Table of Contents
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1 Introduction
A final consolation storyline for a single PC (Protagonist) otherwise
about to leave play due to death or insanity. The PC gains ever-more
potent abilities at the cost of decreasing free agency. /No Return
Ticket/ can serve as a subplot in any scenario where splitting the
party can leave a sole survivor for one of the fractions.
2 Player's Information
Protagonist alone survives an attack by the Antagonist. Protagonist
must overcome injury and isolation to get help and warn their
cellmates.
3 Keeper's Information
Antagonist attacked and killed Protagonist without witnesses.
Antagonist then cast *Ingest Thoughts*[1] on Protagonist. Protagonist
now only exists as a set of stolen memories experiencing intermittent
consciousness when recalled by Antagonist[2]. Protagonist intially
has no idea of their predicament because the subjective experience of
it feels almost exactly like being alive.
Play this as Protagonist returning to consciousness after surviving
the attack. The PC has few hit points, but all SAN losses from the
attack are restored because the stolen memories omit the victim's
death.
Antagonist will pursue its own agenda, starting with hunting down
non-Protagonist PCs. It will use *Consume Likeness* or *Body Warping
of Gorgoroth* to assume Protagonist's form. Antagonist will use
stolen memories to act as if it is the now-dead Protagonist in order
to approach its prey. It will sparingly use its other abilities to
preserve the stolen memories as long as possible.
/No Return Ticket/ relies on a player willing to ask no questions
about PC survival, a player unlikely to guess what happened, or a
player willing to go down with the ship. Choose Protagonist with this
in mind.
4 Game Mechanics
4.1 Antagonist
Antagonist can be any Mythos entity or personality with an INT at
least 18 and a SIZ below 40.
- Dark Young
- Deep One
- Elder Thing
- Formless Spawn
- Ghoul
- Hound of Tindalos
- Human Sorcerer (e.g., Carter, Curwen Mason, or Waite)
- Hunting Horror
- Insect from Shaggai
- Mi-Go
- Moon-Beast
- New Great Race
- Rat-Thing
- Serpent Man
- Servant of Glaaki
- Servitor of the Outer God
- Son of Yog-Sothoth (e.g., Wilbur Whateley)
It must have the spells *Ingest Thoughts* and at least one of *Consume
Likeness* or *Body Warping of Gorgoroth*. Optional spells *Cloud
Memory*, *Dominate*, or *Resurrection* will add to the fun.
Secretly use Antagonist's write-up in place of the Protagonist. Add
Protagonist's Skills to Antagonist. Track HP loss against Antagonist's
total. Adjust Protagonist's character sheet to eliminate SAN loss from
the Antagonist attack. Do not explain survival.
4.2 Missing time
When Antagonist wants to act, it must overcome Protagonist's INT with
its own. If it fails, Protagonist is stunned, but maintains
continuity of consciousness. If Antagonist wins, then Protagonist
suffers a "black-out" and a memory gap for the entire duration of
Antagonist's actions—which may last as long as Antagonist pleases.
After Antagonist finishes, returning to Protagonist's shape if needed,
consciousness resumes for Protagonist. Call for SAN rolls as needed
and apply losses.
4.3 Adding It All Up
4.3.1 Temporary Insanity
If Antagonist actions result in Temporary Insanity for Protagonist,
replace the Idea roll with a Resistance Roll of Protagonist INT
vs. Antagonist INT. This represents a contest of rationalizations
between Protagonist and the Antagonist's host consciousness. A
Protagonist loss works just like a failed Idea roll. An Antagonist
loss means the usual SAN loss and Protagonist realizes one new fact
about their circumstances.
If the new fact describes an Antagonist ability, then Protagonist can
use that ability in the future. Using it will have the usual costs,
and might cause Sanity rolls in its own right. For example,
regeneration or inhuman strength are unnatural, but a higher Skill is
not.
4.3.2 Indefinite Insanity
If Antagonist actions result in Indefinite Insanity, then Protagonist
realizes one new fact about their circumstances in addition to the
usual effects.
4.3.3 Insane Insight
Each time Protagonist suffers Temporary or Indefinite Insanity, they
may have an Insane Insight. This requires the same contest of
rationalizations as described in Temporary Insanity. Protagonist
realizes one new fact for each Insane Insight.
4.3.4 Getting Used to Awfulness
Protagonist may use any known Antagonist abilities at no Sanity cost
during the reasonable interval. Spell use still costs Sanity.
4.3.5 Connecting the dots
Each new fact learned reveals one difference between Protagonist and
Antagonist. These will vary according to the Keeper's choice of
Antagonist. Examples follow.
- Physical difference (STR, DEX, natural armor, etc.)
- Altered or missing bodily functions (sleep, hunger, pain, digestion,
etc.)
- New Skills (from Antagonist)
- Inconsistent history (bilocation, evidence of death)
- Unnatural abilities (regeneration, Spells)
Learning or acting upon new facts can cause Sanity losses.
4.3.6 Permanent Insanity
If Protagonist reaches zero Sanity Points, then the stolen memories
have decayed beyond use and cannot sustain subjective consciousness.
End of the line. Everybody out.
5 Stage One
Protagonist awakens light-headed, heavy-limbed, fading in and out of
consciousness, with agonizing intermittent headaches.
Protagonist faces some motivating exigency: escaping a fire, imminent
surgery or ECT, cops knocking on the safe house door, etc..
Antagonist will let Protagonist run for safety, hoping to reach other
PCs. It will minimize interference at this stage to avoid damaging its
stolen memories.
6 Stage Two
Stage Two starts with the first missing time. Protagonist suffers
worsening Capgras delusions, apparitional experiences and bilocation,
miraculous survivals, etc.. If Protagonist reached cell mates,
Antagonist attacks. Cell mates might suspect a doppelganger or
possession. Protagonist should have a few facts and possibly
Antagonist powers to play with at this point.
Stage Two ends when Protagonist or cell mates find irrefutable
evidence of Protagonist's earlier death.
7 Stage Three
Stage Three marks the final decay of Protagonist and ends with either
the Antagonist's destruction, possibly via clever murder by
Protagonist or by the opposition of Protagonist's cell mates.
More likely, Protagonist goes permanently insane. A last successful
Insane Insight (as above) reveals their true nature before merciful
oblivion. Failure expands their consciousness into that of Antagonist.
Footnotes
[1] Sammons, Brian M. "Consumption." /Island of Ignorance—the Third
Cthulhu Companion/. Queens Village: Golden Goblin, 2013. 52. PDF.
[2] Think of the gods in Julian Jaynes's model of the bicameral mind
with the human-divine roles exchanged.
Credits
This was an entry to the 2015 shotgun scenario contest. Written by Jay Dugger.