-_ TA eS a ee eee ia =) 08] = 88) ri oan ee & “JanwaAYy 200 # Fa =~« a =~ POLYHEDRON 155 SRFSAlTable Talk A Gamer’s Bookshelf f you're anything ike me, you've got at east one bookshelf filled to bursting with roleplaying games, sourcebooks, and adventures. Ever since the birth of the d2o movement, my game shelves have actually overflowed into several pile Colonies that threaten to engulfa nearby filing cabinet and houseplant. But even with all those books designed specifically to help me play or run a better roleplaying game, stil find that | get my best ideas for characters, adventures, and cam palgns from books that have nothing at all todo with gaming. Ofaall the gaming and nongaming sourcebooks | own, undoubtedly the most indispensible is An Encyclopedio of (Occuitism,a collection of more than 2,500 entries and articles about “occult sciences, occult personalities, psychic science, ‘magic, demonology spiritualism, mysticism, and metaphysics” The unfortunate majority of occult” or “new age” books on the market take an almost embarrassingly credulous view of ‘matters supernatural, presenting their subjects not with the eye ofa historian but rather from the point of view ofan cut. and-out paranormal partisan. The Encyclopedia’ original editor, Lewis Spence, and other contributors take an objective (but decidedly noncrtical) account of magical practices and super natural beliefs spanning the world and its rich history, covering such game-relevant topics as hundreds of historical” demons, the ancient Scottish belief in elves who left“changelings" in exchange for kidnapped babies, and the social and religious history of exorcism. The result isa book with idea-starters that you can use to improve the background of your campaign world literally on every single page. ‘Asa random sample, | flipped the Encyclopedia to page 305, a page | had never previously read. That page was the seventh of eight focused on the topic of obsession. According to Sperice, obsession isthe opposite of possession (who knew). Bolt and Quiver EVE BEEN SOAPS age ‘Houns| Bite ercees ve hee oe cookne Pot Whereas possession covers control by an evil spirit from within, obsession concerns itself with insanity brought on by persist- ent spiritual attack by an evil spirit from without. fd never even heard of obsession before but ater reading the article | had all sorts of ideas about using the phenomerin in a fantasy role- playing game. How does the PC cleric react when summoned to the bed of a man who shows all signs of possession but ‘who has resisted all attempts at exorcism? What ifthe man's torments come not from within, bt from outside influence, perhaps by a mischievous imp? How does the cleric protect his charge from the mental assault of an unseen foe? ‘According to the same page, a chronicler of the unknown related the story of a possessed ploughman who often threw up broken glas, nails, and hair Applying that to D&D, it doesnt take much to imagine a possessed adversary with a breath ‘weapon of sharpened metal, broken giass, and stickpins, Page 33n,again chosen at random, reveals the story ofthe Rochester Rappings spirit knockings heard in a house in Hydesville, New Yorkin 1848 that served as the basis of the moder Spiritualist movement. Imagine that same old house 7s years later in a 20s-era Call of Cthulhu campaign. What secrets might it hold for a team of investigators, who might protect those secrets, and why, lke anything worth knowing in Call of Cthulhu, do those secrets need to be protected? ‘What nongaming sourcebook do you use as idea starters? Drop mea line at the address below and share the contents of ‘your gamer’ bookshelf with the rest ofthe world ERIK. Erk Mona [email protected]Si LOOK: UE Feats OF FANTASY In May, Wizards of the Coast will release Ureaw Arcana, the first full-service campaign setting for the new d2o Moose role- playing game. The setting debuted as one of three campaign models in the d20 Moose core rulebook, but the forthcoming, 320-page hardcover release will expand upon that information, providing Gamemasters with everything they need to run fan- tasy-themed adventures in the modern day. This month, veteran designer Jeff Grubb shows off some of Unaan Atcana’s new feats, many of which have to do with fan- tastic ancestors lurking in the branches of your character’ fam- ilytree. Divine Herirace [Initiat] You have divine spell abilities in your background, such asa saint in your family tree, or have had a divine experience, revelation, or epiphany which has left you with modest divine abiities. Prerequisite: Wisdorn 10 Benefit: Choose three o-level divine spells (“orisons"). You may cast each of these spells once per day. You are treated as an Acolyte of your divine spellcasting level (minimum of i) for determining the range at which these spells can be cast. ‘Special: You may only take this feat as a 1st-level character. Macicat Herirace [Iniriat] You have magical ability in your background, such as a sorcerer in your bloodline or discovering an ancient tome in the attic as, a child, Asa result, you mastered some basic spelicasting at a ‘very low level Prerequisite: intelligence 10, Benefit: Choose three o-level arcane spells (“cantrips”). You may cast each of these spells once per day. You are treated as a ‘Mage for purposes of arcane spell allure chance when you are Wearing armor, and treated as a Mage of your arcane spellcast- ing level (minimum of 1) for determining the range at which these spells can be cast Special: You may only take ths feat as arst-level character. SHapow Herirace [Initiat] You have.a creature of Shadow in your distant ancestry The exact nature ofthat being is immaterial (though it may be a source of adventure), asthe overpowering genetic tide of humanity has reduced its special abilities to afew salient features Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on two different saving throws of your choice. You also gain low-light vision and see twice as far as, ‘anormal human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and Fixtures of Uroaw Aecawa: Maddie Webber the drow Spellsinger and Kurt Mason the dwarven Shapeshifter.similar conditions of poor illumina- tion. You retain the ability to distin- guish color and detail under these Conditions. Special: You may only take this feat as a rst-level character. You cannot take both Shadow Heritage and Shadowkind, SHapowxino [IntTiat] You are a native from beyond Shadow. Benefit: You may choose one of the varieties of Shadowkind from those provided under Shadowkind, below, and gain all benefits and weaknesses of the Shadowkind you choose in addition, you have the follow- ing effects. You have no occupation. Your Wealth bonus is +0. You gain skills as if your Intelligence was 2 points lower (you effectively have one less skill point each time you gain a level). You have an additional weakness as a result af your passing through Shadow. ‘Special: You may only take ths feat as a ist-level charac. terYou cannot take both Shadow Heritage and Shadowkind. Types OF SHADOWKIND The final Urean Arcana campaign setting will include detailed rules regarding races of Shadow and the various rules associated with playing Shadowkind characters You'l have the chance to choose from any of the following creatures, each of which comes with its own set of advan: tages and weaknesses Elves: The familiar O80 elf suffers a toxic reaction to the pollutants in the air of the modern world, resulting in 2-1 penaty to all Fortitude saves. d20 Modern Map Corner Come a) Gnomes: Long saddled with the limits of steam tech- nology in standard fantasy campaigns, the gnomes of UroaN Arcana adore modetn tech, sometimes to their detriment. Goblins: Thickheaded in the extreme, most goblins can- not choose modern skills (including Profession!) Shakeblooded Human: Folks like you and me with reptilian heritage awakened by the onset of Shadow, weak-willed snakeblooded humans are vassals of the ‘yuan-ti from the realm of Shadow, suffering a -1 penalty con all Will saves, In addition to these options, Urean ARcana includes rules and tips for playing dwarves, orcs, half-orcs haltlings, ‘gnolls, drow, draconic humans, ogies,and more. ques 4 eeeRelease Roundup It’s2003.Do you have the year's frst d2o products, yet? The following ‘goodies are set to hit store shelves in January and February. Bastion Press While the dao System hardly suffers for a lack of information about assas- sins, tracking down the best poison to Use as a weapon or plot point can sometimes get a litle tricky. Bastion Press comes to the rescue in January with Pale Designs: Polsoner’s Handbook. Pale Designs, written by Steven Creech and Kevin Ruesch, covers a wide array of magical and mundane poisons usable by characters and 10 January 2003 Gamemasters. The 96-page full-color ‘book also includes prestige classes, ‘new equipment, and poison-based magic items. it costs $24.95. Goodman Games Anyone running an urban fantasy campaign will have reason to antic pate the Complete Guide to Wererats, which puts a political spin on every one's favorite sewer denizens. Author Keith Baker presents wererats as an indidious secret society whose mem: bers infiltrate key posts in the govern ment, military, and guilds, ensuring political protection from their ene- mies. When fighting can’t be avoided, the mystic Council ofthe Flesh unleashes its horrific crossbred monsters or spreads filth and dis ease to eliminate entire cities without lifting a finger. The layabouts, ‘The 32-page $1.00 product contains the usual array of pres: tige classes skills, and feats, but an innovative, quirky approach that has defined Goodman Games.as a ‘company to watch makes this sourcebook well worth the hunt, Green Ronin Publishing Green Ronin added scores of fiends to the d2o multiverse with Legions of Hell and Armies of the ‘Abyss. n February, the publisher ‘teams with Dracon Magazine edi- tor Jesse Decker to give players and GMs new allies in the fight against darkness: celestials. Decker's The Avatar’s Handbook, the latest in Green Ronin’s Master Class series, presents the avatat,a new class that can summon celestials, to aid them in their struggle against ‘cosmic evil Avatars can even trans- form into celestials in combat, chan- neling divine energy directly from the Heavenly Host. ‘And since the avatar needs allies to summon, Decker has helpfully included more than 25 new celestals. In exchange for $16.95, your paladins and good clerics need never wet themselves at the sight of cloven hooves again, Malhavoc Press Duncron MasreR’s Guide author ‘Monte Cook is hard at work on a vari- ant Player's Handbook (see Monte's Haut, p.16), but his fans won't have to wait long for the Book of Eldritch ‘Might II: The Nexus, which hits store shelves in January. The 96-page sourcebook details several magical locales, ranging from the mysterious City in the Storm to the primeval fortress where dragons first taught magic to mankind, Explore the sites’ potential with a host of new spells, ‘creatures, magical items, and feats. The book retails for $12.95, Ot Saal a beraneoMMongoose Publishing England's Mongoose Publishing continues two popular series in January with the release ofthe Quintessential Paladin, a sourcebook offering dozens of options fr right- ‘eous characters, and the Slayer’s Guide to Undead. That ‘month also sees the release of the Utimate Equipment Guide, 2 collection of equipment trom 2 collection of 20 publishers, and Cities of Fantasy: Arcania, a complete metropolis for use in dzo fantasy games. Mystic Eye Games ‘Admit it. You've got 2 deck of tarot cards, whether lovingly wrapped in cloth or tucked away forgotten in some Grawer of old game junk. With Mystic Eye's Arcane Mysteries: Tarot Magic, youl finally be able to get some 00d use forthe cards. The book won't tell you how to divine the future or ack f there are any spirits in the oom," but it will give you tips on using tarot decks in your 20 games to cast spells or predict a characters future. ‘Mystic Eye's press on the book promises that it will “blur ‘the line between what it fantasy and what is rea.” Spooky. The 128-page book will set you back 519.99 Bolt and Quiver SCOTT Living Spycraft res rea the RPGA to launch Liv roup has partnered with Tee a) fe ener ee eee Rene eee unsure ea cr) Perey Le ee eee are ees Cierny crams Gy Agencies in the United States and the UK Eventually, Livina Spycraft will grow to include Branches of play all around the world (similar to irre tren ei ete) ree ee oe ee ee en a ee ee Pe ec ne ee ee ee (eer eta et eee ce Core eae vets Pre Rae he res cod erect Cee ee eis) running in the scenario A Routine Operation, by Shawn Carman, an adventure described as an Pen Cus es co) wrong,” Don't forget to pack your laser cufflinks! Pere ea cee Gor enire acs Necromancer Games LUke‘em or not, taverns are an important part of most fan- ‘tasy campaigns. What better way to fight a cliché than to embrace it? Summon some old school excitement and delve Into the Book of Taverns, meaty sourcebook from the com- pany that brought you the Tome of Horrors. he volume con- tains 10 complete taverns designed for easy insertion into ‘your campaign with plenty of maps and adventure hooks. (Product price unavailable at press time.) by Stant Tareas ae BEAD ME 0 TRUE" cove, Pulver Caio EV63 ON HER TF [You uve A GIRLFRIEND?) CHY WENT F WEARO, lasynuinas Aecur HER BeroRE © Edita as vier S AOU epee ca ‘Ole SaBy Overwhelming Popular Request. We have started to update and change the RPGA website again! We have engaged someone to help us achieve this ina timely manner since so many members have said that they wanted us to address the matter urgently. It's now a top priority and wil gather speed as we move forward and into 2003. hat said, we'll stil use PouviteoRon as our fag- ship for information flow, a5 we have to recognize that not ‘every member has regular Internet access. D&D Player Rewards This a huge new RPGA-exclusive program that is avail able for signup right now on the RPGA website, though participants won't start qualifying until January 1st 2003 forits benefits. state ths right up front, though. When proven successful and all the kinks are driven out we will consider looking to expand this to other game systems such 3s Star Wars | recommend signing up sooner rather than later as we expect a huge take-up and we don't want to delay the processing of your application. ‘Some Facts: You can join this program for free at the PGA website Players earn points for playing in reported RPGA-sanctioned D&D games. For every 20 points they earn under this program, they receive benefits mailed to ‘them automatically three times a year. These benefits will include “Campaign Cards” special character creation and o-game effect cards usable in specified campaigns. These Campaign Cards wil ll be unique tothe programm and will be specially produced with full-color art. As the program gathers speed we will ook to add more and more rewards This means that as of Januaty 1st, 2003, when the new program goes live, we will be stopping the old player points and ranking system. We have to recognize that those players have earned considerable points advancing in the old program, albeit in a program where Bolt and Quiver 12 January 2003 those points were of little or no value to the individual Under the new program, those points physically mean something, and you are rewarded for that participation. Also as part of that recognition, we will be transferring, those player points into the new program. These means that existing members will qualify for more Campaign Cards over the first couple of mailings based on their rankings in both Classic and Campaign play as of the sist of December, 2002 The rest of the hows, whys, and wherefores are on the ‘website for you all to read, We will be talking in more depth about the program in upcoming issues of Potvneoron and at WINTER FANTASY 2003. lan Richards Worldwide RPGA Director [email protected] RPGA Worldwide Director lan Richards kicks back at Gen Con,Gen Con 2002: A Look Back So Long, Milwaukee, This year marked the last in which Gen Con, the game industry’ largest and most exciting convention, will be held in Mivraukee, is home since the 1980s. The RPGA kicked off the event with style, decorating the Spartan arena in which Network games are held with a variety of posters and attractive signs Despite the usual last-minute squabble for meeting room space that this year resulted in the unfortunate cancellation of the annual member's meeting, RPGA honchos ian Richards and Stephen Radney-MacFarland managed to hold @ make-up seminar on Thursday. there, Stephen revealed that he thought the base ieve! RPGA membership “will be free forever” Richards and Radney-Macfarland Iaid out the plans for the organization over the next year, Nobody Does Better: Cnthia and August Hahn (et hold down including a move to give LiVINc Grevnawk's Network HQunder the wathful eye of Chery Freeh wh has manoged Cicle of Sx volunteer campaign coordinators HOfor more than a decade. 2002 was he last eat Thanks, Cheryl more autonomy in decision making and cam- paign managment Highlights of the show's games offerings included the ever popular Livin City, Living Force, and Living Dears interactives, a preview of the then-yet-to-be-published City of the Spider Queen ForcovreN Reatms adventure, and the D&D Open, the longest-running competitive roleplaying event in history. Nexy year, Gen Con US moves to Indianapolis, Indiana and promises to offer a thrilling slate of RPGA activities and meetings Visit www.wizards.com/rpga to sign up early. Tell'em Pouy sent you. ‘View from Above: Members puzzle out a Living Cirv encounter. ‘The RPGA distributed six “bonus buttons” at er eam erect Cas grant special bonuses and abilities to characters in RPGA campaign play, a number Dee Renae Ciena eciet cers Pro a Thank You, Mistresls Gall Reese marshals players to Livine GREvuawx tables witha booming voice and great authority 14 January 2003‘Tasty Treat: Russ Morrisey and Eric Noah shove off their stuff before the Ennie award ceremony. Three Amigos: RPGA members get into costume and adventure at the Living Cry interactive Victory: ot open hampon ne pater ode i The Ennies: d2o’s Best Before the release ofthe Third Edition D&D rules, before anyone had even mentioned the words “d20 System,” Eric Noah built himself a website. More than two years later, that site has a new webmaster, Russ Morrisey, and a new name: EN World (wavwenworld.org). Fans of the d20 System know EN World as the best information resource on the internet, with updates on new products and messageboards filed with the chatter of gamers and industry professionals. This year, Morrisey took his site to Gen Con with a live award ceremony for the Ennies, EN World's annual nod to the best products the dao System has to offer. Sponsored by Gen Con owner Peter ‘Adkison and hosted by d2o pioneer Ryan Dancey, the award ceremony recognized the best achievernents in d20 according to the opinions of a specially elected nominating committee made up cof N World luminaries and a final popular vote by visitors tothe site. As you can see, both the committee and the voters have excellent taste when it comes tothe dest Aid or Accessory category 2002 Ennie Award Winners Best D2o Game: Call of Cthulhu (Wizards of the Coast) Best Adventure: f Thoughts Could Kill (Malhavoc Press) Best Campaign Setting: Oriental Adventures (Wizards of the Coast) Best Setting Supplement: Freeport: City of ‘Adventure (Green Ronin Publishing) Best Rules Supplement: Manual ofthe Planes (Wizards of the Coast) Best Aid or Accessory: OUNGEON/PaLYHEDRON ‘Magazine (Wizards of the Coast) Best Cartography: Freeport: City of Adventure (Green Ronin Publishing) Best Art (Interior): Deities & Demigods (Wizards of the Coast) Best rt (Cover): Lad of the ran Fortress (Wizards of the Coast) Best Graphic Design and layout: Cal of Cthulhu (Wizards of the Coast) Best Monster Supplement: Creature Collection I Dark Menagerie (Scarred Lands} (Sword & Sorcery Studios) Best Free Product or Web Enhancement: Portable Hole Full of Beer (Ambient) Best Official Website: Wizards of the Coast (worenwizards.com) Best Fan Resource Site: SWRPGNetwork (wonw.swrpgnetwork.com) Best Fan Campaign Site: Conan d20 (www yrestryke.com/adilbrand/conan.htrm) Best Publisher: Wizatds of the Coast Special Award for Contribution to Open Gaming: Ryan DanceyHe runs two weekly D&D cam- paigns, wrote the Third Edition Quneeon Master's Guide, owns the influential Malhavoc Press, and is a fixture of the d20/Open Gaming movement. And he's currently writing his own Player's Handbook. POLYHEDRON recently had a chance to talk with Monte Gook about his game, his company, and his exciting new project. the ptolus campaign You run two different weekly campaigns. Why did you decide to do such a crazy thing? Part ofthe advantage is that it allows me to play two games a ‘week but only do about 150% of the work (rather than 200%) Because its the same setting all the characters are in the same places, al the background events and the NPCs that they run Intoare very frequently the same. When one group goes to the {guy who identifies magic items, it's the same guy that the other £r0up goes ta Not only does that make it easier, but its fun for ‘me, because it makes for a very dynamic kind of setting. fone ‘roup Is doing something of in one part of town, they might hear something that the other group doesn't hear about, and if ‘they communicate back and forth, one group is learning stuff about the town from the other group. It makes it all seem much ‘more teal and seem like the setting is more alive What is Ptolus? Ptolus isan entirely urban campaign. Well, urban/dungeon in ‘that there are a lot of underground areas underneath this big fantasy city. It’s a pretty typical large D&D city with the excep- tion that there are remnants of sort of a Renaissance-level technology left over. There are some firearms and things of ‘that nature, but they're more leftovers than a developing thing, Ptolus is a world in decline as opposed to a world that’s getting better (although the piayer characters are trying to do something about that), How has running Ptolus for the last few years impacted. your game design? Ina lot of very direct ways in that.a lot of adventures that have been part of the Ptolus campaign have become pub- ae cae 5 WEE lished game adventures, such as Queen of Les, from Fiety Dragon, some of the stuff that I've done for the Wizards of the Coast website, The Banewarrens, from Malhavoc Press, and Beyond the Veil from Atlas Games. ‘That’ the very obvious and direct way, but in other ways, as {ve played the garne for these many years, now, 've noticed places where | would say to myseif"| wish there was a spell that did that,” orm going to make up a cool new magic item for an NPC that does this and it seems pretty logical that see a need for something lke that in my campaign, other people are going to see a need for that kindof thing in their campaign. And the ‘same is true for optional rules and things like that, so that sort of material finds its way into the products | write all the time. Beyond the adventures, have you ever considered doing a ‘more specifically “Ptolus” product? | get asked for such a product quite often. | posta lot of Ptolus mation on my website and have heard anecdotally; partic ularly with the release of The Banewarrens, which does have 5 lr 6 pages of Ptalus information in it, that there are people ut there running Ptolus campaigns just based off that anid the stuff that was on my website. Is that weird? That's kind of weird. But cool. These people come to my mes- sage boards or email and ask me questions about NPCs or locations in Ptolus because they're running a Ptolus campaign. So there clearly are people who would be interested in such a product and so would never want to say no, but | know our schedule through 2003 and I'm not planning on doing any- thing lke that. 16wizards of the coasb ‘What did it feel like to get to be the guy wrote the DMG for, ‘Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons? Did you ask for that? i know that that’s really what | wanted, When they selected the people to work on Third Edition it was not clearat that ‘time that It was going to be “one guy writes the PH, one guy writes the DMG, one guy writes the MM. Those decisions ‘weren't even made, yet, People talk about Monte Cook and ‘the DMG, Jonathan Tweet and the Player’s Handbook and Skip ‘Williams and the Monster Manual, but the truth is that for the first two years of the game's development, that wasn't really ‘the way it was at all. It wasn’t until pretty late in the process ‘that it became “you have that book, | have this book.” But to answer the question, yes, | wanted to write the DMG because playing the game is fun, but I've always been the OM. love being the DM. When | went to go buy D&D to start up my ‘own game it was 1979, | guess, and | asked them for DuNckons & Deacons at my local B. Dalton and they didn't have that, because of course it wasn't out anymore, but | didn't know. The only ‘thing they had was the brand new Dunceon Masrer's Guide. That ‘was the very first product that I bought, so | still have just incredibly fond memories ofthe DMG. It was this amazing full circle when we sent the Third Edition stuff off to Gary Gygax and Gary came back and said “Oh, Third Edition seems really coo,” but then he kind of raved about the DMG alittle bit, and that was @ realy cool full-circle kind of moment because his Ounccow Masts Guide was so influential to me. How has it felt to see the fan reaction to Third Edition? It's great that response has been so positive. We weren't at all, sure that it was going to be. We were given the mandate by. the powers that be to make the game the game that it became. Not specifically, but [than-Wizards of the Coast President] Peter Adkison said:“make this a good game. Make thisthe best game we can make it,” so that's what we tried to cdo, We thought “boy, we sure might be alienating some of the existing fanbase,” but it turns out for the most part that was rot the case, and that Second Edition players leapt right on ‘board and were with us, and that’s realy cool. Having gone through that entire process, what words of advice do you have to the people who will be designing Fourth Edition some time down the line? ‘The big huge thing that we learned was that D&D players want a really good game and are willing to change and accept change more than we even thought. If there are things | could go back and redo in Third Edition a lot of them probably are ‘the way they are because we were afraid to make too big a change. We called them “sacred cows.” things that made D&O D&D and we couldn't change them. think that Fourth Edition can probably take that idea and go even farther with it. The differences between First Edition and Second Edition ry 7 were not very big, and I think that came from a level of con- servatism, and maybe at that time that was the right choice to, make. don't know. think my advice to a Fourth Edition designer is “do what will make a good game” walhavoc press So you've got ajob that most gamers would kill for—to be one of the senior designers of Wizards of the Coast, to help guide the future of the game, to have written the Dunorow ‘Masran’s Guide=and right at the height of all the hoopla you back out and decide to do your own thing with Malhavoc. Why? The short answer I guessyis that while working at Wizards of the Coast is cool, there's a level of creative control that an indi- vidual game designer, even a senior game designer, does not have, and that’s the kind of control | wanted. Not necessarily because I'm a big control freak, but because it carrbe frustrat- ing sometimes to want to do something but be forced in a dif ferent direction because someone else who has a different or higher position in the company wants to go.a different way. There are also advantages to being a small publisher as ‘opposed to the big guy. Wizards ofthe Coast has to be more conservative in thelr game products—and by conservative m talking about in the rules—than a small publisher does. Wizards has to make sure very carefully that they/re nat intro- ducing anything that’s overpowered and not balanced, and to some extent they've done that, Overall think they've done a good job. But as a small publisher, not producing the core that every- thing else is based on, ican be alittle more free to experiment and do something wacky and see how that works and see if people lke it. Do you have an example of the type of thing that you've been able to do at Malhavoc that you wouldn't have been able todo at Wizards? ve got a type of feat that runs through the Eldritch Might books called eldrtch feats. Eldritch feats are sort of like meta- magic feats but they don't modi the level of the spell. Instead, they have a lot of requirements at the front end in order for you to pick up the feat high stats, high level, that kind of thing. It’s justa really minor example, but that kind of thing probably wouldn't find its way into a D&D book because Wizards has an idea of what is good and what isn't as far as Third Edition design goes, And | helped develop that, but at the same time didn’t agree with everything that came out of it.| guess 'd have to label myself as.a litle more radical a game designer than Wizards of the Coast, and having my own design studio allows me to exercise alittle of that freedom, ‘Who was Malhavoc? ‘Malhavocis the character that | played when |was14 years old, playing in my friend's D&D game, He was an elf wizard.Now be honest. How many 18s did he have? [Guilty laughter] Like four. He was totally this high-level munchkin asskicker. Were you proud of him nonetheless? ‘Oh, yeah, Absolutely ‘What was the coolest thing Malhavoc ever did? ‘Well, he was actually an evil character, and he once tricked all the other characters to sell themselves into siavery to an enemy city so that | could... it's along story, but anyway, | sold the other player characters into slavery. Sonaturally when you came to choose a name for your company, you fell upon this backstabbing slaver. Well, mostiy it’s just because it's a cool name. And little did know that there's some Canadian rock band named Malhavoc, which we recently found out. And apparently there was some Superfriends villain named Malhavoc... ‘Well, two different people invented calculus, so you shouldn't feel too bad. (laughs) ‘What were your creative and personal goals with Malhavoc ‘the minute you stepped out the Wizards door? Not at all what happened. fully intended to make my way as 2 freelance designer working for other companies. Malhavoc ‘would be just sort of this thing I did on the side. Make a few extra bucks here and there. | didn't expect it to take off. It would just be sort of an outlet for me to do the sort of “weird idea” game design that I've been talking about. Lo and behold, it really took off and it quickly became clear that both creatively and financially the smart thing to do was to pay attention to Malhavoc and not work freelance for other game companies. That’ kind of what it’s done. So now my Boals have really changed. t's no longer just kind of a lark. Now my goals with Malhavoc are to focus more on quality than on quantity. We don't put out as many books as alot of «420 publishers do, We don’t work with very many authors. We keep everything pretty close to the vest, and that’s because \'m really interested in maintaining a realy high level of quall- +y,50 that when people pick up 2 Malhavoc product they at least know that it’s not going to totally wreck their game. That the people who wrote it (which is more often than not me) at least know the rules and understand what's going on, You've worked with Bruce Cordell and Sean Reynolds. Do you have plans to expand the stable of people who write for Malhavoc? Yes. Skip Willams is going to write an event book for us. wrote Reguiem for a God, our fist event book, about the death ofa god. Bruce Cordell is writing our second event book, which is called When the Sky Falls, about a meteor strike. Skip is going to be writing a book called Cry Have, which s a source: book about introducing awar into your game | If money and sales were no option in terms of designing a roleplaying game product, what is your ideal product? That would be the product that m working on right now, which Is going to be called Arcana Unearthed: The Malhavoc Handbook. ‘And basicaly, what itis isa variant Player's Handbook. It’s going to be an Open Game License product that, well, if ‘you remember Unearthed Arcana, the old Fist Edition D&D prod- tut if that book had been a stand-alone product, that's what this book will be. Is not going to havea cavalier and a thief-acrobat in it.tts going to be a Player’s Handbook, but its going to have all new races, all new classes, all new feats all new spell I'l be a stand-alone book. You cam use it instead of your Players Handbook. But if you don't want to do that and you just want to ‘grab three of these classes and this new race and these feats and spells,you can do that, too. So it's usable both ways. Its going to be a 240-page hardback book, and it will come ‘out at Gen Con 2003, 'm really excited I's a very, very, inter- esting game design exercise, because my goal here isto create stor 12 new classes that fil all the roles that you want to have filled in a d20 fantasy game but not just have clear analogues of the stuff that’s in the Player's Handbook and have them all ‘work together and have them all be internally balanced but, also be balanced with the original Players Handbook stutt. What's an example of a class role you plan to fll? ‘There's going to be a character class called the champion. At first glance, the champion would seem to be an awful ot like ‘the paladin, because the champions things that the champ: ‘on devotes himself to a cause or to another person or to some abstract principle or toa religion and defends that and its ‘causes and beliefs and whatever. So that sort of sounds like a paladin, but the charnpion is actually quite abit diferent because the champion doesn't have to be the knight in shin ing armor on the white charger. The champion is interesting because, while it’s one class, a champion of a particular reli son and a champion of death and a champion of the king are all going to be very different sorts of characters: Infact, that’s actually a model that I'm playing with alot. Another class that 'm working on is called the totem warrior. The totem warrior is sort of this outdoorsy almost barbarian ‘or ranger kind of guy except that he chooses a totem animal and gets different class-based powers based on the animal ‘that he chooses. So a bear totem warrior is actually going to be fairly different than a snake totem warrior. Not all the classes are based on that model, but one thing. ‘that’s cool about that model is that it allows the DM to sayin my campaign | want there to be the bat totem” | might not provide the bat totem, but it will be really easy for the DM to create his own totems or rules for being the champion of something that | didn’t think of 138—_——_ -—<+— Will the book similarly revisit the combat rules? Yes. The core Open Gaming System Is going to be the same, but | am going to be making some changes to even the com- bat rules and the magicrules. Particularly to the magic rules. It be someone's option. You could use the straight open sys- ‘tem right out of the normal Player's Handbook and still use all ‘these classes, but I've got some different rules for how to han- die certain combat situations and grappling and some of the classes and the things that they do kind of bring about new combat options. ‘What até your hopes for the book? Do you hope other compa- ‘es will do support material once i's out there and open? | have no idea. | haver’t seen anybody really embrace that level of the d2o license or the Open Gaming License. There have been collections of spells and prestige classes and what- rot, and | guess there's some officially licensed Oragonstar things, but lam going to make it, from an open license point of view, very easy for someone to write an adventure using the classes and the new things that 'm presenting. What else is ahead for Malhavoc? We're going to come out with a book called Malhavoc Handbook I, which will essentially be monsters and magic items but it will also be some other things that will sort of supplement the Mathavoc Handbook. ‘The Player's Handbook implicitly has a setting that goes along with it where wizards prepare their spells ahead of time and there are clerics who pray for spells and there are these sets of gods and people use longswords and whatever. Even if you don't know anything about Grevtaws, there's a set of assumptions there. The same will be true with the Malhavoc Handbook, but they'll be different assumptions, in some ways very different assumptions. The core assumption is the same: that it's a fantasy world where people use magic and swords. But there willbe different assumptions. So there will be a world, a setting sort of implied. ‘Malhavoc Handbook i, which will be called The Diamond Throne, will give a little more information about that setting for people who want to get into that. 'm not really interested. at this time in having a big setting, you know “this is our Forcorren Reavws” kind of thing, But i'll be enough of a back- drop for people who want to use the races and classes that I've created for the Malhavoc Handbooks in the setting that 'Ym going to use while | playtest and create the races and classes. tl provide that sort of information. "Next year we're also going to come out witha book called CChaositech, which is sort of a weird amalgamation of magic and technology but not really either. Chaositech is really kind of weird techno devices that are powered by chaos, so they work in strange ways and produce strange effects that don't necessarily need to be bounded by the laws of physics, so It’s almost lke technological magic. Sean Reynolds is going to be doing more character books {ike the one that's out now, and he’s also going to be doing a big book dealing with angels, including information about playing angels. On the much closer horizon, Bruce Cordell has ‘written a big psionic classbook called Mindscapes that will be cout in the spring. into Ghe Fubure Where do you think d2o and the Open Gaming Movernent ‘will be in two years? | think that in a couple years we'll probably see some of the players in the dzo industry change. lot of people predict that 2 lot of small game publishers will drop away, but | think that’s actually pretty unlikely. Those are the guys.doing it because they love it. They aren't out to make alot of money. The people who are out there churning out products interest- ced in making a lot of money at this thinkin two years are going to start to see that they aren't making as much money as they want and may very well try to do something diferent: 1'm not a prognosticator enough to know details, but | get the feeling that some of the people putting out dzo products right now probably won't be doing so in two years. Do you date prognosticate further ahead than two years? In five years | expect I'l still be working on Malhavoc. In 10 year, 'l probably be doing something entirely different. That ‘may be just a personal thing. That may be because the indus ‘ry will change. | don't know. go back and forth on that al the time, because who knows? In five or six years there might bea Fourth Edition, and Fourth Edition might completely rev talize things the way Third Edition did and keep things going. | don't know. | think, ultimately it’s almost foolish to try to pre- dict that far in the future. So many times in my own career I've predicted “oh, | probably won't stil be In gaming in two years 'm going on year 15, here. I think that the industry isin a really great place right now. 'm very upbeat about the industry as a whole. see product quality, pretty much by everybody, increasing, some times by leaps and bounds. think that good products, even ‘rom other companies, encourage people to buy more prod- ucts. That means that customers who get a good product from someone else are more likely to buy my products as well, som thrilled to see other companies produce quality stuff t's a great time to be a gamer. I've heard a few people wonder if the Bos were gaming's golden age or if this is gaming’s golden age, and Im starting to lean more toward this being gaming's golden age. if ‘you've got a D&D game going right now and you want to Incorporate an assassin in your game, you now have four or maybe five different assassin classes to choose from. You can really have the game you want to have, and | think that’s pretty cool. 138 POLYHEDAON Mint-GamMe OF GENe-BNHsNCeD esPionaGce DesIGn: AICH ReOMaAN BOIbING: BAK Mona 8A6 DIRECSION/GASPHIC OBSIGN: KYLE HUNGER COVER: JOHN Van PLEBG INGERIOR BAGISGS: ORFF CSaAUISLE - 6OM POWLEA - MIKABL NOGUCHI MICHSEL HUDDLESGON - CHAIS GABUVAS GaBLB OF CONGeNnbSs CHARGER |: INSIDE GENEGECH CHSPBEA 2: CHBRSCKERS CHAP6BA 3: SOVBNGUARS "hePountonon be tr Cae regu ‘grand pncs Unite spctety notes the 420 Moot cook ol nN Mi Game ad th sander DAD or 20 Moot aa buen pln ame al kc le Gb Beh Rednah ond hares an Th ts the Cae gear Open Care Co.INGRODUCGION SPECIAL AGENT NEIL SILER WAITED IN THE DIM BASEMENT OF THE METH LAB, NORMALLY A BUST LIKE THIS WAS DEA TERRITORY, BUT THE STREET SAID THE GANG RUN- NING THE HOUSE WORKED FOR THE ORGANIZATSIVA, THE RUSSIAN MOB, NEIL'S EMPLOY- ER, THE INS, BELIEVED THE ORGANIZATSIVA HAD A SMALL NUMBER OF MOREAUS, HARD- (CORE VETERANS OF CONFLICTS IN AZERBAUIAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KOREA, MONGOLIA, AND THE UKRAINE. THE NEW MAN RUNNING THIS DRUG DEN, ILYA PETROSKY, HAD CLEAR SIGNS OF ORCA IN HIS CHROMOSOME COCKTAIL. THAT MADE IT INS BUSINESS. Junkies groaned or giggled around Neil as they enjayed their fx, The place reeked of vomit and worse. The meth gang didn't bother to furnish more than a few rotting mattresses. Neil huddled in a comer, pretending to drowse and trying to be forgettable. Agent Sergei Leonid had volunteered forthe inside job, but their boss, ‘Special Agent in Charge Thomas Tse pointed out the dogs kept by the front door to sniff out moreaus. Neil took comfort knowing that Sergei would came to get him, since the bear moreau could practically knock in the armored front door bare-handed. (Outside, SAC Thomas Tse waited in a battered, nondescript GMC cargo van. Unlike Neil, Thomas wore body armor and carried both a Colt Double Eagle pistol and an HK MPs submachine gun. Behind him, Agent Leonid tried to remain stil, since shifting his weight rocked the van and bruised the other four agents hiding there. Computers rode in packets on the back of their body armor, wired to various devices around their bodies, including their wrap- ‘round sunglasses. As the rest of his team took positions, an unmanned aerial vehicle about the size of a seagull icled above the block. SAC Ts's computer projected the UAV’ transmissions in his sun- glasses. Earlier reconnaissance with pearut-sized robot vehicies called “Beetles” pinpointed Petrosky’s fourth-floor room. As Thomas watched via the UAV, Agent lan Davies reached the roof ofthe building across from Petrosky's window and began setting up his Barrett Light Fifty sniper rfl. Davies was on loan, a token gesture ofthe DEAS interest. Thomas knew Davies was a veteran of countless skirmishes on the ‘Mexican border and had high confidence in him. When the DEA sniper was in place, Thomas squirted a “go” signal, using the keypad on this left forearm and the cellular transmitter in the computer. He, Leonid, and the four agents burst out of the van and charged the drug den door while agents at City Light & Power cut the electricity to the block. When the few lights went out, the guards started shouting in Russian, Neil charged the lone punk watching the junkies. A frank born with lowlight vision, Neil could see before the gangbanger’s eyes adjusted to the dark. Knocking him out with a single smikazuki kick to the jaw, Nell took the punk’s Colt 1gn and shoved it in his waistband. Snatching the dropped Mossberg shotgun, ‘Neil headed for the back stairs 21feels} Even on the fist floor Neil could hear EE SIAEIY Dovies'sniper fe punching hafinch diam ete lugs into the brick ond mortar ofthe building. As long as the DEA agent kept Petrosky boted up, they had a chance of success. An explosion heralded the arivo of the rest of the team. Neil pounded up the back stairs, making liberal use ofthe shotgun. The shouts of “ANSI Get down!" foded as he headed fo the fourth floon He hoped the 12-gauge would be enough to arrest 3oo pounds of forious, trapped orca Cameaicn in BRIEF GineTicn,a complete campaign setting for the new 20 ‘Moocew roleplaying game, adds some science fiction to the techno thriller genre offering a dark, gritty, and desperate tone to your modern era adventures. Conflicts are torn from the headlines of local and world news. Heroes in a GensTici campaign believe that they are among the last good people willing to act against the greed and lust for power which they see all around them. In GeneTEch, genetically modified soldiers clash on blood: soaked battlefields, spies scuffle in the shadows, and organiza- tions blur the lines between crime and corporations. Forty years of intense genetic research and experimentation have produced the first generation of moreauls, blends of humans and animals, and franks, genetically altered humans. (Moreaus are described on p.247 f the d20 Mooew roleplaying game. Franks appear later in this article) Most of these genetically altered humans resent their status as property oftheir cre- ators, and many have sought political asylum in the United States. Faced with prejudice from so-called “normal” humans, many have turned to crime to eke out a living GeneTecn heroes have the training, ability and determina- tion to oppose the corporate greed and government apathy destroying their world, The heroes take on this daunting, deadly challenge because somebody has to, and because they didn't fight to escape genetic labs and military training camps just to watch the world circle the drain Most people would rather turn on their televisions, open beers, and ignore the warning signs all around them. Pill, booze, and mass media entertainment numb the majority enough to keep the world functioning, Those who try to expose the dangers caused by overpopulation, pollution, depletion of resources, and overwhelming greed face ridicule, scorn atest, or far worse at the hands of those who profit from the status quo. bHE HEROES’ ROLE GeneTecn characters are intelligent and resourceful, human weaknesses and foibles. They ae not super-human ‘Tey are Jack Ryan (Hunt fr Red October Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) or Indiana Jones (Raiders ofthe Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade), not Conan or the Terminator. with 22 The heroes escaped from a top-secret genetic engineering facllity and now must turn thelr paramilitary skills to making a living while their former masters hound their every step. The heroes may be defectors or refugees, or escapees from a US development facility. hey may have defected out of horror at something their former government was doing, or out of a desire for the greater freedom available in the United States, Either way, their former comrades and co-workers now hunt them and the general public regards them with prejudice and suspicion. In the United States, the government denies any. military genetic engineering facilities and handles all escapes with discretion and the utmost secrecy. Other governments. only deny that such escapes ever happen. Political unrest, widespread access to weapons of mass destruction, and environmental collapse all contribute to a sense of impending change. Your heroes can affect the out- come of that change, and they find sympathy and support among those groups who have decided peaceful protest is too little, too late. Your heroes are active. Regardless of their moti- vations, they take action. Even when improving thelr own per- sonal situations, they find themselves resolving situations with larger implications. feeeO Ble Ae mata) IN GeneTecu erate ee one cacy ee ae ee ed cutting edge, high-tech equipment and genetically engi Peery Dee eee oe ce Rue ene ue ae ead build characters using the moreaus found in on p. 247 of eee so eer ee) Cee ty Pre et ere aa ten) design new franks and moreaus using the guidelines offered in the Creating New Races section of Chapter 2 Cee ean 0. Ceara eee ea eras remit Use monsters from Chapter Eight: Friends and Fo Pee ee cd failed experiments. Things lie bugbears, deinonychus, gargoyles, gnols, goblins, kabolds, minotaurs, monstrous eee ee ei eas Poe eee eee ed cience run armuck, With alittle imagination, you could ven tweak fiends, flesh golems, and vampires to fit the pes ec ee eee Cer ecu er tr (Gee the Language Groups sidebar in Chapter Two: Skil Beet roleplaying game).Beer = , Ay a GENETECH 15, FIRST AND FOREMOST, A TECHNO THRILLER SETTING. A TECHNO THRILLER IS A THRILLING, FAST-PACED STORY SET IN THE PRESENT DAY. TECHNO THRILLERS HAVE HIGHLY COMPLEX PLOTS WITH A STRONG SENSE OF URGENCY THAT MAKES THE AUDIENCE (YOUR PLAY- ERS) WANT TO RUSH TO THE END, IN ADDITION, TECHNOLOGY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PLOT AND IN ALMOST EVERY SCENE, IT I5 $0 VITAL TO THE PLOT THAT IF YOU REMOVED THE TECHNOL- OGY, THE PLOT WOULD COLLAPSE. MORE THAN JUST SOME OBJECT THE HEROES TRY TO ACQUIRE, TECHNOLOGY IS A CHARACTER IN ITSELF. THE WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, AND TOOLS ARE AS INTERESTING AS THE HEROES USING THEM. GENETECH LAYERS SECRET GOVERNMENT DEVEL- OPMENT OF GENETIC ENGINEERING ON TOP OF THOSE TRAITS. THREE KEY TRAITS Take the real world, add these three twists, and you've got a ready-to-populate campaign set- ting that’s as familiar to Gamemasters and players as our own world, and as fantastic and terrifying as your own imagination can make it. Here’ a brief look at how these conceits work in the campaign. Generic Encineenine Works: In the world of GeneTeci, genetic engineering has proceeded far beyond recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (r8GH) and genetically engineered medicines, Governments use the humanoid results of these experiments as their shock ‘troops, commandos, and spies. Those that escape their government masters find work “off ‘the books” in corporate espionage and crime. ‘A gang of rat moreaus run a meth lab and ter- rorize their slum neighborhood. Egg franks (see Franks, below) use tiny robots for a jewel rob- bety crime spree. gigantic albino alligator haunts the sewers and waterfront after scien- ‘ists performing legal genetic experiments face ‘government ald, A muttinational energy cor- poration sends deniable canine moreau agents to provoke a war, stopping construction of a Central Asian oil pipeline. These threats and more slip around the fraying edges of society. Escape is Posstate: Moreaus and franks can, ‘and do, escape. An Underground movement helps them find their way to a United States that denies any creation of such beings and provides asylum, albeit few rights, to those who reach its shores. ‘AWORLD ON THE BRINK: Years of ecological rnonchalance have finally caught up with us, and our biosphere is on the edge irreversible collapse. Details you can drop into your cam- paign appear below. BACKGROUND 111953, Chemie Griinenthal synthesized ‘thalidomide in West Germany. sedative, ‘thalidomide was avallable in some places until rmid-1962. Unfortunately, not only did @ per- centage of users develop peripheral neurit but it also caused startling deformities in fetuses. Untold numbers died, and many con: tinue to suffer from the effects. IF thalidomide could cross the placental wall and affect infants in uteri, perhaps other meth ods could influence the development of embryos positively. The reaction of the United States government to the tragedy was an increased interest in genetic research. Secretly, departments within the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Department of Energy (008) began identifying the approximately 430,000 genes in human DNA, determining the sequence of the 3 billion chemical base pairs ‘that make up human ONA, and developing tools to address the impact of ecological disas- ters on citizens. All over the world, weatthy nations created their own black budget genetic projects. By 1970, every major world power was involved in a highly secret "gene race.” The desperate need for the results of this research surfaced time and again, as the haz- ards of chemical landfills made themselves clear in places like the Love Canal neighbor- hood of Niagara Falls, New York: as the pesti- cide dioxin proved s0 harmful to the environ- ‘ment; and as the defoliant Agent Orange proved to cause cancer. 1n 1997, embryologist lan Wilmut and col- leagues at the Roslin Institute in Scotland pub- licly announced the successful cloning of Dolly, a sheep. US President William Clinton issued a ‘moratorium on the use of federal funds for human cloning research in the United States, The same government that hid the existence of the National Security Agency (NSA) in black budget line items, sterilized the mentally retarded and others it considered “undesit- able," and denied treatment for syphilis to 309 African-American males, continued its research without public knowledge or scrutiny.‘The primary focus of NIH research was genetically engineer- ing healthier smarter human beings (franks). fhe DOE focused ‘on quicker methods of producing tools forthe military and intelligence communities (moreaus) By 1985, both projects had stable prototypes brought to term by surrogate mothers. At small, secret bases around the nation, they began raising and ‘raining their creations. Similar events happened behind the scenes around the world. The genetically engineered characters found in GeneTeci are the fist generation of adults raised from the first stable genetic creations. In the early years of the 21st Century the world reeled when ‘news media sources flashed images of Macedonian human: animal hybrids unleashed on ethnically Albanian rebels. Questions over how Macedonia could afford the products of such expensive research swiftly followed, and many feared the new genetic superpowers were using regional conflicts to test their creations. In the United States, a groundswell of public. pinion rushed the passage of the honorable Mr. Weldor’s leg islation prohibiting genetic experimentation on human beings. The media quickly dubbed the hybrids “moreaus,” from HG. Wells’ The Island of Or. Moreau. When the Israelis revealed a generation of genetically engineered soldiers, the media coined the term “frank,” derived fram Frankenstein's monster The genie was out of the bottle. CAMPAIGN TRAITS The following themes and background concepts form the foundation of a GeneTecn campaign. Understanding them means understanding the basic forces at play upon the lives of your characters and their enemies. Generic ENGINEERING Genetic engineering has varying legal status around the world. In GeneTecn’s United States, doctors must insure a per: son's health in embryo. The federal government and the insur: ance industry help support this medical practice. Choosing ‘gender, eye color and hair color is also legal, but the financial responsibility lies solely with the parents. More than that is against federal law enforced by a special branch of the National Institute of Health. Moral and ethical issues surrounding genetic testing and ‘engineering abound. The resolution ofthese issues will change ‘the word, Since al of your heroes are moreaus or franks, they have. stake in the change. Even the products of normal, random ‘genetics, so-called “pure strain humans,” are affected. Genetic testing can reveal an inherited vulnerability to certain diseases ‘or conditions. Insurance companies in GeneTecH may legally refuse to insure people based on the possiblity of later contract- ing a disease or condition, creating a caste of "uninsurables.” Ecouosicat Disaster In 1995, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California (San Diego) published a report outtin: Ing the decline of zooplankton, a vital link in the food chain, off the coast of Southern California over the preceding 42 years. In GeNeTec, the warming trend cited in the report, and tthe decline, continue. Algal "blooms" are visible in the world’s ‘oceans. Fish populations are declining, and some people ques- tion whether itis too late to reverse the process. Weather is, unusually warm and violent around the globe. Sudden torren- Ce ee ae Ca eon Seen er eager ad Reins co rennet ce Coat LCery followed by sensations of numbness and cold. That numbness spreads and is followed by severe muscu. earn ae ee er eee ase Piet McoeRoa es cee eae eead Prentice eect ara eee Pera ernn cao Seroter arnt eree ecient n ear ce 25 it Noguchitial storms are common and weather-relat: ed disasters such as mudslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods increase. WOU Bounptsss Greeo Corporations act out of their own self-interest and that of powerful individuals within them. in GeneTecx, corporations incite riots to destroy property belonging to rivals or to poten: tial purchases. They finance insurgent movements, “investing” in government more likely to let them exploit local natural resources and the population, or just to get a more favorable tax structure. Corporations finance their own security and investigation forces, and certainly use franks and possibly even rmoreaus (out of the public eye, of course). INcREASED VioLeNT CRIME Hate crimes, particularly racially motivated violence, increased shortly after the revelation that genetically engineered cre. ations coexisted with “pure-strain humans.” New global ter- rorist groups calling themselves “Uncorrupted,” appeared, tak- ing credit for assaults on sperm banks, medical clinics, genetic laboratories, and various government facilities. Most law enforcement agencies believe that old hate groups simply claim the title Uncorrupted and no global organization exists. The sense of hopelessness in the face of impending ecological disaster provided a convenient excuse for people with violent tendencies to abandon any pretense of law-abiding lives. With the increase in racial violence, brutal crimes are far more com- ‘mon in GeneTecn. Criminals have access to high-quality weapons. Being mugged by someone with an HK or a Glock is more com- mon than being mugged by someone with a 22 2ip gun. Tae Law. Law enforcement officers routinely wear special response vests on patrol. Their helmets have integrated lights, video cameras, radios, and microphones. Most patrol officers have assault rifles in the trunks of their patrol cars and carry sub- machine guns if on foot, bike, or mounted patrols. Popular beliefs that all moreaus and franks are trained killers. This heightens tension in every encounter with law enforcement, since officers can never be sure whether they're stopping a frank,a covert moreau, or a human being. While franks and covert moreaus often “pass” as normal humans, ‘other moreaus suffer prejudice and racism at the hands, boots, and clubs of many law enforcement officers. ‘While itis legal for non-felons in GrneTecH to own firearms, there are a number of relevant laws that restrict ownership, transportation, concealed carty, and use, Owning a handgun requires a state handgun license and a three-day “cooling off” petiod prior to purchase. You may not legally carry a concealed firearm without a concealed carry permit. However, some states allow you to carry a handgun openly without more than a state handgun license. Check your state government's 26 ‘website for laws pertaining to the sale, possession, and con- cealed carry of firearms in your area—those laws stil exist in GzneTeci Note that licenses issued in one state apply only to that state. Heroes intending to cross state lines and continue to carry their firearms legally should apply for licenses in the destination state in advance. Brandishing a firearm in a threatening manner is assault, a felony. Use of a firearm is assault, manslaughter, or murder, depending on the circumstances, While itis possible to demon- strate self defense or accident, public opinion in GeneTecn’s United States is strongly against the use of firearms (except ‘when used by ordinary humans against overt “monsters"). Even mltary or law-enforcement characters face a heating after Using their firearms. itis a complicated legal situation. Inthe United States, possession of a military firearm is legal—if you have a Federal Firearms Class § license, meaning you are registered with the United States government asa firearms collector. Such licenses are not issued to felons. mil itary 1D card is nota license to carry any kind of firearm, Enforcement of these laws is entirely up to the individual officer encountered. An officer may consider a shotgun in the trunk of a caras.a concealed firearm, or as a safe place to transport it. One officer may have no particular prejudice against moreaus, while another may hate them, Similarly, the officials in charge of issuing licenses may delay or lose paper- work relating to moreaus. BOWER GROUPS Just asin the real world, overt and covert organizations manipulate politcal and cultural events to their own ends. The following groups play definitive roles in a GeneTech campaign. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with each organization and its goals, noting whether each makes a good ally or enemy for your characters and the circumstances in which the player characters might come into contact with it. Conrorarions The needs of multinational corporations drive many world events in GeneTcx. They seek favorable tax structures, open markets, customers with money to spend, cheaper labor, and ‘easier access to resources, among other things. They pursue ‘these things ruthlessly; publicly espousing strong moral stances while privately doing whatever is necessary to ensure their business thrives. The only reason multinationals haven't developed their own genetic soldiers and spies is that devel- ‘opment takes decades, with further decades required to raise and train the results. The multinationals seek faster returns on ‘their investments. With the massive dislocation of populations caused by ethnic cleansing and the collapse of so many Central Asian and African governments, corporations have a large pool of talent from which to hire‘criminais ‘As genetically engineered beings seek refuge, they form a pool of desperate, hungry, poverty-stricken people willing to do anything to improve their situations. Since most of them have backgrounds in espionage or unconventional warfare, organ- ized crime turns their skills and experience to criminal activ. ties whenever possible. It's worth noting that in GeneTeci, many traditional criminal enterprises such as prostitution, smuggling, drug running, drug manufacturing, gambling, and gunrunning now serve as ways to finance political agendas, military operations, terrorist efforts, and more, Governments Governments spent billions of dollars over 40 years develop- ing the genetically engineered beings now in use around the world. Those without the resources to develop their own “acquired” them through moles, sleeper agents, and traitors ‘motivated by greed, religion, morality, or reasons of their own. Governments in GentTecx routinely engage in low-level war- ‘are with each other. While they use all sorts of traditional special operations units to do so, the secret nature of the genetically engineered units means that governments can act far more directly while still denying any involvement in such bellicose actions Unpercrouno ‘When the GeneTech campaign begins, the moreaus and franks are not a political power group. The Underground, such as iti, ‘smuggles moreaus and franks out of their native countries and into countries where they have more rights or better treatment, such as the United States. They'te still not treated ‘well in the US, but as sources of information, potential double agents, and refugees, they fare better here than elsewhere The Underground is too small to be a political power and too disorganized to present a unified political front. internal squabbles and a developing schism between the smugglers and the assassins of the Action Arm (see the Underground, p. 29 of this article) allow world governments to treat the Underground as a bunch of international criminals. ALUeS AND OPPONeNTS: The Monster Manuals a great source for unusual opponents, In GeneTEch. Some suggestions for more human alies and ‘opponents follow. Whether your heroes treat these groups as allies or opponents depends on where you set your campaign and on what they do for a ving. (CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY The United States CIA functions primarily as a scapegoat for other agencies in the intelligence branch of the government. ‘They run few operations, primarly with franks, though they do borrow moreaus from other agencies when necessary. All ‘operations are highly classified. The CIA regards foreign more- ‘us and franks within the United States as sources of inforrma- tion, and as potential double agents, When It considers them a threat to national security, it passes responsibility to the FBI The CIS charter prevents it from having any official interest in individuals who escape American development facilities. Only those agents with top secret clearance and “need to know’ realize such facilites exist. Department oF ENERGY ‘The DOE worked in partnership with the National Institute of Health to develop franks and moreaus. Now it focuses on fine- ‘tuning existing moreaus and developing new ones. Because of their expertise, they often send teams to investigate sightings ‘of new moreau strains. Thelr Nuciear Emergency Strike Teams (NESTS) also make extensive use of moreaus. The DOE works with the FBI to pursue escaped test subjects, and is interested In tefugees only f they have information pertaining to, or if they actually are, new strains of moreau. Every DOE employee knows of the Human Genome Project (HGP), but few know of the department's role in its application or of the US govern- ‘ment’s development facilities FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Between assisting local law enforcement and those crimes it, investigates directly (civil rights, domestic and international terrorism, foreign counterintelligence, organized crime/drugs, violent crimes and major offenders, and white-collar crime}; the FBI works harder than ever before. The FBI makes no public se of moreaus or franks, claiming to operate entirely with humans. There is no evidence that Uncorrupted operators hhave infiltrated the Bureau, despite rumors to the contrary. The FBI regards all foreign refugees as potential security ‘threats. highly-classified FBI unit actively hunts individuals who escape American development facilities, using human agents and moteaus supplied by the DOE. FEDERAL SecURITY BUREAU The F58 of the Federation of Russian States is the current incarnation of the KGB. Although Russia is not the power the Soviet Union was, the F58 works very hard to ensure Russian security t enjoys a great deal of favor with the Russian gov- cemment and actively seeks ways to gain both military and ‘economic advantages for the rodina, the mother country. The FSB uses franks and moreaus equally and openly. The FSB regards foreign moreaus and franks within the Federation of Russian States as sources of information, potential double agents, and possible spies. While the Federation admits to using moreaus and franks, it never admits to escapes, and hunts escapees across borders with total ruthlessness IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE The United States INS has a classified enforcement arm in GeweTecu that uses franks and moreaus to hunt others of their arkind who enter the United States ilegally. Inaddition, the INS is involved in all F8! “debriefings” of suspected frank and moreau foreign agents. The INS has no responsibility for those individuals who escape American development es, and in fact has no knowledge of such facilities. InreRPot Little more than an advisory group and information exchange, Interpol is overwhelmed by the cross-border crime occurring in ‘GeneTece. Possessing no moreaus or franks of its own, Interpol would be at a distinct disadvantage if its mission included pursuing and arresting gene-altered felons, Moreaus and franks in the Underground treat Interpol as an opponent, ‘Those working for a government agency or living law-abiding lives ignore it, (SciENce AND TeciwoLocy BUREAU) ‘The Ministry is the equivalent of the FBI and the CIA in the People’s Republic of China, The Science and Technology Bureau makes avid use of the products of Chinese genetic research, and actively works to acquire genetic secrets from foreign powers. The Ministry uses franks and moreaus openly. It regards foreign moreaus and franks within the PRC as sources of information, potential double agents, and possible spies. While the PRC admits to using moreaus and franks, it never admits to escapes, and hunts escapees even into other nations, with total ruthlessness, ‘Mossap ‘The Institute for intelligence and Special Tasks, ha-Mossad le ‘Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim or Mossad, is Israel's agency for human intelligence collection, covert action, and counter terrorism. Though it focuses on Arab nations, Mossad agents ‘go where their nation needs them. Israel has always been a tiny nation surrounded by enemies, and makes maximum use of every tool available. Franks and moreaus willing to work for the Mossad face an excruciating background check, but if accepted get both Important assignments and large rewards. Despite the israel military's open use of franks, the Mossad uses moreaus and franks secretly, to prevent even more ani- mosity from fundamentalist Islamic groups. The Mossad takes ‘a keen interest in foreign refugees, treating them as double agents and sources of information at best, and as spies at worst. Because Israel is such a tiny nation, and because its enemies publicly offer enticements to defectors, no escapees from Israeli development facilities remain long in Israel. Those who do escape can expect the tireless agents of the Mossad to track them wherever they go. ‘MuttiNaTioNAt CORPORATIONS ‘Multinational corporations are eager to use the fruits of ‘genetic research, particularly since they didn’t have to pay for ‘the development. Multinationals engage in many criminal activities ideally suited for franks and moreaus, including theft and corporate espionage. Treatment of moreaus and franks varies with the corporation, and with the appearance of the Individual, Overt moreaus generally receive worse treatment than covert moreaus. Whether or not a corporation pursues defectors depends on the defectors’ access to corporate secrets. The greater the access or potential access, the harder the corporation pursues. There are no refugees within corpora. tions, only employees. NarionaL Institute oF Heatrat The United States NIH partnered with the DOF to develop franks and moreaus. Unlike the DOE, the NIH concentrated on franks. Of primary concern to the NIH is the potential for ‘such genetic research to be used for biological warfare. A detailed knowledge of the human genome allows for the creation of biological agents and itis possible that the retro-sposons and retroviruses used in DNA grafting could escape, survive, and mutate into something very dangerous. In addi tion, the NIH works with the FB! to enforce the federal restrictions on genetic manipulation of fetuses. A surprising umber of people travel outside the United States while pregnant, eventually spending time in countries with much more relaxed legislation. Such people find themselves the subject of uncomfortably close scrutiny on return, The NIH provides genetic and general health exams for moreau and frank refugees. The NIH has no responsibility for escaped individuals, and not everyone within the Institute knows of ‘the United States’ development facilities. NATIONAL SecuRITY AGENCY The NSA, referred to by some as “No Such Agency” since its very existence was a carefully kept secret until the Carter administration, is the eats of the United States. The NSA eavesdrops, cracks codes, enforces United States laws on distri bution of cryptographic information, and is becoming more closely involved in Information Warfare (IW). In a GeneTEcH campaign, the NSA utilizes franks and covert moreaus in a host of top-secret operations. The agency tends to use the CIA as the “fall guy” whenever these operations fall, always attempting to cover its tracks with a near-pathological fervor. It tracks its own refugees with help from the FBI, but assumes 1no responsibility for those who escape United States develop- ment facilities, Uncorrupreo This generic term refers to any number of “humans first” racist organizations. They engage in terrorist activities and violent ctimes. They associate with more traditional racist groups, like the Atyan Brotherhood and Purified Nation, and with many right-wing religious groups. Some groups operate only within their own national borders, while others are part of larger con: spiracies. The Uncorrupted are enemies of all moreaus and franks, whether the mutants are agents of the government, political refugees, or escapees from government development. facilities. They most commonly target the latter two, since mutants on the run or in hiding tend to have less support and fewer reinforcements UNDERGROUND Even law enforcement agencies have only heard rumors of this organization, More than likely they will soon know a great deal more. The Underground has two factions. the first helps franks and moreaus escape their government masters and find someplace to live in relative freedom. Some pursue the rewards of service to other governments. Same seek asy- lum in the United States. Others seek remote locations to hide from the world. The other faction, known to insiders as the Action Arm, strikes back against the Uncortupted, whom they view as the most serious current threat to genetically altered humans. The Action Arm reasons that racism is no excuse for murder and terrorism, and that no amount of violence can erase scientific knowledge. The Action Arm of the Underground is staffed almost entirely by franks and more. aus trained as spies and commandoes by one government or another. As the Action Arm increases its operations, many governments regard it, and the Underground by association, asa terrorist group. TeRRoRists: Favorite villains for many techno thrillers, terrorist organiza tions exist all over the world, Some are regional, ike the Basque separatists in southern France and northern Spain. Others, like al Qaeda, the PLO, and the IRA cross national bor- ders, Motivated by ideology, politics, ethnicity, religion, or almost anything else, terrorists possess varying degrees of training and resources; many have benefited from CIA, FSB, or Chinese training, used as pawns in the Cold War and then left, forgotten, to tend to their shattered countries. Terrorists tend to avoid using franks or moreaus, since such individuals have at least some indoctrination from their parent government and could be spies or informers. While some terrorists have the resources to perform thorough background checks, many do not, and prefer not to risk moreaus or franks. Unlike the Uncortputed, not all terrorist groups discriminate against franks or moreaus on ideological or religious grounds. DeEPARTMENT-7 IN GENETECH ponent et ene Ey enna POT Oe aan ert ‘there are four particularly good fits. As part of the DOE, working with NESTS and the FBI, Department-7 er ee Raat Deere eee eis Carentan Su Ce eos ecard Department-7 could be the highly-classified FBI unit actively hunting those who escape American develop- ment facilities. Finally, Department-7 could be the Peeniee ae eons earn Pe ret a Ore ee es ease eter ee ea ean development facilities, but generally do not ce ees Alternatively, all the heroes work for Department-7 Peto ener ere een and other unconventional warfare tasks. The United Peer occ rac rc sites en eee 2gWHILE ALL SORTS OF REGULAR FOLKS INHABIT THE WORLD OF GENETECH, MOREAUS AND FRANKS STAND AT THE CENTER OF THE SETTING'S MOST INTERESTING POLITICAL AND PARAMILITARY CON- FLICTS. CONSEQUENTLY, ALL GENETECH HEROES MUST BE EITHER MOREAUS OR FRANKS. MOREBSBUS IN GPNEGECH Moreaus are animal-human hybrids created by ‘rafting specific sequences of animal DNA to human DNA. It took 40 years of concentrated research to create these few, successful hybrids, All moreaus of the same nationality are descended from the same genetic material They are all brothers and sisters. ‘To date, all successful hybrids have been of mammalian stock. Reports of strange creatures glimpsed in wilderness areas, or of bizarre corpses washing ashore, may be the results of unsuccessful attempts to create reptilian, amphibious, or piscine hybrids. All government laboratories sterilize their ‘moreaus, but stories among members of the Underground suggest that some sterilizations were botched and a limited number of more aus are now reproducing on their own. Only ‘time will tll if moreau children retain the Unique attributes oftheir enhanced parents. ‘Moteaus are covered in some detail starting ‘on p.247 of the d20 Move roleplaying game. The main 020 MooeeN rulebook offers rules for bat, bear, canine, dolphin, feline, and rat more aus. GeneTec includes additional rules for orca ‘moreaus, powerful beings created by splicing human genes with the genetic material of Killer whales, Future articles in PourieoR0n will present additional moreau subtypes. BEING A Moreau: Choose to play a moreau ‘when creating a character and apply the appro- priate modifiers to ability scores. As moreaus are born, not created from adults, there is no way to become a moreau during play. NeW MOREAU SPECIE! ORCA Orea moreaus are a blend of human and killer whale. They tend to be large, bulky people with aggressive personalities and contempt for other species. Because of their almost uncon- ‘rollable physical power, aggression, and dis- dain for their creators, most nations consider this line a failure and instead work with the dolphin strain. However, a number exist and were pressed into various brutal services by their governments. Overt orca moreaus have distinctive skin pat- terns, with a dark blue or black back, a white front, and white patterns around their shout ders and on their faces. They have pronounced webbing between their fingers. Overt orcas have tiny external ears, Unlike other overt ‘moreaus, overt orcas tend to be hairless, \aniaste Size: Covert and moderate orca rmoreaus are Mediur-size, Coverts and moder- ates have a 5 foat-by-sfoot fighting space and a 5-foot reach, Overt orca moreaus are Large. An overt orca ‘moreau has a 10-foot-by-10-foot fighting space and a 1o-foot reach. Hoto Breari (Ex): An orca moreau can remain submerged for a number of minutes equal to its Constitution score before needing to surface for air. BuwosiaHr (Ex): Overt orca moreaus have blindsight with a range of 6o feet on land or water. ‘Apiuty Scores: Orca moreaus have the fol: lowing species modifiers to ability scores: Covert: +2 Str,-2 Dex. Moderate: +2 Str,-2 Dex, +2 Int,-2 Cha, Overt: 44 Sti, -4 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha (Character Deraits: Use the bear moreau entries for height and weight on Table 8-24 Moreau Height and Weight in the d20 Modern roleplaying game to determine height and Weight for orca moreaus. Use the dolphin entry on Table 8-25: Moreau Age to determine orca moreau ages. ltya Petrosky, Covert Orca MOREAU TOUGH Hero 4/Sotpise I: CR 5; Medium-size humanoid; HD sdto#1g; hp 46; Mas 14; Init-t; Spd 30 fl; Defense 14, touch 3, flat-foot- ed 14 (1 Dex, #1 undercover shirt, +4 class): BAB +3; Grap +6; Atk +7 melee (id6+4 lethal, brass knuckles); Full Atk +7 melee (rd644 lethal, brass knuckles), or +7 ranged (ado, Browning BPS); FS 5 ft.by§ ft; Reach 5 ft:;SQ Hold breath, blind sight, low-light vision; AL organizatsiya; SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will 425 AP 4; Rep +1; Str 17, Dex 8, Con 1, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 8 Occurarions Criminal (bonus class skills: Knowledge (streetwise) and Gambling, bonus feat: Brawl) Skits: Drive +, Intimidate +6, Knowledge(streetwise) +10, Knowledge (tactics) +3, Listen +3, Read/Write (English), Speak (English), Spot +3. Fears: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Brawi, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Streetfighting. Tatents (Tous Hero): Robust, Second Wind. Possessions: Browning BPS (10-gauge shotgun), 20 rounds of 10-gauge ammunition, 3 Molotov cocktails, brass knuckles, business clothing, overcoat, portable satellite phone PASNKS: Franks, genetically altered humans with enhanced capabilities derived from scientific experiments (rather than overt animalis- tic genetic influence), can be found in the black ops organiza. tions of governments around the world. Franks come in an almost limitless variety, and generally do not suffer the same prejudices (or difficulties with animals) experienced by moreaus. BEING A FRank: Choose to play a frank when creating a character and apply the appropriate modifiers to ability scores. There is no way to become a frank during play. TYPES OF PRANK Though a theoreticaly Infinite number of frank varieties exist, tthe following list includes many of the most common types: Eaas: Short for “eggheads,” these franks are primarily used ‘as researchers, They have a +2 racial bonus to intelligence, and 2 Constitution. They generally have no other modifications. Enrorcers: Enforcer franks have a +2 racial bonus to Strength, -2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma, They generally have lowlight vision. Creatures with lowlight vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar Conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to dis- tinguish color and detail under these conditions. Enforcer franks are very popular with organized crime and other groups with a need for leg breakers, HoNeyrraps: Honeytrap is a Cold War slang tetm for using prostitutes to blackmail people with access to sensitive infor- ‘mation. Most honeytrap franks work as spies. They have a +2 racial bonus to Charisma, and -2 Wisdom, Hunters: Hunter franks have a +2 racial bonus to Wisdom and 2 Charisma. They usually have lowlight vision. Creatures ‘with lowlight vision can see twice as far asa human in starlight, ‘moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumina tion. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions, Peactorian: Named for the bodyguards of ancient Roman emperors, they have a +4 racial bonus to Constitution, -2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma. They generally have no other modifications. SuipeR: Sniper franks have a 42 racial bonus to Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma. They generally have lowlight vision. Creatures with lowlight vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar cond tions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distin- gulsh color and detail under these conditions. Sniper franks find great success in many criminal endeavors. PRANK DESCRIPTION Franks use the same tables as humans to generate age, height, and weight. CcLASSsSes FAOM URBAN AACANA Generally speaking, prestige classes in d20 Modern ate carm- paign-specific. However, if you want to add some variety to your game, there are a number of classes from the Ussan ‘Agcana campaign setting with at least limited usefulness in GeweTeci. Fixer, Street Warrior, and Swashbuckler are advanced classes that can be used with no changes, Celebrity, al‘Mastermind, Sniper, and Special Forces Operative are prestige classes that can be Used with no changes. The trick isin limiting the other advanced classes before any super natural abilities kick in (unless your campaign com- bines GeneTecH with the supernatural. UU, UrBAN ARCANA ADVANCED CLASS, Maximum Lever Bounty Hunter 4 Confidence Artist 6 Hacker = Thrasher 6 BRBSCIGE CLASSES GUERILLA INTRUDER We have always feared the darkness. Thanks to a combination cof government training and genetic experiments, we have another reason. Now assassins and ninjas are joined by Guerilla Intruders. Their genetic gifts let them operate in total darkness without special equipment. They are the bump in the night that makes our blood run cold. For them, night is an ally ‘and a comforting friend. Select this prestige class if you want your character to excel, at stealth and to use hand to hand combat as a killing tool. The fastest path to this prestige class is through a combina- tion of the Fast basic class and the infiltrator advanced class, though other paths are possible, Progress in the Guerilla Intruder class can run concurrently with other classes. Requirements To qualify to become a Guerilla Intruder, a character must ful- fill all ofthe following criteria, ‘Skauis: Hide 9 ranks, Move Silently 9 ranks Disable Device 4 ranks. Fears: Evasion, Stealthy. ‘Speciat: The character must naturally possess the blindsight ability, as bat and overt dolphin moreaus do. ‘CLASS INFORMATION. ‘The following information pertains to the Guerilla intruder prestige class. Hit Die ‘The Guerilla Intruder gains 146 hit points per level. The charac- ters Constitution modifier applies. ‘TaoLE 2-1: THE GUERILLA INTRUDER. BaseArrack — FoRT Rer wie Lever Bonus Save Save Save 1 40 40 2 +0 2 ea +0 B +0 3 " 4 8 " 4 2 “ 4 # 5 ” * +4 “ 32 Action Foints The Guerilla Intruder gains a number of action points equal to 5 plus one-half his character level, rounded down, every time he attains a new level in this class. ass Skills The Guerilla Intruder’s class skills (and the key ability for each kil) are as follows. Balance (Dex), climb (Sti), Demolitions (Int), Disable Device (int), Hide (Dex), Investigate (In), Jump (Sts), Knowledge (Tactics) (Int, Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis). ‘Skitt Points ar EacH Levet: 4 + Intelligence modifier. Do not subtract 1 from this amount as you would for lasses, as this amount already assumes your characteris nonhuman Cuass Fearures ‘The following features pertain to the Guerilla Intruder pres tige class. "Goniny anamachi eet ve the Guat tude gains Combat Martial Arts as a bonus feat. The Guerilla Intruder gains no additional ability if she already has this feat. SNEAK ATTAcK: If a Guerilla Intruder can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot with an unarmed attack for ‘extra damage. Any time a Guerilla Intruders target would be denied his Dexterity bonus to AC (whether he actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the Guerilla Intruder flanks the target, the Guerilla Intruder’s unarmed melee attack deals ‘extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 2nd level and an additional 146 every two levels thereafter. Should the Guerilla Intruder score a critical it with a sneak attack, this extra dam- age is not multiplied. luxe Tae Wino: Beginning at 3rd level, the Guerilla Intruder suffers no penaities to Move Silently checks for moving at ‘more than half speed. In addition the Guerilla Intruder can make Move Silently checks while running or charging, but at a -10 penalty to the check. No TRACE: At sth level, the Guerilla intruder knows how to hide his own tracks and may, at his choice, move into "No Trace” mode. All attempts to use the Track feat against the Guerilla intruder (though not allies) treat the ground as “firm” for purposes of success. In addition, the DCs of any attempts to use Computer Use, Gather Information, Investigate, and Derense Repurarion SPeciaL Bonus Bonus ‘Combat Martial Arts " 40 Sneak Attack +1d6, cy 40 Like the Wind n +0 Sneak Attack +246 4 +0 No Trace +4 #‘TasLe 2-2: THE PaTROL POINTER Base Attack Fort Ref will level Bonus Save Save save 1 # ” a +0 2 2 ” 8 40 3 8 ” 8 ” 4 44. 2 +4 # 5 +5 8 +4 “ Research on matters involving the Guerilla Intruder are increased by the levels of the Guerilla Intruder. PATROL POINTER ‘The lead person on a military patrol must have finely honed senses in order to detect booby traps, landmines, and ambush~ €s, Thanks to genetic experimentation, moreaus often fill that dangerous role. With their highly-tuned senses, moreaus are ‘even more adept at discovering trouble in time for the rest of their team to respond with aggression and finality. Select this prestige class if you want your character to take the lead and use his senses to find trouble before his friends stumble into it. ‘The fastest path to this prestige class is through a combina- tion of Strong and Fast basic classes and the Soldier advanced «lass, though other paths are possible. Progress in the Patrol Pointer class can run concurrently with other classes, Requinements To qualify to become a Patrol Pointer, character must fuffill all of the following criteria. BASE ATTACK BONUS: +5, ‘Skiuis: Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks. Fears: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Alertness, Endurance, Guide, Light Armor Proficiency, Medium Armor Proficiency, Personal Firearms Proficiency Tack. ‘Speciat: The character must naturally possess the scent abil- ity, as canine moreaus do, The character must have Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with an assault rifle such as the AKM/AK4y, HK G3, Mi6A2, Mg carbine, or Steyr AUG. CLASS INFORMATION ‘The following information pertains to the Patrol Pointer pres- tige class. Hit Die Patrol Pointers gain 1d8 hit points per level. The character's, Constitution modifier applies. Action Points Patrol Pointers gain a number of action points equal to s plus one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they advance a level in this class. Defense Reputation Special Bonus Bonus Trap Sense (+) “ +0 Close Combat Shot “ 40 Enhanced Scent 2 40 Trap Sense (+2) 2 +0 Specialization Threat. 43 “ Class Skills The Patrol Pointers class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are as follows: Climb (str), Demolitions (int), Disable Device (Int), Hide (Dex) Jump (Str), Knowledge (Tactics) (int, Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Treat injury (Wis). Skit Poinrs ar Each Levet: 4 + Intelligence modifier. Do not subtract 1 from this amount as you would for lasses, as this ‘amount already assumes your character is nonhuman, (Ciass FEATURES. The following features pertain to the Patrol Pointer prestige class. ‘Tear Sense: Starting at 1st level, the Patrol Pointer gains an intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps, giving him a 41 bonus to Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a-+1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks by traps. At th level this bonus increases to +2. These bonuses stack with trap sense bonuses gained from other classes. Ctost Comear SHoT: At 2nd level, the Patrol Pointer gains the ability to make a ranged attack with a Large or smaller firearm while ina threatened area without provoking an attack of opportunity. ENHANCED SceNT: At 37d level, the Patrol Pointer becomes ‘more attuned to his sense of smell. He can detect opponents within 4o feet by sense of smell. ifthe opponent is upwind, te range increases to 8o feet; if downwind, it drops to 20 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice these ranges. Overpowering scents, such as troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range. The Patrol Pointer must stil be within 5 feet of an opponent to ‘hat opponent's location. The Patrol Pointer also gains a +2 competence bonus to follow tracks by smell SPECIALIZATION THREATEN: At sth level, the Patrol Pointer ‘may threaten nearby areas with a chosen firearm in the same fashion as he would with a melee weapon. The firearm effec- tively Functions as a each weapon that may affect anything up to 30 feet away. Any attacks of opportunity received by threatening these areas are treated as ranged attacks, and count against the maximum number of attacks of opportunity that round, The Patrol Pointer may use this ability only with firearms with which he has Weapons Specialization. 33GENETECH ADVENTURES EXPLODE FROM THE HEADLINES, THEY INCLUDE FEATURES SUCH AS TERRORISM, BLACK-MARKET WEAPONS, ENVIRONMENTAL EXPLOITATION, THIRD WORLD INSU! RECTION, CORPORATE ESPIONAGE, RELIGIOUS FANATICISM, HATE CRIMES, ORUG TRAFFICKING, SLAVERY AND THE SMUGGLING OF REFUGEES, AND THE ILLEGAL USE OF GENETIC TECHNOLOGY. SEE CAMPAIGN SETUP AND STAND-ALONE ADVENTURE SETUPS, BELOW, FOR SOME EXAMPLES. WRITING AND RUNNING TECHNO THRILLER ADVENTURES REQUIRES SPECIAL ATTENTION TO SOME KEY AREAS. REWARD ACTIONS THAT FIT THE GENRE. IF CHARACTERS USE RESOURCEFUL NESS, TENACITY, AND WIT, REWARD THEM WITH ADDITIONAL CLUES, BENDING THE RULES, OR ALTERING THE ADVENTURE IN SMALL WAYS. OUTUNGS & STRUCTURE Thrillers use complex plots, Make a simple chart showing the connections between the events, people, and bits of information that characters may encounter. It should have at least one route from the beginning of the adventure to the end, and preferably two or more. Players should never know there was more than one way to succeed. Build a timetable for the villains’ plot. Know the villains’ resources. Make sure who knows what among your NPCs. if you need an NPC to have a piece of information to keep the pace of the adventure quick, a good outline will te ‘you which NPC has that information and how. Outline the events the heroes get from news reports and other sources, and where those clues lead. Include the clues they get from Investigating. There should be a difference between what the villain does and what the heroes perceive, at least at frst. Complicate things. An NPC who hires the heroes to foil an assassination plot may be a criminal hiring them to interfere with a gov- ‘ernment investigation, or with another crimi- nal’ takeover attempt. Even when the plot is straightforward, weather, equipment break- downs, unexpected interest from third parties, detours, and so forth complicate simple adventures BACING ‘techno thriller is first and foremost a thriller Ie must be fast paced. The consequences of failure should have an immediate impact on the heroes, though they don't have to save the world every adventure. npcs Use NPCs to reinforce the tone of the genre. Give them interesting traits and appropriate settings. There's a sense that common people have given up on changing things. Even wel meaning government official, from law- enforcement to mayors and governors, may be Unable to influence circumstances for the bet- ter. People with the enhanced characteristics shared by the heroes, however, can make con: crete changes for the better. Don't spend a lot of time detailing an NPC that heroes encounter once. If heroes encounter an NPC a second time, emphasize traits you already described and add anther detail or two, Reveal the NPC over a period of time. Every now and then, throw the heroes a curve, Have an NPC they need be a rea jerk Have a villain at politely and be kind to chil dren and small animals The next time you're in a crowd, take notes fn the one or two people who immediately attract your attention. There are a few in every crowd, and describing people like them to your players provides memorable detail. Crowds themselves can be characters. Many adven- ‘tres occur in crowded, urban settings. Crowds react to things, often in dangerous ways. Mobs and riots having nothing to do with the adventure may complicate things. Pets act in unpredictable ways that can make ‘them a danger to themselves, the heroes, or innocent bystanders. A berserk seeing eye dog can complicate a scene. Conversely, meeting an NPC draped ina pet boa constrictor sets a dif- ferent tone than meeting one in a white suit feeding a parrot. ln GeneTEco, animals generally react poorly to moreaus, even coverts, but not +o franks. if you know an animal's behavior well, put one in your adventure and have it react as if threatened when a moreau is near. Use that to warn the heroes, or the NPCs, and to reinforce the setting, Idiots generally don’t pass the qualification tests to become law enforcement officers, even if you don’t lke the last one that gave ‘you a traffic ticket. Make law enforcement a real threat to the heroes. A detective or FBIagent who believes the heroes guilty of crimes but has no proof makes a good recurring character until his lack of proof becomes a joke. Create opponents to challenge your particular heroes. Create one or two recurring opponents who always manage to ‘escape. If not from the heroes, then from incarceration later. TECHNOLOGY Every scene should emphasize that technology is a powerful tool. Place clues in computers that a hero must hack. Stage an encounter in a dark forest or underground complex in which night-vision gear gives heroes the edge. Stick to what you know. If that gets repetitive, esearch fields unknown to your players. Don't let technical details bog, down pacing, but make sure the details you do use are correct. Take notes when watching movies or television. The film Along Came a Spider mentions an encoding program that hides text messages in the binary code of GIF images. You might use ‘that, hiding complex information on a CO of innocent-seem- ing music or software, or even on videotape. GeneTech ROBOTS Robots are quite commion in Gen:Tecis where they are primari- ly used for hazardous materials handling and reconnaissance. ‘The following two specific robots are perhaps most common, “Brers” RECONNAISSANCE ROBOT: Use the diminutive robot described in Chapter Eight: Friends and Foes of the d20 Mooseu roleplaying game for basic statistics. The beetle uses the quadruped frame (Speed 30 feet), though in fact it has six legs. t has no attacks t does have audio-visual sensors and a 300-foot remote control link. The beetle is programmed with ‘the Climb skill (5 ranks, and it uses its Dexterity bonus to climb, for a total skill bonus of #7). SeaGULt UNMANNED Ariat Venicte: Use the tiny robot described in Chapter Eight: Friends and Foes of the d20 Moocen roleplaying game for basic statistics. The UAV uses the bipedal frame with a few changes (Speed 20 feet, Fly 4o feet (good)).It has no attacks. tt does have audio-visual sensors and a 300- foot remote control link. The UAV is programmed with the ‘Move silently skil (5 ranks, and it receives a mastercraft bonus, for a total skill bonus of +10). See the Techie in Chapter Six: Advanced Classes of the d20 ‘Moceaw roleplaying game for more information on robots Mean SGABES: SEMALe CamesiGn SebUP While the types of GeveTécs campaigns you can run are as Unlimited as the political and racial conflicts present in the ‘modern world, the following sample campaign, which starts in a repressive government training facility and ends in a man- hunt on the streets and rooftops of a major city, highlights ‘many of the most important and compelling themes likely to come up in the world of GeneTcn and serves as the begin- rings of a much longer campaign. The campaign requires a wilderness area and an urban area. ‘As the GIM, pick an urban area you know well. if you don't spend much time in the city, choose an urban area your play- ers don’t know and pick up a travel book about the city ina used book store, or look up street maps and ether information con the Web. Pick a wilderness area atleast as close to your turban area as to any other. The heroes begin as rst-level franks and moreaus in training ata secret INS facility in the wilder ‘ness who escape and make new lives in the city 35CONSIDER THIS Before you begin the campaign, you must decide how the INS tracks its moreaus and franks. If it uses tattooed bar codes, it will be much harder for the INS to track the heroes after they escape the secret facility in which the campaign begins. fit uses embedded microchips, the heroes may not know the chips exist. Such chips can be read by anyone with the proper ‘equipment, provided they are close enough (within 5 feet) of the chip. A new, secret technology that allows the microchips to transmit a radio frequency response to a query signal makes tracking the heroes for the final confrontation easier if ‘that transmission reaches up to a mile, CamPaiGN S68GE 1: BRESKOUG ‘At the beginning of the first campaign stage, the PCs are pri ‘onersin a top-secret military training center specializing in ‘educating frank and moreau agents in the rudiments of track- ing their own kind. It ends with the heroes on the run from their former captors. THE TRIGGER Read or paraphrase this opening scene to the players to get, the action going: AU, You are trainees at a government camp. You don't know where in the United States you are, but the camp is surrounded by wildemess. You live in 5-foot-by-10- foot rooms. Forty of you live at the facility. You've been. {in camps like this all your life, and now you're adults. ‘You've never seen television broadcast or read a newspaper. You've heard the soldiers’ radios in brief snatches before they, or you, got caught. You know they're training you to be soldiers, special soldiers, working in teams with other moreaus and franks. In fact, this facility is experimenting with different com- binations of moreaus and franks to see what combina- tions make the most effective teams. The people here are cruel to you and your friends. Before, when you ‘were children, you felt helpless. Recently you realized ‘that in many ways you are better than those guarding ‘you, and you're fed up with the petty cruelty and racism. When you found out you were training to hunt others like you, you decided to seize your freedom. ‘Using codes you developed as children, you are plan- ning escape. Take some time to talk about how and when you want to do it. Ask me questions about your situation, then make a break for it. THE SETTING The facility itself is 1,000 feet across and surrounded by a 10- foot high, electrified (2d6 points of electricity damage each round in contact with the fence) chain-link fence, with strands 36 of barbed wire at the top. The fence has to keep people in and ‘out, so there are two sets of barbed wire strands, one slanted in and one slanted out. Climbing the fence is simple (OC 5), but crossing the barbed wire requires a Reflex save (DC 10) to avoid taking tdq points of damage and becoming stuck in the ‘ence (a hero can tear loose by taking an additional 144 points ‘of damage or by making a DC 10 Escape artist check). Guard towers are positioned at each corner of the compound and on each side of the gates Wilderness training areas surround the central compound, The perimeter fence is five miles in any direction from the chain-link fence surrounding the central compound. The outer fence is identical to the inner one. A dirt oad runs around the outside of the outer fence. The dirt road runs to and from the ‘main entrance to the wilderness area, a simple wooden bar across the road with an information hut, guard barracks, and a ‘motor pool. To the uninformed, it looks like private logging land, SeCURITY ‘Two soldiers are in each guard tower, one manning a search- light and the other manning an M-60 rmachinegun. Two sol- diers man the front desk in the lobby of the main building, Four soldiers work the ground floor security center, and four soldiers work the underground security center. They work ‘three shifts per day. Another 122 soldiers patrol the compound, ‘work in the armory or motor pool, or guard the trainees (franks and moreaus) during classroom or field training. In addition, 4-soldier teams in AM General Hummers patrol the outer fence. A patrol passes any point along the fence ‘once an hour. Use them to increase the drama and danger of the escape, or to provide a vehicle they can hijack. The patrols’ barracks and motor pool are at the main entrance to the wilderness area. fan alert sounds, al shifts report for duty. Patrols pass any point along the outer fence every fifteen minutes. Four-soldier foot patrols walk outside the inner fence, each patrol ust in sight of the one in front of it. Expect three times as many ‘guards at the security posts and centers, but no more than ‘wo in any of the towers. ADMINSTRATION ‘Twenty scientists and five technicians work inthe facility, cunning ‘medical tests and planning the development of new strains of frank and moreau. Ten administrators provide leadership. In alerts, administrators report to the security centers and take com- ‘mand, The scientists and technicians remain in their quarters. beRsOnneL Use low-level Strong/Tough ordinaries for soldiers, but substi- tute Advanced Firearms Proficiency for Brawl. They wear light- duty vests during their active shifts and cary stun guns, tear {as grenades, zip-tie handcuff, FN Five SeveN pistols, and FN go submachineguns (see below for descriptions and statis-tics). They have one spare magazine for their pistols and four spare magazines for their submachine guns. Patrols outside ‘the compound wear fatigues, fatigue jackets (if appropriate for the location and time of year), and mesh vests. Those patrols carry night-vision goggles (night patrols only) profes- al walkie-talkie, electro-optical binoculars, chemical light sticks, GPS receivers tactical maps, and search-and-rescue its Use low-level Smart/Charismatic ordinaries for the adminis trators. They carty FN Five-SeveN pistols and wear light under- ‘cover shirts, Use low level Smart/Dedicated ordinaries for the scientists and technicians. They do not wear armor and do not ‘carry weapons. ADVENTURE GOALS ‘The goal is to escape the central compound, cover the § miles ‘of surrounding rough, wilderness terrain, gt over that fence, ‘and hitch a ride to the city. Once in the city, heroes can disap- pear into the population (if they are franks or covert moreaus) or hide in abandoned buildings or sewers (f they are mode ate or overt moreaus), Let your players figure out their own escape plan, but here are two suggestions to nudge your play- ers along, or to prepare you for their schemes. Fine Heroes can start a fire using the lights in their cells and their mattresses or clothes. Ifa fire starts in the main bullding, the soldiers evacuate the trainees to the parade ground in front of the main building. Patrols don't increase around either fence, so if the heroes can make it over the fence without being spotted, they have an hour before anyone can bring order to the chaos and take a headcount. See a etsy made by Fabrique National (FN), a Belgian company. Petes eae eer ber al round specially developed for both weapons. This sim- Pico ree eee ttee sa eset ts Five-SeveN pistol is a semi-automatic pistol with a bo reat ee Tee ear eared submachine gun isa unique looking eee ots eet et Perens rrr? 90-degrees from the barrel axis, and each magazine Peeetrentcns yi the cartridge t. with the barzel prior to chambering it re DAMAGE RANGE RATE OF Name DAMAGE CRIT. TYPE INCREMENT FIRE. Five-seveN! 248 20. Ballistic go ft. 5 Pao! 248 20. Ballistic oft. «SA 1. This mastercraft weapon grants a-+1 bonus on attack rolls. Fito Teainine During field training, trainees have the proper clothing forthe current weather, compasses, mesh vests, tactical maps (these only show the interior ofthe training area, but can be used to navigate to the outer fence), chemical ight sticks, and profes- sional walkie-talkies. Feld training takes place both day and right. t's elatively easy for two or three heroes to ambush one ‘of the two-soldier teams watching the training, creating an ‘opportunity to acquire weapons and make a break for it.The drawbacks that their absence is obvious in about five minutes. EXPERIENCE POINTS Between the escape plan, critical skill checks during the escape, encounters with patrols, encounters in the wilderness, and skill checks to survive and navigate, heroes should earn ‘enough experience points to reach and level. CampaiGn SthaGe 2: = WeLCOmMe WAGON When heroes arrive in the city, they face several immediate problems. They have no money, they have no place to live, and ‘they have no jobs. If they/te willing to turn to crime, they'l have no problem finding money but they will have trouble with the police. They can squat in any abandoned building, if ‘they're willing to put up with rats, roaches, drug addicts, other squatters, no electricity, and no running water. There are many such places in the moreau slums of the city. Depending on who they befriend or offend, and depending on their appear- ance, they may he able to find work—honest or otherwise. Some heroes may decide to sell their story of being raised in secret, US government facilities to the media for the money they need to start over. If they da so, you may want to run the third installment of the campaign (Outbreak, se below) as you run this adventure. The only media source willing to buy their story shiould be the sort that runs stories about bat boys and sightings. f the heroes ask about thelr story tell them it, witcatie PURCHASE Macazine Size WeicHT DC_ResTRICTION 2obox small 151. 20. —_—Res (+2) sobox Large BI. Sates (+2)Ut 38 2np FLOOR eega 600 608 Bi E } 9800988 qo60006 Ggg69068 60 EPEPETS loaooconnoo anngoooooo : a agstill hasn't appeared in whatever media (television, newspaper, etc) bought it. f they investigate further, tell them the person who interviewed them died. The circumstances of the death should be elem at=ts) questionable, but not obviously murder. ‘Meanwhile, no one in the media will talk to them anymore because the INS has terrified them into silence. All they have really accomplished with their limited resources js to let the INS know in which city they are hiding. ADVENTURE GOALS ‘This part of the campaign introduces the difficulties faced by moreaus and franks in ‘the form of racism and poverty. Introduce sympathetic shopkeepers and charity workers, honest cops from whom the hheroes must conceal their identities, and corrupt cops who harass the poor because ‘they enjoy it. One possible adventure dur- ing this time of adjustment follows. BACKGROUND For two weeks, members of a local street gang, the Circle Eights (subst tute another gang from recent head. lines in your game's home city if appro: priate), have methodically terrorized the residents of one city block. The rnelghborhood has a high moreau pop. ulation, and the gang members treat moderate and overt moreaus more bru- tally than other residents, \ a THE CENTRAL COMPOUND =e? come ‘SMILES Xe S Gone) a9: WU UU Last week the violence escalated. Residents, particularly overt moreaus, began "jumping out” windows, “dropping” hair dryers into bathtubs full of water, and leap- ing from rooftops. The authorities label the deaths as suicides, but most neighborhood residents believe that’s to avoid spending any more time in the neighborhood investigat- ing. In fact, acts of violence against law enforcement officers increased about the same time the “suicides” began. Members of the Circle Eights, their identities and affiliation unknown to residents or the police, began hurling chunks of brick, con- crete, and cinderblock from rooftops onto patrol vehicles Police patrols are noticeably scarcer in the last few days. The violence may escalate to Molatov cocktails, or even shooting. ‘Many people are leaving. Some ate gearing up for vigilante revenge. Local taverns fll with drunken talk of neighborhood patrols and payback. No one knows what the Circle Eights ‘want, but the mood is getting ugly. The night the adventure starts, the Circle Eights kill an overt rat moreau and throw her, off a roof This sets the scene for a dramatic initial encounter with chases fights, and shoot-outs on the rooftops. SUPPORTING CAST ‘The weather isa major part of the supporting cast for this adventure. Decide whether the precipitation is rain or snow based on the season of your adventure and the location. Either reduces visibility by half, resulting in a-4 penalty to Spot and Search checks. The severe winds automatically extinguish any unprotected flames, cause protected flames (such as lanterns) to dance wildly and 50% of the time extinguishes them. Listen checks are at a ~4 penalty. You may impose a -4 penalty on Balance, Climb, Jump, or Tumble checks if some part of the ‘movement is exposed to the full force of the wind. See the Dunckon Masies's Guive and Chapter Seven: Gamemastering of the d2o Mooeen roleplaying game for additional information on heat dangers, cold dangers, and weather hazards. The neighborhood is another important supporting charac- ter. This adventure occurs in a low-income housing neighbor hood of your urban area. The buildings are 5-12 stories tall. All have rusting iron fire escapes. Makeshift bridges of two-by fours connect some rooftops. Old steam pipes about two feet in diameter connect some walls. Occasionally heroes should have to leap across eight-to-ten-foot wide alleys. Buildings have narrow ledges (ni mote than a foot wide) around them. Chase sequences and gunfights should alternate between the rooftops and apartment interiors. Scenes in apartments are opportunities for colorful, quirky NPCs, offering opportunities ‘or greenhouses, pigeon coops,and other hobbies. One local might be assembling a car on his roof, or a boat. Throw in antennas, treat clotheslines as traps, and let neon signs pro- vide the only illumination, ‘The Circle Eights are rabidly anti-moreau humans. The gang members are mostly jon-level Fast/Tough ordinaries, but a 4o few lieutenants are mid-level. The gang's leader is a mid-level Strong/Charismatic ordinary (make him a Heroic GM character sing the rules at the end of Chapter Eight: Friends and Foes of the d20 Movetw roleplaying game]. They have typical equip- ‘ment for their character type and level THINGS TO CONSIDER Before running this adventure, decide where it happens and at ‘what time of year. The neighborhood should be home to the heroes, which should narrow your choices of location. Those decisions affect what kind of weather complicates the plot and the action. ‘What do the Circle Eights want with that city block? Do they want the buildings for a combination of gang headquarters, drug factory, crack house, and general crime center? Someone could be paying the Circle Eights to commit this mayhem. If 0, who? Are they trying to incite the moreau population to violence? A media-savvy villain could turn moreau violence from self-defense to a threat to “normal” humans throughout the city. Or perhaps the mastermind behind the Circle Cights has an interest in realestate, or in Prohibition-era loot buried under one of the buildings. Do the heroes know the rat moreau whose death triggers the adventure? What's the relationship? If the heroes took weapons from the INS soldiers at the camp and they use them on the Circle Eights or other oppo- nents, the police quickly identify the caliber and weapons. The 5.7mm round Is illegal for civilian use or ownership, soit sets off alarm bells in every law enforcement database, gaining the attention of the very people ftom whor the heroes escaped THE TRIGGER Read or paraphrase this opening scene to the players to get, ‘the action going: It’s a wet, miserable evening, You're retuming home from a hard day of work, or looking for work. You're frustrated by the lousy economy and the fear, ignorance, and hatred of the low-level corporate drones and civil servants you dealt with all day. Your crammy apartment isn't much, but even the company of roaches sounds better than the day you had. Then things get worse. ‘A few yards ahead of you, the corpse of an overt rat ‘moreau drops to the sidewalk with a sickening thud. A snatch of laughter makes you look up, and you catch a «glimpse of a pale face disappearing from the edge of the root. The rat moreau doesn't move. Death might be a blessing after that fall. Rumors of rmurders hastily made to look like suicides have circulated through the neigh- bborhood for the last week or so, but this isthe first evi- dence you have seen. ‘The cops have better things to investigate than the death of a rat moreau, even in neighborhoods in which