You are on page 1of 33

The

% Adventure Game
Naked Soul Content: The material within or near the euclidarene
blocks is Naked Soul Content, and may be invoked by others as per
By S. John Ross
w w w . c u m b e r l a n d ga m e s . c o m
the Pact With Evil (PWE), in fair acknowledgement that this bares the
soul of the user to open exploitation by our masters in the icy depths
beyond space and time.
Illustrations by John Kovalic
www.dorktower.com
Pact with Evil Version Aj.HF
The following text is the property of The Shuddering Mass At The Additional Material by Philip J. Reed
Center of the Galaxy. All Rights Irrelevant.
www.philipjreed.com

!
1. Definitions: (a)Supplicants means the creators/readers of games
and supplements, and the owners of one (1) or more negotiable
soul(s). (b)Soul means the immortal and intangible portion of each Additional Creature Design by Chris Bergsten
Supplicant, which is assumed to belong, be owned by, be under the (Dreaming Guardian), Chester Burtch (Icthypus, Slime
control of, be the toy of, be the snack food of, be disposable by, be
Puppy), Mark Cogan (Lllidorino), Daemon (Cthonyx),
absorbable by, and be all warm and snuggly to Our Dark Masters.
Dana Graves (Mbeot), Craig Griswold (Blhastur,
2. The Pact: This pact applies to everything, everywhere, created by
everyone, but specifically to those works which include specific
Eldrip, Dzyant, Hounder, Kadath, Pentacruel, Skoobai-
doDEC logos, visible on any spectrum, or detectable by the spirit- Thulhu & Shaggai), David James Jordan
senses of mediums, or to the sensitive nose of a Tindaloo. You must (SyThuradyos), P.D. Magnus (Drek Maki), Guy
affix such symbols to any such work as the instructions whispered in
your brain dictate, even if the whispers hurt.
McLimore (Dholet, Mr. Mi-Go, Ygollywog), Andrew
Shultz (Nyarlathopy), Nick Zachariasen (Shub-Poliwrath)
3. Total Submission: By using or producing Naked Soul Content,
you declare yourself a Supplicant.
With special thanks to Tim & Jerry Driscoll, the kids at
4. Grant and Consideration: You have nothing except by our leave,
Borders Kids in South Austin, Brian Boyko, and the
puny mortal.
librarians at the Manchaca branch of the Austin Public
5. Evil Identity: You agree not to represent your work as the True
Will of the Evil One, because its not. You just have no idea, crammed
Library. Playtest assistance by Scott Barrie, Steven A.
into your tiny four-dimensional space, what that might even be like. Cook, and Alex Yeager. Proofing assistance by Liz Rich.
6. Copy of the Pact: You must include a copy of this pact in any
Additional playtest, commentary and inspiration for the
works containing Naked Soul Content, and in your locker at school, 3rd edition by Chris, Russ, and lots of cool mail from the
and tattooed on your ass. No really. Get it tattooed on your ass or fans who got the joke behind the joke. May the shudder-
theres big trouble. And dont forget to update it when it changes.
ing mass consume you with a mighty belch to follow.
7. Rambling License Parody: You must stop reading so far. Theres a

j
J
cool roleplaying game awaiting your attention. Small print is boring.
Small press, on the other hand, is where its at, baby.
Pokthulhu concept by
Russell Godwin and Philip Reed

The Pokthulhu Adventure Game is Copyright 2000, 2001 and 2002 by


John Kovalic (thulhu art, maps & comic), Philip Reed (A Campaign Seed,
pages 25,26) and S. John Ross (game and all other content). Pokthulhu
Adventure Game and Pokthulhu are Trademarks of Squishy Brain
Games. Dork Tower is a trademark of John Kovalic. File version 1.01
a
TM

Creativity, Unbound

1
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

2
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

3
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

4
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Wild pokthulhu like to devour human souls (sav-


Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
ing bone marrow for dessert) and frighten the pants
off grownups that stray near. Grownups dont get
The Thumping Trundledon isnt
pokthulhu, but kids do! Only the young can capture
just a good saxophone player. As
and tame the wild monsters, turning their wild pow-
revealed in Episode #207: Somebodys
ers and unholy cuteness to good purposes. Toddlers
Chewing on my Parents, the Thumpers
have no fear of pokthulhu at all (and pokthulhu
are also world-class caulk sculptors.
with tails tend to be terrified of toddlers)!

Introduction A long time ago, the world arranged itself to suit this
unusual state of affairs. Grownups make their living
Pokthulhu is a fantasy adventure game based on the as fishermen, mostly, keeping out of the way and
popular cartoon show of the same name. Ever won- quiet. The kids are kids . . . but some are brave
der what happens when Jigglypolyp goes head to enough to join the Pokthulhu Cult, training
pod with Dagong? Want to solve the mystery of why Pokthulhu to vent their alien aggression in harmless
cute girls named Librarian Lumli work in every Cult sporting competition!
Library and why they always look the
These kids the Cultists (and their cute little Bundles
same? How does stomping to the pip-

w
of Evil) are the heroes of our game. This is the
ing music of the Blind Idiot Monster
world of Pokthulhu!
Pokthoth sound?

Youve thrilled to the adventures of Creating your Cultist


Randy Carter, Sonia, Titus and their
friends, from Randys first Elder Badge to Your Cultist just like Randy Carter on TV is a
the threat of Thutwo in Pokthulhu: The Movie. But kid whos made his own copy of the Poknomicon.
now, armed with your very own Shining Thats the magic book of elder lore that can be used
Dodecahedron and Poknomicon, you can quest for (in conjunction with a Shining Dodecahedron) to
the Nameless City and do battle with the forces of store thulhu, and acts as a handy reference guide to
Team Eibon! YOU become a Pokthulhu Cultist, col- the more than 400 known species of thulhu!
lecting and training thulhu of your very own! Your Cultist is represented on a Cultist Card like the
one shown below.
What You Need to Play
Choose a Name, Age (from 5 to 16 years old) and
Youll need these rules, pencils, paper, and a handful Home Village for your Cultist, now. You can be from
of Shining Dodecahedrons (12 sided dice, available any village youve seen on the show!
at any fine hobby store). You may also want to print
the Cultist and Thulhu cards included with this game
to keep track of things.
Pokthulhu Cultist
Youll also need a friend or two! One player the Name: Randy Carter Age: 11
Owner of Arcane Rules (Owner for short) takes Home Village: Silver Key CoveAspect: Squamous
the part of the characters the Cultists meet along the
way, and acts as a guide as the story develops.
Everybody else gets to be a cultist, and taunt the
Grade Level- 5 5 -Sanity

Owner!
Phys Ed- 4 2 -Shoplifting
The World of Pokthulhu
Pokthulu Lore- 8 6 -Talking Trash
Its an endless summer vacation in the land of the
dead. The pokthulhu adorable eldritch monsters
from the icy depths of space run wild in the
swamps, the forest, and even the cobwebs and sag- Randys Aspect is his special empathy with Squamous
ging gambrel roofs of the fishing village that you (scale-covered) thulhu. Your character will have a spe-
call home. cial aspect, too, either Squamous (like Randy) or

5
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

6
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Game Rules I: Using


Whats Good & Bad, Scorewise? Abilities
A score of 5 is an average, competent Cultist, like
most of the thulhu trainers Randy encounters in his In this chapter, well learn what each of the six
travels. A score of 10 represents almost superhuman Abilities mean, and how to see if your Cultist suc-
mastery! With a score of 5, you have about a 2-in-3 ceeds in difficult tasks in the story.
chance of succeeding in a Challenging test of ability
Grade Level: This is your mundane education. Its
(see next page).
how well you read, do math, and get your homework
done. Yuck! But its still very useful! If you need to
any other pokthulhu Aspect. You can read more know about a glowing plant youve found in the
about aspects on page 10. woods, or read a new incantation youve unearthed,
the Owner will ask for a Grade Level Test. Kids with
Youll have the same six Abilities that Randy does, too, a better Grade Level tend be be smarter, more likely
but your numerical score in each may be different. You to observe useful details, and (unfortunately) a little
can choose any score you want for each (higher is less mentally stable.
better!) as long as you obey the following rules:
Phys Ed: This is how agile, strong, and fit you are
Rule #1: Your age determines your maximum Grade (Randy is a little skinny; hes just below average). You
Level. Grade Level may not be higher than your age use this to pass Tests involving running, climbing,
minus four. swimming, racing bicycles, and more. When you are
injured, your Phys Ed score drops temporarily. If it
Rule #2: Every score must be at least 1, and no high-
ever drops to zero, youve fainted, and may be eaten
er than 12.
by wild thulhu or ill-mannered friends.
Rule #3: The higher of your Grade Level and
Pokthulhu Lore: This is a vital ability your
Pokthulhu Lore scores, added to your Sanity score,
knowledge of pokthulhu and how to train them!
cannot exceed 13.
Randy is something of a whiz-kid at this. Will you be
Rule #4: All your scores added together as good as Randy?

i
I
cannot exceed 30.
Shoplifting: This is how sneaky you are, how quiet
If you break these rules, the Owner is you can be, and how good you are at stealing an
permitted to kill you (this may be ille- important skill! Randy is notoriously bad at this, and
gal in some countries, in Sonia always makes fun of him for it!
which case Cumberland
Sanity: This is your Cultists ability to stare down
Games cannot be held
Shub-Rhydon himself without blinking or being
responsible. We urge you to
afraid. As your Cultist grows older, hell get a little
check all applicable laws
less sane, retreating into the comfortable illusions of
before incorporating murder
adulthood (and hell be easier to scare)! Characters
into your game. Play responsibly,
normally have Sanity 1 after High School grownups
and never murder anyone outside the
are such fraidy cats!
context of gameplay; its immoral).
Talking Trash: Used anytime you need to speak
When youre done, circle one of your
cleverly or convincingly. This is how you determine
abilities to mark it as your
who attacks first in a Pokthulhu Match! Its also
Lucky Ability. Randy is
used to get cute girls (or boys!) to go on dates with
Lucky at Talking Trash:
you, and to talk your way out of trouble.
He can almost always infu-
riate his foes and talk his

gbni
way out of trouble, even when it
seems he shouldnt be able to!

7
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Testing Your Abilities Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
Your cultist can do easy stuff automatically. Provided Its traditional in many gaming
the Owner doesnt say otherwise, you can climb a groups to rule that a gauntlet who
tree with low branches, pick out which fails the trigger owes the player some
Dodecahedron is storing your Jigglypolyp, break a kind of forfeit he has to fill his drink, or
bottle, or eat a big hamburger without rolling the dice polish his Shining Dodecahedrons, or praise him
to see if you succeed. You need to roll dice, though, glowingly for the rest of the game, etc. Forfeits
in situations that are: involving sex or alcohol are apparently common at
Somewhat Tricky (3 Dice): Climbing an ordinary tree, some private convention tournaments. Wed like
pulling a sudden stop when your bicycle is on gravel, more invitations to those, please.
eating an entire pizza.

Challenging (2 Dice): Jumping a creek on your bike, con-


vincing a grownup to give you money, decoding an Game Rules II:
ancient inscription. Chaos Cards
Really Hard (1 Die): Climbing up a sheer surface, stealing Some things that happen in an episode of Pokthulhu
an ancient Dodecahedron from a public museum plat- have nothing to do with skill or even ordinary luck;
form without tripping the alarm, identifying a
theyre the result of chaotic resonances created by
pokthulhu by its slime trail or spoor alone.
conflict between energy planes. Ever wonder why, on
Your Owner will tell you how many Shining eleven occasions, Randy and his friends have been aided
Dodecahedrons you need to roll, and which Ability by the freakish appearance of a falling
youre testing (most tests are Challenging, but there pile of smelts? Now you

E
Y
are always exceptions). You succeed if at least one of know!
the dice rolled is equal to or less than your score in
the Ability being tested. Otherwise, you fail. To represent this special
kind of occult good for-
tune (and to reward
Example: Sonia is trying to scramble up the side of players who know the
an ancient farmhouse to read an inscription Titus Pokthulhu canon
spotted. The Owner says that this is a Challenging backwards and for-
test of Phys Ed, so Sonia rolls 2 Shining wards) this game
Dodecahedrons (12-sided dice) against her Phys Ed uses Chaos Cards. We
score of 6. The dice come up 11 and 4. Since 4 provide a deck of six-
is less than 6, she succeeds. The 11 isnt important. teen cards to start
Once shes there, shes got to try to read the inscrip- with, but it can be
tion. The Owner says this is a Challenging test of fun to invent
Grade Level, so she rolls 2 dice again a 3 and a more! Approve any
1 compared to her Grade Level of 5. Since both new Chaos Cards
dice came up lower than 5, she succeeds again with your Owner.
(theres no special bonus for succeeding on more
than one die). She reads the inscription, and its real- At the beginning of each game ses-
ly really scary! The Owner tells her that if she doesnt sion, the Owner deals out two
make a Really Hard test of Sanity, shell be so scared Chaos Cards to each player. Chaos
shell fall. She only gets to roll 1 die this time, and it Cards are kept secret until theyre played.
comes up 10. Her Sanity is 5, so she screams and Play them whenever you want something extra to
falls down. Hopefully, Titus can catch her! happen!

How the Cards Work


Lucky Ability: The exception to the normal rules is There are two important participants in a card play:
your lucky ability. You always get to roll 3 dice with the player (thats you, when you play a Chaos Card)
this ability, no matter what! and the gauntlet (thats another player the one wholl

8
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

help make the cards effects really happen). The play-

fgh
er plays the card and chooses the gauntlet. If the
gauntlet can provide the cards trigger (this involves
quoting episodes of the Pokthulhu cartoon show, so
it shouldnt be hard!) the cards effect takes place! If
the gauntlet fails to provide the trigger on cue, the
card fails, and the gauntlet is shamed. Discard used
Chaos Cards (successfully triggered or not). Game Rules III:
Note that many triggers have multiple legal answers: Pokthulhu
Feel free to use quotes from any of the translations,
the alternate OAV episodes, the comics, and even the You keep track of individual pokthulhu on a
never-released live-action film, if youve seen the Pokthulhu Card like the ones reproduced at the bot-
bootleg (and who hasnt?) its all Pokthulhu, so its tom of the page.
all good!
To create a Pokthulhu (a job for the Owner), simply
pick two Aspects, another Aspect as a Weakness (this
Example: Titus is trapped in the Tower of Tendrils can be the same as one of the thulhus regular
and needs to convince one of the elders to let him Aspects!), and fill in the blanks as follows:
near a window so he can use his Shrieking Ectomoth
to fly away. Normally, Titus just lets Randy do the Power, Speed and Hit Points: Each score can be
talking! Randy isnt in the tower, though, so Titus from 1 to 12. They must total no more than 20.
player plays his No Argument card, naming Sonias
player as the Gauntlet. He does this by looking at her Attacks: Give the pokthulhu an attack in each of the
and reading aloud the required trigger: Any of the four categories, and assign each a number of dice
Things You Never Say to a Polyp. (from 1 to 3). The total number of dice available to a
typical trained thulhu may not exceed 9 (more dice
Naturally, Sonias player can recite most of the means a more potent attack). Give each attack a
episodes by heart, so she grins and shouts out Hey, descriptive name and an aspect (which must be one
were you going to eat that toast? at the top of her of the thulhus Aspects).
lungs. The table chuckles appreciatively, and the
card works. Titus looks at the elder standing in his Wild pokthulhu follow the same rules, but they
way and says you are coleslaw. The elder agrees, tend to have only 6 dice in total attacks, frequently
sits placidly waiting to be consumed with fried chick- clustered toward Frighten. There are dangerous
en, and Titus proceeds past him to the window. exceptions, though!

Pokthulhu Card Pokthulhu Card


Name: Scuttle Name: Pikathulhu
Aspects: Sticky,
Squamous
7 -Power Aspects: Fungous,
Luminescent
8 -Power

Weakness: Luminescent
Habitat: Under stuff
8 -Speed Weakness: Sticky
Habitat: Randys Coat
6 -Speed

Smell: Freezer Burn Smell: Soap & Grandma


Fav. Showtune: Pilates Dream 5 -Hit Points
Fav. Showtune: Sit down, youre 6 -Hit Points

rocking the boat

2 2 3 3
Injure Dodge Injure Dodge
Hot Spray Scuttle Biostatic Surge Playful Scampering
Sticky Sticky Luminescent Fungous

2 1
Trap Frighten Trap Frighten
Mucous Jet
Sticky 3 Screech
Squamous
Adorable Pose
Fungous
Adorable CHEESE-
CAKE Pose, Fung. 2

9
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Training Pokthulhu
Once a Cultist earns a pokthulhu of his own (either
Aspects
as a gift, or spoils of a wager, or by defeating or Aspects are more than just physical (or energy-mani-
summoning a wild one) he may train it. Every two fested) literal concepts. Theyre spiritual resonances.
days of training allows the Cultist to make a Tricky Its something to do with geometry; nobodys really
test of Pokthulhu Lore. If he succeeds, one of the figured it out yet! These are the eight Aspects known
pokthulhus attacks is increased by 1 die (to a max- to Pokthulhu science (and examples of popular thul-
imum of 3). For example, a wild Fungal Cluster hu that have these Aspects):
(which typically has a 2-die sprout Trap attack),
Decomposing: For dead/undead thulhu, or thulhu
could have his sprout attack raised to 3 dice with
that just smell that way. Whip-Poor-Will is a
successful training.
Decomposing thulhu (cause shes a death spirit)
Once a thulhu has 9 or more total dice of attacks, the Fishy: Speaking of smells! Swimmers and clawed
roll necessary to train it becomes Really Hard, and beach-scuttlers alike are often Fishy. Dagong is a
each roll requires a full week of dedicated work. fishy thulhu.
Aspects and Training: If the Cultist and the thulhu Fungous: Soft, squishy, yielding and mushy thulhu
share an aspect, the trainer gets to roll an extra die have this. Fungal Cluster is the most popular
when training the thulhu! If the Cultists Aspect is example.
one that the thulhu has a Weakness to, the training
takes twice as long! Icy: They come from cold planets and can freeze you
solid! Pokthaqua is an Icy thulhu.

Pikathulhus Trivia Box Luminescent: For thulhu using strange energies.

j
J
Randy Carters own cute little Pikathulhu is
Pokthulhu can only say their Luminescent.
names, or part of their names.
Non-Euclidean: For thulhu who warp in and out of
Their alien language is very subtle
space and time, or run at right angles to reality.
and tonal. Or maybe theyre just stupid.
Tindaloo is a Non-Euclidean puppy escaped from
the Cheap Curry Dimensions.
Squamous: The scaly, the slithery, the ophidian and
Rules IV: Combat! the reptilian (and those who hang out with them)
There are two kinds of combat: pokthulhu combat are Squamous, just like Scuttle.
and people combat. Both use similar rules, but Sticky: The wet, the slimy, the elastic and tentacular
pokthulhu combat happens a lot more often, so its are Sticky thulhu. Nine-Tentacled Ftaghn isnt just
got more stuff in it. Pokthulhu Combat occurs sticky, its especially Sticky.
when two thulhu square off to fight one another on
behalf of their Cultist masters. Sometimes, its over
very quickly, and sometimes its a tense battle The youngest cultist rolls 3 dice, keeping any which
between evenly-matched pokthulhu and their crafty come up equal to or less than his Talking Trash
Cultists! Its resolved with the following steps: Ability, and discarding any others.

Pre-Fight: Initiative His opponent does the same, rolling 3 dice and dis-
carding all failures.
Skip this step when a trained thulhu fights a wild
The turn returns to the youngest, and the

D
X
thulhu. Wild thulhu always go first!
process continues until one player runs out
The two dueling Cultists threaten, pose, and of dice. When that happens, the player
brag in an attempt to rattle the other into with dice left has won the initiative, and his
a state where his anger or ego will pokthulhu will attack first. Each turn
undermine his strategy. This should be should be accompanied by more role-
roleplayed! played arguments.

10
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

The Fight! Frighten: If the value of the result die exceeds the vic-
tims current Hit Points, the victim is terrified and
At the beginning of the fight, each Cultist reads aloud faints, ending the battle immediately. Dodge wont
from his Poknomicon the name of his chosen thul- help!
hu, while holding aloft the Shining Dodecahedron
that contains it, summoning it to the fight. The Trap: The target thulhu cannot attack on its next
Cultist who loses the initiative makes his choice first. turn. It must try to beat the result die (exceed it) with
Once both have chosen, the fight begins. Each round a 3d test against either Power or Speed (whichever is
goes like this: better). If this is successful, the thulhu is free but it
takes up its entire turn, and the thulhu who Trapped
him immediately goes again. If the thulhu fails to
m The attacker chooses one of his thulhus four com-
bat modes: Injure, Trap, Frighten, or Dodge, and break free, it remains trapped, and will have to try
rolls the appropriate number of dice. [Exception: a again on its next turn. A trapped thulhu cannot make
thulhu that begins its turn Trapped must try to break any attacks, including Dodges, which makes them
free; see below] easy prey! A trapped thulhu which is
double trapped by a second

C
W
The attacker chooses a single die out of successful Trap attack is immo-
n those rolled to be his result die. bilized and immediately loses
Its successful if its equal to the fight.
or lower than both the
Cultists Pokthulhu Lore Dodge: This attack is usually
skill and the thulhus used to undo damage from a pre-
Power (for Injure and ceding Injure attack. A successful
Frighten attacks) or Speed (for Dodge reduces damage taken in
Trap and Dodge). The best the previous turn by an amount
dice are those which roll high but equal to the value of the result
still succeed (see the results sec- die. If there are any points left
tion, below). over after undoing the dam-
age, the Dodging thulhus
o Iffailsthere are no successful dice, the attack
and the turn passes to the other
trainer may immediately bounce
the dice again to initiate an Injure,
player, who becomes the new Frighten, or Trap attack, treating
attacker (and so on). If the result the value of the leftover points as
die is successful, apply the results
the thulhus Power and Speed for that turn. Example:
of the attack before the turn passes, including defens-
A result die of 7 that removes 3 points of damage
es (if applicable).
leaves the thulhu with a Power and Speed of 4 for
Weaknesses: If the pokthulhu being attacked has a that turn, regardless of its normal Power and Speed
weakness to the Aspect of the attack being used, the score).
attacker gets to roll one extra die when making the
Its entirely legal for a pokthulhu to Dodge even if it
attack!
wasnt injured by its opponents last turn. Rather than
undoing damage, this results in a Speed Attack. The
Results of Successful Attacks same rules apply, but since the entire result die will
Injure: The target thulhu loses a number of Hit automatically be leftover points (since theres no
Points equal to the value of the result die. So, if the damage to undo), the result die determines the thul-
die reads 5, the target thulhu loses 5 Hit Points. If hus Power and Speed scores for that turn. This is a
this reduces the targets Hit Points to zero or less, that risky, but sometimes effective, way for a fast but weak
pokthulhu must Dodge on his next turn. If, after pokthulhu to have a powerful attack, especially if his
dodging, the thulhu still has less than 1 Hit Point, he trainer has a high enough Pokthulhu Lore score to
has fainted and loses the match. take advantage of extra-good results!

1#2#3#4#5
11
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Switching Thulhu Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
At the beginning of an attackers turn, the Cultist Popular pokthulhu Hastursaur
may opt to switch thulhu, summoning a different mon- (who devolves into Hungarsaur)
ster into a fight from the depths of an alternate crys- is enraged by the sound of his own
tal, and pulling the current thulhu out of the fight. name when anybody but him says it!
This is always legal provided the Cultists current
thulhu isnt Trapped, and hasnt been injured to the
point where its Hit Points are below 1 and it is being Healing
forced to Dodge.
Damage done to Hit Points and/or Phys Ed heals fair-
The new thulhu appears instantly, and may act imme- ly quickly. When a fight scene is over, anyone
diately, but must use the Dodge attack on the turn it who was injured may immediately roll a single

A
U
appears (in other words, it must enter play with a Shining Dodecahedron and heal that many
Speed Attack, since its being thrown into a fray points from their injuries. After that, points
unprepared). heal at a rate of 1 per hour of rest, or 1 per
day of activity. Other things (magic spells, a
People Combat good hot meal, being tended by a nurse) can alter
this, as the Owner sees fit.
Sometimes, people fight
people and people
fight pokthulhu (wild
Pages from
thulhu like attacking humans the
and eating their souls and bone
marrow, remember). In one-on-one
Poknomicon
fights, the rules are the same as for To celebrate the release of the origi-
thulhu fights, except: nal Squishy Brain edition of
Pokthulhu, we held a thulhu
The pokthulhu always goes first, if
q there is one. For two humans, deter-
design contest via the net (due to
licensing restrictions, all designs had to
mine initiative normally. be adaptations from the television show or
films). The outpouring of ridiculous evil
r Humans have only two attack choices:
Injure (2 dice) and Dodge (2 dice). Their attacks
was enough to bring tears to the eyes, and
everybody got into the spirit of things, adapting crea-
have the Aspect shown on the humans Cultist tures from their favorite episodes. The three winners
Card, and they attack against their current Phys Ed
were chosen by peer vote, with a perfect tie for first
score, instead of Pokthulhu Lore and Power/Speed.
place broken by Pokthulhu art-wizard John Kovalic.
Injure attacks against people reduce their Phys Ed
s score, which serves the same function (in this case) But every entry was good, and just because the con-
test is over doesnt mean there isnt a lot more
as Hit Points. Poknomicon to explore! Once the second edition was
released, we opened up the submission-gates again,
Frighten attacks against people are compared to the
t defenders Sanity, instead of Hit Points. and most of the adaptations in this chapter (every one
fully authorized and guaranteed evil) are from the fans.
If the fight isnt one-on-one, ignore the initiative The winners of the original contest are noted.
round entirely and just go around the table clockwise.
The Poknomicon excerpts are taken from the rela-
Or roll dice or something. I mean, really. This is a
tively modern New International Poknomicon (NIP),
joke game.
and specifically the 1981 NIP Study Grimoire
made available at the world convention for the study

ijklm
of cuddly evil. The entries refer to episodes from the
first four seasons of the show (1999-2002). This kind
of contradiction is the sort of thing we just learn to
cope with around here.

12
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Blhastur fumbling criminals were swallowed whole by the


Power: 8 Speed: 6 Hit Points: 6 snarling rock-beast, half-way through quoting their
Aspects: Squamous, Luminescent famous motto. They might have remained there were
Weakness: Icy it not for the Chthonyx finding them repugnant in
taste, vomiting them up in ball of viscous ooze.
Injure: 3 dice (Lightning Tongue, Luminescent)
Dholet

F
Z
Dodge: 2 dice (Shell Game, Squamous)
Trap: 2 dice (Static Cling, Luminescent) Power: 6 Speed: 9 Hit Points: 5
Frighten: 2 dice (Arcing Bark, Luminescent) Aspects: Squamous, Sticky
Weakness: Icy
Poknomicon Excerpt: Rosie Bierce confronted Randy
and friends with Blhastur in Episode #60: Saturday Injure: 2 dice (Swallow
Nights All Right For Frightening. Team Eibon showed up Victim, Squamous)
with Blhastur for the great New Sunnich Pokthulhu Dodge: 3 dice (Dig
Tournament in Episode #85: Never Say Again. But Underground,
it wasnt until Episode #119: The King Is Yellow that a Squamous)
wild Blhastur was shown on the Bal-Soggoth in Trap: 3 dice (Spit
Carcosa Bay. Blhastur is a nasty-tempered lightning- Gooey Slime, Sticky)
spitting tortoise pokthulhu and, like Hastursaur, they Frighten: 1 dice (Surprise from
become enraged by the sound of their name when Below, Squamous)
said by anyone else.
Poknomicon Excerpt: In Episode

u
Cthonyx #72: Dig This! Randy and his pals
Power: 8 Speed: 2 meet up with a whole pack of
Hit Points: 10 these pale, slithering burrowers, who
Aspects: Decomposing, Sticky come up under their camp at night and
Weakness: Icy eat practically everything in sight! A nest
of worm-like Dholets (and you never
Injure: 2 dice (Tentacle Slap, Sticky) find just one!) can make Swiss cheese
Dodge: 1 dice (Slippery Writhe, Decomposing) out of any area of ground in a matter
Trap: 3 dice (Icky Excretions, Sticky) of minutes. Because they can
Frighten: 3 dice (Screech of the Damned, dive underground to hide
Decomposing) they are darn hard to
catch, even for an experi-
Poknomicon Excerpt: The slime-covered Chthonyx is enced thulhu wrangler! They
over 8 feet long, and leaves a translucent mucus trail can also spit gooey slime a dozen yards, making an
2 feet wide. So, finding one in its natural habitat awful, sticky mess of any thulhu who happens to be
(often near rock quarries and stone circles) is far from on the receiving end and leaving it vulnerable to be
challenging. Commonly sporting a dozen tentacles gobbled up in one gulp.
and 5 eyes of almost-complete blackness, the
Chthonyx makes a formidable opponent in the wild. Dreaming Guardian
It is also rumored that an average adult Chthonyx Power: 8 Speed: 2 Hit Points: 10
has a bird-like beak somewhere in what is laughingly Aspects: Fungous, Sticky
referred to as its face, though most who have attempt- Weakness: Icy
ed to prove this theory have been left in no state to
Injure: 3 dice (Tentacle Thrash, Sticky)
confirm or deny it.
Dodge: 2 die (Unassailable Flesh, Fungous)
Trap: 3 dice (Engulf, Fungous)
When Randy Carter stumbled across one in Episode
Frighten: 1 dice (Blasphemous Seething, Sticky)
#220: Eye Scream Sunday, he accidentally came to
learn of the Chthonyxs paralyzing dread of frozen Poknomicon Excerpt: Dreaming Guardians are huge,
dairy products, especially the fearsome frozen yogurt. bloated fleshy masses with roughly half a dozen tenta-
Team Eibon attempted to duplicate Randys success cles spread over their bodies and a similar number of
in scaring a wild Chthonyx by presenting it with a eyes on the top of their shapeless heads. As their
variety of health foods, but, alas, to no avail. The

13
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

name implies, they can sleep in one place for years,


Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
but even while sleeping they retain a minimal con-
sciousness which allows them to interact with (read:
Its unwise to get too many
fight) their environment. It is said that the right kind
Hastursauri in the same room!
of music can awaken them for a short time . . . but
what fool would perform such an act?
Poknomicon Excerpt: These insectoid pokthulhu
A Dreaming Guardian was the feature pokthulhu of
were featured in Episode #233: The Burrowers Beneath
Episode #47: Where None May Tread. Having somehow
Your Butt. Young Whateley tried to use Dzyant to
grown much larger than usual, the Guardian had
undermine Muskratonic University after they
engulfed a small town, trapping Cindy, the famous
revoked his library privileges. Randy Carter tricked
pokthulhu master. Randy and his friends came to
Team Eibon into using Nine-Tentacled Ftaghn against
the rescue, befriending a strange hermit who awak-
Dzyant while they talked to the principal and had
ened the Guardian with a Spiral Flute. It fled into the
Young Whateleys library fines retracted. Young
shadowy night, carrying the screaming hermit with it,
Whateley and Dzyant also appeared briefly in Episode
and the town was freed.
#341: Chattanooga Tcho Tcho.

t
Drek Maki (First Runner-Up) Eldrip
Power: 8 Speed: 7 Hit Points: 5
Power: 8 Speed: 7 Hit Points: 5
Aspects: Fishy, Sticky
Aspects: Fishy, Decomposing

h
Weakness: Fungous
Weakness: Luminescent
Injure: 3 dice (Tentacles Injure: 2 dice (Fish Slap, Fishy)
Hot Like Wasabi, Fishy) Dodge: 3 dice (Slippery Fish Dance, Fishy)
Dodge: 1 die (Delivery, Trap: 1 dice (Bait and Hook, Fishy)
Sticky) Frighten: 3 dice (Dead Fishy Stink, Decomposing)
Trap: 2 dice (Sticky Rice, Sticky)
Frighten: 3 dice (Presentation Which is Everything, Poknomicon Excerpt: Strange catfish/frog-like
Fishy) pokthulhu that inhabit the haunted bays and inlets
near Cape Dagon. Randy Carter first encountered
Poknomicon Excerpt: Drek Maki is the proper name Eldrip in Episode #142: The Deep Once in the hands of
for the dreaded Ichor Roll. A plate of Drek Maki Obie Marsh, resident pokthulhu master of the area
appeared at the sushi bar in Episode #71: Miso Horny, who challenged him to a duel for possession of
but these pokethulhus were not mentioned by name Pikathulhu. Obie lost and Randy took Eldrip, but
until they helped to clobber the Kimchigo two traded him to Team Eibon to get back the library
episodes later. Drek Maki are raw fighters, relying card they had stolen from him. No one likes to hang
less on skill than on their natural strength. Many frus- on to these undead fish-things for long. And who can
trated trainers have been forced to give up and ask blame them?
for kelp with these thulhus. Although easily roused,
Drek Maki are just as easily pacified with green tea Hounder
and a slice of pickled ginger. Power: 8 Speed: 5 Hit Points: 7
Aspects: Squamous, Decomposing
Dzyant Weakness: Fishy
Power: 8 Speed: 6 Hit Points: 6
Aspects: Non-Euclidean, Luminescent Injure: 3 dice (Drop Dead Stare, Decomposing)
Weakness: Sticky Dodge: 2 dice (Leathery Bat Dance, Squamous)
Trap: 1 dice (Bones to Jelly, Decomposing)
Injure: 3 dice (Blazing Sting of Ouchies, Frighten: 3 dice (Flapping Up A Storm, Squamous)
Luminescent)
Dodge: 2 dice (Burrow Through Aether, Poknomicon Excerpt: In the wild, these pokthulhu
Non-Euclidean) are found roaming ancient cemeteries and the back-
Trap: 1 dice (Collapse Reality Tunnel, issue boxes of comic shops. Randy Carter ran afoul
Non-Euclidean) of Hounder in Episode #305: Shaggai and Skoobai when
Frighten: 3 dice (Shadow Puppets, Luminescent) he tried to stop his new friends from stealing Shining

14
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Dodecahedrons from the recently deceased. Hounder of remote Antarctica. They are valued highly
is a ghostly skeletal amalgamation wrapped in dead because of their unusual natures and cute penguin
bats, who can fly with the aid of bat wings stapled to antics. Randy Carter located Kadath in the cold
his canine head. waste that bears their name in Episode #111: The Ice-
Dream Man so that he could trade the rare pokthul-
Icthypus hu for a cure to a rare form of narcolepsy that
Power: 5 Speed: 8 Hit Points: 7 Pikathulhu developed.
Aspects: Fishy, Sticky
Weakness: Fungous Lllidorino (1st-Place Winner!)
Power: 8 Speed: 4 Hit Points: 8
Injure: 3 dice (Sucker Punch, Sticky) Aspects: Squamous, Non-Euclidean
Dodge: 2 dice (Slippery Squirm, Fishy) Weakness: Luminescent
Trap: 3 dice (Tentacle Truss, Sticky)
Frighten: 1 die (Really-Incredibly-Toothy-Smile, Injure: 2 dice (Gaping Nameless Orifice, Squamous)
Fishy) Dodge: 2 dice (Leathery Wings Utterly Unlike
Those of a Bat, Squamous)
Poknomicon Excerpt: Sonias second-triplet-older- Trap: 2 dice (Chrono-Spatial Paradox, Non-
cultist-sister (under a hormone spell) literally had a Euclidean)
crush on Bloch (to Derleths annoyance) with her Frighten: 3 dice (Baleful, Slitted Eye Utterly Unlike
trained Icthypus in Episode #222: Lets Cuttle, Dear. That of a Snake, Squamous)
Icthypi have a frightening Really-Incredibly-Toothy-
Smile, but the coloring of their dorsal scales is friend- Poknomicon Excerpt: The mysterious Lllidorino
ly. While fair at dodging, they tend to be all arms seem to be extra-temporal pseudo-draconian nether-
with their Injure and Trap attacks. beings but, on any close examination, they display
features utterly unlike that of any ordinary extra-tem-
Kadath poral pseudo-draconian nether-beings. They inhabit
Power: 7 Speed: 6 Hit Points: 7 both the dark future and the dim mists of the past;
Aspects: Icy, Non-Euclidean their unfathomable intelligences (utterly unlike any
Weakness: Fungous other unfathomable intelligences) conspire to
unknown ends.
Injure: 3 dice (Brain-Freeze, Icy)
Dodge: 2 dice (Strange-Angled Flipper Slip, Randy Carter ran into the Lllidorino when Team
Non-Euclidean) Ebion attempted to use them to in an ophidiomantic
Trap: 3 dice (Hoary Frosting, Icy) ritual to temporarily transform all of the pokthulhu
Frighten: 1 dice (Cute Sidereal Shuffle-Walk, into serpentine monstrosities (as seen in Episode #94:
Non-Euclidean) In The Future Everyone Will
Be Squamous For Fifteen
Poknomicon Excerpt: Kadath are very rare pokthul- Minutes). Fortunately, little
hu that inhabit Pikathulhu broke free from
the cold the sunken city of gyrating
wastes stone that Ftaghn had lured
him to, just in time to help
Randy foil the evil plan!

Lllidorino are dangerous and dif-


ficult to summon, and nobody
has ever managed to capture one.
Team Ebion used a combination of
ultraterrestrial sorcery and a choco-
late milkshake to invoke them, and
even then, it seemed that the eerie entities (utterly
unlike any other eerie entities) were more than willing
to be conjured. Maybe the just really liked the milk-
shake. Who knows?

15
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Mbeot despite the fact that no one else can feel (or smell) the
Power: 4 Speed: 11 Hit Points: 5 mildest breeze. No wonder Randy spent most of the
Aspects: Non-Euclidean, Icy episode trying to get rid of him! Fortunately for Our
Weakness: Squamous Hero, Mr. Mi-Go decided he was fonder of Randys
mother. She puts up with his mischief, renting out the
Injure: 1 dice (Icy Winds, Icy) pink, mushroom-like thulhu (whose head glows
Dodge: 3 dice (Time Displacement, Non-Euclidean) brightly in eerie, constantly-changing colors) to a
Trap: 3 dice (Eternal Loop, Non-Euclidean) local disco as mood lighting.
Frighten: 2 dice (Embarrassing Memories, Non-
Euclidean) Nyarlathopy
Power: 5 Speed: 8 Hit Points: 7
Poknomicon Excerpt: Mbeot appears as a shimmer- Aspects: Non-Euclidian, Sticky
ing blue thread of pure cold, manifesting a stalk eye Weakness: Luminescent
and several small tentacles on each end. Its true
power comes from its twisting shape, which has but Injure: 2 (Lick the Unknown, Sticky)
one side. This infinite loop give it limited power over Dodge: 3 (Transformation of Nyarlathopy, Non-
time, making it seem blindingly fast. They trap vic- Euclidian)
tims in a loop of repeating their last twenty seconds, Trap: 1 (Mucous Membrane, Sticky)
preventing them from fighting back or pursuing. Frighten: 3 (Howl at the Moon, Non-Euclidian)

Poknomicon Excerpt: This is a Nyarlathopy in the


The Mbeot was first seen in Episode #109: Infinite
form with three tongues that licks the unknown.
Loop, Schminfinite Loop! in which one of the creatures
Randy first encountered one in Episode #67: The Black
trapped a whole town. The time manipulating
Tournament, but that Nyarlathopy was in a differ-

G &
& G
thulhu was seemingly unable to be hit, until
ent form. Nyarlathopies likes to
the pattern or its time
change form every day, becoming
jumps was discovered,
something new, different, and
and Pikathulhu defeat-
exciting. In Episode #112: Marcus
ed it, banishing it
Mucus a Nyarlathopys three tongues
back to the icy
held a rope bridge together for Randy
dimension from
as rushed to get to the Professor
whence it came and
in time to save Yuggy! Later
freeing the town.
Randy realized that the
Professors pet pokthulhu
Mr. Mi-Go was in fact a Nyarlathopy in
Power: 6 Speed: 9 the form of the Black Manta,
Hit Points: 5 and the Nyarlathopies had
Aspects: Fungous, helped him because he was so
Non-Euclidean nice to the Professors pet.
Weakness: Fishy

Injure: 2 dice (Foul Wind, Pentacruel


Fungous) Power: 7 Speed: 7 Hit
Dodge: 1 dice (Confusing Points: 6
Pantomime, Non-Euclidean) Aspects: Sticky, Fishy
Trap: 4 dice (Invisible Box, Non-Euclidean) Weakness: Non-Euclidean
Frighten: 1 dice (Glowing Head, Non-Euclidean)
Injure: 3 dice (Tight Squeeze, Sticky)
Poknomicon Excerpt: Randy Carter met and imme- Dodge: 2 dice (Slippery Fish Slime, Fishy)
diately took a strong disliking to one of these playful Trap: 2 dice (Tight Squeeze, Sticky)
walking fungi in Episode #64: The Yutz from Yukky. And Frighten: 2 dice (Tentacle Wave, Fishy)
no wonder! Once Mr. Mi-Go takes notice of you he
Poknomicon Excerpt: Randy Carter first encountered
becomes an endless annoyance, creating non-
these sticky, five-tentacled pokthulhu in his first trip
Euclidian invisible boxes and summoning a foul
to the Antarctic, Episode #111: The Ice-Dream Man.
wind against which the victim must struggle to walk,

16
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Pikathulhus Trivia Box


Skoobai-Thulhu

j
J
Power: 7 Speed: 8 Hit Points: 5
The Mi-Go-Go allergy to Aspects: Sticky, Fungous
chicken-flavored snack crackers Weakness: Icy
wasnt revealed until Season 4, so its
up to the Owner to decide if the players Injure: 2 dice (Hungry-Tongue Grab and Bite, Sticky)
are allowed to know about it! Dodge: 3 dice (Cowardly Cut and Run, Fungous)
Trap: 3 dice (Slobbery Tongue Slime, Sticky)
Frighten: 1 dice (Pathetic Cowering and
Randy and Sonia barely managed to sneak past five Whimpering, Fungous)
of them in his search for Kadath. Team Eibon wasnt
so lucky and ran afoul of the thulhu when they tried Poknomicon Excerpt: The strange dog-like pokthul-
to ambush Randy and steal Kadath. They later hu that accompanies Randy Carters friend Norville
appeared in Episode #167: Return of the Beach Boys Shaggai Rogers is always hungry. Shaggai is forced
when little Obie Marsh ambushed Sonia and chal- to offer it a specially formulated Skoobai-Snack just to
lenged her to a duel. get it to attack another pokthulhu. In Episode #305:
Shaggai and Skoobai the duo were stealing Shining
Pentacruel can be found on remote beaches, in sew- Dodecahedrons from the recently deceased when
ers, and in the occasional pickle barrel. Pentacruel are they ran afoul of Hounder. Randy and Shaggai had
difficult to capture, and never make good housepets to team up to defeat the wild pokthulhu after
as they are liable to hide in the pipes and consume Skoobai-Thulhu was captured. The duo returned
whatever they can get their sticky tentacles on. with a group of other cultists trying to locate some
ghostly thulhus in Episode #333: The Mystery Machine.
Shub-Poliwrath There are at least two other related pokthulhu that
Power: 8 Speed: 4 Hit Points: 8 may be different evolutionary forms of Skoobai-
Aspects: Non-Euclidean, Sticky Thulhu: the inscrutable Skoobai-Dm, and the dread-
Weakness: Icy ed tiny but powerful Skrappai-Thulhu. Shaggai has
used both of them in addition to his trademarked
Injure: 2 dice (Dissolving Slimy Grasp, Sticky) Skoobai-Thulhu. There is also said to be a rarely-
Dodge: 1 die (Chest Swirl Displacement, Non- encountered Gber that appears much the same but
Euclidean) can become invisible as well, but it may not be direct-
Trap: 3 dice (Chest Swirl Dimensional Banishment, ly related to the others.
Non-Euclidean)
Frighten: 3 dice (Chest Swirl Display of Infinity,
Non-Euclidean)
Norville Shaggai Rogers
Poknomicon Excerpt: Randy Carter first encountered
Age: 15 Home Village: Otisburg Aspect: Fungous
Shub-Poliwrath while relaxing at a cult gathering in
Episode #113, The Infinite Goat. The night culminated Abilities

r
with the cult summoning Shub-Poliwrath, Goat of a Grade Level: 8
Thousand Slimes, evolved form of Shub-Poliwhirl, Phys Ed: 6
only to be drawn into its chest swirl and flung into Pokthulhu Lore: 6
another dimension. Had Randy not been trying to Sanity: 3
keep his Pikathuhu from eating his bicycle, he would Shoplifting: 2
have been sucked in, too! When Team Eibon arrived Talking Trash: 5
and tried to capture it with their Nine-Tentacled
Ftaghn, Shub-Poliwrath showed Team Eibon a little Notes: A friend of Randy Carter. Hes old enough to
bit of what infinity is like by using its chest, driving wear a goatee and carries a pocketful of Skoobai-
them temporarily insane and causing them to flee Snacks to feed both himself and his favorite
quite rapidly indeed. Randy tried to befriend it, but it pokthulhu. He is just as appetite-driven as the
simply ignored him and went for a swim in the Skoobai-Thulhu he uses.
Atlantic Ocean. Randy hasnt seen it since.

k!m!o!q!r!s!t
17
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Slime Puppy of much of downtown Hemlock City by two of the


Power: 5 Speed: 9 Hit Points: 6 creatures driven into a furious rage by their trained
Aspects: Squamous, Sticky YTT.
Weakness: Icy
Ulthar
Injure: 2 dice (Poison Puke, Squamous) Power: 5 Speed: 8 Hit Points: 7
Dodge: 3 dice (Slip-Slidin Away, Sticky) Aspects: Luminescent, Non-Euclidean
Trap: 2 dice (Tentacular Tongue, Sticky) Weakness: Sticky
Frighten: 2 dice (Hissy Fit, Squamous)
Injure: 1 dice (Brain-Sucking Stare, Luminescent)
Dodge: 3 dice (Step Sideways Through Time, Non-
Poknomicon Excerpt: Randy Carter and his
Euclidian)
Pikathulhu faced off against Dark Deacon Paul and
Trap: 2 dice (Scratch in Reality, Non-Euclidean)
Pauls Slime Puppy in the first round of the
Frighten: 3 dice (Warped-Doppler Screech, Non-
Muskratonic Autumnal Great Summoning (Episode
Euclidean)
#25: There Goes Slimin Symon). What should

B
V
have been an easy victory for Randys cud- Poknomicon Excerpt: Ulthar are playful,
dly yellow thulhu turned into a nail-biter self-centered pokthulhu from somewhere in
when the larval Puppy devolved into the the shadowy parts of the moon. Randy Carter
humongous Slob-Doggeroth. first encountered them in Episode #104:
More Like the Father, when Team
SyThuradyos (Second Runner-Up) Eibons mascot, Nine-Tentacled
Power: 11 Speed: 1 Hit Points: 8 Ftaghn, was trounced by one that had
Aspects: Decomposing, Fishy taken a shine to Sonia! Randy wasnt
Weakness: Squamous able to capture Ulthar, but met over two
hundred of them on the moon later that sea-
Injure: 3 dice (Soul Shredding Blast, son, enlisting their aid to help him capture a wild
Decomposing) Three-Lobed Burning Eye in time for the big
Dodge: 1 dice (Scintillating Ink, Fishy) tournament in Silver Key Cove! Ulthar are very
Trap: 1 dice (Limitless Slurp, Fishy) social, and like to gather in large num-
Frighten: 3 dice (Belch of Reeking Decay, bers to groom, drift through the air in slow
Decomposing) motion, and stare placidly at anyone passing by.
Pokenomicon Excerpt: SyThuradyae (the plural
form) are peaceful and quiet pokthulhu in their natu- Ygollywog
ral habitat, being either a cold and watery cavern or a Power: 6 Speed: 9 Hit Points: 5
well lit shopping mall. The latter lair possesses many Aspects: Luminescent, Squamous
things not typically associated with these giant ghost- Weakness: Non-Euclidean
ly eels, but they are quite willing to put up with the
Injure: 4 dice (Biting Hands, Squamous)
buzzing of fluorescent lighting if there are a variety of
Dodge: 1 dice (Human Disguise, Luminescent)
fine coffees available. Generally quite harmless, as
Trap: 2 dice (Glakys Invokation, Luminescent)
was seen early in Episode #317: Fire, Death and Seafood,
Frighten: 2 dice (Loom Menacingly, Squamous)
when Randy Carter and his Pikathulhu stopped to
read a map by the haunting green glow that emanat- Poknomicon Excerpt: Randy learns that reading isnt
ed from the hollow eye sockets of one of these spec- always fun-damental in Episode #108: Oops, Wrong
tral behemoths, drawn by curiosity to his sparkly belt Book! when he borrows something from a famous
buckle. Team Eibon, however, was quick to discover Pokthulologists library only to find hes accidentally
that the space-time distorting abilities of some Non- read a passage from the Revelations of Glaky the
Euclidean Thulhu are incredibly irritating to a Wacky! Before you know it, here comes trouble from
SyThurados, leading to the unscheduled demolition behind a crumbling brick wall in the form of a mas-
sive Ygollywog, the headless, glowing thulhu whose

nopq
mother never taught him not to eat with his hands
(which come equipped with maws full of razor-sharp
teeth)!

18
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Over Cold Mountain


A Pokthulhu Adventure for 3-5 Cultists and their Owner,
in which pork and foul weather combine to bedevil our heroes, and
darkness is well-servd (with cole slaw).

Synopsis
While on their way to Nameless Harbor, the Cultists
Gemini
encounter Gemini, a Cultist their own age whos Age: 12 Home Village: Nameless Harbor
spoiling for a fight! After a few rounds of thulhu com- Aspect: Fungous
bat, Gemini tells them the real reasons shes fighting
Abilities
passers-by for fun: shes bored, because she cant

z
Grade Level: 8
cross Cold Mountain. A bully named Joey Curwen is
Phys Ed: 6
terrorizing the mountain road with his pack of Tan
Pokthulhu Lore: 6
Jenkins, and traffic is halted! Can the Cultists break
Sanity: 3
the roadblock and deal with the mysterious increase
Shoplifting: 2
in storms?
Talking Trash: 5
Scene One: None Shall Pass Notes: Gemini is a young cultist itching for a fight.
She has three Pokthulhu a Scuttle, a Drek Maki,
The Cultists are completing a journey from Lake Gali and her favorite (since shes aspected towards
to Nameless Harbor. Theres only one obstacle left Fungous thulhu) an Olaus Worm.
the road through the heights of Cold Mountain,
which looms ahead of them, a gray wedge of rock
blotting out half the sky, covered in beautiful green fir The Cultists come to a short stone bridge spanning a
trees and snow-capped. They pass over babbling deep, wooded gorge. Mists curl in the early morning
brooks and past gibbering grownups; the latter dive light, and birds twitter. On the bridge there is a small
into the former at the sight of genuine Pokthulhu girl a pretty redhead about the same age as the
Cultists passing their way. The Cultists are used to Cultists. They dont know it yet, but her name is
adults being leery of them, but people on the Plateau Gemini.
seem especially skittish right now. When the Cultists step on the bridge to cross it (its
the only way across the misty gorge)

j
Pokthulhu Card Gemini simply shakes her head and
goes mm-m to indicate that she
Name: Olaus Worm isnt going to let them cross with-
Aspects: Sticky,
Fungous
7 -Power out a fight. She raises a Shining
Dodecahedron, and a gleam of light
Weakness: Icy
Habitat: Libraries
7 -Speed runs across it. She smiles. Behind her,
the Cultists notice that a lot of storm clouds are gath-
Smell: Frozen Spinach
ering over Cold Mountain.
Fav. Showtune: Maria 6 -Hit Points
Shell lead with the Olaus Worm, swapping in anoth-
er thulhu if necessary. If more than one Cultist insists

3 3
Injure Dodge
Spore Spritz Rapid Coiling Leap on battling her at the same time, shell release her
Fungous Fungous other thulhu as needed to keep a mix of one-on-one
battles going. Gemini will battle furiously and serious-
2 1
Trap Frighten
Orange Ooze Smells like Wet ly, but her heart isnt really in it. After the fight is
Sticky Worms, Fungous over, regardless of who wins, shell be a good sport

19
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

about it and congratulate her opponents. Shell not


only let them cross the bridge, shell invite herself
along to walk with them! Joey Curwen
Age: 10 Home Village: G'dharn
Gemini lives in Nameless Harbor, and shes trying to Aspect: Non-Euclidean
get home. Shes been trapped on this side of Cold
Mountain for four days, though, because the road is Abilities

a
blocked by a brat (her word for him) named Joey Grade Level: 4
Curwen is bullying travelers and not letting anyone Phys Ed: 4
by. Shes been upset about it, so she decided to blow Pokthulhu Lore: 10
off steam by fighting some passers-by of her own. She Sanity: 3
apologizes for her behavior and explains all this as Shoplifting: 4
they wander. Talking Trash: 5

If they ask her more about Joey Notes: He really is a brat, but hes also a savagely

s
Curwen: Shell get angry, but not at competent Thulhu trainer, and not very sane.
them at Joey. I used to have a lovely
Nine-Tentacled Ftaghn! shell sob. of them are in the village ahead. Theyre all gathered
But I tried to fight Joey to get home, in a crowd on the outskirts. A few opportunistic types
and those wierd Pokthulhu hes using . . . have set up stalls selling drinks and snacks.
made it vanish! I havent been able to find it, and
when I demanded he return my thulhu, he just The Cultists can speak to any of the villagers that
laughed! Hes a mean old bully of a brat! She does- they wish to. Most are simply scared scared of Joey
nt know the name of the thulhu Joey had trained, Curwen, and scared (to a much lesser degree) of the
but can describe them: weasel-like creatures with Cultists. Theyll wail, moan, complain, and pull their
humanoid (but furry) faces and hands. This is a rare hair out in frustration. Joey Curwen is holding their
thulhu; the Cultists will need to make a Really Hard village hostage, and with it, the only passageway
test of their Pokthulhu Lore ability to know that across the mountain. The villagers all know that Joey
shes talking about a Tan Jenkin, unless they happen is using Tan Jenkins to terrorize them Joey has been
to have the Tan Jenkin entered into their personal bragging about it!
Poknomicon. Gemini believes that Joey has several of
the creatures; she defeated one, and he simply sum- The Cultists wont have much trouble finding Joey
moned a healthy duplicate to replace it! when they decide to face him; hell come out to meet
them if they dare cross into his new village. Hell
Optional Interlude: Wild call them stupid for coming out in the rain, and tell
them to go home while they still have their pets.
Thulhu Hell keep a safe distance from the Cultists, summon-
This adventure assumes that the Cultists have several
Thulhu trained and ready to fight for them. If you
think they could use a few extra fodder thulhu for Pokthulhu Card
Tan Jenkin (Mutant)
5
the impending conflict with Joey Curwen, have them Name:
spot a few easy-to-catch wild thulhu along the forest- Aspects: Decomposing, -Power
ed mountain road. Captured wild thulhu can be used Non-Euclidean
immediately to fight (though without proper training
their abilities wont be very good).
Weakness: Luminescent
Habitat: Emerald Dodec.
10 -Speed

Smell: Old attics


Scene Two: Sturm & Drang Fav. Showtune: C'est Moi
5 -Hit Points

The Cultists and their new friend Gemini are near


2 3
Injure Dodge
the top of Cold Mountain, on the outskirts of Cold Intestinal Burrowing Simply Failing to Be
Mountain Village. Its begun to rain, and clouds are Non-Euclidean There, Non-Euc.
boiling and churning in the skies overhead. Flashes of
1
Trap Frighten
lightning are followed almost immediately by cracks
of thunder. There are many villagers visible, but none
Door to Nowhere
Non-Euclidean 3 Chest-Burst
Decomposing

20
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

to a crisp (except for their eyes, which grow wide and


Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
blink a lot before collapsing onto a small pile of
ashes). Both thulhu are permanently destroyed (excep-
Wizards & Witches: A handful
tion: Luminescent thulhu will survive, unconscious)
of adults arent afraid of
and everybody else is singed a bit and knocked sever-
Pokthulhu . . . not because they
al feet away from the center of the blast. When the
have an unnaturally high Sanity, but
Cultists come to their senses, the rain is harder, more
because they have no Sanity at all. Some grown-ups
lightning is striking nearby, and Joey is gone as are
maintain ties to the realms of eldritch evil that
the onlooking crowds. Everybody has scattered, seek-
amused them as a child, and so become wizards and
ing shelter, and the Cultists should, too, because its
witches, and completely lose their Sanity score.
starting to hail!
Wizards and Witches are immune to two things:
being frightened, and rational behavior. Theyre all
loopy as loons.
Scene Three: Schemes in the
Fitch House
ing up Tan Jenkins at need to defend himself and
The hailstones start small, but they dont stay that
generally cause trouble. He has an unlimited supply of
way. If the Cultists dont seek cover, and fast, theyll
Tan Jenkins, due to a special, emerald-hued
soon be battered by falling chunks of ice or fried by
Dodecahedron he stole from his Aunt Fitchs house
lightning! The Cultists see several houses nearby; if
(see the next scene for more on the Green
the players seem extra-choosy, give them a choice of
Dodecahedron).
four colors (a brown house, a green house, a red
These Tan Jenkins are the mutated creation of Joeys house, and a white house). Whichever one they
special Dodecahedron. The normal Unexpected choose, however, will be the house of Ledora Fitch,
Rotting Things, Decomposing Trap attack that wild the Famous Witch . . . who also happens to be Joey
Jenkins use is replaced by the Door to Nowhere, Curwens aunt, who also happens to be in Nameless
Non-Euclidean, created by the Jenkin whirling in a Harbor running errands! In the Fitch house, the
circle, scraping a wound in the fabric of reality. Cultists will learn about whats going on.

Any Thulhu (or people!) defeated by this Trap power The Cultists first find shelter on the creaky old porch
will simply vanish, and Joey will refuse to release (the area numbered with a 1 on the map provided).
them. He wont let on that he isnt sure how to release Lots of hail can still reach them there, though, and
them . . . Hell simply be a brat about it and use it as the door to the house (clearly abandoned) stands
an excuse to brag and make threats. open. Let them explore the house in any way they
choose.
If any of his own Thulhu are defeated, Joey will be a
poor sport about it, and (whining loudly) summon 1. Rickety Old Porch: The overhang here is fragile,
more Jenkins to attack. Hell keep going until hes and hail slants in on a driving wind. There are some
captured at least one of the Cultists thulhu with the old chairs sitting against the window, and the door
Door to Nowhere, and then hell attack yet again. hangs open. Peering into either reveals only darkness.
Gemini has a flashlight, and if the Cultists dont,
During that next fight, however, something will hap- shell share.
pen: the storm will intervene. Suddenly, the rain will
feel charged with energy, and the air fills with a 2. Drafty Old Corridor: The benches and coat racks
greenish haze. Everybodys hair stands on edge, and arent very menacing, but the stuffed Lllidorino head
there is a sharp smell of ozone. Ask the Cultists how might be. Its mounted on the west wall, to the right
they react, and make it plain that they have only a of the door (and its probably a fake, but still).
split-second to do so! Theres a quilt nailed to the east wall, decorated with

rstu
BOOM!!! The lightning strikes, right in the middle of
the fight. Everybody is scattered, and any people and
free (not stored in a crystal) Pokthulhu near the fight
scene take a single point of damage (to their Hit
Points, for the thulhu, and to their Phys Ed, for peo-
ple). The two thulhu involved in the fight are blacked

21
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

1 - Porch

2 - Corridor/Foyer

3 - LivingRoom

4 - Kitchen

5 - Secret Stair

6 - Cluttered Attic
The Fitch House
237 West Avenue of the Trundledon
7 - Inner Chamber Cold Mountain Village

a stylized F that makes Gemini gasp. Ledora Fitch is Photographs: Lots of these hang on the
famous in Nameless Harbor for her potions made (its j Family
walls between little racks with porcelain pigs on
said) of boiled Pokthulhu parts! Gemini will be very them. Many of the pigs have aprons on; all of
nervous, but if the Cultists seem over-eager to leave the them are cuter than the motley pack of relatives
witchs house, shell point out that a powerful witch (or crowding in the photos. Several pictures feature
something stolen from a powerful witch) can probably Fitchs sisters brat: her nephew, Joey Curwen!
help them solve the Joey Curwen problem. Use Gemini Remind the players of that scrabbling behind the
to keep them scared but driven (and besides, right now, walls.
the storm outside really is the greater danger).
Mooning Pig: One of the pigs is facing the
Both doors are closed; neither is locked. From now k The
wall, and consequently flashing its little
on, the Cultists will occasionally hear scrabbling, corkscrew tail at the room behind it. If the pig is
scratching noises from inside the walls. gripped firmly and twisted, the concealed stair-
way-door in the kitchen will open with an audi-
3. Musty Old Living Room: There are comfy
ble snap. Nobody will notice the odd pig if they
couches, here, and a small table used to serve tea.
arent taking the time to look; if a Cultist just
Improvise other details as needed, with a stuffy,
asks for a general description of the knickknacks,
blue-haired old madwoman motif as your guide.
include the mooning pig only if he succeeds at a
There are, amid the random bric-a-brac, three items
(secretly-made) Really Hard test of his Grade
of real interest:
Level. On the other hand, if somebodys specifi-
cally searching for something secret or odd, the
Shopping List: Its sitting on the tea-table with
l aA dried ring of tea staining it. Its a list of
test is merely Somewhat Tricky. Youll
want them to notice it eventually
Random Occult Ingredients (adders wort, blind-

d
of course, but theres no hurry
worms sting, etc) with the title Dont forget
if they havent explored the
these in Nameless Harbor. At the bottom,
kitchen yet. If they have,
theres further note-to-self: Remember to leave
slyly insert the mooning pig
frozen dinners for my sisters brat.
into a description.

22
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

with dusty tools of evil magic; let the Cultists find


Pokthulhu Card anything that might interest or frighten them. If they
Tan Jenkin tarry, Gemini will gasp loudly she hears movement

5
Name:
Aspects: Decomposing, -Power beyond the door to the south! Theres even a hint of
greenish light seeping under the doorframe.
Non-Euclidean
Weakness: Luminescent
10 -Speed 7. Something New: Outside, the

i
I
Habitat: Emerald Dodec. storm rages worse than ever. In
Smell: Old attics
5
here, things are suddenly much
-Hit Points
Fav. Showtune: Hello, Dolly
worse. As the cultists enter
this room, theyre immediately
attacked by a pair of Tan
2 3
Injure Dodge
Intestinal Burrowing Simply Failing to Be Jenkins, bursting from bur-
Non-Euclidean There, Non-Euc.
row-holes in the plaster

1
Trap Frighten
3
walls!
Unexpected Rotting Chest-Burst
Things, Decomposing Decomposing
Treat them as Wild Thulhu
with superior attributes. Note
4. Nasty Old Kitchen: Here, the pig and mad- that they have the traditional
woman motifs marshal their forces for a full-fledged Trap attack of the Jenkins, not
assault on sense and sensibility, from the dancing-pig the souped-up Door
wallpaper to the pig-shaped toaster cover. Pig magnets to Nowhere. Theyll
leer mockingly from the fridge door (inside, there are fight to the bitter
frozen dinners for Joey pork chops, every one). A end; each will
squat, pig-shaped cookie jar stands like a wicked sen- open with a
tinel atop the microwave (inside that, a thawed pork Dodge (speed
chop dinner is slowly going bad). Theres a table and attack).
chairs for eating on. You can guess whats printed on
the tablecloth. This is Ledoras bedcham-
ber and magical laborato-
The west wall is covered by pantry-shelves. One shelf ry. There are plenty of fasci-
is separate from the others (immediately noticeable if nating items of parapherna-
anyone looks closely); its a swiveling door leading to lia, here, but only one item
the stairs. It wont open until the secret mechanism in of vital importance: The Grimoire of Ezekiel Fitch, sitting
the living room is activated. open on a squatting pedestal of black, gnarly wood.
The Grimoire was penned by Joeys grandfather
5. Creaky Old Stairs: The secret door gives way to (Ledoras dad) in his days as a powerful sorcerer
this narrow stair, half lit by flashes of lightning in the (before he choked to death on a pork chop made just
window. Hail plinks urgently on the panes, and the for him by Ledora). Its open to a very telling pas-
runny shadows of the rain paint the steps in queasy, sage. The page reads:
nightmare patterns that, mercifully, dont resemble
pigs.

6. Creepy Old Cobwebs: This musty, nasty room is On the Uses of the
used to store assorted rubbish. Recently, this included
Joey Curwen. Mrs. Fitch put out a cot, here for him
Green Dodecahedron
to sleep on while hes visiting, but he prefers the livin- . . . It is a portal to two dimensions. One contains
groom couch. The crates here are stuffed to the brim an inexhaustible supply of the mutated Tan Jenkins,
the other has a seemingly unfillable space in which to
Pikathulhus Trivia Box store whatever the Jenkins capture for me. It is

j
J
extremely powerful. Perhaps Ill conquer the world
Coffee makes pokthulhu kind of with it next week, after I finish my visit to Ledora
gassy. Its up to the Owner if this
provides a bonus to Frighten attacks.
here on Cold Mountain. Well see . . .

23
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

It might occur to the Cultists to turn the page. That Its finale time, and the Cultists must save the day.
would make them smarter than Joey, who never They can accomplish a satisfying conclusion in a vari-
bothered. If it doesnt occur to them, hint (or have a ety of ways, but it all boils down to two vital tasks:
sudden draft do it for them):

. . . I m concerned, though, about the Storm Demons. b They must get the Green Dodecahedron from
Joey. They can do this by defeating him in battle,
The more I fill the storage dimension, the more atten- tricking him, or convincing him that hes endan-
tive they become. If I overdo it, I suspect theyll rise gering himself along with everybody else.
out of their black folds behind the walls of time and
destroy me (and any geography nearby). No matter. g They must perform the Ritual of Yug to empty
the pocket dimension and get the Storm Demons
Ill just make a point of emptying the storage pocket to back off.
regularly with the Ritual of Yug. And if anyone
Joey wont be a pushover. If need be, hell deliberate-
cheeses me off, brother, I hope they like rain ha ha.
ly endanger innocent villagers to distract the efforts of
I should rest my pen; already I crave those pork chops the Cultists, and he has no qualms about continuing
to use the Jenkins for whatever purposes he might
I smell. My daughters may hate me, but they sure devise. Hell be very stubborn if they try to just talk
can cook. I wonder what theyll do when I tell them him down.
Im leaving all the money to my parakeet? Stupid kids.
However, over the course of the scene (wherever it
There are no further entries in the Grimoire of Ezekiel leads) things will change to soften his hard noggin a
Fitch; the few remaining pages are mostly blank, with bit. Everytime he uses the Jenkins power to suck up
the occasional cheerful doodle of a dancing pig. The something thulhu-sized or larger (or every few min-
Ritual of Yug is described earlier in the Grimoire; it utes in any case, since hes still doing the umbrella
can be found with a Challenging Grade Level test. trick) two things will happen:
The Ritual requires the use of the Green
Dodecahedron itself (as well as any amusing stat-
uette of a barnyard animal, and the usual chanting
hThe Tan Jenkins get snarlier and surlier, meaner
and less obedient. Theyre willing servants of
and beseeching). Joey right now, but as they sense the arrival of
their Storm Demon masters, their natural alle-
Scene Four: Tame the Storm! giance will take over, and theyll become unpre-
dictable.
Hail begins to rattle against the window so hard that
a pane cracks, and the house begins to shudder.
Through the cracked glass, the Cultists can see why:
k The storm itself gets deadlier and and deadlier,
and even a clod like Joey will begin to suspect
Joey is using a crowd of Jenkins to absorb all the hail that it isnt coincidence, especially if the Cultists
thats falling on him using the Door to Nowhere helpfully imply a connection. When the Jenkins
power as . . . an umbrella! He strolls through the finally grow disobedient enough to give up play-
streets of the village as if nothing were wrong, sneer- ing umbrella, Joey will be very very angry and
ing at anything that moves. As the pocket dimension then very very scared in rapid turns. Hell be
fills with hail, the storm grows ever more deadly. vulnerable, then so vulnerable that the Cultists
Lightning destroys a house across the street to punc- might have to rescue him in order to get the
tuate the concept. Green Dodecahedron!

Let the village backdrop provide any props or


Pikathulhus Trivia Box

j
J
screaming innocents you may need. The scene can
work itself in any direction suited to the Cultists pre-
In Pokthulhu: The Movie, the
ferred angle of approach.
voice of Suddenly Randy
Pikathulhu (which spawned the most When it comes time to perform the Ritual of Yug, a
controversial plush toy of 2000 and the Hard test of Pokthulhu Lore is required. If the roll
line's first adults-only video game series in 2002) was fails, the Cultist performing the ritual can keep trying
provided by Pokthulhu CCG Champion Chris Reid. til he gets it right, but every failure should up the
ante on Dangerous Storm Special FX, just to heighten

24
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

Pikathulhus Trivia Box A Campaign Seed

j
J Ezekiel Returned? Smartass Although the Pokthulhu Adventure Game may be
players might decide that Joey used for simple one-on-one pokthulhu fights or
isnt Joey, exactly, but rather the standalone adventures, greater enjoyment of the game
ghost of Ezekiel Fitch, returned from the can be gained through extended campaigns. Owners
grave to exact revenge on his ingrate kids by control- interested in running extended roleplaying campaigns
ling and/or replacing his good-for-nothing are encouraged to consult Nightmares of Mine writ-
grandspawn. This is especially true of smartass play- ten by Kenneth Hite (Iron Crown Enterprises) and
ers who read too much. Reward such insight by mak- Narrators Toolkit for the Star Trek Roleplaying
ing it true, especially if it adds a wrinkle to the climac- Game (Last Unicorn Games) written by S. John Ross
tic scene! (yeah, the guy who wrote this game and no, its not
the only reason the book is recommended). These
two books alone can greatly expand the talents of a
tension. You can also have things get randomly new or experienced Pokthulhu Owner.
sucked into the nowhere dimension when the roll
fails, to make it seem like there are dangerous conse- To help Owners get started, we have included a few
quences. Players are suckers for that kind of thing. adventure seeds below. They are intended to be used
as the basis for roleplaying adventures and are in no
When the ritual succeeds, the storm will melt away way complete, fleshed-out scenarios. The seeds have
instantly, leaving a half-wrecked village ruffled gently been listed in an episodic order and Owners are
by cool mountain breezes. Everything will be very encouraged to string the seeds together over several
quiet. The shadow of a single, fluffy cloud will pass game sessions (throwing in some of their own devi-
over the scene, followed by sparkling sunlight. ous ideas, of course) in order to create a
Pokthulhu campaign.
Five second later, the pocket dimension

n
will disgorge its contents in a chaotic
explosion of Pokthulhu, furniture,
Episode One: The
squawking chickens, stray villagers, Pokthulhu Menace
and a lot of hailstones.
The characters begin the game with-
Huzzah! out any pokthulhu. Dark Priest
Maple, one of the few adults in the
The Cultists and Gemini get back world of Pokthulhu who knows any-
anything they lost to the pocket dimen- thing of the Dark Ones and isnt afraid of
sion, including any Pokthulhu that werent them (hes a genuine Wizard; see the Trivia
zorched by the lightning blast. Those are still long Box on page 21) calls the characters to his lab. He
gone, but a wild replacement or two (and any new explains to the young Cultists that he has studied and
Thulhu the Owner throws in as a reward) wouldnt protected thulhu since his childhood, as he assists
be out of the question. Joey had trapped a lot of them in each selecting one pokthulhu from his vast
Thulhu when playing around with the stolen gem, collection. As the characters are acquainting them-
and some of them emerge from the chaos sleeping selves with their new pokthulhu, several wild
peacefully (the rest scatter in terror almost immediate- pokthulhu break into the lab and the characters are
ly). forced to fend off the surprise attack.

The Green Dodecahedron is irreparably cracked in Episode Two: Mi-Go-Go


the Ritual of Yug the stresses of performing the ritu-
al with the Storm Demons so close at hand were a bit The Mi-Go-Go have appeared in only a handful of
too much for it, so the souped-up Tan Jenkins are episodes of the cartoon show but each appearance
gone, at least for now. Mrs. Fitch will be very upset has been a momentous occasion in the lives of
when she gets home. Randy, Sonia, and the cute little Pikathulhu.
Unfortunately for the still inexperienced Cultists, the
Nameless Harbor awaits, and the Cultists have a new Mi-Go-Go have returned.
friend, Gemini, to show them around!

25
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

The Mi-Go-Go are an extraterrestrial race much like the The characters should alert the authorities (Constable
pokthulhu but they are from an entirely different area Carly will be especially interested in the missing librari-
of deep space and are far more evil. Can our heroes an) and then offer to join in the search for her (Librarian
fight off the visiting Mi-Go-Go? Or will the home team Lumli is the only one who can help them learn about
pokthulhu faint and force the characters to scoop up Bulba-Zhar). Questioning the locals quickly points them
the creatures and run for their lives, giving the away in the direction of the librarian, who was last seen being
team another win? carried off by a giant wild thulhu toward the swamp at
the edge of town. The characters will have to track the
Episode Three: Dr. Harold beast to its lair and then defeat it in battle before they
Westermore, Reanimator? can rescue her. Once freed of captivity she is more than
willing to assist her saviours and points them in the
Dr. Westermore is considered nothing more than a leg- direction of Bulba-Zhar.
end in the cartoon show, a Victor Von Frankenstein
myth of the pokthulhu world who supposedly takes Episode Five: Bulba-Zhar
dead thulhu and sews their severed limbs and organs
together into monstrosities best left to nightmares. In Dr. Westermores Bulba-Zhar is quickly located by the
Episode #217: Macho Ado About Nothing, Randy ran across characters once they act upon the information given to
Machostein who very nearly ended the his life as well as them by Librarian Lumli (if they fail rescuing her in
that of his loyal (and abominably cute) Pikathulhu episode four theyll have to find other clues to lead them
(which would have ended the show and ruined every- to the undead thulhus lair).
thing for the men raking in the cash). Afterwards, Dark Upon entering the lair, Dr. Westermore appears and
Priest Maple told Randy a long story about Dr. starts taunting the Cultists, challenging them to a
Westermore at the end of the episode and hinted that pokthulhu fight, winner take all. I choose you, Bulba-
Machostein may very well be one of Westermores cre- Zhar, Westermore screams as the scariest pokthulhu
ations. This was the first and last mention of Dr. the cultists have ever seen bursts forth from his shining
Westermore in the cartoon show. Until now. dodecahedron!
The Cultists run across a dark tome similar in size and If they defeat Bulba-Zhar, Westermore once again
appearance to the Poknomicon. It appears to be the escapes, shouting Youll rue the day! If the doctor
journal of Dr. Harold Westermore and inside they find wins, he taunts the cultists one last time and then rushes
information hinting about Dr. Westermores current into the black night with his undead creation and the
location and activities. The Owner should encourage the Cultists thulhu.
characters to track down the bad doctor where they pit
their pokthulhu against the undead creations of Dr. Further Episodes
Westermore. If the doctors undead pokthulhu defeat
all of the characters thulhu, the doctor steals the charac- The Owner can choose to either continue the campaign
ters fainted pokthulhu and flees into the night. If the (by having the Cultists pursue the Doctor, trying to cap-
characters thulhu win the battle, Dr. Westermore will ture him or rescue their faithful thulhu before he can
escape, but not before vowing revenge against experiment on them) or start a new one with completely
the characters. As Westermore flees

o
new characters and thulhu. Continuing the campaign
(whether he won the battle or lost it) he is the best choice, as it creates continuity and allows
hints theyll never defeat his supreme cre- the players to increase their interest in the game.
ation, the undead wild thulhu known as
Bulba-Zhar. Will our heroes encounter Dr. Westermore again?
When will the Mi-Go-Go attack next? How many dif-
Episode Four: Librarian ferent pokthulhu are actually out there in the wilds of
Lumli is missing! the world?

Why do all of the Constable Carlys around the world


Oh no! Librarian Lumli, that cute librarian of the local
have not only the same name but also the same appear-
Cult Library, has gone missing. The Cultists discover
ance and knowledge?
this horrible news early one morning when they hit the
Library to search for information on an elusive wild In future episodes the Cultists and Owner will no doubt
pokthulhu theyre trying to capture. answer these questions and many more

26
The Pokthulhu Adventure Game

The Last Word?


Third edition! Has it been that long already? When Squishy Brain Games released the
first edition of the Pokthulhu Adventure Game in 2000, the Pokthulhu craze was
sweeping the globe, but the idea of a game like this struck many fans as absurd. Some
of the hardcore fans insisted that, by opening up the universe to players and Owners
to explore, we were ripping down a floodgate for non-canon creations that would
sully the purity of the Pokthulhu we collect on DVD. The game appeared quietly at
Nameless Harborcon, and had modest sales. The fan mail started trickling in.
By the time John Kovalic hosted Saturday Night Live a few months later and
announced that Dork Storm Press would be producing the 2nd Edition, we had been
so successful that we had a new office building, licenses for translated editions in 71
languages, and a state-sponsored lottery system to organize our groupies.
As the real-world Pokthulhu cult has waned, the hardcore fans have retreated into
cliques for self-defense, and John, Phil, Russell and I have become de facto defenders
of the faith. Search the archives of alt.binaries.pokethulhu and alt.binaries.pokethulhu-
flood for the bootleg MP3s of some of the debates at Nameless Harborcon last year.
Listen to the insults being slung at our beloved TV show at the convention meant to cele-
brate it. Shallow? Silly? I mean, sure, some of the episodes are whimsical, but what about
the drama? When Derleth faced up to her villainy being largely the result of the death
of her sister, that choked me the heck up.
Anyway, I guess I dont need to preach to the choir, here. You have this game
because, like us, youve given up bathing to sit through six-day marathons of the show,
youve gone to your mundane job wearing Elder Badges and Hax Glyphs, and when
somebody shouts Theyve got candy! Theyve got candy and your villainy S TOPS RIGHT
HERE . . . You get goosebumps.
So, this is for you . . . the true fans. May we all be devoured; may we all be consumed.

H
(
S. John Ross
Pokthulhu Adventure Game World HQ
Building One, Poknomicon Plaza
Austin, Texas

27
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
and with strange aeons even death may die!
To bring down our masters on an icy night,
And to claim the power when the stars are right . . .
Derleth! Bloch! Team Eibon!
Stand fast to resist our rage . . .
Or flee to the safety of a new dark age!
Amid the sagging gables of old New England, evil lurks . . .
and squirms, and scuttles, and purrs. Grownups are fleeing in
terror, hiding behind the Elder Sign.
Youre 10 years old. Youre our

j
J
last hope. Armed with a
Shining Dodecahedron and the
elder incantations to make it work,
you capture the monsters and train
them to use their power . . . But
not for evil. For sport.
Youve thrilled to the popular TV show. Now,
you can play the game! Is your Shoplifting score
good enough to sneak a page from your opponents
Poknomicon? Is your trained Jigglypolyp powerful enough to
defeat a devolved Fungal Cluster? This is the world of
Pokthulhu, and now its yours to save or conquer!
a
TM

Creativity, Unbound
Pokthulhu Cultist Pokthulhu Cultist
Player: Player:
Cultist: Age: Cultist: Age:
Home Village: Home Village:

Printing more than 7,013 of these sheets can result in spontaneous ejection from Earths gravity. Drink lots of Space Dew first.
Aspect: Aspect:
Notes & Unusual Curses: Notes & Unusual Curses:

Grade Level- -Sanity Grade Level- -Sanity

Phys Ed- -Shoplifting Phys Ed- -Shoplifting

Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash

Pokthulhu Cultist Pokthulhu Cultist


Player: Player:
Cultist: Age: Cultist: Age:
Home Village: Home Village:
Aspect: Aspect:
Notes & Unusual Curses: Notes & Unusual Curses:

Grade Level- -Sanity Grade Level- -Sanity

Phys Ed- -Shoplifting Phys Ed- -Shoplifting

Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash

Pokthulhu Cultist Pokthulhu Cultist


Player: Player:
Cultist: Age: Cultist: Age:
Home Village: Home Village:
Aspect: Aspect:
Notes & Unusual Curses: Notes & Unusual Curses:

Grade Level- -Sanity Grade Level- -Sanity

Phys Ed- -Shoplifting Phys Ed- -Shoplifting

Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash Pokthulu Lore- -Talking Trash


Permission to serve evil granted. Printing lots of these will help.

Pokthulhu Card Pokthulhu Card


Name: Name:
Aspects: -Power Aspects: -Power

Weakness: -Speed Weakness: -Speed


Habitat: Habitat:
Smell: -Hit Points Smell: -Hit Points
Fav. Showtune: Fav. Showtune:

Injure Dodge Injure Dodge

Trap Frighten Trap Frighten

Pokthulhu Card Pokthulhu Card


Name: Name:
Aspects: -Power Aspects: -Power

Weakness: -Speed Weakness: -Speed


Habitat: Habitat:
Smell: -Hit Points Smell: -Hit Points
Fav. Showtune: Fav. Showtune:

Injure Dodge Injure Dodge

Trap Frighten Trap Frighten

Pokthulhu Card Pokthulhu Card


Name: Name:
Aspects: -Power Aspects: -Power

Weakness: -Speed Weakness: -Speed


Habitat: Habitat:
Smell: -Hit Points Smell: -Hit Points
Fav. Showtune: Fav. Showtune:

Injure Dodge Injure Dodge

Trap Frighten Trap Frighten


Dinner Music Somebody Say

iiii
Treats? Thulhumitosis! Rotten Luck
Trigger: Randys serenade to
Sonia at Lake Gali Trigger: The Mister Trigger: Aunt Hydras victory Trigger: Archfiend Henrys
Effect: Any nearby thulhu gets Sweetslush Jingle (one verse) gloat on Mount Sohlohr. usual complaints
super-hungry and instantly Effect: A wild thulhu of any Effect: Any nearby thulhu Effect: A single portable object
consumes another nearby thulhu, chosen species appears nearby. undergoes spontaneous dupli- of the players choice (a
permanently removing it from The thulhu will behave nor- cation. The duplicate is perma- Shining Dodecahedron, a
the game. This voids, by dis- mally (which may include a nent and identical in every book, etc) is lost or otherwise
qualification, any sporting com- sudden attack!) but it can be way, including demeanor, loyal- impossible to find/reach for the
petition the eaten thulhu may captured and tamed, be used ties, and abilities. remainder of the scene.
have been in at the time. as a diversion, etc.

Clouds of Fate
Dance of

iiii
Desperation Trigger: Blochs birthday Luoch Nacha
Blind Eye poem (one verse)
Effect: A gas, smoke, or even Trigger: Titus most embarass-
Trigger: Team Eibons chant Trigger: The Ritual of Gleep
invisible vapor of some kind is ing secret longing (as he put it)
Effect: Any grownup (includ- Effect: The entity of the play-
suddenly present, and every Effect: A single nearby person
ing sporting officials) looks ers choice suddenly needs to
entity in contact with it is 50% is posessed by Luoch Nacha,
the other way for the duration pee so badly that even speech
likely to be violently allergic to the Mad Demon of Posessing
of a single naughty act on the is impossible. The character
it, rendered all but worthless Only A Persons Left Leg and
part of the player. can do nothing but dance and
for the rest of the scene. Only Trying To Get Him Killed, for
pantomime and search for a
the player and the gauntlet are the remainder of the scene.
moment of privacy.
automatically immune.

iiii
Whos There? Rites of Soothing
Whoever Passage?
Smelt It ... Journey
Trigger: The dedication in the
John Dee edition of the Trigger: Any one of Sonias
Trigger: The Annual Kadath Trigger: Pikathulhus favorite
Poknomicon Sixty-Six Rules of Grownups
Belch-A-Riffic Anthem lullabye (one verse or refrain)
Effect: Any nearby person is Effect: Any nearby thulhu sud-
Effect: A hole in space appears Effect: Any number of nearby
utterly unable to resist answer- denly sheds. A nearby entities drop violently through
nearby and disgorges 871 grownup slips and falls on the
ing the next knock-knock a hole in space, arriving safely
pounds of smelts. shedded skin/husk/slime/
joke directed at him. at the nearest shopping mall.
residue/etc.

It's Been Ages!

iiii
Like Royalty Change of No Argument
Heart Trigger: The passphrase for
Trigger: The infamous Bloated Trigger: Any of the Things the Secret Arcade of Ronath
Corpse Joke Trigger: Randys way of talk- You Never Say to a Polyp Effect: A total stranger can
Effect: Any nearby entity or ing Derleth out of killing her- Effect: A single chosen person become convinced that he and
object turns bright yellow; this self at Waites Point will wholeheartedly agree with any one other entity are old
lasts for the next 1-12 scenes (it Effect: Any nearby thulhu per- the next three words the player friends. This doesnt create any
can overlap between game ses- manently loses a chosen says. The effect (and the agree- particular memories, but the
sions if need be). Aspect, and permanently gains ment) lasts only for the dura- person is too embarassed to
a new, different one. tion of the scene. admit that and will play along
accordingly.
$ $ $ $
$ $ $ $
$ $ $ $
$ $ $ $
Print on light cardstock; cut along whichever lines produce the most reasonable paper minis. Fold & enjoy!
tsr qp o n m l k

tsr qp o n m l k
k l m n op q rst

k l m n op q rst
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

You might also like