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Settlements

Inachon’s Point, Coastal City

Perched on the side of a coastal mountain is the seaport city of Inachon’s Point. For over 200 years, the city has served as a coastal beacon with its towering lighthouse. Inachon’s Point is a free city-state, ruled by a six-member governing council and an Assembly of 500 citizens, legislating for a population of nearly 100,000.

Decades before the city’s founding, it served as a base for pirate fleet that scoured the coastal cities, plundering every place encountered. But all residents of the now thriving trade and port city agree that the ugly history is behind them.

Defended by massive stones walls, a rocky outcrop, and the sea, this maritime settlement is well protected — which was part of the appeal for the original pirate base. Visitors to the city find plenty of soldiers patrolling the streets and docks. While all are welcome to enter the magnificent city, those who disrupt business or cause civil unrest are dealt with severely.

From a distance, the brilliant white houses of lime and sandstone catch the sun, making Inachon’s Point shine like a gem. Even at night, its lighthouse blazes, warning ships of the shallows and welcoming them to a delightful haven. Merchant ships, caravans, and traders all descend upon the thriving city each day. Spices, textiles, precious metals, gems, and common and rare items are all to be found within its time-worn walls.

The Port

When the city’s location existed as a pirate base, a lonely, ramshackle pier served all the ships that ventured into port. But after the pirates were forced from their stronghold, the newly formed Assembly constructed a marina that extends for nearly one mile. This mammoth undertaking has served Inachon’s Point well. It allows over 100 ships to dock and load or unload cargo. Like most other areas of the city, soldiers patrol it. Damage to the harbor would be catastrophic for the city’s economy. All those who threaten this important part of the city are executed for the crime.

The Bazaar

Located near the port is the open-air bazaar where merchants sell, trade, and barter all manner of goods. Day and evening, the bazaar bustles with traffic, its narrow cobblestone streets so crowded that simply moving from one end to another is time consuming. During the hot afternoons, many of the merchants hang rugs above their stalls, offering shade to their customers in the hopes of selling more wares. Lamps and candles guide the customers once the sun sets, while the enormous flames from the lighthouse add an eerie cast to the area. But all business ends at midnight: Even the profitable merchants need to rest.

Heroes who venture into the maze of merchant stalls and pushcarts are likely to find most anything they could need. The air is redolent with the sweet and spicy smells of cooking food, the calls of hawkers, and the consistent buzz of amazed customers. Unless a player’s character is familiar with the bazaar or has a guide, he must make either a Moderate streetwise or a Difficult search attempt to find a particular merchant during the day. The difficulty increases by +5 at night.

If a hero is in search of a particularly rare item (such as a well-crafted weapon, poison or exotic materials for spells), increase the difficulty by +10 during the day and +15 during the night. A guide familiar with the twisting streets of the bazaar can reduce the difficulty by 10, but an incompetent one can make things worse!

The prices in the bazaar vary from day to day. A gamemaster might change the location or price each day, or require a player’s character to haggle over prices — the more unusual the item, the greater the cost. Some items have such high prices that heroes might have to work for the merchant before the fee is met. Many merchants in the city hire daring adventurers to seek out extraordinary things to resell.

Kasen the Merchant

For the entire 40 years of his life, Kasen has lived in the city of Inachon’s Point. From outer appearances, he is a moderately successful spice merchant — but this is deceiving. During the years of toiling at his stationary wagon, Kasen has acquired a vast amount of wealth. He has also purchased stalls for family members who, while not as successful as he, have done well for themselves. Although Kasen has much experience, this is not the secret of his success. Rather, he sells unusual potions and incense that possess nearly magical qualities. His years of working in the bazaar have provided him with numerous contacts from distant shores, and the amazing qualities of his product have made him a favorite among warriors and wizards. His goal is to one day sell his stall and move to a large house above the city. To

protect his investment, he sleeps in a caravan wagon in the bazaar, and he has hired two guards, who never leave his side.

Because of Kasen’s renown, many potential customers seek him. Trying to get Kasen to part with some of his special stock requires a suitable (and successful) interaction attempt, greased by an appropriate monetary off ering. Th e merchant response much better to charm than anything else.

Agility 3D: dodge 3D+2, stealth 4D Coordination 3D Physique 2D: running 2D+1 Intellect 3D+1: reading/writing 3D+2, scholar 4D+1, speaking 3D+2, trading 5D Acumen 3D: hide 4D, search 3D+1, survival 3D+2, tracking 3D+1 Charisma 3D+2: charm 4D, persuasion 4D Strength Damage: 1D Move: 10 Fate Points: 1 Character Points: 5 Body Points: 21 Wound levels: 4 Disadvantages: Devotion (R2), spends much time searching for new plants and herbs, and pays little attention to local events; Employed (R3), driven to work until he can earn enough money to quit the business Special Abilities Uncanny Aptitude (R1), has a natural sense about plants — can select herbs and mix them into incense and potions that have astounding properties Advantages Contacts (2), has many contacts from various lands who supply him with rare plants and herbs Equipment: fi ne clothes; keys; pouch bulging with coins

Kasen’s Potions and Incense

Dragon’s Kiss (Moderate price diffi culty/5 gold): Rubbing this pungent concoction upon wounds hastens the healing process (+2 bonus to two healing totals). Th e mixture must be kept dry at all times; otherwise, its healing properties are lost. Th ere’s enough in one packet for two uses.

Adrik Incense (Moderate price diffi culty/4 gold): Burning this incense while performing any Intellect skill adds a +2 bonus to all related totals for one round. Each stick of incense provides one use.

Dried Lion Flower Tea (Moderate price diffi culty/5 gold): Brewing this tea and consuming adds 2 to stamina totals for two hours. Th e dry tea is sold in silk packs with enough for a single use.

Guards

Nevest, Guard: Agility 4D, melee combat 5D, Coordination 3D, Physique 4D, stamina 4D+2, Intellect 2D, Acumen 3D, streetwise 3D+2, search 3D+1, Charisma 2D, intimidation 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 0. Body Points: 17/Wound levels: 2. Equipment: ring mail armor (Armor Value +1D+1); long sword (damage +2D+2).

Cire, Guard: Agility 3D, fi ghting 4D, melee combat 4D, Coordination 3D, Physique 4D, stamina 4D+2, Intellect 2D, Acumen 3D, streetwise 4D, Charisma 3D, intimidation 3D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 0. Body Points: 17/Wound levels: 2. Equipment: ring mail armor (Armor Value +1D+1); long sword (damage +2D+2).

The Scar

Nearly at sea level, running along the outskirts of the bazaar is Inachon’s slum quarter. Th is district of the city is the oldest, and it looks its age. Scattered throughout the ramshackle neighborhoods are the occasional stone buildings, but for the most part, the structures are comprised of rotting wood. Age and the damp wind have conspired to destroy many of the once beautiful residences and stores.

Gathered in this neighborhood are the laborers who load and unload cargo. Th ere are far more people then there are jobs, so each morning thousands of the Scar’s denizens trot to the docks, each waiting in line, hoping to be selected for work. Th e pay is low and the work is hard. But desperate people work for desperate wages.

Fane’s Tavern

Sitting among the myriad rows of unassuming buildings in the Scar is a shuttered shack that has served as tavern and secret guild house for decades. Although history tells that the pirates who once called Inachon’s Point home are long dead, it isn’t the case. On the contrary, the pirates have simply adapted. When sailing the seas and stealing gold and jewelry became too risky, many of the former seamen traded their sea legs for walking boots — soft-soled walking boots.

On the surface, Fane’s appears nothing more than a rats’ nest of a tavern. All respectable citizens of Inachon’s Point avoid the despicable site. But underneath its haggard façade is the gathering place for the city’s thieves. Beneath the fl oor of the tavern is the cellar where meetings, plans, and territories are discussed. Th e descendents of the forgotten pirates do not limit themselves to stealing from wealthy houses. They help themselves to cargo on the docks — bribing soldiers to watch the stars while barrels and crates vanish into the night. Th ey also smuggle cargo into the city, avoiding tariff s and taxes, allowing them to resell it to merchants on the cheap. Th is is accomplished by a series of smugglers’ coves that pepper the coastline, with a maze of tunnels leading beneath the city. Th e members of this exalted guild are sensitive about freelancers.

Any thief who attempts to practice her trade inside the city is certainly going to encounter a member of the guild. Such an event is only a matter of time. When this happens, the “scab” thief is given the option to join the guild, usually by performing several jobs that are both risky and profi table, or the thief is told to leave the city. If one or the other option is not accepted, the members of the guild are ruthless in remedying the situation.

Fane, Tavern Owner

Fane is a spry man in his mid-fi fties, with dark hair streaked with gray. He is rotund, friendly, and unimposing. Underneath this friendly exterior is the head of the thieves’ guild, and a ruthless criminal. Although he no longer practices his trade, he does train and guide the members of his guild. He assures their interests are protected by eliminating any other guilds that vie for power, and by preventing any outside thieves from working the city.

Any new customer who enters Fane’s business is carefully scrutinized. Unable to resist practicing his art to some degree, Fane greets all new faces with a warm smile, while patting them down for money and belongings. He never steals anything; he just sizes up his prey. He doesn’t’ want to draw any attention to the tavern by having a client accuse him or one of his customers of theft. Once he knows the “worth” of a person, later that night he sends out one of his guildsmen to acquire the goods.

Besides being the leader of the largest underground business in Inachon’s Point, he is also a useful source for rumors and information. Heroes who manage to befriend him fi nd him a useful ally for garnering secrets, gossip, and news.

Agility 3D: dodge 3D+1, fi ghting 3D+1, melee combat 3D+1, stealth 4D Coordination 4D: lockpicking 4D+2, sleight of hand 5D, throwing 4D+1 Physique 2D: lifting 2D+1, stamina 2D+2 Intellect 3D: reading/writing 3D+1, speaking 3D+1 Acumen 3D: hide 4D+2, search 3D+2, streetwise 3D+1, tracking 4D Charisma 3D: bluff 3D+2, charm 3D+1, intimidation 4D, mettle 4D+2 Strength Damage: 1D Move: 10 Fate Points: 1 Character Points: 2 Body Points: 21 Wound levels: 4 Disadvantages: Enemy (R1), detested by other guilds attempting to move into the city; Enemy (R2), harassed by local authorities Advantages Authority (R2), respected leader of the local thieves’ guild Special Abilities none Equipment: lockpicking tools; long sword (damage +2D+2); soft leather vest (worn beneath a jerkin; Armor Value +2); dagger (damage +1D)

Typical Guild Member

Agility 3D, fi ghting 3D+1, melee 3D+1, Coordination 4D, lockpicking 4D+1, sleight of hand 5D, Physique 3D, Intellect 2D, Acumen 3D, hide 3+1, streetwise 4D, search 3D+2, Charisma 3D, bluff 3D+1, charm 3D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 1. Body Points: 14/ Wound levels: 2. Equipment: clothes; cloak; basic lockpicking tools; dagger (damage +1D).

High Town

Sprouting from the mountainside upon which the city’s lighthouse rests are numerous residences, each growing larger as they move upward. Th is quarter of the city is where the money lives. It can be seen in the limestone-plastered houses, and the mansions lining the cobblestone streets. Groomed gardens and spraying fountains are common fare for this neighborhood. Few residents walk the streets, preferring to ride in carriages. Every morning, there’s a great exodus from High Town as the servants plod down to the bazaar to purchase food and daily necessities. Unlike the lower levels of the city, this is the land of successful merchants, bankers, politicians, and city offi cials.

Phylo Duran’s Library

Standing tall among the stone buildings of High Town is the city’s only library. Funded and erected by one of the city’s most eccentric citizens, it serves as a research library for Inachon’s Point scholars. It’s visited by people from hundreds of miles away and across the sea.

While the library’s oblong, eight-story exterior is rather bland, it’s one of the tallest buildings in the city. From the port and from the city gates, the bright white library stands out among the surrounding buildings.

Besides being a library with a vast collection of manuscripts, it’s also the residence of Phylo Duran. His private rooms can be found on the highest fl oor. On warm days, he stands upon the fl at roof, either reading in the sunlight or gazing at the horizon.

Even though Phylo is a lighthearted man, he doesn’t let everyone peruse his collection of tomes. Heroes longing to gain entrance to this large and unusual library must fi rst persuade Phylo. A hero that succeeds through charm or bluff is welcomed into the library. If she fails, she must return on another day, and Phylo adds a +2 bonus to his opposed mettle total. For each failure, another bonus accumulates.

Another approach is to engage Phylo in a scholarly debate. Again the player’s character makes an opposed roll against Phylo, both using their scholar skills. If the player’s character wins, the librarian is stumped and invites the character into the library for further discussion.

The last alternative is the use of a letter of reference. The persuasion or reading/writing total used to craft the letter must beat Phylo’s reading/writing roll by fi ve points, as he’s always careful to examine a letter of reference closely to make sure it isn’t a forgery.

Phylo Duran, Librarian

The somewhat eccentric librarian lacks good interpersonal skills. He spends much of his time with books, which seldom speak back. The endless years of one-way conversations has made Phylo a bibliophile and an introvert. He is lanky, gray haired, and 55 years old. He tends to overdress and is seldom seen without a book in hand. The truth is Phylo feels awkward without the heft of a volume of lore to balance him. When engaged in conversation, he occasionally turns away and commences reading from whatever book he is toting around. He is very imaginative, so sometimes when an idea is lodged in his head, he tends to stare into the distance, pondering whatever thought has captured his fancy.

The peculiar librarian is a diffi cult man to befriend. Even if a hero manages to charm him, this only lasts for a few hours, after which, Phylo grows weary of the person’s presence and requests her to leave. The only sure method of gaining the man’s favor is by entering into a debate with him or by presenting him with an interesting manuscript. Because of his vast collection, the character’s scholar roll must beat Phylo’s scholar total, with a +5 modifi er to the librarian’s total. If this succeeds, the hero has gained a lifelong friend.

Agility 3D: climbing 3D+2 Coordination 2D Physique 2D: lifting 2D+2, stamina 3D Intellect 4D: cultures 5D, reading/writing 6D+2, scholar 6D, speaking 4D+1 Acumen 4D: investigation 5D, search 4D+2 Charisma 3D: bluff 3D+1, intimidation 3D+2, mettle 4D, persuasion 3D+1 Strength Damage: 1D Move: 10 Fate Points: 1 Character Points: 6 Body Points: 21 Wound levels: 4 Disadvantages: Employed (R2), dedication to the library and Inachon’s Point prevents venturing from the town; Hindrance: Intellectual Snob (R1), +1 to charm, persuasion, and speaking diffi culties; Quirk (R2), loathes ignorance and anyone less knowledgeable than he (which is most everyone) Advantages Patron (R3), the ruling council of Inachon’s Point pays for the funds the library, its employees, and new acquisitions Equipment: mismatched clothes; keys; cloth bookmarks

The Library

1. Entry Hall: Th is is the main entrance to the library. The door is made of oak with iron rivets hammered into the wood to strengthen it (Toughness of 3D). Most of High Town’s residences consider this an unnecessary security measure that only reduces the beauty of the neighborhood. However, it does make the door much more diffi cult to smash. (Picking the lock has a diffi culty of 22.) Also located in this hallway is a trapdoor, which leads to the cellar. The door is normally locked and has a diffi culty of 15 to successfully be picked. The cellar stores mostly food and wine.

2. Common Library: Shelves stacked with books, scrolls, and loose paper clutters this room. In the center is a reading table, and a fi replace is set into the eastern wall. A tall ladder leans against each shelf, providing access to the higher texts in the room. In the northeast corner is an iron spiral staircase leading to the next level. Performing a search in this room with a diffi culty of 15 reveals the majority of volumes on the shelves are historical and probably only of interest to local scholars. (Exceptionally high totals may reveal a hidden book of obscure and valuable signifi cance.)

3. Rare Collection: Th is smaller room off the entrance hall is designed for private study. It also has a collection of unusual manuscripts, many of which discuss legendary beasts and magical practices. Heroes who use search have a diffi culty of 10 to fi nding some of Phylo’s personal notes.

4. Second-Level Hallway: The spiral stairs that lead to this level continue upward, all the way to the top level. Locked and set in the eastern walls of this hallway are two doors. The locks on both doors have a diffi culty of 15.

5. Forbidden Volumes: Th is library only Phylo and his most trusted associates may enter. It contains several volumes of works that would prove dangerous in the wrong hands. Rumor of this precious library has reached ears as far as the Scar — Fane has even heard of them but has not devised a method of acquiring them that won’t result in his capture. If asked, Phylo simply claims that this room is storage. A successful opposed roll of bluff against Phylo’s bluff allows a hero to discern that Phylo is fi bbing about the room.

6. Storage Room: Th is is a storage room. Inside are several crates of bound manuscripts and barrels of scrolls that Phylo hasn’t inspected yet. After he scans them, he places them in the proper location in the library.

The Scroll of the Lost City

Secreted away in Phylo’s library is a lengthy scroll that describes a lost city located deep within a desert. The unknown author of the manuscript describes the city as being covered by a sandstorm, and all of its occupants smothered in their homes. While the document itself is no more than one century old, the knowledge it contains dates back several centuries. There are enough clues in the book that a character, through careful examination, could fi gure out where the lost city is.

Additionally, scattered throughout its pages are also spell fragments. With some months of study, a player’s character can piece together these fragments and form entire spells.

The Point

Nearly 1,000 meters above the city, at the highest point of the stony mountain, rests Inachon’s lighthouse. It’s guarded day and, as it’s the guiding beacon for those who journey to the city. As night approaches, one guard carries a torch, climbing a spiraling staircase, to the stone summit. There he ignites the wood that burns until morning. Each morning, the guards clear the summit and restock the wood so the lighthouse has fuel for the next night.

Typical Lighthouse Guard: Agility 3D+2, fi ghting 4D+2, melee combat 4D+2, Coordination 2D, Physique 3D+1, running 3D+2, stamina 4D+2, Charisma 3D, intimidation 3D+1, Intellect 2D+1, Acumen 3D+2, investigation 4D, streetwise 4D. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 0. Body Points: 15/Wound levels: 2. Equipment: chain mail armor (Armor Value +2D); halberd (damage +3D); pouch of food and water.

Smugglers’ Tunnels

Staggered along the coast on both sides of the city’s port are numerous smugglers’ tunnels. When Inachon’s Point served as a pirate base, these subterranean routes were often used to transport material and people in and out of the city. Although most people have forgotten them, Fane and his gang have not. Th ieves regularly use them to haul cargo in small boats to and from ships anchored off the coast. Forming a vast network beneath the city, it’s possible to exit at most any place, providing the person navigating the tunnels knows her way around. The tunnels require a Diffi culty navigation roll to get through. A roll can be made once per hour. A failure means that the hero spends another hour searching the tunnels for an exit. To fi nd a specifi c exit from the tunnels, one other than the one that was used to enter the tunnels, the diffi culty increases by +5. The gamemaster should add modifi ers if the hero is in a hurry or is traveling without a light.

The tunnels themselves are rugged and fi lled with water. In most areas, the water is only waist high, but in other locations, it requires swimming or the use of a boat to pass through. Unless a hero has experience in the tunnels, there’s no way of knowing which passages contain which depth of water.

Settlements

Kiselton, Riverside Town

Nestled upon the banks of the Durbin River is the town of Kiselton. With a population of over 1,000, it’s a booming trade center that relies upon its salt mines as a chief source of revenue. Like most settlements of its size, Kiselton has a ruling council and a mayor to perform the civic duties, such as appointing a sheriff, negotiating trade agreements, and collecting the taxes required to maintain the town’s dock, roads, defensive walls, and government buildings. Over the years, Kiselton has done well, attracting laborers to work in the mine for wages seldom seen in smaller villages or warrens. Along with the opportunity for greater earnings comes a broad range of entertainment, attracting more residents with a variety of talents to the riverside town. Its ease of access makes it a popular stopping place for travelers, caravans, and various touring merchants.

The Salt Mines

Located northwest of Kiselton is the vast series of underground salt mines that have brought the town its rapid growth and wealth. Each year, several tons of salt are pulled from the earth and sold to smaller and larger cities, near and far. Although the work is wretched and dangerous, it’s the lifeblood this thriving riverside settlement. The recent deaths of miners have forced Mayor Garvin Belot to place city guards inside and outside the mines. No one in Kiselton is sure what or who is killing the workers, but the talk in the taverns is that a monster is lurking about, feeding upon warm flesh.

Such rumors do not sit well with the mayor, or the ruling council. At every opportunity, all town officials deny claims of monsters; instead, they place the blame on rogues, claiming that soon a band of brave souls will arrive and offer to rid the town of the “bandits.” These so-called heroes are the true perpetrators, and the members of the council anticipate their arrival.

Rumors of War

Perhaps council members have hired ruffians in an attempt to oust the firmly planted mayor. Or maybe they hired toughs, but there’s also a monster prowling about. However, should the players’ characters hear the rumors and offer to help, the mayor doesn’t hesitant to have the sheriff arrest them, and he proclaims he has captured the villains responsible for the deaths, hoping to keep the favor of the people.

The Town

With wealth often comes a fear of losing that wealth. As Kiselton started to prosper, one of the first undertakings of the ruling council was to construct defensive walls around the town, leaving only the riverfront open.

Each wall has a guarded gate, which is normally open during daylight hours. During the night, the gates are closed, though the guards remain. Gaining entry to the town is much more difficult at night, as the guards carefully inspect all who wish to enter.

Here are a few of the locations with the town, but there’s plenty of other places that weren’t visited during a visit not too long ago. As things hardly ever change in these little places, it’s likely that other visitors will find the sights familiar from these descriptions.

Locations in Kiselton

1. Government House (Mayor’s Abode): This luxurious manor was one of the first town structures to be erected. Beautifully tended, old hardwood trees surround the structure, providing plenty of shade for the three flagstone patios situated on the north, west, and south sides of the building. Standing two stories, constructed of stone and mortar, the Government House is the location for council meetings and trade negotiations with merchants and emissaries from neighboring cities.

Garvin Belot, Mayor: Agility 2D, dodge 3D, stealth 3D, Coordination 2D, lockpicking 2D+1, Physique 2D, Intellect 2D, cultures 2D+1, reading/writing 2D+1, scholar 3D+2, speaking 3D+1, trading 3D+2, Acumen 2D, hide 3D, streetwise 4D, Charisma 4D, bluff 4D+1, charm 4D+1, persuasion 4D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 2. Body Points: 16/Wound levels: 3. Advantages: Authority (R2), mayor. Equipment: clothes; coins; keys to Government House.

2.Temple:Kiselton’s temple rivals the Government House in size and beauty. Entirely built at the cost of the temple’s followers, it’s another of town’s prominent structures. Not only does it serve as a house of worship for the locals, it also provides boarding for its growing number of clergy. Presently, the temple houses 15 priests, but it’s capable of rooming twice that number.

Ladira Almer, Head Priestess: Agility3D,fighting 3D+1,meleecombat4D,Coordination2D,Physique2D, Intellect 3D+1, cultures 3D+2, reading/writing 3D+2, scholar 4D, speaking 4D, Acumen 3D, search 3D+1, Charisma 3D, mettle 4D+2, Miracles 2D, divination 2D+2, favor 4D, strife 4D. Move: 10. Strength Dam age: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 2. Body Points: 16/Wound levels: 3. Disadvantages: Devotion (R3), to religion;Employed(R3),must follow sect’s regulations. Advantages: Authority(R1), religious leader; Equipment (R1), special holy symbol. Equipment: robes; holy symbol (provides +2 bonus to divination, favor and strife skill totals); quarterstaff (damage +1D+2).

Typical Acolyte: Agility 2D, melee combat 3D, Coordination 2D, Physique 3D, Intellect 3D, cultures 3D+1, reading/writing 3D+1, speaking 3D+1, Acumen 3D, investigation 3D+2, Charisma 3D, mettle 3D+1, Miracles 1D, divination 2D, favor 2D+1, strife 2D+2. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 2. Body Points: 11/ Wound levels: 2. Disadvantages: Devotion (R1), to religion; Employed (R1), must follow sect’s regulations. Equipment: robes; holy symbol; quarterstaff (damage +1D+2).

3. Durbin River Inn: This inn existed years before the city walls were erected around Kiselton.

It’s a favorite haunt of the riverboat crews and road weary travelers. Its sturdy wooden frame stands three-stories high, and it has 20 rooms, varying from cramped and windowless on the lower floors to large and brightly lighted on the top floor. As with most settlements, the local inn is a locus of rumors, gossip, and shady deals.

Renting a room at the Durbin River Inn varies in price with the quality of the room. Cramped, single bed rentals are Very Easy (10 copper pieces), while large two- and three- bed suites are Moderate (four gold pieces). Jurin is not fastidious when it comes to cleaning the cheaper rooms. Dust and discarded material are included in the low-budget rentals, and the bedding is crawling with lice. These extra amenities are not found in the upper, more expensive suites.

Jurin Coram, Inn Keeper: Agility 2D, riding 2D+2, Coordination 2D, Physique 2D, stamina 3D+1, Intellect 2D, cultures 2D+1, trading 4D, Acumen 2D, streetwise 3D+2, search 4D, Charisma 3D, bluff 4D, charm 3D+1, persuasion 3D+1, . Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 2. Body Points: 16/Wound levels: 3. Equipment: clothes; pipe; small knife (damage +2).

Ori Swifthand, Inn Regular: Agility 3D, riding 3D+1, Coordination 4D, lockpicking 4D+1, sleight of hand 4D+1, throwing 4D+1, Physique 3D, Intellect 2D+1, cultures 2D+2, Acumen 2D+2, hide 4D+1, streetwise 4D+2, search 3D, Charisma 3D, bluff 3D+2, charm 3D+1. Move:10. Strength Damage: 2D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 1. Body Points: 19/Wound levels: 3. Disadvantages: Enemy (R1), suspected of being a foot pad and watched carefully by the mayor. Equipment: clothes; cloak; bag of pepper (+1 to difficulties for animals using track); lockpicking tools (+1D to lockpicking rolls); throwing dagger (damage+1D); stiletto (damage +1D); soft leather boots (+1 to stealth totals).

4. Dock: While commerce is readily conducted by road, it’s much easier by water. Th is is truer when transporting heavy loads of salt. While many of the neighboring settlements haul the precious mineral by horse, along the rutted roads leading to and from Kiselton, the larger cities use riverboats, carrying vast cargoes of salt to be resold to even more distant locations. As a result, the dock has become an essential part of the town’s economic success. It’s not difficult to hitch a ride on one of the riverboats — for a small fee paid to the captain, naturally.

Typical Dock Worker: Agility 3D, fighting 4D, melee seaport city of Inachon’s Point. For over 200 years, the combat 4D, Coordination 2D, pilotry 3D+1, Physique 4D, lifting 5D, running 4D+1, stamina 5D, Intellect 3D, Acumen 3D, gambling 3D+1, hide 4D, streetwise 4D, Charisma 3D, bluff 3D+2. Strength Damage: 3D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 0. Body Points: 12/Wound levels: 2. Equipment: clothes; small knife (damage +2); heavy garments (Armor Value +1)

Rumors

All who spend an evening at the inn are likely to hear numerous rumors. The Game Master can use the following table for determining random rumors, deciding which is true and which are not. Amend the table to suit the needs of an existing adventure, if desired.

1. A clandestine band of thieves practices their trade in town. They identify each other and communicate through secret gestures.

2. The mayor is planning on expanding the dock. The ruling council had a private meeting. They intend to purchase the houses along the river before announcing the plan, so that they can buy the property at a low price.

3. The priestess at the temple is an excellent healer. It’s said she came here from a distant city, hiding from the elders of her order for a crime she committed.

4. Monsters did not kill the mine workers! The mine foreman had them murdered to slow the production of salt. The foremen have been secretly mining it and selling on their own.

5. The mines run deep into the earth. Something has been disturbed there, something that should not have been awakened.

6. The bard Selwyn of Burch knows many histories of Kiselton and the local lands. Often he visits the inn, regaling customers with forgotten tales and delightful songs.

Settlements

Delmara, Forest-side Hamlet

Standing alongside a trade route is the small hamlet of Delmara. The ancient deciduous forest that edges the city provides the inhabitants with the material for housing, fuel, and trade. Carpenters, wainwrights, and shipwrights favor the ancient hardwood trees in the area, providing most of the 300 denizens with a valuable commodity for barter. Those in Delmara who are not foresters rely upon farms for their sustenance, selling their excess nuts, fruits, vegetables, and livestock at markets. Even though the hamlet is small, it’s situated upon a heavily traveled trade road, bringing many merchants to the settlement. In turn, Delmara’s solitary inn is quite successful and is a favored gathering point at sunset. Not even Bede Trowbryde, Delmara’s mayor, is immune to the appeal of the Forest Nymph Inn.

Although the fertile ground makes the land surrounding Delmara perfect for farming, its rich soil lacks an abundance of stone. Over the years, many people have attempted to dig a stone quarry, but each attempt has failed as there’s seldom enough stone for the construction of more than one or two buildings. The majority of the structures in the settlement are wattle and daub buildings. These are constructed of woven strips of oak, covered with a mud and straw plaster to insulate against the cold weather.

Delmara Forest

Spanning for miles around the hamlet are the tall, brooding hardwood trees of the Delmara Forest. Bards sing songs about this ancient woodland, and the resilient trees. The songs recount a history of a forest imbued with magical properties, tended and farmed by Elves. The Delmara Forest in these songs is often called the Bowood Forest, as it’s told that for centuries elves used the trees to make beautiful and powerful bows. Most folk in Delmara consider this nothing more than a folktale. Certainly many bowyers have attempted to construct bows from the hardwood of the trees, but none have succeeded, as the wood either cannot be bent or snaps during shaping.

Darkwater Swamp

Just north of Delmara is the foreboding Darkwater Swamp. This place is avoided by all of the inhabitants of the hamlet. Both animals and people have lost their lives in this treacherous region. Many folk believe that the swamp is not natural, that it’s a living thing itself. It’s said that it often calls to those who wander within its sight, luring them into its watery clutches with familiar voices. Or its fetid stench is replaced by an alluring smell of food that leads animals to a watery grave. At night, for those who dare to look, lights are often seen floating over the black waters, dancing about as though they were alive. All who visit Delmara are warned away from the Darkwater Swamp.

The Hamlet

Pushcart Market: Just off the road, north of the Forest Nymph Inn, is where the local farmers gather each day with their pushcarts. In this small, mobile market, fresh fruits and vegetables are sold. Salted and smoked meat is also offered. While the hamlet is small, the market sees much traffic, as all of the locals, and some travelers, frequent the spot for food. On occasion, a traveling caravan that offers cloth, spices, pottery, and other rare products joins the farmers. By noon each day, the pushcarts vanish as quickly as they appeared, only to return again on the morrow.

Church: One of the few buildings to be constructed of stone is Delmara’s church. In the early years of the hamlet, the cleric Cernay Avers arrived, and with his newly acquired flock, constructed the church. Believing the daub and wattle building did not properly serve his deity, Cernay convinced his sect to rebuild the church in stone. It’s become an emblem of Delmara’s staunch and steadfast devotion. Many travelers who encounter Cernay find him a trifle over zealous. The locals tend to overlook his determined attitude.

Cernay Avers, Cleric: Agility 2D+1, melee combat 4D+1, Coordination 2D, throwing 2D+2, Physique 2D, Intellect 3D, cultures 4D, reading/writing 3D+1, scholar 3D+1, speaking 3D+1, Acumen 3D, search 3D+1, Charisma 3D, mettle 4D, Miracles 2D, divination 3D, favor 2D+1, strife 2D+2. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 2. Body Points: 16/Wound levels: 3. Disadvantages: Devotion (R3), to religion; Employed (R2), must follow sect’s regulations. Equipment: robes; coins; pouches containing holy symbols; mace (damage +1D+1).

Bede Trowbryde’s House: Opposite the Fang River from the church stands Delmara’s second stone building, the mayor’s house. When the building was first erected, the intention was to make it the abode of the elected mayor. As it happens, Bede Trowbryde has been the elected mayor for 20 years. Most of the people in the ham let now simply refer to the dwelling as the “Trowbyrde House” or “Bede’s House.” Because of the stone and mortar used, the building stands two stories high, and is quite comfortable compared to many of the smaller residences in Delmara.

Bede Trowbryde, Mayor: Agility 2D, riding 2D+1, Coordination 2D, sleight of hand 2D+2, Physique 2D, running 2D+1, Intellect 2D, cultures 3D, reading/writing 2D+2, scholar 3D, speaking 3D, trading 4D, Acumen 2D, hide 2D+1, streetwise 4D, search 3D, Charisma 3D, bluff3D+2, charm 4D, persuasion 3D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Fate Points: 0. Character Points: 1. Body Points: 16/Wound levels: 3. Advantages: Authority (R2), mayor. Equipment: fine clothes; cloak; hat; pouch with coins.

Adventure Locations

Zoo

Zoos became popular in the late nineteenth century as public attractions, even though they have been around in one form or another for centuries. Historically, a number of monarchs have kept private zoos, especially in Rome and the Far East. However, these zoos, as well as most nineteenth- century zoos, were not much more than rows of cages. Mortality rate of the animals, and handlers, was fairly high.

Modern zoos use open habitats to house most of the animals. These habitats are separated from the public by guardrails and sometimes deep trenches or moats. Vegetation and rocks give a natural look and feel, though the animals can usually retreat to a den, which is far more stark, inside the exhibit. If the zoo is large, the den might have a viewing area that allows the public to see the animals in their retreat as well. Less aggressive animals may have a simple fence or short wall dividing them and their camera-wielding predators. Goats, sheep, and easily domesticated animals are often housed in fenced “petting zoos,” where children might get to touch and feed them.

Exceptions to this kind of animal display exist for creatures that can more easily escape or need a special climate. Birds are normally kept in a sanctuary covered by a massive cage or net, which might have a lagoon for water birds. Reptiles are kept in a structure with glass-walled rooms, monkeys in large areas or cages with trees or tree-like structures, and bats in an enclosed building with an observation section at one end. Additionally, some zoos have penguins, otters, seals, and walruses, which require an aquatic habitat with islands and ponds. In rare cases, zoos may have dolphins, whales, and displays of exotic fish.

Wide, concrete or asphalt walkways twist and turn between and around hubs of habitats in the modern zoo. Exhibits are usually grouped together by species, such as big cats, bears, elephants, small mammals, aquatics, and similar categories, or by region, such as Africa and Asia. There is generally a snack bar or restaurant, gated ticket center, and administrative building with educational facilities, security, and first aid. Unseen by the public is typically a veterinary clinic where most any kind of medical procedure can be performed. These facilities are either in areas obscured by foliage or living plant walls, encircled by habitats, or occasionally underground, linked by tunnels.

Zoos are a locale that is packed with scores of innocent bystanders; to make situations even more interesting, there are hundreds, even thousands, of wild and exotic animals in the mix as well. With the proliferation of daft Australian wildlife show hosts, numerous exotic creatures have been snatched, tranquilized, boxed up, and placed in sleepy suburban zoos. The idea of an encounter with a rare Amazonian snake so poisonously lethal that organs shrivel at the mere mention of the name now become a lot more believable On a daily basis, the ingredients for sheer disaster such as a church group and a lion, two natural enemies, are kept apart and safe while maintaining an educational, family experience. Most common problems such as medical emergencies, extreme weather, power outages, and so are usually contained. It generally takes a very clever animal, a miscreant presence, or an inept zoo employee to release an animal into the general populace. Nonetheless, animal escapes into the keeper areas behind the exhibits do happen fairly frequently.

Adventures surrounding zoos in a non-supernatural setting often involve animal theft, by greedy individuals meeting a black market request or by animal activists seeking to “free” the creatures from their captivity. In mystical or science fiction settings, circumstances in the zoo can be far more unusual. For instance, masters of mind control may seek animal familiars to aid them in their goals. Similarly, what appears to be a mundane bear might actually be a shapeshifter. For an espionage twist, the creatures could have been taken from dozens of countries, which opens the possibility for the involvement of many cultures and governments. Discovering the existence of a stolen panda in the local zoo may enrage a Chinese ambassador, and it becomes the character’s responsibility to resolve the incident.

There are a number of environmental and political issues that can be blended into zoo encounters. Zoos in modern day are often educational platforms for wildlife protection, repopulation of endangered species, and conservation of habitats such as the rain forest. Thus, studious scientists, opportunistic corporate interests, and the lunatic fringe of activism all frequent this location and could possibly cause trouble because of their enthusiasm for their cause.

Things to See

+ Stone benches

+ Metal or plastic signs with information about the animals or directions to other areas of the zoo

+ Sturdy, green metal garbage barrels

+ Walkie-talkies

+ Ring of keys for animal cages

+ Plastic buckets of food (grain, fruit, fish, etc.)

+ Wooden brooms and mops and plastic or metal pails

+ Golf carts (for the animal handlers)

+ Strollers

+ Green trash barrels mostly filled with crushed cups and half-eaten food

+ For additional food ideas, see the “Amusement Park” entry

People to Meet

In modern zoos, zoologists make up most – if not all – of the staff. They have 2D in all characteristics except Knowledge at 3D and have brawling: grabs, dodge, and survival skills of +1D to + 2D as a result of working with the animals. Their medicine and scholar: biology/zoology is typically +3D. Zoo security has 2D for all attributes with brawling, dodge, marksmanship, medicine, and security skills of 3D. They often use transports like golf carts, light trucks, and Jeeps that carry first aid kits, tranquilizer guns, and restraints (such as nets, bags, cages, and rope).

Generic Adventure Characters contains a few zoo- appropriate animals. For other creatures, use these quick guidelines: Set a scale based on an animal of similar build with a Physique of ID to 2D for small animals, 2D to 3D for Human sized, and 4D to 5D for larger creatures. Assign a brawling skill of 3D to 4D for herbivores and 5D to 6D for carnivores, plus include a damage bonus of +1D to +2D for bite, claws, hooves, tusks, or similar natural weapons. Special natural abilities, such as poison, can be adapted from other creatures or Special Abilities.

Zookeeper: Reflexes 2D, brawling 3D, Coordination 2D, Physique 2D, lifting 3D, running 2D+1, swimming 2D+1, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+1, medicine 2D+1: animals +1D, scholar 2D+1: animals +2D, tech: computers 2D+1, Perception 2D, investigation 2D+I , search 2D+1, Presence 2D, animal handling 3D, willpower 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 9. Wound levels: 2.

Black Bear: Reflexes 2D+2, brawling 4D, climbing 4D+2, sneak 3D+2, Coordination 1D, Physique 4D, running 4D+2, Knowledge 1D, Perception 2D+2, search 4D+2, Presence 1D, intimidation 4D, willpower 3D. Move: 15. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 13. Wound levels: 2. Natural Abilities: claws (damage +1D; +5 to climbing totals); bite (damage +1D); thick fur (Armor Value +1); large size (scale value 1).

Things to Do

+ The local to calls in the players’ character to investigate the theft of several animals. Fearing the detectives may be onto him, a security guard in on the heist baits the heroes into the surgical clinic. The door locking behind them, the characters face a tiger past due for his check-up and morning feeding …

Adventure Locations

Wrestling Ring

The squared circle, as it’s affectionately called, is the center of all (well, most) of professional wrestling’s action. What may seem to be just three sets of ropes tied to a few steel posts is actually a carefully designed structure built to enhance the wrestling experience.

To describe a generic wrestling ring, let’s do a top down, inside out approach. First, there are the steel corner posts. These are the ring’s anchors and keep it steady with all the action going on inside and out.

Next are the turnbuckles. Each rope is connected to the ring posts via a turnbuckle. Ropes are hooked up to the posts slack and are tightened by inserting a metal bar through the center of the turnbuckle and twisting the bar. Turnbuckles are very solid and can be quite dangerous if exposed. For this reason a large pad covers each one – most of the time.

Then there are the ropes. Every wrestling ring has three ropes on each side. Ropes have gone from being mainly adornments used to keep the action in the ring area to integral parts of a wrestler’s repertoire. Ropes are usually made up of steel cable covered with a thick padding. The tightening of the ropes with the turnbuckles gives them their spring (+2 to acrobatics rolls when using the skill) and lets the wrestler bounce on, off, and over them.

The mat is the canvas floor of the ring, but it is much more than that. Underneath the ring itself are springs designed to give some bounce to the mat. Through the combined use of turnbuckles, ropes, and a spring-loaded mat, professional wrestlers manage to pull off their eye-popping stunts. Around the base of the ring is a cover sometimes decorated with a wrestling logo that hides the ring’s underneath portion. It also acts as a good place to hide things participants are not allowed to have in the ring (at least according to the official rules).

Outside of the ring itself is what’s called the “ring area.” This area is separated from the crowd by a steel barrier. Inside the ring area are often the announcer’s table, the ring bell, timekeeper, announcers, ring steps, and various camera crews (if the event is televised).

Wrestling Ring Variations

Since most wrestling rings are pretty generic, this section describes a variety of variations on the standard wrestling ring. This does not include events like “tables” or “tables, ladders, and chairs” matches that revolve around bring things “into” a standard ring.

Barbed Wire

A particularly vicious type of wrestling match is the barbed wire match. In this match, the ring ropes are actually replaced with lengths of barbed wire stretched berween the turnbuckles. Other than the obvious effect of curring anyone coming into contact with the wire, it also grounds high-flying wrestlers, as the barbed wire doesn’t give them the same footing or support a standard ring rope would.

In a cage match, the ring is surrounded by a cage usually made of chain-link material (like a fence) with a steel support ring at the top and a door in one corner, but a few shows have had elaborate steel crossbar cages, which are easier to climb. The idea behind a cage match is to be the first person to escape to the outside via the door or by going up and over the cage itself.

Cell

A cell match has the same basic principle as a cage match, except there is a roof on top of the cage preventing anyone from leaving – at least in theory. Cell matches are known for their ferocity and for wrestlers escaping to the outside of the ring and climbing the cell itself. The cell’s top then becomes a makeshift ring area where a wrestler could end up plummeting five meters to the floor below.

Exploding Death Match

The king of all hardcore matches, the Exploding Death Match combines the barbed wire match with explosions. The exploding portions of the ring are sometimes placed in the corners on the turnbuckles, or outside the ring itself on the floor around it in the ring area. Coming into contact with any of these areas cause them to explodes, doing serious harm (damage 3D) to the wrestler.

Multiple Rings

While not a variation in itself, some events have two or more rings are placed side by side, and the wrestling action flows between them. Sometimes multiple rings have been paired with cages or cells to create truly different wrestling experiences.

Pole

In this match, a pole is placed in one or more corners of the ring and the first person to reach the item on the pole wins the match. A variation of this theme has a weapon of some sort hanging from the pole, and the first person to grab it is allowed to use it on his opponent.

Scaffold

One of the most dangerous of all matches, a scaffold match consists of a regular wrestling ring with a scaffold built up and over it. Two or more combatants climb opposite sides of the scaffold, and the participant standing on it is the winner.

Things to See

+ Metal folding chairs

+ Thin particleboard folding tables

+ Handheld microphone

+ Baseball bat

+ Wooden or aluminum stepladder

+ Glasses or plastic bottles of water

+ Glass bottles of beer

+ Thin metal garbage can with lid

+ Stop or street sign

+ Length of metal chain, a meter or more long

+ Brass ring bell attached to a small plywood stand, with a metal bell hammer

+ Whistle on lanyard (usually around the referee’s neck)

+ Ice-filled towel or gel-filled cold pack

+ Championship belt made of gold-plated metal and leather

People to Meet

Wrestlers have at least 2D in every attribute, with 3D or 4D in Physique and Reflexes. Some wrestlers have a higher Intelligence as well. All have at least + 2 (often more) in acrobatics, brawling, melee combat, lifting, con, and persuasion. Other common skills include business, charm, climbing, dodge, jumping, scholar, sneak, stamina, and throwing.

Wrestler: Reflexes 3D, acrobatics 4D, brawling 5D, jumping 3D+1, Coordination 2D, Physique 3D, lifting 4D+2, running 3D+2, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+2, scholar: wrestling 4D, Perception 2D, Presence 3D, intimidation 4D, persuasion 3D+2, willpower 3D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 14. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ Ever since White Dragon cheated the Hype out of his tide, the former champ has been seeking revenge. White Dragon has done his best to dodge Hype by making him go through a slew of intermediaries or using match stipulations against him. Now the Hype has his chance. In a straight up, mano a mano contest with no disqualifications and no interference from the back, the Hype gets his title shot at White Dragon. But is there something else going on at the show, something more than the public story about two wrestlers feuding, something that could turn deadly?

Adventure Locations

Weapon Trial Area

Almost every cop movie or secret agent film has a scene on the firing range. Why? Because it’s a chance to show off new weapons, to highlight the character’s skill with firearms – or to show the skill of the bad guys. Weapons trial areas are important for anyone who works with firearms or experimental weapons, and any good cop, field agent, or soldier puts in regular hours at such a place. This gives them the chance to try different weapons, to perfect their aim and ease with their preferred weapon, and to get their weapons repaired if necessary. It’s also a good opportunity to see what other locals use, and how their aim is, which can give people an edge if they ever wind up trading bullets with each other.

The weapons trial area can serve as the place examine and try out new weapons. This is where a gun manufacturer will take its newest automatic pistol to see if it’s good enough to mass-produce. It’s also where an evil genius will test his wrist-mounted flamethrower to be sure he can fry anyone who attacks him. Because of this, the local weapons trial area is the best place to ask for information about the latest unusual weapons. Even if that weapon wasn’t fired at that location, the people are weapons experts, and if anyone heard of such a unique weapon they’d remember it and want to talk about it. Most weapons trial areas are part of an organization. In a few cases, weapons trial areas are independently owned, particularly if they specialize in more exotic weapons. (These might even be hidden from the local law enforcement community.) Otherwise they belong to a large group and are only used by members of that group. For example, a police force generally has its own firing range and its own gunsmiths. A federal agency or a private security firm similarly would have its own. Likewise, gun clubs, by their nature, have their own weapons trial area, and these are open to anyone who pays for membership. This makes them better places to meet other locals interested in guns but worse places to bring specialized weapons or test out new gadgets.

Every weapons trial area is built around its firing range. Every area has at least one, and larger areas may have several ranges, typically one for pistols and another for rifles, plus perhaps another for exotics. The setup is always the same: a long room with a row of booths across one end and a row of targets at the other. Whether the targets are clipped on or computer-generated, and the weapons are lasers, crossbows and stake-launchers, or Wild West pistols, this layout remains the same for all ranges. Most weapons trial areas also have an examination room, where weapons can be disassembled and checked for damage. Those areas that supply guns also have an armory, with unloaded weapons hanging on racks against the wall. (These place even require that visitors use the supplied weapons in- stead of bringing their own.) Places that create new weapons have weapons labs, where weaponsmiths design and then craft new destructive devices.

Weapons trial areas operate under certain rules for the protection of the users. For example, the men and women here have all come to shoot guns, and all have guns with live ammunition, but the first rule of the range is never point a weapon at another person. That makes confrontations very tense, because there’s the potential for a deadly firefight.

Weapons trial areas can be located just about anywhere – in a city, on the outskirts of a town, or in some secluded location. They might be housed within a larger structure, like a building or a com- pound, or off on its own. Some openly state their business, with a sign above the door, while others are the type of place only certain people know about, and even fewer are allowed to enter.

Reloading a case requires the repair: firearms skill, and it cannot be done untrained; the character must have at least one additional pip in the skill. With proper equipment, a character can reload about 50 rounds every hour. When a character attempts to reload a bullet, he generates one total per clip (Character Points may be spent). The standard difficulty number is 13.

Reloading has both benefits and drawbacks. It is possible, by adding an extra measure of propellant or two, to improve damage value or accuracy of a bullet. Bonuses to accuracy are added to the firearms skill total when in combat. The process can also increase the likelihood of misfires. When generating the total for improved ammunition, consult the following chart to determine the effects, which relate to all bullets reloaded in the same clip.

Reloading Success Chart

Skill Roll>DifficultyBonusDrawback
by 0-4NoneMisfire on l , 2, or 3 on the Wild Die
by 5-10+2 accuracy OR +2 damageMisfire on 1 or 2 on the Wild Die
by 11-15+1D accuracy OR +1D damageMisfire on Critical Failure
by 16++1D+1 accuracy OR +1D+1 damageNone

Characters who only wish to reload the bullets and not improve them in anyway should ignore the chart. Any amount over the base difficulty could indicate a reduction in the amount of time taken to reload the lot (at the Game Master’s option).

Don’t Miss …

The Civic Gun Club is a cover for the Covert Action Squad (CAS; see their headquarters in the “Secret Headquarters” entry). Every member of the club is a CAS agent, though many fictitious members have been created to prevent suspicion. The gun club owns a building outside the city limits, where its members can fire their guns without violating any civic ordinances. The largest section of the building is devoted to its three firing ranges – one for handguns, one for rifles, and one for exotic weapons. Beside the ranges is the weapons room, which holds the club’s latest acquisitions (new weapons the CAS is examining for possible use) on racks against the wall. Past that is the examination room, and behind that are the weapons labs. The surveillance room, near the front entrance, holds the club’s security equipment, and between that room and the front door is the security checkpoint. The weapons lab has a concealed escape exit, which leads out to a parking lot behind the building.

Things to See

+ Protective gear (helmets, bulletproof vests, arm and leg guards, etc.)

+ Weapons (handguns, rifles, knives, bows and arrows, etc.)

+ Cardboard targets attached to or images projected in front of an absorbing wall or wood

+ Weapon cleaning and repair material (rods, rags, clothes, brushes, swabs, sharpening stone, metal files, screwdrivers, scissors, solvents, oils, etc.)

+ Cartridge reloading material (bullets, cases, propellant, primer, cups, wads, etc.)

People to Meet

A standard weapons trial area has security guards, weaponsmiths, and weapons trainers on staff. Depending upon its size and budget, it may also have scientists and clerks. Soldiers and field agents are the most likely to frequent the weapons trial area. Security guards have at least 2D in Reflexes, Coordination, and Perception and +2D in brawling, marksmanship, and security. Scientists have 30 or higher in Knowledge and 1D or 2D in physical attributes, with some pips in repair, scholar, and tech. Field agents have at least 30 in each attribute, with pips in brawling, demolitions, investigation, marksmanship, search, security, sneak, and willpower. Weaponsmiths have at least +lD in marksmanship and demolitions and +2D in repair and scholar: weapons. Weapons trainers have at least +3D in marksmanship and +1D in repair.

Firearms Instructor: Reflexes 2D, Coordination 2D, marksmanship 5D, Physique 2D, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+1, scholar: firearms 5D, tech: computers 2D+1, Perception 2D, repair: firearms 30, Presence 2D, command 2D+2, willpower 3D. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ The players’ characters have been sent down to get tested on the newest concealable pistol. But when they enter the weapons trial area, the place is deserted – which is strange, since there’s always someone on duty here. Then they notice that the armory’s been cleaned out. Somebody has robbed the place! Worse, not all of those weapons are public knowledge – nor are they all strictly legal. The characters have to figure out who took them, and then find the culprit and get everything back. And soon.

+ This area’s criminal organization has its own building where its men can go and practice with their weapons. It’s the perfect place to identify gang members and find out what they’re up to – assuming the characters can get inside the structure. The security is very tight, and there’s no way they’d let a cop or a fed into the building.

+ The player’s characters have heard rumors that a new handheld laser is being tested soon. The weapon, if it works, could be worth a fortune – including to the characters. The only problem is, it’s being held in the Feds’ own weapons trial area. That means breaking in through federal security, finding the laser, and getting back out unseen.

Adventure Locations

Warehouse

As long as people have had stuff, they have also struggled to house it all. Warehouses are the most utilitarian manifestation of this desire – a building dedicated solely to storing things. The standard warehouse of 100 years ago looked remarkably similar to today’s version, and the warehouse of the future will probably also be very familiar.

The standard warehouse is, at its core, a large box-like building, designed to get objects in and out as efficiently as possible. Warehouses traditionally also have utilitarian offices for their workers, usually sectioned off to one side; outside of being traditionally less ornate than their more dedicated cousins, these are otherwise very similar (see the “Office” entry in this book). Unlike retail locations, warehouses discourage visitors; they are situated away from standard traffic (often in a “warehouse district” of town), have bare metal walls with no decoration inside or out, and favor protecting their merchandise over making people comfortable. As such, the typical storage area has no climate control unless the stored product demands it, resulting in extremely uncomfortable winters and summers, if the area has such temperature extremes. This seclusion makes the warehouse easier to load and unload in quiet, but it can also make it a tempting target for thieves.

The standard small warehouse has one roll-up garage-like door by the storage area, and traditional doors into the office. Larger warehouses may have multiple or larger entrances to either area, as might those designed for a specific purpose, such as one intended to store large airplane parts. There are almost always entryways from the office onto the warehouse floor, since those workers are primarily in charge of buying and selling the merchandise, inventory control, or security.

The layout of the warehouse floor primarily depends on what is being stored. In general, warehouses have arrangements that ensure every product is accessible, although slow-selling material may be relegated to an out-of-the-way corner. Thus a heavy machinery warehouse would be arranged into wide aisles so that a forklift could transport any particular piece, while a book redistribution warehouse would keep its books sorted by company and ISBN.

What a warehouse lacks in beauty, it usually makes up for in security. Warehouses typically depend on three different types of protection: structural integrity, alarms, and guards. All warehouses rely on a secure construction (usually solid metal walls and doors – 30 to 40 Toughness, depending on importance). Medium-sized warehouses generally have an alarm system; thwarting this requires an Easy security check for poor or ill-kept warehouses, Moderate for standard important buildings, and Difficult for those storing the most valuable and expensive equipment. Finally, larger warehouses often have at least one security guard on hand at all hours, and multiple guards might watch exceptionally large or valuable sites. To move palettes of product or equipment, large warehouses utilize forklifts.

Warehouses can be customized fairly easily to suit different needs; the only general requirements are storage areas and office space. Thus to mimic a smaller warehouse with the map, simply use the Secondary Storage area as the whole warehouse; the doors connecting the Primary and Secondary Storage areas would instead open to the street or parking lot.

Riding Forklift

Basically a heavy-duty motor on wheels, with a seat directly over the engine and two movable prongs (forks) in the front, the forklift makes multiple tiers of shelving in a warehouse possible, as well as enabling workers to move much more than they could on their own or with a simple, pushed pallet jack.

Move: 5 (3.6 kph)

Passengers: 1

Toughness: 6D (does not protect those in an open cab)

Maneuverability: -1D

Scale Value: 4

Price: Heroic

Don’t Miss …

The Peachtree Road Business Facility, built in 1978, dwarfs many other warehouses in the city. Its primary storage area provides over 6,000 square meters of space, not counting the offices and other rooms, while secondary storage gives another 1,000 square meters. The warehouse’s current client is KitchiBath Pros, a major chain kitchen and bath fixtures retailer. They use the warehouse to store the region’s supply of bathtubs, countertops, toilets, and the like. (The buff foreman, 34-year-old Al Marshall, jokes that if a fight broke out here, it would literally involve the kitchen sink.)

The Peachtree Facility usually loads product into itself via the primary storage area garage door off the main room, while the loading dock is typically used as a staging area to prepare items for shipping to individual stores. Because the loading dock is so close to the offices and other eyes, sneaking into the warehouse would be much easier via the primary or secondary storage entrances (Easy sneak check), rather than the loading dock (Difficult).

The warehouse’s records are computerized and accessible via any terminal, though they are password protected (Moderate tech to hack in). The warehouse is also about 50% larger than it needs to be, so while it would be difficult to sneak merchandise out, it would be relatively trivial to get objects in … especially if the computer record could be modified to account for the mystery parcels.

Things to See

+ Cardboard boxes, wooden crates, or metal barrels

+ Flat pallets constructed of wooden slats or molded from plastic, about one to 1.2 meters on each side, sometimes stacked with containers and sometimes stacked on each other

+ Hand truck

+ Flatbed pushcart

+ Pallet jack

+ Tools and supplies in a toolbox (hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, nails, screws, clamps, etc.)

+ Packing tape on a dispenser gun

+ Metal bands and crimper

+ Yellow or white safety caps

+ Black safety earmuffs

+ Wide rolls of plastic stretch wrap on metal rod dispensers

+ For office suggestions, see the “Office” entry

People to Meet

Standard warehouse employees, managers, and guards should have 2D in most attributes. Those working on the warehouse floor have at least a pip or two more in Physique or lifting, and a skill die of piloting: forklift if that device is used. The manager should have +2 to +1D in business. A guard would have at least two skill dice divided among brawling, marksmanship, search, and security.

Warehouse Worker: Reflexes 3D, brawling 3D+1, melee combat 3D+1, Coordination 2D, piloting: forklift 2D+1, throwing 2D+1, Physique 3D, lifting 3D+2, running 3D+1, stamina 3D+1, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+1, Perception 2D, repair 3D, Presence 2D, intimidation 2D+2, willpower 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 11. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ The players’ characters require an essential, rare machine part that has been obsolete for a decade. They find paper evidence indicating that one particular warehouse might contain the item, but the foreperson refuses to search for it since the computer has no record of the item. Can they fig- ure out a way to sneak or bluff their way in, find the dusty part amid the huge warehouse, and escape unnoticed?

+ An unsavory villain is hiding in a warehouse at night, and it’s vital he be stopped … quickly! Can the players’ characters thwart him amid the dangers of darkness, blind alleys, teetering boxes, and the unfettered forklift? And if it’s true the warehouse was once used by the government to store arcane artifacts, what happens if the villain finds one?

Adventure Locations

Temple

Few places are as evocative as a temple, particularly an ancient one. Whether large or small, ornate or spartan, these timeworn edifices are monuments to religion, faith, and dedication. Temples can be a refuge for the hunted and the lost, and a bastion against tyranny. Bur tl1ey can also be the source of tyranny, d1e headquarters of a religion determined to conquer and rule.

Adventurers and scholars often seek out ancient temples, for a variety of reasons. First, these temples can reveal a great deal about their former (and current) occupants. When dealing with a lost religion, that faith’s last temple might be the only source of real knowledge about their beliefs and practices.

Second, ancient temples were often the warehouse for knowledge in their area, either because the priests actively gathered information or because it was the only place people could safely store such knowledge. If an ancient sickness is sweeping a continent, and the last known outbreak occurred in an area dominated by a particular religion, the temples of that religion might have information about the illness, including possible cures – or how to produce the illness upon command. Finally, temples were the center of faith and religious devotion, and in many cultures that meant that worshippers lavished money upon the temple to demonstrate their piety. Some ancient temples are filled with treasures, including holy artifacts. These could be worth a fortune in the modern world, as much for their history as for their materials.

Temples vary widely in size and shape, but each shares certain features. The most important and largest area in the temple is the worship chamber, and it is dedicated to worship of the faith’s major deity or deities. This layout of the room focuses on an idol, image, or some representation of the deity. The representation could be an abstract one, like a simple stretch of white sand, but there is always something the worshiper can use as a focal point. Most often these rooms contain benches, pews, mats, or cushions, somewhere for worshipers to sit or kneel while praying, and an area set aside for the actual priests, like a raised platform or a screened corner. Since priests tend to live and work at the temple all the time, most temples also contain dormitories of some sort, whether a single large room with bunkbeds along the walls or a series of small bedchambers. Kitchens and dining halls are also common, as are lecture or meditation rooms where the priests can study and offices for those in charge.

Depending upon the age of the temple, and whether it is still actively in use, you are most likely to encounter priests, worshippers, or scholars while wandering the site. Even if the temple is no longer active, priests may still keep watch to prevent looting, and worshippers may visit the ruins to pay their respects. Scholars, particularly archaeologists and anthropologists, cluster around ruins and other former temples.

Ancient temples represent not only faith but also mystery, particularly if their religion is no longer active or well-known. The temple can provide clues to some ancient riddle, or treasures from a lost world, or an entry into a long-forgotten civilization. They can be the goal in a long quest, or the stepping-off point for a new adventure.

Temples can have almost as many variables as there ways of worshiping. The temple can be still in use, no longer active, long since abandoned, or in ruins. It can be very visible, largely hidden, or completely lost. Its architecture can match a known culture, like the Aztecs, or it can be completely unique and even a bit alien. It might be large and solid, almost a fortress, or small and humble, or open and designed to blend with its surroundings. Inside, the trappings can be rich and heavily ornamented, extremely plain, or well-crafted bur simple. It may be the temple to a major religion, or to an ancient and forgotten god. 1he priests can be kindly old men, arrogant young fanatics, or sensuous women. The temple can be set almost anywhere, from the middle of the desert to deep in a jungle to the heart of a large city.

Introducing Temples

When introducing an ancient temple, the trick is to know its history. What religion created this temple, and when? Who was it dedicated to? What were the goals of the priests? How did they relate to the people nearby – did everyone worship at this temple, did the priests dominate the locals, or did they hide their presence and refuse visitors? What treasures were here, and which ones still remain? If the temple is no longer in active use, when did the priests leave and why? And was it only the priests who left, or did the temple’s gods abandon it as well? Knowing all of these derails can help the Game Master decide which clues to leave for the players, and make the temple an interesting location that firs well in the campaign.

Don’t Miss …

The House of Lucan is hidden deep within the jungle and dedicated to a local warrior god. Most of the locals have long since forgotten Lucan’s name, though rumors of a strange temple remain. The temple itself is still intact, and still active, though its priests rarely leave the temple’s confines, and do not discuss their home or their calling when they encounter strangers.

The House of Lucan is a single long, low building carved from local limestone and covered in vines that help it blend into its jungle surroundings. The massive wooden doors lead into a single large antechamber, where people can prepare themselves for prayer by dipping their hands into the shallow wooden bowls against the wall and splashing the water (or, during certain rites, blood) onto their face and chest. Past that, the long, wide nave has rough wooden benches on either side. At the far end is a low wooden dais, with the altar of Lucan at the center. To one side of that, a small door leads into the head priest’s private chamber. On the other side of the dais is the room that holds Lucan’s armor, helm, and sword, which are brought our for each service. These are the temple’s greatest treasures and are said to still contain the touch of the god. The temple also has bedrooms for the priests, plus a refectory and a kitchen and a small library. Behind the building is a large clearing, where the priests practice their fighting skills, with each victory dedicated to Lucan himself

Things to See

+ Religious symbols, statues, and icons made of wood, ordinary or precious metal, marble, stone, or another substance important to the deity, possibly encrusted with jewels

+ Metal oil lamps or lanterns on metal poles

+ Heavy tapestries, colorful if new or faded with age, depicting abstract designs or significant religious scenes

+ Wooden benches, fabric cushions or mars, or other means of designating places for the faithful to seat or kneel

+ Ornate seating for the priests and religious ministers, which may be similar to or different from the seating for the faithful

+ Large candles on heavy candlesticks, created from the same material as or from complementary material to that of the religious symbols

+ Books, scrolls, or tables inscribed with information about the religion, its deity or deities, its rituals, and the like

+ Temples still in use would have furniture and other appropriate accouterments in the priests’ personal quarters (cots, dressers, tables, chairs or benches, lights, eating and cooking utensils, etc.)

People to Meet

Active temples have priests, supplicants, temple guards, and humble workers. Priests have 3D or higher in Knowledge and Presence and at least +2D in willpower and scholar: (religion). Warrior- priests also have 2D+2 to 3D in either Reflexes or Coordination, and up to +2D in brawling, acrobatics, melee combat, or missile weapons. Temple guards have the same as warrior-priests, plus +1D in throwing and running. Humble workers have at least 20 in Physique and an extra pip or two in lifting and other necessary skills. Supplicants have no particular skills or attribute levels.

Inactive temples may host scholars and treasure seekers. Scholars should have at least 30 in Knowledge and +20 in a scholar specialization for their particular field and pips in languages, while treasure seekers need at least 20 in Knowledge and Perception, plus pips in investigation, languages, scholar, search, melee combat, and marksmanship.

Warrior-priest: Reflexes 2D+2, brawling 3D+1, melee combat 3D, Coordination 2D, missile weapons 2D+2, throwing 2D+1, Physique 2D, lifting 3D, running 2D+1, Knowledge 3D, scholar 3D+1: (own religion) +1D, Perception 2D, investigation 2D+1, Presence 2D, command 2D+2, persuasion 2D+2, willpower 2D+2. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 12. Wound levels: 2.

+ The lost temple has been found at last! Which means its greatest treasure might soon be recovered – but by whom? Whoever gets to the treasure first will be famous. The players’ character might be the ones to find it – or they might be hired to protect its location.

+ A man staggers into town, strange purple welts covering his body. He gasps out “the … temple … awakens” and collapses, dead. What did he mean? And what temple? There are no religious houses anywhere nearby. At least, none that anyone can remember.

+ The priests of the temple have declared that their time of waiting is over, and the time of celebration is at hand. They throw open the doors of the temple and invite everyone to enter and rejoice with them. This is the first time in recorded history that this has happened – always before this, the priests have kept to themselves. But now they are enthusiastically meeting people and showing them around the temple. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the inside of this ancient and holy place. But what are the priests celebrating, exactly?

Adventure Locations

Stadium

Stadiums are fascinating places, particularly for people-watching. Often people go to a sporting event less to watch the event itself than to watch the other spectators. Young and old, rich and barely scraping by, families and loners: all sorts go to stadiums. Of course, the groups do segregate themselves, which is also interesting to watch-the rich buy box seats or front-row season tickets, while the working- class get seats up in the nosebleed section. Groups of college students or other young adults cluster together, usually in the cheap seats, while more elderly attendees huddle together in the back where they don’t have to walk far to their seats. Families often go with other families, creating a single Large mass, while loners find seats by themselves and sit curled up to avoid attracting attention.

Stadiums are also interesting because they showcase athletic ability. People pay to watch baseball, basketball, football, or any other sport, to see the athletes handling themselves with speed, strength, and grace. Most sports are competitive, and some attendees get in to that aspect, rooting for their teams and shouting insults at their rivals. Others use the event as a chance to get out of the house, either alone or with others, and to distract themselves from regular concerns. Likewise some people bet on sporting events and watch each game tensely, hoping to make money off a particular team’s success or failure.

Stadiums follow the same basic shape, regardless of their size or the spore (or sports) they feature. Every stadium has a rounded rectangular or squashed oval floor plan, with the arena at the center. The arena is easily tl1e largest space in the stadium, and around it on all sides are the seats, which recede as they rise, so that the highest seats are also the farthest away. In many stadiums some of the lower seats are boxed off for special groups – often a set of small rooms sits just below the highest group of seats, and these rooms have fancier accommodations, including comfortable couches, private restrooms, and fully stocked bars.

Most stadiums have several gates or doors at ground level, each one leading to elevators, escalators, ramps, or a combination of the three. Since stadiums are designed to hold large numbers of people, they have to handle large numbers entering and exiting all at once, and having so many different access points helps distribute the people more evenly.

Another feature of every stadium is the players areas. In most cases, these are rooms containing rows of lockers, divided by benches, plus showers and lavatory facilities, but sometimes they contain only a bench and a small restroom, particularly in smaller stadiums. Nonetheless, every stadium has some place for the participants to go before and after the event, and these places are close to the arena and have direct access to it.

There are an open-air stadiums (primarily for football, soccer, and baseball) and covered ones (for any kind of sport). If it has a field, it might real grass or artificial. If it’s more suited for indoor sports, often basketball, indoor soccer, and hockey can use the same arena simply by covering the court with appropriate material.

Lights flooding the field with illumination are expensive additions to the stadium, but they can extend the time in which the structure can be used by several hours.

Stadiums are excellent places to hold a clandestine deal or meeting, since with that many people around, it’s easy to conduct business unnoticed, and it’s easy to disappear into the crowd. At the same time, stadiums are also ideal targets because so many people are gathered in one place for several hours at a time.

Sports and Their Skills

The following is a selection of sporting activities and the suggested skills used by their players. Game Masters should require that the character has scholar: (specialty sport) in order to properly use the skills required by that sport.

Otherwise, the character either rakes a difficulty modifier or must use know-how (if she has it) as a complimentary multi-action attempt with a Moderate to Difficult know-how difficulty to figure out what to do next.

+ Baseball: acrobatics (sliding), running, melee combat (batting), throwing (throwing, catching)

+ Basketball: jumping, running, throwing (passing, shooting or dunking a basket); also useful: dodge

+ Bowling: throwing

+ Boxing: brawling, dodge

+ Football: brawling (tackling, blocking), running, throwing (passing, kicking, catching); also useful: acrobatics, dodge, jumping, lifting

+ Golf: melee combat

+ Hockey: acrobatics (skating), brawling, melee combat (catching and passing the puck)

+ Lacrosse: running, missile weapons (for catching and throwing the ball); also usefal: dodge

+ Polo: melee combat, riding

+ Soccer: running, throwing (kicking, headbutting; goalie – for catching the ball)

+ Tennis: running, melee combat

+ Volleyball: throwing; also useful: acrobatics

Don’t Miss …

The Sunburst Stadium is a typical large minor-league open-air stadium and focuses on the Sunbirds football team. The stadium is a large oval structure, with the field dominating at the center. Around that are the seats, with various stairs and elevators providing access to them. Beyond the seats are the hallways, which include several rooms and spaces for concession stands and souvenir shops. Information desks are spaced out around the stadium, as are security checkpoints. On the first floor are the ticket counters (near each entrance), the manager’s office, and the main security office. Locker rooms are situated under the seats, just off of the field itself

Things to See

+ Sports equipment (as appropriate for the sport being played – baseballs, baseball bats, basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, protective gear, etc.)

+ Waxed paper cups bearing the logo of the main soda pop being served

+ Red hot dogs, topped with ketchup and mustard, in lightly browned buns on white paper holders

+ Red plastic baskets lined with paper and filled with crispy fried potato strips or rings

+ Clear plastic bags of lightly colored cotton candy

+ Souvenirs bearing rhe logo (and/or the mascot) of the teams playing, as well as the other teams in the league (stiff cloth-like pennants on wooden or plastic sticks; small helmets; shirts; mugs; pencils; postcards; event books; sear cushions; plastic water bottles; etc.)

+ Handheld radios used by spectators to better understand what’s happening on the field

+ Black binoculars

People to Meet

Most stadiums have ticket-takers, booth attendants, concessions, grounds crew, maintenance workers, security, and the manager – in addition to the athletes and their team assistants and managers. Everyone should have average attributes of 2D, with at lease one pip in scholar: sports, and everyone except security has +1 in business. The concession workers have +2 or more in charm or persuasion, and the manager has 3D in business. Security has +1D in melee combat, marksmanship, search, and tracking.

Athlete: Reflexes 2D, acrobatics 2D+1, brawling 2D+2, dodge 2D+2, jumping 2D+2, melee combat 2D+2, Coordination 2D, throwing 2D+2, Physique 2D, lifting 2D+2, running 2D+2, swimming 2D+2, Knowledge 1D+2, scholar: baseball 3D , scholar: basketball 3D , scholar: football 3D, Perception 2D, search 2D+1, Presence 2D, charm 2D+1, willpower 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 12. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ The big game is chis weekend, and the players’ character have great seats. But then they hear a rumor that the game might be canceled, because the stadium might be shut down. What’s going on? The stadium’s been doing great business – every game has been packed – so why would it be closing? 1he characters can’t let this happen – nothing can stand in the way of chis weekend’s game!

+ A major drug deal is going down this week- end. 1he players’ characters know where and when it’ll take place. The problem is, you don’t know who’s involved – both sides have large organizations and could send almost anyone. The meet is caking place at the stadium, during a game. Ir’s perfect cover. With so many people around, how can the characters possibly keep an eye on everything, much less figure out who the dealer is and get there in rime to stop the deal from taking place?

+ A madman has taken control of the stadium. He has a bomb scrapped to his chest, and threatens to detonate it if anyone interferes – and it looks like the bomb may be powerful enough to level the entire stadium and kill everyone inside! But the players’ character can’t just lee him get away with this, especially since there’s no guarantee he won’t snap and detonate it anyway. The characters have to get in there and rescue all chose people.

Adventure Locations

Spaceship

Traversing the vase depths of interstellar space, a spaceship is many things co its passengers and crew: safety, transportation, convenience, home. Available in a myriad of shapes and sizes constrained only by style, technology, and budget, the spaceship might house the foes of the players’ characters or serves them as a base of operations from which to explore the w1known. When used as an adventure location instead of a vehicle, the spaceship provides many exciting adventure possibilities. It might be the object of a search – buried under arctic ice, crash-landed in the jungle, or hidden in the depths of the sea. Or, it can serve as a means of bringing the adventure to the characters, with its alien crew contacting or abducting them.

For adventure setting purposes, it is not the ship as a vehicle that is important. Rather, it’s the ship as a place, particularly one with numerous aspects to it that are only slightly familiar to Humans – or maybe so strange as to prove bothersome to Human senses. Perhaps a barely breathable or odious atmosphere is present, gloomily lit by eerie green or grey lighting. Perhaps the lighting is subject to an odd Doppler shift, giving everything a fuzzy, out-of-focus look (+20 to sight-based difficulties). The strange atmosphere (thick, thin, with a distinctive taste or odor, ere.) and quasi-metallic wall places may distort sounds, creating bizarre echoes or hair-raising subsonic noises.

Don’t Miss …

A flattened ovoid, the traditional flying saucer has long been a staple of science-fiction. The flattened ovoid design theoretically improves speed if an “etheric drive” is utilized to reduce drag from normal space or atmospheric entry. The shape can also serve to reduce sensor detection. Overall, the ovoid hull eats up some usable crew space, but fuel or equipment parts may be stored in the uninhabitable cubby spaces.

This example is operated by the mysterious Greys, who have appeared countless times in literature as foes, tourists, amoral scientists, refugees from distant alien wars, or bored biology students.

The Harvester-Scout (scale 14) boasts a modest faster-than-light drive (approximately three light years per day) and fairly slow sublight engine. Its alloyed hull provides moderate protection (Toughness 30) – even a low-tech missile can bring it down.

Thus, the mysterious Greys seek co avoid detection and combat at all costs: The ship boasts extremely refined stealth systems, including electromagnetic emissions control, direct sensor bafflers, and a holographic shield co prevent visual detection. The systems tend to be quire fragile, and a crash landing or battle damage can easily disrupt them. Rumors that ships such as chis have appeared with blazing search and navigation lights cause UFO hw1ters no end of confusion. Perhaps other races are visiting Earth use similar means of transportation and are not as concerned about stealth. Entry to the ship is via the lift-tube (1) located on the craft’s axis. The cube extends downward to the ground approximately nine meters. Once in the life, access to any deck is possible (unless the Greys have activated a security lock-out). Several maintenance hatches (at the Game Masters’ discretion) are placed on the upper and lower hull surfaces. Normally sealed, characters may find some have blown open during combat or cl1e subsequent crash landing.

The lower deck will be the first deck the life-tube provides access to. It houses the engineering core (11), which provides access to the large realspace drive (13) and its venting pores, the FTL drive (12), and the ship’s weapon mount (14). Note the weapon mount is fixed- the ship must be maneuvered in order co line up a shot on the horizontal axis. The weapon can traverse vertically approximately 20 degrees in either arc. All the equipment in chis section is very fragile – weapons fire or even low-tech explosives can wreak havoc with the engines (which may contain caustic chemicals and poisonous fuels for added excitement). In a “crash- landed” scenario, the engineering deck may be a very dangerous mess – and the ship’s computer or crew may have sealed the lift-tube doors to stop chemical fires and radiation leaks. There are several crawl spaces throughout the engineering deck, allowing the diminutive Grey engineers access to various components ( + 10 to movement difficulties for beings of scale 0).

The middle deck is the main section of the ship. Three doorways lead from the lift-tube room. One leads into general storage (9) where various odds and ends of alien technology are stored, including concentrated foodstuffs and miscellaneous baggage. (In some configurations of the ship, the auxiliary storage area along the main corridor serves as a lab, communication room, or other specialized area.) A door leads to an axial corridor providing access deeper into the deck. The final door leads to a disturbing place: the operating theatre wherein many a hapless person has awoken to strange creatures or machines looming over him, inserting probes into his bodily cavities or bringing whining saws or drills on-line. The theatre houses stationary operating tables, holding tanks and tubes, odd machines and sensors suspended from ceiling mounts, and large animal pens (most often holding a cow or two). A large hatch at the back of the room drops down allowing for quick loading of victims via a ramp or small (900-kilogram capacity) tractor beam.

When the Greys aren’t happily vivisecting some poor Terran creature, people are held in a series of prisoner cells (7) accessible by a door to the operating theatre. The cells are sparse, with a waste pit hole, water dispenser, and little else – prisoners are too drugged, psychically stunned, or shocked to complain much.

On the opposite side of the hull are the crew quarters (8). lhe bizarre living quarters of the crew may consist of bare floors and a zero-g floating mat resembling half of a glowing green coconut, pools of gelatin-like slime serving as sleeping and recreation areas, or a perfectly preserved room from Victorian England, replete with gold trim, marble floors, stone fireplace and heavy tapestries.

The final room on the deck is the armory (10) located on the axial corridor. Here, the Greys keep their stunners, drug-devices, psionic mind-wrenches, plasma guns, and the like.

The upper deck is the nerve center for the ship. It houses the bridge (2), with a huge built-in viewscreen and numerous acceleration couches or command chairs, instruments busily burbling and bleeping, and most likely a crew determined to self- destruct the ship before the Humans can claim it. Two large cylindrical tubes with glowing interiors housing things that look like brains of cows comprise the computer core (3) The computer system is extremely alien and attempting any task with it should be Very Difficult under the most generous circumstances. A cryo-tubes section (4) allows the crew to be safely ensconced for extremely long journeys. Crewmen injured beyond the capability of the Grey surgeons to heal are placed here. This can be an idea place to trap players’ character who want to try them out. Alternatively, the interstellar travel using Grey technology is too dangerous for living Humans – they must take some very risky chances and use the cryo-tubes during any space voyage. Lastly, a maintenance ring (5) runs the circumference of the ship on all three decks. This ring gives access the hull, sensors, other concealed machinery for repairs. The interior walls have a Toughness of 5D. Doors have a Toughness of 3D with Difficult to Very Difficult security electronic locks (security may be out of commission if the ship is crashed). The prison cells may use forcefields (possibly shorted out or intensified during a crash) or solid doors with 5D damage resistance and Heroic security electronic locks. Most interior equipment has damage resistance of 2D to 4D – and possibly containing odd chemicals or flammable lubricants.

Spaceship Combat

Combat in the ship should be very difficult for characters – remember the Greys are bizarre.

They see in very dim, odd-colored light, breathe a strange atmosphere and hear at a much higher frequency. They may even be capable of crawling on walls or ceilings using sticky membranes on their limbs. To emphasize the alienness of the setting, combat and exploration modifiers range from + 5 to + 15 or more to difficulty numbers. It may be hard to dodge when you cannot correctly determine how the wall is shaped or even where it is! Shooting a Grey at short range while trying to see past nauseating green strobe lighting with luminous mists flowing around makes even an expert marksman flinch.

Things to See

+ Handheld electronic devices and weapons of unearthly origin

+ Strange food in simply marked plastic-like, vacuum-sealed containers or bags

+ Medical instruments only vaguely resembling anything seen on Earth

+ Narrow metal examination table, attached to the floor

+ Sheets of thin plastic-like material inscribed with strange characters – they could be instruction manuals or letters home

+ Shimmering fabric, draped over beds or cut into robes, with a thickness of cotton but the feel of silk and a toughness of woven metal

People to Meet

The stereotypical alien manning a saucer-shaped craft is generally not any more physically sturdy than a Human. Other people that characters might encounter include cultists, treasure seekers, scientists, soldiers, and members of secret government agencies. For cultists and treasure seekers, use the generic person described in the introduction.

Secret Government Agency Officer: Reflexes 2D, brawling 2D+2, dodge 2D+2, Coordination 2D, marksmanship 2D+2, piloting 2D+2, Physique 2D, running 3D, Knowledge 2D, medicine 2D+1, scholar 2D+1: aliens and extranormal phenomena +1D, tech 2D+1, Perception 2D, hide 2D+2, investigation 3D, search 3D, streetwise 2D+1, tracking 2D+1, Presence 2D, persuasion 2D+1, intimidation 2D+2, willpower 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 12. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ A group of wacky cultists, who call them- selves the Cultists of the Star-Born, hold regular services aboard a downed UFO, convinced the major religious and social figures of history were actually beneficent aliens in disguise. The players’ characters stumble across or are sent to investigate this small cult located in a rural area.

Upon arrival, the investigators muse cry to figure out who the cultists are, where they are meeting, and why. Eventually, the characters gain entry to the ship – which could be an oversized version of the one presented here – and overhear the cultists during their venerations.

But all is not well. During this particular service, the additional warm ch of the characters has activated the dormant self-defense artificial intelligence aboard the ship, which is now using its “bio-breeder” (replace the cryo-cubes in area 4) to create a very dangerous series of bioroids. At first, the creatures begin knocking off lone cultists exploring or praying in various sections of the ship. Eventually, enough bioroids appear for a concerted attack on the mass cult gathering. In the confusion and slaughter (highlighted by bewildered cultists praying to their alien gods in an attempt to appease them), the characters must rescue the doomed fools and themselves.

+ A sunken alien ship is found in the South Pacific dating from World War II (or during the war!). The players’ characters are assigned to investigate.

Little do they know, the intelligent ship seeks a new crew and picks up the hapless heroes in its quest to complete a mission co Alpha Centauri! There, it hopes to find the cryo-preserved remains of its race at a long-abandoned sci en ti fie outpost. The hideous- looking aliens are all that is left of a peaceful star-faring people. The characters, during the month-long trip to the outpost, learn co make friendly contact with the ship and begin co assimilate some skills, allowing a degree of control and interaction with the craft. Such skills may include stardrive repair, starship gunnery, and space navigation.

However, as they arrive at the outpost, the evil cybernetic insectoids who wiped out the ship’s creators are alerted. The characters must revive the last members of the shipbuilder’s race, escape the insectoid’s ground forces in a running gun battle (made survivable thanks only to the characters’ lower tech weapons), and evade the insectoid fleet.

Eventually, the characters must help the shipbuilders find a new home and a new beginning – perhaps on a small blue planet called … Earth.