Re: [HOE] A question about Servitors (possible light spoilers)

[Aaron Chusid <aaron@to-the-point.org>]

At 04:53 PM 10/14/2003 -0700, you wrote: 
> This should be a Marshal only topic so heres
> some spoiler space
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> Ok, since we are on the subject, I have a few questions. 
> 1) This has been a bone of contention in my other group, that servitors
> don't know thier weakness. I've ALWAYS run them as if they knew the one
> thing that would kill them and avoided it like the plague. That's why the
> Lone Biker in my game always take a few minutes after the slaughter to
> burn the bodies and the town and why Modeen has an escape route
> planned.  Do servitors know their weaknesses?

I would say that depends entirely on the servitor in question and your
game.  Some are rather obscure; some are pretty obvious if you stop
and think about it.  One of the basic issues for me is why would the
servitor assume there's anything out there that *could* hurt him, when
guns, magic, knives, syker powers, etc. all fall short.  How does
the Lone Biker know that the bones of his victims can hurt him?  Why
would Modeen ever *not* have an escape route planned?  If your party
is getting too powerful, let the servitor know his own weakness;
otherwise, give 'em a fighting chance.

> 2) Another point that caused much argument was
> whether or not servitors knew they had gone to the Dark Side(tm)
> <G> In my game, they know that they are evil, but in my buddy
> James' game we traveled with a whiny librarian NPC that was a servitor of
> Death and was unconsciously raising dead people to attack our group. I
> figure if they know thier weakness and they know they are evil, they will
> be much smarter when it comes to those pesky heroes (and their damn dog
> too) figuring out how to kill them. 

This seemse to be a point of contention.  At some point a choice
must be made.  Could there be a "Gee, I didn't realize murder
was bad" character out there?  I suppose.  Could there be
someone who didn't realize he was damned, and thought he'd been forgiven
his sins?  Sure!  Could there be someone who was given a little
power by the Reckoners, started using it, gradually got more, and started
using that too?  Definately.  

> 3) Can a servitor be stunned? This happened
> when S-Swat (my first group) ran into Modeen. The doomie in the group
> launched Mirv and racked up enough damage to stun him. One low card for
> him later, and the group's Templar had shish-kabobed him. I think it's
> much scarier if the party mows him down in a hail of gunfire and then he
> pops up on the next card undamaged and laughing. I've always taken
> immunity:all to mean (much like the scene from the Preacher graphic
> novel) you could drop a 20-megaton nuke on his forehead, it would
> detonate and when the smoke cleared, the big bad would spit and growl
> "not enough gun". 
> Appreciate any help that anyone could give me on this. 

Why not?  Depends on the individual, I'd say.  Raven, no. 
Even when he was alive.  :-)  As I read it, you can hurt the
servitors all you want, and it looks like it's working all
nice-and-normal, but then turn your back, and they're all
better.   

> "All I want for Christmas is a monster
> that'll survive longer than 3 rounds!!!"