Adventures in Monster Hunting

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Author: Steven S. Long Additional Contributions: Rob Hudson; Jason Walters Cover Artwork: Ben McSweeney Development: Jason Walters Layout and Graphic Design: Ruben Smith-Zempel

Cartography: Keith Curtis, John Lees Special Thanks: To Larry Correia, for continuing to let us play in his sandbox; and to everyone who backed our Kickstarter so enthusiastically that we were able to produce these scenarios.

Table of Contents Introduction.............................................................................. 2 THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.............................30 THE NEW KIDS IN TOWN...................................................... 3 Adventure Background And Summary...........................30 Adventure Background And Summary............................. 3 Part One: Kitchen Nightmares.........................................30 Part One: Strange Slaughter............................................... 3 Part Two: Brawl In The Park.............................................. 31 Part Two: Investigation........................................................ 5 Part Three: Showdown At Club Moloch........................32 Part Three: Hunting Wererats............................................. 7 GM’s Resources...................................................................... 33 Memorial Park Map.................................................. 33-37 GM’s Resources........................................................................ 7 Club Moloch Map..................................................... 37-41 Warehouse Map................................................................ 7 SOUL MAN...............................................................................42 Adventure Background And Summary...........................42 Part One: The Dame Wore Red........................................42 Part Two: Soul Hunting......................................................44 Part Three: Fighting Susano..............................................45 GM’s Resources......................................................................46 Apartment Map........................................................ 45-46 NPC Character Sheets..................................................46 Angelica Scarlatti....................................................46 New Spells........................................................................ 47

GIMME THAT OLD ONE RELIGION................................... 12 Adventure Background And Summary........................... 12 Part One: You Need Some Churchifyin’........................ 12 Part Two: The Compound................................................. 14 Conclusion.............................................................................. 15 GM’s Resources...................................................................... 15 Compound Map....................................................... 15-16 Plantation House Map............................................15, 17 Villain Character Sheets............................................... 18 Cultist of Ancient Wisdom (Standard)............. 18 Cultist of Ancient Wisdom (Elite)...................... 18 Ryan Smallwood..................................................... 19 NPC Character Sheets.................................................. 21 Special Agent Marcus Hancock......................... 21

JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER............................................48 Adventure Background And Summary...........................48 Part One: Ritual Preparations...........................................48 Part Two: Zombies And Gargoyles And Demons, Oh My!.............................................................................................49 Part Three: Showdown At Scarlatti Mansion...............50 Conclusion..............................................................................50 GM’s Resources......................................................................50 Mansion Maps.......................................................... 50-54 NPC And Monster Character Sheets........................54 Vincent Scarlatti.....................................................54 Neihorian Juggernaut..........................................56

BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BEWILDERED...............23 Adventure Background And Summary...........................23 Part One: Revenant Attack................................................23 Part Two: The Grant Building Trap.................................24 Part Three: Monster Mash.................................................24 GM’s Resources......................................................................25 Grant Building Map................................................ 25-27 Monster Character Sheets...........................................28 Alley Crawler............................................................28 Upir.............................................................................29

APPENDIX: SAMPLE PLAYER CHARACTERS.................. 57 Roberto DaCosta.................................................................... 57 Lexa Duquesne.......................................................................58 Dane Ericson...........................................................................60 Garret Sullivan........................................................................ 61 Liz Sutton.................................................................................63

Copyright 2013 DOJ, Inc, d/b/a as Hero Games. HERO SystemTM is DOJ, Inc’s trademark for its roleplaying system.

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Monster Character Sheets............................................. 9 The God Of The Rats............................................... 9 Wererat...................................................................... 10 Rat Swarm................................................................. 11

Adventures in Monster Hunting

INTRODUCTION

GETTING THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED

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You’ve got your copy of The Monster Hunter International Employee’s Handbook And Roleplaying Game, the Player Characters have been created and approved, and everyone’s at the table, ready with their dice and character sheets. It’s time for adventure! Adventures In Monster Hunting features six scenarios for the MHI RPG. Each of them is relatively simple and straightforward, perfect for new GMs and players to cut their teeth on but still plenty of fun for experienced GMs and players. They are:

As you run these adventures, it’s important to keep a few facts in mind. First, the PCs aren’t cops — in fact, they’re not authorized members of any law enforcement organization. Despite the fact that they have permits for the weapons they carry, they can’t walk around town wearing body armor and armed to the teeth, or even just carrying a gun openly. If they do, someone’s bound to call the police, and the PCs are likely to find themselves thrown in jail for violating a whole bunch of laws — up to and including murder, in some cases. Earl Harbinger will not be happy if he has to come bail their sorry butts out of the slammer. Second, don’t forget that all the PCs have a Hunted (Watched) by the MCB Complication. At any time during any of these scenarios, the MCB could decide to get involved, or to take an even more active role than what’s described — and that can only mean trouble (and potentially lost PUFF bounties!) for Our Heroes. For that matter, in this age of ubiquitous smartphones and security cameras, the police don’t even have to be on the scene to come after your PCs. With enough video evidence they can track down the PCs at any time — no doubt the worst possible time for the PCs, such as when they’re just about to charge out and save the world. In short, the authorities, be they state or federal, can cause a lot of problems for your PCs. Anytime you think the PCs have it too easy (or are getting away with too much), or you want to extend the scenario, you can introduce a police or MCB presence to complicate their lives. After all, being a hero isn’t just about shooting monsters, it’s about overcoming obstacles that get in the way of doing the right thing.

' The New Kids In Town, in which the PCs go into the field for the first time and find themselves taking on a nest of wererats; ' Gimme That Old One Religion, which pits the PCs against a cult that worships the Old Ones and is secretly controlled by a powerful necromancer named Vincent Scarlatti; ' Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered, in which Scarlatti lures the PCs into a trap to try to get rid of them, while simultaneously attacking a local MCB facility to “recruit” monsters held captive there; ' The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, which puts the PCs in the middle of an occult war between Scarlatti and Lucinda Hood; ' Soul Man, in which a grieving daughter asks the PCs to rescue her father’s soul from an oni, but who in truth has far more sinister motivations; and ' Journey Of The Sorcerer, in which Vincent Scarlatti uses a powerful new body to try to complete a major summoning ritual before the PCs can stop him.

STAND-ALONE VERSUS STORY ARC These six scenarios are written so that you can run them two different ways. First, you can use them as six single adventures, each a “standalone” that’s unrelated to the rest. Each one’s a fine adventure on its own, and doesn’t have to relate to the others if you don’t want it to. At the beginning of each scenario you’ll find some suggestions about running it as a stand-alone. Second, you can use them as a “story arc” — a series of six adventures that go together to form one large, self-contained story. This way, what the PCs do in the second scenario may end up impacting what happens in the fifth, NPCs they meet early in the arc may appear later, and the whole adventure feels a little more like an MHI novel. However, some GMs (particularly new ones) may be more comfortable running the scenarios if they don’t have to worry about connecting each one with the next in the series.

MAGIC These adventures were written with the typical group of MHI RPG Player Characters in mind. The PCs are brave, skilled, well armed, but ultimately more or less normal human beings confronting monsters and the forces of darkness in an effort to keep the world safe and earn a nice paycheck in the process. However, it’s possible that one (or more) of the PCs in your group may have the ability to cast Spells, or a useful Gift, or some other sort of unusual ability. If that’s the case, you may have to adjust how the scenarios work. For example, one of the ways Vincent Scarlatti (the main villain of the story arc) keeps one step ahead of the PCs is that he casts Clairvoyance and spies on them magically. A PC who can detect that, or who can cast Clairvoyant Assault, may be able to deprive him of this advantage or even use it against him. As the GM, you have to be prepared for this possibility — or if necessary, adjust the scenario mid-game to account for an unusual or unexpected action the PCs take. That’s part of the art and science of GMing.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

THE NEW KIDS IN TOWN PART ONE: STRANGE SLAUGHTER

Having just “graduated” from MHI’s training program, the Player Characters are sent to form a regional team in a new city. They soon find themselves thrown into the deep end of the pool when a series of mysterious murders turns out to have a supernatural cause.

The first part of this adventure is relatively roleplaying-heavy, rather than action- or combat-oriented. If your group doesn’t enjoy roleplaying, you can easily skip over most of it by simply narrating what happens, or starting with the PCs visiting the morgue with Detective O’Connor.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

GRADUATION DAY

RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE AS A STAND-ALONE As the first part of the Adventures In Monster Hunting story arc, The New Kids In Town is easy to convert to a stand-alone adventure. All you have to do is eliminate the part of the backstory pertaining to Vincent Scarlatti. Instead, the wererats are just a pack of wererats, with no one pulling their strings. Once the PCs kill them all, the problem’s solved.

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On the other hand, if your group enjoys roleplaying, the adventure begins back in Cazador, Alabama at the MHI compound. The PCs are in the middle of their final “exams,” to see if they’ve got what it takes to “graduate” and become an MHI Hunter. The truth is that Director Harbinger and the other company officers already have a good idea who should make the cut and who shouldn’t, but they want to see how the training class performs under pressure one last time. So, come up with a challenge or two for the PCs to perform. This gives the players a chance to “kick the tires” on their new characters and get a feel for rolling the dice. For example, you could: ' set up a distance shooting competition. The PCs have to hit a soda can (-8 OCV due to size) at a range of 100 meters (another -8). Naturally each PC will Set and Brace for +3 OCV. See how many shots it takes each of them to hit the target; the character(s) who hits it in the fewest shots gets the gold medal. ' put them through MHI’s shooting “obstacle course,” where they move through a series of fake buildings. Periodically wooden cut-outs depicting monsters or people pop out from the walls or ceilings; the goal is to shoot at and hit all the monsters without shooting at any of the people. This tests both their reaction time and their judgment, both crucial attributes of a monster hunter. To simulate the competition, have each character make six EGO Rolls, using his PER Roll as a Complementary Skill. Each successful roll means the character shot the monster (or didn’t shoot the person); each failure means he shot the person or missed the monster. Keep track of how many points each roll is made by (a positive number) or failed by (a negative number). Then have each character add up the total from his rolls. The one with the highest total finished the obstacle course in the shortest time. ' have them participate in mock “werewolf fighting” competition. Two PCs get in the ring and spar. One, the “werewolf,” has a paintbrush dipped in red paint in each hand; the other PC is unarmed but wearing his MHI body armor. The “werewolf ’s” goal is to touch the other character on an unarmored part of his body (i.e., his arms and legs, entailing a -5 OCV penalty in either case). The other PC’s goal is to avoid getting “clawed,” which typically means he uses Dodge every Phase (though other tactics, such as Grabbing and restraining the “werewolf,” are possible). The instructors evaluate who wins based on the number of claw hits the “werewolf ” gets and other factors.

This adventure is intended to kick off an MHI RPG campaign (though you can easily use it for an existing group by eliminating some of the early scenes). As such it begins with the PCs finishing up their MHI training program and being assigned to a regional team. Unbeknownst to them, their new home is about to become ground zero for a major supernatural plot. A powerful necromancer named Vincent Scarlatti, a worshipper of the Old One Neihor, has been working to create his own power base of human and monster followers so that he can take over the world in the name of his alien master. He, like a number of other people, is trying to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of the Condition. In an effort to both increase the size of his army and test how the authorities react to the supernatural, he’s let some of his monsters — a pack of wererats and an enormous, mutated rat — run loose in the city. The wererats have killed several people and turned a few others into wererats like themselves. The PCs first get wind of unusual events when a detective named Paul O’Connor contacts them regarding several “unusual” murders. After examining the bodies, the PCs have to figure out a way to track down the monsters who are committing the killings. Eventually luck is with them and they spot one of the wererats attack another victim. That in turn leads them to the wererats’ lair in an abandoned warehouse, where they confront not only the wererats themselves, but their terrifying “leader” — a gigantic, mutated rat know as the God of the Rats.

Adventures in Monster Hunting Any of the PCs who want to can head down to police headquarters to meet with Detective O’Connor. Of course, they can’t carry weapons into the police building — they should either leave their weapons in the car, or check them with the desk sergeant. Any PC caught trying to carry a weapon past the front desk will be arrested, jailed, and charged with a crime. If necessary, have Detective O’Connor meet them at the door and remind them of the gun rules. Paul O’Connor is in his late thirties, his black hair already starting to go grey along the sides due to the stress of his job. He wears ordinary suits and ties, with his gold detective’s shield prominently displayed. He’s friendly but business-like, and obviously eager to get a break in his current case. First O’Connor leads them back to his office. With a typical detective’s curiosity, he opens by asking them a little about themselves and MHI. He won’t press for details if the PCs don’t want to talk, but would like to learn whatever he can. He then turns to the case at hand. It began several weeks ago when a mauled body was found in one of the bad parts of the city. He shows them horrifying pictures of a mutilated body. Have the PCs make KS: Monsters rolls. Anyone who succeeds realizes this is clearly a body that’s been partly eaten by some sort of monster. After that more bodies began showing up, about one a week. Some were little more than skeletons with a few bits of flesh still clinging to them. The remains of all the victims are still down in the morgue. There hasn’t been enough of any victim left to make a positive identification, but based on where they were found Detective O’Connor assumes they’re homeless people, prostitutes, or other people who aren’t likely to be missed (or whose disappearances wouldn’t be reported to the police). All the bodies have been found in the same area of town, though no two have ever been found on the same block. At least three days has passed between the finding of each victim. Since the first body was found, the longest period that’s passed without another one being found is ten days. The department’s increased patrols through the area but hasn’t seen or found anything useful yet.

TEAM ASSIGNMENT After the challenges are done and the “graduation celebrations” are over and done with, Director Harbinger summons the PCs to his office. He tells them he’s assigning them to work together as a team. It’s up to you to pick the city you want to send the PCs to. If you and your players live in a big city, it might be fun to use it as the background for your campaign since you’ll all be able to visualize the scenery easily. On the other hand, picking a city none of you know anything about means you can create whatever you need for a scenario without having a player say, “Hey, there’s nothing like that there.” You could even create your own fictional city if you want (such as Hero Games’s Hudson City, described in the supplement of the same name). The other thing you, as GM, need to decide is whether the PCs are the only members of this regional team, or whether some NPCs are on the team as well. The more players you have, the less likely it is you’ll need any NPCs. But if you only have two or three players, you’ll probably have to include some NPC Hunters so the PCs don’t get killed too easily. And regardless of how many players you have, if they’re all new to roleplaying games, it may help to have an NPC as team leader, so you can ease them through any difficulties that arise during the game.

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Team Name And Patch Unless you want the PCs to join an established MHI team, let them pick their own team name and patch. Do this at the table so everyone can have fun pitching ideas and considering the possibilities.

A NEW HOME Next the action shifts to the PCs in whatever city you’ve chosen to set the campaign in. They’ve just arrived and moved their things into whatever places they’ve chosen to live. If your group likes to roleplay you can go so far as to play out the dickering over rents, humorous problems with the movers, and so forth. Otherwise it’s easiest just to let them pick roughly where in the city they want to live (or have to, based on their income), whether they’re living together or separately, and so forth. Unless the PCs join an existing team, Earl Harbinger instructs them to establish MHI’s office in the city. It should be someplace off the beaten path but easy to get to, secure, and with room to store all their guns and gear. Even better would be a place where they can have a motor pool, their own indoor shooting range, and so forth, but they only have so much budget to work with right now. Come up with several possible locations and let the PCs decide among them, or ask them to describe to you what sort of base of operations they want.

Visiting The Morgue If the PCs want to view the remains more closely, Detective O’Connor takes them to the morgue. None of the corpses is a particularly pleasant sight; if you like you can have each PC make an EGO Roll to see if he can tolerate the sight or looks away (or, on a really bad failure, throws up). Most of the bodies are so badly mauled that little can be learned from them. Detective O’Connor or a coroner will point out that some of the distinct wounds don’t look like ordinary knife wounds. Based on the size and shape of the wound channel, the best guess is that they were made with some kind of pickax, the blade of a pair of garden shears, or something of the sort.

MEETING DETECTIVE O’CONNOR Not long after getting settled in, the PCs get a call from a man who identifies himself as Paul O’Connor, a detective with the city’s police department. He says he’s working on an “unusual” case. After he made some discreet inquiries, a friend of his in the sheriff ’s department put him in touch with MHI. He’d like the PCs to come in for a “consultation.”

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Adventures in Monster Hunting Any PC who closely examines these wounds can make a KS: Monsters roll (or, if they have the Forensic Medicine Skill, they can roll it with KS: Monsters as a Complementary Skill). Anyone who succeeds realizes those are fang wounds, but not a typical fang like a werewolf ’s or chupacabra’s (or even resembling an ogre’s tusk). These have a chisel-like shape more akin to the front teeth of a rodent — a really large rodent.

MAGIC

PART TWO: INVESTIGATION Detective O’Connor can’t pay the PCs, of course, but he’d very much like to have their help with this situation — he doesn’t want to see any more deaths, regardless of who the victim is. He’ll offer what assistance he can (for example, they could call him and get him to run a check on a license plate or on whether someone has a criminal record), but he can only go so far. This kind of thing isn’t authorized, and he doesn’t want to become a laughing stock in the department if it gets out that he thinks “monsters” are to blame. If the PCs start to discuss their plans in front of him, he’ll stop them, explaining that it would be better if he didn’t know. At this point the scenario becomes more “free-form.” The PCs have to decide what they want to do to try to track this monster down and kill it. The text below describes some possibilities and what they’ll lead to, but players often surprise you by coming up with something you haven’t thought of, so be ready to adjust your plans accordingly. As long as their actions advance the adventure into Part Two, it’s all working fine.

SURVEILLANCE

RESEARCH

The best approach, and the one that’s most likely to work, is maintaining surveillance in the area where the victims’ bodies were found. The police department can’t afford to cover the area (and isn’t giving the killings much priority since no one’s even reported any of the victims missing). The PCs, on the other hand, can easily patrol or stake out the area every night and keep an eagle eye out for unusual happenings. Depending on their preferences they can create static surveillance points or patrol the area in cars or on foot; for the purposes of this scenario either method has the same result. The part of the city where the police found the bodies (and where, presumably, the killer acquired the victims) is a run-down area of the city filled with abandoned (or half abandoned) buildings, cheap housing, and a few businesses that cater to the sort of people who have to live in such places. In other words, it’s the perfect territory for wererats (and many other monsters). It’s too large for the PCs to watch all parts of it at once, but by eliminating the areas where there tend to be lots of people on the street even at night they can focus their search a bit.

If the PCs want do some research in MHI’s database, their MHI Field Manuals, or the like, ask them specifically what they’re looking for. Answers like “giant rodents” (or specific types of rodents), “lycanthropes,” or “fang types and sizes” all indicate they’re on the right track. If none of them come up with these ideas, you can have them make INT Rolls and steer anyone who succeeds in the right direction with a few pointed suggestions. Research eventually turns up the following facts: ' there is such a thing as a wererat, though they’re rarer than werewolves. They usually lair in cities, and often form “nests” of two or more individuals. They’re carnivores and enjoy the taste of human flesh. ' MHI has had previous encounters with monstrous rodents or rodent-like creatures: an enormous, mutated beaver in Wyoming; and jackalopes (fierce, carnivorous rabbits with deerlike antlers) in several places throughout the West and Midwest. ' shoggoths and certain other extradimensional creatures could grow the sort of fangs that made the wounds on the victims’ bodies. It’s also possible that some never before encountered type of demon has fangs like that; the legions of Hell are infinite in their evil variety.

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If any of the PCs can cast Spells (or have appropriate Gifts), they may be able to learn a thing or two that way. If possible, though, try not to let them ruin the mystery with one quickly-cast Spell — draw things out a bit so the other characters have a chance to contribute. Some possible uses for Spells in this situation include: Clairvoyance: This Spell could help with surveillance efforts (see below). Foresee The Future: This Spell grants the caster a glimpse of the next victim being taken, or the next body being dumped in an alley. This all takes place at night, so there’s no clear view of the attacker, but the character can tell that (a) it’s humanoid, but definitely not human, and (b) it’s shorter than an average person, and (b) it has some animal-like features (ears on the top of its head, for example). The character might even catch a glimpse of moonlight reflecting off unusually large incisors.... Mind Seeking: A character could cast this Spell and try to find any “unusual” mind in the area where the bodies were found. A successful use of Mind Scan could potentially narrow down the wererats’ precise location — but it also alerts them that they’ve been found out, and they’ll immediately flee into the sewers. By the time the PCs get to their abandoned warehouse lair they’ll be long gone, and won’t return. Tracking Spell: If there’s an elf in the group who knows this Spell, the PCs are likely to be able to track down the wererats in relatively short order. However, given that all the trails are days cold at present and that they don’t have anything from the killers to use as a “focus,” initial attempts have a -5 penalty on the Detect roll. If the PCs can use Tracking at a fresh corpse, there’s no penalty to the roll at all.

Adventures in Monster Hunting

PART THREE: HUNTING WERERATS

Once the PCs begin maintaining surveillance in the area, roll 2d6. The result is the number of nights they have to spend on stakeouts before they catch a break. If they get creative, or they take steps to minimize their profile (for example, finding some way to cover up their human scent so wererats can’t sniff them out), reduce the number rolled by 1, 2, or more. When the right evening rolls around, one of the PCs conducting surveillance sees something. It’s up to you whether that’s a wererat trying to acquire another victim, or a wererat dumping the body of a recently killed victim. The only difference between the two choices is this: if the wererat’s trying to kill another victim, the PCs have to act right away to save that person, which may have negative consequences (see below). If the lycanthrope’s just dumping a body, they can decide whether to attack him then and there or follow him.

Eventually, one way or another, the PCs learn where the wererats lair. This leads to the adventure’s finale, a big battle. The GM’s Resources section below has a map and description of the warehouse and character sheets for the wererats and other adversaries. There are three possible adversaries here for the PCs: wererats; swarms of rats; and the God of the Rats, a gigantic, mutated rat living in the sewers below the warehouse. The wererats follow the God and bring him food. He won’t leave the sewers, though, so unless the PCs go down into them after him, he’ll escape. It’s up to you to decide how many wererats and rat swarms you want to use against the PCs. This should be a tough fight, but not impossible to win — wererats are difficult to kill most of the time, but the PCs have silver bullets to even the odds. Start with a couple wererats (or maybe just one), then increase the pressure on the PCs by having more of them come out of the sewers to join the fight. The goal is to make the combat a challenge for the Player Characters, but not quickly overwhelm and kill them.

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Confronting The Wererat If the PCs attack the wererat, he’ll try to flee. The PCs can pursue him, but have to win a Skill Versus Skill Contest pitting their Perception (or Shadowing at +2, if any of them have that Skill) against the wererat’s Stealth. If they win, they follow him to the wererats’ warehouse lair; if they lose, the wily lycanthrope lost them. The closer they came to winning the Contest, the closer they get to the wererats’ lair before they lose him. If they don’t find the lair, though, the wererats lay low for a week before trying to obtain any more “provisions.” If the PCs kill the wererat, they lose all hope of interrogating or following him. However, they can then easily use Tracking Spell or a Retrocognition-based Gift to find out where he came from. If the PCs capture the wererat — the best possible outcome, but also the least likely unless they’ve specifically prepared for it by bringing nets, tasers, or the like — they can interrogate him. If they succeed with an Interrogation roll or a Presence Attack, the wererat will quickly tell them where he and his comrades have their lair, how many of them there are, and the like. However, he’ll only tell them about the God of the Rats if the Interrogation roll succeeds by 3 or more, or the Presence Attack succeeds by 10 or more. (For Presence Attack purposes, remember that the PCs get +4d6 because the target’s been captured, and probably another +1-2d6 for exhibiting violent actions and/or coming up with creative threats.) If no PC has Interrogation and a Presence Attack roll fails, getting information out of the wererat will be harder — but not impossible. Like all wererats he’s got a certain streak of cowardice in him and will eventually crumble if the right threats are made.

Conclusion After the PCs emerge victorious, the scenario is essentially over with. The cops who respond to the scene will realize that a heavily-armed group killed these monstrosities, but Detective O’Connor can arrange it so that the department doesn’t put a whole lot of effort into the investigation. (On the other hand, if you want to complicate the PCs’ lives a bit, you could have another detective become obsessed with the case and harass them throughout the rest of the campaign.) The PCs can claim a generous PUFF bounty for monsters killed, having proven to Earl Harbinger that they have what it takes to be part of MHI.

GM’S RESOURCES Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your GMing career.

Warehouse Map This scenario features a map of a two-story abandoned warehouse. It’s roughly 50m long and 30m wide, with a ceiling three stories above a poured cement floor. The exterior walls are made of reinforced brick. This warehouse, once a bustling commercial facility, has been abandoned for years as the tides of business shifted to better parts of the city. Where once goods were neatly stacked on pallets, now there’s a lot of leftover, worthless crates and cartons stacked haphazardly around, largely ruined by time, water leaking in during rainstorms, and other causes. In some places the containers are stacked as much as six meters high; in others there’s just a single small box. Chainlink “cages” for storing special goods are empty; some show signs of having been used as sleeping quarters by homeless people or urban animals. Four small offices are trashed, but still have solid, working doors. In other words, this is an ideal lair for wererats, and a great location for hunting monsters!

The Amulets When the PCs finally capture or kill a wererat, they’ll discover that each of them wears a distinctive amulet. It’s a dull golden color and features an eight-pointed star. None of them recognize this emblem, but the symbol will crop up again in the second scenario, Gimme That Old One Religion. (If you don’t want to run that scenario, you can come up with your own villain to tie to the eight-pointed star.)

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

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Adventures in Monster Hunting Given the nature of this battlefield, it’s possible the wererats or the PCs may use some of the “terrain” for cover. The accompanying table summarizes the PD, ED, and BODY of the objects in this warehouse. See the Objects Table in the MHI RPG for other objects or materials, if necessary.

If the characters use a flamethrower, a molotov cocktail, or any other incendiary weapon, or even smoke cigarettes, in the sewer, there’s a 9- chance that the sewage or methane gas will catch fire. Depending on how you want to handle it, everything in a 3d6 meters radius area takes 1d6 Killing Damage instantly and the fire dissipates, or a 2d6 meters long area of the sewage flow centered on where the fire started catches fire and burns for ½d6 Killing Damage every three Segments for three Turns. In either case, the fire is likely to spread along the sewer tunnels, which could lead to disasters in the city, PCs dying from oxygen starvation, and other tragedies.

WAREHOUSE OBJECTS Material or Object

PD

ED

BODY

Interior wood door

2

2

3

Exterior wood door

4

4

3

Metal fire door

5

5

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Doors

Finding The God Of The Rats

A trail of gnawed bones and wererat tracks leads along the walkways to the giant rat’s lair; the PCs can’t miss it. During their time in the sewers you can have wererats or rat swarms attack them, or you can Safe door 10 15 9 simply let them proceed to the giant rat’s lair. Large vault door 16 24 9 If any PC has Tracking, allow him to make a roll. If he succeeds, Walls he notices tracks and marks along the walkways and walls that are something like rat tracks — but are much larger. If no PC has Chain link fence 3 3 3 Tracking, all PCs can make a PER Roll at -3 to notice this clue. Warehouse exterior wall 5 10 3 The God of the Rats lairs in a small service room off one of the Warehouse inside wall 3 3 3 walkways; it’s almost filled with a nest made from scraps of cloth Miscellaneous and other materials (including human bones). But whether the PCs find him there is another thing entirely. He’s observant enough to Cardboard box, filled 1-3 1-2 1-2 hear them coming (unless they’re all using Stealth successfully) and Drum, 55-gallon, steel 4 6 6 clever enough not to get trapped in a dead-end room if he has a better Wooden crate (1m square) 4 3 7 choice. Depending on how you want to run the fight, he can charge at them down the tunnel (he’s not slowed down or otherwise negatively affected by the sewage) or lunge at them from a side tunnel. Try to make him terrifying and deadly for awhile, until the PCs get the INTO THE SEWERS upper hand and pump enough bullets into him to drop him. (See the In Room 10C there’s a hole in the floor that seems to have been God of the Rats’s character sheet for more information on how he gnawed by wererat teeth. (Allow the PCs to make PER Rolls; if anyone fights.) succeeds by 3 or more, he realizes that some of the gnaw-marks were made by teeth far larger than the wererats’.) This hole leads into the sewers beneath the warehouse (which aren’t mapped) and to the lair of the God of the Rats.

The Sewer Environment

The sewer tunnels are 3m broad and 3m high; their stench could knock over a rhino at ten paces. The characters have two choices: walk along the narrow walkways on each side of the stream of sewage, or wade through the noxious stuff. If they choose the former, they suffer the standard penalty for “narrow surface” (-2 DCV, -2 DCs to attacks that require the use of muscles or balance, such as most HTH Combat attacks) but can move at full speed. If they choose the latter, they can move at -2m Running, suffer the -2 DCV penalty for standing in “water,” and will end up having to burn their boots and pants because the smell is never going to come out.

8

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Monster Character Sheets THE GOD OF THE RATS Val

Char

Cost

Roll

Notes

25

STR

15

14-

Lift 800 kg; 5d6 HTH damage [2]

20

DEX

20

13-

20

CON

10

13-

10

INT

0

11-

10

EGO

0

11-

25

PRE

15

14-

7

OCV

20

8

DCV

25

3

OMCV

0

3

DMCV

0

5

SPD

30

Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

9

PD

7

Total: 9 PD (3 rPD)

5

ED

3

Total: 5 ED (3 rED)

10

REC

6

40

END

4

25

BODY

16

60

STUN

20

Climbing 13-

7

Stealth 15-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 131 Total Cost: 322 PER Roll 11PRE Attack: 5d6

Matching Complications (50)

15

Physical Complication: Near-Human Intelligence (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

10

Physical Complication: Large (up to 11 feet long and 660 pounds; +2 OCV for others to hit, +2 to PER Rolls for others to perceive) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

20

Physical Complication: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

Ecology: The God of the Rats is one of Vincent Scarlatti’s most fiendish creations. Using foul necromancies, he mutated an ordinary sewer rat, then turned it loose to become an apex predator in the city’s sewers (and a means of recruiting wererats to join his cause). The plan’s worked like a charm — so far. Personality/Motivation: Normal animal motivations. The God of the Rats feels no special loyalty toward its maker and will kill and eat him just like any other human if it gets the chance. Powers/Tactics: When the PCs first encounter the God of the Rats, roll its 5d6 Presence Attack — just coming on such a monstrosity may terrify them into running away (in which case some of them may quickly become prey for the gigantic rodent). Heroes who keep their cool still have a serious fight on their hands. The magical energies that mutated the rat cause it to heal from minor wounds almost immediately (this is represented by its Damage Negation). But it’s vulnerable to fire, electricity, and the like (assuming the PCs dare to use them in the sewer). The God’s typical strategy is to pounce on one target, kill him with a bite or bites, then proceed to the next until everyone is dead or fled and he can make a nice meal of the corpses. Treat the pounce as an attempted Grab (he holds the target down with his sheer bulk). If he pounces on a PC in the sewage flow, that character’s also at risk for drowning — but the odds are the God will kill him long before that can happen. If he loses 10 or more points of BODY, or is confronted with a significant amount of fire, the God of the Rats flees. The PUFF bounty on the God of the Rats has to be negotiated, but will probably be in the range of $30,000. Appearance: The God of the Rats looks like a rat the size of a rhinoceros. Its large, sharp incisors gleam wickedly in any light, and its eyes have a devilish tinge of red.

Total Characteristics Cost: 191 Running:

175

Total Complications Points: 45 Experience Points: 152

18m

Cost

Powers

END

25

Deadly Incisors: HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR)

2

16

Claws: HKA 1d6+1 (3d6 with STR)

2

3

Tough Skin: Resistant (+½) for 3 PD/3 ED

0

20

Hard To Hurt: Damage Negation (-4 DCs Physical)

0

4

Heavy: Knockback Resistance -4m

0

6

Swift Runner: Running +6m (18m total)

1

9

Rat’s Senses: +3 PER with all Sense Groups

0

5

Rat’s Eyes: Nightvision

0

5

Rat’s Nose: Tracking with Normal Smell

0

Talents 4

3

Sewer Dweller: Environmental Movement (no penalties in sewers)

9

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Movement:

24

Skills +3 HTH

Adventures in Monster Hunting

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WERERAT Val

Char

Cost

Roll Notes

15

STR

5

12-

20

DEX

20

13-

16

CON

6

12-

10

INT

0

11-

10

EGO

0

11-

18

PRE

8

13-

6

OCV

15

7

DCV

3

OMCV

3

DMCV

0

5

SPD

30

Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

8

PD

6

Total: 8 PD (2 rPD)

6

ED

4

Total: 8 ED (2 rED)

6

REC

2

30

END

2

14

BODY

4

30

STUN

5

Cost

Powers

20

Wererat’s Resilience: Damage Negation (-4 DCs 0 Physical)

Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH damage [1]

END

Doesn’t Work Against Silver-Based Attacks (-½)

plus Damage Negation (-2 DCs Energy) Doesn’t Work Against Fire Attacks (-½)

32

PER Roll 11-

Wererat’s Regeneration: Regeneration (3 BODY 0 per Turn) Doesn’t Heal Damage Caused By Silver Weapons (-½), Cannot Regenerate Lost Limbs (-0)

PRE Attack: 3½d6 5

Wererat’s Regeneration: Life Support (Immunity 0 to all diseases)

20

6

Wererat’s Legs: Running +6m (18m total)

0

1

Wererat’s Legs: Leaping +2m (6m forward, 3m 1 upward)

6

Wererat’s Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups

5

Wererat’s Eyes: Group)

5

Wererat’s Nose: Discriminatory for Normal Smell

0

5

Wererat’s Nose: Tracking for Normal Smell

0

16

Skills +2 HTH

2

Animal Handler (Rodents) 13-

3

Stealth 13-

3

Tracking 11-

Movement:

Total Characteristics Cost: 119 Running:

18m

Leaping:

6m

Cost

Powers

END

15

Shapechanging: Multiform (change shape into 0 175-point human; true form is half-animal form) Incisors: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR)

1

10

Claws: HKA ½d6 (1½d6 with STR)

1

83

Wererat’s Bite: Major Transform 12d6 (human 0 into wererat; heals back through special magic ritual) Constant (+½), Persistent (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Always On (-½), All Or Nothing (-½), Incisors HKA Must Do BODY (-½), Limited Target (humans and related beings; -½), Linked (to Incisors HKA; -¼)

Martial Arts: Red In Tooth And Claw Maneuver

OCV

DCV Notes

4

Avoid Harm

—

+5

Dodge all attacks, Abort

4

Chomp/Claw Slash

+0

+2

Strike +2 DC

3

Holding Bite

+0

-1

Grab One Limb, +10 STR

2

Wererat’s Resilience: Resistant (+½) for 2 PD/2 ED 0

0

Ultraviolet Perception (Sight 0

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 245 Total Cost: 364

Extra Time (takes 1 Turn to change shape; -1¼)

15

1

175

Matching Complications (50)

35

Enraged: Berserk in combat or when injured (Very Common), go 11-, recover 11-

0

Physical Complication: Human Size

20

Vulnerability: 2 x STUN from Silver Weapons (Common)

20

Vulnerability: 2 x BODY from Silver Weapons (Common)

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 189 Description: Wererats are shorter than most other lycanthropes. In human form they often look shifty, with tiny eyes, sharp noses, black or dark grey hair, and other rat-like features. In rat-man form, they have sufficient manual dexterity to use firearms or other weapons (though they rarely do, preferring to rely on their incisors and claws in most instances). The PUFF bounty for a wererat depends on the monster’s age, experience, number of kills, and the like, but usually ranges from $30,000 to $200,000.

10

Adventures in Monster Hunting

RAT SWARM

Skills 3

Val

Char

Cost

Roll Notes

1

STR

-9

4-

14

DEX

8

12-

10

CON

0

11-

8

INT

-2

11-

5

EGO

-5

10-

10

PRE

0

11-

5

OCV

10

3

DCV

0

2

OMCV

-3

2

DMCV

-3

2

SPD

0

Phases: 6, 12

2

PD

0

Total: 2 PD (0 rPD)

2

ED

0

Total: 2 ED (0 rED)

2

REC

-2

20

END

0

10

BODY

0

14

STUN

-3

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 63 Total Cost: 54 175

Matching Complications (50)

PER Roll 11-

20

Physical Complication: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

PRE Attack: 2d6

0

Physical Complication: Human Size

20

Physical Complication: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

Total Complications Points: 40 Experience Points: 0

Total Characteristics Cost: -9 Running:

2m

Leaping:

1m

Swimming:

1m

Cost

Powers

END

5

Bite: HKA 1 point (1 point with STR)

1

20

Swarm Form: Damage Negation (-6 DCs Physical)

0

Ecology: Individually, a rat poses no significant threat to a Hunter. But sometimes, for natural reasons or when under the influence of a monster like a wererat or the God of the Rats, rats form swarms. In game terms, a swarm counts as a single being, albeit a being which is hard to hurt or avoid due to its amorphous nature (represented by its Damage Negation). A character who Stuns or Knocks Out a swarm has simply affected enough of its component creatures to disperse and disorient it. If he does enough BODY damage to kill it, he has destroyed enough of the component creatures that the few survivors leave. Personality/Motivation: Normal animal motivations. Powers/Tactics: Rat swarms usually attack by overwhelming a target and biting him to death. For added dramatic impact some of the rats can climb walls and drop on a character from above, run up his pants leg, get inside his body armor, and so on. Since swarms aren’t single creatures, you shouldn’t use the Hit Location rules when attacking them; simply apply the damage generally. Appearance: A man-size (or sometimes larger) swarm of sharptoothed rats.

Not Versus Area Of Effect Attacks (-½)

7

Swarm Form: Damage Negation (-2 DCs Energy)

0

Not Versus Area Of Effect Attacks (-½)

10

Swarm Form: No Hit Locations

0

24

Swarm Form: Desolidification (affected by any attack)

0

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½), Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1)

-1

Rat’s Legs: Leaping -3m (1m forward, ½m upward)

-10

Rat’s Legs: Running -10m (2m total)

-1

Rat’s Legs: Swimming -3m (1m total)

5

Swarm Form: Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) for Normal Sight

1

0

11

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Movement:

Lift 8 kg; 0d6 HTH damage [1]

Climbing 12-

Adventures in Monster Hunting

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GIMME THAT OLD ONE RELIGION The PCs discover that an Old One-worshipping cult has taken root in the city. If they don’t stop it quickly, it will become a major force for evil in the world — and will unleash a terrible spell on the city!

PART ONE: YOU NEED SOME CHURCHIFYIN’

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

While walking around the city one day — or even during another adventure, if you want to run something else between this scenario and New Kids In Town — one of the PCs notices a flyer. It reads:

The necromancer Vincent Scarlatti serves Neihor, one of the Old Ones. In the wake of Martin Hood’s death and the crumbling of the Condition, he’s recruited some former Condition members and other people to form a new cult worshipping Neihor. The cult masquerades as “the Church of Ancient Wisdom,” a sort of spiritual/self-help group. The Church dupes innocent people into joining and then mystically “brainwashes” them to become devotees of Neihor and faithful servants of Scarlatti’s. (Though only Ryan Smallwood, the cult’s leader, knows of Scarlatti’s existence and secret control of the Church.) After the PCs see Church flyers and ads featuring an eightpointed star logo exactly like the one on the amulets they took from the wererats in New Kids In Town, they realize the Church is more than it seems and begin investigating. One way or another they find But what’s more disturbing is the graphic: the flyer’s decorated with an out about the Church’s compound outside the city, go there, and put a eight-pointed star emblem that looks like a two-dimensional version stop to the cult’s evil... or so they hope. of the star in the amulets the PCs took from the wererats in New Kids In Town. If that’s not enough to pique the PCs’ interest, check their Scarlatti’s Spying pulses — they’re probably dead. After they killed his wererats, Vincent Scarlatti began to take an interest in the PCs — and that interest will increase once he realizes they’re now targeting his cult. Since he’s a necromancer, he can use the Clairvoyance Spell to spy on them anytime he likes. He can’t do this constantly (he has other demands on his time, of course), but any time you want to throw a monkey wrench into the PCs’ plans, you can assume Scarlatti learned something useful through Clairvoyance and passed that information on to his underlings. If the PCs can cast Spells and cast Detect Clairvoyance at the right time, they’ll uncover Scarlatti’s spying. They won’t know who’s watching them or why, but they can take steps to prevent him from learning everything they do. If they lack the ability to cast that Spell, you may occasionally let them make PER Rolls, then tell the character who succeeds by the most that he feels as if he’s being watched.

RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE AS A STAND-ALONE New Kids In Town works well as a stand-alone adventure if you don’t want to use it as part of the story arc. Just take the wererat amulets and Scarlatti out of the picture. Instead it’s a simple matter of the PCs learning about the Church of Ancient Wisdom, investigating, and discovering that the Church’s leader, Ryan Smallwood, is a sorcerer. Once the PCs kill Smallwood (or have the MCB or police arrest him), the cult quickly falls apart.

ENTER MARCUS HANCOCK, STAGE RIGHT At some point during this part of the scenario — possibly the worst possible time for the PCs — Special Agent Marcus Hancock, the head of the MCB office in the city, pays a visit to the PCs at their base of operations. He’s accompanied by two other MCB agents who don’t speak unless spoken to. (If you think the PCs are going to cause trouble with the MCB, feel free to make one of those others Agent Franks.) He’s here on a “courtesy call” to introduce himself and find out more about them. He also wants to hear the PCs’ report on the wererat incident. He’s polite and professional, but he insists on hearing about everything that happened. He’s upset that his office wasn’t informed about the incident sooner, or even called in to handle it. He makes it clear that in the future, the PCs are to keep him informed about what they’re doing (if for no other reason so that he can be ready to deal with the authorities and any fallout from their activities). If they don’t, he can certainly cause them, and MHI as a whole, some serious trouble. He won’t directly threaten them beyond that, or even raise his voice, but he makes his point quite clearly. As he leaves, he says, “Here’s how I work. You treat me right, I’ll treat you right as much as the law allows. You don’t treat me right, and things become unpleasant. I hope we can all keep this a pleasant, professional relationship.”

12

Adventures in Monster Hunting From this point on, throughout this scenario and the ones that follow, you can insert Special Agent Hancock and/or the MCB in general into an adventure as a complicating factor the PCs have to deal with. Depending on how reckless they are, they may even find themselves on the MCB’s hit list — and when it’s gone that far it’s unlikely even Earl Harbinger’s influence can save them.

INVESTIGATING THE CHURCH There are several ways for the PCs to learn more about the Church of Ancient Wisdom. The text below describes some of the most obvious, but be prepared to think on your feet if the PCs try something not so obvious.

Attend Church Services

Burgle The Church The PCs may decide they want to get information on the Church without anyone being the wiser — in other words, they’ll break into the place, search for useful information and clues, and then leave. This is not as easy as it sounds. First, the church building is rarely unoccupied. There are at least several acolytes there from dawn until at least midnight, and in the late morning, late afternoon, and early evening there are services that bring many more people into the building. On some nights acolytes (and often Brother Ryan) are there all night long; on other nights they close up shop by 1:00 AM and go home. Still, if the PCs are patient, they’ll get their chance after a few nights. Then they have to deal with the building’s security. It has exterior closed circuit TV cameras and alarms on all the doors and windows. Avoiding or bypassing all this security requires two successful Security Systems rolls, the first at -3 and the second at -2. Unlocking one of the doors or opening a window requires a successful Lockpicking roll at -2. (Of course, the PCs can just smash a window and go in, but that triggers an alarm that goes right to the cops and to Ryan Smallwood’s penthouse apartment, so they won’t have much time to search if they want to get away.) It takes an hour to thoroughly search the place (not including getting into the Church’s safe, which requires another hour and a successful Lockpicking roll at -4; the safe contains about $20,000 in cash and several of the eight-pointed star amulets). Have the characters all make Concealment rolls, with their PER Rolls as Complementary Skills (remember, Concealment is an Everyman Skill, so every character has it on at least an 8- roll). For each successful roll, the characters can learn one of the following facts:

13

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The simplest way to learn more about the Church is to go there. It’s eager for new members and has services at least once a day, so it’s more than open to visitors. The services themselves aren’t particularly suspicious (aside, perhaps, from the fact that there are no Bibles or hymnals). They mostly involve a sermon/lecture by one “Brother Ryan,” who seems to be the leader of the Church. He’s dressed in a brown robe with some gold embroidered decorations that aren’t Christian symbols (nor are they Old One symbols, magical runes, or the like — they’re simply decorative). He speaks about how “giving one’s self up to God” can allow a person to “realize his full potential” and “come to know and understand the true wisdom of the world.” He goes on and on for over half an hour along those lines, rarely saying anything concrete, but it’s apparent he’s a gifted speaker — after awhile his mellifluous voice is almost hypnotic in its appeal. (This won’t have any effect on the PCs, but against most NPCs this works as a form of the Domination Spell, allowing Ryan Smallwood to slowly but surely win new, fanatically loyal converts.) Most people attending the service wear normal clothes; many of them are clearly down and out, while others are obviously homeless people seeking a place out of the weather for an hour or so. But all seem to enjoy Brother Ryan’s talk; some are practically mesmerized by his words. During the service a number of “acolytes,” wearing brown robes similar to Brother Ryan’s but without the gold embroidery, work their way through the crowd taking donations, helping people who seem overcome by religious ecstasy, answering questions, and so forth. They’re good at what they do; they remain as unobtrusive as possible but get the job done. When the service ends, Brother Ryan invites anyone who’d like to join him and his acolytes for some light refreshments. He and the acolytes walk through a door into another room where some other acolytes have set up a table with coffee, punch, cookies, and doughnuts. For the next half hour they mingle with anyone who’d like to talk to them — which includes about half the people who attended the service, and the PCs.

If the PCs speak to Brother Ryan, he’ll be happy to talk to them as long as they’re polite and non-accusatory. He deftly avoids answering questions about himself, his Church’s true purpose, his Church’s assets, and any other suspicious topic. If any of the PCs has the Conversation Skill, he can use it in a Skill Versus Skill Contest against Brother Ryan’s PER Roll to try to get a useful tidbit of information out of him. If the PC wins the Contest, Brother Ryan lets slip the existence of the Church’s compound outside the city (see below) or some other fact you think will help the PCs, and doesn’t even realize he’s done it. If the PCs become hostile, threatening, or in any other way disruptive, several burly acolytes will “escort” them out of the church (or will try, at least). One of the acolytes will call 911; when the police respond, the PCs may end up in real trouble. At the very least the cops warn them to stay away from the church; at worst they get arrested and hauled downtown to jail. It’s possible the PCs may try to infiltrate the Church and learn more by pretending to become members. If so, fantastic! That’s a great roleplaying opportunity. Slow the scenario down a bit. Run some other adventures to keep the PCs occupied, and occasionally switch back to scenes of them working their way up in the Church ranks and learning more (assuming they don’t blow their covers by doing something stupid, or get caught snooping). When the time is right they get taken into the ranks of the acolytes and learn the truth about the Church. Then, with the Awakening just about to take place, they get sent out to the compound to help with the ritual — which, of course, they’ll disrupt by shooting a lot of people.

Adventures in Monster Hunting ' Ryan Smallwood’s home address ' the Church owns a compound outside of town, and the compound’s address ' if the character also succeeds with a Computer Programming or PS: Accountant roll, that the Church is cheating on its taxes by maintaining two sets of books. The Church is by no means wealthy, but it has a strong income stream (though it also spends a lot on its recruiting efforts) ' there are several references in private Church documents to “the Awakening,” an event that’s not explained but that seems imminent If any of the PCs casts Perceive Magic in the church building, he won’t find any magic.

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Research City Records

If a PC goes down to City Hall, he can make a Bureaucratics roll to look up information on the Church (or a Charm or Persuasion roll to get a helpful city clerk to do it for him). City records reveal the following: ' the Church of Ancient Wisdom has filed all the necessary paperwork to be considered a legitimate, tax-exempt religious organization ' the Church owns a large tract of land about an hour outside of town in a rural area that’s only sparsely settled ' the Church owns a swanky penthouse apartment in a fancy downtown building

Following Church Members

The PCs may decide that following Church members to their homes will yield useful information. If they try this, they can trail Smallwood or an acolyte to his home without being detected if they succeed with a Shadowing roll. If they don’t have that Skill, they have to engage in a PER Roll Versus PER Roll Contest with whomever they’re following. If they win, they’re not detected; if they fail, the subject notices them and immediately begins using Stealth and other tactics (like ducking into stores and going out the back way) to shake them. Following any acolyte home yields no useful information; they all live ordinary lives outside of their Church involvement. If the PCs burgle their homes, they’ll find some Church literature but nothing else of note. If the PCs follow Ryan Smallwood home, he leads them to an expensive condo building downtown. He lives in the penthouse apartment. There’s a doorman and a reception desk downstairs, so the PCs can’t just stroll in. There’s also an alarm on Smallwood’s condominium door that requires a successful Security Systems roll to bypass. (Getting in without the key also requires a successful Lockpicking roll.) If the PCs find a way to get into Smallwood’s condo when he’s not there, they’ve hit the jackpot. In addition to $50,000 in cash, they find written materials that make three things clear:

' Smallwood is the head of the Church, but he definitely answers to someone else. He receives coded letters from this person that are sealed with a signet ring impression in blood-red wax that shows the eight-pointed star. Translating the coded letters requires several hours and a successful Cryptography roll at -2. For the most part they’re instructions relating to mundane details about Church operations. But there are also references to “the Awakening” which state that all is proceeding as planned and that the event is “imminent.”

PART TWO: THE COMPOUND Whether they learn about it and sneak out there to do some reconnaissance without the Church knowing, or get taken out there as part of the “faithful,” the PCs sooner or later make their way to the Church’s compound. It’s about an hour’s drive outside the city in an isolated rural area where no one’s likely to see what the Church is up to. As you can see on the map in the GM’s Resources section, there’s a large main building (called “the Plantation House” — and if your game takes place in the Southeast it might even be one), bunkhouses, stables, and other buildings. Most of the land around this central area is forested (lightly or heavily), though the trees have been cut down far enough away from the main building that the PCs can’t sneak right up to it without being seen. Other open areas (not shown on the map) include a shooting range, a field for sports and activities, and an area south of the main house where a large, strangely-shaped bonfire’s being prepared. Church members are active all over this place; some wear robes, some don’t, and many of them are armed with rifles and/or handguns. The compound has more of the air of a military installation than a peaceful religious retreat — probably because it never was a peaceful religious retreat.

THE MAIN BUILDING See the GM’s Resources section, below, for more information on the Plantation House and what the PCs find if they go in there.

THE AWAKENING

Assuming the PCs don’t go in guns a-blazin’ and try to destroy the place right away, the ceremony of the Awakening — a powerful Spell that will convert everyone in the city and surrounding regions to Neihor’s worship — takes place that night (or whatever night allows you to arrange things so all the PCs are present). Ryan Smallwood arrives a couple hours before dark to handle the final preparations. The bonfire south of the main building has been laid out in such a way as to “focus” energy from Neihor to the spellcasters to make the ' the Church of Ancient Wisdom is a front for the worship of Spell work. Any cultist not participating will be there to watch the the Old Ones; anyone of acolyte level or higher knows this and “blessed” event. follows the Old Ones willingly ' Smallwood is a necromancer of no small power

14

Adventures in Monster Hunting Disrupting the ritual is easy — all the PCs have to do is kill or Knock Out some of the participants, or break up the fire somehow. Once they do that, though, a major gun battle is likely to erupt. All cultists not participating in the ritual are armed with at least a handgun, and heavier weapons are stored in the Tool Shed and the Stable. None of the cultists at the ceremony have body armor, though some might run back to the bunkhouses to don their bulletproof vests.

Dying Words

Monsters

If they haven’t done so already, the PCs can search the main building and other structures after the cult’s been destroyed. The main building and its contents are described below. In the other buildings they mainly find personal effects, tools, supplies, and the like, but also a well-stocked armory. If they play their cards right they might be able to swipe some of the goodies for themselves before the MCB clamps down on the place. Depending on how they handle the situation and how the MCB finds out about it, the PCs could strengthen their positive relations with Special Agent Hancock. If they let him know what’s going on in advance and ask for his help, he develops greater respect for them and their professionalism. If they just call him in after the shooting’s done to clean up the mess, his opinion of them worsens.

If you think it’s necessary to give the PCs a challenging fight, Smallwood can have some conjured monsters to aid him. At the very least he’ll have two robed zombies as his personal bodyguard, but he could have a lot more than that if need be.

Implications Of A Gunfight

CONCLUSION

GM’S RESOURCES Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your GMing career. For example, you could repurpose the Plantation House map as a mansion owned by a wealthy mogul, and the cultist character sheets work well with any cult, not just the Church of Ancient Wisdom.

Compound Map The accompanying map shows the compound’s main building and surrounding structures. The buildings marked “O.H.” are outhouses, abandoned and crumbling since indoor plumbing was installed. They might make good hiding places or cover for the PCs in a pinch. The gravel driveway leading up to the house runs off to the southeast to the nearest paved road.

Plantation House Map The exterior of the main house is painted grey. The building shows signs of having undergone extensive repairs recently (the Church fixed it up after buying it). See the Object Table in the MHI RPG rulebook for the defenses and BODY of doors, walls, and other objects not specifically listed below.

15

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While gunplay is almost certain here — it’s an MHI RPG adventure, after all! — you should remind the PCs of a few things before they open fire. First, they’re outnumbered at least four to one. If they’re going to survive this fight they need to use their brains as well as their trigger fingers. The right tactic at the right time could make a lot of the cultists flee; the wrong tactic could get all the PCs killed. Second, shooting people is different from shooting monsters. In point of fact, it constitutes murder. The PCs have a viable defense (preventing the commission of a crime that threatens the entire city, if not the world), but proving that defense may be difficult if they’re not careful. (For example, it would be a smart move to videotape at least part of the ceremony so the MCB can analyze it later.) Beyond that, shooting other people isn’t the same thing as shooting monsters; some of the PCs may have qualms about it. If so, encourage the group to roleplay the debate, and the final decision about what to do. Third, there’s no PUFF bounty for killing cultists (though there is for any monsters the cult has on hand). However, in light of the circumstances it might be possible for the PCs to negotiate a much higher than usual PUFF for any monsters killed. This would be a great opportunity for some roleplaying as the PCs argue with some MCB bureaucrat over the phone. One potential solution to these problems is to call Special Agent Hancock and have the MCB show up in force. That would shut the ritual down quickly and keep the PCs from getting into any legal hot water at all (though it might also cost them some PUFF bounties). Even if they don’t call the MCB in initially, doing so after the fact will give the Bureau the opportunity to cover the whole thing up without anyone the wiser. (As a long-term campaign planning point, they or the conventional authorities might also gather ballistic evidence on the PCs’ guns, which could come back to haunt the PCs later.)

If possible, arrange the fight so that Ryan Smallwood doesn’t shuffle off this mortal coil until he’s had the chance to fling one final taunt in the PCs’ faces. His dying words are: “You.. may think.. that you’ve won... beaten me. But the... master... still lives. Will... destroy you.”

Adventures in Monster Hunting

THE FIRST FLOOR

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1) Portico: The four columns have 4 PD, 4 ED, and 5 BODY; they provide “half hidden” Behind Cover modifiers if someone hides behind one. 2) Entry Hall: The entry hall has plain, sturdy carpet on the floor, and simple paintings hung on the wall for a little decor. 3) Planning Room: This room, formerly a parlor, now serves as a “war room” for the Church to plan its activities. From the papers, notes, and maps scattered here the PCs can learn the whole of Smallwood’s scheme: convert the city to Neihor’s worship, then move on to other cities one at a time until he basically controls the USA. Some of the papers are in code and show the same signet mark as the ones at Smallwood’s condominium. Some of the papers imply the existence of a master whom Smallwood serves, but they never state it outright, much less mention Vincent Scarlatti by name. 4) Dining Room: This room is where Smallwood and his followers eat (in shifts, since the room’s not big enough for all of them). The furniture is simple but sturdy.

5) Meeting Hall And Ritual Chamber: The house’s former ballroom has been converted into a room where Smallwood can hold Church services, meet with/lecture all of his followers at once, and perform arcane rituals and ceremonies. Some of his mystic paraphernalia is in cabinets along the wall. 6) Kitchens: Here’s where the more culinarily-inclined cult members prepare food for everyone. There are plenty of impromptu weapons (knives, cleavers, iron pans, hot stoves...) if necessary. 7) Storage: The Church keeps supplies (mostly food and cooking materials) here. 8) Stairs: The stairs are so narrow that people must go up or down in single file. 9) Library: This two-story room is lined with bookshelves. Many of the books cover subjects of interest to MHI (such as secret histories of the world, information on certain types of monsters, and books of esoteric philosophy and occult wisdom), but none are grimoires or usable to learn magic. 10) Piazza: The six columns have 4 PD, 4 ED, and 3 BODY; they provide a mere -1 OCV Behind Cover modifier if someone hides behind one.

16

Adventures in Monster Hunting

THE SECOND FLOOR

THE BASEMENT

11) Stairs: See 8, above. 12-17) Bedrooms: These are bedrooms for Smallwood (12) and his highest-ranking acolytes. In Smallwood’s room there’s a fireproof safe (Lockpicking at -4 to open) that contains his grimoire, important books and papers, and other damning evidence. None of this material mentions Vincent Scarlatti, but in some of it Smallwood refers directly to his “master” in terms that make it clear he’s referring to another human, not Neihor. 18) Meeting Room: Another former parlor, this is where Smallwood and his chief acolytes meet if necessary. It’s also where Smallwood doles out punishments to follower who’ve failed him or broken the rules. 19) Balcony: The columns here are just like the ones at 10 (see above). 20) Upper Library Level: Here the PCs find more shelves full of books, and an open area that allows them to see (or jump into) the library below.

21) Basement Entrance: The basement has its own entrance; this might be a good way for the PCs to sneak into the house without being seen (there are usually more people hanging around in the front of the house than in the back). 22) Hallway 23-26) Ritual Chambers: Smallwood has set these four rooms up for other types of rituals — ones that can’t be performed aboveground, for instance. Various ritual materials, boxes full of cultist robes, and the like are piled up along the walls. 27-28) Storage: Extra equipment (including a few rifles and boxes of ammunition) and supplies that the Church doesn’t need frequently are stored here. 29) Machinery: This area holds the heating and cooling systems and the supplemental power generator for the building. 30) Freezer: A walk-in freezer for storing food. 31) Bathroom

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17

Adventures in Monster Hunting Total Complication Points: 15 Experience Points: 0

Villain Character Sheets

CULTIST OF ANCIENT WISDOM (STANDARD) Description: This character sheet represents a typical member of Val

Char

Cost

Roll

Notes

8

STR

-2

11-

Lift 75 kg; 1 ½d6 HTH damage [1]

8

DEX

-4

11-

8

CON

-2

11-

8

INT

-2

11-

7

EGO

-3

11-

8

PRE

-2

11-

3

OCV

0

3

DCV

0

3

OMCV

0

2

DMCV

-3

2

SPD

0

Phases: 6, 12

2

PD

0

Total: 2 PD (0 rPD)

2

ED

0

Total: 2 ED (0 rED)

4

REC

0

15

END

-1

8

BODY

-2

16

STUN

-2

PER Roll 11PRE Attack: 1½d6

the Church of Ancient Wisdom — one who still believes the Church’s cover story about being a self-help, self-realization group and hasn’t been let in on the group’s secrets. He has, however, been involved with the Church long enough to have come under “Brother Ryan’s” sway. As long as Smallwood’s “requests” aren’t absurdly unreasonable, the cultist does what’s “asked” of him. He has no combat training, but depending on his job he might be in a position to give Brother Ryan’s enemies a very hard time.

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CULTIST OF ANCIENT WISDOM (ELITE)

Movement:

Total Characteristics Cost: -22 Running:

10m

Swimming:

2m

Cost

Powers

-2

A Little Slow: Running -2m (10m total)

-1

A Little Slow: Swimming -2m (2m total)

END

Skills 2

KS: Own Profession 11-

2

KS: Hobby 11-

2

PS: Own Profession 11-

10

Other Skills and abilities of the GM’s choice

25 Matching Complications (15) Distinctive Features: Cult Amulet (Easily Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable)

15 Psychological Complication: Loyal To Ryan Smallwood And The Church Of Ancient Wisdom (Common, Strong) 20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major) 10 Social Limitation: Harmful Secret (is a member of an Old Ones cult) (Infrequently, Major)

Char

Cost

Roll Notes

11

STR

1

11-

11

DEX

2

11-

13

CON

3

12-

10

INT

0

11-

10

EGO

0

11-

10

PRE

0

11-

4

OCV

5

4

DCV

5

3

OMCV

0

3

DMCV

0

3

SPD

10

Phases: 4, 8, 12

4

PD

2

Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)

3

ED

1

Total: 4 ED (0 rED)

6

REC

1

25

END

1

10

BODY

0

24

STUN

2

Movement:

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 13 Total Cost: -9 5

Val

PER Roll 11PRE Attack: 2d6

Total Characteristics Cost: 33 Running:

Cost

Skill

2

KS: Ancient Wisdom Theology 11-

2

KS: Own Profession 11-

2

KS: Hobby 11-

2

PS: Own Profession 11-

3

Stealth 11-

2

TF: Ground Vehicles

2

WF: Small Arms

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 15 Total Cost: 48

18

Lift 117 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

12m

Adventures in Monster Hunting

RYAN SMALLWOOD

50 Matching Complications (25) 5

Distinctive Features: Cult Amulet (Easily Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable)

15 Psychological Complication: Loyal To Ryan Smallwood And The Church Of Ancient Wisdom (Common, Strong) 20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major) 10 Social Limitation: Harmful Secret (is a member of an Old Ones cult) (Infrequently, Major) Total Complication Points: 25 Experience Points: 0

EQUIPMENT Weapon

OCV

Rifle

STR RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes

Val Char

Cost Roll Notes

10

STR

0

11-

14

DEX

8

12-

15

CON

5

12-

18

INT

8

13-

18

EGO

8

13-

20

PRE

10

13-

6

OCV

15

6

DCV

15

6

OMCV 9

6

DMCV 9

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

PER Roll 13PRE Attack: 4d6

+0

2d6

+0

9

+0

1d6

+0

6

6

—

6

PD

4

Total: 6 PD (0 rPD)

Knife

+0

1d6-1

+0

—

4

—

6

ED

4

Total: 6 ED (0 rED)

8

REC

4

40

END

4

15

BODY

5

36

STUN

8

+0

—

Armor Bulletproof vest (Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED), covers Hit Locations 9-13) Gear: Miscellaneous small possessions (wallet, watch, cigarettes, spare change...) Description: This character sheet represents an elite member of the Church of Ancient Wisdom — one who’s advanced through the ranks enough to learn what the Church really worships, and what its true plans are. (Though he knows nothing about Vincent Scarlatti; he won’t even recognize the name.) He’s been to the compound several times (perhaps frequently) and has been trained in combat there (though he’s no match for a Hunter one on one). If involved in a fight at the compound he’ll have some sort of weapon and a simple bulletproof vest. A few elite cultists may be even more effective than these due to police or military training. In that case increase their Characteristics and Skills accordingly, or if necessary use the MCB Agent character sheet from the MHI RPG to represent them.

19

Movement:

Total Characteristics Cost: 136 Running:

12m

Cost Spells

END

20

Banishment

6

10

Cause Illness

12

13

Control Undead

6

9

Create Lesser Undead (see text)

8

11

Demon Summoning

7

11

Domination

6

13

Fireshaping

4

17

Spell Shattering

7

1

Summoning Circle

1

3

Perks Fringe Benefit: Membership (leader of small, secret cult)

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+0

Handgun (.38) +0

Adventures in Monster Hunting During one of his research sessions in the bowels of the campus library, he came across a mention of a “moste awful Daemon of foule 3 High Society 13corruption” named Neihor. Somehow strangely captivated by the 3 KS: Ancient Wisdom Theology 13name, he looked for more information but uncovered nothing. He checked his personal library, and again found nothing. Then he tried 2 KS: Literature 11another library, and another.... 3 KS: World Religions 13 Before long finding out more about the mysterious Neihor 2 Language: Latin (fluent conversation; English is Native) became Smallwood’s obsession, consuming his free time as well as his 3 Oratory 13work time. Eventually his quest led him to Vincent Scarlatti — who, knowing good material when he saw it, brought Smallwood into the 3 Persuasion 13worship of Neihor and set him up to lead a cult devoted to the god. 17 Magic 20Personality/Motivation: Smallwood is perfectly suited to being 3 Stealth 11the leader of a secret cult. First, he loves lording his intelligence and position over everyone else. He thinks that he’s better than practically 2 TF: Ground Vehicles everyone, particularly in intellectual pursuits, and is happy to show 2 WF: Small Arms off by making his underlings look foolish. Second, he’s petty and ambitious enough to think that belonging to a cult that worships a Total Powers & Skills Cost: 151 deadly extradimensional entity is a great way to achieve his goals and Total Cost: 287 get revenge on anyone who’s ever spurned or mocked him (which in 200 Matching Complications (50) his mind include nearly everyone he’s ever known). 5 Distinctive Features: Cult Amulet (Easily Concealed; Quote: “No, you fool, do what I told you to do!” Noticed And Recognizable) Powers/Tactics: Smallwood isn’t a frontline combatant — he prefers 20 Physical Complication: dies if he tries to reveal Scarlatti’s to let his faithful followers take the risks of battle. If he knows a existence or secrets (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) violent conflict is coming, he’ll prepare by creating zombie or skeleton 15 Psychological Complication: Loyal To Vincent Scarlatti And bodyguards, summoning demons to help him, and so forth. He may also try to use Cause Illness on any enemy he can identify. If taken by Neihor (Common, Strong) surprise he relies on either his pistol, or his ability to talk his way out 10 Psychological Complication: Arrogant (Common, Moderate) of sticky situations. 20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Smallwood’s Create Lesser Undead Spell lets him create one Major) zombie or skeleton (the Spell has the same Limitations as Create 10 Social Limitation: Harmful Secret (is a member of an Old Undead). However, any zombies so created do not have the ability to Ones cult) (Infrequently, Major) pass zombieism on through their bite. Unbeknownst to him, Smallwood is under the effect of a spell cast Total Complications Points: 50 on him by Scarlatti. If he tries to reveal any of Scarlatti’s or Neihor’s Experience Points: 87 secrets, or even mention Scarlatti’s name, the spell takes effect, killing Smallwood instantly. When this happens his eyes bulge out, he grasps at his throat as if he can’t breathe, then he makes a gurgling noise and EQUIPMENT collapses as if he’s just had a massive heart attack. An autopsy won’t STR uncover anything that’s wrong with him. Weapon OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes Appearance: Ryan Smallwood is a white male in his mid-thirties SIG/SAUER +1 +0 1d6+1 +0 15 5 who’s 5’9” tall with short brown hair. When working as a professor P226 he wears jeans, a button-down shirt, and a sports jacket; he keeps his cult amulet tucked inside his shirt. When leading the cult he wears Armor special brown and gold robes that make it clear to all his underlings Bulletproof vest (Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED), covers Hit who’s boss. Locations 9-13) Gear: Spellcasting paraphernalia, cult documents, pipe and tobacco

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Skills

Background/History: Ryan Smallwood was a professor of world religions at a small university. Bitter over not being at a better institution with tenure — which a man of his intelligence and insight obviously deserved to be — he spent countless hours on research and writing, trying to come up with a breakthrough that would make everyone acknowledge how much he knew.

20

Adventures in Monster Hunting

NPC Character Sheets

Skills

SPECIAL AGENT MARCUS HANCOCK Cost

Roll Notes

13

STR

3

12-

15

DEX

10

12-

16

CON

6

12-

15

INT

5

12-

16

EGO

6

12-

20

PRE

10

13-

7

OCV

20

8

DCV

25

3

OMCV 0

6

DMCV 9

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

6

PD

4

Total: 6 PD (0 rPD)

6

ED

4

Total: 6 ED (0 rED)

9

REC

5

40

END

4

15

BODY

5

36

STUN

8

Movement:

Lift 150 kg; 2½d6 HTH damage [1]

PER Roll 12PRE Attack: 4d6

Total Characteristics Cost: 144 Running:

8

Big, Meaty Fists: HA +2d6

+1 with Firearms

3

Bureaucratics 13-

3

Combat Driving 12-

3

Deduction 12-

1

Demolitions 8-

1

High Society 8-

3

Interrogation 13-

3

KS: MCB 12-

3

KS: Monsters 12-

1

Language: Arabic (basic conversation; English is Native)

1

Language: Farsi (basic conversation)

1

Mechanics 8-

3

Stealth 12-

1

Systems Operation 8-

3

Tactics 12-

2

TF: Ground Vehicles

4

WF: Small Arms, Uncommon Modern Weapons

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 76 Total Cost: 220 200

Matching Complications (50)

10

Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)

END

20

Hunted: Vincent Scarlatti (Infrequently, Mo Pow, Kill)

1

15

Psychological Complication: Dedicated To Protecting America And Americans From Monsters (Common, Strong)

20

Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

15m

Cost Powers

+1 with All Combat

5

Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼)

3

Fast On His Feet: Running +3m (15m total)

1

3

Observant: +1 to PER Rolls with all Sense Groups

0

Perks 3

Fringe Benefit: Federal Police Powers

7

Fringe Benefit: Membership: MCB Special Agent

1

Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 20

EQUIPMENT Weapon

OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots

Glock 20

+0

+0

2d6-1

+0

15

6

H&K MP7

+1

+1

2d6

+0

40

10

AF5

FN-F2000

+1

+2

2d6

+1

30

12

2H, AF5, FS

Armor MCB Body Armor (9 PD/9 ED) Gear: Flashlight

21

STR Min Notes

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Val Char

10

Adventures in Monster Hunting

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SPECIAL AGENT MARCUS HANCOCK Background/History: Marcus Hancock grew up in a large family — he was the seventh of nine children. Times were always tight, but love and wisdom were there to make up any lack. He was more than smart enough to get into college, but his family just couldn’t afford it. So he joined the US Army to earn the money. After several “eventful” tours in the Middle East, which left him with a few scars and lots of unpleasant memories, he returned home and enrolled in college. One night he stayed late studying in a distant corner of the library and accidentally got locked in — and his cell phone’s battery was dead. While he was looking for a way out, or a phone to call someone on, a thing came after him. It looked like a cross between a man and a bat, with a little bit of goat for seasoning, and it wanted to eat him. But Marcus Hancock wasn’t the sort of person to roll over and die just because something weird and dangerous happen. Grabbing a heavy library chair, he beat the monster to a bloody pulp. In the process a lot of library furniture and two windows were broken, but at least he got out of it with his skin mostly intact. After the police arrived, he was detained, questioned, and eventually sent home... ...only to find a pair of MCB agents waiting for him. He got the whole spiel about not talking to anyone about what had happened to him. But he had another idea: “You guys got any job openings?” Almost before he knew it Hancock found himself working as an MCB agent, thoughts of college left far behind. That was over ten years ago. Since then Hancock’s worked his way up the ladder, and recently became a Special Agent in charge of a regional office. And the way he sees it, there’s still plenty of room to keep climbing. Personality/Motivation: Marcus Hancock is a driven, dedicated man who in many ways epitomizes the best of the Monster Control Bureau. He believes strongly in the Bureau’s mission and has put his life on the line many times to see its directives upheld. Despite that, he sometimes questions the Bureau’s rationale for keeping the public ignorant about the supernatural. He understands the First Reason, but he also wonders if, as they say, sunlight isn’t the best disinfectant. Ignorance is never a good thing, and maybe if more people knew about monsters they’d find new and better ways to destroy them. He doesn’t dare to voice these thoughts aloud to his colleagues, though — at least not yet.

Hancock is an ambitious man who wants to rise further in the Bureau, perhaps even to Director. He won’t break rules or make ethically questionable decisions to get what he wants — he’s definitely a straight arrow — but he’ll use all fair methods to achieve his goals. Unlike Special Agent Myers, Hancock isn’t opposed to private monster hunting per se. But his experiences with Hunters during his career that Hunters are wild cards who might save the day or wreck a mission. He doesn’t mind the former but he will not permit the latter, so he handles Hunters in his jurisdiction with a firm hand. As long as they obey the law and his rules, act professionally, and don’t get in the Bureau’s way, he’ll get along with them just fine. But if they step out of line or disobey him after he’s given a direct order, he’ll hang their butts out to dry. Quote: “This isn’t up for debate. The MCB’s in charge here, and you will leave the premises immediately.” Powers/Tactics: As a veteran of the military and the MCB, Hancock is skilled, observant, and willing to take on any monster. Most of the time he carries a standard issue Glock 20 in the field, but if necessary he’ll put on his body armor, grab his assault rifle, and lead his men from the front. He’s got a good head for tactics and a strong knowledge of monsters. Campaign Use: As the MCB Special Agent in charge of the city where your campaign takes place, Marcus Hancock can become either a friend or an enemy of the PCs. If they treat him with respect, listen to his instructions, don’t push the boundaries too much, and conduct themselves in a professional, responsible manner, he’ll be a strong ally for them in the MCB. He’ll overlook things he might otherwise arrest them for, and maybe even pass them an occasional tip. On the other hand, if the PCs act like a bunch of careless, gun-toting yahoos, it won’t be long before he arrests them, locks them up, and throws away the key. All of MHI’s money and influence won’t matter one bit if he catches them blatantly violating the law. Appearance: Marcus Hancock is a 6’2” tall black man with closecropped black hair and a well-maintained black moustache and short beard (which he frequently strokes while pondering a problem or situation). He wears nicely-tailored (but not overly expensive) men’s suits and usually carries his Glock 20 in a shoulder holster.

22

Adventures in Monster Hunting

BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BEWILDERED Having now suffered two serious setbacks at the hands of the PCs, Vincent Scarlatti strikes back. First he attacks them with revenants, then he lures them into a trap. While they’re busy, he sends demons to attack the MCB’s local holding facility and free the monsters imprisoned there, in the hopes they’ll join him — or at least distract his enemies.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE AS A STAND-ALONE If you want to run this adventure by itself, you first need to arrange a situation where the PCs kill several humanoid monsters or humans. That way the villain — who has to be a necromancer, but doesn’t necessarily have to be named Vincent Scarlatti — has the “raw materials” to create revenants with. (If you’ve already established an evil wizard as an adversary for the PCs, he’s the one who should be behind this attack.) Once you have that element in place, the adventure proceeds pretty much the same as outlined below.

Put your fiendish GM’s imagination to it and you can probably think up lots more. If you can, relate the attack sites to a PC’s hobbies or interests. For example, a PC who likes to play paintball may find himself attacked by a revenant when the weapon he has only shoots paint pellets!

RUNNING MULTIPLE COMBATS AT ONCE

Because this encounter takes place where the PCs are separated, it presents a GMing challenge that you need to be aware of. First, you can run the combats one at a time, dealing with the attack on each PC before moving on to the next PC. This is easier on you, but it means that all the other players have to sit around doing nothing while you focus on one player and his PC. That’s usually not desirable; you want each player to stay engaged with the scenario during the entire game session. But it may be unavoidable. If you have to do this, consider asking the other players to take the part of the revenant, innocent bystanders, and other NPCs. That gives them something to do while waiting their turn. Second, since all the attacks should take place at the same time (thus preventing any of the PCs from warning or going to help the This scenario kicks right off with some action. While each of the others), you can try running all of them at once. In essence you treat PCs is doing something unrelated to work — out on a date, doing it as one big combat where the PCs aren’t in the same location and something fun on the town, relaxing at home, shopping for groceries, can’t help one another. This requires you to juggle several separate or what have you — he’s attacked by a revenant! combats (and potentially draw several maps), so don’t do it unless you’re confident in your ability to keep things under control.

PART ONE: REVENANT ATTACK

23

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Compared to the first two adventures in this story arc, which were more investigation-oriented, this is a combat-heavy scenario. It begins when Scarlatti animates some of the wererats the PCs killed in The New Kids In Town and sends them to attack the PCs. Assuming they survive that, he keeps them busy by sending Margaret Snyder to hire them. Snyder owns a dilapidated office building where Scarlatti’s arranged a trap for the PCs. He’s taken control of her mind and is using her to lure them into it. The PCs soon find themselves surrounded by monsters and fighting for their lives. Assuming they survive that, almost as soon as they’ve killed the last monster there they get an emergency radio call from Special Agent Marcus Hancock. Several monsters — he thinks demons — attacked the MCB’s secret holding and research facility and have freed over a dozen monsters. He needs the PCs’ help to capture or kill those monsters as soon as possible, and is offering double the usual PUFF bounty to secure their help. What self-respecting monster hunter could resist that?

These revenants were created by Vincent Scarlatti from the bodies of wererats or cultists the PCs killed in the first two scenarios. (For wererat revenants, give them a wererat’s claws and fangs in addition to a revenant’s usual abilities.) If that’s not possible because the PCs made sure the MCB gathered up all the bodies, substitute some other sort of undead monster — probably zombies or ghouls. (But remember, if you use zombies, there’s a chance of a PC getting infected with zombieism, which puts an end to his career as a monster hunter in short order.) Ideally these attacks should take place at night, but for Scarlatti’s purposes it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that the PCs shouldn’t be together in a group. Two or three of them might be together in a smaller group, but it’s even better if each of them is off on his own. Furthermore, if possible they should be someplace where they don’t have access to their usual arsenal of weapons and body armor. What makes this encounter fun and exciting is that the PCs have to fight off their attackers without high-caliber automatic weaponry. Each PC probably has a handgun — they’re Hunters, after all — but that’s it. So the revenants should attack them in places where there are lots of things a Hunter could use as an impromptu weapon, such as: ' restaurants ' nightclubs ' coffee shops ' grocery stores ' hardware stores ' sporting goods stores ' malls

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

PLAYING CINEMATICALLY

WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON

Since each PC probably has, at best, a handgun, they’re going to have to use whatever they can find in their environment — tools and utensils, for example — to fight the revenants off. If you apply the HERO System rules strictly, this may make it difficult or impossible for them to inflict any serious harm on the monsters. Obviously, that’s no fun for anyone. If necessary, use a little “dramatic license” and don’t follow the rules to the letter every single time. Instead, look at two factors: first, how creative and clever is the PC being; second, what makes for the best dramatic tension? Even if the rules say a revenant has too much defense to be hurt when he’s stabbed with a screwdriver (which at most is going to do a point or two of BODY damage), if the PC thinks up a way to lure the monster into a situation where he can get in a quick attack on it without being hurt, ignore the rules and mark off a couple points of BODY to reward the PC for contributing to the fun. Then have the revenant turn and lurch at him again, forcing him to keep on his toes so it can’t get its hands on him.... Similarly, be prepared to help a PC a little if necessary. When a character’s fighting a monster one on one without any of his friends to help, it’s possible that one or two bad die rolls could put him in a situation where he could wind up dead. The possibility of character death has to exist to create dramatic tension, but if a PC actually dies through no fault of his own it ruins the game session for everyone. If you have to, ignore a few dice rolls and have a revenant miss when it should have hit, or reduce the damage it does. Dragging the fight out a bit so a PC has to soldier on while barely clinging to life makes for a great adventure.

Of course, all is not as it seems. Vincent Scarlatti has used the Domination Spell to take control of Margaret Snyder so she can get the PCs to go to the Grant Building, where Scarlatti’s got several of his monstrous minions ready to ambush them. If the PCs have the capacity to perceive magic and use it on Snyder, they can see that she’s under the effects of some spell, though they won’t necessarily know which one. If they have some way to break the spell on her (such as the Spell Shattering Spell), all she can tell them once she’s free of Domination’s effects is that she was leaving her house one day when she suddenly had the urge to go inspect the Grant Building with an eye toward selling it. She hadn’t thought about the building for several years and can’t explain why she suddenly became so interested in it. She did go look at the building and did encounter the “midget in a cape” (Scarlatti’s upir). Even if the PCs have no ability to detect magic, if you like you can have them make PER Rolls when they meet with Snyder. If anyone succeeds by 6 or more, he notices that something seems a little “off ” about her. Her overall tone and body language are oddly “neutral,” not those of someone who’s seriously concerned about an extremely strange incident.

PART TWO: THE GRANT BUILDING TRAP Not long after the revenant attack — possibly so soon that the PCs haven’t yet fully healed any BODY damage they suffered — a woman named Margaret Snyder calls the team leader and asks for a meeting. She says she needs to hire the PCs to deal with “a problem” she’s having, but refuses to explain further on the phone. When she arrives at their office (or whatever other place they choose for the meeting), the PCs see that she’s a moderately attractive middle-aged woman dressed in nice clothes and carrying a designer handbag. She has a pleasant but businesslike manner. Snyder explains that she owns a building, the Grant Building, in a section of town that’s been rundown for decades but is on the verge of undergoing renovation and revitalization. The Grant’s had no (or at best few) tenants for the past twenty or thirty years, but she’s hoping to sell it now that the neighborhood is on the verge of improving. She went down there to inspect the building and see what sort of repairs and renovations she might have to make before putting it on the market. During her inspection she was attacked by “a midget wearing a cape” — that’s the best description she can give. In a panic she used her can of pepper spray on the midget and fled. When she reported this to the police, a detective named Paul O’Connor quietly referred her to the PCs. She doesn’t really understand what’s going on, or why the police think the PCs can help her better than they can, but she’s willing to consider any affordable option to help her get the building ready for sale.

MONSTER AMBUSH

One way or another, the PCs are going to make their way down to the Grant Building. If possible arrange events so that this happens at night — that’s spookier and more fun. Nighttime also provides some “cover” for the PCs, who probably don’t want to be seen on the streets in full body armor carrying automatic weapons. (If they ignore common sense on this point, feel free to have someone call the cops on them, or otherwise make their lives miserable.) You can find the maps of the Grant Building, a ten-story brick structure, in the GM’s Resources section below. All you have to do is decide how to stock it with monsters. As usual, the idea is to give the PCs a challenge — don’t make it too easy or too tough a fight. You must include at least one upir, and should also use one alley crawler as well. (The character sheets for these new monsters are also in the GM’s Resources section.) Beyond that, use whatever works best against your particular group of PCs. Given his Spells and resources, Scarlatti can set up the trap with just about anything: a few infernal soldiers (or other demons); some zombies; more wererats; or some new horror you create yourself.

PART THREE: MONSTER MASH

No sooner have the PCs finished dealing with the Grant Building monsters — they may not even have had time to reload yet — than they get an emergency radio call from Special Agent Hancock of the MCB. He’s involved in some sort of gunfight; he’s out of breath and the PCs can hear the sounds of gunfire over the radio. What he tells them as quickly as he can is this: several monsters have broken out of the local MCB holding/research facility and he needs help re-capturing or killing them. If the PCs can come right away and keep everything as quiet as possible, he’ll authorize double the usual PUFF bounty for any monster they deal with.

24

Adventures in Monster Hunting Unlike the fights earlier in this scenario (and in previous scenarios), which were tied to specific locations, this is your chance to GM a running combat — one where the targets are as interested in getting away as they are in killing the PCs. You decide on fun locations from combat (perhaps re-using the warehouse map from The New Kids In Town or the park map from Devil And The Deep Blue Sea) and what monsters they fight. This is also an opportunity for you to try pitting the PCs against a single big, powerful monster rather than a group of lesser monsters. So far in this story arc the PCs haven’t run into any really tough monsters, so it’s time to see how they handle that challenge. The MCB holding facility could have held anything you want — a vampire, a werewolf, a shoggoth, a monster of your own creation — and you can set the fight up however you wish.

INVOLVING THE MCB

Designed by famed architect Robert Hudson and built in 1930, the Grant Building was once one of the nicest office buildings in the city. Unfortunately, those days are long past. Now more or less abandoned for three decades, it’s a far cry from what it once was. Few of the windows have glass in them anymore, most of the valuable fixtures have been removed, and mold and rot have set in here and there. The only residents these days are rats, roaches, and the occasional homeless person looking for a place to sleep out of the wind. It’s up to you to decide what monsters to put here, and where to put them. In theory they should let the PCs get several floors up and them ambush them, but monsters aren’t always as reliable or clever as Scarlatti might like. Unless noted otherwise, if the PCs enter the building during the day enough light filters in through broken (and sometimes boarded up) windows to keep any room with a window sufficiently well-lit that they suffer no PER Roll penalties. On the other hand, any internal room (including the stairwells) imposes a -2 to -4 Sight Group PER Roll penalty due to darkness unless the PCs have flashlights or other ways to at least partly pierce the gloom. See the Object Table in the MHI RPG rulebook for the defenses and BODY of doors, walls, and other objects not specifically listed below.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Grant has a heavy, massive feel to it that more modern buildings lack. The plain exterior is faced in a smooth, dark stone that assumes a black, oily look when it rains, making the structure seem to be more like a menacing living thing than merely a building. Stonework of a lighter, though still dark, gray stone worked in five-sided geometric patterns surrounds the narrow windows. The 18-inch wide ledges running under the windows on the structure’s two street sides are made from the same gray stone and have the same design worked into them on the top and bottom. The roof has a heavy cornice with small crenellations running along the street sides, and the street-side corner has a circular, open-topped turret large enough to hold two people standing in close quarters; it projects four feet out past the edge of the building. The building’s main entrance faces the street to the south. It used to be locked and boarded up, but homeless people tore off the boards and smashed through the glass long ago. The doors are actually open now; Margaret Snyder opened them when she came to inspect the place and fled without locking them. The first floor along both streets has long glass windows that open into a diner; these windows are mostly intact, but are cracked or have holes in many places. A secondary entrance allows access to the building’s back stairs and the diner’s service entrance just before one reaches the alley that runs Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use behind the building. The door to this entrance is still locked and most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your boarded; opening it requires a Lockpicking roll (or using enough GMing career. For example, you can “recycle” the Grant Building map force to break it open). as many different structures during a campaign. A 3m-wide alley runs behind the Grant, separating it from its western neighbor (a six-story office building housing only one tenant, a temp agency). The building to the north is an eight-story apartment building, mostly occupied. The building’s roof is in surprisingly good shape, given its age (it’s not depicted on the map, but does have locked doors giving access to both the main stairwell and service stairwell).

GM’S RESOURCES

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Before you run this combat, you should also decide to what extent the PCs interact with the MCB during the fight. For example, it might be fun (and good for long-term campaign development) to have a PC save the life of Special Agent Hancock or some other important MCB agent, and fighting alongside the MCB will give Bureau agents and Hunters new respect for one another (hopefully). Similarly, if it turns out the PCs have bitten off more than they can chew, a squad of MCB agents can show up at the last second to pull their bacon out of the fire. After the fighting’s done and all the monsters are dead or back in their cages, Special Agent Hancock will seek out the PCs and give them the full explanation of what happened. The MCB has a number of facilities around the country where it keeps captured monsters for study and experimentation. That’s how it’s developed its zombie and lycanthropy testing kits, special weapons for use against monsters, and other gear that makes its job (and often the PCs’) easier. Earlier that day, the facility was suddenly attacked by several demons. (These were summoned by Vincent Scarlatti, who spied out the facility’s location with Clairvoyance, but of course Hancock doesn’t know that.) The demons broke in, killed any agent that tried to stop them, trashed the place, and deliberately freed all captive monsters from their cages. He has no idea who did this or why, but he doesn’t like it one bit. He’s going to beef up security at his end, and he tells the PCs that if they find out who did it and bring him to justice, he’ll personally see to it that they receive a significant PUFF bounty. Little do the PCs or Hancock know that the fighting in the streets has just begun.

Grant Building Map

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

26

Adventures in Monster Hunting 7. Filing Cabinet: The last tenant left behind a sturdy metal filing cabinet in this room. There are no files in it. The PCs might find some use for it (like tipping it over and using it for cover here or somewhere else). Any two of them can lift and carry it, but are at ½ DCV while doing so. 8. Darkened Room: The windows in this room have been so well FIRST FLOOR boarded up that it’s almost fully dark in here (-4 to Sight Group PER 1. Old Diner: The only tenant on the first floor was a diner whose Rolls). Even if no monsters lurk here, the PCs will certainly be on the remaining decor shows that it was last renovated in the early Seventies. lookout for a surprise attack. The booths, ovens, stools, and other large fixtures are all still in place (though nonfunctional and very dirty). If you want to stage a monster encounter her, there are a few old knives and other things still lying FOURTH, FIFTH, around that the PCs can make use of if they need to. AND SIXTH FLOORS In the booth marked X is a clothed skeleton. It’s the remains of 9. Large Open Room: This is a good place for an upir to strike, since a homeless man who died there some years ago. It won’t animate and it will have lots of room to fly around, and can make a quick escape attack the PCs (unless you want it to...), but it will certainly make out the windows if necessary. them suspicious. The small closet marked with an X has an unstable ceiling. If 2. Main Lobby: Once elegantly appointed with green marble floors a PC opens the door, the ceiling collapses. The PC has to succeed and gold fixtures, the lobby is now filthy. It’s filled with junk that’s with a PRE Roll to keep his wits about him or he’ll reflexively shoot been brought in or blown in from the street, as well as fragments of the “monster” (thus potentially alerting other monsters to the PCs’ glass from where someone broke in long ago. As noted above, the location). elevators to the north don’t work, and the cars are on this floor. In best 10. Large Open Room: Another good place for an upir ambush, or cinematic tradition there’s a hatch in the roof of each car that gives to place a large number of lesser monsters. Clever monsters might put access to the elevator shaft. The cables are rusty, but can still hold the some forces here to make the PCs think this is where the major attack weight of several people. is, while secretly bringing upirs, alley crawlers, and other monsters to The Grant’s fire escape runs down the back wall into the alley; one of its ladders is extended and rusted into place. The building’s elevators, located along the north wall, haven’t worked in years; the car’s stuck on the first floor.

3. Office: This office contains the tipped over, often broken remains of several desks and other items of furniture. If you stage a fight here, the Hunters (or monsters) can get behind a piece of furniture and be Behind Cover (-2 OCV on attackers’ Ranged attacks). 4. Sweatshop: The last company to use this building was a sweatshop where immigrants sewed clothes for paltry wages. Numerous electrical cables that once connected to sewing machines still hang down from the ceiling. If you want to stage a fight here, some or all of the cables could still be live. They have “Heavy Household Current” as defined on the Electricity Table in the MHI RPG rulebook. A character or monster who moves through the room has to succeed with a DEX Roll (at -2 if he uses his full rate of movement) to avoid touching a cable along the way. Clever PCs may find ways to lure a monster into touching the cables.

THIRD FLOOR 5. Psychic’s Office: From the faded, tattered posters on the wall, this office was once the place of business of some sort of psychic or fortuneteller. This has no effect on the scenario, but may spook the PCs. 6. Weak Floor: The floor in this room is rotten. A PC who takes more than one step from the door has a 1-2 on 1d6 of causing the floor to collapse and falling to the room below, causing him to take 3d6 Normal Damage in the process. Every Segment one or more PCs remain in the room, roll this chance again (once per PC).

attack the PCs from behind. Once the PCs realize there are monsters above and below them, their perception of the tactical situation may change. 11. Open Atrium: Floors Five and Six have a central atrium — making Room 10 even better for an upir attack. Other monsters that can leap, fly, or cling to walls could also take tactical advantage of this feature. The X marks a room with an unusually sturdy door (PD 3, ED 3, BODY 4). Somehow it’s weathered the decay of the building without losing any of its own strength. Thus, this room would be a good place for the PCs to barricade themselves if they want to try to get out a window and climb up or down.

SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH, AND TENTH FLOORS 12. Alley Crawler Ambush: If you haven’t used an alley crawler in the encounter yet (or if you want to throw in more of them), this is a good place for such creatures to stage an ambush. As an interior room it’s completely dark, and there are three doors it can escape through. 13. Junk Room: This room contains a lot of old equipment, parts, and supplies from a radio station that once occupied the top three floors of the building. Technology-minded characters might find enough spare parts to build a weird (but highly effective) one-shot weapon of some sort (this requires the Inventor and Weaponsmith Skills, of course). Characters with an eye to scrounging might find a few bits and pieces that would be worth decent money. 14. Weak Floor: Another room with a weak floor, just like Room 6.

27

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SECOND FLOOR

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Monster Character Sheets

Skills

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ALLEY CRAWLER Val Char

Cost Roll Notes

15

STR

5

12-

15

DEX

10

12-

16

CON

6

12-

10

INT

0

11-

8

EGO

-2

11-

20

PRE

10

13-

7

OCV

20

6

DCV

15

3

OMCV

0

3

DMCV

0

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

6

PD

4

Total: 12 PD (6 rPD)

6

ED

4

Total: 12 ED (6 rED)

10

REC

6

40

END

4

20

BODY

10

50

STUN

15

Movement:

Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH damage [1]

PRE Attack: 4d6

Stealth 16-

175

Matching Complications (50)

20

Physical Complication: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

20

Physical Complication: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

Total Complications Points: 40 Experience Points: 54

Total Characteristics Cost: 127 Running:

20m

Leaping:

8m

Powers

END

17

Proboscis: HKA 1d6

0

Armor Piercing (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); No STR Bonus (-½)

Suck Blood: RKA 1d6

0

Ecology: An alley crawler is an insectile monster that drinks the blood and other bodily fluids of humans and other large creatures. It gets its name because it often lurks in alleyways to feed off of homeless people, unsuspecting sanitation workers, people stepping out back to have a smoke, and so forth. It jabs its hard, bony front proboscis into the victim, at the same time emitting an acidic spittle that liquefies the flesh around the proboscis’s tip. It then sucks as much blood and other fluids as it can out of the victim before it has to flee. It prefers to take victims who are weak or in some way unable to fight back, so it can drink them dry. Personality/Motivation: Normal animal motivations. Powers/Tactics: Alley crawlers are extremely stealthy creatures, and rely on that stealth so they can get close enough to their victims to pounce. They cling to ceilings and high walls whenever possible, knowing that even trained combat personnel often fail to look above themselves. If confronted with deadly force they often flee — but as often as not when they flee, they simply double back and try to take the victim from surprise. Appearance: An alley crawler grows to two to three feet in length. Its head narrows down to a long, sharp proboscis that it uses to stab its prey. It has eight legs. Its carapace is usually a dull black or brown in color, and may be mottled.

Constant (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); No Range (-½), Proboscis Must First Do BODY Damage (-½)

18

Thick Exoskeleton: Resistant Protection (6 PD/6 ED) 0

8

Long Legs: Running +8m (20m total)

4

2

Leaper: Leaping +4m (8m total)

2

6

Crawler’s Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups

0

8

Crawler’s Legs: Clinging (normal STR)

0

Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼)

4

Climbing 12-

11

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 92 Total Cost: 219

PER Roll 11-

Cost

15

3

Eight Legs: Extra Limbs

0

Limited Manipulation (-¼)

28

Adventures in Monster Hunting Total Powers & Skills Cost: 72 Total Cost: 178

UPIR Val

Char

Cost

Roll Notes

10

STR

0

11-

17

DEX

14

12-

16

CON

6

12-

10

INT

0

11-

10

EGO

0

11-

15

PRE

5

12-

6

OCV

15

8

DCV

25

3

OMCV

0

3

DMCV

0

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

6

PD

4

Total: 6 PD (2 rPD)

6

ED

4

Total: 6 ED (2 rED)

8

REC

4

40

END

4

10

BODY

0

30

STUN

5

Matching Complications (50)

15

Physical Complication: Poor Eyesight, suffers -2 to all Sight PER Rolls whenever there’s light in the environment (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

PER Roll 11-

20

Psychological Complication: (Common, Total)

PRE Attack: 3d6

20

Susceptibility: to direct sunlight, takes 1d6 per Turn (Very Common)

15

Susceptibility: to holy objects and places, takes 1d6 per Turn is in contact with them (Common)

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 3

Total Characteristics Cost: 106 Running:

7m

Flight:

15m

Cost Powers

END

10

Claws: HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR)

1

10

Fangs: HKA ½d6

1

Penetrating (+½); No STR Bonus (-½)

15

Drink Blood: RKA 1d6

0

Constant (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); No Range (-½), Fangs Must Do BODY First (-½)

2

Tough Skin: Resistant (+½) for 2 PD/2 ED

-5

Short, Stubby Legs: Running -5m (7m total)

15

Fleshy Wings: Flight 15m

1

15

Batlike Senses: Active Sonar

0

5

Batlike Senses: Nightvision

0

0

Ecology: An upir is a monster related to the vampire; in some ways it might be thought of as a much weaker, much more bestial vampire. Like its elder cousin it feeds on blood, preferably the blood of humans. No sane human knows anything about its mating/social habits, or wants to. Personality/Motivation: Upiri are sentient, and thus have a wide range of emotions, but it’s a rather limited form of sentience. They’re cunning and clever, particularly when hunting, but they can’t read or write and have no real “culture” to speak of. They’re motivated almost entirely by their desire for food, and other such base drives. Powers/Tactics: Upiri rely on their ability to fly, and their stealthiness, when hunting or fighting. They prefer battlefields where they have full scope to use their wings; they won’t enter narrow or closed areas unless extremely hungry or ordered to do so. If trapped in such an area, or if hurt, they try to flee. Upiri have an aversion to sunlight (which hurts them, though not nearly as badly as it does vampires, and blinds them). They prefer dark environments, which they can easily navigate with their sonar. They also avoid holy items and places, which cause them harm if they’re exposed to them for a long time. Appearance: An upir looks like a dark grey, gnarled man about 3½ to 4 feet tall with features like a bat’s: large, pointed ears; a pug nose; large fangs for drinking blood. Under their arms and down the sides of their bodies and legs they have fleshy membranes that function as wings.

Skills 5

Aversion To Sunlight

Stealth 13-

29

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Movement:

175

Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

Adventures in Monster Hunting

THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA Things begin to take a turn for the worse. Scarlatti’s plots and schemes INVESTIGATING SCARLATTI have attracted the attention of someone even more dangerous than the PCs: Lucinda Hood! She doesn’t want any competition for taking By this point in the Adventures In Monster Hunting story arc, the PCs over the remnants of the Condition, so she intends to strike back and have been fighting against Vincent Scarlatti for a while — and for the most part they’ve been reacting to what he does. They may want to eliminate him — and the PCs are caught in the middle! get proactive and try to go after him directly. In other words, they’re going to investigate him, try to track him down, and then launch an attack. If your players want to try this, don’t discourage them. It always adds to the fun of a roleplaying game campaign when the players take some of the initiative rather than just responding to what the GM tells them. But that doesn’t mean you have to make it easy on them or hand them answers on a silver platter. Scarlatti is a highly intelligent, The adventure begins when the PCs are out on the town for the incredibly devious person, and he’s covered his tracks well. Just evening. Suddenly a demon comes crashing into the restaurant! But discovering his real name, never mind where he can be found, should it’s not after them, it’s after one of the restaurant staff, who’s one of require a lot of effort on the PCs’ part. Scarlatti’s cultists — it was sent by Lucinda Hood, who’s decided to However, assuming they do get proactive and come up with a put a stop to this upstart rival once and for all. Depending on how way you think would work to find him (or at least learn more about the PCs handle the situation, they may gain some useful information him), let them! Part of being a good GM is thinking on your feet when from the hapless cultist. things like that come up. If the PCs do well enough, you might even The PCs soon find themselves in the middle of an all-out occult cut this scenario short and send them straight to Club Moloch in time war. Lucinda Hood, enraged that an “upstart” is challenging her for for the big battle between him and Lucinda Hood. control of the remnants of the Condition, has decided to fight fire If necessary you can alter earlier portions of this scenario to fit with fire. She’s come to the city with a small army of monsters and better with how the PCs conduct their investigation. For example, if minions at her back and intends to remove Scarlatti from the picture they go to the courthouse to look up land records, the demon attack for good. Her ace in the hole: she’s hired an oni mercenary named could occur there instead of at a restaurant. Susano and ordered him to steal Scarlatti’s soul. After hearing panicked reports about strange events happening at Memorial Park, the PCs head over there to discover there’s a full- RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE scale monster brawl going on. No sooner do they put a stop to that AS A STAND-ALONE (rescuing many innocent bystanders in the process) than they receive To run this adventure by itself, you need to set up the pre-condition a radio call from Special Agent Hancock. Something seems to be of “two powerful sorcerers battling for supremacy.” You could simply going on at Club Moloch, a swanky entertainment venue, and most create both spellcasters for this scenario, but the adventure has of his men are already spread out around the city dealing with other more impact if at least one of the villains is someone the PCs have Hood versus Scarlatti “battles.” He needs the PCs to come help control encountered (and no doubt grown to hate) previously. Once you have the situation. The PCs arrive, enter the building, and fight more one (or two) of the main NPCs in place, the rest of the scenario runs monsters just like they did in the park. But shortly before they reach fine just as it is. the top floor many of the monsters disappear or try to escape — and at last they find Vincent Scarlatti himself, dead behind his desk of an apparent heart attack.

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ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

PART ONE: KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

ALLIANCES Because this scenario involves two major NPCs fighting one another, it’s possible the PCs may try to make an alliance with one side or the other — or that one of the villains, hard-pressed by his adversary, will make overtures to them. This can seriously complicate the scenario, but can also be a lot of fun and lead to some intense roleplaying, so feel free to give it a try if you think it will improve your campaign. But remember: no matter what either of them may promise the PCs in exchange for their help, both Hood and Scarlatti are evil to the core and will turn on their erstwhile allies as soon as it seems safe and prudent to do so.

The scenario opens with a bang one evening when the PCs are all out to dinner. (If they’re not the type to socialize together, feel free to arrange some other event to bring them together, like a reception thrown by a client.) Suddenly a demon (a winged terror) comes crashing through the front window! It immediately heads for the kitchen. Whether it gets there or not before the PCs open fire depends on how quickly they react and how you want the scenario to play out. The target of the demon (which is one of Lucinda Hood’s minions) is Edmund Colrane, one of the chefs in the restaurant’s kitchen. He’s a high-ranking member of Scarlatti’s cult (one of the few to survive the events of Gimme That Old One Religion), and even knows a few Spells, and that means Hood wants him dead.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting The demon will attempt to fulfill its mission to kill Colrane and then flee. It will only turn aside from trying to slaughter the hapless cultist if the PCs’ attacks on it become so distracting or dangerous to it that it has to deal with them first.

OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES As you run this fight, keep several things in mind:

' the PCs probably only have, at best, handguns. Therefore you should provide plenty of items they can use as impromptu weapons: shish kebab skewers; kitchen knives and utensils; maybe even the flatware on their table if it’s a fancy enough place to have actual silver cutlery. ' the other diners at the restaurant panic and flee screaming as soon as the demon enters. That may make it difficult for the PCs to move through the restaurant for the first few Segments of the fight. ' a bystander who thinks he can help and tries to stand up to the demon makes a great distraction. ' Colrane will do whatever he can to save himself, though knows few (if any) Spells that are particularly appropriate to this situation, and he has no Foci or other spellcasting materials with him. Thus, he cannot cast Banishment, though if the PCs have a hard time with the fight you might let him jury-rig the necessary wand out of a kitchen utensil (which would mean they “owe him one,” in his eyes).

If the PCs save Colrane’s life, he’ll of course be grateful, but will claim to have no idea why a demon would want to attack him. (Clever PCs may note that he’s not as freaked out about the idea of demons existing as most people would be.) When he says this, you can roll his Acting 8- against the PCs’ PER Rolls in a Skill Versus Skill Contest; if they win, they know he’s lying and can use Interrogation, a Presence Attack, or other tactics to get him to admit the truth. Colrane knows the following facts: ' he serves “the Master,” the high priest of the Church of Ancient Wisdom. He does not know this person’s real name, but can provide a quick, rough sketch of what he looks like. ' the Master is currently fighting “a war of power” against some other powerful wizard who recently arrived in town. He doesn’t know the other wizard’s name, but does know she’s female from the way the Master’s referred to her. ' the locations of several secret cult meeting places around the city (but not Scarlatti’s home or Club Moloch). ' the Master’s servants include lycanthropes (primarily wererats), demons, gargoyles, and various types of undead (those are the ones he’s seen) ' he can draw rough pictures of about half a dozen surviving cult members, but he doesn’t know their names or any other personal information about them (no more than they know his).

Some time later — perhaps after the PCs have had the chance to follow up on some of the leads they got from Colrane, perhaps mere minutes after the scene in the restaurant — breaking news hits the television and radio broadcasts: there’s a riot going on in Memorial Park featuring people in monster costumes! Several people are apparently already dead or badly injured. That should be more than enough to send the PCs on their way to the park. (The GM’s Resources section below has a map and description of it.) Unfortunately by the time they get there the police have cordoned the place off and aren’t letting anyone in while they wait for SWAT teams to arrive. The MCB hasn’t yet arrived (but is on its way). So the first challenge for the PCs is to find some way into Memorial Park. It’s big enough that the police cordon isn’t airtight, so they have a good chance if they act fast. Once they pick a likely entry point, have them make Stealth rolls (or any other applicable Skill roll) to get into the park without any trouble. If they fail, either they get stopped and have to try again somewhere else, or the cops follow them in, making an already dangerous situation worse.

MONSTER VERSUS MONSTER Based on astrological conjunctions each side regards as favorable to itself, Scarlatti’s and Hood’s forces have chosen this particular time to start major battles with each other all across the city. So this scenario is a sort of three-way battle: Scarlatti’s monsters versus Hood’s monsters, and the PCs against both sides. The police (and/or the MCB) may become a fourth combatant based on how things progress and how you want the scenario to play out. In this situation the PCs might be tempted to hang back and let two monsters fight it out, then kill the survivor. There are two reasons not to do this: 1. The police haven’t fully evacuated Memorial Park yet. It’s a big place, and the few officers that entered it initially didn’t find everyone. In some places people who unfortunately met up with monsters have been killed, or have gone into hiding to try to stay safe. You should stage the PCs’ encounters so that innocents are in harm’s way, thus forcing them to act. 2. A monster killed by another monster earns MHI no PUFF bounty.

Scarlatti’s Minions It’s up to you to choose what monsters you want to use in this scene, but as a recommendation Scarlatti’s force probably include some or all of the following: ' Demons (infernal soldiers and warriors) ' Gargoyles ' Skeletons, zombies, and ghouls ' Wererats, and maybe one werewolf

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SAVING COLRANE

PART TWO: BRAWL IN THE PARK

Adventures in Monster Hunting The attack by Hood’s monsters is really a feint. It keeps Scarlatti and the authorities occupied while Susano approaches the building Lucinda Hood’s force, on the other hand, probably includes some or invisibly, enters via the roof entrance, and attacks and kills Scarlatti. all of the following: This happens as described below. ' Demons (infernal soldiers and warriors) Hood herself is watching events from a nearby building, and ' Skeletons, zombies, and ghouls (including construct-style unless something goes horribly wrong the PCs should never see her. zombies) She has two burrowers as bodyguards and is carrying several portal ' Werewolves ropes for a quick escape if necessary.

Hood’s Minions

BATTLEFIELDS

Scarlatti’s Minions

Where you want to stage the battles is up to you — you’ve got a whole park to work with. It may also depend on whether the PCs stay together in a group or split into two or more teams. Some suggestions: ' a running battle in the English Garden’s hedge maze, where finding the foe is as difficult as killing him. ' a werewolf versus werewolf battle in a playground area where several little kids are trapped atop a jungle gym ' a zombie versus zombie battle in the Aviary, contrasting the horrors of the undead with the beauty of the birds ' lycanthropes stalking each other and the PCs in one of the large forested areas ' two baseball teams trapped on the diamond as gargoyles fight demons

This is one of Scarlatti’s headquarters, so he’s got plenty of “muscle” on demand. His forces include:

' Demons (infernal soldiers, battle fiends, winged terrors) ' Gargoyles (plenty of them; PCs approaching the building may notice that some of the spots that should have stone gargoyles are now empty; other gargoyles are in the form of demon-shaped interior wall decorations or non-load-bearing columns) ' Wererats (and maybe one werewolf) ' Zombies (animated from the bodies of dead cops and employees)

Hood’s Minions In addition to the oni Susano, Hood’s forces include:

' Demons (infernal soldiers, infernal warriors, maybe one battle fiend or winged terror) You can keep this up as long as you and the players are having fun. ' Werewolves Once you or they are ready to move on, though, you can shift the ' Zombies action to the next scene with an emergency radio call from Special ' Possibly one shoggoth or vampire Agent Hancock.

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ENDING THE BATTLE

BATTLEFIELDS

PART THREE: SHOWDOWN AT CLUB MOLOCH

The map in the GM’s Resources section shows plenty of places to stage battles, from the extravagant first floor to the rooftop garden. As in the park, there are plenty of bodies on the lower two floors (four cops, various employees and patrons) as well as survivors hiding wherever they can and trying desperately to stay alive. They don’t have to worry about more action from the cops unless they call for backup, though; What Hancock has to say is this: he’s at Club Moloch downtown, Special Agent Hancock will take command of the situation outside. where a major monster battle seems to be going on inside. The police Some suggestions: have surrounded the place, but their first attempt to enter left four cops dead. He only has two agents with him because his forces are ' the first floor entrance/main lobby (and the second floor balcony above it) is a great place for a big, introductory battle; it also spread out around the city, so he desperately needs the PCs’ help. has enough room (barely) for a gargoyle or winged terror to fly Once again he’s willing to promise extra PUFF bounties in exchange between floors. for their aid (and of course he’ll end up owing them a favor). ' the two larger reception rooms on the third floor have enough See the GM’s Resources section, below, for a map and description room for several combatants as well as plenty of furniture to use of the Club. as cover. ' the staff bathrooms and showers on the fourth floor make PARTY DOWN a humorous battlefield, with hot water and slippery floors becoming potential dangers. The situation at Club Moloch is this: Hood has uncovered Scarlatti’s main lair and is staging a major attack on it in an effort to kill him. Wherever you want to stage fights, you shouldn’t let the PCs charge Her ace in the hole is a powerful oni named Susano whom she hired straight up to the top floor (unless they enter via the roof). Put at least to help with this matter. Susano has orders to kill Scarlatti by stealing one or two combats in their path so they have to stop and fight. That his soul, thus preventing anyone from ever bringing him back to life. makes the conclusion of the attack more dramatic. Hood does not take kindly to rivals.

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THE BATTLE SUDDENLY ENDS Suddenly the PCs hear a bone-chilling scream from the fifth floor — a scream of agony and fear, one of the worst sounds they’ve ever heard. As if it were some kind of signal, the monsters fighting one another break off their battles as quickly as possible and try to flee. (Keep in mind that the building has no windows, so avenues for escape are limited unless some of them are strong enough to smash through the exterior walls.) Susano has just killed Scarlatti, which frees his monsters from his control and causes Lucinda Hood to send the “all clear, get away however you can” command to her own forces. With the way cleared, the PCs can make it up to the fifth floor and find Scarlatti’s office without any difficulty. He’s there — but he’s dead. He’s sitting behind his desk, a look of absolute terror on his face. His right hand clutches his left chest while his left arm dangles to the side of the chair. It looks like he died of a heart attack while trying to handle whatever magical energies he was using. (An autopsy will, however, establish that he didn’t die from a heart attack, and in fact the medical examiner cannot definitely state a cause of death.) It may come as something of a disappointment to the players that the only time they get to see Scarlatti is when he’s dead, and they didn’t even kill him. That’s a legitimate complaint if this were the end of the story arc, but as you know it’s not. If you have to, roll with the complaints and promise to “do better next time,” then wait for the apologies after you run the next two exciting adventures.

On the desk in front of Scarlatti is his grimoire (a small, thick book with over half of its pages covered in his spidery scrawl), various talismans and Foci he uses when casting Spells, and other papers. If the PCs don’t secretly take this stuff, the MCB will scoop it all up and send it to a secure storage facilities for enchanted items. Even a cursory examination of the papers on the desk tells the PCs one thing: Scarlatti was planning something Big. It’s hard to tell exactly, but their best guess is that he was planning a great ritual to summon an Old One, or some extremely powerful servant of an Old One, to Earth at a date that’s coming up soon. (Tell them a specific date based on how and when you intend to run Soul Man and Journey Of The Sorcerer.) Of course, to cast such a Spell, Scarlatti needs a place of power. Unfortunately the only mention of this place in his notes refers to “the House of the Star,” a name that means nothing to the PCs (or to anyone they ask for help). Now that they know his name the PCs can investigate Scarlatti further, and even turn up a list of properties that he owned in his own name (or a corporate name), but none of them seem to fit the description of “House of the Star.” See Journey Of The Sorcerer for more information on, and a map of, the House. Other things of note that the PCs and/or the MCB find in Scarlatti’s office (much of it in his locked safe):

GM’S RESOURCES Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your GMing career.

Memorial Park Map Roughly 1,200 meters wide and 1,600 meters long, Memorial Park is a multi-use facility. It includes a Statuary with memorials to great citizens killed in various wars; an athletic park with three baseball/ softball fields, two soccer fields, and four full length basketball courts; an English floral garden; a pond with mini-sailboats; picnic areas; and extensive trails for walking, running, and biking. Old growth trees cover much of the grounds. A staff of thirty city employees tend to the park and city police make regular patrols, most often while riding bicycles. The park has three primary entrances: the Memorial Gate, Champions Gate, and Blue Gate. Each gate has a parking area with space for 50 to 300 cars, and public transportation has a drop off at Memorial Gate and another near Champions Gate. Surveillance cameras cover all parking lots at the park. The park has more than eight miles of walking and biking tracks. Five miles of these are manicured earth and dirt paths; two miles are a cross-country track, complete with knocked-over trees and other obstacles; the last mile is paved. The park also has a 1.5 mile earthen walking circle. Only the Mathis Sports Complex, Aviary, and Park House have limited automobile access.. For purposes of combat, the park has three types of trees. Type 1 are large hardwoods with PD 5, ED 4, BODY 11. Only 10% of the trees in the park are Type 1. The majority (60%) of the trees are Type 2 with PD 5, ED 4, BODY 8. These trees are medium-sized hardwoods about three to four feet in diameter. The smallest trees are Type 3 with PD 4, ED 3, BODY 5 — 30% of the trees are small trees. The park has several picnic tables. Most are concrete tables attached to a slab underneath, with wooden benches. The tables are PD 4, ED 3, BODY 4. Once a table takes 1 BODY, it comes loose from the ground. The benches have PD 2, ED 2, BODY 2. A five-foot-high iron fence surrounds the park. The fence has PD 8, ED 8, BODY 10.

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Scarlatti’s Papers, Plans, And Paraphernalia

' a small velvet bag containing approximately $50,000 worth of cut but unmounted diamonds (he needs these for the special form of Dimensional Call he’ll use to summon a Neihorian juggernaut) ' a bronze wand in the shape of a straight rod with a serpent coiled around it (not crucial to him; it has more sentimental value than arcane function at this stage in his spellcasting career) ' several authentic ancient Egyptian papyri covered with hieroglyphics and mythological illustrations ' several rare, valuable books (not associated with the occult) ' some exquisitely-made stone statuettes of demons (can serve as Foci for certain forms of the Demon Summoning Spell) ‘ a box of Cuban cigars

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Blue Gate Boathouse

Champions Gate

Softball Diamond 1

Parkhouse

Howard Mathis Sports Complex Baseball Diamond Soccer

Erin Colleen Pond

Field 1

Picnic Area

Clubhouse

Soccer Field 2

Softball Diamond 2

Martin Brian Aviary Basketball 2 Basketball 1

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Grounds Keeper

Tennis Courts

Homer Long English Garden

Picnic Area Walkin g Trac k (Wa lking

Memorial Statuary

/Run ning

onl y)

Memorial Park Path Road Wall Heavy Woods 0 10 20 30 40 50 Scale in Game Inches

Building

Memorial Gate

Parking Stalls 0

100 200 300

Scale in Feet

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MEMORIAL GATE AND PARKING LOT The Champions Gate The park’s main entrance leads visitors into the Statuary area. The gate is about eight meters wide, five meters tall and has an arch that reads “We Honor Those Who Stood For Us. Memorial Park, Dedicated April 1, 1952.” The entrance to the statuary has two large metal gates that can be locked if necessary. This entrance into the park has sculpted shrubs on both sides of the wide walkway. The walkway leads across a finely manicured lawn and up a small hill to the Statuary. Trees border the walkway and streaks of sunlight shine through the foliage on sunny days. The parking lot parks a hundred cars and has access to public transportation. Five surveillance cameras cover this parking lot. They catch activity on a 14-. A character can avoid them with successful use of Stealth (Security Systems is a Complementary Skill) in a Skill Versus Skill Contest against the cameras’ 14- PER Roll.

THE STATUARY Here the city pays tribute to those who fought and died for the freedom of the city and the nation. There are seven marble statues, with 6m between each of them. A small bronze plaque on the base of each statue identifies it and briefly describes the person the statue depicts. Each statue is 4m tall and has a diameter of just under 2m. Each statue has PD 5, ED 10, BODY 13 per hex.

The Diamonds The large baseball field has bleachers for 500 spectators. This field is used for most city baseball games as well as Babe Ruth and Legion baseball games. It is 100m (325 feet) down the right field line, 96m (312 feet) down the left field line, and 116m (380 feet) in straightaway center field. There are sunken dugouts on either line. All the fields have lights on 10m (thirty feet) poles for night games. There are also two smaller fields, used for softball and various little leagues, with bleachers seating about 100. Both are 62m (201 feet) feet down each line and 76m (250 feet) in center. They also have similar dugouts.

The Courts The basketball courts have adjustable goals with chain nets. They’re used for pick-up games as well as city recreation league and church league games. Each court has benches for players and spectators to sit on. None of the courts have bleachers or stands, and people usually sit in the picnic areas either on tables or on blankets. Two of the courts have lights for night games.

The main path leads from the Statuary to an English garden maze. The shrubs that make up this maze are 2m tall and about 1m wide; they blossom in the spring and early summer. The maze itself is 60m (195 feet) square with one entrance in the southeast corner and one in the western side. Within the twists and turns of the English garden, anyone unfamiliar with the maze has a 50% chance of taking the wrong turn. Bump Of Direction or Navigation reduce this chance to The Beautiful Game 33% (1 in 3). The soccer fields are regulation size and kept as manicured as the The shrubs themselves are PD 2, ED 2, BODY 3 per 2m section baseball infields. The city’s downtown high school soccer team take 2x BODY damage from fire attacks. practices and plays on the one field with the bleachers and lights. In the fall, people use parts of these fields for flag and touch football. The primary soccer field has lights for night games and the THE HOWARD MATHIS bleachers seat 400 people, 200 on each side.

SPORTS COMPLEX

The most recent addition to the park, the Sports Complex was completed in April of 1969. It has one large baseball field and two smaller ones, four full basketball courts (normally used as eight half courts), two soccer fields, a club house with a concession stand, and a groundskeeper’s hut. The Sports Complex is one of the few places where people can drive cars in the park. The Champions Gate has a parking lot with 300 spaces and an underground walkway that leads to a parking garage across the street. It has iron gates (PD 8, ED 8, BODY 8) and is locked after hours.

Other Buildings A club house and concession stand lies between the primary baseball diamond and soccer field. It has four dressing rooms, each with showers and lockers for the players, and a medical room with two examination tables and a well-stocked first aid kit. On the north side of the club house, a concession stand sells most kinds of “ballpark” food: hot dogs, chips and popcorn, and soft drinks. The groundskeeper’s hut is on the south side of the sports complex. The lawn tractor, three riding lawn mowers, and other equipment are stored there. When games are not in progress, bases, soccer goals, and other sports equipment are stored in another part of the hut.

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THE HOMER LONG ENGLISH GARDEN

The Champions Gate, so-called because the city baseball championships are played here, leads directly into the Mathis Sports Complex. Small statues of baseball players stand at the gates to the ball fields. The gate is big enough to drive a large truck through. On either side of the gate is a ticket window. Five surveillance cameras cover this parking lot. They catch any activity in the area on a 14-. Characters can avoid them with a Stealth roll (Security Systems is a Complementary Skill) in a Skill Versus Skill Contest.

Adventures in Monster Hunting For most of the year, two families of ducks live on the pond; visitors and park employees feed them. To control algae growth some “maintenance” fish, such as small grass carp, inhabit the pond.

BREAKING STUFF The dugout walls are made of cinder blocks and are PD 3, ED 3, BODY 5. The ceilings are made of plywood and are PD 2, ED 2, BODY 3.

THE BOAT HOUSE

The light poles that serve the various arenas are metal and are PD 3, ED 3, BODY 5 per pole. Each set of lights has three poles. The outfield wall in the baseball field is wooden, and covered with about two inches of foam padding on the field side. They are PD 3, ED 3, BODY 4. Each basketball court has two goals made of reinforced metal. They are PD 6, ED 6, BODY 2. The bleachers at the various arenas are aluminum with a metal frame. They are PD 3, ED 3, BODY 5. The steel frame of the soccer goals are PD 5, ED 5, BODY 2.

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The Martin Brian Aviary Just past the English Garden is the Martin Brian Aviary, home to more than 300 exotic and 100 endangered birds from around the world. It’s operated by the US Parks Department in conjunction with a local university. A frequent destination for elementary and middle school field trips, the Aviary has several teachers on staff. The Aviary is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. The taveta golden weaver, a small, bright yellow bird from Africa, is the Aviary’s mascot. The Aviary’s glass dome is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the city.

TRAILS AND TRACKS For the fitness enthusiast, the park has miles of trails for walking, running and biking. Most of the paths in the park are multi-use; but the park has a cross-country running course and a running/walking track. The cross-country course is two miles long and features hills, varying running surfaces (sand, grass, and dirt), and several fallen trees to leap over. It is considered one of the toughest courses in the area and hosts the local high school events. A series of video cameras monitor about 90% of the course. They catch any activity in the area on a 14-. Characters can avoid them with a Stealth roll (Security Systems is a Complementary Skill) in a Skill Versus Skill Contest. Inside the cross-country course is a 1.5 mile dirt track used mostly between the hours of 6:00 and 7:30 AM and 5:00 and 8:00 PM; it’s closed after 8:00 PM. The infield on the course has benches and a water cooler.

THE POND The man-made pond is about 600m long by 300m wide (at its widest and longest points), with an average depth of 8m. On the north and south sides of the pond (about 2m below the surface) are water intake grates. These are 0.5m wide and 0.25m tall. At the bottom of the pond is a drain about 1m square. The water is clear for the first meter — but after that, algae and darkness obscure vision.

People can rent boats and purchase concessions at the Boat House, a small, covered structure (about 4m wide by 8m long) with an open window facing the pond. One half of the window handles sailboat rentals. Boats rent for $6 for two hours or $10 for the day, with a $25 deposit. The park has fifteen mini-sailboats to rent. Non-park boats are allowed on the water — but no more than twenty boats are permitted on the water at any given time. The other half of the window sells concessions, and gives away stale bread for the ducks. The Boat House has the only concession stand outside of the Sports Complex. Open from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, it does a brisk business during lunch time and is famous for its bratwurst and spicy mustard. Run by the city’s United Way, the Boat House is staffed by volunteers. All proceeds from boat rentals and concessions go directly to the United Way. Between one and four volunteers work at the house at any given time. The Boat House has thin wooden walls that are PD 2, ED 2, BODY 3. At night, the open window is covered and locked by a standard piece of wall and a padlock (PD 4, ED 4, BODY 3). The mini-sailboats are made of balsa wood and cloth, with small remote-control motors. Each is PD 2, ED 2, BODY 1. If broken, each costs $50 to replace.

THE BLUE ENTRANCE AND PARKING LOT The Blue parking lot has space for 50 cars, making it the smallest of the park’s lots. It has a small gate, about five meters wide, with one iron door that is locked after hours. Two video cameras monitor the parking lot. The cameras catch any given activity on a successful PER Roll 14-. Characters can avoid them with a successful Stealth roll (Security Systems is a Complementary Skill) in a Skill Versus Skill Contest.

THE PARK HOUSE Located between the pond and the Sports Complex, a small, two-story brick house serves as the park’s Public Safety house. Inside there’s a first aid station and break room for the park’s full-time employees. The police have a desk here with a full communications suite. The police and other park employees can monitor the cross-country track cameras and the cameras in the three parking areas. The police also maintain their bicycles in the Public Safety house. At least one policeman and one emergency medical technician are always on duty during the park’s operating hours. The EMT parks his emergency vehicle here as well.

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PARK EMPLOYEES

Club Moloch Map Occupying a choice downtown location, Club Moloch has been (in) famous since it opened three years ago. Its dues-paying members include many of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens, and a certain number of non-dues-paying partiers (mostly attractive young women) are allowed in each night to keep the good times rolling. Rumor has it that practically any form of debauchery one wishes to indulge in can be had within — for the right price. Despite complaints by some citizens that drug dealing and prostitution take place there, the police have never seen fit to investigate the place. A rectangular structure 30m (100 feet) long, 24m (80 feet) wide, and five stories (20m) high, the Club is situated toward the southern end of the block with only one other building between it and the corner. The Club’s exterior facade is finished in dark marble cut to resemble a gargoyle-decorated medieval structure by way of Dante’s Inferno. There are no exterior windows on the building. The recessed entrance is located in the center of the facade, with a single column in the shape of a tall, bat-winged demon set to either side in niches. There’s enough space for a person who’s not too bulky to fit into one of the niches and seek shelter from the elements — or flying bullets. Several broad, shallow steps arc down to the street from the landing just outside the plain doors. There are bands of “infernal runes” carved into the stone of the door frame; PCs may waste some time trying to decipher them or discover if there’s a spell on the building, but they’re purely decorative.

INFRASTRUCTURE All of the Club’s utility services are in excellent condition, having been replaced or upgraded during the remodeling a few years ago. Scarlatti makes sure the place stays in tip-top condition so all of his “guests” are happy and satisfied. It’s a common occurrence to see a workman checking the plumbing, testing the furnace, or working on the gas and electrical lines during the day while the Club is closed. There are bathrooms on both levels of the club proper for patrons, as well as another set upstairs on the third floor for persons using one of the private gaming rooms or the two reception rooms set aside for private parties. Club employees have access to a pair of bathrooms in the basement under the kitchens and another pair on the fourth floor near their changing rooms; the set on the fourth floor also has facilities for employees to shower if needed. The fifth floor has another full bath. All of the exterior doors are reinforced with metal inserts (PD 9, ED 9, BODY 8), have very high quality locks (-7 to Lockpicking) and have bars that Scarlatti drops into place after closing time to make it harder to force the doors (increase doors to PD 9, ED 9, BODY 11). All of the doors leading to residential areas are also reinforced (PD 5, ED 5, BODY 5) and have good quality locks (-4 to Lockpicking rolls). The windows on the back of the building all have bars that unlatch from the inside (-3 to Security Systems rolls) and have good locks (-2 to Lockpicking rolls).

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The Park employs a staff of four full-time park attendants, as well as several other part-time maintenance workers. Juan Jurado and Iris Sabol, the gardeners, spend most of their time keeping the manicured parts of the park looking perfect. Sam Matheny manages the sports complex, and Terry McAndrew is primarily responsible for keeping the park clean, mostly by coordinating the efforts of various parttime employees and volunteers. The part-time maintenance workers do some of everything and are employed on a seasonal basis (more in the spring and summer than in the fall, more in the fall than in the winter). At least one pair of bicycle-mounted police officers patrol the park during its operating hours, with a third police officer stationed at the Park House. During what are considered high threat or high crime times, more police work here. The police store seven bicycles at the Park House, for a maximum of three two-man teams active at one time plus a spare bicycle in case one breaks down. At least one Emergency Medical Technician staffs the park during operating hours, and the Sports Complex always has an ambulance parked nearby. The EMT has a 4-wheel ATV with a gurney rack mounted across the back. The Park hires two dozen part-time employees to help with the more mundane tasks: picking up trash, cutting the grass, chalking the fields, repairing the basketball and soccer nets, and similar jobs. The park also uses volunteers to do some of the cleaning up, and the city pays charities such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, AWAKE, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters to work trash detail on Saturday mornings. On any given Saturday, between ten and forty volunteers pick up trash in various parts of the park.

The alley in back, where all deliveries are made, is accessed only from the southern end of the block and ends one building past the Club in a small cul-de-sac. Employees all enter through the alley, either taking cabs or walking from the nearest subway or elevated rail station to work. Employees normally leave in groups of three to six after work, sticking together to reduce the possibility they’ll be the victims of street crime. The building’s roof is not unique, but it’s notable for the rooftop garden Scarlatti installed so he can sometimes go outside (and grow certain herbs he needs for spellcasting). Access from inside is through a set of stairs on the north side or the fire escape in the back. (Susano will tear the stairway door off when he enters.) More athletic individuals could easily climb up from the roof top to the north or step over from the one to the south. Once a month, usually on the first Monday, the building’s facade is cleaned and polished by a group of men who drop down from the roof on ropes with wooden seats at the end. The Club is bordered on the south by the Hawling Building, a five-story office building currently leased by one of the city’s most successful law firms, Thomas, Waters & Keith. (They handle all of the Club Moloch’s legal affairs.) To the north, the Club is bordered by a four-story building housing the city’s branch of Fellows Investments, a successful New York City investment brokerage firm looking to establish a presence locally. The local manager, Clarence Fellows, the youngest son of the firm’s founder, is not a Club member, but is considering joining to build up contacts in the local community if he can convince his father the expense of a membership is justified.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

BUILDING LAYOUT

First Floor

All of the interior walls and decor follow a “demonic” theme: black marble or carpet; wallpaper and upholstery in a demonic red; leering demon heads and statues all over the place; “succubi” dancing in gold cages; jets that shoot flame (all located where no one can get hurt, but they do 1d6 Killing Damage if a PC forces a monster into one... or vice-versa); and so on. The overall effect is simultaneously exciting, arousing, and a little disturbing. The female staff dresses in figure-accentuating, scanty uniforms designed along the “devilish” theme, complete with fake horns they wear (in imitation of a Playboy bunny’s ears). Featured singers and other entertainers wear more elaborate versions of the same basic outfit that may show even more décolletage. The male staff wear tuxedos or similar garb, but in red and black instead of white and black, and their cufflinks show Club Moloch’s “naughty succubus” mascot.

1) Entrance: In inclement weather, it’s common to see cars waiting at the curb until the recessed doorway clears before the next batch of patrons decamps and makes a dash for the door. 2) Maitre’d Stand: This is a stone stand shaped like a demonic gargoyle holding up a stone tablet with his back, wings, and arms. Alphonse St. Fontaine, the maitre’d, has been with the Club since before Scarlatti bought it and redid it along the “Hell” theme (though he knows nothing about Scarlatti except his name). He’s loyal to his employer (and his paycheck) and won’t talk out of turn or help the PCs — not until it becomes clear something terrifying is going on and Scarlatti’s involved. At that point St. Fontaine, a former Marine, will grab the nearest gun and start helping the good guys. 3) Coat And Hat Check: The coat and hat check is always staffed by a pair of smiling girls who never seem to need to look at a ticket to know who goes with what item of clothing. 4) Elevator: A young man dressed in the same garb as the other male staff mans the elevator. A key is required to go to the 4th floor, and a different key is required to go to the 5th. The elevator operator has neither; the employees have keys to the 4th floor; and Scarlatti has to ride along if someone’s going to the 5th floor. 5) Bar: A pair of bartenders in the standard male costume tend bar and make conversation with the customers. 6) Stairs: These elegant, unsupported double stairs provide access to the balcony level. There are booths under them and tables set in an arc to either side.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting 7) Dance Floor: The club’s dance floor has a two-story ceiling (the “balcony level” on the second floor rings it). With the lights turned down, it’s easy to imagine that one’s dancing in Hell thanks to the light from the flames and torches. The columns lining the sides of the dance floor to support the balcony level are identical to the ones outside the door, except that their eyes glow. The PCs may mistake them for real gargoyles or demons. 8) Stage: A standard nightclub performing stage. Depending on the type of act (if any) playing that night, the stage can be reconfigured slightly. 9) Ladies Room 10) Men’s Room 11) Kitchens: The kitchens bustle with activity the entire time the club is open, as the two chefs, Bernard Montenegro and Mohareb Bahrin, argue with each other and prepare meals. Montenegro cooks in the French style and Bahrin in a Near Eastern one, leading to some unexpectedly excellent dishes and a lively kitchen. There’s a large walk-in cooler to the north, and the doors to the alleyway are in the west wall. Stairs up to the second floor and down to the basement are in the southwest corner; the kitchen staff ’s bathroom is at the bottom of the stairs in the basement next to the locked door of the wine cellar. A dumbwaiter for sending food to the balcony level is next to the stairs. The ceilings are high in the kitchen, reaching up to the second floor to help dissipate heat.

Second Floor 12) Staff Stairs And Landing: The stairs and dumbwaiter from the kitchen continue here. 13) Balcony: The balcony level contains more tables and booths and is especially popular with older customers who aren’t interested in dancing. Businessmen making deals over dinner and individuals wanting a romantic dinner frequent this level to take advantage of the lower noise level and greater privacy. 14) Stairs To Main Floor 15) Balcony Bar: Similar to the bar on the lower floor, but with only one bartender and a slightly smaller selection of liquor. Drinks that can’t be made here are brought up from the main bar. 16) Elevator 17) Ladies Room 18) Men’s Room

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

Fourth Floor

19) Staff Stairs And Landing: The stairs and dumbwaiter from the kitchen continue here. 20) Catering Kitchen: This is a smaller kitchen set up to provide support for parties and receptions on this floor, and to serve sandwiches and other finger food to the private rooms. 21) Men’s Room 22) Ladies Room 23-26) Private Rooms: These rooms are primarily used for private events like poker games and important meetings. Each has a small self-serve bar, a sideboard, and a couch in addition to a central table and chairs. They all have small brass plates naming them for ease in serving and making reservations: 23 is the Mephistopheles Room; 24 is the Beelzebub Room; 25, is the Lucifer Room: and 26 is the Belial Room. 27) Small Reception Room: This large room has an open floor plan; it’s configured according to a customer’s needs and is named the Lilith Room. 28) Large Reception Room: The largest of the private rooms, known as the Asmodeus Room, is also left empty normally and configured according to a customer’s needs. There’s a semi-permanent stage in the center of the north wall for announcements, speeches, and smallscale performances (such as a jazz trio). 29) Elevator

30) Staff Stairs And Landing: The stairs and dumbwaiter from the kitchen continue here; the stairs stop on this floor, but the dumbwaiter continues to the 5th floor. 31) Male Staff Bathroom And Showers: This room is set up so that several of the male staff can shower simultaneously before or after a shift. There are lockers for possessions and racks of outfits for staff to change into. There’s a metal plate sandwiched in the wall between here and the female showers to prevent the staff from making peepholes. 32) Female Staff Bathroom And Showers: This room is set up so that several of the female staff can shower simultaneously before or after a shift. There are lockers for possessions and racks of outfits for staff to change into. The door in the hall locks and only female employees are given keys; because of this, the female staff tends to treat this room and room 37 as one large dressing area, constantly moving back and forth between the two in various states of undress. 33) Featured Entertainer’s Dressing Room 34) Band’s Dressing Room 35) Storage 36) Male Staff Dressing Room: The main changing room for male staff who don’t need to clean up before going home or starting their shift. The walls are lined with lockers and racks of clothing to change into. There’s a metal plate sandwiched in the wall between here and the female changing rooms to prevent the staff from making peepholes.

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Third Floor

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Adventures in Monster Hunting 37) Female Staff Dressing Room: The main changing room for female staff who don’t need to clean up before going home or starting their shift. The walls are lined with lockers and racks of clothing to change into. See Room 32 above for more. 38) Storage 39-45) Scarlatti’s Rooms: This section of the 4th floor is reserved for Scarlatti’s personal use; only he has keys to open these doors, which have high-quality locks (-5 to Lockpicking rolls). They contain much (though not all) of his arcane paraphernalia and are furnished to allow for study, magical experimentation, and so forth. Room 45 is a conjuration chamber with a summoning circle permanently inlaid into the floor. Room 42 is a parlor, where Scarlatti entertains visitors and relaxes. 46) Elevator 47) Private Stairs To 5th Floor

61) Private Stairs To 4th Floor 62) Elevator 63) Roof: The rooftop garden sprawls across the whole of the roof, brightening it and giving visitors the feeling they’ve stepped into another part of the world (as long as they don’t look too closely at the surrounding skyline). It’s shielded from winds and weather by a 2m (5 foot) raised lip that runs around the edges of the roof. Despite the effort required to keep it clean (the local birds find it irresistible), Scarlatti enjoys relaxing here so much that it’s worth the expense and trouble. Since Susano entered the building via the roof, the door to the stairs leading down to the fifth floor has been ripped off its hinges and casually tossed aside.

Fifth Floor And Roof

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48) Master Suite Kitchen: This kitchen is large enough for a trusted employee to prepare food for Scarlatti and anyone he wishes to entertain privately. It also has dumbwaiter access to the main kitchens so that bottles of wine and meals can be sent up. 49) Stairs To Roof: Since they’re exterior access, these doors are locked and barred as described above. They also have an alarm set up to sound if they’re opened; it’s switched on and off by a simple toggle on the wall next to the doors (-2 to Security Systems rolls to bypass or disable). 50) Master Suite Dining Room: This room has a massive rectangular table that seats 12 in the center of the room, with a pair of sideboards on the north wall, and a large china cabinet against the south wall. 51) Master Suite Library: This is Scarlatti’s personal library for non-occult books. Many of the books cover unusual or magic-related topics (such as history and mythology), but he doesn’t keep any grimoires or similar books here. 52) Storage: This room contains anything Scarlatti wants to store. 53) Master Suite Music Room: This room contains a piano against the north wall (arranged so someone playing it’s facing the door), a pair of chairs and a comfortable couch set up in the southwest corner, and a cabinet for storing music. Scarlatti sometimes entertains himself (or important guests) by playing the piano. 54) Club Office: This room has a secretary’s desk facing the door, several comfortable chairs and a table for use by people with appointments, a pair of file cabinets, and a door to Scarlatti’s Private Office. Scarlatti doesn’t have a personal secretary, so this room is currently unused. 55) Scarlatti’s Private Office: Scarlatti manages the club from behind a heavy wooden desk. The place is decorated like the club below. In the desk is a secret compartment (-4 to Concealment rolls to find) where Scarlatti hides his grimoire and other magical books and documents whenever he brings them to the club. 56-60) Master Suite Living Area: Scarlatti’s personal quarters. Room 57 is a sitting room, 58 is the bedroom, 59 the bathroom, and 60 a walk-in closet.

Adventures in Monster Hunting

SOUL MAN

RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE AS A STAND-ALONE

Some time after the events of The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, the This adventure works well as a stand-alone. All you have to do is have PCs acquire a new client with a rather unusual request. What they a real Jessica Warburton show up and tell the same story. In this case don’t know is that this request will result in an old foe coming back the story’s 100% true. If the PCs solve her problem for her, they get from the dead, more powerful than ever.... the payout — unless you want to run Journey Of The Sorcerer with this adventure as a two-parter. In that case Jessica Warburton is a necromancer just like Angelica Scarlatti; she and her husband simply haven’t been trying to take over the city or fighting with Lucinda Hood.

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ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Vincent Scarlatti wasn’t the only practitioner of magic in his family. His wife Angelica is also an accomplished sorcerer (though not so powerful or skilled as he was). With his defeat and death, it falls to her to rescue him and salvage his plans, if that’s possible... ...which it is. Using her necromantic skills and powers, Angelica constructs a powerful flesh golem that can house Vincent Scarlatti’s soul. The problem is that she has to get that soul — and it’s currently “inside” the powerful oni Susano. She’s a sorcerer, but she has no illusions about her ability to tackle an oni and survive. And she knows enough about Susano to know that he’d never sell her the soul; he’ll honor the contract he had with Hood and keep it to ensure that Scarlatti remains forever dead. So she needs someone to do the dirty work for her. One day a woman named Jessica Warburton shows up at the PCs’ office. She brings them an unusual challenge: recover her “father’s” soul, which he lost to an oni. She offers them a $2 million fee if they can do it. Unable to resist the lure of that kind of fee, the PCs set to work. First they have to find a way to recover a soul from an oni. Then they have to find that oni. And once they find him, they have to beat him. None of these deeds are anywhere close to easy.

WHEN TO RUN THIS ADVENTURE Although this adventure occurs after The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, if possible you shouldn’t run it immediately after that adventure. After discovering Vincent Scarlatti’s body in the condition it was, and finding out that no cause of death can be determined, the PCs are likely to become too suspicious if that’s still all in their mind from the last game session. Instead, run two or three other adventures, ones unrelated to the Adventures In Monster Hunting story arc. That will get the PCs thinking about other things, so that when a mysterious woman hires them to recover her husband’s lost soul, they’ll be less likely to associate it with Vincent Scarlatti.

PART ONE: THE DAME WORE RED The adventure begins one day when a new client comes to see the PCs (or if they don’t have an “office” she could visit, calls them to arrange a meeting at a location of their choice). She introduces herself as Jessica Warburton. She’s just shy of middle-aged, quite attractive, and wearing a red designer outfit. She claims to have heard about them from “a friend of a friend” (she refuses to say more), and tells them the following story. (You can read this aloud, or present the information in response to questions from the PCs, whichever you prefer.) “My father was Richard Warburton. He used to own a used and rare bookstore here in town called Treasured Pages. Several years ago he suddenly sold the bookstore and retired, keeping entirely to himself. He rarely even visited with family. “At the time we weren’t sure what was going on; we thought maybe it was some form of senility. What we later learned was that he’d come into possession of an old, mysterious book and had somehow become obsessed with it. He thought this book contained magic spells that he could learn to cast. Actual magic, not like they do on stage in Las Vegas — can you believe it? “He focused on studying that book, and others he later acquired somehow, to the exclusion of everything else: family, friends, even basic hygiene at times. It was a terrible thing to watch, but he refused to let any of us help him. As time went on he became more and more paranoid that we were going to “steal” his books, until I was the only person he’d have anything to do with — and that was only when he was in a good mood.” “Finally one day I went over there to confront him, determined to get those books away from him and get him some help. But when I arrived, he was in the middle of some... ceremony, ritual, I don’t know what you’d call it. This thing, this huge monster with enormous tusks and purple skin and big, glowing orange eyes, suddenly appeared. It held out its hand, and something... flowed... out of my father and into it. He collapsed, and it vanished. “I rushed over to my father, but he was dead. I don’t know what happened to him, but I think that monster, whatever it was, took his soul. I want you to get it back for me.” If questioned, “Warburton” explains that her father’s already been cremated, and that she and her family burned all of his books as well. She has no illusions about somehow bringing her father back to life. But she believes this monster is holding his soul so he can’t go to Heaven, and she wants it back so she can “release” him.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting “Warburton” offers the PCs a fee of $2 million dollars if they accomplish their mission. To prove her good faith she’s already put $1.95 million in an escrow account (she can show the PCs the paperwork) and will pay them $50,000 immediately as earnest money.

INVESTIGATING JESSICA WARBURTON

The PCs may be suspicious of this unusual offer and want to investigate the person making it (either before or after taking the contract). If so, here are some possible avenues of investigation and what they can learn — but be prepared for the PCs to think of some other way to learn what they want to know.

Observing Warburton

spots them. At first she’ll pretend she doesn’t and try to allay their suspicions by acting normally. If that doesn’t work she’ll conclude that the jig is up and flee. Second, someone else in the neighborhood might notice the PCs and call the cops on them. Again, have them make a Shadowing roll each day in a Contest against the neighborhood’s general “PER Roll” of 11-. If they fail, they’ll soon find themselves in hot water with the police (not to mention Director Harbinger, for screwing up so royally). The PCs may decide to burgle “Warburton’s house” for clues while she’s out. They can get in with a successful Lockpicking roll, but if anyone enters when she’s not there a warning Spell alerts her. Once they’re inside, the PCs find plenty of useful information: a lot of family photographs, none of which feature “Jessica Warburton”; rooms for two small children; and other such signs that this simply isn’t her house.

Shadowing Warburton

If followed, Warburton eventually goes to a nice house in a suburb of the city. (She doesn’t go anywhere suspicious along the way.) If the PCs watch for a few days, they may notice some things: ' if they succeed with a Shadowing roll, or an INT Roll at -3, they notice that there’s no name on the house or the mailbox, just the street number. ' if they succeed with a Shadowing roll, or an INT Roll at -3, they notice that she seems to live there by herself, although it’s a house big enough for a family. No one ever comes to visit her, and she rarely goes out (and when she does, it’s only for mundane shopping). ' if they succeed with a Shadowing roll at -2, or an INT Roll at -6, they notice that the postman drives past her mailbox each day without stopping. (The family that really lives in the house is on an extended vacation.)

The PCs may try to find out if a “Richard Warburton” ever existed. If they do, they can’t find any evidence of anyone under that name who would be of an age to be Jessica Warburton’s father. However, this isn’t necessarily proof of anything (even if they somehow have a way to look into government records that aren’t open to the public). Based on Jessica’s story he was a paranoid loner, so it makes sense he wouldn’t interact with society much. And if his estate was arranged to pass to his heirs without having to go through probate, there’d be no will or other documents in the public records.

CONFRONTING JESSICA WARBURTON

Depending on what facts they uncover in their investigation, the PCs may decide to confront their client and get the truth out of her. If they try this, she’ll try to come up with an explanation that will satisfy them if she can. (“The house? Oh, it belongs to my good friends However, maintaining watch on “Warburton’s house” is not the Ridleys. They’re letting me stay there while they’re out of town without its difficulties. First, she might notice the PCs. Every day because I’m renovating my own house.”) If that doesn’t work, her next they have to beat her in a Shadowing Versus PER Roll Contest, or she tactic will be to concoct a plausible lie that still hides her identity and

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The PCs may observe Warburton closely while they talk with her, to see if they think she’s lying. This requires a Skill Versus Skill Contest Checking With The Bank with their PER Rolls against her Acting. She’s made her Acting roll by The PCs might want to check on Warburton’s escrow account. If they 10, so unless one of the PCs makes his PER Roll by at least that same ask her for permission to do so, she will give it; if they just go to the amount, none of them will notice any signs that she’s lying. bank, they’ll have to succeed with Charm rolls or find some other method of convincing a bank employee to give them access to her file. Using Magic In either case, everything is legitimate. There is an escrow account at If the PCs can cast Spells, they may try to Perceive Magic on Warburton, that bank recently established by one Jessica Warburton, and the account or use some other Spell to try to get at the truth. Warburton herself contains an even $1.95 million dollars. (She accomplished all this with gives off an “odd” reading to Perceive Magic — not what an ordinary false identity papers and judicious use of the Domination Spell.) person would give, or a person under the effect of a Spell, but not what a spellcaster or monster would either. It’s the magical equivalent Checking With Treasured Pages of the needle on the gauge momentarily flickering upward when she’s If the PCs visit Treasured Pages, Ben Searcy, the proprietor/owner “scanned.” (She’s using a Spell to disguise her magical nature, but the backs up Warburton’s story — because she’s used Domination on Spell can’t entirely conceal itself.) him to make him do so. (The truth is he bought the land, store, and Other forms of magic — such as the ability to view the future stock from a married couple twenty-some years ago.) If the PCs use or past — could easily derail the whole adventure. If your PCs have Perceive Magic on him, he’ll register the same odd “needle wobble.” access to such powers, you should either find some way to “block” If the PCs go to the registrar of deeds, they can unearth the deed for them, make them unreliable, or otherwise keep them from ruining the land, proving that Warburton’s and Searcy’s version of events is false. the big reveal when the heroes discover they’ve just helped bring a hated adversary back to life (mwah hah hah hah hah!). Investigating Richard Warburton

Adventures in Monster Hunting powers. (“OK, look, I’m sorry I lied, but the truth is that I want Dad’s soul because if this magic stuff is real, I want to hire someone to talk to his soul and find out where the hell he hid all his money; none of us can find it.”) If none of that mollifies the PCs, “Warburton” will try to play for time or get far enough away from the PCs that she can escape using a Portal Rope she carries with her. In that case her plan’s a bust. If you want to run Journey Of The Sorcerer, you’ll have to assume she finds a way to get Scarlatti’s soul back on her own, or using someone else’s help. For example, maybe she hires PT Consulting or some other rival of MHI’s, in part by explaining to them that “MHI said they couldn’t do it — can you?”.

PART TWO: SOUL HUNTING

Once the PCs decide they’re ready to start work on the job, they face some serious dilemmas. First, how do you track down an oni? Second, how do you get it to give up one of the souls that comprise its life-force? Third, how do you “store” that soul and give it to the client?

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CAPTURING AND STORING A SOUL

Before the PCs can even think about finding the oni, they have to figure out how they can identify a single soul from the thousands inside him, “catch” it, and store it for delivery to Jessica Warburton. (They may take a “softer” approach and think they can negotiate with the oni to give it to them, thus eliminating the first problem. Let them try that if they want, but it’s unlikely that Susano will cooperate. If they’re smart they’ll prepare to take it from him by force, which means they need to know how to pick it out of the “crowd.”) Generally speaking, finding and catching a soul involves magic. But if one of your PCs has technology Skills and is a tinkerer type, it’s possible he could devise some gadgets like the ones in the movie Ghostbusters that would allow the PCs to track down and capture “Richard Warburton’s” soul. That could be a lot of fun, but keep in mind that you’re setting a precedent. If you let the PCs use technology on intangible beings in this scenario, you’ll have to allow it in the future, which may make monsters like ghosts, shades, and wraiths much less frightening. If you don’t want to do this, you have to make it clear that the PCs’ gadgets only work in this specific situation due to phenomena that don’t apply to monsters.

Resonant Crystal

The most likely course, though, is that the PCs will try to use magic (especially if one of them has the ability to cast Spells, or a Gift that might help with this problem). A couple days’ worth of research on their own, or perhaps with the help of Albert Lee, reveals the existence of a type of enchanted item called a resonant crystal that can trap and store a specific soul. That’s just what they need. Now they have to either make one, or obtain one from somebody. To make one, they’ll need to be able to cast both the Banishment and Summoning Circle Spells on a natural crystal of appropriate type and purity. They can obtain the instructions for the creation ritual from MHI’s archives (though neither Earl Harbinger nor Albert Lee will be entirely happy with them doing this). The crystal they

can obtain from a scientific supply house, or maybe a “New Age” bookstore or the like. If they can’t make one, they have to buy, borrow, or steal one from somebody. There are a couple of possibilities here. First, if you want to introduce an NPC who can cast Spells and can occasionally help the PCs — for a price, of course — this is the perfect opportunity. (Just be careful this NPC doesn’t become a “crutch” the PCs run to every time they have a problem.) Make sure the NPC drives a hard bargain, since it’s a seller’s market. He may be willing to give them a resonant crystal “in exchange for future favors,” thus allowing you to plant a plot hook for use later on and introduce a little moral ambiguity into your campaign. The second possibility is the MCB. In its storehouse/arsenal of enchanted items, the MCB has at least one resonant crystal, and probably more. If the PCs have been helping Special Agent Hancock during this story arc and he owes them, they can get him to pull some strings and obtain a resonant crystal for them. (That will, however, make them “even.”) After the PCs have a resonant crystal, they need to “attune” it to the soul they want to capture. Since “Jessica Warburton” is a direct descendant of the soul in question, they just need to prick her finger and put a drop of her blood on the crystal, and they’re good to go. (Since she has such a close personal and mystical connection with Vincent Scarlatti, this still works.) Using the resonant crystal is relatively easy. When in the presence of the target soul while the soul is “free” (i.e., not inside an oni, another living being, or some other soul-storing vessel), one of the PCs must hold the crystal firmly, concentrate for a Full Phase (reducing him to ½ DCV), and succeed with an EGO Roll at +2. If he succeeds, the soul flows into the crystal (which then begins to glow with a soft, soothing light). If he fails, there’s a 1 in 6 chance the crystal’s ruined; otherwise he can try again. If he rolls an 18 and critically fails, the crystal captures the wrong soul (typically because some more powerful soul “steals” the crystal for itself).

FINDING THE ONI

Figuring out how to trap a specific soul was the easy part. Now they have to find the specific oni who took it, which is about like picking a specific drop of water out of the ocean. The key to finding Susano is something “Jessica Warburton” mentioned: he has big, glowing orange eyes. Most oni’s eyes, though proportionate to their size, aren’t orange or glowing. If the PCs don’t figure out this clue on their own, have them make KS: Monster rolls; the character who succeeds by the most realizes the significance of the eyes. With that fact in hand, the PCs can either do some research in the MHI archives (or let Albert Lee do it for them), or “put out the word” through the Hunting World grapevine by asking Earl Harbinger for help. (Earl doesn’t recognize Susano himself; they’ve never met.) Either action will turn up Susano’s name within a few days. (If you want to emphasize the wait, run a short adventure for the PCs that doesn’t relate to the Adventures In Monster Hunting story arc.) It will also uncover two facts: first, like the infamous Cratos and Bia, Susano has been known to work for pay; second, there are ominous hints that his magical powers, like his eyes, are different from those of the usual oni (but of course, there are no specifics).

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Adventures in Monster Hunting Once they realize Susano’s a magical mercenary, the PCs can let it be known they’re looking to hire him, and eventually (again, maybe after you run another short scenario) word will filter back to them that he’s willing to meet them. You can re-use the warehouse map from The New Kids In Town for the meeting, or pick another scenic location for a gun battle and sketch out a map yourself. Alternately, they may use Spells, technology, or some other method to track him down. In fact, Susano has only one unusual power: he can reduce himself to human size as a Full Phase Action. He still looks the same — purple skin, tusks, orange eyes, bulging muscles — but he can easily use human-sized dwellings and objects. In the city he has an apartment obtained for him by Lucinda Hood; there’s a map of it in the GM’s Resources section.

anger her for that matter), the PCs have to fight Susano for “Richard Warburton’s” soul. (Note: even if they ask for the soul by that false name, Susano’s oni senses can tell which soul they’re really referring to based on the attunement of the resonant crystal.) Each time Susano takes BODY damage, there’s a chance Scarlatti’s soul is freed from the oni’s form, so the PC with the resonant crystal has to be ready. (In fact, that PC should probably spend the entire combat with crystal in hand, Holding his Action so he can start to concentrate if Susano’s hurt.) There’s also a chance of the soul getting free in any of his Phases when he still has an open wound. In either case, roll 3d6. On an 8-, Scarlatti’s soul breaks free and can be drawn into the crystal. The trick, of course, is hurting Susano... ...and keeping up with him if he tries to flee. Once he realizes there’s no money in it for him, he’ll try to get away (turning invisible in the process) unless the PCs make him mad and he wants revenge. Just shooting at him is enough to rouse his fury, so the odds are the PCs can keep him around for awhile. Even in that case, once he suffers 10 BODY or more damage, he will definitely try to escape no matter Unless they find some way to “buy off ” Susano and get Scarlatti’s soul how angry he is. from him voluntarily (which is highly unlikely, because he doesn’t want to break a contract with Lucinda Hood, or do anything else to

PART THREE: FIGHTING SUSANO

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FULFILLING THE CONTRACT

Movement:

Once they have “Warburton’s” soul, the PCs can easily arrange a meeting with their client. If they willingly hand it over, so much the better for her (though she won’t pay them unless they insist on watching her transfer the money in their presence). If they cause problems or try to withhold the crystal to get her to tell them the truth, she’ll do whatever she must to get her hands on it: use Charm or Persuasion; threaten them; snatch it and flee. If necessary, assume she has an invisible demon with her to help out in emergencies. And now that she has her husband’s soul, they can proceed to the next and final stage of their master plan.

Cost 3 20 10 10 11 13 8 11 11 3 11 13 5 5 10 3 7 8 17 1

GM’S RESOURCES Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your GMing career.

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Apartment Map The accompanying map shows the apartment Susano’s occupying. It’s on the tenth floor of a fourteen-floor building. All the apartments surrounding it are inhabited. If attacked here, Susano will fight back with everything he’s got. If he’s badly hurt (i.e., he loses 10 BODY or more), he’ll turn invisible and try to flee (or regroup, if he thinks he has the PCs on the ropes).

10

Notes

10

STR

0

11-

Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

12

DEX

4

11-

14

CON

4

12-

15

INT

5

12-

18

EGO

8

13-

15

PRE

5

12-

6

OCV

15

6

DCV

15

7

OMCV

12

7

DMCV

12

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

5

PD

3

Total: 5 PD (0 rPD)

5

ED

3

Total: 5 ED (0 rED)

8

REC

4

35

END

3

13

BODY

3

30

STUN

5

Money: Wealthy Talents

ANGELICA SCARLATTI Cost Roll

Spells Alarm Banishment Block Clairvoyance Cause Illness Clarivoyance Control Undead Create Flesh Golem Create Undead Demon Summoning Detect Clairvoyance Domination Fireshaping Levitation Life Draining Magic Concealment Perceive Magic Portal Rope Remove Curse Spell Shattering Summoning Circle Perks

NPC Character Sheets Val Char

Running:

PER Roll 12PRE Attack: 3d6

3

Striking Appearance +1/+1d6

7 3 3 3 5 3 3 19 3 3 3 2

Skills Acting 14Charm 12Conversation 12Deduction 12KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 14KS: Demons 12KS: Monsters 12Magic 21Persuasion 12Shadowing 12Stealth 11TF: Ground Vehicles

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 250 Total Cost: 371

Total Characteristics Cost: 121

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12m END 0 6 3 12 4 6 9 17 7 1 6 4 1 6 0 1 3 6 7 1

Adventures in Monster Hunting

200

Matching Complications (50)

15

Psychological Complication: Hungry For Mystical Power (Common, Strong)

15

Psychological Complication: Loves Vincent Scarlatti (Common, Strong)

Angelica has no desire to risk her life fighting gun-toting yahoos from Alabama. If her plans are uncovered or she’s confronted with force, her goal is to escape as quickly as possible. Appearance: Angelica Scarlatti is an attractive white woman, 5’10” tall with black hair and brown eyes. She dresses in expensive but not ostentatious clothing.

10

Social Limitation: Harmful Secret (practices black magic) (Infrequently, Major)

NEW SPELLS

Total Complications Points: 40 Experience Points: 181

ALARM

EQUIPMENT Weapon

STR OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes

ADC Derringer

-1

-2

1½d6

+0

2

6

Silver Dagger

+0

+0

½d6

+0

—

4

Carried in her purse

Armor None Gear: Purse, roll of cash, various magical paraphernalia

Background/History: The daughter of a wealthy family. Angelica Abramson was already an intelligent, attractive, ambitious woman when she met Vincent Scarlatti at a charity fundraiser. Something about him utterly mesmerized her, and he seemed to feel the same way about her. Before long they were an inseparable couple — and then he revealed his secret. He told her he was a sorcerer, and that he sensed in her the ability to be one as well. Most women would have left then and there, or at least tried to get him to seek psychiatric help. Not Angelica. The idea that magic was real captivated her, and soon she began studying it herself. Willingly, even eagerly, she has followed her husband down the lefthand path of dark power — and now she must rely on those powers to bring her husband back to her. Personality/Motivation: Two things drive Angelica Scarlatti. The first is her love for her husband. The two of them are deeply, passionately in love, despite their otherwise evil and selfish natures. She’ll do anything she must to bring him back to life — steal, kill, even sell her soul. The second is a desire for power. Ever since she learned of the existence of magic, Angelica has wanted to know more about it. Helping her husband with his plans, and now trying to rescue him, have derailed her studies, but she’s eager to get back to the “classroom” and learn more Spells. Quote: “So kind of you to have helped me. Unfortunately it’s the last thing you’re ever going to do.” Powers/Tactics: Angelica Scarlatti is an accomplished sorceress. She has few Spells that are of any use in combat, but she has plenty that help her prepare for battle (or, more likely, escape from one). She makes frequent use of Domination in her schemes, for example, and usually has at least one Portal Rope prepared for a quick getaway.

MAGIC CONCEALMENT Effect: Images to Detect Magic, -6 to PER Rolls Target: 1m Radius Casting Time: 1 Turn (Attack Action) Casting Procedures: Gestures, Incantations Duration: Constant Range: No Range Magic Roll Penalty: -4 END Cost: 0 Description: This Spell allows a wizard to conceal the presence of magic on himself or an object. Other wizards using Perceive Magic on the protected person/object detect nothing, except perhaps a slight “twinge” (because this Spell can’t entirely mask itself). Game Information: Images to Detect Magic, -6 to PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (42 Active Points); Concentration (½ DCV throughout casting; -½), Extra Time (1 Turn to cast; -¾), Gestures (throughout casting; -½), Incantations (throughout casting; -½), No Range (-½), Requires A Magic Roll (-½). Total cost: 10 points.

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ANGELICA SCARLATTI

Effect: Detect Intruder (INT Roll +5), Range, Sense Target: Self Casting Time: 1 Minute Casting Procedures: Focus, Gestures, Incantations Duration: Persistent Range: Self Magic Roll Penalty: -2 END Cost: 0 Description: A wizard can place this Spell on a building, vehicle, or defined area to alert him when someone intrudes. The Spell tells him if anyone enters the defined zone, but it only works if the intruder enters in such a way that he’s perceivable by the wizard’s ordinary senses. For example, an invisible demon opening a door and entering would trigger the Spell (since the character could see the door opening), but not if the demon flew in through an open window. Game Information: Detect Intruder (INT Roll +5) (no Sense Group), Range, Sense (17 Active Points); OAF Expendable (small metal bell; -1¼), Concentration (½ DCV throughout casting; -½), Extra Time (1 Minute to cast; -¾), Gestures (throughout casting; -½), Incantations (throughout casting; -½), Requires A Magic Roll (-½). Total cost: 3 points.

Adventures in Monster Hunting

JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER Angelica Scarlatti brings her husband Vincent back to life as a sort of lich-golem, and he continues his scheme to bring Neihor to Earth. Can the PCs stop him from completing the ritual to summon the first Neihorian juggernaut in time?

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ADVENTURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY After retrieving her husband’s body from the authorities (an act which put her on the MCB’s radar for the first time, but it couldn’t be helped), Angelica Scarlatti has used it to construct a powerful flesh golem form in which to house Vincent Scarlatti’s spirit. Thanks in part to the metal plates she bolted onto many parts of the body, it’s a monstrous mockery of the once-handsome Vincent, but neither of them cares — in fact Vincent likes his new form better, and Angelica’s love for him is undimmed. Vincent can now proceed with his master plan. What he intends to do is summon four powerful extradimensional entities, known as Neihorian juggernauts, to help him bring Neihor himself into Earth’s dimension. He can only summon one juggernaut per season, and only when the stars are right and at a certain place of power — a place he bought years ago under an assumed name and built a lavish mansion on. The mansion is “the House of the Star” mentioned in his notes, so called because he’s inscribed there the special pentagram needed to summon and control a juggernaut. Now Scarlatti has a second goal as well: to get revenge on the PCs, whom he regards as responsible for his current situation. (He blames Lucinda Hood, too, but doesn’t have the resources to tackle her again... yet.) The MCB (and/or the PCs) have taken all of his occult books and paraphernalia they could find (not including the ones at the mansion, such as his full grimoire of Spells). That means he needs to replace a few things he hadn’t already taken to the mansion. Depending on whether the PCs took any of his things, that means he either has to (a) attack them and get it back, or (b) commit a major robbery. Once he has what he was looking for, Scarlatti sets out for his mansion. Assuming the PCs are on his trail, he leaves a few “surprises” for them along the way. He makes it to the mansion in time to begin the summoning ritual, and then the PCs arrive just in time to have a chance to stop him....

RUNNING THIS ADVENTURE AS A STAND-ALONE You can easily run Journey Of The Sorcerer as a stand-alone adventure provided you have one thing in your campaign: a deceased (or nearly deceased) necromancer who someone can bring back to life as a golem. Ideally this should be a necromancer the PCs have fought before in some capacity, and either killed or injured so badly that he couldn’t survive in his own body for long. Then an apprentice or assistant of some sort can build the golem and restore the villain to life to get revenge on the PCs.

Even if you don’t have that sort of villain in your game (and no desire to create one), you can still use elements of this scenario to create your own adventure. The basic framework of “evil spellcaster needs to obtain some special items, then tries to summon a powerful extradimensional servant” work just fine even without a lich-golem. In this case the first the PCs learn of the plot is when they get word that someone used monsters and/or Spells in a robbery. They investigate, or perhaps stake out likely targets, and get a chance to fight their foe. One way or another he gets away with what he needs, and the PCs have to pursue him to his mansion to stop him from completing his conjuration ritual.

PART ONE: RITUAL PREPARATIONS

The time when the stars are right for Vincent Scarlatti to cast Dimensional Calling to summon his first Neihorian juggernaut is fast approaching. But to perform the ritual he needs two things he currently doesn’t have: a quantity of cut diamonds; and some of the notes he had in his office at Club Moloch. How the first part of Journey Of The Sorcerer unfolds depends on who has those things (assume he can use a spell of some sort to ascertain their location). If the MCB (or the PCs, or anyone else) has both his notes and the diamonds items in the same place, he’ll attack that place and get them back. (He’ll take the other items, too, if they’re in the same place, but won’t go out of his way to re-acquire them at this time.) If they’re in multiple locations, he first goes after the notes (which are unique), then decides whether to take back his own diamonds or rob a jewelry store. To make this as easy as possible on himself, Scarlatti will try to strike when the items aren’t guarded (or are as lightly guarded as possible). If the PCs have the notes, for example, unless they keep them on themselves at all times he’ll break into their headquarters (or the home of the PC who’s keeping them) when no one’s around. If the MCB has them, he’ll attack during the third shift — the MCB mans its offices at night (it has to, in its line of work), but it takes longer to assemble teams of agents from outside the office during the evening. If he can’t get both the notes and the diamonds at the same place, once he has the notes he’ll try to get the diamonds as soon as possible — an hour or two later the same night — to minimize the chance of anyone stopping him. It’s up to you whether to give the PCs a chance to stop either of Scarlatti’s attacks. On the one hand, it’s more fun to involve them in the action rather than simply telling them what happened. Furthermore, encountering him once early in the scenario makes the final confrontation with him all the more dramatic. On the other hand, giving them the chance to stop him poses some problems (beyond the fact that it makes the scenario take more time, which may or may not be a desirable thing for you). The main concern is that they might, in fact, stop him. That isn’t very dramatic, but in a roleplaying game (as opposed to an MHI novel) it’s a real possibility because the players and the dice have as much control over what happens in the story as you do. If that happens, you can still have the ritual go forward under Angelica’s oversight. She’ll have to cannibalize her own jewelry for the diamonds, and will suffer negative modifiers to her Magic roll because she doesn’t have her husband’s notes, but there’s still enough of a chance that she’ll succeed that the PCs will have to try to stop her.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting To stress the fact that the PCs are on a deadline, consider using an egg timer as a prop. Give the players a certain amount of time Scarlatti can have as many monstrous “assistants” with him to help (say, one hour) to make it to the Mansion. That should keep them with the robberies as you need him to. He has to move fast, so he’ll intensely focused on getting through the three combats described avoid slow-moving monsters like zombies in favor of gargoyles, below (meaning a minimum of out-of-game table chatter or other demons, and undead like skeletons, wights, and ghouls. distractions). If they don’t make it there in time, when they arrive the Neihorian juggernaut summoning ceremony is complete and they have to face the monster as well as two powerful necromancers. TRACKING SCARLATTI

SCARLATTI’S MINIONS

Whether the PCs don’t have a chance to stop Scarlatti early on, or they do and he gets away from them with what he needs, they need a way to track him back to Scarlatti Mansion. In fact he wants them to, so they can witness his ultimate triumph and then be destroyed. (He’s not worried about revealing his place of power to them, or the MCB, because he needs a different place of power to summon each of the remaining four juggernauts required to open Earth’s dimension to Neihor). Therefore he deliberately leaves behind the following clues at the scene(s) of his crime(s):

FIRST TRAP: ZOMBIES

PART TWO: ZOMBIES AND GARGOYLES AND DEMONS, OH MY!

49

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Scarlatti starts off simple with a horde of zombies that shamble out onto the road to stop the PCs. You should use a minimum of two zombies per PC, plus however many zombies you need to stop their car(s). If the PCs have powerful enough vehicles to just smash right through the zombies, set up a second group of zombies a little further down the road. This group has collapsed some trees onto the road to create a roadblock. The PCs may still find a way to drive around the ' some soil from the Mansion’s grounds, scraped off his shoes. As obstacles using Combat Driving, but don’t make it easy on them. a place of power, the area around the Mansion has some unique characteristics, and these show up in its soil. A forensic geologist SECOND TRAP: GARGOYLES (or a character with the Forensic Medicine Skill) can analyze the sample and tell the PCs the area it’s from. Once they’re in that If the PCs get past the zombies (which Scarlatti expects they will), his next trap is to have several gargoyles swoop down on them from area, the heroes won’t have a hard time finding the Mansion. ' a fingerprint from one of the servants working at the Mansion behind. Use however many gargoyles you think you need to give the PCs a challenging but not impossible fight. If necessary, you can who has a criminal record. ' one of the skeletons he uses in his attack (which is “killed” during weaken a few of them by giving them wounds from the fight at Club the confrontation somehow) is of a person buried in a graveyard Moloch which haven’t healed yet. near the Mansion whose bones can easily be identified due to The gargoyles’ primary tactic is to destroy the PCs’ vehicles extensive medical work and some distinctive fractures suffered (hopefully causing crashes that kill or injure the heroes). If they disable all of the PCs’ cars, they will flee, thinking they’ve done their in life. job. This leads to a humorous scene where you let the heavily-armed PCs stumble up to some isolated home or farmhouse and beg for the Using Magic Or Technology use of a car, or where they stand by the roadside trying to hitchhike to Of course, the PCs may also be able to track Scarlatti using their Scarlatti Mansion. own Spells or devices. The Tracking Spell in particular comes in very handy in this situation, if the PC team includes an elf. In fact, it THIRD TRAP: DEMONS may be so useful that you’ll have to find a way to keep the PCs from derailing the scenario with it. If necessary, assume Scarlatti uses If the PCs make it past the gargoyles, Scarlatti’s last delaying tactic is a group of demons. Being fiendishly clever, they’re making their stand Block Clairvoyance to interfere with Tracking Spell. at a spot where the road passes between two hills, thus leaving the PCs no way to go offroad and drive around them. Which type of demons to use, and how many of each, is up to you. Again, the fight should challenge the PCs, but not overwhelm them. Remember, if the heroes arrive at Scarlatti Mansion so badly injured, or so low on ammo, that they can’t succeed, the entire story arc is likely to come to a very unsatisfying ending. Give them obstacles to overcome — that’s part of what defines a hero, after all Once the PCs get onto Scarlatti’s trail, they’ve got to roll out and get — but don’t stack the odds so strongly against them that defeating to the Scarlatti Mansion as fast as possible. But of course Scarlatti’s Scarlatti becomes impossible. Learning how to strike that balance is expecting that — in fact, he’s counting on it. This gives him the chance all part of the art and science of GMing. to eliminate the PCs as a threat and have them die in despair, knowing they failed to stop his scheme. His plan, based on some security precautions he took long ago, is to ambush them with monsters that lie in wait along the most likely routes they’ll take to get to the Mansion. The further the PCs go, the more dangerous the attacks become.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

PART THREE: SHOWDOWN AT SCARLATTI MANSION

GM’S RESOURCES

Eventually the PCs arrive at Scarlatti Mansion — beaten, bruised, and extremely angry, no doubt. This is their chance to at last come to grips with their chief adversaries and, hopefully, destroy them. You can find maps and a description of Scarlatti Mansion in the GM’s Resources section, below. Vincent and Angelica Scarlatti are in the summoning room in the basement, performing the final part of the ritual to conjure the first Neihorian juggernaut. If you feel the need to delay the PCs further, have them fight past well-armed servants, or more gargoyles, before they can reach the basement. Depending on how long it takes the PCs to get to the basement, the ritual may be nearly complete or only halfway through. Until the ritual’s finished the juggernaut cannot move outside the summoning circle engraved into the floor, but once it reaches the halfway point the juggernaut can affect the physical world (with Scarlatti’s permission, since it’s confined to the circle). Unless you prefer otherwise (perhaps because the PCs were significantly delayed, or did really well in the fights and got to the Mansion sooner than expected), assume the ritual is 50% complete, and thus that the juggernaut is at half strength. Vincent Scarlatti completes another 10% of the ritual on each of his Phases, and the juggernaut’s effectiveness rises in direct proportion to how close the ritual is to completion (60% effectiveness at 60% complete, and so forth). If the PCs kill Vincent Scarlatti, the juggernaut returns from whence it came in 1d6+1 Segments.

Mansion Maps

Here are the resources you need to run this scenario. You can use most of them in other scenarios you design yourself during your GMing career.

Located an hour’s drive (or more, if you prefer) outside the city, the Scarlatti Mansion was designed specifically by Vincent Scarlatti to harness and channel the mystic energies present at that location, which is a dark “place of power.” It’s a luxurious residence as well, but that’s not its primary purpose. Although it is a building, the Scarlatti Mansion is in some respects also a mystical entity. It has the ability to “heal” any damage it sustains slowly over time, and is it least dimly aware of what’s going on within its walls (though it can’t affect the occupants in any way, except perhaps to impinge vague emotions on their minds to express its displeasure or fear). The floors throughout the ground and upper floor are finelypolished wood, sometimes covered with beautifully-woven carpets and rugs. The floors in the basement are stone. The walls throughout the Mansion have been strengthened and reinforced with magic, making them far sturdier than ordinary walls (6 PD, 6 ED, 6 BODY — 666!).

GROUND FLOOR 1. Foyer Hall

The main entrance into the Mansion is through a set of double wooden doors. The doors have large panes of glass in them that show Vincent Scarlatti is worth a cool $1 million PUFF bounty. The Neihorian a design in what seems to be a sort of Oriental style, but which on juggernaut is worth $500,000 (less if it hadn’t yet reached full power, of close inspection isn’t readily identifiable as coming from any major course; those bureaucrats at the MCB will nickel-and-dime the PCs out human culture. They lead into an elegantly-appointed foyer decorated of money every chance they get). in elegant style described as “Arts and Crafts filtered through a sort of Crowleyan lens.” Most people find the look intriguing, but to some it’s a touch disturbing.

PUFF

CONCLUSION

How Adventures In Monster Hunting ends depends on what the PCs do. Assuming they kill the Scarlattis and destroy the juggernaut (or prevent it from entering Earth’s reality), the Church of Ancient Wisdom will fall apart. Without Scarlatti’s influence most members will forget about their flirtation with the occult. The harder-core members will either get arrested by the MCB (and most likely wind up dead from sudden lead injection to the brain) or will join Lucinda Hood’s organization. But of course the possibility of someone else trying to release Neihor into the world remains a threat you can use in future scenarios if you want to. If the PCs fail to kill the Scarlattis and/or stop the juggernaut from arriving (for example, because the Scarlattis flee), Vincent’s plot continues. During each of the next three seasons he’ll attempt another summoning at a different location. Once he has four juggernauts under his command he can try to open the gateway that allows Neihor to come to Earth. Hopefully the PCs and MHI will find a way to stop him somewhere along the line.

2-3. Sitting Room

Visitors to the Mansion usually have to wait here for a few minutes before the Scarlattis can see them. The room is mostly decorated in a modern style, but with wood, leather, and glass emphasized over plastic and other technologically-produced materials. There is, however, a flat-screen plasma television, along with a small selection of books, in case a visitor has to wait a long time. In cold weather the room’s partly heated by a fireplace; those who stare too deeply into the flames sometimes claim to see them shape imp-like beings for a split-second here and there.

5. Great Room

When the Mansion’s owner entertains or needs to meet with large groups of people, the Great Room is typically the room he uses. It’s simply decorated with burgundy wallpaper and lit with electric chandeliers (and light that comes in through the bay windows, in the daytime). If necessary, the Scarlattis can use it to perform rituals requiring large amounts of space.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

7-9. Rotunda And Stairs

The only means of moving between the Mansion’s two aboveground floors is a set of matched circular stairwells that run through a central rotunda. Above the rotunda the roof of the Mansion forms a dome, the interior of which is painted dark blue and has a scene featuring a large central star similar to a pentagram surrounded by mysterious, eerie-looking constellations surrounding it. (The constellations are not ones ever seen in the night sky of Earth.)

11-13. Kitchen And Dining Room

The Mansion comes equipped with a large, well-furnished and -stocked kitchen where a cook and other servants (all members of the Church of Ancient Wisdom cult) prepare meals for the Scarlattis and their staff. The dining room has a rectangular table large enough to seat eight people comfortably, or ten in crowded conditions.

15. Downstairs Study/Library

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This room is a study and minor library mostly devoted to mundane work, such as keeping track of house accounts, answering correspondence, and the like. The books on the shelves lining the walls are mostly on mundane topics, such as history and art, though there are some harmless books on mythology and some occultrelated subjects. (The serious and dangerous mystic tomes are kept in the Sanctum Sanctorum upstairs.)

BASEMENT OF THE SORCERER

The basement of the Scarlatti Mansion is perhaps the most dangerous part of the house. It can be reached by several small stairways. The northern half of it is essentially mundane, with a laundry room, worktable and tools, the heating/ventilating/air conditioning equipment for the house, and so on. The southern half is distinctly different, and any doorways leading into it (or to stairways that access it) are mystically reinforced and locked to make it difficult for anyone to get in without the Scarlattis permission. (They have 6 PD, 6 ED, 8 BODY; Lockpicking attempts are at -4.) This is where the Scarlattis keep their most valuable (or dangerous) books (including their personal master grimoires), where they perform conjurations and other major rituals, and so on. This is where Vincent will perform the ceremony to summon the Neihorian juggernaut.

NPC And Monster Character Sheets VINCENT SCARLATTI (LICH-GOLEM FORM)

17. Solarium

This room, well-lit by the sun in the morning, is a favorite retreat of the Scarlattis when they wish to relax. It’s also where they hold informal meetings, or sit around having conversations with friends.

UPPER FLOOR

For the most part, the Upper Floor of the mansion is residential, with quarters for the Scarlattis, their guests, and the house-servants. It’s elegant, even opulent, with thick carpeting on most floors, heavy doors, hand-made wood furniture, and plenty of tasteful decor. The main room of note on this level is #10, the Sanctum Sanctorum. This is the Scarlattis’ private mystical “workroom.” Its doors and walls have been further enchanted to make them even tougher than the ones in the rest of the house (8 PD, 8 ED, 8 BODY). The room includes an extensive library on arcane and occult lore (but not any actual grimoires), some minor magical paraphernalia that won’t make a mess, and the Occularum Orientalis. The Occularum is a large crystal orb on an elaborately carved wooden stand; the whole thing is about the size of an end table. Floating in the center of the orb is a strange reddish-yellow eye that some people describe as feline, others reptilian, and still others as a mix between the two. As people move around the Sanctum, the eye turns to keep watch on them in a disturbing fashion, much like (in one visitor’s words) “a dragon sizing you up for a meal.” In the hands of a skilled user (such as the Scarlattis), the Occularum aids the casting of Clairvoyance and similar divinatory Spells (+3 to the Magic roll to cast them, and it reduces their END cost by half). However, it’s fragile (1 PD, 1 ED), and is likely to break unless moved with the greatest of care. Being hit by even a single bullet will shatter it into a thousand shards. None of the shards have any magical properties or value, though they are an odd yellowish color.

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Val 30 15 20 20 20 25

Char STR DEX CON INT EGO PRE

Cost 20 10 10 10 10 15

8 8 8 8 5

OCV DCV OMCV DMCV SPD

25 25 15 15 30

8 8 10 60 20 60

PD ED REC END BODY STUN

6 6 6 8 10 15

Movement: Cost 3 20 10 13 16 10 11 13

Roll 151213131314-

Notes Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 HTH damage [3]

PER Roll 13PRE Attack: 5d6

Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Total: 8 PD (4 rPD) Total: 8 ED (4 rED)

Total Characteristics Cost: 236

Running:

Spells Alarm Banishment Block Clairvoyance Blocking The Flow Bullet Barrier Cause Illness Clarivoyance Control Undead

12m END 0 6 3 5 14 12 4 6

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Spells Create Flesh Golem Create Undead Demon Summoning Detect Clairvoyance Dimensional Call Domination Dreamspeech Firebolt Fireshaping Levitation Life Draining Magic Concealment Mindseeking Perceive Magic Portal Rope Quench Flame Remove Curse Spell Shattering Summoning Circle Telekinesis Telepathic Communication Warding

END 9 17 7 1 18 6 6 12 4 1 6 0 6 1 3 6 6 7 1 1 6 1

Cost 15 10 4 12

Powers Body Of Reanimated Flesh: Does Not Bleed Body Of Reanimated Flesh: No Hit Locations Body Of Reanimated Flesh: Resistant (+½) for 4 PD/4 ED Armor Plating I: Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)

END 0 0 0 0

Activation Roll 11- (-1)

1

Body Of Reanimated Flesh: +2 PD

0

Only Protects Against Crushing Or Piercing Attacks (-½)

10

Body Of Reanimated Flesh: +2 PD Only Protects Against Piercing Attacks (-1) Mystic Protections: Power Defense (5 points) Body Of Reanimated Flesh: Life Support: Total (including Longevity: Immortality) Mystic Protections: Luck 2d6

10

Perks Money: Wealthy

3 1 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 2

Skills Climbing 12Computer Programming 8Cryptography 13Deduction 13Interrogation 14KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 15KS: Demons 13KS: Monsters 13KS: Neihor And His Servants 13KS: The Undead 13Language: Akkadian (fluent conversation; English is Native)

1 5 40

0 0 0 0

2 2 2 2 2 2 25 3 2

Skills Language: Ancient Egyptian (fluent conversation) Language: Arabic (fluent conversation) Language: Greek (fluent conversation) Language: Hebrew (fluent conversation) Language: Latin (fluent conversation) Language: Sumerian (fluent conversation) Magic 24Stealth 12TF: Ground Vehicles

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 474 Total Cost: 710 200 Matching Complications (50) 20 Distinctive Features: metal-plated golem (Concealable With Effort, Causes Extreme Reaction) 15 Psychological Complication: Hungry For Mystical Power (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Complication: Loves Angelica Scarlatti (Common, Strong) 20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN from Fire (Common) 20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY from Fire (Common) Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 510

VINCENT SCARLATTI

Background/History: After becoming an orphan at eight when his loving parents were killed in a car accident, Vincent Scarlatti went to live with his only relative, an uncle who was obsessed with the occult. Although this uncle lacked any true magical talent himself, he raised Vincent to become his “apprentice.” The student soon surpassed the master in both learning and cruelty. At age 16 he had himself declared a legal adult and then murdered his uncle so he could take unquestioned possession of the man’s arcane books and relics. Since then, Vincent Scarlatti’s life has been consumed by the quest for greater power, both in the everyday world and the world of the occult. In the former he’s worked hard to become a wealthy businessman and investor; in the latter he’s sought darker and darker lore. The only thing that ever distracted him from this pursuit was falling in love with his wife Angelica, and he’s never regretted that particular “interruption” for a moment. Personality/Motivation: Vincent Scarlatti is even more driven, ruthless, and evil than his wife (though he hasn’t yet dared to take the final step of selling his soul). There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to obtain greater magical power. Even his new body, which would be repulsive to most men, pleases him immensely because its extra strength and stamina will allow him to cast powerful Spells more easily. Quote: “Your souls will make a succulent meal for the great Neihor.” Powers/Tactics: Vincent Scarlatti has been a powerful necromancer for years. Now he adds to that the enormous physical prowess of the special golem body created for him by his wife. If his Spells aren’t enough to get the job done, he’s strong enough to tip over cars and can bounce bullets.

55

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Cost 8 11 11 3 22 11 11 8 13 5 5 10 10 3 7 13 8 17 1 4 13 2

Adventures in Monster Hunting Although he takes a certain visceral joy in using his new body, Cost Powers END Scarlatti is still a sorcerer at heart, so in combat his first action tends to 5 Pseudopods And Tentacles: Extra Limbs (as many as 0 be casting a Spell. Depending on the foes he’s facing he may start with needed) Bullet Barrier to protect himself (though this is less necessary with his 10 Semisolid Body: Clinging (normal STR) 0 new body). Then he’ll rely primarily on Domination and Firebolt (plus Spell Shattering or Blocking The Flow if there are enemy spellcasters, Talents whom he’s likely to target first). He usually has at least one Portal Rope on 12 Striking Appearance (ugliness) +4/+4d6 his person or within easy reach in case he needs to make a fast getaway. Don’t forget that Scarlatti has Luck 2d6 (based on longstanding Skills spells of mystic protection he’s cast on himself). If things start to go badly 24 +3 HTH for him, his preternatural luck may save him. Appearance: Vincent Scarlatti was once a handsome may with dark Total Powers & Skills Cost: 202 brown eyes, well-styled black hair, pale skin, and an athletic, slightly Total Cost: 464 muscular body. Now that those same features have been incorporated into a golem comprised of parts from several corpses, what was once 175 Matching Complications (50) attractive is now distorted and hideous. The fact that he’s a golem is 20 Physical Complication: Restricted By Pentagrams, if readily apparent once his clothes are removed, particularly when one can confined within a pentagram cannot leave or affect anyone see the metal plating bolted to his chest and other parts of his body. or anything outside the pentagram (Infrequently, Fully

Impairing)

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NEIHORIAN JUGGERNAUT Val 40 14 32 15 18 35

Char STR DEX CON INT EGO PRE

Cost 30 8 22 5 8 25

8 5 3 6 5

OCV DCV OMCV DMCV SPD

25 10 0 9 30

20 20 15 60 25 60

PD ED REC END BODY STUN

18 18 11 8 15 20

Movement: Cost 15 8 25 32 20 10 -2 43

Roll 171215121316-

Notes Lift 6,400 kg; 8d6 HTH damage [4]

PER Roll 12-

Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Total: 20 PD (8 rPD) Total: 20 ED (8 rED)

Total Characteristics Cost: 262 12m

Leaping:

0m

Powers Enormous, Fanged Mouth: HKA 2d6 (4½d6 with STR) Semisolid Body: Resistant (+½) for 8 PD/8 ED Semisolid Body: Damage Negation (-5 DCs Physical) Rapid Healing: Regeneration (2 BODY per Turn) Semisolid Body: Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing; Immunity: all diseases and poisons) Semisolid Body: No Hit Locations (see text) Can’t Leap: Leaping -4m (0m total) Oozing Body: Stretching 15m, x8 body dimensions Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)

Physical Complication: Enormous (8m; +4 OCV for others to hit, +4 to PER Rolls for others to perceive) (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

20

Psychological Complication: Utter Devotion To Its Master (Very Common, Strong)

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 289

PRE Attack: 7d6

Running:

15

END 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ecology: A Neihorian juggernaut is a powerful extradimensional creature created by and serving the Old One known to humans as Neihor. It subsists on whatever flesh and other foods its master (or whomever its master has told it to serve) provides it; it particularly enjoys the taste of humans, consumed whole while still struggling and screaming. Personality/Motivation: Neihorian juggernauts are sentient, though they think and perceive in ways that don’t necessarily make complete sense to humans (and vice-versa). They serve Neihor or the necromancer they’ve been sent to serve with total loyalty. Powers/Tactics: A Neihorian juggernaut can best be thought of as “a shoggoth on steroids.” Its combination of immense strength and mystic power, together with its supernaturally flexible, protoplasmic body, make it difficult to fight. (It doesn’t even share the shoggoth’s Vulnerability to fire.) In combat it typically uses the two enormous arms of the humanoid part of its body to smash and Grab. Unlike a shoggoth it doesn’t have eyes and mouths all over its body, though, so it is possible to surprise it. A juggernaut’s typical tactic is to Grab an opponent and eat him. After it performs the Grab, it takes another Full Phase to carry the victim up to its mouth and chew him up. Neihorian juggernauts have the No Hit Locations Automaton Power, even though they’re not Automatons, to reflect the unusual nature of their bodies. To summon a Neihorian juggernaut, a wizard must have the Knowledge Skill Neihor And His Servants on at least an 8- and use the Dimensional Call Spell. Appearance: A Neihorian juggernaut is a strange-looking thing once described by a prominent Hunter as a “shoggoth-centaur.” It has a lower body similar to that of an ordinary shoggoth, out of which rises an enormous human torso, horrific-looking head with enormous, fanged mouth, and large, long arms. At its full size it can exceed 20 feet in height. It can convert its whole body into a protoplasmic mass if necessary, though.

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Adventures in Monster Hunting

APPENDIX: SAMPLE PLAYER CHARACTERS Last but not least, here are five sample starting Player Characters for an MHI RPG campaign. You can use them as NPCs, as PCs for newcomers to the campaign, replacements for PCs that get killed in action, or just as examples of how to create your own characters.

Talents

ROBERTO DACOSTA Char

Cost Roll

Notes

13

STR

3

12-

Lift 150 kg; 2½d6 HTH damage [1]

16

DEX

12

12-

15

CON

5

12-

15

INT

5

12-

15

EGO

5

12-

18

PRE

8

13-

7

OCV

20

6

DCV

15

3

OMCV

0

5

DMCV

6

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

8

PD

6

Total: 8 PD (0 rPD)

5

ED

3

Total: 5 ED (0 rED)

9

REC

5

40

END

4

14

BODY

4

40

STUN

10

PER Roll 12PRE Attack: 3½d6

Running:

END

Martial Arts: Boxing Maneuver OCV

DCV

Damage/Effect

4

Block

+2

+2

Block, Abort

3

Clinch

-1

-1

Grab Two Limbs, 23 STR for holding on

4

Cross

+0

+2

4½d6 Strike

5

Hook

-2

+1

6½d6 Strike

3

Jab

+2

+1

2½d6 Strike

Bureaucratics 13Concealment 12Conversation 13Criminology 12Forensic Medicine 8Interrogation 13KS: MHI 11KS: Monsters 11Language: Spanish (basic conversation; English is Native) Persuasion 13Shadowing 12Stealth 12Streetwise 13Tactics 10TF: Ground Vehicles WF: Small Arms

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 0

EQUIPMENT Weapon

Perks 3

3 3 3 3 1 3 2 2 1 3 3 3 3 2 2 2

200 Matching Complications (50) 10 Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 10 Psychological Complication: Honest To A Fault (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Complication: Alcoholic (Common, Moderate) 20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

12m

Cost Powers

5

Skills +1 with Firearms

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 69 Total Cost: 200

Total Characteristics Cost: 131

Movement:

Ambidexterity

Fringe Benefits: Weapon Permit; Concealed Weapon Permit

Glock 21

+0

+0

2d6

+1

13

6

Remington 870 P

+0

+0

2½d6

+1

8

10 2H, AE1, LR(40m), RR, RP

KRISS Vector SBR

+1

+1

2d6-1

+1

30

10 AF5, Supp (-5)

AR-10

57

STR OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes

+1

+0

2d6+1

+1

20

12

2H, AF5, FS

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

Val

3

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

Adventures in Monster Hunting Armor Powers/Tactics: As a trained cop, daCosta brings a host of valuable MHI Body Armor (Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)) skills to his work as a Hunter. He knows how to gather information MHI Earplugs (Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); Radio from the underworld and other folks “on the street,” how to follow Perception/Transmission) and surveil a suspect, how to interrogate a witness or captive, and Gear: Flashlight how to investigate a crime scene. His teammates have learned to trust his intuition, which has been honed by years of coping with crime in Background/History: Roberto daCosta used to be a cop — a the heart of the city. damn good cop, in fact, with multiple decorations and numerous DaCosta continues to use his favorite pistol, a Glock 21, rather commendations noted in his file, and a trophy for winning the than MHI’s standard issue STI handgun. departmental boxing tournament one year. But his life took a turn Appearance: Roberto daCosta is a handsome man of Hispanic for the strange during a case he handled nine months after making ancestry in his late 20s. He’s 5’9” tall with black hair, brown eyes, and detective. a well-trimmed black beard and moustache. When not in the field, he He and his partner investigated a series of grave robbings. The usually wears sneakers, jeans, and t-shirts with irreverent graphics or motive for the crimes was unclear, but fortunately for them the sayings on them. perpetrator left enough trace evidence behind at the crime scenes that they were able to piece it all together and track him down. With LEXA DUQUESNE two uniformed officers in support they went to the perpetrator’s last Val Char Cost Roll Notes known address, a warehouse in a run-down area of the city. They entered the building and discovered that the warehouse 12 STR 2 11- Lift 133 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1] had become a charnel house. Bodies in varying states of decay lay on 16 DEX 12 12slabs scattered throughout the large main room, and the place stank 6 12to high heaven. As they were examining the corpses, one of them sat 16 CON 5 12- PER Roll 12up and bit his partner in the throat. He screamed as the zombie shook 15 INT him, severing his jugular and nearly taking his head off. All the other 15 EGO 5 12bodies stirred to life as well. 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 By the time it was all over, daCosta was the only one left standing, and he had just one bullet left in his trusty Glock 21. Officers responding to the noise found him standing in the middle of a pile of 7 OCV 20 bodies that included three cops and over a dozen decaying corpses. 7 DCV 20 When daCosta explained what had happened, he was relieved OMCV 0 of duty and ordered into psychiatric treatment. He refused, quit the 3 6 DMCV 9 force, and began to spend his days in his apartment, drinking. A threatening visit from the MCB didn’t do much to help his mental 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 state. By the time MHI got to him, he had descended into full-blown PD 4 Total: 6 PD (0 rPD) alcoholism to cope with the memory of what he’d seen and done. 6 ED 4 Total: 6 ED (0 rED) But there was enough of the decorated cop in him to realize that he 6 needed some way to get back to normalcy — and that MHI could 8 REC 4 provide it to him. He threw away his liquor, made the trip to Alabama, 40 END 4 and in time became a member of MHI. Personality/Motivation: Roberto daCosta is pretty much a normal 16 BODY 6 guy, except for two things. The first (and perhaps most disturbing) is 40 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost: 136 that he’s honest to the point of bluntness and incivility. He’s too streetRunning: 18m hardened and cynical to believe most of what people tell him, and he’s Movement: quick to call others on their falsehoods and cover-ups. Lying about Cost Powers END anything is extremely difficult for him, even if it’s in a good cause, and Fast On Her Feet: Running +6m (18m total) 1 at times he seems unable to resist “explaining how things really are” 6 Lucky Girl: Luck 2d6 0 to his teammates, even when he knows what he says will be hurtful. 10 This trait prevents him from making a lot of friends, but those he does Perks make realize it’s just his way of trying to look out for them. Fringe Benefits: Weapon Permit; Concealed Weapon Permit Second, daCosta’s an alcoholic — a recovering one who hasn’t 3 had a drink in nearly a year, but an alcoholic nevertheless. If put in Talents a situation where he can drink, he has to make an EGO Roll at +5 to Striking Appearance +1/+1d6 avoid temptation. If he fails, he’ll start drinking and won’t quit until 3 he passes out or is forcibly prevented from imbibing. Quote: “Don’t be so stupid; that’ll never work.”

58

Adventures in Monster Hunting Background/History: Alexandra Duquesne — Lexa to her friends — was a bright, but not particularly motivated, twentysomething working 10 as a paramedic while she tried to decide what she wanted to do with her life. One night she and her partner got an emergency call and rushed to the scene of a crime — or so they thought. The cop on duty told them 3 Acting 12someone had been mugged, but when they examined the victim they 2 Climbing 10found numerous wounds that looked as if they’d been caused by claws 1 Combat Driving 8and large teeth. Before they could treat the victim and load him up for a trip to 3 Deduction 12the hospital, the wererat that had attacked him got up its courage and 1 Forensic Medicine 8returned. It ambushed the cop, nearly severing his neck with its initial 2 High Society 10attack, and then turned on the paramedics. Fortunately for Duquesne it attacked her partner first, and while he was screaming for help and trying 2 KS: MHI 11to get away, she stabbed it multiple times in the head with a pair of sharp 2 KS: Monsters 11scissors, finally killing it. Then she fainted. 5 Paramedics 13 She awoke in the hospital to learn that she was all right, but the other three had died of their injuries. As if the shock of the situation 3 Persuasion 12weren’t enough, she soon got a visit from the MCB. The agents warned 1 SS: Medicine 8her in no uncertain terms to keep her mouth shut, or they’d shut it for 3 Stealth 12her — permanently. 2 TF: Ground Vehicles Completely freaked out by the incident and the MCB, Duquesne was about ready to chuck everything and abandon the big city for the 2 WF: Small Arms most remote rural town she could find. But then MHI came calling. Julie Shackleford convinced her she had what it took to fight monsters for a Total Powers & Skills Cost: 64 living — and Lexa Duquesne finally found something useful to do with Total Cost: 200 her life. 200 Matching Complications (50) Personality/Motivation: Duquesne didn’t become a monster Hunter 10 Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) because she likes guns (she doesn’t, really), or because of the money. 15 Psychological Complication: Determined To Protect People She’s in it for the cause. She doesn’t always show it, but deep down she’s a compassionate person who doesn’t want people to suffer needlessly. Since From Monsters (Common, Strong) she experienced a monster attack that attitude has crystallized around 10 Rivalry: Professional and Romantic, with Liz Sutton preventing other people from experiencing the same thing. If necessary 20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, she’ll take serious risks to make sure a monster doesn’t get away to hurt Major) anyone else — a trait that’s likely to get her into potentially fatal trouble sooner or later. Total Complications Points: 50 Duquesne gets along well with her teammates and most other Experience Points: 0 Hunters, with one significant exception: Liz Sutton. For some reason the two of them have rubbed one another wrong since day one. Each of them is constantly trying to outdo the other, whether it’s on the job or after EQUIPMENT hours. Quote: “Let’s go — there’s no way we’re gonna let this thing escape.” STR Weapon OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes Powers/Tactics: Although she passed her training with flying colors and has learned to handle guns quite well, Duquesne isn’t a gung-ho, in your STI Ranger +1 +1 2d6-1 +1 8 6 face fighter. She prefers to leave that role to the likes of Dane Ericson and II Roberto daCosta and take a supporting position. She’s been practicing Remington +0 +0 2½d6 +1 8 10 2H, AE1, her sniping as well, but doesn’t think she’s good enough yet to snipe 870 P LR(40m), monsters in the field (and she’s right). RR, RP Duquesne’s aggressiveness comes out if a monster’s about to escape KRISS +1 +1 2d6-1 +1 30 10 AF5, her team. The thought of a monster getting away to prey on other people Vector SBR Supp (-5) haunts her day and night, so she’ll do anything she can to make sure a AR-10 +1 +0 2d6+1 +1 20 12 2H, AF5, monster winds up dead instead of fleeing to safety. More than once her FS team’s had to go after her when she recklessly plunged down a hole or into a lair after a wounded monster. Combat +0 +0 1d6 +0 — 8 Can Be Appearance: Lexa Duquesne is a tall, fit, attractive twenty-something Knife Thrown woman with long blonde hair she ties back in a ponytail when working. Armor On the job she wears her MHI body armor and carries an AR-10 assault MHI Body Armor (Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)) rifle, an STI Ranger II, a combat knife, and a well-stocked field medical MHI Earplugs (Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); Radio kit. When relaxing she usually favors fashionable casual wear — though Perception/Transmission) she cleans up quite nicely for a formal night on the town when she has Gear: Field medical kit, cigarette lighter the chance.

Skills +2 with Firearms

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59

Adventures in Monster Hunting

DANE ERICSON Val 13 17 16 13 13 15

Char STR DEX CON INT EGO PRE

Cost 3 14 6 3 3 5

8 6 3 5 4

OCV DCV OMCV DMCV SPD

25 15 0 6 20

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

7 5 8 40 16 40

PD ED REC END BODY STUN

Movement:

Roll 121212121212-

Notes Lift 150 kg; 2½d6 HTH damage [x]

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 68 Total Cost: 200

PER Roll 1xPRE Attack: xd6

200

Matching Complications (50)

10

Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)

10

Psychological Complication: (Common, Moderate)

10

Psychological Complication: Loves Liz Sutton (Common, Moderate)

20

Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

Ardent American Patriot

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 0

EQUIPMENT

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

5 3 4 4 6 10

Weapon

Total: 7 PD (0 rPD) Total: 5 ED (0 rED)

Total Characteristics Cost: 132 Running: Swimming:

18m 6m

Cost Powers 6 Strong Runner: Running +6m (18m total) 1 Strong Swimmer: Swimming +2m (6m total)

END 1 1

Perks 3

Fringe Benefits: Weapon Permit; Concealed Weapon Permit

15

Skills +3 with Firearms

3 5 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 1 3 3 4 4

Climbing 12Demolitions 13Electronics 10KS: MHI 11KS: Monsters 11Lockpicking 12Navigation 12Paramedics 10Security Systems 12Survival 12Systems Operation 8Tactics 12Tracking 12TF: Ground Vehicles, Parachuting, SCUBA WF: Small Arms, Uncommon Modern Weapons

STR OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes

STI Ranger II

+1

+1

2d6-1

+1

8

6

Remington 870 P

+0

+0

2½d6

+1

8

10

2H, AE1, LR(40m), RR, RP

KRISS Vector SBR

+1

+1

2d6-1

+1

30

10

AF5, Supp (-5)

AR-10

+1

+0

2d6+1

+1

20

12

2H, AF5, FS

Grenades

—

—

2½d6X

+1

var

—

RBS

Combat Knife

+0

+0

1d6

+0

—

8

Can Be Thrown

Armor MHI Body Armor (Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)) MHI Earplugs (Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); Radio Perception/Transmission) Gear: Demolitions tools, field medical kit, survival kit, smartphone Background/History: As the latest scion of a family whose men had joined the US Army for over a hundred years, Dane Ericson grew up listening to stories about military life and valor. It came as no surprise to anyone when he joined the Army himself after high school. When he made it into the elite Rangers unit, his family couldn’t have been prouder. During his time as a Ranger Ericson went on missions around the world. During one in Afghanistan, his team approached what they thought was a terrorist cell’s hideout. It turned out to be the lair of a necromancer. His spells didn’t do much to protect him from the Rangers’ bullets, but his undead servants and a conjured demon were another matter. By the time the soldiers had destroyed all the monsters, only three of the Rangers, including Ericson, were still alive. The MCB got wind of the situation quickly and clamped down on it hard. Ericson’s unit was disbanded and the survivors sent to join other units. He, not wanting to transfer and determined to find out what had happened to him, chose to leave the military instead, much to his family’s chagrin.

60

Adventures in Monster Hunting

GARRET SULLIVAN Val Char

Cost Roll Notes

12

STR

2

11-

16

DEX

12

12-

17

CON

7

12-

13

INT

3

12-

10

EGO

0

11-

15

PRE

5

12-

6

OCV

15

6

DCV

15

3

OMCV

0

4

DMCV

3

4

SPD

20

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

7

PD

5

Total: 7 PD (0 rPD)

5

ED

3

Total: 5 ED (0 rED)

8

REC

4

40

END

4

15

BODY

5

40

STUN

10

Lift 133 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

PER Roll 12PRE Attack: 3d6

Total Characteristics Cost: 113

Movement:

Running:

12m

Cost Powers

END

Martial Arts: Aikijutsu Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4

Dodge

—

+5

Dodge all attacks, Abort

4

Escape

+0

+0

27 STR vs. Grabs

3

Hold

-1

-1

Grab Two Limbs, 22 STR for holding on

5

Redirect

+1

+3

Block, Abort

5

Strike

+1

+3

2d6 Strike

3

Throw

+0

+1

2d6 Strike + v/10; Target Falls

1

Weapon Element: use Art with Swords (see text) Martial Arts: Fencing Maneuver OCV DCV

Damage/Effect

3

Cut

+2

+1

Weapon

4

Disarm

-1

+1

Disarm, 22 STR

5

Lunge

+1

-2

Weapon +4 DC

Perks

61

3

Fringe Benefits: Weapon Permit; Concealed Weapon Permit

15

Money: Filthy Rich

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

Back in the States, Ericson began making a few discreet inquiries. An old Army buddy put him in touch with a friend of a friend of a friend, who let Ericson know about MHI. Ericson contacted the company and inquired about open positions. In a few weeks he was part of the next training class, where he excelled. Now that he’s graduated, he’s as gung-ho to fight monsters as he was to fight terrorists and anti-American insurgents. Personality/Motivation: Dane Ericson is a red-blooded American patriot, through and through. Even though he’s not in the military anymore due to his disgust over the incident in which his team was slaughtered, he still strongly supports America and considers it his sworn duty to protect her and her citizens. This attitude is sure to put him on a collision course with the MCB, probably sooner rather than later. Ever since joining MHI, Ericson has had a thing for one of his teammates, Liz Sutton, who was in his training class. Over time that’s blossomed into full-blown love, though she seems oblivious to his attitude. If she’s in trouble during a mission, Ericson has to succeed with an EGO Roll at +5 or stop what he’s doing (regardless of how important it is) to go to her rescue. Ericson is a health nut. He exercises every day, doesn’t smoke or drink, and eats only the healthiest of foods. He’ll go hungry rather than have to consume fast food. Quote: “All right, look alive, people, we’ve got hostiles somewhere in here — and they’ve got fangs.” Powers/Tactics: Compared to the average Hunter, Ericson is all business. He’s a military man from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, and he conducts himself on MHI jobs as if he were still in the Rangers. It often frustrates him that the rest of his team (and indeed, MHI in general) don’t have the same level of discipline and professionalism. Ericson brings a suite of elite soldier skills to his work as a Hunter. He’s been trained in demolitions, survival, tracking, infiltration, and communications systems as well as with just about every type of modern weapon there is. It isn’t often that his team needs to know how to start a fire in the woods using nothing more than some soggy sticks, a piece of twine, and an old gym sock, but when they do they appreciate Ericson all the more. Appearance: Dane Ericson is a 6’2” tall white male with hazel eyes. He’s cleanshaven and keeps his blond hair in a buzz cut. When not decked out in his body armor and plethora of weapons while on the job, he wears military fatigues and boots (and of course his old dog tags).

Adventures in Monster Hunting

Skills 3

Acrobatics 12-

3

Breakfall 12-

3

Combat Driving 12-

3

Conversation 12-

3

High Society 12-

2

KS: MHI 11-

2

KS: Monsters 11-

2

KS: Trivia 11-

3

Stealth 12-

6

TF: Air Vehicles, Ground Vehicles, Water Vehicles

2

WF: Small Arms

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 87 Total Cost: 200 200

Matching Complications (50)

10

Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)

20

Psychological Complication: Thinks Money Can Solve All Problems (Very Common, Strong)

20

Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 0

EQUIPMENT STR Weapon OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots Min Notes STI Ranger II +1 +1 2d6-1 +1 8 6 Remington +0 +0 2½d6 +1 8 10 2H, AE1, 870 P LR(40m), RR, RP KRISS +1 +1 2d6-1 +1 30 10 AF5, Vector SBR Supp (-5) AR-10 +1 +0 2d6+1 +1 20 12 2H, AF5, FS Sword +0 — 1d6+1 +0 — 12

Armor MHI Body Armor (Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)) MHI Earplugs (Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); Radio Perception/Transmission) Gear: Money clip Background/History: Garret Sullivan is the third son of Richard and Alicia Sullivan, of the Providence, Rhode Island Sullivans — a family renowned for its vast wealth. Sullivan grew up wanting for nothing, able to have or do anything he pleased. Surprisingly, this somehow didn’t turn him into a spoiled brat; he learned to be grateful for what he had, and developed a sense of noblesse oblige.

Freed from the need to work as an adult, Sullivan instead passed his time with various hobbies and pursuits. He studied many different subjects at several prestigious universities (but never graduated from any of them), raced sportscars and yachts, and took up martial arts and fencing. He’d have gone on enjoying his immensely enjoyable life for the next five or six decades, had he not woken up one morning to find himself tied to a metal post in a dank, dingy basement. He soon learned he’d been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. He never saw the people involved clearly, for they wore hooded black robes that concealed their faces. But he made careful note of the gold medallions they all wore, which showed “some sort of squid-beast-thing” (as he later put it to the police). Even worse, they soon put some... thing... that wasn’t human in charge of him. Many people would have gone insane when exposed to such things in such conditions, but it only made Sullivan angry. He was determined to get away and get home safely, so he began working on the ropes holding him whenever his undead guard wasn’t looking. His wrists were soon raw and bleeding, but he refused to give up. He’d almost gotten his arms free when he heard a commotion upstairs, followed by gunfire. Soon three people wearing body armor with a strange patch on the shoulder and carrying heavy weapons smashed down the basement door and started downstairs. They didn’t see the ghoul at first, but Sullivan yelled a warning and tripped it before it could kill one of them. They cut him loose, made sure he was all right, warned him about what would happen soon, and left him an MHI business card and an offer to join a training class. For the first time Sullivan had found something he really wanted to do with his life. The idea of hunting monsters not only appealed to the side of him that craved excitement, it spoke to the side of him that didn’t want anyone else to go through the ordeal he’d just experienced. After the MCB and his doctors were through with him, he made a beeline for Cazador, Alabama. Personality/Motivation: For the most part Garret Sullivan is a great guy, one who can become friends with nearly anybody. If he has any flaw, it’s that he doesn’t really comprehend what life’s like for people who aren’t mind-bogglingly wealthy the way he and his family are. He thinks money can solve any problem, and more than once has unintentionally offended someone by essentially trying to buy their way out of some problem they’d rather solve themselves. As a result he sometimes comes off as arrogant or stuck up, when he’s actually a pretty modest guy given his many accomplishments. Sullivan often seems like he doesn’t take anything seriously — an attitude that grates on Dane Ericson, among others. Quote: “Let’s take this thing out ASAP, then we can hit the bar. Drinks are on me.” Powers/Tactics: In addition to his MHI firearms training, Sullivan is an accomplished martial artist. He’s studied several styles, but his favorite form of unarmed fighting is Aikijutsu (the combat-oriented predecessor to Aikido). He’s also a skilled fencer, and carries a custom-made sword when on missions — he’s beheaded more than a few zombies and other nasties with it. He can use the Dodge, Redirect, and Strike maneuvers from Aikijutsu with his sword as well. Appearance: Garret Sullivan is a 6’0” tall white man with neatly cut sandy blond hair that never seems to get mussed or out of place no matter what he’s doing. In the field he wears a suit of MHI body armor he’s had made to his precise specifications and needs; at other times he wears expensive men’s casual clothing.

62

Adventures in Monster Hunting

LIZ SUTTON

Skills +2 with Submachine Guns

3

Computer Programming 13-

3

Concealment 13-

PER Roll 13-

1

Criminology 8-

3

Cryptography 12-

PRE Attack: 3d6

3

Deduction 13-

3

Faith 12-

2

KS: Art History 11-

2

KS: Demons 11-

2

KS: History 11-

2

KS: MHI 11-

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

2

KS: Literature 11-

3

KS: Monsters 13-

2

Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)

1

Language: Latin (basic conversation; English is Native)

ED

2

Total: 4 ED (0 rED)

1

Language: Spanish (basic conversation)

6

REC

2

2

Paramedics 10-

35

END

3

2

PS: Librarian 11-

13

BODY

3

2

PS: Stage Magician 11-

40

STUN

10

2

SS: Psychology 11-

3

Sleight Of Hand 12-

3

Stealth 12-

2

TF: Ground Vehicles

2

WF: Small Arms

Cost Roll Notes

10

STR

0

11-

14

DEX

8

12-

14

CON

4

12-

20

INT

10

13-

16

EGO

6

12-

15

PRE

5

12-

5

OCV

10

7

DCV

20

3

OMCV

0

6

DMCV

9

4

SPD

20

4

PD

4

Movement:

Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]

Total Characteristics Cost: 114 Running:

12m

Cost Powers 8

Packs Quite A Wallop: HA +2d6

END 1

Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼)

5

Strong-Willed: Mental Defense (5 points)

0

Perks 3

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 86## Total Cost: 200

Fringe Benefits: Weapon Permit; Concealed Weapon Permit Talents

5

Eidetic Memory

4

Environmental Movement: I Can Drunk Just As Good Fight! (no penalties for intoxication)

3

Lightning Calculator

3

Striking Appearance +1/+1d6

200

Matching Complications (50)

10

Hunted: MCB (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)

10

Psychological Complication: People Need To Know The Truth (Common, Moderate)

10

Rivalry: Professional and Romantic, with Lexa Duquesne

20

Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 0

63

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

6

Val Char

Adventures in Monster Hunting

EQUIPMENT Weapon

OCV RMod Damage STUN Shots STR Notes Min

STI Ranger II +1

+1

2d6-1

+1

8

6

Remington 870 P

+0

+0

2½d6

+1

8

10

2H, AE1, LR(40m), RR, RP

KRISS Vector +1 SBR

+1

2d6-1

+1

30

10

AF5, Supp (-5)

Property of Monster Hunter International, Inc. Do not distribute without MHI permission.

Armor MHI Body Armor (Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED)) MHI Earplugs (Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); Radio Perception/Transmission) Gear: Laptop, smartphone, gold cross necklace Background/History: Liz Sutton was a shy, bookish child growing up, and that eventually led her to a career as a librarian. Among the stacks she could read to her heart’s content, and was safe from all the ugliness of the outside world — or so she thought. Her illusions about the world came crashing down the day she was reorganizing part of the rare book room and this demonic thing appeared. It stalked toward her, licking its lips greedily, and she scrambled back, desperate to get away. Saying a little prayer in her mind she grabbed the biggest thing she could lay her hands on — an old book with heavy silver clasps — and smashed the demon in the head. Luck was with her, because she picked a book that had been blessed by a particularly pious bishop centuries ago. It still carried the touch of holiness, and thus could hurt the demon. Frantically she pressed her advantage, eventually beating the demon to a bloody pulp. The MCB got wind of the situation and soon sent two agents out to “have a little chat” with her. The whole idea of keeping important information secret from people incensed her, but her anger quickly withered away under the barrage of very real threats she got from the agents. She thought that would be the end of the matter... ...and then Julie Shackleford showed up with a job offer for her. Personality/Motivation: Liz Sutton is passionate about reading and learning, and as such hates the idea that “the government knows what’s best for you” and that the world shouldn’t be informed about the existence of the supernatural. She hasn’t sucked up her courage to the point of defying the MCB and going public with what she knows (especially now that she’s got such an amazing job and doesn’t want to cause trouble for MHI), but she pushes the boundaries of what’s allowed frequently. Sutton doesn’t get along with Lexa Duquesne at all. They’re professional enough to work together, but each constantly tries to outdo the other. Even worse, Duquesne is romantically interested in Dane Ericson, who’s in love with Sutton, who doesn’t realize Ericson has feelings for her.

Sutton has a touch of obsessive-compulsiveness about her. She likes to keep everything neat and organized, and arranges all her gear just so. She gets a little upset when people move her things around or interfere with her organizational scheme. Sutton is the most religiously devout member of her team. Her faith’s probably not strong enough to stop a vampire, but it’s been useful from time to time. Quote: “Of course. Once again the big, bad government comes in and makes the whole thing go away. Jack-booted bastards.” Powers/Tactics: Liz Sutton is a woman with some unusual — and helpful — gifts. She’s extraordinarily intelligent and educated, with a professional-level background in many subjects. Even more impressive are her photographic memory and ability to perform complex mathematical calculations in her head. She’s working with Albert Lee to help him organize the MHI archives. But the ability that most Hunters talk about is her prodigious capacity for alcohol. Somehow tiny Liz Sutton can put away drink after drink until the likes of Earl Harbinger, Owen Pitt, and Klaus Lindemann are passed out cold on the floor — and she’s still raring to go. She acts drunk, she blood tests as drunk, but she shows no physical or mental impairment at all. It’s a trick that’s won MHI Hunters more than a few dollars in bar bets. Due to her size and frame, Sutton just doesn’t have the upper body strength necessary to use an assault rifle properly. Instead she relies on her KRISS submachine gun instead (or a shotgun, if that’s better for the job at hand). Appearance: Liz Sutton is 5’3” tall and slender, with black hair and dark eyes — compared to the average Hunter she practically seems fragile. Her skin looks almost as if she’s got a really good suntan, but in fact is a result of her ancestry (a mix of white, black, Hispanic, and American Indian). When not in the field she tends to favor plain, often rather baggy, clothes; she either hasn’t yet learned how to dress to accentuate her attractiveness, or doesn’t care to do so.

64