CREATURES FROM MOVIES
DARK SEEKER
(generic)
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [1] 20 DEX 20 13- 20 CON 10 13- 5 INT -5 10- PER Roll 10-/13- 8 EGO -2 11- 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 7 OCV 20 7 DCV 20 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 3 SPD 10 Phases: 4, 8, 12 6 PD 4 Total: 6 PD (0 rPD) 6 ED 4 Total: 6 ED (0 rED) 7 REC 3 40 END 4 15 BODY 5 35 STUN 8 Total Characteristic Cost: 111 Movement: Running: 14m/28m Leaping: 8m/16m Swimming: 4m/8m Cost Powers & Skills 4 Bite: HKA 1 point (1d6+1 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-¼), END 1 6 Doesn't Hold Back: HA +1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼) 40 Hard To Put Down: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; STUN Only (-½) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; STUN Only (-½) 2 Powerful Leaper: Leaping +4m (8m forward, 4m upward), END 1 2 Frighteningly Fast: Running +2m (14m total), END 1 6 Can Cling To A Ceiling: Clinging (normal STR); Cannot Move Using Clinging, Cannot Cling To Sheer Surfaces (see text; -½), Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼) 5 Can See In The Dark: Nightvision 3 Can Smell Your Blood: +3 PER with Normal Smell Talents 3 Hideous: +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters) Skills 4 +2 with Grab 3 Climbing 13- 9 Concealment 13- 3 Contortionist 13- 3 Teamwork 13- 9 Tracking 13- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 103 Total Cost: 213 175+ Matching Complications (50) 15 Distinctive Features: Increased Respiration, Heart Rate, And Body Temperature (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 30 Enraged: in combat/the scent of blood/when they encounter prey (Common), go 14-, recover 8- 10 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Infrequently; Slightly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Always Hungry/Lusts For Fresh Meat and/or Blood (Common; Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Unable To Tolerate Sunlight/Bright Light (Uncommon; Total) 20 Susceptibility: UV light 1d6 damage per Segment (Uncommon) Notes: This Does 1d6 of Normal Damage (i.e. it does 1d6 of STUN and 0-2 BODY per Segment). The dark seeker gets none of its defenses against this. That includes its Damage Reduction. Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 38
Ecology: In 2008 a cure for cancer was discovered by modifying the measles virus. In 2009 this cure mutated into a new virus, manifesting with symptoms similar to rabies. By 2012, over 90% of the world’s population is dead. The rest are divided into two groups—the immune humans, who originally only numbered around 12 million, but have been drastically reduced in numbers, and the dark seekers, infected humans who have lost almost all forms of normal human behavior, and exist only to feed their ravenous hunger.
Dark seekers live in “nests,” which is any place the sun’s rays can’t reach. The virus has mutated dark seekers so they are stronger and faster than an immune human, but has also made then very susceptible to strong light—especially ultraviolet light, which will cause burns on a dark seeker’s skin. Thus, dark seekers come out only at night, to hunt and feed on virtually any living thing they can catch, although they seem to prefer the flesh and blood of immune humans.
Personality/Motivation: Dark seekers are virtually mindless individuals, with any former human reasoning and intelligence burned out by the effects of the virus. They seem to behave much like dog and wolf packs, with an alpha leading the nest (usually the biggest and strongest male), although this isn’t certain. When hunting, the dark seekers will cooperate to an extent, with some attempting to drive prey before them (or cut it off its escape route) so that others can tackle it and bring it down. However, this sort of behavior isn’t always a given, and some dark seekers are mindless enough to attack their own kind in order to get at prey.
As a rule, dark seekers are exceedingly hostile. They will readily attack an intruder into their nests (once they detect one), and are quick to purse and hunt down anything they perceive as prey while out hunting. Once they begin an attack, dark seekers will continue until dead or driven off (such as by strong UV light sources.) Negotiation is not an option.
Powers/Tactics: Having forgotten the use of tools, dark seekers have become pursuit predators, who run down their prey either singly or in packs. The virus has made them very strong and agile, with incredible powers of endurance and durability. Dark seekers have been seen to hurdle parked cars, tear through interior walls, and take multiple shots from military-grade weapons before falling. At least one was able to cling to the ceiling of a home and tear his way up and out to the roof. Dark seekers can be captured and restrained, but it can take upwards of six times the normal sedative levels to put one out, while thick chains are required to keep one from breaking free.
Capable of easily outrunning an immune human, dark seekers are also able to climb most any surface. As mentioned before, one dark seeker was seen to cling to a residential ceiling with one arm, bracing himself with his feet, and rip away at the ceiling with his free arm. It seems likely that dark seekers can cling to similar surfaces, provided they have sufficient hand and toe holds. However, once they start to move, they still run the risk of falling.
Once it has cornered its prey, a dark seeker will try to Grab, pulling its victim in close so it can administer a bite. These bites are usually delivered with all the dark seeker’s strength behind it, and the dark seeker may attempt to Grab with its bite, so it can continue to damage to its target by virtually chewing its way in.
Stopping a dark seeker’s attack is no easy task. Their adrenaline-fueled bodies seem to ignore most wounds, even from gunshots, and unless they take an immediately fatal wound (such as a head shot) will continue to attack. However, strong light sources (especially UV light) will serve to drive them off almost instantly.
Appearance: Dark seekers appear as hairless humans. Their skin is pale in color, the pupils seem to be dilated, while the gums have receded, leaving the teeth to project like fangs. Clothing might be worn, but it is usually ragged and dirty. A dark seeker’s respiration is far higher than normal, as is its body temperature (roughly 106° F), and they have a heart rate of around 200 beats per minute.
Designer's Notes: This is only a rough template for the dark seekers from the 2007 movie I Am Legend. I decided to present the seeker’s stats with the idea that most people in I Am Legend would have all 8s or so, meaning a 15 STR and 20 DEX would make then really powerful in a fight. Of course, you can easily add to these values to make the seekers fit better into your campaign.
As written, dark seekers are something akin to “super zombies” as opposed to the vampire analogs of the original novel. However, they still contain some vampiric traits, such as their aversion to sunlight and their taste for blood. Much like zombies (and vampires) they’re very hard to kill, mainly because they tend to keep coming until either their head or heart is destroyed.
Since Samantha (Robert Neville’s dog), was infected with the virus after a fight with two infected dogs (both of whom were virtually hairless), it seems likely the dark seekers can do the same with their bite. You can add this in as a Major Transform with Advantages and Limitations similar to those of the Vampire’s Transform from The HERO System Bestiary. In addition, the alpha male of the dark seekers (the one who leads the attack on Robert Neville’s house) should have much higher stats than the generic one presented here. I suggest a 20 STR, a 4 SPD (maybe even 5), an 8 INT, 20 PRE, Shadowing, Stealth, Tactics, and Weaponsmith (defined as the ability to set snares and the like). You could also give him Animal Handler (canines) and +10 PRE defined as his roar.
(Dark Seekers created by Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman, and Richard Matheson, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
Dark Seeker's Hero Designer File
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