Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 349

From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 1999 1:11 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #349


champ-l-digest Tuesday, May 18 1999 Volume 01 : Number 349



In this issue:

CHAR: Dhole
Re: CLOWN (was Re: Fifth Edition)
Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?
Wedding Day (was Converting AD&D)
Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?
Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?
Re: Wedding Day (was Converting AD&D)
Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 11:14:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: Dhole

DHOLE

Val CHA Cost Roll Notes
150* STR 65 39- 25 megatons; 30d6
3 DEX -21 10- OCV: 1 / DCV: 1
150 CON 280 39-
100* BODY 150 29-
3 INT -7 10- PER Roll 10-
35 EGO 50 16- ECV: 3
60 PRE 50 21- PRE Attack: 12d6
0 COM -5 9-
35 PD 20 Total: 70 PD / 35 PDr
30 ED 0 Total: 65 ED / 35 EDr
2 SPD 7 Phases: 6, 12
50 REC 12
300 END 0
225* STUN 16 * Includes modifiers for Growth
Total Characteristics Cost: 617

Movement: Running: 18" / 36"
Swimming: 2" / 4"
Tunneling: 10" / 20"

Cost Powers & Skills
Dhole Powers:
100 Immense Size: Growth: 15 Levels, 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2),
Always On (-1/2): +75 STR, +15 BODY/STUN, -15" KB, +16" Reach,
+10 PER, -10 DCV
125 Engulf: HKA: 5d6 (10d6 with STR), AoE: Radius (+1), 0 END (+1/2),
AoE: is only diameter, not radius [total 7" diameter] (-1/2)
128 Spit Slimy Goo: EB: 14d6 (physical), AoE: Radius (+1),
0 END (+1/2), Increased Range: 1,500" (+1/4), AoE: is only
diameter, not radius [total 7" diameter] (-1/2)
96 Spit Slimy Goo: Entangle: 6d6, Stops sight, AoE: Radius (+1),
0 END (+1/2), Increased Range: 1,500" (+1/4), Linked to EB (-1/2),
AoE: is only diameter, not radius [total 7" diameter] (-1/2)
47 Slimy Goo: EB: 3d6, NND [DEF: not needing to breath,
self-contained systems] (+1), AoE: Radius 3" (+1 1/4), Continuous (+1),
Uncontrolled (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2), Linked to Entangle (-1/2)
16 Slimy Goo: RKA: 1 pip, AoE: Radius 3" (+1 3/4), Continuous (+1),
Uncontrolled (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2), Linked to Entangle (-1/2)
105 Thick Hide: Armor: 35 DEF
24 Unearthly Origins: Life Support: Breathing is self-contained.
Immune to Vacuum/High Pressure, Radiation, Heat/Cold, Disease & Aging
24 Immense Size: +12" Running (18" total), END 4
65 Burrowing: Tunneling: DEF 6, 10"
3 Survival 11-
733 Total Powers & Skills Cost
1350 Total Character Cost

75+ Disadvantages
25 Distinctive Features: Immense worm-like creature
15 Psychological Limitation: Dislikes Light (C, S)
Physical Limitation:
10 Cannot leap
15 No manipulation
1210 Experience
1350 Total Disadvantage Points

Appearance:
A dhole is an immense worm-like creature. They range in length from 600'
to well over 1000' long. Dholes are grayish, with no visible eyes. Their
mouths contain multiple jaws, that can be extended outwards and are used
to burrow through earth and rock.

Ecology:
Dholes feed off of virtually any organic matter. They will riddle a world
with tunnels, devouring anything and everything unlucky enough to be in
their path. Although there are no dholes on Earth, there are a large
number dwelling in Earth's Dreamlands. Due to their great size, they are
immune to most other predators, although their are rumors of predators big
enough to feed on dholes living in the Dreamlands. How dholes reproduce
and spread is unknown, although their are reports of dholes being found on
several different worlds scattered through space.

Motivations:
Typical animal motivations. Dholes simply seek to feed on whatever food
is available.

Combat Techniques:
A dhole's tactics are fairly simple; engulf the target. A dhole is large
enough that it will scoop up a wide area of earth when it bites, instantly
swallowing anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the area. If dealing
with targets that are far away, the dhole can spit forth a slimy blob of
acidic goo (at ranges up to 3 miles or so) trapping the victim until the
dhole can get close enough to devour it hapless victim. This goo is
capable of smothering anyone caught within, and is corrosive as well.

Other Names: Bhole

Rumors:
It is thought that dholes originate in the Dreamlands, and then fall
through dimensional space to land on various planets that brush up against
the Dreamlands.

Designer's Notes:
The dhole is an exercise in the colossal. The sample dhole listed here is
a mere 475 feet long. One can roll up a dhole that is *much* larger than
that in the Call of Cthulthu book. I based the size of the dhole off of
it's weight, which was determined in the CoC Siz table. To get the right
length, I took the standard size for 15 levels of Growth (56 meters x 28
meters) and multipled 56x28. This gave me a total of 1568. I then
divided this by the dhole actual width (14 meters) and got a length of 112
meters. Add the dhole's +16" of reach and we get a final length of 475
feet. This is actually a bit short for a dhole. To get the right length,
simply add levels of Growth that don't affect mass and/or figured
characteristics.


- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an
infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even
considering if there is a man on base. - Dave Barry

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 11:24:02 -0400
From: Mythrandyr <mythrandyr@stratos.net>
Subject: Re: CLOWN (was Re: Fifth Edition)

At 11:43 PM 5/17/99 -0700, you wrote:

> There is a change of pace, then there is just being mean to the
players and
>their characters. C.L.O.W.N. I view in the latter sense. I see them as an
>instrument of a GM's pettiness and selfishness.

And here I thought that the high-end Dr. Destroyer was an 'instrument of a
GM's pettiness and selfishness'. . .

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 07:25:49 -0700
From: jayphailey@juno.com
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

>> I don't think real officers would have entered without a warrant
unless
>> they were in "hot pursuit" of a suspect, or had reason to believe that
>> someone was in immediate danger.
>
>I believe that evidence of a break-in gives police the right, indeed the

>duty, to enter the premises to determine if the burglars are still
inside
>and to check on the safety of occupants. Moreover, in my mind, there
was
>adequate reason to fear that there might be wounded in need of immediate

>medical attention.

Shooting at them gives them all the probable cause they'd ever need.
Electrocuting them, and have dead bodies laying about is also really,
really suggestive of trouble in progress.

>Actually, it doesn't look like a dead-end at all to me. With daylight,
>the forensic teams can check for evidence of a car chase: tire tracks,
>broken glass and/or metal. Detectives will canvass the neighborhood,
and
>go over the house with a microscope. There will be time to run down the

>truck and car used by JD #1 through #4. They can see what attorney that

>JD#3 and #4 call -- perhaps he is a mob lawyer. It still takes time to
>run fingerprints and suchlike.

Tire tracks is one I didn't think of.

>My concern was that, if the police released Mr. Smith, he would have
>been in New Jersey before there was a chance to sort evidence. I felt
>that this would justify holding Mr. Smith for the period allowed (I
>used 72 hours -- I believe it varies by jurisdiction) while more
evidence
>was gathered. In fact, the police "lost" the paperwork on where he was
>held so that his attorney couldn't find him for a while.

Now we're talking potential lawsuit and sinkiing the whole case as if it
hit an iceberg. Gotta play it stright or the opposing lawyers'll eat you
alive

>One point in dispute is whether it is reasonable for the police to
>suspect a connection between the two incidents, which were five blocks
>and ten to fifteen minutes apart.

Depends. How often do shootouts using military grade weapons occur in
that neighborhood?

>> With the damage to Smith's car, they may
>> have the right to impound the car as material evidence in an
>investigation
>
>I think this goes without question. IMO, the insurance company will not

>pay on a claim like this until the police clear Mr. Smith of any
>wrongdoing that might void the policy.
>
>A second point in dispute is whether it is reasonable (Mr. Smith's
having
>failed his 8- acting roll) for the police to suspect that he knows more
>than he is telling, and to further suspect that Mr. Smith is not being
>forthcoming because he may have been involved in something shady.

Then they'd threaten to bury him under the jail. Our lovely supreme
court said it's perfectly valid to lie like a rug to elicit information
from a suspect. Or you could swing the other way. Using mysterious
powers in your own defense while under attack by armed looney toons is
perfectly valid, IMHO.

>jayphailey@juno.com wrote:
>
>> The Cops from our Vista City campaign (heroic, PC police deal with odd
>> unusual, nmad science/supernatural threats) would dredge the canal
for
>> the truck (too much information there.)
>
>The truck was recovered from the canal at 4AM, containing two corpses,
>firearms and surveillance paraphernalia. Registration is in the name
>of William H. Shaw, but neither corpse had identification.

Who is William Shaw? Begin forensic processes to identify the stiffs.

>Jay then followed up with a number of good suggestions for general
>investigation, which mostly confirmed my thoughts about where the
>police would head. In case anyone is interested, I provide the answers.

Coool. Thank you. I m all curious now.

>> Run a paper tail on the house.

>Insurance policies are subject to a subpoena duces tecum, and insurance
>companies are licensed by the state, so they are inclined to cooperate
>anyway unless the request is overbroad. The house is owned by Eastern
>Potomac Real Estate Investors, Inc., which is owned by a Potomac Real
>Estate Partners, LP, whose general partner is Washington & Richmond Real

>Estate Investors, NA and whose principal limited partner is DelMarVa
>REIT, Inc., a closely-held corporation that is not required to register
>with the SEC. The house is insured as a rental property with the Lee &
>Longstreet Insurance company, a small firm in Falls Church, Virginia.

????? This is too weird. Ask Lee & Longstreet to whom the house was
rented, and forward this information to the FBI. This could be an
orgnized crime case. Whol Owns DelMaa Va REIT, Inc? It doesn't have to
register with the SEC, but they do have to pay taxes...

>> Has the professor ever filed insurance claims before?
>
>Only minor claims that don't look unusual.
>
>> Priority ONE identify those bodies!
>
>There had been some attempts to obliterate fingerprints with acid, but
>these were, as usual, not very successful. The corpses were identified
>by the FBI as former S/Sgt Erwin Gehman, 49, and former Spec/8
(Ordnance)
>Paul Muse, 50. both Army, both Veterans from the Vietnam Era, and both
>the recipients of General Discharges in 1972.

With names and former military records, their recent whereabouts and
addresses would be trackable. Do they have bank accounts in the area?
They are suspects *and* victims in bloody minded murder. Houses?
Driver's liscenses?

>JD#3 was identified by fingerprints as former Spec/4 Alex
>Laudenslager, 48, a Master Sharpshooter with Army Special Forces in
Vietnam.
>
>JD#4 was identified by fingerprints as David W. Williams, 31, formerly
>a small-arms instructor for the USMC.

JD#3 doesn't fit the pattern. He isn't old enought to have been in Viet
Nam.

What connects these people in their lives? Where did they work recently?

>
>> Have a
>> forensic team go over the house with a fine tooth comb.
>
>The house is virtually clean of fingerprints and DNA. If someone was
>living here, either they weren't living here very long, or that person
>is careful to the point of paranoia. A single usable fingerprint was
>found on a glass in the dishwasher, belonging to Lipheng Han, a Hmong
>immigrant.

??? who are the Hmong? A paper trail on Mr. Lipheng Han in order. Why
might a group of Veterans be shooting up a residential neighborhood about
him? Ask the Professor if he knows anyone by that name.

Here's another Question- Serial number on the guns. The two over by the
house were damaged. Were they damaged badly enough to obliterate serial
numbers? How about weapons in and around the truck?

>> Get complete ballistics and forensics data from
>> the bullets stillmin the car.
>
>They correspond to weapons found in the truck. Pieces of broken glass
>and metal were found on various streets near the house that correspond
to
>the type and color used in the car. The car was recently cleaned and is

>pretty free of identifiable fingerprints other than Mr. Smith's.
>
>--
><------------------------------------------------------->
>Robert A. West /// "Censorship is tyranny."

Well that puts the professor in the area. Ask him again. Is Lipheng Han
even alive? Is he alright? That would be a pressing question.

Eventually though, you'd have to let the professor go. If he's got a
career at a reasonably close college then he'll be relatively easy to
keep track of.

But the Vista City PCs would rather shoot themselves in the foot than
screw with his legal rights. Because of the odd nature of their cases,
the VCPD Inernal Affairs always has them under a microscope, and Captain
Guthrie (Looks like some one's grand mother, and appears very sweet.) is
dedicated to upholding the Bill of rights and will cheerfully arrest and
charge any VCPD officer on whom she has evidence of wrong doing.


Jay P. Hailey <Meow!> [ICQ: 37959005]

Read Star Trek- Outwardly Mobile At-

http://www.geocities.com/~tesral/jay/

___________________________________________________________________
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Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 12:17:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jason Sullivan <ravanos@NJCU.edu>
Subject: Wedding Day (was Converting AD&D)

The following information is about the adventure I wish to run. The
adventure can be found on line at:

http://www.tsr.com/Dungeon/Backissues/1996/59mayjun96/59WeddingDay.txt
(If you have difficulty getting to this adventure, try to reach it from
http://www.tsr.com/Dungeon/Backissues and look for Dungeon issue 59).

The name of the Adventure is "Wedding Day."

It involves the marriage between two people who are the children
of wealthy merchant families. A man, Elmo Bunster, wishes to ruin the
wedding.
Elmo has his group of rough and tumble Tricksters ready to back
him up to cause mayhem and mischeif- anything to ruin the wedding. The
over all theme is light hearted, and a bit fun... (Sounds like the
precursors to C.L.O.W.N.)

I need help converting the following:

First off, I need help with Fantasy HERO classes and package
deals. I, myself, do not have Fantasy HERO, and thus I am at a loss as to
how to explain to my players the process of character creation. I would
also like to know if there are any special skills in Fantasy HERO that
apply to the genre (such as Spellcraft).

The characters I need converted are as follows:
Lombard, the Bride's father.
Esther, the Bride.
Romulus, the Groom.
...as well as an average wedding go-er (for completeness).

...and the Tricksters.
Elmo Bunster, the disgruntled Trickster's leader.
Jak, Jeckle, and Mack, the Trickster "gang."

I need write-ups for various horses, a 48 hour long sleep powder,
and various "special" spells.

Lastly, if ayone here has an article about optional rules for the
cost scale of Side Effects that was originally on Digital HERO, I would
appreciate it if they could e-mail it to: gegethesmane@hotmail.com.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 09:07:00 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

At 07:25 AM 5/18/1999 -0700, jayphailey@juno.com wrote:
>>The house is virtually clean of fingerprints and DNA. If someone was
>>living here, either they weren't living here very long, or that person
>>is careful to the point of paranoia. A single usable fingerprint was
>>found on a glass in the dishwasher, belonging to Lipheng Han, a Hmong
>>immigrant.
>
>??? who are the Hmong? A paper trail on Mr. Lipheng Han in order. Why
>might a group of Veterans be shooting up a residential neighborhood about
>him? Ask the Professor if he knows anyone by that name.

Hmong is an ethnic group in southeast Asia, predominantly located in
Laos.
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 09:03:22 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

At 07:33 AM 5/18/1999 -0700, Robert A. West wrote:
>Bob Greenwade wrote:
>>
>>
>> Though I have no law enforcement experience, I'll go through how I
>> would've handled things -- or, more specifically, how I would've handled
>> things differently (where I don't respond to something, I would've done it
>> the same, or at least close enough).
>>
>> >Officers ... entered through the hole in the cupola
>>
>> I don't think real officers would have entered without a warrant unless
>> they were in "hot pursuit" of a suspect, or had reason to believe that
>> someone was in immediate danger.
>
>I believe that evidence of a break-in gives police the right, indeed the
>duty, to enter the premises to determine if the burglars are still inside
>and to check on the safety of occupants. Moreover, in my mind, there was
>adequate reason to fear that there might be wounded in need of immediate
>medical attention.

You're quite right. I stand corrected.

>> >That is about what I think the police would have by early morning, when
>> >Mr. Smith will start asking to be released. He has no ties to the
>> >District of Columbia and is quite clear that he intends to leave the
>> >jurisdiction within a day. I know what I think the police would do, but
>> >ask where you think they would go from here?
>>
>> This is a hard call. Offhand, I'd call it a dead-end case, unless some
>> additional evidence shows up.
>
>Actually, it doesn't look like a dead-end at all to me. With daylight,
>the forensic teams can check for evidence of a car chase: tire tracks,
>broken glass and/or metal. Detectives will canvass the neighborhood, and
>go over the house with a microscope. There will be time to run down the
>truck and car used by JD #1 through #4. They can see what attorney that
>JD#3 and #4 call -- perhaps he is a mob lawyer. It still takes time to
>run fingerprints and suchlike.

Yeah, after seeing another post that listed huge amounts of evidence
that my unpracticed eye had missed, I have to agree here. There's actually
a *lot* that can be done.
However, I do think (as I think the same person -- I think that was Jay
Hailey, though I'm not sure -- also pointed out) that trying to pin
something on Mr Smith is a dead end.

>My concern was that, if the police released Mr. Smith, he would have
>been in New Jersey before there was a chance to sort evidence. I felt
>that this would justify holding Mr. Smith for the period allowed (I used
>72 hours -- I believe it varies by jurisdiction) while more evidence was
>gathered. In fact, the police "lost" the paperwork on where he was held
>so that his attorney couldn't find him for a while.

Given the above points, this is probably not inappropriate. (It
stretches legality, but even the good cops along the east coast will tend
to stretch this when it seems further the cause of justice and/or protect
the public good.)

>One point in dispute is whether it is reasonable for the police to
>suspect a connection between the two incidents, which were five blocks
>and ten to fifteen minutes apart.

Whether they had reason to believe it would probably depend on the
individual investigator(s). If it were me (and we've already seen how
great I am at this, right?), I'd have them investigated separately, but
keep the lines of communication open in case some threads of commonality
pop up.

>> With the damage to Smith's car, they may
>> have the right to impound the car as material evidence in an investigation
>
>I think this goes without question. IMO, the insurance company will not
>pay on a claim like this until the police clear Mr. Smith of any
>wrongdoing that might void the policy.

Absolutely.

>A second point in dispute is whether it is reasonable (Mr. Smith's having
>failed his 8- acting roll) for the police to suspect that he knows more
>than he is telling, and to further suspect that Mr. Smith is not being
>forthcoming because he may have been involved in something shady.

I think it's perfectly reasonable. I don't think they'd be able to take
it further than that on pure deduction (unless Smith happened to slip
something in conversation -- or should that be Conversation?). They'd
probably try to get what they could from his damaged car, run his name and
other info through NCIC, possibly consult with the FBI, and do other basic
investigation work, if only to rule out various possibilities. (They could
get his fingerprints on the premise that they're checking his vehicle for
prints as a matter of routine, and need his so they can be eliminated.)

>jayphailey@juno.com wrote:
>
>> The Cops from our Vista City campaign (heroic, PC police deal with odd
>> unusual, nmad science/supernatural threats) would dredge the canal for
>> the truck (too much information there.)
>

>The truck was recovered from the canal at 4AM, containing two corpses,
>firearms and surveillance paraphernalia. Registration is in the name of
>William H. Shaw, but neither corpse had identification.

Certainly some contacting of Mr Shaw, along with a background check on
the man, would be in order here. After all, it is his truck, and he may be
able to identify the two corpses.

>Jay then followed up with a number of good suggestions for general
>investigation, which mostly confirmed my thoughts about where the police
>would head. In case anyone is interested, I provide the answers.

I'm kinda interested. :-]

>> Run a paper tail on the house.
>> Who owns it? For how long? How was it paid for etc? Ask the Insurance
>> Company nicely. The insurance company doesn't *have* to give out any
>> information to the police, but may not know this or may elect to share
>> information of their own free will.
>
>Insurance policies are subject to a subpoena duces tecum, and insurance
>companies are licensed by the state, so they are inclined to cooperate
>anyway unless the request is overbroad. The house is owned by Eastern
>Potomac Real Estate Investors, Inc., which is owned by a Potomac Real
>Estate Partners, LP, whose general partner is Washington & Richmond Real
>Estate Investors, NA and whose principal limited partner is DelMarVa
>REIT, Inc., a closely-held corporation that is not required to register
>with the SEC. The house is insured as a rental property with the Lee &
>Longstreet Insurance company, a small firm in Falls Church, Virginia.

Of course, pursuing the ownership of this list of corporations is an
important step.
I should point out that, even though DelMarVa isn't required to register
with the SEC, its papers of incorporation will be in record in its home
state. I'm assuming, though that DelMarVa is short for Delaware, Maryland,
and Virginia, and the registration is in that first state -- which means
that it's quite possible that information will be relatively scarce.
(I've seen the topic of Delaware corporations in a game context come up
before; does anyone have any specific information on what's so lax about
Delaware's corporate laws?)

>> Priority ONE identify those bodies!
>
>There had been some attempts to obliterate fingerprints with acid, but
>these were, as usual, not very successful. The corpses were identified
>by the FBI as former S/Sgt Erwin Gehman, 49, and former Spec/8 (Ordnance)
>Paul Muse, 50. both Army, both Veterans from the Vietnam Era, and both
>the recipients of General Discharges in 1972.

The reason for a general discharge, rather than honorable, would be
something of interest to investigators.

>JD#3 was identified by fingerprints as former Spec/4 Alex Laudenslager,
>48, a Master Sharpshooter with Army Special Forces in Vietnam.
>
>JD#4 was identified by fingerprints as David W. Williams, 31, formerly a
>small-arms instructor for the USMC.

Had Laudenslager and Williams taken the acid-obliteration treatment as
well as Gehman and Muse? This indicates an organized conspiracy of some
sort, and might warrant FBI involvement.

>> Have a
>> forensic team go over the house with a fine tooth comb.
>
>The house is virtually clean of fingerprints and DNA. If someone was
>living here, either they weren't living here very long, or that person
>is careful to the point of paranoia. A single usable fingerprint was
>found on a glass in the dishwasher, belonging to Lipheng Han, a Hmong
>immigrant.

Where did the police get the original, identifying it as Han's? From
the INS, I assume? If not; I'd run his name with them to make sure he's
OK; either way, I'd run a criminal check on him as well. (My attitude as
an investigator is that it'd probably yield nothing, but it makes sense to
cover all the bases.)

>> Get complete ballistics and forensics data from
>> the bullets stillmin the car.
>
>They correspond to weapons found in the truck. Pieces of broken glass
>and metal were found on various streets near the house that correspond to
>the type and color used in the car. The car was recently cleaned and is
>pretty free of identifiable fingerprints other than Mr. Smith's.

A place on automobiles often neglected by both examiners and concealers
of fingerprints is the back of the main rear-view mirror. An investigator
might have that spot checked, on a flash of inspiration. (On the other
hand, under these particular circumstances, it's probably a dead-end as
well.)
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 12:45:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: Wedding Day (was Converting AD&D)

On Tue, 18 May 1999, Jason Sullivan wrote:

> The characters I need converted are as follows:
> Lombard, the Bride's father.

I suggest you design him yourself based off of the background infomation
given in the adventure. His stats as lsited mean nothing in Hero and
really can't be translated. He has Trading, Wealth, High Society,
Contacts, AK: The City, KS: Trade Goods, Psych: Proud, Psych: Slow to
anger, DF: Gets very red-faced when angry (etc). He's over 6' tall and
weighs 220, so some extra BODY & STR might be in order.

> Esther, the Bride.
> Romulus, the Groom.
> ...as well as an average wedding go-er (for completeness).

The same here. These characters really don't need to be translated from
the AD&D stats, there aren't any. Just build suitble NPCs from scratch.

> ...and the Tricksters.
> Elmo Bunster, the disgruntled Trickster's leader.
> Jak, Jeckle, and Mack, the Trickster "gang."

These guys are tougher. If you had Fantasy Hero it would be a snap.
Since you don't...

As side note: One can drop AD&D stats into Hero pretty much direct and get
a good result. So, STR = STR, DEX = DEX, CON =
CON, CHA = PRE, Wisdom = EGO and INT = INT.

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an
infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even
considering if there is a man on base. - Dave Barry

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 May 99 06:31:30 PDT
From: "Richard O'Marro" <hbcraft@impulsedata.net>
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

OK, I'm from Arizona, not DC, but here's the errors I see right off hand=
in the handling of this.

- ----------
> Returning to a periodic theme, I have had some players take issue with =

> the actions of certain NPC LEOs in my campaign. I, as GM, have no
> agenda, and am striving for verisimilitude, subject to the premise of =
the
> campaign. I would appreciate opinions on how DC city police and the =
DA
> might proceed with the following fact pattern. I am especially
> interested in the opinion of anyone with LEO experience.
>
> Premise: The time is now. Super powers exist, but officially are
> dismissed as ridiculous reports. So long as there is any rational
> mundane explanation, NPCs, other than small children, drunks and certai=
n
> secret operatives, will accept it in preference to a true, non-mundane =

> explanation. LEOs are in general neither implausibly brilliant nor
> implausibly stupid.
The average Law Enforcement officer is actually quite bright, generally =
with at least a Bachelor's Degree and often times a Master's and even a =
few have Doctorates. Most Law Enforcement agnencies have substancial ince=
ntive programs for Officers to constantly be participating and educationa=
l programs. Our agency not only gives added percentages to our pay and =
allows for faster promotional oppurtinities with education making up for =
some experience, but also pays 80% of tuition costs.

>
> The question of immediate interest is whether the police would hold J.M=
.
> Smith for 72 hours for further questioning, let him go, or take some =


I don't know about Washington D.C. But I believe it's more or less unive=
rsal that a person can not be held for longer than 24 hours without being=
charged.
]
> intermediate action to assure his availability for future questioning. =
I
> am also interested in suggestions for how investigation might proceed.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Summary of Reports from Patrol Officers:
>
> A single-man B/W was staked out <name of "T" intersection along a major
> route parallelling the C&O Canal> in Georgetown, where drag racing had =

> been reported. The officer heard the screech of tires and scrape of =

> metal nearby, followed by what sounded like automatic weapons fire. =
The
> officer started the car and called for backup. Before he could localiz=
e
> the sound, the vehicles approached: a late model Buick with out-of-stat=
e
> plates (later identified as being driven by one James Madison Smith) =
was
> being pursued by a 1 ton pickup truck fitted with a push plate (later =

> identified as beloging to one William H. Shaw). The car showed signs =
of
> damage to the passenger side and rear.
>
> The car pulled a bootleg turn at high speed, while the pickup truck hit
> it a glancing blow and attempted to follow. At that moment an RPG hit =

> the truck and detonated. The truck careened sideways across the highwa=
y
> and into the canal. The officer turned on lights and attempted to loca=
te
> the truck, but it apparently had sunk.
>
> The car began to pull away, but the driver apparently thought better =
of
> matters and waved the officer over. The driver and owner, one James =

> Madison Smith, appeared shaken and made a statement at the scene. He =

> appeared unhurt and was taken to the station by detectives and question=
ed
> further.

Now in this instance, he would most likely immediately be charged with =
Reckless Endangerment, a Class 1 Misdemenor, but enough that he can be =
held as long as officers need while investigating higher charges.

>
> Shortly thereafter, there was an explosion and disturbance nearby. A =

> police helicopter spotted two supine figures next to a car whose
> upholstery was on fire. Nearby, the cupola on top of a three-story hou=
se
> showed signs of forced entry. The figures rose, extinguished the flame=
s
> and attempted to leave the scene, but were apprehended. Both driver =
and
> passenger had burns and multiple injuries to hands, chest and face, and

OK, first off, the Supers were not seen starting the car o fire, but wit=
nessed trying to PUT IT OUT. They could not be held for arson to the car =
unless more substancial proof was found. Same goes for the open door on =
the roof of the three story building nearby. Unless they had something =
on them immediately identifiable as from that building, the police could =
take names and addresses for witness statements and furthur investigation=
, but could not hold them.

> were transported to <name of hospital> for treatment. The remains of =
two
> pump-action magazine rifles with scopes, silencers and flash-suppressor=
s
> were found at the scene where the car was parked. The weapons appeared
> to have been exposed to intense heat and the ammunition appears to have
> exploded as a result.
>
> Officers knocked on the door of the nearby house. When there was no =

> answer, two officers climbed to the roof (via a ladder extended from =
the
> helicopter) and entered through the hole in the cupola, while others =

> surrounded the house and radioed for a warrant, prepared to force entry=
.

Uh No. No NONONONO You CAN'T force entry into a private residence unless=
there is reasonable belief of present and immediate danger. Now the offi=
cers going through the open coupola is investigating a possible breakin =
and seeing to the welfare of any people inside. Breaking in through the =
front door to see if anyone was hurt inside is a violation of the owners'=
civil rights unless a reasonable attempt was made to contact them in som=
e OTHER way first. Your police officers just set themselves up to be fire=
d and for the police department to be subject to a large lawsuit for dest=
ruction of private property and illegal entry. investigating a door that'=
s already been broken open is OK. Breaking open another one yourself is =
NOT.

> One of the officers was knocked down by an electrical shock when he
> touched the broken wall, but was not injured. The second officer dragg=
ed
> him clear, and smelled gas of some sort coming from within.
>
> The officers retreated. Other officers later re-entered with protectiv=
e

They would not re-enter. Fire department and gas company would be called=
to handle the situation for here adn would clear the house for entry fir=
st.

> gear, and found the house empty, but well supplied with surveillance =

> equipment. The walls of the cupola proved to be metal with wooden sidi=
ng
> on the outside and panelling on the inside. The cupola was provided =
with
> small sliding panels that proved to be observation panels. After
> securing the scene, it was turned over to detectives.

What scene? From the above, the owner would be contacted to see if anyth=
ing was missin, but until he verified that there had infact been a break-=
in and burglary, there is no crime scene. You have no reasonable belief =
to base these things on.

>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Summary of the interview of James Madison Smith, Professor of Archaeolo=
gy
> at Princeton University. Subject was advised that he was not in custod=
y
> and was free to leave at any time. Subject did not request a lawyer =
and
He does not have to REQUEST a lawyer, he has to verbally WAIVE HIS RIGHT=
S to a lawyer in front of witnessess. Otherwise the Police just violated =
the man's Miranda Rights and lost the case because they assumed he didn't=
want one because he didn't ask.

> seemed cooperative, but subsequently appeared somewhat evasive in
> demeanor, and ultimately became hostile.
>
> Subject stated he was in town to do some research at the Library of
> Congress, but became lost and was trying to find his way back to <name =
of
> major route>. Passing through a residential neighborhood near the scen=
e,
> subject was assaulted by two men in a pickup truck who tried to push =

> subject's car off the road. Subject evaded them as best he could, at =

> which point the assailants began shooting. Subject continued evading, =

> with varying success, sustaining severe damage to subject's automobile.
> At the scene, subject observed an explosion, and believes that the

> assailants blew themselves up in some manner.
>
> Subject denies all knowledge of assailants and states that he has
> received no threats recently. Subject offers no motive for the attack,
> other than to suggest that the assailants were drunk and looking for =
a
> random victim. Further questioning failed to provide satisfactory
> answers to followup questions, including:
>
> - Why was the subject driving at 2:30 AM?
Driving at 2:30 AM is not a crime unless the police have reasonable beli=
ef that he was participating on an illegal activity in that neighborhood =
at the time.

> - Where is the subject staying? How did he plan to spend the hours unt=
il
> the LofC opens?
How he spends his time is not relevant to the case, and is a violation =
of the subject's privacy and civil rights.

> - Any description or information about the missile that struck the truc=
k:
> subject insists there was an explosion onboard and no missile.
There is no way you can prove the subject SAW the missile hit. He was ob=
viously preoccupied driving his car recklessly and trying to maintain con=
trol of it. The OFFICER would have seen the missile, and if it did not =
seem to come from the car, Mr. Smith is not implicated in it in any way =
shape or form.

> - What was going on at the house? What is your involvement?
Again, this is not reasonably justified as being connected to Mr. Smith =
in any way shape or form and he can not be held for it unless more substa=
ncial proof other than "it was nearby" shows up.

>
> Subject's primary interest seems to be in obtaining a police report for
> his insurance company to pay for the damage to the car.
Which would often be the case where the subject believes the case to be =
an act of completely random violence where the attackers did not escape.

>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Report of Detectives at 6AM:
>
> Officer's dashboard video confirms his account of the first incident, =

> including the use of some type of missile with a flaming trail; however=
,
> to conclude that it was an RPG is premature.
>
> The truck was recovered from the canal at 4AM with two corpses (neither
> had ID, so we designate them John Doe #1 and John Doe #2) inside. Both
> had semiautomatic Tek-9's and one had an M-16. The truck has a "push =

> bar" in front that is specially reinforced, as if for making attacks =
of
> this type. The truck was equipped with police scanner, and a two-way =

> radio that no longer operates.
>
> Smith's car shows signs of multiple impacts from various angles, and =

> bullet holes consistent with a NATO round. There is nothing else
> immediately remarkable about the car or its contents.
>
> Detectives confirm that rifles found at the second scene are consistent
> with sniper equipment, and show evidence of having been exposed to
> intense heat that melted some parts and exploded the ammunition. Docto=
rs
> confirm that the burns and wounds on John Does #3 and #4 are consitent =

> with this scenario and are not life threatenting. #3 and #4 have refus=
ed
> questioning and have asked for counsel who has yet to arrive.
>
> The house has sophisticated surveillance equipment including miniaturiz=
ed
> night-vision cameras that afford a full view of the outside. The doors
> and walls are reinforced with light armor plate, and the windows may =
be
> bulletproof. Detectives conclude that this was a safe house of some =

> type. It shows no sign of long-term habitation, but contains a single =

> unmade bed and dishes from a single meal in the dish washer. There is =
an
> extensive video tape library, with particular emphasis on military and =

> quasi-military films. The basement is equipped with a generator and =
a
> water tank. There appears to be equipment of various sorts embedded =
in
> the walls whose purpose is not clear; however, there are both sprinkler=
s
> and what may be a Halon system.

All this evidence has been gathered illegally by the above reports and =
is thereby inadmissable in a court of law.

>
> A survey of the neighborhood shows broken glass and metal consistent =
at
> various points. This is consistent with, but not conclusive of, an
> attack of the type described by Mr. Smith. Detectives will take a more
> complete survey after first light.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> That is about what I think the police would have by early morning, when
> Mr. Smith will start asking to be released. He has no ties to the
> District of Columbia and is quite clear that he intends to leave the =

> jurisdiction within a day. I know what I think the police would do, =
but
> ask where you think they would go from here?
>
They would probably drop the charge of Reckless Endangerment since all =
evidnce points to the fact that Mr. Smith was justified in what he did =
by right of Self Defense. As I've said, everything else was either illega=
lly gained or circumstancial. Mr. Smith's permanent address and such woul=
d be taken for filing purposes, but that's about it.

> <------------------------------------------------------->
> Robert A. West /// "Censorship is tyranny."
> Phone W:(215)466-3628; H:(215)348-9113
> http://www.erols.com/robtwest
>
>
>

------------------------------

End of champ-l-digest V1 #349
*****************************


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