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I've been running a post-apocalyptic campaign in the style of Apocalypse World's implied setting, but using the Savage Worlds rules-set. The first adventure, which recently concluded after ten sessions, was the characters' venture into the nearby ruined city to get medical supplies for their village as winter approached.
they head into the city, end up attacked by bandits, then some elite bandits which are wiped out by a terrifying alien tentacle monster that the characters then have to fight. They eventually make it to the hospital with a couple of bandits prisoner, and learn that those bandits were exiled for stealing. Seeing the opportunity to solve several problems at once, the bandits open fire.
The ensuing firefight takes a couple of sessions simply from sheer scope, over two dozen bandits are killed, and they end up capturing the bandit leader, a 20-or-so-year-old woman who they fight briefly before knocking unconscious. They rescued a new PC from the bandits' prison cells, and he decides to sever her spine with a scalpel. He ends up rolling the D&D equivalent of a 35 on his Healing check, so I rule that it works. The characters get their medicine and take off.
They fight a couple more groups in the city, including the spine-severing character's old enemies, and a Jonestown-esque cult. During this time the bandit leader wakes up again, learns what has happened her, and tells the spine-severer exactly how sick in the head she thinks he is. They keep dragging her along in a wheelchair they took from the hospital. One of the other characters takes care of her, cleans up after her, et cetera. She reveals her minor psychic powers to him, and talks about how the death cult wants her for her abilities because they believe she can help them make contact with their deity.
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Now despite being a bit taken aback by the character's decision to go full edgelord and cripple this woman, I did do some research. Apparently it is very difficult to do this sort of thing without some kind of an infection. So I have brought this into play, showing her in more and more pain. She is dying.
I should add that this character is not really a bad person. She is effectively a River Tam rip-off whose parents (the original leader of the hospital "bandits") were killed, leaving her to take their place. That said, she is certainly capable of being ruthless and cunning. I have been roleplaying her as scared little girl even though she certainly was not like that when commanding the bandits. I am hoping this is luring the characters into a false sense of security.
We are leaving this campaign be for a while (we played eight sessions over a year ago, then two more sessions fairly recently to wrap up the first adventure), ending with the doctor in the village telling the characters who severed the girl's spine that it would take a miracle to save her now (he seems oddly driven to save her all the sudden). That said I do have more plot points planned:
> They killed quite a few cultists when they tried to make the PCs leave the girl with them. The cult still wants her.
> The "deity" the cult worships does in fact exist, in a powerful alien being. It may or may not be capable of healing the bandit girl. Depends if the characters go back that way.
> The warlord that rules over the nearby refinery (where everyone gets their gas) has been overthrown. The new guy is not as benevolent as his predecessor.
> There are quite a few other factions and settlements I am hoping to introduce when we return to this game.
So… thoughts? Advice? Ideas on where to go next? I feel like the player who cut the girl's spine realized it was a messed up thing to do, he seemed a bit ashamed of it as I RPed the results more. She fell asleep crying a lot, was constantly a burden, etc.
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Anyway, pic related is a PDF of my campaign summary that I keep on Gdocs so the players can read up between sessions. I do this for all my campaigns. it might help clarify things since i am not the best at storytelling, or if you are interested in reading the walls of text.
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>this better not be the spine sever story again
>it is the spine sever story again
Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.
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>>51262636
>he decides to sever her spine with a scalpel
Jesus. I thought I had encountered maximum edge when a guy in our group killed a blacksmith and his family because he wouldn't make him a katana.
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>>51262797
why? have i posted it too many times now?
theyve done other edgy things too. just nothing of that caliber.
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>>51263618
AND THEN THEY JUST CARRY HER AROUND.
What the fuck OP.
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I don't get it.
Why did they even sever the spine.
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>>51262797
>this better not be the spine sever story again
>it is the spine sever story again
This. I knew right away from "female bandit leader" that it was the guy with the scalpel.
>>51263751
>why? have i posted it too many times now?
Absolutely.
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>>51264681
>>51264681
I don't know. The player claimed he wanted to give her a "new life" in the village.
He has since then wanted to keep other crippled female prisoners as pets in other campaigns.
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>>51264498
Yeah it's pretty weird, bu the session after those where they met the cult was some of the best RPing I've ever done, it was a blast, but yeah I still WTF over his actions in the first place.
Now though I am curious whether I should have her die or have a redemption quest seeing as she is dying on infection now and the "god" the cult who wants her worships would be able to maybe heal her.
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