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  It (Uaits...
  An Over the Edge™ Adventure Resource
  by Robert "Doc" Cross
  C o n t e n t s
  A b o u t 
  T h i s 
  A d v e n t u r e 
  3
  G M 
  I n f o r m a t i o n 
  3
  S t a r t i n g 
  T h i n g s 
  O f f 
  5
  G M 
  I n f o r m a t i o n 
  6
  G M C 
  7
  G M ' s 
  E y e s 
  O n l y 
  7
  T h e 
  T r u t h 
  A b o u t 
  W h a t ' s 
  G o i n g 
  O n 
  7
  T h i n g s 
  T h a t 
  N o t 
  E v e n 
  H y p e r G e n 
  K n o w s 
  8
  R u n n i n g 
  T h i s 
  A d v e n t u r e 
  1 0
  D e a d v i l l e 
  1 1
  T h e 
  G a r b a g e 
  D u m p 
  1 3
  T h e 
  S e w e r s 
  1 7
  E n c o u n t e r s 
  1 7
  T h e 
  L a i r 
  O f 
  T h e 
  R a t s 
  1 9
  W h a t 
  M i g h t 
  H a p F > e n 
  N e x t 
  2 1
  CHAMKO NW liAlMS OF UUGMATIOIP
  
  Credits 
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  It Waits...
  A b o u t 
  T h i s
  A d v e n t u r e
  The basic plot line of It Waits... is pretty simple:
  the PCs are searching for three telepathic, intelligent,
  tool-using rats. Of course, there is the matter of the
  rats not wanting to be found, but aside from that it's
  just a basic rat-hunting adventure.
  Well, OK, that's a Be. The main reason I wrote It
  Waits... was to introduce severd new lifeforms and
  three new locations to A1 Amarja. You see, in order
  to track down these mutant rats, the PCs have to
  journey through a garbage dump in Skylla, a haunted
  area called Deadville, and the dark, dangerous
  sewers beneath the Edge. In each of these places,
  the PCs encounter strange lifeforms. Some are
  plants, some are animals, and some are something
  else entirely. A few are harmless, many are danger
  ous and a couple just plain deadly. The characters
  will only ﬁnd out which is which through trial and
  e r r o r .
  Besides the strange locales and even stranger
  creatures. It Waits... also contains a potential Secret
  Race (the mutant rats), a new and dangerous CMC,
  and another CMC who may be the PCs' best friend
  or thar worst enemy. I hope that you also ﬁnd lots
  of plot hooks to use in future OTE sessions.
  Because I've tried to make this adventure as
  open-ended as possible, GMs are encouraged to ﬁll
  in any details that I have left vague. I strongly urge
  you to twist things around to best suit your particular
  series, especially when it comes to getting the PCs
  involved in this adventure. Although I've tried to
  cover several ways of getting characters involved, I
  couldn't possibly think of everything! Depending
  upon the PCs and the situations in your series, you
  may need to get pretty creative.
  A Word About The Title: 1 could have called
  this adventure "Rat Hunt," "SewerQuest," or "The
  Wild, the Innocent and the Deadville Shufﬂe," but I
  felt It Waits... would inspire more fear in players who
  just get a glimpse of tiie cover. Make the most of this
  when they ask what the adventure is about A
  pitying look and an evil chuckle will set the mood
  quite nicely.
  G M
  I n f o r m a t i o n
  One of the most important things to think about
  before running this adventure is how it wnll ﬁt into
  your present series. In all probability, your players
  have created a very diverse group of PCs with
  different backgrounds, goals, philosophies, traits and
  ﬂaws. So how do you interest them in taking a job as
  rat hunters? By knowing how to press the right
  buttons! Everyone has their price/obsession/dreeun/
  addiction/whatever. Here are a few suggestions on
  how to get certain types of PCs involved in this
  a d v e n t u r e .
  A H e e d F o r M o n e y
  Lack of funds is a common problem for many
  PCs. The ten grand that HyperGen is offering for the
  rats should be enough to generate some interest. If it
  isn't, have someone else offer them even more
  money for the rats. "Look, if you can bring me
  whatever HyperGen is after, there's 25 Gs in it for
  3
  
  Over the Edge™
  ya. Just to show ya I'm serious, here's a two grand
  deposit" Whether tiiis new party reveals their name
  or motives is up to you, but few impoverished PCs
  will pass up 25 big ones. Truly capitalistic PCs will
  realize that they can auction the rats off to the highest
  bidder.
  T h e G r e a t G o d
  S c i e n c e /
  Masters of the Mystic
  A r t s
  Any scientist or occultist worth his salt \n4ll want
  in on this venture. Just mention things like "several
  undiscovered new species" or "the source of many
  ghost sightings" or "strange paranormd energy
  readings." You'll probably want to customize these
  tantaliang tidbits to ﬁt in with the PC scientist's or
  occultist's ﬁeld of study.
  Power Corrupts
  If a PC is looWng for a new tool in her quest for
  power, she could do a lot worse than an army of
  mutant rats. This sort of PC will no doubt be a
  member of some power group. She might be
  ordered by her superiors to take the mission and grab
  the rats or, barring that, kill the rats so that no other
  group can have them. It could work out that all of
  the PCs are working for different power groups. Of
  course, such a gathering of Control Freaks would
  almost certainly attract the attention of the Cut-Ups.
  Things would then get very interesting!
  happen to be very wealthy, they'll jump at the
  chance to get what you offer.
  Big Sister Is
  Watcliing
  If addicts are the easiest PCs to get into the
  adventure, then undercover agents must come
  second. They could be working (willingly or other
  wise) for Her Exaltedness, the Peace Force, a power
  group, an alien race, a secret society, or one of
  HyperGen's competitors.
  T i i e V o i c e s G u i d e M e
  If any of the PCs are guided by a real or imag
  ined higher power, have that higher power take an
  interest in the rats. Depending on the nature of the
  "voice," this could mean that the PC wants to help
  the rats ("Show them the One True Path"), harm the
  rats ("They are an Abomination") or even worship
  the rats ("The Almighty has many faces"). How this
  sort of PC will react to the other PCs (and thdr goals)
  is another matter.
  It may be necessary to use a mixture of the
  above to convince a PC that she should take
  HyperGen's job offer. Do whatever it takes and
  remember that it is OK to distort the truth about any
  or all aspects of the job. In fact, many PCs won't
  believe the truth even if you tell it to them.
  A Monkey On My
  B a c k
  By far the ezisiest PCs to manipulate are those
  with serious drug addictions. Offer them new drugs,
  a cure, or even more of what they need. Unless they
  
  It Waits...
  s t a r t i n g T h i n g s
  O f f
  The PCs are contacted, indlwdually or as a
  group, by whatever sort of agent you think
  HyperGen might hire. A GMC such as "Teeth,"
  described in the New Faces supplement, would do
  nicely (and suggest that HyperGen is a subsidiary or
  partner of the Roentgen corporation). She vwU tell
  them that her "employers" would like to hire them to
  "ﬁnd some missing merchandise" and is willing to
  pay ten grand each for their trouble. Once you have
  used whatever it takes to get them to accept the job,
  have the PCs go to HyperGen HQ. You can place
  the HyperGen building anywhere on A1 Amaija you
  like, but I recommend putting it somewhere in the
  Edge.
  Once the PCs are there, a typical corporate
  lawyer type and a woman scientist will give them a
  brieﬁng about the mission and what they are looking
  for. Read the following to your players or paraphrase
  the scene through role-playing.
  The lawyer starts things off; "All of you have
  agreed to work for the HyperGen corporation as
  'misplaced materials spedalists.' In simple tenns,
  you've been hired to ﬁnd some escaped lab animals.
  The pay is $10,000.00 each if you return the animals
  alive and in good health. The pay rate drops to
  $2,000.00 each if you kill or mutilate them.
  HyperGen is supplying you unth equipment and a
  cover story to aid in the safe and rapid capture of the
  animals.
  "One thing that HyperGen insists upon is abso
  lute secrecy concerning all aspects of this mission.
  Should you be questioned at any time, your cover
  story is that you are out searching for disease-
  can3/ing vermin that pose a threat to the peace and
  tranquility of A1 Amarja. To make this story more
  believable, especially to members of the Peace Force,
  HyperGen is supplj^ng you with several containers
  holding dead rats and mice. Each container is
  labelled with the name of a particularly nasty disease,
  including Bubonic Plague and AIDS. If that doesn't
  deter further questioning, HyperGen suggests taking
  whatever steps are necessary to maintain the
  mission's covert status. What those steps might be
  are up to you.
  "You will be accompanied on this mission by Dr.
  Wendy Banner, head of the team that was studjang
  the rats. And now, here's Dr. Banner to explain
  more about the animals you are looking for."
  Dr. Banner is a short, petite woman of about 30.
  She has a pleasant voice, but seems a bit intense.
  She has a palm sized cellular phone clipped onto her
  b e l t
  Dr. Banner begins: "You will be looking for
  three white rats with blue eyes, about the size of large
  house cats. Speciﬁcally, you need to ﬁnd the female.
  Capturing the two males would be nice, but is of
  secondary importance. These rats are mutants and
  were created by me in our laboratory and were being
  used in the study of increasing perceptive abilities
  through gene splicing. The rats escaped during a ﬁre
  that destroyed the laboratory. We don't know if they
  were injured in any way. They are harmless and
  gentle most of the time, but since they are not used
  to the outside world and its dangers, they may try to
  bite you when you comer them. Despite this, you
  must not harm the female during capture! We want
  to absolutely minimize any stress she undergoes.
  5
  
  Over the Edge™
  "We aren't 100% sure where the rats might have
  gone, but we feel that they will head for areas of
  minimal human activity. The closest and most likely
  areas that ﬁt this description are Deadville, four
  square blocks of abandoned buildings in Great Men;
  a small garbage dump in Skylla; and the sewers and
  storm drains that run under most of The Edge.
  Fortunately, we can track the rats using a trained
  dog. Unfortunately, this means that we will have to
  visit each of the areas until the dog locates the scent.
  With any luck, it shouldn't take too long for that to
  happen. Now, are there any questions before we
  pick up our equipment and leave?"
  G M
  I n f o r m a t i o n
  Use the information in this adventure to answer
  the PCs questions, but remember to minimize the
  dangers associated with the mission, don't tell them
  too much more about the rats and generally make
  the job seem like a piece of cake.
  As to the question of equipment, let the PCs take
  any personal belongings they have on them plus the
  following items that HyperGen will provide:
  6 small bottles of sulfuric acid (X3 damage)
  1 large hunting knife each (X2 damage)
  1 metal club (half a meter long, X2 damage)
  1 taser (5 meter range, 6 shots, X5 stunning
  damage)
  1 small, weighted net for capturing the rats
  White overalls, reinforced (1 point of armor),
  with the words "Toxic Materials Team"
  written on the back in big red tetters
  1 belt holding several sample jars and bags.
  Most of these are empty, but some hold
  dead rats and other vermin.
  1 powerful ﬂashlight
  1 small two-way radio with an effective range
  of 1 km above ground
  1 pair of rubber gloves
  m ' '
  6
  
  It Waits.
  Dr. Banner has cages to put the rats in once
  they're captured
  In addition to all of the above items, the team will
  also have the previously mentioned tracldng dog.
  Since Bob (that's his name), is a most singular canine
  (his description is given in the "Things That Not Even
  HyperGen Knows" section on page 8).
  G M C
  Dr. Wendy Banner
  Whacked-Out Fringe Scientist
  The personality description ^ven earlier of Dr.
  Banner is only a front. In reality, Dr. Banner is
  obsessed by two things: the creation of new life forms
  and u»ng those life forms to acquire wealth and
  power. Even thought she lives in a modem,
  upperclass neighborhood, she is a twisted genius in
  the great tradition of Victor Frankenstein. Just add
  lightning and a hunchbacked assistant
  Dr. Banner carries a hypodermic injector gun
  ﬁlled with a paralyzing drug. One shot will paralyze a
  60 kilo human in less than a minute and keep him
  that way for half an hour. More than a couple of
  shots will kill the average human. The gun holds 12
  T h e 
  T r u t h
  A b o u t 
  W h a t ' s
  Going On
  Unless this is the very ﬁrst time the characters
  have done anything on A1 Amarja, they will probably
  think that the HyperGen people haven't been
  shots and won't penetrate anything tougher than light
  street clothing, so she \^rtll probably try for a neck
  shot if she needs to resort to this weapon.
  She also has a cellular phone, a collapsible cage
  for the rats, heavy leather gloves, a small ﬁrst aid kit
  (for her needs, not the PCs'), a miniature camcorder,
  and a set of infrared nightvision goggles in case the
  ﬂashlights go out or get lost
  US white woman, 31 years old, 158 cm, 49kg.
  Green eyes, short, auburn hair. Prefers casual
  clothing when not in the laboratory. 4 cm scar on left
  h a n d .
  Languages: American English, Spanish, Ger
  man, Latin.
  T r a i t s
  Fringe Genetic Scientist, 4 dice — Dr. Banner is
  A1 Amarja's leading expert on recombinant genetics.
  She has aeated and altered dozens of lifeforms in
  her quest for knowledge and power. (Analyzes living
  things for their potential usefulness)
  Excellent Memory, 3 dice — Can remember
  things in vivid detail. (Corrects people if they leave
  out details)
  Obsessive Personality — Dr. Banner's obsessions
  often affect her decisions adversely. (Can't be
  swayed from her goals)
  completely truthful with them. Of course, they're
  right! HyperGen has plenty of reasons to hide the
  truth about the rats and they will go to great lengths
  to do so. Once you've read the following facts, you'll
  understand why.
  FACT 1: The escaped lab rats really are hami-
  less, gentle, and about the size of house cats. They
  are also at least as intelligent as the average human,
  have semi-opposable thumbs, understand several
  human languages, and can communicate telepathi-
  G N ' s 
  E v e s 
  O n l
  
  Over the Edge™
  cally with each other and certain other creatures. On
  top of all that, the female is pregnant' On the open
  maritet, the rats would be worth hundreds of millions
  of dollars. HyperGen would like that money to be
  theirs.
  FACT 2: The research project that created the
  rat was done in utmost secrecy. Even the agents of
  Her Exaltedness didn't know about it This is a
  deﬁnite no-no on Al Amaija. If the government had
  found out, the project would have probably been
  shut down (creating sentient and/or psychic animals
  is forbidden by law) and the notes turned over to Dr.
  Nusbaum (who is exempt from the law). Even
  worse, once the government realized that it had been
  shut out of a big bucks deal, heads would roll!
  Uterally! The HyperGen folks are very attached to
  their heads.
  FACT 3: The rats' escape was en^neered by the
  rats themselves. The lab records, cell samples,
  computer programs, and the entire lab were de
  stroyed by an intensely hot ﬁre. Twelve of the rats
  gave their lives to accomplish that, while two more
  ﬂed with the pregnant female. They are still with her,
  acting as guards. The HyperGen scientists realize
  that these rats could form the basis of a new sentient
  race and this scares them. After all, who wants to be
  the Hated Enemy of an entire race?
  FACT 4: HyperGen knows that other organiza
  tions and indi\^dua!s know about the rat and are
  already looking for it This has them in a panic and
  they might even go so far as to send word to Dr.
  Banner to destroy the rats (and possibly the PCs)
  rather than let them fall into enemy hands. It is very
  doubtful that Dr. Banner will do it since she has her
  own plans for the rats (and possibly for the PCs).
  Things That
  N o t 
  E v e n
  H y p e r G e n
  K n o w s
  The following are a couple of things that only a
  very few beings (if any) involved in this adventure
  know. You can decide if any of the PCs or GMCs
  leam any of this and if so, how they managed to ﬁnd
  out You may ignore or change any of this that you
  don't like.
  D r . B a n n e r * s P l a n s
  Dr. Banner wants to use the rats in further
  genetic experiments. She plans on taking them to
  the secret laboratory beneath her house and then
  telling HyperGen that the rats had to be destroyed.
  She doesn't care what happens to the PCs. Or does
  she?
  Bob the Dog:
  D o u b l e A g e n t
  The rats knew that when they escaped the lab,
  HyperGen would lose no time In tracking them
  down. Since the logical way of doing this would be
  to use a dog, and Bob was another of Dr. Banner's
  experiments, it seemed likely that he would be the
  one they would use. The rats therefore wasted no
  time in wanning Bob over as a friend. The rats soon
  found out that Bob was a friendly, kind hearted
  fellow who was just as smart as they were. Even
  better, he has no love for HyperGen or Dr. Banner,
  who were planning on neutering him! When the rats
  escaped. Bob stayed behind in order to act out his
  role as a rat tracker. When the time is right, he will
  lead the humans into a trap that the rats have de-
  8
  
  It IVaits...
  vised. After the rats deal with the humans, Bob will
  stay with his rodent friends for awhile. Once he's
  sure they're safe, Bob vwll leave them, because he
  has plans of his own.
  Bob the Dog
  Mutant Pooch
  Bob is a small, short-haired terrier of uncertain
  parentage. His coat is light brown, his ears fold down
  in front and his face is very expressive. If you stare
  into his eyes you get the feeling that he's a lot
  smarter than most dogs. In point of fact, he's a lot
  smarter than most humans. Bob was the subject of
  an earlier and similar version of the experiment that
  created the mutant rats. He doesn't have any
  psychic powers and his paws are still just paws, but
  via telepathy the rats have taught Bob quite a few
  useful sldlls. He can understand three human
  languages in both written and spoken forms, knows
  basic mathematics, can write in any of the three
  languages using a pencil held in his mouth or a
  computer keyboard and has pretty decent knowledge
  of the world in general and A1 Amaija in particular.
  Nobody but Bob and the rats know just how smart
  Bob is. When around the PCs/GMCs, Bob acts like
  a normal dog. By the way, the rats are in constant
  telepathic touch with Bob.
  Bob loves the rats and will do anything to help
  them. They, in turn, will do the same for him.
  Despite his dislike for the folks at HyperGen, Bob still
  likes most humans and can sense when they like him.
  He will be a good friend to such people, but if forced
  to choose between them and the rats, he will choose
  the rats.
  Being a dog. Bob has no equipment or weapons
  other than those he was bom with. He can, how
  ever, use simple tools like levers as long as they don't
  require hands to operate.
  Languages: A1 Amaijan patois, French, Spanish
  Attack: 2 dice, X2 damage with bite
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points; 12 (small, but tough)
  9
  
  Over the Edge™
  T r a i t s
  Keen Senses, 4 dice — Exceptional sense of
  smell £ind hearing. Very good color vision, thanks to
  being a mutant (Always snifﬁng and listening)
  Infiltration, 4 dice — As a small, nondescript
  dog, Bob can get into places that humans and other
  animals can't (Goes unnoticed by most people)
  O t h e r P o s s i b l e R a t
  H u n t e r s
  It's up to you, the GM, to decide if other groups
  are aware of what's going down. You may not want
  any other groups running around. If you do want
  them, the Movers are the most likely to have found
  out HyperGen's secret The Pharoahs, Kergillians,
  the Net, and the Neutralizers might also have gotten
  wind of what's up. The ﬁrst three mentioned will
  want the rats for their own nefarious purposes, but
  the Neutralizers will just want to kill them. Ha\^g a
  few members from each group meet up with the PCs
  in some out of the way spot will make for some
  heated combat (or possibly some heated deal-
  maldng).
  The other group who might be included in the
  sewers/dump/DeadwIle rat hunting are the Cut-Dps.
  The Cut-Ups may have found out about the rats in
  some way that most of us couldn't hope to under
  stand. Since the rats are attempting to stay out of the
  hands of a group of Control Freaks (and the
  HyperGen scientists are exactly that), the Cut-Ups
  will try to help them in any way they can. This vwll
  mean that the PCs are opposing the Cut-Ups and are
  fair game for whatever strangeness gets thrown at
  them. Or maybe the Cut-Ups will try to wrtn them
  over to their way of thinking by writing "Inspirational"
  grafﬁti In the immediate area. As with any time you
  use the Cut-Ups, remember that just about anything
  g o e s .
  Encountering any of the above groups (or any
  GMCs or groups you create) should generate a few
  plot-hooks for future use or shed light on plotlines
  already in play. Be creative and see how many
  different emotions you can wring out of the PCs (and
  Players) each time they learn something new. If you
  can make the phrase "Eat at Joe's" cause anger, fear,
  lust joy, puzzlement, laughter, sorrow, nervousness,
  righteous indignation and paranoia among a small
  group of PCs, you're doing ﬁne.
  R u n n i n g T h i s
  A d v e n t u r e
  Since Bob the Dog knows exactly where the rats
  are, but has to keep the humans occupied until the
  rats' trap is ready (or better yet until the humans are
  too tired or scared to go on), you can have him lead
  them anywhere! If the PCs should decide to start out
  in the sewers, have Bob lead them away from the
  rats' lair. He can always have the trail lead to an
  other sewer entrance later. Although I have placed
  the rats' nest in the sewers, you can move it to any
  location you wish. The basement of Peace Force
  HQ, Dr. Nusbaums back yard or the attic of Sad
  Mary's Bar & Girl would all be interesting places to
  visit Of course, depending on the location you
  choose, you may have to modify the rats' human
  trap to ﬁt in.
  Have Bob lead the PCs through the most dan
  gerous, terrifjﬂng and disgusting parts of the three
  main areas. A little side tirip through a barrio or two
  is also a possibility. Remember, Bob will sense
  danger long before most humans, so he's not too
  worried. And don't forget that he can understand the
  PCs and GMCs and will know what they're planning.
  This will allow him to dedde whether to help or
  hinder them.
  1 0
  
  It Waits...
  D e a d v i l l e
  Deadville is four square blocks of abandoned (?)
  tenements in the Great Men banio near Skylla. The
  government means to tear Deadville down someday,
  but that could be yecuts from now or never. Most of the
  buildings are pretty much intact, but a few have been
  damaged by ﬁre.
  Most zeroes who live in Deadville are either insane
  or too drunk/drugged to care about where they are.
  They may be maniacally wolent, or harmless, or ﬁrst
  harmless and then maniacally violent None of them
  are armed vwth more than rocks, clubs, or broken
  bottles. A few of them constantly talk to themselves or
  some ima^ary (?) and invisible friend. This is a great
  way to throw out clues that tie in with this adventure,
  future adventures or even clues from past adventures.
  "Yep, that's right, I seen 'em! They looked like men
  and women, but there wasn't anything between thdr
  legs and their stoi was orange.' One of 'em had horns!"
  Despite the above information, the zeroes will
  probably be the least of the PCs' worries whule in
  Dead\^e. Far more troublesome are the Ghost Clan
  and the Pa Cats.
  T h e 
  G h o s t 
  C l a n
  Type: Family? Gang? Secret Race?
  Rep; Protectors of the 'Hood
  Brief A group of what appear to be ghosts, living
  in Deadville. They keep the crime rate low.
  Allies: The Local People, maybe the Psi Cats
  Enemies: None, so far.
  Anyone entering Deadville wall soon catch a
  glimpse of one or more ghostly looking people. The
  locals have named them "The Ghost Clan," but they
  may or may not be ghosts or a clan. They could be
  really strange mutants, possessors of a weird fringe
  power, aliens, the viable manifestations of somebody's
  dreams or the results of an experiment gone wrong.
  Although at least twenty-ﬁve different members of the
  Ghost Clan have been spotted by local residents, there
  is no reason to assume that they are part of an orga
  nized group. The largest group dghted so far was only
  three sfrong. The Ghost Clanners could all live together
  or might just band together in times of need.
  The Ghost Clanners are a diverse looking lot, with
  members ran^ng from a very young girl (5 years old, at
  best) to an old man of about 80 to an incredibly
  muscular woman, to a mutant with a face like a frog.
  All of them seem to be able to "fade away" into
  invidbility or intangbility. They also have a clanwnde
  hatred of crime and wll not tolerate it in or near
  Deadville. This keeps the maniacs in^de Deadville
  from hanging around very long. Exactly how they deal
  with criminak is a matter of rumor, few bodies have
  ever been found. If any PCs or GMCs commit crimes
  in Deadville, the Ghost Clan will probably deal with
  them. You may want to ^ve the victim a chance to talk
  his or her way out of whatever punishment the Clan
  has in mind.
  The people whose homes border Deadville have a
  habit of leaving plates of food in some of the aban
  doned buildings. They seldom discuss this habit with
  outaders, but among themselves they call this habit
  "feeding the Ghost Clan." They do this as payment for
  the protection they receive. The plates are always
  empty and sparkling clean when they reappear on the
  food-givers' doorsteps.
  P s i 
  C a t s
  Fringe Fetmes
  Cats have always been associated with the occult
  and paranormal activity, so it was inevitable that some
  fringe sdentist would see just how close the association
  ran. By the time the experiment was done, the scientist
  1 1
  
  Over the Edge™
  was dead and the ﬁrst Psi Cats were running loose on
  AlAmaija.
  Pd Cats look just Bke any other cats and can come
  in any of the colors or patterns that normal cats do.
  They will eat just about anything, including dead or not
  quite dead human tissue. The half>eaten bodies that
  occasionally turn up around the Edge are usually (but
  not always) the worit of a Pd Cat who found a badly
  injured human. Pa Cats are usually shy, solitary
  creatures, but gather in Dead\^e once or twice a year
  to mate. It is during tiiis lime that thq^ are the most
  dangerous to the psychic world.
  Adult Psi Cats have the ability to absorb huge
  amounts of psychic energy from any source wdthin 100
  meters. Since Al Amaija is a major center for psychic
  activity, the feBnes soon have a healthy psychic charge
  built up. Then, when the time comes to mate, both
  male and female Psi Cats release about half of their
  stored energy in an effort to attract a mate The energy
  rushes out in aO directions and affects any pd-sensitive
  or pd-using bdngs or machines udthin half a kilometer.
  Effects on machines can range from sBght^ altered
  meter readings to sudden expbdons to a complete
  alteration of a machine's function. The eﬂect on living
  psychics can include disruption of autonomic nerve
  functions, changes in personality, altering of psychic
  powers, spontaneous cranial explo^ons, and good old
  madness. Those are, of course, just a few of the
  possibilities. Most of the effects are weird, unsettBng,
  but not tenibly damaging.
  As bad as all of the above sounds, things get even
  worse once a Psi Cat locates a mate! The male and
  female travel around for a few daj® until they have built
  their psychic charges back up to full power. Once this is
  done, they head for Deadville and start copulating.
  When the moment of climax arrives for the male, he
  releases not only all of his own stored energy, but that
  of the female as well! As far as a kibmeter and a half
  away, all things psychic go completely ape. When you
  conskler that several pairs of cats repeat this scene
  over a two week period, you can imagine how strange
  things can get in the psychic community.
  If you have a warped sense of humor, have the
  PCs visit Deadville at the height of the mating season.
  Attack: 3 dice, ne^ble (Xl/2) damage
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points; 8 (tough kitties)
  Tr a i t s
  Silent, 4 dice — Hey, they're cats. When was the
  last time you heard a cat's footsteps? (can't hear them
  movAig)
  Excellent Senses, 4 dice — This includes really
  great night vidon, a keen sense of smell, and great
  hearing, (hard to surprise)
  Impervious to Paonic Powers, 6 dice — Pd attacks
  are just absorbed. (in\^ble to psychic detection,
  except when maling)
  R a t - H u n t e r s 
  I n
  D e a d v i l l e
  Deadv^e is a creepy place and you should do
  eveiything you can to reinforce this feeling in the
  players and PCs. Describe the "dead, deserted build
  ings" with "glassless windows that look like empty eye
  sockets." Make ceisual mention of strange noises or
  glimpses of shadows in alleyways. Tell them that they
  all feel something (don't say "someone") watching
  them. Have a zero run past them screaming in terror or
  laughing insanely. Make the wind suddenly start
  blowing.
  If a ﬁght breaks out between the PCs and anotﬁer
  group, remember that the Ghost Clan may or may not
  get involved. If they do, you can be as ima^native as
  you like in deriding what happens. In playtesting this
  adventure, the Ghost Clan interrupted a ﬁght between
  the PCs and a small group of Net musclemen. Two of
  the Net goons were possessed and forced to kill one
  another. One of the PCs was so ﬁlled with terror (of
  what, he had no idea) that he ran aimlessly until he
  dropped from exhaustion. Everyone else (including
  Bob the Dog) took one look at the two Ghost Clanners
  and ran like hell!
  1 2
  
  It Waits...
  The Garbage
  D u m
  Most of the Edge's garbage and trash goes over
  the Brink and into the hands of the Garbagemen.
  Slq/lla, however, has no Garbagemen. Instead, they
  just dump their trash in any convenient spot This
  dump is very large, perhaps a quarter of a kilometer
  on a side, and the trash has been piled fairly high.
  There are winding pathways running between the
  hills of garbage and much of the ground is wet and
  muddy. In a few spots, the water is a lot deeper than
  it appears, and any character who falls into one of
  these holes gets soaked widi foul-smelling water that
  could have poisonous, mutagenic, or halludnatory
  effects. (A1 Amaija has no hazardous waste disposal
  laws to speak of, on the grounds they might inhibit
  manufacturers from being both competetive and
  proﬁtable in the tough global marketplace.)
  Nobody lives in this dump, but sometimes a zero
  or two passes through. They vwH leave the PCs alone
  if they aren't bothered. There are usually lots of stray
  dogs and cats here, because the dump has an
  enormous rat and mouse population. In a very few
  places, strangely mutated trees and bushes have
  taken root.
  There are a few animals (and other things) living
  in this dump that you might enjoy terrorizing your
  PCs with. Remember that most of the creatures
  know this place well and should get a bonus die or
  two when stalking or chasing outsiders.
  F l o r a 
  a n d 
  F a u n a 
  o f
  t h e D u m p
  Grabbing Willows
  Mutant Plant
  Grabbing Willows look like normal willow trees,
  but they seldom get more than 4 meters tall and their
  trunks are very thick. Their long branches hang
  down to the ground The willow senses the body
  heat of its prey and uses these branches to grab any
  warm thing that comes within range. They slowly lift
  victims to an opening at the top of the trunk (up
  where the branches fork), where hundreds of tough
  rootlets suck the body ﬂuids from the victim.
  Attack: 3 dice
  Defense: 1 die
  Armor: 1 die
  Hit Points: 28 (big and woody)
  Tr a i t s
  Multiple Attacks, 3 dice each — Can attack up to
  3 victims at one time with several limbs each. (Make
  one roll per target.) A successful roll indicates that
  the tree heis grabbed the target. In two rounds, it will
  bring the target up to its "mouth," which does 2 dice
  of damage per round, (lots of long limbs)
  Immobile — Grabbing Willows are rooted in one
  place and can't walk around. (It's a tree!)
  A n t M i c e
  Tiny Mutant Mice
  1 3
  
  Over the Edge™
  Not much is known about Ant Mice, since they
  tend to set up their colonies in out-of-the-way places.
  They are deﬁnitely a mutant form of tﬁe common
  white laboratory mouse, but who or what weis
  responsible for the mutation is unknown.
  Ant Mice are only about one quarter the size of
  normal mice, but otherurise look just like them.
  Female Ant Mice do most of the food gathering for a
  colony and always outnumber males by 3 to 1. In
  addition, females always seem to be pregnant. They
  give birth to their babies in a communal nursery.
  There is no such thing as an Ant Mouse "Queen,"
  which is about the only way these tiny rodents differ
  from ants.
  Male Ant Mice are scouts or protectors. They
  have extremely sharp teeth and seaete a mild
  neurotoxin into their saliva. This toxin is only fatal to
  humans or large animals if they are bitten repeatedly
  in a short period of time. Given the fact that the Ant
  Mice are usually found in large numbers, this be
  comes quite likely. Death by Ant Mouse toxin is very
  painful.
  Ant Mouse colonies are usually found under
  ground or inside large piles of trash. There are
  several entrances and the nursery is always at the
  center of the colony. Sleeping dens and food storage
  tunnels are located between the nursery and the
  surface.
  In combat with Ant Mice, a character can kill one
  Mouse for each point scored above the Mice's
  collective defense roll.
  Attack; 1 die per 5 mice, XI with to^dc bite
  Defense; 1 die
  Hit Points; 1 (tiny)
  T r a i t s
  Rapid Communication, 3 dice — Like ants or
  bees, Ant Mice seem to be able to communicate with
  astounding speed and coordinate their actions almost
  as rapidly, (often react simultaneously)
  The Sludge
  Semi-Sentient Oiyanic/Inorganic Muck
  Two years ago, lighting struck a garbage can that
  had been left at this dump by a "medical supply
  company." The can was full of assorted organic
  materials, including several cancerous internal
  organs, about six quarts of blood, and some experi
  mental drugs. The lightning bolt caused the can of
  gunk to spill over and mix with a pool of toxic (and
  mildly radioactive) waste. Nothing happened for a
  few days after that, until a zero stepped into the
  sludge on his way through the dump. The sludge
  rapidly oozed up his body until he was completely
  covered by it It then digested him at an amaang
  rate and oozed off in search of more food.
  The Sludge is about 9 cubic meters of dark red,
  semi-solid organic matter covered by a thin gray layer
  of semi-solid inorganic matter. The inorganic mate
  rial seems to act as a "skin" that protects the Sludge
  from damage by things like ﬁre, caustic chemicals,
  and dehydration. The Sludge is extremely resistant
  to physical damage due to its amorphous form.
  Bullets just pass through it and other weapons have
  much the same effect. What would happen if the
  Sludge were exposed to hard radiation or high
  voltage is unknown. Since nobody has ever survived
  an encounter with the Sludge, nobody knows what
  (if anything) might destroy it
  After feeding, the Sludge shows an increase in
  size proportional to the size of what it ate. If it eats a
  lot (say, an elephant or a group of rat hunters), the
  Sludge could become huge. Fortunately, it gradually
  returns to its normal size as it expends energy in
  movement and other functions and sloughs off
  w a s t e s .
  "Dead" to psychic detection, completely silent,
  able to hide in places that a solid creature could
  never hope to enter, the Sludge is nearly impossible
  to detect unless you actually see it mo\nng. And by
  then, it's usually too late. Give potential victims at
  least one penalty die on their ﬁrst defense roll against
  the thing. The Sludge gives off a very faint, but
  unique, chemical odor that may help rat hunters
  detect it the second or third time they encounter it
  Attack; 3 dice, X3 \wth digestive chemicals
  1 4
  
  It Waits.
  Defense: 2 dice
  Armor 2 dice (caisty & amorphous)
  Hit Points: 33 (large and tough)
  T r a i t s
  Dead to Psionics — The Sludge gives off no
  recognizable psychic energy. Attempts to locate,
  control or harm it using psionic powers are doomed
  to failure, (no psychic "ﬁngerprint")
  Euphoria Flies
  Virus-Canying Flies
  These are just common houseﬂies, but they
  harbor a strange virus that affects the brain's pleasure
  centers. The virus can be introduced into the \dctim
  via open wounds or oral ingestion (if one of the ﬂies
  deposits some on your food or if the virus otiierwise
  gets into your mouth). The virus gets 3 dice versus
  the intended victim's general health and constitution.
  The virus has an incubation period of about 6 hours
  and then be^ns to work its devious mischief.
  The ﬁrst symptom is a general "up" feeling; the
  victim smiles a lot and feels friendly toward his fellow
  man. After an hour or so, the wctim begins feeling
  intense pleasure from the slightest sensory input
  The smell of fresh paint might send chills up his spine
  and the taste of burnt toast might cause him to
  achieve orgasm. As you've probably guessed, this
  reduces the wctim's attention span to nearly zero.
  This hypersensitivity lasts for anywhere from 20
  minutes to 2 hours. By then, the victim's body and
  mind are just plain worn out. The victim collapses
  into a deep sleep for at least 6 hours. Upon awaken
  ing, he is weak, disoriented, and ravenously hungry.
  How long this lasts depends on his general constitu
  tion and how soon he gets to eat.
  Hit Points; 1 (tiny)
  Hypnospiders
  Weavers Of Non-Euclidian Webs
  Hypnospiders are found only in this garbage
  dump, although there is no physical reason why they
  couldn't exist in other places. They look like very
  large black widow spiders, but are deep red with
  iridescent blue marldngs. These spiders have a
  passive ability to stun their prey, which are usually
  Ant Mice or Euphoria Flies, by weaving webs that use
  non-Euclidian geometry. These web patterns tend to
  "short out" the mental patterns of the prey or any
  other animal that looks at them. The stunned animal
  simply stops moving and stares, transﬁxed, at the
  web. If the animal is small enough, the spider then
  walks over to it and ^ves it a paralytic bite and then
  feeds off it at its leisure. If the animal is too large for
  tiie poison to paralyze, the spider ignores it A
  hypnospider only bites humans who disturb it.
  Any animal stunned by a hypnospider's web
  remains that way until either the web is removed
  (webs only last 6-12 hours due to fragility), the
  animal is subjected to enough outside stimuli (loud
  noise, pain, attack), or its view of the web is blocked.
  Once a creature has gazed at a hypnospider's web
  and then been freed of its power, it will get a 2 dice
  chance to resist further entrapments. Humans and
  certain other dreaming animals may also have very
  strange dreams for the next few weeks.
  Hit Points: 1 (tiny)
  T r a i t s
  Hi/pnotism, 4 dice — Their bizarre webs cause
  most other lifeforms to stop and stare blankly.
  (Really weird web patterns)
  Poison — The hypnospider's poison does 1 die
  of paralytic damage (100% recovery within an hour).
  Heavy doses cause sickness or even death. (It's a
  spider!)
  R a t - H u n t e r s 
  i n 
  t h e
  Garbage Dump
  While the Dump is not as aeepy as Deadville, it
  is still a damned unnerving place. It's also gross and
  disgusting. Be sickeningly detailed when you de
  scribe the Dump to the players. Use words and
  phrases like rotten, rusty, festering, moldy, slimy,
  sickening, gooey, bubbling, noxious, nauseating.
  1 5
  
  9 1
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  j^j.aSpg 31/? jano
  
  It Waits...
  T h e 
  S e w e r s
  This is where the rats really are. "Sewers" is a
  generic term that encompasses not only sewers, but
  access tunnels, forgotten sub-basements, and even
  some natural caverns. The sewers of the Edge arc
  strange, scary, dimly-lit, and exceptionally dangerous.
  The architecture and composition of the tunnels
  changes dramatically every hundred meters or so.
  One section is made up of bricks and look as though
  it were built in the 19th century, but after a couple of
  twists and turns, it ^ves way to huge, gleaming tubes
  of stainless steel Still later, it turns into natural
  caverns, complete with stalactites and stalagmites.
  You might even include a stretch of tunnel that
  appears to be composed of living intestinal matter!
  Maybe different sections of sewer lead to alternate
  realities, different times or other worlds. The truth of
  this is for you to decide, but it could make for some
  interesting side trips.
  You can also change the smells and the sounds
  of the tunnels as the PCs travel through them. In the
  playtest, the PCs got extremely nervous when the
  tunnels went from dead quiet to a throbbing, organic
  pulse.
  Changing the layout of the tunnels after the team
  has passed through them wnll deﬁnitely keep them
  guessing. You should be subtle when you do this.
  Make a side tunnel change from a left turn to a right
  turn. Shorten that last long straight section from half
  a kilometer to a hundred meters. Put a six-way
  intersection where a four-way intersection used to be.
  Even something as subtle as making a level stretch of
  sewer acquire an uphill or downhill slant will make
  the PCs wonder what the hell is going on.
  E n c o u n t e r s
  As with the other locations in this adventure, the
  placement, frequency and deadliness of encounters is
  up to you. 1 will, however, describe several ftighten-
  ing and/or just plain weird denizens of the sewer.
  Modify them as you see ﬁt
  Terrorgators
  Giant Alligators
  In most cities of the world, legends of sewer
  dwelling alligators are just ﬁction. That isn't the case
  under the Edge. Not only are there alligators in the
  sewers, but they're much larger than normal alliga
  tors and perfectly adapted to living in the dark
  tunnels. The average terrorgator is about 8 meters
  long and weighs around two metric tons. They have
  a lot of very sharp teeth and a thick hide that will stop
  anything short of an artillery round. Living in the
  foul, polluted waters of the sewer has caused the
  ten-orgators to evolve a natural immunity (3 or more
  dice) to most poisons, toxins, and even low-level
  radiation. Terrorgators are tough! Fortunately, they
  lead a solitary enstence and pairs are only encoun
  tered during the breeding season.
  If the PCs should ﬁnd themselves being chased
  by a terrorgator, the only real hope for escape wnll be
  to ﬁnd a side tunnel that the gator can't ﬁt into.
  Some fringe powers or occult spells might stop the
  attack, but they would have to be fast-acting. There
  might also be drugs or \^ruses that would affect a
  terrorgator, but how do you administer them? If it
  should come down to a ﬁght, remember that it is
  relatively simple to hold a gator's mouth shut and
  damned hard to keep it from shutting once it's open.
  Once a terrorgators mouth is tied shut, all you have
  1 7
  
  Over the Edge™
  to worry about is his thrashing tail, razor sharp claws,
  and crushing weight.
  One way to have the PCs meet a Tenorgator
  without getting attacked immediately is to have them
  come upon one that's asleep. A recently fed gator
  will sleep soundly enough for the PCs to walk past it
  if they do so very quietly.
  Attack: 4 dice, X3 w/ bite; or 3 dice, X2 w/ tail
  swat or claws
  Defense; 2 dice
  A r m o r : 3 d i c e
  Hit Points: 50 (huge and tough)
  At Amarjan Sewer Rats
  Big Mean Rats
  A1 Amaijan sewer rats differ from their brethren
  around the world in size only. They are much larger,
  weighing as much as 4 kg. Although tough and
  fearless, they will only attack larger creatures if they
  are starving or protecting their lair. A sewer rat's
  sharp teeth will go right through ordinary leather
  clothing. A bite from a sewer rat stands a very good
  chance of becoming infected unless treated immedi
  ately.
  The mutant rats are able to mentally control up
  to a dozen sewer rats and are using them to guard
  their lair.
  Attack: 2 dice, XI with bite (plus a chance of
  infection)
  Defense: 2 dice
  Hit Points; 10 (hard to kill)
  M o b i l e M o s s
  Mutant Plant
  A t t a c k ; N o n e
  Defense: 1 point
  A r m o r N o n e
  Hit Points: 14-30, depending on size.
  This is a common, semi-sentient form of plant
  that can move along sewer ﬂoors, walls or ceilings at
  speeds up to a fast walk. It espedally likes to follow
  sentient aeatures, which it can sense at up to 100
  meters. Mobile Moss is usually found in chunks
  massing 60 kg, but chunks as large as 250 kg can
  and do exist The moss is absolutely harmless, but
  most humans don't believe this. They tend to fear
  Mobile Moss and the longer it follows them, the more
  fearful they get. Often, their preoccupation with the
  moss will cause them not to notice real danger until
  it's too late.
  There are several subspecies of Mobile Moss,
  each with its own unique qualities. I've listed one of
  them below. GMs should think up a few new ones if
  the PCs ever go back into the sewers.
  Mimicking Mobile Moss will choose one of the
  beings it is following and slowly begin to shape itself
  into a duplicate of that being. It means no harm, but
  the person being mimicked seldom knows or believes
  that. When the transformation is done, the moss will
  begin to mimic the person's every move. It will do
  this until the person can get out of the moss's range
  (100 meters).
  I C T M 7
  Brain Creature
  This creature is yet another laboratory escapee.
  Its full name is Independent Cerebral Tissue Mass #7
  and it looks like 200 pounds of brains, because that's
  what it is! It doesn't seem to be intelligent at least by
  any accepted deﬁnition of that term. It moves very
  slowly, but can shoot out psuedopods to grab its
  prey. It does no physical harm to the victim unless its
  life is threatened. In that case, it will send telekinetic
  punches raining down on its attackers.
  Potentially worse (and certainly scarier) are the
  mental side effects caused by ICTM 7 "feeding" on
  the emotions and thoughts of those it grabs. While
  the "feeding" only takes a couple of minutes, the side
  effects can last for days and include hallucinations,
  unprovoked emotional outbursts, psychosis, uncon
  trollable psychic powers and hysterical blindness.
  Any side effects are chosen at random by the GM.
  1 8
  
  It Waits.
  Attack: 3 dice (grab) and 4 dee, X2 (telekinetic
  punch)
  Defense: 1 die
  Annor: 2 points
  Hit Points: 36 (large size)
  O t h e r 
  S e w e r s
  D w e U e r s
  You can have any other sort of lifeforms you
  want living in the sewers. Large insects and reptiles
  are naturals, but so are bb escapees or just un
  wanted pets that got ﬂushed down the toilet (That's
  where the Terrorgators came from.) You can even
  have tribes of humans or alien invaders down there.
  T h e L a i r O f T h e
  R a t s
  Once Bob knows the human trap is ready, he will
  use whatever entryway is closest to take the team
  into the sewers. This can be close to the rats' lair or
  kilometers away, whichever you choose. Bob will
  then make a beeline for the lair. There should be at
  least a couple of encounters with sewer-dwelling
  creatures along the way. When the party ﬁnally
  arrives at the rats' nest, they face two dangers; the
  guard rats and the human trap.
  The guard rats are a dozen sewer rats under the
  control of the mutant rats. They not only defend tiie
  lair against invaders, they bring food and other items
  to their masters. They ako helped build the human
  trap. They have been ordered to attack the team,
  but not to inﬂict really bad injuries. This attack is
  mostly a smokescreen to keep the rat hunters from
  thinking that entering the lair is too easy. After a
  minute or so of ﬁghting, the guard rats will run away
  (actually going into the lair via secret tunnels) in
  "fear." Bob vwll then lead the humans into the trap.
  As you can see from the map on page 20, the
  human trap is a round room about 4 meters across
  and 6 meters tall. The entrance tunnel is on one side
  and a smaller tunnel is on the other. Note also that
  the rats' lair (also pictured on the map) is a couple of
  meters above the trap. Once all of the team is in the
  room, Bob will race over to the small tunnel, bark
  severeil times and then run up it. A few seconds after
  that, the entrance tunnel will collapse and be ﬁlled
  with an impassable wall of rubble. PCs with precog-
  nitive powers, danger sense or those who take the
  time to check out the tunnel uery closely will realize
  that it is about to collapse a few seconds before it
  actually does. These characters should get a chance
  to warn the others, run back to the main tunnel or
  whatever seems reasonable in the time allowed.
  Give the team a few seconds to realize this is a
  trap and then have water start pouring in through ﬁst
  sized holes in the ceiling and the small tunnel that
  Bob just went up. Bob, of course, took a small side
  tunnel to the rats' lair and is high and dry. The water
  will ﬁll the room to within half a meter of the ceiling
  and then stop. Any PCs who can't swim are screwed
  unless another PC helps keep them aﬂoat or they
  have some power that can aid them. After the water
  stops, the PCs wrtll hear a soft feminine voice speak-
  19
  
  Over the Edge™
  
  It Waits.
  ing to them telepathically. Read the following or
  some variation of it
  "Welcome to our home. We've been expecting
  you. Our friend Bob did an excellent job of leading
  you here. We hope none of you were too seriously
  injured during the trip. We are a peaceful race and
  hate to see others suffer needlessly. Which brings us
  to your present situation."
  "First of all, you can agree to leave this place and
  never return. We wish no contact with humankind.
  We only want to be left in peace. A great many
  humans would Bke to enslave us or, barring that,
  destroy us. How many of you would be party to
  genocide? If you say that we were destroyed, they
  will go on to other business."
  "Your other option is to remain in this trap and
  die. We would regret this deeply, but would still
  allow it to happen in order to save ourselves. The
  choice is yours."
  GM's Note: The PCs will know that the rat is
  telling the truth. Dr. Banner may try to lie about her
  plans for the rats, but nobody will believe her. The
  PCs can ask the rats questions and the rats will
  answer most of them. They won't answer questions
  that would endanger them or Bob. Use the informa
  tion in this book (or make things up) for the rats'
  a n s w e r s .
  T h e M u t a n t R a t s
  Sentient Rats
  Languages; A1 Amaijan patois, American
  English, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek.
  Attack: 2 dice, XI (bite) plus risk of infection
  Defense: 2 dice
  Armon 2 points
  Hit Points: 10 (very healthy)
  Psychic Pool: 6 shots
  T r a i t s
  Fringe Power: Telepathic, 4 dice — The rats can
  send and receive thoughts easily, (strong psychic
  "ﬁngerprint")
  Fringe Power: Mental Control, 3 dice — This
  works only on A1 Amarjan Sewer Rats and uses a
  shot from the psychic pool. The effects last for
  several days before the rats need to reinforce It.
  (always have sewer rats serving them)
  What Might
  H a p p e n N e x t
  S u r r e n d e r
  If the PCs agree to go away, the rats will dredn
  the room and tell them to crawl through the small
  tunnel. The tunnel is about 50 meters long, goes
  gradually upward and leads to a much larger tunnel.
  From there. Bob (who vwll maintain a safe distance
  from the PCs) \m11 show them to a ladder leading to
  the surface. At the bottom of the ladder is an old
  attache case containing $25,000.00 in gold coins, a
  sort of consolation prize from the rats.
  Escaping From The
  Tr a p
  There are several ways that the PCs might
  escape from the trap. If one of the PCs swims up the
  small tunnel, he'll ﬁnd it blocked by a grating. Fortu
  nately, this grating can be lifted easily and the PC will
  ﬁnd that the tunnel soon rises above the waterline.
  From there, the characters must ﬁnd their own way
  out of the sewers. They are far too large to go up the
  tunnels that lead to the rats lair.
  Another way out is to bbst the rubble away from
  the entiyway. Of course, this will require some
  waterproof explosive and a detonator. The resulting
  Shockwave might also severely injure the PCs. It
  could also cause the room to collapse.
  Fringe powers like teleportation or superstrength
  might help, but then again, they might not How
  2 1
  
  Over the Edge™
  would a PC know for sure where it was safe to
  teleport to? Mind controlling the rats could work, but
  the rats should get a healthy resistance to such things.
  Finally, there is the possibility that one or more
  PC did not enter the room with the rest This
  character might be able to help, or might be ﬁghting
  for his life against the guard rats or a roaming
  terrorgator.
  Kiiling The Rats
  Once out of the trap (by escape or capitulation),
  the PCs might decide to kill the rats anyway. This
  should be pretty hard, but not impossible. If some
  one has high explosives, poison gas or some similar
  instrument of death, they can stuff it up one of the
  tunnels and use it to kill the rats and Bob. Or will it?
  Unless they tear apart several cubic yards of sewer
  walls (or have some detection powers), they can't be
  sure. Using explosives will collapse a huge section of
  tunnel, making veriﬁcation even harder. If the
  characters use fringe powers to attack the rats, you
  will have to decide what happens. Of course, you
  might just have the rats escape and avoid all of this.
  Deaiing with Dr»
  B a n n e r
  It is highly unlikely that Dr. Banner will want to
  go off and leave the rats alone. She will get more
  obsessed and crazy by the minute. So how should a
  GM handle this? Here are a few ideas.
  In the playtest, two of the PCs just said to hell
  with it and stabbed her to death. This could well
  happen in your version of the adventure. Whether
  HyperGen ever ﬁnds out about this is up to you.
  The playtest PCs simply reported her as "eaten by a
  giant alligator" and HyperGen believed them. Or the
  PCs might subdue her and drag her out of the sewer.
  If some or all of the PCs should want to help her
  with her plans, have the rats inform them tiiat she will
  probably try to dispose of them after they have
  served their purpose. That should make most of
  them have second thoughts.
  Any PCs with mind control powers could just
  control Dr. Banner and get her out of the sewer,
  leaving the rats to worry about her eventual return.
  Naturally, Dr. Banner will not like this sort of treat
  ment and may try to seek revenge. This prowdes a
  good reason to have her pop up in a future adven
  ture.
  The best idea for dealing with the good doctor is
  to have her go nuts at the thought of having her
  plans thwarted by her own creations. She can make
  a long, ranting speech about being cheated and
  betrayed by the rats and how the world hasn't seen
  the last of Dr. Wendy Banner. Then have her run off
  down a tunnel before the PCs can stop her (assum
  ing they even try). As with the previous idea, this is a
  great setup for a recurring villain.
  B u t 
  W h a t 
  A b o u t 
  T h e
  R a t s 
  a n d 
  B o b ?
  That's up to you. In my series, the rats went
  even deeper into the sewer and are busy building a
  dvilization there. Bob stuck around for a while, but
  then went on to other adventures. Will any of them
  ever show up again? Maybe. You never know what
  will happen next on Al Amaija.
  2 2
  
  in a garbage dump in Skylla, where the bubbling pools of
  toxic waste are the least of your worries!
  in a place called Deadville, where even the most violent street
  gangs are no match for the local "people"!
  in the dark and dangerous sewers under the Edge, where
  death can come with a roar or a whisper!
  for you!
  is a scenario for Over the Edge™ that lets your
  characters learn a little more about A1 Amarja and strange
  and deadly things that can be found there. Guide them
  through unexplored new locales as they search for something
  that a lot of people are willing to pay for and a few people are
  willing to kill for. It's not going to be easy, because what
  you're looking for doesn't want to be found! So it hides and
  it listens and it plans and.../t Waits.,.
  I
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Over the Edge/Over The Edge [2nd ed]/It Waits [oef].pdf