Tag Archives: urban encounter

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.

Adventure Creatures

Zombies

Zombies are staples of late night horror cinema. The walking dead have shambled across the countryside for the past several decades in their never ending quest for fresh victims. Theirs is an existence dominated by the driving urge to consume living cranial matter. Humanity has but one purpose for these rotting creatures: They’re what’s for dinner!

Much of the living world does not know that there a re several different types of zombies. The most common, of course, are the necromantic-spawned undead. There are those, however, who are created by chemical reactions or a rampaging, heretofore undiscovered disease. Such creatures could confound those who have fought their more mundane brethren as tried and true methods of defense may prove useless. Disease-born zombies could come from a variety of vectors. They may be given unlife from a new malady or the biological-warfare testing of a mutated virus that exploits a genetic Saw in the host body. Plague-carrying zombies could rapidly affect civilized areas as the uninfected might not have a natural defense against the virus they carry.

Those of chemical origin could be spawned by the chance mixing of common chemicals, nefarious drug pushers that sell tainted goods, or nanobots that break free of their parameters. Their rampages could spark bombardment with nuclear weapons in an attempt to eliminate such horrors once and for all. Of course, this might only intensify the problem if the fallout triggers further mutation. Disease- and chemical-spawned zombies can spring up virtually anywhere.

Heroes could find themselves fleeing a large city that’s overrun with the undead after toxic waste leaks into the water supply. Wild West locals might see the birth of these creatures when a snake oil salesman sells unstable chemicals to an embalmer, which causes the dead to rise. The carelessly dumped waste of secret government projects could also be the culprit. One may also be faced with a traumatic situation when forced to destroy the risen corpses of friends and loved ones.

Typical Chemical-Spawned Zombie

Reflexes 2D: brawling 2D, climbing 1D+2
Coordination 1D
Physique 5D: lifting 6D, stamina 6D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 1D
Presence 1D: intimidation 5D
Strength Damage: 3D
Move: 8
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 25
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: living brain matter; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), victim becomes zombie 24 hours after the target is brought to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points by zombie attacker; Hindrance: Movement (R1), base running. jumping, and swimming Move reduced by 2 meters; Reduced Attribute: Reflexes, Presence (R4 each), -1D each; Reduced Attribuce: Knowledge, Perception (R7 each), -2D each

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Armor-Defeating Attack (R1), acidic couch negates +1D of armor when attacking non-sealed armor; Attack Resistance: Acid (R3), +3D to damage resistance rolls against related attacks; Fear (R5), +5 to intimidation totals against and combat defense difficulties by chose who fail a willpower attempt with a difficulty of 15; Hardiness(R2), +2 to damage resistance totals; Immortality (R1), ceases functioning when smashed to pieces or decapitated, with Additional Effect (R2), does not need to eat or drink; Skill Bonus: Mindless (R5). + 15 to willpower totals; Skill Bonus: Painless Wounds (R4), +12 to stamina total

Typical Plague-Carrying Zombie

Reflexes 2D: brawling 3D, climbing 2D+2
Coordination 1D
Physique 4D: infection 6D, lifting 5D, stamina 5D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 1D
Presence 1D: intimidation 6D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move:8
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 22
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: living brain matter; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), victim becomes zombie 24 hours after the target is brought to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points by zombie; Advantage Flaw: Stench (R3), +6 to stealth attempts; Hindrance: Movement (R1), base running. jumping, and swimming Move reduced by 2 meters; Reduced Attribute: Reflexes, Presence (R4 each), -1D each; Reduced Attribute: Coordination, Knowledge, Perception (R7 each), -2D each

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Attribute Scramble (R4), instead of damaging a target on a successful attack the zombie may reduce their Physique by 2D with a successful scramble attack; Fear (R5), + 5 to intimidation totals against and combat defense difficulties by chose who fail a willpower attempt with a difficulty of 15; Hardiness (R4), +4 to damage resistance totals; Immortality (R1), cease functioning when smashed to pieces or decapitated, with Additional Effect (R2), does not need to eat or drink; Skill Bonus: Mindless (R5), +15 to willpower totals; Skill Bonus: Painless Wounds (R4), +12 to stamina total

Adventure Creatures

Modern Wizards

Through years of study and practice, some people have learned to harness the powers of the universe that are outside of normal human perception.

The most secretive and devoted wizards are always thin to the point of being almost skeleton-like by the end of their life. The primary reason is that the magic they practice sucks huge amount of energy out of chem. Thus, no matter how much they ear and drink, their bodies are being constantly consumed by the magic. Furthermore, the wizard’s pupil and iris of the eye turns completely black. Many wizards use cosmetic contact lenses to cover this fact.

Wizards and even their journeymen never go any place without their spell books, be it in a written and bound format or on an electronic POA device. The wizards have found however that PDAs or other electronic devices containing spells crash after a period as short as a month. So all wizards maintain a library of books to back up any electronic devices.

Wizards are a secretive bunch, having their own society outside of the normal mainstream culture. They are still very rooted in the guild structure. One wizard, the mentor, leads a nucleus of up to three journeyman wizards and up to nine apprentices. Each mentor is knows the two other mentor-level wizards that make up her cell, as well as the syndic of the larger cluster of cells. Each syndic controls seven cells. In addition, the syndic knows about two other syndics that form his branch and the grand master of the tree (which is composed of an unknown number of branches).

Wizards live a celibate lifestyle, never marrying or having outside relationships that would distract from their studies. This is one of the major reasons that most apprentices leave the brotherhood. All apprentices, upon entering the brotherhood for training have a spell cast upon them: Should they break the vow of secrecy they will die a horrible death. This keeps even the dropouts and chose rejected for advancement from speaking openly about their experiences and knowledge.

Apprentices have no usable magical ability but they have the innate ability to feel the magic’s power. This draws them to the society and keeps them going through the long years of training. While they are learning the rudimentary basics, they are mostly used to fulfill the wizard’s needs. Journeymen have the ability to harness some magic; they work on putting together and learning their spellbooks. According to guild rules, they are not allowed to use this magical power unless they are in the presence of their mentor wizard. A breach of etiquette about the use of magic can have the student expelled from the society. While apprentices and journeymen only know their specific mentor, the society feels the revealing of its presence to be a deadly affair.

Typical Modern Wizard

Reflexes 2D: melee combat 2D+2, sneak 3D
Coordination 2D+1: sleight of hand 4D
Physique 2D: lifting 2D+2
Knowledge 3D: business 3D+1, medicine 4D, scholar: occult 4D+2, tech 3D+1
Perception 3D: know-how 3D+2, investigation 5D , search 4D
Presence 3D: persuasion 3D, willpower 4D+2
Magic 2D+2: alteration 3D, apportation 3D, conjuration 3D, divination 3D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 3
Body Points: 16
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Advantage Flaw (R3), must cat 100 calories’ worth of food per 10 points of spell’s effect value within 1 hour after casting the spell or suffer -1 to damage resistance total, increasing by 1 per hour that goes without this food; Devotion (R1), to celibacy; Employed (R1), member of guild; Price (R1), speaking about the guild results in a painful death

Advantages: Equipment (R1), spellbook

Special Abilities: none

Equipment: spellbook (paper or electronic); spell components in a fashionable bag

Adventure Creatures

Vampires

When one mentions of vampires, Braham Stoker’s Dracula often comes to mind. As time passed, the genre has grown as other authors have developed the vampire’s nocturnal world, added myths of their malicious nature. This has caused great angst for the undead who stalk the world’s streets because they would prefer such things to be left in the past as it would make their existence much easier.

Like many legendary creatures, vampiric lore reflects the deeds of only a small portion of their population. A few of their kind were indeed ravenous £ends who ran with wild abandon across the midnight countryside to feast off any warm neck that could be found. After all, the undead lords had near limitless power and were immortal. Why should they fear their human cattle? The world was theirs for the taking! Fortunately for the species, some of their kind had clearer heads and dodged the wrath of mortals. It’s these survivors and their spawn that now threaten the modern world.

A wide variety of vampires populate the planet. There are those who gladly walk among the masses. Such creatures risk everything to feed their vanity and use a high profile lifestyle to throw off suspicion. What would normally raise eyebrows is merely written off as eccentricity. Thus, they skate the edge of discovery, which only feeds their emotional rush.

Socialite vampires usually surround themselves with an entourage. After all, why order out for food when it can travel with you! They may keep several groups of willing sheep for this purpose and cake great pains to ensure the marks of their feedings go unnoticed. Artists, rock stars, supermodels, and (to be cliche) Goth personalities are apt firs for this type of vainglorious creature. Socialite vampires often nearly flaunt their undead status. These creatures may try to encourage preposterous rumors of their vampiric nature and treat such things as an inside joke. After all, everyone knows there are no such things as vampires.

At the other end of the spectrum lies subtle, calculating creatures that are not nearly so foolish. These vampires have withdrawn to the shadowy depths of civilization and prefer to avoid unnecessary attention. It’s no accident that they have avoided the vampire hunter’s stake. Secret Swiss bank accounts, subterfuge, and layers of mystery are the common tools of their trade. The ancient creatures of the night have cloaked their true origins in mystery and slowly built their power as the years slid by. The acquired might allows the parasites greater ease in feeding off humanity. If one finds them at all, they might see these lords of the night manipulating a small nation from behind the scenes or directing vast financial empires. Vampires of this ilk are accustomed to wielding vase power and prefer to solve their problems with maneuvering instead of resorting to needless violence. Their connections allow them to do more than merely crush their foes. Those foolish enough to earn their anger may find themselves left with their credit declined, bank accounts frozen, and no where to turn.

Somewhere between the financial wizards and slaves of ego lie monsters that only exist to feed. They prey upon the nameless fringes of society by targeting the homeless or others who would not readily be missed. Unlike their more affluent brethren, they are forced to rely on wit and circumstance. Their typical lairs include catacombs, forgotten sewer tunnels, and ruined buildings. Hunting these creatures can be quite difficult due to their ability to blend in with their surroundings. What one might think to be a vampire could merely be an addict or other denizen that hails from the dregs of humanity. The predators also do their best to covertly discourage drug pushers from entering their domain. After all, why would they want to their next meal tainted?

Vampires could be the major antagonist or serve as crucial cogs that drive the gears of larger plans. Theirs is the ability to draw upon vast cultural experiences gained from their extended lifespan. Western settings might feature an apparent alcoholic gunslinger who shuns the daylight hours while sleeping off hangovers.

Heroes may incur the wrath of undead masters after unwittingly disrupting their financial manipulation plans. They could spend some time traveling through a web of mystery before finally cutting the puppetmaster’s strings.

Typical Calculating Vampire

Reflexes 4D: brawling 4D+1, riding 4D+1
Coordination 2D: throwing 2D+1, sleight of hand 2D+1
Physique 3D (+3): infection 5D, lifting 4D, stamina 4D
Knowledge 2D: business 6D, scholar 6D
Perception 4D: hide 4D+1, know-how 4D+1
Presence 3D: charm 4D, con 3D+2, intimidation 5D, persuasion 5D, willpower 4D
Strength Damage: 2D (+3)
Move: 10
Fate Points: 2
Character Points: 5
Body Points: 19
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: blood; Achilles’ Heel (R4), unable to make any actions except to flee while in the presence of a holy symbol or garlic; Achilles’ Heel (R4), 2D damage per round of exposure to sunlight; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), passes on all Special Abilities and Disadvantages to target after having used Life Drain to bring the target to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points

Advantages: Authority (R3), CEO of a large corporation; Contacts (R3), member of the illuminati; Wealth (R4)

Special Abilities: Attack Resistance: Non-enchanted (R1), +1D to damage resistance rolls against related attacks; Blur (R1), + 1 to dodge, sneak, and hide totals of character and all related difficulties against character; Increased Attribute: Physique (R3), +3 to related totals; Life Drain: Body Points/Wounds (R2), drains 6 Body Points/ 1 Wound level per successful biting attack; immortality (R1), a stake through the heart causes permanent death

Typical Predatory Vampire

Reflexes 3D (+3): brawling 7D, climbing 5D, flying 5D, melee combat 5D
Coordination 2D+2: throwing3D, missile weapons 3D; throwing 3D
Physique 4D (+3): infection 6D, lifting 5D, running SD, stamina 5D
Knowledge 2D: demolitions 3D, security 3D
Perception 3D+l: hide 7D, know-how 5D, streetwise 7D, survival 6D
Presence 3D: command 4D, disguise 4D, intimidation 4D
Strength Damage: 3D (+3)
Move: 10
Fate Points: 2
Character Points: 5
Body Points: 22
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: blood; Achilles’ Heel (R4), unable to make any actions except to flee while in the presence of a holy symbol or garlic; Achilles’ Heel (R4), 2D damage per round of exposure to sunlight; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), passes on all Special Abilities and Disadvantages to target after having used Life Drain to bring the target to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points; Infamy (R2)

Advantages: Authority (R1), influential with street people; Cultures (R1), bonus when dealing with ghetto environments

Special Abilities: Attack Resistance: Non-enchanted (R1), +1D to damage resistance rolls against related attacks; Blur (R1), +1 to dodge, sneak, and hide totals of character and all related difficulties against character; Combat Sense (R1), surprise penalties reduced by 2; Flight (R2), flying move of 40; Increased Attribute: Physique, Reflexes (R3 each), +3 to related totals; Life Drain: Body Points/Wounds (R2), drains 6 Body Points/1 Wound level per successful biting attack; Immortality (R1), a stake through the heart causes permanent death

Typical Socialite Vampire

Reflexes 3D: acrobatics 4D, brawling 3D+2, dodge 3D+l, flying 3D+2
Coordination 2D: piloting 5D; throwing 5D
Physique 2D: infection 4D, lifting 4D, running 3D
Knowledge 3D+1: forgery 5D, languages 4D, navigation 4D
Perception 3D+2: artist 6D, gambling 5D, hide4D
Presence 4D (+3): disguise 4D+2, charm 5D, con 4D+2, intimidation 4D+2, persuasion 4D+2
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 2
Character Points: 5
Body Points: 16
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: blood; Achilles’ Heel (R4), unable to make any actions except to flee while in the presence of a holy symbol or garlic; Achilles’ Heel (R4), 2D damage per round of exposure to sunlight; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), passes on all Special Abilities and Disadvantages to target after having used Life Drain to bring the target to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points

Advantages: Contacts (R2), large fanatical fan base; Fame (R3), achieved icon status

Special Abilities: Attack Resistance: Non-enchanted (R1), +1D to damage resistance rolls against related attacks; Blur (R 1), +1 to dodge, sneak, and hide totals of character and all related difficulties against character; Flight (R2), flying move of 40; Increased Attribute: Presence (R3), +3 to related totals; Life Drain: Body Points/ Wounds (R2), drains 6 Body Points/1 Wound level per successful biting attack; Immortality (R1), a stake through the heart causes permanent death

Adventure Creatures

Tauntors

Tauntors resemble dwarfish humans, with large heads and spindly bodies. Their eyes have a yellowish cast to them, and their finger nails are long and clawlike. They appear in groups, the number of which is always a multiple of three or five.

Tauntors are cruel, petty, and mean. They stalk lone victims, luring them into deserted areas, and then slowly torture them to death. They are accomplished mimics and ventriloquists, and they delight in using these skills to cause fights among others.

A favorite way of luring people is to taunt their victim into chasing after them. The chase ends in a prepared area.

Tauntors are cowards and will rarely attack unless they outnumber their foes by at least three to one. The exception to this is when they are taunted by others, and due to their inability to resists such mental attacks, they are often driven into a blind fury and attack.

All tauntors carry wickedly sharp daggers, and some even arm themselves with pistols and other firearms.

Typical Tauntor

Reflexes 4D: brawling 4D+1, climbing 4D+2, dodge 4D+1, melee combat 5D, sneak 5D
Coordination 3D: marksmanship 4D+1 Physique 2D+1: running 4D+1
Knowledge 2D+2
Perception 2D+2: search 3D+1, tracking 3D+1
Presence 2D+2: con 6D, persuasion 6D, intimidation 6D
Strength Damage: 1D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 3
Body Points: 17
Wound levels:: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), runs away from polite people if fails an interaction resistance roll against their charm roll

Advantages: Size: Small (Rl), scale value 3

Special Abilities: Immortality (R1), trapping it in a cage lined with flowers will kill it permanently within a day; Natural Armor: Tough Body (R1), +1D to damage resistance rolls against physical attacks; Natural Hand-to-Hand Weapon: Fingernails (R1), damage +1D

Adventure Creatures

Soldiers

European Armies

The aftermath of the French Revolution resulted in the formation of mass armies, which were used with great aplomb by Napoleon in his bid for Empire. The mass armies of the Napoleonic era led to the almost universal adoption of conscription by the continental European states, a tradition that is only now beginning to end in favor of professional, all-volunteer militaries. The United Kingdom, ever apart, has a tradition of a small professional military, though they did use conscription in both World Wars (and after the Second World War into the 1950s).

Until the turn of the twentieth Century most uniforms worn by European armies were colorful affairs designed to show loyalty to the nation and to foster camaraderie and bravery (the French entered the First World War with an infantry uniform that included red pants for exactly that reason-thinking that the uniform would inspire bold action). The realization of the increased accuracy of rifle fire slowly led to the universal adoption of dull colored (khaki, horizon blue, or field gray) uniforms that allowed a soldier to blend into the battlefield.

The interwar period (1919-1939) was a time of a return to colonial matters (both England and France had acquired new colonies from the Germans and League of Nations mandates from the former Ottoman Empire). It was also a time of right budgets and experimentation with new technologies. Tanks and mechanized combat was tried but abandoned as too costly as the Western European powers (England and France primarily) prepared to fight the First World War all over again, but better this time. The Maginot Line (a series of concrete bunkers that screeched along France’s northern border) was an expression of this mindset.

The Second World War saw a move toward mechanized combat {which only accelerated in the European nations afterward). The German blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) tactics changed the rules of warfare but the Germans were never able to mechanize more than a small fraction of their army (most of the German army relied upon animal-drawn transport). The incredible amount of U.S. industrial production allowed the American and British armies to become almost entirely mechanized and motorized during the Second World War.

Almost all modern troops fielded by the European nations are vehicle transported and supported; while they know how to march, using muscle power to get to battle is rare (except for specialized troops like scours.) Technological advances beginning in the 1960s saw the development of (relatively) lightweight body armor leading to its widespread adoption by most European armies who are very mindful of the protection of their citizen-soldiers. Since the end of the Soviet Union, most European countries have scaled back their military spending and many are considering abandoning their traditional conscription system for an all-volunteer military.

The tactics used by European armies have often lagged behind the technological changes on the battlefield. The Napoleonic era was an era of linear combat; due to the inaccuracy of smoothbore muskets troops had to be massed and fire in unison at other masses of troops to have a chance to inflict casualties. The long-loading time between shots and shore range of the weapons made charges by bayonet using troops a successful tactic, and battles were often decided on the point of a bayonet.

Between the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the beginning of the First World War, tactics for the European battlefield did not change much. There were very few European wars and most European troops who fought during chis rime did so in Colonial campaigns against local forces that were usually armed with weapons of a much lower technology base.

The widespread adoption of the military rifle allowed infantry to target and hit enemies at much longer range; this slowly lead to the end of massed infantry tactics. Nonetheless, the tactical lessons of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)were not fully understood and accepted in Europe until the First World War. The dangers (some would say suicidal) of mass attacks against rifle-armed infantry and machine guns led to the stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front.

The Second World War saw the return to a war of maneuver with the mechanization of the battlefield. There was a wider use of armored vehicles in combat and a greater reliance on vehicle to move troops and supplies. Paratroops were first used in the Second World War, and dose air support became common. The Germans pioneered the blitzkrieg using a mechanized-spearhead supported by tactical air support to drive through the enemy lines and cur the enemy into pockets that could be mopped up by the slower moving infantry.

After the Second World War, European armies continued to become increasingly mechanized and technology oriented to counter the military system of the Soviet armed Warsaw Pact forces. Tactics were designed but never used to fight the Soviet armies so it’s unknown how they would have worked. Currently, European armies are reorganized for greater ability to be deployed rapidly and to deal with tasks such as peacekeeping and disaster relief, a very different focus from keeping the Soviet Armies from invading Western Europe.

United States Army

The United States Army prior to the Civil War is an all-volunteer force made up mostly of chose who arc either adventure seekers or can’t make it in the outside world. The force is small bur far from elite. The average enlisted man probably can’t read or write, while most of the officer corps come from schools such as West Point and the Citadel. The noncommissioned officers (corporals, sergeants, and the like) are all appointed by the officers over a unit.

With the outbreak of hostilities in 1812 and again in 1848, the army expanded its numbers by calling up state militia units and forming new companies of volunteers. They are mostly led by political appointees, who have little practical military knowledge and a great (sometimes foolhardy) desire to make a name for themselves. The newly raised units elect their officers from among their ranks, usually a man with some education. These were leaders who the men trusted and who, in turn, would cry to see chat the men were not killed needlessly.

In 1861, when the states take sides, the state militias go with chem. Large numbers of volunteer units are raised, and the Union soon uses conscription to add even more men to the ranks. These men are still among the poorest, as richer individuals could buy either a commission or their way out of service.

The average enlisted man just prior to the Civil War wears a dark blue coat, light blue trousers, and black shoes or boots. Their head dresses vary from tall stovepipe hats (used until the 1850s) to a simple kepi. Their equipment includes a musket, bedroll, canteen, and cartridge case. With the advent of the Civil War, the Confederate States of America adopt uniforms similar to the Union forces, except in the color gray.

Noncommissioned officers have uniforms identical to the enlisted man except they wear large gold chevrons on their sleeves. Officers wore a uniform similar to that of the enlisted man except for the shoulder epaulets to identify their rank, a pistol, a sword, and a bush hat. The cavalrymen dress in a uniform similar to the infantry except that they all carry sabers, pistols, and shotguns or carbines. By 1862, the Union began equipping its cavalry units with Spencer repeating rifles. The Confederate cavalrymen were more affluent (and thus educated) than the average soldier because they had to supply their own horses and sabers.

Discipline is harsh during this period, involving a lot of corporal punishment and possible imprisonment with hard labor. Since units still fought in the linear fashion, drills are the order of the day for training, with brief breaks only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The Western Expansion soldiers (1865-1916) wear in the same basic blue uniform of the Union (and winning) side of the Civil War. Many of the officers are holdovers from the Civil War, so their uniforms remain the same as well. However, now all troops are issued rifles, in some cases repeating rifles. The percentage of cavalry increases dramatically as there are vast areas of Indian controlled lands to patrol. Cavalrymen are equipped with carbines and pistols, but the sabers soon disappeared as they are expected to fight on foot in most cases, rather than from horseback.

Also during this period, the U.S. Army used a series of civilian volunteers and units, the most famous being “The Rough Riders.” These were usually better equipped than their military counterparts. They, however, lacked the discipline and training of the U.S. Army units.

Discipline became much laxer during this time, but certain sadistic officers still ruled through an iron hand. Training for new officers and enlisted was nonexistent; for the most pan, it was left up to the individual unit to train the soldier to the level of expertise that the unit required.

Starting from a tiny U.S. army and marine force, the American expeditionary force (1917-1919) grew within two years to be the key to winning the First World War. The uniform of the AEF, or doughboys as they are more popularly known, is a wool olive drab or brown jacket and pants. It’s topped off initially with a wide-brimmed, brown felt campaign hat, bur, as this can’t be stored properly when not in use, it’s soon replaced by a close-fating, dark, wool overseas cap. Later, the soldiers also receive a brown, round, brimmed helmet. Staff officers and cavalrymen wear breeches. All individuals are issued short boots and spats.

The average AEF soldier’s kit consists of bedroll, canteen, cartridge case, mess kit, entrenching tool, and a gas mask. They carry a bolt-action rifle, and the officers generally have a revolver.

Training is rushed and done mostly by units after they arrived in Europe. Discipline moves away from harsh corporal punishment to more to incarceration for infractions.

AEF Officers and N COs are career officer and enlisted men. Many are drawn from the National Guard (formerly the state militias and given their current name in 1903).

After World War 1, the army shrunk again. The “Between the Wars” soldiers (1920-1939) are all volunteers and still receive little formal training. Other than World War 1 career NCOs and officers and the marines, they are not an effective military fighting force. The marines maintain their edge by being sent to every hot spot from Honduras to China.

During this period, the duty uniform consists of a khaki shirt, brown wool jacket and slacks, black boots with spats, and a necktie. Officers still often wear breeches and high leather boots. They carry much the same equipment as they did during World War I.

The “Greatest Generation” army (1940-1945) consists of holdovers from between the wars, augmented by a huge amount of volunteers and draftees as the United States joined the Second World War. The uniform at the start of the war is the same as between the wars. In 1942, the uniform begins to change. The army adopts a all cotton, olive drab green shirt and pants set for their duty uniform; this became known as fatigues. The marines also wear fatigues, but later combat units are given lightweight green camouflage uniforms for jungle fighting. The army also replaces the old helmets with the standard steel helmet, commonly known as a steel pot.

The standard soldier is issued a semiautomatic rifle. Most of the squad leaders and officers picked up a submachine gun. Officers were also issued pistols. The automatic rifle and the bazooka also came into widespread use during this time.

These soldiers, after the initial rush to fill out forces, are very well and extensively trained. Those units that were rushed into service gain their training in combat. Officers are primarily holdovers from the interwar period and those brought up through the ranks by battlefield commissions, plus Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and academy graduates. These men tended to let the NCOs run the units, as the NCOs had more experience than all bur the most senior of officers.

The Cold War soldiers (1946-1980) are primarily volunteers, except during two periods of combat (Korea, 1950-1952,and Vietnam, 1964-1972). In those periods, the volunteers are supplemented by draftees, who are increasingly discontent to serve. Preparedness among units tends to be low until they gain experience in combat.

The uniforms remained basically unchanged with the olive drab fatigues and steel pot helmet. Flack vests with steel plates are introduced but are generally unpopular due to their weight. The weapons become better, and submachine guns replace rifles as the standard weapon. Officers continue to carry small sidearms.

These soldiers are far more technically skilled than earlier counterparts, but they still learn many combat skills the hard way. Officers, especially junior officers, lack detailed training to deal with the combat situation, many being straight out of college ROTC programs.

The modern army (1981 to the present) is formed from an all-volunteer force, mostly of those who look for the GI Bill to carry them through college. They are better trained and generally have a better outlook on their contribution to the army than any previous version of the military. With the increasing number of deployments and conflicts, the middle and upper officer and noncommissioned officer corps have become experienced in combat and can prove to be a much greater aid to new officers and enlisted men.

The standard uniform became a camouflage pattern, four-pocket jacket and matching cargo pants made out of special rip-stopping materials. They have a new and lighter Kevlar helmet and vest, and their weapons continue to receive upgrades, such as an improved telescopic sight.

Typical Soldier

Reflexes 2D: brawling 3D, dodge 3D, melee combat 3D, sneak 3D
Coordination 2D: marksmanship 3D, throwing 2D+2
Physique 2D: lifting 3D, running 3D
Knowledge 2D: medicine 2D+1
Perception 2D: hide 2D+2, search 2D+1, survival 2D+2
Presence 2D: willpower 3D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 2
Body Points: 16
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Employed (R2), to military

Advantages: Equipment, military gear (R1)

Special Abilities: none

Other Types of Soldiers

The following example bonuses are cumulative with the “typical” soldier and each other, when appropriate. Use these packages as inspiration for modifying the basic soldier for various special duties.

  • Noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and officers have Physique +1, Presence +1, command +1D, and Authority (R1 or greater), over assigned troops and related military matters.
  • Veteran soldiers have +1D to brawling, dodge, melee combat, and marksmanship.
  • Elite soldiers or marines have +1D to Reflexes, Coordination, and Physique.
  • Cavalry have riding +1D and melee combat +1.
  • Combat engineers have piloting +1, tech +1D, and repair +1D.
  • Commandos have melee combat +1D, sneak +1D, hide +1D, survival +1, willpower +1.
  • Grenadiers have Physique +1 , melee combat +1, and throwing +1.
  • Naval units have swimming +1D.
  • Medics have medicine +1D and carry first aid kits.
  • Scouts have Perception +1, search +1D, sneak +1D, and survival +1D.
  • Snipers and units renown for their sharpshooting have marksmanship +1D and search +1.
  • Vehicle troops have piloting +1D and repair +1D.

European Equipment

1800-1860: Infantry: musket (damage 3D+2; range 25/40/100; ammo 1) with bayonet (damage +1D+2); ammunition packers; bedroll; colorful uniform. Cavalry: saber (damage +2D+1) or lance (+3D); flintlock pistol (damage 3D; range 6/10/25; ammo 1) or carbine (damage 3D+1; range 20/30/75; ammo 1); ammunition packets; bedroll; colorful uniform; horse. Officers also carry swords (damage +2D+1).

1860-1900: Infantry: rifle (damage 4D; range 15/50/150; ammo 5) with bayonet (damage +1D+2); spare ammunition; bedroll; canteen; colorful uniform. Cavalry: saber (damage +2D+1) or lance (damage +3D); carbine (damage 5D+1; range 30/60/120; ammo 8); spare ammunition; bedroll; canteen; colorful uniform; horse. Officers also carry swords (damage +2D+1) and revolvers (damage4D; range 15/30/45; ammo 6).

1900-1960: Infantry: bolt-action rifle (damage4D+l; range 20/100/400; ammo 5) with bayonet (damage +1D+1) or submachine gun (damage 3D+2; range 30/60/90; ammo 30; after 1940 only); metal helmet (Armor Value +2); spare ammunition; entrenching tool(+1D to digging attempts; damage +2); bedroll; canteen; meal rations; camouflage uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals). Cavalry: saber (damage +2D+1) or lance (damage +3D); bole-action carbine (damage 4D; range 20/100/400; ammo 20) or rifle (damage 4D+1; range 20/100/400; ammo 5); bedroll; canteen; meal rations; camouflage uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals); horse. Officers also carry pistols (damage 4D+1; range 12/25/55; ammo 6 or 8) and may carry swords (damage +2D+1). During the Great War, most soldiers are equipped with gas masks (+2D to stamina against gas attacks or negates up to 1D in relevant modifiers).

1960 to present: Infantry: assault rifle (damage 6D; range 45/85/170; ammo 30) or submachine gun (damage 3D+2; range 30/60/90; ammo 30); spare ammunition; helmet (Armor Value +2); body armor (Armor Value +2D+1); camouflage uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals). Vehicle and support troops: pistol (damage 4D; range 15/30/45; ammo 15) or submachine gun (damage 3D+2; range 30/60/90; ammo 30); helmet (Armor Value +2); camouflage uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals). Officers also may carry a pistol (damage 4D+2; range 12/25/55; ammo 8).

American Equipment

1800-1865: Infantry: musket (damage 3D+2; range 25/40/100; ammo 1) with bayonet (damage +1D+2); ammunition packers; bedroll; blue uniform. Cavalry: saber (damage +2D+1); pistol (damage 3D; range 7/20/50; ammo l);shotgun (damage 4D; range 15/20/30, ammo 1) or carbine (damage 3D+2; range 15/50/150; ammo 8); ammunition packets; bedroll; blue or gray uniform; horse. Officers also carry swords (damage +2D+1).

1865-1916: bolt-action rifle (damage 4D; range 25/50/150; ammo 5) with bayonet (damage +1D+2); spare ammunition; bedroll; canteen; blue or gray uniform. Cavalry: pistol (damage 3D; range 7/20/150; ammo 1); shotgun (damage 4D; range 15/20/30, ammo 1) or carbine (damage 3D+2; range 15/50/150; ammo 8); spare ammunition; bedroll; canteen; blue uniform; horse. Officers also carry swords (damage +2D+1) and revolvers (damage 4D; range 15/30/45; ammo 6).

1917- 1939: bolt-action rifle (damage 4D+1; range 20/40/100; ammo 5) with bayonet (damage +1D+1); metal helmet (Armor Value +2); spare ammunition; entrenching tool (+1D to digging attempts; damage +2); bedroll; canteen; meal rations; brown or green uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals); gas mask ( +2D to stamina against gas attacks or negates up to 1D in relevant modifiers). Officers also carry revolvers (damage 4D; 15/30/45; ammo 6 or 8).

1940-1980: semi-automatic rifle (damage 4D+2; range 20/100/400; ammo 20) or submachine gun (damage 30+2; range 30/60/90; ammo 30, especially after the 1950s); metal helmet (Armor Value +2); spare ammunition; entrenching tool (+1D to digging attempts; damage +2); bedroll; canteen; meal rations; brown or green uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals). Officers also carry revolvers (damage 4D+1; range 12/25/55; ammo 6 or 8) and may carry submachine gun (damage 3D+2; range 30/60/90; ammo 30; after 1940 only).

1981 to present: assault rifle (damage 6D; range 45/851170; ammo 30) with telescopic sight (+1D to combat roll when aiming); spare ammunition; helmet (Armor Value +2); body armor (Armor Value +2D+1); camouflage uniform (+2 to hide and sneak totals). Officers may carry a pistol (damage 4D+2; range 12/25/55; ammo 8).

Additional Weapons

  • cap-and-ball revolver: 1850-1865; damage 3D+1; range 10/25/70; ammo 6
  • repeating rifle: 1863-1880; damage 4D; range 15/50/150; ammo 15
  • siege mortar: 1800s; damage 8D; range 250/500/1000; ammo 1; burst radius 10/25/50; attacks as if large scale value 12
  • semi-automatic rifle (.30-06 or 7.62mm): 1940s-1960s (still used in some developing countries); damage4D+1; range 20/100/400; ammo 20
  • bazooka: 1940s- 1950s; damage 9D; range 25/50/200; burst radius 5/10/20; attacks as if large scale 10 for ranges less than 100 meters and scale zero for ranges over 100 meters
  • claymore mine: 1950s+, though the Germans began development in World War II; damage 7D; range 0/-/-; burst radius 50/75/100
  • semi-automatic rifle (5.56mm): 1960s+; damage 4D+1; range 50/200/400; ammo 20 or 30
  • light anti-tank weapon (66mm): 1960s+; damage 8D; range 50/100/200; burst radius 5/10/15; attacks as if large scale 10

Typical Military Tank

The first armored fighting vehicles were developed in secrecy in World War 1 by a British firm under the cover story that the company was developing mobile water cisterns. The name “tank” has stuck.

The early vehicles were slow (with a maximum speed of about eight kilometers per hour), lightly armored, and sported a single gun. These game characteristics are appropriate for the average tank of any era from World War II to the present. Tanks can be faster or tougher – modern tanks can be both. They also can be fitted with a greater variety of armaments than space permits listing here.

Move: 16 (11.5 kph)
Passengers: 3
Weapons:
Tank gun: damage 8D; ammo 1; range 1k/2k/4k; burst radius 5/10/25; cannot target at less than 100 meters; reserve ammo of 30; attacks as if tank’s scale
Machine gun: damage 6D+2; ammo 15; range 100/500/1 k; attacks as if scale zero
Toughness: 8D (does not protect those in an open cab)
Armor Value: +4D (use only when the hatches are open and targeting occupants; otherwise, the tank needs to be destroyed first)
Maneuverability: -4D
Scale: 11
Price: Legendary ($100,000 to $2 million, depending on the era)

Adventure Creatures

Giant Sewer Creatures

Over the years in the big cities, there have been crazes about exotic pets that people wanted to have, ignoring the fact that one day they would grow into an adult predator. Many collectors bought several eggs at once and let them grow until they became too big to house in the terrarium. Once that occurred, it was a question for the owner of what to do with them. Too large to simply Bush down the toilet, the collectors often dump the terrarium down the nearest storm sewer and assume that’s the end of it. Other creatures find themselves driven below by encroaching human developments.

In the idyllic conditions of the sewer system, with few natural enemies, these creatures have grown to prodigious sizes. Some lose their coloration, while others become as black as the tunnels themselves. Through mutagens or magical waste, other creatures have developed in the sewers, such as sewer tendrils.

Sewer tendrils consist oflong prehensile tendrils of slime, sewage, and other unidentifiable bits. The creatures are a collective of anywhere from four to eight individual whip-like strands. The end of each tendril is topped by what appears to be some sort of a red eye. As for the other end of the tendrils, nobody has been able to determine what lies there.

Although the creatures live within a city’s sewer system, their true hunting grounds are above the streets, within peoples’ homes. The impossibly long tendrils can wind their way through the plumbing systems and eventually make their way our to show up in such unlikely places as kitchens and bathrooms. Sewer tendrils can pop out of any plumbing fixture, and a collective entity can actually emerge from more than one at the same time.

The favorite trick of the sewer tendrils is to quickly stretch out of a sink drain and attack a victim. If the whip attack succeeds well enough, then it has grabbed the victim (usually around the neck). People that try to aid the first victim usually find that they themselves are victims as the tendril attack from a second source. The effective reach of the tendrils once outside of the fixtures is normally about four meters.

Being a particularly cruel creature, sewer tendrils are not above bashing a victim’s head into a sink, reaching up and turning on scalding hot water, or holding a victim’s head underwater until he drowns.

Typical Giant Alligator

Reflexes 6D: brawling 7D, sneak 6D+1
Coordination 1D+2
Physique 10D: swimming 10D+1
Knowledge 1D: navigation: sewers 2D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 4D, survival: sewers 4D, tracking 4D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 5D, willpower 3D+2
Strength Damage: 5D
Move: 15 (land)/30 (swimming)
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 40
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage +3D; +5 to combat difficulty; Strength Damage only each round after first that alligator maintains grip on victim); death spiral (after having grabbed a victim, may spin around in the water, attempting to drown the victim and inflicting an additional 2D damage to bite damage); tail (damage +1D+2); scales (Armor Value +2D); night vision (can see in dim or dark conditions; disoriented or maddened by bright light); limited running (can only run at top speed for a few rounds before needing to rest for several minutes); cold blooded (lethargic in cold;+ 7 to difficulties of all actions until warmed up); large size (5-7 meters long; scale value 3)

Typical Giant Constrictor Snake

Reflexes 4D: contortion 4D+1, brawling 4D+2, climbing 5D, sneak 5D
Coordination 1D+1
Physique 4D: running 5D, swimming 5D+2, stamina 7D
Knowledge 2D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 4D, search 5D, survival 4D, tracking 4D
Presence 3D: intimidation 4D+2, willpower 3D+1
Strength Bonus: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 22
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: constriction (damage +4D when using a grappling attack); highly developed sense of taste (+3 to smell- and taste-related skills); cold-blooded (lethargic in cold; +7 to difficulties of all actions until warmed up); large size (scale value 3, due to slenderness)

Typical Giant Piranha

Reflexes 7D: brawling 7D+1, dodge 7D+1
Coordination 1D
Physique 3D: swimming 6D+2
Knowledge 1D
Perception 2D: hide: self-only 3D+1,
search 4D, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D
Presence 3D: intimidation 4D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 11 (swimming)
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 19
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage +2D; +5 to combat difficulty); swarm attack (roll a single brawling total for the entire school; treat school as small scale value of 1; +8 to damage total of successful swarm attack); size and coloring (+1 bonus to dodge, sneak, and hide); breathes in water; small size (scale value 5)

Typical Giant Rat

Reflexes 4D: acrobatics 4D+1, brawling 5D, climbing 4D+2, jumping 4D+2, dodge 4D+2, sneak 4D+2
Coordination 1D+2
Physique 2D: running 3D, swimming 2D+2
Knowledge 1D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 5D+1, search 4D, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 3D+2, willpower 3D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 25
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 16
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage+ 10; +5 to combat difficulty); swarm attack (roll a single brawling total for a pack of 10; treat pack as small scale value of 1; +8 to damage total of successful swarm attack); coloring (+1 bonus to dodge, sneak, and hide); small size (scale value 5)

Typical Sewer Tendrils

Reflexes 40+1: contortion 6D, brawling 5D+2, dodge 5D+1, sneak 4D+2
Coordination 2D
Physique 3D+2
Knowledge 2D
Perception 4D: hide: self-only 4D+1, search 4D+1, tracking 5D
Presence 2D+2: con 5D, intimidation 5D+2
Strength Bonus: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 18
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: whip (damage +1); constriction (damage +4D when using a grappling attack; for first tentacle only – each additional tentacle that beats the difficulty by 5 or more points adds +1D to strangulation, up to a maximum of 3 additional tendrils); numerous tendrils (ignore multi-action penalties for first four attacks on the same individual, but attacking more than one person brings standard penalties); vulnerability to salt (damage 5D per round)

Typical Suffocating Sewer Slime

Reflexes 2D: brawling 5D, climbing 4D, sneak 3D+2
Coordination 1D+1
Physique 6D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 2D+2: hide: self-only 4D+1, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 3D, willpower 3D
Strength Damage: 3D
Move: 4
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 18
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: suffocating attack (after a successful brawling attack, the slime makes a Physique roll versus the victim’s Physique or lifting, which counts as an action for both participants; damage dealt increases by +1D per round as the slime sucks victim further into itself); immune to mental attacks; small size (scale value 1)

Quick Sewer Creature

To turn any creature into a giant sewer version of itself, add a minimum of +1D to Reflexes, Perception, Physique, intimidation, and natural weapon damage values and increase its scale value by l to 4 toward the larger side.

Adventure Creatures

Serial Killers

One of the true horrors of reality is that evil does not have to wear a monstrous mask to be effective. It often chooses to walk the earth in an average-looking, nonthreatening form that easily blends into the background. Serial killers are urban predators who utilize circumstance and the indifference of the world around them to stalk victims. These sadistic fiends come from all walks of life. Their prey rarely suspects their true intentions until it’s far too late. On some occasions, serial killers make benign contact with their quarry. The good Samaritan who stops to fix your tire today might stalk you tomorrow!

Serial killers usually fall into one of several archetypes.

Visionaries typically embrace insanity or have psychotic tendencies. They commonly hear voices in their head that urge them to commit violent acts. Animals or inanimate objects could also give these commands. This allows visionaries to commit heinous acts but remain blameless in their own eyes. Visions sometimes arrive through dreams.

Mission-oriented serial killers often appear to be quite normal to the outside world. Their inner thoughts however, tell quite a different story. These killers tend to stalk a select group of victims. Common targets are prostitutes, young women, children or people of a different race. Mission-oriented serial killers feel they have been selected to rid the world of their chosen victims. Some consider themselves to be an instrument of God.

Others take the lives of innocents for the emotional rush it gives them. These villains are usually the most sadistic of their kind and feed off their victim’s fear. Thrill killers differ from visionaries and mission oriented killers because they often choose to take lives indiscriminately. People who are quick to express their emotions are preferred targets since they can be worked to a higher level of fear. They derive pleasure from killing and often torture victims in hope of prolonging their agony. Nothing is beyond their capability to commit heinous acts. Many strive to make each new kill more diabolical than the last. Lust also drives demented souls. One might find them romancing several potential targets only to slaughter them once their trust had been gained.

On rare occasion, some serial killers say the devil possessed them. Such claims are impossible to prove, as physical evidence is difficult to come by. Thus far, Lord of Lies has not appeared in court to confess his crimes.

Serial killers have plagued humanity since the late 1700s when the Harp boys slashed their way into history. Micajah (Big) Harp and Wiley (Little) Harp were cousins who became Tory outlaws when the American Revolution disrupted their plans to oversee slaves in Virginia. In 1798, they brutally slew men, women, and children while drifting across the young nation. Their victims were often disposed of in lakes after disemboweling them and filling the corpses with rocks to make them sink faster. Their reign of terror ended when Big Harp was captured and decapitated. His head was mounted on an oak tree to serve as a warning for ne’er-do-well who might wish to pass through town.

Some accounts tell of Little Harp meeting the same fate years later, but he may have escaped justice. lt’s estimated that the Harps viscously murdered at least 30 people. Jack the Ripper is perhaps the most famous serial killer of all time. He preyed on prostitutes in a crime-ridden district of London and baffled the local police who seemed helpless to stop him. The murderer gained his nickname from letters sent to torment the authorities. In spite of massive efforts to capture the Ripper, he wandered off into the London Fog and his crimes remain unsolved to this very day. Many books. movies, and articles attempt to peer past the veil but Jack’s true identity remains a mystery.

Albert Desalvo appeared to have a dual personality. He adored his family and seemed completely unaware of the crimes he confessed to as the Boston Strangler. The depraved soul claimed victims from 1962 to 1965. His attorney, F. Lee Bailey, would ironically be the one to confirm that Desalvo was the strangler after testing his client with questions only the murderer would know. The strangler was never prosecuted for any of the 13 murders he was suspected to have committed due to Bailey’s intervention, but Desalvo did serve a life sentence for brutalizing a woman. The Strangler was stabbed to death in 1973 at Walpole State Prison.

The Manson family sent waves of terror through Hollywood in 1969, when actress — Sharon Tate and several friends were brutally slaughtered. Charles Manson and his disciples were arrested for the murders, and several were given a death sentence. They still reside in prison due to California’s Supreme Court abolishment of the death penalty in 1972. In 1997, Charles Manson refused a parole hearing because he wanted to work on his website.

David Richard Berkowitz entered infamy in 1976 when he shot Donna Lauria and Jady Valenti as they sat in their car. Lauria would be the first of six people to fall before the “Son of Sam.” New York authorities finally caught up with the demented soul after conducting the largest manhunt in the city’s history. Berkowitz told his captors the demonic dog of his neighbor Sam Carr gave him orders to kill. The Son of Sam seemed unconcerned when captured and gladly confessed to the shootings, which he described in amazing detail. He is currently serving a 365-year sentence with no chance of parole.

A drug addict by the name of Richard Leyva Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles in 1985. He would later be dubbed the “Night Stalker” by the newspapers after claiming 14 victims. Ramirez was unlike other serial killers before him because his methods of execution varied and targets were randomly chosen. The Night Stalker was captured by a vengeful mob that recognized him from a description given by Maria Hernandez. Earlier that year, she survived his attempt on her life. Although black magic symbols were found with several of his victims, it’s unknown if the murderer actually worshiped the devil. Ramirez was sentenced to die in the gas chamber and is on Death Row in San Quentin. Lust was a motivating factor for the Night Stalker.

Tragically, others have become known. Whether this is due to the planet’s overcrowding or the advent of better information-gathering techniques is anyone’s guess. One can find stories of these depraved souls lurking in the tabloids, police records, and prisons. The faint of heart should be careful when preparing to delve further into this subject, as derails of these twisted, murderous souls are often graphic and quite disturbing.

The versatility of these villains allows for a variety of ways in which serial killers can appear. It might turn out that a delusional CIA director is eliminating imagined traitors. Heroes working in this settings could find themselves investigating the death of a lost contact or marked for death themselves.

A private detective could draw the characters into his investigation as he searches for a missing heiress, who was abducted while slumming alone in the city. The heroes must race against time when they discover several recent murders have a common feel. By using their wits, they might keep her from becoming a serial killer’s next victim.

A demonically possessed murderer could terrorize a city while leading the characters through the mysterious world of the occult as they attempt to put an end to the killing spree. A boom town’s founding father in a Wild West setting might resent new arrivals and try to discourage settlers by “thinning out” fortune hunters.

Super heroes could face a villain as their powers have started to mysteriously fade. Surviving such an encounter might give players who have built well rounded characters a sense of accomplishment and tempt those who have depended solely on their super powers to explore new developmental directions.

Jack the Ripper

Reflexes 2D: climbing 3D+1, brawling 3D+1, melee combat 3D+2, sneak 4D
Coordination 2D+1: lockpicking 3D, sleight of hand 2D+2
Physique 3D: running 3D+2
Knowledge 3D: business 3D+1, medicine 3D+2
Perception 3D+2: investigation 4D, search 4D, streetwise 4D, tracking 4D
Presence 4D: charm 4D+2
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 1
Character Points: 3
Body Points: 24
Wound levels: 4

Disadvantages: Enemy (R2), the city’s entire police force is on the alert for this criminal; Employed (R2), unknown, but possibly a policeman; Quirk (R3), secret identity; Reduced Attribute: Physique (R2), attribute reduced by 2 due to an undiagnosed disease

Advantages: Contacts (R2), law enforcement contact helps him avoid arrest

Special Abilities: Sense of Direction (R1), +1D to navigation and tracking rolls

Equipment: gentleman’s clothes; dagger (damage +1D); disguise kit (+1D to disguise rolls); lockpicking cools(+1D to lockpicking rolls); scalpel (damage +2)

Adventure Creatures

Screaming Blue Murders

Screaming blue murders, around one-third to two-thirds of a meter long, resemble human babies, the only discernible difference from normal babies being a pallid blue hue to their skin that gives them a sickly complexion, as well as a knowing look in their eyes that goes beyond their apparent infancy.

The horrors lurk on the outskirts of settlements, because they must be “discovered” by someone for their abilities to work. It lies near a secluded house or area, where either it crawled to or a den mother placed it. There, it cries like a distressed child. Its wailing carries itself un naturally into areas of 1 civilization, and anyone who hears it finds herself irrevocably drawn to the “baby.” Thus, the screaming blue murder finds its victim.

Now in the arms of its comforter, the horror refuses to settle and instead seems to get more agitated. The victim feels compelled to cry and calm the baby down co the exclusion of everything else, including eating and sleeping. After several days of sleep depravation and malnutrition, the screaming blue murder’s victim will be unnaturally close to death.

Sensing this, the monster begins to scream at such an intensity that the unfortunate person’s eardrums burst and the blood vessels around the brain rupture. Death is often instantaneous. When the body is found, the screaming blue murder is nowhere. Also, no one seems to have heard the scream that becomes the unfortunate victim’s death knell.

Typical Screaming Blue Murder

Reflexes 2D+2: dodge 3D, sneak 3D+2
Coordination 1D+2
Physique 2D+1: running 3D
Knowledge 3D
Perception 4D+1 : search 4D+1, survival 4D+2
Presence 4D: con 6D+1
Strength Damage: 1D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 2
Character Points: 5
Body Points: 17
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3}, needs to eat sentient blood

Advantages: Size: Small (R2}, scale value 5 to 6

Special Abilities: Natural Ranged Weapon: Scream (R2), damage 6D with Restricted (R3), limited to one person within a few meters of it; and Additional Effect (R5), see note.

Note: The scream is heard by everyone for kilometers around but it stops when one person fails a con test against that person’s willpower roll by at least 10 points (Game Masters may reduce this threshold for mothers, sensitive men and women, and others that feel drawn to help children) If the character fails the test, she feels compelled to find the baby and try to comfort it. She will take hostile action against anyone who tries to stop her.

Once in the sway of the screaming blue murder, affected characters may attempt to break free of the monster’s influence by succeeding against another willpower check against the creature’s con (this may be attempted once per day). For each day the monster affects the character, the difficulty increases by +2, and after three days, the screaming blue murder will make its scream attack.