Making it stick.

[The Artist Formerly]

An operations guide for defying the Nightlords.

So you've put together a team of the baddest Mo-fos science, Nightbane genetics and magic can spawn (hehehe). Now what?


First, learn your operations area. From the mean streets of LA to the meaner streets of Devil city, have a understanding the city and how the various dark powers law enforcement teams will do things. Do nothing untill you have this bit down. Street lay outs, areas under construction/renovation, local politics, underworld activity, places to hide/rest/heal, places where your enemy will gather, know the reasons why they gather there, those kinds of things, and refamilizie yourself with this information often as things change as you.

Next, know they enemy. Take steps to get an understanding of the nature of your enemy, their objectives, purpose and operations style.

For example, while playing last great Nightbane Character, Noble Thayer, a short way into the game, I got myself a permit, a hotdog cart and as many American flags as I could fit on to the cart (those little ones you get on the fourth of July). Even called the dogs I sold "Patriot Dogs!". I then pushed this cart up and down the streets near the NSB building, discounting my sales to all government employees (do note, when playing that angle, you must never ever give any indication that you are anything differant then what you say you are. As long as they see what they expect to see, they won't notice you. Do something that cause them to ask even the most simple of questions, and you're dead). Now I never asked a question of the NSB agents (those who ate) beyond "You's wants Ketchup?", I just listened and noted. No listening devices, no cameras, just me and memory, and my loyal hotdog cart.

Now we didn't know what a Hollow man was, but as some of the NSB bought dogs and maowed them down like they were going out of style and others would buy dogs, but never eat them (intresting note, by the way, Hollowmen tip really well for a well made dog they won't eat).

Here's what I learned 1)A few names of NSB agents and who belonged to what group. 2)That there were some weird guys among the NSB who didn''t look quiet human, didn't eat hotdogs, and tipped well. 3)How much firepower the average agent carried under normal circumstances. 4) What kind of vehicles along with licence numbers the NSB had both for operations and day in day out needs. 5)Bits and peices of current NSB issues and cases. Fragments really, and nothing really useful, but it was something to let me know what to avoid. 6)An understanding of how the NSB functions internally (example, NSB agents hate filling out reports about how they used their guns during a mission, apparently the form is a pain in the butt, so to increase internal NSB friction, I might want to look at actions that force NSB agents to shoot more often. Insignificant, perhaps, but I do know that I am causing them a bit more discomfort and work for them, and that makes me happy).

Now we arrive at the most important step. Killing their best first. Each major enemy facility has a team or group of elite, whether we're talking Janice Hotchkiss' personal guard or NSB Chicago SWAT team. Figure out who they are, then set a trap. I like bombs for this. Whatever it is you use to wack them, make sure you leave no survivors (like I said, I like bombs for this, that way I don't have to fight them directly, you get hurt that way).

Understand this, when you kill an opponet, you deprive the opposition of the dead guy's skill, talent, experience and training. All gone away with the pull of a trigger. If you get them to play way their best on a target they were not prepared for, you've just made you life alot easier. If you do it the otherway around, and work your way up through the ranks, by the time you get to their best, they will already know you and have taken measures to trip you up. Wack them first and your opponets will be playing at a disadvantage for some time.

Now, concentrait on Sand in the machine. Under take steps to cause the various aspect of the Nightlord's hold on a given area to break down. Killing their talent is my favorite way to go, but other things can be doing things to increase the cost of operations (those resources have to come from somewhere and are finite), keep them reacting to you and destroying important locations and operations. I can give you spesifics because they vary from night lord to night lord.

After this point, the spesifics of your game will start pulling into taylor made adventures and you'll need to react to those forces. Good luck.

[Sentinel]

I love the hot dog stand. That's pretty creative, and a little different.

[Jefffar]

It's interesting that your GM had the Hollow Men stop to buy a dog at all. I tend to play them as highly "focused." After ascertaining the Hot Dog stand is not a threat, they'd just walk by.

Still a great source of information though.

[pblackcrow]

Well, they have to eat too, don't they?

[Jefffar]

Well, they have to eat too, don't they?

That's the point, we don't know . . .

[The Artist Formerly]

It's interesting that your GM had the Hollow Men stop to buy a dog at all. I tend to play them as highly "focused." After ascertaining the Hot Dog stand is not a threat, they'd just walk by.

Still a great source of information though.

Well the Hollowmen would have no need to stop at my super cheap economy one ton hotdog buffett on wheels, but their partners and team members would. Kind of the feeling I got was that the GM didn't think that Hollowmen operating on their own was such a hot idea and that they needed more supervision from other members of the NSB.

[The Artist Formerly]

It's interesting that your GM had the Hollow Men stop to buy a dog at all. I tend to play them as highly "focused." After ascertaining the Hot Dog stand is not a threat, they'd just walk by.

Still a great source of information though.

I agree. The other thing about this plan that would be absolutely necessary in my campaigns. The person vending the hotdogs had best be an entirely mundane human (character or sympathetic NPC). Psionic and magical perception of auras and astral warfare figures predominantly in my game.....

Good call. I had a couple of talents to help out with that aspect of non-detection. The Morphos for that character was fairly beefy based entirely on the basic character generation roles, so I focused on stealth and obfuscation talents and skills. And I'm inheirently a sneaky bastard, so...

[The Artist Formerly]

It's interesting that your GM had the Hollow Men stop to buy a dog at all. I tend to play them as highly "focused." After ascertaining the Hot Dog stand is not a threat, they'd just walk by.

Still a great source of information though.

I agree. The other thing about this plan that would be absolutely necessary in my campaigns. The person vending the hotdogs had best be an entirely mundane human (character or sympathetic NPC). Psionic and magical perception of auras and astral warfare figures predominantly in my game.....

Good call. I had a couple of talents to help out with that aspect of non-detection. The Morphos for that character was fairly beefy based entirely on the basic character generation roles, so I focused on stealth and obfuscation talents and skills. And I'm inheirently a sneaky bastard, so...

The fact that you're a sneaky bastard has not eluded us...

Awww... come here you.

[The Artist Formerly]

For those wondering, here's my second Nightbane character (the first was an Irish Sorcerer.

Nightbane character.
Name:Fade. Alias:Made them up as I went, I liked easy nondescript ones that were forgetable or confusable (Like Rogar Thompson, Thomas Rogarston, James Williams, William James, that kind of thing).

Age: 20 at the start of the game. Height: Varies, 5'9" basic Facade.
Weight:Varies, 165 lbs in basic Facade. Hair:Brown Eyes:Brown.

IQ:19 ME:13 MA:9 PS:15/31 PP:15/21 PE:14/28 PB:14/18 SPD:18/24

Horror Factor:11

Skill package, Nocturne/Seeker/Lightbringer *special* I was a collage student seeking a job with the FBI (so I was going to lawschool) when the dark day came. No special affiliation with any existing faction beyond the other PCs). See the skill package suggestions for details.


Morphos notes: Inhuman beauty, Bio-mechanical. Physical perfection, metal Exoskeleton.

SDC:42-318 Hitpoints:27-75