The detective asked, “You expect us to believe you have no memory of the last five days? You were found sleeping in your car, with a gun, that’s been tied to five murders in the last two days. We have eye witnesses AND video of you entering and exiting the homes of three of the victims. You have gun residue on your hands and clothing. You also tested positive for methamphetamine. All this, and the story you’re going with is I don’t remember?”
The suspect replied, “It’s true detective. It wasn’t me. I’ve never fired a gun in my life, I don’t know any of those people. I’ve never even been to Wisconsin! I was in the lab, working late, cataloging the new samples, and then I was here, lying in this hospital bed. I swear.”
“What kind of samples?” the detective asked, “Drugs? Meth maybe?
“No,” the suspect replied, “Brains, a half dozen preserved human brains.”
The reporter, from Paranormal Quarterly, who’d been ordered to not speak asked. “Would one of those brains happen to belong to Betty-Ann Gilroy, the recently executed serial killer?”
Evil can live on after death, with brains surviving past the death of the body. A Brain that Would Not Die can be created through psychic gifts, blasphemous magic, forbidden scientific experiments, from lightning striking or cosmic rays showering a medical specimen. This happens only to the most determined and evil individuals who’ve had their brains surgically removed after death.
These creatures are the disembodied brains of evil men and women, often sorcerers, lunatics, and murderers. Once per week, whether successful or not, the brain can attempt to take over the body of someone they are in close contact with (within 6 feet). This is accomplished by the brain winning an opposed POW check. If the target resists they lost 1D4 sanity points, describing the sensation as being in the room with an evil spirit trying to rip out your soul. If the target fails, the consciousness of whoever The Brain that Would Not Die was in life takes complete control of the target’s body. This lasts until they fall asleep or are knocked unconscious.
While controlling the body of a victim a Brain that Would Not Die retains the memories, skills, and spells they had in life. However, all physical traits remain those of the original owner. They don’t have access to the memories of the people they gain control over. While in control Brains that Would Not Die work hard to complete whatever agenda they have, most often exacting revenge on those whom they feel wronged them in life.
Brains that Would Not Die know that their control lasts only as long as they remain conscious. Because of this they typically drive a lot of coffee, down energy drinks, chew on expresso beans, and even resort to taking methamphetamine. However, eventually they’ll fall asleep, and have their consciousness return to their disembodied brain. Victims then return to their bodies with no memory of anything that happened while they were not in control of their physical forms.
In their jars, floating in preservative fluid, a Brains that Would Not Die is nearly helpless. They can emit a psychic wave which triggers a 1/1D6 sanity check to everyone with sixty feet once per hour. Those caught in this attack suffer immense physical pain akin to a severe migraine, lasting 2d20 minutes. During this time all skill checks are made with a penalty dice. A Brain that Would Not Die also possesses a mild form a telepathy, and can hurl objects with a STR force of 75, up to three times per day, which cause 1D4 points of damage.
However, the most common tactic of a Brain that Would Not Die under threat is to take control over of one of its attackers. If successful they can use their body to attack their companions. If the threatening individual is alone and the Brain that Would Not Die gains control over them, they usually stage a suicide (hang themselves or jump from a window, drink poison, etc).
If a brain feels threatened it can abandon controlling a host and attempt to seize control of another. A Brain that Would Not Die can only control a single person at a time.
Destroying a Brain that Would Not Die is easy, simply inflicting 5 points of damage to it (the glass container gives it 1 point of armor) puts a stop to the creature once and for all. Once the brain is destroyed the creature loses control of the body it’s currently usurped.
The Brain that Would Not Die, Murderous Horrors in a Glass Jar
Char. Averages rolls
STR 00 (–) x 5
CON 20 2D3 x 5
SIZ 10 1D3 x 5
DEX 00 (–) x 5
INT 65 (2D6+6) x 5
POW 95 (2D6+12) x 5
HP 5
Av. Damage Bonus: none
Average Build: 0
Average Magic Points: 19
Move 0
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 2 (telekinetically projected object or physic wave – 1D8 Sanity check)
Fighting Attacks: telekinetically projected object
Fighting, 40% (20 / 8), 1D4
Dodge 0% (0 / 0)
Armor: 1 point of thick glass
Skills: Any the creature had while living.
Spells: Any the creature had while living.
Sanity Loss: 0/1D4 to encounter a Brain that Would Not Die.
