Dlb3-3001 Don't Look Back 3e - Terror Is Never Far Behind - Rulebook [2018][2019!05!14]

THIRD EDITION WWW.DLB3.COM

Welcome Thanks in large part to the support and encouragement of some awesome people on Kickstarter, I am able to present this new third edition of Don’t Look Back. If you have never seen the other editions, don’t worry this book has everything you need to know. This third edition uses a customized version of Lester Smith’s D6xD6 game mechanics system as well as an expanded version of the DLB world. Even though it has been a couple decades since the last release, I was very excited and grateful to work with the same group of incredibly talented artists that helped make the second edition so special. Paul Carrick, Tim Gerstmar, and Richard Van Ingram – you guys rock! I also can’t thank Lester Smith enough for his tireless work creating a cool mechanics system like D6xD6 as well as for his advice, friendship, and middle-of-the-night conversations that helped me get through this. I owe a special shout out to Jill Rayburn, Scott Dillin, and the D6xD6 community for their feedback, suggestions, and helping me stay within the lines. Thanks again,

Chuck “Doc” McGrew, Ph.D. DLB Author and Designer [email protected]

Copyright © 2018, Chuck McGrew. All rights reserved. The Rules chapter; the Creating a Character and Character Growth sections of the Character chapter; and the Enemies section of the Game Host chapter are copyright © 2018, Lester Smith. The D6xD6 logo is a trademark of Lester Smith and is used with permission.

Don’t Look Back: Terror is Never Far Behind, DLB3, and the DLB3 and Retro Role-player logos are trademarks of Chuck McGrew. Retro Roleplayer 3070 Lakecrest Circle Suite 400-171 Lexington, KY 40513 USA

Connect [email protected] Twitter: @retroroleplayer FB: facebook.com/retroroleplayer https://www.retroroleplayer.com

DISCLAIMER: This book is a work of fiction. Names, events, and locations are used for fictional reference purposes only. Any resemblance to real people, either living or dead, or events is coincidental.

Author and Graphic Design Chuck McGrew

Introduction ····················································· 1 Rules ····································································· 9

D6xD6 Mechanics Lester Smith

Characters ························································ 25

Cover Illustration Tim Gerstmar

Game Host ··························································· 43

Interior Artwork Paul Carrick, Tim Gerstmar, and Richard Van Ingram

Paranormal ······················································· 63

Editing Lester Smith and Doug Kilmer

Conspiracy ························································ 91

Proofreading Jill Rayburn, Doug Kilmer, Natura Time, Chris Sparks, Michael Weber, Christopher Reed, Bob F., Alan Hoskins, and Richard Van Ingram

World··································································· 81

Encounters······················································ 105 Adventures ······················································ 121 House on Dolley Hill ····································· 122 The Façade ··························································· 134 Appendix ·························································· 147

When we were children, we worried about things that went bump in the night. Now as adults, we dismiss the things we can’t explain as figments of our imaginations. Is that because we know better or have we just been brainwashed by the establishment? We all know at least one person who swears they’ve seen something that shouldn’t be… perhaps it was a ghost or a strange light in the sky. Maybe they had a premonition. Are they all crazy? Ancient stone tablets show images of what looks like spaceships and aliens, but that’s just interpretation, right? Something crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. If it was just a weather balloon why are so many of the official documents still classified? In 2017, hundreds of homeless people simply disappeared overnight in Salt Lake City. People have become so desensitized it barely made a ripple in the national news. We like to think these stories are just the product of simple minds trying to make sense of the world around them. If that’s true, why does it seem to be getting worse instead of better? After decades, centuries even, of secrecy, why are the world governments admitting they have secret programs to investigate UFOs and the unexplained? The internet is chock full of stories and videos about strange creatures, people with paranormal abilities, and genetic experiments. Some of the more credible ones seem to be removed without explanation then reappear under a different title only to be deleted again in a constant game of cat and mouse.

Something is happening. Something big. Don’t worry. Go ahead. Keep drinking that fluoridated water. That black van parked down the street is probably just working on the cable. The world of Don’t Look Back (DLB) appears calm and orderly on the surface but a madness lurks behind the façade. It is a world that is both familiar and alien where truth is dictated by the media, history is rewritten by politicians, and people are oblivious to the terrors around every corner. Maybe it isn’t that different? Trusted institutions pacify the masses while committing atrocities behind veils of secrecy. Earthly despots, zealots, and terrorists are just part of the smoke screen. Religion, government, science, and the media are mere pawns in a game that has been going on for millennia. But is this game drawing toward an end? DLB is a tabletop, pen and paper role-playing game (RPG) set in a modern world of supernatural and paranormal horrors hidden beneath layers upon layers of conspiracies. It is a world where government laboratories conduct experiments on helpless citizens, aliens plot the downfall of humanity, powerful organizations go to extremes to hide the truth, and the characters don’t know who they can trust. Can they really trust anyone? Can they even trust each other? Players take on the roles of characters who see things they simply cannot dismiss. They take a single step toward truth and there is no turning back.

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What is a Role-Playing Game? Most of you probably know what a tabletop or pen and paper role-playing game (RPG) is, but just in case you don’t, I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible. Pen and paper RPGs have been around since the 1970’s. Back in the dark ages before people sat transfixed to glowing screens playing games with people all over the world, a group of people would get together — in the same room (GASP!) — using an even higher resolution display called the imagination to battle fictional monsters and tell collective stories. The Game Host introduces the story and determines how to apply the rules. The other players take on the roles of major characters in the story and make decisions about how their characters act based on the situations. The real fun is in making choices that affect the outcome and direction of the story. The rules come into play when somebody wants their character to do something that the Game Host decides is either contested or seems unrealistic. DLB uses the D6xD6 game mechanics with a few customizations. The complete rules are included in this book.

Winning and Losing Winning and losing in an RPG is about the journey as well as whether the players succeed at the primary objective. It could be defeating a major enemy, saving innocents from the forces of darkness, or as simple as escaping to fight another day. Games could be one-shot adventures where the characters are in a single, defined scenario or they could be part of an ongoing campaign with multiple objectives to complete. Individual sessions may be more like episodes of an ongoing television show which has a larger objective but each session involves completing an incremental part of it. Players could stumble onto an international human trafficking network operated by vampires and spend weeks shutting down different nodes before they find enough clues to lead them to the master behind it all. Games

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which involve completing a series of smaller objectives as the Player Characters (PCs) work toward a larger objective are often called campaigns. If players use the same characters in multiple games, they may improve their skills or acquire new ones.

What is D6xD6? This edition of DLB utilizes Lester Smith’s D6xD6 game mechanics system with a few additions. D6xD6 is a universal system that allows players to use one set of rules to play games in many different settings. As of the writing of this game, more than 30 settings have already been published for use with the system. You will find the complete D6xD6 rules in the next few chapters. Characters and creatures are represented with a small number of characteristics, and dice rolls are fairly minimal. This puts the focus on roleplaying and fun instead of flipping through rulebooks and doing lots of math. DLB is the first fully fleshed-out, standalone game to use the system. Don’t worry. If you played previous editions of DLB you will find that the D6xD6 mechanics share some common ideas with the older DLB mechanics and they are very easy to learn. The complete D6xD6 core rules are included here so there’s nothing extra you have to buy. As part of the D6xD6 family, DLB players get the opportunity to incorporate material and ideas from all of the other settings, if you so choose. Several are available for free at www.d6xd6.com. People who already have experience with D6xD6 will find that DLB integrates seamlessly into the mechanics you already know and love. Everything in DLB can be incorporated into your existing campaigns and you can immediately use the example adventures without any conversions. You will find a few rule additions you may choose to use in your other D6xD6 games.

What you Need to Play Playing DLB requires a Game Host, one or more players, this rule book, an adventure, paper, pens or pencils, and several six-sided dice.

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This book includes all the rules needed to play the game, as well as sample adventures and characters to get you started. There are also plenty of ideas to help you make your own unique adventures and even campaigns. Additional adventures and supplements will be available in the future.

Players There are two types of people who play DLB. The Game Host sets up the story, maintains order, and acts as the medium between the players, their characters and the game world. He describes everything that the characters experience. The players each take on the role of a main character in the story. DLB sessions can have many players but there is usually only one Game Host. In the game world, the Game Host is omnipotent and has the final say in how to apply the rules. They may even choose to ignore them.

Characters PCs are the main characters in the story that are being portrayed by the Players. Non-Player Characters (NPCs) include all of the supporting characters, villains, and creatures which are typically portrayed by the Game Host. PCs and NPCs are described using a series of traits and characteristics that identify the types of tasks they could usually complete. The Character chapter provides rules used for creating your own unique PCs. Characters can be almost anything from kids investigating strange lights in the woods to archaeologists who stumble into a tomb and set off an ancient curse to straight-laced federal agents investigating, or covering up, the unexplained. The types of characters and stories are limited only by your imagination. The basic information to describe a character can fit on the back of a business card. However, since Players may want to add more details and notes about their adventures, blank half-page and full-page character sheets are provided in the Appendix of this rulebook. Feel free to photocopy or print extra copies for your own personal use.

Adventures Adventures provide the framework, plot, descriptions, and

other characters encountered during a game session. Game hosts can use one of the prepared adventures in the back of this book, make their own, or purchase supplements with additional adventures. Prepared adventures like the examples in the back of this book include a description of the areas likely to be explored during a gaming session as well as information about the major plot points and the NPCs likely to be encountered during the story. They may also include maps to make it easier to track locations or illustrate encounters and sometimes cutout clues that can be given to the Players as their characters find them.

Dice DLB utilizes regular six-sided dice to determine success and failure for different types of actions in the game. Most rolls are made with two or three dice. Every Player should have at least that many. Game Hosts often have to resolve rolls for multiple NPCs at the same time so they should have six or more dice.

How to Use This Book This rulebook is divided into eight chapters: this Introduction, Rules, Characters, Game Host, World, Paranormal, Encounters, Adventures, plus an Appendix. Players should only read the first three chapters. The remainder is written specifically for the Game Host, and include spoilers about the game world.

Formatting Where possible, self-explanatory names have been assigned to game terms. Italicized passages usually represent examples. References to chapters or sections of this rulebook are capitalized as are specific references to character traits and other game specific terms. Passages that are intended to be read out loud to the players such as those in the example adventure descriptions are presented in shaded boxes. Examples are also presented with a grey background. Italics or all capital letters may also be used to emphasize a word or passage. Abbreviations are written in all CAPS.

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How to Play the Game Before assembling a group of players for a DLB session, Game Host will create or familiarize themselves with an Adventure. Players either review their PCs or create new ones. A typical gaming sessions begins with the Game Host’s description of the events which bring the PCs into the story. He explains where the PCs are in relation to the current storyline and asks Players to choose what their characters attempt to do. The Game Host listens to their requests and decides if it is feasible and if so, how to determine the outcome. PC descriptions provide information about their capabilities. If Players are smart, they will use their characters’ occupation and skills when choosing a course of action because they represent the types of actions at which they have a better chance of succeeding. Good role-playing involves teamwork. A strong group of PCs will have different characters with different strengths, which allows them to play off each character’s specific skills to be able to handle a wider array of tasks.

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Normal activities are resolved without using the dice. If a Player wants his character to walk into the foyer of a haunted house, the Game Host checks his notes to see if there is any reason it is not possible for him to do so, like a hidden trap or a locked door. If nothing is apparent, the Game Host says Okay and describes what happens once the character gets there. Then the Player decides what his character attempts to do next and the process starts all over again. Sometimes the Game Host will have illustrations or physical objects that represent items the PCs discover along the way. They may use a map and miniatures too. These props can help Players visualize the scenes they encounter and the results of their actions, thus making it easier for them to identify with their characters. Inevitably, a character will attempt some feat of derring-do whose outcome is not completely obvious. If a Player wants his character to scale the wall of an old mansion and break into a window three stories above the ground, many things could go wrong. Even if the PC has the Climbing skill, it is still going to be difficult so the Game Host would decide that a dice roll is in order. The

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outcome of the roll indicates whether the action is a complete success, partial success or utter failure. The game attempts to simulate the cinematic world of fiction, where great odds can be overcome and the characters can succeed in the face of adversity. One of the Game Host’s duties is to ensure that the story maintains a level of plausibility that can be accepted by all the players. Even though the game world is a place where weird and far out things can happen, common sense is the best judge of whether or not something is feasible. When characters attempt risky or dangerous actions, the consequences can be dire. PCs are mortal and can die just like the characters in novels. Generally, if a PC is killed the Game Host will have the

Player create a new character and enter the game at some other point in the story. Adventures are broken into scenes like plays. Each scene will have a location, NPCs to interact with, and clues or other items the PCs may manipulate. The Game Host starts each scene by providing a description of the location and any other characters as well as everything that is apparently going on at the time. The Players indicate what their PCs attempt to do and the Game Host determines the outcome. That cycle goes on until the plot point is resolved or the PCs move into another scene. The following is an example of what could happen during a typical scene.

Sample Game Transcript This transcript is an example of a typical DLB scene. Italicized text indicates an action while normal, unitalicized text indicates dialogue. Don’t worry about the game mechanics. All of that will be explained in the next chapter. Our Players, Jeff and Carol, are portraying Private Investigators Bob and Judy who were hired to solve a case of people stealing high profile corpses from city cemeteries. More than twenty corpses have been stolen over the past few months. There is no evidence identifying the body snatchers or the motivation behind these heinous crimes. No ransom demands have been received by any of the families. While examining the most recent crime scene, Judy (Carol’s character) discovered a smashed vial with an inventory control number she traced to Jaxston Pharmaceutical, a drug manufacturer whose local laboratory burned to the ground thirty years ago. After some fast computer work, Bob learned that the company still owns a warehouse in the old wharf district. The characters have just arrived at the address.

Game Host You arrive at the warehouse. It’s dark and you don’t see any other people on the street. Some of the street lights are burned out and others are flickering. This area isn’t a high priority for the city works crew. Jeff We’ll leave the car about a block away from the warehouse so nobody sees it, just in case we have to break in. I’m taking my gun from the glove box. Carol I’ll check my gun too. While we walk over, I’m going to keep my eyes open to see if there’s anything unusual. Game Host It is eerily quiet. The dim light from the street lamps leads the way down to an old brick building. The windows have rusty bars on the outside and appear to be boarded up from the inside. The thick wooden doors are boarded up and there’s a large chain and lock around the handles. There is an alley on the right side of the building.

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Carol

Any lights coming from the building? What about the doors and windows, do they appear to have been opened in the recent past? Game Host Nope and nope. There’s a lot of dirt and garbage in the front and none of it looks like it’s been disturbed in several years. Jeff I want to get in, but I think we should go in through the alley or back to make sure nobody sees us. Carol We’ll head around the building looking for the truck entrance. It was a warehouse, they had to have a truck entrance or loading dock. Right? Game Host Your characters get about halfway down the alley when suddenly... Each of you needs to make an occupation roll. Both players roll

two dice, multiply the results and compare it to their PCs’ Focus number. Jeff Yes! I’m ready to fire. Carol Me too! Game Host Okay, as you approach the dumpster, something shoots out of an old trash can and races past both of you. Fortunately you recognize it as a cat before you fire. Carol Ha Ha. I’ll gain my composure again and we can continue. Any sign of a back door? Game Host Funny you should ask. About twenty yards farther down the alley you see a large, double metal door. In the darkness you see a faint, green light emanating from the crack at the bottom. The closer you get to the door the more you notice a strange, putrid odor. Carol I’ll slowly approach the door as quietly as possible. Jeff Me too. I have Medical and Forensics skills, can I make out the smell? Game Host There’s a strong chemical odor but you definitely catch a whiff of something rotting. No doubt about it. You both reach the door without any problems. There’s a large chain on the outside, but no lock. Carol Let’s go for it. If Bob will stand ready to the side of the door, I’ll pull it open. Jeff No sweat. I’ll cock my pistol, breathe deeply to relax, and get ready. As soon as the door opens, I’ll point my gun in the doorway ready to fire.

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Game Host The door opens without any difficulty, except that nasty squeak. The odor from inside erupts into the alley. Bob doesn’t see anything moving. The only thing either of you see are stacks of old wooden crates that form what looks like a hallway in front of the door. Jeff Okay, if nothing appears to be moving, I’ll peek inside. Game Host About thirty feet down this hall you see an opening between the stacks of crates. The green light is brighter near the opening. You both hear a very faint electrical humming sound. Jeff I’ll probably regret it, but let’s investigate. Carol I pull out my 9mm and ease inside. I’ll let Bob go in front and I’ll keep an eye on the door as we move down the hall. Jeff I’ll creep toward the opening as quietly as possible. I want to stop just short of the opening. Game Host The green light pulsates softly and there’s a light mist along the floor that stirs slightly as you walk. As you get to the opening, the humming sound gets more noticeable. It sounds like something high-voltage, like a transformer. You can feel it through the floor. Bob is at the opening. Judy is right behind him. Jeff I’ll just barely peek around the corner. Game Host The Game Host rolls two dice and multiplies

the results to determine if Bob is noticed. He rolls a 1 and a 3. The result is 3 which is a failed roll. The smell is stronger. As you peer

Jeff Carol

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around the corner, you see another hallway of stacked crates about 30 feet long. Toward the end you see a group of people standing around two large, cylindrical glass tanks. They are filled with a glowing green liquid, which is the source of the light. The liquid bubbles and swirls around what appear to be human bodies in the tanks. They are all connected to a couple of big electronic consoles with digital displays and buttons. Nobody seems to notice you. I’ll fire into the ceiling once and say, "Freak show’s over. Hands in the air and nobody gets hurt." I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. I’m going to back away slowly in the direction of the door.

Game Host The shot gets their attention. The closest ones are about twenty feet away. They turn slowly and begin to approach. With the green light to their back, all you really see are silhouettes. The front one is probably a male followed by a woman and another man. Nine others are milling about behind them. Jeff I’ll take out my flashlight and point it at them and tell them to stop where they are unless they want a bullet in the head. Carol I’ll stop at the doorway. Game Host Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you, but the guy in front looks like Winston, the last stolen body. The others are hard to identify because their faces and bodies look contorted and mangled. They almost look... DECAYED. Ha Ha Ha! They continue to shamble towards you. Jeff CRAP! I’m firing at the closest one. Game Host Make an occupation roll to fire. Jeff rolls two dice, getting a 3 and a 5. He Jeff

multiplies the results to get 15 then compares it to his Focus Number of 7. I got it. That should have done some damage. Game Host Great shot. It made a three inch hole in Winston’s chest and he stumbles back. He was taken aback by the force momentarily, but he’s still coming. The dark liquid that oozes from the hole has a strange green glow. Carol Come on! Jeff I’m getting the Hell out of there. Game Host You turn to run and see Judy already at the door. The creatures are following slowly, but they aren’t stopping. Carol Let’s get to the car. Game Host Nice move parking the car a block away. They are slow but they keep following you onto the street toward the car. You easily get there first and have time to get it started. As you drive away you see the silhouette of about a dozen bodies. They follow you for a few seconds, but eventually turn away and shamble back toward the warehouse.

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The rules or game mechanics in DLB and other D6xD6 games primarily revolve around the use of six-sided dice to determine the success and failure of the PC’s and NPC’s efforts. Much of this relies on each character’s background and capabilities. Characters and the way they are defined is the heart of the game system. All of the game mechanics to resolve actions are driven from character traits. There is only one actual game statistic, it is called the Focus. It is the number that players attempt to beat when they make a dice roll. In different situations they may need to roll higher or lower than that score, depending on whether or not it is something they have experience or training doing. Attributes and skills are considered Focused, Unfocused, or Unfamiliar. If it is Focused, it indicates the character has extensive experience in that area. Unfocused indicates they have some training or perhaps it is something they used to do. Unfamiliar indicates they have no special training or skills and they are unlikely to be very successful.

Characters Characters are primarily defined in terms of their attributes, occupation, skills, advantages, and disadvantages. They also have the Focus number which is used in most dice rolls, as well as a number of Drama Points, plus damage and psyche levels if they have received physical or psychic injuries. The example character shows how these

could be recorded. Rules for creating characters are included in the next chapter. Attributes are listed on the character sheet as Brawn, Grace, Will, and Wits. Characters always have one Focused attribute (denoted by a circle around it or underline) and one Unfamiliar attribute (denoted with a strikethrough). The other two are considered Unfocused. Occupation is a high-level general label that describes a character’s overall persona. It can include insight into their actual vocation, as well as the way they may dress or speak and how they are perceived by others. In many ways the occupation operates as a very broad skill that covers a wide variety of tasks. For rolls, occupation is always treated as Focused. For example: a gumshoe detective may not be terribly organized or wear a nicely pressed suit, but he should be able to follow suspects without being spotted, know how to shoot a pistol, and probably know how to pick a lock, among many other things this occupation could include. He probably also has contacts both in the streets and on the police force that he could call on for information.

Skills represent specific types of tasks that the character has training or other expertise in and can therefore utilize.

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They are denoted as either Focused for the ones where the character has spent considerable amount of time and practice or Unfocused as skills they are still developing. Advantages and Disadvantages indicate specific circumstances when a character may perform better or worse than usual and receive a bonus or penalty to a roll. A character could have a vendetta against vampires because they killed her entire family, so when fighting one she may summon extra strength and resolve and have a better chance of winning. Conversely, if a character was deathly afraid of spiders their disadvantage would make it more difficult to fight off a giant black widow.

Some things a character wants to do are easy: cross a street, climb a ladder, dial a phone number. For these, a player simply makes a declaration and the Game Host okays it. Others are more difficult or uncertain: jump from the path of an onrushing truck, climb an icy cliff face, crack a safe’s combination. For these a player must roll dice and compare the results to the character’s abilities. The Game Host may apply special modifiers for more difficult tasks, time-consuming ones, and so on. This page explains those rules.

Focus number is equal to the number of Focused skills plus one for the character’s occupation. It is the only true statistic in the game and it is used in virtually every dice roll.

Dice Rolls

Drama points are used to help the characters succeed in dramatic situations. At the beginning of each game session, each PC receives six Drama Points which they can utilize like a bonus to improve their successes at different tasks or to reduce the effect of actions taken against them. During the course of a game, players can give their own Drama Points to help other players. The Game Host may elect to give additional Drama Points to players during the course of the game if they complete significant feats.

Focus Number

Damage Level indicates whether characters have sustained any physical injuries or wounds which would affect their ability to complete tasks successfully. The boxes on the character sheet represent the character’s current Damage Level and also indicate if there are any penalties that may affect their ability to successfully perform different types of actions. Psyche Level operates the same as Damage Level, but it indicates whether any mental or psychic damage has been incurred. For simplicity, we use the same descriptive terms for Damage and Psyche Level. If a character has both regular physical damage or wounds and psyche damage, the higher penalty applies.

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Dice and Tasks

Dice rolls in this game use two standard six-sided dice. Multiply the result of one die by the other to generate a total between 1 and 36.

Every dice roll in the game is compared to a character’s Focus number, which is that character’s total number of Focused abilities plus one for their occupation. (See the Characters chapter for more information.) The more abilities a character is familiar with, the higher this number, which affects the character’s chance of success at attempted tasks. Ability rolls fall into three categories: Focused: For abilities the character is familiar with, roll the Focus Number or higher to succeed. Additionally, exceptionally high rolls can enhance the effect. In general: x 10 points higher doubles the ability’s effect. x 20 points higher triples the ability’s effect. x 30 points higher quadruples the ability’s effect. More experienced characters may have one or more plusses added to a skill, occupation, or attribute. For successful rolls, they get extra effect or success levels. Unfocused: For abilities the character is newly learning, or which were practiced but have grown “rusty,” roll less than or equal to the Focus Number to succeed. Additionally, exceptionally low rolls can enhance the effect. In gen-

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eral: 5 points lower than the Focus Number doubles the ability’s effect. Unfamiliar: For abilities the character never possessed, roll less than the Focus number to succeed. For dramatic purposes, these D6xD6 RPG rules allow characters to attempt skills they do not possess, though success is much more difficult.

Rolling vs. Occupation A character’s occupation is a sort of “super skill” representing a body of related knowledge and skills. (See the Occupations section of the Characters chapter for a more complete definition.) For task rolls, occupation is always treated as a Focused ability.

Rolling vs. Skill Besides an occupation, characters each have a list of skills to round out their abilities. (See the Basic Skills section of the Characters chapter for a list of examples and a more complete definition.) For task rolls, skills fall into Focused, Unfocused, and Unfamiliar categories, as explained in the preceding paragraphs.

Reactive Rolling vs. Attributes Characters each also possess four innate attributes that further define them: Brawn, Grace, Will, and Wits. Each character has one attribute treated as “Focused,” two as “Unfocused,” and one as “Unfamiliar” (See chapter 4, “Character Creation.”) While occupations and skills are rolled for as active abilities, an attribute may be rolled for passively in reaction to a situation. For example: To spot a trap in an ancient tomb might call for a roll versus an occupation of archaeologist or of tomb robber. To disarm that trap might involve one of those occupations or the lockpicking skill. If the trap is tripped, however, the Game Host might allow a roll versus Grace or Wits to avoid it (or to reduce the damage). Similarly, a Game Host might

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allow a Will roll to avoid a vampire’s mesmeric gaze, or a Brawn roll to avoid the poisonous effects of tainted food.

Task Difæculty and Penalties Not every task is equally easy or difficult. Defeating a school locker is easier than a bank vault. Lifting a bookshelf off someone is easier than a car. Patching a simple cut is easier than a large-caliber bullet wound. To represent a range of difficulties, the Game Host can declare a die penalty of 1 to 3 points before the dice are rolled.

DIFFICULTY Average Difæcult Formidable Impossible

MODIFIER No penalty 1 2 3

If a character has an applicable advantage, the higher of the two die results is adjusted. For Focused rolls, the higher die is adjusted upward by one point. For Unfocused or Unfamiliar rolls, it is adjusted downward by one point. If the task being attempted had a difficulty modifier, the advantage modifier would counter one of the difficulty modifier points.

Disadvantage Modiæers Characters with an applicable disadvantage always operate under a penalty when attempting an affected activity. If it was an average task without any normal penalty, it would be considered difficult (1-point penalty) for the character under the disadvantage. If the task already had a difficulty rating, the penalty would be increased. A difficult task (1point penalty), would become formidable (2-point penalty), and so on.

Post-Roll Penalties Some things—like wounds and armor—slow characters and make them slightly less effective. These penalties apply to the roll result after the dice are multiplied. For instance, a character with two penalty points because of a wound, who makes a Focused skill roll of 6×4, would reduce the 24 result to a 22. That same character making an Unfocused roll of 3×2 would increase the result from 6 to an 8.

This penalty always applies to the higher of the two die results and applies before the dice are multiplied. For Focused attempts, the penalty is subtracted from the higher die result; for Unfocused and Unfamiliar attempts, it is added. For example: The Game Host declares a 2-point penalty on a Focused skill, and the dice results are 4 and 5. This adjusts the higher die result from 5 to 3, so instead of a final effect of 20 (4×5), the effect is 12 (4×3). If the penalty were applied to an Unfocused skill, the higher die result would be adjusted upward from 5 to 7, for a final effect of 28 (4×7).

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Advantage Modiæers

Drama Points At the beginning of an adventure session, characters each receive 6 points to use for dramatic effect. One or more of these points can be spent on any dice roll to help with its success. After the dice are rolled for a character’s action and the results are seen, any single player may add points to either die to change the effect. Usually, these points are spent by the character performing the action. However, they may be spent by another character instead, as direct assistance or cheering on. For example: A character is trying to shoot a succubus with a silver-tipped arrow. The succubus is zooming through the sky towards him evasively. The character

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has weapons - archery as a Focused skill and his Focus Number is 7; the Game Host decides the task is formidable (rapidly moving target), so there is a 2point penalty. The player rolls a 2 and a 5, and the 5 is adjusted downward to 3 because of the penalty. The result is 6, which would barely miss. However, the player really wants the character to stop her before she can attempt to charm him, so he uses a drama point to increase the 3 to a 4. With a 2×4 result, the character now scores an 8, which is above his Focus Number of 7, and he scores a hit.

Minimums and Maximums The minimum natural result of rolling the two dice is 1 and the natural maximum if the roll was double sixes is 36. However, modifiers to the rolls may produce a result either below or above that range if the Game Host allows additional adjustments.

Cooperative Tasks Often characters may wish to cooperate on a task: lift a heavy table to barricade a door, persuade a murder suspect to confess, lure a gorgosaurus into a trap, etc. In game terms, the involved players each roll for their own character, and the success levels are totaled.

Note: If timing is an issue (as during combat, see the “Conçict and Damage” section later in this chapter), the combined action takes place at the lowest rolled result. (“Wait. Wait. Let me get a good grip. Okay, go!”)

mulation of multiple successes. The Game Host may declare, for example, that finishing a race requires 10 success levels, with a new roll occurring every minute in the game world. The first character to accumulate those 10 levels crosses the finish line first. In the case of defusing a bomb, the host might say the character must accumulate five success levels before the timer reaches zero. Some extended tasks, which do not end with a major explosion, such as translating an ancient text may result in a partial success. If the characters found an ancient occult text, a PC with the right skills may attempt 5 rolls to understand and interpret it. If they successfully make 3 out of the 5 rolls, the PC would understand three-fifths, or 60% of what they had read.

Uncertain Tasks Not every situation in life has a yes/no answer. A police officer might be trying to discern, for instance, whether a suspect is telling the truth. Although training and psychology can do a lot in this regard, sometimes a character must act without being absolutely sure. These D6xD6 RPG rules simulate this by having the character’s player roll 1d6 and the Game Host roll the other in secret. Based on the result of the visible die, the player has some idea of success or failure.

Note: In the case of Uncertain tasks, penalties for difæculty levels and bonuses for character Exertion are applied to the visible die, regardless of whether it is the high or low die.

Conçict and Damage Extended Tasks Some things, such as running a race, translating an ancient tome, or defusing a bomb, are not the work of a single, instantaneous act. In game terms, these require an accu-

Combat in DLB is designed to be fast and furious. It utilizes the same basic rules as any other dice roll but has customizations to account for becoming wounded or inflicting damage and other special situations.

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Combat Time Each combat turn represents 2 seconds of real time. During each turn, a character can perform one action. Some special actions may require more than one turn to complete. See the section titled Extended Tasks for more information.

Turn Sequence To determine what happens when, each turn begins with a declaration, followed by dice rolling and resolution.

Actions take place in reverse numerical order, starting at the highest number and counting downward.

Combat Distances Concepts of distance and movement rules are relatively simple, playable either abstractly or by use of miniatures.

Ranges For purposes of personal combat, combat distances fall into five ranges:

1. The Game Host decides secretly what actions the evil forces intend.

2. The Game Host asks the players one at a time what action their character intends. (Decisions must be made quickly. If a player pauses too long, the Game Host may declare, “Your character hesitates this turn and takes no action.”) 3. The players all roll their dice. 4. The Game Host rolls all the evil forces’ dice together and assigns them.

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Brawling: Within 2 meters. Characters within this range can strike one another barehanded or with handheld weapons like clubs and swords. It is generally not an effective range for throwing or shooting. (The Game Host may make an exception for short firearms like pistols and sawed-off shotguns.)

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Throwing: Up to 20 meters away. Characters within this range can attack with thrown rocks, spears, shuriken, throwing knives, throwing axes, etc. They can also use shooting weapons or “viewing attacks” (see below). Shooting: Up to 200 meters away. Characters within this range can use bows, firearms, lasers, and such, as well as “viewing attacks” (see below). Viewing: Up to 2 km distant. Specially trained snipers with long-range rifles can reliably hit at about 1.5 km; these rules round up to 2 km for the sake of convenience. Creatures or characters with paranormal abilities in this range can also make psychic attacks. Lost: Beyond 2 km in distance, a target is effectively out of sight. Still, a trained forward observer within sight of the target can call in remote fire (mortars, aerial bombing, etc.) upon it. The accuracy of such attacks is limited by the Focus of the forward observer or the attacker, whichever is lower.

Note: For combat on US soil, in Liberia, and in Myanmar, use yards instead of meters, and round off 2 km to 1 mile.

Attack Actions Attacking an opponent is an action (as defined under “Combat Time,” above). To attack, a character must be within range of the target, as determined by the type of weapon used. (See “Weapon Types,” below.) Drawing a weapon is considered a free action, as is reloading.

Damage Ratings Normal human characters can suffer six levels of damage: graze, stun, hit, wound, knockout, or kill. Each of those terms represents a different degree on a sliding scale of damage. The majority of wounds suffered will be regular, physical wounds. Psychic attacks inflict psyche damage, which is tracked separately. For simplicity, the same ratings apply to both regular damage as well as psyche damage. Graze: This is the most basic level of damage—a punch or kick, a bruise or abrasion. A grazed character suffers a 1-point penalty to all dice rolls. (E.g. for Focused rolls, a result of 8 becomes 7; for Unfocused or Unfamiliar rolls, an 8 becomes a 9.) Stun: This is a more serious level of damage—a breathtaking gut punch, a dazing blow to the head, or even just a stinging cut. A stunned character suffers a 2-point penalty to all dice rolls. Hit: This is a solidly landed attack—a bruising blow, a deep cut, or even a flesh wound from a gunshot. A hit character suffers a 3-point penalty to all dice rolls.

Movement During each combat turn, a character can freely move up to 2 meters and still take an action (or vice versa). To move more than 2 meters requires a “movement action.” The player uses the athletics skill or an appropriate occupation. Each level of success adds 2 meters to the character’s movement. While this sort of movement action starts at the character’s rolled number in the turn sequence, it is considered to progress through the rest of the turn. So the Game Host will decide whether any enemies along the way have a chance to attack the character as planned.

Wound: This level of damage indicates cracked or broken bones, serious cuts or gunshots, and so on. A wounded character suffers a 4-point penalty to all dice rolls. Knockout: This level of damage renders a character unconscious. Kill: A character who suffers this level of damage is unconscious and dying. Unless treatment is given

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WEAPONS AND DAMAGE Brawling Range Attack: Pertinent hand-to-hand skill or career. Untrained: Brawn or Grace and subtract one success level. Defense: Appropriate occupation, weapon or athletics skill. Brawn, or Grace. WEAPON

DAMAGE TYPE

COMMENTS

Fist or foot

Graze

—

Club, skillet, chair

Stun

—

Small blade

Hit

—

Spear

Hit

—

Two-hand blade or two blades

Wound

—

Throwing Range Attack: Appropriate throwing skill or career. Untrained: Grace and subtract one success level. Defense: Grace or Wits WEAPON

DAMAGE TYPE

COMMENTS

Stone

Graze

Athletics may be used.

Throwing blade

Hit

Includes small knives and throwing stars.

Spear

Wound

Throwing range.

Taser

Knockout

If Kill results, a successful Brawn or Will check.

Shooting Range Attack: Appropriate shooting skill or career. Untrained: Grace or Wits and subtract one success level. Defense: Brawn or Will

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WEAPON

DAMAGE TYPE

COMMENTS

Small bow or sling

Stun

Unusable at Brawl range.

Small caliber pistol

Stun

Smaller than a .380.

Large bow or crossbow

Hit

Unusable at Brawl range.

Large caliber pistol

Hit

.380 and higher

Shotgun

Wound/Hit/Stun

Damage at Brawl/Throw/Shoot range..

Rifle

Wound

2-point attack penalty at Brawl range.

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to reduce the damage, or to at least stabilize the character, the character will perish within a few minutes.

Accumulating Damage Damage levels in combat follow two rules: “Add” and “Supersede.”

to resist its effects. Each attack type or weapon type lists the occupation, skill, or attributes that can defend. If a target character has “Focused” any of the listed defenses for that attack, the character reduces the attack damage by a single step (“graze” to nothing, “stun” to “graze,” etc.). A character cannot reduce damage more than one step in this way.

Passive Defense

Added Damage A successful attack that causes less than or equal to its target’s current damage increases the target’s damage by one stage (e.g. a “hit” character who receives a “graze” is now “wounded.”). Toxins, diseases, and some drugs may intensify over time. In those cases, additional Damage Levels may be accumulated. This will move the character’s Damage Level or Psyche Level up to the next Damage Rating. For example, if a character was ‘stunned’ from a poison arrow, his Damage Level increases by one every combat turn until he is incapacitated. The next turn, his Damage Level would increase from Stun to Hit, then the following turn it increases from Hit to Wound, and so on.

Superseded Damage A successful attack that causes more than its target’s current damage becomes the target’s new damage (e.g. a “grazed” character who receives a “stun” is now “stunned.”)

While reactive defense helps either to avoid being hit or to withstand damage, armor helps to either absorb or deflect damage. The Armor table below lists reduction to damage based on type worn. This rating is used instead of the wearer’s reactive defense; it does not add to it. In addition to increasing a character’s defense, the bulkiness of armor imposes a slight penalty on some of wearer’s actions. Characters subtract the number listed under Damage Reduction / Dice Penalty from the calculated result of all rolls involving physical activity like running, climbing, and most types of combat (e.g. a character wearing a Kevlar jacket would subtract 2 points from the result for all rolls — meaning a roll of 5 and 6 would result in 28 instead of 30.)

Dramatic Defense Players may spend any number of Drama Points to reduce an attack on their characters on a one-to-one basis. (E.g. One drama point would reduce a hit to a stun; two would

Weapon Types Different weapons have different default damage ratings, as shown on the weapons table. If an attacker rolls bonus levels of success, each bonus level increases the damage rating by one step. (Note: A “kill” increases to an “overkill,” making defense more difficult.)

Defenses To keep combat moving quickly, defense is generally an automatic rating based on a character attribute or protective clothing.

ARMOR ARMOR CATEGORY

DAMAGE REDUCTION/ DICE PENALTY

EXAMPLES

Light

1

Leather coat; small shield

Medium

2

Kevlar jacket

Heavy

3

Military ballistic vest & helmet

Reactive Defense Innate abilities and training alike help to avoid damage or

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reduce a hit to a graze; three would reduce a hit to a miss.) Dramatic defense can be used in addition to active or passive defense.

roll. When timing is not an issue—e.g. holding an already barricaded door against an onslaught of zombies—the action is considered to last the whole turn, from 36 to 0.

Missed Actions

Optional Rules While the above rules cover most combat situations, the Game Host may allow any or all of the following rules for special situations.

Second Wind Even in the heat of combat, it can help to take a moment to catch your breath. In game terms, a character can spend an action to immediately recover from damage. The player rolls vs. either Will or Brawn; on a successful roll, the character recovers one level of damage. Each bonus level of success recovers another level of damage.

Held Actions Sometimes a character may want to delay taking an action until another has acted. The character with the higher dice roll determines whether his or her action occurs immediately before or immediately after the other character’s.

Example 1: The character wants to leap onto the running board of a getaway car that is coming for her. She holds her action until just after the driver’s, and then makes the leap. Example 2: The character is waiting for an alien carnivore to attack her (and expose itself) before she shoots it. She shoots just as it reveals itself, before it attacks.

Combined Actions As explained under Dice and Tasks in the Characters chapter, characters can combine their efforts on a single task. When timing is an issue—e.g. moving a heavy table to barricade a door—the action takes place on the lowest

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Sometimes players may roll successfully, only to have their characters’ actions countered by a faster action. (e.g. a character intends to punch an alien, but the creature teleports away before the blow lands.) In such cases, the Game Host may allow a character to choose a different target for the same action—at one success level less. If this reduction drops the success below one level, that character’s action is negated.

Aimed Attacks A character who spends consecutive turns preparing an attack may add to its damage. When the attack occurs, if the roll is successful, each turn spent aiming adds one level to the damage dealt. If the roll fails, however, the turns spent aiming are simply wasted.

Exceptional Attacks A character who achieves more than one level of success with an attack may choose to split those successes among several targets rather than add them all on one target. (e.g. a character using a small pistol with a shooting skill and a focus of 5, on a roll of 25 could hit one target for a wound, or three targets for a stun each, or one target for a hit and another for a stun.) Note that bonus levels gained from aimed attacks (see above) may also be split this way.

Combat Team Just as the Game Host rolls all dice for the evil forces and then chooses where to assign them, several players may pool their dice in order to portion them to best effect. To do this, those players must choose one character with combat experience to act as team leader. That character’s player then rolls all their dice together and assigns them to each character for best effect. While this strategy can be very effective, players are never obligated to join the team or to remain in it from turn to turn. If they do join, however, they are obligated to use the dice assigned to them that turn.

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Rest and Healing Any good story, like any good roller coaster, intersperses periods of high action and recovery. With combat being much more common in the game world than in our own regular lives, it is important to allow characters to have opportunities to recuperate. The following options are provided at the discretion of the Game Host and can apply to regular or psyche damage. Abstract Healing: Whenever players’ characters have at least several hours of “down time” between encounters, they heal entirely. Dramatic Healing: At the end of each game day, characters heal one level. Additionally players may make a recovery roll per the optional “second wind” rule. “Realistic” Healing: Whenever characters spend a day resting under successful medical care (a roll against the first aid skill or a medical occupation), they automatically recover from one level of damage. Without medical care, “killed” characters die; others recover one level per week of rest. Note that “killed” characters cannot treat themselves; though other damaged characters can (with the appropriate dice penalties for their damage levels). Note: Bonus successes on a medical care roll speed healing to 12 hours (one level), 8 hours (two levels), or 6 hours (three levels)—at which time a new roll can be made.

ster. We’ll discuss them separately here, however, for reasons of scale: specifically (1) movement, (2) protection, (3) combat, and (4) armament. We’ll also take a moment to briefly discuss chases.

Movement The main benefit of a vehicle is speed. Even something as slow as an ox cart lends speed over the long haul, whether in terms of allowing a character to move more material than by toting it one trip at a time, or by avoiding the exhaustion of a long walk. Of course, a skateboard, bicycle, motorcycle, or sports car increases that speed even more. The main sacrifice of speed is maneuverability. Which is to say that moving objects don’t just have speed, they have velocity—a vector. Changing a vector’s direction requires energy, and the greater the speed, the more energy required to change: turning an ox cart is relatively simple; turning a surface vehicle (land or sea) requires an arc. Mass also plays a role, of course: turning a battleship requires much more energy than turning a jet ski traveling at the same speed. The Game Host will translate speed in terms of combat turns, generally allowing a vehicle’s operator to cover more than the standard two meters of foot travel. Additionally, the Game Host also decides how quickly a vehicle can turn.

Protection Medical Equipment The rules above assume appropriate medical supplies are available. For poor or no equipment, the Game Host may apply a penalty to dice rolls for medical care. For exceptional equipment, the Game Host may apply bonus effect levels to successful healing rolls.

Vehicle Rules Sometimes there is a need to outrun or outmaneuver an opponent or even to simply dive in a car to avoid a mon-

Most vehicles are more durable than the human body (exceptions being Daedalus’ wings and early WWI planes). Unless a vehicle encloses its occupants, however, that protection doesn’t much matter. Which is to say, an opponent on a motorcycle may move faster than one on foot, but a single attack can equally damage either. Successfully hitting the faster target may be more difficult, but the damage may actually be greater, whether from the added impact of the attack or from impact with the ground after a crash. On the other hand, by partially enclosing its occupants, a wagon, car, speedboat, or light plane protects them with both (a) cover and (b) concealment. Cover acts as armor, reducing the damage of an attack; concealment

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19

acts as a penalty to an attack roll, making a target more difficult to be seen and be hit. The Game Host will translate a vehicle’s speed and protection into cover and concealment. A fast vehicle may impose a dice penalty on attacks by both its occupants and any figures targeting them. It may also add a dice penalty on incoming attacks by partially concealing its occupants, effectively making them smaller targets. And it may additionally reduce damage of successful attacks by acting as armor (“cover”).

Combat Vehicles can also be used as weapons against characters, monsters, or other vehicles. A speeding car can do more damage against a crowd of zombies in the middle of the road than a single character with a baseball bat. To make

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an attack using a vehicle, the character would make an appropriate roll to maneuver the vehicle and attempt to hit the target. Much like other weapons, vehicles also have damage types based on their general size and speed. The Game Host may choose to alter the damage type for given vehicles based on an individual situation. If a vehicle has sustained damage, these penalties affect maneuvering and accelerating rolls. If a character is able to accelerate the vehicle to a high speed before he attempts to run over his target, the Game Host may increase the damage type.

Armament So far, we’ve focused on attacks using standard weapons involving figures in vehicles or to target vehicle occupants. The trouble is, some vehicles, like armored personnel car-

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riers (APCs) provide enough cover and concealment to be virtually impervious to handheld weapons. While some specialty handheld weapons have been developed for use against them—such as the bazooka of WWII, or the later LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) rocket—their effectiveness is limited partly because while aiming, the user remains vulnerable to machine gun fire from the vehicle itself. More typically then, anti-vehicle weapons are mounted on other vehicles. This is where issues of scale escalate. For purposes of this game, combat involving vehicles can be divided into the following scales. Personal Scale: Most combat situations in the game will fall into this category and can be handled with the rules in chapter 7, “Conflict and Damage.” Where day-to-day vehicles are involved, the Game Host will have to adjust attacks for speed, maneuverability, cover, and concealment, as described above. Combat Vehicle Scale: This covers battle conditions where armored ground, water, air, or space vehicles are involved. Use the same damage and armor rules as in chapter 7, but treat them as an order of magnitude higher. Combat vehicle armor is rated as none, light (1point), medium (2-points), or heavy (3-points). Handheld weapons that score anything less than a kill against an unarmored vehicle cause no damage to it. Each level of armor above “none” subtracts a level of damage from personal weapons that hit the vehicle (i.e., a personal weapon would need a kill +3 to even graze a heavily armored vehicle). As graze damage accumulates against a vehicle, the vehicle suffers the same sort of dice penalties as described in chapter 7, “Conflict and Damage.” The Game Host should translate these results as damaging a tire, breaking a tread, holing a radiator, rendering an anti-personnel weapon useless, or damaging vehicle crew, depending on the scene. Combat vehicle weapons are rated as doing graze, stun, hit, wound, knockout, or kill damage against other vehicles, depending on the size and nature of the specific weapon. A combat vehicle weapon that hits a character treats a graze as a kill. Consider anything higher than a graze as

having destroyed the target. Personal armor does not reduce this damage, and though immediate medical treatment may save the character’s life, the result is generally permanent maiming.

Chase Scenes High-speed pursuits are a staple of movies and TV, and they can be an exciting part of D6xD6 adventures. The following rules allow a Game Host to run them quickly and dramatically. 1.

Set an Extended Task Goal Number For purposes of chase scenes, actual distance in meters is ignored. Instead distance is abstracted to a number of successes for an Extended Task. Depending on the locale, this number may be high, low, or somewhere in between. For example, a crowded marketplace square might have a goal of 15, a busy street a 25, an open highway a 40, and so on. If the Game Host intends a longer chase, those numbers can be raised; for shorter chase scenes adjust them downward.

2.

Set a Head Start Number The pursued begins the scene with a bonus number of successes that represent the current gap between them and the pursuer. The closer together the pursuer and pursued are at the beginning of the chase, the lower this number will be; the more distant they are, the higher this bonus.

3.

Set a Task Difficulty A crowded marketplace is more difficult to maneuver through than city streets. An off-road chase is more difficult than on an open highway. By the same token, a car is less maneuverable than a motorbike, which is itself less maneuverable than a bicycle or a person on foot. The Game Host may adjust task difficulties to account for these differences. A runner on foot will have less trouble dodging between pedestrians, around corners, and through alleyways than a sports

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car or motorbike, even though those are faster. So while the runner’s task might be rated Average, the driver’s might be Difficult. But on open road both would make Average task rolls.

For attacks, the Game Host decides the current combat range based on the chase situation and Extended Task target number. 5.

4.

22

Declare Intent for the Turn In most cases the action options each turn are either maneuver or attack. If a vehicle has both an operator and one or more passengers, the operator can make a maneuver roll while any passengers make attack rolls. In the case of one-person vehicles like small motorbikes, the operator must choose between maneuver (to gain more Extended Task successes this turn) or attack (neither gaining nor losing those Extended Task successes). In role-playing terms the attacker’s vehicle continues its current speed and direction. For individuals on foot, movement rolls use the Agility skill. For those mounted on a riding animal it is Ride Animal. For vehicle operators use the appropriate vehicle skill.

Resolve the Turn Attack rolls are resolved the same way as in other combat situations. Successful maneuver rolls add successes equal to the vehicle’s movement bonus. Escape: If the pursued achieves the Extended Task number first they escape (into the distance, around a corner, etc.). In cases where the pursued would escape but the pursuer is close behind, the Game Host may decide to continue the chase by raising the Extended Task target number. Capture: If the pursuer’s total successes ever match or exceed the pursued’s the pursued is caught. Depending on the scene this may mean either an end to the battle or continued combat, at the Game Host’s discretion.

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MOVEMENT TYPE

SKILL

BONUS

COVER

CONCEALMENT*

WEAPONS

Foot

Athletics

0

N/A

N/A

Personal

Beast

Ride Animal

1

N/A

N/A

Personal

Wagon

Vehicle: Wagon

0

0-1

0-1

Personal

Skateboard

Athletics

1

N/A

N/A

Personal

Bicycle

Athletics

1

N/A

N/A

Personal

Motorbike

Vehicle: Motorbike

2

N/A

1-2**

Personal

Auto

Vehicle: Auto

3-4

0-2

1-2

Personal

APC

Vehicle: Combat

2-3

1-2

3

HMG, Lt AT

Battle Tank

Vehicle: Combat

2-3

2-3

3

HMG, Hvy AT

Canoe

Athletics

1

N/A

1

Personal

Jet Ski

Vehicle: Boat

2

N/A

1-2**

Personal

Sailboat

Vehicle: Boat

2-3

0-1

0-2

Personal

Motorboat

Vehicle: Boat

3-4

0-2

0-2

Personal, MG

Jet Pack

Vehicle: Aircraft

2

N/A

0

Personal

Light Aircraft

Vehicle: Aircraft

3-4

0-1

1-2

Personal, MG

Fighter jet

Vehicle: Combat Aircraft

5

N/A

N/A

HMG, Missile

*Occupant protection only; **Against hand weapons, due to speed; HMG = Heavy Machine Gun; Lt AT = Light Anti-Tank; Hvy AT = Heavy Anti-Tank

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Characters are one of the most important parts of a roleplaying game. After all, it’s their adventures we chronicle. Will the characters be agents of Homeland Security’s Atypical Crimes Division, investigating an unusual crime? Perhaps they want to be journalists for The Unredacted, a website and video channel dedicated to uncovering the real truth that the government wants to hide? These are both great choices but in reality DLB characters can be virtually anything from teenage slackers to government scientists to secret agents and anything in between. Characters can be created in as little as five minutes or less. Players can spend as much time as they want thinking about their characters’ backgrounds, motivations, and personalities. It’s easy to create new PCs for one-off types of games, and there is also enough variety that you could reuse the same characters from one adventure to the next and they can still feel unique. Characters in DLB can grow and learn and develop new skills over time. In addition to the more rules-specific parts of a character like the occupation, skills, and Focus Number previously discussed, it is a good idea to add in personal details and descriptions to help flesh out the character and to provide cues for role-playing. Creating a character’s background can provide the Game Host with ideas for better integrating the PCs into the adventure or by spicing up the story. What if the leader of the vampire cult turns out to be one of the character’s brothers or how would it affect the story if it was her ex-lover?

For quick reference, full- and half-page character sheets that you can print for your own use are provided in the Appendix. Business card sized character cards are also available at www.d6xd6.com. The longer full-page sheet provides more room for notes which may be helpful if you plan to use the same character over multiple game sessions. Commercial adventures like the example adventures in the back of this book generally include sample characters. If a Game Host creates his own adventures, he may design the characters for the particular storyline in conjunction with the Players, so that all of the PCs fit seamlessly into the adventure. Some Game Hosts have the Players create their own characters — possibly with a few guidelines. It wouldn’t be unusual for a Game Host to stipulate that the PCs are a group of friends who attend State University and decide to go to the Keys for spring break and let them work through the details. The Game Host may also leave it completely open and let the Players create any type of character as long as there’s a logical reason for them to be in the adventure.

Creating a Character To create a Player Character, follow these seven steps:

1. Describe your Character At a minimum, every PC should have a name that they go by, a description of what they look like, and some

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notes about their background and how they may think or act. Adding background notes can help to navigate through choosing an occupation and skills etc. A list of descriptors are provided as examples to get you started. Use whatever terms you prefer — it’s your character after all!

the general persona described by their occupation. Skills are more specific and focused than an occupation, and therefore only apply to specific activities. Some skills have options that have to be selected. If a character has a weapon skill it means they know how to use one specific type of weapon like pistols. If you want to know how to use pistols and knives, you will have to choose the weapon skill twice — one for each option. Review the list of basic skills to see which ones would be most appropriate for your character. Like occupations, anything can really be used as a skill so if you don’t see something that your character needs, talk to the Game Host about creating a unique Skill for them. Choose nine skills. List the four to six of those that your character is best at as focused and list the remaining as Unfocused. If you select a skill that would fall under the character’s occupation, it can represent a specialization such as a police officer who spends extra time to become especially adept at shooting his pistol.

2. Rate their Attributes Attributes represent innate aspects of an individual’s makeup. In the absence of training or special skills, some people are just mentally or physically stronger or sharper than others. Attributes are only used to react to or resist something. An athletics roll might determine whether a PC was able to dodge a poison dart but if they fail, their Brawn would be used to determine what effect it has on the character.. Choose one of the following to be your character’s primary (“Focused”) attribute and circle it. Choose another to be your character’s weakness (“Unfamiliar”) and draw a line through it. The remaining attributes are neither strengths nor weaknesses (“Unfocused”). a. Brawn is your character’s strength and stamina. b. Grace is your character’s overall agility and dexterity. c. Will is your character’s self control and strength of personality. d. Wits is your character’s intelligence and mental quickness. 3.

4.

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Choose an Occupation Your character’s occupation acts like a super-skill, identifying the field of knowledge the character is familiar with and the types of activities they should know how to complete successfully. The beauty of this system is that characters can be almost anything appropriate to the setting. From a game mechanics perspective, more rolls to succeed at different tasks are rolled against occupation than anything else. Choose something appropriate and fun that will reflect the kinds of things you want your character to be good at during the game. A list of commonly selected occupations and descriptions of what they may include are provided. Your Game Host may provide others or encourage you to make up something unique. Select Basic Skills Everybody has hobbies or skills that they develop outside of or even prior to their current vocation. Basic Skills are used to describe the additional kinds of things a character would know how to do outside of

5.

Calculate the Focus Number The Focus Number is equal to the total number of Focused Skills plus one for Occupation. For a beginning character, the focus will typically be between five and seven depending on how many Focused Skills you chose. A higher Focus Number indicates that there are more things that character can perform well, but it also means that since they have divided their efforts into learning a larger number of things, they aren’t as good at them as they would have if they had specialized in fewer areas.

6.

Identify Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages and disadvantages are considered optional unless the Game Host states otherwise. If you choose to use them for your character, choose one advantage and one disadvantage. They are specific situations where a character performs better or worse than normal regardless of their Occupation or Skills. Someone with Arachnophobia may be so afraid of spiders that they become almost irrational when trying to look for traps in a corridor covered with spider webs. If a character’s family was murdered by vampires, it may be their mission in life to destroy the bloodsuckers and they may have that much more resolve when they are fighting one.

7.

Round it Out Complete any additional notes to help define your character. This can include listing equipment or special items they have with them or adding to the back-

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ground descriptions and any additional information that can help you play the character better. The character record sheets have a block to provide a sketch or photo if you choose.

Possessions It is assumed that characters will have the typical equipment associated with their occupations. Their background can also play a role in determining anything special. If the character came from a wealthy family even though they may just be graduate student, it wouldn’t be unusual to expect that they drive a nice car and probably have a nice place to live. A gumshoe detective who has to live in the back room of his office isn’t likely to drive a new sports car but they would most likely own a gun, a car of some type and probably a decent camera with a telephoto lens to catch those philanderers and anything else associated with their job. Any special items should be noted on the character sheet. Since DLB is set in the modern world, virtually anything available today can be purchased in the game. Standard equipment (e.g., clothing) is assumed and does not even have to be written on the character sheet. Weapons, vehicles and any special items should be noted. Some items give their owners bonuses or penalties in specific circumstances that should be recorded on their character sheets.

Money Each character should have a reasonable amount of available cash in line with the character’s circumstances.

Example Character The following example character is created using the same steps that players will follow to create their own PCs. In this example, the Game Host has stipulated that our PC is a senior at State University because the adventure is going to start with a group of college students on spring break. 1. We decide to name him Mark Henry. He is a 6' tall, 175 lb., Caucasian male. We want him to look like he is in the military because he is in ROTC at school so he has short, brown hair and blue eyes. He doesn’t have any facial hair or other distinguishing features.

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2.

3.

4.

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We also want him to have studied martial arts for several years, so we want him to have a thinner, more agile appearance instead of being a brute. We choose Grace as Focused and circle it. It’s a hard decision because we want him to do everything well, but we choose Wits to be Unfamiliar leaving Brawn and Will Unfocused. For occupation, since it isn’t an exact match with any of the examples, we list it as ROTC College Student. After some discussion with the Game Host we agree that he should be able to do most of the same things as a military trainee or cadet such as use a gun, climb, follow a map, and basic stealth operations. He should have a good knowledge of the local area, know how to do research from his school work, and anything else a typical college student might do. We choose athletics, vehicles (automobiles), first-aid, climbing, hand-to-hand combat (karate), and weapons (staves) as his Focused skills because they fit well with his martial arts experience. We choose acrobatics, climbing, and riding - horses as Unfocused skills.

5. 6.

We decide his Russian Grandmother helped raise him so we also choose Russian as another Unfocused skill. Since Mark has six Focused skills plus his occupation, his Focus Number is 7. We decide that Mark should have the advantage sense direction and that his “protector” personality will give him the disadvantage sucker - attractive women.

It makes sense that Mark would have a smart phone, laptop, and camping and climbing gear. Since he is a student and hasn’t been fully inducted, he may have access to a pistol and a rifle through ROTC but he won’t have his own. To round him out, we decide he drives an older beatup Jeep Wrangler.

Occupations Occupations represent the largest part of a character’s overall persona. It’s the one thing that drives most of what they do and most of what they are capable of doing and knowing. An Occupation can really be anything that

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makes sense. The following examples are common to stories about the supernatural and paranormal. However, the real options are virtually limitless. If you want your character to be a pig farmer or a former child star or a professional magician, just talk to the Game Host and see what you can work out.

Academic College professors and others who spend most of their time reading, learning, and teaching are often called academics. There are a wide variety of subjects that these individuals can study. Their studies would allow them to develop knowledge about their discipline and appropriate skills. For example, an archaeologist may understand a variety of ancient languages, ancient cultures, and possess the skills needed to do field work. Academics must choose a field, including examples such as archaeology, history, criminology, linguistics, astrophysics, and many others.

Bureaucrat Every large organization operates or sometimes fails to operate because of rules, relationships and bureaucrats. These workers within the organization have knowledge about how it operates, how to get things done, and which closets hold the most skeletons. Bureaucrats are usually masters of the subject their organization operates within, as well as how to get past many of the roadblocks to getting things done. The manager of a large government laboratory may know how to circumvent the security system, where to find sensitive files, and be able to call in favors or use his authority to get something done.

Clergy In addition to preparing inspirational sermons, interpreting holy scriptures, and presiding over weddings and funerals, the clergy have extensive knowledge about their religion as well as an understanding about others — including the occult. They hold status in their community or order and may be able to obtain information or ask for favors that aren’t open to others. Clergy who belong to older orders may understand rites of exorcism or how to protect themselves and others from the forces of evil. Members of the clergy are usually affiliated to a religion, church, or other holy order.

Commando It never hurts to have someone around who is willing to get her hands dirty. At the end of the day sometimes all the research and investigation isn’t going to stop a charging horde of zombies. They could have learned their trade in the military or maybe they grew up as freedom fighters in the trenches of their home country. They use stealth to infiltrate their target, set explosives and traps, and use their weapons or fists to finish the job.

Cryptozoologist They may never gain the respect of mainstream academia, but that doesn’t stop them from their quest to prove the existence of creatures many consider mythological or part of urban folklore. They adopt scientific methods in their quest to capture DNA samples and other hard evidence that they may have learned from a traditional study of biology, zoology, or other academic program. They are usually well versed in folklore and mythology as well as being connected to the underground networks of believers.

Enforcer Sometimes you just need a little muscle for backup. A fullfledged Commando may be more than you need when you can find a former linebacker who works nights as a bouncer at the local gentlemen’s club who has contacts throughout the city. They may occasionally collect “donations” from local businesses to ensure their boss can help to protect them from undesirables and unfortunate accidents. A good enforcer is trustworthy and knows how to keep his mouth shut. He knows his way around a good bar fight and is more than happy to let a crowbar or revolver do the talking when people aren’t listening to his fists. Enforcers always have connections within their organizations and usually with law enforcement or other types of officials.

Government Agent Some issues go beyond the purview of local law enforcement and must be investigated by agents of the federal or national government. It could be members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Homeland Security, or any number of federal agencies in the United States, Great Britain’s M.I. 5, or any other national intelligence or enforcement organization. They may track down a detain-

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ee who broke out of a government laboratory, look for clues to find a serial killer who drains their victims of blood, or follow up on normal bank robberies and kidnappings. They could even belong to a special department in charge of investigating cases that deal with the occult and paranormal. In addition to skills revolving around investigation, they will have contact within their organization and other areas to help them gain access to information. They work in the field so they usually carry tactical gear and they are always armed.

Hacker We aren’t talking about the local tech who can wire your system together or the network DBA who sits in the server room all day. They may think of themselves as Hackers just as every sixteen year-old with a sports car thinks of themselves as a race car driver. In reality they know very little about what a real hacker does because real hackers leaves no clues. They get into secure systems, take care of the job, and get out without anyone knowing the wiser. If they happen to get sloppy and trip a security alert, the target either gets lost tracking bounces from country to country, or they inadvertently send an armed force to bust in a hotel room where the signal originated only to find a politician in the middle of some unnatural act. Hackers can perform normal, day-to-day computer tasks and they may even do that for a living as their cover but their real value is doing the impossible to collect information out of secure systems to share with the world — or the highest bidder, shutting down security systems, and identifying users from the electronic footprints they have left behind among many other things.

Journalist Whether their work shows up in print, on television, or on a screen, it should be the result of an extensive career of piecing together the facts. Journalists like so many other types of investigators attempt to find the truth amid the chaos and lies. They usually have access to sources and connections that can help provide clues and insight. The desire to see their name in print makes some people more eager to tell their stories to a journalist than to a police officer. The opportunity to remain anonymous can even pry truths or partial truths out of public officials. Journal-

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ists usually have connections with experts in a variety of fields that can provide information to help with their latest story. The primarily difference between Journalists and most other types of investigators is that Journalists seek to learn the truth so they can help the masses see through the facade.

Paranormal Investigator Some investigators focus on unusual events and cases involving the supernatural or paranormal. They seek to find evidence to explain the unexplainable by debunking hoaxes. They collect evidence to separate hysteria-induced hallucinations and overactive imaginations from the real cases of possession, hauntings, alien contact and other events the powers that be would rather hide or dismiss. They may have experience with photography and videography. They often use special electronic tools and computer-aided analysis tools to help collect and sift through the mounds of potential data. As a general rule they often have extensive knowledge of the supernatural and paranormal and may have access to a network of experts to provide additional information or consult on specific aspects of one of their cases.

Parapsychologist Not to be confused with Parrot Psychologists who primarily want to understand not if but why Polly wants a cracker, a Parapsychologist is usually a classically trained psychologist who specializes in research of a more paranormal nature. Parapsychologists primarily focus on the study of psychic phenomena such as extra-sensory perception (ESP), telepathy, telekinesis, remote viewing, reincarnation or past life experiences, and even the transition of souls or consciousness after death. The subject was once studied at most of the major academic institutions but over the past several decades the majority of those programs closed and the focus of the work has mainly moved to private organizations. Intelligence gathering organizations have publicly operated programs to study the use of psychic phenomena to enhance their work for decades.

Private Detective Gumshoes and other types of private investigators are almost obsessed with getting to the bottom of the mystery to help their client’s peace of mind, along with collecting a nice fee. They usually started out somewhere in law en-

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forcement either as an officer or police detective before branching out on their own. They usually keep their investigation skills and may still use a pistol from time to time. They always have former partners and other contacts in the Department and understand the inner workings of law enforcement. Good detectives know where to look and how to collect evidence, how to get people to talk, and who to talk to on the street when they need a little discreet help.

Scientist Scientists and Academics share a number of similarities. They spend extensive periods of time becoming experts in specific areas and in utilizing academically sanctioned methods for acquiring and disseminating new facts as they are acquired. They also conduct experiments and develop tools to apply the knowledge to physical applications. The majority of Scientists operate at universities and government or privately funded think tanks. Scientists specialize in various subjects including astrophysics, brain chemistry, genetics, quantum mechanics, and many other topics.

Basic Skills All substantial skills and areas of knowledge require special training or intensive hours of study and practice to master. Some could be hobbies while others are a reflection of a character’s background or possibly a previous occupation. While Occupation represents an overall grouping of skills and experience, a basic skill is much more finite and confined. Some basic skills include options and may be acquired in more than one area. For example, if a PC has a weapon skill, he must select the type. If he wants to be effective using both pistols and knives, then he must select two weapon skills: pistols and knives. Like most other traits, a character can acquire a Skill to do virtually anything the Guide agrees makes sense for the game. Many more mundane kinds of Skills such as Cooking or Painting or Game Design are not listed because the kinds of tasks they would apply to are fairly obvious. The following list of example Skills covers some of the more unusual things that may be likely to occur in the world of DLB:

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Acrobatics Acrobatics is a complicated physical skill that includes the ability to perform complex jumps, dives, rolls and tumbles. This ability is used for actions like jumping from vine to vine while swinging through the jungle or completing a series of complex aerial maneuvers to avoid tripping burglar alarms or trigger wires. Parkour would be considered a type of Acrobatics.

Art Artistic expression can take many forms. Though the character is not quite up to the level of a professional, they can create high quality works in their spare time that stir human emotions or at least that people can understand. There are many types of art but the most common include painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery, graphic design and even graffiti.

Athletics Continuing to participate in sports, hiking, jogging, and other physical activities helps to maintain people’s health as they get older. It also comes in handy when an unmarked van starts following you on your morning jog. Athletics would be used when characters are trying to climb over a fence, outrun a creature, or throw a holy relic to a friend to keep a vampire from destroying it, among many other things.

Aviation Aviation is the ability to fly and hopefully land some type of aircraft. Pilots also understand navigation and routine maintenance for their craft. They also know the regulations and laws that pertain to operating their craft. Types reflect different types of craft including: small planes, helicopters, ultra lights, and hot air balloons.

Hobbyist The difference between a hobby and a pastime is the amount of energy and expertise people invest in their activities. Real hobbyists invest a significant amount of time and attention to their interest regardless of whether they are building the town’s largest model railroad in their basement or spending hours upon hours in the town archives becoming an expert about the region’s history. Buffs

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are hobbyists who become very knowledgeable about a topic by reading, watching movies, and studying anything they can find about a topic. Types of hobbyists can include foodies, gamers, movie buffs, model builders, sports superfans, local historians and virtually anything else people can become armchair experts about.

Charm Some people just have a way of disarming other people into doing what they want. It isn’t mind control. It’s more about the appearance of sincerity, need, and unspoken, altruistic rewards. It is usually something small like letting them know their forgetful uncle’s hotel room number, or holding the secure door open for them because they can’t find their ID. Most people don’t like to look like or feel like “the bad guy” so they’ll play along. It may be harder to succeed if the target has orders or a moral imperative that would get in the way. Some disadvantages can make it even harder for characters to resist.

Electronics Having a good basic understanding of electronics and wiring can come in handy if you need to short circuit a system or divert a video signal, as well as working on the boat radio when you are stranded miles off shore. Given appropriate tools and spare parts, characters can repair or disable most types of equipment.

First-Aid Injuries happen so fortunately some characters learn the basics for what it means to apply tourniquets, help people who are in shock, perform CPR, and know what to administer to counter toxins. They aren’t skilled at surgery or able to diagnose more cryptic or complicated ailments because they don’t have enough training or experience but they should be able to bandage people up to keep them from losing blood and getting worse until their body starts to recover on its own or until they can get to a professional.

Gambling

Climbing Climbing is the ability to scale vertical surfaces. It is most commonly used during mountaineering and free climbing. The same skills are employed to scale walls and other structures. Climbing attempts are affected by how sheer the surface being scaled is and the quality of the equipment being used.

Computers Characters with this ability have a chance to get into local computer systems, troubleshoot equipment and network problems, recover files, and find information as well as connect to normal types of networks and utilize most types of software. A professional hacker would be needed to break into a high security network.

Disguise Disguise enables a character to alter his appearance, or that of his associates, to conceal his identity or assume someone else’s within reason. This skill is extremely valuable to anybody who is on the run. Characters with this ability are also adept at using convenient items on hand for quick changes in appearance. Trying to take on the persona of another person would require props and theatrical makeup..

Thursday night poker games turned into online gambling, weekends in Atlantic City, and the occasional jaunt to Las Vegas. Characters with this skill have advanced their basic skills to understand most of the popular games of chance. A good gambler has a rudimentary understanding of the probabilities, human interaction and strategy required to win. They understand the value of a good bluff and can use it in other situations, as well as trying to see through others’ bluffs. Gambling skills can be applied to negotiations and standoffs, as well as standard games of chance.

Hand-to-Hand Combat Characters can learn how to defend themselves in a variety of ways. They may have grown up on the streets and learned by experience. People can take lessons in martial arts or boxing or train at an MMA gym. You don’t have to be a professional fighter to learn the basics of taking care of yourself. Regardless of the type of training someone has learned, they would know the basics for punching, kicking, and grappling. They could use their environment to their benefit and know what items are handy to use as a makeshift weapon. Coupling hand-to-hand combat with other skills like acrobatics and weapon skills can make for a lethal combination. Types are primarily for flavor and gen-

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erally include brawling, boxing, karate, judo, capoeira, and many others.

Intimidation Intimidation creates overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety in another character. Successful attempts result in the target yielding without a physical confrontation. Intimidation is not effective against characters who obviously have the upper hand in a situation or those who are under someone else’s control. It can be used to collect information, as well as encouraging others to provide help or overlook transgressions in the right situations.

Language(s) Linguists are able to read, write, and speak a language other than their native tongue. There are specializations within this ability for most modern languages and many ancient ones. If a character wishes to possesses fluency in multiple languages, he must purchase the ability for each of those languages. Language options can include: ancient Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Sumerian, English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, German, American Sign Language, Egyptian, Arabic, Hebrew, Gaelic and virtually all distinctly different languages spoken by modern or ancient man.

Lock Picking Detectives and thieves aren’t the only ones who occasionally need to open a door or a filing cabinet, or even a pair of handcuffs. Most locks will require special tools that are only available to licensed locksmiths or anyone with internet access, but simple locks may open with a small knife, screwdriver, or the end of a paperclip for someone with the right skills. This doesn’t apply to combination or electronic locks.

Mechanics Mechanics understand how machines work. Specifically, this skill covers a character’s mechanical aptitudes regarding a wide assortment of equipment from vehicles to power tools, etc. Characters with strong mechanical aptitudes are capable of building, repairing and disassembling basic mechanical devices of all types and using parts to build new ones.

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Occult Many people have a fascination with the occult. They read books and watch television shows to develop a reasonable understanding of the history of ancient religions, various mythologies, paganism, witchcraft, Satanism, voodoo, and related topics. A student of the occult may know the procedures for performing rites or rituals but without the proper paranormal abilities, they cannot actually perform them successfully. At best, they can recognize the results of such activities and identify the purpose of a magical symbol or ceremony, etc. However, they may know that summoned creatures cannot pass beyond a salt circle and may be able to protect themselves and others from being attacked.

Paranormal Characters who study the paranormal have a fascination for things outside the realm of the traditional sciences: psychic powers (e.g., ESP, telepathy, and telekinesis), ghosts, UFOs and bigfoot. This trait is limited to knowledge about these topics and the people who have encountered them. It does not include the ability to perform psychic feats, although the character may have witnessed and be able to correctly identify true psychic phenomena, a haunting or the type of Unidentified Flying Object they see zooming across the night sky.

Performing Talent shows are popular because people want to be in front of the masses showing off the skills they have worked so hard to master. It could be singing or playing in a band, acting in the community theater, performing illusions, or anything else people find entertaining. Some people are double- or triple-threats and have more than one performing skill. Acting could come in handy if a PC needs to tell a convincing lie or if they’ve stolen a uniform and need to impersonate a guard. Types often include acting, singing, dancing, playing an instrument, performing magic, and ventriloquism among others.

Photography Most people know how to use their phone to take selfies or a home camera to snap vacation pictures. People with actual photography skill understand how to adjust all those

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scary dials and settings to achieve the best images. They understand how different types of film and digital cameras operate as well as some knowledge of video cameras and videos. They have a much better chance of being able to detect whether an image has been altered, as well as a better chance for creating convincing altered images themselves.

Pickpocketing Some would call Pickpocketing more of an art than a skill. It requires a very special touch as well as understanding how to best distract their target and an extensive amount of practice and probably a run-in or two with the law. The craft extends itself beyond pockets to include easily accessible jewelry, keys, or anything else small that can be slipped out of a pocket or off a person easily. It can also be used to slip someone a note, slide a cell phone into their coat pocket, or plant a transmitter or other small item on their body.

Riding Other than driving, characters may find themselves in a situation where they need to know how to ride a horse or something more exotic like a camel or an elephant. In the Western United States and Australian outback, horses are still very common. In some parts of these locales, they are the primary means of transportation. Options include: horses, camels, and elephants.

Scuba Diving Trained scuba divers complete extensive training. They understand how to operate the equipment and how to safely navigate under the water. As long as proper procedures are followed, diving is a safe activity. Divers are good swimmers and can usually hold their breath longer than most people. Reputable dive shops will only fill air tanks or rent equipment to certified divers.

Skiing Skiing is the fastest means of traveling down snow-covered hills without a snowmobile and hopefully without breaking any important bones. Proper equipment is required, of course. A skilled skier can safely maneuver around obstacles and obtain faster speeds using their reflexes, experi-

ence, and willingness to hit the more treacherous slopes. Water Skiing could easily be an alternative Skill.

Skydiving Skydivers can jump out of airplanes or off the top of tall buildings and guide themselves to a landing target using their parachute. Most unskilled characters would be able to jump out of a plane with a prepared parachute and a few instructions, but their landing would probably result in an injury and it definitely would be off target. It could even be into a river or worse yet a large set of power lines.

Stealth Many characters would like to be able to move about while evading detection, including everything from detectives and investigators to cat burglars and teenagers who are getting home past curfew. Some of the better uses of this skill include sneaking up behind an opponent for a surprise attack, entering a secure compound while evading detection and cautiously walking across a room without waking the sleeping guard. Stealthy characters can attempt to be both quiet as well as difficult to see by using the shadows to their advantage and hiding behind any form of cover they can find.

Surveillance Detectives, journalists, thieves, and stalkers can do this by nature but sometimes other characters need to be able to follow and observe a target without its knowledge. A basic understanding of the tools of the trade would be implied, such as the use of listening devices, telephoto camera lenses, and video equipment.

Swimming Most people learn how to swim when they are kids and even if they don’t swim that often they could rely on their Athletics skill if they have it to make their way across the pool or tread water for brief periods waiting for a rescue boat. A skilled Swimmer practices regularly and can swim long distances. They would have more endurance for swimming further and they would be able to hold their breath longer than a regular person. They would also be able to help a less skilled associate make it to shore.

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Tracking Traditional tracking involves tracing an individual’s path by footprints and other physical signs such as broken twigs or overturned stones that the unskilled would overlook. It is generally used in the wilderness to find a person or animal. Rain, snow, and heavy traffic through the area can complicate efforts to track. Tracking usually works best when the trail is fresh.

act as modifiers to occupation and skill rolls. They are utilized sparingly because the bonus or penalty is applied to the higher die roll itself so it can have a significant effect on outcome. Some advantages and disadvantages are gained because of an experience and can help to provide depth to a character’s background. Many advantages have mirrored disadvantages that simply represent the other end of the spectrum.

Vehicle

Advantages

Driving is an extremely common skill in most of the developed world. In some places this may extend to riding a motorcycle, jet ski, or other types of vehicles. Characters with this skill would be capable of operating their vehicle under normal circumstances and performing relatively simple maneuvers. Truly defensive driving and performing stunts would best be left to professionals like the police or government agents. Types are broken out by the various vehicles someone may learn to maneuver including: automobiles, motorcycles, heavy machinery, snowmobiles, jet skis and even motor boats

Weapon Weapon skills can be learned in many places. Anyone who has been through the military or worked as a police officer or some security jobs would have received training in the use of a firearm. People who grow up in more rural areas may have learned to how to use a rifle or shotgun for hunting from their family or friends. Martial artists often train in the use of a variety of weapons. Each type of weapon has enough unique aspects that they represent separate types of knowledge and separate experience. If a character wanted to use pistols and knives, they would need to choose two weapon skills. Options include: pistols, knives, bows, crossbows, garrotes, rifles, shotguns, spears, staves, swords, and whips.

Advantages and Disadvantages Where occupations and skills identify the types of things a character can do in the game, advantages and disadvantages identify situations when a character may perform better or worse than usual. Advantages and disadvantages

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Advantages represent those unique facets of a character’s makeup that give him an edge under very specific circumstances. Everybody has a friend who is just plain lucky. It could be her first time playing a game or she may absentmindedly pick up a lottery ticket when she’s grabbing a soda and somehow the odds just seem to be in her favor. Examples include:

Alcohol Tolerance Alcohol Tolerance indicates that the character’s metabolism is not affected by drinking alcohol as much as someone with a normal or poor tolerance. Although some characters have naturally higher tolerances than others, tolerances can be built up through prolonged exposure to a substance over time. Characters may also have tolerances for other substances that work in the same manner. This trait comes in handy if a character needs to drink someone under the table to get a patsy drunk to search his pockets.

Attractive Attractive people receive more favorable reactions. It is just a factor of biology. Attractive characters are more persuasive during negotiations and seduction attempts. A character’s attractiveness has no effect on targets who are not concerned with physical appearance: non-intelligent species, spiritual entities, or the blind; but, it has, on rare occasion, been suspected of making a hitman deliberately miss his target or convincing a detective to take a case against her better judgement.

I shouldda’ known better. When she walked into the room I was just a little dumbfounded. If anybody else had brought in a case like that, I would have laughed them out of the office. For some reason, I just couldn’t say "no."

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Iron Stomach You probably know at least one person who can literally eat almost anything without it bothering them at all. It could be spicy food, unusual foreign food, or iffy things way past their expiration date. Characters with this advantage get bonuses for making rolls associated with tainted or otherwise toxic food and drinks.

Lucky When it comes to random chance, some people just always seem to win more than others. Lucky characters receive bonuses for any rolls that deal with chance like gambling, choosing the unpoisoned cocktail, or walking over the tripwire without even knowing it was there.

Photographic Memory Characters with Photographic Memory have a better chance of recalling details for events than other individuals. They would receive a bonus to efforts to remember even the most specific details like the license plate number

for the car that ran them off the road or what a page in a book said before it was ripped from their hands.

Sense Direction Characters with a good sense of direction keep their bearings in unfamiliar surroundings. They are much less likely to become lost or to double back on themselves. This advantage gives the character a bonus in situations where he is following directions, attempting to retrace his own route or simply trying to find the way to safety.

Superior Psyche Superior Psyche improves the character's ability to withstand psychic or supernatural attacks against their willpower like efforts to possess them, change their memories, or control their minds. Characters with a Superior Psyche are also more likely to see through supernatural or paranormal illusions This acts as a bonus if the character needs to make some sort of resistance roll, as well as a penalty for the potential attacker if the Game host feels it is appropriate.

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Tough While they may not be invulnerable to knives or bullets, some people are able to take a punch better than others. If anything, it just makes them more angry. Tough characters have a sturdy frame and are harder to hurt with a hand-to-hand attack. Anyone trying to throw a punch or a kick in their direction will receive a penalty. They may still make contact, it’s just less likely to have an effect.

Vendetta Something terrible happened to the character or their loved ones, and now somebody is going to pay. Characters with a vendetta have such a strong, focused hatred that revenge is always on their mind. When they meet the focus of their hatred, they will perform at a higher level by summoning years of hatred. When the character was a child, his family may have been tortured and murdered by a Satanic cult while he watched helplessly through a crack in the closet door. Now whenever he encounters a member of the cult, he attacks with a little more focus and a little more force. Vendettas could be against a specific character or creature or a whole

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group. It could be against members of a crime family, a type of creature, agents of the Cleanup Crew, or anything else that seems to make sense.

Disadvantages Disadvantages are the opposite of Advantages. They represent facets of a character’s makeup that cause him to perform worse than normal under specific circumstances. They represent everything from disabilities and addictions to weaknesses and phobias. Examples include:

Foot in Mouth Disorder Some people always seem to say the absolute worst possible thing at the absolute worst possible time. In stressful situations, characters with this disadvantage are penalized in social interaction of any type because they always say the wrong thing.

Gullible You know who we’re talking about. Some people are simply naive about the ways of the world. They get the wool

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pulled over their eyes on a regular basis and never seem to learn. No matter how fantastic or unusual the story someone tells them, they sit there intently listening and often believing things no normal person would dream of buying. Characters with this problem are penalized when someone is attempting to persuade them to do something or when they are attempting to detect if another character is lying.

Phobias Many people possess an irrational fear of something. Typically, a phobia relates to some traumatic experience that scars the character’s psyche. When a character is forced to deal with the subject of his phobia, he receives penalties to all of his actions. If a character has a fear of water and finds himself wrestling with another character on a dock, his phobia will make it harder for him to overcome his opponent. Everybody is afraid of something but a phobia is more severe and more pathological. The character’s fear is strong enough to alter his actions when he is confronted with it. Common options include: water, heights, closed spaces, open spaces, snakes, spiders, clowns, germs, and the dark.

Ugly Unattractive characters are not necessarily menacing — they are simply difficult to look at and much less likely to receive assistance or Charm people out of information or favors. Characters could have severe scars or have been born with some sort of defect that affects the way they look. They are just as able-bodied as any other character and at least as intelligent if not more-so but so many people have a difficult time looking past the surface. They will receive penalties for rolls that rely on any type of social activity — at least when they are visible.

Unlucky No matter how hard they try, some people just can’t seem to catch a break. They never win a contest. They always choose the wrong card. Luck and favor are not their friends. The antithesis of lucky, unlucky characters will be penalized for any roll that relies on chance like gambling. The Game Host may choose to give an unlucky character an extra chance to get selected if something bad is going to affect a randomly selected character.

Physical Limitation Characters with a physical limitation could be missing a limb or have extremely poor vision or hearing. They may be able to perform most activities without difficulty, but if something relies heavily on the area where they have a limitation, they may be penalized. If a character was an amputee and they were running from a zombie horde and found themselves at the end of an alley with a tall fence, they’re going to have problems climbing it in a hurry. If a character had poor hearing and doesn’t have something to supplement like a hearing aid, they will be less likely to detect someone sneaking up from behind. The penalties can apply to many different types of activities depending on what makes sense in the situation. Common options can include: amputee (specify limb), vision, and hearing.

Sickly To use a farming term, some characters simply come from weak stock. Their stomachs won’t tolerate anything out of the ordinary. If they even see a sick person on TV they start feeling sick. They seem to always have a cold or something worse. They may carry around a suitcase full of medication. From a game perspective, these characters receive penalties to any rolls to resist toxins or any kind of tainted food or efforts to resist any sort of illness or disease.

Sucker Some people just can’t say “no.” It could be to a pretty woman or a handsome man. They may not be able to drive past a broken-down car without stopping to lend a hand. Sometimes it can get out of control and they take any sob story as gospel — even when it puts themselves or their friends in jeopardy. They may part with their last rations on a zombie-infested island when they run into a hungry looking guy who says he hasn't eaten in three days. That poor woman was bitten by a vampire and she’s unconsolable and needs to be held. Suckers get penalties resisting any charm or coercion attempts if the other character happens to be of the type that they just can’t seem to resist. The Guide may choose to have the affected character apply the penalty to a Will roll to resist getting involved or trying to “save” whoever they believe to be in danger. Some common types include characters who are suckers for attractive women, attractive men, the helpless, and animals.

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XP COST

CHANGE

3

Change a skill from Unfamiliar to Unfocused Representing beginning training.

3

Change a skill from Unfocused to Focused Gaining mastery—to the maximum of 8 Focused skills.

3

Change a skill from Focused to Unfocused Allowing it become rusty but increasing the overall Focus number for everything else.

3

Add a “+” to a Focused skill Each plus adds an additional success level to each successful skill roll to a maximum of 3 plusses.

10

Add a “+” to Occupation Which adds an additional success level to each successful Occupation roll up to a maximum of 3 plusses.

25

Increase an Unfamiliar trait to Unfocused

25

Increased an Unfocused trait to Focused

25

Add a “+” to a Focused Trait Which adds an additional success level to each successful Trait roll up to a maximum of 3 plusses.

Note: A skill can receive only one experience effect after each game session. (E.g. a skill cannot go from Unfamiliar to Unfocused to Focused after a single session.)

Character Growth

Spending Experience

Just as real people can grow and change over time, so can characters. When the same characters appear in ongoing episodic games or story arcs, they have the opportunity to advance learn new skills, master others, and even become better at their focused skills, traits, and occupation with enough experience.

Characters may use XP according to the table above. One game session may be enough for a character to acquire or improve a skill. Improving attributes or occupation takes longer. Skills and traits can be improved by increasing from unknown to unfamiliar or from unfamiliar to focused. Characters’ focused skills, traits, and occupations can be further improved above by adding plusses (“+”) which adds additional success levels to successful rolls. In game terms this is accomplished by spending experience points.

Earning Experience In game terms, characters grow and advance in DLB by collecting and spending experience points (XP). Each PC that survives a standard adventure earns two XP. If a character does something out of the ordinary, something especially heroic, or something truly entertaining that surprises the other players and the game host may award a third XP to the character or characters. Experience points accumulate for a character until the player chooses to spend them.

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Plusses If a character has one or more plusses on a skill, trait, or their occupation they gain a bonus effect level when they make a successful roll. For each additional “+”, the skill gains an additional bonus effect or success level, to a maximum of 3. If a player made a successful roll with one suc-

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cess level on a skill with two plusses, they would have succeeded with three success levels. Plusses also affect reactive rolls and can make attacks or other actions against a character more difficult or lessen their effect. (Note that “+”s remain with a skill that lapses from Focused to Unfocused.) Players may choose to use one or more of their character’s plusses to reduce the disadvantage or difficulty penalty on a task during a roll instead of adding an additional success level, but they must declare their intent before they roll the dice. Each plus can negate one penalty point. If a skill, trait, or occupation is used to represent the difficulty of a task against the character, any plusses will increase the level of difficulty by an equal number of levels. If a succubus was attempting to use her unnatural seduction skills against a character with a focused Will with two plusses, the roll would be made with a 3-point penalty (one for the focused Will and two for the plusses).

Improving Focus The easiest way to improve success with focused skills and occupation is to become more focused by changing Focused skills to Unfocused which lowers a character’s Focus number. The fewer extraneous interests, the better characters will perform at everything else.

Specializing Within Occupation Characters may specialize within their occupation and improve one or more of the individual skills that would typically be included. The player would note the particular skill within their character’s occupation they wish to improve and could choose to add plusses to it at the same XP cost as they would improve any other skill. This does not increase the focus number because the character is not actually adding a new skill. They are simply improving their skill within one aspect of their occupation. For example: police detectives share a core set of skills including pursuing victims, finding clues, collecting evidence, and shooting at people with their service revolver among other things simply on the basis of their occupation. A character may choose to invest time into improving their marksmanship and could spend 3xp to add a plus to it.

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Game hosts must be part author, part storyteller, part actor and part referee. Their duties are many: develop the adventure, help players create their characters, narrate the story, play the parts of all the NPCs, decide how to apply the rules, decide how the PCs' actions influence the story, and eventually, how it all turns out. It sounds like a lot of work, but if you enjoy being creative, it doesn’t seem like work at all. A successful Game Host can organize and orchestrate a game that is as much fun to run as it is to play. Don’t be afraid to bend the rules if it makes the game easier to play or more enjoyable for yourself and your players. Feel free to change the rules or add to them; after all, this is your game and your story. The main goal is to have a good time.

Organizing a Game There are a few basic things that a Game Host needs to begin playing the game: players, an appropriate location, and an adventure. The players should enjoy gaming together, feel comfortable in the setting where they play, and have an interest in the adventure’s subject matter. If these criteria are not met, the game might not be as much fun as you anticipate. Fun is the operative word here. After all, that’s why people play.

Players The first step in getting a game together is to find the right

group of players. Games can be played with any number of players. We suggest playing with one to five players. In our experience, games are more enjoyable with a small group of PCs and a few NPCs to round out the cast of characters. After a few adventures, you will probably settle on the number of players that works best for your games. Most gamers play with the same group of people on a regular basis, so it’s a good idea to find players with the same or similar motivations and compatible personalities. Roleplaying is an inherently social activity.

Location One of the simplest things you can do to improve your games is to select a comfortable location with a minimum of distractions. Lighting and music can enhance the mood. A softly lit room with eerie music playing quietly in the background may intensify the sense of terror you create using DLB. A little atmosphere can go a long way, but if you have a location that is both comfortable and quiet without too many distractions, then you are well on your way. Many gaming groups play over web chats or video or conference calls. If you choose to, make full use of the technology by sharing graphics or sketches to help illustrate what is happening. Sending private messages to players when their PCs encounter things the rest of the group may not can be a lot more effective than doing it in person. Nothing raises the other players’ suspicions like when a Game Host pulls a single player aside for a private conversation or passes a note in front of the group.

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Selecting an Adventure If you play with friends, you probably already know their interests. Select an adventure that will capture their imaginations. Some people like gothic horror, others prefer intrigue and conspiracies, and still others are interested in government cover-ups, alien technology and extraterrestrial abductions. If time is a consideration, choose a scenario that can be completed, or at least reach one of the major milestones, within the agreed upon timeframe. This is much easier for a group of gamers who play regularly than it is for people who play infrequently or who have to work around conflicting schedules. Some adventures are designed to be completed in a single session, while others may stretch across multiple sessions like a TV mini-series. The Game Host has a great deal of control over the length of a game. If things are moving slowly, he can pick up the pace by nudging PCs in the right direction with clues or incentives. He can eliminate or combine scenes. Conversely, if a game appears to be moving too quickly, he can add encounters or plot twists to lengthen it. It is better to avoid ending a game session before the PCs achieve some goal because it is difficult to maintain interest across gaps in time unless the Players have something to look forward to when they get back together. Initially, you may want to use the sample adventures provided. Once you have played through these, you can either purchase commercially available adventures or create your own. Ready-made adventures require less preparation time because all you have to do is familiarize yourself with it and follow the directions for setting it up for your group. We also provide guidelines and lots of hints and ideas for developing your own original adventures. Before playing, become familiar with the plot, settings and NPCs. If you wrote it yourself, this should not be a problem. If it is a commercial adventure or one from the internet, or borrowed from a friend, read through it at least once and make notes about the underlying plot and any unusual twists that may occur. Keeping organized notes can help the game flow better.

Player Characters When you select an adventure, you probably have an idea of the type of characters that can be successfully integrat-

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ed. If you choose to use the sample characters, simply print them and pass the character sheets out to the players. You may also want the Players to use characters they created previously and weave them into the storyline. You may also want them to define new characters specifically for this current adventure. If this is the case, then you may either wing it and let the players design any character they desire or you may give them a few guidelines so you can easily fit them into the story. You will find that the better adventures are those where the PCs have a personal stake in whatever is going on and have reasons for wanting or needing to complete the adventure. How many movies have you seen where the characters are driven by strong motives, like the bad guys have kidnapped a relative or friend and there’s only so much time to get him back before it’s too late? Similarly, there should be a strong incentive for the PCs to complete the adventure, whether it’s stopping an alien invasion or thwarting the plans of an evil scientist who wants to keep one of their friends as a sex kitten. This is the primary argument for creating PCs to go with an adventure; it gives the Game Host some latitude for weaving the characters into the fabric of the adventure. By stipulating a few guidelines and allowing the players to create their own characters, you can compromise between the mishmash of players using their favorite characters for an adventure and the rigidity of creating all new characters specifically for the story. A few simple stipulations can do the trick; for example, all the characters are college friends on spring break. Or you may require all the characters to be from the same place and identify their relationships. The PCs do not necessarily have to know one another before the game begins if there is a legitimate reason for them to get together within the story. Disjointed characters from other adventures may coincidentally arrive at the same resort if the Game Host plans for this in the storyline. In episodic adventures, the Players’ characters may change over time. New characters may enter the game and old characters may be taken out of the action. Flexibility is the key word in adventure design, but good Game Hosts don’t let the players run all over them either. If you’ve got an adventure specifically written for four normal college students on spring break, it may not work as well if the

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players bring in experienced paranormal investigators or mercenaries or psi-endowed super characters. Game Hosts should make notes about the PCs' abilities and scores for reference during the game.

Playing the Game When all the players are ready and you have familiarized yourself with the adventure or scenario, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labors. At the beginning of each gaming session, you should give a brief introduction to the current session. If you are continuing a game that was started in another gaming session, have the players give a short synopsis of what happened in the previous session(s) and how it ended.

Introducing the Story Once the characters are established, you should spend a few minutes telling each Player where and how his PC begins the game. Most adventures come with suggestions of how to work existing characters into the game. If you design your own adventures, you can set them up however you choose. If the scenario expects the PCs to have knowledge about a particular subject, then you may wish to begin with a narrative to share the requisite information. Short encounters in the beginning of a game start things off with a bang. An incredible revelation or dramatic encounter may introduce a major plot element or an important NPC. Foreshadowing can effectively set the mood of the game. Everyone is settled into the sleeping bags. Erin, you are having a hard time getting comfortable. You look up just past the edge of the fire and see someone approaching slowly. You are unable to move. The old Indian looks knowingly and smiles from ear to ear, showing the few teeth he has left. “It can sense your presence.” He reaches into one of the pockets of his faded jeans and pulls something out, then says “You look like you could use this.” He reaches out and hands you an old silver necklace. It is in the shape of an eagle, but the years have erased most of the detail. At the instant you touch it, the old man’s skin begins to shrivel as his hair grows white and his body trem-

bles. His flesh turns to dust and his bones crash to the ground. You feel a cold blackness settling in around you. It seems to creep in slowly and you can’t breathe. It’s smothering you. Suddenly, you sit upright, panting. It takes a few minutes for your eyes to focus. You are at the campsite. Everybody else is still asleep and the fire is beginning to die out. You feel something cold in your hand and look down to find yourself tightly grasping a silver necklace…

Scenes Games are played as a series of scenes, much like a play. Scenes are woven together by the action of the PCs. Some scenes may be simply written as filler or to give the PCs an opportunity to interact with each other or with NPCs. Others reveal critical information or give the PCs a chance to learn something important to the storyline. Finally, one scene presents the climactic events within the story. It is impossible to predict all of the scenes which are likely to occur during a particular game, so the Game Host must do his best to predict the major scenes that will occur and to develop unexpected ones on the fly. Each scene begins with a description of the location and any characters or creatures within sight. Good descriptions are the key to the Players' understanding of the situation. They should include details of everything the PCs see, hear, smell etc. All the important details should be there but do not give away anything that is not apparent. If, for example, a bookcase is full of dusty books but one of them is not dusty because it is connected to a mechanism that opens a frequently used secret passage, you would simply describe the bookcase with its dusty contents until somebody tries to search it or examines the books. At that point, tell them about the single, dust-free volume and see if they examine it further. If the PCs keep missing something vital to the completion of the story (like an entrance to the secret passage) try giving them a hint. For example, the obtuse characters could be following an NPC when he ducks into a room and doesn’t come out. If they enter, he is not there and there is no visible means of escape. This should stimulate a search through an investigation type roll that leads to the discovery of the secret passage.

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Our example begins with a pair of PCs who are investigating a tip that an evil cult has been conducting sacrificial ceremonies in a deserted old house. They have just turned onto the road leading to the house when out of nowhere, a black Cadillac sedan speeds down the road forcing them into a ditch. Nobody is seriously injured, but the car is stuck and it is raining like crazy. The PCs get out of the vehicle to see if there is any place nearby where they can find shelter. Game Host

Ralph Game Host Ralph

Game Host Bufford

Game Host

The rain is coming down in torrents. The only time you can see anything beyond ten yards is when lightning strikes. Then you can see the silhouette of trees and a two-story house on a nearby hillside. There appears to be a faint light coming from one of the windows and an oldermodel black sedan parked in the driveway. Does the car look like the same one that ran us off of the road? Make an occupation roll.

Game Host

Rolls two dice and multiplies the values to get a result of 12. Okay, I rolled a 12 so I made it. Is it

Ralph Game Host

the same one? From this distance, it’s hard to be sure but it does look like the same car. Great. We're stranded and the only house is where the psycho who ran us off the road lives. Is there anything else around here? Nothing you can see; but visibility is pretty bad. Bufford

Slaps his hand against the table top to make a sudden loud noise. Wham! Lightning strikes a tree less than thirty feet from where you stand. Sparks fly, the ground shakes, a limb crashes to the ground and you are deafened by the thunder for several seconds. I need occupation or something related to perception rolls from both of you. The lightning was pretty distracting, so consider it difficult with a penalty of one. Ralph

Bufford

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Bufford

Rolls two dice and gets a 2 and a 3. The 3 drops to a 2 with the penalty so the total is 4, which is less than the PC’s Focus Number. Nope Rolls two dice getting a 4 and another 4. One of the 4’s drops to a 3, making the total 12 which is higher than the PC’s Focus Number. I got this.

Ralph Game Host

Ralph Bufford Game Host

Bufford, your PC happens to be looking toward the field as the lightning strikes. In the sudden flash, you see several dark, hunched over figures in the field between you and the house. They appear to be moving directly towards you. The nearest one is about 15 yards away. When the lightning struck, he dropped out of sight into the tall grass. Run like Hell! I’m hitting the road and I’m going to run back toward the city. Me too.

Decides no rolls are necessary for their little trek. The road is very slick. Both of you fall occasionally but it’s nothing serious and the fear is enough to get you moving again. You run about a half mile, but the rain makes it seem much farther when you notice what appear to be headlights coming from behind you. I’m still running. Screw it. I’ll try to get closer to the side of the road. I’ll follow his lead and do the same thing, but I’m not letting up on the speed. Okay, from the movement of the lights, the vehicle appears to be coming very fast. As the lights get closer, you hear the splash of the tires and notice that it appears to be swerving toward you. I’m going to try to dive out of the way. Sounds like the only choice.

Rolls two dice for the NPC in the car and rolls a 1 and a 6. The driver’s focus was 7, so he fails to hit either PC. The car swerves toward you but just misses. The driver loses control and the car crashes into a tree and stops.

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After the Game Host describes the location and the actions of any NPCs, the Players take over by describing what their characters do in the situation. The Game Host decides if the actions require a dice roll and if so, what kind. If no roll is required, the Game Host simply describes the outcomes of their actions. If a test is required, the Game Host interprets the outcome and describes the results. If NPCs in the scene do something the Game Host feels should require a test, he makes the appropriate dice rolls and describes their actions to the players. As the situation changes, the Game Host describes the changes and gives the players’ characters an opportunity to react. If their actions lead to a new scene or result in the introduction of a new NPC, the Game Host describes these new situations and the process starts all over again. The following example should give you an idea of how the overall process works.

Role Playing NPCs NPCs include everyone from the flight attendant on the airline to the arch-villain whose plan the PCs wish to thwart. Naturally, the arch-villains and NPCs who are designed to help the PCs will be described in great detail, but virtually any character can get pulled into the action. It is impossible to supply fully detailed definitions for every NPC that the characters could ever encounter, so DLB generalizes. The Encounters chapter includes examples of some of the typical creatures that the PCs can meet, along with their general game stats. However, the possibilities are limitless, so the Game Host may simply need to wing it for NPCs that enter the game unexpectedly. Fortunately, the D6xD6 mechanics makes this very easy. Players tire quickly of static, cardboard villains. Remember, nobody does anything without a good reason, and this includes the bad guys as well as the other characters who help the PCs along the way. Everybody has a motive. It may be something as simple as human greed or as complicated as having a secret resentment against another character. Like PCs, NPCs should act within character. The players do not always know what this true character is so actions may seem out of place until the end. In a game with as many secret societies and conspiracies as DLB, NPCs seldom reveal their true nature until forced to do so.

Game Mechanics This is your game. You can handle rolls any way you want. Nobody really wants a game that completely follows reality, they just want one that seems plausible and still allows for last-second victories in the face of incredible dangers and unfathomable odds.

Automatic Success and Failure If a PC attempts to do something that is easily within scope for their occupation or set of skills, don’t bother making the player make a dice roll. Consider it an automatic success and describe the outcome. Too much dice rolling can be hazardous to the playability of a game. The massive hound ran out of the yard and into the marsh. Ralph is trying to follow it using his tracking skill. Since the ground is wet and the creature is very heavy, the Game Host decides that the tracks are easy to spot and allows Ralph to follow the tracks to the cave without requiring a roll.

Difæculty One of the harder things for a novice Game Host to master is assigning the appropriate difficulty for a task. While these ratings depend totally upon the Game Host’s judgement, they have an incredible impact on the success or failure of a PC’s actions. After a few gaming sessions, you will feel more comfortable setting these penalties. Many find it better to refrain from using difficulty modifiers whenever possible because most activities fall within the norm for a character’s occupation and are not unusually hard or unusually easy. Remember, to be considered difficult a task would need to be difficult for a trained professional — not just difficult for the average untrained person. That’s where the difference between Focused, Unfocused, and Unfamiliar comes into play. Picking any lock would be difficult to most people but picking a regular entry door to a trained locksmith would be no more difficult than any other lock.

Drama Points Each Drama Point can be used to change a die roll by one point so it can easily be enough to turn a failed action into

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a success and is therefore pretty powerful. You want the PCs to have them when they need them to lend an air of heroism, but you don't want the PCs to rely upon them too heavily. This is why characters only start each game with six Drama Points and can carry over up to two from a previous session. As an optional rule, the Game Host may consider awarding PCs with additional Drama Points if they do something especially heroic, but they should do so sparingly or it will unbalance the game. Rupert shoots at the werewolf as it races toward a screaming teenager. The Game Host decides that it will be difficult to hit the creature without harming the young woman, so he assigns a 1-point penalty. Rupert’s pistols skill is Focused and he has a Focus Number of 8. He rolls a 4 and a 2. The difficulty causes the 4 to drop to a 3 which leaves him with a result of 6

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(i.e. 3 x 2). He chooses to use a Drama Point to increase that 3 back up to a 4. Now the result is 8 (i.e. 4 x 2) — which is equal to his Focus Number so he hits the beast.

Ending the Game The game ends when the PCs have accomplished their goals, whether they were solving a series of heinous crimes and bringing the culprit to justice or simply surviving a camping trip to the desert where they encounter a family of inbred cannibalistic freaks. When the game itself reaches the end, it is your job to wrap it up. In an adventure with no hope of sequels, you may want to describe what happens to the PCs after the end of the game. You may even want to let the players do this. Just like those blurbs that come up before the credits at the end of a movie, these epilogues provide closure and en-

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hance the feeling of accomplishment. If the major goal was met but work still has to be done to get things back to normal, the Game Host might describe what happens afterwards. If the game was not completed or the primary goal was met but there are still some problems to be dealt with, the Game Host may allude to these future events and make an opening for a sequel or continuation of the present game. There are openings for sequels in most games. Maybe the PCs only think they killed the main villain. Her followers may find a way to resurrect her using an ancient ritual and together they set out to exact vengeance on the PCs. Or maybe her assistant uses this opportunity to take control and continue her nefarious activities.

Creating Adventures We heartily suggest using the sample adventures when you initially play DLB but, at some point, you will probably want to write your own adventures. Many of the same reasons that players should create their own characters apply to why Game Hosts should create their own adventures. The process of adventure creation can be done in several different ways. The amount of preparatory work and written information that each Game Host requires varies. Some people prefer to begin a game with a mental concept and a bare minimum of notes. Others want written descriptions for all of the scenes, NPCs and settings. Typically, games with complex plots and lots of characters should be thoroughly detailed while shorter, simpler scenarios require fewer notes. Experienced Game Hosts may not need to use detailed notes for everything but, until you get the hang of being a Game Host, you should detail all of the major elements of your adventures. The primary elements of a DLB adventure include: theme, plot, subplots, characters, enemies, scenes and settings.

Theme The theme of an adventure is the overall style or feeling that emanates from it. Most stories have a central theme that they are trying to express, directly and/or indirectly. The central themes of horror include fear of the unknown,

the supernatural, suspense, gore, isolation, intrigue, and helplessness. By developing the theme, you set the groundwork for the rest of the adventure construction process because you establish a few boundaries in terms of what is and is not likely to occur. You also develop a concept of style in terms of the way the information is to be presented to the Players and how unusual or bizarre it may become.

Setting Horror can exist in any genre of fiction from science fiction to Gothic romance. Horror movies include stories about everything from cheerleader camps terrorized by deranged killers to creatures attacking us from within our dreams to the fear of being in a remote space station where the crew is being picked off one at a time by a hideous space creature. The equipment list and other types of information within this book are geared toward adventures in the contemporary world but you could make a few adjustments and set your adventure in any time period or location. By disallowing the use of modern technology, you could easily run a game set in the Middle Ages, the American old west or Victorian England. By using some of the items in the equipment list as examples, you could create technologically-advanced items and move your game into a futuristic setting. With a little effort, you could even create your own fictional account of a near-future apocalypse and place the PCs in a position of rebuilding the world in the face of mutants and aliens.

Plots and Subplots Some plots are simple and direct like a series of killings in the inner-city that are being perpetrated by a vampire and the PCs' job is to find the bloodsucker and put a stake through his heart. Sometimes the plot is multi-leveled with several storylines occurring at the same time. For instance, instead of simply having a vampire claiming victims, a mentally unstable individual is killing people and trying to make it look like a vampire while a group of vampirehunters look for him, but at the same time a group of real vampires tries to hunt him down because they don’t want the bad press.

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Within each adventure, there is one primary plot that drives the overall story, but there may be a variety of other, smaller conflicts that can complement the larger storyline or complicate things by throwing in diversions and elements of intrigue. A seemingly harmless subplot may be used to draw the PCs into the real story. It may be best to write the plot(s) in the form of an outline, detailing the goals that the PCs must achieve before they complete the adventure. By creating a plot, you will automatically create a goal or series of goals and the means for completing these goals and eventually resolving the conflicts within the story. There will typically be at least one major climactic conflict resolution. This resolution must be possible and the PCs should receive the tools necessary to complete it during the story. People don’t really like to play games that they have no chance of winning. This doesn’t mean you should blatantly give it to them. The PCs must work toward the goals and it is possible that they will fail from time to time. Plots typically revolve around either an antagonist or group of antagonists who form the basis for the major conflicts. In DLB, the antagonists tend to be evil personified: serial killers, zombies, evil cults, disembodied spirits, mad scientists or any host of other bad guys. Episodic games where each session has its own plot may take place within a larger story arc. Each session may provide clues or individual pieces of the puzzle that lead the characters over time toward solving the larger mystery or facing the “real” monster behind it all.

Scenes Adventures consist of several different scenes that occur in a sequence determined by the course of the game. Scenes consist of a description of the setting in which it occurs, notes about the characters involved and notes about the types of activities that occur. Some Game Hosts prefer to write a narrative description of the scene which can be read to the Players while others prefer to create these monologues from notes as they play. The physical description of a scene should indicate the types of things the PCs notice as soon as they enter the premises. If NPCs are involved, their locations and activities should be noted as well. Setting descriptions should

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include information about the size of the area, visible elements and anything else that a character is immediately aware of upon entering. In the event of some type of conflict, Players should be aware of the layout of the area and their characters' locations in relation to everything else. In some cases, there are elements of a scene that the PCs are not immediately aware of, i.e. a trap door or someone hiding behind an antique desk. These elements should be noted in the event that they are discovered so that you will know what to tell the Players. If something within the scene is dependent upon some other factor, then this should be noted too. For example, if in a given scene, something unusual occurs when a PC enters the room wearing the ancient, golden amulet then you need to describe this event, as well as what happens if the PC enters without the amulet.

Cast of Characters As you create the storyline, you should develop a mental list of the characters that are needed for the adventure. You might even create the adventure targeted toward a specific group of PCs that have been played in previous adventures. Typically, the plot defines the relationship between these protagonists and the antagonists and other Non-Player Characters. As you look through the basic outline of the game, you should compile a list of the beasts, minions, villains, and monsters that may show up in the game and decide how they will be used. If you think they will be pulled into game action, you should provide enough detail to make rolls for them if the need arises. The section on Enemies later in this chapter provides a basic framework for most general types of NPCs and creatures that may be encountered, and provides a framework for describing them. Some of these are logically related to a specific area or scene so make a note of this information and use it as you write the individual scenes. The depth of detail for your NPCs and other threats should be directly proportional to the amount of time they will be in the game. If a character is likely to die early in the game, his description doesn’t need a great deal of detail. If a creature will show up in several different scenes, you may want to define these like you would for a PC.

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Organizing the Information Whenever you create an adventure from scratch, you should have a number of notes when you are finished: scene descriptions, plot outlines, and the character definitions for the NPCs. It is wise to organize them into something you can easily access while playing the game. Otherwise, it will slow things down. When examining one of the sample adventures provided at the end of this book, you may note that we organized the information into scenes. Each scene represents a location and/or event that is likely to occur. Other traditional D6xD6 settings provide adventures broken into three acts: an introduction to the characters and the issue at hand, a series of escalating problems or events, and the climactic challenge and resolution. Something similar to this may work well for you.

with substandard equipment, or a jealous enemy who wants them to actually perish in completing their mission. Your players will become that much more involved in the story.

Beasts These are natural creatures that can pose a danger to the heroes. To design a beast, adapt the usual character creation rules as follows: 1.

Name: Unless it is someone’s pet, it’s unlikely to have a name.

2.

Gender: A beast’s gender often dictates the creature’s behavior (e.g., a female black widow spider eats the male after mating). For some beasts, however, gender may not be immediately obvious to the observer.

3.

Age: In most cases, a beast’s age will not matter in an adventure. If it does, use the terms “young,” “mature,” or “old” instead of actual years.

4.

Attributes: As per regular characters, circle one attribute and cross out one, to indicate an beast’s strongest and weakest ratings. For some more formidable beasts, you may circle or cross out multiple attributes.

5.

O ccupation: The type of beast—snake, polar bear, turkey buzzard—is its occupation. It defines most of the beast’s capabilities.

6.

Skills: Most of an beast’s abilities are directly related to its nature (its “occupation”). The skills list serves two purposes: (1) it allows you to generate a Focus number you wish for the creature, and (2) for trainable beasts such as dogs, it provides a space for “tricks” specific to that individual beast. Also, Unfocused skills provide a place to give the creature deadly attacks that don’t always succeed.

7.

Focus: Most beasts have a low Focus rating, a 2, 3, or 4. Fortunately, in combat, their attack range is usually limited to Brawling, and most would prefer to avoid combat and escape instead.

8.

L ife: Small, fragile creatures can survive less damage than humans can. Some are killed with a mere Graze

Enemies DLB and other D6xD6 games categorize the living threats heroes face as either beasts, minions, villains, or monsters. Each is detailed here, but let’s open with a word about impersonal natural threats. Earlier we mentioned the threat of an asteroid tumbling toward earth. Other such threats include avalanches, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, outbreaks of diseases that turn people into flesh-eating zombies, and nuclear disasters. Any of these things can serve as the major danger in an adventure, but without an intelligent agency behind them, they do not offer a satisfying threat simply by themselves. Imagine, for example, that your heroes are caught in an avalanche on a mountainside. Assuming they survive, they may feel some sense of accomplishment. But consider how much deeper that feeling would be if a villain abandoned them on that mountainside to die of exposure, or even triggered the avalanche itself! Now not only have they survived, they have thwarted the villain’s plans—they have overcome! So even in the case of an asteroid tumbling toward earth, give your heroes some inimical agent to overcome, whether a treacherous corporate CEO who provides them

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9.

result, some with Stun, and so on. Other, larger beasts can survive more damage than humans can. To reflect this, allow them to accumulate two or more Graze results before proceeding with the usual damage track.

(Wound), Scratch (Hit), Athletics, Climbing; Unfocused none. Focus: 4. Life: Normal. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 unless they are bad news, then there could be a whole team.

Speed: Some beasts are exceptionally fast. To represent this, you might either give them more than one action per turn (with the usual two meters of free movement each time), or add 1 to 3 points to their lower die roll each turn. If you allow more than one action in a turn, roll each action with a separate pair of dice (few beasts are crafty enough to coordinate their attacks for best effect).

Dog: Name, gender, and age—ask owner. Attributes: Any Focused; Any Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (varies), hold, track, sneak, run, leap; Unfocused any number of tricks. Focus: 7. Life: Dependent on breed (from Hit kills to normal Kill). Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more; can coordinate attacks.

10. Toughness: Many beasts have thick hides or fur to protect against damage. Consider giving them an armor bonus—typically without a dice penalty. Be sure to apply this armor bonus before taking into account size and fragility (as described under “Life” above). 11. Number: Some beasts are solitary; others travel in packs. Take care to balance your beasts’ numbers and abilities with your heroes’.

Example Beasts Alligator: Name, gender and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused, Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (Wound), scratch (Graze), swimming, diving; Unfocused running. Special Abilities: drowning (after successful bite adds 2 damage levels per turn), surprise (only when they are in the water). Focus: 5. Life: normal. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more. Bats: Name, gender and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused, Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (Graze), scratch (Graze), flying, night vision; Unfocused none. Special Abilities: Disease (additional damage increases each day for untreated characters so Graze on day 1, Stun on day 2, Hit on day 3, etc.), Disorient (Separate individuals from the group or send them running in a separate direction). Focus: 4. Life: stun kills. Speed: 3 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: 10 or more. Bear: Name, gender and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn+ Focused, Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite

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Hippopotamus: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn++ Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite, trample (Wound); Unfocused none. Focus: 3. Life: Graze x5. Speed: normal. Toughness: 2. Number: Typically 1 to 6. Panther: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused, Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (Hit), scratch (Hit), pounce (stun plus bonus 1 to scratch), athletics, climbing, stealth; Unfocused: none. Focus: 6. Life: Normal. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 1. Poisonous snake: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite, flee; Unfocused poison (Graze damage, accumulating for two or more turns, depending on lethality). Focus: 3. Life: Stun kills. Speed: 3 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically 1. Poisonous Spider: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused, Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (Graze), climbing, evade, stealth, web-making; Unfocused poison (Graze damage, accumulating for two or more turns, depending on lethality). Focus 6. Life: graze kills. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 or more. Rat: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (graze), claw (graze), dig, evade; Unfocused climb. Focus: 5. Life: Stun kills. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically a dozen.

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Shark: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused, Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (Wound), swimming, jumping (out of water), battering (Stun). Special abilities: blood scent. Focus 4. Life: Normal. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: 2. Number: 1 until blood is spilled Tiger: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Grace and Brawn+ Focused; none Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite, claw, run; Unfocused none. Focus: 4. Life: Graze x2. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: Typically 1. Wolf: Name, gender, and age unimportant. Attributes: Grace and Brawn Focused; none Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Scratch (Graze), Pounce (Stun), athletics, flee. Special abilities: sense paranormal, night vision, howl (calls for help). Focus: 6. Life: Kill kills. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: 1. Number: 3-6.

Minions These are servants or “henchmen” of the main enemy. They come in two types: thugs and lieutenants. Thugs are rank-and-file enemies. Relatively unskilled, they rely on their numbers to create a threat. Follow these character creation guidelines: 1.

Name, Gender, and Age don’t usually matter; Gender is whatever’s appropriate for the setting; and Age is most often simply adult.

2.

Attributes tend to Focus on Brawn, with Wits rated Unfamiliar.

3.

O ccupation tends to fall under Outcast, though some may be Servants. (For the example thugs below, the bolded term is the occupation.)

4.

Skills Focus on non-combat abilities like persuade and sneak. Thugs’ combat skills are usually Unfocused, which means that even when they succeed, it is late in a combat turn and limited to only one or two success levels. (Brawling is the exception, given their usual Brawn Focus.)

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5.

Focus rating is usually 8 or 9.

6.

Equipment generally includes small, easily concealed weapons (things that coincidentally do less damage). Thugs are not generally armored. Other equipment is left to the Game Host’s judgment, as needed.

Dice for unsupervised thugs are rolled all together, and the Game Host then pairs the highest result with the lowest, next-highest with next-lowest, and so on. This tends to average the results, making for lots of failed actions and few, if any, bonus successes. Note: The Game Host can increase one or more thugs’ effectiveness slightly by adding a plus or two to a combat skill, allowing them armor, and/or giving them a Focused combat skill. Without someone to guide them, however, even these things are generally wasted, given the usual dice rules for thugs.

Example Thugs Gangbanger: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young and ignorant. Attributes: Brawn or Grace Focused; Both Wits and Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused carjack, chug, doin’ the dozens, graffiti, roll joints, shoplift, streetwise, swagger; Unfocused switchblade, tire iron, zip gun. Focus: 9. Blade: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused carjack, chug, graffiti, shoplift, streetwise, swagger, switchblade; Unfocused first aid, pistol, tire iron. Focus: 8. Bruiser: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young to adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused carjack, chug, intimidate, steal, streetwise, tire iron; Unfocused drive, first aid, shotgun. Focus: 7. Gunsel: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Adult to middle aged. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits or Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused carjack, intimidate, pistol, shotgun, sneak, steal, streetwise, torture; Unfocused bookkeeping, drive, tire iron. Focus: 9.

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Cultist: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Adult to middle aged. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused kidnapping, knives, sneak, steal, language (Latin), intimidation, mundane skills (their “day” job); Unfocused drive, pistol, shotgun, occult. Focus: 8.

Note: The one ability separating heroes from lieutenants is that lieutenants have no Drama Points to spend. With a large enough group of thugs, however, a lieutenant’s ability to assign dice makes him a formidable opponent, especially early in a battle. As the number of minions falls, however, the lieutenant’s threat falters as the dice pool reduces.

Lieutenants are a greater threat than thugs. Follow these character creation guidelines: 1.

Name, Gender, and Age can be whatever the Game Host wishes. While lieutenants may not come to the heroes’ attention immediately, these things may become important during the course of play.

2.

Attributes are Focused, Unfocused, and Unfamiliar, usually following the rules for players’ characters. The Game Host may choose to change this for particularly experienced lieutenants, however.

3.

O ccupation tends to fall under Outcast or Peacekeeper. (For the example lieutenants below, the bolded term is the occupation.)

4.

Skills often focus on combat specialties.

5.

Focus rating is usually 6 or 7.

6.

Equipment may be anything the Game Host desires. Many lieutenant minions specialize in combat weapons.

Dice for all minions—when a lieutenant is guiding their actions—are rolled together and then matched as the Game Host sees fit. Generally this means highest dice are matched to highest and lowest to lowest, then each pair is assigned to a figure for best effect. Often, lieutenants will take the best results for themselves, assign failures to less important thugs, and reserve the lowest results for thugs using ranged weapons from cover. Depending on the circumstances, the heroes may not immediately recognize which figure is a lieutenant (especially if the thugs have some means of secret communication: radio headsets, hand signals, psychic connection, etc.). Once any lieutenants are incapacitated, however, the remaining minions will revert to the thug dice rules explained above.

Example Lieutenants Right-Hand Man: Name: Brutus, Igor, Jasper, Jeeves, etc. Gender: Dependent on the villainous master. Age: Adult to middle aged. Attributes: Will Focused; Any other Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused fetch, intimidate, sneak, streetwise, toady, torture; Unfocused bookkeeping, vehicle (automobile, boat, and/or plane). Focus: 7. Team Leader: Name: Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal. Gender: Dependent on the villainous master. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; No Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused command, explosives, martial arts, shoot, throw; Unfocused torture, vehicle (automobile, boat, and/or plane). Focus: 6.

Villains These are human or humanoid enemies with abilities on a level with the players’ characters, and a few other advantages. Villains serve as the motivators behind most plots players’ characters will face. A villain is created using the rules in chapter 4 and may well have one or more skills normally unavailable to the setting (i.e., borrowed from a different setting). Like the players’ characters, a villain does have Drama Points to spend in an adventure. (See Chapter 3.) Most villains have no combat skills, or very few. (That’s what they employ minions for.) 1.

Name is often something invented by a villain to impress or strike fear into the hearts of victims. Gender can be whatever the Game Host chooses.

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2.

Age can vary considerably. Some villains are tragically young, others old and bitter; some are unnaturally ancient. Specific years may not matter, but the Game Host should choose an age that somehow enhances the villain’s impact on the story.

Monomaniac: Name: Marcel the Merciless. Gender: Male. Age: Middle aged. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused arcane science, computers, persuasion, second language (French), second language (Russian); Unfocused command, shoot, vehicle (any appropriate). Special abilities: construct doomsday device, hypnotism. Focus: 6.

3.

Attributes for a villain often follow the guidelines for players’ characters: most villains will have one attribute circled and one crossed out, to indicate strongest and weakest ratings. However, the Game Host may choose to break the rules by assigning more than one strength or weakness, or none at all.

4.

O ccupation for many villains will fall under the same sorts of categories as the heroes. However, some may have an unusual or even unique occupation such as “Sapient computer” or “Living mummy.” The Game Host should choose something that reflects the villain’s relation to the threat of the adventure and that provides that villain with any needed abilities.

Serial Killer: Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Any Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused set traps, rifles, strangulation, tracking; Unfocused explosives, history, martial arts, small talk, torture. Special abilities: Signature weapon +1 damage level. Focus: 5.

5.

Skills for villains may include combat-specific abilities, but many villains prefer to let their minions do the fighting. Even villains without specific combat skills may have a strategic and tactical sense allowing them to direct their minions in combat (often part of their occupation rather than a specific skill), though many rely on lieutenants even for that. Give your villain whatever skills seem appropriate, but rely on occupation for most rolls. Some could have plusses.

Note 1: Dice rules for villains are similar to those for lieutenants.

6.

Focus for most villains reflects a sense of purpose bordering on mania. A rating of 2 or 3 is not unreasonable, though a Focus as high as 6 is also possible.

7.

Equipment for many villains is specialized, including weapons smaller and more powerful than usual for the setting. Part of the benefit of defeating a villain may be capturing that equipment and pressing it into service against later threats.

Note 2: In addition to generally being able to choose the best results from their minions’ pool of dice, villains can use Drama Points just as heroes can. For a particularly dangerous villain, the Game Host may even allow two or three times the number of Drama Points available to a single hero, especially if that villain does not have great numbers of minions.

Monsters

Example Villains Evil Priestess: Name: Maladonna. Gender: Female. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused arcane magic, open dimensional portal, second language (Atlantean), summon dread god; Unfocused athame (ceremonial dagger), javelin, short bow. Special abilities: protective sphere (magical armor), steal

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life (one damage level per turn), withering touch (two damage levels per turn). Focus: 5.

These are creatures that break the natural laws of whatever setting they occupy, presenting an incredible danger to the heroes and their world. 1.

Name: A monster’s name is often given to it by its victims as a term describing its origins, its history, or the danger it represents.

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2.

Gender, Age, and Attributes: The concept of gender may or may not apply to a monster. Likewise, its age may range from eternal to mere seconds of existence. Monsters may or may not have character attributes of Brawn, Grace, Will, or Wits. Even those with attributes may, like villains, have more than one Focused. Other monsters are simply too large or otherworldly for such attributes to apply.

3.

O ccupation: The very nature of a monster is its occupation—elder god, dragon, kaiju, global AI, sentient slime, etc.

4.

Skills: A monster’s skills tend to be special abilities outside the normal bonds of the setting—cause madness, gaze of disintegration, deadly radiation, turn invisible, telepathic control, etc. By choosing which abilities are part of its “occupation,” which are Focused skills, and which are Unfocused skills, the Game Host can affect how deadly effective an ability is and may choose to add plusses to some. (A monster with a fatal Unfocused skill will give heroes something to worry about, while not ensuring their demise.)

5.

Focus: Monsters can have a Focus rating ranging from a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 9.

6.

Equipment: Few monsters depend on equipment of any sort. Even their attacks and defenses tend to be an innate part of their nature.

Note: By adjusting Focus, damage ratings, innate protection, number of attacks, and Drama Points, the Game Host can create a wide range of monsters.

Example Monsters Alien Predator: Name: N/A. Gender: N/A. Age: N/A. Attributes: Grace and Brawn Focused; None Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused athletics, brawling, spelunking; Unfocused technology operation. Special abilities: two actions per turn; claws damage as two blades; bite does kill damage; chitinous shell counts as medium armor with no dice penalty; any damage received of wound level or more sprays

adjacent characters with caustic blood causing stun damage; can hold breath for up to 10 minutes submerged or in vacuum. Focus: 4. Dread God: Name: The Unspeakable. Gender: Any. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Will+ and Brawn++ Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused dimension walk, dream speak, time dilation, unravel reality, vocal possess, vocal smite; Unfocused none. Special abilities: Ethereality means only blessed or weapons from the sixth dimension have a chance to strike and then, only every sixth successful strike affects it; killing damage dispels it but does not permanently destroy it; time dilation allows it to act 1d6 times each turn (each action rolled separately); its shout (vocal smite) causes either physical or psychic damage (at its choice) as if a shotgun; its whisper (vocal possess) can control a single target within Throwing range for a number of turns equal to The Unspeakable’s Will successes minus the target’s Will successes. Focus: 7. Mutant Crocodile: Name: Big Yeller. Gender: Female. Age: N/A. Attributes: Brawn+ Focused (Grace also Focused in water); Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite+, claw, spit, swim, tail strike; Unfocused leap, run. Special abilities: Its hide acts as heavy armor with no dice penalty; its bite does kill damage; its tail strike does wound damage to all targets within Throwing range; its claws can strike 2x per turn and do hit damage each time; its spit can strike at Throwing range and does graze damage each turn it is in contact with bare flesh; in water its movement rate is double normal (4 meters freely per turn, and an additional 4 meters per success level on a swimming roll). Focus: 6. Radioactive Blob: Name: Tonkiki. Gender: N/A. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused climb, hide, slither, strike, track; Unfocused telepathy (emotion only). Special abilities: Its radioactive nature causes automatic graze damage to anyone within Brawling range each turn; it can extend pseudopods to strike at Throwing range, allowing 1d6/2 attacks per turn (each rolled separately); if it acts before a target at Brawling range, it engulfs that target, causing acid damage at hit level in addition to the radiation damage; it can be dam-

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aged only by fire; a freezing environment renders it immobile (by lowering its Focus rating one point each turn until zero, which does correspondingly make its Focus rolls more desperately effective each turn until that point). Focus: 6. The Encounters chapter includes several monsters described in considerable detail and defined in game terms for use in your own adventures.

Characters should be able to get access to normal equipment which seems logical and makes sense for their occupation and background. Weapons and Vehicles are already described in the Rules chapter. Other special types of equipment may be harder to obtain. As some items provide bonuses, the Game Host may wish to limit their access or even exclude them from use for game balance purposes.

Weapon Enhancements

Extras Besides the heroes created by your players, and the enemies you invent for them, a role-playing world is populated by secondary characters representing the heroes’ friends and acquaintances, and any other bystanders not directly involved in the plot. You don’t need stats for all of these people; even those closest to the heroes can often serve as just a name and general description. If some extras end up appearing in recurring roles because the heroes revisit them, you can generate game stats for them later as a TV writer might for an unexpectedly popular secondary character in a series.

Equipment So far we’ve covered setting, plot, and characters (the heroes, their enemies, and any extras). Obviously, those characters will also often use tools. Basic weapons are discussed in the Rules chapter under “Conflict and Damage,” because so much of fictional conflict involves combat. You can treat other types of equipment as either assisting in success (giving a dice bonus on task rolls) or adding to effect (whether treated as bonus levels or a specified result).

For example: a first-aid kit might give a character a dice bonus of 1 or 2 points when treating an injury, or a futuristic medical bay might add a level of healing to a doctor’s successful roll, or even allow a slain character to be resurrected (“Klaatu barada nikto”).

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Special Equipment

Throughout the hundreds of years firearms have been used the technology available to enhance their performance has improved dramatically. A wide variety of accessories and attachments may be purchased to improve or disguise a gun’s performance. The following section describes some of the more common accessories that are currently available. Feel free to improvise and add more. Armor Piercing Rounds Armor piercing rounds, commonly called "Cop Killer" on the street, are a special type of bullet that explodes into tiny pieces of shrapnel when it strikes a target. These small, jagged pieces can go through bulletproof vests, plus they also tend to bounce around inside the body of the target (off of bones, etc.) making hamburger out of his organs. They are available in most calibers and are illegal in many These bullets increase the damage states and countries. Th level by one. Flash Suppressor The flash of light that erupts from the barrel when the weapon is fired may betray the location of a sniper. Flash suppressors limit the amount of light that escapes from the gun barrel thus concealing the shooter's location. Efforts to determine the location of the shooter will be considered difficult (difficulty modifier of 1). Laser Sight A laser sight is a small laser that can be attached to the top of most modern firearms and calibrated to shine a tiny light on the intended target. The width of the beam does not increase like that of a flashlight so it is fairly inconspic-

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uous, though a perceptive individual may notice the pinpoint of light before the shot. The beam hits a target at the exact point where the bullet will land (give or take a few millimeters) so it vastly improves the accuracy of pistols and rifles. Shooters using a laser sight will receive a 1point bonus to their larger die roll. Silencer Noise suppressors can be attached to rifles and autoloading pistols to muffle their sound when fired. These devices allow guns to fire without the characteristic sound that draws attention to the gunshot. The real advantage is that people can shoot their weapons in a public place without drawing too much attention. They still make some sound, and if the bullet strikes a solid object, it is likely to make noise as well. Any type of roll to see if a character recognizes that a gun was fired will be considered difficult (difficulty modifier of 1). Silver Bullets What horror game could be complete without silver bullets? These are few and far between but it is not impossible to find a novelty new age store that has some or knows of a gunsmith who is willing to melt grandma's cross down into bullets or arrowheads. Of course they aren't cheap. There is nothing inherently special about a silver bullet, but creatures which are affected by silver weapons will receive additional damage if shot with one of these. Telescopic Sight These tiny telescopes have crosshairs on the viewer to indicate the approximate location that the bullet will strike. Advanced, computerized models can provide additional data about the target’s distance, etc. When used correctly, they increase the accuracy of long-distance weapons and may be added to rifles, crossbows, and pistols modified with an extended barrel. Shooters using a telescopic sight will receive a 1-point bonus to their weapons roll. Brass Knuckles Today, these are sold only as novelty items because their use as a weapon is illegal. They operate by giving your punch added force and destructive capabilities, while pro-

tecting your knuckles. When used properly, they will increase a successful hand-to-hand combat attack by one damage level.

Miscellaneous Equipment The Game Host may choose to add items to this list or take some items off of it to accommodate the adventure. Many of these items would be available to law enforcement or investigative types of characters without very much difficulty. Several of these articles are fairly unique; some are available only to professionals; others are commonly found on the black market or ordered online. Amplifier with Directional Microphone These “big ears” are commonly used in surveillance. They consist of an extremely powerful amplifier connected to a small wand-type directional microphone. Some models come with obtrusive parabolic dishes to focus the sound waves or with long tubes that resemble small bazookas. As bizarre as they look, they allow the surveilling party to maintain a distance up to 200 yards and still hear every word the target says. Camouflage Clothing can’t make the man, but if he’s wearing the appropriate type of camouflage it may keep him from being made. Appropriate types of camouflage allow the wearer to blend into his surroundings making it difficult to be seen. Camouflage comes in white, black, desert, urban, jungle and woodland styles. Each style uses its own color scheme to make it optimal for the intended terrain. Wearing the appropriate type of camouflage gives a character a 1-point bonus for stealth types of rolls against being seen. This only works against visual inspection. Thermal goggles and heat sensors can still detect the camouflaged character. Electronic movement detectors will not be fooled by camouflage. Communication Systems Communication is the key to most coordinated actions. Simple two-way radios are available in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and ranges. Standard commercial models

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may allow users to select from an assortment of channels including the standard emergency channel 9. Signals from standard two-way radios can be picked up by anyone tuned to the same channel. However, advanced models such as those used by law enforcement may operate on other bands and typically include advanced technology to scramble the signal, as well as jump between multiple bands at the same time making it more difficult to capture or reassemble the signal into something intelligible. Current versions include wireless earpieces. Electromagnetic Activity Detector In the world of paranormal investigation, the EAD can be a character's best friend. It constantly scans the electromagnetic waves of the area and detects unusual disturbances or fluctuations that often accompany paranormal phenomena. This device allows the user to know when these energy sources are nearby. Higher end models also detect sudden changes in temperature and air pressure. When used properly, it gives a character the equivalent of having the Sense Paranormal skill, which is described in the next chapter. Electronic Lockpick Without any specialized training, following the basic instructions and using an electronic lockpick will allow a character to open normal door locks and padlocks with ease. More complex locks can add difficulty levels to the task. Characters who utilize one of these can open a normal tumbler lock as if they had lock picking as a Focused skill. They do not work against electronic or combination locks. First-Aid Kit Standard first aid kits contain bandages, gauze, antiseptic, scissors, snakebite kit, and an emergency first aid manual. Having a first aid kit gives any character with the appropriate occupation or the first aid skill a bonus of 1 in efforts to treat injuries. Language Translator, Automatic So, none of your party speaks Spanish and you are hiding out in a small Mexican village where no one speaks Eng-

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lish? Just insert the tiny earpiece and it will automatically translate what they say into English — assuming you have a Wi-Fi connection. Using artificial intelligence, these also provide options for common phrases the user could repeat as a response. Lockpick Set If you’re going to pick manual locks, you have to use a pick set. One of these sets consists of many fine tools used to manipulate the lock tumblers. The beauty of a lockpick set is that it can be used to unlock a door without destroying the lock or causing harm to the door; nobody will ever know you were there. Lockpick sets are illegal unless you are a certified locksmith, but that doesn’t prevent many investigators and even law enforcement officers from carrying them. Medic Kit A professional medic kit contains more sophisticated supplies than a traditional first-aid kit. It would contain sutures and needles, plastic staples, spray-on sealant to stop bleeding, as well as a variety of drugs and medicines to counter a wider array of ailments. In the hands of a skilled user, this kit can provide a 2-point bonus for treating injuries. Night Vision Goggles This special device amplifies light delivered to the eyes so that a character can see in great detail with residual light after dark. They are most useful for surveillance work and some models may be attached to video cameras and special gun scopes. They allow the user to see at a level roughly equal to dusk in even the darkest night. Older and less expensive models may temporarily blind the user if a bright light appears suddenly. More current models will dampen the light so it is not blinding to the character. Pinhole Video Camera Miniature video cameras with wide-angle lenses are becoming fairly common in this age of surveillance. They can be hidden virtually anywhere as long as the lens has at least 1/8" clearance to view the scene. These are normally only available to security specialists or the police because

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recording another person’s activities without their expressed permission is a violation of privacy and could be a violation of the law. Modern devices transmit their signals to a small base unit that can record the video on a small card or use wifi to transmit it through the internet to a secure location. Police Scanner A receiver that picks up the frequencies used by law enforcement and emergency management officials. As the name implies, it sweeps the channels, receives the signals and plays any communication that it picks up. Journalists and Private Investigators often use these devices in their professional pursuits. This tool is useful for keeping track of the proper authorities. Having this knowledge can be vital when they are tracking you. These only work with regular law enforcement channels. Federal law enforcement generally uses more sophisticated equipment. Telephone Encoder In the modern world, communication is vital and readily available through cellular or other telephones. Listening devices and telephone tracking systems are also readily available to agencies such as the Cleanup Crew. Sometimes characters need to make telephone calls that they know cannot be overheard. Telephone encoders scramble the audio signal before it is transmitted over the unsecure line, and then a properly keyed decoder on the other end translates it back. These devices are about the size of a deck of cards and have a jack for the telephone and a line that connects it to the host telephone line. When used, it is impossible for virtually all listening devices and telephone tracking schemes to function properly. When a trace is fixed on the call, an alarm sounds letting the user know he has been found. If a listening device is discovered in the line, a different alarm sounds.

Adventure Ideas Some of the following threads may give you ideas for your own original adventures. Snippets and adventure seeds are scattered throughout this book in the example scenes and

in the Encounters chapter. Use the following as a jump-off point and be creative. x

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One or more of the PCs was the subject of a cloning experiment. Their genetic material was used to create a series of clones. Each clone is an extreme sociopath. Aware that he is a clone, he believes that the reason he cannot be at peace is because he lacks a soul and the only way to acquire one is to kill the character he was cloned from. Needless to say, the Cleanup Crew is going to be hot on the trail of their escaped experiment and who can tell which is the real PC and which is the clone? Hired to take pictures of a politician "in the act", the PCs discover that the official visits prostitute row regularly. They follow him to get the evidence his wife's divorce attorney needs and discover that there's a lot more than hanky panky going on. The girls are used as human sacrifices to a demonic force that is helping him acquire political power. This has lots of room for political intervention and could have touches of the Brotherhood if you wanted to make it really confusing. A modern day Jack the Ripper is killing women and systematically removing organs from their bodies. The killer is using the fresh organs to build a physical body for the evil spirit of Lilith to inhabit. Bodies will turn up until he is either caught or finishes his job unleashing an Evil of enormous proportions. Fresh bodies are disappearing from cemeteries. The culprit is an Inquisitor who is destroying the victims of a vampire before they become undead. The Inquisitor would appear to be something like a ghoul until the PCs realize what is going on and they either help apprehend him or help save him from the wrath of the vampire whose minions he has been destroying. Bright lights in the sky bring media attention and a malignant alien force to a rural community. The aliens are parasitic and require hosts to survive. They are telepathic and share a single mind. They also reproduce within a matter of days and must find new hosts for their offspring. The local population is quickly infested and the PCs must discover why they are acting strange and contain the infestation before it spreads throughout the world.

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The history of the world of DLB is riddled with extraterrestrial and interdimensional influences that altered the genetic makeup of terrestrial life. Some mutations were caused by the introduction of transplanted alien genetic material. Others were the result of inter-species breeding and experimentation by advanced extraterrestrials. The recent upsurge in reports of paranormal events is the result of secret experiments and efforts to harness alien technology and tap into energy from other dimensions — including the spiritual dimension that overlaps the physical world. Most humans are oblivious to ninety-nine percent of the activity that goes on around them because they rely upon their five basic senses to perceive the world. Characters and creatures with paranormal abilities have genetic abnormalities that result in the development of additional senses and abilities that defy the physical laws of nature, as humans understand them. Human history and a fear of anything that could not be easily explained led to witch hunts and purges, forcing those with special powers into hiding. Some hide away from human society and others hide in plain sight without revealing their true nature. Over generations of breeding between paranormals and regular humans, the occurrence of individuals with these powers has declined — as has the strength of the abilities. This is one of the main reasons why older generations have stronger belief in the supernatural and paranormal than recent generations. What little they encounter today is weak enough to be explained as coincidence or imagination.

Spiritual or psychic energy is thought to emanate from a dimension that overlaps the physical world. True paranormals and some types of advanced technology can tap into these energies. From time to time, the barriers between the physical and spiritual worlds become thinner and can be more easily overcome. Some rituals have the ability to harness or accumulate enough spiritual energy until it is strong enough to bridge the gap between worlds. It is at times like this that energy may be drawn to manipulate the physical world or creatures, and if the bridge is strong enough, creatures may travel from one dimension to the other. To open a portal large enough to send a creature through requires an enormous amount of energy. That is why most mediums can only poke a small hole in the fabric for communicating with the other side. Technological advancements and sheer ignorance though are beginning to weaken the barrier that protects the physical world from some of the darker forces at work.

Bringing the Paranormal Into Your Games The supernatural and paranormal are basically the same thing. Both refer to things that do not fit our understanding of the laws of nature. Paranormal themes usually rely on a more scientific or pseudo-scientific explanation to understand what is happening, while supernatural themes may rely on explanations in terms of spirits, the occult,

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and magic. It doesn’t matter if the PCs think a giant horned creature is a demon from Hell or if they believe it is some alien being from another dimension. At the end of the day, they still have to put it down or send it back before it takes over the world. For game purposes, we tend to use the term paranormal but feel free to approach your adventures from whatever angle works best for you and your group. Incorporate paranormal themes to the extent that you feel comfortable but be careful not to overdo it. If you overuse them or rely too heavily on standard tropes, it will become commonplace and your game will lose all sense of mystery. Oh boy, we’re being attacked by yet another mys-

terious, ethereal entity. Gee, I wonder if we can kill it like we did the four other ghosts we encountered today. Paranormal phenomena can be incorporated into adventures in many different ways. One of the PCs could find an artifact of immense power: a necklace that makes him immune to physical damage unless he becomes decapitated, or an antique straight razor that contains the spirit of a Victorian killer that possesses the character nightly, causing him to continue the murderous legacy. They may wake in the night to the sound of a loud crash and bright light in the woods emanating from a crashed UFO. The spirit of a murdered child could lead the characters to clues so they could solve the crime or find her body and give it a proper burial. One of the mutant creatures in a secret genetics lab could escape to wreak havoc upon an unsuspecting populace. And the list goes on and on… Often, the paranormal will take the form of an enemy or creature that has to be defeated or as an element of a mystery that needs to be solved. PCs could have paranormal abilities if you choose, such as premonitions that provide clues or other assistance during the course of an adventure. In some cases, the Game Host could use situations like these to build suspense and introduce vital clues. Be creative and hit them with eerie events from time to time. Elements of the paranormal can supply both mood and vital information within the adventure in addition to the obvious adversarial functions provided they fit into the story and are not overdone.

The old Gypsy’s eyes haze over as she grabs your arm. An expression of utter terror crosses her face as she squeezes tighter and tighter. After a moment, her grip be-

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gins to relax and she starts breathing normally again. She takes a deep breath and says “The infernal one has been here. I felt his presence. He knows we are near.”

Horror and the Unknown The fear of the unknown is one of the strongest elements of horror. Man’s natural fascination with the unknown has contributed more to scientific inquiry, and the subsequent advances he has achieved, than any other single factor. It is also the driving force behind his fascination with the horrific. No matter how far technology advances or how obsolete myths and folklore seem to become, in the dead of night, when the wind is blowing through the trees and the house begins to settle, it’s hard to think of anything other than “What if someone or SOMETHING is in the house?” One of the most terrifying aspects of horror is the sense of helplessness. People can put deadbolts on all their doors and keep a gun in their bedside tables, but how do they protect themselves from something that defies the laws of our carefully constructed reality? In most cases, they simply cannot — at least not by normal means. Kevlar can stop most bullets but it can’t protect the wearer from malevolent spirits. The paranormal violates logic and reason. Sometimes things just happen in a game without a dice roll or a logical cause when you need it to set the tone or advance the storyline. Some events are simply destined to happen or possibly just plain necessary, and there may be little, if anything the PCs can do to prevent it. The players need their characters to have autonomy or they may feel railroaded. Game Hosts must walk a fine line between having things simply happen in a game and using the logic of the game mechanics. There isn’t anything wrong with the occasional interlude, like a video game cutscene. While example creatures and enemies are included in the Encounters chapter, it is strongly encouraged to create new, original paranormal creatures and enemies. There isn’t anything wrong with using some of the tried and true monsters from folklore and legends as a template, but mix it up to keep things interesting. Myths all came from somewhere so there may be some truth to the story, but there may also be some dramatic embellishments that may or may not be the way things work in your game. Later in

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this chapter, you will find a number of example paranormal abilities, skills, and limitations. Feel free to create your own original monsters or allow your players to possess special gifts or curses if it helps to keep the games fun.

Encountering the Paranormal The types of paranormal events that can be encountered in DLB represent the outcome of millions of years of genetic and metaphysical recombinations that have occurred on Earth. They may appear to take the form of humans or other creatures with unnatural abilities. In lesssophisticated times, these could be considered supernatural; however, it is beginning to become clear that there are scientific explanations for most of them, even if we have not found them yet. Things which did not originate on this world may not follow this world’s rules. That may mean that they have paranormal abilities and powers that regular humans do not. It may also mean that they have unusual weaknesses. In general, paranormal phenomena involves manipulating mass or energy in a manner that is inconsistent with typical human abilities. It could be unnatural strength, the ability to move things with one’s mind, or the power to manipulate another person’s or animal’s perception. It could also be the extension of a being’s consciousness across space and dimensions. It could even be a creature so alien that it seems to defy human understanding of life itself. PCs most often encounter the paranormal in the form of another character, enemy, or monster. The enormous need for energy to power these unnatural creatures and their abilities has to be met one way or another. It could be a ravenous appetite or draining the energy or blood from defenseless characters or something else entirely. The Encounters chapter provides examples of a variety of creatures and monsters. They can be used as-is or as a template with some tweaking. Several example paranormal skills, abilities, and weaknesses are provided later in this chapter to help Game Hosts cultivate their creativity to develop new, original creatures.

Not all characters with paranormal abilities are necessarily evil. In some situations, the Game Host may elect to have one or more of the PCs with some sort of paranormal gift. The PCs could be test subjects at a secret government genetics laboratory who learn they are scheduled to be lobotomized and need to escape. They could have had experimental drugs administered to initiate mutations or perhaps their DNA was spliced with alien genes. They could also be helping an NPC who has special abilities. The paranormal could enter a game by way of a curse or an extraterrestrial contact, or an ancient technology that taps into other dimensions. The opportunities are endless.

Paranormal Creatures The majority of DLB games will involve the PCs efforts to contain or simply escape from unusual or unnatural creatures. A variety of example monsters and creatures are provided in the Encounters chapter. These cover the gamut from traditional vampires, werewolves, and spiritual entities to mutants, aliens, experimental subjects and anything else you can dream up. As the story’s heroes, the PCs may find themselves the victims of one of these creatures or they could be investigators attempting to solve the mystery and stop whatever the menace happens to be. If you have ever seen a horror movie, read a tabloid headline, or watched a web video about all the things “they” don’t want you to know, you should already be brimming with adventure ideas. Just in case, a few examples are also provided.

Paranormal Creature Adventure Hooks x

Bodies begin turning up all over town completely drained of blood. There is no evidence of forced break -ins and all the victims are discovered in the bathtub or shower without any obvious wounds. The PCs investigate and learn that the victims are all found at locations served by the same water treatment facility. Why isn’t there a trace of blood where the victims were discovered? Why was one of the treatment facili-

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ty workers missing when they did their interviews? Why was that worker’s clothing, shoes, and tools found folded neatly in a garbage bag hidden in the control room? The local university’s botany department receives seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays on the International Space Station. They fail to grow beyond budding until one of the lab assistants accidentally cuts himself on a broken test tube and a drop of blood hits the seedling. It takes off growing so fast it you can actually see the vines moving. After 24 hours the vines are completely covering a table and all of the rabbits which were in cages in the same lab are missing without a trace. After 48 hours two lab assistants seem to vanish during their shift at the lab. What is the connection between the unusual disappearances and the laboratory? Can the plant be destroyed? Has it spread outside of the lab? Famed historian Anton Sorcis puts together a group of PCs to investigate an archaeological dig his foundation was funding on a small island off the coast of Africa. The project leader had discovered a tablet with hieroglyphics that referred to a tyrannical god that was entombed there. The team discovered stairs and a walled opening that had been cleverly disguised to look like natural rock. There was an inscription of warning of a curse or horrible certain death to any who trespass. Three days ago Sorcis received a communication indicating that a number of the locals fled during the night after claiming they heard noises from the tomb. The team has been unresponsive ever since. What will the PCs find when they get there? Why does the camp appear like it was abandoned in a hurry? Why haven’t thieves taken any of the expensive equipment that was scattered about or destroyed the tomb looking for gold or artifacts?

Gifted PCs Some call it a gift but others think of it as a curse. There are very good arguments both in favor of and opposed to allowing PCs to possess paranormal traits. The best argument against paranormal PCs is that the power of these

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abilities may weigh things too heavily in their favor and make the adventures less challenging. In order to keep the game challenging and to allow the Players to be surprised and occasionally waylaid by events, Game Hosts may wish to consider only allowing PCs to possess these abilities sparingly. They should be balanced accordingly with more difficult challenges. Paranormal traits can also be balanced with paranormal weaknesses. There are many ways that characters with paranormal characteristics can be worked into the game. They may simply possess the rare genes for it. They could have descended from an ancient race of paranormal humans. They could be the victims of alien experimentation, a freak accident, or secret government test subjects. PCs and NPCs could gain their special abilities by finding an artifact of some type that has been imbued with paranormal abilities. It could be an amplifier that helps the character draw upon their own limited abilities, or it could simply grant the characters powers when they use it. At some point in history, a powerful paranormal may have projected his spirit into the object where it still resides, drawing upon spiritual power from beyond the grave. Modern science may be the source of these devices to amplify human thought patterns.

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The PCs have no memory of who they are or how they arrived at the facility. They each undergo a variety of medical treatments and receive regular doses of medicine which they are told is to help them recover from amnesia so they can go home. After several weeks they begin conducting tests where they connect the PCs to various types of scanners while they are asked to think about different topics as well as guessing games with cards with funny shapes among other things. One night one of the PCs is looking at an orderly. His lips aren’t moving but she clearly hears him say “Good thing they don’t know what’s in the IVs we’re giving them tomorrow. The incinerators will be working overtime. Maybe there will be some cute ones in the next batch.” Is there a way out? How can

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she find a way to communicate with the other subjects? Where could they go? Who are they really? It is dark and there is a strong scent of sea-water and cheap perfume in the air. One of the PCs can feel hate and anger pulsing through her veins. Her heart races as the knife slashes down, over and over again into the young woman's flesh. Blood splatters against the wall and across her face. The PC wakes with a start. She tastes bile rising in her throat as she lunges out of bed and toward the bathroom. After what seemed like an eternity of violent spasms, she falls over onto the cool tile floor. Tears stream down her face as she beats her fist against the floor. "Not again. I can't take this anymore. Not again." The morning paper confirms her fears. It was the slasher's fifth victim in as many weeks. The young prostitute's body was discovered on the waterfront. Is the PC a detective or journalist trying to find clues to the rash of murders? Can she trust someone at the police department to help with the case? Does the killer know she can see through his eyes? Can he see through her own eyes? The PCs are descendants of an ancient race of humanalien hybrids. Each possesses a unique psychic ability and has taken a vow to keep their people safe and hidden to protect them from being persecuted or dissected somewhere in a Cleanup Crew laboratory. A group of rebels has taken it upon themselves to leave their community and use their powers for evil. The PCs are asked to stop them and return them home before anyone in the outside world knows what they can really do. What powers do they have to help them track down the runaways? Can they stop them without making their special abilities known? How do they evade the Cleanup Crew?

Extraterrestrials A variety of aliens are interested in Earth and its natural resources. They visit frequently and are known to conduct experiments on humans and animals. Example alien races are provided in the Encounters chapter. Some are more friendly than others but most see this planet as a source of natural resources and potentially as a new home for their

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overcrowded worlds with a readymade population of slave labor… or food. Most of the alien races are aware of and have dealt with the Order — an ancient group of puppet masters who actually control everything on the planet through a variety of political, economic, and other mechanisms. Many alien races have agreements with the Order and have representation in one form or another within The Order’s hierarchy. The Greys currently dominate the organization and are very protective of the investments they have made on Earth. The Order operates a scientific and military enforcement group known externally as the Cleanup Crew. The Order considers extraterrestrial threats to be of highest importance. The Cleanup Crew will stop at nothing to confiscate or destroy any alien life or technology that finds its way to Earth and any evidence that it even existed.

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The PCs wake up strapped to metal tables. They smell smoke, hear loud alarms, and see flashing lights as they seem to lurch from side to side. They have been abducted. They see alien bodies on the floor while others scurry around as the ship crashes. One of the aliens releases the PCs’ restraints and points upward to black helicopters that are approaching rapidly. What kinds of experiments were being performed on the PCs? Are there weapons or other technology they could salvage from the wreckage? Will they try to help the alien who saved them? What happens if the Cleanup Crew catches them? A burst of light and explosion during the middle of the night in a rural town results in several concerned citizens calling 911 to report seeing a silver jet or UFO crashing in the woods near the lake. Members of the local office for The Unredacted Truth arrive on site just in time to be escorted away by the military, who say a new experimental aircraft crashed. Strangers show up in town without any real reason but seem to be looking for something. People begin to disappear, initially from houses near the lake then closer and closer to town. What really crashed in the woods?

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Was something unleashed? How many people will vanish before it can be stopped? One of the PCs picks up an attractive date at the hotel bar. Just as things start getting intimate, the date pushes the PC down on the bed. Their head rolls back and a large snake-like entity slides part of the way out of their mouth with black eyes and a mouth full of long jagged teeth. The PC is able to fight their way to freedom and kill the creature. When looking through the date’s room, they find several classified documents and communications that appear to be coming from a number of high level military leaders with discussion about “hosts” and plans for a primary invasion along with a copy of the blueprints of the local water treatment facility. They find a large metal cylinder with clear openings. It appears to be completely full of tiny black-eyed white worms wriggling around inside it. They hear a loud knock on the door and a deep male voice say “It’s time to go.”. What do they do? Who could they trust?

Extradimensional The world of DLB is one of many different dimensions and realities. There are ways to bridge between these dimensions using portals so physical or spiritual entities can move from one to the other. These portals or gates are difficult to open and require an enormous amount of psychic energy to maintain. There are rumors that some persistent portals have been created using advanced alien technology. Psychic powers have also been harnessed for use in rituals, as well as stored in devices which can be unleashed to open a gate to another reality. One of the advantages of using the D6xD6 game mechanics system is that there are several different settings that have been created which are already compatible with DLB. Opening a portal could lead characters to one of these alternative game worlds, or it could lead something from one of those worlds to the PCs’ home world and they have to find a way to contain it and send it back. This opens the game world up to an enormous number of possibilities. Several D6xD6 settings are available for free on the web at www.d6xd6.com with others available for purchase.

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A demonic force constructs a portal to communicate with a Satanic cult and teaches their high priest how to perform a ritual so that his consciousness can move from the dimension where he has been imprisoned into a physical form. As members of Homeland Security’s Atypical Crimes Taskforce, the PCs could become aware of the cult’s plans when they discover several connected cases of missing teenage girls which are needed for the ritual. If they fail to prevent the portal from opening, they may have to follow the path of destruction and murder to stop the entity and send it back to where it was imprisoned. Why are there thirteen cases of missing teenage girls in the tri-city area? Does it mean anything that the only connection they can find between the victims is that they are all members of a group dedicated to saving themselves for marriage? What could contain a creature with tremendous psychic powers? Where would you find out how to send something back to another plane? What if the entity has the ability to move from one body to another? What if it enters a PC’s body? The PCs are former military who have been imprisoned for the past 10 years on trumped up charges because they tried to dismantle a plot that was using prisoners of war as guinea pigs to test experimental drugs and technologies. They are given a chance to have their records wiped clean and to be released with new identities if they perform a secret mission to track down a stolen experimental weapon that was taken into hostile territory. They agree and are taken into a completely white room. The door is locked. They hear a high pitched noise that gets louder and louder until even the strongest falls to his knees in excruciating pain. They all pass out. Suddenly they wake and open the door to find themselves in a ruined version of the facility. They hear gunfire in the distance and see people milling around the ruins before they realize those aren’t people — they are zombies and they seem hungry. Can they find the target and return it to the same location where they woke up? What if they can’t?

What if they get bitten? Who is firing those shots in the distance? Can they ever get home? Experiments at a government laboratory open a portal to a version of Earth where nearly all the life on the planet has been enslaved by an advanced alien artificial intelligence. Probes and a variety of cybernetically enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) units begin breaking through the portal to begin the process all over again in the PCs’ reality. The PCs could encounter some of these creatures and have to fight for their own survival. When the laboratory goes on lockdown the PCs could have friends or family members trapped in the facility. What would the PCs do? As the AIs scour the area for electronic parts and return with them to the lab to begin work to expand the portal, can they be stopped? Is there a way to shut the portal down before more threats flood the world?

Occult The occult usually deals with themes about witches, spirits, demons, and curses. Any number of cults can be lumped into this area and it can easily cross over with extradimensional concepts. What we may think of as psychic phenomena like ESP and telekinesis would have been labelled as witchcraft a hundred years ago. Much of the occult relies on ideas about witchcraft and magic which rely on harnessing spiritual or metaphysical forces to alter reality. Generally, this perspective on the use of magic requires spells, intense ceremonies, and devices to enhance or focus the user’s energy. Often, these ceremonies require pooling the psychic energy of several individuals to achieve a single goal. Stories about the occult often rely on magic from a previous era. It could be a found book of incantations or the book of the dead. Novices and unbelievers may not think twice about reading a passage aloud for a laugh and fail to realize they just literally opened the gates of Hell. Occult themes often include the use of talismans or magically imbued objects. One of the most popular of these objects is the crystal so often carried by stereotypical New Age pagans. Different substances and artifacts can serve the same purpose, to harness and focus metaphysical energy toward a specific task or goal. Use of these items or the collection of ingredients for an incantation or potion

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may add to the success of the effort. The Game Host may choose to allow characters with these talismans a bonus to use paranormal skills or to defend themselves from psychic attacks. Some items may also carry curses. A curse is a manifestation of metaphysical or spiritual energy that is so concentrated and so powerful that it literally warps the reality of the game world. Curses may be the result of a traumatic experience that created a rage so immense that it lasts throughout eternity unleashing its blind fury. Various arcane arts include ways of both creating and eliminating curses. Typically, there is some way to rectify the situation and end the curse if the PCs can only find it. A PC could acquire a cursed object and have a paranormal ability or skill while holding the object along with its side-effects.

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A group of teenagers are playing with a spirit board at a party one night when they encounter an entity that says she was wrongly accused of witchcraft. She claims the townsfolk cursed her and refused to grant her a proper burial, so her spirit is forced to roam the Earth. She asks them to dig up her body so she can receive a proper burial so her spirit will rest. However, while exhuming her remains, the PC’s unwittingly break the spell of containment that was placed upon her and unleash the spirit of an evil sorceress who rapidly begins taking revenge on the descendants of the group that put her to death as she tries to find her spellbook. Are some of the PCs descendants of those families? How can they contain her as their forefathers did or banish her? Where is the tome of spells that she seeks? Can it be destroyed? One hundred and fifty years ago a wealthy family named Goffman was murdered in their sleep by the patriarch. By all accounts, the family was wellregarded. Jedidiah was a veteran and a deacon with the church who was always more than happy to lend a hand to anyone in need. His wife May helped to work in the church and taught school. She was six months pregnant when the trouble happened. Their twins Julie and Jackson were six years old. The last time any-

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one saw them alive, was when a solicitor stopped at the house to deliver a package containing an ornate cane with a silver handle in the shape of a wolf’s head. It had been bequeathed to Goffman by a relative from the old country. Servants found the bodies dismembered the next morning. The cane was nowhere to be found until it arrived by parcel at the county historical museum earlier this week without any return address. It was accompanied by a handwritten note on very old parchment that simply stated “Do not touch this with an ungloved hand.” Are the PCs distant relatives of the Goffmans? Will they investigate the house? Are the spirits unsettled or angry? Can they solve the ageold murder? The PCs have been enjoying a week on the lake when they spot a large bonfire in the distance. They assume it’s a field party and go to investigate only to walk into a large clearing in the cornfield just in time to see a large man wearing a ram’s head mask plunge a knife deep into the chest of a blonde woman strapped to a large wooden “X”. The last thing any of them remembers is being rushed by a group of people in black robes. They wake in the morning with awful headaches in the county jail. Their clothes are covered with blood. How did they get here? Who was the woman they are charged with killing? Why does one of the deputy sheriffs look so familiar?

Paranormal Traits For gaming purposes, there are three types of paranormal traits: abilities, skills, and limitations. Paranormal abilities operate much like any regular, ordinary ability like walking or seeing or hearing, and rolls typically would not be required. If a Game Host feels that a roll would be needed, they are considered Focused. Paranormal Skills operate using the same mechanics as their regular counterparts unless the description says otherwise. Paranormal skills can be Focused or Unfocused. In terms of game balance, paranormal skills and abilities to a lesser degree may be linked to special limitations. Paranormal limitations are similar to disadvantages, but they can be more absolute in terms of the effect they have on the afflicted. Just as many

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creatures from folklore have powerful abilities, they also usually have a weakness that can be their undoing such as silver or sunlight. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to describing sample paranormal traits. Feel free to mix and match them as you create your own PCs, NPCs, and monsters. Like everything else in DLB, these are just a starting point to give you some ideas. Many of them can be modified slightly to create whole new characteristics. Using these as examples, we encourage you to augment this list with your own original traits. Have you seen a special ability in a comic book character or on the big screen that it might be nice to incorporate? Go through the list and look for something similar as a starting point, then flesh it out a little and you have something completely new to spring on your players.

Paranormal Skills Paranormal skills can either be Focused or Unfocused. Difficulty is influenced by the complexity of what someone wants to attempt. If the skill is attempted against another character or creature it is also affected by the target’s Will, or in special cases another appropriate skill or occupation. If the other character has a Focused Will, the task receives another level of difficulty. If their Will was Unfamiliar, paranormal attacks could receive a bonus. While the following skills reference Will, the Game Host may choose to use another trait if it makes sense. For example, a seasoned occult scholar or vampire hunter may have learned ways of recognizing and defending themselves mentally when a creature is attempting to use a paranormal skill against them. In cases such as those, the Game Host may choose to use those in lieu of Will — whichever is more favorable to the character. Failed rolls when attempting to use a paranormal skill indicate that there are extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from being successful. They may not be attempted again against the same target during the current scene. If a charismatic cult leader attempted to command one of the characters and failed, she will not be able to try commanding him again during this scene. However, she may try to command one of his associates.

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Animal Telepathy Animal Telepathy allows a character to telepathically communicate with animals. Commands issued in this manner override training and instincts. For example, a character with this ability has been captured by the Cleanup Crew and is being held for evaluation. He can command the guard dog to bring him the keys to the cell and act as his personal bodyguard as he sneaks away. Astral Projection Some characters have the ability to project their astral being or spirit out of their physical body and send it to another location. A character who possesses this skill can observe and hear what is occurring in the other location. Projected characters may also use any mental or paranormal skills they possess. If the character’s body is destroyed or dies before the spirit can return, then the spirit becomes permanently displaced. Blood Drain Ah yes, it had to be in here somewhere. Even though an undead individual may be capable of draining an individual’s Will (see Will Power Drain), some entities also must drain the victim’s blood for sustenance like vampires and chupacabra. There may be many different types of vampires within a game but all must ingest blood. By draining the blood of the living, the user gains strength. This skill functions as an attack. The number of Damage Levels inflicted on the victim are absorbed by the attacker to heal his own wounds. If the attacker has no wounds, he can bank the extra levels to be used against future damage. Sandy Triplehorn is being held in the No-Blow, AZ lockup on a trumped up prostitution charge. She was investigating a series of disappearances and connected them to a cult. She infiltrated one of their ceremonies only to discover that all of the town elders are part of cannibalistic cult before she was captured. If she doesn’t escape, she’s going to be their next main course. She uses her Focused mind control skill against Sheriff Pucker to convince him to release her. Since he has a Focused Will, it would be difficult so the player rolls the two dice and reduces the higher die result by one.

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Command Command implants a short compelling suggestion into the victim's mind. The commanding character makes a skill roll using the target’s Will to indicate difficulty. If the target has a Focused Will, the attacker is penalized 1-point. Using it against a character with an Unfamiliar Will yields a 1-point bonus. The Game Host may increase the difficulty if the suggestion is too complex or strongly against the target’s morals. Commanding someone to forget they saw them or to open a door is easier than telling them to walk into a bank and shoot all the customers. If the command is successful, the target is required to fulfill the order.

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Electrical Energy Drain Some characters can obtain power by draining electrical energy from various sources. Energy can be taken from anything that stores or conducts electricity. Effectively the character’s body acts like a battery, storing the electrical energy with the ability to release it at will. Like any normal battery, the character is not a perfect storage device and typically loses the charge over time. If they come into contact with a grounding agent, they will discharge the energy. Since stored energy is always pulsing through characters with this trait, anyone they touch receives an electrical shock equal to stun damage. If the attacker is able to maintain contact with a character for more than one turn, they will add a damage level for every turn. Electronic Manipulation Electronic Manipulation allows the character to produce changes in electronic equipment, anything from changing the radio station to changing the words being typed on a computer document to completely frying the electronic timer on an explosive device. Empathy An empath can derive emotions and feelings from other characters or physical items. An empath can detect changes in a character’s emotions during the course of a conversation. They can determine how the person feels about the subject at hand regardless of how well they may hide it on the outside. Empaths can usually detect when people are lying or trying to hide their true feelings. Empaths cannot read exact thoughts but they may see vague images if their target has a strong emotional reaction to something. Exorcism One way of combating a possessed character or cursed item that contains a spiritual entity is to banish that spirit with an exorcism. A successful exorcism breaks the spirit's contact with the physical world sending it back to the spiritual plane. An effective exorcism can take several turns to complete. To attempt an exorcism, a character would make a roll. Difficulty would be set based on the will of the spirit that is being targeted. If the spirit was that of a very powerful entity, there would be additional penalties.

Fear A successful Fear attack implants a paralyzing sense of fear in the target. The affected character will see their worst nightmares materialize in front of them. They will be perceived as real, no matter how unbelievable the circumstances may be. Rolls will be attempted with difficulty established by the target’s Will or with additional modifiers based on their profession or other skills if appropriate. Characters affected by a fear attack either collapse outright or run away in absolute terror. Levitate By altering their physical reaction to the forces of gravity, a character could levitate off the ground and move through the air at a normal movement rate. The Game Host may allow them to move an additional meter or more if the character had additional success levels. They may receive a bonus if the character has a Focused Will. Healing Most cultures have stories about psychic healers who are capable of curing everything from cancer to male pattern baldness. They could be shamans chanting magical words or sweaty Southern ministers laying hands on the infirm. This ability allows the endowed character to physically heal another character one damage level for every Success Level of their roll. The act of healing takes a toll on the healer’s psyche. The healer may temporarily receive one level of psyche damage for every two they are able to heal. These return at the rate of one level per hour. Invisibility The perfect spy would be able to enter a building in broad daylight without being seen or recorded. Invisibility is the power to make one’s cells transparent to light sources so that light merely passes directly through without being reflected or refracted making the body completely invisible to the naked eye. This only affects normal vision or those things that operate by detecting reflected light. It affects night vision goggles but not heat vision or any other detection method that relies upon physical form or the radiation given off by the body. Invisible characters still make noise and leave traces like footprints and fingerprints. Any clothing or items carried would still be visible.

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Life Drain All living creatures possess some level of psychic energy or will power. A character or creature with this ability can literally suck the life or spirit out of another living creature. Typically, it involves a specific type of attack or physical contact with the target. If successful, the attacker drains (inflicts) one level of psyche damage from the target for every Success Level of the roll. The draining character acts as a psychic battery. For each level he drains, his own improves by one with extra levels banked. Melt Some unusual creatures possess the ability to reorganize their molecular structure to change from a solid to a liquid. Their bodies literally melt into a multicolor puddle of liquid as thick or thin as needed to move under a door, navigate a drain pipe, or go wherever they desire. The liquid is capable of moving itself along a surface including upwards as well as down hills. It may mix with another liquid, but it will not dilute. In liquid form, the creature maintains all normal senses and can see, hear, smell and taste everything as they would in their solid form. Those characters or creatures with this skill can reassemble their solid shape when they choose. This skill is specific to the creature or character’s body and does not extend to clothing or possessions. This is a complex task and is often accompanied by a limitation requiring recuperate afterward. Mental Force Mental Force is the ability to strike out with a physical force (hit damage). The force generated with the mind strikes in the same way at a victim as a physical blow. It could be used to punch an opponent, throw someone against a wall, push a kid off a bicycle or even slam shut the doors at the prom while all Hell breaks loose. That’s right, it’s fun for the whole family. Mental Shield Characters who possess the skill to generate a mental shield may attempt to fend off a paranormal attack to prevent their minds from being controlled, read, or otherwise manipulated. If successful, they may act defensively to stop or lessen the effects of fear, possession, and other mental attacks. They receive a bonus if they have a Focused Will.

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Mind Reading Characters with this skill are able to read another character’s current thoughts. The reader receives visual, verbal, auditory, and olfactory responses that pass through the target’s conscious mind. Mind readers cannot search through the target’s memories; however, humans are easily manipulated into thinking about specific subjects through mere suggestions. Open Portals At the point where different dimensions converge there are weak spots that can be exploited to open a portal. The size and duration of each portal varies. It is easier to open a small portal to send a psychic communication from one side to the other than it is to create a large portal where a physical object or creature could move between dimensions. These tasks are very complicated and require a tremendous amount of metaphysical energy. They are almost always the result of a large-scale ritual that harnesses the power of several individuals and they often require collecting the psychic energy from living sacrifices. Phantasm Creating a convincing illusion that takes place completely in a person or persons minds is called a phantasm. If successful, a phantasm can have all the aspects of a real experience with images, sounds, smells, and even touch. If the target has skills or an occupation which would make them suspicious of such things, it could affect the difficulty of the task as well as the target’s Will. If the person with this gift is attempting to show the same illusion to multiple characters it can also be considered more difficult. Possession Possession allows a spirit to take over the body of another living creature. The target’s Will is an indicator of the difficulty of the task. Once the spirit has taken over the host, they must continue to make possession rolls to ensure they can maintain control every hour. If the target is a PC or higher level enemy, they may attempt to actively fight the effort every ten minutes using an appropriate skill, occupation or Will roll. Efforts to access the host’s memories will be difficult and will receive a 1-point penalty in addition to any other penalties or adjustments. If the entity is

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able to continuously possess the host for an extended period, it could become permanent. Precognition Precognition is a precursory flash of events that are likely to occur in the future. Sometimes they take the form of dreams or images in a fire or in the clouds. Whatever form they take, they foreshadow something important. Although they are fragmentary in nature, important information can be derived from these premonitions. The character may see images of a location, people, or event but the true nature will usually be more symbolic than anything else. The character may attempt to guide the vision by concentrating on a topic though the Game Host may choose to apply penalties if it the effort seems too specific. Psychometry A character with this skill is able to read the psychic energy in items. A successful roll would allow the character to discern general information about the person primarily

associated with the item. One Success Level would relay basic information about the person’s general emotional state and possibly their gender or age. Two Success Levels may reveal a first name or nickname and possibly images about a location or traumatic event that occurred in the presence of the item. Pyrokinesis A skilled pyrokinetic can spontaneously start and control fires. The size of the fire and its power are products of the success roll. One success level may start a small fire that could be easily extinguished. Two levels could engulf another character inflicting hit damage in the initial turn and adding another damage level for each subsequent turn unless extinguished. A fire can be directed through mental force or thrown through the air in a stream or ball of fire that explodes upon contact. A character with this unusual gift can also extinguish or direct fires at will. The fire must have a fuel source. Characters with this skill may be immune to fire damage.

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Seduction A successful paranormal seduction creates an uncontrollable response in the intended target. It includes but also goes beyond any kind of typical sexual desire. The victim becomes completely devoted and obsessed. He or she will do anything to win the favor of the beloved. Difficulty is based on the victim’s Will and the hold would last for a number of days equal to the success level of the roll. The effect could be broken by a stronger psyche attack like an exorcism or mind control attack. Sense Paranormal Characters may possess a sixth sense that allows them to recognize the unnatural. The character may receive a sensation that warns them that something paranormal is occurring or when a paranormal creature is in their presence. It indicates whether the paranormal activity is generating good or evil and the general nature and direction. Shape Shifting Some characters and creatures have the ability to change their physical bodies into that of another creature. Some may be uncontrollable manifestations, such as a werewolf. Others can take alternate forms at will, including taking the form of another human. If a shapeshifter turns into an animal or monster, he or she would retain the natural abilities of the creature but would lose access to their own skills and abilities. If a shapeshifter can appear as another human, however, they would not possess that person’s abilities and may not be able to speak in their voice. Sleep Characters with this ability can make others fall into a deep sleep. The sleep is so deep that nothing wakes the target, including pain, loud noises, etc. until the effect is over. The victim will remain asleep for a period of hours equal to the number of success levels of the roll. Like many other paranormal abilities, the victim’s Will affects the difficulty. Slow Time Characters with this ability are able to accelerate their own mind and body far beyond the comprehension of regular humans, though to the character, time appears to slow.

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Each success level allows the character the function at ten times normal. In a combat situation, the character could act ten times at a success level of one, twenty times with two success levels, etc. Telekinesis The ability to move things using mental force in a way that is similar to physical force except the character has a greater level of finite control to manipulate objects. The size or number of objects that can be moved depends on the number of success levels rolled. The size of the object and complexity of movement may also affect the difficulty. Wall Walking Characters with this skill can defy normal gravity by walking on walls or ceilings by connecting to the individual gravitation field of other objects holding him or her to the surface of choice. The speed is calculated just like normal movement. If something causes the character to lose contact with the surface being adhered to, the character falls and takes damage like other falls.

Paranormal Abilities Paranormal abilities are a side-effect of the paranormal nature of a creature or character and represent very basic types of tasks. Most function without any major effort on the character’s part just like walking or talking in a normal situation. Generally, a character with a paranormal ability can utilize it without any kind of roll unless some unusual difficulty is involved. Cohabitation Cohabitation applies to characters who are able to contain two separate entities within one physical form. Each entity has its own skills, abilities and possibly even a unique physical form. When the process of changing from one character to the other begins, the shape may contort and change into the other. This change can be linked to some specific natural phenomenon (like sunset or the full-moon or even an eclipse) or some extraneous phenomenon like seeing blood or becoming angry. Lycanthropy victims or

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were-creatures possess this ability, as do some of the powerful disembodied undead.

has Immortality, he continues to age — though he will not succumb to any normal type of death.

Heat Vision Heat vision allows a character to perceive heat sources in the dark. They can also see those shapes through mists and thin obstacles that could block normal sight. Instead of seeing light reflecting off images, a character with this ability detects the heat being emitted from people, animals, and objects. Characters with this sensory ability see colors that reflect heat intensity: red in the warmer areas and blue in the cooler. Since only heat is detected, shapes are indistinct and may be deceptive.

Night Vision Night Vision is the ability to see in the dark as if it were normal daylight. Characters with this ability have eyes that function normally, but when there is a lack of light, they adjust to seeing other types of radiation. Any character with this ability would not be penalized when they are looking for something in the dark. Objects that are not in the line of sight or that are obstructed are invisible to the character just as they would be during the day.

Immortality Some characters are immune to the normal effects of age and disease. Immortality is the ability to live at an apparent age indefinitely. Immortals may still be killed by normal means unless they possess additional paranormal types of protection. They must eat, drink and sleep like a normal human. As they become older and older, they learn and possess a greater variety of knowledge and skills, and can therefore master many subjects. Immunities Characters may possess a paranormal immunity and are therefore unable to be harmed by specific types of attacks or substances that would usually harm if not kill a regular human. Suggested immunities may include, but are not limited to: fire/heat, poison, electricity, psychic attacks, and alcohol or drug effects. Characters could have more than one immunity, but each would be considered a separate ability. Indestructible One of the most powerful paranormal abilities known is to be indestructible to physical damage. Essentially, it means that the character or creature that possesses it cannot be destroyed in any conventional way. The only means of controlling such a creature is to imprison it in a place where it can cause no harm. Over time, many things can change. Powerful imprisoned beasts have been known to escape during disasters, like earthquakes that break the walls of their prisons or unknowing humans opening the gates to their cells. Unless an Indestructible character also

Regeneration Accelerated healing of normal wounds and recovery from illness and disease is a powerful ability. Some characters may even regrow amputated limbs. When a character with this ability becomes injured, their body heals at the rate of one damage level per combat turn until they are fully healed. Regenerating creatures can be formidable opponents because the amount of damage inflicted upon them must be devastating to overcome their rapid recovery. Even after the regenerating character appears to die, his body continues to heal unless it is completely destroyed by being burned with fire or acid or some other caustic treatment. Telepathy A telepathic character is able to communicate with another character through a psychic connection. It works the same as a normal conversation. Each person keeps their own private thoughts to themselves.

Paranormal Weaknesses Just as characters may possess paranormal abilities or skills that provide them with special advantages, they may also have weaknesses or limitations to things that would not affect a regular human. In terms of the game play, if characters can find out a creature’s weakness, they may be able to exploit it. Blood Addiction Due to metabolic anomalies, the individual cannot obtain necessary sustenance through normal food and must rely

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upon the blood of the living. Blood is necessary to maintain their body. Each day they are unable to feed, their damage level increases by one. When they do feed, the blood restores these damage levels at the rate of one level for every unit of blood ingested. Possible offshoots of this can include addiction to all sorts of vile substances like human brains, flesh or other strange concoctions that give the character special powers. If they are unable to feed for an extended period of time, they can die. If a character with a blood addiction is also immortal like most vampires, instead of dying they will fall into a state of suspended animation unless their corpse is destroyed. Grotesque Appearance The sight of characters with this malady causes a mixture of disgust, fear and suspicion. Their bodies and faces are distorted to the point that their appearance is freakish to virtually all humans. In ancient times, those paranormals with grotesque appearance were easily spotted and subsequently put to death.

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Incapacitation This one is a real downer. This weakness is usually triggered by the use of paranormal skill. When the character uses the skill, they may be successful but as soon as they finish, they collapse and lose consciousness for a full hour. While incapacitated, the character has no conscious control over anything and is completely helpless. Increased Metabolism In game terms, this is one of the mildest of the possible limitations. Whenever the character utilizes the associated skill or ability, his metabolism begins working overtime. Every time the character applies this ability, he spends three hours absolutely famished, uncontrollably eating any food he can get his hands on. If the character is in a situation where he can’t get to food or can’t find anything edible, then he could suffer a damage level every hour until he is able to eat. If he is unable to eat for an extended period, he may die and his corpse will decay rapidly. It may even spontaneously combust.

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Link to Item/Event This limits the use of a particular skill because it is linked to an item or event. Many of the supernatural cults encourage members to utilize crystals, staves, or wands to focus their power and they are unable to use it without the item. Some skills could only function at night or during a full moon or daylight or some other event. More powerful types of paranormal events or skills may require a fullblown ceremony or incantation. Mental Damage Every time the associated skill is employed, the character suffers mental trauma. They may develop a headache or a general feeling of confusion. In most cases, the effects are mild. If the skill associated with this disadvantage has success levels, then the character receives an equal number of levels of psyche damage. If they continue to use the skill, these levels will accumulate. If the character’s psyche damage level reaches Knockout or Kill, they pass out until some of the damage is restored. They return at the rate of one damage level per hour. Physical Barriers Some paranormal characters and creatures are unable to move over or through certain substances. Some may be physically incapable of passing over or through running water due to its enormous ability to absorb spiritual energy. Some of the more classic examples include the notion that demons and evil spirits cannot cross the sea salt typically used in the creation of magic circles. Others may not be able to set foot on holy ground or walk in the light of the sun. The character literally cannot bear to touch or approach the barrier. If forced to, they are paralyzed in agony and may take significant amounts of damage unless someone comes to their aid. Physical Damage Every time the affected character uses the paranormal ability linked to this, the character suffers physical effects in the form of blood loss, nausea and possibly even open sores or wounds. In most cases, the effects are mild. For every Success Level they achieve in the associated ability roll, the character accumulates an equal number of additional Damage Levels. If their Damage Level reaches Inca-

pacitated or worse, they will simply pass out until the effects pass. Wounds received from this disadvantage heal at faster rate than normal. The character’s Damage Level will drop one level per hour. Uncontrollable Manifestation Characters who suffer from an uncontrollable manifestation have paranormal abilities or skills which may only become apparent in a special circumstance, such as under the light of a full moon or when they take a certain type of elixir. The character may not know that it happens because the change is all encompassing. This ideally describes things like a werewolf's uncontrollable change during the full moon or a vampire’s frenzy at the sight of blood. Weakness to Holy Symbols Holy symbols exist in many forms: crucifixes, blessed water, religious relics or even bullets or arrows blessed by members of the clergy. These symbols represent a collective will that contains special powers. If a character has this type of weakness, contact with one causes wounds that increases the character’s damage levels by two each turn of contact. Affected characters must make a Will roll to even be in the vicinity of one of these symbols. Weakness to Silver This weakness describes the classic cases where an individual’s ability to channel spiritual energy is thrown off by the presence of silver, whose chemical structure creates enormous fluctuations in the flow of metaphysical energy. A silver weapon that strikes someone with this weakness inflicts two additional damage levels. Characters with paranormal regeneration may not regenerate damage caused by silver weapons. Alternative versions of this could also exist including weakness to steel, gold, wood, or any other particular type of substance. Weakness to Sunlight The radiation from Earth’s sun causes some paranormals to burn as if touched by fire. Their skin blisters and their blood can begin to boil. Unnatural light does not affect the character, nor does sunlight reflected from the moon. An afflicted person receives two levels of damage for each turn of exposure.

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Don’t Look Back is set in a distorted mirror image of our present-day world. The main difference is that many of the things we regard as legends and folklore are real there. Extraterrestrials and time travellers did visit and manipulate human culture, as well as their genetic makeup. Aliens, or as early man called them, gods, did mate with humans producing powerful beings who enslaved millions and ruled over them with an iron fist. Psychic phenomena are real and the government has secret facilities where they experiment on the people who have these gifts. Satanic cults are kidnapping people from all over the world to serve as human sacrifices in rituals at the behest of their otherworldly masters. Secret organizations hide the truth from the public at all costs. While much of what is presented here is from the perspective of the modern world, it would be very easy to base your game in another time period. By limiting access to technology and adjusting the characters’ skills and occupations, the Game Host could easily run a scenario from the height of the Roswell alien scare, the American old west, or Victorian England.

Ancient History The number of potential dimensions or universes is as large as the number of worlds that can sustain intelligent life is small. Several different species have been eager to influence the development of Earth so they may someday lay claim to Earth and its resources. Many different species

have tried to shape the world for their own purposes. Many efforts have been thwarted by others attempting to do the same. Many of these alien life forms have left their own mark and contributed to the genetic ecology of the planet and its species. The Precambrian Period as Earthlings call it, was the result of an intelligent waterborne lifeform’s efforts to shape and manipulate the surface and climate to make it hospitable to their own kind. It became daunting and as the land masses rose, another group called the Reptilians introduced the building blocks of life similar to that which had formed on their home world. These efforts evolved into the dinosaurs, which became dominant during the Paleozoic Era. They saw their efforts largely crumble when the Greys altered the path of a large asteroid, changing its trajectory to collide with Earth. This effectively reset the climate and destroyed most of the remaining life from the oceans and the land, making it more hospitable to warm blooded creatures like themselves. The Greys and some of their derivative species helped jumpstart the era of mammals which led to the dominance of man. The Reptilians and others such as the Quavadi (a species of telepathic, hive-minded giant insects) continue to study life on Earth. Several different visitors have contributed in one way or another to the life on the planet over many different periods of time Many of these groups continue to visit periodically to study the life on the planet and its genetics, which is why many abduction stories include descriptions

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of medical exams and having blood or tissue samples taken. The Greys have been creating genetic hybrids with humans and other species as a next step toward their own evolutionary journey and colonization. They come from a planet that used to be very similar to Earth. As they are from another dimension, it may actually be Earth either of the far past or distant future. As such, they have attempted to carefully nudge human development in very specific directions. Opening the gate to another dimension created weak spots in the fabric between the different universes, which can allow other beings to communicate with humans and in some situations cross between the universes. There are also situations where humans can cross into these other dimensions.

Human History The majority of worlds that have been able to develop life have become drained of resources and energy long before most intelligent life can even think of reaching another

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planet or dimension. A world like Earth is enticing to aliens who may be looking for a potential new home or source of resources. Over millennia, aliens have conducted all sorts of experiments to alter the climate and genetically manipulate terrestrial life. Humans are merely the latest experiment for the unearthly masters. It has become a very successful experiment as well.

Early Civilizations The oldest documented civilizations share a number of similarities. Ancient clay and stone tablets have been found all over the globe describing beings with superhuman powers who visited from the heavens. The peoples of ancient Sumeria, Greece, Egypt, China, Meso-America, and others believed their early rulers — the chosen — received power from the gods. Some were thought to be from the heavens themselves or their offspring. Some of these entities gave man tools and directions, in effect steering technological advancements under the direction of the “chosen” — those humans who descended from the visitors. Others were more monstrous and be-

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came the fodder for nightmares and stories to scare children. Archaeologists have discovered countless texts and engravings that describe chimeras, or human-animal hybrids, great monsters, and unearthly beasts that roamed the planet. Magical items and mystical portals are described in ways that could be explained by advanced technology today. For thousands of years the chosen led mankind in the development of large cities, and fear of their power allowed millions to be enslaved. After several millennia the population of men grew until it became harder to control. In time humans rose up against their masters and their numbers seemed to sway the balance of power. Or did it?

Middle Ages As the great ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Atlantis began failing with a weakening of the chosen leaders and a strengthening of mortal resolve, a new historical era formed. Fear and hatred against the descendants of the chosen led to wars and genocide and an effort to destroy anyone found with exceptional powers. Over a period of hundreds of years, people were burned as witches or worse. There are thousands of written accounts of vampires, werewolves, and alchemists who practiced the dark arts and had to be destroyed. The remaining chosen continued efforts to maintain a small number of ancient bloodlines. By encouraging the elite to only reproduce with other elite, it minimized the dilution of their gene pool. When a member of the elite had visions of the future or displayed unusual powers, they were elevated as heroes or saints. When commoners did the same, they were most likely the product of an unapproved liaison with a chosen and were seen as an aberration. They were labelled as witches or accused of being in league with demons and put to death. Many were forced to go into hiding to save themselves. Those who could found a way to hide among mortals, others hid from them. The chosen still remained in control — they just opted to hide their power instead of flaunting it. Sometimes they ruled in secret behind mortal, puppet figureheads. As civilization grew and became more complex, the elite came

together to form a body that spanned countries and continents controlling government, religion, the military and commerce. Their objective was, and still is, to elevate their own at the cost of the masses. They continue to receive directions from the alien masters but now they do it hidden from the unclean masses. Over time, those who document such things merely refer to this group as the Order. The Order worked diligently to remove all memory of the ancient ways while preserving their own livelihood. The ancient bloodlines were maintained as best as they could. They kept their kind segregated from the masses, but the bloodlines continued to be polluted because of the carnal nature of their human sides. Using the Church as a base of power that crossed national borders, they flexed their authority and convinced the uneducated masses to hunt down and put to death any of the unsanctioned who possessed special powers. They convinced humans to turn on their own out of fear. All the while, they practiced their own secret arts and rituals behind sacred veils. A group called the Inquisitors was born of such a time. Though officially disbanded by the Church when their job was done, they continued their charge in secret and some say they are still out there today attempting to cleanse the world of the paranormal. The Knights Templar were formed within the Church as an enforcement arm for the Order. They were responsible for confiscating relics and items of power for the Order. They burned texts and ancient histories to remove any trace of the old ways, while their leaders rapidly rewrote a history to recite to the illiterate masses. In time, some of the more enlightened Templars began to question the motivation of the Church. They began studying the ancient ways and hiding relics in their secret sanctuaries. When the Order discovered what they were doing, they rapidly and ruthlessly hunted down as many Templars as they could and put them to death. The Church imprisoned and tortured Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, for seven years in an unsuccessful effort to get him to identify the remaining Templars and the location of their hidden sanctuaries. In 1314, DeMolay along with the remaining leaders of the Templars were burned at the stake. A handful of Templars escaped and eventually formed their own secret order that became known as the Brotherhood.

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After a series of bloody wars and the ensuing oppression from the political and religious power structures, humans began reaching out further across the planet. New continents were discovered and the importance of science began to rise despite early efforts to curtail it.

Age of Discovery In time, people began challenging some of their basic superstitions. They advanced across the globe. Science began to guide a growing proportion of people’s lives from the way they grew their food to their basic beliefs about the world. In Europe, blind, unquestioning loyalty to a king or the Church eroded with ideological revolutions. As humans began to question their new masters, heads literally began to roll. Oppressive regimes were overthrown. Explorers brought back tales of strange cultures and amazing creatures. A period of expansion pushed civilization into new places through colonization, expanding the Order’s reach. Over time, science led to industrialization which led more people out of the farm lands and into the cities. The physical bonds of slavery were replaced with the economic bonds of forced labor. People became even more dependent on those in positions of power all while thinking they somehow gained freedom. Puppet governments and ideologies rose and fell. Prodded by various factions, wars broke out over resources, and diseases evolved to ease the problems of overpopulation, protecting the Order from a potentially devastating revolution. They were all part of the master plan to give humans a false sense of control. New continents were quickly claimed, settled, and controlled by members of the same families that controlled the old ones. Technology advanced at an exponential rate, eventually pushing mankind into the modern age. The Order struggled against growing opposition from rogue nations, scholars, and some of the illegitimate descendants of the chosen. Many of the paranormals found the large, faceless cities to be the place to hide in plain sight with ample opportunities to prey on the helpless. Industrialization and technological advancements pushed mankind into the modern era. Mankind stands on a precipice to move much further beyond as the Order

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claws and grasps to pull them away from what could only be called true independence. As the population becomes more informed they are becoming much harder to control. Some newer visitors from beyond Earth see the opportunities. Patterns of control and connections that man has been unable to detect are beginning to be identified by artificial intelligence, which is itself rapidly becoming selfaware. The move into the modern world is heralded by the availability of knowledge and a reliance upon science at a pace that even the Order could not predict.

The Modern World DLB starts during the modern era. Advanced technology is commonplace and people’s dependence upon it allows it to pervasively control their lives, whether they realize it or not. Science has affected every aspect of human life. The population grows fairly unfettered and covers most of the habitable parts of the globe. People rely on institutions to meet their basic needs, and the media has taken over the reins from religion as the official source of truth. Despite all their efforts, the ancient chosen bloodlines have become diluted over time due to their carnal nature. The occurrence of people with special powers, as well as some of the more monstrous qualities, has become fewer and fewer. The intensity of those powers has diminished to the point that people do not even see them as powers. A true clairvoyant from several generations ago may now have a descendant that merely gets a sense of déjà vu from time to time. Occasionally, someone may be identified as having a power strong enough to attract attention, but they are often medicated or vanish without a trace. The Order is using science to attempt to bring out some of the dormant genes that differentiate the chosen. They are keenly interested in research subjects who exhibit paranormal abilities. People are groomed through public programs and standardized education systems to accept the Order’s version of history and truth. Those who choose to deviate or resist are quickly ridiculed and ostracized or politically neutralized to prevent them from spreading dissent. Few see the untainted truth; fewer live to tell their tales. Those

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survivors who choose to go public with their experiences face both ridicule and social exile. Once one breaks through the façade of our world and sees the extent of the corruption beneath, one cannot return to a normal life; they won’t let you. The daily lives of most humans are controlled and monitored by various organizations, each claiming to protect us from all sorts of harmful things: they edit what we watch on television; they censor the stories in our newspapers; they monitor our phone calls; and they know where we are and what we are doing. The Order continues to rule as the power behind the world’s governments. Information is man’s greatest tool and his greatest weakness. The truth can shine a light on the puppet masters and all of their indiscretions, but by limiting access to information and by actively spreading misinformation, mankind once again becomes easily placated and manipulated. A constant barrage of misinformation keeps most people’s minds from being able to fo-

cus on any one thing long enough to be critical before something new demands their attention. The Brotherhood and other resistance groups use technology to their advantage when they have the opportunity, but the Order still controls access to most of it. Wealth is the glue that holds the power structure of the human world together; he who controls commerce controls the world. Corporations are more stable than governments: they can expand internationally and, in the event of a political upheaval, they still possess assets and loyal followers. Private sector interests fund their own search for the paranormal to put themselves into stronger positions. Although governments fund some private laboratories, most operate independent of their scrutiny. They all have their own agendas. We have all heard stories of how the big oil companies shut down the technology behind cars that could operate on water. Imagine the level of interest aerospace companies would have in gaining access to alien wreckage.

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Government In DLB, world governments publicly deny the existence of the paranormal. To do otherwise would send people into a fear-fueled panic undermining their ability to control the masses. Despite alleging otherwise, black budgets funnel millions of dollars every year to study and replicate strange phenomenon and alien technology. The benefit of maintaining control of hundreds of millions of citizens is surely worth the lives of a few handfuls of resisters who may want to release the truth. While the Order may pull the strings from behind a curtain, all but the very top echelon are oblivious to what is really going on. Most of the people who are part of the Order never even know it. Their actions are curbed and herded in particular directions, but the actors are merely pawns in a much larger game. A few unusual situations have arisen where the truth has crashed into what the Order would like people to believe. In the United States, after the Roswell incident in the 1940s, when a UFO and alien

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bodies were allegedly recovered by the military, a variety of special operations groups were opened to exploit the technology as well as cover up any similar events to maintain order. Similar organizations sprang into existence within every major world government. But the official response indicated it was just a weather balloon and some overactive imaginations, and nothing for people to be worried about. Private, government funded laboratories and research companies opened to study the technology while providing secrecy beyond what the government was capable of — as well as plausible deniability. It is no coincidence that there were technological leaps in computing, space exploration, and even health care in the decades immediately following the 1940s. Often, when people refuse to accept the pseudoplausible explanations for their experiences, they are remanded to psychiatric care and return months later ‘cured’, with no memory of the events whatsoever.

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The government is not a monolith or a bunch of coordinate points on a single line; instead, it consists of many different units, each with its own agenda and responsibilities. There is a hierarchy of these units; some are more important, powerful, and secretive than others. The term ‘black’ is applied to a budget or organization that is of such high security that all of its records are considered confidential and are sealed from the scrutiny of everyone but the highest level administrators. The National Security Agency (NSA) usually controls the black budget. This funding finances clandestine bases to study paranormal phenomena. These facilities are often placed outside the United States so greater secrecy can be maintained because more extensive precautions can be taken. During gameplay, the government may become a factor in many ways. If PCs are investigating any kind of unusual phenomenon, most likely they have sent in their own teams either in person or through electronic surveillance. Access to much of the scientific research which is being conducted is controlled by the government. Characters with any special kinds of knowledge or psychic abilities could also very easily become the target for abductions for further study.

Law Enforcement Law enforcement commonly plays a major role in DLB games. The PCs may be law enforcement officials investigating unusual crimes. If they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, they may be framed for crimes to conveniently provide a scapegoat to cover up the truth. They could be the target for an all points bulletin (APB) because they escaped from a lab that was studying their paranormal abilities under the guise of a mental hospital and now find themselves on the run from the authorities. They may find local authorities to be helpful only to see their hands tied and the case turned over to a less than helpful federal agency. Though police and other types of law enforcement are government services, they have always operated at a local level with a reasonable amount of discretion. The advent of dashcams and bodycams is beginning to change this. In a remote area, an officer could simply choose to look the

other way if it seemed like the right thing to do or if they were being paid extra to do so. Now that many cities have installed cameras and audio devices that are constantly recording every interaction, it can be much more difficult. These technologies are less common in rural areas. When individuals are arrested, their information is immediately entered into a computer system which is connected to a national network. There is an unwritten code of law enforcement that says police stick together. Even if they don’t like each other as individuals, they have to know they can depend upon each other in dire circumstances. If an officer's actions are questioned, other officers often step forward to support his behavior whether they actually witnessed the incident or not. It is a code of honor. If PCs and local law enforcement wind up at odds with one another, the police almost always stick together.

Federal Authorities Most countries have federal or national law enforcement agencies which are responsible for specific types of crimes or crimes that involve multiple regional or local jurisdictions, as well as crimes which occur on federal lands. Governments also typically have one or more agencies focused on issues that take place outside of their immediate borders, such as the CIA in the US. In more recent years, additional groups have come online to focus on domestic and international terrorism. Federal authorities typically have access to more sophisticated equipment and assistance than local policing organizations. In the United States, much of the federal law enforcement activity is coordinated by the Office of Homeland Security. In 2012, a multi-agency taskforce was created called the Atypical Crimes Taskforce (ACT). This organization is staffed by agents from many different federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the military, who are on loan to the ACT to investigate crimes that do not appear to follow typical patterns.

Religion Religion as a term refers to the belief system that makes up

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a particular ideology. Different denominations develop out of the same basic ideology, but each has its own interpretation of how the world operates and what is expected of believers. Over the years, the larger organized religions changed to keep up with the norms and values of an everchanging world. For the most part, religion in the Western world refers to the Judeo-Christian tradition. There are many distinct churches and sects that fit into this category. In the past, even minor differences between denominations have caused wars. Religion and its beliefs have a role to play in DLB — especially in terms of games or adventures that revolve around ideas of the occult. Western religion is just one body in a larger world of religious beliefs and traditions. Perhaps a Satanic cult is responsible for disappearances, but it could just as easily be a cult devoted to Kali or Set. Religious leaders are quick to either take credit for the paranormal or to denounce it as the work of some nefarious demon from another world. Unlike government, they cannot completely deny the existence of the paranormal. Much of their doctrine is based upon miraculous phenomena, or the wisdom of prophets who had paranormal abilities. Most of the mainstream religions avoid the subject of the paranormal because of the ideological dilemmas that could arise — especially anything that may deal with intelligence from other planets. Remember, the Church had Joan of Arc burned at the stake because of her visions, even though she saved the King. Anyone with what appears to be a legitimate connection to a higher power is considered a political threat. As one of the stronger agents of the Order’s efforts to maintain social control, they work in concert with government to ensure anything such as the existence of extraterrestrials that may seriously draw their doctrine into question is kept far from the masses.

Extreme Groups Some sects develop ideologies which differ in extreme ways from traditional doctrine. Many are publicly denounced as heretical, such as the groups that followed charismatic leaders to their death. While they may maintain some minor allegiance to accepted religious symbols and teachings, the methods they choose are often seen as radical by comparison.

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Cults are smaller organizations and splinter groups that break with accepted doctrine. They usually originate with some self-styled prophet. The media likes to portray cults as being full of lost children who are looking for a symbolic family with a charismatic authority figure. Cult leaders assume leadership positions through their own charisma and convictions. Cults usually place a stronger emphasis upon prophetic visions and dreams than mainstream religious groups. They may believe in evil in a more physical form. Though unverified, there are rumors that travelling revivals sometimes act as fronts for groups of self-proclaimed vampire and witch hunters. While mainstream religion has publicly moved away from the days of exorcisms and witch hunts, they have yet to open their vaults of confiscated relics and ancient tomes. The rites of exorcism are still taught, even if they are not publicly acknowledged. Desperate times require desperate measures.

Media In modern society, the media has become its own form of institution. Like religion, there are factions with their own views and often radically different messages. The media is an evangelist, spreading the gospel according to anyone with the right amount of cash or political will. It is usually a tool of the powerful to keep the masses under control or at least confused enough to ignore the truth. In the modern world where information hits people like a firehose, they rely on the media to sift through the mounds and provide an objective truth. Once considered a champion of the common man, popular media has been transformed into a new opiate that not only pacifies the masses but also skews their collective outlook. Simple minds are easily pacified by pictures of Hollywood’s latest breakups and baby bumps, while stories about mass disappearances and lights in the sky get pushed to side notes on a website or obscure video channels if they even make it out at all. Conflicting versions of the truth and falsehoods parading as news leave most people numb to the events happening around them. Over the past few decades, news and information have become big business. Many nations closely regulate the

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media. Unflattering facts are edited out. In most of the Western world, the attention of the masses is sold to the highest bidder. Billions of dollars are spent to manipulate their consumer choices and voting outcomes, as well as their ideological beliefs. The internet was initially heralded as an unbiased outlet for the masses but it rapidly dissolved into shouting matches between different opinions and was eventually taken over by the same wealthy elite and old families that controlled radio then television. In theory anyone can post anything, but it takes money to make sure people actually see it. In recent times a new media outlet called the Unredacted Truth has started reporting what they call unedited news. Through donations and support from an unnamed benefactor, they began purchasing air time on radio and cable television. When the media companies came under fire for selling time for shows that were exposing corruption, the Unredacted Truth started its own online media hub and began purchasing their own cable network.

Science The scientific community claims to spring from a rich tradition of sharing their knowledge and discoveries for mankind’s betterment. The facts suggest otherwise. Most major scientific advancements occur in secure facilities far from the eyes of the public. Consider all of the advancements in the past fifty years, including everything from medicines to organ transplants and from space travel to weapons of mass destruction. How many were freely made available to the public or shared eagerly with other researchers? Some scientists believe they are working in an open and free climate to improve the world. Those are the ones without the high tech, extremely expensive types of equipment needed to make true breakthroughs. The scientists who are part of that group do so either under the watchful eye of the governments or corporations which are funding their work. Of course, both types are directly or indirectly under the watchful eye of the Order and Cleanup Crew.

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One of the things that sets the world of DLB apart is a web of conspiracies that seeks to hide the truth. The everpresent and near-omniscient Order pulls the strings behind world governments, religions, and vast economic empires to keep mankind in the dark while herding them along like sheep. Over millennia, different groups have become aware of their machinations and work in secret and sometimes not-so-secret ways to counter them. Most operate in secret to protect their members and prevent the Order from thwarting their efforts. Some organizations are the product of religious movements that were forced to take their doctrine underground away from prying eyes. Others split away from the Order itself when they saw through the veils and understood the truth. Still others serve as plausible deniability for religions and other groups who want to help but cannot do so publicly. The origins of these secret societies are as varied as the organizations themselves. The roots of some go back to ancient times, while others arose during the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment. New groups continue to form even today. Through the Cleanup Crew, which is their enforcement arm, the Order is typically the most active organization in the world of DLB, but the degree to which they or any of the other groups are included is entirely up to the Game Host. Secret organizations can manifest in many different ways. They could easily appear in the form of the Cleanup Crew, who form the basis for the notorious “men in black” from UFO lore, or as a Satanic cult that has infil-

trated the leadership of a small rural town. Who knows what really happens behind closed doors when those middle-aged men put away their tiny parade cars and take off their fezzes? The element of distrust and not knowing exactly who the PCs can trust is one of the elements that can bring a real sense of terror to the game. Sometimes even other members of the party may have their own agendas. In some cases, they may not even be aware of it themselves. Adding plot twists and elements of mystery and suspense make the game more interesting. Many of these groups have informants in other groups, as well as within the political and industrial structures of the modern world. Even simple tasks become complicated when two or three organizations vie against one another with the PCs caught in the middle. These organizations should be employed as spurs to plot lines adding unforeseen twists to the plot structure. Perhaps the PCs have been identified as scapegoats to hide the truth and all of the evidence starts to point to them. If the PCs are worth their salt as investigators, it won’t be long before they begin to detect the outlines of conspiracy. Their fevered brains may conjure up world-spanning conflicts between hidden armies, each maneuvering to gain the position of power, yet the immense covert activities of these societies threatens to overwhelm them. It may be too late when the PCs realize that they are unwitting pawns in the endless machinations of these groups. They may even be saved by the intervention of some other unseen benefactor. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to describing some of these organiza-

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tions, their history, and ways that they may become involved in the game world.

The Order is the mastermind group behind many so-called secret societies throughout history. They have operated under many names over the ages. These puppet masters have controlled most of human history. Humans from elite families have worked together to dominate the masses by controlling government, religion, and economics. People bicker and fight over crumbs of food and worthless parcels of land while their masters enjoy the show. The Order’s roots have been documented as dating back to the mystery religions of the ancient world. Its earliest inception included the human-alien hybrids who were placed among mankind to lead them by extraterrestrial gods. They ruled over the earliest tribes of mankind. They communed with the ancient ones who allowed them to sit above regular humans as long as they did their bidding and guided man in the directions they chose. Their arrogance and hunger for power became their undoing. As the human population grew, they began to revolt against the god-kings. Descendants of the ancient bloodlines came together to form the Committee of Nine, which leads the Order. They chose to step out of the limelight and into the shadows but continued ruling through human puppets. Beginning in the early Middle Ages, the Order started to actively remove all traces of the paranormal from human eyes. In time, mortals began to think the stories they had heard were just fairy tales. Many forgot about them. The Order developed a three pronged approach to continuing this work:

The mixing of blood lines between paranormals and normal humans created generations of people with unusual powers and skills and none of the rigid structures in place to learn how to control them. These rogue paranormals nearly caused the extinction of the Order’s ancient families, so the Order had to intervene to further hide and protect themselves. They developed layers upon layers of secret societies, governments, and religions all appearing to operate independently but secretly under the same rule. Some of the human members who were recruited to do the bidding of the Order came close enough to the truth to see through the facade. Some went in hiding. Others began developing their own clandestine efforts to seek the power for themselves or to thwart and expose the Order. Over the ages, titles like Grandmaster, Master, and Magi have given way to more esoteric titles. Mystery cults, the Illuminati, and other groups were created over time to do their bidding and to create a smokescreen to hide their existence from mortals. Humans are recruited to take on more mundane tasks and given small amounts of power or prestige to secure some level of loyalty. As the senior leadership are all members of the elite, they are the government behind the government. While they are still in control of most of what goes on in the world today, the Order can feel its grip beginning to loosen as splinter organizations are forming to oppose them. Increasing pressure from extraterrestrial and extradimensional forces threaten to break through the facade they have carefully crafted. They are beginning to consider extreme measures including a new world war, famine, and even biological solutions that could eliminate a significant proportion of the human population to cause mankind to once again worship the leaders who come with aid to end their suffering.

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Shadow Government

The Order

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Collecting any artifacts imbued with supernatural power or otherworldly technology so they can be harnessed and studied away from regular human eyes. Capturing, destroying or dispelling any creatures with paranormal abilities or from other planets or planes of existence which might wander into our plane of reality Recruiting anyone or anything they find with paranormal abilities to assist with their efforts. If they choose not to join willingly, they will be captured for study or eliminated.

The Order is everywhere. Virtually every human works for them in some capacity. They are the government that operates in the shadows pulling the strings of what appears like many different governments and corporations. People think they have some level of independence and control but they are merely cogs in a giant machine unknowingly moving down a path that has been chosen for them.

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Governments, religion, and the scientific community are all connected through the Order. If a character gets on the radar from any one area, they are likely to be identified by the others. The level of infiltration is so deep and pervasive that there are even anti-establishment movements headed by members of the Order merely to act as a beacon to manipulate those who would fight against it. The scale of their reach is enormous. City blocks and sometimes entire cities have been destroyed to kill a single family. You don’t really think a cow caused the Chicago fire, do you? Trains have derailed killing hundreds to ensure the death of a single passenger. There is no moral concept of right or wrong with the Order. There are merely those things that help to move their tasks forward and those that do not.

Cleanup Crew As opposing organizations grew in strength, the Order was forced to become more systematic and organized. An alien craft crashed in the New Mexico desert in 1947. The news made national headlines before the Order could intervene. This was the final straw that forced the Committee of Nine to realize the Order would never maintain control unless they were able to react faster to these types of events. They created the Cleanup Crew to coordinate both the research into and the cover-up of all paranormal and supernatural phenomena. Among the conspiracy theorists, they are often referred to as men in black or MIBs, but those who are better connected have grown to refer to them as the Cleanup Crew. The Crew maintains a vast international network of extra-governmental operatives. So secretive is this organization that no one is fully certain of its objectives, funding, command structure, or size. Only three things about it are certain: the Crew is loyal to the Order; efficient to a fault; and willing to go to any length to protect their masters. They answer directly to the Order and will sacrifice anyone or anything to complete their missions. Human lives are worth very little compared to maintaining the status quo.

Committee of Nine While the Order’s puppets may be easily spotted because they are the figureheads people see plastered throughout the media, the true leadership operates in absolute secrecy.

They are protected from the media as well as the puppets who may try to take the power for themselves. Even the people who think they lead the Order do not realize that they are actually being controlled by otherworldly forces. The Committee of Nine represent the ancient human-alien bloodlines. They exert their influence through silent, psychic forces and occasional, well-placed incriminating photos, documents, and other methods of extortion. Representatives from these ancient bloodlines come together only when absolutely required. As of late, intelligence collected suggests that they may be using advanced technology to meet virtually. Their existence has been the subject of debate among members of some of the offshoot organizations that split away — or at least think they split away — from the Order. Though they have no real definitive proof, agendas appear to be maintained over time. Their influence over the Earth extends across tens of thousands of years. It is their psyche that runs through all the leadership of the Order.

Incorporating The Order It is unlikely the PCs would ever encounter a member of the Order knowingly. The Order’s leadership is simply too far above the tasks of dealing with regular people that it would be a waste of their time to do something so commonplace. More than likely, the Order would exert itself through its attack dogs — The Cleanup Crew — or by using its influence on the media and government to intervene with any perceived threats from the PCs. PCs could stumble into one of the Order’s plots. They may find an artifact of power or come into possession of evidence of their unearthly machinations and find themselves on the Order’s radar. It is usually easier and less disruptive to discredit people instead of simply killing them outright, but that is always an option. Most of those under the control of the Order have no idea. Police could receive evidence implicating the PCs as dangerous, deranged monsters and are simply doing what they believe to be the right thing when they hunt them down. Bank accounts can be seized or simply disappear. Falsified evidence can be made to look just as convincing as the truth, and the truth can be manipulated to look as though it was forged.

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The Cleanup Crew The Cleanup Crew leadership believes they are an international organization, sanctioned by virtually all of the world’s major governments to protect humanity from the paranormal including the imminent chaos that would ensue if the masses learned the truth. Their primary goal is to protect the human race from events that would destroy the fabric of modern civilization at all costs. The real truth, however, is more complicated. The 1940s produced a series of events that emphasized the Order’s need for a nimble body to do its bidding across the world. The race to build the first atomic bombs made members of the Committee of Nine nervous because it placed a tremendous amount of power in the hands of people who may not fully be under their control. Something this powerful in the hands of primitive mortals could make them more difficult to manage. Plus a small group of rebellious axis leaders were actively seeking supernatural artifacts and sources of power so they could not only over-

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power the allies but so they could impose their will on the Order itself. The final straw involved the recovery of a crashed alien ship near Roswell, New Mexico. Less than three years after humans proved they had the power to annihilate the planet, a revelation that could unravel the fabric of civilization crashed into the desert sands of New Mexico. The word had gotten out to the press faster than the Committee thought possible. It became obvious that the Order needed to have their own group of enforcers to take care of these kinds of tasks quickly and quietly. The Order instructed the leaders of the world to sign the World Protection Agreement. This document makes the Cleanup Crew responsible for protecting civilization from alien life forms and paranormal phenomena. It provides them with the authority and funding to perform these activities in preparation for a possible hostile invasion. The Cleanup Crew has the authority to use any means necessary to protect civilization. Their leadership operates independently but in reality, they receive their instructions from the Order. Theoretically, the Cleanup

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Crew is strong enough to organize revolutions and control governments; however, the Crew does not concern itself with petty international politics usually. The Brotherhood claims to have evidence that during the 1970s, an alien ship crashed and was recovered in Iran. The Shah and the Iranian government refused to cooperate and turn the evidence over to the Cleanup Crew. Shortly afterwards, there was a revolution that couldn't be squelched even with the assistance of the United States government. That was the last government to openly refuse a Cleanup Crew request.

Operations The Crew maintains a number of scientific labs and satellite offices across the world under a variety of names. Several special purpose facilities are also maintained for scientific research, experimentation, and training for members. Many of these operate under the guise of some other purpose and the people who work there have no idea they are part of the Crew. Some are in the same building and may even appear to be part of other government offices. The Cleanup Crew operates at least three major subterranean bases in the United States: within the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee, beneath federal land in Missouri and far below the Arizona desert. They operate corporations under a variety of names and are the recipient of many black budget and security and defense contracts from several different governments.

Agents You won’t find recruiters for the Cleanup Crew setting up shop at the mall or sitting behind a table with an alien fetus in a jar at the local job fair. The Crew creates its own agents. It is inevitable that certain individuals stand out in every profession as excellent, the crème de la crème, and these, in turn, come to the Crew’s attention. Agents generally come from the world’s militaries. Some have law enforcement backgrounds. Only the finest specimens are considered. Those who are selected are monitored from a distance and undergo a number of tests unbeknownst to them. When the time is right, the individual suffers a horrible accident. It could be excessive blood loss during a minor surgical procedure, a gas main explosion, a drunk driver, a plane crash, or he or she may simply disappear.

When he or she wakes, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine they retain their reflexes and typically their other skills, but they have no memory of who they were. They believe they are in a special hospital that caters to amnesia victims. They are indoctrinated and given alternative backgrounds and histories. As the Crew heals their bodies and provides them with extensive training and the latest in technological advancements, they develop a deep loyalty to the Crew. The backgrounds they are given usually include being rescued from an attack by aliens or some other unnatural entity which claimed the lives of their families. They accept the reality of the paranormal as though it were second nature along with a deep rooted hatred of the unnatural. Their deaths have been faked and as far as their friends and families are concerned, they have gone on to a better place. The Crew needs a variety of different types of Cleaners, including basic on-the-ground agents who effectively operate like infantry in the military, specialists including translators, information, and intelligence officers, and a variety of leadership and technical roles. Agents undergo extensive plastic surgery to remove any distinguishing marks and render them unidentifiable. Their vocal chords, fingerprints and retinal patterns are also altered to ensure that even the most sophisticated computer recognition systems could never connect the agent to his or her past life. Two devices are implanted in every Cleaner’s skull. One is a tracking device and the other is a self-destruct mechanism. The tracking device is a homing beacon which can be located via satellite anywhere in the world except deep underground. The second device is a receiver - a death circuit - that can be activated anywhere in the world by satellite. When activated, it delivers power to a micropump which delivers a lethal dose of neural toxin through a microscopic cannula directly into the brain. The poison dissolves the brain from within. Death is instantaneous. Any attempt to disconnect the device or render the pump inoperative will activate the system automatically.

Leadership The Crew operates under a hierarchical leadership structure that utilizes military ranks to denote levels of authority. The organization itself is headed by an individual simp-

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ly known as the Director. Each regional operation is headed by a person with the title general. Every base has its own leadership and each team has internal leadership. Contingency plans are always in place so that when a leader falls, the remaining Crew members know who the new leader will be without any types of delays.

Incorporating the Cleanup Crew As the enforcement arm of the Order, the Crew can be interjected into any situation where the paranormal is a factor. If the Order chooses to target the PCs either to apprehend them or discredit them, Cleaners will be responsible for making it happen. They could use Cleaners who are already in deep cover in law enforcement or other capacities of authority. They have sleeper agents everywhere. If the PCs escaped from a government lab, the Crew was probably responsible for the experiments that were conducted upon them and they will definitely be responsible for sending a team to hunt them down. The Crew has the benefit of having deeply entrenched members in a variety of positions of power so they can assist with anything needed quickly and quietly. Does the Crew need a van from the cable company to use for surveillance? Do they need to shut down part of the electrical grid? Do they need to find a certain person’s fingerprints at the scene of a crime — even if that person is hundreds of miles away? Almost anything can be arranged. A member of the gaming party could even be a sleeper agent for the Crew. Some deep cover cleaners have had parts of their memories blocked and may not even realize they are agents until they are activated. For all intents and purposes they could function and act as an active member of the group, all the while they are transmitting information back to the Crew or sabotaging the party’s efforts.

Brotherhood The Brotherhood can be traced back to the 1300s. They owe their origin to the Knights Templar. Popular history tells us that the Templars were created as a holy order of knights by the Church and used extensively during the

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crusades. It is said that they were charged with finding and returning gold and relics such as the holy grail back to Rome. That much is true. What your middle school history book didn’t include was that during that era the Church was heavily infiltrated and controlled by the Order. Under the guise of the Church, the Order actually used Templars to secure sites with strong paranormal energy, as well as to collect powerful relics for their own purposes and to capture and often put to death unsanctioned paranormals. Over time, these tasks expanded to assassination and killing innocents and even entire communities to cover up the truth. Templars were recruited because of their devout faith. Their leadership became suspicious of the way many of the orders they received violated their religious teachings. The Templars’ last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, employed a young scribe named Anton Sorcis to infiltrate the Church archives. Sorcis read extensively and saw firsthand the extent of control the Order wielded over the church. After sharing this with de Molay, the Templars began creating their own secret worship halls where they hid some of the artifacts and ancient texts they found. Traitors within the Templars’ ranks reported back to Rome that they were holding back relics and that they were allowing witnesses to escape with their lives. Church leadership was furious. They started a public relations campaign against the Templars. Pagan idols were planted in their lodges. They were labelled as heretics and stories quickly circulated about unnatural acts they performed in their secret halls. Some say they were in consort with Satan and planned to overthrow the Church and enslave mankind. It is unclear whether Pope Clement V was in league with the Order or whether he was fooled by the smear campaign himself, but he dissolved the Templars. Grand Master Jacques DeMolay and other leaders were tortured and burned at the stake, but they refused to divulge the names of their other members and the location of their secret shrines where they housed the artifacts and texts they were hiding from the Church. A handful of knights who were faithful to de Molay escaped into the countryside. Sorcis took many ancient texts and artifacts he had been able to secure from Rome and left under cover of darkness before he was associated

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Cranston Case January 15, 1995 The white picket fence was too white, seein’ as the house was an abandoned heap. Why? No one’s lived at 666 Fresno Lane in 10 years; I checked the PVA records. I found my .45 in my æst, cocked and locked out of habit. My habits are weird that way, see? Like noticing the newly painted fence while everyone else around here sees nuthin’. I walked up to the door like I owned the place - just in case someone else around did notice things. The house sounded empty. My knocks echoed off. Same deal at the back door, but nobody could see me if they had the inclination to get up from watching soaps and drinkin’ gin. Luckily the joint was termite heaven so the rotten wood around the lock splintered quietly. I closed the door behind me and listened. Just me and the bugs. A quick search turned up nuthin’ but a rat the size of Detroit. I thought that bastard Cockroach Mel had fed me another line of crap. Last time he conned me, they were picking his teeth out of the bar-stools at McClosky’s . I thought he’d learned... Obviously, I hadn’t. I was heading to give the boy’s falsies a workout when the world fell out from under me. I don’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up I was in some sort of sub-basement. The stairs above were as weak as McClosky’s scotch and I’d fallen maybe twenty feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this bastard at the top of the stairs. I shot him before he had a chance to say howdy. Not that he would have; he had this pistol - more like a damn cannon on a handle - and had me in the laser sight. He shouldn’t have taken the time to aim; I didn’t. He dropped like a marionette with the strings whacked off. Even in the dim light I could tell this fella was FBI or something. He was dressed in black from head to foot and as polished as my grandma’s Victrola. Sheeit! When the Hell did the feds come into this? It was only a simple recovery case - you know, a get-the-stolen-necklace-back-from-the-badguys-no-questions-asked kinda deal; and here I stood, a dead Fed in a secret room in an abandoned house. Great. I picked my hat up and nearly fainted when the corpse’s head popped open like an unlucky cantaloupe at a melon toss. I swear I didn’t even touch him! And then his body suddenly burst into çames. I puked and had to light a smoke to get the stench out of my nose - thank God for ælterless cigs! That’s when I ænd this hatch leading into the storm sewer, and not a moment too soon ‘cause the house started creakin’ and collapsed in on itself... The papers called it a gas main rupture and explosion. My ass; the only gas involved in that story’s in the head of the reporter who wrote that load of crap.

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with de Molay. He found some of the faithful Templars and reassembled them into a secret lodge that in time became known as the Brotherhood. Their primary purpose is to thwart efforts by the Order in its quest for power and the subjugation of humanity.

Operations The Brotherhood maintains secret lodges across the world. Some are physical locations that have been hidden for hundreds of years while others may pose as civic organizations to the public. Each lodge has a master who is responsible for coordinating their efforts with the greater organization. The operational head of the organization, like the Templars before, is called a Grand Master. The inner circle is composed of former Masters and Grand Masters who are chosen for their loyalty and knowledge. A typical operation for the Brotherhood may be to expose Cleanup Crew activities or to help protect those the Crew is attempting to eliminate. They continue the research Anton Sorcis started by collecting artifacts of power and researching ancient tomes to better understand the nature of the paranormal. Their goal is to expose the oppressive machinations of the Order for what it truly is and to empower mankind to rise up. They intervene when they can to protect humans who find themselves in opposition to the Crew.

Members Most of the people associated with the Brotherhood are considered initiates. They are given tasks and a suitable amount of information to understand the goals of the group without knowing the real secrets. They will usually be told that they work with some independent organization and no real mention of the Brotherhood will be made until they have proven trustworthy. Some never advance beyond initiate. The most loyal go through a series of levels of increasingly difficult trials and tests before becoming true members. The membership are primarily human with the occasional descendant from a paranormal bloodline. The Templars fell because of an inside threat and the Brotherhood makes every effort to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

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Like their predecessors, to be selected to become a Brother requires absolute loyalty and allegiance. Rumors say that during the series of rituals potential members must complete to become a Brother, there are mystical rites that are used to identify hidden loyalties. So far as they know, the Order has not been able to cheat these tests. Many members of the Brotherhood were rescued and had to find new identities after a run in with the Cleanup Crew. By using advanced technology, the Brotherhood has been able to protect its members’ identities by breaking into and disarming some of the Crew’s databases so members do not necessarily have to undergo the extreme measures of plastic surgery and brain washing. Brothers know who they used to be but for one reason or another, they have to forsake their former lives. Most have no family. Those who do are forced to stay away from them for their own protection. Rumors suggest that one of the most influential members of the Inner Circle is an elderly gentleman with considerable influence and knowledge about the organization. His name is Anton Sorcis. Few but his closest allies within the Inner Circle realize he has been with the Brotherhood since the 1300s. Even those who do know his history do not fully understand how he has kept himself alive all these years, but they assume it has something to do with his understanding of ancient magic. Dr. Sorcis, as he is known today, became a wealthy dealer of antiquities over the years and an acknowledged scholar. Some say he uses his personal wealth to serve as the benefactor of a newer organization — a media firm known as the Unredacted Truth — as another effort to help enlighten the masses.

Incorporating the Brotherhood The Brotherhood may enter the game in many different capacities. They may intercede to help the PCs outwit the Crew. They often use contractors to complete more mundane tasks and may hire the PCs to help find a relic or artifact. If they seem worthy, the PCs could be invited to become initiates. They avoid direct confrontation with the Cleanup Crew when they can because they simply do not have the numbers for a full-scale war but they can easily

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use espionage, hacking, and other forms of subterfuge to foil their efforts.

sary. Many inquisitors operate as lone soldiers, traveling the countryside as their original counterparts did bringing an end to evil when they find it.

Inquisitors

Members

During the middle ages, the Church utilized Inquisitors under the direction of the Order. The Inquisition attempted to eliminate all of the paranormals who were the results of bastardized bloodlines because they were seen as a threat. As the bloodlines weakened over time and paranormal occurrences became less and less noticeable, Inquisitors were phased out of the public eye. Members of these sects began to see the shadows of heresy within the Church. They were being sent to eradicate people with unusual powers, but the Church was promoting their own with similar ‘gifts’. The Inquisitors realized that their task was not yet complete, so they withdrew and formed their own secret society — operating within the shadows. Some Church leaders continued to see the need and value of the Inquisitors to maintain the Church’s purity. Though they do not exist on any public documents, some sects and orders maintain connections with members of the clergy. The modern Church does not publicly acknowledge the physical forms of evil. They gave up the rites of exorcism decades ago; but those who have seen evil first hand know that it still has a purpose. The first generation of Inquisitors were men and women who withdrew from religious orders, including the military orders, and formed their own cloisters. The level of secrecy required for them to pursue their task effectively mandated that they abandon their vows of chastity and marry to produce the next generation of warriors. Their offspring are trained from infancy for the monumental battle that lies ahead. During the past five centuries, the Inquisitors have scattered, establishing cloisters throughout the world. Some masquerade as survivalists, others simply seek a desolate location where they can pursue their training. There is no regular assembly of representatives from the scattered cloisters; however, there are communication networks that can assemble the splinter groups if neces-

Most members of the Inquisitors were born into a cloister. Orphans whose families were murdered by the forces of darkness are taken in and given purpose. Scholars and the clergy are also sought out to help lead the modern day warriors in their battle against evil, whether in the form of a vampire coven they wish to destroy or a Satanic cult that must be stopped from bringing a demon from another plane into our own. In addition to those who basically act as commandos, fighting in the trenches against the forces of darkness, and the Priests who help to direct them and who call upon their own powers for good to assist, the Inquisitors also call upon specialists with technology, computer forensics, and investigation backgrounds. Self-styled Inquisitors are becoming more and more common. These groups of amateur, self-appointed witch and vampire hunters usually form as radical splinters from an established cloister or form without knowledge of the true Inquisitors. These groups have similar goals to those of the Inquisitors but their means may be more drastic or overt. The Inquisitors see these groups as dangerous nuisances who get in the way. They believe the self-styled Inquisitors to be rank amateurs who should stay out of the way before they get themselves or somebody else hurt. Inquisitors avoid using violence against normal humans, but if necessary, they will attack with deadly force. Against nonhuman threats, the Inquisitors are swift, lethal and merciless. Their arsenal has changed over time and now includes a full range of electronics and other gadgets, such as grenades with silver shrapnel, crossbow bolts that release holy water when they strike a target and electromagnetic field generators that can interfere with the use of some paranormal abilities.

Incorporating Inquisitors The PCs could be part of a recognized or rogue Inquisitor group if their background and circumstances allow. They could also find themselves following a series of clues in the

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form of dead bodies left behind in the wake of a group of Inquisitors as they work their way through high society eliminating paranormals who have infiltrated human culture to hide their perverse deeds. If PCs are part of an Inquisitor group, they may be contacted for assistance by local clergy who discover the presence of Evil when the Church cannot publicly be associated with whatever has to occur. They could receive assistance from an established Inquisitor group in the form of weapons, supplies, and intelligence.

Cult of the Banished Some of the more overtly cruel and sadistic paranormals were banished from Earth by the ancient bloodlines. Their thirst for human spiritual energy was immense. They took many forms. They were too strong to be destroyed outright so they were sent into an alternate dimension. When they were being pushed out of Europe, many made their way to Central and South America among some of the tribes that practiced human sacrifice. Some of the more common instances include horned creatures that take the form of demons. The media typically lumps all of these groups together under the term “Satanic cults” though they may worship many different entities. Instead of the Judeo-Christian perspective of Satan or demons, the cult may worship a god from ancient Egypt, India, or even the Sumerian pantheon. Like most cults, they use fear and promises of power to attract followers. Often, the group leader may have been born with the ability to hear messages from the alternate dimensions. The more clever Banished have found ways to communicate. People who are weak and starved for power are often eager to believe their promises of power and control. They are instructed to assemble a flock of spiritually lost people to do their bidding. The Banished want to return to Earth to begin satisfy their unnatural hunger for human souls again and exact their revenge against those who sent them away. They can only succeed in returning to Earth if they can coerce or trick people to open the gate that allows for their safe passage. These gates are protected with very strong psychic energy. They can only be opened with extensive rituals and

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through the sacrifice of high levels of human spiritual energy — the kind that is harnessed through sacrifice. Spiritual energy is strongest when people are younger and less tainted by the world. Virgins are also desirable because they have yet to share their energy. This is one of the reasons so many children go missing every day.

Members The Cult of the Banished refers to many different groups. They share the same goal but are unlikely to want to share in the power. They have common beliefs about the Banished, and they may come together when needed for an exceptionally large ceremony, but they operate independently. The followers of the Banished have seen generations of their families put to death by the Inquisitors. They do not practice their faith in public. They have spread out across the world and often settle in rural areas where they are able to worship in secret. Each cult operates under the leadership of a high priestess or priest who has the gift of communion with the banished. The leader may have other paranormal abilities or skills. A few of the other members could have skills as well but they will be less powerful and are more likely being training to utilize their power. Some of these cults have existed for generations. Members are everyone from farmers to police officers. They continue to operate because they have become very good at hiding their practices.

Incorporating the Cult of the Banished Cults are popular topics for many movies, books, and tabloid headlines. They could be the common factor behind a series of disappearances or child abductions near the equinox. One of the PCs or a member of their family could be the target for the next sacrifice. The PCs could get suspicious and find themselves eating dinner at the local diner only to black out and wake up in an abandoned barn, naked and covered in blood with the bodies of three of the missing girls lying in the center of the room. Satanic symbols have been carved into their chests. Are those police sirens they hear in the distance?

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Atypical Crimes Taskforce, Homeland Security In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security was created as an umbrella organization to assist with issues of domestic protection in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. They manage a number of federal agencies including Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and a number of others. They also work in concert with other federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) — which includes the Center for Disease Control (CDC) — to prepare for disasters and to protect against domestic terrorism including cyber crimes, biological attacks, and other national security concerns. In 2008, Homeland Security created a cross-agency taskforce to investigate crimes which fail to follow the typical patterns of criminal activity. These activities represent a form of domestic or externally motivated terrorism. The government was prohibited from utilizing terms like "paranormal" or "occult" so they have adopted "Atypical". The Atypical Crimes Taskforce (ACT) is composed of members who are on loan from various federal agencies, including the military. They have at their disposal experts from the academic community and private sector research organizations. They work in cooperation with similar agencies which have sprung up across the globe in various countries. The Order maintains a close eye on the actions of the ACT to ensure that they do not interfere with their actions. Cleanup Crew agents are known to infiltrate the ACT as needed and may actively thwart their investigations. Sensitive situations have required political intervention to attempt to change the direction of the ACT investigations. Though they are part of the government and they are just as fallible to being infiltrated by the Crew as anything else, most of the ACT staff believe that they operate independently and will push back against any perceived threats to their completion of their mission.

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Members The taskforce can call on agents from any of the federal law enforcement groups, the military, and even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when necessary to support issues related to biological attacks. The CIA are brought in if international connections are suspected. There may be more than one taskforce operating at a time. They are organized to investigate particular types of activities or a particular event or case. Taskforce members may rotate in and out of the group. They are provided “on loan” from their home agency for a specified period of time or for the duration of a particular case. Most ACT members are special agents or field investigators, though they are known to also bring in other experts as needed. They draw upon the other agencies if they need an armed response unit for a raid or anything dramatic. Most of the work of the ACT members is investigative. For domestic issues, Homeland Security has the authority to intercede on behalf of the ACT to ensure they have jurisdiction over appropriate investigations. They can effectively take over from local law enforcement and in most cases even take over from other federal agencies if the case falls within their purview. ACT is headed by a director who is a senior staff official and not a political appointee, though they are selected from the pool of available and interested candidates by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. This helps to ensure that the ACT director has sufficient field experience to manage these types of agents and enough political background to coordinate efforts with the other official agencies.

Incorporating the Atypical Crimes Taskforce The ACT can serve as a vehicle for bringing the PCs together and identifying a situation for them to investigate and resolve. PCs could be agents or investigators from a variety of different backgrounds, who are assigned to the Taskforce. As new cases are identified, the team could be sent on ongoing, episodic investigations. If the PCs are taskforce members, they will have access to case files and

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intelligence about the investigations, as well as access to other resources and equipment needed to complete their assigned tasks. The political nature of the ACT as a part of the government also invites additional elements of secret and hidden agendas. The Cleanup Crew and the Order itself are known to interfere in their work. If PCs are local law enforcement officers, journalists, or private investigators, they could encounter members of the ACT who may attempt to force them out of the investigation — at least officially.

platform to present their findings is causing their reputation to creep up slowly. They also have a dedicated following from people others may consider to be on the fringe because of their belief in conspiracy theories and other things that may be considered unorthodox. While the organization is very secretive about where their funds come from, it is commonly accepted that they are privately financed and given their rapid growth, funding must be more than adequate. Rumors persist that noted scholar and antiquities dealer Dr. Anton Sorcis may be supporting their organization.

Members

The Unredacted Truth In an age where the media is easily manipulated by the powers that be, and the masses are easily manipulated by the media, one bastion of hope is rising from the ashes of fake news, half-truths, alternative facts, and government cover-ups. The Unredacted Truth (TUT or simply “the Truth”) is a news organization that caters to the masses through as many unfiltered avenues as possible. They operate a number of independent video and audio news shows, websites, and small newspapers and magazines. Their mission is to provide the truth — no matter how much it differs from the mainstream media’s version. This causes them to appear to fall somewhere between the larger news agencies and the tabloids. The Truth is privately funded by a reclusive billionaire benefactor and they raise funds independently. All of the videos and articles they produce is available completely free to the public. They do not maintain a physical headquarters because of security concerns, and their reporters and other staff are highly mobile and distributed across the world. In the past few years to help gain additional credibility, the Truth has funded a number of research projects from respected members of the scientific community to debunk some of the misinformation that has been spread by mainstream media, government, and religion. Though they are still far from being considered a household word or having the same esteem as the major cable news networks, efforts to provide experts in the field an unfiltered

The Unredacted Truth employs journalists and scientific, military, and political experts to create and deliver its message. They have teams of camera operators, web designers, editors, and other support staff to turn stories from the field into headlines in a matter of minutes. Most of their employees are investigative journalists with specialties in one or more areas. The organization is headed by an Editor-in-Chief and a series of division desk level editors who make story assignments. The current Editor in Chief is a senior journalist named Walter Williams. Williams has served a variety of news organizations in correspondent roles and has extensive contacts in the journalism world. His name and face have been a household name during pivotal times of national crisis and he continues to lend credibility to the organization despite efforts from the mainstream media and the Cleanup Crew to discredit him.

Incorporating the Unredacted Truth Journalists, ghost hunters, and research scientists are all equally at home at the Truth. PCs could be anyone looking into paranormal cases or trying to uncover the government cover-ups to report the real truth. They could easily look for opportunities to report on the efforts of the ACT or other law enforcement groups to connect characters from different organizations. The example adventure The House on Dolley Hill includes a crew of ghost investigators from the Truth.

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Just about anything or anyone can be encountered in DLB. The Game Host decides what is logical to include in a given scenario. The following examples provide game stats and descriptions for some unusual creatures that can serve as a starting point. Game Hosts should tweak and build upon these to keep their games from becoming predictable. By creating your own encounters, you can avoid all those preconceived notions of how to get rid of typical monsters. Encounters do not always have to be antagonistic. Depending upon the situation, some could be helpful. Others may try to help but…

Creating Encounters During the process of designing a scenario, the Game Host decides what kinds of creatures and NPCs will be encountered, as well as how they function in the game, how powerful they will be compared to the PCs, and how they may be overcome. Game Hosts are not compelled to use the same guidelines for creating NPCs that players use for creating PCs, but it can help you to get a sense of balance. They may possess any number of paranormal traits, including original ones. The Game Host chapter provides tips about creating NPCs, villains, and other encounters. Major antagonists should be tougher than normal Player Characters. They should have some weaknesses that will eventually do them in, but their downfall should provide an entertaining challenge to the PCs. Minor antago-

nists (such as a group of henchmen) should be only moderately difficult to beat; after all, the primary goal is the major villain, and it won’t be as much fun if all the PCs die before they reach the major climax in the story. There are two methods for controlling the ease with which an encounter can be won: controlling the strength or power of the creature; and varying the number of creatures encountered. The general toughness of an NPC can be estimated by examining all of his traits. The stronger their attacks or the greater the number of paranormal abilities will make a creature harder to overcome. Other factors can include the severity of wounds they can cause, how quickly they can knock the PCs out of commission, and the likelihood that the PCs can figure out how to destroy them. Not all creatures can be, killed with regular attacks. Players should be encouraged to play smart. We use standard D6xD6 stat blocks to describe these example creatures. If you pick up any other D6xD6 adventures or settings, you should be able to grab those creatures and use them in DLB without any major changes.

Example Creatures For each of these examples, a physical description and game statistics are provided for their attributes, skills, and any special abilities or weaknesses they may possess. If the entity is driven by a special motivation or obsession, it will

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be described along with personality profiles for the intelligent creatures. The Game Host chapter provides example game statistics for normal animals and general types of NPCs that may be encountered.

Aliens, Mutants and Engineered Creatures Welcome to the modern world. Technology and genetics have opened the proverbial Pandora’s Box of horrors through DNA engineering and cybernetics. If it is possible for some scientist to do something, he will do it out of curiosity and hubris or with all good intentions - but we all know what road is paved with those, eh? Engineered creatures may be bizarre hybrids of different animal species or normal creatures with strange or unusual abilities. Imagine a wolf with a rattlesnake’s venom or an intelligent flesh-eating amoeba or human-alien hybrids? For years, people have claimed that they were abducted by aliens and had medical procedures performed. Are the abductors alien anthropologists or human geneticists working on a secret project? Monsters from beyond our galaxy can also serve as terrifying antagonists. There are countless movies and books about alien invasions and the devastation that follows. Who knows what draws these extraterrestrials to Earth? It could be their curiosity in a less-evolved species or perhaps they are looking for hospitable worlds - particularly planets with abundant food sources (like humans - YIKES!).

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Brain-Sucking Aliens Name: N/A. Gender & Age: Not Obvious. Attributes: Focused Will+; Unfamiliar Grace. Skills: Focused Mental Force+, Telepathy, Climbing, Sneaking, Brain Sucking (Hit); Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action. Toughness: N/A. Number: 2 to 5. Special Abilities: They use psychic energy to put their targets into an unconscious state (Sleep) so they can suck out their memories and brain matter. They can also use their psychic powers to make their targets forget it ever occurred. Focus: 6

In keeping with their spine-chilling name, these humanoids are quite as repulsive as they are scary. They stand 7' tall with lean, muscular bodies. Their brains are huge, covered by a thick, protective skin instead of a skull so the ridges and shapes are visible. A cluster of spider-like eyes, fingers tipped with long, razor-sharp claws, and a greenish -grey skin tone complete their unnerving appearance. They give off a noxious odor, which smells like a mixture of sour milk and rotting meat that is generated during the brain-sucking process. The odor can linger on their victims and at the site of their brain-feast for up to three hours. Brain-Sucking Aliens come from a distant world with a high level of technology that evolved from roots similar to our own. As such, they can master all but the most difficult examples of human technology with ease. They use telepathy to communicate with each other. Since they only recognize creatures with telepathy as sentient, they consider humans to be primitive and unevolved. Characters with telepathy may attempt to communicate, but it will be difficult (formidable). If successful, the alien may judge the individual to be worthy of further study... and thus abduct him as an experimental specimen. Their culture has a hive mind due to the telepathy so it is virtually impossible to do something to one without the others knowing. Their mental abilities have evolved considerably and they crave stimulation. This is why they

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journey to seek out other species so they can drain their minds while absorbing their memories and emotions. When an alien subdues its victim, it extends a long grey appendage out of its mouth which enters the target through the ear or nose. If successful, it begins draining the character’s memories along with his grey matter. It will start with recent memories first. For every additional success level, the alien absorbs another week of the character’s memories. The process takes about 5 minutes. If it is performed for more than a half hour, the target’s brain is literally drained to the point it dies and the character's skull literally caves in on itself as the alien makes a slurping sound akin to the one you make when your fountain soda runs out.

Cybernetic Assassin (XCM-26-6 Prototype C) Name: Candy. Gender & Age: Female, 25. Attributes: Focused Brawn+, Grace+; Unfamiliar None. Skills: Focused Athletics, Seduction, Hand-to-Hand Combat,+ Driving, Hacking+; Unfocused None. L ife: Graze x5. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 2. Number: 1. Special Abilities: 2-point penalty on attempts to surprise these creatures due to their arrays of sensors. They use their hands, legs and thighs to crush characters or items (Wound). They are immune to psychic attacks. Focus: 6

The XCM-26-6 Prototype C is the latest cybernetic automaton from the New England Research and Development Corporation. The latest version is virtually impossible to distinguish from a normal human. Candy can take on the role of any persona and easily seduce most targets. Even during sex, the target is likely to have no idea she is anything less than 100% human. Everything this unit hears and sees is transmitted back to a base computer. The Cleanup Crew has used these to put people in awkward

situations so they could blackmail them or ruin their credibility with the video footage. Candy, like her predecessors, was designed to be a soldier or assassin with all of the expected skills. Additional skills can be downloaded on the fly as needed from the host. For every new skill downloaded, an existing skill must be eliminated. She is programmed with knowledge of the weaknesses of all known modern weaponry, as well as the vulnerable areas of humans and other living creatures. This unit is tethered to a host computer. She can act independently but functions more slowly (all tasks will be Difficult) if someone jams the transmissions or if she is deep underground where the signal cannot reach her. Though Candy is adept at using most weapons, the preferred method of killing is to grab a character and either break their neck or crush the victim’s skull (Wound).

Flesh Eating Bacteria Colony (XBE-11-7) Name: N/A. Gender & Age: N/A. Attributes: Focused Grace; Unfamiliar Wits. Skills: Focused Climbing, Evade, Engulf (Hit), Divide; Unfocused Acidic Touch (Hit). L ife: Normal. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 (colony). Special Abilities: The colony is able to engulf a creature by covering it completely. For every turn the target is engulfed, it suffers an additional damage level. The colony is able to divide into two parts during a turn and each part can act independently at full strength. Due to their gelatinous nature, they are immune to physical attacks. Every time they dissolve and absorb a person-sized creature, they gain a 1-point bonus to all actions. These accumulate over time. Focus: 5

The XBE-11-7 was created by a top secret biological weapons project. The scientists ultimately determined that it was too uncontrollable, so they ended the research project

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and destroyed the remaining samples… or so they thought. The Cleanup Crew had other ideas. They confiscated a sample for research purposes and are keeping it in a tightly guarded facility. XBE-11-7 appears as a dark, viscous blob. A typical mass could fit into a gallon-sized container. The bacteria is largely composed of water and must stay in or near moisture to keep from breaking down. The individual bacteria collect to form a colony. As the colony grows in size, it develops a collective intelligence. The collective moves by “oozing” across a surface or through water. It can also provide enough momentum to extend a strand of itself, but these are not very controlled actions. Colonies are very sensitive to sound waves and can detect physical movement and even minor air disturbances. As the colony grows, it becomes more intelligent and will seek out food sources.

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Once the bacteria makes contact with a living creature, it begins breaking down the creature’s flesh and absorbing it. The process is relatively quick. If a character witnessed it, he might think the colony was an acid. A foglike smoke rises from the victims as their bodily fluids are released and their flesh slowly disintegrates. As the colony devours the flesh, its cells split and the bacteria replicates itself, increasing the size of the colony. As the size of this mass increases, it becomes better at everything. It gets a 1bonus on all rolls for each person or person-sized creature it has devoured. Unless it is disturbed during feeding, a colony will devour all of the living tissue from the body of its victim. The only thing left behind will be a fully-clothed skeleton. Physical weapons are useless against the gelatinous mass, but the colony is susceptible to fire and electrical attacks. If the colony is deprived of moisture, it accrues a

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damage level for every hour it is away from moisture. Exposure to freezing temperatures also causes damage (Hit). Fire causes serious damage (Wound). Just as it stops short of eating actual skeletons, it can be neutralized temporarily in liquids with high levels of calcium like cow’s milk.

Greys Name: Anything except Christian, Dorian, or Meredith. Gender & Age: Male or Female; Age not obvious. Attributes: Focused Will, Wits+; Unfamiliar Brawn. Skills: Focused Telepathy+, Telekinesis, Mental Force, Command, Sleep; Unfocused Electronics, Sneaking. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 2 - 4. Special Abilities: Greys are extremely perceptive and have highly tuned senses so there is a 3-point penalty on attempts to surprise them. Focus: 6

Greys have been visiting Earth for millions of years. The ones that crashed in Roswell, New Mexico and the others people may encounter are essentially genetically engineered servants to an even more advanced master alien race. They were created as drones to collect and analyze information and tissue samples from humans and other creatures. Their primary objective is to evaluate the changes in Earth and her people over time. They could be encountered attempting to recover alien artifacts or in their efforts to intervene in the lives of humans. The creatures themselves are not much of a physical threat. Their brains and psychic powers have evolved, and they can control the minds of most humans and animals. They are not usually violent. Instead they prefer to erase the memories of the humans who they encounter instead of having an altercation.

Vines, Carnivorous Name: N/A. Gender & Age: N/A. Attributes: Focused Grace; Unfamiliar Will. Skills: Focused Climbing, Stealth, Entangle, Shoot Pollen, Blood Drain; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: Shooting pollen up to 2 meters which acts as a sedative unless the target makes an Athletics or Will roll. If affected, the victim suffers psyche damage (Hit) and begins feeling disoriented. Every minute, the character accumulates another level of psyche damage until they are knocked out. The effect wears off in one hour. The vines can entangle a victim inflicting minor damage (Graze) but rendering the character unable to move their legs with one success level, or both their arms and legs with two or more success levels. Once a character is entangled, the vine drives small roots into their flesh and drains their blood at the rate of one damage level per combat turn. For every person-sized creature they drain, they will grow and gain a 1-point bonus on subsequent rolls. Damage from fire related attacks does two additional damage levels. Focus: 6

These mutant plants live on the blood of the living. Much like the venus flytrap and other predatory plants, it has attractive flowers that often attract unsuspecting victims to investigate further. Its pollen has a sedative effect which allows the vines to engulf and consume a victim. Once it senses changes in light and vibrations from someone approaching, it can release pollen into the air in that direction from one of its large flowers. The pollen has a sedative quality that renders the target delirious before falling to sleep. They use the blood and life force they drain to regenerate any damage they have received, as well as to rapidly grow. The vines can cover a large area and are capable of moving along the ground, through the trees, and over most fences, walls, or other obstacles. They cannot live in

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water. Fire does normal damage, but they avoid it and tend to move away from extreme heat or extreme cold.

Paranormal Creatures Virtually every world religion believes in some sort of spiritual plane or planes where gods and demons dwell and where human spirits go when they leave their physical husks. In DLB, an individual’s spirit may leave the body at death, but that does not mean that it always escapes the temporal world. Bodies are also capable of acting as a vehicle for other spirits. If in life a character obtains the proper knowledge and conditions himself in the appropriate manner, his incorporeal self, his spirit if you will, may amass enough energy to maintain his physical body or at least maintain the illusion of what his body once was so that he may retain a physical form. Having a physical shell makes it easier for spirit creatures to manipulate things in the material world. Powerful spirits may inhabit the corpses of the dead or even possess the bodies of the living.

Some undead are not such by choice. They are forced into servitude or imprisoned by a much more powerful force that prevents them from completely moving on to the spiritual plane of existence. Existence for such a creature is one of misery and isolation. Others may not be ready or able to leave the physical world because of an unfinished task or goal that prevents them from being at peace with their former lives. It could be something such as insuring that the authorities catch the mugger who killed them or striking terror into the hearts of all those bastards in high school who made fun of them for playing role-playing games. Once the deed is complete and the entity feels at rest, it is free to move on. Some undead have no corporeal body and exist purely in a spiritual form. These creatures cannot be harmed by physical attacks. Consequently, they cannot attack in a physical form either, though powers such as telekinesis can allow them to use weapons that cause physical damage.

Banshees Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Unapparent. Attributes: Focused Brawn; Unfamiliar Will. Skills: Focused Seduction, Evade, Wail; Unfocused Telekinesis. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 - 4. Special Abilities: Their wail inflicts psyche damage (Hit). Affected characters must make a roll to avoid fleeing in terror. They have weaknesses to sunlight and mirrors (Wound plus an additional damage turn per turn of exposure). Banshees are immune to physical attacks. Focus: 4

Banshees were self-centered and arrogant in life. Instead of moving on to the spiritual plane, they prefer to torture the living because they feel cheated because they were taken from the world of the living too early. Essentially, one could say that they mourn for themselves. Their hallmark manifestation is a hideous, bloodcurdling wail in the night that brings the bravest of souls trembling to their knees in terror. Banshees are usually associated with a physical lo-

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cation, typically a place the person frequented when he was alive or possibly even the site of his or her death. From a distance, they appear as beautiful men or women, but a closer examination reveals their corrupt nature. They do not have a physical form and cannot be harmed by physical attacks. Mirrors and sunlight are two of their weaknesses. Their vanity causes them to begin withering when they are forced or tricked to look into a mirror. Sunlight also rapidly drains their energy.

No physical attacks can affect an area of dead nature. It cannot be frozen or burned out. There is no biological/ material cause of the activity; rather it is the undead spirit of the land. Dead nature can be halted through exorcism of the central, original, manifestation point accompanied by restitution in the form of cleaning up the dump site. There may be other means of placating the offended spirit, such as the death of the responsible party. In any case, assuming the destruction is dispelled, the damage done by the spirit must heal naturally over time.

Dead Nature Name: N/A. Gender & Age: N/A. Attributes: Focused Brawn; Unfamiliar Will. Skills: Focused Fear, Corrupt Nature; Unfocused None. L ife: N/A. Speed: N/A. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1. Special Abilities: They generate intense negative feeling that result in most creatures and characters fleeing (Fear) unless they make an appropriate skill, occupation, or Will roll. Focus: 3

Dead Nature is a form of supernatural creeping destruction which afflicts plant-life. Its point of origin is usually where some environmental outrage has occurred, such as a toxic dump. In its initial stage, dead nature appears to simply be collateral damage from a dump site or a chemical spill: a circular area of withered, rotting vegetation. The area expands at an astonishing rate; the diameter of the affected place doubles in size every 24 hours. If the initial circle of death is 10 feet in diameter, the next day it will be 20 feet; the third day it will be 40 feet, and so forth. Any sort of vegetation in the zone dies instantly. Animals in the vicinity flee in terror, often displacing wild animals into populated areas. Carnivores are especially dangerous because they instinctively feel threatened and become more aggressive. If the perimeter of dead nature enters a civilized area, terrible things begin to happen: all produce rots within 24 hours; canned and frozen vegetables become rancid; trees die and fall; structures made of wood and other natural, organic materials rot and collapse in upon themselves, and so forth.

Demon, Lesser Name: Kharnos. Gender & Age: Male, Appears Middle-Aged. Attributes: Focused Brawn+, Grace; Unfocused None. Skills: Focused Command, Regenerate, Drain Life, Athletics, Seduction++, Hand-to-Hand Combat; Unfocused Possession, Phantasm. L ife: Graze x4. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 2. Number: 1. Special Abilities: He regenerates physical damage at the rate of one level per turn. Regardless of the body he inhabits, it will display exceptional strength (2 additional damage levels for hand-tohand combat), speed, and toughness. Silver weapons inflict an additional damage level. Though the spiritual entity is immortal, the physical body may be destroyed. If so, the life force will be free to choose another to inhabit (possess). He can be exorcised and sent back to his plane but he is resistant to most paranormal attacks (3-point penalty). Focus: 6

Kharnos is one of many lesser demons who was banished to another plane millennia ago. He is eager to return to our world where he is considered formidable by human standards. He is considered weak in his own plane, and therefore wishes to return to Earth where he will be able to exert his will and subjugate those who are weaker. He gains power by absorbing the life force of those who are sacrificed. He will stop at nothing to get the most potent victims — those who are pure of heart and without the taint of evil. He prefers the sacrifice of young children.

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Kharnos can only be brought in physical form through an ornate ritual that culminates with the sacrifice of twelve mortals and the offering of a thirteenth which will become his physical host when he crosses the dimensions. When he possesses the thirteenth body, it will twist and contort, stretching to a height of 8’ with red skin, rippling muscles, large horns, venomous fangs and long, sharp claws. His physical presence is enough to make the stouthearted quiver in fear. In return for his summoning and the sacrifice of victims in his name, Kharnos rewards his followers by manipulating events and granting enhanced abilities and special powers to those who remain true. He promises that those who die in his service will be reborn on the other side as powerful, demonic warriors who will help him conquer the world of the living. Of course he's lying, but they don't know that. He really steals their souls, bolstering his power on both sides of the dimensional gate. He cannot be destroyed in the material world. At best, he can be sent back to his own dimension. Some ancient texts describe rites and processes that can contain and imprison such a creature, preventing him from doing additional harm.

Fright Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Unapparent. Attributes: Focused Brawn; Unfamiliar Will. Skills: Focused Fear, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Invisible, Phantasm; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 - 4. Special Abilities: They attempt to inflict fear initially (Hit plus one additional level of psyche damage per success level) in their victims. Any psyche damage caused is absorbed by the fright to improve its own Psyche Level. Focus: 6

Frights are spiritual entities which feed off terror. They tend to inhabit spooky places such as old castles, sewers, cemeteries, abandoned buildings, and the occasional gas station bathroom.

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Initially, Frights are weak and almost entirely passive. They have no corporeal form so they are completely invisible and functionally considered to be knockout for penalty purposes. They will initially attempt fear attacks. For every level of psyche damage they inflict of Fear, they gain a damage level back, becoming stronger and stronger. They will begin attempting to scare the characters with phantasms and telekinesis. They may use telepathy to speak to one or more of the characters. A successful exorcism can release a fright from this world and banish him to the spiritual plane. As they have no physical form, only psyche damage can make them relent.

Ghoul Name: Unimportant. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Varies. Attributes: Focused Grace; Unfamiliar Wits. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Scratch (Stun), Fear, Regenerate, Athletics; Unfocused None. L ife: Graze x2. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 - 4. Special Abilities: They regenerate the damage they receive from wounds by eating flesh from their victims at the rate of one damage level for every two inflicted. Weakness to sunlight and fire (exposure increases their Damage Level by two per turn of exposure). Focus: 6

consume its by-products. They can be Exorcised by the appropriate means, but with some difficulty (formidable). V iral Ghouls have the same statistical abilities as spiritual ghouls, except the animating principle is a virus instead of an undead spirit. The origin of the virus is purported to be extraterrestrial, though some reports reveal that a biological warfare facility in California released it by accident during an earthquake. Viral ghouls are immune to exorcism.

Ghost Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Varies. Attributes: Focused Will; Unfamiliar Brawn. Skills: Focused Fear, Telekinesis, Telepathy; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: They may attempt to inflict Fear initially (Hit damage to Psyche Level plus one additional level per success level). Ghosts are immune to physical attacks. They are naturally invisible unless they choose to take a form and are not constrained by walls, floors, or other physical structures. Focus: 4

Ghouls are animated corpses akin to zombies, except that the energy of the ghoul-spirit that possesses the body warps the host, giving it claws and fangs, glowing red eyes and an insatiable lust for human blood. They are exceptionally fast and act more like rabid animals than the humans they once were. Ghouls require relatively fresh meat, especially human meat, in order to remain animated. However, unlike zombies, the flesh of the ghoul does not continue to decompose at a normal rate. They regenerate damage as they snack on their victims except damage from sunlight and fire, which are permanent and can never be healed. The ghoul spirit is neither sentient nor intelligent, but it is purposeful, driven by the desire to destroy life and

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Ghosts are incorporeal spirits who remain among the world of the living to complete a task or because they have been imprisoned. They can be benevolent, ambivalent or malicious depending upon their individual motives for remaining in this world and their general personalities. Since ghosts have no true corporeal form, their translucent figures can be quite striking and most humans are instinctively afraid of them. They may use their sheer force of will to manipulate objects through telekinesis. If spirits choose, they may manipulate their visible appearance to the point that they become quite grotesque, striking fear into young and old alike. They may be exorcised and sent into the spirit realm. They can receive psyche damage from psychic types of attacks. Ghosts' abilities should vary based upon their reasons for existing in this world.

Implings Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female; Age Appears as an Infant. Attributes: Focused Grace; Unfamiliar Wits. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Claw (Stun), Climbing, Athletics; Unfocused Occult. L ife: Dies at Knockout. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: Due to their size and speed, they are difficult to hit (2point penalty to hand-to-hand and weapon attacks). Focus: 5

The name may sound cute but the creature is far from it. These lower level malevolent creatures come from one of the darker dimensions. They are typically summoned here to do the bidding of a demonic master or more powerful paranormal sorcerer. They must take on a physical form which approximates the size and shape of their bodies on their home world, so Implings usually possess the body of an infant or toddler. The psychic force of the creature distorts the body to something that more closely resembles their bodies in their home plane.

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They are often used to perform lesser tasks such as stealing small objects, sabotaging machines and surveillance. Implings have slimy pink skin. Their faces are scrunched together with pure black eyes and curved and razor-sharp teeth. Their hands and feet have tiny claws. They are very fast and their size helps them hide in small spaces. They are not particularly tough but due to their diminutive size and speed, they are difficult to hit with physical attacks and/or fired weapons. When they attack, they usually jump or drop on their victims and claw and bite them ferociously.

Liquidites Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Varies. Attributes: Focused Will, Grace++, Wits; Unfamiliar None. Skills: Focused Hand-to-Hand Combat, Languages (Multiple), History, Disguise, Shape Change; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: Liquidites are able to completely change their appearance (clothing, etc. included) in 3 turns. Focus: 6

One of the most obscure entities that may be encountered is the Liquidite. This being has a gelatinous body and can change shape, becoming virtually anything they have encountered before from a toaster to your grandmother to something of their own design. The natural state of these creatures is a pool of yellow slime that has roughly the same mass as a human. They are adept at shifting their shape and can complete the metamorphosis in three turns. They are able to adjust the density of their cells so they can appear to be something larger or smaller. Due to their consistency, physical attacks do not affect them at all. Bullets, blades, and fists slide right through them. They are immune to the effects of fire but cold slows their actions to once every other turn. Cold causes them to

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receive a level of damage each turn until they reach knockout, when they basically freeze in place. Liquidites can change part of their body into a physical, non-projectile weapon (blades, clubs etc.) and they are also fully capable of using human weapons too. Nobody really knows where these creatures originated or if they are even of this world. They are very intelligent and can learn many skills over the lives they choose to live, but their mass can only absorb so many memories so each only recalls the last 100 years of stimulation.

Mummy Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Ancient. Attributes: Focused Will+; Unfamiliar Grace. Skills: Focused Fear, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Languages (Egyptian); Unfocused None. L ife: Normal. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: Fire inflicts two extra damage levels. Focus: 4

Most of the mummies you see in museums are completely harmless corpses preserved for thousands of years using ancient techniques. They were originally embalmed to preserve the bodies so that they could survive the trip to the spirit realm. Over the eons, a few of these spirits have returned using powerful magic. They search for their ancient bodies, only to discover their tombs looted and their loved ones’ bodies placed on public display. Some may simply become angered and wreak havoc as a mummified corpse. Others may collect the components necessary to conduct a ceremony to rejuvenate their bodies. Some rather powerful adepts are rumored to have preserved these secrets, but no one knows where such people congregate. Mummies are often animated by someone who uses them to do their bidding such as a priest from a cult that practices the dark arts or an ancient, powerful sorcerer or lich.

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Mummy Lich Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age Ancient. Attributes: Focused Will++, Wits; Unfocused Grace. Skills: Focused Fear, Languages (Egyptian), Occult, Animate; Unfocused Command+, Animal Telepathy, History (ancient), Resurrect, Curse. Life: Normal (dies at Psyche Kill damage level). S peed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1. Special Abilities: These priests and priestesses are able to animate mummified bodies or creatures. Physical attacks appear to do discernible damage, but have no real effect. Focus: 5

These ancient priests and priestesses were able to preserve their life force after death with the intention of returning to complete a task. They have the power to animate mummies to do their bidding and can even resurrect the dead through ancient rituals. Many are motivated by Earthly obsessions such as their desire for power or to bring the body of a forbidden lover to the world of the living. They are truly obsessed with their plan and will do anything they can to see it through. They may also have the ability to animate sculptures and call upon swarms of beetles, scorpions, and snakes to do their bidding.

Possession, Mass Name: N/A. Gender & Age: N/A. Attributes: Varies. Skills: Varies. L ife: Varies. Speed: Varies. Toughness: Varies. Number: Large group. Special Abilities: N/A. Focus: Varies

A mass possession occurs when the drive to seek revenge is unleashed when someone dies. The spirit’s dark desire outweighs the other aspects of the person’s humanity, and the end result is an animal-like entity that lacks real intelligence. It is obsessed with destroying the person or persons

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responsible for its demise. Since it has no physical form, the spirit acquires one in the form of a pack of animals or swarm of insects. The pack of animals can be of nearly any sort: a flock of crows, a herd of swine, a horde of rats, a swarm of bees, etc. The possessed animals seek out the intended victim(s) and attack senselessly, and without mercy, until all of the animals are dead or the revenge is satisfied. Game stats should reflect the characteristics of the creatures being possessed. The spiritual connection can be broken through Exorcism.

Succubus Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Female, Age appears to be mid-20s. Attributes: Focused Brawn, Grace; Unfamiliar Wits. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Scratch (Wound), Seduction++, Command, Drain Blood, Flying; Unfocused Athletics. L ife: Graze x3. Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1. Special Abilities: They regenerate the damage they receive from wounds by drinking the blood of their victims at the rate of one damage level for every two levels inflicted. Silver weapons inflict an additional damage level. They have wings which allow them to fly. Focus: 7

The Succubus is one of the oldest recorded paranormal creatures. It appears as a beautiful woman who is nearly impossible to resist. When angered or in need of nourishment, the Succubus changes into her true self: a large (7' tall), winged creature with horns, exaggerated feminine qualities, and vicious claws on her hands and feet. Her eyes glow like fire and her teeth become fangs. No matter how disgusting and vile she becomes, the subject of her seduction sees her only as the gorgeous woman he knew before the transformation. Succubi feed upon the blood of their victims. As the passion crescendos, her transformation occurs and her true demonic nature is revealed. Succubi must feed nightly or they receive a level of psyche damage. If they reach the kill level of psyche damage, they are expelled from this world leaving behind a bloody pile of human flesh.

Vampires, Average Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age appears as of when they originally died. Attributes: Focused Brawn+, Grace; Unfocused None. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Scratch (Hit), Command, Climbing, Athletics; Unfocused History, Occult. L ife: Graze x3. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 2. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: They regenerate the damage they receive from wounds by drinking the blood of their victims at the rate of one damage level for every level inflicted through a bite. Sunlight causes damage at the rate of three damage levels for every turn of exposure. Silver weapons inflict an additional damage level. They are able to climb walls and across ceilings. Vampires are immortal. A wooden stake or silver blade through the heart is the only way to prevent a vampire from regenerating. Focus: 6

Vampires are the most feared and often romanticized of all of the undead. They are embedded in popular culture, modern folklore and a lot of direct-to-video movies. The typical vampire is a formidable opponent. They tend to hide in plain sight during the hours of the evening. Unless a character has the sense paranormal skill, there is no reason he or she would suspect a vampire in human form to be anything but a normal person. When angered, wounded, or preparing to feed they shift their form. The raised forehead, long fangs, and extended claws all come out when needed. Classic fictional vampires can keep their existence a secret, because they retain their human form. They are dead but not in the classical sense of the term; their hearts still beat and blood still rushes through their veins but in order to maintain that form, they must drink the blood of the living. Older vampires may have large amounts of cash and other interesting things at their hideaways that they have accumulated over time. Vampires rarely kill anyone whose presence would be missed. Often, a Vampire will seduce a victim and feed throughout the night. In the morning, the Vampire is gone

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and his partner thinks it was just a kinky evening. Vampires who kill their victims often feed on the homeless, runaways, and wanderers. They are forced to be wanderers themselves. Since they do not age, they cannot stay anywhere for more than five or ten years before people start to become suspicious. They may have a number of human pets who help them find victims and protect them during the day.

Werewolf Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age varies. Attributes: Focused Brawn+, Grace; Unfamiliar Wits. Skills: Focused Bite (Stun), Claw (Wound), Athletics, Climbing; Unfocused None. L ife: Graze x5 (dies at Kill damage level but only remains dead when killed with a silver weapon). Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 2. Number: 1. Special Abilities: They regenerate at the rate of one damage level per hour of rest. In wolf form, a werewolf may appear to die from normal damage but they will recover. It may take until the next morning when they are in human form but all physical damage will slowly melt away. Silver weapons inflict an additional damage level and they are the only type of weapon which can permanently kill them. During the full moon they have an uncontrollable manifestation and have no control over the transformation into a wolf. Focus: 5

The werewolf legends describe humans who are able to assume the shape of a beast that mercilessly kills and feasts on the flesh of its victims. Their human bodies are overtaken by the spirit of a creature and under the light of a fullmoon they physically transform into a savage man-wolf. Most of these creatures exist because of genetic abnormalities that allow a virtually uncontrollable animal-like spirit to inhabit the bodies of humans and take control in certain situations. This works in favor of the human because it gives him some advantages he could not otherwise obtain, like regeneration. The downside is that the spiritual entity

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takes control periodically. The human host has no memory of anything that occurred, but he will notice that he begins healing much faster than normal and he has a strong aversion to silver. The stats above represent the creature in werewolf form. Stats for the character in human form would be their normal statistics with the exception of the addition of regeneration and a weakness to silver. If a werewolf or other were-creature attacks and injures a character with a bite or scratch, there is a chance that the victim will become infected and turn into a shapechanger inhabited by a creature similar to his attacker. The victim should make a Will or other appropriate roll to see if the virus takes hold. An infected character notices minimal changes until the first transformation occurs on the next full moon.

Zombies, Classic Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age varies. Attributes: Focused Will; Unfamiliar Grace, Wits. Skills: Focused Hand-to-Hand Combat, Manual Labor, Stealth, Tracking; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal (dies at Kill damage level). Speed: 1 action every other turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 or more. Special Abilities: Fire does double damage. Focus: 5

The original zombies were human corpses that were animated by a voodoo priest to perform routine tasks. They have only a marginal degree of intelligence, having been reduced to trainable creatures, and can only perform simple tasks like guarding an entrance or working in a field. While some may have trace or habitual memories of their living selves, most are simply obedient servants. Zombies do not have the mental faculties to maintain telepathic contact with their masters, so they are generally sent to perform duties for which little supervision is required. Since their bodies are decaying, these creatures are slower and weaker than they were when they were alive.

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They do not respond to social contact of any type and their appearance is gruesome enough to send most people running in terror. Zombies can use simple, basic weapons. They will attempt to follow orders until they are completely destroyed.

Zombies, Flesh Eating Name: Varies. Gender & Age: Male or Female, Age varies. Attributes: Focused Will; Unfamiliar Grace, Wits. Skills: Focused Bite (Hit), Scratch (Stun), Athletics, Tracking; Unfocused None. L ife: Normal (only dies when brain is destroyed). Speed: 1 action every other turn. Toughness: 1. Number: Many. Special Abilities: Fire does double damage. They naturally exude fear so characters encountering them the first time must make a roll or lose a turn. All bites result in infection with the zombie virus and characters must make a roll to avoid infection from a claw attack. They receive no penalties from physical damage and are immune to psychic attacks. Due to a heightened sense of smell, they can easily track the living. Focus: 5

A bacterial infection similar to rabies has turned humans into crazed, flesh-eating zombies when they die. The infection has no cure as far as we know. Any bite from one of these creatures will result in infection unless the affected body part can be removed immediately. These creatures have an unquenchable desire to eat human flesh. They have no fear and will continue to follow their prey until their way is blocked. Any weapon can be effective against a flesh eating zombie but since they feel no pain, they receive no penalties from physical damage levels. They have no psyche so psychic attacks are useless. They are reduced to an animal level of intelligence and are not capable of using tools or machines of any type. Their strength is in their numbers. While one or two can easily be outrun, ten or twenty can make escape challenging.

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Adventures establish the basic premise of the story, identify all of the other characters involved, and provide locations and events that are all integral to the plot. They should include as much or as little detail as the game host needs to effectively run a game session. No matter how much a game host prepares, sometimes the story has a way of taking on a life of its own. PCs may go to locations you did not plan on or describe. They might decide a character you mentioned in passing is important and want to engage more in the story line. They might miss major clues. Remember, RPGs are two-way, interactive narratives. Some improvisation is inevitable. Some of the most common elements of a DLB adventure include the following: x Non-Player Characters that the PCs are likely to encounter during an adventure including their descriptions as well as their basic occupation and characteristics. x Plots will describe what’s really going on. That may include what people think is going on as well as the actual truth of the events the characters become embroiled within during the game. x Scenes can describe locations as well as events. The examples provide scenes in a sequential order, but the PCs may change that order based on their choices during the game. x Timelines help to keep track of events that are at least somewhat independent of the PCs’ actions. They are often associated with the actions of NPCs who have

their own agenda or events that have been set into motion such as the likely path of exposure of a zombie virus. Two adventures are provided to serve as examples and to get your games started as quickly as possible.

The House on Dolley Hill The first example is a simple introduction to try out the mechanics and get players adjusted to playing DLB. Sample characters are included. The story revolves around members of a ghost hunting web show who investigate an old mansion with a sordid past. Of course, nothing is exactly as it seems. The characters will encounter real world types of issues like rotting floorboards as well as ghosts and something much worse.

The Façade The second example can be used to kick-off an episodic story arc about the Atypical Crimes Taskforce. Players develop their own characters for this game and immediately find themselves embroiled in a series of coverups where someone in their own organization seems to be hiding cases involving actual paranormal events. In the end they may encounter inquisitors as well as member of the Cleanup Crew – as well as what could be a vampire.

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The House on Dolley Hill The house appeared to be a relic of time and space. From a distance it looks like an antebellum plantation with ornate columns and large lush trees, some rich man’s folly. It was a plantation house built where no plantations had ever been — an anachronism constructed in some mad attempt to defy the South’s collapse. Closer inspection reveals overgrowth, rotting outbuildings, graffiti, and the telltale signs of a house collapsing upon itself with distorted roof lines and broken glass. It had a rich history and a wellknown owner marred by tragedy and shrouded in mystery. The rumors and stories were potent enough to have kept the property and all land adjacent to it abandoned and untouched for the better part of a century. The House on Dolley Hill is a relatively simple starter adventure for new Game Hosts and players. The storyline is easy to follow, and the game is ideal for people who are not familiar with the D6xD6 game mechanics. It is intended for three or four players plus the Game Host. It would be perfect for a band of ghost hunters from The Unredacted Truth, a group of high school students sent out on a dare, fraternity or sorority pledges have to spend the night as part of their initiation, or they could simply be a band of out-of-town friends who have come to investigate the property one of them just inherited. Four sample characters are provided at the end of the adventure; however, this can serve as a good opportunity to expose the players to the character creation process. Characters can easily be created in five or ten minutes. This adventure is intended for normal PCs without any especially strong paranormal types of abilities. The storyline is straightforward and the game should be easily completed in a single sitting.

Introduction The house itself is home to a few creepy crawlers: a couple of ghosts and a ghoul. There need not be that much com-

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bat in this adventure because it is more of a mystery that the players must solve in order to release the spirit of a murder victim who has been trapped in the house for over a hundred years.

The Ofæcial Story If the PCs do a little investigating, they can find the following information from the local library and town archives. A few web articles or research papers may provide a brief history as well. The town’s self-appointed archivist IdaMay Johnson, former editor of the town’s now defunct newspaper The Claversville Gazette, can provide the full history. Though not widely known, it should be easy enough to turn up the following story about the house.

The house was built in the late 1800s by a physician named Randolph Dolley. Dr. Dolley came from a family in New England with old money. Even though his family was wealthy enough to keep him out of the Civil War, he volunteered to enter the Army of the Republic as a field doctor. He was dedicated to medicine and felt that the war was where he could do the most good. During the war, the good doctor developed a love for the land and people of the South. He remained after the war to help with the efforts to rebuild the hospitals. He found a small town in the Appalachian foothills called Claversville, Georgia and built a large, pretentious house on a hill overlooking the town. For its day, the house was quite comfortable and came equipped with most of the amenities that the times could offer, including a water pump in the kitchen and a hot water heater for his personal bath. The only time anyone other than Dr. Dolley and his servants actually saw the inside of the house was right after it was built, and then again after Dolley’s body was found from an apparent suicide.

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Randolph Dolley was a recluse and chose not to socialize with the locals, not that he would have been welcome. The locals were relatively poor. Most lost much of what they had during the War Between the States at the hands of Yankees like the good doctor. Dolley’s expenditures of cash on what were perceived to be wasteful luxuries did little to endear him to the community. The Doctor never married and apparently cut himself off from ties with his family. Aside from a few instances when there was an emergency and the town doctor was nowhere to be found, Dolley did not practice medicine after the war. A few of the local townspeople who befriended him or his servants learned that he spent his time conducting medical research. One of the more notable things about his early years in the community is the fact that he was constantly receiving packages and shipments. Supposedly, he was working on a cure for some horrible affliction, but nobody ever really knew what it was. As passions about the Civil War cooled, Dr. Dolley was accepted as the town eccentric and lived more or less in peace until his suicide in 1918. Little more is recorded in the town archives about Dr. Dolley and the house has been uninhabited ever since.

The Truth In actuality, Dr. Dolley was a dedicated man of science, though his dedication turned into obsession under the heat and stress of war. He was a decorated field doctor who literally performed surgery around the clock in many instances... perhaps in too many instances. One night, the doctor saw through weary, blood-stained eyes the apparition which was to become the meaning of his existence for the rest of his years. While taking a deceased soldier to the primitive field morgue, Dr. Dolley spotted a grotesque looking human prowling among the bodies. The creature itself seemed to be the decaying corpse of a Union soldier, except, of course, it lived. Dolley hid and watched as the creature went from corpse to corpse. It came to a relatively intact body, and to Dr. Dolley’s horror, it began to feast upon the dead flesh. It made feral moaning sounds as it buried its teeth and fingernails obscenely into the cadaver. Initially, Dolley stared in shock, then his reaction vacillated between fear

and loathing, on the one hand, to amazement and curiosity on the other. His stomach eventually settled the argument and the doctor vomited. The noise startled the creature, which scurried away into the night. Dolley chose to keep what he saw to himself out of fear of being declared a madman. In fact, he questioned his own sanity. Perhaps he was working too much. The next day he took an inventory of the corpses before sunset, noting each body’s injuries and relative condition. The following morning, he checked them again. Something was indeed molesting the bodies of the slain soldiers. The bite and claw marks were too big to be animals. He continued taking inventory and discovered that the creature preferred fresh corpses to decaying bodies and that it visited regularly, at least once every week. The pattern of behavior established, Dolley ordered a young orderly to assist him in capturing the creature. Dolley relayed his theory that the creature was a soldier driven mad by the stresses of war who reverted to animal-like behavior. On the third night, Dolley and his assistant waited patiently. Sometime after midnight the thing arrived to pick apart the fresh arrivals. Afterwards, Dolley and the orderly followed it through the woods to a cave that was hidden between the roots of a massive oak. Breathless, the two men waited for daylight and crept inside. Once in the cave, they discovered a smooth, black, iron box roughly the size of a casket. It was unlike anything either had ever seen. The orderly was nervous and tired, so he decided to open the box’s lid. Dolley tried to protest, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, a gnarled hand with curved, pointy claws for nails shot out of the coffin, grabbed the young man by the neck and pulled his torso inside as he screamed and gurgled. The body soon went limp and the creature pulled the rest of the soldier in the coffin and closed the lid. Dr. Dolley secured the box lid with ropes until he could return with help. The next day, Dolley hired a few locals to move the box to his quarters. He said nothing of the truth of his discovery... or of the demise of the young orderly who had lost his life so that Dolley could collect the abominable oddity. In time, the war ended. Dr. Dolley and his box moved around until he finally settled in Claversville seeking space and solitude. Over the years, Dolley tirelessly experimented on the creature and found that it indeed was not alive,

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at least not living in any normal sense of the term. This was enough to stimulate his intellect to the point that he had to learn why the creature continued to remain animated. He fed the beast what he could find, but the creature refused to eat anything other than human flesh. When he did not feed it, the beast became violent and loud. It continued to decay at a slow rate but seemed to rejuvenate when he fed it fresh human body parts. Dolley hired some of the less-respectable citizens of his community to periodically raid the local cemeteries and collect specimens. He told them he was searching for a cure to a variety of diseases and needed bodies for his experiments. Dolley continued to feed the creature and conduct his investigations in a secret laboratory he had built beneath the house. Though they heard the noises, his servants were afraid to ask what they came from and Dolley was not the type of man to offer explanations when he did not have to. He tried all sorts of toxins and drugs to see if the creature could be poisoned, to no avail. At best, it could be sedated using a complicated serum he devised. Only pure sunlight seemed to have permanent, detrimental effects on it. Dolley only burned it that way once before deciding it was too risky. He feared losing his one and only test subject. After seeing countless lives lost in the war, the good doctor had become possessed with the idea of raising the dead back to life; and the advent of the beast seemed to him a grotesque answer to his prayers. This thing must hold the key to reviving the dead. One night just after dark in 1918, ten year-old Joella Lambert left church and was taking the shortcut home through Dolley’s field. Just at that time, the creature found an opportunity to break out of its cell. It knocked Dolley out of the way, thrust the door open and made a dash for freedom. The servants had already gone for the night or they would have surely died. The creature burst out of one of the back windows. It was prowling around the property when it heard the girl’s singing. She never knew what hit her. Dolley regained consciousness but not in time to save the girl. He forced a syringe of his sedative into the monster’s back and took it and Joella's remains back into the laboratory. Joella’s disappearance did not go unnoticed. It was all anyone in town could talk about for weeks. After reports that she sometimes walked through the field at the back of

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Dolley’s property, the sheriff visited the doctor. Dolley knew the creature was secure so he allowed the sheriff to look through his home and barn. Nothing was found Feeling a sense of guilt he could not get over and realizing it was just a matter of time before the creature could do even more harm, he reinforced the creature’s cell with an extra chain and lock then walled up the passage that led to the laboratory. He could not kill the creature outright, but he could at least imprison it and prevent it from hurting anyone else. Three weeks later, Dr. Dolley gathered most of his notes and journals and burned them. He then shot himself.

Starting the Adventure The sample characters are fairly inexperienced ghost hunters and investigators from The Unredacted Truth. If the players will be taking on these roles, the easiest way to bring them into the story is that they hear some of the old rumors about the house and its past, and they are able to secure permission to investigate. They may find limited resources available on the internet from some history students’ theses. Ida-May Johnson will be their best source of accurate information.

Notes on Electronics and Spirits While the ghost hunters will enter the game with digital recorders, film and video cameras and a host of equipment to capture evidence of the paranormal, any character in modern times is likely to have a cellphone that can do many of those things as well. The lack of solid evidence of ghosts has much to do with the fact that spirits operate primarily through psychic energy. They project images into people’s minds as opposed to creating something that is truly visible to the naked eye. On film or sensitive video equipment, that may manifest itself as a burst of energy, light, heat or cold or static. Efforts to collect evidence will be further complicated in the house for a number of reasons. Much of the underground walls are reinforced with iron for protection. The laboratory itself is further underground than the cellar and there will be no cellular reception once characters enter the hallway that leads to Dolley’s lab. Dolley extensively

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utilized magnets as well as primitive electrical storage devices in some of his experiments. Even today, they will interfere to a degree with any electrical appliances.

Scenes The House on Dolley Hill is a typical DLB scenario. The story is broken into scenes. Some scenes relate to specific areas and others depend upon the presence of specific NPCs or other contingencies that the PCs have no control over. Other than the first scene, which helps to kick off the game, the others do not have to be played in any particular order. Please read through all of them to understand when different events may occur. Passages written in italicized text include descriptions of the scene and should be read aloud to the players. Nonitalicized text provides information that the PCs may or may not become privy to through the course of the game. In addition to sample characters, copies of some of the clues that may be uncovered are also provided if the Game Host chooses to cut them out and hand them to the players to add flavor to the game.

Scene 1 Miss Ida-May Johnson Unusual things started to happen after he moved to town. There were rumors about graves being disturbed and strange deliveries made to the house in the middle of the night. People said they heard… sounds… things that just didn’t sound human emanating from the old house. Some believed Dr. Dolley had indeed gone mad and was conducting some type of strange experiments. Some people even thought he was building some sort of monster. In 1918, a little girl named Joella Lambert vanished without a trace. My mother was friends with her. Joella was walking home from church shortly after dark but she never arrived. No clues were found. She just vanished into thin air. She had been known to take a shortcut across Dolley’s property and, of course, people made assumptions.

My grandfather, the town sheriff, paid the good doctor a visit. He searched the property and found no signs of the little girl. Dr. Dolley did not like the attention. Even though Grandfather was convinced that Dolley had nothing to do with her disappearance, the town was too emotional to listen to reason. The local mercantile refused to do business with Dolley or his servants and he was forced to send away as far as forty miles just for groceries and the bare necessities. Dolley’s livestock were butchered in the middle of the night and people started pelting the house with rocks during the middle of the night. According to his servants, “He simply couldn’t take it anymore.” On the morning of November 6th, 1918, Dr. Randolph Dolley was found in his study, seated in his favorite chair with his service revolver on the floor at his side. He had shot himself in the temple. The local pastor refused to give him a Christian burial and his servants buried him themselves somewhere behind the old house. They moved on. The house and land were bequeathed to some distant relative but nobody ever took possession of the house. It has sat empty ever since. There is more to know about Dolley than most people are willing to admit. Some of the following information may be derived from old copies of the local newspaper, while other pieces may be found in other old documents at the county library. The PCs are likely to encounter the town’s unofficial historian, Miss Ida-May Johnson. Ida-May is a spry old spinster who still gets around town, digging through people’s attics and looking over the personal papers and effects that are donated to the archive. Although she never had children of her own, Miss Ida-May loves the company of younger people. If the characters are friendly and appear earnest, she will happily talk for hours over sweet tea or coffee and pound cake. Ida-May’s mother, Elsa, was eight years old when Joella Lambert disappeared. Joella was two years older than Elsa but they knew each other well. Ida-May’s grandfather was the local sheriff who investigated the case and later found Dolley’s corpse. She heard all of the stories firsthand from her family who experienced much of it. Her own fascination with the story led her to the house herself,

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but after seeing and hearing things she could not fully comprehend, she chose to limit her research to interviews and news clippings. She is quite enamored with the internet and how easily you can find information. If the players have chosen to take on the roles of ghost hunters for TUT’s series Real Ghost Hunters of Atlanta, she will be quite familiar with their work and will happily relay as much information as she has, provided they would like to interview her on camera. If the PC’s successfully influence or charm Miss IdaMay, she will also tell them the following information: I thought about it once, but I have never personally been inside the house, However, my older brother Billy, God rest his soul, went inside with some of his friends after Dr. Dolley had passed. They said that the servants had taken most everything of value and the house had not been kept up at all. They didn’t see any sign of the little Lambert girl and, I believe, got the creeps and hightailed it out of there. Billy said they heard some sort of low moaning. He figured it was the house settling or maybe a cat or some sort of breeze blowing through the broken windows, but it was enough to send the boys scattering. I wasn’t allowed to go in with them so I was at the bottom of the hill keeping watch when all four of them came running out screamin’ like little girls. They’re all gone now. The PCs may actually hear other misleading rumors about the house, too. Most are fantastic in nature with, at best, a vague link to some of the factual goings on. Should the characters fail in their attempts to charm Miss IdaMay, she will assume that they are pranksters or disingenuous and simply relay one of the popular rumors about people finding pieces of dead bodies throughout the house and the local authorities covered it up quickly to keep people from lynching the doctor. If the players need more encouragement to investigate the house, they may hear stories about Dr. Dolley’s fear of banks. According to some, he kept all his wealth in gold hidden somewhere in the house. Some claim that the doctor did not cut off all ties to his family, but that he was the last of his line and had apparently inherited quite a bit of money. In truth, the Doctor was quite wealthy but spent

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most of his family’s money on research equipment and supplies. What little of value that remained was taken by Dolley’s servants when they left. Nobody knows where they went, but they moved away from the community shortly after their employer’s demise. They were safer heading to Atlanta than waiting on a lynch mob

Scene 2 Main Floor The house can be seen from most any vantage point in town as it sits on top of the largest hill in the area. From a distance, anyone can tell that the house and property are abandoned and uncared for. The yard is overgrown and the exterior of the house has turned grey from the weathering of the wood. Thick ivy has overrun the sides of the building and several large trees have been allowed to grow and sprawl in the once tidy yard and garden. A narrow dirt road climbs the high hill from its base, and a long walkway of creek stone and red brick cuts through the high field grass from the road to the front porch. There is a grown-up path to the left side of the house where horses and wagons once travelled. Once there was a low fieldstone wall near the road and an iron gate, but these have all but disappeared, overgrown or rusted out of existence. All of the windows are either cracked or broken. There are sunken places and holes in the roof so that it looks as if it might fall in at any time. The double doors are still intact, though heavily scarred and closed. Graffiti has been spray-painted on the grey boards left by the braver (or drunker) souls who occasionally ride up the hill on the way to or from a bout with the bottle. Samples of messages might include: “SATIN RULES”, “HELL ON EARTH” and “JAMIE IS A WANKER.” Yes, Satan’s minions are not known for spelling proficiency. The characters may approach the house in either the night or the day, but it might be more effective if they do so after dark. It is easier for the spirits to be seen without sunlight. It will also be more effective if they are attempting to get video or film evidence of an actual ghost. If the characters investigate the house on a dare, they will want to do it under cover of night and hope the authorities don’t see them.

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Characters may enter the house through the front or rear door. They could go in through a window too, but they are boarded up and with all the broken glass, it would be hard to avoid cutting oneself in the process. Both doors are locked with heavy padlocks; however, if they have permission to be there, they should have received a key. If they did not, they will find the wood so rotten that it can easily be forced open. If they enter through the front, they will find themselves in an entrance hall with a living room to the left, a stairwell leading up to the second floor in front of them alongside a hallway that leads to the back of the house, and closed double-doors to the right, which lead to the Den that is described in Scene 4. If they enter at the rear, they will find themselves in the kitchen with a pantry to their left and a hallway leading to the front of the house on the right. Either way, they will note that most of the house’s old furniture is still in place albeit it worn and basically unusable, except as nests for rats and spiders. The chair or sofa will collapse under anyone’s weight if they choose to attempt to sit on it. Structurally, the house is in bad shape. The floors are wooden and there are patches where the PCs can see gaping holes. There are cobwebs everywhere. The only noises that can be heard are small animals and insects scurrying about. The walls are water-stained with rotting studs protruding in many places. The air is thick and musty.

Front Entryway When you step inside the doors, your lungs are caught off guard by thick, stale, musty air. Dust specks fly through the air, and there is a strong smell of mold and mildew. The wallpaper is peeling in large areas and the furniture and rugs are rotting. Water damage is everywhere from the broken windows and surely leaking roof. The floor feels spongy but appears to be holding your weight. Immediately in front of you is a wide stairwell that leads up to a second floor. The remains of a large chandelier lie in a wide hallway that runs along the stairwell. There are closed double doors to the right, and to the left is a large open doorway with remains of what appears to be sofas and chairs.

If the characters investigate the closed double-doors, move ahead to scene 4 to describe the den. The hallway leads to the back of the house into the kitchen and adjacent dining room. The large open doorway to their left leads into what remains of the old living room.

Living Room The furniture appears undisturbed aside from being moved askew from what would have seemed like their normal placement. Stuffing has been stolen from the cushions by the birds that have made nests in this room. A thick coat of dust and cobwebs covers the intricately carved woodwork on the two sofas and four large, high-backed chairs. There is a fireplace against the West wall. Though nothing hangs above it, you can still clearly see two large nails protruding from the wall where a painting most likely hung. The large wooden mantel has rotted and fallen in front of the fireplace. You see what look like they could have been old candles lying by the fireplace. The ends are tapered like they once fit into a candlestick holder or candelabra, but it is long gone. The windows are broken and the PCs may find rocks and other debris that have been thrown into the house, as well as leaves and trash which have blown inside. Water has come through the chimney as well, and all of the rugs which must have once looked ornate are rotted and covered with mildew. There is nothing of real interest in this room but it should be fairly obvious that someone took everything they could in a hurry. If the PCs investigate the fireplace, they may notice that the rusty poker and spade are lying beneath the remains of the mantel. The poker could be used like a club and would inflict stun damage.

Kitchen The door to the kitchen is partially open. It makes a loud squeaking sound when forced. The kitchen is wide. A door on the West wall leads into a dining room and the back door which leads behind the house. A large rectangular table with a few overturned chairs dominates the left side of the room. Broken glass and china litter the floor along with other debris which blew in through the numerous win-

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dows. An old water pump is found by the back wall. It connects to a well beneath the house, but the mechanism is rusted shut. A cast iron stove sits next to the cabinetry with the water pump. There is a pantry, but it was cleaned out years ago. The PCs find no cookware or dishes other than broken shards. Dr. Dolley never entertained nor did he have a family. The dining room was primarily for decoration. The only thing left in the room is a broken water basin and a table which probably seated eight comfortably. The remains of a few rotted cloth napkins can be found on the floor. The wooden tabletop is warped with age. An open door leads to a hall that runs along the staircase. On the wall beside it is a smaller closed door that leads beneath the staircase. It opens into a stone stairway that leads down to the cellar described in Scene 5. If the PCs are quiet, they may hear the faint sound of what could be construed as a girl giggling coming from the cellar. It will stop if they open the door.

Scene 3 Upstairs Directly across from the front door is a wide staircase next to the entrance hall that leads to the second floor. The stairs are covered with a faded and rotting length of rug. The stairs appear to be intact, as is the rail which is covered with dense cobwebs. A large, dusty painting is crookedly hanging on the wall by the stairs. Much of the detail is lost because of water damage and mold but you can make out the figure of a man in a blue Union uniform. He has a thick grey beard and moustache and is holding something like a small black bag — possibly a doctor’s bag. If the PCs attempt to go upstairs, they will find that the stairwell is not safe. Once they touch the banister, they will find it to be rickety and weak. Some of the stairs are sturdy, but many are rotting. The first one who attempts to climb it must make an Athletics, Grace or other appropriate roll to see if he can catch himself when a stair gives way. A failed roll will result in stun level damage from the

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fall. The distance is not the problem, it is all the broken wood etc. that makes the fall dangerous. Once the rotted stair is identified, the PCs should be able to navigate around the weaker spots and make it to the second floor. The upstairs houses three bedrooms, all with old, dusty, rotting furniture. The master bedroom is directly above the kitchen. It contains a bed that has fallen in on itself, a wardrobe, and a bureau. Should PCs enter it, there is a weak spot in the floor near the wardrobe. If a PC goes toward it, the floor will give way. He should make an athletics, Grace, or other appropriate roll to see if he can get out of the way before falling through the new hole into the kitchen. Failure means that the PC falls twelve feet and finds himself lying across a broken table in the kitchen and receives a stun level wound. If the PCs make a successful roll to search the bureau, they will find part of an old diary lodged behind one of the drawers. It details Dr. Dolley’s findings from his Civil War days before he actually captured the creature. They should be able to read part of an inventory that the young field doctor had taken of the bodies in his morgue while trying to collect information about the ghoul. Most of the diary is illegible but three snippets are legible. Read the following passages and feel free to copy the version in the appendix and hand to the players. Evening, May 8: Of the 14 bodies I count this evening, only two are new additions. The others were also here last night. Morning, May 9: None of the corpses had been tampered with. This makes the fourth day in a row that nothing unusual occurred. Perhaps the creature will return tonight. Evening, May 10: I cannot believe my own madness. I have successfully captured the beast but at the expense of a young orderly who was assisting me. I told him it was a mental patient. I think I wanted to believe that myself, but I knew better. I feel a sense of remorse and guilt. Somehow I know that this man-creature holds the key to li…

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There are also two bedrooms and a servant’s quarters upstairs. Nothing of interest can be found there. A narrow staircase between the bedrooms leads to the attic. There is nothing there except gaping holes in the roof. If the PCs visit at night, there is an owl perched on a rafter. The PC must make an appropriate occupation or skill roll: failure means that the owl and the PC are startled and the latter screams; failure by more than one level means that the PC screams and falls through the ceiling into the room below and receiving stun level injuries - convinced that some hideous THING lurks beneath the rafters .

Scene 4 The Den You open the doors to see a large, old, wooden desk in the center of the room with a large leather chair. You see two tables against the back wall with a few pieces of old laboratory glassware, much of it broken. A number of wooden, cobweb covered bookshelves cover the back wall and a fireplace. When Dolley left this world, he made an indelible psychic impression on this room as a ward to keep others away and protect them from the horrors he had taken on himself. One of the PCs may be looking around and notice a gentleman sitting in the desk chair. It could go something like this: You detect movement out of the corner of your eye, as you turn toward the desk you see an older man sitting in the desk chair. He has disheveled white hair and a thick white beard. His face is drawn and washed out. He is wearing a white shirt and a dark wool jacket. He looks into your eyes momentarily with a blank stare. He lifts his right hand and you see the old revolver. He brings it up to his temple without ever breaking eye contact and says “Leave this place.” It may be more effective if you slam your hand against a table or something. If not, you can simply describe that the old chair must have given way to rot as it tumbles over with a crash and there is no sign of the man or his gun.

Dr. Dolley’s force of will remained in this room when he died. He will do his best to attempt to scare anyone away from the house but his spirit has weakened over the years. He will vanish after each of his phantasms.

Dr. Dolley Age: Old. Gender: Male. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Fear, Telekinesis, Invisible, Phantasm. Life: Weak (dies at Stun damage level). Speed: 1 action per turn. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1. Special Abilities: Attempts to inflict fear initially (Hit plus one additional level of psyche damage per success level) in his victims. Any psyche damage caused is absorbed to improve his low Psyche Level. He is immune to all physical attacks. Focus: 5

Almost all of the glassware has been broken, and the PCs may note animal bones among some of the broken glass. If they look through the shelves they will most likely turn up a large gallon-size jar with a glass lid sealed with wax. If one of the PCs is looking through the shelves and happens to move the jar, the murky grey liquid will reveal a human brain and connected eyes press against the glass. The player should make an appropriate skill or Will roll to see if they are startled. A failure indicates a gasp of breath and mild scare. If the PC is holding the jar when this occurs, he should make an athletics or other roll to see if he drops it, splattering the putrid smelling contents all over himself. Searching the desk will reveal that some of the drawers are open to a degree and the contents are all askew. It was ransacked much like the other pieces of furniture in the house. A successful investigation or perception related roll will reveal an old skeleton key wedged into the back of the center drawer. It’s old and rusty and does not seem to fit either the front or back door. It is the key to the creature’s cage from Scene 6. A close inspection of the fireplace reveals a scrap of paper with a passage written upon it. Feel free to copy the handout version in the appendix and hand it out. A second key is among the ashes. This one fits the lock on the secret laboratory.

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I thought the new mixture worked, but it appears to be more like a sedative. It was back up and active after a few hours. I’ll have to try another mixture on the morrow. I should have left the abomination with the war. God help my soul.

Scene 5 Root Cellar If the PCs mill about enough, they will find a doorway in the kitchen that opens beneath the staircase that leads upstairs. This stone stairwell leads down into a root cellar. The stairwell leads down into the earth opening into a 15’x15’ square room. An old metal rail is still affixed into the stone wall. The stairs are a little slick from the dampness but the stones are secure. The PCs should be able to make it to the bottom without any problem. The cellar has stone walls and a dirt floor. Two large wooden tables can be found in the center of the room and the walls were once covered with wooden shelves. The South wall is mostly obscured by three sets of wooden shelves that extend from the floor to a foot from the ceiling. Broken glass litters the floor from the once-canned vegetables that were stored here. The whole room is musty and is permeated by the pungent odor of decay. A pile of medium-sized stones, a mound of dark dirt, and a pickaxe lie in one corner of the room. This may be a good place for Joella's spirit from Scene 7 to make an appearance. If the PCs are looking down the stairs into the cellar, they may see her peek around the corner at the bottom of the stairwell briefly or they could hear her singing faintly to herself. Naturally, once she realizes she has been seen, she will disappear. No matter how hard the PCs search, they will not find her or any evidence that she was ever really there. If they study the cellar walls and make a good occupation roll for someone with investigative skills or something else similar, they will find a section of stone behind the middle set of shelves on the South wall that looks different from the rest. The unusual area fills a block 8' tall and 4' wide and is symmetrical. This was once the doorway to Dr. Dolley’s laboratory. If they knock on the wall, they will hear a hollow sound... and possibly stir the creature.

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Should they get the appropriate tools like the pick-axe in the corner or possibly with some effort and the fireplace poker from upstairs, they should be able to dig around the stones and knock it down but it will take time. This is an extended task. The characters need to accumulate 20 Success Levels using appropriate tools to knock an opening large enough to go through. Once they get through, they will find the hallway that leads to the secret laboratory in Scene 6.

Scene 6 The Secret Laboratory Shining a light through the opening, you see a passageway with stone walls that slopes gradually downward for about thirty feet, ending in a stone wall with a large, closed, metal door. The door has a large iron bar across it from this side and an old lock. The bar is rusted in place, but it can be broken free with the pick axe or forced with someone or a few characters in decent physical shape. The key to the lock is in the Den. There is a small window with metal bars at the top of the door. If the PCs have a flashlight, they should be able to look through the bars and glimpse the room. The room is Dolley’s secret laboratory. Since it has been sealed, one might expect it to look intact but nothing is farther from the truth. Tables are overturned, furniture has been completely ripped apart and old lab equipment has been strewn across the floor. If the PCs enter the room, they will find a small set of human bones and the remains of a little girl’s dress lying beside a broken china doll near the center of the room. A couple of stained remnants of cloth have been laid across the bones like a makeshift cover. If a close inspection is made by a character with a medical or forensics type of occupation or skills, they will notice that several of the bones are broken and there are deep teeth marks in a number of them. In the far right corner is a large metal cell that has been built into the walls and ceiling of the room. The cell door is open but a loose length of chain is holding it partially closed with a large lock. The key could have been found in the desk drawer in the den. There are other large, broken human bones inside the cage.

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On the only standing table among a myriad of broken glass and lab equipment, if the PCs investigate closely they will notice an unbroken, old-fashioned metal syringe of Dr. Dolley’s ghoul-sedative. If the PCs find it, they will be able to use it, if they so desire and if they can successfully hit the creature. If they are successful, it will inflict two damage levels per turn until the creature collapses. Damage from the sedative is temporary and will return at the rate of 1 level every three minutes. In the room, the PCs see a severely decomposed body. There is still some flesh and evidence of very old clothing, but the body looks almost mummified. It is intact and curled up in one of the corners of the room. This is the ghoul. If the PCs approach it, the ghoul remains still as if it is truly dead but will attack at the first opportunity, attempting to eat one of the PCs. Going without food for a century has forced the ghoul into a form of hibernation. It reeks a foul odor, and its skin is dusty and decaying. In places, the PCs can see bone extruding from the old flesh. The only clothing it wears is a torn pair of faded, blue britches (Union Blue) and a heavily stained, ripped undershirt. The dirty, blonde hair is long and matted.

Ghoul Name and age unimportant. Gender: Male. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. S kills: Focused bite (hit), scratch (stun), fear, regenerate; Unfocused athletics. Special Abilities: regenerates one damage level for every two inflicted, immortal, weakness to sunlight and fire (2 damage level per turn of exposure). L ife: Normal. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 1. Focus: 5.

When the Ghoul first attacks, all of the PCs must make a roll to avoid the effects of fear. Failure results in being immobilized for a turn and failure by more than one success level will force the character to try to run or become briefly incapacitated for two turns. One of the unusual things about the Ghoul is that it cannot be killed with normal weapons. If the PCs attack it and inflict Damage upon it, the physical body will take the Damage and even deterio-

rate further, but it will still fight and attempt to attack the PCs as long as they are in the room. The only way it can be truly destroyed is through exposure to fire or sunlight. If the Ghoul is destroyed, a bright light will appear to engulf it and white flames will appear to sear its flesh as the corpse falls to the ground and disintegrates into a fine dust. If, on the other hand, the Ghoul escapes, several options are available. For the one-shot scenario, it is recommended that the beast merely high-tail it for the local graveyard and that’s that. For a campaign, however, the fun need not end there: the old boy will wish to feed and the townsfolk aren’t going to be thrilled with the fresh graves of their beloved relatives being ripped open by what appear to be desecrators. Not to mention the fact that the locals will probably put two and two together and come up with 22, linking the arrival of the PCs with the unhappy goings on in the graveyard - so, of course, they must be graverobbers or Satanists! An interesting third option would be to make the ghoul infectious. If it inflicts more than three damage levels on one of the PCs, the character will develop an infection accompanied by a bad fever, delirium, and eventually death that cannot be treated with any known medicines. After dying, the character turns into a ghoul the next night. The word is likely to get out in two or three days about this mess, and the Cleanup Crew could show up to contain the problem. The remote town of Claversville was

quarantined tonight by order of the CDC to contain an outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus. News at 11. Wow! Think of the possibilities!

Scene 7 Joella's Spirit The spirit of Joella Lambert is still in the Dolley house. She has been unable to leave because her body lies inside the walled-up laboratory and her spirit cannot rest until she receives a proper burial. The PCs may see her from time to time out of the corner of their eyes, and it is possible that she will talk to one of them if the character is female. Joella looks very tired and, if questioned, she will say that she wants to go home. She will not reveal the nature of why she cannot rest, and the PCs may not realize she is a ghost.

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Joella appears to have a physical form but she really doesn’t. That’s why she can disappear so quickly, because she can literally go through the walls. She doesn’t want to scare people and won’t perform ghostly tricks directly in front of them; rather, she will quickly dart around corners and be out of sight before the PCs can get to her. She appears to be about 10 years old and has long brown hair that is kept in pigtails. She is wearing a red, plaid dress and a white apron. No game stats are necessary as she will not deliberately do anything to harm the players nor can she be harmed by them in any way. Efforts to exorcise her spirit will be made at standard difficulty. This spirit can be used as a tool for goading the PCs in the right direction. She may disappear into the cellar or a PC may think they see a small girl standing in front of the walled-up entrance to the old laboratory.

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Ending the Game An ideal ending would include destroying the ghoul and helping Joella find eternal rest by burying her remains in the town cemetery with her family. If that happens, her spirit will thank the characters. If they stay by the graveside, they will see the spirit lie down on top of the grave as if to fall asleep and quickly fade from sight. If they tell anyone about the Ghoul, they will most likely be laughed at and called liars. Without conclusive evidence, it will be difficult for them to prove their point. If the Ghoul escapes, it is the PCs' responsibility to try and contain it. The most likely place to find it will be a graveyard. Due to its vulnerability to sunlight, it will stay in a mausoleum, cave or abandoned building during the day. Regardless of what happens, this should serve as a good stepping-off point for similar adventures.

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The Façade The following scenario is designed for a group of two to four PCs or at least one PC and additional NPCs to fill in the gaps. It is designed for new players and should serve as a good milieu in which Players can create their own characters. This adventure revolves around a group of investigators assigned to the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Atypical Crimes Taskforce (ACT) described in the World chapter of the rulebook. The PCs should be investigators, agents, or even military officers who are on temporary assignment attached to the group. This scenario can provide a good jumping-off point for an episodic campaign using characters from the ACT. Running this adventure should be relatively easy. Passages with a grey background are descriptions of a particular area or encounter. These sections should be read aloud to the players when their characters reach the appropriate location or event.

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Characters Each player should design a PC that fits into the scenario. Most members of the ACT are investigators of some kind, but it could accommodate technical specialists like hackers as well as the military. One of the PCs must be selected to be the group leader, as orders from the organization will be passed through a chain of command. One or more of the PCs should have knowledge of the occult in their skillset. All PCs are equipped with smartphones, bulletproof vests and a standard issue semi-automatic 10mm pistol and any other custom equipment that seems reasonable. They should have access to a sedan, SUV, or other vehicle from the motor pool. The taskforce was established to investigate unusual types of crimes. However, to date, all of their cases have had logical explanations. This group is headquartered in a suite of offices in Washington DC, but, they routinely travel across the U.S. and its territories investigating these crimes.

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This adventure is divided into scenes. Each scene represents a possible encounter or set of encounters. All the PCs should go through Scenes 1 and 2, but after that their actions should determine which scenes are played out and their order (the scenes are numbered arbitrarily, not chronologically). You should not feel compelled to force the PCs into each scene. Part of the beauty of a roleplaying game is that the players have some control over the storyline. If it looks like they will not complete a scene that has a vital clue, you should try to work its discovery into the path that they chose to take. Since there is no way to predict every choice that the players will make for their characters, we have included several scenes that contain important clues. If they choose to do things that take them into uncharted territory, or at least territory that we have not written scenes to cover, you will simply have to ad lib.

What the PCs do not realize is that they have only been assigned cases that were either obvious hoaxes or that had rational explanations. So far, the ACT has not been involved in any case in which the true explanation lies outside the realm of traditional reason. The ACT’s real purpose is to improve public relations by solving unusual cases while refuting notions about the paranormal. Any cases with true ties to the paranormal are quietly routed away from the team to the Cleanup Crew. The Cleanup Crew is operating behind the scenes in this adventure. Their standard operating procedure is to remove evidence of a paranormal event or plant false evidence, proving that it was just a hoax. If a credible witness refuses to recant his story or defies the official explanation, the Crew arranges an accident. They trust no one and take nothing for granted. One purpose of this adventure is to alert the PCs that their efforts are being hindered by people in high places

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and that unexplainable phenomena really are occurring. This is just an introductory scenario so the PCs should not discover the depth of the corruption or understand the role of the Cleanup Crew in a single setting. By the end of this adventure, however, they should realize that they are being watched. They will have fleeting contact with the Cleanup Crew, but they will not know exactly who they are or the extent of their influence. Ultimately, they should look forward to additional revelations in future cases. The cases that will lead the PCs to these facts are serial killings where the victims have been drained of blood. The case somehow slips through the usual bureaucratic web and makes it to the ACT instead of being covered up. As you may expect, it is the work of a vampire. However, this particular vampire happens to be working for the Cleanup Crew to eliminate some witnesses. In exchange for his termination services, they help cover up his feeding habits. The cases that the PCs will become aware of during this adventure are cases where individuals witnessed unusual events, resisted cover-up efforts and were eliminated. As the PCs put the pieces together, they will meet several NPCs. One of the more notable of these is Jedidiah Smith, leader of an Inquisitor group that operates under the guise of a travelling religious revival. They believe in the evangelical work they are doing for God, but they also hunt down vampires and other paranormal creatures along the way. Smith’s group is aware that a vampire is the cause of these deaths though they know nothing of the Cleanup Crew’s involvement.

Scene 1 The Package Before you dive head-first into the adventure, take the group leader aside for a few moments. You don’t necessarily have to leave the room as long as you can talk without the rest of the group overhearing. His character experiences something that none of the other PCs are aware of at the beginning of the game. This morning, as you are getting out of the shower you think you hear a faint noise coming from your side door. When you get halfway to the door, you

hear a car door slam followed by the sound of a car speeding away. You just catch the image of an older model, green sedan before it turns the corner. If the PC chooses to open the door, the package — a manila envelope — will fall inside at his feet. If not, when he leaves for work he will discover it. The envelope has no writing on it whatsoever. If it is later checked for prints, there will be none. The Brotherhood is trying to determine if the ACT is merely another smokescreen set in place by the Cleanup Crew to keep the masses in the dark. They are also concerned the ACT could be a threat to the Brotherhood’s ongoing activities. To confirm these theories, they have decided to do an experiment by providing an anonymous tip about a case that has been covered up by the Crew and see where it leads. Two months ago a contact in a coroner’s office alerted the Brotherhood of a potential vampire situation. A woman’s body turned up with the cause of death listed as blood loss, through two puncture wounds to the neck. Cleanup Crew operatives posing as federal agents came in saying that the case fit the M.O. of a serial killer they were investigating. They took over the case and took the body to perform their own autopsy. When it was returned for burial, it had a bullet in the chest and the official cause of death was listed as “trauma to the chest cavity caused by a gunshot wound”. Aside from this new wound, the body now had a normal amount of blood. Obviously, something was amiss. The coroner had kept a paper copy of the report and the Brotherhood was able to obtain a copy — which they have now passed along to the ACT. A hacker working for the Brotherhood was able to identify cases with other similarities so this appears to be a pattern.

The Package The envelope contains photocopies of a coroner’s report and three 8" x 10" glossies from a pathological forensic examination. The subject was a Caucasian female approximately 25 years of age. The body is very pale and the face is frozen in an expression of horror. There is a close-up of a wound on the subject’s neck. It consists of two large puncture wounds with bruising and indentations circling the

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two punctures. The other two photos include a full-body picture that clearly shows no additional trauma and another photo with a timestamp two days later that shows a considerably less-pale victim with a large gunshot wound to the chest. There are identification numbers at the bottom of the photos with the standard FBI filing codes. The case number is JZ-459-291. The original coroner’s report indicates that the subject, who was unidentified at the time of the report, died of massive blood-loss. The coroner estimated that fifty to seventy-five percent of her blood had been drained from these puncture wounds to her jugular. No blood was reported at the location where the body was found, so it is suspected that she was killed elsewhere and her body was dumped. The name of the pathologist was covered prior to photocopying and is not distinguishable.

Scene 2 I Hate Mondays After completing Scene 1 with the group leader, give the players background information about their involvement with the ACT. Within the past year, they were all pulled from their federal law enforcement and military assignments to work together as part of the Atypical Crimes Taskforce under Homeland Security. They are charged to investigate crimes that could be associated with cults or religious sects and others which do not meet the traditional pattern for criminal activities. Certain members of the government believe there are networks across the country involved in various types of criminal acts which could be considered domestic terrorism. Rising rates of abductions and unsolved murders across the country suggest that there may be connections to a national network or networks. So far, they have arrested a few polygamists and snake handlers but have found no evidence of an organized network of cults. No evidence of the paranormal has been found, at least not yet... Mondays are organizational days when everybody gets work assignments for the week, and the group brainstorms methods of handling investigations or tough cases. The aroma of the coffee is a welcome scent at this hour. The donuts are still warm and a debate is raging regarding the upcoming playoffs.

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The team leader will enter the office at this point. After a few minutes, a telephone in the office will ring. You could arbitrarily decide whose it is or assign a number to each PC and roll a die. The phones have recording equipment built in as well as speaker capability if the PC who answers wishes to let the others hear the conversation.

Telephone Call The Brotherhood has a mole inside the agency. This individual transferred a call to the ACT central office instead of to a screening center for the Cleanup Crew. Whoever picks up the phone is going to get an earful. On the other end of the line is Captain John R. Bailey of the Kentucky State Police’s Investigation Division trying to get some answers regarding the death of Louise Randolph. Her murder was treated in the same manner at that of the girl in the photos (Shanna Johnson). One of Bailey’s best men filed a report about the condition of the body, but when it returned from the fed’s autopsy, it was in very different shape. This is Bailey with the KSP and I’m tired of this crap! I want some answers and I want them now! Otherwise, I’ve got a Judge in my office who is going to sign this order to exhume that body and I’ll do my own damn inquest! Captain Bailey is not a happy man today. He will interrupt the character regardless of what he’s saying with something like: Don’t feed me that garbage! I’ve got a buddy in Georgia who has a case with the same MO and there’s something screwy going on. When Randolph’s body was discovered, there sure as hell weren’t any stab wounds but I’ll be damned if she wasn’t cut all to hell when your people sent her back. I don’t know what the blazes is going on but it’s gonna stop right now. I’d sure like to tell this lady’s family something before they... The phone goes silent after a series of clicks and then they hear a dial tone. After realizing the error, the telephone call was disconnected and a Cleanup Crew agent immediately called Captain Bailey back to placate him.

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By this point, the PCs should have enough leads to begin asking questions. The next four scenes involve various phases of the investigation, as well as some events that should occur as the PCs begin putting the pieces together. They should not necessarily be played in that order. The Game Host may choose to weave scenes four, five and six in as the third scene is completed.

Scene 3 The Investigation A little creative computing and some hard work will turn up four suspicious cases. When the characters look into the murders, they should begin to find clues: the real cause of death (blood loss), teeth marks on the neck and the time of death (approximately midnight). They may have to find deleted records after identifying time discrepancies in the document logs. These clues should alert the PCs to the possibility that a vampire or vampire-wannabe is on the prowl. Also, the cases appear to have been covered up by someone. They will experience resistance to their attempts to investigate these cases because the Cleanup Crew does not want the ACT involved. If the evidence numbers from the documents are entered into the unified law enforcement data system, they will find the case but the original photos and coroner's report have been replaced. The victim’s name is Shanna Johnson. Her case is described in greater detail under the section called ‘Cases’. The case photos in the file conveniently avoid close-up shots of the neck area, and the overall shot of the torso shows a bullet wound that did not appear in the pictures from the envelope. The case was investigated by the Serial Crimes Division of the FBI. If contacted, their agents will say that they never personally saw the victim, but worked from evidence collected by the Bureau’s forensic laboratories. The forensic examination concluded that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest. The case is listed as unsolved. The coroner whose name appears on the official report was listed as being on vacation at the time the report was filed. He has since retired and cannot be located. Characters with computer related skills like hacking will notice that the case appears to have been checked out

and edited by Jacqueline Hogan, the division director that the ACT reports through. Further investigation (difficulty 1) reveals additional records from unaffiliated agencies that have been deleted from the case by Hogan. A third attempt in the system by a skilled character (difficulty 2) will return snippets of text or partial images that can be reconstructed that support the original photos and coroner’s report. Only partial records may be retrieved. If the character succeeds, the recovered snippets indicate that the information from the packet is accurate. If the characters are successful, you may want to give them some additional information and read the following passages aloud. When you first examine the records, nothing looks unusual. They were simple homicides and all the evidence points to that fact. It all seems a little too “open and shut” for your tastes. After a couple hours of system work, you discover four cases that have all been accessed in the same manner and updated by Hogan. Luckily, you can bring back parts of the original records through a back door into the system backups. You are not supposed to be able to do this. They may find a total of four similar cases. In all the cases, death was presumably caused by a loss of blood. The only possible exception is Case #2, because it is difficult to tell whether the victim was drained of blood prior to the dismemberment. None of the bodies were mutilated or scarred like in a typical ritual slaying. Each victim has a set of puncture marks near the jugular from which the body’s blood was drained. Bruising around the wounds and the size of the punctures suggests that the wounds were caused by teeth. If the computing roll fails, the PC notices that the files had been edited by Hogan after they were originally entered into the system. If the PCs don’t attempt to extract information from the computer system about related cases, or if they fail miserably in their attempts to invade the computer system, you should create other methods for them to learn that there are more cases. Although there is no way for the players to know this at this point in time, Hogan is actually being framed by the Cleanup Crew. You want the Players to suspect that Hogan is involved in some

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type of cover-up, so invent clues, but don't give them anything definite yet. The PCs may also discover that a switchboard operator was fired the morning of the mysterious phone call. The Crew is falsifying Hogan’s credentials on the documents in the computer system to evade discovery. Alternatively, the Players may choose for their PCs to visit the location of Johnson's murder to conduct their own investigation. If so, the local law enforcement will not be cooperative; they have been so thoroughly questioned and harassed by other federal agents that they have little patience with the PCs. If the PCs decide to have one or more of the bodies exhumed (they have all been buried by this point), they will find the coffins empty. In reality, Jedidiah Smith’s group sneaks into the graveyards late at night and takes the bodies for proper disposal before they can become undead. As the PCs get closer to the truth, the Crew will send more virulent forms of interference. In the beginning, they should suffer unexplainable car trouble that makes them miss a plane or appointment. At least one of the witnesses, for example, the local Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy on William Valentine, won a free cruise (He didn’t even remember entering that contest) and is out of the country for a month. Maybe the M.E. who performed Louise Randolph’s autopsy arranged an interview with a reporter and died from a food poisoning tragedy, along with five other people, the night before their meeting. The Crew will use any means necessary to slow them down or prevent them from speaking to the appropriate authorities, as long as they can maintain secrecy.

Cases As a result of some creative digging, the characters find four related cases that have been neatly edited in the computer system. They include the Johnson and Randoph cases, as well as two others: William Valentine and an unidentified young male. Varying levels of information can be found about each victim. The following passages describe the cases. Additional cases could be invented with little trouble if the Game Host wishes to extend the adventure. Although the victims’ have no common characteristics, they were all found drained of blood. Then, federal agents arrived and claimed

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the bodies as victims of a serial killer etc. and promptly took the bodies for further analyses. Upon their return, there were new wounds matching a fabricated cause of death. Any attempts by local law enforcement to investigate the matter were stonewalled, and the cases were buried.

1. Shanna Johnson Caucasian Female, age sixteen, was discovered nude in a field near Fairview, Virginia. Her body was almost completely drained of blood through two small incisions, though official cause of death was ruled homicide probably resulting from resisting a robbery. Probable time of death sometime between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am January 17/18. Shanna was at home earlier in the evening, so the police suspect that she left the house after her parents went to bed to meet a boyfriend. If an investigation is conducted on site, the agents will discover that the local coroner barely looked at the body before it was taken by the Bureau. Their official cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the chest. Her purse was found near the body and it was devoid of cash. If the agents ask about her personal effects, they will learn that she was wearing a gold ring and diamond earrings. If the PCs succeed at investigation related rolls outside the police station, they will see several flyers tacked on the public bulletin board outside the police station, one announcing the “Benevolent Revivals” camp meeting January 14-21 and another announcing a traveling carnival on the fairgrounds during the same dates amid the jumble. If the PCs ask about these itinerant groups, they will learn that the Benevolent Revivals left two days early on the 19th and seem to have disappeared, but the carnival moved to the next town and has been a dead end so far. If they ask the police about Shanna’s previous encounters with the law, they will learn that she had a history of mental health problems and believed that she had been abducted by UFOs. Two days before her death, she reported to the police that she thought she was being followed, but they attributed it to her imagination.

2. Name Unknown This victim was a Caucasian male who was approximately 6 to 8 years old. He was dismembered and completely devoid of blood. There is evidence of two bruised incisions

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on the jugular. The victim was probably a runaway. No clothing or personal effects were discovered at the site, a small river bank in Northern Virginia. The victim’s teeth were knocked out and the body was dismembered after death. The body was partially decomposed and identification has been impossible. The motive is unknown. Due to the amount of deterioration, the time of death cannot be calculated though the best guess is early February. This body was brutally mutilated because his identity leads to the real culprit. The child lived next door to the murderer and was playing hide-and-seek with some friends, when he opened a big box in his neighbors house and found the sleeping vampire. The beast dragged the boy into his coffin and at dusk killed him and disposed of him in Pikeville, Kentucky in a manner that would make identification of the corpse impossible. The local police who discovered the body have very little information of value aside from the fact that it was taken over by federal law enforcement. The PCs may find that a missing person’s report was filed for a 7 year-old Caucasian male in Charleston, West Virginia a week before this body was found. Two days after filing the report, the child’s family disappeared in the middle of the night. The body was kept in the murderer’s secret lair for a few days before dumping it. If the PCs actually visit this location, they may note that Smith’s travelling revival has not been to this area. In fact, they were conducting services in southwest Virginia during the first two weeks of February.

3. Louise Randolph Caucasian Female 26 years of age. Discovered in her car, 50 miles from the diner where she worked in the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky. Time of death is estimated between midnight and 3:00 am on April 5. Deleted or partial records the PCs discover listed the cause of death as blood loss through two puncture wounds in the neck. No blood was discovered on the scene. Official cause of death in the edited record states that the victim was stabbed to death during a carjacking. This is the case that Captain Bailey called the ACT about when he was cut off. Additional investigation may uncovers the fact that she was working the closing shift at a diner and normally got home by 1:30 am. Oddly enough,

Louise’s father, a retired Air Force pilot, had died three days earlier. Up until his death, he was an avid, amateur UFO researcher. A few days before he died, he called and told the family that he was going to make some headlines. Unfortunately, he died in a car accident before he could take his new evidence to the press. On the day she died, a manila envelope arrived for her from her father, who must have mailed it shortly before he was killed. Her husband put it on the table for her but has no idea where it is now. The vampire broke into her house after he failed to find it in her possession. It has since been destroyed. If the agents visit the site, Captain Bailey will assist them if they can convince him that they don’t really know what’s going on either. If the PCs gain his cooperation, he tells them that the only strangers around that evening were with a travelling revival that was set up on the outskirts of town. He questioned their leader, Jedidiah Smith, but found no reason to hold them for additional questioning. There was no evidence linking the group to the murder. He did, however, obtain contact information. If the PCs need assistance, Bailey is a good way of providing it. He’s a seasoned police investigator and adamant about solving this murder. His own wife disappeared under suspicious circumstances three years earlier and he has dedicated his life to solving crimes of this type.

Captain John Bailey Occupation: Police Officer. Gender: Male. Age: Middle Aged. Attributes: Will Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused hunting, intimidation, boating, stealth, riding (horses); Unfocused occult. Focus: 6.

4. William Valentine The body of an African American Male, age 16 was discovered in a barn near his home on May 15th. Time of death between 2:00 am and 4:00 am May 15. Suspected cause of death: blood loss through two puncture wounds in the victim’s neck. No blood was discovered at the scene. Official cause of death: gunshot wound to the base of the skull,

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possibly a stray shot from hunters. Evidence suggests the victim died in the barn where he was found. The victim did not appear to struggle and was found the following morning when the owner of the farm, John Wilson, went to feed his animals. PCs can learn from the local police report or by interviewing him, that at some point after midnight John Wilson reported that his animals woke him up making a lot of noise. When he got up to check, he saw someone or something running into the woods, but it was too dark to see any details. Then some type of van backed out of his driveway without any lights. If the agents physically travel to this location and question William’s parents or friends from school, they will learn that he had a girlfriend who is still in shock from the incident. She was the one seen running from the barn. Nobody knows that she went there to meet William that night or that she witnessed the murder, but she is afraid to admit what she saw because she’s afraid the murderer will come after her next. Louise and William met at the barn that night. William had been there a few nights earlier and saw strange lights fall from the sky into the woods then ascend into the sky about 20 minutes later. Nobody believed him so he was going back with a camera. They were sitting on the hay talking when they heard a noise. William turned off the flashlight, afraid it was Mr. Wilson. The door opened slowly and they could see the silhouette of a figure standing in the doorway. Louise instinctively hid behind some hay bales. William would be in enough trouble if his parents knew he had left the house at this hour without involving a female accomplice. William knew he had been seen so he asked “Mr. Wilson? Mr. Wilson, is that you?” The figure stood motionless for a couple seconds. William tried to explain “It’s me, Willie. I’m sorry to be here so late. I didn’t mean no harm. I just needed to get away from home for a little while. I’ll just be going." The figure moved inside the barn and closed the door behind him. Louise thinks it was her imagination but his eyes seemed to glow. He was dressed in black with long, white hair. William was powerless. He froze in fear as the creature ripped his shirt and drove its teeth into his neck. Louise crept out of a window and ran out into the night. She was worried about William but she was too scared to do anything else.

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Should the PCs conduct a serious investigation of the farm, they will find a small clearing in the woods and small burn marks on a circular area of vegetation. They may also find tire tracks leading to the area from the main road and boot prints. Wilson does not know anything about this. If asked he will tell the PCs that someone had attempted to purchase his property for a land development many months earlier, but he refused. They had continued to harass him though, and he thought he saw the same sedan parked off the side of the road leading to his house on more than one occasion at night. Actually, a Crew representative made the offer to protect a technology development project.

Scene 4 Can we Talk? Hogan is not a Cleanup Crew agent. She is a seasoned professional in Homeland Security and holds her staff to the highest standards. She does not appear to personally believe in the paranormal and was assigned to ensure that members of the taskforce follow all the appropriate rules and regulations to debunk these cases. However, everything about Ms. Hogan may not be as it seems. She has connections to the Brotherhood herself though she will not admit it to the PCs. Her supervisor, Peter Astrid, however is a deep cover Cleanup Crew agent who was planted in the DOJ years ago. As Hogan’s supervisor, he has some control over the ACT’s activities. When a legitimate case comes along, he suppresses it until Cleanup Crew operatives can cover it up or he reassigns it to other divisions where cleaners are already stationed. If the PCs look into the four cases, Hogan will receive a call from Astrid’s secretary demanding that she come to his office immediately, where she will be told she needs to control her staff and stop wasting resources on cases that have already been solved. She will come back and order them to stop the investigations, unaware of any of the efforts that have been taken to conceal the truth. If the characters provide sufficient evidence, she can be convinced otherwise but will be leery of sharing the information with Astrid because someone high enough to access the systems is corrupt and may be trying to frame her.

Jacqueline Hogan Occupation: Supervising Agent. Gender: Female. Age: Middle Aged. Attributes: Wits+ Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bureaucracy, photography, occult, intimidation, computers; Unfocused disguise, skiing. Focus: 6.

Peter Astrid Occupation: Bureaucrat / Cleanup Crew Operative. Gender: Male. Age: Middle Aged. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused occult, hacking, stealth, disguise, scuba diving; Unfocused tracking, garrotes. Focus: 6.

Scene 5 Someone Watching Over At some point during the investigation, the PCs should become aware that someone is investigating them. Once the Cleanup Crew has been notified of the PCs queries, they will begin watching them very closely. This includes physically following the characters as they travel as well as listening in on all of the telephone calls made or received at the office, on their cellular phones or even in their homes. Even their computer accounts and offices are under the Crew’s scrutiny. An alert PC may notice the unusual amount of static in their telephone line or the fact that the time listed as their last login to the computer system is not a time when they were on the system, etc. Either of these cases can be handled by checking the character’s perceptiveness or investigative skills with a roll.

Trailing At some point, when the PCs are travelling by car, they will notice that they are being followed by a black sedan with tinted windows. Their pursuer will slow down if they slow down and change lanes when they change lanes. Should the PCs and this car become involved in a chase

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scene, the driver of the sedan and his passenger are Cleanup Crew agents.

Cleanup Crew Agents Occupation: Cleanup Crew Agent. Gender: Male. Age: Mid-30s. Attributes: Brawn Focused; None Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused surveillance, stealth, tracking, vehicle (car, motorcycle); Unfocused tracking, garrotes, climbing. Focus: 6.

At some point during the chase, another car will enter the picture. It is an older model green sedan with tinted windows. This is the same vehicle that dropped off the package in Scene 1. If the team leader is in the vehicle and caught a glimpse of the car when the package was dropped off, he will recognize it. The green sedan will pull out of nowhere directly into the path of the black sedan. The accident will disable both vehicles and the black sedan will flip, killing both occupants. If the PCs investigate, they will find that both cars had bogus license plates and all identification numbers had been removed from both vehicles. The black sedan’s occupants were males in their forties with crew cut haircuts and chiseled features. Each was dressed in a dark suit and carried a 10mm service revolver much like the ones that federal law enforcement officers use. A small submachine gun was the front seat. They were carrying FBI identification and badges, but neither of the names or ID numbers matches any active agents. Oddly enough, the green sedan has no passenger whatsoever. No trace of a driver can be found.

Scene 6 Old Time Religion The PCs may have discovered that a travelling religious revival was in the area near three of the murders. If the PCs look for a connection between the three revivals, IRS records will reveal that all three of these groups are funded by the Church of Benevolent Repenting, a cult headquartered in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee.

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Their leader, the Reverend Jedidiah Smith, uses the revivals as a way of travelling across the country incognito as he fulfills his calling, eliminating the forces of darkness. Contrary to popular beliefs, vampire hunting did not die in the middle ages. Smith is an Inquisitor, and established his organization to track down and dispose of vampires and other malicious entities. Currently, they are on the trail of a vampire operating in several Southern states. His victims include the four cases previously described. Smith’s youngest son has a paranormal gift that allows him to see into the future. His dreams guide the group into the areas of the crimes. Unfortunately, his vision is not good enough to pinpoint the exact location. Young Jed goes in a van with some of the others under the guise of advertising the meeting. The same van is used to retrieve the bodies of the creature’s victims for proper disposal to prevent the birth of new vampires. The victims are consecrated and given proper Christian burials in the hills behind the main Church in Tennessee. If the PCs make it to the church’s headquarters, they will see many unusual things. As you begin your ascent up the old mountain road, you begin to wonder how they get all their equipment in and out without killing themselves. The church itself is more than an hour up the mountainside. The road curves quite a bit. It’s the only way into the compound and there’s no real way of hiding your presence. The trees become denser as you approach the main building. There are several trucks, vans and buses parked in the vicinity. The church itself looks really old and needs a good paint job. It’s a small one-story frame building with double doors in the front and a couple stairs leading up to it. There’s a small building in the back that looks like an outhouse. A couple of trailers and RVs are parked near the church. During the day, they may see several people milling about. At night, there are guards in the woods behind the church, as well as a couple in front patrolling the vicinity (use the traits at the end of this section) with vicious guard dogs. They are armed with rifles and wear crucifixes around their necks. The dogs are Dobermans.

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Guards Occupation: Inquisition Initiate. Gender: Varies. Age: 20s-30s. Attributes: Will Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: stealth, tracking, vehicle (car), hunting, occult, language (Latin), climbing; Unfocused language (latin), riding (horses). Focus: 7. Attack Dogs Names: Zeke, Isaiah, Van, Helsing. Gender: male. Age: unapparent. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (hit), hold, track, sneak, leap; Unfocused roll-over, play dead. Focus: 7. Life: Normal Kill). Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 4. Focus: 6.

A close inspection will reveal several clues. There is a white van among the other vehicles that is used for most of the covert activities. If found at the compound or at one of the revival sites, it will have magnetic signs on both sides with the name of the current revival troupe, but they can easily be removed. Inside, above the driver’s visor, is a map of the Southeastern US with red circles around the vicinity of the four murders being investigated and three others, one in Georgia, another in Florida and a third in Alabama. There are several pieces of digging equipment in the back. Some of the shovels and picks still have a rich, black dirt on them. An investigation into the origins of the church reveals that Jedidiah Smith founded the group during the early 1960s. His father was a travelling minister that preached fire and brimstone. As a boy, he was eager to stand before the flocks. He is charismatic but comes across as a nononsense person with quick, harsh tones. He appears to completely believe in what he preaches, even today. His official ties with mainstream religion were cut during the mid-’60s when he and some of his followers were arrested for digging up a grave and driving a stake through the heart of a badly decomposed body that the Reverend insisted was responsible for a string of deaths in the area. A media circus erupted and his official religious ties were cut

by the parent organization. For a while, he and his devout flock travelled the country converting those who would listen, exorcising the demons that were causing blights and droughts, and basically applying religious solutions to common problems. After his first run-in with the law, Jedidiah had a vision. His inner circle tells of an angel that visited him in the night, telling him that God wants him to continue the dangerous work of fighting demons and banishing the forces of darkness and that he must face the power of the nonbelievers trying to keep him from finishing his task. Shortly thereafter, he was recruited by the Inquisitors. In order to take his work underground and to hide his practices that others might not understand he formed a new cloister in the Appalachian foothills and specializes in hunting transitory demons.

Jedidiah Smith Occupation: Inquisitor. Gender: Male. Age: 60. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: religion, occult, surveillance, weapons (crossbow), charm, tracking; Unfocused language (latin), riding (horses), exorcism. Focus: 7.

Jedidiah is a very outgoing individual with a strong personality. He is strong-willed and adamant about having his own way, but he will not try to kill the PCs or cause them harm unless they try to prevent him from achieving his mission. He sees it as the work of God and no man can stand in the way. Young Jed, Jedidiah’s son, came to the family late in his father’s life. He is 12 years old but acts much younger in some respects. The boy is withdrawn and afraid of strangers. He goes on tour with his father but only because Jedidiah insists that he do so. The boy has a gift: he dreams about future events. His dreams are usually nightmares that witness heinous crimes. He believes that God has given him this sight to stop the crimes, but it is very difficult for a young boy to deal with violence of this magnitude. He will never fight, instead he curls up into a ball and hides if he feels threatened. He has no control over his gift and may not direct it at anything in particular.

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Jed Smith Occupation: Sheltered Psychic. Gender: Male. Age: 12. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: religion, occult, riding (horses, bikes), fishing, precognition, empathy; Unfocused language (latin), charm. Focus: 8.

Smith’s workers are an assorted lot, but when he goes out on a special trip to destroy some type of evil entity, he takes only his better guards. Most of them are experienced in this type of work and completely devoted to Smith and his teachings.

Scene 7 Climax The key to pulling off this version of the climax is getting the PCs to the right place at the right time. Depending

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upon where they are when you feel they’re ready to take the last step, weave a clue into the storyline if they are not already investigating Smith’s church or one of his revivals. They could overhear something or catch a glimpse of their white van creeping off into the night. Or Young Jed, fearing for his Father’s life, may even tell them what is about to happen so they can protect him. Young Jed has had another vision. They have been getting progressively clearer as time goes by. He sees a young woman leaving a small grocery store. He reads the license plate (PTG 744) and can remember it when he wakes. As the victim drives out an old country road, something flies across the top of her truck. It is clear in the light of the full moon. Suddenly, in the middle of the road, she sees a man standing in her headlights. She careens off the road and into a ditch, slamming her head against the steering wheel. She is nearly knocked-out and is rubbing her forehead when a claw-like hand shoots through the window. It grabs her by the neck and she can’t breathe. She tries to scream. She tries to squirm free but it is useless. The clammy, grey hand is cold

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like ice but has phenomenal power. The creature’s other hand reaches in and rips the neck of her blouse back to reveal her blushing neck. She’s so scared. She can’t blink. The creature’s vile odor invades her nostrils. She sees the creature’s red eyes as she passes out. There will be a full moon tonight. The license plate belongs to Jenny Whittaker who lives in a small city in rural North Carolina. They may learn that she works at a small grocery store and that her shift ends tonight at 11:30pm. If they go to the area before, Jed can direct them from the store to the road in his vision. As he approaches the spot where he saw her stop, he will become despondent and start shaking. His eyes will grow large. It’s a struggle to even speak but he manages in a garbled voice to say “This is where she dies.” The Inquisitors intend to destroy the vampire and will pull their van off the side of the road into a clearing and hide in a group of trees. If the PCs interfere, Smith will try to convince them to leave the area, but will not fight them. He will also refuse to be taken prisoner or forced to leave. Shortly after midnight, a truck drives down the road. The vehicle can be clearly seen in the light of the full moon. After a few moments, a large mass appears to be flying above the vehicle. It’s very large, but the silent observers cannot determine its form. It zooms across the top of the truck and stops about fifty yards in front of it. As it lands, it appears to stand upright in the middle of the road. Her tires squeal as she slams the brakes and careens off the right side of the road. The PCs can no longer see the creature because the truck is blocking their view. Smith’s men have crossbows armed with special wooden bolts (arrows) with silver tips. They also have Night Vision scopes and are ready to take aim. If the PCs move to a better vantage point, they will notice that the man standing in the road is wearing a trench coat and dark suit. He begins walking toward the truck. As he approaches the truck, he undergoes subtle changes as the vampire takes over. Unless someone stops it (Smith’s men are prepared to do just that), the scene played through in young Jed’s dream will become a reality. Obviously, the Players are supposed to engage in the battle. If they don’t, Smith’s men will take care of the mon-

ster by themselves; he won’t be the first vampire they’ve killed. Instead of trying to overpower the PCs physically, the vampire will first use his mental powers to try and turn them against one another. As you approach the creature, you notice that his skin is a dull grey. At first you think it’s the moonlight but when you smell his odor, you know better. You’ve seen skin like this before on cadavers and corpses left out to rot. His teeth are yellow and jagged with two noticeably large canines. His lips are black as are the rings around his yellow eyes. His forehead appears to have a large ridge above the eyebrows and slopes back sharply. You think that this thing isn’t human. His hands have taken a claw-like appearance with long fingers ending in sharp, pointed nails. He looks at you as his eyes flare and his hand slowly rises up pointing at you. It’s hard to catch your breath and keep from getting sick. A grainy voice says “Leave me alone!”

Vampire Name: Andrew Sivenia. Gender: Male. Age: Appears Middle Aged. Attributes: Brawn+ and Grace Focused. None Unfocused. Skills: Focused bite (hit), scratch (hit), fear, command, climbing, hand-to-hand combat. Life: Normal. Speed: 2 actions per turn. Toughness: 2. Special Abilities: Regenerates any damage received by drinking the blood of his victims at the rate of one damage level for every level inflicted, silver weapons inflict an additional damage level, a wooden stake or silver weapon that strikes through the heart is the only way to prevent him from regenerating, in bat form he can also fly. Focus: 7

The vampire will initially use his paranormal abilities to make psychic attacks against the PCs. He may try to cause fear among the characters or psychically command them to go away or fight among themselves. If all else fails, he will attempt to change into his bat-form and fly away. He

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will wish to avoid a physical confrontation if at all possible. Unlike many Vampires he is not adversely affected by sunlight though it does prevent him from using any of his vampiric abilities. When in bat form, the body physically changes shape. The arms turn into large wings (wingspan of 12'). The transformation takes 3 turns to complete, during which time he is helpless except for his mental powers. By this point, the girl is out of the truck and has fainted, falling to the ground near the creature’s feet. If he can get to the girl, he will use her as a hostage and shield if given the opportunity. If he does not die a horrible death, he will get away to fight with the PCs another day. If he is destroyed, it will be quite a sight for the PC’s naive eyes. The creature teeters for a few moments as yellow liquid oozes then pours out of his withered body. He falls to his knees as his body begins to shake violently. The liquids continue to pour as his body melts before your eyes. The putrid smell is nauseating. What’s left of his skeleton is still kneeling in the road when it starts to give off a dull glow that rapidly turns into points of yellow, red, and orange lights. In an instant the whole thing is just a blaze as you watch its bones disintegrate into ashes and blow away

tween the victims is that they (or someone near to them) experienced some unusual phenomena shortly before their untimely deaths. Hogan calls the group into her office if they failed to heed her orders to leave the cases alone as she was told to. If they confront her with the facts of her covering up the evidence, she will deny it. If she or one of the characters attempts to look more deeply into the situation, they may see that the changes were made with computers with phantom IP addresses and not from her computer or other electronic devices. If they decide to keep an eye on her, they may see her take a flip phone from her purse and attempt to slide it into her suit pocket unnoticed as she walks out of the building. Once clear from the building perimeter, if they have the capability to hear her, they will overhear her say “Anton, somebody is forging my credentials on faked evidence… I think it may go further up than we initially suspected…”

The Game Host may choose to have the players make a Will or other appropriate roll for their characters to see if they can keep from passing out or blowing chunks. If not, they’re tossing their cookies all over the place. The girl wakes up and does not remember anything. Smith’s men jump in their van and take off. If they suffered any casualties, they take them as they leave. They are all under a vow of silence regarding their covert activities, and they will deny that anything unusual ever occurred.

Scene 8 Epilogue By this point, they should know that the killer was a vampire and for some reason, elements of the government (or some other organization) were trying to cover up his activities. They may also know that the only connection be-

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This is a special thank you to our amazing supporters! These AWESOME people helped make this new edition of Don’t Look Back a reality. I can’t thank them enough. If you happen to recognize someone by name please give them a big “thank you” as well. In addition to pledging their hard-earned cash, they provided support, encouragement and amazing feedback. Aaron Wolfrom Abraham Limpo Martinez Adam White adumbratus Alan Hoskins Alexander Lucard Alistair Burney Ana Andrew Foxx Anonymous Anonymous Antonio Marchena-Roldan Arthur Braune Award Winning Games Bentley Burnham Bjørn Christian Hjorhöy Bob Fleck Bob Lightfoot Bob Versluys Brad Kelley Brad Osborne Brett Hargis Bri Cable Caitlin Vaughn Casey Clark

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