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I didn't think that (outside of D&D) rats act aggressive towards adult humans, even en masse and while hungry. Actually, if there was no food for 2 years or so since the city was largely abandoned, the rat population would significantly decrease.
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Actually rats are known to eat just about anything ranging from cardboard, to electrical insulation. If anything, I'd expect more rats since there would be a lack of controls, and lots of food sources. Don't forget, NYC is not abandened, there are several groups of people, so there would still be plenty of trash and sewage to keep the rats happy. Besides, it plays on a primal factor, I've seldom seen players not chringe when a DM takes the time to properly deliver a rat attack, its all in the delivery!
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Reading about the "Dements" in AotN, it seems like they mined every freakin' cheesy post-apocalypse cliche about cannibalism and mental illness. Might as well throw a lampshade on the trope and have the cannibals dress in spiked leathers with mohawks, and dance around like they were at some kind of Satanic rave. (Come to think of it, much like Doomsday.)
I could see cannibalism as an isolated case someone who's a serial killer and cannibal (that is, cannibalism forms part of their pathology), perhaps even selling human meat. Not as a bestial animal-like "ape" but is someone who appears otherwise normal except they are really a sociopath. These individual would be capable of normal (or almost-normal) human interaction, tool-use and planning and can eat normal food like everyone else, but they hunt humans due to a compulsion. But otherwise they would be camouflaged as just another survivor.
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No arguement from me! Dements and "body deformed from climbing up and down stairs everyday" just lacked something (if nothing else thighs by Arnold and some great high-impact). Besides, what's more chilling, the black-garbed mutant freak (ala Omega Man) that runs around waving a gore encrusted axe and screaming and talking in tongues; or the team that runs into a clean (sorta) bunch of civilians that are just so glad to see the soldiers who might consider escorting them to safety and wouldn't you'all like to join us in our home-cooked meal...and then have the PC make a run for the trees and discover the butchered remains of last nights dinner guests?