TEXT: Metamorphosis Alpha and its concepts are trademarks owned by James M. Ward. 
  All other content is copyright © 2008 Kerry Jordan. 
  This document does not represent a challenge to any trademarks or copyrights held by James M. Ward. This document is not affiliated with James M. 
  Ward. 
  Page 1 of 18 
  DIRE STRAITS 
  A METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA Module, #KDJ1 
  By Kerry Jordan 
  kerry.d.jordan@gmail.com 
  January 25, 2008 
  Version 1.1 
  Based on the METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA setting by 
  James M. Ward 
  Play-tested by 
  Alan Bean, Anna Breig, Dardrae Breig, Kaylina Breig, 
  Marv Breig, Ryan Breig, Davis Crow, Kirk Devine, 
  Paul Luzbetak, Josh Olive, Eric Reimers, Rachel 
  Vanderhyden, Dennis Weisel 
  INTRODUCTION 
  A great cold has come to your village, killing the crops 
  and bringing suffering to your people. No one has ever 
  experienced weather like this and the village elders are 
  worried. They have sent out many groups, including 
  yours, to explore your world, Warden: seeking food, 
  shelter, and the cause of this deadly cold. You must 
  hurry… your people may not have much time. 
  This module is an introductory adventure for the 1st 
  edition Metamorphosis Alpha system. It is intended as a 
  challenge for 4-6 player characters. The estimated play 
  time is 4 hours. 
  * * * IMPORTANT * * * 
  Anyone intending to referee this module should read it in 
  its entirety before play; however, anyone wishing to play 
  a character in the adventure should read no further or 
  face the wrath of the… 
  Game Gremlins*. 
  * As most players know, Game Gremlins are those vicious little 
  beasties that enjoy jinxing your dice to roll the lowest number 
  possible at the worst possible time, whispering devilish ideas to 
  torment your characters to your game referee in his sleep, and 
  generally taking whatever steps necessary to insure the party’s 
  failure if not their deaths. And they do all that without even being 
  mad at you, so I would stop reading if I were you. 
  ADVENTURE FORMAT 
  Based on a game system developed in the late 1970’s, 
  the format of this module harkens back to the earliest 
  days of adventure writing styles. As such, you will not 
  find any blocks of text to be read to the players. Instead, 
  you as referee will be given a description of a room or 
  situation (potentially containing information of which the 
  characters are unaware) and it is left up to your 
  discretion to determine what information to convey to the 
  payers and how to convey it. 
  There are several formatting conventions followed by 
  this document. All mutation names appear in italics. 
  Additionally, whenever a creature is described in the 
  text, the relevant creature statistics are included in the 
  following format: 
  Name (number): AC; MV; HD; hp; AT type (WC, DMG) 
  and/or combat mutation; other mutation 1; other 
  mutation 2; defect mutation; CN; CR; DX; MR; LP; RR; 
  ST. 
  where 
  name is the name of the creature, 
  number is the number of creatures appearing (not 
  required if only one creature is present), 
  AC denotes the creature’s armor class, 
  DX denotes the creature’s dexterity, 
  MV denotes the creature’s land movement in map 
  spaces per combat turn followed by the creature’s 
  movement in yards per combat turn in parentheses 
  (this may be followed by other types of movement if 
  applicable), 
  HD represents the creature’s hit dice, 
  hp denotes the creature’s available hit points, 
  AT lists the various attack options available to the 
  creature which may include mutations usable in 
  combat, 
  WC denotes the weapon class of the attack, 
  DMG denotes the possible damage inflicted by the 
  attack which may be separated by slashes (/) if 
  different for humanoid beings/mutated creatures/true 
  humans, 
  CN denotes the creature’s constitution score, 
  CR denotes the creature’s computer recognition score 
  (see MUTANT-COMPUTER INTERACTION in the 
  APPENDICES), 
  DX denotes the creature’s dexterity score, 
  MR denotes the creature’s mental resistance score (if 
  different for attack and defense, the scores will be 
  separated by slashes with the attack score reported 
  first), 
  LP denotes the creature’s leadership potential score, 
  RR denotes the creature’s radiation resistance, and 
  ST denotes the creature’s strength score. 
  
  Page 2 of 18 
  BACKGROUND 
  For centuries, the inhabitants of Habitat Level 2 of the 
  Warden have enjoyed ample amounts of simulated 
  sunshine and good weather, with very mild seasonal 
  changes. This has all been due to the tireless efforts of a 
  single robot, Habitat Control Droid, serial number HCD-
  31E5F3, or simply Hayseed (as he was known to his 
  human supervisors so long ago). Until recently, Hayseed 
  spent his days monitoring and repairing the hidden 
  environmental control center for the level. 
  Only one week ago, a wolfoid pack stumbled upon the 
  hidden entrance to the environmental control center. 
  Unfortunately, the force field that protected the entrance 
  had been weakened over the centuries as irreplaceable 
  parts failed and it proved no match for the brute force of 
  the large humanoids. The beasts eventually reached the 
  main control room of the center and encountered 
  Hayseed. Hayseed was not built for combat and could 
  not hope to match the ferocity of the wolfoids, but he did 
  manage to escape the pack and leave the control center 
  in the hopes of finding aid. With very little knowledge of 
  the current flora and fauna of the habitat level, Hayseed 
  wandered aimlessly searching for help until being 
  captured by a young grabber. The grabber’s digestive 
  glands were not fully developed and it was unable to 
  digest Hayseed’s metal body quickly but it refused to 
  release the poor robot since it detected the heat from 
  Hayseed’s broadcast power converter. 
  Entangled by the grabber’s limbs, Hayseed has been 
  forced to wait as the weather worsens due to the 
  incompetence of the wolfoid leader at the control center. 
  His only hope now is a group of heroes to rescue him 
  and help him save the habitat. Fortunately, one such 
  group recently left a small village… 
  SYNOPSIS 
  The party is sent to find a solution to the terrible cold 
  plaguing their village. They quickly stumble upon the 
  young grabber that has taken a robot, Hayseed, captive. 
  After defeating the grabber and rescuing Hayseed, they 
  learn that he has been responsible for the weather for 
  hundreds of years until recently, when a pack of wolfoids 
  took over the environmental control center. The party 
  should then attempt to retake the control center for 
  Hayseed and restore the normal weather patterns. After 
  defeating the wolfoid pack, Hayseed will restore the 
  weather and the party will return home as heroes. 
  WELCOME TO HABITAT 
  Habitat is the only human village on Habitat Level 2. It 
  houses approximately 150 humans and mutant humans, 
  with a small percentage of mutant animals and plants 
  living there as well. The village sits on the shore of Lake 
  Refuge, which provides the villagers with a supply of fish 
  to supplement the produce from their fields. The villagers 
  live a primitive life; their homes are log cabins, their 
  clothing is woven plant fibers, and their most advanced 
  technology is a bow. The technology wielded by their 
  ancestors is unheard of except in vague rumors and a 
  few rare artifacts occasionally shown to them by the 
  village shaman. 
  This entire level is the known world to the people of 
  Habitat. They refer to it as Warden. The map on the 
  following page is a duplicate of one found in the village 
  church, the repository of the villager’s knowledge. There 
  are rumors that doorways to other worlds (i.e., other 
  levels) may occasionally be found on Warden, but no 
  one in memory has ever entered one of these doors and 
  returned to tell the tale. 
  THE OLD TIMES 
  The village shaman tells stories of the Old Times, when 
  Man lived a life of leisure. The people lived as royalty, 
  not on Warden, but in the Garden of Eden, having their 
  every desire met by fantastic tools given by God, some 
  of which the most devout can still use today. (This is 
  usually where the shaman displays an artifact of the 
  ancients to the wonder of the crowd.) But over time, the 
  people became arrogant: believing that with their 
  marvelous tools, they were God’s equals. God became 
  angry with the people, and sent his angel, Radiation, to 
  reap his divine retribution. Yet God still loved Man, and 
  choose to have mercy on His creation. Instead of utterly 
  destroying Man, God scattered the people, forcing them 
  to leave the garden and their tools behind. He sent them 
  to the Barren Hills of Warden, to live a humble life toiling 
  in the wilderness – focusing on their faith instead of their 
  tools. The people eventually followed the Ranger River 
  to Lake Refuge and there built the village of Habitat, 
  where Man lives to this day. 
  START 
  As mentioned in the INTRODUCTION, the entirety of 
  Habitat Level 2 has been subjected to freezing weather, 
  much worse than any experienced before and much too 
  early for the level’s light winter. (The current season is 
  late summer.) The village is in dire straits; the cold 
  weather has killed most of the crops from the fields and 
  the village’s elderly, sick, and young have begun to die 
  from the intense cold. Ice is forming around the lake and 
  although it has never happened in the past, if the cold 
  continues, the lake may freeze entirely. Additionally, the 
  weather has apparently killed many of the smaller 
  creatures of the level, forcing the larger predators to 
  become more aggressive and dangerous. 
  The village elders decide that something must be done 
  to change their situation or the village may not survive. 
  They call a village meeting, explaining that capable 
  young people are needed for an urgent mission. They 
  then select 20 volunteers (including the characters) to 
  
   
   
  The Known World of Warden 
  (as described by the explorer, Yrek) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Scale: 
  2 miles 
  
   
  Page 4 of 18 
  search the level for food, shelter, and the cause of this 
  unnatural cold. These volunteers are further broken up 
  into teams to more effectively search. The characters’ 
  team is assigned the task of following the Ranger River 
  to the Barren Hills in the hopes of finding shelter from 
  the cold or helpful artifacts left over from their ancestors’ 
  pilgrimage to Habitat so long ago (see THE OLD 
  TIMES above). 
  Besides their heavy fur clothing, each character is 
  equipped with plant fiber armor, a wooden shield, a 
  spear, sword, or mace (player’s choice), a bone dagger, 
  enough dried jerky (or appropriate rations for a mutated 
  animal or plant character) for one week, a fur bedroll 
  (with arm straps to be worn on the back), a water skin, 
  flint and tender, and a large belt pouch. Each true 
  human in the party may also upgrade his equipment to 
  one of the following (his choice): 
  • 
  duralloy shield, 
  • 
  heavy mace (wielded with two hands), 
  • 
  heavy sword (wielded with two hands), or 
  • 
  bow with quiver of 20 arrows. 
  Additionally, each true human is given a dose of 
  Berserk, 3 Heal Pills, and a dose of Speed (see NEW 
  ITEMS in the APPENDICES). 
  The leader of the party (usually a pure human) is given a 
  slug projector (similar to a small rifle roughly the size of a 
  sawed-off shotgun) and carefully taught to use it with the 
  Prayer of Loading, the Mantra of Targeting, and the 
  Prayer of Humble Jam Clearing. The slug projector only 
  has 7 dum-dum rounds, but is a valued holy relic to the 
  village. 
  STUCK IN THE MIDDLE… 
  By the early afternoon after leaving the village, the party 
  has rounded Lake Refuge and traveled several miles 
  along the Ranger River. Have each player roll 1d10. Add 
  1 to the result if the player’s character has the 
  heightened vision mutation. On a result of 10, the 
  player’s character has noticed the glint of metal in a 
  willow tree approximately 30 feet ahead of the party’s 
  route. (It is the metal body of Hayseed hidden in the 
  leaves of the grabber.) 
  If the party attempts to communicate, Hayseed will 
  inform them of the danger and ask for their help. (Note 
  that at this point, Hayseed is only able to see straight 
  down so he cannot see the characters and will not treat 
  a mutant any different than a pure human. Consult THE 
  METAL MAN for more information about his social 
  interaction with the characters.) 
  If the party continues along the route, the grabber will 
  wait until they are under its limbs to attack (allowing it a 
  chance of surprising the party). At that point, Hayseed 
  will be able to see the party and will attempt to warn any 
  pure human of the danger, but unfortunately, it will be 
  too late. 
  Grabber, Young: AC 7 (main trunk); MV 0; HD 5; hp 23; 
  AT vine grab (WC 3, see following); dissolving juices 
  (DMG 2d6); CN 10; CR n/a; DX 9; MR 12; LP n/a; RR 
  12; ST 18. 
  The grabber has a number of manipulative vines equal 
  to the number of characters in the party plus 3. One vine 
  is currently holding Hayseed and will not be used in 
  combat. Each vine will attack an individual party member 
  and is considered WC 3. Extra vines will attack the 
  characters that have dealt the most damage to the 
  grabber (or randomly if the grabber has not been 
  damaged). At the end of a combat round after a 
  successful attack, a vine will pull a character to its 
  glands of dissolving enzymes (causing 2d6 points of acid 
  damage) unless the player successfully rolls a special 
  Strength ability roll. If the player rolls less than his 
  Strength score minus 8 (and minus a cumulative penalty 
  of 4 for every vine past the first) on 1d20, he succeeds in 
  preventing his character from being pulled. However, 
  even if the character succeeds, the grabber may 
  automatically attempt to pull him to its glands the next 
  combat turn (without requiring an attack roll). A 
  “grabbed” character only has a 25% chance of having an 
  arm unconfined (increase this percentage by 5% for 
  every additional arm past two). A player may free his 
  character from a vine during his combat turn by 
  succeeding in the Strength roll mentioned previously, but 
  may not perform any other action. 
  A grabber’s vine may be targeted instead of its trunk. An 
  attacking vine has an AC of 4 due to its quickness and 
  only 4 hp. A vine holding a character does not have the 
  same range of movement so it has an AC of 8, although 
  there is a 30% chance that a missed attack on the vine 
  will hit the held character. 
  THE METAL MAN 
  Once the grabber has been killed, the vine holding 
  Hayseed will loosen and he will fall to the ground. 
  Although not horribly damaged, Hayseed’s body does 
  show the results of his exposure to the grabber’s 
  digestive fluids; his external cover is melted and has a 
  rough texture in several places. Additionally, there is an 
  ugly melted opening about the size of an egg in his left 
  side through which his internal circuitry may be viewed. 
  Hayseed’s broadcast power cells have been damaged 
  by the grabber’s digestive acid and he has been 
  operating using his emergency power cell for the past 10 
  hours, leaving him only 2 more hours of operation. 
  
   
  Page 5 of 18 
  Hayseed is very grateful for his rescue and will attempt 
  to enlist the party to help regain the environmental 
  control center from the pack of wolves which invaded it. 
  (He does not perceive wolfoids as being sentient; see 
  below for more details.) He is completely willing to share 
  his story as described in the BACKGROUND. Not only 
  is control of the level’s environmental control center 
  required to restore the climate, but the repair facility 
  located inside is the closet location that Hayseed can 
  use to repair himself. 
   
  He also has information about the Warden which the 
  characters may find very interesting… the prime one 
  being that the Warden is a ship traveling the stars, not a 
  world. The following are a few additional facts that may 
  arise during conversation: 
  A. The Warden is a colony ship which left the Trans-
  Plutonian Spaceyards in 2290. 
  B. Hayseed was designed specifically for use on the 
  Warden and was built in 2289 by Rossum’s 
  Universal Robots Corporation. 
  C. The current year is 2525. 
  D. The Warden is 50 miles in length, with a width of 25 
  miles, a height of 8.5 miles, and 17 levels. 
  E. The Warden left the Sol system with 1.5 million 
  colonists and 50,000 crew members. (This may be 
  the most shocking of all to the characters; they have 
  lived all their lives without seeing more than 200 
  people.) 
  F. The party’s current level aboard the Warden is Level 
  11, Habitat Level 2. (Hayseed is not programmed 
  with a full diagram of the ship so he cannot provide 
  information concerning any other level.) 
  G. A disaster of unknown origin struck the Warden in 
  2319. 
  H. Although the ship’s basic data stores can be 
  accessed from the proper computer terminals, 
  communication with the ship’s artificial intelligence 
  has been severed on this level for some reason 
  unknown to Hayseed. 
  I. 
  Hayseed was placed in emergency control of the 
  environmental control center by order of Level 
  Officer, Lt. Mike Donnigan, in 2319 before he and 
  other personnel left the complex to determine the 
  ship and crew status. 
  Hayseed has been programmed for habitat control as 
  well as diagnostic and repair procedures for himself and 
  environmental control equipment. Although able to 
  communicate with any crewmen or colonists onboard 
  Warden, his programming only requires him to follow 
  orders given by a crewman wearing a command, 
  engineering, or horticulture band. Additionally, he cannot 
  allow a human’s life to be endangered through his 
  actions or inaction. 
  Hayseed’s programming has not adjusted to the new 
  inhabitants of Warden so his reaction to the party follows 
  the pattern described under MUTANT-COMPUTER 
  INTERACTION in the APPENDICES. In the case of 
  mutant animals, Hayseed considers them to be wild 
  animals of the habitat or pets of human(s). Although he 
  may hear questions or comments spoken by the mutant 
  animal, he will address any responses to the human who 
  he believes is responsible for the animal. For example, 
  suppose Spot, the mutant dog, asks Hayseed the 
  current time. Hayseed would respond by asking Rick, 
  the human he believes responsible for the animal, to 
  inform his pet that the time is 2:36 PM. If no humans are 
  present, Hayseed will not respond, although he may take 
  requested actions (such as if Spot asked him to please 
  move 5 feet to his left). 
  As a Habitat Control Droid, Hayseed is equipped with 
  the following: 
  A. Humanoid body type with two arms and legs. 
  B. Broadcast power cells (currently damaged) enabling 
  Hayseed to draw energy from the ship’s hull or other 
  broadcast power generators. 
  C. A power cell, providing Hayseed with power for 12 
  hours of continuous operation if no broadcast power 
  is available. (Ten hours have already been used.) 
  D. Coupled lenses effective as magnifiers with a 50 
  power range in the microscopic and telescopic 
  fields. 
  E. Upper and lower light spectrum receivers, able to 
  view into the infrared and ultra-violet ranges. 
  F. Variable programming circuits with verbal 
  programming adapters for changeable programs. 
  G. Audio and radio transmitters and pickups effective 
  for up to 60 kilometers (37 miles). 
  Although not equipped for combat, Hayseed will assist 
  the party in combat when able. Note that like all other 
  properly functioning robots on Warden, Hayseed will 
  never kill any type of life, but may attempt to subdue an 
  aggressive life form. 
  Hayseed: AC 2; MV 6 (12); HD 20; hp 47 (normal 80); 
  AT punch (WC 1, DMG 1d2 subdual) or weapon; CN 
  n/a; CR n/a; DX 10; MR n/a; LP n/a; RR n/a; ST 12. 
  THE CONTROL CENTER 
  The environmental control center is located near the 
  river, approximately one hour of travel away from where 
  Hayseed is rescued. (Therefore, Hayseed is left with 
  only one hour of power after traveling here with the 
  party). The center is buried under a small hill in order to 
  cause the least amount of disturbance to the habitat’s 
  environment. The center consists of four levels. The first 
  level, or main level, is at ground level for the habitat and 
  provides the main entrances to the center as well as the 
  main core of the center’s functionality. The second level 
  comprises the living quarters for the crewmen stationed 
  at the center. The third level contains several horticulture 
  
   
  Page 6 of 18 
  labs and the fourth level provides access to the habitat 
  level’s transportation sub-system. There are three 
  outside entrances to the complex. They are designed to 
  blend into their surroundings and are known to Hayseed. 
  Two allow access to the main level while a third is an 
  auxiliary emergency entrance which leads to the second 
  level. 
  The wolfoids gained access to the center through the 
  main entrance. Hayseed will recommend the party 
  attempt to enter the center through the auxiliary entrance 
  since it opens into the second level of the complex which 
  the wolfoids may not yet have explored. Additionally, it 
  provides a route to the robot repair bay and veterinary 
  clinic that does not pass the main control center, where 
  presumably the wolfoids are located. Despite his 
  suggestions, tactics are beyond Hayseed’s programming 
  so he is willing to follow any other plan the party may 
  devise. (However, it is recommended that the referee 
  subtly direct the party toward the auxiliary entrance since 
  that is the more interesting route.) 
  Unless otherwise specified, the ceiling within the control 
  center is 8 feet high, with doorways being 7 feet in 
  height. Circular lights embedded within the ceiling 
  illuminate the center. Lighting within a room can be 
  controlled by voice commands addressed to the 
  computer (i.e., “computer, light on”, “computer, light off”, 
  or “computer, reduce light by 50%”). The corridor lights 
  are not controlled by voice commands; instead, the lights 
  turn on and off as individuals move through the corridor. 
  Except where noted, doors are controlled via motion 
  sensors and open/close based on the proximity of 
  individuals. Locked doors are AC 5 with 200 hit points. 
  In the complex, Hayseed will not allow the party to 
  pillage and loot their way along… he is responsible for 
  the equipment in the center and it may only be used by 
  authorized personnel. He may “loan” a discovered item 
  to a character if the item is needed to remove the 
  wolfoids from the complex, but will expect its return after 
  the wolfoids have been defeated. Additionally, without a 
  convincing argument, Hayseed will not allow the party to 
  break down any locked doors to restricted areas. 
  MAIN LEVEL 
  The main level of the environmental control center 
  provides the main entrances to the center as well as 
  containing the main control center, the garage and 
  maintenance bay, and the veterinary clinic. The invading 
  wolfoids have spent much of their time attempting to 
  learn the controls of the environmental control center 
  and have explored every little – believing they have 
  plenty of time to learn the complex’s secrets. 
  1. OUTSIDE ENTRANCES. 
  There are two entrances to the main level of the 
  environmental control center. They are concealed within 
  shallow caves and surrounded by vegetation. Although a 
  road once lead to the large garage entrance, it has long 
  been obliterated by forest growth. 
  Beside each entrance is a 3 x 8 inch rectangular bright 
  green screen used to scan access control bands. A 
  horticulture, security, command, or engineering band will 
  open the doors. Additionally, a fine black mesh rectangle 
  (speaker) and green button are located next to the 
  scanner screen. Pressing the button causes a loud beep 
  to be heard over select internal complex speakers, 
  followed by either “main entrance” or “garage entrance” 
  in a woman’s voice. This announcement cannot be 
  heard outside and will only be heard in the CONTROL 
  CENTER (3) and SECURITY OFFICE (4) on the MAIN 
  LEVEL, and the AUXILIARY CONTROL CENTER (M) 
  on LEVEL 2. These rooms all have computer terminals 
  that allow communication via the speaker (and hidden 
  microphone) to the outside. A hidden camera also allows 
  the operator to see the person outside. The outside 
  person’s comments can only be heard by the operator if 
  the visitor presses the button while speaking. 
  One of the doors of the main entrance has been cut 
  away by the wolfoid alpha male’s vibro blade. The two 
  wolfoids in the FOYER (2) are keeping a watch through 
  this opening and will notice anyone approaching. 
  2. FOYER. 
  Currently, two wolfoids stand guard in this small foyer. 
  They are armed with light bows (with quivers containing 
  10 arrows each) and axes and wear plant fiber clothing 
  and armor. 
  Wolfoids (2): AC 5; MV 6 (12); HD 4; hp 16 each; AT ax 
  (WC 3, DMG 1d6/1d6/1d8) or bite (WC 1, DMG 1d4) 
  or light bow (WC 1, DMG 1d6) or radiated eyes (WC 6, 
  I10); physical reflection (all); regeneration (5 hp per 
  round); no sensory nerve endings (D); CN 10; CR n/a; 
  DX 12; MR 11; LP n/a; RR 10; ST 12. 
  If the party approaches the entrance from the outside, 
  they will be noticed, and one of the wolfoids will race to 
  the CONTROL CENTER (3) for reinforcements. He, 
  along with the rest of the wolfoids, will return in 3 turns. 
  The remaining wolfoid will watch the party and if they 
  continue to approach the entrance, he will spring from 
  cover and fire his bow when they are 25 feet away 
  (counting on surprising the party).  On his next turn, he 
  will use his radiated eyes mutation before scurrying back 
  behind the cover of the remaining door. He will then 
  switch to his axe and attempt to hold the characters at 
  the entrance until help arrives. If he is reduced to 4 hit 
  points, he will attempt to flee to his pack mates inside 
  
   
  Page 7 of 18 
  the complex. (Probably a bit late for fleeing, but it is at 
  this point that he understands how badly he has been 
  wounded; remember his no sensory nerve endings 
  defect.) 
  If the party encounters the wolfoid guards when exiting 
  the complex, the guards will be surprised and attempt to 
  flee at the first opportunity (they assume that their pack 
  mates have been killed by the characters). 
  There is little of interest in the foyer other than the words 
  painted above the doors to the interior of the complex. 
  They read: 
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL CENTER 
  Authorized personnel only. 
  3. CONTROL CENTER. 
  This large circular room serves as the heart of the 
  environmental control center. All along the walls are 
  computer equipment, monitors, and access terminals. 
  Additionally, large monitors hang from the ceiling in the 
  center of the room displaying the current environmental 
  status of the level. The computer systems in this room 
  control the environment for the whole level and are the 
  source of Habitat’s problem. Additionally, one of the 
  work stations will allow communication with visitors at 
  the entrances [see OUTSIDE ENTRANCES (1)]. 
  The wolfoid pack have taken this room as their lair. 
  There are one wolfoid per party member (excluding 
  Hayseed) and the alpha male in this room. If the pack 
  has not been summoned by the guards in the FOYER 
  (2), the wolfoid alpha male is currently working on one of 
  the terminals while arguing with one of his pack mates 
  over the correct settings. The other pack members in the 
  room are simply lying around watching their leader 
  experiment. The pack may be surprised by the 
  character’s entrance on a result of 1-2 on 1d6. 
  The wolfoid alpha male is armed with a vibro blade 
  which he used to gain access to the complex [see 
  OUTSIDE ENTRANCES (1)]. Its hydrogen energy cell 
  only has enough power remaining for 5 minutes of use 
  (30 combat turns). Like his pack mates, he is wearing 
  woven plant fiber armor, but is also equipped with a light 
  wicker shield. The rest of the pack is armed with axes. 
  Wolfoid, Alpha Male: AC 4; MV 6 (12); HD 4; hp 22; AT 
  bite (WC 1, DMG 1d4) or vibro blade (WC 9, DMG 
  12/10/12) or radiated eyes (WC 6, I10); physical 
  reflection (all); regeneration (5 hp per round); no 
  sensory nerve endings (D); CN 12; CR n/a; DX 13; MR 
  13; LP n/a; RR 11; ST 13. 
  Wolfoids (1/PC): AC 5; MV 6 (12); HD 4; hp 16 each; 
  AT ax (WC 3, DMG 1d6/1d6/1d8) or bite (WC 1, DMG 
  1d4) or radiated eyes (WC 6, I10); physical reflection 
  (all); regeneration (5 hp per round); no sensory nerve 
  endings (D); CN 10; CR n/a; DX 12; MR 11; LP n/a; 
  RR 10; ST 12. 
  The wolfoid pack will attempt to flee outside if the 
  number of wolfoids still alive is equal to half the number 
  of party members still alive. 
  If during combat a wolfoid is hit with an energy attack, 
  the referee may want to have the energy reflected by his 
  physical reflection mutation hit a control panel and cause 
  a minor explosion and shower of sparks. Later, the party 
  can learn that the panel was an auxiliary control or some 
  other system not required to control the level’s 
  environment, but it should let the referee worry the 
  players and have some fun. 
  Defeating the wolfoid pack essentially ends this 
  adventure for the party. They may need to check other 
  areas for wolfoids as part of a “clean-up” operation, but 
  basically, they have won the day. Consult the 
  CONCLUSION for more information. 
  4. SECURITY OFFICE. 
  The door to this office has been cut open by the wolfoid 
  alpha male’s vibro blade. There are letters written in 
  black on the door and by examining the pieces, the party 
  can determine that it once read SECURITY. This small 
  office contains a desk holding a computer console and 
  terminal, an office chair, and a case with a one foot inset 
  on the top containing several weapons (most 
  unrecognizable to the party members). If a party 
  member reaches for a weapon, it will become 
  immediately apparent that they are protected by a force 
  field (which explains why the wolfoids were unable to 
  take them). The field will only be disengaged if a person 
  is wearing a command or security access control band. 
  The weapons include the following: 
  • 
  a paralysis rod (black rod 3 feet in length with 
  insulated handle at one end and a 1-foot 
  electrode at the other), 
  • 
  a paralysis dart projector (metallic blue color and 
  with the basic shape of a pistol although 
  somewhat larger due to bolt-action feed), 
  • 
  10 paralysis darts, 
  • 
  2 portable hand dart chargers (metallic blue 
  boxes with buttons and display screen), 
  • 
  a third stage slug projector (recognizable to 
  party as duplicate of one given to them by 
  village), 
  • 
  a spare clip for third stage slug projector, 
  • 
  a third stage gas ejector (metallic green color 
  with the basic shape of a pistol with a clip 
  forward of trigger), and 
  
   
  Page 8 of 18 
  • 
  a spare clip for third stage gas ejector. 
  It is not intended for the party to bypass the force field 
  and gain access to the weapons. They are included in 
  this adventure merely to taunt them. 
  The computer console may only be accessed with a 
  command or security control band. Hidden speakers and 
  a microphone within the computer may be used to 
  communicate with a visitor at one of the entrances [see 
  OUTSIDE ENTRANCES (1)]. 
  The desk has two drawers, neither of which is locked. 
  One drawer contains a Perma-Pen and a brittle notepad 
  with several pages ripped from the top. Although so 
  brittle with age that it is unusable, the notepad does 
  have some interesting writing on the top-most page. The 
  page has doodles of a man in a suit holding flowers, a 
  cube, and a scratched-out drawing as well as a note 
  reading “19:00 – dinner with Kathy” and a series of 
  numbers in the lower-left corner, “735282.” A Perma-Pen 
  is the future version of our modern pen; however, 
  instead of using ink, the pen is actually a small laser that 
  can burn writing onto paper, plastic, wood, or fabric. It 
  has safety features that prevent the pen from writing on 
  any other material or heating the material enough to 
  cause a fire. The other desk drawer contains an 
  unopened bag of Wonder Cheesits. The bag proclaims 
  Wonder Cheesits to have a bang of cheese flavor with 
  every bite. The treats in the bag are long past their shelf 
  live. They are now green, hard blobs. If eaten, they taste 
  horrible without any bang of cheese flavor at all and act 
  as strength 8 poison. 
  5. ELEVATOR. 
  This elevator is very similar to a modern elevator. The 
  number pad lists the 4 different levels of the complex. 
  Next to the elevator number/door control is an access 
  control band reader pad (3 by 8 inch white rectangle). 
  Level 3 contains the horticulture labs and requires a 
  command, security, engineering, or horticulture control 
  band to access. Level 4 provides access to this level’s 
  transport sub-system. Unfortunately, it has been locked 
  down and requires a command control band to access. 
  An agreeable “ding” will sound if a party member selects 
  levels 1 or 2 from the control pad and the elevator will 
  travel to the appropriate level. If level 3 is selected from 
  the control pad, the band reader will change color to light 
  green. If the appropriate access control band is not 
  scanned by the reader within 30 seconds, a negative 
  “buzz” will be heard, the reader will change color back to 
  white, and the elevator will not move. Of course, 
  scanning the appropriate band will sound the previously-
  mentioned “ding” and the elevator will travel to level 3. 
  Selecting level 4 has the same effect has selecting level 
  3 except that the reader’s color changes to blue and red 
  instead of light green. 
  6. CONFERENCE ROOM. 
  This room is dominated by a large table surrounding by 
  comfortable chairs. 
  7. WOMEN’S RESTROOM. 
  This room is the women’s restroom. It has the same 
  basic functionality of a modern restroom/lavatory. The 
  door to the restroom has the universal depiction of a 
  woman’s silhouette (which may not be recognized by the 
  party). The purpose of this room may be quite a puzzle 
  for the party since none of the characters have ever 
  seen or heard of a restroom. They could potentially 
  mistake the restroom stalls as refreshment areas (for 
  drink or washing) or even strange cooking areas (using 
  the toilets as pots). 
  8. MEN’S RESTROOM. 
  This room is the men’s restroom. It has the same basic 
  functionality of a modern restroom/lavatory. The door to 
  the restroom has the universal depiction of a man’s 
  silhouette. The purpose of this room may be quite a 
  puzzle for the party since none of the characters have 
  ever seen or heard of a restroom. They could potentially 
  mistake the restroom stalls as refreshment areas (for 
  drink or washing) or even strange cooking areas (using 
  the toilets as pots). 
  9. STAIRWELL. 
  The door to the stairs is clearly marked STAIRS. From 
  this level, they lead down to the lower three levels. Note 
  that the doors to level 3 and 4 are locked. Access to 
  level 3 is only granted to individuals with command, 
  security, engineering, or horticulture control bands. A 3 x 
  8 inch light green rectangular scanner next to the door 
  on level 3 enforces this restriction. Due to a current lock-
  down state, access to level 4 is only granted to 
  individuals with command control bands. A 3 x 8 inch red 
  and blue rectangular scanner next to the door on level 4 
  enforces this restriction. 
  10. VETERINARY CLINIC. 
  This area of the complex served as a veterinary clinic for 
  injured animals of the habitat. 
  11. EXAMINATION ROOM. 
  Each of these rooms served as examination rooms for 
  animals requiring treatment. The smaller rooms were 
  intended for the wolves and smaller-sized animals of the 
  habitat while the larger room could be used to treat 
  horse-size patients. 
  The small rooms are dominated by large examination 
  tables. Generally, examination supplies were kept on 
  
   
  Page 9 of 18 
  carts and wheeled into these rooms when needed so 
  there are no other items to be found here. 
  The large room contains a metal cabinet that has been 
  broken open. The contents of the cabinet’s upper 
  shelves (basic medical supplies such as bandages, 
  blankets, antiseptics, syringes, and medications not 
  requiring refrigeration) are strewn across the floor. The 
  lower portion of the cabinet contains two small metal 
  carts (used in other examination rooms when needed). 
  12. EXAMINATION ROOM. 
  This examination room is a duplicate of its brother [see 
  EXAMINATION ROOM (11)] with one rather large 
  exception. A wolfoid is lying on the floor next to the 
  cabinet amid several empty and partially-empty medicine 
  bottles. He broke into the medical cabinets in the clinic 
  and began to take medications randomly, causing him to 
  behave in an unpredictable fashion. Currently, he is 
  merely lying in the floor shivering, occasionally 
  whimpering, and staring at the ceiling. However, if the 
  player characters attempt to interact with him, his 
  condition will change every 6 turns (i.e., 1 minute) based 
  on a 1d6 roll and the following table: 
  d6 Result 
  Wolfoid Action 
   
   
   
   
  1 
  Enter a berserk state where he foams at 
  the mouth, temporarily receives a +2 bonus 
  to attack rolls and a -2 penalty to AC, and 
  attacks the closest person 
  2 
  Stare in a daze at the ceiling lights 
  3 
  Run away while yelping 
  4 
  Become fascinated with the feel of objects 
  and people 
  5 
  Act normally 
  6 
  Chase tail 
  If able to act normally, the wolfoid (called Ruff) will not 
  be aggressive since he realizes he is out-numbered by 
  the party. Instead, he will attempt to communicate with 
  the characters in the hopes of slipping away and alerting 
  his pack in the CONTROL CENTER (3) at the first 
  opportunity. Although loyal to his pack, he may 
  inadvertently let slip information about them to the 
  characters if they are clever. Additionally, if convinced 
  that his pack has been defeated and/or driven away, he 
  may attempt to join the characters’ “pack.” If allowed to 
  join, he will be a loyal party member, although he may 
  challenge for pack leadership if he perceives the current 
  leader as weak. 
  The drugs in the wolfoid’s system will wear out in roughly 
  10 minutes, after which time, he will fall into a deep 
  sleep for one hour. 
  The wolfoid is armed with a sword and wears plant fiber 
  armor. 
  Wolfoid: AC 5; MV 6 (12); HD 4; hp 16; AT bite (WC 1, 
  DMG 1d4) or sword (WC 3, DMG 1d6/1d4/1d8) or 
  radiated eyes (WC 6, I10); physical reflection (all); 
  regeneration (5 hp per round); no sensory nerve 
  endings (D); CN 10; CR n/a; DX 12; MR 9; LP n/a; RR 
  10; ST 12. 
  13. STORAGE ROOM. 
  This room contains two large refrigerated cabinets and a 
  de-activated medical robot. The cabinets have been 
  broken into and cold air blows out of them into the room. 
  Syringes, medicine bottle, bandages, cotton swabs, and 
  other medical supplies lie scattered throughout the room. 
  The medical robot will activate if anyone touches it and 
  orders it to activate. (Hayseed knows this information.) 
  The robot’s primary programming is focused on 
  veterinary medicine, but it can treat any wounds party 
  members may have received. For every 10 minutes 
  spent treating wounds, the robot heals 3d6 points of 
  damage. Note that the maximum amount of treatment 
  time that is beneficial to an individual is 30 minutes. 
  Additionally, the available medical supplies are entirely 
  used up after the robot has healed 60 dice of damage. 
  At that point, the medical robot is still able to heal 1d6 
  points of damage per visit using basic medical principles, 
  but cannot heal any more damage without more 
  supplies. 
  The veterinary robot is not programmed with a 
  personality so it will not interact with the party on any 
  kind of personal level. It’s interaction with mutant party 
  members is very similar to Hayseed’s interaction as 
  described in THE METAL MAN. 
  14. FREIGHT ELEVATOR. 
  This elevator is intended to transport bulky equipment 
  that cannot fit in the standard ELEVATOR (5). It has the 
  same functionality. 
  15. GARAGE. 
  This large room is the maintenance garage for the 
  complex. There were several different vehicles stored 
  here at one point, but they have all been taken for 
  various reasons and never returned. Two large cabinets 
  have been broken open and their contents are currently 
  being examined by 2 wolfoids. 
  The wolfoids are armed with axes and wear plant fiber 
  armor. They are not expecting trouble and focusing on 
  their new toys so they are automatically surprised by the 
  party. 
  
   
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  Wolfoids (2): AC 5; MV 6 (12); HD 4; hp 16 each; AT 
  bite (WC 1, DMG 1d4) or ax (WC 3, DMG 
  1d6/1d6/1d8) or radiated eyes (WC 6, I10); physical 
  reflection (all); regeneration (5 hp per round); no 
  sensory nerve endings (D); CN 10; CR n/a; DX 12; MR 
  11; LP n/a; RR 10; ST 12. 
  The cabinets contained spare parts, various tools, and a 
  hydrogen energy converter! Of course, Hayseed will not 
  allow the party to take any of these artifacts out of the 
  complex. 
  16. ROBOT REPAIR BAY. 
  This room contains all the equipment necessary to 
  diagnose and repair most robotic problems. A slightly-
  raised dais on the floor may be used to perform a full 
  system scan of a robot. Additionally, the room contains a 
  computer console and desk and two large storage 
  cabinets. The storage cabinets contain repair tools as 
  well as robotic spare parts. Using this facility and the 
  characters’ assistance, Hayseed can repair all damage 
  he has suffered within 30 minutes. 
  17. EMERGENCY SHOWER. 
  This room contains an emergency shower and a large 
  cabinet. The shower could be used if an individual was 
  exposed to hazardous material. The cabinet is not 
  locked and contains some very basic solutions for 
  treating chemical exposure and protective clothing. 
  LEVEL 2 – LIVING QUARTERS 
  The second level of the environmental control center 
  consists of the living quarters for crewmen stationed at 
  the complex as well as the auxiliary control center. The 
  wolfoids have only performed a cursory examination of 
  this level and have not returned since. 
  A. ACCESS TUNNEL ENTRANCE. 
  The entrance to the complex’s access tunnel for level 2 
  is located in an alcove behind a waterfall on the Ranger 
  River. A metal gate once blocked access to the tunnel 
  leading to the complex but it was apparently left open 
  long ago and has rusted in place. A careful examination 
  of the gate will reveal tufts of black hair or fur clinging to 
  protrusions on the gate… hair apparently left by a 
  passing animal. Additionally, a musky animal odor can 
  be detected wafting from the tunnel. 
  B. ACCESS TUNNEL. 
  This tunnel leads from/to the auxiliary entrance for the 
  environmental control center. A piercer has made his 
  home in the first half of the tunnel and does not like 
  visitors. He will attack anyone who comes around the 
  tunnel curve and will pursue them to the tunnel entrance 
  if the intruder attempts to flee. 
  Piercer: AC 5; DX 15; MV 4 (8); HD 8; hp 24; AT bite 
  (WC 2, DMG 1d6) and claw (WC 3, DMG 1d4 + 1d6 
  quills) and claw (WC 3, DMG 1d4 + 1d6 quills) or sonic 
  fear blast (MR 14); chameleon power; quills; 
  regeneration (3 hp per round); CN 17; CR n/a; DX 15; 
  MR 10; LP n/a; RR 16; ST 16. 
  His first attack will be his sonic fear blast. He is weak 
  from hunger and actually does not want a confrontation 
  with the party, but instead is attempting to drive them 
  away from his lair. His chameleon power has already 
  been activated and calculated into his AC. If reduced to 
  12 hit points or less, he will attempt to flee away from the 
  party. If forced to flee down the access tunnel, he will 
  stop before reaching the glow mold at the AUXILIARY 
  ENTRANCE (C), at which point he will be cornered and 
  will fight to the death. 
  C. AUXILIARY ENTRANCE. 
  This is the auxiliary entrance to the environmental 
  control center. The floor and lower walls of the access 
  tunnel before the door are covered with glow mold (see 
  below). Lying atop the mold is a human skeleton, all that 
  remains of a Warden crew member and the first victim of 
  the glow mold. The auxiliary door is locked but may be 
  opened by presenting a horticulture, security, command, 
  or engineering access control band to the 3 x 8 inch 
  rectangular light green scanner located next to the door. 
  Glow mold appears as a light-brown mold that begins to 
  glow green it detects the heat of living creatures within a 
  yard of it. The green glow is actually intensity 8 radiation. 
  This radiation will be present as long as a living creature 
  remains within a yard of the moss. 
  The skeleton is wearing a Warden nylon jumpsuit as well 
  as a horticulture (light green) access control bracelet. 
  Unfortunately, the radiation from the glow moss has 
  altered the radiation signature of the bracelet and 
  rendered it useless. The decomposition of the body has 
  effectively ruined the jumpsuit as well, although if 
  examined carefully, a name tag is still readable. It reads, 
  “Simpson, Kathy.” Lying next to the skeleton is a light 
  stick (see NEW ITEMS in the APPENDICES). The power 
  cell for the light stick has been completely drained. 
  When the party reaches the door, Hayseed will ask the 
  party to wait for a few minutes. He then enters the 
  complex, returning approximately 10 minutes later with 
  guest badges for all the party members. [At this point, 
  Hayseed should have approximately 50 minutes of 
  power remaining, and 30 minutes of that must be used 
  to repair himself at the ROBOT REPAIR BAY (16), so 
  the party only has 20 minutes to reach the repair bay.] 
  As he hands the guest badges out to the characters, he 
  
   
  Page 11 of 18 
  instructs them to wear the badges at all times within the 
  complex and informs them that the badges are only valid 
  for four hours. Once the four hours have expired, he 
  must either create new guest badges at the AUXILIARY 
  CONTROL CENTER (M) or the CONTROL CENTER (3) 
  on the MAIN LEVEL, or escort them out of the complex. 
  D. BARRACKS. 
  This room served as the barracks for all crewmen 
  stationed at the complex. The doors are locked and may 
  only be opened by the access control bracelets worn by 
  the crewmen assigned to this barracks or by a 
  command, security, or engineering control band. The 
  footlocker in front of each bed contains personal items of 
  the crewman assigned to the bed. 
  E. LAUNDRY ROOM. 
  This is the laundry room. Futuristic washers and dryers 
  as well as a few chairs can be found in this room. 
  Although the characters have never seen a laundry 
  facility, it should not be too difficult for them to determine 
  the basic functionality of the washers and dryers since 
  many of the machine labels include words such as wash 
  cycle, dry cycle, light wash, heavy wash, drying time, 
  etc. 
  F. GYM. 
  This is the complex’s gym. It contains various weight-
  lifting equipment as well as tread-mills and exercise 
  bikes. 
  G. LOCKER ROOM/SHOWERS. 
  This room contains several rows of lockers as well as 
  two benches and three shower stalls. All of the lockers 
  have been opened and are empty. 
  H. ELEVATOR. 
  This elevator is very similar to a modern elevator. The 
  number pad lists the 4 different levels of the complex. 
  Next to the elevator number/door control is an access 
  control band reader pad (3 by 8 inch white rectangle). 
  Level 3 contains the horticulture labs and requires a 
  command, security, engineering, or horticulture control 
  band to access. Level 4 provides access to this level’s 
  transport sub-system. Unfortunately, it has been locked 
  down and requires a command control band to access. 
  An agreeable “ding” will sound if a party member selects 
  levels 1 or 2 from the control pad and the elevator will 
  travel to the appropriate level. If level 3 is selected from 
  the control pad, the band reader will change color to light 
  green. If the appropriate access control band is not 
  scanned by the reader within 30 seconds, a negative 
  “buzz” will be heard, the reader will change color back to 
  white, and the elevator will not move. Of course, 
  scanning the appropriate band will sound the previously-
  mentioned “ding” and the elevator will travel to level 3. 
  Selecting level 4 has the same effect has selecting level 
  3 except that the reader’s color changes to blue and red 
  instead of light green. 
  I. 
  KITCHEN/DINING HALL. 
  This room is a combination kitchen and dining area. The 
  cabinets in this room have been opened and the pots 
  and pans that they once contained have been strewn 
  about the floor. Several different types of food items, 
  some opened, can be found here, including a variety of 
  Soylent Green packaged meals, Vita-Aid nutritional 
  drinks, Deli-Meal sandwich packs, and even Serre 
  Chaude-brand red and white wines. The food and drink 
  are well past their expiration dates and act as strength 
  10 poison if ingested. 
  J. WOMEN’S RESTROOM. 
  This room is the women’s restroom. It has the same 
  basic functionality of a modern restroom/lavatory. The 
  door to the restroom has the universal depiction of a 
  woman’s silhouette (which may not be recognized by the 
  party). The purpose of this room may be quite a puzzle 
  for the party since none of the characters have ever 
  seen or heard of a restroom. They could potentially 
  mistake the restroom stalls as refreshment areas (for 
  drink or washing) or even strange cooking areas (using 
  the toilets as pots). 
  K. MEN’S RESTROOM. 
  This room is the men’s restroom. It has the same basic 
  functionality of a modern restroom/lavatory. The door to 
  the restroom has the universal depiction of a man’s 
  silhouette. The purpose of this room may be quite a 
  puzzle for the party since none of the characters have 
  ever seen or heard of a restroom. They could potentially 
  mistake the restroom stalls as refreshment areas (for 
  drink or washing) or even strange cooking areas (using 
  the toilets as pots). 
  L. STAIRWELL. 
  The door to the stairs is clearly marked STAIRS. From 
  this level, they lead down to the lower two levels or up to 
  the MAIN LEVEL. Note that the doors to level 3 and 4 
  are locked. Access to level 3 is only granted to 
  individuals with command, security, engineering, or 
  horticulture control bands. A 3 x 8 inch light green 
  rectangular scanner next to the door on level 3 enforces 
  this restriction. Due to a current lock-down state, access 
  to level 4 is only granted to individuals with command 
  control bands. A 3 x 8 inch red and blue rectangular 
  scanner next to the door on level 4 enforces this 
  restriction. 
  
   
  Page 12 of 18 
  M. AUXILIARY CONTROL CENTER. 
  The auxiliary control center is clearly marked as such on 
  the door. The computer terminals in this room allow 
  access to the main functionality of the environmental 
  control center, although several sub-systems cannot be 
  configured from this room. The environment for the 
  habitat could be properly maintained/controlled for up to 
  a full day from this room if necessary. 
  N. FREIGHT ELEVATOR. 
  This elevator is intended to transport bulky equipment 
  that cannot fit in the standard ELEVATOR (H). It has the 
  same functionality. 
  CONCLUSION 
  After the party has defeated all of the wolfoids in the 
  complex, Hayseed will once again control the 
  environment on this level and within a few hours, the 
  level will be experiencing “normal” weather. Although 
  Hayseed cannot allow the characters to stay at the 
  complex, he and this facility can be a valuable resource 
  for the party in later adventures. He may allow them 
  access to the medical facilities in times of emergency 
  and he will also be willing to recharge power cells for the 
  party using the tools in the garage. Additionally, 
  Hayseed has access to the horticulture labs on level 3 
  and is willing to provide the characters’ village with 
  enough fruits and vegetables to replace what was lost to 
  the cold. 
  The party will return to the village as heroes with a 
  remarkable new story to tell and a valuable new friend.
  
   
  Page 13 of 18 
  APPENDICES 
  A. WOLFOIDS 
  As an option to your game and in order to differentiate 
  wolfoids from any other mutated beasts found on board 
  Warden, you may want to emphasize the pack instincts 
  of their wolf ancestors. For example, when two or more 
  wolfoids attack a single opponent in melee, describe 
  how well each wolfoid synchronizes his attack with his 
  pack mate and jumps to an endangered mate’s defense, 
  granting the wolfoids a +1 bonus to attack rolls as well 
  as to their AC for each wolfoid past the first to a 
  maximum bonus of +3.. Additionally, when attacking or 
  fleeing combat, wolfoids should do so as a group, 
  following their alpha male. (Essentially, if a party can 
  force an alpha male to flee, the rest of the pack will likely 
  follow.) 
  Although intelligent and loyal to their pack mates, 
  wolfoids tend to be very savage. They think very little of 
  punching, clawing, or even biting at times to show 
  dominance, and due to their no sensory nerve endings 
  defect, they have little empathy for the physical pain of 
  others. They simply do not have a point of reference for 
  physical pain. Wolfoids believe that their inability to feel 
  pain is a strength of their race and shows their natural 
  dominance over other life forms. 
  B. CRITICALS 
  Another optional component for a game is to add critical 
  successes and failures in combat for the artifacts on 
  board Warden. After all, these items are incredibly old 
  and it seems reasonable for them to occasionally 
  malfunction. It is also reasonable to assume that these 
  items are so well-designed that they may occasionally 
  out-perform themselves.  
  When using one of the weapons listed in the following 
  table, a critical success occurs when the highest 
  possible value is obtained on the attack roll. A critical 
  failure occurs when the result is the lowest possible 
  value. Each item lists its own success/failure effect. 
   
   
  ARTIFACT 
  CRITICAL 
  SUCCESS 
  CRITICAL 
  FAILURE 
  CRITICAL SUCCESS EFFECT 
  CRITICAL FAILURE EFFECT 
  Gas Ejector 
  18 
  3 
  The impact of the dart causes the 
  victim to reflexively inhale deeply, 
  adding 1d6 hours to the duration of the 
  tranquilizer. 
  A defective dart becomes jammed 
  within the ejector and breaks the 
  tranquilizer containment, causing the 
  user to be affected as if he had been hit 
  by the dart. Additionally, it requires one 
  combat turn to remove the defective 
  dart and allow the ejector to fire again. 
  Laser Pistol 
  20 
  1 
  If the victim is not wearing body armor 
  or if his armor has already been hit, 
  then the beam kills him. If the victim is 
  wearing body armor that does not 
  cover his entire body, the beam luckily 
  hits exposed flesh and causes 15d6 
  points of damage. If the victim is 
  wearing body armor that covers his 
  entire body, the beam hits a 
  particularly sensitive and weak area, 
  causing 8d6 points of damage and 
  reducing the available protection from 
  laser strikes by 2. For example, a 
  victim wearing heavy body armor that 
  hasn’t been struck by a laser beam 
  previously will receive 8d6 points of 
  damage from this strike and his armor 
  will only be able to take one more hit 
  before allowing the wearer to receive 
  third degree burns from a laser strike. 
  A microscopic fracture of the focus lens 
  causes the pistol’s energy to reflect 
  back to the energy cell, resulting in 
  deadly feedback. The pistol begins to 
  emit a high pitched whine and will 
  explode in 1d4-1 combat rounds (a 0 
  result means it immediately explodes). 
  The explosion causes 5d6 points of 
  damage to anyone within 5 feet. 
  Paralysis 
  Dart Projector 
  20 
  1 
  The dart strikes extremely close to the 
  victim’s nerve center, adding 1d6 
  hours to the normal duration. 
  A malformed dart breaks the firing pin 
  of the projector, rendering it useless 
  until it can be repaired. 
   
  
   
  Page 14 of 18 
  ARTIFACT 
  CRITICAL 
  SUCCESS 
  CRITICAL 
  FAILURE 
  CRITICAL SUCCESS EFFECT 
  CRITICAL FAILURE EFFECT 
  Paralysis Rod 
  20 
  1 
  The rod strikes and discharges 
  extremely close to the victim’s nerve 
  center, adding 1d6 hours to the normal 
  duration. 
  A malfunction in the charge control 
  completely drains the rod’s power cell. 
  Protein 
  Disruptor 
  18 
  3 
  The victim is killed. Additionally, all 
  previous shots by the disruptor have 
  unknowingly been draining only a 
  percentage of what they normally 
  drain. Therefore, the disruptor has 
  enough energy for one shot more than 
  expected. 
  A microscopic fracture of the focus lens 
  causes the disruptor’s energy to reflect 
  back to the energy cell, resulting in a 
  deadly explosion. The explosion causes 
  10d6 points of damage to anyone within 
  5 feet. 
  Slug 
  Projector 
  20 
  1 
  The pellet strikes a particularly 
  sensitive area and causes 1d6 points 
  of additional subdual damage. 
  The pellet jams in the projector. It 
  requires a full action to clear the barrel 
  and prepare the projector to fire again. 
  Sonic Metal 
  Disruptor 
  18 
  3 
  The metal completely shatters. 
  Additionally, all previous shots by the 
  disruptor have unknowingly been 
  draining only a percentage of what 
  they normally drain. Therefore, the 
  disruptor has enough energy for one 
  shot more than expected. 
  A microscopic fracture of the focus lens 
  causes the disruptor’s energy to reflect 
  back to the energy cell, resulting in a 
  deadly explosion. The explosion causes 
  10d6 points of damage to anyone within 
  5 feet. 
  Vibro Blade 
  20 
  1 
  The blade causes double the normal 
  amount of damage. 
  A minor power surge causes the device 
  to momentarily shut down for 10 
  seconds (one combat turn). 
  Vibro Saw 
  20 
  1 
  The saw causes double the normal 
  amount of damage and severs an 
  appendage. For humanoid opponents, 
  roll 1d10 to determine which limb is 
  severed: 1) head, 2-3) right arm, 4-5) 
  left arm, 6-7) right leg, 8-9) left leg, or 
  10) reroll. The blood loss from a 
  severed appendage causes 10 points 
  of damage automatically each combat 
  turn. 
  Feedback to the power cell causes the 
  vibro saw to explode, disintegrating the 
  wielder’s hand in a flash of pain and 
  light. The wielder takes 20 points of 
  damage, but does not have to worry 
  about blood loss; the wound is 
  cauterized by the energy explosion. 
   
  C. MUTANT-COMPUTER INTERACTION 
  Many of the artificial intelligences aboard the Warden 
  are designed to interact with humans but have not 
  adjusted to the new live forms now on board. Generally, 
  an artificial intelligence (such as a robot) recognizes 
  humans as either colonists or crewmen. (Crewmen have 
  access control bands.) It does not recognize a mutant 
  animal or plant as human and therefore, does not 
  recognize him or her as sentient. It usually considers 
  such a mutant an animal that has escaped from one of 
  the habitat levels or various science labs, or a pet of a 
  human. If a mutant animal attempts to communicate with 
  an artificial intelligence, the A.I. may act in unpredictable 
  ways to this paradox. It may simply refuse to believe its 
  sound sensors and ignore the animal. It may actually 
  attempt to converse with the mutant. Or it may simply 
  attempt to resolve this logical impossibility by destroying 
  the animal. The exact reaction is left up to individual 
  referees to decide. 
  Mutant humans may be treated as human or animal by 
  an A.I. A new ability score is used to determine if an A.I. 
  recognizes a mutant human as human: computer 
  recognition. The computer recognition score is 
  calculated by adding mutation modifiers for the mutant’s 
  mutations and defects from the following table to a base 
  of 2 (for simply being a mutant). If a mutation is not listed 
  on the table, then it has a modifier of 0. 
  
   
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  Mutation/Defect 
   
  Modifier 
   
   
  Chameleon Powers 
  +2 when active 
  Dual Brain 
  +4 if two heads; 
   
  +2 otherwise 
  Multiple Body Parts 
  +4 per extra 
  appendage; 
   
  +2 per extra part other 
  than appendage 
  Multi-Armed (D) 
  +4 per extra arm 
  New Body Parts 
  range of +0-4  
   
  (referee’s option) 
  Out-Sized Body Parts 
  +2 
  Partial Carapace 
  +2 
  Poison Claws or Fangs 
  +1 
  Poor Dual Brain (D) 
  +4 if two heads; 
   
  +2 otherwise 
  Quills 
  +2 
  Shorter 
  +1 per foot in height 
  below 4 ft. 
  Skin Structure Change (D) 
  +1 
  Taller 
  +1 per foot in height 
  above 7 ft. 
  Total Carapace 
  +3 
  Wings 
  +4 
  In order for an A.I. to recognize the mutant as human, 
  the player must roll above his character’s computer 
  recognition score on 1d10. This roll is normally only 
  made during the first meeting with the A.I. Subsequent 
  meetings are based on this initial result. 
  For example, a mutant human with a partial carapace 
  has a computer recognition score of 5. An artificial 
  intelligence will only recognize the mutant as human if 
  the player rolls a 6 or higher on 1d10. If the mutant had 4 
  arms (multiple body parts) instead of a partial carapace, 
  his computer recognition score would be 10 and he 
  could never be recognized as human. 
  D. COMBAT CLARIFICATIONS & 
  OPTIONS 
  The rules concerning combat are scattered throughout 
  the 1st edition Metamorphosis Alpha rules and are not 
  always clear; therefore, this section of the appendix is 
  devoted to clarifying the combat rules and adding a few 
  optional rules concerning movement as well. 
  Assuming the possibility of surprise exists, the first step 
  in a combat encounter is to determine if anyone is 
  surprised. Surprise checks may be rolled for individual 
  players or the party as a whole. Generally, a surprise 
  check is only rolled once for creatures controlled by the 
  referee. A character is surprised on a result of 1-2 on 
  1d6. A surprised character cannot take any actions 
  during the first turn of combat (i.e., the surprise turn). 
  Note that mutations such as heightened hearing and 
  intuition prevent a mutant from being surprised. 
  Additionally, if a surprised character has a dexterity 
  score greater than the dexterity score of his opponent 
  plus 3, then the surprised character may act at the same 
  moment as his opponent during the surprise turn. 
  A turn of combat represents roughly 10 seconds of time. 
  During a combat turn, a character may draw a weapon 
  and attack or move, move and attack with an already 
  drawn weapon or mutation, flee, or some other 
  equivalent action. The order of action for the characters 
  in combat is determined by their dexterity scores. The 
  character with the highest dexterity performs his action 
  for the turn, the character with the second-highest 
  dexterity performs his action, and so on. For characters 
  with equal dexterity scores, the controlling players 
  should roll 1d10, rerolling ties, and then declare their 
  characters’ actions in the order of highest result to 
  lowest. 
  Generally, a character may move at his normal 
  movement rate and perform one action per turn. 
  However, there are occasions when he may wish to 
  retreat from combat or move closer to a combat without 
  attacking or performing another action, yet stay alert and 
  prepared to defend himself. In such a situation, the 
  character may move at his evasive movement rate. If he 
  wishes to throw caution to the wind and race to a 
  location as quickly as possible, he may run at twice his 
  normal movement, but his reckless flight grants 
  opponents a +2 bonus to combat rolls to hit him until his 
  next turn and any opponent he passes who has not yet 
  attacked during the turn and has a melee weapon may 
  immediately attack the running character. 
  Another maneuver in combat is the charge. When 
  charging, a character moves at his charging movement 
  rate and attacks an opponent with a melee weapon, 
  dealing double the normal amount of damage if 
  successful. To charge an opponent, there must be at 
  least 6 yards (3 map spaces) between the opponent and 
  the charging character. The path to the opponent must 
  be an unobstructed straight line. Additionally, his charge 
  grants opponents a +2 bonus to combat rolls to hit him 
  until his next turn and any opponent he passes who has 
  not yet attacked during the turn and has a melee 
  weapon may immediately attack the charging character. 
  E. NEW ITEMS 
  Berserk: 
  This concoction, made from the enzyme secreted by the 
  passion weed, increases an imbiber’s aggression and 
  strength to an extraordinary level. Berserk is a light 
  brown in color, has the viscosity of cough syrup, and 
  burns slightly when swallowed. A standard dosage is 8 
  ounces. It only affects true humans. Thirty seconds (3 
  combat rounds) after ingesting a standard dose, a true 
  human will enter a berserk state. Although he retains the 
  
   
  Page 16 of 18 
  ability to differentiate between friend and foe, the human 
  will engage the closest opponent in melee combat and 
  continue to do so until the effects of the drug expire or all 
  opponents are defeated. Berserk grants a +1 bonus to 
  all melee attack rolls and any successful attacks with 
  unpowered weapons by the enraged imbiber cause an 
  extra die of damage. Unfortunately, the imbiber is so 
  enraged that defense becomes a secondary concern 
  and his armor class suffers a +1 penalty. The effects of 
  Berserk expire after 5 minutes (30 combat rounds), at 
  which point, the human falls unconscious for 2d10 
  minutes. 
  Heal Pill: 
  A hard cake made from several ingredients including the 
  blood of a piercer, a Heal Pill heals a true human of 2 + 
  1d4 points of damage 10 seconds (1 combat round) after 
  being ingested. Unfortunately, it only affects the 
  metabolism of true humans. A Heal Pill tastes very 
  sweet with a slight tangy after-taste. 
  Light Stick: 
  This device is a plastic cylinder 10 inches in length and 
  1.5 inches in diameter. One end of the cylinder has an 
  insulated grip with a single switch. At the end of the grip 
  is a plastic loop which can be pulled out to attach the 
  light stick to the user’s wrist, an available hook, etc. The 
  switch has 3 unmarked positions: “beam”, “torch”, and 
  “off”. The “beam” setting causes the light stick to act as a 
  modern day flashlight, shining a beam out of the cylinder 
  opposite the grip. The “torch” setting causes the entire 
  length of the light stick outside of the grip to light up, 
  increasing visibility in darkness up to 30 feet away in a 
  radius. The light stick may operate up to 10 hours on 
  one chemical power cell. The complexity of a light stick 
  is 9 and the danger category is 4. 
  Speed: 
  Speed is an elixir created from the fragrance glands of 
  the dream bush. It can temporarily increase a true 
  human’s dexterity by 2 points. It has no effect on 
  mutated beings. The dexterity bonus takes effect 5 
  minutes after drinking 16 ounces of Speed and lasts for 
  30 minutes. Once it expires, the human’s dexterity will 
  be decreased by 2 points for an hour. 
  F. AUTHOR’S NOTES 
  This adventure was designed for convention play. As 
  such, I made certain design decisions which may be 
  helpful to referees or other module writers to explain.  
  One of my first design requirements was the length of 
  time: 4 hours. That is the standard game time slot at 
  most conventions I have attended. Based on previous 
  experience, the number of encounters in a convention 
  adventure should fall somewhere within 4-6 encounters. 
  (This number varies based on the game system and the 
  role-playing opportunities in the adventure.) Therefore, 
  depending upon the path followed by the party, this 
  adventure has a minimum of 3 hostile encounters, a 
  minimum of 2 role-playing/puzzle solving situational 
  encounters, and a maximum of 5 hostile encounters. 
  Another requirement was the use of iconic 
  Metamorphosis Alpha elements. A referee can never be 
  certain the experience of convention players with the 
  game system (especially if it is roughly 30 years old!) so 
  it is very important to expose the players to the 
  game/setting elements that make the system unique. 
  Essentially, give them a free sample and let them decide 
  whether they’d like to sit down for a meal later. I decided 
  that the main elements that identify Metamorphosis 
  Alpha as a unique system were: 
  • 
  a setting where characters adventure on a lost 
  starship without realizing it is a ship (and later, 
  may try to regain control of the ship), 
  • 
  mutants/mutations, 
  • 
  the radiation system, 
  • 
  the combat system, 
  • 
  ancient, mysterious technology, 
  • 
  access control bands, 
  • 
  the poison system, and 
  • 
  wolfoids (as iconic creatures). 
  I also gave serious thought to including another iconic 
  creature, androids, but felt that androids did not integrate 
  particularly well with the simple adventure plot I wanted 
  to follow (in order to meet my first requirement). I would 
  have preferred to delay the potential revelation by 
  Hayseed that the Warden was a ship until several 
  adventures were completed, but I was once again limited 
  by requirement #1. (By the way, this revelation is not 
  guaranteed. In one play-test, the party was very focused 
  on saving their village and the characters’ interaction 
  with Hayseed only vaguely hinted at the truth of the ship; 
  hints which they never questioned further.) 
  My final requirement was to insure that the adventure 
  had plenty of room for expansion. For those referees 
  that would like to use this adventure as a basis for a 
  campaign, I believe the ground work has been done. 
  There are numerous questions left unanswered by this 
  adventure which could be expanded upon by a referee, 
  some subtle (what do the numbers on the paper in the 
  security office mean?), many not (just look at the 
  locations on the level map). 
   
  
   
  Page 17 of 18 
   
  DOOR 
   
   
  CABINET 
   
  LOCKED DOOR 
   
   
  CHAIR 
   
  BROKEN DOOR 
   
   
  LOCKERS 
   
  DOUBLE DOORS 
   
   
  SHOWER 
   
  GARAGE DOORS 
   
   
  SINK 
   
  STAIRS 
   
   
  TOILET STALL 
   
  BODY 
   
   
  URINAL STALL 
   
  BED & FOOTLOCKER 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL CENTER 
  MAIN LEVEL 
  SCALE: EACH SQUARE = 5 FEET 
  
   
  Page 18 of 18 
   
   
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL CENTER 
  LEVEL 2 
  SCALE: EACH SQUARE = 5 FEET 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Metamorphosis Alpha (osr)/Fanworks/MA - KDJ1 Dire Straits.pdf