[DL] How do you run a Rattler?

["Tabb, David" <david.tabb@msfc.nasa.gov>]

Hi, guys,
	One of my players is dropping out of my game on account of moving
several states away.  By mutual agreement, we decided to kill his character
off.  Actually, if you remember my previous post "Headache," this is the
same player, and I was going to kill him anyway.  But now it had extra
singificance.

So, I manage to get my posse out in the middle of the desert, half a mile
from anyplace, and have the ground start shaking.  Their first thought was
earthquake, not rattler, so they didn't try to run.  Wormy popped outta the
ground 15 yards from their location and immediately latched onto the doomed
preacher.

Interesting side note: the players all made their fear checks, some spending
chips to do so.  Two of their horses, however, got white streaks in their
manes and developed rattler-phobias.  All the horses ran, except for the one
that was already in the rattler's clutches.  By the time the characters got
them back under control, one was 51 yards away and the other was 85.

So, as one character was being drawn inexorably to his doom, the other two
were sitting on their horses very far away taking potshots at the rattler.
Thanks to the rattler (and their guns) being so hugenormous, their TN's were
about 9.  The preacher spent most of his actions trying to Overawe the
rattler, which I allowed because it was funny, while the other two peppered
its hide with lead.

<likely spoilers ahead if you've never fought one of these>



So, to my problem.  As you may know, a Mojave Rattler is not humanoid.
Therefore, the standard hit location chart doesn't apply.  What I did was
divide the critter up into head and not-head sections, gave the not-head 30
wound levels, and used a Size of 15.  I ignored wind and stun.  There was
also armor on the not-head, but I forgot about it almost immediately.

This fight took three hours to run, the preacher never got closer than 6
feet from the rattler's maw, and his (the rattler's) body took 29 wounds
from the 85-yards distant gunbunny hexslinger firing an 1836 Sportster,
modified for cartridges, and Loaded for Bear.  5d12 damage.  I finally just
had the rattler dive back underground, preacher in tow, and declared he got
away and the character was smushed.  He was unharmed until this moment.

I've a sneaking suspicion I didn't manage everything strictly according to
Hoyle.  Rattlers don't have Guts scores, so I don't think they can be
Overawed by a puny human.  The lack of hit locations meant there was a
decent chance they were going to kill my critter before he could finish his
snack.  The tentacles are described as taking one point of damage from
bullets, two from shotguns, and normal damage from cutting weapons.  Does
that apply to the rest of him, too?

In short, what did I do wrong, and how can I make it better?

Thanks,
David
(Considering throwing a 50-foot automaton at them.)