Niv Lova: Searching for Home (2)
Finding Home
Name: Nikita
Background: Poor / Goal: Settle
MUS: 0, FIN +2, VIG: 0, MIN +2, PRE: 0/ HP: 6, FP: 1 / XP: 0 lvl: 0
15c, 1 bandage, 0 Food, Knife, Bedroll, Backpack,
Revolver (d6, 10 rounds)
“Fear Box” remnant: Dark, cubic, plastic, Weak, inspire fear, taste bile, Activation: concentration
The morning was cold and snow flakes drifted down.
Nikita packed and got a move on, hoping today would be the day she found her friend.
No POI or Encounter
Scavenge: 3 → 1 Food
The land spread out before her, flat and featureless, the snow melting as soon as it hit the ground. She found a rusted-out car and managed to get the trunk open, finding a single can of pureed pumpkin.
At least she wouldn’t go hungry today.
Does she find Fedor? 5 → Yes
Leaving the trunk open, she saw someone watching her. A fellow scavenger. Is that…?
Is he happy to see her? 1 → No, and he’s hostile
12 - Goal: protect reputation. 46 - Trait: Wise
62 - Detail: Plays guitar
rookie scavenger: revolver (2 rounds of ammo), 2xrandom gear
random gear: 2,6 → rare, common
common: coffee beans, rare: detailed map
“You shouldn’t be here,” Fedor said, holding a revolver pointed at her. He looked ragged, his clothes torn and dirty, his eyes dark, without any hint of the humor or innocence they’d once had.
Nikita couldn’t believe how hoarse and cold his voice was. She noticed the guitar on his back and held her hands up. “Fedor, it’s me, Nikita, your friend. I came to find you.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. There are no friends here. You shouldn’t have gotten caught. You shouldn’t have been sent here. You won’t survive and you won’t drag me down with you.”
Nikita’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not thinking straight, ‘Feddy’. I’ve only been here a few days but it’s not much different from the streets. It’s about survival, right? And just like the streets, you stand a better chance of surviving with a partner, with someone to watch your back.”
PRE w/advantage: 2,3,2 → 5. Failure.
Nikita’s heart dropped as Fedor shook his head. He was too far gone.
“Give me everything you have and I’ll let you live,” he said.
She closed her eyes. “Don’t do this,” she said but knew it didn’t matter.
“Hurry up!” He shouted. “Drop your gun.”
She did so and took her pack off slowly. She reached inside, feeling something within, and concentrated.
MIN = 2d6+2 = 9 → Success
Inspire fear, taste bile
She could feel the fear pour out of the box and directed it towards Fedor. There was nothing visual, but all of a sudden, he gasped and his hand shook. PRE = 2d6 + 0 = 8 vs Morale: 7 → Success!
The gun dropped from his shaking hand and he dropped to his knees, closing his eyes. “No, no, no, no, oh God, no,” he whispered, clutching his hands to his head. He curled into a fetal position, shuddering and shaking.
“I’m sorry I had to do that,” Nikita said, picking up her gun. She took his revolver and opened his pack. She found a map and some coffee beans. She took the guitar, too. She didn’t know how to play but maybe it’d be worth something to someone. “I’ll give you the same chance you gave me. I’m taking everything and leaving you alive. It’s more than you deserve,” she spat on the ground, unable to get the taste of bile out of her mouth and walked away.
detailed map: d6 locations = 4
1: Aberration → 2 hexes NW
2: Remnant → 6 hexes NW
3: Aberration → 6 hexes SE
4: Abandoned Urban Area → 4 hexes N
The map showed scribbles and notes of locations nearby, an aberration and remnant to the north-west, an abandoned area north, and another aberration south-east.
She packed the map away and headed north. She needed supplies and the abandoned area might be good for scavenging. That night, she ate the can of pumpkin, and fell asleep thinking of Fedor.
No night encounter
Weather: Clear, +2 Scavenge, +2 Navigate
The next day, as if to give her hope, the sun came out. The air was crisp and the sky blue.
With map in hand, she had no problem finding her way, picking through scrap she found along the way.
Scavenge: 6
Random Gear: Caffeine Pills (5 doses)
She found an old duffel bag half-buried by a sickly-tree. Inside was a bunch of cans of food (5) and a bottle of caffeine pills, which she shook to hear the sound of the pills rattling around. “Not bad at all,” she said to herself.
No POI or Encounter
She made decent time traveling, making sure to keep an eye south to see if Fedor was following her.
Was he? 3 = No, but…someone else was.
At times throughout the day, she thought she saw movement in the distance behind her. Couldn’t tell if it was a trick or the eye or not.
That night, she slept with her gun in her hand.
4 Food left
No night time encounter
Whoever it was, if it was anyone, they didn’t show up in the night.
3 hexes south of Abandoned Urban Area on map
The next morning, snow drifted down lazily, keeping it cold but not becoming much to bother with. She kept heading north but glanced south every so often.
POI → Yes
Encounter → No
d66 = Abandoned Urban Area
size → Small town. Buildings = 3.
Office building (2 floors), Entertainment (Movie theater), Parking Garage
Over the next hill, she spotted a small town. Most of the buildings had been turned to rubble but a few remained standing. She made her way through rubble towards a short, two-story office building.
Areas = 1 = 1 → Nothing
Scrounge → .38 special ammo. 2d6 vs DC:8 = 8 → Success
d6 = 2
Most of the office building had collapsed, leaving just one room standing and stable. Inside, in the corner, Nikita found two .38 special rounds. “Better than nothing,” she muttered, pocketing them, before moving on down the road towards the movie theater.
Areas = 4
First area = 4 → NPC → d6(4) Mercenaries
Reaction: 6 → Angered/Hostile
Does she hear them before she enters? 2d6 + MIN = 13 → Yes
As she approached the front of the movie theater, which appeared to be mostly intact, she could hear loud voices from within. She crouched by the wall, listening.
Are they waiting for Fedor? No, but…they hear her outside.
Are they part of a faction? d6 = 5 → Yes. Svoboda, “Freedom”
“What was that?” one called out. “You hear that? Durak, go check it out. You see anyone, shoot ‘em!”
“Fuck,” Nikita swore, retreating down the street and ducking into an alleyway. She crouched around the corner, trying to control her breathing.
Hide: 2d6 + FIN = 8 → Success
She heard someone out on the street, boots stomping over gravel and debris.
“There’s nobody out here,” Durak called back before returning inside.
Nikita decided it was best not to get involved and moved onto the parking garage.
Areas = 6
First area = NPC → Bounty Hunter
Reaction = 4 → angered/hostile
While keeping an eye behind her, she didn’t notice the figure hiding in the shadows of the first level of the parking garage. The figure emerged, wearing a helmet, gun in hand, pointed at Nikita.
Bounty Hunter
Codename: “Gadyuka” (Viper)
4 HP, SMG (d6/a), Morale: 8, +2 armor
7 rounds of 9mm, 1 scrap, Matches, helmet, Tent
Trait: Mindful, Detail: Albino
“Are you with them?” The figure, in a shrill voice, barked at Nikita.
Nikita noticed the woman’s face was white and her eyes red. Nikita raised her hands. “I’m not with anyone. I’m not here to hurt you!”
2d6 + PRE = 5 → Failure. Fate point
2d6 + PRE = 8 → Success.
The albino woman looked her up and down, before lowering the barrel of her SMG. “You don’t look like you’re with those fuckin’ mercs.”
Nikita shook her head. “I’m not, I just passed them by. They’re in the movie theater.
“I am called Gadyuka. You are?”
“Nikita,” Nikita said, lowering her hands.
Gadyuka looked behind her. “Those mercs called me a mutant and fired at me for shits and giggles. I retreated in here but they didn’t follow.”
“They sound like assholes,” Nikita said.
Does she want to kill them? No, but…she also doesn’t want them sneaking up on her
“They are.” Gadyuka offered a hand out. “I don’t usually do this but I don’t feel safe with them close by. Want to stick together for now, watch each other’s backs?”
Nikita took the hand and nodded. She glanced behind Gadyuka, further into the garage. “You check this whole place out, yet?”
Gadyuka shook her head. “I just holed up here after getting shot at.” She turned, holding the SMG in both hands. “Let’s check the rest of the place out.”
Gadyuka’s stats (randomly generated)
+0 MUS, +1 FIN, + 2 VIG, + 1 MIN, +0 PRE
Area 2: Enemy → d66 = d6 bandits → 2
Reaction: 7 → Neutral
They moved up to the second floor of the garage and spotted two bandits talking near a rusted-out truck.
The bandits stopped talking and turned to face them. They each had a sawed off shotgun but held loosely. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Just passing through,” Nikita said, one hand raised to show they meant no trouble.
“Keep it moving,” one of them said, watching them pass.
They headed into the stairwell to move up to the next floor.
Area 3: Hazard → Flooded? Reroll → 10 → Hellslime
Opening the door, Nikita felt a strong heat coming from within. “What the fuck?” she said, covering her face and looking in.
Inside the stairwell, above and below, she saw pale blobs of green ooze, slowly dripping and moving, covered in a pale green fire.
“Hellslime,” Gadyuka said, pulling Nikita back and letting the door close. “Some nasty shit if you get caught."
Nikita looked at her. “What do you think? Could be good stuff up there.”
“And we could get our asses cooked,” Gadyuka replied, shaking her head. “Let’s see if there’s another way up, go up the roadway.” They left the stairwell behind and following the road that circled up to the next floor of the garage.
Area 4: Empty
There was nobody on the third floor, but a couple vehicles looked relatively unscathed, so they started searching them.
Scrounge
Nikita → Light Armor (DC: 9), 2d6 = 12! Critical Success! She finds it + 1 random gear.
Gadyuka → d6 bandages (DC: 8), 2d6 = 7. Random gear instead.
Nikita’s random gear = Uncommon → Helmet
Gadyuka’s random gear = Common → Matches(2 uses)
In the corner of the garage lay a torched motorcycle, but nearby was a leather jacket and helmet, which Nikita grabbed. She slipped on the leather jacket and met back up with Nikita.
“Find anything good?” Nikita asked.
Gadyuka showed her a pack of matches. “Not really. Let’s keep going.”
Area 5: NPC = d6(3) Believers
Reaction: Angered/Hostile
Turning the corner, they came upon three people, two men and a woman, sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding hands. Hearing their bootsteps, the believers broke apart, standing quickly and drawing weapons. “Stay back!”
“We’re not here to harm you,” Nikita said.
2d6 + PRE = 7 → Failure
“I don’t trust them!” the woman screeched. She had a piece of wood, one of the men had a length of pipe, while the third carried a crowbar.
The man with the crowbar charged, yelling.
Nikita fired her revolver and missed.
The crowbar swung, impaling itself into Nikita’s skull. She dropped to the ground, dead.
“Fucker!” Gadyuka yelled, firing her SMG but her shaking hands made her miss.
The other woman and man charged Gadyuka.
She dodged the woman’s club and stepped out of reach of the pipe.
The man with the crowbar came after her.
Once more, she spun out of the way, the crowbar striking off a pillar of stone. She retreated, moving back and aiming before firing again.
This time, she struck true, bullet going through the man’s neck. He gurgled and collapsed.
The other man made to surge forward but the woman grabbed his arm, holding him back, suddenly afraid. “Wait, wait.” She dropped her club.
Gadyuka retreated further and fired again, this time at the man holding the pipe.
His body jolts as the round strikes him in the chest and he falls to his knees, before collapsing onto his side.
The woman cried out and ran, further into the shadowy depths of the parking garage.
Combat
Believers:
A, HP: 3, Crowbar(d6), Uncommon = Crowbar
B, HP: 6, pipe(d6), Common = 10ft of rope
C, HP: 4, club(d6), Uncommon = stash of Food(4)
Initiative: 6 → Go first.
Nikita will go first, then one of the believers, then Gadyuka, then the other 2 believers.
Nikita fired her revolver. Short range. 2d6 + FIN = 6 → Failure. Misses.
A charges with his crowbar, hacking at Nikita who tries to dodge. 2d6 + FIN = 6 → Failure. Hits! d6 damage = 6 + 5 = 11 - 1 = 10. Nikita drops to -6 HP. 2d6 + VIG(0) - 6 = 2 → Failure. Wounds roll = 2d6 + VIG - 6 = -2 → Instant, bloody, gruesome death.
Gadyuka: 2d6 + FIN = Critical Failure → Fate point
2d6 + FIN = 6 → Failure.
Gadyuka defends against B and C.
2d6 + FIN = 7 → Failure. d6 DMG = 1 - 2(armor) = 0.
Defends against C. 2d6 + FIN = 8 → Success.
New round: Reroll Initiative d6 + 1 = 7 → Gadyuka goes first.
Does she run? Yes, but she’s going to fire one last time. She moves from PB to Short and fires at the crowbar-wielding man.
2d6 + FIN = 10 → Success. d6/a DMG = 6! + 2 = 8 damage.
Morale checks: 2d6 + PRE vs DC 10 = 5, 12. 12 = Critical Success! The woman surrenders and holds the other back for this round.
New round: Gadyuka fires again (4 bullets left). 2d6 + FIN = 12 → Success. DMG = d6/a → 6! + 1 = 7 DMG. Man drops. Woman flees. Combat ends.
Gadyuka continued to hold the SMG up, ready to fire, listening. She swung around to make sure the bandits hadn’t decided to investigate. All she could hear was the woman’s bare feet slapping across the concrete, running away. “Fuck you,” she said, turning back and following.
Area 6: Empy
She found the woman in the corner, nowhere left to run, sitting on the ground, knees pulled to her chest, clutching herself and whispering.
“The zone provides, the zone provides, the zone provides…” she whispered.
Gadyuka stepped up close, put the barrel to the woman’s head and fired.
The whispering stopped.
Gadyuka found a length of rope in a torn-up satchel the woman had been carrying. She left the body behind and went back to the scene of the gunfight. She took the crowbar and found a stash of food in other other man’s knapsack.
Then, she went to Nikita’s corpse, shaking her head. “Damn newbies,” she muttered, crouching down and going through her things. She took Nikita’s two revolvers and ammo(11 rounds left), the knife, bedroll and bandage, along with the 15 credits. She found the strange box in her bag and whistled. “Goddamn, what did you find?” She said to nobody. She concentrated, trying to see if she could figure out what it did and made it tick.
2d6 + MIN(1) = 8 → Success.
She felt something unlock within her mind and she knew the box. She tasted bile, felt the fear the box could inspire and knew to use it, she just had to concentrate. She tucked it into her pack and stood.
Looking down at Nikita’s body, she gave out a long sigh. “At least you’re free of this place, now.” She stood there, a few moments, looking down. “Maybe you’re home now.”
She left, heading back towards the entrance of the garage. She hadn’t even had a chance to ask Nikita about her bounty, some scavenger by the name of Fedor who had pissed some people off. She shrugged. She’d last heard he was further south, somewhere. That’s where she would go.
How quickly things can turn! But I’m not fudging rolls, and Gadyuka will be a fun new character to follow. Still, I was gutted when I saw how much damage that crowbar did.
If you’d like to dive into Niv Lova, you can check out the Playtest Document. If you’d like, you can join my discord to provide feedback, thoughts and comments on any and all things PWM, including Niv Lova. Otherwise, you can always comment here or message me through Substack.
I think I will plan on a June 1st release for the published version. I’ve received some awesome art and I think the final pdf will look really cool.
Thanks to Andrew Wylde, BuddhaRandom, and Eric, for being paid subscribers. A reminder paid subscribers will receive the final version of Niv Lova, free of charge, when it’s available.
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Damn!! That was so good!! Brutal!