Eden Studios Presents, Vol. 2

After devouring this volume, stay tuned for the next, featuring brand new magical mojo for your Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel roleplaying games, as well as the first in a series of articles detailing a brand new setting.

VOLUME 2

Volume 2 of the ESP supplement series features: • Dead Ops, James Wilber's much anticipated AFMBE scenario. • The Apes that Time Forget, a Terra Primate Apeworld by Gerry Saracco. • Crossover rules from Jason Vey combining vampires from the cinematic and classic Unisystem game lines. • Rules for expanding your vampires tales from Alessandro Gandini and Peter Trueman. • New zombies to spread the love from Andrew Ferguson. • A Tommy Brownell article on vamps gone good for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel roleplaying games. • Background on the cover-image Scepter of Penance by Charlie Von Eschen.

EDEN STUDIOS PRESENTS

Welcome to the second volume of Eden Studios Presents (ESP). This issue focuses on the dead and loving them. Vampires, vampyres, zombies, and apes forgotten by time can be found between these covers! If you love the dead, this issue is all for you.

ESP is an ideal showcase for both new and known authors, giving everyone the potential to be a part of the Eden team! Eden realizes there are a great many quality “unknowns” out there and wants to give them the opportunity to shine. Veteran writers are also welcome, providing solid groundwork for gamers to use, spindle, and mutilate. Whether you are a up-and-comer, an oldtimer, or just a fan, you'll find new and interesting Unisystem material in each book.

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.edenstudios.net

ISBN 1-891153-66-8

EDN5501

Buffy the Vampire Slayer™ & © 2005, ANGEL™ & © 2005. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The Unisystem™ Game System © 2005 CJ Carella. The Unisystem™ is used under exclusive license. © 2005 Eden Studios. All Rights Reserved.

EDEN STUDIOS

$15.00 (U.S.) EDN5501

After devouring this volume, stay tuned for the next, featuring brand new magical mojo for your Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel roleplaying games, as well as the first in a series of articles detailing a brand new setting.

VOLUME 2

Volume 2 of the ESP supplement series features: • Dead Ops, James Wilber's much anticipated AFMBE scenario. • The Apes that Time Forget, a Terra Primate Apeworld by Gerry Saracco. • Crossover rules from Jason Vey combining vampires from the cinematic and classic Unisystem game lines. • Rules for expanding your vampires tales from Alessandro Gandini and Peter Trueman. • New zombies to spread the love from Andrew Ferguson. • A Tommy Brownell article on vamps gone good for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel roleplaying games. • Background on the cover-image Scepter of Penance by Charlie Von Eschen.

EDEN STUDIOS PRESENTS

Welcome to the second volume of Eden Studios Presents (ESP). This issue focuses on the dead and loving them. Vampires, vampyres, zombies, and apes forgotten by time can be found between these covers! If you love the dead, this issue is all for you.

ESP is an ideal showcase for both new and known authors, giving everyone the potential to be a part of the Eden team! Eden realizes there are a great many quality “unknowns” out there and wants to give them the opportunity to shine. Veteran writers are also welcome, providing solid groundwork for gamers to use, spindle, and mutilate. Whether you are a up-and-comer, an oldtimer, or just a fan, you'll find new and interesting Unisystem material in each book.

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.edenstudios.net

ISBN 1-891153-66-8

EDN5501

Buffy the Vampire Slayer™ & © 2005, ANGEL™ & © 2005. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The Unisystem™ Game System © 2005 CJ Carella. The Unisystem™ is used under exclusive license. © 2005 Eden Studios. All Rights Reserved.

EDEN STUDIOS

$15.00 (U.S.) EDN5501

Credits • Table of Contents

Eden Studios Presents

Volume 2

From the Editor by Derek Stoelting

2

Cover Shot: The Sceptor of Penance by Charlie Von Eschen

3

Cinematic Vampyres by Jason Vey

4

Light Sleepers by Alessandro Gandini

9

Of Fear, Pain, and Ecstasy by Peter Trueman

12

When Bad Vampires Go Good by Tommy Brownell

23

The Apes that Time Forgot by Gerry Saracco

40

Fresh Flesh by Andrew Ferguson

47

Dead Ops by James Wilber

50

Editing and Proofing by Shari Hill, Daniel Holmes, M. Alexander Jurkat, Derek Stoelting, Jason Vey Cover Art by Carlos Samuel Araya

Interior Art by Travis Ingram, Cary Polkavitz, James Powers, Gregory Price

Graphic Design and Art Direction by George Vasilakos Special Thanks To Evin and Ray, for the last minute brain-fest. To Shari, for making sure I’m right, when I try my hardest to be wrong! Produced and Published by Eden Studios 6 Dogwood Lane, Loudonville, NY 12211

Buffy the Vampire Slayer™ & © 2005, ANGEL™ & © 2005. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The Unisystem™ Game System © 2005 CJ Carella. The Unisystem™ is used under exclusive license. © 2005 Eden Studios. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except for review purposes. Any similarity to characters, situations, institutions, corporations, etc. (without satirical intent) is strictly fictional or coincidental. This book uses settings, characters and themes of a supernatural nature. All elements, mystical and supernatural, are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. Comments and questions can be directed via the Internet at www.edenstudios.net. via e-mail to [email protected] or via letter with a self-addressed stamped envelope. First Printing, January 2005 Stock EDN5501 ISBN 1-891153-66-8

Volume 2

Printed in USA

1

Letter from the Editor

A Brief Note from Derek Stoelting, Editor of Eden Studios Presents Living. Dead. Undeath. Most of us only get to experience the first two. Unlucky others get to have fun with the third. This second volume of ESP introduces you to those who haunt the night, searching for love, blood, or brains. This volume starts out with a Cover Shot by Charlie Von Eschen. He went to the depths of a soul (luckily not his) to bring you this item of power. Jason Vey picks up the brain and takes it through a piece covering the use of WitchCraft Vampyres with those found in more cinematic settings. Alessandro Gandini and Peter Trueman keep the blood flowing with their furthering of vampiric powers, including a few life suckers you don’t want to meet in a dark alley! Tommy Brownell follows them up with some vampires you may want to delay dusting—after all, even old vampires can learn a new trick or two. We sneak in an Apeworld from Gerry Saracco to put a stake in the vampire articles. Next, “Ferg” supplies all you zombie (masters) with some Fresh Flesh, because Fresh Flesh is the Best Flesh™. Finally, James Wilber shoots us in the brain with his long awaited AFMBE scenario, Dead Ops. We had to trim Dead Ops down to fit in here! So, expect to see web expansion material at Unisystemfans.com to further your zombie survival. For those not familiar with the Unisystemfans.com, let me introduce you. Soon after I got my damned, dirty paws on the first printing of AFMBE I started up a fan site for the game. Some of you may remember it. I called it Spreading the Love. Some of my material appeared, but most of it belonged to other fans of survival horror with zombies. Why not much from me? Honestly, I love working with authors. I love helping them develop their work. A few years later, Alex Jurkat and George Vasilakos got in touch with me. They knew of Spreading the Love. They also knew me from my helping them at major conventions. I would run demo games for Eden and help at the booth when they needed breaks of sanity. Well, it turned out they were sitting on a load of fan material that they didn’t have time to handle. They wondered if I could take it off their hands and host it online. I said, “Sure, send me some loving” and thus was born the Garden of Eden. More recently, Ed Spade has taken over the official fan site for Eden games. Check out his work, and others, at Unisystemfans.com. All hail Ed! Following up on the initial success of the Garden of Eden, Eden Studios decided to produce a journal of fan supplied material. Once again, George Vasilakos and Alex Jurkat got in touch with me. They had previously asked me to head up the Book of Archetypes project for the AFMBE game line and were curious to see if I could undertake a new project. That new project now rests in your hands at this very moment—Eden Studios Presents. Now, back to the subject matter. Most companies wait until Halloween to publish a book on the undead. Not Eden Studios. (Ministry song: Every Day Is Halloween?) Why wait to get to the good stuff? If you don’t have a vampire, zombie, or ape in your game, you must be doing something wrong! Aren’t you?

2


Cover Shot: The Scepter of Penance

Cover Shot: The Scepter of Penance The Scepter of Penance is all that remains of Henri Solon. Henri was a Vampyre with both the Magus and Wither abilities (Mystery Codex, pp. 104-107). He had been a Rosicrucian seeking ever-greater power and delved into the forbidden paths of Sadicas. After his covenant hunted him down and took his life to stop the evil he had become, he experienced the Unbirth of the Undead. His magical talent was stripped away in the Threshold while escaping the Grim Reapers, but his taste for misery and his tainted ways of gathering power were amplified. Revenge against those who had spurned him consumed him and his plans were rapidly set in motion. Few sorcerers can stand up to the unexpected assault of a Vampyre who knows its victim’s every habit. Whitmore Thomas was Henri’s last target, the leader of the covenant. Away on business the week after Henri was brought to justice, the Vampyre satiated its desires with the Thomas family, Maria and the three children. He drained them of life so completely, they appeared to be aged dolls of themselves. Staging an elaborate scene to welcome Whitmore home, Henri waited for his final revenge. Unfortunately for Henri, Whitmore Thomas was rather more than the Rosicrucian he appeared to be, he was a researcher of both Magic and the Sight and had achieved enlightenment. In his grief and rage, he discovered darker abilities that would enable him to quench his thirst for vengeance on Henri. He used these horrid abilities to strip away every last shred of Henri Solon, leaving only one tibia, filled with feelings of terror and a re-stitched version of Henri’s abilities. Regaining his senses, Whitmore banished himself to the Sephiroth of Chesed, to hunt fiends until his rage was slaked. It is said that he still pursues that goal. Those that know the story almost feel pity for the fiends that cross Whitmore Thomas’ path.

Volume 2

The Scepter of Penance Classic: The scepter is a repository for the Magus and Wither Vampyric powers from the Mystery Codex. They may be initiated through a Simple Willpower Test. Failure on the Test causes the holder of the scepter to feel a moment of Henri’s dying terror and pain, losing D10 x 2(10) Essence and Endurance points in addition to D10(5) Life Points. Success means the wielder may use the active forms of those powers, draining either the target’s Essence Channeling in Essence points or the wielder’s Willpower score in Essence points, whichever is greater. If the wielder is attacked by an Invocation, a Difficult Willpower Test allows him to absorb the Essence expended in the Invocation without harm. If used as a weapon, the scepter does damage as a Vampyre’s claws according the to Manipulations of the Flesh chart in Mystery Codex. Use the wielder’s Willpower score. Cinematic: The scepter provides protection from others’ sorcery and power. By winning a resisted Willpower (doubled) roll, the wielder absorbs the potential spell casting from the target. The wielder gains additional Sorcery castings without penalties for that day for each spell absorbed. The attacker’s Sorcery is affected as if she had just quick cast a spell (next spell cast is at –2 per number of times drained by the scepter). Used as a weapon, the scepter does Willpower plus Sorcery level in damage. Using the Scepter to power one’s sorcery is likely to cause magic addiction over time.

3

The Moroi

The Moroi WitchCraft-Style Vampyres in a Cinematic World by Jason Vey

Introduction

The Strigoi and Moroi

A very interesting possibility for exploring noncanon ideas in a cinematic Unisystem game is the combination of elements from Eden’s other supernatural games, WitchCraft, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and Armageddon. Inserting the creature types, varied organizations, and mythologies from these two games can make for a fascinating, if unorthodox campaign. Imagine a super-powered demon fighter trapped in one of the Deadworlds from All Flesh Must be Eaten. Better yet, how would the organizations in your cinematic world deal with the appearance of the Rosicrucians on the scene? Or the Twilight Order? Or even better. . . the Iscariots?

While it is extremely rare, it is possible for a standard vampire to regain their human soul—their identity, conscience, and sense of self from their days as a mortal. Gypsy curses and demonic quests are two possibilities, but there are plenty more means to accomplish this. However, what if there is another, slightly more common means of vampires possessing souls? What if there are those who possess the significant strength of will to hold on to their humanity, or at least some spark of it, when they are sired? These creatures could then go on to make more like them, undead leeches who feed on the life force of mortals just as standard demonic vampires, but who still possess a sense of right and wrong, and the free will to pursue one or the other? If these creatures exist, there are then two breeds of vampire walking the earth: demonic (or “dead”) vampires, the Strigoi; and living Vampyres, or Moroi.

Of course, this brings up unique logistical problems. Of particular interest are the integration of the WitchCraft versions of certain supernatural creatures: demons, Vampyres, and ferals among them. Zombies are described in existing cinematic Unisystem sourcebooks and are really just another kind of custom flesh-eater, easily compatible with any All Flesh Must be Eaten or WitchCraft zombies that might be used. Demons are not overly difficult: these are far more powerful than your “typical” cinematic Unisystem demon. Ferals, too, are not much different from those presented in the cinematic Unisystem books, just more detailed and “fleshed out.” Not much of an integration problem there. Vampyres however, present a singular challenge. Vampyres in WitchCraft are extremely different from those in cinematic Unisystem products, and are entirely reliant upon Essence for their special abilities and very survival. Since Essence does not exist in some Cinematic Unisystem games, how do we convert these creatures to make them work? Further, how do we justify their existence opposite whatever vampires may already be in that particular setting? Read on.

4

The Moroi are quite rare compared to Strigoi, as they are far less likely to sire (they refer to the process as “embracing” or “bringing across”) others out of vengeance, spite, or for mere cannon fodder. Moroi tend to sire out of very strong emotions, be they the desire to hold someone very dear to them close for all eternity or the drive to punish those they hate with the curse of immortality. Strigoi sire for these reasons as well, but also tend to sire at a whim or out of sheer fascination with a subject. Thus, Strigoi are a plague compared to Moroi, who tend to stay low-key and pursue their ends privately. The Moroi view the Strigoi as base and disgusting creatures, little more than animals exhausting a food supply with no thought to the eventual consequences. As such, Moroi sometimes use their unique ability to enter the Death Realms to thwart the siring process of a Strigoi, by dragging the departed soul of a victim back, and forcing it to coexist with the demon inside, or even driving out the demon. This results in the creation of a new Moroi rather than a demonic vampire. More often however, a Moroi who is present at a demonic siring simply attempts


The Moroi

to kill the new vampire and its sire rather than risk failure or the creation of a flawed Vampyre. Strigoi view the Moroi as pompous pretenders who refuse to simply accept what they are, and there have been times where small armies of Strigoi were sired to wipe out a few Moroi. The war between the two species of vampire has lasted for millennia, with each species claiming to be the first, original, and true vampire. Unfortunately, the Moroi are on the losing end of this eternal war. Their human souls refuse to allow them to create the army of cannon fodder that the remorseless Strigoi are willing to expend, and the Moroi know this. As such, most Moroi in the modern era are content to keep their numbers low, their existence secret. Indeed, it has been so long since a battle broke out between the Strigoi and Moroi that most elder Strigoi have forgotten the existence of their soul-bound cousins.

Moroi Existence Moroi are more communal in nature than Strigoi, and where groups exist, they function smoothly. This differs from Strigoi, who have a “pack” mentality whereby the strongest tends to lead, solely by virtue of his ability to overpower his underlings. Unfortunately, the comparative rarity of Moroi generally holds such groups to minimal numbers. The most notable societies to include Moroi are the Twilight Order, the House of Thanatos, and the Iscariots (detailed in WitchCraft, Mystery Codex, and Abomination Codex respectively). Moroi have been members of many secret societies through the ages, though most of the time these creatures keep their true nature hidden for fear of being murdered due to a lack of understanding by their human companions. The life of a Moroi is a lonely and sad one. The vast majority of Moroi spend years, decades, even centuries of existence searching for the meaning of what they are, the reason why they still walk the Earth and haven’t passed on to some sort of Afterlife. Even those Moroi who exist out of a voluntary decision to become what they are often regret the decision as years turn into decades, and decades into centuries, without any comfort or companionship to see them through.

Volume 2

5

The Moroi

Moroi relationships are often shallow and shortlived, as these immortal creatures find it increasingly difficult to watch mortals they come to care for grow old and die while they never change. Those who do learn to cope with their endless, unchanging existence often become harsh and unfeeling. Still, there are those Moroi who manage to maintain both their humanity and passions, and cope with immortality at the same time. These are some of the most powerful and potent champions of light in the world. It cannot be stressed enough that Moroi are extraordinarily rare among the vampire population. Sheer numbers and brutality keep the Strigoi holding the upper hand in their eternal struggle, and the Moroi prefer to live in peace with humankind generally. Moroi villains are cold, calculating, and incredibly ruthless, often dominating packs of Strigoi from behind the scenes, like a criminal mastermind dispersing his pawns, to the eternal detriment of the heroes. Such a monster would make an extremely formidable Big Bad for a series, particularly if one of the players happens to be running a Moroi Cast Member.

Moroi and Feeding Lest you begin thinking that Moroi are the fluffy puppy dogs of vampirism, be assured that they feed off of the life essence of human beings just like Strigoi do. In some ways, Moroi are worse, as they cannot simply exist on the blood of animals. However, while Moroi must feed on human beings to survive, they need not kill their victims to do so. Moroi must purchase a Power or Vulnerability that represents their means of feeding (Blood Addiction is the most common) and can only regain Life Points through this feeding process. In many ways, this makes the existence of a Moroi even more tragic, for they have a soul and thus, the means to feel remorse over their parasitic nature. Yet they are bound to it. Vampyres regain one Life Point for every Life Point they drains through methods that inflict physical harm, such as blood drinking or Withering. Damage inflicted in Life Points is equal to the listed Essence point damage in the book. These attacks heal as any other normal damage heals (generally, Constitution per day unless the victim has some sort of regeneration ability).

6


Example the First: Drake, a Moroi with a Constitution 6, is shot by a 9mm handgun. The handgun normally deals 12 points of damage; against a normal human, this damage would be modified by Success Levels and then doubled, for a minimum of 26 (12 + 1 for Success Levels, doubled for damage Type). However, against Drake the weapon deals only half the base (round down; Success Levels still count). Therefore, he would suffer a minimum of seven points of damage (half of 12 is six, plus one for Success Levels). Worse, at the end of the round he heals his Constitution level in Life Points back from that damage. With his Constitution 6, that handgun shot is barely going to scratch him.

Playing a Moroi

Example the Second: After Drake sucks up the shot from the handgun, a witch nails him with a Soulfire blast that deals 15 points of damage. Drake takes the full 15 points of damage, and can only regenerate if he feeds. A few more blasts like that, and Drake is only a threat to a vacuum cleaner.

Playing a Moroi is not much different from playing a Strigoi, or standard cinematic Unisystem game vampire. Moroi is a Quality that gives players access to a set of special abilities and powers beyond those of normal humans. The details of this Quality are as presented in Mystery Codex (see pp. 32, 97). This article explores the differences and modifications that must occur to transport such creatures into a setting where Essence does not exist. In cinematic Unisystem, rather than keeping track of Essence and Life Points, Moroi gain a particular vulnerability to certain types of attacks, and a particular resistance to others. They also lose their standard regeneration against attacks to which they are vulnerable. All attacks that harm supernatural creatures can kill a Moroi; if an attack deals Essence damage in the classic Unisystem, it deals full Life Point damage to Moroi in the cinematic. Life Points lost to attacks that exploit the weaknesses of a Moroi are only regained through feeding, described below. Thus, magical attacks such as Soulfire (see WitchCraft, p. 222) are particularly potent weapons against Moroi. In addition, all standard weaknesses of Vampyres as listed in the Mystery Codex deal Life Point rather than Essence damage to Moroi in the cinematic Unisystem. Slash/stab attacks deal only half of their normal base damage (and do not double) against Moroi; further, the Moroi regenerates damage from such attacks at the rate of one point per Constitution level per turn.

Volume 2

The Moroi

Use of other means of feeding, such as Muse or sexual stimulation gives the Vampyre one Life Point back for every two Life Points she inflicts upon her victim. However, human vessels recover from attacks that do not inflict physical harm at the rate of one Life Point per Constitution Level per hour, unless the attack kills the victim (reduces them to –10 Life Points or less). While less efficient, these methods of feeding are far less lethal and some Moroi prefer them as a result. In fact, the standard method of feeding listed in the Mystery Codex (see p. 99) that allows Vampyres to feed on strong emotions becomes a 12-point Quality in the cinematic Unisystem (see p. 8).

This requires a bit of bookkeeping on the part of the player and Director, but is the easiest solution to the problem of Essence. Likewise, rather than spending Essence to maintain their bodies, Moroi must spend Life Points, which also do not replenish without feeding. The cost to maintain one’s existence costs the same in Life Points as the Essence point costs in Mystery Codex (see p. 102). However, on the up side, it does not cost Life Points for a Vampire to use their Manipulations of the Flesh abilities, or any special powers which they purchase using Quality or Metaphysics points. Rather, these powers function off the Moroi’s Willpower and Vampyric Focus roll.

Vampyre Powers Moroi gain access to a number of special powers that Strigoi do not have. These are the Powers and Qualities, Drawbacks and Vulnerabilities listed in the Mystery Codex (see p. 103). Many of these powers refer to the means of feeding by the Moroi. In cinematic Unisystem games, every Moroi is required to purchase a mode of feeding; no Moroi can simply feed from any old strong emotion. Others are special abilities that Moroi gain access to because of their supernatural natures. Activating a

7

The Moroi

power requires rolling Willpower (doubled) against the power level of the ability in Question. Optionally, the Moroi may purchase a four point per level Quality, Vampyric Focus. This Quality works similarly to Sorcery or the Necromancy skill and adds to the Willpower roll to activate Vampyric powers. Each ability is also a separate Quality, with the costs as listed in Mystery Codex. The power level of an ability is equal to the Essence cost required to activate the ability.

New Qualities Emotion Feeder 12-point Quality Prerequisite: Moroi (Vampyre) This Quality is the standard method of feeding for Vampyres in the Mystery Codex. It allows a Moroi to feed simply by eliciting strong emotions in a victim (any will do, from fear to excitement to bliss) and making a Willpower and Vampyric Focus roll; each success level drains one Life Point from the victim and restores one Life Point to the Vampyre. Victims heal this damage the same as any other non-damaging Vampyre attack (one Life Point per Constitution Level per hour). Vampyric Focus 4-point per level Quality Prerequisite: Moroi (Vampyre) This Quality is available only to Moroi, or WitchCraft-style Vampyres, and is required to activate any metaphysical power a Moroi has, from Manipulations of the Flesh (see Mystery Codex, p. 102) to special Vampyric powers such as Greater Shifting. It is not required for Invocations or Chi Abilities, which function on their own systems not detailed in this article. Vampyric Focus always works with Willpower to determine success. Using Manipulations of the Flesh requires only a basic success (nine or better) for the Vampyre to manifest claws, fangs, or funky facial features. Moroi using this ability can mimic a Strigoi’s game face if they so desire, but do not automatically manifest a game face when they use their powers, as Strigoi do. Moroi do not naturally (un-naturally?) possess a game face as Strigoi do. Such an alteration of fea-

8

tures is a conscious act of will on the Moroi’s part, and most Moroi find the appearance of a game face rather distasteful. They only manifest the features when attempting to “blend in” among Strigoi (usually for survival purposes). Other Vampyric powers need a base number of Success Levels equal to the listed Essence cost to use the power. Moroi and Metaphysics In addition to normal Vampyre powers, Moroi may purchase any Metaphysics except for Divine Inspiration. Either they may be built using the basic Hero Character Type, or the Undead Character Type as presented in the Mystery Codex. However, if using the Undead Character Type, the pool of Metaphysics points should be reduced by five, and starting Drama Points must be purchased using Metaphysics, Quality, or Drawback Points at a cost of two points per Drama Point.

Afterword So, there you have it! Complete guidelines for adding a new supernatural baddie to your existing cinematic Unisystem game. The aspects of play that the addition of these powers introduce can enhance any game, and can include a great many surprises that enterprising (and underhanded) Directors can throw at their Cast, and what director doesn’t love it when their players go, “What the hell!?” “Who—!?” “You’ve got to be joking!” and my personal favorite, “Oh, you just suck.” Enjoy!


Light Sleepers

Light Sleepers Additional Vampyre Rules by Alessandro Gandini This article presents additional material for Vampyres. This new material provides Chroniclers with various vampire-related source elements for Vampyre characters.

Mind Control Bonuses When supernatural powers affect free will, creatures forced to act against their nature resist strongly. For instance, attacking someone without reason would grant a +3 bonus, suicidal orders a +6, and complex orders involving abominable actions up to a +7. Charisma modifiers usually apply to mind control rolls, unless otherwise stated, and Attractiveness may apply as well. Finally, ancient creatures get to add their Age levels to their rolls.

Resistance (Sunlight) 2-point/level Supernatural Quality Prerequisite: as many levels of Resistance (Daily Essence) Each level in this Quality reduces Essence loss by direct sunlight, adding a “grace period” of one minute per level: a Vampyre with Resistance (Sunlight) 5 loses two Essence points every six minutes. Sunlight penalties still stand, and normal damage applies to incapacitated or otherwise unconscious Vampyres.

New Powers Animal Affinity 5-point Power

New Qualities Resistance (Daily Essence) 1-point/level Supernatural Quality This Quality allows Vampyres that stay in the shadows to be active during the day, losing only one Essence Point every several minutes of activity, as per the following: Level

Time (minutes)

1

2

2

5

3

10

4

30

5

60

Willpower rolls to wake up during the day gain a bonus equal to the levels in this Quality.

Volume 2

Prerequisite: Greater Shifting Using this Power, a Vampyre can force an animal to obey his will. At a cost of two Essence per animal, or five animals in a group of small ones, the Vampyre can issue orders as complex as a smart dog could follow, using a Resisted Simple Willpower Test (applying Mind Control Bonuses above). When the order is carried out, the Power’s effect ends. For long-lasting orders, maximum duration is one minute per Success Level. To use this Power, the target must be of the same family of one of the forms the Vampyre can assume: for instance, wolf shapeshifters can control dogs, coyotes, and other canines. Blood Link 5-point Power Prerequisite: Sire Like Sire, but works on humans or semi-humans (e.g. Ferals, Immortals, Inheritors, etc.). The cost is five Essence points, and most humans have no way of absorbing it save by drinking the Vampyre’s blood. A mundane human, by herself, has no chance of resisting the Vampyre’s commands or of breaking the bond. Gifted and others resist using their powers,

9

Light Sleepers

or as children Vampyres. A Seer who establishes a telepathic contact with a blood-linked Mundane can resist on her behalf. Domination 3-point Power Prerequisite: Manipulate Emotions Using this Power, a Vampyre can force a (mostly) human (including Ferals, True Immortals, and other Vampyres) to obey his will. Brief orders (one sentence) are issued with the same rules as per Manipulate Emotions, applying Mind Control Bonuses. When the victim carries out the order, the control ends. Long-duration orders (such as “don’t move until I tell you to”) have maximum duration as per Manipulate Emotions. Manipulate Senses 4-point Power Prerequsite: Manipulate Emotions Vampyres with this power may swap the victim’s perceptions. The ability to exchange pain with pleasure gave birth to legends about a vampire’s bite as a unique source of ecstasy. This Power follows the same activation rules as Manipulate Emotions (applying Mind Control Bonuses, plus Attractiveness). It lasts one Turn per Success Level. A Resisted Difficult Willpower Test is then applied (although the Vampyre can use a Seduction Task where applicable), with the victim having a penalty equal to the number of Success Levels of the activation roll. If the victim wins the Power will still be active, but only half the amount of Essence is released. Using pain/ecstasy (inflicting one point of damage per Turn or more), D10(5) Essence can be drained every other Turn—making the classic bite quite effective. This Power can also be used to mask the effects of Wither, until a victim is drained to zero Essence or less, for one Essence point every other Turn. Note that people killed by Essence loss cannot come back as Vampyres, although those who die of exsanguination during the “kiss” can.

10


10-point Power Prerequisite: Greater Shifting This Power allows the Vampyre to shape-shift into a thin mist, allowing him to enter non-airtight places and avoid damage from normal weapons. She becomes extremely difficult to see: in a misty area she cannot be detected visually; at night, Perception rolls have a –7 penalty, reduced to –4 with decent lighting and –1 in full daylight or equivalent. The transformation costs five Essence points, and one per Turn afterwards, happening instantaneously if activated and deactivated in the same Turn (allowing one “dodge” per Turn, or to “flow” around an obstacle). Otherwise one Turn is required to regain normal form. The Vampyre can carry objects up to his normal capacity, with normal encumbrance penalties, and up to Willpower/2 willing (or unconscious) creatures. Objects up to 30 pounds have no cost, each 60 additional pounds require one Essence per Turn. Creatures cost one point per Constitution level per Turn. Powers requiring physical form are unavailable while in Mist Shape. Air currents may influence movement; use Speed and Strength minus wind speed. If the Vampyre’s total is below zero, he will be blown away (unless he returns solid), and if the difference is lower than the Vampyre’s Speed Attribute it will be the maximum speed he can reach against the wind. It gives the wind a bonus equal to its speed. The Vampyre will also be able to move vertically at half his Speed upwards, twice that value downwards (modifiers for vertical air currents apply), and to avoid falling damage entirely, by transforming before landing (at least at the beginning of the same Turn). Regaining physical shape after a fall requires one full Turn.

surface thoughts, as long as both are on the same Sephiroth. Two-way telepathy and deep mind-reading (which uses the Mindsight Art table) require two Essence points per Turn, and the latter can be resisted with a Willpower Test (Simple for the sire, Difficult for the child); apply the Mind Control Bonuses above. If the child manages to block the probe, he becomes immune for one day per Success Level. The sire can also sense the general location of linked offspring; tracking them more precisely requires the expenditure of one Essence Point per Turn. The bond can be broken, willingly by the sire or forcibly (with a Resisted Willpower Test as above). Breaking the bond forcibly permanently costs the child twice the Essence invested by the sire, and a failed attempt costs half the total.

Light Sleepers

Mist Shape

After successfully severing the link to her sire, a child cannot be remade into a “child.” However, a child can be sired by another Vampyre. Soul Union 6-point Power Prerequisite: Blood-Bond Soul Union functions as per Sire, except with any kind of (willing) creature. Vampyres cost five points of permanent Essence, other beings cost 15. Inhumans and non-offspring Vampyres use Simple (and not Difficult) Tests. Author’s Note: I wish to thank Peter Trueman for his invaluable help in the development and streamlining of this text, as well as Jason Vey, whose comments gave me the initial idea.

Sire 4-point Power Prerequisite: Manipulate Emotions This power creates a bond with a willing child, who must drain two permanent Essence points from the sire. Blood drinking is the “canonical” method, but any applicable way (including free donation) will do, allowing the sire to sense her emotions and

Volume 2

11

Of Fear, Pain, and Ecstasy

Of Fear, Pain and Ecstasy Three New Vampyre Styles by Peter Trueman This article outlines three subspecies or breeds of Vampyres, designed for use in the WitchCraft and Armageddon games. They are also quite suitable for any other Unisystem game setting. Chroniclers wishing to use these rules in a WitchCraft campaign can either add one or more of these subspecies as variations to the normal Vampyre presented in the Mystery Codex, or they can replace the normal Vampyre altogether with these breeds, ruling that Vampyres in their game world have to be one of these three variants.

Background These Vampyres each feed exclusively upon one of the three emotions that nourish standard Vampyres: fear for Lamias, pain for Draculs, and ecstasy for Succubi. Fledglings of each subspecies begin as blood-drinkers but with time may learn to bypass the need for blood and feed directly upon their victims’ Essence Pools. Any person made into a Vampyre by a Succubus, Lamia, or Dracul will be of the same type as their creator. The process of creating a Vampyre is essentially the same as that described in the Mystery Codex, but with one important exception. The creator Vampyre must personally kill the person she intends to transform before following her spirit into the Threshold. Succubi commonly do this by draining the victim’s blood, bringing the victim to the point of death. Lamia and Draculs can do likewise, but they will just as likely do it by simply ripping their victim apart. Any form of death dealing will also work against all three—guns, knives, even ramming the victim with a car. In the world of WitchCraft, it is up to each Chronicler to determine how these different subspecies interact with each other. They may clannishly stick together, engaging in power struggles or even outright battles between the breeds, or they may intermingle freely and without antipathy.

12

Succubi Succubi are generally the most benign of the breeds. Beautiful, charming, and civilised in their appearance, Succubi obviously appreciate the finer things in life. Art, performance, magic, and sex have special value to succubi. They seldom kill in the process of feeding and their victims generally have pleasant experiences. Some victims even choose to voluntarily submit to Succubi, risking the danger that the Vampyre might one day go too far, in exchange for an ecstasy seldom experienced by mortals. An old, experienced Succubus may possess a harem of such willing concubines.

Lamia Lamias are the stuff of nightmares. They derive their sustenance from scaring their victims to near death. Most Lamias who survive for any length of time come to enjoy the experience of inflicting sheer terror on people. Lamias care less for their victims and, as such, are more likely to kill them. Survivors of Lamia encounters are traumatised for life. They are inflicted with recurring nightmares and the appearance of phobias pertaining to the dark, bats, or other memories that remind them of their brush with death.

Dracul Draculs are the most depraved of the breeds. Inflicting pain to exist, they end up existing to inflict pain. Draculs seldom recruit people into their ranks who are not cruel and callous. Compassionate people do not survive very long. Draculs’ victims seldom survive capture, with their deaths rarely quick. Draculs take a cat-like joy in tormenting their captives, often playing with them, letting them think they have escaped only to easily recapture them. The differences in personality among these Vampyre types may cause Chroniclers to restrict Cast Members to playing Succubi. Creating the dramatic situation of a decent person struggling with the monster she has become could be a good reason to allow Lamia or Dracul Cast Members.


From Mystery Codex

From Mystery Codex

Metaphysics, Creatures of Flesh and Essence,* Enter the Threshold, Essence Depletion, Evolution, Invulnerability, Semblance of Life, and Holy Burial.

Greater Mirage

*Note that Succubi, Lamias, and Draculs can channel up to their Willpower in Essence every Turn, but do not regain Essence normally. In addition, they cannot absorb ambient Essence the way that standard Vampyres do.

Blood Link, Domination, Mind Link (per Sire Power), Mist Shape, and Soul Fusion (per Soul Union Power). See pp. 9-11.

Other Powers and Vulnerabilities Bloodlust: When confronted with a large quantity of blood or a bleeding person, these Vampyres must make a Simple Willpower Test to avoid automatically trying to feed on that blood or person. Debt to the Master: These Vampyres must make a Difficult Willpower Test to resist obeying any command given by their creator. The creator Vampyre makes a Simple Willpower Test to succeed. The creator Vampyre can use Manipulate Emotions to increase her chances of success. Vulnerable Heart: A wooden stake driven through the heart of one of these Vampyres will immobilise and paralyse her until removed. While thus immobilised, the Vampyre may not speak nor use any of her supernatural abilities. She remains conscious and aware of her surroundings, however.

Volume 2

Shifting,

Manipulate

Emotions,

From Light Sleepers

New Special Powers and Vulnerabilities Command the Beasts 3-point Power for one species; 2 points per additional species Prerequisite: Manipulate Emotions With this power, the Vampyre can control animals of one species (selected by the player or the Chronicler) and give them simple commands. The power costs two Essence points per large animal, per group of up to 10 small animals (like birds or rats), or per group of up to 100 tiny animals (such as insects or spiders) affected. The animals follow simple orders for up to one minute per level of the Vampyre’s Willpower, or until the instructions are carried out, whichever comes first. Dangerous commands—attacking people, for instance—require a Simple Willpower Test with a –3 penalty to successfully impose her will upon the beasts. Suicidal commands require such a Test with a –6 penalty.


Powers and Vulnerabilities Special Powers Common to Succubi, Accessible to Succubi, Lamias, and Draculs Lamias, and Draculs

13


Flight

mal, unless the attack is somehow charged with Essence (e.g., holy or magical weapons).

5-point Power With this power, the Vampyre can fly, bearing up to her carrying capacity in additional weight, at her base Speed. She can also levitate and hover. All of these activities require the expenditure of two Essence Points per minute.

Reduced Damage (Sunlight) 5-points/level Power Prerequisite: Must possess at least as many levels of Wake by Day With every level of this power, the amount of Essence loss due to exposure to sunlight is decreased.

Heartless 1-point Power With this power, wooden stakes have no special effect upon the Vampyre outside of normal physical damage.

Time Period Level

(Succubi, Draculs)

(Lamias)

Invisibility

0

1 minute

1 Turn

10-point Power

1

2 minutes

1 minute

2

5 minutes

2 minutes

3

10 minutes

5 minutes

4

30 minutes

10 minutes

5

60 minutes

20 minutes

6

2 hours

30 minutes

7

6 hours

1 hours

8

12 hours

2 hours

9

24 hours

3 hours

10

Immune

4 hours

With this power, the Vampyre is able to become invisible at will. This transformation takes a Turn of concentration to effect. While invisible, the Vampyre still produces noise, even if electronics and the human eye cannot detect her. Normal rules apply for attempting to attack an invisible opponent. The Vampyre must spend two Essence points per minute while invisible. Reduced Damage (Fire) 1-, 5-, or 10-point Power With this power, the physical damage that a Vampyre takes from fire is reduced to either one half (one point), one fifth (three points) or one tenth (five points) of normal—unless the flames are somehow charged with Essence (e.g., holy or magical fire). Vampyres still take Essence damage equal to the reduced physical damage.

At level 10, Succubi and Draculs are effectively immune to daylight; sunlight does not feel painful or even uncomfortable to them. Lamias cannot gain such complete immunity. Wake by Day 2-point/level Power

Reduced Damage (Weapons) 3-, 10- or 20-point Power With this power, the physical damage that a Vampyre takes from weaponry (bullets, blades, shrapnel, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons) or natural attacks (i.e. fists, claws, fangs, falling or sudden impacts) is reduced to either one half (five points), one fifth (10 points) or one tenth (20 points) of nor-

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With this power, the Vampyre takes reduced Essence loss for activity during the day and the roll needed for the Vampyre to wake up during daylight hours gains a bonus equal to the level of this power. The level also determines how frequently a Vampyre loses an Essence Point for activity during the daytime.


Time Period

0

1 minute

1

2 minutes

2

5 minutes

3

10 minutes

4

30 minutes

5

60 minutes

6

2 hours

7

6 hours

8

12 hours

9

24 hours

Attributes: +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con

10

Immune

Attribute Minimum: 3, Attribute Maximum: none

Once the Vampyre has reached level 10, staying awake during the daytime is no more difficult than at any other time and the Vampyre need not make a roll to awake from sleeping. In fact, given that Vampyres do not suffer from fatigue, those with 10 levels of this power need never sleep at all, although it can take a while to overcome the psychological habit of doing so. Wall Crawler 5-point Power With this power, the Vampyre can cling to solid surfaces, even vertical or upside-down ones, like a spider. To dislodge the clinging Vampyre requires a blow of equal strength as would knock her over if she were standing upright.

New Vampyre Racial Qualities Succubi Use the Undead or the various Supernatural Character Types for beginning costs. They then must purchase the Succubi Quality. Cost: 3 points (15 for being Undead – 4 for Bloodthirst – 3 for reduced Attribute bonuses – 1 for Vulnerable Heart – 1 for Bloodlust – 1 for Debt to the Master – 2 for reduced Manipulations of the Flesh).

Secondary Attributes: Endurance Points

+20

Essence,

No

Common Succubus Powers and Vulnerabilities Essence Vampirism: Without the special ability Essence Mastery (Ecstasy), Succubi are only able to absorb the Essence of humans by drinking their blood (see Bloodthirst Vulnerability, Mystery Codex, p. 103). It is not necessary to kill the victim to gain Essence, but neither does feeding preclude death. Victims fed upon by Succubi experience a state of ecstasy as their blood drains. This experience is so powerful that they seldom struggle once feeding has begun (a Difficult Willpower Test is required, with a penalty of –1 per positive level of Attractiveness and/or Charisma possessed by the feeding Vampyre). The Vampyre or others must halt the feeding before death occurs.


Level

Manipulations of the Flesh: As per Mystery Codex (p. 100), except Succubi may only use this ability to make their appearance more attractive and life-like. Succubi do not possess the ability to sprout claws or drastically reshape their faces or bodies. Fangs about twice the length of human eyeteeth can be grown, but these do a mere Strength damage points. They can be very useful, however, for opening a major blood vessel in a potential victim, provided he is not struggling at the time. Vulnerability to Daylight: As per Mystery Codex (p. 102).

Volume 2

15


Special Succubus Powers and Vulnerabilities From Mystery Codex Bard (Prerequisite: Essence Mastery (Ecstasy)), Magus, and Muse.

New Succubus Powers and Vulnerabilities Essence Mastery (Ecstasy) 4-point Power Succubi with this power no longer need to feed on blood, although they retain the ability to do so. Instead, they can feed directly on the Essence released by the experience of ecstasy. However, they must be the cause of the ecstasy experience. Typically, this requires them to become intimate with those from which they wish to feed. A human brought to ecstasy through any combination of sensations loses D10(5) Essence points. Death is rarely a risk with this manner of feeding. Most humans cease to be capable of feeling strong pleasure once their Essence Pool lowers to zero. Still, the need to become so intimate with their victims can be distasteful to some Succubi, who instead strive to master one of the higher forms of feeding.

Lamias Use the Undead or the various Supernatural Character Types for beginning costs. They then must purchase the Lamia Quality. Cost: 4 points (15 – 4 for Bloodthirst – 1 for Vulnerable Heart – 1 for Bloodlust – 1 for Debt to the Master – 1 for reduced Manipulations of the Flesh – 3 for increased Vulnerability to Sunlight). Attributes: +3 Str, +3 Dex, +3 Con Attribute Minimum: 4, Attribute Maximum: none Secondary Attributes: Endurance Points

+20

Essence,

No

Common Lamia Powers and Vulnerabilities Essence Vampirism: Without the special ability, Essence Mastery (Terror), Lamias are only able to

16

absorb the Essence of humans by drinking their blood (see Bloodthirst Vulnerability, Mystery Codex, p. 103). It is not necessary to kill the victim to gain Essence, but neither does feeding preclude death. Victims fed upon by Lamias experience a state of sheer terror as their blood drains. They seldom struggle once feeding has begun (a Difficult Willpower Test is required, with a penalty of –1 per negative level of Attractiveness and/or Charisma possessed by the feeding Vampyre). The Vampyre or others must bring the feeding to a halt, as the victim cannot fight back. Manipulations of the Flesh: As per Mystery Codex (p. 100), except Lamias may only use the manipulations to make their appearance more horrific and deadly. Lamias do not possess the ability to enhance their beauty or attractiveness. Fangs and claws are available per Mystery Codex. Vulnerability to Daylight: As per Mystery Codex (p. 102) except Lamias are particularly vulnerable to sunlight and lose one Essence Point per Turn (instead of one per minute) while exposed to it. Their flesh can be seen to blister and smoke under such circumstances and they suffer considerable pain, incurring a –3 penalty to all tasks.

Special Lamia Powers and Vulnerabilities From Mystery Codex Nightmare

New Lamia Powers and Vulnerabilites Essence Mastery (Terror) 4-point Power Lamias with this power no longer need to feed on blood, although they retain the ability to do so. Instead, they can feed directly on the Essence released by the experience of terror. However, they must be the cause of the fear. Typically, this requires them to terrify those from which they wish to feed. Manipulations of the Flesh is the easiest way to do this, but Manipulate Emotions works quite well too and the two powers together can cause even the stoutest of individuals to become a quivering wreck.


Draculs Use the Undead or the various Supernatural Character Types for beginning costs. They must purchase the Dracul Quality. Cost: 4 points (15 – 4 for Bloodthirst + 3 for increased Attribute bonuses – 1 for Vulnerable Heart – 1 for Bloodlust – 1 for Debt to the Master – 1 for reduced Manipulations of the Flesh – 6 for Vulnerability to Fire). Attributes: +4 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Con Attribute Minimum: 5, Attribute Maximum: none Secondary Attributes: Endurance Points

+20 Essence, No

Common Dracul Powers and Vulnerabilities From Mystery Codex Vulnerability to Daylight

New Common Dracul Powers and Vulnerabilities Essence Vampirism: Without Essence Mastery (Pain), Draculs are only able to absorb the Essence of humans by drinking their blood (see Bloodthirst Vulnerability, Mystery Codex, p. 103). It is not necessary to kill the victim to gain Essence, but neither does feeding preclude death. Victims fed upon by Draculs experience a state of agonizing pain as their blood drains. Victims will struggle violently to free themselves from the Vampyre’s grip. Unfortunately for them, Draculs are very strong.

Volume 2

Manipulations of the Flesh: As per Mystery Codex (p. 100), except Draculs can only use this power to make their appearance more horrific and deadly. Draculs do not possess the ability to enhance their beauty or attractiveness. Fangs and claws are available, which are both functional and terrifying Vulnerability to Fire: Draculs are incredibly vulnerable to fire. Burning damage also inflicts an Essence loss equal to the amount of physical damage received. Furthermore, any Dracul confronted with a flame of torch size or larger must make a Difficult Willpower Test to avoid at least recoiling in terror (lose all actions that Turn) and a Simple Willpower Test to avoid fleeing altogether.

Special Dracul Powers and Vulnerabilities From Mystery Codex Wither

New Special Dracul Powers and Vulnerabilities


Anyone who fails a Fear Test in the presence of a Lamia unconsciously releases D6(3) Essence points every Turn (ignore Essence losses detailed in the Fear Table, if used). The Lamia absorbs these losses automatically and all at once as long as she is within a yard. This process can be repeated until the human is reduced to –30 Essence points, at which point the human has the usual risk of dying. The terror experienced under such circumstances is such that the victim does not pass out or cease to feel fear once their Essence Pool drops to zero or lower.

Essence Mastery (Pain) 4-point Power Draculs with this power no longer need to feed on blood if they do not wish to, although they retain the ability to do so. Instead, they can feed directly on the Essence released by the experience of pain. However, they must be the cause of the pain being experienced by their victim, so typically this requires them to injure or torture those from which they wish to feed. If a Dracul injures a person by slashing them with claws, fangs, or some sort of blade, the injured human releases Essence equal to one quarter of the physical damage taken. Torture is a slightly more effective means of gaining Essence. Each Turn a Dracul tortures someone, the victim loses D8(4) Essence points, which the Dracul fully absorbs. This process can be repeated until the human is reduced to –30 Essence Points, at which point she runs the usual risk of dying. The agony experienced under such circumstances is such that the victim does not pass out or cease to feel pain once their Essence Pool drops to zero or lower.

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Development with Age Not all of the special powers listed above are readily available to all Vampyres. Many take centuries to master and newly created Vampyres have a much smaller range of powers to choose from. Six different age categories serve to group Vampyres according to the number of years spent active. Time spent in suspended animation (see Mystery Codex, p. 102) does not count towards this age. Fledgling: less than 10 years

Ancient: Reduced Damage (Sunlight) (max. level 10), Wake by Day (max. level 10) When creating a Vampyre character, the Chronicler (or the player in conjunction with the Chronicler, in the case of Cast Members) should determine roughly how many years the Vampyre has been actively undead. This may necessitate the purchase of one or more levels of the Age Quality. A character that becomes a Vampyre during game play starts as a Fledgling.

Young: 10 to less than 50 years

Weapons for the Vampyre Hunter

Mature: 50 to less than 100 years Master: 100 to less than 500 years Elder: 500 to less than 1000 years

Destroying a Vampyre requires reducing their Essence Pool to below zero. There are a number of ways to accomplish this.

Ancient: 1000 years or more As a Vampyre moves through these age categories, more special powers become available to her. The following list is a guideline only. A Chronicler should feel free to alter or adjust it, if he has some strong reason to do so. Each age category naturally has access to those powers listed in the categories before it. Fledgling: Command the Beasts, Greater Shifting, Manipulate Emotions, Wake by Day (max. level 1), Wall Crawler Young: Domination, Flight, Mirage, Reduced Damage (Fire) (one half), Reduced Damage (Sunlight) (max. level 1), Wake by Day (max. level 3) Mature: Essence Mastery (any), Invisibility, Mind Link, Muse, Reduced Damage (Fire) (one fifth), Reduced Damage (Sunlight) (max. level 3), Reduced Damage (Weapons) (one half), Wake by Day (max. level 5) Master: Bard, Blood Link, Heartless, Mist Shape, Nightmare, Reduced Damage (Fire) (one tenth), Reduced Damage (Sunlight) (max. level 5), Reduced Damage (Weapons) (one fifth), Wake by Day (max. level 7), Wither (touch version)

18

Elder: Magus, Reduced Damage (Sunlight) (max. level 7), Reduced Damage (Weapons) (one tenth), Soul Fusion, Wake by Day (max. level 9), Wither (ranged version)

Sunlight: This is a good weapon to use against younger Vampyres, particularly Lamias. Many older ones, however, have acquired some resistance to this. Fire: This is very effective in destroying Draculs, even those who have hardened themselves against its effects somewhat. If Essence fuels the fire (such as the magical fire produced by the Elemental Fire Invocation, or the Holy Fire of the divinely Inspired, or even the Mindfire ability of Seers), the Vampyre cannot block the attack. Mindkill: This Seer ability directly attacks a Vampyre’s Essence Pool. Soulfire: No Vampyre-hunting magic-user should be without this Invocation, which can quickly dispose of the undead. Necromantic Bolts: Vampyres have reason to fear a powerful necromancer. These bolts directly attack the undead’s Essence Pool, per Soulfire. Orikalk Weapons: Melee weapons or projectiles made from this mythical metal will inflict up to half their damage directly to a Vampyre’s Essence Pool.


If a hunter is up against a Vampyre who has acquired some resistance to weaponry, special implements are in order. Wooden Stakes: Assuming the Vampyre has not outgrown this vulnerability, a successful strike upon the critical organs of the torso usually immobilises him and allows the hunter to finish the Vampyre at her leisure. Magic Weapons: Melee weapons or projectiles imbued with any sort of magical power, even those simply consecrated as vessels in which to store Essence, bypass any resistance the Vampyre has acquired to weaponry. Silver Holy Weapons: A blessed silver weapon can be charged with Essence through prayer. If the weapon is newly blessed (e.g. a bullet, a new knife, etc.), then it holds at the most one Essence point. If the weapon is a genuine holy artifact, it may hold many more. When a Vampyre is struck by a weapon charged with Essence in this manner, not only is his resistance to weaponry negated, but the undead takes further physical damage equal to D8(4) x Essence released from the weapon.


Rituals: If none of the above are available, hunters may need to knock the Vampyres unconscious physically, stake them, or bind them to keep them from escaping, and perform the ritual of Holy Burial over them. Older Vampyres may need to have this ritual performed more than once before being completely destroyed.

Holy Water: If a priest, minister, rabbi, or mulla of faith properly blesses water, it assumes the ability to absorb Essence in a manner similar to silver. No more than one Essence Point can be absorbed per pint of water. Splashing such water over a Vampyre causes physical damage equal to D8(4) x Essence released. Author’s note: I wish to thank Alessandro Gandini for his invaluable help and collaboration in the development of this article, as well as Jason Vey, for his comments and feedback on the Eden Studios WitchCraft Discussion Board.

Volume 2

19


Young Lamia Lesser Supernatual • Age: 44 (undead 17 years) Str 5 Dex 4 Con 6

Int Per Wil

2 3 4

LPS 63 Speed 20 EPS n/a Essence 74 Qualities/Drawbacks Lamia (4) Adversary (Sentinels) (–3) Charisma +1 (1) Contacts (Underworld) (2) Fear of Rejection (–1) Good Luck 3 (3) Hard to Kill 3 (3) Increased Essence Pool +25 (5) Nerves of Steel (3) Resources (Poor) (–6) Situational Awareness (2)

Skills Brawling 2 Computers 1 Dodge 3 Driving (Cars) 1 Escapism 2 Hand Weapon (Club) 2 Hand Weapon (Knife) 1 Intimidation 3 Notice 2 Pick Pocket 2 Smooth Talking 1 Stealth 2 Streetwise 2 Swimming 1

Personality So there I was, living on the streets—my career, my family, and my self-respect all gone. I kept company with beggars and winos, doing a little petty theft to survive. I thought my life had hit rock bottom. How little I knew. We found Johnno first. He was lying on his back in an alleyway. And his face! To say that he looked like he’d seen a ghost would be like calling Mt. Everest a little hill. Old Martha was next. And then little Freddy. We knew then that something was preying on us. I organized those of us able to fight and we went out looking for it. We found it—a creature more horrible than I imagined. After it killed everyone else, it stood over me and its features became more human. It said, “Kid, I like your style and your guts.” And then it made me into one of its kind. I’m sleeping in sewers by day and drinking blood by night. There are religious maniacs with crosses and water that burns that keep looking for me. I’ve learned a lot since that fateful night. However, I know there’s a lot more I still have to learn.

Quote “Want to see something really scary?”

Powers/Vulnerablilites Manipulate Emotions (2) Greater Shifting (wolf, snake, giant spider) (9) Command the Beasts (rats) (3) Wall Crawler (5) Flight (5)

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Str 8 Dex 10 Con 9

Int Per Wil

4 4 5

LPS 78 Speed 38 EPS n/a Essence 135 Qualities/Drawbacks Dracul (4) Adversary (a Storm Dragon)* Age (+100 years) (5) Bad Luck 3 (–3) Contacts (Triad) (3) Covetous (Ambition) (–2) Cruel (–3) Delusions (Prejudice: Hates police and the military) (–2) Fast Reaction Time (2) Increased Essence +70 (14) Minority (Asian) (–1) Natural Toughness (2) Obligation (Major) (–2) Paranoia (–2) Resources (Well-off) (4) Status +2 (1)& *from Age Quality & +1 from Resources Quality

Skills Acrobatics 3 Climbing 2 Computers 1 Driving (Cars) 1 Escapism 2 First Aid 1 Guns (Handgun) 2 Hand Weapon (Sword) 3 Hand Weapon (Knife) 1 Hand Weapon (Nunchaku) 2 Intimidation 3 Language (Cantonese) 5 Language (English) 3 Martial Arts 4 Myth and Legend (Chinese) 2 Notice 3

Volume 2

Questioning 1 Stealth 2 Surveillance 1 Swimming 1

Powers/Vulnerablilites Essence Mastery (Pain) (4) Chi Mastery 4 (8) Heartless (1) Invisibility (10) Reduced Damage (halve Fire) (1) Speed of the Tiger 3 (6) Wake by Day 2 (4)

Personality I was born in early 19th century China, when the country was still being carved up by imperialist European powers. I’ve seen a lot of change since then—the Boxer Rebellion, the Long March, Tian Anmen Square. But now I’m in America, taking advantage of the corruption of capitalism to further the ends of the Brotherhood and pursue my own pleasures. It’s not well known that there is a significant minority within the Triad who are like me. My old master still stalks the streets of Beijing and I have offspring in other American cities. Our unique abilities make us very valuable. We are often deployed to locations proving troublesome or sent to resolve particularly intransigent problems. I enjoy my work. I particularly like it when I get to kill police or soldiers. I feel like I’m striking back for what happened to my sister nearly two centuries ago. The unlucky ones are those that I manage to capture. I have lots of fun with them.


Master Dracul Supernatural • Age: 192 (undead 160 years)

Quote “Huang, hand me my number three branding iron.”

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Ancient Succubus Greater Supernatural • Age: 1057 (undead 1022 yeaars) Str Dex Con

4 6 5

Int Per Wil

6 5 6

LPS EPS

59 n/a

Speed Essence

Qualities/Drawbacks Succubus (3) Adversary (Rosicrucians)*, (Knights Templar)*, (Combine)* Age (+1000 years) (50) Artistic Talent (3) Attractiveness +3 (3) Charisma +3 (3) Contacts (5) Covetous (Lechery) (–1) Cowardly (–1) Emotional Problems (Fear of Commitment) (–1) Hard to Kill 5 (5) Honourable (–1) Increased Essence +50 (10) Obsession (Illumination) (–2) Resources (Rich) (8) Secret (–2) Showoff (–2) Status 2& * from Age Quality & from Resources Quality

Skills Acrobatics 4 Acting 3 Beautician 2 Brawling 1 Computers 1 Dancing (ballroom) 3 Disguise 2 Driving (Cars) 1 Fine Arts (Painting) 3 First Aid 2 Guns (Handgun) 1 Hand Weapon (Sword) 3 Hand Weapon (Bow) 2 Instruction 2 Language (French) 5, (German) 3, (Latin) 3, (Greek) 2, (English) 4 Magic Theory 4 Magic Bolt 7 Myth and Legend (Germanic) 2 Notice 2 Occult Knowledge 7

22

22 174

Occult Knowledge (Alchemy) 9 Play Instrument (Harp) 3 Research/Investigation 5 Rituals (Rosicrucian) 3, (Templar) 2 Sciences (Chemistry) 3 Seduction 4 Singing 3 Sleight of Hand 4 Smooth Talking 3 Storytelling 2 Writing (Poetry) 2

Powers/Vulnerablilites Common Succubus Powers and Vulnerabilities Bard (9) Domination (3) Essence Mastery (Ecstasy) (4) Greater Shifting (raven, panther) (7) Heartless (1) Magus (15) Manipulate Emotions (2) Wake by Day 6 (12) Reduced Damage (Sunlight) 5 (15) Invocation: Elemental Fire 3 (6), Elemental Air 3 (6), Elemental Earth 2 (4), Shielding 3 (6)

Personality They say the alchemists of old were looking for a way to turn base metal to gold. Others say they were looking for immortality. Well, I have all the gold and immortality that you could want and I can tell you, that’s not what they were looking for. Why do you think they called it the “Philosopher’s Stone?” Those ancient scholars were looking for illumination, for the fusion of the left-brain and the right brain, for total control over magic and essence. And that’s what I’m looking for. The Rosicrucians don’t have the secret of it. Neither do the Templars. Nevertheless, I know there are those who do—the Illuminati. If I can find them, I can wrest the secret from them, I’m sure of it. From my birthplace in medieval France, all over Europe, and now into the New World, I have chased my dream, performing, teaching, swindling, and seducing as I went. I’m close now, very close. I can feel it in my unliving veins.

Quote “It’s showtime!”


Roleplaying Vampires in the Buffyverse by Tommy Brownell The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Roleplaying Games allow vampires as Cast Members, but outside of mentioning the canon “chipped” or “has a soul” rationales, the game materials don’t go into details on exactly how a vampire could be “good.” This article addresses the subject of “good” vampires. A selection of vampiric archetypes follows the article.

Soul Purpose The first and most obvious manner of vampires “going good” involves the acquisition of a soul. We’ve seen two vampires with souls in the Buffyverse, Angel and Spike. Angel was cursed with his soul after killing a gypsy girl, a curse which stipulated that should he ever achieve a moment of true happiness, his soul would be lost, for a moment of contentment would mean that Angel had moved beyond the suffering he felt from the memories of his reign of terror as Angelus. Spike traveled to a demon’s lair in Africa and faced a series of tests— the first of which being a warrior with flaming fists and a later test being an attack—and bodily invasion—by a swarm of insects. Upon surviving with his desire intact, Spike had his soul returned to him. What are some other ways that a vampire could regain her soul? Episode 5.13 of Angel, “Why We Fight,” reveals that Angel has sired one vampire since regaining his soul, a Navy officer named Sam Lawson. Lawson felt compelled to mete out death and destruction, but found that it gave him no sense of satisfaction and in fact, left the proverbial bad taste in his mouth. While most run-of-the-mill vampires would have been happy with the slaughter of innocents, Sam’s admission that he had no purpose and found no joy in his mayhem could have been caused by the presence of a soul. This may imply, as mentioned in Monster Smackdown, that a souled vampire could sire a new vampire that would, in turn, retain their soul. Now then, if one souled vampire could sire another souled vampire, then a whole line of souled vamps could emerge. Perhaps a heroic Order of Aurelis would emerge? Of course, com-

Volume 2

bine an order of good vampires with a world full of Slayers and the Buffyverse becomes much grayer. How about a vampire witch who winds up tapping into the White Magic that Giles used to spike Willow’s high in Season Six, the same power Willow later channeled in Season Seven? A vampire sorceress, lusting for power, winds up filled with a profound desire to protect life—not the same thing as a true soul but the effects might be the same. And talk about quandaries—try feeling a profound connection with all living things while needing to drink blood to survive. It’s worth mentioning that Darla “felt” Connor’s soul while she was pregnant with him, especially in the last couple of months. Though she seemed even more conflicted than Spike or Angel did after regaining their souls, this was most likely due to it not being hers. A pregnant vampire Cast Member probably isn’t the best option for a game though, seeing as how they’ll likely have to die to give birth or, if they somehow survive, would revert to evil after birth. But hey, ambitious Directors and players can do anything if they try.

When Bad Vampires Go Good


Keep in mind that the presence of a soul doesn’t mean that a vampire automatically does good. After all, it’s generally agreed that all humans (except maybe that kid possessed by an Ethros Demon in 1.14 of Angel) have a soul, even Wolfram & Hart employees! And yet, plenty of human evil abounds. What a soul does is provide a counterpoint to the demonic hunger, a conscience that says, “Hey, it’s not such a nice thing to drink virgin blood. Maybe I’ll drink some pig’s blood instead.” A vampire with a soul, especially if she’s a particularly angry or unconscionable person before her siring, is every bit as likely to wreak havoc as an unsouled vampire. Moreover, doesn’t that make her more evil? However, playing a person so totally evil that even having their soul stuck back in them isn’t enough to embark them on a path of good isn’t a very good option for a Cast Member. In the end, a soul is about a choice. Well, mostly. We’ll get into unsouled choices in a little bit.

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A vampire with a soul is a prime candidate for emotional problems such as depression and guilt. Obsession (Redemption) or perhaps Covetous (Redemption) would not be out of line for a souled vampire Cast Member, either.

Chips A-head In Season Four of Buffy, we’re introduced to the Initiative, a government agency tasked with seeking out, capturing, studying, and controlling Hostile Sub-Terrestrials (angry, underworld monsters like demons and vampires). They did this by using behavior modification chips placed in the brain. The chips (at least the ones we saw on the show) “discouraged” violent tendencies towards humans by sending searing pain into the brains of the chipped HSTs. The chips were advanced enough to work on intent, as Spike was zapped for pointing a gun at humans with intent to shoot, not even actually pulling the trigger. Thus, playing a chipped vampire is a perfectly valid choice. After all, a vampire with a behavior modification chip in his head still has a demon inside of him compelling him to maim, murder, and kill. If a vampire can’t crush people, why not crush demons or other vamps? Now, vampires and demons alike tend to think ill of traitorous vampires, so the cast member will probably earn a free level or two of Adversary before you even hit mid-season, but for all the fun of characterization and roleplaying in Buffy and Angel, there’s rarely a shortage of combat. Within the subset of chipped vampires, cast members still have options. Spike was an escaped HST who used his knowledge of the Initiative to blackmail the Scooby Gang into not staking him at first, and later went after the demon world with vim and vigor when he discovered that he could take out his anger and frustration on monsters. What if the Initiative had succeeded? What if they put together a “Suicide Squad” of chipped vampires sent into the underworld on missions, wiping out demon cults, assassinating warlocks, overthrowing Middle Eastern dictators and more? The PCs could all be vampire commandos or even a mix of human commandos and chipped vampire soldiers. The Military Monster Squad sourcebook can be used

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to flesh out a Dirty Dozen with Fangs game considerably, including new chips like Slave Chips and various Behavior Modification chips. As another take on a similar campaign, what about a vampire squad whose chips start failing one by one, leaving a lone vampire commando under the thumb of the government and having to track down and kill his comrades. This is an excellent option if the group is into the military thing but lacks players. How about a rogue scientist who happened upon some old Initiative files and began experimenting with chipping on his own, perhaps because he wants a force of vampire thugs, or perhaps someone he cares about is chained up in his basement after being sired. Of course, chipping her because she was sired doesn’t mean she’s gonna be happy with the rogue scientist. The playable options could be an experimental vamp or, for the roleplay heavy, how about spending the first six episodes or so of the game chained to the wall, as the relative in need of “saving?”

By the Grace of God Moving away from the canon rationales, how about a truly religious vampire? Drusilla was about to become a nun, but she was driven to the convent at least in part because she thought she was evil, due to her visions. In addition, while Angel’s old horrormate Penn was a Puritan, there’s no solid evidence that he was a truly pious man. Wanna spend some points on Age? How about a vampire that really was at the Crucifixion and was driven by the sacrifice of Christ to be a do-gooder? Alternately, maybe the vamp even drank of the Christ’s blood. A Christian, regardless of age, truly moved by God could find herself holding the demon off and may even be able to shrug off the vampiric vulnerabilities to Holy symbols and the like, by purchasing the corresponding Resistances. Most would agree, though, that it would be far more befitting the Buffyverse for a truly devout vamp to still find herself smoldering while holding a cross or touching holy water. Christianity is hardly the only belief system that someone could have a devout interest in. A Taoist strives towards immortality, and not of the meta-


There is still potential for perversion and abuse among those with strict beliefs, especially if they belong to a religion known to veer into extreme practices such as Islam with its Jihads and Christianity with its Crusades. In a cute bit of irony, the people most likely to find themselves resisting vampirism through their religious beliefs are the same ones likely to pervert their belief: Zealots. Humans with the Zealot drawback are driven by more than hunger and a destructive desire, which are the main aspects the vampiric demon seems to bring to vampires. This only applies to the truly devout among the various religious bodies. Those who merely pay lip service to God, who are more Wanna Blessed-Be’s, or who think being Zen’s gonna help ‘em pick up chicks are far more apt to forget their religious leanings when consumed by the demon. Still, they may find themselves snacking on their former spiritual brothers and sisters more so than other groups of victims.

Curses! While we talked about one aspect of Angel’s goodness, his soul, we didn’t mention the other, the curse. Most folks think of Angel, when they think “cursed vampire,” but that doesn’t have to be the case. Even if gypsies were the only people (or things) capable of cursing, there’s nothing say they have to curse someone with a soul. Curses can take many forms: • A vampire could be cursed to guard a Hellmouth. Variable conditions could be until he’s dust, until it’s opened, or until a certain threat has passed.

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• A vampire who murders a parent could be saddled with the responsibility of defending the child, either to adulthood, to the child’s death or until the child fulfills a certain role in the world. • The Chumasch Indians seem to have left some curses in their California territory. What if they were to curse a vampire to defend, say, a burial ground? If the artifacts were stolen, the vamp would be compelled to seek out the items for the Indians. This notion could be applied to any culture and their burial grounds or artifacts. However, allowing a PC to play a vampire cursed to defend a stationary object, like a temple, could get problematic in adventure design. • A cursed ring (or other object) could compel a vampire who has donned it to seek out and destroy a major Adversary, such as a Hell-goddess, a major demon like The Judge, or even a True Demon.

Soul(less) Survivors What about those who have no soul, no chip, and no religious leanings? Does that mean there’s no hope for a soulless vampire? Not even.


physical, Living-in-the-Grace-of-the-Creator-in-theAfterlife kind, but true Walking-the-Earth immortality. Imagine their reaction to achieving immortality and then finding that they’ve become a monster in the process! The demon would likely seek to abandon the meditative practices of the former self, but a truly disciplined Taoist could somehow force the demon to hold itself in check, when he realizes that his new vampiric vulnerabilities and hunger make his immortality an imperfect achievement.

There’s no law against vampires having honor, so how about a duelist vampire who finds himself bested in combat by a Slayer or a Champion of Good? Instead of running him through, the hero spares the vampire’s life, leaving him honor-bound to defend the hero until the debt is repaid. A comic book geek may find himself thrilled with his new superpowers, so he sets out in cape and tights to defeat evildoers and defend the innocent. Unfortunately, he’s liable to start taking his beatings too far, and in a bloodlust, he might injure the police who arrive on the scene or even the people he’s protecting. While Angel said that he wasn’t capable of loving Darla, that doesn’t mean that soulless vampires can’t love. For all Drusilla’s insanity, she loved Spike, just as he did her and later Buffy. A vampire falling for the “wrong” girl (such as a Slayer) or guy, can use that love as an impetus for fighting the demon within.

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Harmony is a great example of a vampire without a soul who has no specific evil tendencies. While she does enjoy beating up on people and is perfectly willing to torture a bad guy for the cause, this ditzy vampire has no grand scheme or motivation to seek out victims when she’s off the clock. After all, evil can be hard work, especially if you’re not particularly competent. So much easier to just drink pig’s blood and play nice.

A vampire could find himself haunted, perhaps by a loved one or, as suggested in Monster Smackdown, by the soul that originally inhabited the body. A soul basically haunting itself could make for a fun game, with the Director using the soul as Supporting Cast and the player playing the vampire as a Cast Member. An interesting variant could feature a Cast Member ghost with a vampire adversary running around in his body.

And how about a hemophobic vampire? Picture a vampire who is so squeamish and afraid of blood that not only can he not kill his victims, he has to keep the blood stored in a covered mug and he drinks through a colored straw! Not to say he’s incapable of evil, but it’s a good start for a vamp to not be bad.

A third twist could involve a Revenant (see Angel Corebook, p.62) leaping into a freshly killed body, only to find that it had been sired, but not risen. That leaves two beings in the body, neither of whom should be in there! From a character creation standpoint, this becomes a logistical nightmare. One suggestion for dealing with a Revenant/Vampire would be to take the better of the Attribute bonuses, leave the vampiric vulnerabilities in, and keep the physical ups and downs of each Quality for what would come out to be about 22 points. The problem with making a player pay 22 points for this Quality is that they would lose the vampiric abilities and vulnerabilities that alter the Quality’s cost when they when they die and emerge in a fresh body, essentially becoming “just” a Revenant after that. However, if your player doesn’t mind losing the points, who are we to say not to do it?

A vampire who’s helping the heroes just because they’ve lowered the vampire population in the area works, too. After all, the drinking of blood is a survival instinct, which is why those being sired can’t resist even if they want to. So why not rat out vampire nests if it keeps the Slayer from staking you? Sure, you’re going to find yourself with some new enemies, but that just keeps the game interesting. Speaking of a sense of self-preservation, Spike saved the world in Season Two because he rather liked his undead existence. Makes sense, what’s not to like? You maim, kill, torture, and otherwise wreak havoc, and your only real restrictions are no sunlight (unless you have some necro-tempered glass lying around) and no church. Of course, that doesn’t stop other demons, vampires, and even some humans from trying to destroy the world. Your vampire could decide to temporarily forego murder and mayhem for a while in order to look at the big picture. With all the Hellmouths, apocalypse cults, and branches of Wolfram & Hart in the world, there’s no shortage of global-scale peril to keep a vampire from being able to mind his own business.

Two’s a Crowd Another option could be a true internal struggle for control of the body. A Cast Member with multiple personalities could have a personality or two who aren’t evil and are in fact quite heroic. The Director could control the evil personality (or personalities), unless the group trusts the player to handle his evil character for short stretches.

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The easiest way to get around the point totals is simply for the player to create a Revenant, lay the Vampire Quality over the top of it, and subject the player to Willpower rolls to resist the demon as discussed below. After all, if the Revenant/Vampire dies from anything other than fire (which would include burning to death in sunlight), he’ll live on in a new body.

Playing the Part Some have debated the “good” Spike performed before he won his soul back. He might have been truly doing good, or he might have been trying to accomplish something else and good just happened to keep happening because of it. The answer, as far as this article is concerned, is that it doesn’t matter. PCs can create a vampire who has, for whatever reason, an honest desire or compulsion to be heroic. PCs can create a vampire who is just bored with winning fights too easily, so he’s stopped hunting the


There are a few ways this could be played, but again, Director and Cast Member(s) should be on the same page. A vampire who fights evil and still snacks on people is one option. While this isn’t highly recommended, it could be done, especially in a solo game or at least as long as the vampire tries to cover up her misdeeds so the other players don’t dust them. A vampire who is honestly struggling with her inner demon is certainly a playable option as well. It can also be difficult for a player to do, especially at first. In nearly every case, even with souled vampires, the temptation to do evil is still there. If the player is roleplaying the conflict just fine, then you can leave dice out of it. In fact, a player doing an exceptional job of handling this balance on their own should probably net at least an extra Drama Point or two from time to time. That said, die rolls are sometimes the best way to handle these things. When a vampire is faced with the temptation of succumbing to her vampiric nature and demonic tendencies, a Willpower (not doubled) roll should be made (hey, no one said being good was a cakewalk). If the vampire is wounded, starved, or otherwise pushed to an extreme, penalties should certainly come into play—the more morally ambiguous the act, especially for an unsouled vampire, the harsher the penalty. An unsouled vampire trying to not skewer a Wolfram & Hart lawyer that has been dogging her for many Episodes could find herself facing Heroic-level (–6 to –9) penalties. Trying to avoid feeding off of a wounded innocent should likely require at least an unmodified roll, as even Angel gets tempted from the smell (and especially taste) of blood.

After all, if trying to hold back the evil within isn’t heroic, especially with the Hero and Champion’s smaller amount of Drama Points, then what is?

Oooh . . . Bite Me Think you wanna play a good vamp? Or, as a Director, you need a good vampire Supporting Cast Member for your Series? Following this article is a series of vampire archetypes using some of the ideas discussed. A mix of Hero and Champion character types were used. Buffy rules were kept away from Champions, Angel rules were excluded from Hero characters. Enjoy!


hunters and is instead hunting demons. The only things that matter in the context of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Roleplaying Games are the Director’s approval of the character, and the character’s ability to interact with the other Cast Members without eating them or being staked.

After the vampire crosses a certain point, say ten or so consecutive moral dilemmas in which she managed to take the high road, allow her to roll Willpower (doubled) instead. Of course, they can always spend a Drama Point on a Heroic Feat when battling their inner demon, whether they’re rolling Willpower doubled or not.

Volume 2

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Chipped Vampire

28

Character Type Hero Life Points 70 Drama Points 10 Str 6 Int Dex 5 Per Con 6 Wil Qualities

2 5 3

Fast Reaction Time (2) Hard to Kill 4 (2; 2 from Vampire Quality) Nerves of Steel (3) Situational Awareness (2) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Adversary (Former Vampire Soldiers) (4) Can’t Harm Humans (from Vampire Quality) Obligation (Military) (3) Reckless (2)

Skills Acrobatics 2 Art 0 Computers 1 Crime 3 Doctor 0 Driving 2 Getting Medieval 5 Gun Fu 3 Influence 0 Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 2 Languages 0 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 2 Occultism 0 Science 0 Sports 0 Wild Card (Military Training) 3


I had it all worked out. Hittin’ frat parties and pickin’ off sorority girls . . . it was the life! Then I got shot with a taser. I woke up in a cell underneath one of the dormitories on campus! The government was hunting vampires and studying us. They put a “behavior modification chip” in my head! Try to bite a human? Zap! They put me and some other chipped guys to work, killing demons and vampires as a strike force. They kept us stocked up on blood and goodies, so we had no incentive to run off. Why get chased down by G.I. Joe when he’s giving you all the blood you can drink? Then the chips stopped working. One by one, the others found themselves able to hurt people, until they were able to indulge in a full-fledged killing spree. One night, they turned on the commandoes we were supposed to help out against some demons. Of course, I knew better than to run. Those guys had no respect for a vamp who couldn’t kill his own food. Luckily, the military does. I returned, explained things, and got sent after my ex-comrades. In exchange? I get my chip shut off.

Quote “Don’t dust you? Dusting is half the battle! (stakes) Yo Joe!”

Combat Maneuvers Maneuver

Bonus Base Damage Notes

Big Knife Big Pistol Break Neck

10 8 8

18 15 24

Dodge Punch Kick Shotgun Stake (Through Heart)

10 7 6 8 10 7

— 12 14 20 12 12

Volume 2

Slash/stab Bullet Bash, Survival Test or neck broken Defense action Bash Bash Bullet Slash/stab x5 vs vamps


Background on the Chipped Vampire

29

30

Str 5 Int Dex 5 Per Con 6 Wil Qualities

4 3 4

Age 3 (6) Fast Reaction Time (2) Hard to Kill 6 (4; 2 from Vampire Quality) Nerves of Steel (3) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Adversary (Demons and Vampires) (5) Adversary (Slayers and Watchers) (3) Antisocial Impulses (Cruelty) (1) Antisocial Impulses (Violence) (2) Mental Problems (Deathwish) (from Vampire Quality) Mental Problems (Reckless) (2)

Skills Acrobatics 4 Art 0 Computers 0 Crime 4 Doctor 0 Driving 2 Getting Medieval 6 Gun Fu 5 Influence 2 Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 5 Languages 3 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 4 Occultism 5 Science 0 Sports 0 Wild Card 0




Demon Hunter V Character Type Champion Life Points 72 Drama Points 10

Whoever said they wanted to live forever, didn’t really. Ask me, I’ll tell you. When I got turned, I reveled in the power, the violence. I started with everyone I never liked in life, and then went after everyone I never dared to. I learned to fight, honed my skills, became more than a killer . . . I became a warrior. Just when I was getting bored with people, I met a girl. She was fast, strong, hot. She came closer to kicking my tail than anyone else since I’d risen. Blood tasted so sweet. She was my first Slayer, though she wasn’t my last. They’re a cocky lot, cockier than vamps, even. Makes ‘em taste sweeter. Funny thing set in about a hundred and a half ago, though. Found myself bored with pickin’ off people and demon hunters. Started hunting vampires next. Made my blood boil, as it were. Then, I needed bigger game. Demons. Trolls. Werewolves. You name it. I’m tired of this life, but I never was a quitter. So, I’ll keep looking. Something’s gotta be big enough to kill me. God knows nothing human can, so I’ll keep pickin’ on demons . . . ‘till I’m dust.

Quote “So you’re gonna kill me, eh? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”



Aiming (crossbow) 9 Aiming (gun) 8 Bite 12

— — 15

Brain Shot (BAP) Break Neck

6 10

18 20

Catch Weapon 5 Crossbow Shot 11 (Through Heart) 8 Decapitation 6 Dodge 11 Feint 10

— 16 16 20 — —

Grapple 12 Gunshot 10 Kick 9 Parry 11 Punch 10 Stake 11 (Through Heart) 8 11 Sword Whirling Sword 7

— 18 12 — 10 10 10 20 20

Volume 2

Adds SLs to shot Adds SLs to shot Slash/stab, must grapple first Damage x4 Bash, must grapple first Defensive Action Slash/stab x5 vs Vamps Damage x5 Defense action Add SLs to next action Impairs target Bullet Bash Defensive Action Bash Slash/stab x5 vs vamps Slash/stab Attacks all in range


Background on the Demon Hunter V

31


Four Color Vampire

32


7 3 4

Nerd (3) Photographic Memory (2) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Impaired Senses (Vision, corrected by glasses/contacts) (1) Attractiveness –2 (2) Mental Problems (Mild Cruelty) (1) Misfit (2) Showoff (2) Teenager (2)

Skills Acrobatics 0 Art 2 Computers 6 (+2 from Nerd) Crime 3 Doctor 0 Driving 0 Getting Medieval 0 Gun Fu 0 Influence 0 Knowledge 3 Kung Fu 3 Languages 2 Mr. Fix-it 3 Notice 1 Occultism 1 Science 3 Sports 0 Wild Card (Comic Books) 5


So I wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, and I’m not really from another planet. And even though I was certainly born different than everyone else, that didn’t make me superhuman. I was brought low by a fiendish nightstalker, who failed to keep me in my grave, for I clawed my way forth and realized that I had been given a heavy burden. I, and I alone, have the power to protect the night from fiends and monsters that would pluck hapless young virgins from their nightly rounds. Vampires, demons, cultists, date-rapists, gangbangers. They all wilt before my might! And my unholy bloodlust is hardly a problem! I simply drink upon the blood of the guilty! It’s like killing two birds with one stone! Heh, you should have seen the look on our local so-called “jock hero” when I crashed his date. A broken femur or two and he thought better of drugging and assaulting another helpless damsel. And then there was the paint can I busted into the face of the graffiti “artist” who messed up my favorite comic shop. I don’t see how the world got by without me before.

Quote “Stand back, citizen! I shall not rest until evil pays for its crimes . . . in blood!”


Volume 2


Bite

9

15

Slash/stab, Must Grapple first

Dodge

7

—

Defense action

Grapple

9

—

Holds opponent

Punch

7

10

Bash


Background on the Four Color Vampire

33


Honorable Vampire

34

Character Type Champion Life Points 69 Drama Points 10 Str 6 Int Dex 5 Per Con 5 Wil Qualities

2 4 5

Fast Reaction Time (2) Hard to Kill 5 (3; 2 from Vampire Quality) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Adversary (Vampires and demons) (4) Honorable (Rigid) (from Vampire Quality) Humorless (1) Obligation (Even score with Slayer) (2)

Skills Acrobatics 3 Art 0 Computers 0 Crime 2 Doctor 0 Driving 0 Getting Medieval 8 Gun Fu 0 Influence 2 Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 4 Languages 3 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 4 Occultism 2 Science 0 Sports 0 Wild Card 0


I lived my life with a code of honor. As a duelist, I was among the best living. And therein lies the catch. I met my better one eve, a bloke who was faster, stronger . . . just better. Moments after I admitted defeat, his brow furrowed and he revealed himself to me. A vampire. My sword came back to my hand too late, and his fangs sank into my throat. I lived my death with a code of honor. A duelist, I was among the best ever seen. I fought, humiliated, and killed every swordsman with potential. I hadn’t had a challenge in years. I met my better one eve, a girl who was faster, stronger . . . just better. Moments after I admitted defeat and prepared for my unlife to end, she challenged me to do something harder than lose. She wanted me to live. My code of honor and my debt to the Slayer are all that separates me from the beasts. I swore I would defend her until our score was even, but she has saved me many times since. Lived by the sword, died by the fang, carried by honor, in debt to the Slayer.

Quote “You just don’t get it, do you? Some things are more important than food.”

Combat Maneuvers Maneuver Decapitation Disarm Dodge Feint

Volume 2

Bonus Base Damage Notes 6 9 13 8

24 — — —

Kick 7 Parry 11 Stake 11 (Through Heart)8 Sweep Kick 7 Sword 13

14 — 12 12 6 24

x5 damage Resisted by Parry Defense action Add SLs to next action Bash Defense action Slash/stab x5 vs vamps Knocks target down Slash/stab


Background on the Honorable Vampire

35


Scared Straight Vamp

36


4 3 4

Age 3 (6) Contacts (Assorted underworld contacts) (3) Occult Library (Impressive) (3) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Adversary (Assorted demons) (5) Obsession (Ensuring that the world doesn’t end) (fromVampire Quality) Paranoid (2) Zealot (Destruction of demon cults) (3)

Skills Acrobatics 0 Art 0 Computers 3 Crime 2 Doctor 2 Driving 1 Getting Medieval 3 Gun Fu 0 Influence 2 Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 2 Languages 5 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 5 Occultism 6 Science 0 Sports 0 Wild Card (Demon Cults) 5


Between you and me, there’s some truly scary things in the world! Sisters of Jhe, Vahrall demons, hellgoddesses, humans becoming demons, vampires summoning demons, it’s crazy! I’m going about my business as a self-respecting bloodsucker when some depressed whackjob wants to summon Sarregoth, the Void Beast of Suffering! Do you realize what that would do? Unleash an emptiness upon the world that would kill most people and a lotta vamps, too! Around the millenium, demon cults really stepped up their rituals, and I was out of allies, since most vampires are too scared to even cross an Arakos demon. Top of the food chain my ass. So I turned to Lunchables for help. You know, humans. If they weren’t plannin’ to stake me all the time, I might have even been friends with ‘em. As it is, I did get a good meal outta them. Don’t look at me like that! I gotta have that blood, see. I can’t really fight demons if I’m starvin’ to death, can I? Oh, don’t be so upset, I’m gonna do more good for the world than you would. Now hold still, it’ll only sting for a minute.

Quote “Wait . . . who said I was one of the good guys?”


Volume 2


Axe

9

35

Slash/stab

Decapitation

4

35

x5 damage

Dodge

9

—

Defense action

Magic

10

by spell

Varies


Background on the Scared Straight Vamp

37


Taoist Vampire

38

Character Type Champion Life Points 56 Drama Points 10 Str 5 Int Dex 7 Per Con 5 Wil Qualities

2 3 5

Fast Reaction Time (2) Iron Mind (3) Situation Awareness (2) Vampire (15)

Drawbacks Humorless (1) Mental Problems (Mild Zealot—Taoist) (from Vampire Quality) Minority (1) Outcast (3) Resources (Destitute) (2; 1 from Vampire Quality) Secret (Slaughtered his fellow priests) (3)

Skills Acrobatics 5 Art 0 Computers 0 Crime 0 Doctor 2 Driving 0 Getting Medieval 3 Gun Fu 0 Influence 0 Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 6 Languages 2 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 3 Occultism 2 Science 0 Sports 0 Wild Card (Taoism) 6 Wild Card (Meditation) 5


The flow of the Tao throughout the universe had unanticipated side effects on my existence. A creature in the darkness, a moment of extreme violence, and I was forever marked. My first impulse was to revel in the realization of my immortality. My brethren saw what I had become . . . and tried to destroy me. They were ill prepared for combat. I partook of their blood. Feasted on their souls. I had achieved the end result of my life’s pursuit: true, walking immortality. Imagine my surprise when I found the Tao refused to allow the demon to control me completely. My pleasure replaced with horror, I cried as I tried unsuccessfully to revive my fallen brothers. I cursed myself for my failings and threw myself to the horizon, awaiting my death. And then the demon awoke. My very beliefs failed me! The demon sent us on a bloody course towards a village at the base of the mountain from the monastery. I overtook it and slaked its thirst on mountain goats instead. I can hold it in check most of the time. Except when I try to kill it. Someday, my discipline will overwhelm my innate desire to live forever.

Quote “Be careful what you wish for. You just might live forever.”


Volume 2


Break Neck

11

20

Bash, must Grapple first

Catch Weapon

8

—

Defense action

Dodge

13

—

Defense Action

Double Jump Kick 9

18

Hits two targets (see Angel, p.121)

Feint

8

—

Adds SLs to next action

Grapple

15

—

Resisted by Dodge

Jump Kick

10

18

Bash, special (see Angel, p. 122)

Kick

12

12

Bash

Knockout

11

By move, halved

Punch

13

10

Bash

Spin Kick

11

14

Bash

Sweep Kick

12

5

Bash, knockdown

Takedown

11

5

Bash, knockdown

Toss

6

5

Bash, knockdown, must Grapple first

Wall Flip

9

—

+3 to defense on this Turn


Background on the Taoist Vamp

Knocks opponent out

39

The Apes That Time Forgot

The Apes That Time Forgot A Terra Primate Apeworld by Gerry Saracco

Stevens ran through the thick brush. He still couldn’t believe it. They had come south to investigate the disappearance of the Martin & Lewis Expedition. What they found was much worse: A prehistoric rain forest hidden in the middle of the Antarctic. Filled with dinosaurs, even primitive humans, this place held an even worse secret: intelligent apes that walked and talked! These apes had a civilization and worshipped a volcano. Most of the Expedition had been sacrificed to this so-called “god” the apes worshipped. Stevens’ group had been captured, but they organized a breakout, leading the Neanderthal-like humans in a revolt against their captors. Stevens had seen the rest of his team killed by guards, but Martin and Lewis had fled with him into the jungle. Martin and Lewis, along with the few Neanderthals who had escaped, were attempting to lead the apes after them, while Stevens headed back to his base camp. He hoped to organize a larger rescue party. He just prayed Martin and Lewis could hold out long enough for him to get his men armed and out to rescue them. If his bearings were right, the base camp was only a day’s travel . . .

The Basics Lost worlds are a classic. This one is a tropical, prehistoric rainforest hidden in the frozen Antarctic. Dinosaurs abound, ape-like Neanderthals eke out a primitive existence, and an offshoot of gibbons has achieved sentience, developing a civilization! Protagonists are usually explorers, intrepid journalists covering said expedition, or ex-military types who have signed on as guards in case of trouble. The Big Game Hunter (see Terra Primate, p. 76) is appropriate for this setting, though the Apeman (see Terra Primate, p. 74) would work as well, being the descendant of an earlier expedition to this hidden realm. Sample archetypes at the end of this articleshold inspire ideas for characters. Adversaries will typically be hungry dinosaurs, Neanderthals, and the gibbons. The priests of the Volcano God will be the fiercest adversaries from the gibbons, wanting to sacrifice the protagonists to their fiery deity!

The Apes These intelligent apes are an offshoot of the gibbon. Their fur is more of a grayish tint than white. They are intelligent and capable of speech. They retain some of their animalistic origins. While they walk upright, they are only partial bipeds. Like other apes, they cannot swim, and avoid large bodies of water whenever possible. They are rational, yet can become atavistic at times.

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Their civilization consists of one major city located at the base of a volcano. Parts of the city lay in the side of the volcano. Smaller communities exist; these outposts are walled encampments that have to deal with the dinosaurs and Neanderthals more often than the city must. The gibbons possess the equivalent of Iron Age technology. The nearby mountains are rich in the ores needed to make iron, as well as heavily laden with gold, silver, and precious gems. They tend to use mud bricks in their buildings, though some stone and wood is used. They use oil for lamps and such, having a steady source nearby. Soldiers wear leather-like armor, including leather headgear. This armor is usually made from dinosaur hides, and is thus green and scaly looking. Shields made of wicker, with a bronze rim are also used. Officers wear iron helmets. Common arms are spears and clubs. Swords are a recent invention, and more commonly carried by officers. Bows exist and are used by special troops. Homes tend to be spacious, with at least one room having a tree in it that stretches outside the roof. Otherwise, the architecture tends to mimic ancient human cultures. Their society is very humanistic, though retaining simian customs of grooming and intimidation. Monogamous relationships and family units are typical.


Neo-Gibbon Quality 4-point Quality Attributes: Gibbons add +6 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, and –1 to Intelligence. These modifiers cost six points Qualities and Drawbacks: Gibbons have Atavism (–1), Brachiation (+1), Delusions (Phobia of Drowning) (–2), Negative Buoyancy (–1), and Partial Biped (–1) Powers: Gibbons add +10 inches to their highjump, and +10 yards to their broad jumping ability. This costs one point. Natural Attacks: Gibbons have a natural bite attack that does one point of stabbing damage per level of Strength. This costs one point.

Gibbon Soldier Supporting Cast/Adversaries Constitution 3 Strength 3 Dexterity 6 Intelligence 3 Perception 2 Willpower 2 LPS 34 Spd 18 EPS 29 Essence 19 Qualities/Drawbacks: Delusion (Prejudice vs. humans) (–3), Military Rank (Private) (–1), Neo-Gibbon (4), Nerves of Steel (3) Skills: Brawling 2, Climbing 3, Dodge 2, Hand Weapon (Stone Club) 2, Hand Weapon (Stone Spear) 2, Intimidation 2, Survival (Jungle) 2

Gibbon Priest Adversaries Strength 2 Constitution 2 Dexterity 6 Intelligence 3 Perception 3 Willpower 3 LPS 26 Spd 16 EPS 26 Essence 29 Qualities/Drawbacks: Delusion (Prejudice vs. humans) (–3), Increased Essence Pool +10 (2), Neo-Gibbon (4), Status (Religious Leader) 2 (2), Zealot (–3) Skills: Bureaucracy 3, Climbing 3, Haggling 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 2, Myth & Legend (Volcano God) 3, Notice 2, Questioning 2, Smooth Talking 2 Equipment: Ceremonial (and Sacrificial) Dagger, Necklace with Volcanic Rock Medallion, Robes


Their religion posits that the volcano near their city is a god. This god protects them, provides warmth, and keeps the dinosaurs at bay (most dinosaurs avoid the volcano, whether out of instinct or fear). The priesthood is a powerful force in the city, and every so often, they sacrifice captured Neanderthals to the Volcano God. This, the priests claim, keeps the god appeased and the city continues to thrive.

The Humans True humans are not native to this lost world. The only human-like inhabitants are the Neanderthals. These people have a more ape-like appearance, and are less civilized than the Gibbons. They wear loincloths of animal skin, and carry weapons made of stone, flint, or wood. They are a hunter-gatherer society and eat their food raw. The Neanderthals gather into small tribal units more akin to a clan. An elder leads each tribe. The men hunt, while the women gather vegetables, raise the children, make more loincloths, or make replacement weapons for the men. The tribes live in caves, though some have built crude huts using wood and mud. Some even have a small palisade made of wood and mud to prevent dinosaurs from just charging into the encampment.

Equipment: Dinosaur Hide Leather Armor and Helmet, Stone Club, Stone Spear

Volume 2

41


Neanderthal Quality 5-point Quality Attributes: Neanderthals add +3 to Strength, and +3 to Constitution. This costs six points. Qualities and Drawbacks: Neanderthals have Attractiveness –3 (–3), Hard to Kill 5 (+5), Impaired Speech (–1), and Low Intellect (–2) Powers: Neanderthals have no special powers. Natural Attacks: Neanderthals do not have any natural attacks.

Neanderthal Tribesman Supporting Cast Strength 5 Constitution 5 Dexterity 3 Intelligence 2 Perception 3 Willpower 2 LPS 50 Spd 16 EPS 41 Essence 20 Qualities/Drawbacks: Neanderthal (5), Resistance (Disease) 3 (3), Status (Neanderthal) –3 (–3) Skills: Brawling 2, Climbing 2, Dodge 1, Hand Weapon (Stone Axe) 1, Hand Weapon (Stone Spear) 2, Intimidation 2, Notice 2, Survival (Jungle) 4 Equipment: Loincloth, Stone Axe, Stone Spear

Stone Age Weapons Neanderthals use flint and/or stone weapons. These weapons are not as durable or sharp as standard weapons. The Stone Age Weapons Table details the statistics for these weapons.

Stone Age Weapons Table Weapon Type

Damage

EV

Cost

Aval

Axe, Stone*

D6(3) x (Strength – 2)

1/1

n/a

C

Knife, Stone*


1/1

n/a

C

Spear, Stone*&


2/1

n/a

C

D6(3) x (Strength)

2/1

n/a

C

Spear Charge, Stone*&

* Slashing/stabbing weapon, except penetrating damage is not doubled. & Weapon may be used two handed, raising the character’s effective strength by one when calculating damage.

42


Pre-Heroric Character Str 2 Dex 3 Con 2

Int Per Wil

3 3 2

LPS 35 Speed 10 EPS 23 Essence 15 Qualities/Drawbacks Addiction (Habitual Drinking) (–1) Good Luck 1 (1) Hard to Kill 3 (3) Situational Awareness (2)

Skills Brawling 3 Dodge 3 Driving (Car) 2 Gambling 4 Guns (Handgun) 3 Guns (Rifle) 3 Notice 4 Piloting (Blimp) 6

Gear Binoculars, Compass, Cold Weather Gear, Flare Gun, .45 Hand Gun with 5 Magazines

Personality I learned to fly blimps during the Great War. After the war, the Professor was looking for a blimp pilot for an expedition to the Antarctic, I applied for the job. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! The sea voyage down south was uneventful, until the search plane found a tropical forest in the middle of the Antarctic! The Professor was ecstatic. We inflated the blimp and flew in. I was awestruck at the sight of a jungle in the middle of that bleak wasteland. Things went smoothly for the first two days. Then, some sort of flying creatures attacked the blimp. The Professor said they were dinosaurs! We discovered intelligent apes living in the forest. They walked, talked, and even built a city on the side of a volcano! The downside being they thought the volcano was a god. The Professor and some of the others were captured by the apes.


Blimp Pilot

We’re gonna go in and save the Professor. If any of them apes get in our way, well a .45 slug should put them down just like any other creep.

Quote “I realize those flying lizards are getting closer! No matter how much you complain, I can’t make this blimp go any faster . . .”

Volume 2

43


Explorer Heroric Character Str 3 Dex 3 Con 4

Int Per Wil

4 3 3

LPS 53 Speed 14 EPS 35 Essence 20 Qualities/Drawbacks Adversary (Rival Explorer) (–3) Contact (South American Archeologist) (3) Hard to Kill 5 (5) Honorable (Mild) (–1) Nerves of Steel (3) Photographic Memory (2) Situational Awareness (2)

Skills Brawling 2 Climbing 3 Dodge 2 Driving 2 Guns (Rifle) 3 Haggling 3 Humanities 4 Language (Spanish) 4 Myth & Legend (Inca) 3 Myth & Legend (Mayan) 3 Notice 3 Research/Investigation 4 Ride (Sled & Dog Team) 3

Gear Backpack, Binoculars, Compass, Cold Weather Gear, Flares (Box of 6), Matches, Rations (2 Weeks Worth), .30-06 Rifle with 200 rounds of ammunition

44

Personality I’d done a bit of exploring around South America, with a few trips to the Antarctic. The Professor asked me to join a search and rescue mission. We sailed south as far as we could and then sent out sled teams and an airplane to conduct searches. It took about a week, but we found the place. The Professor was elated. I was enthusiastic, until we saw the flying reptiles. Gideon confirmed my worst fears when he told the blimp pilot that those were indeed dinosaurs. It was a good thing we brought Army veterans along for security. We set the camp up with no problems. After we started our search of the jungle, it started to get really hectic. Our guards had to take down a T-Rex on the third day. Three men died before we put it down. Two days later, primitive humans resembling Neanderthals attacked us. We were in over our heads, and I told the Professor that we needed to go back to the ship to rethink our plans. He wouldn’t listen. The damned fool pressed on in the middle of the night without me. Now, he’s gone and been captured by intelligent apes!

Quote “I’ve seen many ruins in my day. This one, for all appearances, is not Mayan. They didn’t build their homes around trees.”


Pre-Heroric Character Str 2 Dex 3 Con 3

Int Per Wil

3 3 2

LPS 39 Speed 10 EPS 26 Essence 5 Qualities/Drawbacks Addiction (Habitual Smoking) (–1) Adversary (Rival Reporter) (–1) Contact (Information Broker) (2) Hard to Kill 3 (3) Photographic Memory (2)

Skills Brawling 1 Bureaucracy 3 Dodge 2 Driving (Car) 2 Guns (Handgun) 1 Haggling 3 Notice 4 Questioning 3 Research/Investigation 4 Streetwise 3 Writing 4

Gear Camera, Cigarettes, Cold Weather Gear, Film, Flares (2), Flash Bulbs, Matches, Notepad, Pen, .32 Revolver with 30 rounds

Personality I covered the Western Front during the Great War. Being around danger like that gives you a buzz. After the war, I covered all the hot spots, hoping for more excitement. None of that compares to this assignment! The Professor was looking for a hidden jungle in the Antarctic. I smelled a big story, so I approached the Professor about joining his expedition. He was reluctant at first. I showed him some of my war correspondence and that changed his mind real quick. It took a long time to get close enough to find this place. I couldn’t believe my eyes, a giant crater containing a tropical forest. We sent search parties out to look for a base camp. A T-Rex ambushed one of the parties. I saw the carcass, and it was huge! I took a picture of it before they carved it up.


Intrepid Journalist

Things got worse a few days later. Men in some kind of scaly armor ambushed us. The men turned out to be intelligent, bipedal apes! Most of us were captured, the rest killed. Other explorers that the Professor knows are here. They say the apes plan to sacrifice us to their volcano god.

Quote “Dinosaurs? Intelligent apes? This is the story of the century for sure. I guarantee it!”

Volume 2

45


Soldier of Fortune Heroric Character Str 3 Dex 4 Con 4

Int Per Wil

3 3 3

LPS 53 Speed 16 EPS 40 Essence 20 Qualities/Drawbacks Acute Sense (Vision) (2) Charisma +3 (3) Fast Reaction Time (2) Hard to Kill 5 (5) Honorable (Mild) (–1) Nerves of Steel (3) Reckless (–2)

Skills Brawling 3 Climbing 2 Demolitions 2 Dodge 3 Driving (Car) 3 Guns (Handgun) 2 Guns (Rifle) 3 Guns (Submachine Gun) 4 Hand Weapon (Knife) 3 Intimidation 3 Language (French) 2 Language (German) 2 Language (Spanish) 1 Stealth 2 Survival (Forest) 3

Gear Cold Weather Gear, Thompson SMG with 5 Magazines, .45 Handgun with 5 Magazines

46

Personality During the Great War, I fought in the trenches and hated every second of it. Work was hard to find after the war. I became a mercenary with my old squad mates. We fought in conflicts around the globe and made some good money. We got an offer from some professor needing muscle for an expedition. We all thought this was someone’s bad idea of a joke. After meeting the Professor, we knew it wasn’t. Turns out, there is a hidden forest in the Antarctic. Since no one knew what was living there, they needed some hired guns just in case. Good thing too, cause no one expected what we found. Dinosaurs. Living, breathing dinosaurs. We bagged a T-Rex when it tried to attack our search party. Later, one of the search parties was attacked by some sort of intelligent ape! The apes killed some on sight and stole away with others. Now, the pilot wants to take the blimp, fly to this ape city, and rescue everyone. We’re going to fly in, guns blazing, and if need be, kill every damn ape in that city. I just hope I have enough bullets.

Quote “I’ve fought petty warlords in China, and two bit revolutionaries in Mexico. You think these talking apes are going to scare me?”


by Andrew Ferguson

Note: All of these zombies include the basic zombie package (see AFMBE, p. 146).

The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture in Manchester began testing a new method utilizing radiation to terminate pests. The machine alters the response of simple nervous systems, causing pests to attack their closest neighbors. Thus far, it has been a roaring success! In fact, the technicians are gearing up to boost the machine’s energy so that it will work up to a five mile radius. They were unaware of the strange effects that would soon begin within one mile of the testing site. Newly born babies started exhibiting violent responses to various stimuli. Drunks also began to become more agitated. Their nervous systems were may not be strong enough to fight off the effects of the machine. Of further concern is the blood of the living seems to cause the dead to return from the grave.

The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue Strength 4 Dexterity 2 Perception 2 DPS 15 EPS n/a Skills: Brawling 2

Constitution 2 Intelligence 2 Willpower 2 Spd 4 Essence 14

Spreading the Love: Bury the Body [–2] and either Special (Blood of the Living) [+6] or Special (Radiation from the Dept. of Agriculture Machine) [–2] Power: 21/13

The Vad Velen A most strange creature will come, From the sea marsh of Rhianedd, As a punishment of iniquity, On Maelgwn Gwynedd; His hair and his teeth, And his eyes being as gold; And this will bring destruction On Maelgwn Gwynedd. Shortly after Saint Teliavus received the pastoral care of the Church of Llandaff, on account of a pestilence, which nearly destroyed the whole nation, he was obliged to leave Wales. They named the disease “Yellow Pestilence,” because it made everyone it attacked yellow and bloodless. It appeared to men as a column made from a watery cloud passing over the whole region. Everything living that it touched with its pestilential breath either died straightaway or became sick unto death.

Sustenance: Daily [0], All Flesh Must Be Eaten [0]

Seemingly this Yellow Pestilence appeared with some frequency; a vaporous cloud that floated gently down the valleys, descending on St David’s (although the tale is told of in Ireland as well as other parts of Wales) and rained down upon the populace. All who touched the cloud, or who breathed of it, were struck down by the yellow plague. They become lethargic, sick, and finally turned yellow before succumbing to death.

Intelligence: Tool Use (Level 1) [+3], Long Term Memory [+5]

However, what if there was more to it than that ...?

Attack: Punch D4 x 4(4) Weak Spot: Fire [–5] Getting Around: Life-Like [+3] Strength: Strong Like Bull [+5] Senses: Like the Living [+1]

Volume 2

Fresh Zombies

Fresh Flesh New Zombies for AFMBE

47

Fresh Zombies

Plague This is a time when buboes herald the coming of death. Villages close their boundaries to all outsiders, turning away those travelers trapped between settlements and raining arrows on messengers who may carry the black death between towns. The Yellow Pestilence strikes in the valleys of Wales. The villagers sicken, turning bright yellow in hue, and die, only to rise again as the Yellow Pestilence feeds them. Then it clings to them, carried by their dead steps to another village. And another. And another.

The Vad Velen Strength 2 Dexterity 1 Perception 2 DPS 25 EPS n/a Skills: Brawling 2

Constitution 2 Intelligence –2 Willpower 2 Spd 4 Essence 7

Granny Greenteeth Strength 7 Constitution 2 Dexterity 1 Intelligence –2 Perception 1 Willpower 2 DPS 15 Spd 2 (3 Underwater) EPS n/a Essence 6 Skills: Brawling 2, Swimming 2 Attack: Bite 6 per Turn Weak Spot: Spine [+5] Getting Around: The Lunge [+3], Aquatic [+2] Strength: Monstrous Strength [+10], Teeth [+4] Senses: Like the Dead [0]

Attack: Bite damage D4 x 2(4)

Sustenance: Occasionally [+2], Blood [–2]

Weak Spot: All [0]

Intelligence: Dumb as Dead Wood [0]

Getting Around: Slow and Steady [0]

Spreading the Love: One Bite and You’re Hooked [+2]

Strength: Dead Joe Average [0]

Power: 31

Senses: Like the Living [+1], Life Sense [+2] Sustenance: Who Needs Food? (The Vad Velen receive their sustenance from the Yellow Pestilence cloud) [+8] Intelligence: Dumb As Dead Wood [0] Spreading the Love: Bury the Body (The air and vapor of the cloud) [–2] Special: Diseased Corpse [+3] Power: 17

Toolbox Hey you! Hey kid! Get away from there! Don’t you know not to hang around derelict houses? Don’t you watch movies? I don’t care what you heard. I don’t care what you thought you saw in that shack. You don’t wanna be hanging around here. Why not? Why not? I’ll tell you why not.

Granny Greenteeth Lurking under layers of bilious pond scum and floating serenely among the pondweed lays Granny Greenteeth, a children’s folk tale made real. There is never a stirring on the pond’s surface and animals long ago stopped drinking from the stagnant water. Something keeps them away.

48

Sometimes in the summer, when the leaves on the branches obscure the sickly green waters, the unwary stray too near. A shadow’s movement draws the eye of the pond witch. With a lightning lunge, an explosion of scum and water, the unwitting passer-by is fighting for their life on the now-slick grass . . .

A kid died there, that’s why. Not much older than you. That’s why no one lives here. The family moved away years ago, claiming the place is haunted. Killed by his friends he was. Nobody knows why. First anyone knew about it was when he finally staggered out of that there shack. According to folk around here he was bristling; screwdrivers had been driven into his chest and back,


See, the story goes that boy, he still walks the earth, looking for revenge or something. He comes from that very shack at midnight looking for those that have intruded on his peace and gives them a taste of what he received. He takes the tools from his own tortured body, the hammer and the screwdrivers, the nails and shears and he goes to work on them.

Toolbox Strength 2 Dexterity 1 Perception 1 DPS 15 EPS n/a Skills: Brawling 2


Attack: Bite D4 x 2(4) Weak Spot: Heart [+7] Getting Around: Slow and Steady [0] Strength: Dead Joe Average [0] Senses: Like the Dead [0] Sustenance: Occasionally [+2], All Flesh Must Be Eaten [0] Intelligence: Tool Use (Level 1) [+3] Spreading the Love: Only the Dead [–2] Power: 17

Aigaumcha In the tropical forests of Africa, the great rivers wind their way under the blanketing darkness of the canopy. It is easy for a traveler to become lost in the menacing murk, pushing their way through stems, roots, and leaves, disoriented by the constant shriek

Volume 2

and cry, rustle and snap of the hidden creatures that surround them. Ever alert, a traveler may well sigh with relief when they arrive at a clearing or find themselves at the bank of a river, a place of rest. Here the sun can finally break through, affording an opportunity to take bearings or set a course. Yet, safety is an illusion in the realm of the jungle. When all falls silent, when the jungle holds its breath to await the fate of one of its own, it is time to feel fear. Real horror comes not from the large creatures one runs to avoid, but at the sudden strike of the unseen predator.

Fresh Zombies

his arms and legs, as had nails and screws of all lengths and sizes. Saw blades were stuck in the meat of his muscles and a claw hammer embedded in his skull. There wasn’t a bit of him that hadn’t been tortured, not a bit of him that his friends had not tried to kill. Wire had been wrapped around his face and skin had been torn away with gardening tools or burned with chemicals. He emerged out of the shack glittering with shards of metal and glass, trailing blood behind him. The most he managed was a wet, rattling gasp before he collapsed to the ground.

For the traveler is not alone. The Aigaumcha watch. Tiny monsters with eyes on their feet watch from the branches. They watch from among the rotten vegetation carpeting the forest floor. The creatures of the wild fear them not, for only one thing sates the appetite of this unseen creature. Human flesh.

Aigaumcha Strength 1 Dexterity 2 Perception 2 DPS 22

Constitution 2 Intelligence 0 Willpower 2 Spd 8 (3 underwater, 1 climbing) EPS 18 Essence 9 Skills: Swimming 2, Climbing 2 Attack: Bite D4(2) Weak Spot: All [0] Getting Around: Life Like [+3], Leaping [+3], Aquatic [+2], Climbing [+2] Strength: Ninety Pound Weakling [–3], Teeth Senses: Like the Living [+1] Sustenance: Occasionally [+2], All Flesh Must Be Eaten [0] Intelligence: Animal Cunning (Level 1) [+2] Spreading the Love: n/a Power: 17

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Dead Ops

Dead Ops A Scenario for AFMBE by James Wilber

Dead Ops is an All Flesh Must Be Eaten adventure, ideal as either a “one-shot” convention demo or as the basis for a longer All Flesh Must Be Eaten campaign. Although the nature of the scenario does call for advanced rules involving gunfights, the Unisystem game mechanics make it easy for players to quickly understand the rules. This adventure is dedicated to Jeff, Dave, John, Jim, Big Daddy Thwak, and all of the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who have fought, and often times died, defending their country.

Part One: Adventure Overview History For decades, U.S. scientists have been developing biological warfare projects for the military. One of the scientists, Dr. Alfred Bergman, came from a pharmaceutical company where he was working on gene-therapy drugs to promote longevity. Dr. Bergman was never able to keep human tissue from deteriorating, but he did discover a method to revive cells after they had “died.” As he worked, the idea struck him to mix his two areas of research together, creating a virus that thrived in a human corpse, reanimated the body’s cells, and restored basic brain functions. These “infected cadavers” would then be a drain on the resources of any enemy they encountered. The Pentagon, realizing the power of this new weapon, increased the program’s funding. At the same time, officials deemed that this project should be carried out with the utmost secrecy. A press leak about the disease would be a political nightmare. For this reason, all testing would occur off U.S. soil. Conveniently, the U.S. government had been providing funding and aid in the form of military advisors to the nation of Colombia. With all of the clandestine U.S. military operations in the region, it was a simple thing to move the zombie project (or Dead Ops, as it was now being called), to a U.S.-friendly Colombian base.

50

A growing faction of communist guerillas in Colombia, called Fuerez Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, has recently been stepping up its attacks against the Colombian government. Using money taken from Colombia’s notorious drug cartels, they have acquired an impressive and deadly arsenal—which they are now using to drive their offensive toward the research base used by the Americans.

Current Events Ninety-six hours ago, during the final testing stage for the biological agent, the Pentagon lost all contact with the research base. The military believes that the FARC has overrun the base and taken the scientists captive. In reality, the scientists, rushing to finish the testing of the disease before the FARC arrived, had a major outbreak in one of the labs. They decided to salvage what they could by immediately transporting it to the closest safe area. Unfortunately, the nearest “safe area” was also the home base of a particularly ruthless group of South African mercenaries, hired by British Petroleum to guard their oil-producing facilities. They were quite surprised to see the U.S. scientists emerge from the jungle. After learning of the scientists’ work, the mercenaries quickly imprisoned them and forced them to begin producing more of the virus. The South Africans wanted this weapon for themselves. In order to find out what has happened to the project, the U.S. Army has decided to send in a Ranger team. Its mission is to enter the original base and bring the U.S. personnel to a safe extraction point.

The Adventure The Cast Members learn that the Army has lost contact with a base in Columbia containing U.S. military advisors. They jump into the jungle by helicopter, twelve miles from the base. After making their way through the brush, they find the base deserted and crawling with zombies. While the Cast Members are trying to figure out what’s going on, a company of FARC rebels attacks the base. After capturing the Cast Members and learning about the zombie threat, they offer the Cast


During the raid, the Cast Members learn that the South Africans have already created a zombie army, which is now loose and spreading the disease across the countryside.

What Kind of Zombies Are These? The zombies are the result of an airborne disease that alters the genetic pattern in the cells of human cadavers, causing the cells to re-activate, and restoring rudimentary instinct and brain function. So far, the virus in airborne form is not strong enough to overcome the living human immune system. Recently however, the scientists have learned that after the virus has incubated within a host cadaver, it mutates into a form that not only is communicable through saliva, but also is strong enough to kill a human being within hours. The activated cadaver still needs its primary nervous system to function. Any physical damage that destroys the brain or severs the brain from the rest of the body destroys the zombie.

Dead Ops Zombie Strength 2 Dexterity 1 Perception 1 DPS 26 EPS n/a Skills: Brawling 2

Dead Ops

Members a deal. The FARC knows that in a nearby base, the South African mercenaries have been rounding up civilians from villages that are loyal to the FARC. They also know that the South Africans have imprisoned the U.S. scientists. If the Cast Members agree, the FARC will lead a raid against the base, distracting the bulk of the South African forces, while the Cast Members rescue the scientists and civilians.

Constitution 2 Intelligence –2 Willpower 2 Spd 2 Essence 6

Attack: Bite D4 x 2(4) Weak Spot: Brain [+6] Getting Around: Slow and Steady [0], The Lunge [+3] Strength: Dead Joe Average [0] Senses: Like the Dead [0], Life Sense [1] Sustenance: Who Needs Food? [+8], All Flesh Must Be Eaten [0] Intelligence: Dumb as Dead Wood [0] Spreading the Love: One Bite and You’re Hooked [+2] Power: 20 To make things simple on the ZM, anyone bitten by a Dead Ops zombie simply has Constitution x 3 hours to live. Of course, do not tell the player exactly how long their character has. Simply describe the effect of the disease: fever, uncontrollable twitching (feel free to assign penalties to any Dexterity-related actions), hunger pangs, and yet, the victim feels stronger than they ever have before (no true increase to Strength).

Volume 2

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Part Two: Advice for Zombie Masters Dead Ops is a militaristic thriller, in the tradition of such great authors as Tom Clancy and Larry Bond. Like other stories in the genre, it includes a healthy dose of true-to-life politics, situations, and military procedures, with a nice fictional twist. Even though the zombie twist in Dead Ops is a bit more science fiction than most, the conventions of the genre remain the same. One of those conventions is that the heroes in these stories are often the consummate professionals, usually intelligence agents or military personnel. Dead Ops was designed for all of the heroes to be U.S. Army Rangers Cast Members, but unless the players have had a good dose of high-level military training, or have done a lot of research on the subject, the players will not act like real U.S. Rangers. In this case, it’s up to the ZM to help the players with information and procedures their characters would know. Even if the ZM doesn’t quite know the proper procedure himself, assume that the characters know the best way to operate in these conditions. Example: When opening the door to a building filled with enemy soldiers, a Ranger would know the proper procedure—one man opens the door, one covers, one throws a grenade. If the players do not know this, they may get themselves into all sorts of trouble, while in truth, their characters should know what to do. This is especially true when running this adventure in a convention-demo setting. Not only are the players unfamiliar with their roles, they are unfamiliar with the game system. As any good ZM knows, the Unisystem is particularly unforgiving when it comes to combat, especially firefights. If the characters get involved in a prolonged gunfight, chances are good they will all die. It’s only fair to warn them, loudly and repeatedly at the start of the adventure, that this is the case. With this in mind, be forewarned that Dead Ops is designed to kill at least a couple of the characters. It’s the “nature of the beast”—there is simply no better way to instill a sense of horror than death. ZMs will find, however, that most players do not mind if their character dies, as long as the player knows it was because of a mistake they made.

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The worst mistake that the players can make in this adventure comes at the point when the FARC rebels attack the research base. The FARC company outmans and outguns the characters. If they decide to push an attack against the FARC, they will probably all die. It is up to the ZM to convey the hopelessness of the situation, and the wisdom of negotiating with the FARC. Most roleplayers are used to heroic roleplaying, not survival roleplaying—negotiation is not a part of their vocabulary. It’s up to the ZM to discourage this tendency, but if they still insist on pushing an attack, let the chips fall where they may.

Part Three: Cast Members For those folks not overly keen on a strictly military approach, other ideas for Cast Member teams include: • CIA Operatives—Spying is not all the CIA handles. The ZM may decide that this situation needs the love and caring of a stealthy unit from the Company. • Mercenary Unit—The U.S. government has decided the situation is too hot to handle with official troops. The players represent a unit of mercenaries hired to tackle the situation. • Special Operations Command Team—Not only do the U.S. Rangers have the ability to handle this situation, but so would a combined unit of U.S. Rangers, Delta Force, SEALs, and Marine Recon Force members. Player Handout One is useful as a player reference, no matter what kind of team the players are running. Whether this becomes a game of military “Joes,” spies, or mercs, the following personnel are recommended for a team: a radio/computer expert, a demolitions expert, a vehicle mechanic/driver, a medic, and a heavy machine gunner. Teams should also have members who are fluent in the local language.


New Qualities If the characters are Rangers or other U.S. military personnel, they should have some level of the Military Rank Quality. This is simply a generic indicator of their rank within the Army or other armed service, and is the same Military Rank Quality presented in other Unisystem books. Military Rank ranges from –1 to +9 and costs one point per level. Rank Level

Description

–1

Private Soldier, Seaman

0

Corporal

1

Sergeant

2

Sergeant First Class

3

Lieutenant

4

Captain

5

Major

6

Lieutenant Colonel

7

Colonel

8

Major General

9

General

A brand new Quality is Highly Skilled. It allows a character to trade one point in Qualities for three skill points. This Quality represents excess amounts of training many people receive in school and the military. Highly Skilled costs one point per level.

Concussion grenades stun opponents and are useful in areas where it is hard to distinguish friend from foe. Anyone within one yard of the grenade’s detonation must make a Difficult Constitution Test with a –3 penalty to the roll. Those within two yards of the grenade must make a Difficult Constitution Test with a –1 penalty to the roll. Those within five yards make a Simple Constitution Test with a +1 bonus to the roll. Failure to pass any of these tests results in the character suffering a –2 (stunned) modifier to all actions for five Turns. In addition, the character also takes Bashing damage (see p. 54). Claymore mines are anti-personnel shrapnel devices, designed to be detonated by remote control. Typically, a soldier places the mine under light cover and a wire connected to the detonation switch trails back to a secure position. When an enemy approaches, the soldier detonates the mine. Both rocket-propelled grenades and other light anti-tank rocket launchers are shoulder-fired rockets. Some rocket-propelled grenades may be reloaded, although LAW rocket launchers may not. Both of these weapons operate on a “fire and forget” basis. You aim and shoot, hoping to hit. There is no wireguided, laser-guided, or heat-seeking equipment on these weapons.

Part Four: More Than Just a Job. . . What’s Going On?

The skill Guns (Missile Launcher) covers the use of shoulder-launched artillery such as the LAW or the Stinger. Chroniclers are free to disallow other Guns Type skills to be used as a default or to increase the penalty for such alternative use.

The adventure starts quite suddenly for the Cast Members. They are aboard an Army transport plane that is re-routed to Ft. Sheridan in Panama. Once in Panama, they are stripped of their dog tags and identifying insignias. The squad leader receives their orders: enter a U.S. base in Colombia, find any survivors, and escort them to an extraction point. Not a difficult or politically sensitive mission, so why treat it as a black op?

New Weapons

Setting the Scene

Weapons used in Dead Ops include concussion grenades, Claymore mines, rocket-propelled grenades, and other light anti-tank weapons. More weapon descriptions and stats are available in Armageddon, Eden Studios’ RPG of myth and war.

The Cast Members are simply going to Ft. Hood in Texas to help train the recon division stationed there. They are aboard a typically uncomfortable Army transport. Since the characters are all part of the same unit, they know each other fairly well. Have everyone

New Skill

Volume 2

Dead Ops

New Rules

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New Weapons Table Explosive Damage Weapon Type

Ground Zero

General Effect

Claymore Mine

D8 x 10(40)

D8 x 6(24)

D8 x 2(8)

Concussion Grenade

D6 x 6(18)

D6 x 2(6)

D4 x 2(4)

D10 x 10(50)

D10 x 6(30)

D10 x 2(10)

General Effect

Maximum Range

LAW/RPG

Explosive Area of Effect Explosive Type Ground Zero Claymore Mine

5 yards

12 yards

40 yards

Concussion Grenade

1 yards

2 yards

5 yards

LAW/RPG

1 yards

2 yards

5 yards

Explosive Weapon Table Weapon Range Claymore Mine Concussion Grenade LAW/RPG

EV

n/a

4/2

Thrown

1/1

20/200/400/600/1000

25/12

give a brief description of their character, with whatever details that they believe the others might know about them. Give them a few minutes to roleplay among themselves before starting the adventure.

The characters are free to question the pilots if they wish. The pilots only know that they were ordered to fly to Panama, allowing no one disembark from the plane until they reach their destination.

Tell the Story

After the characters have had enough time to wonder about their predicament, read the following:

After everyone has gotten comfortable, read aloud the following: [READ ALOUD TO PLAYERS] The plane finally comes to a halt on the runway. You start picking up your gear and stretching, glad to be on the ground again. You wait impatiently for the pilot to open the hatch, wondering what is taking him so long. After a good twenty minutes, the pilot’s voice comes over the intercom. “Sorry gentlemen, I’m afraid you’re not getting off here.” He pauses, sounding puzzled. “I have been given orders to fly you directly to Ft. Sheridan in Panama. The boys on the ground are refueling us right now, so you might as well relax, it’s going to be a long ride.”

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Maximum Range

[READ ALOUD TO PLAYERS] The flight to Panama is torturous. Everyone seems lost in thought, thinking about what may lie ahead. The plane lands in the early morning light, the touchdown jarring you back to your senses. The door opens and standing behind it is an impressive man in full dress uniform; perfectly pressed coat and pants, medals on his chest in perfect rows. He takes three rigid steps forward and puffs out his chest. You salute by pure instinct. He salutes back, his grim expression never changing, his eyes undetectable behind mirrored sunglasses. A secretary, a sharply dressed corporal, follows him with a clip board under his arm. “Good morning gentlemen, I am Colonel


“First,” he pauses and motions for his secretary to step forward, “I need you to surrender your dog tags and any other identification you are carrying.” You try not to let your expression change as the order sinks in: this is a black op, and you are now officially in deep shit. The secretary takes your dog tags with an almost gleeful expression on his face. “There is a helicopter waiting for you outside, gentlemen, with the gear you will need for this mission.” The colonel looks at the Cast Member in charge and says, “Come with me.” He motions for the team leader to join him as the others disembark. The colonel is only going to give the orders for the mission to the team leader. The ZM should pull the player aside and relate this information in private. It is up to the player how much information he wants to relate to the others.

surveillance. You will make your way to the base and determine the situation there. In the event that any of our personnel are still present, you will escort them to the extraction point, here.” He points at a place about twelve miles north of the base. “You will radio for a pick up, and we will take you out by helicopter.”

Dead Ops

Jurkat.” He pauses, studying your faces. “We have a little situation on our hands down in Colombia and I think you boys can give us a hand with it.”

“Do you have any questions?” Let the team leader ask as many questions as he likes, until it gets annoying. The colonel does not know much more than he has already stated. He warns that the FARC is well armed and well trained. He suggests that the team should not engage the FARC, if possible—however, they are authorized to use any means necessary to defend themselves. With the orders given, the characters don new jungle BDUs bearing no insignias, gather any gear noted on their character sheets, and retrieve maps of the locations they will need. Then, it’s time for another long ride.

Part Five: Base One What’s Going On?

[READ ALOUD TO PARTY LEADER] The colonel’s commanding voice lowers. “This is our situation. As you know, the U.S. Armed Forces have been supplying our friends in Colombia with arms and military advisors, to help them in their fight against the drug cartels and a communist insurgent group known as the FARC.” He pulls out a map to help illustrate the conversation. “Twenty-four hours ago, we lost contact with one of the bases we are using in Colombia to help train their military. We are unsure what happened to them, but we do know that FARC has started a major offensive in the region. The FARC may have overrun the base.” “You are to drop by helicopter here,” he points at the map, “approximately twelve miles south of the base, in order to avoid enemy

Volume 2

The adventure becomes location-oriented as the Cast Members explore the abandoned base. Contact with the zombies is inevitable and there is a chance that one or more of the characters will become infected. When the ZM believes that the characters have learned enough, the FARC attacks the base, and captures the PCs.

Setting the Scene The helicopter drops the Cast Members into the jungle during the pre-dawn hours. After an uneventful trek, they arrive at their destination around noon. Even from a distance, they can tell something is wrong. A thorough search of the base will reveal what is going on. If at any time the Cast Members communicate via radio with their command and mention the words “zombie” or “walking dead,” command severs radio contact. The Army will not risk a security leak of any kind. If the characters do this, they are on their own; no one will be coming to lift them out.

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Dead Ops

Tell the Story [READ ALOUD TO PLAYERS] The ride in is always the hardest part. There is a sense of helplessness. You can do nothing to make sure that no one shoots your whirly-bird out of the sky. As is customary, you sit on your helmets for the entire trip. Not exactly comfortable, but no really believes that the armor plating on the underbelly of a helicopter is going to stop anything. The drop goes by the book, 90 feet down to the jungle below. You account for your gear and make your way through the dark jungle. Strange sounds and uneven terrain keep you on your toes for the entire trip. By lunchtime, you are standing on a hill, overlooking the base. It looks like a standard Army base: a tall chain link fence topped with barbed wire surrounds several concrete block buildings. One “bird’s nest” guard tower stands at each corner. A quick scan through your binoculars tells you something is amiss. Your first clue that the base is empty is that no flag flies from the pool. No one is moving, and no vehicles are present. Between two of the buildings lies what appears to be a body, dressed in a hospital gown. Give the players their copy of the Base One map. On the players’ map, certain buildings are unlabeled; this is because their function is not immediately apparent. The X marks the location of the corpse, which is visible from their vantage point. The labs, the test subject holding and the armory have no windows. The door to Lab Two is open, swinging in the breeze. Approaching the base is easy. The gate is locked, but the characters can easily cut a way through the fence. The first thing they probably do is check out the corpse. The corpse is a zombie, escaped from Lab Two. It has simply deactivated, due to the lack of human presence, but it rises and attack as the characters approach. The zombie has been lying out in the sun for some time now. Some of its internal organs were removed for experimentation (not immediately apparent under the gown). Be certain to describe the zombie’s horrific appearance and stench as it attacks.

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Check Point (a): This building monitors traffic to and from the base. The only thing of interest is a duty log containing an endless list of times and vehicle numbers. Most are supply trucks or vehicles carrying petty officers. The scientists were not permitted to go off-base. Guard Towers (1): The towers are 20 feet tall, and completely empty. Apply bonuses and penalties as are appropriate if any of the characters end up shooting from one of the towers. Barracks (3): These are standard military barracks, capable of housing about 150 soldiers. The second floor contains a mess hall and recreation area. They are completely empty, except for a few minor personal items left behind. The items left behind indicate that the soldiers were probably Colombian. Lab One (4): The ZM should run the search of this building room by room. The Cast Members should be puzzled as to why this facility is here. The locked doors are made of solid metal, but the characters may force them open with great effort. Two zombies have broken free of their restraints and are wandering the building. They cannot enter any of the locked rooms unless someone opens the door. Operating Rooms: Each of these small operating theaters contain an operating table and basic equipment. Zombies are strapped to the tables marked with an X. Buckets of visceral matter are in each of the rooms. Consulting Room: A basic meeting room, there nothing of interest here. Lab/Staff: A laboratory used to synthesize the virus. Some notes are here. Characters with limited medical knowledge could guess that a virus was in development here. This is a Very Difficult Task (–4), using the Medicine Skill. Break Room: This room contains vending machines, a microwave, and chairs. Storage: Various advanced medical supplies, including canisters of the virus, kept in an electronic, refrigerated safe. Breaking into the safe is almost impossible. It is a Heroic Task (–8), using the Computer Hacking or Electronics Skill. The use of explosives to enter the safe would be much easier but would also destroy (or release) the contents.


Transporting the discovered information could be difficult. They could simply throw a few of the pertinent documents (but not the videos) onto floppy disks. Floppy disks, being notoriously fragile, may not survive the trip home. The players could also take the hard drive from the main server. This is an Average Task (+1), using the Computers Skill. This allows them to keep more information, though the medium is still likely to break under heavy stress (such as combat). Test Subject Holding (5): This simple building contains a few jail cells and a duty station. Prisoners, most of them detained FARC members, were sometimes held here and used for experimentation. A log of prisoners “used” is present. Some twenty-five people have been through the process. The remaining prisoners were moved during the evacuation. Lab Two (6): This building should also be searched room by room. The construction of this building is the same as the first lab with one noticeable exception. It is plainly visible from the outside that one of the rooms has a large refrigeration unit. The vents for the unit are visible and audible, quietly humming on the south side of the building. Computer Lab: There are five computers here. Someone deleted all of the files on this system. Lab/Drugs: Some medical supplies can be scrounged here, nothing else of interest.

Volume 2

Exam Rooms: These rooms look almost like the typical doctor’s office examination rooms, except all have manacles installed on the walls. The exam rooms marked with an X have zombies chained to the wall. Exam & Procedure: This room is like the other exam rooms, just a bit larger. The three zombies in this room have managed to escape their bonds. They should not be too much of a challenge for our brave Rangers.

Dead Ops

Computer Lab: This is where the characters can find the most information. The scientists, not being military men, were a bit lax in security and forgot to destroy the computer files before the evacuation. Getting into the system is a Difficult Task (–2). A thorough search of the system takes three hours. In that time, the characters can find the entire history, purpose and execution of project Dead Ops. These files include military orders, scientific data, and video footage of tests. The last video file on record shows the zombie break out. The video shows a group of three scientists performing an operation on a zombie as it tries to break free from its bonds. The zombie manages to slip through the restraints and bites two of the scientists before someone shuts the camera off. One of the memos on the computer (see Player Handout Two) contains the order to evacuate the base, but does not reveal their destination.

Observation Room: This room contains video equipment and a two-way mirror on the wall that adjoins the Zombie Storage room. The zombie room illuminates when the light switches are turned to the “on” position. The twenty zombies in storage will rise from the ground and started beating on the walls and the door. One might even start banging on the mirror, though they cannot see through the glass on their side, the zombies simply know that when the light turns on, humans are near. Zombie Storage: The door is reinforced. This room is refrigerated and twenty zombies lay about the room. Woe to the Ranger team that opens this door before looking in the observation room. The fight should not be too bad, as long as the characters fall back and shoot from a distance. A few of the zombies might not cooperate though, and the Rangers will need to hunt them down at close range. Long House (7): This spartan housing unit held the U.S. scientists. It is mostly empty now, except for a few personal belongings. In one of the rooms, there is a laptop computer. They wiped the computer’s hard drive, but forgot the floppy disk remaining in the drive. This disk contains one small file, a daily journal entry of one the scientists. See Player Handout Three. Officer’s Quarters (8): These are small ranchstyle houses, split into two apartments each. Personal items left behind indicate that the inhabitants were probably American. Armory (9): The metal door to this small windowless building is reinforced. The Columbian soldiers were about as good at following orders as the scientists. All of the rifles are gone, but two cases of 5.56 mm ball ammunition (2400 rounds) and a case of offensive grenades (24) remain.

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bly include “hands on your head,” “get down on the ground,” in English and Spanish).

Part Six: Enter, the FARC What’s Going On? The FARC rebels, sick of having a U.S. presence in the region, attack the base that the characters are exploring. They are unaware that the original inhabitants of the base have already left. As stated, this is a critical point in the adventure. If the Rangers decide on a head-on assault, they are most certainly doomed.

Average FARC Soldier

Setting the Scene The beginning of this phase of the adventure is all a matter of timing on the part of the ZM. It is suggested that the attack begin while the Cast Members are searching one of the buildings, perhaps after they have finished searching the computer system. The FARC attacks with seventy-five soldiers. Twenty-five of them are hiding in the tree line all around the base to prevent a retreat. The attack begins with the FARC mortar shelling the base indiscriminately. They are aiming for the guard towers but they are not very accurate. A few of the shells may hit the characters’ building. This will not hurt them, but it should shake them up a little. After a couple of minutes of shelling, the FARC realize that no one is returning fire. The remaining fifty soldiers drive through the front gate, using old military personnel carriers and surprisingly new American SUVs. They search the entire base in groups of five. One member of each group will have an RPG launcher with three rockets.

Tell the Story While the characters are wrapping up their search, begin describing the FARC attack. Ranger characters understand quickly that they are not under direct fire, but things could get ugly quickly. If the characters do not rush out to greet their guests, they have a little extra time to determine their course of action. Things should progress quickly though, do not give them time to form complex plans. Make it clear that running is not a good option, either. The FARC accept any honorable surrender. This means that a character must present himself without a weapon, in a non-threatening manner, and follow all instructions given by their captors (which proba-

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If the characters decide to resist, the situation goes from bad to worse. The Rangers are quite capable of taking out a good number of the FARC, but they will lose in the end. If the characters take a defensive position, the FARC go in after them. After losing more than three soldiers, they simply sit back and blast the Cast Members’ building with rockets and grenades.

Strength 2 Constitution 2 Dexterity 2 Intelligence 2 Perception 2 Willpower 2 LPS 26 Spd 8 EPS 23 Essence 12 Skills: Brawling 2, Demolitions 2, Dodge 2, Driving (Truck) 1, First Aid 1, Guns (Assault Rifle) 2, Guns (Missile Launcher) 2, Stealth 2, Survival (Jungle) 2, Swimming 2, Throwing (Grenade) 2 Gear: Assault Rifle with 3 Magazines, 3 Offensive Grenades. One in five FARC members will be carrying a rocket propelled grenade launcher (RPG) with 3 rockets.

FARC Commander Christian Flores Strength 2 Dexterity 4 Perception 4 LPS 60 EPS 32 Skills: B


Qualities: Charisma 2, Hard To Kill 5, Nerves of Steel 2, Situational Awareness 2 Skills: Brawling 2, Demolitions 2, Dodge 4, Driving (Truck) 1, First Aid 3, Guns (Assault Rifle) 5, Guns (Handgun) 4, Guns (Missile Launcher) 2, Intimidation 3, Stealth 2, Surveillance 4, Survival (Jungle) 2, Swimming 2. Gear: Assault Rifle with 3 Magazines, Handgun with 3 Magazines


After things calm down Commander Flores has a chat with the Rangers. He is perplexed that the base is empty and is curious about what is going on there. This will be a good roleplaying moment. The best thing that the characters can do is show the FARC proof of the zombies. This will make them angry at first, especially since their own people are part of the experiment. As long as the characters make it clear that they find the zombie experiments reprehensible themselves, the FARC commander does not threaten to kill them. When the dead walk, strange bedfellows are made. Commander Flores finds the Ranger’s predicament rather amusing and wants to use it for his own gain. The rebels were about to attack another base where they know more of their people are prisoner. They also know that the next base is the home of South African mercenaries: a very deadly crew who are more than likely to give them a bit of trouble. The FARC commander’s plan is simple: the FARC will shell the base, drawing out the mass of regular Colombian Army troops that are stationed there. The Rangers will go in, eliminate the South Africans, and rescue the prisoners. As added incentive, the commander explains that the South African’s base is the closest “friendly” shelter in the area—if the U.S. scientists went anywhere, it was probably there. After this touching scene of camaraderie, start quickly with the next phase of the adventure.

Part Seven: Base Two What’s Going On? The Rangers join with the FARC to stop the spread of the zombies. The South African mercenaries are determined to keep the scientists and are forcing them to produce more of the zombie disease. This is the final shoot-out. Of course, there will be a few surprises, like lots and lots of zombies. This is All Flesh Must Be Eaten, after all!

Volume 2

Setting the Scene If the Rangers ran early and fast, and managed by some miracle to escape the FARC, they are on their own. That is okay; just drop some clues that lead them to the second base. Things are a lot more difficult without the FARC. They have to contend with all of the Colombian soldiers at the base and the mercenaries. Players may attempt to negotiate with the mercenaries, but this is a bad idea. The South Africans consider anyone with knowledge of the scientist’s whereabouts a threat; they shoot to kill.

Dead Ops

Commander Flores sees himself as a modern-day Robin Hood. He is self-sure and smooth. Educated in the U.S., his English is flawless and only slightly accented. He is in control of any situation and always has a smile on his face.

If the characters are with the FARC, Commander Flores invites them to watch an amusing show of Colombian Army predictability. The FARC start firing mortars at the base, and sure enough, the Colombian soldiers come out of the base to attack. The FARC then lead them on a merry chase through the jungle, giving the Rangers time to rescue the FARC prisoners and the scientists. Things are not all that easy: there are still twelve well-trained South African mercenaries guarding the base and a handful of Colombian soldiers. For the Colombians, use the same stats as the Average FARC soldier.

Average South African Mercenary Strength 2 Constitution 3 Dexterity 3 Intelligence 2 Perception 3 Willpower 3 LPS 30 Spd 12 EPS 29 Essence 16 Skills: Brawling 3, Demolitions 2, Dodge 2, Driving (Truck) 3, First Aid 1, Guns (Assault Rifle) 3, Stealth 2, Surveillance 3, Survival (Jungle) 2, Swimming 2, Throwing (Grenade) 3. Gear: Assault Rifle with 5 Magazines, Handgun with 5 Magazines, 3 Offensive Grenades. One in five mercenaries carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG) with 3 rockets.

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Dead Ops

Tell the Story After all the roleplaying is through and the characters have decided on a course of action, read the following. [READ ALOUD TO PLAYERS] The FARC load you into one of their new SUVs, bought with drug money no doubt (a more expensive vehicle than you could ever afford). Your driver is a small, skinny boy who couldn’t be older than sixteen, wearing a red bandana, a dirty yellow t-shirt with a faded picture of Guy Cheguevara. He immediately cranks up the AC and starts blasting AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” on the stereo. He looks back at you and gives you a huge shit-eating grin. You fly down rutted jungle roads, bouncing out of your seats the entire way. After a couple of hours the FARC caravan comes to a quick stop and the soldiers pile out. Commander Flores walks up and salutes you. “The prisoners are being held at a facility a half-mile north of here. There are some onehundred Colombian Army there, but do not worry, my men and I will cause a little diversion.” He smiles when he says this. “You should take up positions so that you can watch the base. When they leave to give chase, make your move. I trust you know what you are doing—you are Rangers, after all.” He flashes his devilish grin again. “Yes, I know you are Rangers, I myself trained at your School of the Americas, and made many friends there.” He pauses and takes a more serious tone, “Good luck.” He salutes you again, and then starts giving orders to his men. It is a short hike to the base, which is crawling with Colombian soldiers. You have no time to assess the situation. As soon as you take your position, the familiar whistle of mortar shells catches your attention. Shells land randomly around the base. Just like clockwork, the Colombians scramble, loading into personnel carriers and tearing off into the jungle.

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You hear sporadic automatic fire coming from the jungle behind you, as the Colombians chase the FARC. Soon, everything goes quiet. You can see that they left a skeleton crew, a few men in the watchtowers, but that is about it. The characters may now start their rescue attempt. They can see that there are still two Colombian soldiers in each watchtower. These soldiers will see the characters as soon as they break from the jungle (about 50 feet from the base) and open fire. The characters should make a coordinated effort to take out the towers on at least one side of the base in a surprise attack before entering. The characters can also see a building near the front gate that appears to hold the prisoners (6). A fenced in yard is in front of the building, though none of the prisoners are out in the yard. This is where the mercs are keeping ten FARC members and about thirty people from local villages loyal to the FARC. The FARC members will not volunteer their help once released, and if simply let free, they quickly escape into the jungle with the others. However, if they are given arms, the FARC will fight with their rescuers. Elsewhere in the base are twelve mercenaries. The BP Oil company hired these mercenaries to help train and support the local government, in order to protect their oil-producing facilities. All of the South Africans start out in the mess hall. Six will go out and attempt to stop intruders from entering the base as soon as they hear gunfire. They move in pairs, hiding around corners and trying to pick off their targets one by one. The other six mercenaries stay in the mess hall, guarding the scientists in the doctor’s office. Check Point (a): This small booth is currently unmanned. Guard Towers (1): Same as the U.S. base, small ten-foot square platforms. They offer cover to anyone in them. As stated, two Colombian soldiers man each tower. Barracks (2): Housing for the Colombian Army. Once again, nothing to see here.


Garage (4): This is the fun part. Characters may enter this building through the course of a regular sweep through the base, or if they are looking for transportation to get out. The door on the east side of the building is welded shut. The Cast Members must use explosives to open it. The door on the south side is a large, metal, rolling door that lifts up from the bottom. It is pad-locked. The South Africans have not been idle. They are already well on their way to building a zombie army. Ever since they captured the scientists, they have been rounding up villagers for “recruits.” This building no longer holds any vehicles, for it now houses some five hundred zombies. That’s right, five hundred.

The second ending is automatic if the Rangers breached security. Any mention of zombies over the radio and the government will consider the entire operation a botch, leaving the Rangers out to dry. The players may even decide that their faith in the Army has been destroyed, so they might as well not go home. In any case, if the Rangers stay, the FARC invites them stop the rise of the walking dead. ZMs can use one of the following narrations to end the adventure, tailoring it to the actions of their players.

Ending One: Going Home You call for your ride and head for the extraction point with a bunch of dazed and fatigued scientists in tow. All of the scientists have guilty looks on their faces. Despite all you have seen, there does not seem to be anything to talk about. Everyone is still trying to digest what has happened. Amazingly, you fall asleep on the helicopter and are led bleary-eyed off the runway to debriefing.

If the Cast Members enter here, the first person through the door does not stand much of a chance. Everyone should start running very, very fast. The zombies swarm anyone in sight and start moving out into the countryside.

You are grilled for hours by a group of stonyfaced intelligence officers, none of them rank lower than colonel. As expected, they instruct you to never speak to anyone—including your dog—about what you have seen.

Officer’s Quarters (5): The South Africans have commandeered these apartments. Move along, nothing to see here.

Immediately following, you are placed on a transport back to Ft. Benning. You undergo more debriefing at Ft. Benning before they finally release you.

Stockade (6): A gate allows access into the fenced in yard. The door is locked. Prisoners are described above.

Wrapping Things Up The surviving Rangers now have all sorts of problems. Even if they do not release the zombies in the garage, the airborne version of the virus is now spreading from village to village. All of this is beyond the scope of this adventure. Two endings present themselves. First, the characters call for their ride, go to the extraction point and go home. This is probably the best ending as far as they are concerned, though there are complications.

Volume 2

Dead Ops

Office/Mess/Infirmary (3): This is a multi-purpose building, used for administration and an officer’s mess. Positions marked with an “M,” are where the South Africans stand when the characters enter. They fire at anyone coming through the door and thus will probably get the drop on the characters. The scientists are in the doctor’s office. They are tired, confused, and not much help. They look to the Rangers to get them out safely and have no information to give them.

As you file out of the debriefing room, it’s barely noon, but you all silently agree to go to the bar. On your way, you pass by a newspaper stand. The civilian behind the counter stiffens as you pass, as if given a sudden case of the chills. You see The Weekly World News displayed on the rack, screaming its bold headline: “THE DEAD WALK IN SOUTH AMERICA!” No one says a word. You just keep walking towards the bar.

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Part Eight: Continuing the Adventure

Ending Two: Strange Bedfellows [READ ALOUD TO PLAYERS] You run, because it seems like the thing to do. You are not sure where to go, or what you’re going to do when you get there, but you run anyway. It seems as though you are trying to run away from everything you have seen. Eventually, you collapse on the ground, unable to run any further. As if they had been waiting for you all along, the FARC appear, silently, out of the jungle. Commander Flores is with them, he smiles at you. “You have done me a great favor here today, and I am grateful.” For the first time since you have met him, he stops smiling. The grave expression on his face is enough to break you from your stupor. “But I believe our problems are not over. Two of my men were shot during the raid, casualties are a fact of life, but the odd thing is, a few minutes after they were killed . . . they got up and started to walk.” “One of my men was bitten, he is sick even now.” He looks all of you straight in the eye; it is easy to see why he inspires his men. “It appears that we are no longer fighting for ideology, but for survival. You may join us if you wish.” At that moment, you all wish that you really had something better to do.

Dead Ops makes a great beginning for an All Flesh Must Be Eaten campaign. You have a group of characters with all the skills necessary to handle the problem, caught in the worst situation in the world. A great way to continue is to have the zombie disease start spreading like wildfire. The nation of Colombia is ill-prepared to deal with the menace, both militarily and economically. This means that the zombies have a good head start, giving them the potential to be a true worldwide threat. The FARC distrusts the government and the government distrusts the FARC. Each side takes this opportunity to wipe out the other, leading to more zombies. The characters can try to get the two sides to cooperate and fight the real enemy. The U.S. military is desperate to erase all proof of its involvement. If they learn that the Rangers are still alive and active in Colombia, they will send assassins to dispose of them. If the characters did make it out, they can still be involved. Due to their experience, the Army may make them into a zombie strike team, and send them back to Colombia in order to kill the zombies and cover up the whole thing. In that situation, a very pissed off Colombian government and the FARC will start gunning for them, blaming the U.S. for all their problems.

About the Author James Wilber resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is the event coordinator for Big Daddy Thwak’s Millennial Army, a club dedicated to running games at conventions that do not suck (the games that is, not the conventions). He is also the proud owner of a 1976 Cadillac Hearse, which he fondly calls “Morticia.” Mr. Wilber has been an avid fan of George A. Romero since childhood. Romero has taught him the two most important things about zombie movies: no “happy ending” and everyone’s gonna die! This is his first published adventure for All Flesh Must Be Eaten.

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Dead Ops

Player Handout One

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers. Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier. Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some. Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set an example for others to follow. Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country. Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

Volume 2

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Dead Ops

Player Handout Two

Base Memorandum To: All base personnel From: Cpt. Edward Cooper, commander Subject: Evacuation Date: 11 Jul 01 CC: Dr. Benjamin White, Chief of Research An evacuation of all base personnel will commence at 13:00 hrs. All staff will report to the barracks and be assigned a vehicle. No weapons are to be left on base and all classified documents should be destroyed. Command personnel shall secure before reporting for transport.

all

buildings

No personnel will be allowed to remain on base after 14:00 hrs.

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July 10, 2004 I will never again be annoyed by the smugness of those who have a degree in psychology. This dumb-ass journal . . . okay, not so dumbass. It really does help. Thank you, Stephen, you poor fucking bastard.

Dead Ops

Player Handout Three

Okay, I’m working this out in my head. Today, the aforementioned Dr. Stephen Richards—the brave, smug, psychology degree-holding member of our research team—was bitten by one of those things. And Tracy too, don’t forget him. Bastard still owes me a round of drinks at his country club, if and when we get home. Well, if I get home. He’s dead, too. You never explained how I’m supposed to keep focused while I do this, Stephen. Start Over. Stephen and Tracy were bitten by one of the infected cadavers today. Not too big a deal, we thought. Clean the wound, put a bandage on it, everything’s fine. The virus can’t affect the living. The dumb shits should have tied the thing down better anyway. Why are we so stupid? Playing with things we don’t understand. That’s what Julie would have said. Just like Frankenstein. We were wrong, so wrong. The virus mutated in ways we couldn’t imagine. How could we? No one has ever seen anything like this. I need to stay clinical, but fuck, this is really like a horror movie and it just keeps getting worse and worse. Apparently, after the virus has incubated inside a cadaver it mutates, grows stronger. That, combined with the fact that it adapts to the blood of its host, makes it lethal. And of course, those who die come back. Stephen died in less than eight hours, six for Tracy. That’s just fucking incredible. Nothing works that fast. If it wasn’t all so damn horrific I might actually be geeked about discovering the thing. Oh shit, a bunch of G.I. Joes are knocking on the door. Cooper would go ape-shit if he knew about this journal. “It’s a breach of security!” he would exclaim in that whiney-ass voice. End Day.

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Dead Ops

Base One: Zombie Master Map 1

1 8

9

8 4

c

6

3 2

X 7 5

b

2 1

1

1

1 a Front Gate

1. Guard Tower 2. Parking Lot 3. Barracks 4. Lab One

5. Test Subject Holding 6. Lab Two 7. Long House 8. Officer’s Quarters

9. Armory a. Check Point b. Helicopter Pad c. Gas Pumps

Base One: Player Map

X

Front Gate

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1

1 5

2 1

Dead Ops

Base Two: Zombie Master Map

1

4

2 3 6

a

1

1

Front Gate

1. Guard Tower 2. Barracks 3. Office/Mess/Infirmary

4. Garage 5. Officer’s Quarters 6. Stockade

a. Check Point

Base Two: Player Map

Front Gate

Volume 2

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Volume 2

Base One Lab One: Zombie Master Map

6

X

7

7

X 7

7

4

5

3

2

1. Computer Lab 2. Break Room 3. Consulting Room 4. Bathroom

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1

5. Lab/Staff 6. Storage 7. Operating Rooms


6 7 4

5

2

2

2

3

Volume 2

Base One Lab Two: Zombie Master Map

2

1 6 X

X

1. Computer Lab 2. Exam Room 3. Exam and Procedure Room 4. Zombie Stortage

5. Lab/Drugs 6. Bathroom 7. Observation Room

Base Two Office/Mess/Infirmary: Zombie Master Map 8 7

2

7 9

8 M

M

2

2 M

5

M

2

3

4

1. Lounge 2. Office 3. Exam 4. Kitchen 5. Mess Hall

Volume 2

1

6

6. Doctor’s Office 7. Storage 8. Bathroom 9. Breakroom

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If you loved KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE... If you can’t get enough of PVP and DORK TOWER... Then IN THE PIT will make you climb to the rooftops and shout “Eh?” For over twenty years, gamers have struggled to prove that there is nothing evil, dangerous or odd about our hobby. Now IN THE PIT is going to ruin everything. Gaming humor may be a dead horse, but by God, we’re going to beat it! From the creative minds of Al Bruno and George Vasilakos, IN THE PIT tells hysterical tales among the cluttered racks and overpowering stench of the Fanboyz game store. From the antics of an insane group of gamers to the trials of wanna-be small game company publishers to the game room known only as “The Pit,” you won’t want to miss an issue. Story ideas for IN THE PIT are yanked bodily from Mr. Vasilakos’s personal experience owning a game store and running Eden Studios. Mr. Bruno’s dark and twisted imaginings scurry out from under his own warped gaming group. Many of these “horror” stories have been posted on rpg.net under the pseudonym Ab3. These lurid accounts are brought to visual life by newcomer Jimmy Changa. Join us as Eden Studios brings in a new era of gaming comics.

NOW AVAILABLE IN GAME STORES NOT AFRAID OF STOCKING IT In The Pit #1 EDN5201 ISBN 1-891153-52-8 $2.99

www.in-the-pit.com

Eden Studios Presents, Vol. 2

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