aia
CRFED busts NEVER GOING
HOME
Tome of
Corrupted Beasts
+One System
Brandon Aten
> Matthew Orr
Writers
Irvin Jackson
Sarah Orr Aten
Taylor White
Adventures
Michele Lee
Taylor White }
Kevin “Doc” Wilson
Additional Writing a
Michele Lee
Matthew Orr
Art |
Charles Ferguson-Avery
tn
aol
Layout
Wm. Knox Gunn‘Never Going Home: Tome of Corrupted Beasts
Copyright © 2019 Wet Ink Games, LLC
Ft Sic ihis pasarsatl ela ibaa rs fa hcclic tony tw reproduced, tedosinilied or Horedt ine
ectaved device t tacr y(ermer ya Mrecrsviltoul ihe price pert icici or tie pub le eral
book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual animals, people, places, or events is purely
coincidental. ;
Never Going Home and the +One System are trademarks of Wet Ink Games, LLC.
First published in 2019.
First printing.
Published by Wet Ink Games, LLC .
Louisville, KY
[email protected]
ISBN: 978-1-988943-51-0 (Softcover)
ISBN: 978-1-988943-52-7 (Digital)
WIG-202
Printed in U.S.A. by Jostens.“Table of Contents
Beasts:
ADoMINAtION.............cecccssserroserrssscerssessceserseesssseesseeeees 4
4 Barbed-wire Worms
Blight Worms
Carrier Pigeon ..
Comfort Siren
Corpse Monger..
Crater Maw..
Flaming Ace
Gauntstrider
Gut-mawed Gallu...............
Hellfire Tank
Hive Rats.
Hungry Tree
Mad Brute.
Mustard Wraith.
Raggedy Doll.
Rancid Slitherer
Slorgung
Stalking Shadow
Terror Orphan .. e
Wathek....0 i020.
the departed, making it all the harder to resist. Sometimes the dead send
pigeons with urgent messages they feel the living need to read. i
Weakness: None :
Reward: Surviving an encounter with a Carrier Pigeon allows 1 point of
healing.
11Comfort Siren _
To put it mildly, war is uncomfortable. Misery and death surround
everything. Gone are the days of soft warm beds, roaring fires, the arms of
loved ones, and songs of joy. Can then, anyone be blamed for falling for any
distraction from the gloom and monotony? Any bright golden gleam in an
otherwise grey world?
Comfort Sirens often appear as young, beautiful maidens, but can
appear as anything their victim finds appealing. Those who find themselves
enthralled by them will find that they become ever more enticing as they
watch. Comfort Sirens can read potential victims and will slightly change
their appearance to fit the desires of their prey. They can alter their height
by as much as 6 inches (15 cm), tint their hair, as well as change the color of
their skin and eyes. They can add or shed mass by as much as 20 pounds (9
kg). Aside from physical appearance, comfort sirens create tiny illusions to
offer the basic amenities typically unavailable in war: clean water and clothes,
a warm bath, hot fresh food, strong drink, and the attention and validation
of a caring lover. It is all a trick. Comfort Sirens drink the blood of mortals,
leaving them drained husks.
Occasionally, Sirens are also interested in what their victims have to say.
‘They gather information and pass it to whatever powerful corrupted being
they,are in league with. Comfort Sirens have also been known to make use of
the information themselves to snare more victims.
~ Bite: 1 damage
Skills/abilities: ]
-MeleeH O O OO
-StealthH OO oo
- Communication Ba
-KnowledgeB OOO]
— Investigation @ og
-Bloed Drain (Brawn) B O O O O: f£ a Comfort Siren hits with their
Bite, they can automatically deal an additional 1 point of Brawn damage ti
the same target every turn for the next 3 turns. The target can try to bre
free (roll Melee) but only after taking a chance on Corruption.
~ Alter Aprearance (Smarts) O OO: The comfort Siren can try
to make themselves apwear more attractive to a single target. This attack
targets Smarts. If successful, the target cannot attack the Comfort Siren
unless it attacks them first.
~ Alluring Nature: This ability is always active. All who gaze upon the
Comfort Siren, even those who recognize the alien and evil nature of &
creature, feel safe and serene in their presence. Never do they feel as 1
they are standing with an inhuman monster.
Weakness: The sight of a mirror reveals the Comfort Sirens’ own lies back to
them and causes them to take 1 damage to Guts and flee. q
Reward: Draw 1 card. If the card is red, draw one more card.
ax
Type: Mob Initiative Value: 7 None
Smarts: 5
1314
pili i as i" Type: Solo Initiative Value? 2
Brawn: 6 Smarts: 3
Corpse Monger .
These horrifying entities are collections of dead bodies coalesced into
a giant humanoid form. They scem to spring up at random, coming into
existence only when enough corpses are close by. They then go on a
destructive rampage that lasts only for a few minutes, and then disappear
without a trace. The bodies drop to the ground, inanimate once more. There
seems to be no purpose to this sudden violence, and it is over almost as soon
as it began.
Weapons
~ Slam: 4 damage
Skills/Abilities:
~ Athletics Bead
~Melee B a a
~ Sudden Apgearance (Guts) H O O O QO: can rise up with no prior
warning and get one free action before initiative is determined. The TN is —
equal to the number of enemies they face.
- Great Smash (Brawn) @ @ O O OQ: Can deal 6 damage to one large,
stationary object or 6 damage spread among smaller human-sized targstae
Roll Great Smash once. Targets with more Defense than the successes rolled
may not be dealt damage.
Weakness: Needs Corpses: The Corpse Monger uses dead bodies to create its
own shape, and it needs a large amount of them in close proximity. Those are
the only conditions in which it can apeear. If the bodies are burned, burie:
separately, or simply kept from piling up in the same place, the Corpse:
Monger will not use them.
Temporary Phenomenon: The forces which create a Corpse Monger can only hol
the bodies together for a short time. The creature rarely exists for more
than 2 rounds of combat. {
Reward: Draw 2 cards.Crater Maws *
“Fortunately, the Sarge waved us off when someone pointed out there
hadn't been any shelling out here for months. Unfortunately, he was already
standing in the bottom of the crater by that point.”
Consisting of only a large, fang-filled jaw and a tubular, worm-like body, as
the name implies, they like to inhabit low-laying terrain, large blast craters,
or dig out their own pit. Much like an antlion, most simply wait at the bottom
of,these craters, hidden by dirt and debris, until someone steps in and slides
right toward the beast’s gullet. It then attempts to snare the victim with a
tentacle-like tongue, common among many creatures that come through the
Veil, and pull them into its mouth. Once it has the victim, the maw snaps
shut and the creature burrows deep to digest its meal in relative safety. Some
Crater Maws prefer to remain closed just below the surface waiting to open
suddenly under their targets.
On occasions, larger crater maws have been seen to stick their tongues
into recently deceased corpses, and make them move, giving the illusion of
an injured person struggling at the bottom of the crater. Would-be rescuers
are lured in and consumed. Fortunately, they have no fine motor control over
these puppets, and the most they can do is make them twitch or flop around.
Type: Solo Initiative Value: 3 Armor: 3
Brawn: 5 Smarts: 3 Guts: 3
Weapons:
~ Bite: 1 damage ~ +1 damage (1)
~Assault (3)
~ Swallow Whole (3)
Skills /Abilities:
-MeleeR & HW a
-StealthH @ & Oo
- Burrow (Brawn) ® @ O O O: Travels 5 feet (1.5m) down with
every success.
~ Digestive Fluid: This ability is always active. Once the Maw has
prey in its mouth it begins to digest the unfortunate victim. Victims
of Swallow Whole take 1 damage per round as long as they are trapeed in
the Maw; they may act normally, but cannot move on their turn.
Weakness: Ambush predators ~ They may withdraw into the earth and
create new burrows to fhe surface, but they will never be seen
crawling around above ground.
Trapged ~ Though they loek quite dangerous, the jagged teeth along the
sides of the mouth and throat are flexible like strange roets. Like
a giant Venus fly-trap, the Crater Maw needs only to keep its victim
inside while the Digestive Fluid does its work.
Reward: Everyone involved in the combat. draws 2 cards.
17Flaming Ace ‘
These strange beings resemble the small, open-cockpit planes of the war,
being piloted by skeletons in full uniform. From the ground, these planes and
their pilots are mostly indistinguishable from the real thing. It is only when
they begin their attack run does their otherworldly nature become apparent.
‘The planes burst into flames, and the skeleton pilots cackle maniacally.
Whereas a normal plane would be consumed by fire, these phantom fiyers
stay aloft, leaving a thick trail of black smoke behind them. Flaming Aces
attack without warning or any obvious purpose. They strafe ground targets
and engage other planes with machinegun fire, and drop bombs on trenches,
tanks, camps, and other fortifications. They make no distinction between
military and civilian targets, and will even fly behind front lines to attack
supply depots and medical camps.
Smarts: 3
_ © Weapon:
~ Machine Gun or Grenades
Skills /Abi
i a. oF
Qo
a
\. Fire Immunity: This ability is always active. Flaming aces take no
“damage from fire or fire~based attacks.
(Weakness: Flaming Aces act as though theif Initiative Value and cua
| are 2 when flying in dangerous weather.
) Reward: Everyone involvedun the combat draws 1 card.
t wi Sa
natn
ey es,
19Gauntstrider
Believed to be somehow related to the more common Slugmule,
Gauntstriders are powerful, loyal mounts who, like Slugmules, work best
when blinded.
On par with warhorses in speed and-power, their endurance appears to be
. endless, and they seem impervious to disease. However, they reek, drawing
flies and carrion, generally making them suitable as mounts only to those
who have been fully corrupted.
While their direction is controlled by reins like most mounts, they are
actually tamed by restraining their long tongue-tentacles. If free, the
Gauntstrider will lash out at anything nearby, latching on and draining it of
blood. Its riders do not want this because in this state it does not listen to
any commands or direction and is just as likely to attack them as anyone else
nearby.
/Type: Sole Initiative Value: 7_ "Armor: None Bi
“Brawn: 5 smarts: 3 (5 while blindfolded) Guts: 4 bi
| Weapons: »
Tentacle Bite: 1 damage ~ +1 damage (2), Stun (3), Kick or Stomp: 1
| damage ~ +1 damage (2)
© skills/ab. Si
-AthleticsH B BOO
-MeleeEH B BOO
-KnowledgeH © OOO
_-Transport® @ Ooo
Tongue Lash (Guts) @ B@ @ O O: aranged attack with the lengthy |
tentacle-tongue. 1 damage ~ +1 damage (2), Spray (2)
Weakness: Completely tame and obedient while blindfolded. Attacks —
anything and everything in range when not, and will attempt to flee.
Reward: Draw 1 card.
.
21Gut-Mawed Gallu
In ancient mythology from the Mesopotamian region, Gallus were giant
bull-like demons who pursued victims and carried their souls to the
underworld. The appearance and actions of the Gut-mawed Gallu makes
some wonder if those legends were not. based on some inkling of fact.
. Standing between 15 and 20 feet (4.5-6 m) tall, these creatures are
powerfully built, with massive bull-like horns and claws that can rend steel.
But their most distinguishing feature is their massive mouths, which take up
the entire front of their torso.
Lined with rapier-like teeth that angle inward, it can toss a hapless being
into its giant mouth and hold them there like a putrid holding cell. The
teeth make just about any attempt at escaping an extremely painful, and
potentially fatal endeavour.
But, the Gallu does not eat its prey...at least not where anyone can see.
Instead it leaves once it has a victim. Some believe it takes them back across
the Veil, to a fate most do not even want to guess. What is known is that
those they capture are never seen again.
id a ae
_ Ayre: solo Initiative Value: 7 Armor: 4 ar
Brawn: 5 Smart: f
\\ Weapons:
- Gore: 2 damage
‘Skilis/abilities:
\-MeleeH BOadd
-KnowledgeH © Oad
= Imprison (Brawn) ® @ @ O O: agrab attack which stuffs the
target in the Gallu’s mouth. A trapged victim my attempt to escape
by rolling Athletics or Melee against the creature’s Brawn defence.
i Bach time an escape attempt fails, the victim takes 1 Brawn damage dul
(to the creature’s imprisoning teeth.
Weakness: Any explosive that goes off in the creature's maw does
double damage.
Reward: Draw 2 cards. yy
en
23Hellfighter Tank.
Are these machines alive, or are they being driven by all the devils in Hell?
It’s impossible to say for sure as no one has been able to get close to one.
For the most part, they resemble typical tracked tanks, until one notices
the rows of wicked spikes and iron skulls adorning the heavy black armor.
‘They are searingly hot to the touch. There are no windows or portholes in
these tanks, but smoke continuously wafts up from the entry lid and out of
the gun turrets. The main cannon fires exploding balls of lava rock, and the
side guns let loose with streams of flaming liquid. Those who have witnessed
Hellfighters arrive onto the battlefield claim the ground shakes, the mud
boils, and they erupt from cracks in the Earth itself, bathed in dancing red
light. Their coming is heralded by massive plumes of burning smoke and
dancing wisps of bright orange embers.
Type: Solo Initiative Value: 4 Armor: 5
Brawn: 8 Smarts: 4 Guts: 5
Weapons:
~ Lava Rocks (ranged): 4 damage ~ Wreck (2)
. - Flamethrower (ranged): 3 damage - Spray (2)
~ Ram (melee): 3 damage ~ Stun (2)
Skills /Abi: Si
-Ranged@ @ @oOgd
-Transport Hh B BBO
~ Multi-~Attack (Guts) a O OQ: The Hellfighter can use any
combination of any of its weapons against 3 separate targets; each
attack is rolled separately. The TN of Multi-Attack is the number of
enemies the Hellfighter faces.
Weakness: Hellfighters seem to apeear on the battlefield at random,
but their arrival can be predicted. Each Omen occurs on a separate
combat turn. The signs begin with a rumbling in the earth that
ripeles water and frightens away animals. Next, puddles and mud
begin to heat, steam, and boil. Then the earth shakes and cracks
open, revealing beaming orange and red light. Finally, flames and
smoke belch from the crevice and the blackened silhouette of the
Hellfighter emerges. Only on its next turn, after 4 rounds of omens,
can a Hellfighter act freely.
Reward: Everyone involved in the combat draws 3 cards; keep 2 and
discard the other.
25Hive Rats ‘
It’s unclear whether these creatures are beings from beyond The Veil or
some kind of parasitical infection that has taken over the bodies of normal
rats, but they have quickly become a menace in the trenches as well as in
urban areas stricken by the war.
Swarms of rats are bad enough under normal circumstances, as they can
spread disease and infiltrate food supplies and even damage structures. But
these Hive Rats are even worse, seemingly guided by a single intelligence
which causes dozens or even hundreds of rats to operate as a single
entity. They are smarter and more aggressive than normal rats, as if their
intelligence increases with the size of the swarm. Fortunately, the inverse is
true as well, with a Hive Rat swarm losing capability as it takes damage.
Type: Solo..sorta.. Initiative value: 8 Armor: None
Brawn: 3 (small hive) to 6 (large hive) Smarts: 2to4 Guts:3to4 ——
Weapons: j
= Bite: 1 damage ~ +1 damage (2), +2 damage (3) >
Skills/Abilities:
~ Melee B oaa %
~ Stealth ooo
~ There Are So Many!: This ability is always active. All damage dealt }
to Hive Rats is halved (round down).
Weakness: When the group becomes small enough, they are just HO:
rats.
Reward: Draw 2 cards for the Unit for defeating a Hive.
SO MAN...
2726Hungry Tree ‘
Hungry trees are not a specific species or type of tree, but rather a tree
which has fed on some fount of corruption and been twisted. No matter what
the original species the hungry tree looks wrong. Its bark looks charred, its
sap begins to take on a blood-tint, and gashes begin to form in its trunk
and thicker branches, spiked with splintery teeth, which can bite anything
pressed against its branches. The branches, even the large ones, gain some
mobility, and the tips have a sharpness to them, similar to a blade. Where
there is one, there are likely others, but individuals rarely work together. The
Hungry Tree’s primary move in a fight is to impale targets on its branches,
slice their skin to allow the blood to water its roots, then press its dead prey
against its trunk for the mouths to slowly feast upon.
2 damage
skilis/abilities:
Q-athleticsB BOO 5 cay
Hailof Bullets (Guts) @ O O O: Acoerdinated ranged attack FS
(@ group of No-Men which can be devastating to a single target. No-Men
ih groups of 4 or less cannot use this ability. 4 damage ~ Critical (2) 4
@ Restless Dead (Guts) B @ & QO: No-Men have a chance to return. »
srom the dead if their Brawn is ed. Roll Restless Dead: IN 4.
uccess means the No-Man oe healed. Failure means the
thing lays still for five minutes until it can try again to rise. '
(This ability may be used immediately and up to an hour after the No-Man*}
fooes! Also, they are never harmed by attacks which target Smarts or
ts!
~ Corrupt Plague: This ability is always aétive. Anyone who is kill
Pby No-Men and has more than 2 Corruption becomes a No-Man. As scen as
| they are able, they use their Restless Dead ability to get back to the’
(feet.
}Weakness: If the No-Man is buried in a marked grave at least 4, feet
» }(1,2m) deep, they cae use their Restless Dead ability and die
\completely.
Eo Everyone ii detimithe-comba: crave + card. bs
yous Jules SL” - Bite: 2 damage
Rag-Bats ‘
Rag-Bats are large, flying creatures which resemble bats with large, tattered
wings and a mouth full of needle-like fangs. They get their name from the fact
that they like to perch on vertical protrusions, like trees or poles, and their
wings give the appearance that they are just a flag or other fabric that got
snagged. They are ambush predators who hold still until prey is close enough,
then swiftly strike, swooping down and carrying the target high into the air.
They then drop the victim from a deadly height, and feast on the remains.
‘They are generally seen alone or in pairs, but in rare cases they congregate
in larger numbers, particularly in large abandoned cathedrals, cave systems
or any area with a vaulted ceiling, where they can hang more like traditional
bats.
Type: Mob Armor: None— jj
Brawn: 4
Weapons:
Skills/Abilities:
-AthleticsH OOOO
-MeleH BH oOd
~ Drop (Brawn) ® O O: Picks up target and carries them 20
feet (6m) up per action, up to 100 feet (30 m). May drop at any time
before that if injured. victims take 1 damage for every 10 feet (3m) }
they fall :
Weakness: Wings are easily flammable, they take double damage from
fire and lose their ability to fly.They rarely do work together.
Reward: Draw 1 card.
37>
:
:
Raggedy Doll .
These unliving constructs are like puppets, created by Whispers of powerful
beings to do their bidding. They are composed of the torn and discarded
uniforms of soldiers as well as the garments of regular people whose villages
have been devastated by war. They are stitched together haphazardly, as if
the creator only has a basic understanding of what is military dress. Their
purpose is to move among regular people to gather information or collect
items that their creator desires. They can follow basic commands and use
simple devices in this regard, though anything more complex than driving a
truck is beyond them.
Type: Solo Initiative Value: 5 Armor: None
Braw! 3 Smart:
Weapons:
- Rake or Scratch: 2 damage
Skills/Abi
~ Athletics fel Elias]
-MeleH @OadQdO
-Mechanics@ OO OO
-Investigation® @ HOO
~ Ranged B Boor
-TransporrtH OO OO
~ Integrated Deception (Smarts) H# H O O O: In favorable
conditions (darkness, crowds, through rain/fog/smoke) Raggedy palist
have a chance to blend in as a soldier in their proper place? The
number of successes on the roll becomes the TN to spot the disguise:
creature.
- Construct: This ability is always active. Raggedy Dolls suffer no
damage to their Smarts or Guts. They have no need to eat, breathe, or
sleep. They are immune to poisons, toxins, drugs, disease, and pain. s
Weaknes:
~ Fire: Raggedy Dolis take double damage from fire and will not go
near it willingly. ~o iy
~ Summoned: Raggedy Dolls must be created from scratch; sewn ;
together, stuffed with hay, straw, or sticks, and then Whispered
over. The Whisper Create Raggedy Doll is an Elemental Ritual. Whena~
Raggedy Doll is created, its creator suffers a temporary ~1 to their
maximum Smarts while the Raggedy Doll exists. If the Doll is dispelled |
or destroyed, the creator regains the loss to their Smarts. ;
Reward: Draw 1 card. a
39Rancid Slitherer.
This unnatural beast resembles a soggy slimy pile of worms. Hidden
within its mass are sacs of a foul, acidic substance. They resemble blisters
or pustules and this is how the creature feeds. Slitherers eat mostly rotting
organic matter and in this function, they have no discrimination. They grab
+ food with their worm-like tentacles and engulf it, secreting a small amount
of blister juice to dissolve the matter before absorbing it. If threatened or
mishandled, they can pop one or more of these sacs as a defense. The smell
of this fluid is one of the more terrible stenches imaginable, and will even
permeate gas masks. If the fluid touches organic matter it can dissolve it in
seconds.
= ETE a ie a
Initiative Value: 2 Armor: none »
Smarts?-1 Guts: 1 b
Weapons: 2S
| = Bite: 1 damage 5
» Skills/abilities:
~ Stealth B Boo
- Foul Odor (Brawn) & & O QO: Popping one of its sacs of blister |
juice releases the worst imaginable smell. This attack targets Guts. —
Everyone withim melee range of the Rancid Slitherer is targeted. Roll
Foul Odor once and compare the number of successes to each target’s
defense. Each victim suffers 3 damage. For every point of Corruption
the victim possesses, the damage dealt is one less.
~ Acidic Blisters (Brawn) @ O GO: The creature spews forth
blister juice on anyone nearby. Everyone within melee range of the
Rancid Slitherer is targeted. Roll Acidic Blisters once and compare
the number of successes to each target's defense. Each victim suffers
3 damage.
Weakness: Salt and Disinfectant (soap, bleach) deal 2 damage to the
Rancid Slitherer.
_ Reward: Draw 1 card. ‘ 4
i
:
41Ravens (Murder of Ravens)
The carrion eaters have always followed in the wake of war. With the toxins
this war has produced, many creatures familiar to the battlefields of old also
lay dead. Not the Ravens, they have found a new source of food. Intelligent
enough to understand the Whispers, these birds have made their own pacts
with the Others. When they bind themselves to a victim, at the moment of
death they are allowed to feast on a scrap of the victim’s soul. By squawking,
flapping around and describing the gruesome death they foresee, Ravens can
pester an unfortunate soldier into dangerous mistakes. Once a character has
attracted one Raven, others see death closing in and they are likely to bind
themselves to the same victim, hastening their inevitable end.
Initiative Value: 10 Armor: 4
Smarts: 3 Guts: 2
Weapons:
= Beak: 1 damage
Skills/Abilities:
~- Melee Boad
- Communication oro oO
-KnowledgeB © O00
~ Herald of Doem (Smarts) O: The Raven selects a target
and telis that character how they will die. This attack targets
Smarts. The IN for Herald of Dosm is +1 for each point of Corruption
the target has. If the roll is successful, the Raven becomes a Herald
Of Doem to the victim. Each raven may only be a Herald to one character
at atime. For each Herald a character has following them, all TN are
41. This effect ends automatically if the Raven leaves the area.
Weakness: Gets board easily. If its first attempt to menace or harm
someone fails, or if the victim proves resilient, it is likely to
loek for other victims.
Reward: Draw 1 card. Additionally, the character gains one free +One
manipulation on a future roll. Maybe they can change their fate.
43Slorgung ‘
These bizarre aberrations stand on two muscular legs, but that is where
their resemblance to humanity ends. Their entire upper torso is like that of
a great worm and at the end is a mass of tentacles and a large toothy maw.
The Slorgung is fast on its feet, able torun, leap, and climb as well as a
professional athlete. They are territorial hunters, laying claim to a patch of
land where they spend most of their time running in circles, digging shallow
tunnels, and stacking detritus into piles. Slorgung have an almost manic
quality to their behavior, where they always have to be moving, always doing
something. If they detect living things within their borders, they dart off to kill
and eat it. They will then nap for no more than an hour, and go right back to
their frenzied activities.
Type: Solo 10 Armor: None
Brawn: 5
Weapons:
~ Bite: 3 damage
Skills/Abilities:
- Athletics a @o
-MeleeH OO aga
~InvestigationB O O OO
~ Wormy Grapele (Brawn) HX f QO: The Slorgung extends its
slimy apeendages and wraps up a single target. While Grapeled by the
Slorgung, the target has a temporary effective Brawn of 0 and cannot
use any Brawn-based skills or abilities. The Slorgung automatically
deals Bite damage to a Grapeled target once per turn. Slorgung can
only Grapple one target at a time. %
~ Territorial Sense: This ability is always active. The sles
claims to itself a patch of land small enough that it can rush to any 7
point in its territory in just a few minutes. It can mentally sense tht
presence of living things in this claimed land, even other inhuman
creatures, and roughly their size and shape. Small, fast animals lik
rats and frogs are typically ignored and creatures toe large for the
Slorgung are avoided. Its favorite victims are living people.
Weakness: Compulsive Stacking ~ Slorgung have terrible self-control
and hate disorder. Collections of similar things are in dire need of
being stacked up in neat little piles. Rocks, bones, sticks, bullet —
casings; all in their own piles. If the Slorgung encounters such
collection, either naturally occurring or strewn about by someone
else, it must roll dice equal to its current Smarts and get at least
one success to stop itself from dropping everything and focusing j
on arranging it. If the Slorgung takes damage while Compulsive 4
Stacking, it is allowed another Smarts test.
"
Reward: Draw 1 card. a
45“skills/Abilities:
Stalking Shadow.
Made of inky black plasm, these horrible creatures are another reason it is
unwise to travel at night. As large as three people, Stalking Shadows appear
to be a sheet of gelatinous darkness able to slip under door cracks or even
pour themselves through keyholes. They prefer sleeping or injured victims
due to their slow speed, which they pull into their bodies and digest. In
many cases, the victim is unaware they are under attack until it is too late,
as the creatures are utterly silent, nearly invisible in the dark, and secrete a
numbing agent on contact, so their victims often never feel themselves being
digested, and, unless they can see what’s happening or realize they cannot
move, may not even cry out or attempt to escape before it’s too late.
Most firearms and hand-held weapons have no effect, as their bodies are
almost insubstantial, and they must be killed with fire, explosives or arcane
power.
Type: Solo Initiative Value: 5 Armor: None i
Brawn: 2 Smarts: 3 Guts: 5
Weapons:
- Claws (only in darkness): 1 damage a
~MeleeH B BOQ
~Stealth@ @® O O O:+@ @ O O QO indarkness
-Investigationg @ HOO
~ Paralyzing Enzymes (Guts) 2 @ O O O: the victim is paralyzed §
and cannot move or speak, allowing the Shadow to get away with their ©
meal and quietly digest it elsewhere. This attack does no damage. y
As s0en as the Shadow inflicts any damage the victim has a change to
escape. Roll Paralyzing Enzymes for free at the start of the combat
round, if the attack fails, the victim escapes.
-Engulf (Guts) @ &. & O O: The Stalking Shadow covers a victim
with its form, feeding on their life force. 2 damage ~ Stun (2), Wreck
(re
~ Impervious: This ability is always active. Regular firearms and
melee weapons do no damage to a Stalking Shadow.
Weaknesses: Grenades and any explosive does an additional 1 damage. |
Reward: Draw 1 card. f
47Terror Orphan |
These ghostly apparitions feed on the souls of men. They haunt the
nightmares of shell-shocked soldiers, always appearing as pallid children
dressed in all white. They have a blurry aura about them, as if they stand in a
fog. They catch the gaze of those who look upon them, when their appearance
+ quickly shifts to something more insidious and frightening. Their eyes sink
back into the dark recesses of their skulls, their jaws open wide, revealing
rows of needle-like teeth. Black blood pours from their mouths and eye holes,
and they unleash a piercing inhuman scream. They trouble their victims with
these nightmares for days before finally appearing to them in the waking
world, where they paralyze them with fear before tearing out their throats and
devouring their souls as they lay dying.
1OT s ine ">
ater 8 <
F jeapons
= Bite: 2 damage -
Skills/Abilities: e “
= Communication # god
-KnowledgeR OO Og
~ Nightmares (Smarts) @ O GO: The Terror Orphan aprears in ~
the dreams of a living person and frightens them awake. This attack
targets Guts and deals 1 damage.
~Conditional Aprearance (Brawn) @ O OO Os Terror orphans are «
spirit beings of pure psychic energy. They exist only in the minds
of their victims, until they cause enough damage and Corruption
= create a physical form. For every successful instance where the
\ Terror Orphan uses its Nightmares ability on a single target, it
gains +1 Brawn and may attempt to apgear in the physical world. Roll
"Conditional Apgearance: TN 3. It keeps the Brawn bonus untilits ©
victimdies or the Terror Orphan is forced to abandon them. Once a =a
Terror Orphan becomes physical, it can be*harmed by physical damage
be - Soul Eater: This ability is always active. Any damage dealt by thé
“error Children also causes a chance for Corruption.
Weakness: Healing Whispers will drive the Terror Orphan away from its
} “intended victim. =
. Reward: Draw 1 card. If the card is black, draw one more car “=
‘ = i ae
adi ssl
49Vathek ‘
“The worst of them always seems to come after the best of us.”
Beware being too successful on the battlefields of the Great War, lest you
attract the attention of Vathek. These fiends appear to live for battle, and
revel in war. They seem to come through the Veil solely to find a challenge.
If they just showed up and challenged some champion to a duel and then
left, there would be little problem except for the target of their attentions, but
it’s never that easy.
Vatheks draw out champions to face them through slaughter and déstruction.
They will hold entire hamlets hostage, slowly torture the innocent, strike at
supply lines, reveal units to the enemy, or whatever else it takes to get the
attention of the best soldiers in an area, who will inevitably be ordered to deal
with the problem.
Sending large numbers of troops after it only causes it to go into hiding,
and punish what it perccives to be cowardice with attacks by its minions,
usually Unfallen or No-Men.
When confronted with what it believes to be a true champion, it will try to
engage them in one-on-one combat, preferably using some kind of melee
weapon. When it believes it has the upper hand, it attacks with a lamprey-like
tongue-tentacle, seeking to drain them of blood and what it seems to believe
to be their fighting spirit.
Uifortunately, if it wins, it believes it was not truly challenged, and goes
on a murderous rampage until some new champion attracts its attention. It
absolutely despises being drawn into an ambush using a champion as bait,
so if such a tactic is used, it better succeed, or the entire region will suffer.
Type: Solo Initiative Value: 9 Armor: 3 , ¥
Brawn: 5 Smarts: 4 Guts: 5
Weapons:
= Can use any weapon a human can use. Will likely be equiped with at
least one ranged weapon and one melee weapon. Any weapon it uses has
}
Critical (3) in addition to normal augments.
~ Tongue-Tentacle: 1 Guts damage ~ +1 damage (2)
Skills/Abilities: =
-MeleeH B BOQ =
-Stealth@ @oOad
- Knowledge B go 4
- Investigation @ BOO .
~ Ranged @ oda 4
Weakness: Will never back down from a challenge of one-on-one POE
even if confronting an obviously superior foe or walking into a 4
potential ambush.
Reward: Draw 3 cards if defeated in single combat. Otherwise everyone!
involved in the combat draws 1 card. at
51The Heart of the Forest
Michele Lee
Mission Briefing
After ferocious fighting in the eastern French trenches, and months of
being attacked by strange creatures and the reanimated dead of both sides,
the line the players defended fell. Before being slaughtered by a twisted
monster of corruption the commander gave one last order; “Bugger the war,
you lads survivel”
What remains of the squad flees for the Swiss border, a known haven for
war refugees, if they can get past the heavy guard trying to keep the fighting
from spilling over into neutral lands. However, by mistake or design, the
players end up, not in Switzerland, but rather across the German border and
deep into the thick, shadowy woods of the Black Forest.
Mission Objective
The mission remains the same; Survive and get to safety.
The Journey
Players are in their fourth day walking and are certain they should have
encountered the Swiss border by now. The nagging fear in the back of their
minds is true, they have ended up in the wrong place. Worse, the forest seems
to be twisting itself around them, confusing both the skill the players have in
navigating and their compasses. The woods also have begun to show signs of
twisted creatures, worse even than the reanimated corpses of friend and foe
that the players faced on the battlefield before.
Requirement: No red cards.
Narrative: Describe a horror the character has seen or expects to.see in
these dark days.
Failure: All players make a corruption check as morale fades.
Incidents
This adventure is an endurance mission. The Black Forest is over 99 miles
(160 km) long, taking over four ten-hour days to trudge through, north to
south, before corruption began giving it a life of its own and a desire for
human prey. If players attempt to travel west to east instead, they find two
borders waiting for them.
Western Border: This border is deep into German territory. Players who
scout will find a heavy German force occupying the cleared land outside.
Thousands of troops wait, rest and plot here, along with the certainty of the
players being caught and tried and punished for either being on the wrong
side, or abandoning their posts.
Eastern Border: The seemingly endless woods give way in a sheer, sudden
drop. Below, as if the earth itself has yawned and exposed some hideous
plane beyond, is a horde of thousands of corrupted monsters of many shapes
and sizes, fighting among themselves for fun, or for the few bloody pieces
of human meat they've managed to catch. This path offers certain death,
dismemberment, and devouring.
Travelling North to South: The forest itself appears to be an unending
coniferous sea with sudden islands of either sharp black rock, or ravine-
52 like valleys. The southern mountains are higher than the ones in thenorth, however the geographic features and corrupted magic of the woods
make direction and elevation difficult to determine.
Enduring the Forest
No matter how the players move they will stumble through the corrupted
forest for three days, running into tworandom encounters (rolled on a D6,
whether they rest or travel) per day. On a six no monster appears ang instead
the players find temporary reprieve in a hidden, long abandoned 17" century
military fort. In the fort they may heal 1 damage or draw 1 card.
1-Auroch Hunt
Crashing through the trees are 1D3+2 hungry Aurochs. Reminiscent of the
extinct wild cattle of German past, Aurochs are very large, aggressive, and
territorial cows weighing 1,500 pounds (680 kg) or more and up to 6 feet (2
m) at the shoulder. Aurochs have thick and heavy horns which curl forward
toward their face and can be up to 3 feet (1 m) long. These creatures have
been resurrected by the corruption forces leaking from the scars in the land
and seek food other than what nature intended for them to eat.
Type: Solo Initiative Value! 8 ye
Brawn: 5 Smarts: 2 —
Weapons: :
~ Gore: 2 damage
~ Slam/Stomp: 3 damage
Skilis/Abilities:
Athletics BH OOd ¥
~- Melee og
~ Rage: This ability is always active. Rage allows the Auroch to ignore :
pain from wounds and even serious injuries, such as broken legs, to attack
target as if at full health. — er
Weakness: None
Reward: Everyone involved in the combat draws 1 card. Also, Auroch flesh is}
edible.
-_
2-Hungry Grove
The Unit has entered a grove of 3D6 Hungry Trees. Roll Stealth for the
nearest Trees; the number of successes rolled becomes the TN to spot the
hidden antagonist: A soldier may roll Investigation: TN 5 for 6 or fewer Trees;
‘TN 3 for 7 or more Trees to spot bones and corpses wrapped in the roots
of the trees here. If not spotted, the Trees will attack when the soldiers are
surrounded. Ravens may appear after the first 2 rounds of fighting.
533-Corrupted Lumbricus
Without warning, 1D3 giant worms spring from the earth! Mundane
Lumbricus are one of the largest species of earthworm, naturally found in
The Black Forest. The corruption seeping into the land has turned these into
genuine lindworms. Lumbricus burrow in tunnels under the ground, eating
anything in their way. They are 10 to 15 feet (3-5 m) long, and up to 4 feet
(1 m) wide, blind, with a slime coating that makes them nearly impossible to
grapple, and a leech-like mouth ringed with teeth of cartilage.
Initiative Value: 4
Sette Smarts: 2
Weapons
= Slam: 2 damage ~ +1 damage (1)
Skills/Abilities
“~aAthletics& © O OO
Melee ooo
~ Stealth oa
~ Slime Coat: This ability is always active. This slime coat allows
Lumbricus to burrow through dirt and even rock without being harmed. It
adds +1 to Brawn defence for melee weapons and +3 to Brawn defence for
any grapple attempt. If for some reason a player wishes to try to scale a
Lumbricus they will find it impossible without supernatural strength (
T+).
Weakness: Blind and deaf. Can only sense prey through vibrations from the
movement.
Reward: Draw 1 card. j
4-Devouring Pit
At the bottom of a shallow ravine 1D3 Crater Maws lay in wait for their next
meal. Draw a card for each Maw; the Maw is open on a red card and closed
and hidden on a black card. Roll Stealth for each hidden Maw; the number of
successes rolled becomes the TN to spot the hidden antagonist.
5-Cold Caress
The forest seems to covered in fog, but there is definitely something else
moving within the fog. Devouring Mist might look like nothing but a standard
mist, but it is a creature which blends in with the natural fogs. It fools the eyes,
but it has the feel of a solid creature, and a peculiar smell like'wet dog, It both
flies and crawls along the ground. Devouring Mists always travel in groups of 3.
Initiative Value: 4
Smarts: 3
Weapons: x
~ Bite: 2 damage ‘
es:
Ee eee X
-StealthH B &Od
- Communication 8 @oo
- Spawn Mist (Guts) & & O O QO: aMist can create a sphere of mist 10
feet (3m) in diameter around itself upon command. This created mist hangs
in the air and drifts slowly like genuine mist. It can create and maintain
as many spheres as its current Guts. Additional spheres can be created only!;
,
:
:
with a successful Spawn Mist roll against a TN equal to the number of mist) -
spheres it is currently maintaining. .
Weakness: Devouring Mists are actually very easy to tame. They imprint on ly
anything that feeds them. In the wild they imprint on each other, which is \
why they travel in threes. If captured they will imprint on anyone who feedal
them and will cast Spawn Mist on command. They will also attack creatures
on which they haven’t imprinted on command. Using them as living bombs
is not unheard of, however it may provoke a corruption check (Narrator’s \
discretion.)
Reward: Draw 1 card for the Unit for every family of 3 killed.
At the Heart of the Forest
Nearing dusk on the third day players stumble suddenly into a valley,
which unlike the previous ones, is neither a steep ravine, nor tries to devour
them. Instead, they find themselves in a clearing, void of trees or brush larger
than 6 feet (2 m). The clearing is bright lit, with something in the plant life
occasionally sparking, or sending up a brilliant, momentary prism.
Roll Investigation: TN 3 to determine the play of light comes from
approximately fifty bizarre, crystalline creatures moving through the
landscape. As players move closer, they can discover that the crystal
creatures appear to be gathering flowers, fruits, and scraps of meat and
carrying them, much like large ants, to the center of the valley. The creatures
are shy and nervous, but do not attack. They can be spoken to and will try
to mime responses, but cannot speak. They will also offer gifts of food and
flowers to players who approach peacefully.
As the players follow the creatures, they come to a large growth of
columnar crystals reaching up from a deep, iced over pit. The crystals tower
nearly as tall as a man, and are a milky white, and frigid to the touch. The
food stuffs and flowers gathered by the crystalline creatures are laid, as if a
tribute, in a ring around the mouth of the icy pit. Roll Investigation: TN 3 to
reveal the depths of the pit are a deep green-blue, like gazing into a glacier
trying to grow from the middle of the forest. Players can also determine that
some shadowed, monstrous creature, is either frozen or incubating in the icy
crystals.
If struck or damaged the crystals will be revealed to have thin stone “shells”
with an almost fleshy texture. However, damage to the crystals will also
provoke an attack’from the crystalline creatures tending to the crystals. After
examining the fleshy shells roll Knowledge: TN 2 to confirm these crystals
are, in fact, incubating some very large creature that is also the source of the
corruption seeping through the forest.
If players choose to try to destroy the crystal chrysalis, they will find it
doesn’t fight back and it has ten health levels to be stripped. The crystalline
creatures gathering around it will fight back, however for every health level
stripped from the chrysalis, five creatures will scream in horror and pain and
shatter, even if they previously had taken no damage.
55Crystalline Creature
| Some are clear crystal with milky inclusions and some look more
like matrix rock with chips of gem-colored stones with in them. All are
"approximately the height and shape of a five year old child, vaguely humanoid
with a featureless face, two arms, two legs, and an identifiable body shape.
[a
“Initiative Value: 5 . Armo:
t
|) = Bite: 1 damage - +1 damage (1) -
P.- Punch: 1 damage
“Skilis/Abilities: .
“-AthleticsH B O OO —
-MeleeH OO OO
“Weakness: Thése creatures are spawned by th®’@hrysalis. Damaging it will
also destroy these creatures.
d: None =
Sou ——
Crystalline Chrysalis
A strange glacial pit that appears to be growing man-sized crystal towers
and incubating a monster.
Aa : = =
[Initiative Value: Special - 0 _ r=
{| Armor: None
[keattn reveler GOOoO000000 -
leapons: None
the chrysalis flakes off and-1D6 crystalline creatures are formed.
leakness; NO-attacks, no intelligence. The chrysalis is simply an object
seeping the corruption into the forest that can be destroyed.
(Rewards None =
en cosa
Exiting the Forest
Players must choose between destroying the chrysalis, knowing they
will kill the new form of life it has created, and preserving the new species,
allowing the chrysalis to corrupt the creatures of the forest into monsters.
Leaving the chrysalis alive results in players making a corruption check
and trudging through the Black Forest for another day (and facing 2 more
random monster encounters). Destroying the chrysalis means the characters.
travel safely though the forest for that day with no more encounters, but
must also make a corruption check and carry the knowledge they committed
genocide.
Decoration: Each survivor draws 1 card.
56The Horror Within the Horror
Kevin “Doc” Wilson
Part 1: Pioneers
Mission Briefing
Two months after the costly victory on Hill 70, the Canadian Corps are
sent to relieve the ANZACs for the next stage of the Third Battle of Ypres.
Op the last ridge east of Ypres, 5 miles (8 km) from a railway junction at
Roulers, which was vital to the supply system of the German 4th Army, lay
the Canadian objective: Paschendaele. The Canadians, as the tip of the spear
of the British forces, have seen terrible things... things unimagined in their
worst nightmares, but nothing would prepare them for what they would
see at Paschendaele. Amid the endless, hungry mud that pulled screaming
soldiers to a horrible demise, the whispers echoed strong.
Aircraft are having a rough go of it in the downpour, so the Captain
“volunteers” his Assault Pioneers, the PCs, to find and mark paths through
the mud, clear wire, and gather intelligence and/or a prisoner. The sun is
almost down, and it’s time to crawl through the mud.
Mission Objective
Primary: Find and clear a path for the assault.
Secondary: Search enemy bodies for intelligence, and take a prisoner if
possible.
The Journey
‘The smell of the battlefield is horrific, with bloating corpses of people and
horses dotting the landscape. Everywhere, the sea of mud. It’s almost a mercy
that the mission is happening at night. You crawl on your belly, freezing when
the flares go up.
Requirement: One of each suit needed.
Question: What do you think of as you're crawling through the darkness
and the mud?
Failure: A member of your team slips into a foul-smelling, water filled
crater. You need to rescue them before they go under. Challenge Stealth or
Athletics: TN 6 to rescue the teammate.
Incidents
No-Man’s Land fs a sea of mud traps, shell holes, unexploded ordinance
(UXO), and corpses. Play out the following incidents in order, with the
exception of “Flares”, which can be played at any time, multiple times, at
dramatic moments.
Flares: Flares burst in the sky, illuminating no-man’s-land. Every character
must roll Stealth or be fired on by an unseen sniper (use Officer, but armed
with a rifle). There are shell holes that one can take cover in, but the soldier
must roll Athletics to get out, or will need to be rescued per Journey failure.
The sniper can be driven away or killed if someone who succeeded on the
Stealth roll can detect the sniper with an Investigation success, and shoot
the sniper with a Ranged rifle shot. A sniper re-engages the group in every
instance of Flares. Whether that’s the same sniper (to create an arch-nemesis
for the group), or a different one is up to you. 57Muddy Shell Hole: If only one of the soldiers fails a Stealth roll, they
slip into a muddy shell hole. Hands stick up out of the mud in this shell
hole. These bodies are not fresh. A successful Knowledge roll informs the
character that all of these soldiers didn’t drown in the mud at the same time,
as the decomposition of each set of hands is in different stages. Further
investigation reveals UXO in the pit, and any attempt to get out risks setting
it off. Roll Athletics: TN 3 to get away from the shell safely. This may be
done as a Challenge if there are other members of the Unit nearby. Failure,
however, sets the UXO off for 2 damage, and triggers a “Flares” event.
Alternately, roll Mechanics: TN 3 to defuse the UXO. Failure means that
the shell goes off while the defusing character is next to it, and they take 4
damage. Anyone else in the crater with the soldier defusing the UXO takes 3
damage. Defusing it nets the character 3 cards, and failed Athletics rolls will
no longer set off the UXO.
Barbed Wire: Snipping the barbed wire requires 8 cumulative Stealth or
Mechanics successes. Challenge Stealth or Mechanics: TN 8. Each character
in the team rolls whichever is better for them. The Unit may roll the Challenge
multiple times until 8 total successes are accumulated and the wire is cut.
If a character rolls Stealth and adds no successes to the Challenge, trigger a
“Flares” event. If a character rolls Mechanics and adds no successes to the
Challenge, they take 1 damage from the barbed wire. This challenge must be
completed three times as three sets of barbed wire need to be cleared to reaeh
what appears to be a pillbox.
Pillbox: A lone, traumatized, young, starving German soldier surrenders
immediately. If one of the characters knows German they can find out, as
luck would have it, he was an officer’s adjutant, and extremely valuable. Use
Common Soldier, with a Specialty of Investigation.
Large Shell Hole: On the way back, the telltale flash of artillery in the
distance warns of incoming fire, and the only cover is a large, relatively fresh
shell crater that hasn’t filled with poisonous water yet. A successful Athletics
roll allows the characters to get into the shell hole without being hit. However,
the moment the characters get into the crater, they start being grabbed by
hands that pop out of the mud. A combat ensues with a type of undead called
The Drowned (1 per character, including the young German soldier). Fight or
flee, keep the young German soldier alive.
Decoration:
All survivors draw 1 card.
The Drowned
A completely insane type of undead, hateful at having been left to drown
in the sucking mud. With that horror and rage forever in the front of their
minds, they wish to drown any human that they can find in the mud and
poisoned waters of no-man’s-land.
58
syPart 2: A Lost Battalion
Type: Solo Initiative value: 9 Armor: None %
Brawn: 3 Smarts: 1
Weapon: Fists: 2 damage all
Skills/Abilities {
= Athletics: B oda ;
-Melee: B od
~ Drowning Kiss (Brawn) O GO: The Drowned grapeles its victil
and latches onto the unfortunate soldier’s mouth area with its teeth
and lips for 1 damage. The next round, if the soldier cannot break the ™
grapele by rolling a better Melee roll than The Drowned, The Drowned vi
disgusting mud into the mouth of its victim for 2 damage. The soldier canno}
do anything but try to break the grapele while they struggling not to drow!
within the grip of a Drowning Kis3. Drowning Kiss continués to deal damage
every round in this way until the soldier breaks the grapgle. 4
~ Murky Hatred: This ability is always active. The Drowned connote
affected by mind-altering affects or social interaction. They are imi
Whispers or abilities that target Smarts.
Weakness: None
Mission Briefing
The Pioneers have returned after completing their mission, and have
handed their findings to the Captain. What they saw out there in no-man’s-
land was the worst so far. Everyone is fatigued, and the shakes have set in.
Those poor soldiers, now just things haunting the most terrible battlefield
humanity has ever known, were almost too much for their battered psyches
to bear. Sinking slowly, inexorably, to one’s doom in mud reeking of rotting
flesh and chemicals is too horrible to imagine. Thankfully, they don’t
have more than a few days to dwell on the horrors of their first night in
Paschendaele, and it has not rained since the Pioneers returned. The Captain
summons the team to battalion command, to speak with an officer no one has
heard of: Colonel William Neight.
The pioneers find themselves in the presence of General Arthur Currie
himself, and his staff. Colonel Neight presents a disturbing new problem: The
Germans are about to unleash a new unit that they call “der Miszgestalten”,
or “The Monstrosities”. These troops, according to Intelligence, are misshapen
vaguely humanoid forms standing between 8 and 10 feet (2.5-3 m) tall,
with hides as thick as armour. Gleefully violent, sadistic, and cannibalistic,
these things that were once human have'been seen to run at terrifying
speed through withering fire, to eat whomever was on the other end of the
machineguns, regardless of the grievousness of the wounds they were taking.
A witness stated that he saw one of these creatures bleed to death, chuckling
to himself the entire time, while eating a machinegun crew alive. A force
made up of these creatures was being brought in to destroy the “troublesome
Canadians” once, and for all.
Colonel Neight, however, has a plan of his own. He believes that our lost
Canadians are not as lost as we had originally believed, as evidenced by The
Drowned, suffering out in no-man’s-land. He turns to the Pioneers, holding
before him a horrific biomechanical machine made of vaguely human a