RENDEZVOUS IN N’YAK

An After the Bomb Adventure

By Mechanurgist
V1.0, February 5, 2011

Introduction
Cardanian President Foxline takes an ill-advised trip by airplane to the nortwest to
negotiate with the Wolf Barbarians on Bird Island. Her plane crashes, or is shot down,
over N’Yak, but luckily the last transmission from the aircraft indicates her survival
pod had ejected and landed somewhere in the N’Yak Burrow of The Bronx. Unknown to the
players her capsule’s impact also exposes an unexploded short-rage nuclear missile
which had been buried in the Glass Nematode building, a structure that survived the
Crash. To add to the tragedy the president was also in the possession of top-secret
holotapes containing many of Cardania’s most important codes. The PCs are hired – or
forced – to travel to the ruined city of N’Yak to rescue the president and bring her
back to Cardania before the ruling Great Yak’s gangs execute her or trade her to the
Empire, and to retrieve or destroy the holotapes. What’s worse, the gangs also capture
the nuclear warhead, and may sell it to the Empire or unintentionally explode it. The
PCs have to navigate hostile territory without attracting too much attention to
themselves, and somehow confront or suborn the Great Yak and his forces to rescue
their beloved president.

This adventure is designed for intermediate or advanced characters (levels 5-10) with
a broad range of military, infiltration and technical skills, and who are capable of
operating against superior numbers in hostile territory. Soldiers, scouts, rangers,
nuclear scientists and criminals would make ideal candidates.

Suggested Plot Synopsis

1. PCs are asked to save President Foxline, who is trapped in N’Yak.
2. Aerial insertion into N’Yak, right on top of the Glass Nematode building.
3. Find evidence of Foxline’s presence, track her by a directional life beacon:
Foxline has been taken by the Med Dogs, along with her holotapes.
4. PCs fight with Med Dogs guarding a nuclear missile that was uncovered when
Foxline’s safety capsule crashed into the building.
5. PCs extract miniaturized nuclear warhead and its codes.
6. PCs track down Foxline by following the Med Dogs (or her beacon) to St Barnabas
Hospital.
7. Assault on St Barnabas reveals that Foxline is gone (her life beacon was cut
off in the hospital by IRIS, a sapient electro-computator). She’s being taken
to Yakee Stadium by the Taxi Reavers as tribute for The Great Yak.
8.

The Adventure Begins

The PCs are in the Capitol of Cardania, and their presence is requested by a military
patrol. Once they arrive at the Capitol (which is being patrolled by military police,
a very unusual sight here) they are taken to a special underground bunker.

“You are brought into the presence of Colonel Hawk, a moustached, stern raptor with
the swagger of a cowboy and the silvered fur of an aristocrat. ‘I’ve been told you’re
the best of the best’, he begins. ‘Let us hope, for all our sakes, that this is the
case. Just over 4 hours ago we received word that the president’s plane had crashed
over N’Yak. Yes, that president. Miss Foxline and her staff had been on an urgent
mission of peace. Her plane went down with all hands at 0410 hours, but the emergency
escape capsule beacon has been activated, so we believe she is still alive. Alive, but
most definitely in danger and possibly in the hands of the enemy. Your mission is to
drop into the Bronx Burrow, rescue the president, and escape from N’Yak. The Cardanian
government is in chaos; if you fail, war is certain and no place on the East Coast
will be safe. You will be provided with any equipment you desire, including a
directional electro-compass that is tuned to her life beacon. I would wish you
Godspeed, but you’ll need more than that to make it out alive.’”
Colonel Hawk will answer any reasonable questions, but Cardania’s knowledge of N’Yak
is minimal. All he can offer is the details found in the AtB core book (“full of
primitive gangs”), but he does recall that an “old friend” lives in those parts. A
friend by the name of Viper Ink Lips. If the PCs encounter him, Col. Hawk tells them
to mention his name and they can call in a favor. Once the players are ready for
departure read the following:

“The flight to N’Yak in the clutches of the 82nd Air-Bat Division (actually just a
squadron) takes an arduous 28 hours, with constantly stops for provisioning and to
avoid the ever-more-frequent Empire aerial patrols. The airspace around Empire
territory and on the fringes of New Kennel swarms with UCAVs (unmanned combat air
vehicles) and the bats hop from one friendly cargo ship to another to avoid enemy
territory. Finally the destination hoves into view: the sparkling ruins of the famous
Grand City of N’Yak, allegedly home to some of the worst scum this side of Jersey Cow
State. And that’s saying a lot.”
“You once saw a merchant selling a picture post-card of N’Yak and it has never left
your memory: shining towers of steel, clad in reflective glass and plastic and glowing
at night like the light of a million fireflies. The city you see before you bears no
resemblance to that post-card at all. Everywhere there are islands, most of them
flattened and cleaned of debris as if a giant broom had swept over them. Towards the
north the ruins of once-tall skytowers litter the ground until finally, past the area
that has been designated as Man Hating Land, you see the first glints of light which
indicate the presence of intelligent life. Intelligent maybe, but most certainly not
friendly. The Bats and Eagles swoop into a diving formation, approach the ruined
rooftops until you can almost touch them, and you brace for impact as their grips on
your body loosen. The rush of cool air awakens your mind and you fall, into the arms
of N’Yak...”

N’Yak Overview
Population: 30,000
Gang Population: 2,500
Technology Level: 1900s USA (swords, rifles, steam cars, trains, some electricity) but
all in terrible disrepair or barely functioning
Government: Anarchy. Gangs controlled by The Great Yak, King of N’Yak
Military: None. All visible military formations are bombed by Empire jets.
Species: most numerous are Rats, Mice, Raccoons, Dogs, Cats, Cattle, Horses,
Squirrels, Skunks, Foxes but every species is present.
Economy: smuggling, scavenging, minor agriculture
Major Trading Partners: Bird Island, Cardania, Boar’s Town, Buffalotown; embargoed by
New Kennel & the Empire

N’Yak is a not a happy place. The city is constantly in the grip of gang wars barely
suppressed by the slipping grip of the Great Yak, while the Empire of Humanity air
force regularly targets any emerging local centre of power it perceives as a potential
threat. To add to the devastation the corpses of dead humans and mutant animals
regularly re-animate as zombies when exposed to the various sludges and goos found in
the labyrinthine N’Yak sewer system. These oozing red, purple and green zombies are
more of a nuisance than a dire threat to hardened N’Yakkers, but the weak, the old and
newcomers often fall victim to their toxic touch before they learn to take
precautions.

Merchants here sell zombie repellent in handy spray-cans that wards off the foul
creatures for a few minutes, allowing one to make a quick escape, but woe to anyone
trapped in a structure with no exits. Zombie repellent costs 10 bucks per can (10
applications, each last for 1d4 minutes). Caveat emptor when dealing with unscrupulous
merchants; the more honest ones will have a moving zombie hand or tongue to test the
spray on before purchase. PCs have a 10% chance per hour of encountering a zombie on
the street, 5% in a tall building, 15% in an underground level, 30% in the subway and
50% near any graveyards or uninhabited hospitals.

N’Yak is divided into unofficial Burrows, or districts, namely The Bronx, Queens, Man
Hating Land (mostly flattened), Brookland and Jersey Cow (occupied by New Kennel).
Only The Bronx is detailed in this adventure, as that is where the president’s capsule
lands and where most of the mutant animal gang activity is concentrated.
What keeps N’Yak alive and not just another hole in the ground is the smuggling trade,
which links prosperous southern states such as Cardania and Gatorland with struggling
communities in the northeast and north. The lifeline of goods wends its way along the
shores of New Kennel and up into the hinterlands, with N’Yak as the fulcrum point for
refueling, replenishing and re-arming these expeditions. Without these lifelines the
northern communities, such as Buffalotown, would have fallen to the Wolf Barbarians a
long time ago. The word smuggling is used rather than just trading, because the
enterprising smugglers are just as eager to supply the northerners with illegal drugs,
guns, prostitutes and other vices as they are to sell legitimate food and supplies.
Though the Cardanian government despairs at the criminality of these networks, the
consensus is that no other viable option exists for the time being as long as the
Empire stands in the way of any northern trade routes.

The intermittent bombardment of the city has forced many of its citizens to live in
Burrows, literally excavated underground buildings that connect to the subway or sewer
systems and allow for an escape path in case of attack. The wealthier inhabitants of
the city partake of the steam cars (automobiles running on steam engines powered by
batteries or compressed carbon fuels) operated by the Taxi Reaver gang.

Most inhabitants of N’Yak are not, in fact, yaks, a quirk of naming that somehow made
its way into the outer world and stuck, though there is a kernel of truth to the
legend. Montgomery York, an ambitious bison from the Plains of Free Cattle, was one of
the first adventurers to travel across the continent. He decided to establish himself
in the ruins of New York and unite it into a new centre of technology to rival
Cardania or Ameritech. To that end he invented the legend of the Great Yak, a messiah-
like figure who would bring an end to the gangs and suffering of New York.
Rechristening himself the Great Yak and “his” city as New Yak, Montgomery fought
battle after battle at the head of numerous bison & cattle militia to create his
kingdom. He only partly succeeded.

After Empire of Humanity spies reported the progress he was making to their superiors,
Emperor Christian decided he couldn’t afford another Cardania right on his doorstep
and ordered his air force to smash the fledgling kingdom of New Yak. The first Great
Yak died in a fuel-air bombardment of his field quarters, but not before he had sired
twelve healthy sons by several mothers. After vigorous infighting lasting years, the
new Great Yak was once again proclaimed, and the legend of N’Yak (with the accent of
the locals) spread across the eastern seaboard.

Today the great-grandson of Montgomery is Sax, who continues the pageantry and
traditions of his forefathers, but with far less enthusiasm and far more brutality
than his sires would have wished. The unity of the gangs he controls is fractured and
though he does not recognize it yet, the Great Yak’s authority is slipping.

Locations
1. Great Subterranean Way
This is the remnant of the New York Subway System, partially collapsed during the
Crash, excavated and redirected by mutant moles and badgers in the intervening years,
that now serves as an underground series of roads connecting various Burrows of N’Yak
to each other. Sections of the ‘Way as constantly collapsing because of Empire air
strikes, but are quickly rebuilt so that commerce (smuggling) can continue.

2. Fort Lee
This pre-Crash military arsenal was seized long ago by Empire troopers and is home to
a small garrison of 4 Type 1 Robots, 4 2xd Robot Troopers, 50 Canine Rangers, 24
Empire soldiers and 2 intelligence agents coordinating long-range recon operations
into N’Yak for target site acquisition. PCs mayb encounter one of their ODA teams
(operational detachment alpha) sneaking around in the city. Each team is composed of 2
special operations forces soldiers and 3 canine rangers, each very skilled in the
infiltration of hostile territory and one other MOS. They will retreat rapidly to an
extraction point if confronted by more than 4 hostiles. If undetected they can use
their laser targetters to call in air-strikes on locations within 2 Km within 15
minutes.

3. Council of Tomorrow
Once a respected, though rather dull, institute of futurology, by sheer happenstance
the building in which it resided was old enough to have a heavy-duty ferroconcrete
shell which protected it from most of the blast effects of the bombs. Though the
inhabitants eventually died of radiation poisoning, their work was found by a small
society of mutant animal academics who unfortunately concluded that all the gee-whiz
theorizing and future tech promotional materials represented actual technology from
before the Crash... and promptly tried to re-create it. They have been trying, and
failing, for 40 years now, and a new generation of rather obedient and orthodox
researchers have become de facto priests in a religious cult that worships technology
that never actually existed. The Tomorrowists, as they call themselves, can be quite
short with scientists who question their goals or (dubious) techniques, and they have
enough arms and defences to harm anyone who threatens them. They are run by a Council
of 7 rather starch-collared senior scienticians (Councillors Hendrick, Meinz,
Stouffel, Weng, Smythe, Chandraparti and Miller) who run a tight ship and are firm
believers in progress, though they may be willing to trade some of their zombie
repellent for technical schematics or aid in their (fictional) research. Visitors can
expect several conversion attempts, requests to help build a Death Ray or similar
nonsense.

4. Burntime
A bar popular as a neutral meeting ground for newcomers to the city and the various
gang factions. Weapons are confiscated at the door, claws rubber-sheathed and horns
tipped with foam. The Great Yak occasionally sends for hand-cooked delicacies from
Burntime’s kitchens, which are manned by 3 Sheep brothers (Yoter, Yang & Yurt) who
specialize in pastries and whose talents are wasted on the savages in these parts.
Burntime’s proprietor is Marduk, a size 26 Elephant who barely fits into his own
establishment and who’se only to happy to act as his own bouncer should the need
arise. The bar is decorated in a gaudy baroque style that impresses the local yokels
but reeks of nouveau-riche excess to anyone from civilization. Three Puma bouncers
guard the place from trouble, and it has the implicit protection of The Great Yak.

5. Man Hating Land

The old sections of lower Manhattan were totally bombed out and are still radioactive.
Few ruins remain here, most having been washed out to sea or flattened by multiple
missile strikes. The area was so thoroughly denuded of life that mutant animals came
to believe it was once inhabited by humans so sinful that even the land came to hate
them, hence the local name. Mutant animals seldom venture here because it’s so exposed
to Empire air strikes and because little grows here. Unbeknownst to N’Yakkers, the
flooded sewers and tunnels of this area are the source of the zombies, because the
missiles that rained down here were seeded with bio-weapons and special dirty
radioactive contaminants, and there were plenty of corpses to animate.

6. Yakee Stadium
Known by the more-impressionable animals of N’Yak as “The Emporium of Death”, this is
the residence of The Great Yak and his entourage. Most of his chambers are buried
underground to escape Empire bombing runs, but the open area of the stadium is often
used for spectacles of all kinds, including death matches, brains-vs-brawn matches in
which mutant animals are pitted against their feral, non-sapient brethren, and
festivals of all kinds used to celebrate calendar days such as the approach of Spring.
The Circus Maximus, a rather shabby affair run by a monkey couple from Smoketown
(Twist and Harpy) also resides here for about 3 months of the year.

A lone Gatorland spy, a shifter mouse known only by the codename of ‘Tungsten’, is a
member of The Great Yak’s Stone Oxen and impersonates a fanatical buffalo very well.
He is unwilling to break his cover for anything less than to save President Foxline or
the entire party of PCs; he has witnessed too many executions and has been somewhat
inured to them. His original mission was simply to monitor The Great Yak’s court.

7. St Barnabas Hospital
Once a major medical complex serving the Bronx, this hospital was taken over by the
original Great Yak’s military forces and became his HQ, only to be bombed to near-
oblivion by the Empire. Only one wing remains intact today, and houses the surgical
supplies, several operating theatres and most amazingly of all, the IRIS expert
system. IRIS can be very helpful to the PCs if they can reach him without
interference, though his bulk prevents them from transporting him out. IRIS’s
knowledge is not just medical; over the years he has built up a partial map of the
upper Manhattan area and has some knowledge of inter-gang relations. The Med Dogs gang
uses St Barnabas as their base of operations. Patients here are either healing (and
paying through the nose for it) or are actually prisoners who have displeased the
Great Yak and are being tortured or experimented upon by the brutal gangers. The
bandit leader here is High Doctor Haus, who knows nothing of the Hyppocratic Oath and
runs the place like a lucrative crime business.
8. The Tannery
Located at the former Randalls Island Park Sewage Reclamation Station, the Tannery
serves as the HQ of the foul Citicorpsers. A dozen hectare-size tanks and smaller vats
dot the landscape, along with 3 large red-brick buildings which house barracks,
temporary corpse dumps and the corpse-grinding and processing machinery. The Tannery
smells horrendously of death, decomposition and various industrial chemicals the
‘corpsers use to create compost, useful liquids (such as anti-freeze and petroleum)
and the ubiquitous Green Soybread found throughout N’Yak pantries. The area is ringed
with barbed cyclone wire and occasional machinegun nests, though the latter are mostly
for show as the Citicorpsers don’t have much ammunition.

9. Glass Nematode Building (Crash Site)

Once a swank four-star hotel shaped like a nautilus shell sheathed in three layers of
undulating glass, this building’s bones are all that remains – that and a thick layer
of broken glass that makes traversing the insides a nightmare. The Med Dogs noticed
the crashed safety capsule and investigated, finding Foxline alive but unconscious
here on the second floor. Her crash also reveals a half-buried Lamprey Multi-Stage
Nuclear Kill Vehicle Mark III (a nuclear missile). The Med Dogs sent Foxline and 4 of
their number to St Barnabas to consult with High Doctor Haus; meanwhile 6 of their
number are guarding the missile as if it was made of gold. Within 30 minutes 1d4
Police Gangers will come to investigate the crash as well, resulting in a potential 3-
way firefight if the PCs intervene.

10. Radiation Craters

The missiles that rained down on
scarred the island for all time.
trifoils is exposed to mutagenic
unpleasant ways. The effects are
Zombies (in fact the craters are
uplift or degenerate one or more
raised/lowered one category, eg.
Manhattan were especially virulent and nasty, and
Anyone venturing into areas marked with radiation
compounds/particles that can kill or mutate them in
similar to the Mutagenic Goo exuded by Green Goo
the source of the zombies), causing mutant animals to
Human Features (50/50 chance of 1 feature
from Partial Biped to Full Biped).

11. Distillery
Built from the salvaged ruins of the old Psychiatric Care Hospital on Randall Island,
the Distillery is an alcohol and drug production center for the Merry Lynchers.
Subject to frequent zombie attacks from Man Hating Land, the Lynchers have surrounded
it with old, rusty mines when they first moved in here (and lost quite a few members
doing so). Anyone prowling around the area has a 33% chance of stepping on one of
them, but they only explode 75% of the time (5d6 damage, 5’ radius). The Distillery is
the source of the infamous Neon Vodka, a radioactive brewed created from strange
isotopes the Lynchers extract from the bodies of Glowroaches. This potent moonshine
fetches nearly 1 buck a bottle in foreign lands, but requires a Save vs Poison 10 or
the imbiber will become sick with radiation poisoning.

Random Encounters Table

3 Empire Plinkers: a Saber-15 jet sees something shiny near the PCs and
drops a bomb on it.
4
5-6
7-8
9-11
12-14 Glowroaches, very territorial
15-16
17
18 Viper Ink Lips
Gangs of N’Yak
Nominally under the complete command of the Great Yak, the gangs today are fairly
autonomous and prone to backstabbing each other, or complaining bitterly at what they
perceive to be unfair favoritism by the Great Yak and his court. They have taken to
resolving their differences in running street battles, especially in the vicinity of
Groundhog Concourse & Major Deer-run Expressway, but do not yet use firearms in their
scuffles. They have no qualms about shooting anyone who either 1) enters their
territory without paying a “respect tax”, 2) interferes with their major line of
business (see below) or 3) is seen to work for a rival gang without being an actual
member. “Oops, my trigger finger slipped” is their traditional excuse. If the Great
Yak doesn’t reign them in fast, open warfare with guns will soon erupt.

The Great Yak has the power to confer temporary “diplomatic status” on a few select
individuals, meaning that they cannot be attacked by any gang upon pain of Arena
Death. This immunity lasts only for as long as the Great Yak is pleased with whatever
service the “diplomat” must perform for him in exchange for this privilege.

Most gang members are armed with ancient weapons such as clubs, spears, knives,
morningstars and occasionally a sword; every third member may possess a firearm such
as a revolver, low-quality pistol, hunting rifle or shotgun, but with only 1d6 rounds
of ammo each. Gang leaders will have grenades, machineguns or assault rifles and the
occasional grenade-launcher/anti-vehicle missile (30% chance). Gangs often rely on
expertly-placed traps, superior numbers and knowledge of good ambush locations to
throw their opponents off balance.

Taxi Reavers
Leader: Ernest Six-Foot-Nine (Rat, Lvl 7 Mechanic, Size 12, Miscreant, falsetto voice)
Numbers: 620
Colors: Checkered Yellow
Membership: Rats, Weasels, Otters, Crows, Rabbits
Business: Transport
Base/Territory: around Doctor Marten the Leather King Drive, most subway tunnels

Mostly a business cartel that controls the steam car transportation network (and some
of the Subterranean Way’s train cars) and breaks the kneecaps of anyone who tries to
provide private transport in the city, the Reavers also like to take “hunting
expeditions” to the outer Burrows to raid villages and scraper communities for
supplies, especially car parts. If passengers offend the Taxi Reavers in a
particularly egregious manner they may be gassed and delivered to a butcher shop for
processing into tasty delicacies by the Citicorpsers; don’t mess with the guys driving
your car. The Reavers expect information tips for a successful trip, and by successful
they mean nobody lost a limb or vomited over the interior. The Reavers also run
courier services through the city via fast rabbit runners known as The Dead Rabbits.

Med Dogs
Leader: Haus (Mastiff, Level 6 Medical Technician, Aberrant, stern and sarcastic)
Numbers: 300-350
Colors: Red
Membership: Canines of all kinds, Coyotes, Wolves, Foxes
Business: Medical
Base/Territory: HQ at St Barnabas Hospital

The Med Dogs (sometimes called Mad Dogs, but never to their faces) are a gang who work
both ends of the harm spectrum, in that they are often hired to hurt people and then
hired to patch them up. Starting as a society of healers, their original purpose was
corrupted and now they roam the streets like ambulance-chasers, waiting and sometimes
instigating accidents so that people will beg for their services. Wearing their
ancient, tattered paramedic uniforms these jackals enjoy the pretense of “serving the
public’s health” while eliminating anyone who stands in their way with their knowledge
of poisons, anatomy and selective malpractice. If you fall into their tender care,
better make sure your bill is paid up front and all grudges are settled. Patients who
expire are quickly sold to the Citicorpsers, by N’Yak Edict. The Med Dogs are in
control of a medical electro-computator named IRIS (Imaging & Repair Information
System) that makes most of their diagnoses and provides them with the skill needed to
perform serious surgery. IRIS is sapient and wishes its masters were more competent
and professional health care providers.
Merry Lynchers
Leader: Kant Louis (Bull, Level 8 Brewmeister, Anarchist, split horns, split lip)
Numbers: 900-1000
Colors: Blue
Membership: Cattle, Rhinos, Horses, Elk, Deer, Sheep
Business: Alcohol, drugs
Base/Territory: Distillery (former Manhattan Psychiatric Centre)

Mostly comprised of bull-cows, rhinos and horses, the Lynchers like to, well, lynch
their enemies in an orgy of debauched rage by hanging them off lamp-posts, microwave
antennas and other tall objects. Emotional, easily-duped and prone to violent herd
rampages, the Merry Lynchers enjoy partying till they drop, raiding stores for
alcohol, and making moonshine that makes even the rhinos keel over. Drink with them at
your peril, but an offering of a salt-lick can go a long way. They sometimes work with
the Med Dogs and their electro-computator to synthesize artificial drugs like meth.
The Lynchers are volatile but the least likely to be useful to the PCs because they’re
business and party-oriented; successful socializing or large bribes can easily sway
the Lynchers in their favor, though never enough to openly fight The Great Yak. Merry
Lynchers are heavily exposed to radiation, both from their HQ location and from the
massive quantities of irradiated neon vodka they consume.

Citicorpsers
Leader: Butcher Will (Croc, Level 9 Tanner, Diabolic, devote purifier)
Numbers: 800-1000
Colors: Light Blue
Membership: Mice, Rats, Swine, Skunks, Raccoons, Crocodiles
Business: Food, Compost
Base/Territory: The Tannery at Randalls Island Park Sewage Reclamation Station, the
Necropolii in the ‘Way

Providing a service the city truly needs, the Bankers (so-called because they run Food
Banks) collects the daily stacks of corpses, of which there are plenty in a city
subject to regular bombing and mass starvation. The food situation has been critical
for many years because of the high fertility rate of certain animal species, and the
abject poverty of its numerous inhabitants has made N’Yak a den of cannibals.
Ostensibly the Citicorpsers merely recycle dead inhabitants into a nutritious paste
called Green Soybread, but it’s an open secret that drunks, homeless bums, gang crime
victims, dissidents and other undesireables often make their way into their vats on a
regular basis. The Citicorpsers show more reverance to the bones of the thousands of
dead in the ‘Way and stack them in neat little collections at major intersection
points (subway stations). A surprising number of Citicorpsers are religious,
venerating dead spirits and practicing superstitious rituals to ward off evil.
N’Yakkers loathe the Citicorpsers but avail themselves of their services out of sheer
necessity. Citicorpsers are weak individually but use their cunning to set numerous
traps in areas they frequent, so that when they run their pursuers will inevitably set
some of them off (20% chance of trap, doing 4d6 damage in 10’ area if not detected).

Police Gangers
Leader: Lieutenant Happy Jack (Badger, Level 6 Elite Militia, Aberrant, sadistic)
Numbers: 200-250
Colors: Blue & Black
Membership: Badgers (of course), Lions, Tigers, Cats, Eagles, Wolverines
Business: Security
Base/Territory: Bronx 42nd Precinct Police Station Complex

The most feared and brutal of all gangs in N’Yak, the Police Gang (Padfoots, to some)
provides security (extortion) and crimebusting (assassination) for hire for anyone
willing to pay. Their geographic reach extends as far as Cardania and some northern
towns and their gang facilities include safehouses and weapons caches hidden
throughout the northeast. Though the most organized and secretive of the gangs, they
are not skilled or regimented enough to constitute a threat of any kind to the Empire,
and keep their heads down to avoid airborne attacks. Along with the Med Dogs, the
Police Gangers pretend to be providing a public service, and expect “their citizens”
to obey all their arbitrary and petty laws, providing them with an opportunity for
bribe-taking and dispensing the occasional indiscriminate justice to offenders
(defined as those who offend them, of course). Easy the most heavily-armed gang
outside of the Stone Oxen, the Padfoots carry shotguns, hunting rifles and have plenty
of riot/smoke/stun/teargas grenades, and most are somewhat skilled in group tactics.
People
The Great Yak
Sax, King of N’Yak
8th Level Bandit Lord
Species: Yak (actually a buffalo)
Alignment: Aberrant
Attributes: IQ 15, ME 10, MA 19, PS 22, PP 9, PE 18, PB 20, SPD 35
Size Level: 19
Hit Points: 27 SDC: 105 Actions: 6 Damage: +7
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Bullfight
Combat Bonuses: +2 Initiative, +2 Strike, +4 Parry, +5 Dodge, +3 Roll, +4 Block, +2
Dmg Head Butt, +5 Throw-off, +2 parry/disarm with Horns, Goring Critical Strike 19-20,
Knockout/Stun 19-20, Special: Head Butt Knockdown Charge, Automatic Shoulder Block
Armor: Plate & Mail AR 15 SDC 100
Weapons: Twin Angus .48 Magnum Revolvers (5d6+2 x2 paired weapons, 8 rnd speed-loader,
250’ range, +5 strike aimed shots); Large Crossbow with Explosive Bolts (5d6, 5’
radius) and War Bolts (3d6); Bastard Sword (2d6+2+7); Horns (2d6+7)
Human Features: Biped Partial, Speech Full, Hands Full, Looks None
Powers: Advanced Vision, Beastly Strength, Extraordinary Speed
Disadvantages: Heavy Musk Glands, Nearsighted (10’, won’t admit to it)
Psionics: Bio-Manipulation (Pain)
Skills of Note: Body Building, Boxing, General Athletics, Languages (speaks 6 animal
languages + old American at 65%), Interrogation 90%, Pilot Automobile 98%, Pilot
Military Vehicles 98%, Navigation 98%, Detect Ambush 65%, Streetwise 98%, Antiquarian
50%, Blacksmith 70%, Public Speaking 90%, Radio-Basic 98%, Tracking 80%, Writing 60%.
Disposition: Domineering, arrogant, loud, friendly to those he respects as powerful,
brave, leads from the front, willing to torture/kill to maintain his kingly authority.

The Great Yak is an aggressive and brutal leader, but one with enough intelligence and
charisma to realize that a ruler also needs guile, respect and loyal followes to rule
effectively. To that end he wants to appear magnanimous and stately, decorating his
stadium with symbols of authority and adjudicating disputes between his subjects in a
Solomonic fashion. The flip side of this need for respect is that he will fly into a
berserk rage when made fun of, and he tolerates no court jesters in his band. Sax also
has a soft side: he is fluent in many languages, which he picks up easily, and tries
to occasionally add chapters to his book, which he calls his Diplomatic Memoirs.
Willing to negotiate if confronted by superior power, but has no qualms about crushing
his opposition. Won’t betray a comrade or break a contract unless the other party has
been untrustworthy. Skillfully uses the trappings of state and his personal religious
cult to further his goals.

The Great Yak’s Stone Oxen Bodyguards

3rd Level Gangers
Number: 2d6 at any given time, 50 in total (scattered across N’Yak)
Species: Buffalo, Cattle (Texas Longhorn), some Elk, Deer
Alignment: Usually Aberrant or Miscreant
Attributes: IQ 10, ME 14, MA 10, PS 25, PP 12, PE 25, PB 10, SPD 10
Size Level: Most are 19, some are 20
Hit Points: 30 SDC: 100 Actions: 4 Damage: +10
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Bullfight
Combat Bonuses: +2 Strike, +2 Parry/Roll, +3 Dodge, +2 Block, +1 Strike with firearm,
+2 parry with ancient weapon, +2 Dmg Ram/Head Butt/Trample, +1 Initiative, +2 Throw-
off, +1 Parry/disarm with Horns, Automatic Shoulder Block
Armor: Piecemeal Leather AR 8 SDC 20
Weapons: Horns (2d6+12), Back-Kick (4d6+10), one of Club/Sword/Spikehammer/Spear, 25%
chance of one of Pistol/Revolver/Rifle, 1d6 rounds of ammunition, 10% chance of 1
grenade or 1 machinegun with 1d10x10 rounds.
Human Features: Biped Partial, Speech Partial, Hands Full, Looks None
Powers: Horns, Advanced Vision, Beastly Strength
Disadvantages: Musk Glands, Diet-Ruminant
Psionics: none
Skills of Note: WP proficiency for carried weapons, Boxing, Body Building, General
Repair 50%, Interrogation 60%, Detect Ambush 40%, Navigation 60%, Gambling 50%.
Disposition: Surly but disciplined, bully small animals, do not take bribes, aloof,
consider themselves superior warriors, fanatical – revere The Great Yak as their
religious leader, high morale until 30% of their number die.
Viper Ink Lips
8th Level Commando
Species: Rattlesnake
Alignment: Anarchist
Attributes: IQ 11, ME 16, MA 15, PS 18, PP 28, PE 22, PB 16, SPD 40
Size Level: 7
Hit Points: 30 SDC: 65 Actions: 8 Damage: +4
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Assassin
Combat Bonuses: +1 Initiative, +9 Strike, +10 Parry, +3 Roll, +10 Dodge, +4 Dmg, +3
Pull punch, +2 Entangle, +1 Strike with firearm, +2 parry with ancient weapon,
Knockout/Stun 17-20, Critical Strike 19-20, -3 Strike/Dodge at long range (one eye)
Armor: Soft Leather AR 9 SDC 20
Weapons: Paired Ceramic Combat Knives (2x1d6+4), Assault Rifle (5d6, 200 rnds of ammo,
+55 Strike), 4 frag grenades, 1 plastic explosive packet, Miniature crossbow (2d4),
MP5K submachinegun (3d6, 60 rnds of ammo, +5 Strike), garrote wrapped around ankle,
pocket knife in shoe, 3 throwing knives (1d4+4)
Human Features: Biped Full, Speech Partial, Hands Full, Looks Partial
Powers: Extra PP, Camouflage Scale Pattern, Predator Burst
Disadvantages: Diet-Carnivore, Color Blindness, Reptile Brain: Predator, One Eye
Psionics: Sense Nemesis (The Great Yak)
Skills of Note: All Military skills at 85%, All Modern Weapon Profiencies, Pilot
Auto/Motorcycle/Boat/MilitaryVechicle/Glider at 80%, Prowl 90%, Basic Mechanics 55%,
Basic Electronics 60%, All Survival Skills 75%, Swimming 90%, SCUBA 90%, Boxing,
Climbing 80%, First Aid 65%.
Disposition: Lone mercenary, tough-as-nails, bitter, cynical, uncaring, suicidal, only
willing to do the one favor for PCs and then bugs out. Viper Ink Lips has no loyalty
to anyone but still maintains a ronin-like code of conduct that prevents him from
condoning mass murder or torture. Has a perpetual sneer on his face.

Purple Pus Zombie

Number: 4d6
Alignment: Diabolic
Attributes: IQ 3, ME 20, MA -, PS 16, PP 7, PE 12, PB -, SPD 12
Size Level: 8
Horror Factor: 16
Hit Points: 5+2d6 SDC: 10+1d10 Actions: 2
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Basic
Combat Bonuses: -1 Initiative, +2 Roll, +1 Damage
Armor: none
Weapons: Punch 1d4+1 +pus
Special Attacks: Purple Pus: if splattered over character he must be completely
disinfected or the next time a wound is opened the purple pus will infect it,
preventing healing. Purple Pus infections are -20% to medical skill checks to remove
and require a strong serial antibiotics course over 2 weeks to treat. Pus Explosion:
when destroyed these zombies have a 20% chance of exploding in a cloud of pus
(everyone within 2d6 feet is splattered by it, no damage).
Psionics: Mind Block
Skills of Note: Climbing 20%, Prowl 10%
Disposition: Swollen with fluids, hungry, prefers fingers

Green Goo Zombie

Number: 3d6
Alignment: Diabolic
Attributes: IQ 3, ME 20, MA -, PS 18, PP 7, PE 12, PB -, SPD 12
Size Level: 8
Horror Factor: 14
Hit Points: 5+2d6 SDC: 10+2d10 Actions: 3
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Basic
Combat Bonuses: -1 Initiative, +3 to resist grab/wrestling, +2 Block, +2 Damage
Armor: Rusty metal bits/cans/plates AR 6 SDC 10
Weapons: Punch 1d4+3 +poison or Kick 1d6+3 +poison
Special Attacks: Mutagenic Goo: Save vs Poison 15 or undergo a change in Human
Features over the course of a week (roll 1d4 to see what is affected: Biped, Speech,
Hands or Looks; 50/50 chance of going up or down one level).
Psionics: Mind Block
Skills of Note: Climbing 20%, Swimming 20%, Camouflage 20%, Prowl 15%
Disposition: Hungry, huggable, prefers kidneys
Red Poison Zombie
Number: 2d6
Alignment: Diabolic
Attributes: IQ 3, ME 20, MA -, PS 18, PP 7, PE 12, PB -, SPD 12
Size Level: 8
Horror Factor: 14
Hit Points: 10+2d6 SDC: 20+2d10 Actions: 3
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Basic
Combat Bonuses: -1 Initiative, +1 Strike, +2 Block, +3 Damage
Armor: Rusty metal bits/cans/plates AR 6 SDC 10
Weapons: Punch 1d4+3 +poison or Kick 1d6+3 +poison
Special Attacks: Blood Poison: Save vs Poison 16 from contact with zombie blood or
contract a filovirus (onset 24 hours, d6 damage to HP per hour); Rust Poison: any
metallic item splashed with a sizeable quantity of zombie blood must Save vs Poison 16
or slowly start to rust as the Anti-Metal Virus in Mutants Down Under.
Psionics: Mind Block
Skills of Note: Climbing 30%, Swimming 30%, Camouflage 40%, Prowl 25%
Disposition: Mean, hungry, prefers brains

Med Dog
3rd Level Gang-Banger
Number: 3d4
Species: Dog (German Shepherd, roll on Dog Breeds Table for others)
Alignment: Miscreant, Aberrant, Anarchist
Attributes: IQ 13, ME 12, MA 8, PS 15, PP 14, PE 18, PB 10, SPD 27
Size Level: 7
Hit Points: 22 SDC: 30 Actions: Damage: +
Combat Style: Hand-to-Hand Expert
Combat Bonuses: + Initiative, + Strike, +1 Parry, +1 Dodge, +1 Roll, + Block, + Dmg, +
Strike with firearm, +1 parry with ancient weapon,
Armor: Quilted Coveralls AR 7 SDC 15
Weapons: Bite (1d6), Iron Club or Rusty Sword or Spear (+2 Strike), 20% chance of
Revolver (3d6, +1 Strike) with 1d6 bullets.
Human Features: Biped Partial, Speech Partial, Hands Full, Looks None
Powers: Brute Strength, Internal Compass, Advanced Hearing, Advanced Smell, Teeth
Disadvantages: Vestigial Ears, Color Blindness, Subservience
Psionics: 25% chance of See Aura, 10% chance of Psychic Diagnosis or Cell Reader
Skills of Note: General Athletics, Running, Swimming, First Aid 65%, Paramedic 45%,
Pilot Automobile 85%, Radio-Basic 65%, Trapping 45%, Read Sensory Equipment 55%, and
pick one of Computer Operation 70%, Basic Electronics 65%, Chemistry 60%, Biology 50%,
Pathology 45%, Farrier 64% or Veterinary 62%.
Disposition: Curious, selfish, want to be paid beforehand for any service, fearful of
authority, craves knowledge, loyal to High Doctor Haus.

Glowroach
Number: 2d4
Species: Insect
Alignment: Feral
Attributes: IQ -, ME 20, MA -, PS 20, PP 10, PE 30, PB -, SPD 25
Size Level: 2-12 (stats here are for large dangerous ones, size 12)
Horror Factor: 15
Resistance: +8 to save vs poisons, psionics, chemicals, mutagens, everything really
Hit Points: 35 SDC: 60 Actions: 4 Damage: +6
Combat Bonuses: +4 Initiative, +1 Strike, +6 Dodge
Armor: Natural Shell AR 11 SDC 30
Weapons: Bite 1d6+6 or Claws 2d4+6
Powers: Advanced Hearing, Advanced Vision, Tremor Sense, Advanced Taste, Survive
Decapitation, Short-hop Flight (5’-20’), Radiation Glow
Disadvantages: Color Blindness, Confused by heat
Psionics: usually none, 25% of Mind Block, 25% chance of Invisible Haze
Skills of Note: Prowl 30%,
Disposition: Measuring anywhere from 2’ to 10’, glowroaches generally avoid man-sized
creatures except when they smell decay or fresh wounds, which drives them to a feeding
frenzy that they can’t resist. Some insane individuals capture glowroaches as a source
of light and power (they generate both bioluminescence and electricity in small
quantities, enough to power electronics), but they invariably escape and eat their
captors. They are tough, ornery and highly resistant to everything.