The Demon Seed

Area 3-4 – The Demon Seed

The room is rectangular, deeper than it is wide. A shelf about 3 feet wide surrounds the sides and back of a pit area, which sinks about 8 feet via a set of stairs. On the floor of the pit is a circle about 10 feet in diameter. Initially, it looks like liquid, quicksilver perhaps, but it glows and pulses with static and distorted images, like a television receiving a bad signal, and a succession of flattened images rise and spiral away from it, revealing anachronistic scenes from TV, film, daily life in a future/past age, etc.

RUNNING THE ENCOUNTER

The Demon Seed is anchored in this reality by Morto Blango, who is now far past saving, his body, mind, and soul warped by the Chaotic forces at play here. Nonetheless, the Demon Seed requires additional, living hosts. To move freely in this world, it must copy itself onto them, a species of cosmic malware. In willing hosts, the Demon Seed is free to roam and do all manner of mischief.

This combat happens in two different parts. First, the voice of the Demon Seed works as a command, attempting to draw the PCs closer. Each PC should immediately attempt a DC 10 Willpower save. Those failing the save walk unsteadily toward the light and enter the circle, coming within range of Morto Blango. On a successful strike, Morto Blango does 1 point of damage and tries to link the PC to the Demon Seed (if the PC survives the blow).

On the first round of combat and every 2 rounds thereafter (3rd, 5th, etc.), the Demon Seed sends out 1d4 fragments of itself (up to 5 maximum).

Demon Seed/Morto Blango (1): Init +3; Atk +3 claw (1 + special); Crit 1d8/DN; AC 13; HD 8d8; hp 50; MV 0’; Act 1d20, 1d20; SP demon’s bargain (on a successful hit, the target is linked to the Demon Seed and must make a decision to serve it or reject it (see below)); SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +8; AL C.

The Demon Seed is not able to move but can send fragments of itself out into the room (see below). It can attempt to touch any PC who enters its circle.

Demon Seed Fragments (varies): Init +1; Atk +2 (1 + special); Crit n/a; AC 12; HD 1d6; hp 4; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP demon’s bargain (on a successful hit, the target is linked to the Demon Seed and must make a decision to serve it or reject it (see below)); SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +4; AL C.

The fragments are chaotic blobs of light, about a foot in diameter, that glow with scenes of people and places existing in some uncanny netherworld. Judges might describe fragments of scenes from television shows, cartoons, films, lines of glowing text on a computer screen, etc., from our own world, but should do so in ways that highlight the unnatural and otherworldly nature of the images.

The Demon Seed fragments can move along any surface, even walls and ceilings. Their movement is erratic and sometimes jumps from point to point without crossing the space between, but they don’t move very quickly.

THE DEMON’S BARGAIN

If touched by either Morto Blango or a Demon Seed fragment (or an abomination in previous areas), the Demon Seed tries to link to the affected PC, and seeks a bargain. To accomplish its complex goals— requiring thought, planning, and cultural knowledge—it must find willing hosts. Those agreeing to be hosts take the Demon Seed as a patron. If they reject it, the Demon Seed will transform them into horrible abominations of chaos, devoid of intelligence and doomed to wander the world causing mayhem.

Note: If the PCs have restored the statue of Narafaltha, they receive Her blessing and have a +2 to the saving throw for rejecting the Demon Seed, among Her other blessings (see area 3-1 description).

Host the Demon Seed: If the person is willing to host the Demon Seed, it uses their senses while they retain their free will. They become its accomplices and it becomes a patron capable of assigning tasks to accomplish its goals (in furtherance of power and maximum chaos). It uses existing human cultural forms to achieve its goals of transferring its power from the void into this plane through increasing numbers of infected followers.

Reject the Demon Seed: If the PC spurns the Demon Seed’s overtures, they should attempt a DC 15 Willpower save. If failed, they transform into a horrible abomination of chaos (roll on the Wheel of Abomination). If successful, they become immune to its influence.

When the first PC is forced to choose, judges should consider consulting their players about the path forward. Do they all wish to accept or reject? If there’s no consensus, are they willing to fight each other? Make sure the players understand the decision at hand: Will they follow the path of Chaos or choose some other one (e.g., become followers of the goddess)?

THE WHEEL OF ABOMINATION

Roll a d3, d4, d5, d6, d7, and d8 to find out what the abomination is:

Form (roll 1d3): (1) Solid, (2) Gaseous, (3) Liquid

Locomotion (roll 1d4): (1) flowing, (2) hopping, (3) walking, (4) flying.

Defenses (roll 1d5): (1) None (AC 10), (2) Some (AC 12), (3) Moderate (AC 14), (4) Formidable (AC 16), (5) Heavy (AC 18).

Attack Type (Action Dice) (roll 1d6): (1) Melee (1d14), (2) Melee (1d20), (3) Missile (1d20), (4) Melee (1d20) or missile (1d20), one action per round; (5) Melee (1d16) and missile (d16), two actions per round, (6) Melee (1d20) and missile (1d20), two actions per round.

Damage (roll 1d7 for each weapon): (1) 1 hp; (2) 1d3; (3) 1d4; (4) 1d6; (5) 1d8; (6) 1d10; (7) 2d6.

Hit Points (roll 1d8)

Any other attributes (initiative, saving throws, etc.) transfer from the original PC.

This creature targets any remaining PCs who have not accepted the Demon Seed.

ENDING THE ADVENTURE

This adventure can end several ways. This section explores several and provides some ideas about what happens next.

Option 1: TPK

In the event of a wipe of the entire party, there’s still time to stop the Demon Seed. Send out a new party of hapless villagers! There are many paths through the garden and different choices may lead to other outcomes. Alternately, select some other 0-level adventure by Goodman Games or a third-party publisher. There are plenty to choose from.

Option 2: Flee, Cowards!

The PCs escape the grounds of Cob Hill Manor with whatever party members (and excess villagers) survive. Morto Blango remains an anchor for the Demon Seed in this realm. The Demon Seed is infinitely patient. Sooner or later, someone will furnish it with the means to escape. Depending on what else they faced, it may make sense for the PCs to level up and choose a class, at the judge’s discretion.

Option 3: We Can Be Heroes

The PCs resist the Demon Seed’s influence and destroy the body of Morto Blango. The Demon Seed loses its anchor and is cast back into the void with the other Nameless until it can engineer another way to cross over to this or some other existence. This outcome frees the PCs who were under its influence. Anyone transformed into an abomination, unfortunately, remains a horrible monster. Everyone else, level up!

Playtesters: Thanks to Brendan Lasalle and the awesome DCC Roadcrew—Judge Russell Bevers, Michael Grant, maerwald, Jacob Savala, Thomas LaMaster, and Danatronic; Judge Darren Campbell, robertincypress, Michael “Ghostface” Miller, Michael Tomczak, and Bruce Rusk; Judge Jeffrey Regner, Dominick Gaimaro, James Hunt, and Abby Snellman; Judge Jeremy “Father Goose” Shuman, Jr., Amanda Shuman, Emilie Shuman, William Nielsen, Izabella Jones, and Kat Jones; Judge John “Unitor” Tincher, Jeff “Dr B” Biessman, Nikolas “Quovatus” Biessman, Nou “Mesosaurus” Biessman, Tina “Amelia Otis” Tincher, and Brian “Kungfu Kong” Malley; Judge Matt Gullett, Heather Kelley, Dennis Calender, Eddie Bartlett, Ron Radulescu, and Wes Southern; Judge Griseo Lupus, Chaos Kitten; Judge Spencer Ellsworth, Derrick “3INT” Record, Colton Sybouts, Eric Reichert, Jason Jacobson; Judge Jono Major, Bahasa Inggeris, Michael K. Dawson; Judge Mark Manchester, Paul Baumeister, Jeff Ursu, Josh Lunetta, Eric Anderson, Andy Patch;Randy Miller; Judge Bud Wright, Peter Haldenby, and the Highway High Rollers crew; Judge Matt ‘GrapeApe’ Robertson, Trevor Russ, Susan Schmidt, David M. Jacobs, Christian Klepac, Matt Young, Stefan Surratt; Judge Jon Wilson, Frank Crabtree, David Lowe-Rogstad, Finn Lowe-Rogstad, Carl Whithaus; Judge Nick Agan, Darin Elm, Karim “The Dream” Ayyad, Jason Mycol Allen, Sara Agan, Adam Denner; Judge Kevin Berent, James Dudli, Rich Korzenko, Rodney King, Rose Gowanlock, Greg Gowanlock, Phil Yanov, Mike Brannaman, Joel Java, Jr., Monica Rasso; Judge Matt House, Bryan Nelson, Bryan Nelson—Yes, twice, Justin the Jaguar, Boson Au; Judge Brian Long, Bryan, Chaz, Cory, Emily, Jonathan, Matt; Judge Paul W. Girardin, II, Bill Johnston, Doug Reitz, Dana Steele, Thomas French; Judge Mark Phagan, Paul Schipitsch, Luau Lou, Suldir; Judge Alaric Legler, Gwen Rinde, Alex Grote, Matthew Erbes, Nick Metusalem, Michael Jacobsen, Francesca Jacobsen; Judge David O., Ian S., Darian H., Gwen H., Dom C.; Judge Daniel Pfleging, Phil Lew, Aurora McGoogan, Dave Lam, Joe Candelaria, Chris Perkins, John Hutton; Judge Martin Grant, Alexa Morrissey, Sandy Grant; Judge G. M. Soldati, Orkopolo, Carl S., Bryan “Dash” Dahle-Melsaether, Brian McGrath; and Judge David Gallico, Alun Reed, Simon Grenville, Terri Brown, Tyler Richards.

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Option 4: Now We’re the Baddies

All or some of PCs make common cause with the Demon Seed and give rise to a new and dangerous cult. It becomes their god/patron with plans to extend itself and its influence throughout the lands. The Demon Seed is a being of Chaos and this effort will be opposed by those who serve Law. Choosing this option does not preclude “normal” adventuring beyond the 0-level funnel. However, the judge should keep the Demon Seed’s alignment, nature, and interests in mind when using published adventures, as should be the case when serving any other gods/patrons. They also should consult with the players to establish several short and long-term goals to achieve in the Demon Seed’s name. This cult is ready to go viral!

FUTURE ADVENTURE HOOKS

While it should not come into play during this adventure, judges should note that, with Morto taken by the Demon Seed, its pact with Zatharides is sealed. Zatharides has achieved some version of immortality and will do as evil, immortal wizards have always done: Cause trouble for hapless adventurers. A few details of his fiendish plans can be found in areas 1-4, 1-10, and1-13. Judges should consider how Zatharides might work into future adventures.

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What separates DCC RPG from so many other games is the absence of a priori character “backstory.” You know what I mean: That three-page writeup for a character who hasn’t even lifted a sword to defend themselves or cast magic missile in anger. But that doesn’t mean that these characters aren’t already part of an epic story, nor that they can’t tell their own weird tales. In DCC we make that happen in the zero-level funnel, that site of adventure, heartbreak, and (sometimes) triumph.

When I write adventures, my mind springs to the “story behind the story”—the unknown forces looming large in this narrative universe—trying to understand who these lowly gongfarmers and cheesemakers are, and may become, in the context of the vast and dangerous world that surrounds them. My two main influences for this adventure are probably well-known to DCC fans. H. P. Lovecraft, of course, literally wrote the book on cosmic horror, capturing those incredible and unintelligible forces that lie beyond what most see as “reality.” While Glen Cook’s “Black Company” novels give his readers a strong sense of the truly alien nature of wizards and the long, dark game they inevitably play to avert their own mortality. Each of these authors captures the lives of, for the most part, normal folk caught up in the machinations of beings far beyond their experience. My third influence is contemporary internet culture. I attempt to capture, with the Demon Seed, the potential of our contemporary media landscape to shape and alter consciousness, form our shared affinities, and provide opportunities to subvert the order of the world, for better and for worse.

Broadly speaking, the PCs are presented with stark choices. Which path will they choose? Which faction will they embrace, and which will they reject? Beyond those choices, though, what kinds of stories will their adventures tell? Are these characters stalwart and true defenders of village traditions, even if they didn’t know the name of the goddess Narafaltha from whom those

Author Edgar Johnson

old ways sprang? Are they disaffected peasants fed up with the old, staid ways of their forefathers and looking to carve a new path, even if they must reject their old lives and connections?

I like it when the PCs experience the Great Powers directly. In Bloom of the Blood Garden, the PCs have entered a contest for their very souls. Will they return to the ways of the past—the traditions of an old goddess as reliable as the coming of spring or the frost on the pumpkin; or will they embrace “the new hotness,” the chaotic forces of viral information, memesis and alterity, and all the promise and peril that comes with it? Presented with a sense of place, how will they fill it with their fears and hopes? How will they take advantage of the resources available to them? These are the kinds of choices that make merely surviving a zero-level funnel something with greater meaning and purpose.

A truly bizarre bazaar was erected with goods from countless worlds for sale.

Curious garb was worn, emblazoned with the sigils of their patrons.

It seems so bare without a ziggurat, doesn’t it?

High spirited comradery was on display by the Goodman Games crew!

Beware the plotting of artists when left to their own devices!

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Doug Kovacs leads the damned down Inferno Road presented by Hobonomicon.

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empire of the east

A POST-APOCALYPTIC SCIENCE FANTASY SETTING FOR DCC RPG & MCC RPG

Thousands of years ago, the ashes of nuclear fire changed the world. The weapons of mass destruction ceased to work as the laws of physics altered. In their wake came elementals and demons, creatures from the darkest dreams and nightmares of mankind. Magic returned to the world. Humankind arose from the ashes and rebuilt society, just as the vile Empire of the East wielded the demonic powers of Orcus to sweep across the globe. Now it falls to a small group of resistance fighters to reclaim freedom for humanity!

Officially licensed by the estate of Fred Saberhagen, this hardcover sourcebook offers everything you need to play DCC RPG campaigns in the world of the Empire of the East. Inside you will find:

• Rules for magic tailored to the post-apocalyptic fantasy setting of the Changeling Earth, including new spells and summonings to enrich any DCC campaign

• Character options for adventuring in this world

• A discussion of demons, elementals, and monsters, including stats for creatures compatible with any DCC and MCC campaign

• Lost technology of the Golden Age of Man, and its effect on the Changeling Earth

• Statistics for all of the major characters from the trilogy, also usable as NPCs in any DCC or MCC campaign

• Two short low-level adventures to start your campaign

• And more!

Using this sourcebook requires the DCC RPG core rulebook. While this sourcebook contains all you need to play a campaign, Saberhagen’s novels are an invaluable resource in understanding the setting. We highly recommend you also read the Saberhagen Empire of the East series, available as a modern compilation or in the original three individual volumes, titled The Broken Lands, The Black Mountains, and Ardneh’s World (also published as Changeling Earth).

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