a small amount of Sanity for each disappearance that happens after they have understood the situation (since they should recognise themselves as partly responsible).

I hope that gives you ideas to exploit.

 

Dean

[JasonW]

Hi Dean,

First of all I would like to thank you for such a detailed and well thought out response. I dont know if I mentioned this but I am a relatively new Keeper so any ideas/thoughts to give me some inspiration is always very welcome indeed.

As you suggested, currently I already have my players seeing different stages of visions due to their awakening of their peneal gland and some of them have not been fully awakened so it would be rather interesting having some of the players see the creature and some of them not seeing the creature after they blow up the hill.

I like the idea of Professor Duncun seeing the players as the enemy trying to free the creature in his paranoid state, so that would work well if he actually manages to escape but to be captured and killed as the final offering to the creature. 

I also like the idea of the scenario not being completely a world ending situation, if the creature manages to be awakened perhaps like you said it moves off with no real reaction to any physical damage it starts gathering more strength hidden again until I decide to do a "In a different light the Return"

Anyway I hope to be playing out the final part of this excellent scenario soon, once I do I will be sure to post up the notes as to how it all panned out. Once again thanks for some great input.

[BillR]

Hello Dean,

I too stumbled upon your story and have been preparing to run it shortly using 7th edition rules. I love all the mystery, investigational opportunities, and sanity threat. However, I have a few questions. How do you defeat any of the creatures?

I see the weaker Renders do not regenerate and apparently have no armor when corporeal.  At 25-29HP, I guess a couple of successful close-range shotgun blasts will suffice. But with a minimum of 2 Renders attacking at once, it seems the investigators are overly matched.

Then you have the Dissolvers at 57-60HP with 3 armor AND regeneration! Even one would seem impossible to engage and kill in a reasonable time. And most likely at the cost of 1-2 investigators.

As for the Great Old One, don't even consider engaging! Wait for it to go into its Xoth trance when it cannot attack. But don't attack it else you draw forth the Renders and Dissolvers!

So all I see is "run away." IMO, your only hope is to complete the chant and steal it's vision IF you have anyone left who hasn't gone completely insane.

What am I missing, before I change up a few story rules?

Thanks in advance, Bill