Requires the use of d20 Modern, published by Wizards of the Coast®

d20 Crime: The American Mafia

WRITTEN BY
Aaron Dembski-Bowden
& K. Scott Agnew

ADDITONAL WRITING
Bob Eadicicco

LINE DEVELOPMENT, ART DIRECTION & LAYOUT

K. Scott Agnew

LINE EDITOR
Alison J. Ménard

ADDITIONAL EDITING
Jim Andrews

FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.morriganrpg.com
or
info@morriganrpg.com

Copyright © 2004 Morrigan Press Inc. All rights reserved.

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First Publication Spetember 2004.

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The American Mafia

Table of Contents
Not for nothin’ - A Winter’s Tale 4 Getting Busted 20
Introduction 6 On The Lam 22
Humble Beginnings 6 Hideouts 22
Prohibition & Progress 7 Designing a Hideout 22
“Lucky” Luciano’s Big Break 7 Hideouts in the Campaign 25
The Five Families 8 Using a Hideout 25
Bonanno Family 8 The Secrecy Score 26
Colombo Family 9 The Security Score 26
Gambino Family 9 Skills & Feats 26
Genovese Family 9 New Skills 26
Lucchese Family 9 New Feats 27
Lifestyles of the Rich & Infamous 9 Mafia Advanced Classes 29
Grease, Juice & Ice 10 Con Artist 29
Mafia Hierarchy 10 Hit Man 30
Connected Guys 10 Made Guy 32
Made Guys & Capos 14 Mob Enforcer 33
Demotions 15 A Mafia Lexicon 34
Bosses 16 Opne Gaming License 36
Mafia Lifestyle 16 D20 System License 37
Cash 16
Freebies 17
Hitting the Town 18
Whacking: The Art of Murder 18
“Two in the Head” 19
“Little Joe” 19
“In Your Face” 20
Tools of the Trade 20

The d20 Crime series of RPG sourcebooks deal with the nasty, and often violent, world of Organized
Crime. As such, this subject matter may be offensive to some. It should go without saying but...
Morrigan Press Inc. in no way endorses the activities or methods employed by the various organized crime
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used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0a. A copy of this License can be found
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3

Not for nothin’ -
A Winter’s Tale
Listen.
I don’t go telling tales ‘out-of school’ like they
say, but I will tell you about maybe this one
thing, and that’s it. I’ll tell cause the guy’s dead
through no fault of my own and he didn’t matter
much to anyone anyway…so’
It was a friggin’ cold son-of-a-bitchin’ January
night in Bay Ridge, the V-Z Bridge looked like
a giant frozen popsicle against the steel grey
skies. It was a good night to be shacking up with
the goomah but not be out there trying to take
a score….shit goes down on nights like that….
nothing ever goes smooth….especially when
gavones are part in the take.
Speaking of gavones.
As things turned out this particular gavone
Danny Russo had a job that very night. Let me
get this straight, I would never vouch for him…I
never liked that friggin’ Zip. He was an asshole
with a Capital A, if you catch my drift. Not only
did this Danny guy have bad luck - he was bad
luck to anyone around him. What Danny Russo
wasn’t, was a stand up guy, you dig?
Danny couldn’t hold on to a buck either and what
he did hold on to he owed to his ex-wives. So he
was kind of a ‘go-to guy’ – a guy who would do
anything for a buck. He was never more than
an associate and a contracted headcrusher and
enforcer - he was never an earner or part of a
crew. To me he was a cugine, a wanna be hood.
I don’t know how.
And I don’t know why he got involved but as
it turns out that night he was part of the crew
that was boosting a container over at Howeland
Hook Port over on Staten Island. But like I said
this job was jinxed from the start.
I should have been an easy job.
4
D20 Crime
Russo is driving this U-haul truck with fugazi
Jersey plates and he’s got this other babbo,
some Capo’s nephew, Tony Boy with him. Now
their job was to bring the truck from Brooklyn
to the container port on Staten Island, load the
truck with what was boosted from the containers
and drive the truck back to the Fence’s lot in
Sheepheads Bay back in Brooklyn. Let’s put
it this way, they was in it for muscle not for
brains…even though it was Tony Boy who was
supposed to be looking after things. What a
freakin joke…
So, what they did was.
On the way across the bridge from Brooklyn to
Staten Island these numb nuts get the bright idea
of beating the $15.00 toll on the V-Z by following
a tractor trailer through the EZ Pass booth. Oh,
they got through alright but what these gumba’s
didn’t know was those toll booths are set up to
guard against ‘toll jumpers’ and a computer
somewhere under the toll plaza was writing out a
ticket with one of them hefty trucker fines.
But they make it out to the port anyway.
When they get there the Skipper and his crew has
got everything ready for them. The Boyz from
New Jersey and Staten Island had gotten their
tastes and were already loaded and moving out.
I don’t know nothing about the guards whether
they was meat eaters or not – all I know is they
wasn’t a issue seeing no one was iced that I know
about…so let’s says they were tied up with other
things.
So they start loading up the truck.
Now, I can’t say exactly what it was they was
boosting but for arguments sakes let’s just say
“electronic equipment”. But like I said before it
was a friggin’ cold night and it was even colder
on the docks with the wind blowing like a bastard
in from the bay. Since you already know these
two wasn’t the sharpest knives in the draw’, you
won’t be surprised that neither of them assholes
brought gloves with them. I don’t know if you
ever did much outside work in minus degrees
but it doesn’t take long for fingers and hands to
freeze up.
The American Mafia

They dropped more than they got on the truck. walk out without paying!

It was a freakin joke, by time they finally get a Need I tell you the rest?
load on the truck the Skipper was ready put both
of them out of their misery especially when that Ok, but we’ll make it quick. Russo starts
braciola Russo dropped a big freakin box on the walking out. The cashier starts yelling. Russo
back of his heel! turns and pulls out his piece to shut her up. She
does. So, he turns back for the door (with his
Somehow they survived. dick in his hand so to speak) only to find this cop
coming in. Well Russo can’t get pinched again
Ok, so now the truck was loaded and all they so he raises his piece and whack! the poliziotto
had to do was drive it the 15 or so miles to puts one right in his head. End of Story, for
Sheepheads Bay, back in Brooklyn. They Danny Russo anyway.
couldn’t jump back on to the Expressway cause
they needed to cover so they took the back Tony Boy meanwhile did good.
roads. I don’t know if you’ve ever been on the
Island but it ain’t like Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, He gave the slip to the police; he made it back to
if you’re on 15th Street you know if you go one the truck and had started rolling before the lead
way the next street is 14th and if you go the other
started flying. He made his way through Staten
way you’ll find 16th. But on Staten Island all the
Island covering all the way, slipping down side
streets have friggin’ names. streets, doubling back now. Finally he made it
across the V-Z Bridge and over to Sheepheads
So they drive around lost for half a friggin’ Bay.
hour.
Unfortunately, the cops were waiting.
This Danny Russo who is supposed to know the
Island cause he’s got a kid that lives with the Now, I don’t know for sure myself but the way I
mother over there, lands them way the frig out heard it was that the truck was made on the V-Z,
in Tottenville. The exact opposite of where they apparently they make good work of collecting
should be. At least by then they figured where those fines up there. So when they run the plate
the frig they were. they find it’s also wanted in connection with
Russo getting clipped. The rest is history.
But this is where things really go wrong.
So like I said before, it was a good night to shack
Danny, the friggin’ porco, decides he’s hungry up, but instead of doing that - Tony Boy ended
and he knows this bagel joint in the area that’s up with 8 to 15 and Danny Russo got life.
open all night. So he heads there and parks
the truck with all that swag in it right around
the corner on the side of this place. Tony Boy
stays with the truck and Danny goes in to get
a sandwich. Russo who just can’t help being
a hard-on starts giving this broad making his
sandwich a hard time, she gets freaked but holds
her own. Which only gets Danny pissed.

About this time Tony Boy needs to take a leak.

So he gets out of the truck and walks behind the

store by the garbage bins and so doesn’t notice
the heat pulling up. Neither does Russo who
about that very moment decides he is gonna

5

Wiseguys & Stone Cold Killers
“I realized that I had taken a human life,
that I had the power over life and death. I
was a predator. I was an animal. I was Cosa
Nostra.” – Sammy “the Bull” Gravano.
Introduction
It is only within the last three decades that the
American Mafia has been exposed to the light of
public scrutiny. Even so, with all the movies, the
books, the true crime confessions and the media-
worthy court cases, the world at large knows
precious little about the ins and outs of organised
crime’s heavy-hitter: Cosa Nostra, or “Our Thing”.
Even the name of the organisation has its roots
set deep in various, unreliable or inaccurate
sources. “Cosa Nostra” is also linked as the name
of the Sicilian Mafia, despite its abundant use in
the far more evolved and efficient American mob
scene. To the modern public, the term “Mafia”
represents the Italian-American gangster elite;
a literal underworld family-cum-army of thugs,
murderers and criminals. In parts of America, the
gangsters themselves had other names for their
organisation: the Outfit, the Office, the Work, the
Family, and the ever-popular This Thing of Ours.
Jo “Bananas” Bonanno, a renowned Mafia family
leader, once claimed the term Mafia originated in
1282, when a French soldier raped a Palermo
woman on her wedding day. Allegedly following
this incident, a band of Sicilians attacked and
killed a French troop, triggering a town-after-
town retaliation against the French. “Ma fia, ma
fia” was the chosen chant, translated literally
as “My daughter, my daughter.” One truth is
known: in 1963 the term Cosa Nostra was
used in the testimony of informer Joe Valachi.
J. Edgar Hoover, perhaps the most famous
director of the FBI, used the casual reference
to “our thing” and had the federal authorities
spin the term into use as an actual proper noun
for the burgeoning underworld organisation.
Cosa Nostra has its origins and roots back in
Sicily in the 1800’s, but organised crime and
6
D20 Crime
the modern American Mafia are relatively
recent occurrences. North America before 1920
certainly had its share of organised criminal
gangs, but nothing existed on the sheer scale
and ingenuity of the modern Mafia. There was
no network of gangs and groups with such
rigid hierarchies, codes of conduct and well-
established territories; each group connected
but serving as the independent authority in their
own inner-city domains. This, the true American
Mafia, is a product of the last one hundred years.
Humble Beginnings
As with the majority of criminal activity, Cosa
Nostra had its beginnings in poverty. Before
the 20th Century, the resident population of the
metropolitan ghettos (and the criminal underclass
feared by the wealthy) was, of course, the Irish.
Immigrants and the descendents of immigrants
in search of a better life, the Irish were
relegated to the lower-class areas of America.
Thus, until they were replaced by the new
“have-nots” of society, almost all the criminal
street gangs of the 19th Century were Irish.
This changed with the turn of the century. The
Irish left the worst areas, and made way for
the new “lowest rung” members of American
society: the Italian and Jewish immigrants. The
gang culture of the Irish ghettos was emulated
by the criminal elements within the Italian and
Jew residents, and the cycle began anew. The
remaining Irish bosses and established gangs
were devastated during the decades of the
1880’s and 1890’s, as the Jewish and Italian
arrivals forged their own domains, customs and
tricks of the trade. In turn, Italian and Jewish
involvement in petty crime (such as most
“street” crime) petered out when these ethnic
groups also gained their financial independence.
In these early times, the Mafia of the 1920’s was
comprised of Italian–American groups that often
worked alongside or in conjunction with Jewish
gangsters. They were led by the criminals that had
succeeded from the ranks of street gangs, pawns
and lackeys to the newly-emerging position of
crime lord. With the dawn of the Prohibition era,
the concept of the “millionaire criminal” was
The American Mafia

born, and a life of crime didn’t just pay, it now Al Capone ended his life in indignity and
came with the chance for an underworld throne. mental instability. After his harsh treatment in
the prison of Alcatraz (where he was known by
his fellow inmates as “the Wop with the Mop”
Prohibition & Progress for his cleaning duties) his death in 1947 came
as no surprise. Before his incarceration and his
January 16, 1920. The 18th Amendment to the eventual death from syphilis, Al Capone was
Constitution of the United States came into force, the most successful gangster in America. He
and Prohibition gripped America. The corruption instilled in his underlings a sense of trust and
in government and the law enforcement appreciation, even stretching to hire the man
agencies of the time is well-documented, but the who had scarred his face as a bodyguard. He
vast changes mixed with
this law politicians and
brought to the “Our country has deliberately public figures,
underworld and cut back
cannot be undertaken a great social and on his gang’s
overstated.
economic experiment, noble in c r i m i n a l
activities,
Many of the motive and far-reaching in purpose.” ordering that
street gangs they be limited
and the urban Herbert Hoover, US President to dealings that
criminals on the 18th Amendment enacting Alcohol Prohibition, 1919 enjoyed public
of the early support, such
1900’s were disbanding and breaking up. An as gambling, prostitution and, of course, the
increasingly intolerant populace, in addition supply of alcohol to the now-dry North America.
to the inter-gang violence and rate of attrition
was costing the disorganised underworld dearly.
During World War I, the American government “Lucky” Luciano’s Big Break
cracked down on the gangs of Chicago, San
Francisco and New Orleans, effectively The Italian gang that ran with Capone had an
terminating the overwhelming majority of petty extremely feared counterpart group as an ally,
criminal activity. The Sicilian gangs and their the Detroit Purple Gang – an all-Jewish group
leaders were disbanding and falling apart. There of bootleggers, murderers and booze-runners.
would have been no Mafia but for Prohibition. Such was the extent of the Jewish-Italian
alliance of the time. A gang leader that rivaled
Prohibition oversaw the birth of true organised Al Capone in importance, if not worldwide
crime. Ghetto thugs and small-time muggers fame, was Charles “Lucky” Luciano. He was
and pimps found themselves becoming very a boss who wielded incredible influence, and
rich men. The manufacture and illegal sale of was all too aware of the limits of the old-
alcohol lined the pockets of all of the Italian and line Italian Mafioso gangsters that refused to
Jewish gangs, raising the bosses of the groups work alongside other ethnic criminals. Such
to exalted status. Jewish gangs ran dealings attitudes limited profits and triggered a Mafia
and bootlegging for Italian gangs, Italian gangs war between the traditionalist mafioso and the
allied with Jewish gangs, and everywhere in progressive, ever-richer gangsters such as Al
America the unified and connected criminal Capone and Luciano himself. Using his own
groups made millions of dollars, all the while influence and contacts, Luciano systematically
kept in business by the judicious bribery that wiped out the last of these traditionalist
turned the authorities’ attention elsewhere. bosses, and is the man most often credited
This era also saw the rise of perhaps the most with fathering the modern American Mafia.
famous Mafia gangster of all time: the Chicago
crime leader Alphonse “Scarface Al” Capone. When the 21st Amendment to the Constitution
repealed the order of Prohibition, it was far too

7

late to curtail the rise of organised crime. The vast
network of gangs was in place, and many of them
were sitting on fortunes made from the previous
decade’s dry law and bureaucratic corruption.
The accumulated wealth meant that these new
crime lords and progressive gang bosses had
bribed their way to the very top of the political
and law agency chains, and in 1933, unwilling
to surrender their growing underworld empire,
the bosses of the era formed the national crime
syndicate. This syndicate was created largely
through the handiwork of the Italian Charles
Luciano and the genius of his close friend,
the Polish Jew, Meyer Lansky. The American
Mafia was born; not just Italian Mafioso
going it alone, but rather, deeply allied and
involved with the Jewish gangsters of the time.
The Jewish involvement with the Mafia died
out by the 1960’s and 70’s. Where the two
ethnic groups had been firm allies in the national
crime syndicate, the Italian-Americans began
to dominate the organised underworld as the
decades passed. There was no mass violence
unleashed against the Jewish mobsters as there
had been against the old Irish gangs; rather, the
Italians and Jewish organisations functioned
differently. The former had fertile ground for
raising successors to the dead or retired gangsters,
whereas the latter did not. As the Jews left the
ghettos, the gangs lost access to a steady supply of
8
D20 Crime
new, dedicated recruits. Also, as Mafia positions
became available, they were often taken by one
of the increasingly common Italian gangsters,
rather than the steadily-fewer Jewish ones.
The Mafia of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries
barely resemble the Tommy gun-toting alcohol-
runners of the 1920’s. Racketeering and stock
manipulation have become the standard, rather
than mass street crime. Loan-sharking, contract
killing, fencing, protection – these are the stock
in trade for the soldiers of the modern Mafia.
The Five Families
The Mafia has traditionally been run by a
Syndicate, or Commission, consisting of the
heads of the five families of New York and a
number of other high-ranking Mafia members
from around the country. These five families date
back to the early 20th century although many
changes have occured over the decades. Basic
information on these families is found below:
Bonanno Family
About 130 members
Boss: Joseph Massino, lives in Howard Beach,
Queens.
The American Mafia
Underboss: Salvatore A. Vitale, of Dix
Hills, Long Island — Massino’s brother-in-law.
Colombo Family
About 120 members
Boss: Carmine Persico, serving 139 years for
murder and racketeering.
Acting Boss: Alphonse “Allie Boy”
Persico, serving an 18-month sentence for
illegal gun posession in Miami. His hold on his
father’s organization is said to be tenuous.
Gambino Family
Less than 200 members
Boss: Until recently, the boss was the
infamous John “Teflon Don” Gotti. He died in
prison while serving a life sentence for murder
and racketeering. His son, John “Junior” Gotti,
was a short-lived acting boss before he pleaded
guilty and was imprisoned for six years on
extortion conspiracy in 2003.
Acting Boss: Peter Gotti.
Genovese Family
About 250 members
Boss: He once wandered Greenwich Village
in a bathrobe, now Vincent “The Chin”
Gigante, 72, is serving a 12-year sentence for
racketeering and extortion conspiracy in a Fort
Worth, Tex., prison hospital. He has delegated
many duties but still controls a large and
influential organization.
Acting Boss: Dominick Cirillo. The “Quiet
Don” is now in charge of the biggest Family in
the US.
Lucchese Family
Less than 120 members
Boss: Vittorio Amuso is still the official Boss,
even though he is in jail at the present time.
Underboss: Steven Crea, facing state charges
of enterprise corruption in Manhattan, after he
was arrested in a construction-rigging scam.
Currently jailed in Rikers pending a bail hearing,
he presides over a family in increasing disarray.
Lifestyles of
the Rich &
Infamous
The following section deals with the day-to-day
and night-to-night lifestyles of the gangsters
that comprise the American Mafia. It details
all a player will need to know to portray a
Mafioso, including the “wiseguy” slang so
frequently used; details on what the Mafia’s
members do to make their money; and outlines
the strict hierarchies within the underworld’s
most renowned organisation. Firstly, it must
be explained just how the Mafia manages to
get away with all that it does. Few people
are naïve enough to honestly believe that this
incredibly broad and distinctive organisation
runs entirely in the shadows – too secretive
for any but the toughest, most skilled cops
to ever infiltrate and uncover. It’s never that
simple. The Mafia functions because of its
liberal sprinkling of grease, juice and ice.
G a n g Wa r f a r e
When the tensions between gangs reach
critical mass, they go to war. All the rules
are thrown out as members of the rival gangs
either hide or seek to take out as many of
their rivals as possible. The weaker of the
two groups usually disbands after defeat is
a certainty, or the remnants end up joining
the winners of the conflict – but all bets are
off when the war is declared. The first thing
that each gang will do is “hit the mattresses” in
traditional Mafia style. The gang holes up in a
single room – usually their hideout or meeting
place – and cover the floor, windows and doors
with mattresses. From that moment on, until
the tensions have eased, most of the gang will
eat, sleep and live there. The time (which can
be weeks and weeks on end) is usually spent
with the gangsters playing cards, seeking
to work their regular scams despite severe
restrictions, and trying not to go stir-crazy.
9
 D20 Crime

Grease, Juice & Ice it’s drug money. In rare cases, dirty graft has
been used to pay off a homicide investigation,
Call it what you will, the Mafia runs on a judicious but nine times out of ten, when a mobster refers
spread of bribery. Without paying off the relevant to dirty graft, he’s talking about drug money.
authorities, the mobsters that run their rackets and
contracts simply couldn’t function. America’s Though the boundary between clean and dirty
law enforcement is hardly universally corrupt graft is at best a nebulous one, once a cop or
and ineffective, but the wheels of the system are judge has taken dirty money, they are known to
lubricated with a great deal of payoffs. In New be “on the take”. Cops who steal the money from
York, it’s called “grease”. In Florida, it’s “ice”. the pockets of an arrested drug dealer and let the
In California: “juice”. Payoff money comes in peddler go, or judges that fail to sentence and
two varieties, which the Mafia refer to as “clean otherwise dismiss court cases against figures in
graft” and “dirty graft”, depending on its use. organised crime – these are the men and women
who are taking dirty graft. Once the Mafia
Clean Graft: Clean graft is the bribe money knows someone will take dirty graft, it can be
that is paid to cover the Mafia’s handling of the assumed they are willing to bend the law again
lower-level crimes that often fall below the law in the future…and again, and again, and again.
enforcement radar. It’s the money that is liberally
spread around the local authorities that allows
the mobsters to run their bookmaking outlets, lets
their gambling dens (and gamblers) play without
interference, it gets cops to leave the prostitutes
Mafia Hierarchy
and pimps alone to ply their wares, and so on. Any
At the bottom of the gangs, making up the
of the basic, “victimless” urban crimes is covered
majority of the American Mafia as perceived by
and usually allowed to function by doling out
the public and media, there are the lowest ranking
clean graft to those in authority; police, the courts
members: Connected Guys. Above them, standing
and politicians. Mankind’s oldest sins play out
as the first official Mafia members, are those who
on the streets of America, given the go-ahead by
have been “made”, and entered into the Mafia’s
police forces that accept clean graft in exchange
records. Of these Made Guys, or “soldiers”, a
for keeping their noses out of the proceedings.
select few are chosen as Capos, or “captains”,
and run their own gangs. Above the captains are
The crux of clean graft’s appeal is that these
the Underbosses, and above them the Bosses,
crimes will never truly be stopped. If the police
who run entire crime families or cities. Each
are unable to completely stamp out these basic,
level of recognition has its own responsibilities,
lesser crimes, then why not take a little extra on
duties, trademark scams and methods of making
the side? Loan-sharks will always be around,
the one thing vital to the Mafia – money.
some impoverished women will always seek
to use their bodies in exchange for payment,
Nobody earns a wage in the mafia, at least
and some people will always band together
not as a matter of legal payment for services
to risk their cash in gambling. Clean graft
rendered. While some connected guys might
ensures it all happens without the law butting in.
seek employment outside their mobster
interests, actual Mafia work is unpaid. The
Dirty Graft: Dirty graft is a different, and
Bosses do not pay the soldiers for their work.
infinitely less subtle, form of Mafia bribery.
In fact, any money that enters the Mafia goes
While it must be said that any form of kickback
one way and one way only: Up. Always up.
or bribery makes an authority figure technically
corrupt, most of those concerned do make a
distinction between clean and dirty graft. Clean
graft is for the lesser of Western society’s crimes.
Connected Guys
Most of the Mafia’s “army” is comprised of
Dirty graft is dirty money: payoffs to the police
connected guys who tag along with (and serve
and courts to ignore narcotics violations. In short,
under) Capos. Each of them probably hopes, one

10
The American Mafia
day, to be upped into the ranks of the true Mafia,
by getting made. Until then, these “associates”
are the base level people who do their best to
earn dollars, pay the required weekly amount
to the next highest rung on the Mafia ladder,
and above all, not mess up and get killed.
They hustle and work their own scams, usually
under the plans of their Capo, and at the very least,
with his approval. Connected guys are allowed
to work “outside” the Mafia, but all significant
profits from criminal dealings are bumped up the
ladder to the Capo. Connected guys have little
room to make mistakes. If they fail to pay up
from their extra gains, they get killed. The clever
11
 D20 Crime

ones know never to hold out from their capos. entirely stolen. Dock work is renowned for not
paying highly, and loan-sharks can do fantastic
They make their money in a variety of ways, business down among the blue collar workers.
depending on the abilities and proclivities of the
criminal in question. Thievery, hijacking imports Stock Manipulation: Official investigators
and shipments of goods, loan-sharking, extortion state that there are tens of billions of dollars in
– any number of rackets can be in play at the same stolen and counterfeited stock floating around
time. Each scam is designed with two things in the American national market. While the Mafia
mind: it has to work without interference from can’t lay claim to all of it, they can claim a
the cops, and it has to make money. The first significant portion in addition to their legal
of those criteria can be handled with a little stock interests. The stock market is unique in
clean or dirty graft, and only the dumbest of that it is not limited to an established turf or
connected guys would forget it. The second is a territory. Gangs and crime families are open to
little trickier, and often depends on the criminal’s engage in stock manipulation in any part of the
own skill and the area in which he chooses to country without the threat of standing on any
work his scams. In a major city, connected other gang’s toes or cutting into another group’s
guys have a lot of options available to them. territory. Connected guys have any number of
chances to play scams with the stock market.
The Docks: The criminal underworld has a First and foremost, it is easiest to steal the
long and straightforward history of waterfront stock certificates and proofs, taking them from
racketeering. If it is a city that has Mafia banks, brokerage houses or through the theft of
presence and a dock, then it is almost certain registered mail at airports. As many Mafia gangs
that the mobsters will have their influence on can acquire influence with engravers and printers
the waterfront. Any business that goes on at such without any real difficulty, counterfeiting stock
a city’s docks has to pay the Mafia in order to certificates and securities is no difficulty with the
keep running smoothly. If the gangsters have a combination of good luck and the right contacts.
solidified grip on the area and officials “on the
take” in key positions, then threats and violence Street Tax: Independent criminals, muggers,
do not even need to be exchanged. Incoming carjackers, thieves, pimps, and any number of
vessels will often have to pay to ensure their other small-time criminals that work the streets
goods are unloaded without being stolen. have three choices if they operate in a mob-
Unaware crews (or simply those who refuse controlled area. These criminals can pay an
to pay) find some of their cargo hijacked or unofficial “street tax” to the local Mafia Boss,
usually a paltry (but regular)
“A Friend of Ours…” amount of the criminal’s take
The Mafia employs two well-known, traditional greetings in exchange for permission to
to distinguish between made and non-made members. If a operate in the territory. Failing
connected gangster is introduced to other mobsters for the this, the criminal can either leave
the Mafia domain, or he can die at
first time, he is described as “This is [name], he’s a friend of
the hands of a mob enforcer. If he
mine.” With those words, the speaker has vouched for his new opts to pay the Boss, then usually
friend. While no gangster worth his salt would ever be stupid connected guys collect the take
enough to introduce an acquaintance he didn’t entirely trust from the small-time independent
himself, the “friend of mine” code lets the other mobsters know criminal. If he chooses to ignore
that they should only say what they feel comfortable saying in the street tax, then its usually
front of a non-made member. If he is introduced as “This is connected guys who murder him.
[name], he’s a friend of ours,” then the others know that they
are meeting a made member, and is entirely trustworthy. It’s Running Numbers: There are
worth noting that a sure way to get killed is to introduce a rat or illegal lotteries, played by millions
of people every day. Connected
federal agent as a “friend of mine”, let alone a “friend of ours.”
guys (usually the lowest ranking or
most useless ones in the gang) are

12
The American Mafia
assigned the task of “running numbers” – going
around a neighbourhood and collecting people’s
number choices for that week. It’s a task often
laid out to local kids or a gangster’s younger
relatives looking to break in and make a good
impression. The draw number for the lotteries
are sometimes taken from horserace results in the
newspapers, which is seen as a failsafe method
of finding a number no-one can alter or forge.
Drug Dealing: Contrary to the popular myth
that the “honourable” crime families would
never touch the drug trafficking trade, all
levels of the Mafia hierarchy engage in massive
industry. Connected guys are the most likely
to set up and go ahead with heroin, cocaine
and dope deals, acquiring the narcotics from
importers and smugglers before selling them
off to street dealers and addicts at a profit.
Loan-Sharking: Perhaps the most popular and
reliable way for connected guys (and just about
everyone in the Mafia) to earn serious money is
to become a loan-shark, known in mob circles
as a shylock. Shylocks give out loans to anyone
who asks, and offer savage rates of interest.
They usually get the money from their Capos
or bosses, who in turn also ask for a (much
lesser) rate of interest. The weekly interest
charged to a non-Mafia client is known as the
“vigorish”, or the “vig”. The vig is added to the
borrowed sum each week, also racking up with
any previously accrued interest. This quickly
creates a sizeable debt, and Mafia shylocks
only allow two methods of payment. Either
the borrower pays the entire sum back in one
payment, including any interest, or he pays the
weekly vigorish every seven days, until he can
afford to pay the borrowed money back in one
lump sum, accrued vig included. There are no
bit-payments, no instalments – it’s either pay the
interest or pay the whole thing at once. Failing to
do one of these options means the borrower gets
a visit from an enforcer. Usually, the connected
guy will just break some limbs or fingers in the
more violent aspect of the shylock role, but if
a borrower repeatedly fails to pay the money
back, then his days are probably numbered.
Union Rackets: Be it replacing union truck
drivers with underpaid stand-ins from a Mafia-
run company, or doing the same with union
construction workers, when smart mobsters
set up a great scam for union rackets they are
looking at easy money for little physical labour
themselves. The company that the Mafia uses to
replace the highly-paid (and often more skilled)
workforce tend to be much cheaper when it comes
to payday, and the mobsters pocket the rest.
Hijacking: This is always a favorite for the low-
end mobsters. Trucks with cargo loaded at the
docks and airports have always been vulnerable
to getting jacked by gangsters, and make great
targets for groups of opportunistic connected
guys. These cargoes are usually valuable and
bound for a warehouse or department store,
and few drivers are willing to risk their lives
Omerta
Literally translated, it means “manliness”, but
omerta in the American Mafia represents the
honour they hold in their code of silence. It
is the mark of a man to shut up when the
feds come calling and never rat out your
friends. It is not the mark of a man to flip,
reveal everything you know to the law, and
hide in the Witness Protection Program.
Curiously, the highest levels of the Mafia are
keenly aware of just how efficient ratting on
your rivals can be, and do so with alarming
regularity. Unfortunately for the modern
American Mafia, this negligence for the code
has seeped down to the lowest levels, and
the FBI and police forces around the United
States enjoy the testimonies and evidence of
more small-time connected informers than
ever before in the history of organised crime.
Omerta itself goes back to 13th Century
Sicily, with the old country Mafia, but in
the modern American Mafia it has decayed
to nearly nothing, standing only for a false
front of honour that is bypassed and ignored
whenever significant financial profit, or other
gain presents itself. If a gangster goes about
obeying the code, or at least never breaks
omerta and gets caught, he’s taking a huge step
in the right direction toward earning respect.
13

defending their loads against a Mafia stick-up.
A novel (and much easier) method of hijacking
truck cargoes is to employ the driver as a
“give-up guy”. These drivers allow their loads
to get hijacked, putting up no resistance and
letting the gangsters get away clean. Bribery
is a good way to get such dishonest drivers
to cooperate, though the Mafia’s favourite
give-up guys are usually heavily indebted to
gambling houses or loan-sharks and have no
choice but to comply. Common cargoes include
clothing, cigarettes, alcohol, and just about
anything that can be sold on the black market.
“Dentistry”: When the Mafia want to call in a
debt, they call in the dentists. Dentists are the
mob’s muscle, meeting up with the poor fools
who owe significant amounts of money to the
Mafia and are proving slow in paying it back.
Dentists are specialists in knocking out their
victims’ teeth, rather than causing severe bodily
harm. After all, a crippled gambler is hardly
going to be able to work and pay his loan back.
Protection: Another organised crime staple, the
“guarantee” of protection is an average Mafia
soldier’s ticket to easy money. The setup couldn’t
be easier; a few connected guys walk into a store,
bar or club, and proceed to destroy the place with
whatever tools they brought for the job. It’s a
strictly “no killing” deal, and the gangsters just
go to town on the place with baseball bats, tire
irons and crowbars. After that, they leave, and
the owner or manager of the place is left with the
remains of his business. Within the week, often
the very next morning in fact, another gangster
will enter the place and offer to keep the place
“protected” from such criminal happenings in
the future. If the owner says no, the place is
wrecked again in fairly short order, and the offer
is repeated until the manager concedes to the
deal. A protection racket is simple and quick
– if the owner of the place keeps up regular
payments, then no gangsters frequent the place
and trash it up again. If the payments stop or
come in late, the manager is looking at another
attack on his business, and the potential for
broken limbs or a visit from a Mafia dentist.
Making Your Bones: Sometimes, for the Mafia
to run smoothly, certain people have to die. It’s
a myth that the only way to get made is for a
14
D20 Crime
connected guy to “make his bones” by performing
a contract killing. True enough, reliable low-end
mobsters are usually the ones asked to carry out
these hits, and more often than not, the target is
a member of the mob that is either a confirmed
traitor to the Mafia or otherwise strongly
suspected of such treachery. Public figures are
rarely targeted for such obvious murder, but
anyone who seriously crosses the Mafia in some
capacity is fair game for getting whacked. In
truth, the step up from connected guy to made
guy doesn’t always involve a gangster making
his bones. Only the thuggish or untalented
mobsters get “upped” in such ways. For other
connected guys, they eventually get made
due to their other talents, such as innovative
(or massive) earnings over a period of time.
Made Guys & Capos
Once a connected guy has proven his worth a
hundred and more times over (or if he just has
the right contacts in the upper echelons) he gets
upped and becomes made. For many, if not all,
of the Mafia’s members, getting made is the
most important moment of their lives. From
that moment on, once the bosses have opened
the rolls and the gangster’s name is in the books,
he is untouchable. Anyone who lays a finger on
him is looking at certain death for their troubles.
This “come to no harm” policy is a massive
step-up from the life of a connected guy, who
lives day-in and day-out sure in the knowledge
that all but the tiniest screw up might well leave
him dead. That sense of omnipresent danger
lessens now, though the average made guy lives
pretty much the same life as the connected guys
in his gang. He just has the solace and sure
knowledge that not only have the bosses now
recognised his talents, they have rewarded him
with Mafia protection. Of course, no amount of
skill and talent can beat the right blood. A man
has to be 100% Italian on his father’s side to
get made. All others, no matter their individual
talents and bank balances, need not apply.
Upon getting made, the gangster must take a
solemn oath before several other made members.
The actual wording of the oath varies from gang
to gang and family to family, but it involves
swearing to silence and secrecy over a crucifix
The American Mafia

Consigliere & King’s Men

These two roles are the most uncertain and
undefined positions in the Mafia hierarchy.
Ostensibly, a consigliere is the advisor to the boss
of a crime family. The counsel of this advisor is
duly noted and heeded in some outfits, while
in others the position exists only as a “face”
to show the underlings – functioning as little
more than a public relations officer might.

The King’s Man is more a title of trust than

an actual rank. King’s Men are few and far
between in the Mafia – being made gangsters
that have the authority to contact and speak
directly with the bosses. They are rare because
the Mafia’s chain of command is so inviolate;
and King’s Men are therefore accorded
incredible respect due to their positions.
perform. In the gangs, the Capo’s word is law.
and a dagger. Once the words have been spoken
and the gangster has sworn, his finger is pricked
with the dagger to seal the oath in blood. Demotions

If a made guy continues to excel at what he
does, keeps out of the law’s way and brings in
ever-increasing amounts of cash, there’s a good
chance, given the right opportunities, that he will
be made a Capo of his own gang. A Capo’s life
veers drastically from the life of an average gang
member, in that he is now solely responsible for
supplying the weekly take to the bosses above
him. If he fails, he’s looking at demotion. If
he repeatedly fails or otherwise screws up,
he’s looking at death. Made or not, the Mafia
despises incompetence and rarely tolerates it.
A Capo exerts considerable pressure on his
underlings, driving the gang on to make sure
they bring in enough money to both keep
themselves afloat, and to produce a sizeable
weekly payment to kick up to the bosses.
Besides the constant pressure from above, a
Capo usually has to handle any complications
that arise between his gang and any others in the
area. The Capo makes all the decisions – gangs
live and die on his word. He sets the street tax
for independent criminals to operate, he decides
who gets whacked and who lives, and he decides
which of the scams and heists his soldiers will
The slow rise of a gangster can turn into a
quick fall for any number of reasons. History
is spattered with examples of Capos and
underbosses getting demoted for “minor”
infractions such as allowing their gangs to
beat up police officers, getting in frequent and
pointless bar brawls, failing to keep up on the
graft, having affairs outside of wedlock, and a
similar variety of misdemeanours that could
potentially bring (relative) shame or dishonour
on the Mafia. These minor infractions often
merit a “knockdown” and the made man in
question is busted down to the rank of soldier
again. He’s still made - that never changes -
but the gangster loses his rank and much of his
respect. In a rare few cases, when the Bosses
officiating the knockdown are sure the demoted
member will take his gang to war against the
other gangs rather than accept the knockdown,
they arrange for the mobster to be assassinated
before he can begin to raise that degree of trouble.
Serious offences against the Mafia, such as
ratting to law enforcement, betraying the Mafia
in any way, attacking or killing a made guy, and
just about anything that loses the mob money
– is regarded as something akin to a capital

15

offence. There is no knockdown for these crimes,
and the gangster will almost certainly become
the target of a hit. Tolerance and forgiveness
have never been the Mafia’s strong suits.
Bosses
Referred to, often inaccurately, as Dons, the
Mafia’s bosses sit at the top of a very profitable
organisation. All the blood, sweat and tears that
the connected guys, the soldiers and the Capos
shed day after day reaches these men in the form
of dirty money; millions of dollars of dirty money.
The term “Don” is applied as a title to the most
respected of Bosses, but it’s not a Mafia rank per se.
At this level of Mafia leadership, the gangster
rarely, if ever, hits the streets looking to run
scams. Once a made guy reaches the rank of
Boss, often all he has to do is sit back, rake in
the profits and keep his region’s gangs in line
with a firm hand. He is due the utmost respect at
all times, his slightest criticism is taken deathly
seriously, and above all, he can now forget about
getting whacked from above for any errors he
makes. Now all the trouble comes from below.
Bosses command their select few underbosses,
and underbosses officiate over several Capos,
who in turn lead their gangs. In a given city
such as New York or Boston, that makes a few
hundred gangsters, all competing for a slice
of the same pie. If tensions rise too high and
territories start to get crossed, then the Boss has
to step in and redraw the lines. A Boss doesn’t
usually desire his gangs to engage in wars,
unless to perform a decent cull of the untalented
overpopulation. Even then, it’s not a frequent
occurrence - at least it shouldn’t be. Essentially,
despite the frequent mediations between rival
gangs and made guys, the life of a Boss is
relatively easy. It is now his place to reap the
rewards of all his hard work, while trying to keep
his remaining years free of the spectre of jail
time. His only real worries, even if he’s the most
careful gangster in the entire Mafia, are from
within rather than from without. An ambitious
Capo or underboss looking for a step up the
ladder can seek to replace the Boss by one of two
ways: he can either stage a coup by building up
16
D20 Crime
gangs loyal to him and overthrowing the Boss
with an assassination, or he can feed information
on the Boss to the law enforcement agencies,
getting the leader arrested and imprisoned.
Neither method is regarded as a particularly
noble way of gaining ascension, but both have
succeeded in the past.
Mafia Lifestyle
There has to be reasons that the street-level men
in the Mafia do what they do. If their lives were
simply comprised of living in fear of getting
whacked for making mistakes and endlessly
slaving away to pay their Capos and Bosses,
then no-one would be foolish enough to stay in
organised crime. The lifestyle comes with perks
and positives, just as it comes with warnings and
negatives. As long as a gangster treads carefully
around the law, works hard and doesn’t upset
anyone important in the Mafia itself, he should
be free to enjoy the benefits of his position. The
cardinal rule for the lower echelons of the Mafia
is simple, yet laden with hypocrisy in the late
20th and early 21st Centuries: the code of omerta.
The Gangster Life
Behind all the scams, heists, hijackings, murders,
robberies and beatings that make up the “work”
of a Mafia gangsters lifestyle, there are many
traditions and ways of going about things that
differentiate a mobster in his free time from a
normal member of the public. Unsurprisingly,
most of these have to do with money, which
is undoubtedly the greatest perk of being
a gangster. The dollars might sometimes
be hard to come by, but there’s usually no
shortage of money once it starts to come in.
Cash
Mafia gangsters are notorious over-spenders.
While a mafioso will more than likely steal the
rack of $3000 suits he always wears, it won’t
stop him spending incredible amounts of money
on whatever he feels like. Bosses especially are
The American Mafia
often renowned for their ostentatious mansions
and palatial homes, but even the lowest
connected guy probably has access to several
hundred dollars in his pockets every week.
Ostentatiously tipping “the help” many times
the going rate has always endeared the Mafia
to the workers and service employees at the
hotels, restaurants and nightclubs that the
gangsters frequent. In turn, this generosity
guarantees a certain level of “forgetfulness”
if the law comes around, and breeds a
low-level loyalty to the Mafia’s presence.
When considering the Mafia’s propensity to
overspend in this manner, the poverty-stricken
and ghetto-born origins of many gangsters
cannot be overlooked. It’s a simple fact that
having a lot of money can mean you’ve “made
it”, and hence many gangsters like to show off
the point, as well as magnanimously giving to
those less fortunate. It doesn’t stop at being kind
to the hired help, either. “Scarface” Al Capone
was renowned for donating large sums to several
charities and homeless shelters. Critics might
suggest that such generosity spings from a desire
to appear legitimate and cover up his illegal
“dark side”, but for whatever reason the money
was donated, Mr. Capone did not give lightly
and never seemed to begrudge these donations.
As “Lefty” Ruggiero so memorably told
undercover FBI agent Joe “Donnie Brasco”
Pistone, a gangster doesn’t carry his money
in a wallet. Every subculture has its personal
customs and tricks of the trade, and one of
the Mafia’s most curious idiosyncrasies is that
style-conscious members carry their cash in
a rolled wad in their jacket or pants pocket.
Obviously, this makes it easier to flip through
the bank notes and “flash the cash” in public.
At weddings, housewarmings, anniversaries
and birthdays, Mafia gangsters traditionally
give each other crisp, clean envelopes with a
pleasant, inoffensive card inside – which in turn
holds just enough money to be a substantial gift
without making the envelope bulge and look
unsightly. Family members and the family of
other gangsters often receive such gifts as well,
and married couples often go on their honeymoon
with a small fortune of stuffed white envelopes.
Freebies
In stark contrast to the seemingly generous
attitudes of the majority of mafioso, it’s always
Mafia custom to expect a certain level of “free”
(read: at the expense of others) treatment as
they go about town. This receipt of goods
and services for free, known to gangsters as
getting things “on the arm”, is widespread
throughout the entire American Mafia.
The majority of this behaviour takes place when
the gangsters are dining in restaurants without
paying anything other than a large tip, drinking
in bars for hours on end for free, and getting
into and drinking in nightclubs at no charge.
Usually this takes place in mob-owned venues,
where a local gangster has his financial hooks
in the management of the joint and offers the
on the arm treatment to other Mafia members as
a matter of courtesy. In other instances, when
there is no mob ownership involved, there is
often very little the manager of such a place
can do, as the gangsters will likely make their
affiliation clear when they “decline” payment.
A severely underhand tactic to control the
operation and get things permanently on the
arm is for a gang to make the venue one of
Disposing of the
Evidence
If the Mafia doesn’t want a body to be found,
then the corpse is simply never discovered.
The bodies that turn up in dumpsters,
barrels, warehouses, or floating in the
docks are the ones the gangsters don’t care
about. If they are found, they’re either too
unimportant to worry about, or they were
meant to be found and serve as a warning.
For complete disposal, gangsters will use
classic serial killer tactics such as barrels of
acid, burying the body in quicklime, and
chopping up the remains into chunks so
small they are unidentifiable shreds of meat.
17

their regular hangouts. This is a significant
piece of intimidation anyway, but the owner
will begin to lose a great deal of profit soon
enough, between the unfriendly gangsters
lording it over the clientele, creating trouble
with the other customers, and never paying
their considerable tabs. At this point, a Capo or
Boss will offer to step in with the management
of the venue, put up a little money to sweeten
the deal, and the struggling owner will have no
choice but to agree. In exchange, the gangsters
(usually, but not always) calm down and allow
the venue’s owner to work himself into an early
grave trying to pay off his weekly kickbacks
to the mob boss who part-owns the place.
Hitting the Town
Wiseguys work hard and party hard. Weekends
follow a strict tradition. On Friday nights,
the gangsters spend the night away from their
families; out with the other guys, playing cards
at the hideout, drinking at the bar, hitting the
nightclubs and living it up. It’s perfectly normal
and acceptable for a mobster to have one or more
women on the side, and it is Mafia tradition
that Friday nights are “for the girlfriends”.
It’s fair to say that many wives know of their
husbands’ infidelity, but it’s an accepted part
of the culture and the married women are
expected not to complain. Divorce rates for
Mafia couples are exceedingly low. Infidelity
rates (on the gangster’s side) are very high. It is
considered to be signing your own death warrant
if you mess with another gangster’s wife, sister
Bullet-Eaters
If someone proves incredibly hard to kill,
surviving several attempts on their life, they
are known as a “bullet-eater”. History tells of
several of these Mafia legends, given (sometimes
grudging) respect from other gangsters for
their tenacity and fortitude. Probably the
most renowned bullet-eater was Carmine
“the Snake” Perisco, who survived a savage
hit on his car. Besides the incredible odds of
coming through such an assassination attempt
alive, what was remarkable about this bullet-
eater was that one of the rounds that struck
the gangster was actually lodged in his jaw.
18
D20 Crime
or daughter, which goes some way toward
explaining why so few Mafia wives ever stray
– they are rarely presented with the opportunity.
In some gangs, it’s seen as an example of
manliness to have women on the side, as long
as it doesn’t interfere with a stable home life.
Saturday nights are a different story entirely.
Saturdays are always “for the wives” and
the gangsters go out in large peer groups to
restaurants and bars, dining and enjoying
themselves as they treat their spouses to their
weekly night out of the house. Most members
of the Mafia don’t like to work on their weekend
nights out, letting the scams and threats between
rivals ease off for a short while. Of course,
it is business as usual once the night is over.
Whacking: The
Art of Murder
“There are only murderers in this room.
Michael, open your eyes. This is the life we
chose, the life we lead. And there is only one
guarantee – none of us will see Heaven.”
– John Rooney, “Road to Perdition”.
It’s never been a secret that the American Mafia
is comprised of murderers. They are men
who take life purely for their own interests,
and no matter what honourable or redemptive
spin that Hollywood puts on such actions,
there is little that is noble or just in murder.
That said, by organised crime standards, the
Mafia’s policy regarding murder is relatively
strict. Murder to remove rivals is usually
accepted (if successful) but frowned upon if the
killer-to-be is caught in the act. While it’s Mafia
law to murder rats, informers and gangsters who
reveal secrets to the police, and gangs going to
war are free to kill their rivals, the mob does
not allow the murder of innocent bystanders.
There are plenty of examples of gangsters
beating up bystanders and unconnected people,
and the Mafia high-ups couldn’t care less
about such things. But murder is different.
Murder attracts attention. Murder is serious.
The American Mafia
For an organisation that has such deep
Christian influences and overtones, every
Mafia member has a blatant disregard for the
taking of life. Many of them open fire on
traitors with pistols in their fists and crucifix
necklaces around their throats. Perhaps worse
than this curious hypocrisy, most gangsters
are completely inured to the horrendous
violence they inflict and the gore they have
to clean up afterwards. After a while, it just
becomes work, no matter how foul the details
of the job may be. It’s got to get done, after all.
“Two in the Head”
The standard method of killing someone is to
simply gun them down from behind, firing two
shots to the back of the target’s head. The first
should do it, but the second makes sure the job
is done. If the gangster is killing another Mafia
member, then the preferred and traditional
method of doing the deed is to sit behind the
victim in a car. He takes the passenger seat,
while his assassin sits directly behind him in
the back. When the time comes, the gangster
fires the two shots at point-blank range. When
a gangster is targeted for death himself, he is
called in by his capo or boss for a “sit-down”, or
“taken for a ride” in a car with several members
Dead Man’s Eyes
A slight variation on the two-in-the-head
style comes from an old Mafia superstition
that the last sight a person ever saw would be
imprinted in the eyes of the corpse. Anyone
looking deeply into the dead body’s eyes
would see what the corpse saw just before
it died, and in the case of the Mafia, such
an image would reveal the person’s killer.
It was tradition for the victims of a hit to
have both of their eyes shot out after they
were killed, though the custom is rarely
used in the current age. Besides attracting
attention and alerting the authorities to an
obvious Mafia murder, it is a superstition
that the modern Mafia don’t hold to.
of his gang. All mobsters know full well that if
they are called in for a sit-down, they are either
up for promotion or they are marked for death.
“Little Joe”
Saved for the people who repeatedly fail to
kick back money to the Mafia, this method
of execution is a legendary source of fear for
19

anyone who struggles to pay back their sizeable
debts to the mob. Loan-shark victims and
people who try to weasel out of debts receive
the dubious honour of a “Little Joe” death.
Named for dice game slang, victims are killed by
four bullets in the head in two neat, straight rows.
Unsurprisingly, once someone has died of a Little
Joe in a given neighbourhood, the Mafia often find
that many other debts are paid back on time. It’s
a clear indication that the gangs are running out
of patience for fools who don’t repay their debts.
“In Your Face”
Regarded as a mark of respect for powerful,
renowned or popular gangsters, the “in your
face” execution is supposed to honour the
victim by allowing him to see his fate and
confront it with bravery. In the modern Mafia,
this custom is falling into disuse. Several
well-known gangsters (who later flipped and
turned traitor) insisted that such honourable
executions were meaningless, given that anyone
who was targeted for death was obviously
guilty of incompetence or betrayal themselves.
Tools of the Trade
When it comes to whacking their enemies (or
friends…) the weapon of choice for any gangster
is the pistol. Back in the 1920’s, the machinegun
gangsters of the era could open fire with a hail
of bullets and they had the sheer intimidation
factor of carrying a Tommy gun. These days,
it’s always pistols. They are concealable,
they are reliable, they are easily attainable,
and above all they are about as efficient as
you can get when you’re at point-blank range.
That’s not to say that gangsters never use any
other weapon. Small ice picks are a mob
favourite, driven into one of the victim’s
eardrums, puncturing it and then pushed into
the brain. This is a very difficult murder for the
coroner to detect, as without significant analysis
it resembles a cerebral haemorrhage. Knives are
also a firm staple of the killing art, and gangsters
who are sending a message with a particularly
gruesome death will inflict dozens and dozens of
additional stab wounds on a corpse even after the
victim is dead. An elaborate execution involving
20
D20 Crime
strangulation is known as the “Italian rope trick”.
It involves a length of rope around a prone
victim’s neck and two gangsters pulling the ends
in opposite directions. While it doesn’t see a
great deal of use, it’s regarded as a particularly
horrible and dishonourable way to go. No
gangster wants to go out by the Italian rope trick.
When the Mafia use bombs and incendiary
devices, they go all out in their desire to raze
the targeted building(s) to the ground. Mafia
bombings are called “Apache Indian jobs”,
named for the Native American attacks on
settlers’ cabins where the homes were completely
destroyed. The tactic is used for businesses
that repeatedly fail to pay their kick backs to
the mob, though it peaked in use in the 1970’s
and 1980’s and has declined in the years since.
When the Mafia really wishes to inflict pain on
a victim before he dies, he gets what is known
as the “buckwheats” treatment. If someone
dies buckwheats, it means that the order for
their execution stipulated that they were to
die in agony. These murders are the source
of the real Mafia horror stories, involving
meat hooks up the backside and being left to
die, castration with a meat cleaver and being
forced to eat the removed organ, multiple
stabbings after being blinded by acid or being
beaten for several hours and then buried alive.
Killing someone buckwheats is usually
reserved for non-Mafia enemies, though
occasionally the rats and traitors that surface
are made examples of with horrendous
deaths. It is used as a final torture to make
the betrayers tell whatever needs to be told.
Getting Busted
For an increasing number of gangsters in
the modern age, their Mafia career suffers
a long break when they are arrested and
imprisoned. For others, their mob days are
over when they are banged up for the rest
of their lives, or flip and rat out their former
companions for a reduced sentence and a
new start in the Witness Protection Program.
The American Mafia
The law enforcement agencies that track
gangsters have a clever trick when it comes
to arresting members of the mob. So-called
“midnight arrests” are enforced on potentially
weak gangsters, targeting those connected and
made guys who seem most likely to turn on
their friends and become an informant. These
possible weak links are arrested between
midnight and dawn, timed so that the potential
rat has more time to think things over in police
custody, several hours before his allies even
know he has been taken in for questioning.
The realism on the situation soon dawns on the
gangster. Once his friends discover he has been
taken in on a midnight arrest, they will know
that the police think he is a likely rat. It is more
than likely that once the gangster is released
from custody, he is looking at a death sentence
from his own gang, so they can be sure that he
will never speak to the cops again. All of this
pressure will shake even the most honourable,
dedicated mobster. No matter what he says
(or more accurately, doesn’t say) there’s no
guarantee his friends will believe him. Rather
than take chances, the Mafia makes it a point
of eliminating suspected informants at the
earliest opportunity. The growing fear and
the realisation that he is probably going to be
killed “just in case he blabbed” means that a
great many weaker gangsters do end up flipping
and ratting out their friends, just to stay alive.
Every real gangster with the guts not to
turncoat and rat on his friends wants to be
known as a “stand-up guy”. They are the
guys who, when arrested and put on trial, take
their licks and say nothing. When threatened
with long stretches of imprisonment, they still
say nothing. They make it a point of honour
never to squeal, never to flip and never to
break omerta. This wins them a great deal of
respect among their fellow mafioso, and upon
release from prison, they can expect a very
warm welcome form their grateful companions.
When the police or the media refer to a gangster
having “Chicago amnesia” or “Sicilian flu”,
they are usually talking about the lies or the
silence of a stand-up gangster. Some stand-
up guys, not content with mere silence,
fake illnesses so as to miss or delay court
appearances, or elaborately tell tales of their
own forgetfulness when it comes to taking
the stand. While such a stance never wins the
gangster any friends in the law, it’s always a
great way to earn respect from his associates.
Of course, most mobsters still run scams on the
inside. Drug deals can be arranged with great
ease through the gangster’s visiting friends
and family, and a respected stand-up guy can
expect his friends to take excellent care of his
wife and kids while he’s stuck behind bars.
Things really come to a head when a boss is
thrown into jail, however. While some are
content to turn over control of their family
and territory to an underboss or especially
efficient capo, just as many try to maintain their
leadership despite being behind bars. Coded
letters, vague conversations with visitors, notes
slipped to heavily-bribed prison guards…any
way that the boss can remain in contact with
the outside world is a way he can give orders
to his soldiers and hear about the results.
Short of death, nothing stops a gangster when
he’s got an idea in his head, and being part of a
subculture that regularly ignores society’s laws
means that every Mafia member develops a
certain sense of power. That power, along with
the large sums of dirty money, serve as the biggest
recruiting catch organised crime could ever have.
Alibis
A word on Mafia alibis: for the low-end
gangsters taken into custody, the genius of
their alibis is dependent on their own cunning
and skills at subterfuge. Bosses and other high
echelon mobsters traditionally have ironclad
alibis ready and prepared in case they come
under police grilling. “Scarface” Al Capone
was the master of this trick, making sure that
when the biggest and most audacious hits and
heists were going on, he just happened to be
out of Chicago soaking up the Florida sun.
21
 D20 Crime

On The Lam enjoys the protection of the local crooked cop.

Security is used to determine how tempting a

From a tiny hideout designed as a retreat for a target the hideout is for rival gangster to hit . Full
character on the run to a full-blown mob operation, rules for using Security and determining if the
these rules provide all the game mechanics for hideout is the target of an attack are provided later
secretive locations. They can be used by players in this section, under Hideouts in the Campaign.
to create a secret location in which to stash
stolen goods and escape from the authorities,
or Gamemasters can use them as a base of Designing a Hideout
operations for enemy characters. These rules are There are five steps involved in building a
best used within urban settings though they can hideout. Resolve them in the order below:
be readily adapted to a more rural environment.
1. Choose a Location: The hideout’s position
determines a lot about its utility and secrecy.
Hideouts A hidden basement tucked beneath a modest
Unlike other locations, a hideout has scores
dwelling in a major city is easy to access
attached to it designed to measure its secrecy
and use, but an enemy who tails its owner
and security. The true value of a hideout lies
has a good chance of discovering it. An
not in defense or size, but in the isolation and
isolated mountain cabin is hard to find, but
cover it provides for its owner. Before sitting
difficult to use effectively if the owner’s
down to design a hideout, it is important that you
main interests lie hundreds of miles away.
understand how secrecy and security affect it.
2. Choose the Hideout’s Nature: The hideout
could be a plain building that counts on
Secrecy: This score measures the visibility of the
its isolated location to remain hidden. A
hideout. It is expressed as a modifier, with a well-
character might take over an abandoned
known hideout having a negative Secrecy score
warehouse on the waterfront and convert
and one isolated from society or hidden behind
it to his own uses, or he could pay off the
an innocent facade gaining a Secrecy bonus.
owner of a prosperous nightclub to use its
basement or offices as a meeting place.
Secrecy modifies Gather Information
3. Draw a Map: Create a floor plan for
checks made to discover the location or any
the hideout. This is important for record
rumors concerning a hideout. The Gather
keeping, determining if plans and expansions
Information DC to discover the location of
to the hideout are sensible and for running
a hideout is 25, modified by the hideout’s
scenarios set there. In addition, you must
Secrecy score. Normally, tracking down a
also calculate the cost of any construction
normal location in a town or city requires
or other work done to complete the hideout.
the standard Gather Information DC of 10.
4. Add Features: Once the hideout is mapped
out, add alarms, and other items to it. Secret
A hideout’s location and the nature of its
compartments allow characters to hide treasure
disguise determines its starting Secrecy. Rules
and other valuables, while a convenient
for determining a hideout’s starting Secrecy
escape route lets them flee from attackers.
are given below, under Designing a Hideout.
5. Determine Total Cost, Secrecy, and
Security: Based on decisions in steps 1
Security: Security measures the level of defense
through 4, determine the cost of the hideout,
that surrounds the hideout. When characters
as well as its Secrecy and Security scores.
attempt to break into it, this score determines
A character must have a high enough
how likely they are to meet with success. Like
wealth score to build the desired hideout.
Secrecy, it is expressed as a positive or negative
modifier to a DC. Thus, a negative value indicates
a poorly defended hideout, while a positive one
indicates a hideout that has many guards or

22
The American Mafia
Hideout Location Base Secrecy Score
Hamlet (pop. 20-100 -10
Village (pop. 1000-20,000) -5
Small Town (pop. 20,000-50,000) -2
Large Town (pop. 50,000-100,000) 0
Small City (pop. 100,000-500,000) +1
Large City (pop. 500,000- +2
3,000,000)
Metropolis (3,000,000+) +4
Wilderness, 100-199 miles from +4
nearest city
Wilderness, 200-299 miles from +8
nearest city
1. Choose a Location
The hideout’s position dictates how much use a
character can get out of it. An isolated cottage
that requires weeks of travel is fine if the
hideout merely serves as a hiding spot if things
become desperate. If a character’s adventures
and business take place in a city and he wants
to use your hideout on a daily or weekly basis, a
concealed location within or close to the city is a
better option. The location of the hideout affects
the cost of any additions or constructions to it
and its final Secrecy score. Hideouts in smaller
towns are more difficult to keep secret than
those in larger cities, since word gets around
faster in a small town and any construction or
other unusual activity is much more noticeable.
A hideout located on the fringes of civilization is
almost guaranteed to remain a secret unless some
outdoorsmen or other travelers stumble across it.
2. Choose the Hideout’s Nature
Once you have selected a location, you must
choose the exact nature of the hideout. The
following list presents a series of options that
represent a wide range of possible hideouts. It
is by no means exhaustive, but is meant to cover
the archetypal places and structures that could
play host to a crew without attracting unwanted
attention, and Gamemasters are welcome to add
more. Each entry provides a basic description of
the hideout, its cost, and any special features and
modifiers to Secrecy and Security it provides.
Abandoned Building: A large, unused
warehouse, burnt out
home, or boarded up
business functions
as a cheap place to
set up shop. Since a
character only needs
claim the place as
his own by moving
in and tidying it up,
he does not need
to pay any cash up
front. However,
the character runs
the risk of the
legitimate owner
appearing, claiming
his property, and
discovering the hiding spot. Furthermore, any
activity around an abandoned building is sure to
attract attention, whether from the town watch
seeking to clear out what it thinks are squatters,
to neighbours concerned about strangers
coming and going from a building they know
is not supposed to be in use. In addition,
going so far as to make major modifications
or construction to a supposedly abandoned
structure is a sure way to draw lots of attention.
Abandoned buildings provide a +0 modifier to
Secrecy and cost nothing. For each week, or
part of, a character uses a particular building, its
Secrecy suffers a –1 penalty. If any construction
is attempted, it suffers a –4 Secrecy penalty.
Each week after an abandoned building is used as
a hideout, there is a 5% chance that a legitimate
owner or someone looking for shelter (equal
chance of either) arrives to claim the place.
Bar, Nightclub, or other Social Location: At
first glance, a building that serves as a social
common ground seems a poor choice for a
hideout, but closer examination reveals that a
club can easily cloak many illicit activities. With
a bit of cash in the owner’s pocket, a character
can buy his silence and the use of a back room
or wine cellar. Best of all, the large number of
people coming and going from the place serve
as excellent cover for his activities. If a few
thugs are hired to help out on a mob job, no
one is liable to think it odd that strangers would
walk into a tavern looking for someone, or that
23

a large group of people meet in a backroom of a
pub to discuss business. The drawback to using
a bar or similar social space is that the nature
of the business makes it possible for people
to stumble across the hideout accidentally.
A bar or tavern requires a monthly Diplomacy
Check with a bribe to the owner. GM’s are
free to set the Initial Attitude of the owner
but a rule of thumb would be to start him
at an Unfriendly Attitude. This may be
further modified with the judicious use of
the players Intimidate and/or Bluff skills.
The Wealth DC to outright purchase
this type of hideout starts at 35 and goes
up from there depending on the type of
business being purchased. Additionally, a
minimum Wealth Bonus of +10 is required to
maintain staffing levels, upkeep, taxes, etc.
In addition, the owner or whomever he hiredsto
operate the business must make a monthly
Profession check related to the business’s
function each month at DC 20. On a failed check,
the business loses money and the character’s
wealth bonus is reduced by 1. On a success, it
earns a profit and his wealth bonus is increased
by 1. A character’s wealth bonus may ever only
be increased by a maximum of 3 by this manner.
A bar provides no modifier to Secrecy. The
24
D20 Crime
social activity provides a nice cover for
secret actions, but the number of people
coming and going also poses a risk.
As a rule of thumb, a bar or tavern has three to
twelve rooms and two floors. You may choose one
room to use as the hideout or secret meeting place.
Business: A small shop, restaurant, or other
cover organisation provides a nice buffer for the
hideout’s secrecy. Any activity, construction,
or other events around it appear to merely be
related to the place’s normal operation, and
so long as some attempt is made to maintain
the façade, customers come and go without
suspecting a thing. Unfortunately, over time
the false business draws the attention of tax
collectors and other government officials, and
perhaps even merchants eager to investigate the
front organisation’s potential to compete with
them. The key to operating a cover business
lies in making a good enough show of being an
honest merchant that most people leave it alone.
A character may either bribe an existing business
to cover for the hideout or build or buy one for
his own use. Bribing a business is done as above
under Bars, Nightclubs and Social Locations, but
limits activities to normal business hours unless
the character wishes to draw attention to the use of
the place. Bribing a businessman to use his space
grants the hideout no Secrecy modifier, unless
The American Mafia
the character makes extensive, off-hours use of
the place, in which case a –2 penalty is imposed.
Buying an existing business requires a wealth
check. The DC for this check should be
determined by the GM. The business stands
no chance of turning a true profit, unless the
character chooses to invest enough resources
in it to turn it into a fully functional operation,
rather than a mere cover, though such actions are
beyond the scope of the hideout rules. A business
with employees provides no Secrecy modifier,
while one without them grants a –2 penalty.
As a rule of thumb, a business has four to ten
rooms. At least one first floor room must be
given over to the front business’s operation.
Residential Structure: Sometimes, the best
bet for a hideout is a building that stands in
plain sight. A normal home draws no more
attention to itself than any other building,
and so long as the character does not disturb
the neighbours, the chances are he can
operate without interference from others.
Buying a residential building requires a Wealth
check as above, though larger or more elaborate
homes, such as a mansion, cost much more. The
standard home consists of three to five rooms. A
residential building confers a –2 Secrecy penalty.
3. Draw a Map
Draw a floor plan that obeys the dimensions
and guidelines of the selected hideout type.
This basic layout should be designed without
special features, such as secret doors or escape
routes. However, if an abandoned building or
something similar is claimed, the Gamemaster
should provide a map of the hideout.
4. Add Features
You may now add special items, traps, alarms
and other features to the hideout. Any item
marked on the following table with an asterisk
qualifies as a major item that, if added to a
hideout, triggers any changes in the Secrecy
modifier granted by the hideout type that involve
construction or modifications to the structure.
Additional Rooms: These will
increase the Purchase DC of a Hideout.
Reinforced Walls: These walls are thicker than
standard ones and can take more punishment.
Secret Door or Trap Door: Adding a
hidden portal increases the Purchase DC by 1.
Soundproofing: You may install padding
within or on the walls of single room, making it
difficult for sound to enter or escape it. Those
outside of the room suffer a –5 circumstance
penalty to any Listen check made to hear what
is going on inside. Those inside the room
suffer a –10 circumstance penalty to their
Listen checks. This increases the Purchase
DC of the hideout by 1. Soundproofing
will increase a Hideouts Secrecy score by 1.
Alarms: An alarm will help deter would-
be thieves and create obstacles for any
attackers. The GM may set the Purchase DC
of any alarm system based on its complexity.
Tunnel: You may expand a building’s cellar
or make additions to subterranean hideouts by
tunneling into the rock. If the hideout is below
ground, a character must dig out new rooms and
corridors in order to expand it by purchasing
this option to create larger, open areas.
5. Determine Total Cost, Secrecy,
and Security
After designing the hideout, total the cost of all
the features and other items bought for it. In
addition, determine its final Secrecy score, as
defined by the hideout’s nature. A hideout’s
starting Security score is always 0. The next
section explains actions that can be taken to
modify the hideout’s Secrecy and Security.
Hideouts in the Campaign
Once a hideout has been built, a character
must still manage its daily affairs and find
some use for it. This section outlines rules
for modifying a hideout’s Secrecy and Safety
ratings, and using both of those scores.
Using a Hideout
Once a character has a hideout, how he uses
it is pretty much up to him. A hideout serves
several roles, depending on the nature of
the character and his plans for the future.
Safehouse: A hideout makes an excellent
25

Secrecy Modifiers
Activity
Each month spent without using
Each month the hideout is used at least 4 times*
Each month the hideout is used more than 10 times*
Building an addition or making modifications to the hideout’s structure
For each non-allied character who visits the hideout
Non-allied character actively spreads news of the hideout’s location
place for characters and his allies to hide
from authorities or rivals, as its name implies.
Warehouse: As a character accumulates loot
and other stolen goods, a hideout becomes
a good place to keep goods safe and secure.
Bolthole: A well-designed hideout is the
perfect place to run to in the face of some
catastrophic event, such as a massive
organized crime crackdown by the FBI
or a mob war. A small hideout far from
civilisation is the perfect place to retreat to in
the face of a powerful and unexpected enemy.
The Secrecy Score
The hideout’s level of Secrecy rises and falls
over time, depending on the actions taken
involving it. Normally, this score is used to
determine if another character learns of the
hideout’s location. Anyone searching for it must
make a Gather Information check at DC 25 +
its Secrecy rating to determine if they uncover
enough clues to track it down. Furthermore,
other methods, such as following tracks leading
to it or bribing an ally to divulge its location,
are all possible at the Gamemaster’s discretion.
The hideout’s Secrecy score changes over
time, depending on the owner’s own actions.
Generally, the more a character uses a
hideout, the greater the chance others discover
it. In general, one use of a hideout counts
as any visit to the place or extended stay.
The Security Score
Security measures a combination of the hideout’s
26
D20 Crime
Secrecy
Modifier
the hideout +1
-1
-2
-4
-2
-8
Secrecy and its attractiveness to burglars and
rival mobsters. If the character is known to
have amassed a large fortune, thieves will seek
out information regarding the hideout in hopes
of uncovering the location of his wealth. To
make a Security check, roll 1d20 adding both the
hideout’s Secrecy and its Security and compare
the result to a DC of 10. If the check fails, a
thief has uncovered the hideout and attempts to
rob it. Check once a month for each hideout the
character possesses. On a failed Security check, a
gang of robbers with a EL equal to the character’s
level -2 strikes at his lair. The Gamemaster
should run this as any other encounter.
The hideout’s Security starts at 0 and is
modified by several factors, such as the
character’s level and reputed wealth. The
more powerful he is, the less likely anyone
is to trouble him. The more treasure he has
accumulated, the greater the chance a greedy
thief tries to rob him, despite his skill and power.
Skills & Feats
Mafia characters and NPCs have several new skills
and feats to choose from. These are detailed below:
New Skills
Crime(WIS)
This group of related skills is treated similarly
to the Profession skill from the Core rulebook.
In essence these skills are illegal Professions.
The American Mafia
The Crime skills reflect the aptitude for making
money through one form of crime or another.
Check: A player may make a Crime check to
increase his character’s Wealth upon attaining
a new level. The DC for this check is the
character’s current Wealth bonus. If successful,
the characters Wealth bonus increases by +1.
For every 5 by whcih you exceed the DC, your
Wealth bonus increases by an additional +1.
Players are not allowed to Take 10 or Take 20 to
imporve a Wealth bonus.
Special: Players may only gain ranks in one
category of the Crime skill unless they have
a Feat or Class Ability which allows them to
select more than one type of Crime.
Crime (Extortion)(WIS)
Description: This skill covers all
aspects of a character’s criminal activities
involving the extortion of money from all
levels of society. This skill could include
shaking down local pimps and thieves,
protection rackets, and similar activities.
Special: This skill operates as any normal
Crime skills (see above).
Crime (Gambling)(WIS)
Description: This skill covers all aspects of
a character’s criminal activities involving the
gambling. This skill includes such activities
as illegal lotteries, sports betting, horse racing,
etc. A player with this skill is also familiar with
the methods employed to rig numbers games.
Special: This skill operates as any normal
Crime skills (see above).
Crime (Loan Sharking)(WIS)
Description: This skill covers all aspects of
a character’s criminal activities involving the
the lending of money at high rates of interest.
This skill includes such activities as making
unsecured loans with an incredibly high,
weekly rate of interest. Wealth obtained from
this skill could also come from the characters
share of a business owned by one of his
debtors who was unable to fully repay his loan.
Special: This skill operates as any normal
Crime skills (see above).
Crime (Narcotics)(WIS)
Description: This skill covers all aspects of a
character’s criminal activities involving the drug
trade. Characters with this skill are familiar
with importing, distributing, warehousing,
cutting and selling street drugs such as cocaine
marijuana, hashish, heroin, X, LSD and others.
Special: This skill operates as any normal
Crime skills (see above).
Crime (Union Rackets)(WIS)
Description: This skill covers all aspects
of a character’s criminal activities involving
the organized labor movement. Wealth
received from this skill come from the illegal
misdirection of union dues, pension funds and
stolen goods obtained through union contacts.
Special: This skill operates as any normal
Crime skills (see above).
Fencing (INT)
Description: No not sword fighting, in this case
the skill refers to the character’s ability to deal
with stolen goods. This skill covers a character’s
ability to locate buyers or sellers of stolen goods.
Check: The DC for any Fencing check
is determined solely by the GM based on
the location, the item to be fenced and the
relevant status of criminal investigations.
If the check succeeds, the character has
located a buyer or seller of a particular item.
Failure indicates the character was unable to
locate a buyer or seller for the stolen items.
New Feats
Armed To The Teeth
You can fight two-handed with ranged and
melee weapons.
Prerequisites: Two-Weapon Fighting
Benefit: When you fight with two weapons,
you can use a ranged weapon in one hand and a
melee weapon in the other hand.
Normal: To gain the benefit of the Two-
Weapon Fighting feat, your weapons must both
be ranged or melee weapons.
27

Dead Aim
Prerequisites: Wisdom 13, Far Shot.
Benefit: Before making a ranged attack, the
character may take a full-round action to line
up your shot. This grants the character a +2
circumstance bonus on his next attack roll. Once
the character begins aiming, he cannot move,
even to take a 5-foot step, until after the character
makes his next attack, or the benefit of the feat is
lost. Likewise, if the character’s concentration
is disrupted or the character is attacked before
his next action, the character loses the benefit of
aiming.
High Ready
You are accustomed to moving with your gun
at the ready, shifting your aim with your sight.
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Reactive Shooter
Benefit: You can use the Reactive Shooter
feat with a Longarm weapon. To do so, you
must first have stated that you are at the high
ready position (on your feet with your weapon
shouldered, ready to fire). You can only move
at half speed while prepared in this manner.
Omerta
You have sworn an oath of honor to your Mafia
brethren.
28
D20 Crime
Prerequisite: Mafia Allegiance
Benefit: You gain a +4 circumstance bonus on
Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate
and Sense Motive checks when dealing with
characters who have the Mafia allegiance. You
gain –4 circumstance penalty on these same
checks when dealing with characters who have
an opposed allegiance.
Reactive Shooter
You react instantly with a firearm.
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13
Benefit: If you have a medium-size or smaller
ranged weapon in hand, you may act in the
surprise round even if you are surprised. You
roll initiative as though you were not surprised.
The only action you may take in the surprise
round, however, is a single ranged attack with the
weapon in your hand. You make this attack at
your highest attack bonus, but suffer a -5penalty
on the attack. You are still considered flat-footed
during the surprise round.
Normal: If you are surprised at the beginning
of combat, you cannot take any action during the
surprise round.
The American Mafia

Mafia (Dex), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Advanced Hit Die: The Con Artist gains 1d8 hit poitns

Classes per level.

Action Points: The Con Artist gains a number

Con Artist
There are some people in the world whom
you can trust with your life. There are
others who can convince you that they are
trustworthy, but whose goal is to fleece you out
of everything they can take. The Con Artist
specializes in convincing his victims that he
has only the noblest intentions, and then cruelly
uses their misplaced faith to his own ends.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Con Artist, a
character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Skills: Bluff 4 ranks, Diplomacy 4 ranks,
Sense Motive 4 ranks
Feat: Deceptive, Trustworthy
Class Skills
The Con Artist’s class skills (and the key ability
for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Concentration
(Con), Craft (writing), Forgery (Int), Gather
Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha),
Knowledge (mafia, streetwise) (Int), Perform
(Cha), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language
(none), Sense Motive (Wis), Slight of Hand
of Action Points equal to 6 plus 1/2 his level,
rounded down, every time he attains a new level
in this class.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Con Artist
advanced class.
Self-Confidence
Starting at 1st level, the Con Artist may use his
Con Artist level as a bonus on all Diplomacy,
Intimidate and Perform skill checks.
Hidden Motives
At 2nd level, the Con Artist increases his ability
to hide his motives and intentions. He gains
a circumstance bonus equal to his Con Artist
level when making Bluff checks opposed by
the target’s Sense Motive. In addition, he
gains the same bonus when making Sense
Motive checks to oppose Bluff attempts.
Bonus Feats
At 3rd, 6th and 9th level, the Con Artist gets a
bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected
from the following list, and the Con Artist must

Con Artist
Fort Ref Will Defense Rep
Level BAB Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1 +0 +1 +0 +0 Self Confidence +0 +0
2 +0 +1 +1 +1 Hidden Motives +1 +1
3 +1 +1 +1 +1 Bonus Feat +1 +1
4 +1 +2 +1 +2 Sympathetic Ear +1 +1
5 +2 +2 +2 +2 Sticky Fingers +2 +2
6 +2 +2 +2 +3 Bonus Feat +2 +2
7 +3 +3 +2 +3 Honest Eyes +2 +2
8 +3 +3 +3 +4 Shift The Blame +3 +3
9 +4 +3 +3 +4 Bonus feat +3 +3
10 +4 +3 +3 +5 Utterly Convincing +3 +3
29

meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Alertness, Blindside, Brawl, Cautious, Combat
Reflexes, Confident, Creative, Deadpan,
Deceptive, Deft Hands, Dodge, Fleet Footed,
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive,
Cautious, Confident, Deadpan, Dodge, Agile
Riposte, Mobility, Diehard, Far Shot, Great
Fortitude, Improved Damage Threshold,
Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership,
Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Nimble,
Persuasive, Point Blank Shot, Double Tap,
Quick Draw, Renown, Run, Simple Weapons
Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Skill
Focus, Surface Vehicle Operation, Toughness,
Trustworthy, Vehicle Expert, Windfall.
Sympathetic Ear
At 4th level, the Con Artist increases his ability
to get strangers to share their personal secrets
with him. He gains a circumstance bonus equal
to his Con Artist level on all Gather Information
checks. In addition, the DCs for Gather
Information checks to obtain information about
the Con Artist are increased by his class level.
Sticky Fingers
At 5th level, the Con Artist increases his skill
at picking pockets, hiding objects on his
person and otherwise proving that the hand is
quicker than the eye. He gains a circumstance
bonus equal to his Con Artist level; on all
Sleight of Hand checks and on all Spot
checks to oppose Sleight of Hand attempts.
Honest Eyes
At 7th level, the Con Artist increases his
ability to convince people to take his advice.
He gains a circumstance bonus equal to his
Con Artists level on all Diplomacy checks.
Shift The Blame
At 8th level, the Con Artist sharpens his ability
to talk his way out of the tightest spots – even
if he is caught red-handed. He may attempt a
Bluff check (opposed by the target’s Will saving
throw) to try and fast-talk his way out of trouble.
If he is successful, the Con Artist either shifts
the blame to a likely Gamemaster character or
simply convinces the target that the trouble is all
a misunderstanding and an unfortunate mistake.
30
D20 Crime
He must however, return the stolen item, and
apologize or otherwise attempt to make amends
for his actions. This may, at the Gamemaster’s
discretion, require a standard Bluff check
opposed by the target’s Sense Motive.
Utterly Convincing
At 10th level, the Con Artist is a master at
convincing people. He may add 1d6 to the
roll on any of the following Charisma-based
skill checks: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise,
Gather Information, Intimidate, and Perform.
Hit Man
Sometimes people cross the line. When that
happens, it’s not the normal enfocer the boss
calls on but rather someone with a more
specialized skill. When another member
of the Mafia needs to be “whacked” the Hit
Man is the one called on to perform the task.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Hit Man, a character must
fulfill the following criteria.
Class: At least one level in the Made Guy
advanced class.
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Hide 8 Ranks, Spot 8 Ranks
Feat: Dead Aim, Far Shot. Personal Firearms
Proficiency.
Class Skills
The Hit Man’s class skills (and the key ability for
each skill) are: Climb, Hide, Intimidate, Jump,
Knowledge (Mafia, Streetwise, Tactics), Listen,
Move Silently, Navigate, Repair, Search, Spot,
Survival, Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier.
Hit Die: The Hit Man gains 1d8 hit points per
level.
Action Points: The Hit Man gains a number
of Action Points equal to 6 plus 1/2 his level,
rounded down, every time he attains a new level
in this class.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Hit Man
The American Mafia
The Hit Man
De-
Fort Ref Will fense Rep
Level BAB Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1 +0 +0 +2 +1 Bonus Feat +1 +0
2 +1 +1 +3 +1 One Shot One Kill +1 +0
3 +2 +1 +3 +2 Bonus Feat +2 +0
4 +3 +1 +4 +2 Bonus Feat +2 +1
5 +3 +1 +4 +2 Focused Attack +3 +1
6 +4 +2 +5 +3 Bonus Feat +3 +1
7 +5 +2 +5 +3 Quick Getaway +4 +2
8 +6 +2 +6 +4 Bonus Feat +4 +2
9 +7 +2 +6 +4 Critical Strike +5 +2
10 +7 +3 +7 +4 Bonus Feat +5 +3
advanced class: Focused Attack
Hit Men know that a single, well-timed blow is
Bonus Feats deadlier than a hundred poorly planned ones.
At 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th levels Starting at 5th level, the Hit Man character may
the Hit Man gets a bonus feat. The bonus spend a full round observing the movements
feat must be selected from the following of his opponent. On the round immediately
list, and the Con Artist must meet all after using this ability, the Hit Man gains a +4
the prerequisites of the feat to select it. circumstance bonus to all of his attacks against
Alertness, Blindside, Brawl, Cautious, Combat the opponent observed.
Reflexes, Confident, Creative, Deadpan,
Deceptive, Deft Hands, Dodge, Fleet Footed, Quick Getaway
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive, A Hit Man’s reflexes are much more alert than a
Cautious, Confident, Deadpan, Dodge, normal person’s. Whenever a Successful Reflex
Agile Riposte, Mobility, Diehard, Far Shot, saving throw would deal half damage, the Hit
Great Fortitude, Haggle, Improved Damage Man escapes with no damage whatsoever.
Threshold, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, this class ability is gained at 7th level.
Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator,
Nimble, Pack Rat, Persuasive, Point Blank Critical Strike
Shot, Double Tap, Quick Draw, Renown, At 9th level, the Hit Man gains the ability to
Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Advanced automatically confirm a threat as a critical hit
Firearms Proficiency, Skill Focus, Surface when attacking with a weapon to whoch he or she
Vehicle Operation, Toughness, Trustworthy, has applied weapon specialization, eliminating
Vehicle Expert, Windfall.

One Shot One Kill

Beginning at 2nd level, the character gains +1d6
damage per 2 levels with ranged weapons when
attacking a flat-footed or surprised target, and
on critical hits. This ability does not work on
flanked targets. This ability may be used at any
range, so long as the Hit Man takes no range
penalty (making the Far Shot and feat vitally
important to characters with this ability).

31
 D20 Crime

the need to make a roll to confirm the critical hit. rounded down, every time he attains a new level
in this class.

Made Guy Class Features

To be a full-fledged player in the Mafia, you
The following features pertain to the Made Guy:
have to be Made. If a player wants his character
to be “on the books” he must take at least one
Wealth
level in the Made Guy advanced class. Some
At 1st level, the Made guy receives gifts of cash
will do just that and then move on to another
and goods from other members of the family.
specialty while others prefer to be generalists
They receive the Windfall feat for free at this
and take additonal levels as a Made Guy.
time.

Requirements Bonus Feats

To qualify to become a Made Guy, a character
must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks
Feats: Omerta
Mafia: Mafia
Class Skills
The Made Guy’s class skills (and the key ability
for each skill) are: Climb, Hide, Intimidate,
Jump, Knowledge (Mafia, Streetwise, Tactics),
Listen, Move Silently, Navigate, Repair, Search,
Spot, Survival, Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier.
Hit Die: The Hit Man gains 1d8 hit points per
level.
At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th levels, the Made Guy
gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected
from the following list, and the Con Artist must
meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Alertness, Blindside, Brawl, Cautious, Combat
Reflexes, Confident, Creative, Deadpan,
Deceptive, Deft Hands, Dodge, Fleet Footed,
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive,
Cautious, Confident, Deadpan, Dodge, Agile
Riposte, Mobility, Diehard, Far Shot, Great
Fortitude, Haggle, Improved Damage Threshold,
Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership,
Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Nimble, Pack
Rat, Persuasive, Point Blank Shot, Double Tap,
Quick Draw, Renown, Run, Simple Weapons
Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Skill
Focus, Surface Vehicle Operation, Toughness,
Trustworthy, Vehicle Expert, Windfall.

Action Points: The Made Guy gains a number Streetwise

By 3rd level, the Made Guy is so familiar with
of Action Points equal to 6 plus 1/2 his level,

The Made Guy

De-
Fort Ref Will fense Rep
Level BAB Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1 +0 +2 +1 +0 Wealth +1 +0
2 +1 +3 +1 +1 Bonus Feat +1 +0
3 +2 +3 +2 +1 Streetwise +2 +0
4 +3 +4 +2 +1 Bonus Feat +2 +1
5 +3 +4 +2 +1 Crew +3 +1
6 +4 +5 +3 +2 Bonus Feat +3 +1
7 +5 +5 +3 +2 Capo +4 +2
8 +6 +6 +4 +2 Bonus Feat +4 +2
9 +7 +6 +4 +2 Untouchable +5 +2
10 +7 +7 +4 +3 Bonus Feat +5 +3
32
The American Mafia

The Mob Enforcer

De-
Fort Ref Will fense Rep
Level BAB Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1 +0 +1 +2 +0 Improvised Weapons +1 +0
2 +1 +1 +3 +1 Bonus Feat +1 +1
3 +2 +2 +3 +1 Imposing Presence +2 +1
4 +3 +2 +4 +1 Bonus Feat +2 +2
5 +3 +2 +4 +1 Nowhere To Hide +3 +2
6 +4 +3 +5 +2 Bonus Feat +3 +2
7 +5 +3 +5 +2 Improved Brawling +4 +3
8 +6 +4 +6 +2 Bonus Feat +4 +3
9 +7 +4 +6 +2 Unleash Rage +5 +4
10 +7 +4 +7 +3 Bonus Feat +5 +4

his home turf that he receives bonuses to

certain skills. The player should choose a city
(the character’s home turf) where character
receives a +2 circumstance bonus on all skill
checks having to do with this city. The skills
benefiting fro, this bonus are bluff, Diplomacy,
Gather Information, Knowledge and Spot.
Crew
At 5th level, the Made Guy may begin
leading a crew of associates. the Made Guy
charcater may select the Leadership feat
as often as they like, stacking its benefits
each time. The character may have multiple
cohorts as a rsiult of this class ability.
Mob Enforcer
As the name clearly indicates, the Enforcer’s
job is to enforce the will of his superiors, be that
his Capo, the underboss or the Boss himself.
This may include collecting debts, extortion or
outright murder.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Mob Enforcer, a
character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Skills: Gather Information 2 ranks, Intimidate
4 ranks
Feat: Brawl, Improved Brawl, Personal
Firearms Proficiency,

Capo Class Skills

By 7th level, the Made Guy has become adept
The Mob Enforcer’s class skills (and the
at directing the activities of other mob members
key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha),
and associates.
Concentration (Con), Gather Information (Cha),
Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (mafia, streetwise)
All members of a crew under the direction of the
(Int), Profession (Mafia) (Wis), Read/Write
Made Guy character receive a +2 circumstance
Language (none), Sense Motive (Wis), Slight of
bonus on all all Cha and Wis based skills.
Hand (Dex), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis).

Untouchable Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

By 9th level, the Made Guy is so well
known as a top earner that few would dare to
confront him. The Made Guy receives a +4 Hit Die: The Mob Enforcer gains 1d10 hit
compentency bonus to resist any Intimidate or points per level.
Bluff attempts made against him.
Action Points: The Mob Enforcer gains a

33

number of Action Points equal to 6 plus 1/2 his
level, rounded down, every time he attains a new
level ion this class.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Mob
Enforcer advanced class.
Improvised Weapons
At 1st level, the Mob Enforcer becomes an
expert at using improvised weapons. The Mob
Enforcer does not take a –4 penalty on attack
rolls when wielding an improvised weapon.
Bonus Feats
At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th levels, the
Mob Enforcer gets a bonus feat. The bonus
feat must be selected from the following
list, and the Con Artist must meet all
the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Alertness, Blindside, Brawl, Cautious, Combat
Reflexes, Confident, Creative, Deadpan,
Deceptive, Deft Hands, Dodge, Fleet Footed,
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive,
Cautious, Confident, Deadpan, Dodge, Agile
Riposte, Mobility, Diehard, Far Shot, Great
Fortitude, Haggle, Improved Damage Threshold,
Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership,
Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Nimble, Pack
Rat, Persuasive, Point Blank Shot, Double Tap,
Quick Draw, Renown, Run, Simple Weapons
Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Skill
Focus, Surface Vehicle Operation, Toughness,
Trustworthy, Vehicle Expert, Windfall.
Imposing Presence
Just the sight of Mob Enforcer is usually
enough to subdue those weaker than he. At
3rd level, the Mob Enforcer gains the ability
to use his STR bonus in place of Cha on all
Intimidate and Gather Information checks.
Nowhere to Hide
Mob Enforcers are highly adept at locating those
attempting to avoid a beating. Enforcers are
familiar with most hiding spots on their turf and are
in contact with many people throughout their city
and beyond who may assist in locating a target.
At 5th level, the Mob Enforcer receives a +2
competency bonus to all Gather Information and
34
D20 Crime
Knowledge (Streewise) checks when pursuing a
target.
Improved Brawling
At 7th level, when a Mob Enforcer makes an
unarmed attack, the character receives a +2
competence bonus on his or her attack roll, and
the character deals non-lethal damage equal
to 1d8 + the character’s Strength Modifier.
Unleash Rage
At 9th level, the Mob Enforcer gains the ability
to fly into a complete frenzy in combat. This
act provides a temporary +4 bonus to Strength,
+4 bonus to Constitution and +2 morale bonus
to Will saves. Because of the rage being
unleashed, the Mob Enforcer suffers a –2 penalty
to Defense due to his recklessness. During
this Rage, the Mob Enforcer may not use any
skills that use Wis, Int or Cha modifiers. The
Unleash Rage class feature lasts for 3 rounds
plus the Mob Enforcer’s Constitution modifier.
A Mafia Lexicon
A friend of ours: mob shorthand for
introducing one made guy to another made guy.
“A friend of mine” is just another jamook on the
street.
Action: a bet that a bookie “writes” and for
which you pay him his “vig.”
Administration: the top-level “management”
of an organized crime Family—the boss,
underboss, and consigliere.
Associate: one who works with mobsters, but
hasn’t been asked to take the vow of Omerta; an
almost confirmed, or made guy.
The Books: a phrase indicating membership
in the Family. If there is a possibility for
promotion, then the books are open. If not, the
books are closed.
The American Mafia

Boss: the head of the Family who runs the Facia bruta: ugly face, something you call
show. He decides who gets made and who gets someone you don’t like.
whacked. The boss also gets points from all
Family business.
Family: an organized crime clan, like the
Genoveses, the Gambinos, etc.
Buon’ anima: salutation meaning rest his soul.

G: a grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.

Buttlegging: bootlegging untaxed cigarettes.

Gabagool: (capo cuoll) something to eat.

Capo: the Family member who leads a crew;
short for capodecina.
Golden Age: The days before RICO.

Che bruta: How ugly you are.

Goomah : a Mafia mistress; also comare.

Che peccato: what a pity, what a shame.

Hit: to murder; also see whack.

Clip: to murder; also whack, hit, pop, burn, put

a contract out. Jamook: idiot, loser.

Lam: To lay low, go into hiding.

Code of silence: not ratting on your colleagues
once you’ve been pinched—no longer a strong
Large: a thousand, a grand, a G.
virtue in organized crime families. Also see
Omerta.
Made guy: an indoctrinated member of the
Family. Essentially, you pledge your allegiance
Comare (also goomah, goomar, or gomatta):
to the boss and the family for life. To even
slang for girlfriend or mistress. No self-
qualify, your father has to be Italian.
respecting wiseguy is without one.

Madonn’: Madonna, common expression

Come heavy: to walk in carrying a loaded gun.
meaning holy smoke, holy cow, holy shit.
You shouldn’t have lunch with a Russian drug
dealer unless you “come heavy.”
Mannagge: going to war with a rival clan or
family.
Consigliere: a trusted Family advisor, who is
always consulted before decisions are made.
The Mob: a single organized crime family; OR
all organized crime families together.
Crew: the group of soldiers under the capo’s
command.
Mobbed up: connected to the mob.
Cugine: a young soldier striving to be made.
Mobster: one who is in the mob.
Eat alone: to keep for one’s self; to be greedy.

35
 D20 Crime

Mock execution: to whip someone into shape Tax: to take a percentage of someone’s
by frightening the shit out of them. earnings.

Mortadella: derived from the Italian sausage, This thing of ours: a mob family, or the entire
meaning a loser. As in “this guy’s a frickin’ mob.
mortadella.”

Underboss: the second in command to the boss.

Omertá: the much-vaunted Mafia vow of
silence. In other words, don’t rat on your
friends. Transgression is punishable by death. Va fa napole: “Go to Naples” (i.e., “Go to
hell.”).

Pinched: to get caught by the cops.

Waste management business: euphemism for
organized crime.
Points: percent of income; cut.

Wearing it: showing off one’s status in the

The Program: The Witness Protection
Program.
Pump and dump: standard practice for
unethical stockbrokers. First drive up the price
of a small stock by “encouraging” investors to
buy it (“pump”) and then sell your own shares
(“dump”) for a tidy profit.
organization by dressing the part. “Wearing it”
usually involves an Italian suit, a pinky ring, a
hankie in the breast pocket, gold cufflinks, and
other ornamentation.
Whack: to murder; also clip, hit, pop, burn, put
a contract out.
Wiseguy: a made guy.

Rat: one who snitches or squeals after having

been pinched.

RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt

Organizations Act. Passed in 1970 to aid the
government in clamping down on organized
crime activities, its scope has since been
broadened to prosecute insider traders and anti-
abortion protesters.

Shy: the interest charged on loans by

loansharks.

Shylock business: the business of loansharking.

Soldier: the bottom-level member of an

organized crime Family, as in “foot soldiers.”

Taste: a percentage of the take.

36
The American Mafia
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If You fail to comply with the Effects of Termination, Wizards
Confirmation Card as presented in the file “card.pdf,” the Licensee
of the Coast may, at its option, pursue litigation, for which You
(“You”) accept to be bound by the following terms and conditions:
shall be responsible for all legal costs, against You to the full
extent of the law for breach of contract, copyright and trademark
1. Copyright & Trademark
infringement, damages and any other remedy available.
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. retains title and ownership of the d20
System trademark logos, the d20 System trademark, and all other
8. Updates
copyrights and trademarks claimed by Wizards of the Coast in The
Wizards of the Coast may issue updates and/or new releases of
Official Wizards of the Coast d20 System Trademark Guide found
the d20 System trademark logos without prior notice. You will,
at www.wizards.com/d20 (the “d20 System Guide”), incorporated
at the earliest possible opportunity, update all material distributed
here by reference.
by You to use the updated and/or new version of the d20 System
trademark logos. You may continue to distribute any pre-existing
2. License to use
material that bears an older version of the d20 System trademark
You are hereby granted the non-transferable, non-exclusive,
logo.
non-sublicensable, royalty-free license to use the d20 System
trademark logos, the d20 System trademark, and certain other
9. Changes to Terms of the License
trademarks and copyrights owned by Wizards of the Coast (the
Wizards of the Coast may issue updates and/or revisions to this
“Licensed Articles”) in accordance with the conditions specified in
License without prior notice. You will conform in all respects to
the current version of this License and the d20 System Guide.
the updated or revised terms of this License. Subsequent versions
of this License will bear a different version number.
3. Agreement not to Contest
By making use of and/or distributing material using the d20
10. Updates of Licensee information
System trademark under the terms of this License, You agree not
You may transmit an updated version of the “card.pdf”
to contest the ownership of the Licensed Articles.
Confirmation Card at any time to Wizards of the Coast.
4. Quality Standards
11. Notices to Licensor:
The nature of all material You use or distribute that incorporates
the Licensed Articles must comply with all applicable laws and
Wizards of the Coast
regulations, as well as community standards of decency, as further
c/o Publishing Division
described in the d20 System Guide. You must use Your best
Attn: Roleplaying Games Department
efforts to preserve the high standard and goodwill of the Licensed
PO Box 707
Trademarks. In order to assure the foregoing standard and quality
Renton, WA 98057-0707
requirements, Wizards of the Coast shall have the right, upon
notice to You, to review and inspect all material released by You
12. No maintenance or support
that uses the Licensed Articles. You shall fully cooperate with
Wizards of the Coast shall have no obligation whatsoever to
Wizards of the Coast to facilitate such review and inspection,
provide You with any kind of maintenance or support in relation to
including timely provision of copies of all such materials to
the d20 System trademark logos.
Wizards of the Coast. Wizards of the Coast may terminate this
License immediately upon attempted notice to you if it deems, in
13. No Warranty / Disclaimer
its sole discretion, that your use of the Licensed Articles does not
THE D20 SYSTEM TRADEMARK LOGO FILES ARE MADE
meet the above standards.
AVAILABLE ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. WIZARDS OF THE
COAST DOES NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR
5. Termination for Breach
WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO
In the event that You fail to comply with the terms of this License
THE FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, USE OR
or the d20 System Guide, You will be considered to be in breach
MERCHANTABILITY. WIZARDS OF THE COAST MAKES
of this License. Wizards of the Coast will attempt to notify you in
NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT THE D20
writing by sending a letter to the address listed on the most recent
SYSTEM TRADEMARK LOGO FILES ARE ERROR-FREE.
Confirmation Card on file, if any. Except as otherwise specified
herein, you will have 30 days from the date of the notice (the
“cure period”) to cure the breach to the satisfaction of Wizards
of the Coast. If no Confirmation Card is on file, you will be
considered to be in breach of this License immediately. If, at the
end of the cure period, the breach is not cured, Wizards of the
Coast may terminate this License without further written notice
to You.

6. Effects of Termination
Upon termination, You shall immediately stop all use of the
Licensed Articles and will destroy any inventory or marketing
material in Your possession bearing the d20 System trademark
logos. You will remove any use of the d20 System trademark
logos from your advertising, web site, letterhead, or any other
use. You must instruct any company or individual that You are or
become aware of who is in possession of any materials distributed
by You bearing the d20 System trademark logos to destroy those
materials. You will solely bear any costs related to carrying out
this term of the License.
In Wizards sold discretion, Wizards may allow You to continue
to use the License for Licensed Articles which otherwise comply

38
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39