A Living Spycraft Mission for Level 2 Agents A Living Spycraft Mission for Level 2 Agents

A Routine A Routine
Operation Operation by Shawn Carman by Shawn Carman

T
his is a standard Living Spycraft mission for a
team of up to six 2nd level agents. Set aside a
four-hour time block for this event. Begin by
asking everyone to present their agents and introduce
themselves. Make sure to inspect each agent’s history
to ensure it’s legal to play.
If someone arrives without a prepared Living
Spycraft agent, you may allow them to design a
1st-level agent using the standard Living Spycraft
agent creation rules while the others prepare for the
mission.
It’s a good idea to ask each player to use a name
tag. The tag should have the player's name at the bot-
tom, and the agent’s name, department, and gender
at the top. This makes it easier for the players to keep
track of who’s playing which character.
The actual playing time should be about three
hours. Make sure to let the players use the last 20 to
30 minutes of the event time block to briefly describe
their agents for each other, and to vote on each oth-
ers’ performance during the mission. Use the standard
RPGA Network voting procedures. Make sure everyone
has finished voting before you collect the players’ vot-
ing sheets. This way you won’t be influenced by their
votes and comments.
Shaded text within should be read to the players.
All other text is for the GC only.

TM
TM

Requires the use of the Spycraft™ Espionage Handbook, Requires the use of the Spycraft™ Espionage Handbook,
published by Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc., and the published by Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc., and the
Dungeons & Dragons ® Player’s Handbook, Dungeons & Dragons ® Player’s Handbook,
Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast .® Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast .®

1800-04
© 2002 Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
 1 2

How to Use This Product GC Introduction

Abbreviations Not all adventures begin in glamorous fashion. Espionage
This adventure uses standard Spycraft NPC abbreviations, agencies perform a wide variety of relatively unexciting
as follows: activities on a daily basis, from long-term low-importance
Atk Attack surveillance to record sweeps to casual tails targeting unim-
Def Defense portant suspects. Most agents consider these tasks to be
Fort Fortitude mind-numbing drudgery and avoid them at all costs.
Init Initiative Unfortunately for new recruits, this is precisely the type of
Ref Reflex operation that the Agency assigns low-ranking agents, hop-
Spd Speed ing to cut their teeth before sending them on matters of glob-
SV Save al import. (The Agency also assigns these missions to experi-
v/wp vitality / wound points enced agents with poor performance records, as well as those
Will Willpower who arouse the ire of their superiors.)
Ability scores are abbreviated as normal (see the Spycraft The agents begin this serial assigned to just such a
rules). mission.
Frederick Williams is just a shade above being a common
To prepare to run this serial, you should read it completely at thug. Gifted with an amazing degree of natural dexterity,
least once. You may wish to photocopy the map in the center of Williams has managed to overcome his considerable person-
the book for ease of use as well. The text on the back of the book al shortcomings to become a relatively successful “second
can be read to your players to introduce them to the serial. After story man” (i.e. low-rent cat burglar). But Freddy has been
that, you’re ready to begin. Good luck! fortunate enough to find his niche in the world: he breaks
into the homes of successful businessmen, corporate moguls,

Spycraft
This module requires the use of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
PLAYER’S HANDBOOK , THIRD EDITION, published by Wizards of the
Coast,® and Spycraft™ Espionage Handbook, published by Alderac
Entertainment Group, Inc. You won’t be able to run this adventure
without it.
Spycraft, Shadowforce Archer and all related marks are ™ and
© 2002 Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
and lawyers, steals sensitive personal and professional data,
and resells it to a network of information brokers he’s devel-
oped over the years. This isn’t a particularly lucrative busi-
ness, but it’s a regular source of income and it keeps Freddy
from having to make an honest living.
Freddy is obviously beneath the Agency’s interests, but
one of Freddy’s information brokers has garnered Agency
attention — a stylish and streetwise woman named Lonnie
Benson, who’s recently started pedaling information to many
nefarious organizations opposing world peace and security.
Other Agency operative teams have launched the operation

double blind
and put all the pieces into play; now all that’s required is to
apprehend Benson to prevent her from alerting her associates
to the Agency’s hunt.
Author: Shawn Carman Of course, even the most routine operations have a way of
Art Director: jim pinto going bad, and this mission’s no exception. Just as the char-
Brand Manager: Patrick Kapera acters prepare to move in on Freddy and Benson, an explo-
Editor: Patrick Kapera sion devastates the entire building where the two are meet-
Creative Director: Mark Jelfo ing, killing them both instantly and leading to two critical
Graphic Design: Dave Agoston questions: Who would want them dead, and why?
Cover Illustration: Paul H. Way
Cartography: Cris Dornaus Serial Synopsis
A Routine Operation follows the standard Living Spycraft
serial format, and is divided into an Introduction and three
Scenes.
Mission Briefing and Gearing Up: The agents receive a very
simple mission briefing from Control detailing the mission’s
basic nature and methodology. They’re informed that the
mission is one very small part of a much larger operation, but
that success is vital to the larger operation’s overall success.
The team’s mission is to conduct surveillance on a clandes-
 3 4
tine meeting between cat burglar Freddy Williams and infor-
mation broker Lonnie Benson. After the meeting, the agents
are to take both into custody and return them to an Agency
safe house for questioning.
The Agency doesn’t tell the agents that Benson gathers
intelligence for Frontier Technologies Unlimited, a massive
corporation with questionable business practices and known
contacts amongst the world’s most dangerous criminal
organizations.
Scene One: Things Go Wrong places the team at observa-
tion points surrounding the meeting site, equipped with
high-end electronic surveillance gear. After the transaction,
the agents are ordered to move in. Unfortunately, that
action’s interrupted by a massive explosion that completely
wipes out the café where Williams and Benson are meeting.
In the aftermath, the agents attempt to sort out what hap-
pened and why, only to be find themselves attacked by
Benson’s bodyguards, who assume the agents to be the
bombers.
Scene Two: Sorting through the Wreckage follows the
team’s investigation following the explosion. Resistance
is met in the form of enemy agents sent by Frontier
Technologies Unlimited and local security at the investiga-
tion sites.
Scene Three: Endgame pits the team against the party
responsible for the bombing and the subsequent operations —
a new and lethal threat to the Agency and its operations.
Mission Briefing
Read the following to begin this serial.
You know the mission’s going to be nothing more than rou-
tine when you’re summoned to a non-secure conference
room rather than a remote briefing theater. You know that
the Agency only hosts mission briefings in non-secure loca-
tions when they simply don’t care if someone eavesdrops.
Control enters the room, a stack of folders haphazardly
tucked under one arm. His suit is well tailored, but obviously
not well kept, featuring numerous wrinkles and fraying
threads. The mid-ranking home office agent straightens his
glasses and clears his throat noisily. “Good afternoon, agents.
You may call me Mr. Alexander. I’ll be coordinating your
efforts for this assignment.”
Alexander. You know Alexander, too. Exiled to one mindless
assignment after another, he’s only back into the fold now by
riding on the coattails of a few truly gifted operatives. You’ve
never met him before, but his reputation precedes him — he’s
lazy, unobservant, and dismissive.
This mission’s got to be less than routine. What did you do to
deserve this?
Alexander nervously hands out a series of folders, each one
bearing the somewhat innocuous title “Operation #2518”.
Each folder contains a series of numbered photographs, and
several accompanying memos. “The first page,” Alexander
drones, signaling the first memo, “is a picture of one Frederick
Williams. Freddy Five-Fingers, as he’s known in some circles,
is a moderately successful burglar with a preference for steal-
ing information from the rich and powerful.”
Alexander flips the page crisply and continues. “This woman,”
he says, indicating a young and sharply dressed brunette with
short, stylish hair, “is Lonnie Benson, an intel broker of far
higher stature than Williams. Recently, and for unknown rea-
sons, Benson has taken Williams under her wing.”
“Your mission is to monitor a scheduled meeting between
Williams and Benson tomorrow. Once their transaction is
complete, both are to be taken into custody. We’ve estab-
lished a cover for you as a local law enforcement team. It’s
imperative that you maintain this cover at all costs.”
Alexander levels an even stare toward the group. “Any ques-
tions?”
Alexander answers the agents’ questions to the best of his
abilities, though his disinterest in the operation is obvious
throughout. Control has little additional information beyond
the briefing, offering only the following specifics:
• Williams and Benson are scheduled to meet at 12:30 pm tomorrow at a
small outdoor café called Amore. Meetings between them are known to
last no more than 30 minutes.
• Between six and eight armed bodyguards protect Benson during any pub-
lic meet. Agency intelligence indicates that she normally sends two under-
cover bodyguards into the meet location up to 20 minutes before the
actual meeting, and assigns between two and four as a security perimeter
around the area. The rest remain at her side throughout the meeting.
• Benson has unconfirmed ties to many criminal organizations, including
Frontier Technologies Unlimited (see page 3). Benson’s capture is vital to
larger Agency efforts against this and connected enemy groups.
Gearing Up
The GC should provide the agents with a time limit of
20–30 minutes to choose gear and gadgets.
This mission is Code: Yellow.
The agents may requisition any standard-issue gear they
wish, but they may choose no individual gadget valued
above 2 GP (except vehicles). Due to the Agency’s simple
expectations for this mission, all requisition orders for per-
sonal or vehicular ordinance are denied, as are all orders for
tactical personal weapons and any personal weapon valued
at more than 25 BP.
 5 6
Experienced agents are likely to place monitoring devices
within the café before Williams and Benson arrive. The cost
of these devices must be paid for out of the agents’ BP and
GP pools, as usual. The GC is encouraged to make the skill
checks to place these bugs before the serial begins, logging
the results and revealing them during play.
In addition, the team is assigned a full-size van (see the
Soldier/Wheelman Class Guide, page 98), equipped with a
full range of audio and video surveillance equipment (power
rating +5, range increment 50 feet). The cost of this van and
its surveillance gear is not deducted from the agents’ BP and
GP pools.
Also, the agents are provided clothing and forged identifi-
cation to support their cover as police officers. Each agent
may choose whether he is outfitted as a plain clothes or uni-
formed officer. As with the van, this clothing and ID is pro-
vided at no cost to the agents. The identification is created
with a Forgery result of 30, making it extremely difficult to
spot as fake.
Finally, the agents should be allowed to reassign as many
BP or GP as they wish between Scenes 2 and 3, when the ser-
ial’s true threat is ascertained. Additionally, the serial’s threat
code is elevated to Red at this point, providing additional
resources to the team.
Recommended Gadgets
If time is short or the GC wishes to get straight to the
action, it’s encouraged that he assign gadgets from the fol-
lowing list, or allow the agents to normally requisition gadg-
ets from these options.
At the serial’s start:
• Standard attaché case (1 GP), possibly with the counter-surveillance
unit (+1 GP) and surveillance unit (+1 GP) option.
• Tracking device business cards (1 GP each).
• Tie camera (1 GP).
• Taser cufflinks (+0 GP to any clothing option).
• Telescopic lenses (2 GP).
• X-ray lenses (2 GP).
• Standard shoes (1 GP per pair) with shock-tip option (+1 GP).
• Non-sinusoidal transmission option for any standard-issue surveillance
gear (2 GP per bug).
• Peizo-bug (2 GP per bug).
• Silenced revolver (1 GP).
Between Scenes 2 and 3:
• Standard belt (1 GP) with lockpick set (+1 GP) or razor’s edge (+1 GP)
options.
• Micro-grenade earrings (1 GP each).
• Magnetic flask (2 GP each).
• Micro-burst gel (4 GP per 5 uses).
• Hypnosis lenses (2 GP).
• Starlight lenses (1 GP).
• Standard shoes (1 GP per pair) with gun (+1 GP) option.
• Quick mines (2 GP each).
Scene 1: Things Go Wrong
Agent Description
Read the following to the agents as they arrive at the café.
The open-air café called Amore sits at the center of a quiet
downtown intersection. The lack of traffic and the shade from
tall surrounding buildings add a characteristically charming
ambiance. The staff consists of half a dozen people during
the lunch hour, all trained to ignore the actions and conver-
sations of their customers. As you arrive, seven patrons are
seated at discreet locations throughout the café.
GC Description
This scene portrays a routine operation going horribly
wrong. With any luck the agents are lulled into a false sense
of security due to the serial’s name and nature of the brief-
ing, allowing the GC the best chance of surprising them dur-
ing play.
Williams and Benson meet at a small, outdoor café called
Amore — a trendy spot, but one that isn’t well known and
thus rarely has more than a handful of patrons at any time.
Two of Benson’s highly trained bodyguards arrive at the café
45 minutes in advance of the exchange. Both men do their
best to blend in, but they can’t disguise their decidedly omi-
nous looks — the agents spot them with either a successful
Spot or Surveillance check (DC 15).
Williams arrives shortly before noon and indulges in a
rather expansive lunch (the staff have to move a second
small table to him in order to accommodate all his plates,
magazines, and newspapers). Williams’ manners and conduct
are obnoxious in the extreme, but the staff is trained to
ignore him and the other customers seem to look the other
way as well. This gives the agents an opportunity to confirm
all audio and video equipment is functioning properly
(though they should only be allowed to do so if they ask;
otherwise, any malfunctioning gear is noticed when used).
Benson arrives promptly at 12:25pm with her entourage in
tow. The two bodyguards she keeps with her are immediate-
ly obvious, while the remaining four are well concealed
around the perimeter of the café. These flanking guards pres-
ent an ongoing threat to the agents throughout this scene,
making Spot checks to notice the agents every 15 minutes. If
at least one of the agents stands watch against enemy sur-
veillance, use the opposed awareness rules provided on page
228 of the Spycraft Espionage Handbook to resolve this
encounter as the backdrop to the central action of the scene.
Allow the agents to set up one or more surveillance roosts
around the café’s perimeter as they choose, although they
should be mildly discouraged from sending anyone inside the
café itself (the mission briefing paperwork warns that
Benson’s bodyguards are notorious for their attention to
detail, as is Benson herself). Beyond optimum use of the elec-
tronic surveillance gear at their disposal, the team’s primary
 7 8
concern should be to cut off possible avenues of escape and
to provide suitable coverage for team members assigned to
intercept Benson and Williams following the exchange.
By approximately 12:50 pm, assuming the agents are con-
ducting surveillance as instructed, any Surveillance check
result above 15 records the necessary sound bytes to confirm
the transaction is complete. At this point, both Williams and
Benson rise to leave (Benson paying the tab), and both make
their way toward the café’s exit. This should signal the team
to move into action.
At the start of the following round, however, a massive
explosion rips through the café, decimating the structure and
instantly killing virtually everyone within 50 feet. The
charges are shaped, and there’s remarkably little damage out-
side the immediate blast area. Benson and Williams are both
killed, as are Benson’s close bodyguards, all the café staff,
and all but two of the other patrons, both of whom suffer
severe concussion and burn damage.
Any agents inside the café when the explosion goes off
suffer 4d10 normal damage. As a cinematic nod (and to pre-
vent curious agents from being killed outright), each agent
within the café may make a Reflex save (DC 15) to reduce the
damage to half (rounded down). Additionally, each agent
caught in the blast may spend up to 2 action dice to reduce
damage in this one instance only — the result of each action
die spent is deducted from the damage he suffers.
Optionally, each agent within the café when the explosion
goes off may attempt to rescue up to three civilians by
increasing his Reflex save DC by 5 per civilian the agent
chooses to shield from the blast. If an agent dies while trying
to save one or more civilians, his team should gain the cor-
responding XP bonus, even though his effort technically
fails.
Threats
If Benson’s perimeter guards notice the agents before the
explosion, they attempt to sneak up on one of the team’s sur-
veillance roosts and subdue those present. Otherwise, after
the explosion, they recover from the shock of the explosion
after 1d2 rounds and move into the café. They fire upon any
obvious law enforcement agents without hesitation.
Perimeter Guards, 2nd-level minions (minions, squads of 2, 4 in
all — 24 MP). CR 1. SZ M; v/wp 14/14; Init +4 (+2 class, +2 Dex),
Spd 30 ft.; Def 13 (+1 class, +2 Dex); Atk: Beretta Model 92 +4
(1d10+1, error 1–2, threat 20, range increment 25 ft.); Face 1
square; Reach 1 square; SA None; SQ damage reduction 2/—; SV
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12,
Cha 10; Skills: Intimidate +7/+5, Knowledge (Underworld) +2,
Search +2, Sense Motive +3, Spot +6. Feats: None. Gear: Weapons,
stake-out vest. Gadgets and Vehicles: None.
Development
This scene leads directly into Scene 2 without interruption
or delay. The only potential development involves Benson’s
bodyguards — if any of them escape alive, they warn their
allies at Benson’s base of operations (see page 10).
Scene 2: Sorting through
the Wreckage
Agent Description
Read the following to the agents as a bridge between
Scenes 1 and 2.
What began as a routine operation has now quite literally
exploded in your faces. Smoldering shards of wood and glass
shower around horrified onlookers, littering the intersection
where Amore once stood. The gunfight with Lonnie Benson’s
bodyguards only makes the scene appear more like a war
zone, bullet holes riddling the surrounding scenery. As you
take stock of the situation, you hear sirens closing in…
GC Description
Once the immediate threat is neutralized, the agents may
investigate the scene as they desire. No one attempts to stop
them, especially if their cover as police is obvious or pre-
sented. Emergency personnel arrive very shortly, but they
only interfere with the agents if they see through the false
uniforms and ID. Even then, the agents may spend an action
die to make an intervention favor check (DC 15). With suc-
cess, their authentic government credentials convince the
real police and emergency crews to let them be.
The presence of Benson’s armed guards convinces local
police that the explosion was a terrorist action of some kind.
Consequently, a tight security cordon is erected out to two
blocks in every direction within 1 hour. The FBI arrives an
hour and a half after the explosion — Control directs the
agents to be gone by then.
Check ing in with Control
Though Alexander is irate that the agents have “botched
the simplest operation they’ve ever received,” he instructs the
agents to gather all intelligence possible on scene, and to fol-
low up all leads per standard Agency protocols.
The Scene of th e Crime
The agents have full access to the smoldering ruins of
Amore until emergency personnel arrive on scene 10 minutes
(100 rounds) later.
Searching for Survivors
Searching for survivors isn’t easy. The ruins’ residual heat
and flames couple with the unstable rubble to make the area
very dangerous. For every full minute spent searching the
rubble, each agent may make a Search or Listen check (DC
20). With success, the agent discovers one of the two sur-
vivors currently trapped within the rubble. Extracting each
survivor requires a Strength check (DC 30). Any number of
agents can cooperate to make this Strength check. Any agent
may convince one or more bystanders to assist in the rescue
by making a successful Diplomacy check (DC 10). Each
 9 10
Diplomacy check requires 30 seconds, and each successful
check convinces one bystander to help, plus a number of
bystanders equal to the number by which the agent beats the
DC (rounded up), to a maximum of 15 bystanders total for all
successful checks. Each bystander has a Strength bonus of
+0, and helps using the standard cooperation rules (see the
Spycraft Espionage Handbook, page 39).
Assessing the Rubble
A successful Demolitions check (DC 10) quickly reveals the
explosion’s center (a central crater only concealed by debris
from the central structure). Determining the nature of the
explosion, however, is substantially more difficult, requiring
a successful Demolitions check (DC 25) and at least 15 min-
utes spent examining the explosion’s center. With success,
the agents learn that the explosion was caused by a substan-
tial amount of military-grade plastic explosive sculpted as a
shaped charge. Furthermore, success reveals that the detona-
tion was set off by a short-range radio signal, indicating that
the person responsible was likely within a city block (and
possibly even line of sight) when the explosion took place.
Apartment Fire
Five minutes after the explosion consumes Amore, a dis-
tant scream alerts the team to the presence of a fire in a near-
by building — an apartment fire seemingly caused by fallout
from the blast. Some agents may question why the fire breaks
out so long after the blast — in truth, Jonathan Gareth, the
person responsible for detonating the blast, watched the
scene unfold from this apartment, and starts the fire to
destroy his equipment and cover his escape. The apartment
building is old, however, and the fire spreads quickly, threat-
ening to engulf the entire structure in a raging inferno.
The agents can alert all unaware occupants of the building
by running through the corridors, banging on doors (a
process that requires five minutes), or though means of their
own creation.
Gareth fights to escape, but won’t sacrifice his life in the
process, surrendering when he’s reduced to half his wounds
(rounded up). If defeated, he reveals that he was hired to per-
form the hit two days previously, and infiltrated the café the
night before to plant the explosives. He doesn’t know who
contacted him — only that they called him from a private cell
line at designated times. No further communication is sched-
uled with the Gareth’s employers.
The burning apartment contains the transmitter necessary
to trigger the explosion, advanced surveillance equipment
(equal in power rating and range increment to the agents’
gear), and a backup plan — an FN Model 30-11 sniper rifle
with a 9x telescopic sight, and tripod mounted on the win-
dow sill.
Following the Trail – Williams
Williams’ body was devastated by the blast, and so the
actual local police don’t pursue leads back to his home until
12 hours after Scene 1 (more than likely plenty of time for
the agents to complete their search of the premises).
Freddy Williams’ residence is simple enough to locate —
the Agency acquired the address as part of its initial back-
ground check. No favor check or action die expenditure is
required to glean this information — merely a phone call to
the home office.
Williams’ apartment is located in a surprisingly upscale
part of town (his criminal endeavors are more profitable than
the Agency guesses). The apartment’s décor is tasteful and
expensive, and not a little lewd. The agents may pursue a
number of possible leads here:
• Williams’ computer: A successful Computer check (DC 15) reveals the
only file of any importance to the agents’ current investigation — a
Wordpad note regarding the time and location of his meeting with
Benson, and a note to “demand more money!” at the meeting.
• Williams’ wall safe: The agents must succeed with a Search check (DC
25) to locate this hidden safe, which is located in the shower stall behind
a flawlessly inserted porcelain panel. Penetrating the safe requires a suc-
cessful Open Lock check (DC 20). A critical failure with this check sets of
a small incendiary device within the safe, destroying the contents. The
safe contains a CD copy of the data Williams planned to sell to Benson
— a corporate document from the home of Alfred Schumann, an
Executive Vice President of Dynamic Genetics, Incorporated (DGI). The
document is very clearly marked “FOR INTERNAL DISSEMINATION ONLY”,
and contains information regarding several illegal (and highly unethical)
biological warfare experiments.
The GC should allow each agent to make an education
check (DC 15). With success, the agent knows that DGI is a
global medical firm known for several high-profile vaccines
approved by the FDA over the last twenty years.
Every agent knows that the document contained in the
safe would cause untold political and financial damage to
DGI — likely even shutting the conglomerate’s doors.
Following the Trail – Benson
Investigating Benson’s personal holdings proves substan-
tially more difficult than investigating Williams’, but the
rewards are potentially just as illuminating. As with
Williams’ home address, the location of Benson’s suspected
base of operations is known to the Agency, and agents may
gather this information with just one phone call. The build-
ing is an unobtrusive brownstone just outside the corporate
sector, within a well-bred and highly secured neighborhood.
Exterior Security
The external security team assigned to Benson’s brown-
stone is identical in all respects to the team of bodyguards
that provides security for her when she travels. Four guards
patrol the building’s perimeter, though only one is obvious as
a guard at the front door — all others are spotted with a suc-
cessful Search, Spot, or Surveillance check (DC 15). A fifth
guard is stationed on the building’s roof and coordinates
with the rest of the team by headset radio every 15 minutes.
 11
The guards do not receive confirmation of Benson’s death
for 12 hours after the explosion, though they become suspi-
cious after she and her bodyguards don’t return at the sched-
uled time 4 hours after the meeting. If the agent team allows
any of Benson’s bodyguards to escape during Scene 1 (see
page 7), then the guards at this location learn the truth only
1 hour after the explosion.
The agents must succeed with Move Silently checks
opposed by the guards Spot skills. If forewarned of Benson’s
death, the guards are especially careful, gaining a +4 cir-
cumstance bonus to this opposed check. Should the guards
notice the agents, they attack immediately. Unless the guards
know of Benson’s death, they strive to capture the agents and
hold them within the building; otherwise, they attempt to
neutralize the agents by any means necessary.
Interior Security
Benson’s brownstone is protected by a sophisticated secu-
rity system that’s been substantially modified to deter inva-
sions rather than summon the authorities. To bypass the key-
pad entry system, the agents must succeed with an
Electronics check (DC 20). Failure with this check notifies the
guards within the building to the attempt, while a critical
failure results in a series of steel-reinforced bars dropping
down over all doors and windows. These bars have a hard-
ness of 10 with 15 wound points and a Break DC of 30. They
also apply a –10 circumstance penalty to all Electronics and
Open Lock checks made to get in through any of the build-
ing’s windows or doors.
The brownstone’s interior consists of several sparsely fur-
nished rooms, including an office where her computer station
is located. A successful Computers check (DC 15) unlocks her
email server, revealing that she has been corresponding with
one Alfred Schumann for months. All their conversations
revolve around him purchasing data Benson’s recovered. The
last email — dated yesterday — focuses on something
Frederick Williams stole from his home (“papers of an
exceedingly sensitive nature originating from my employer’s
offices”).
Another piece of the puzzle is discovered within a news-
paper article lying on Benson’s desk. The article details the
untimely death of “Alfred Schumann, Executive Vice
President of Research & Development at Dynamic Genetics,
Incorporated”. According to the article, Schumann collapsed
during dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, a high-priced
French bistro in the most expensive region of the city. No
obvious cause of death is yet known, the article says, but
according to police sources, “there’s no reason to suspect foul
play”. A DGI press release insists that “the corporation will
miss Schumann terribly, and that in recognition of all his
accomplishments the company will establish a college schol-
arship in his name.”
12
P u tting it To g e t h e r
The information collected from both sites should give the
agents an accurate picture of what’s taken place.
• Williams stole the damning memo from the Alfred Schumann’s home.
• Schumann was either killed by Williams during the theft or eliminated by
his company to tie up loose ends.
• Someone at DGI commissioned the hit on Williams and Benson to elim-
inate the last outsiders with knowledge of the document or its contents.
Whether the agents piece it together or not, they’re
recalled to the home office or a local safe house for the time
being. The action picks up again the following day, as the
Agency sends them against the serial’s true threat — Dynamic
Genetics, Incorporated.
Threats
Jonathan Gareth, the bomber encountered early in this
scene, is a skilled gunman with only marginal melee and
hand-to-hand abilities.
Jonathan Gareth, 2nd-level mercenary (standard NPC). CR 2. SZ
M; v/wp 17/13; Init +4 (+1 class, +3 Dex), Spd 30 ft.; Def 14 (+1
class, +3 Dex); Atk: FN model 30-11 +5 (4d4+2, error 1, threat
18–20, range increment 175 ft.) / Browning High Power +5
(1d10+1, error –, threat 20, range increment 25 ft.); Face 1 square;
Reach 1 square; SA None; SQ None; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4; Str
12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 11; Skills: Demolitions +2,
Diplomacy +2, Driver +5, Listen +4, Sense Motive +4, Spot +4,
Surveillance +4. Feats: Far Shot. Gear: Weapons, advanced surveil-
lance equipment (equal in power rating and range increment to the
agents’ gear).
The security guards protecting Lonnie Benson’s base of
operations have identical mechanics to her bodyguards in
Scene 1. These guards, however, take greater care to conceal
their weapons and are far less eager to leap into combat, lest
the police descend upon them.
Security Guards, 2nd-level minions (minions, squads of 2, 4 in
all — 24 MP). CR 1. SZ M; v/wp 14/14; Init +4 (+2 class, +2 Dex),
Spd 30 ft.; Def 13 (+1 class, +2 Dex); Atk: Beretta Model 92 +4
(1d10+1, error 1–2, threat 20, range increment 25 ft.); Face 1
square; Reach 1 square; SA None; SQ damage reduction 2/–; SV
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12,
Cha 10; Skills: Intimidate +7/+5, Knowledge (Underworld) +2,
Search +2, Sense Motive +3, Spot +6. Feats: None. Gear: Weapons,
stake-out vest, concealable holster mark I, radio headset. Gadgets
and Vehicles: None.
Events
Throughout this scene, a team of DGI corporate mercenar-
ies operate in the shadows, sanitizing the homes of both
Williams and Benson. Barring agent intervention, these
enforcers arrive at Williams’ home 2 hours after the Scene 1
explosion, and arrive at Benson’s home 2 hours after that (4
hours after the Scene 1 explosion).
 13
Should the enforcers determine that the agents know of
Williams, Benson, or the stolen DGI documents, they attack
the team, planning to take them out quickly and discreetly
dispose of the bodies.
Corporate Enforcers. 3rd level operatives (minions, squads of 3,
6 in all — 34 MP). Department: Urban Assault. CR 3. SZ M; w/wp:
15/13; Init +4 (+2 class, +2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; Def 14 (+2 class, +2
Dex); Atk: Colt Commando SMG +3 (4d4, error 1–2, threat 20,
range increment 45 ft.); Face 1 square; Reach 1 square; SA None;
SQ None; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +3; Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int
10, Wis 12, Cha 12; Skills: Bluff +3, Climb +3, Demolitions +3,
Driver +4, Hide +5, Move Silently +5, Search +2, Spot +4,
Surveillance +3, Tumble +4. Feats: Point Blank Shot, Stealthy. Gear:
Weapons, radio headset (encrypted). Gadgets and Vehicles: None.
Development
Given that Scene 3 begins the following day, with the
Agency redirecting the agents toward a ‘new enemy’, this
scene may end at any time during the agents’ follow-up
investigation, per the GC’s discretion.
Scene Three: Endgame
Agent Description
Following their investigation and reports to Control, the
agent team is recalled to base for a mission update. After a
very short reprieve at the home office or a local safe house,
during which the team can catch their breath, regroup, and
possibly requisition new gear (see page 4), they’re summoned
to a new briefing room.
Read the following at this time.
Your operations must have suddenly become important — this
time, you’re summoned to a secure Agency briefing room.
Your previous Control is replaced by a nameless, faceless
bureaucrat in a black suit — more evidence of the mission’s
new importance. You’ve never seen this man before, and he
doesn’t bother to introduce himself.
“The situation is this:” he begins with little preamble, “a top
secret internal communication between employees of
Dynamic Genetics, Incorporated was stolen from the home
office of the firm’s Executive Vice President. The thief, and a
target of your recent surveillance mission was the late
Frederick Williams. He attempted to sell the document to the
late Lonnie Benson, your other target. We believe that some-
one at DGI arranged both their’ deaths to cover up the cor-
poration’s illegal — and highly dangerous — testing of bio-
logical weapons.
“Agents, we want DGI shut down.”
14
Control reclines in his chair, steepling his fingers while deep
in thought. “The problem,” he says after a moment, “is that
DGI was recently awarded several development contracts with
our allies in the government and private sectors. We can’t
attack DGI directly without risking the loss of invaluable
resources already devoted to several crucial projects.
“The solution is simple. You will infiltrate the least secure DGI
holding within the city, which we have long since profiled for
our archives, and access their mainframe. You will download
all information regarding the projects in development with
our allies, then upload a two-fold worm virus. First this virus
will destroy every file with mention of any of these projects,
as well as any that has electronically linked with any of those
project files. Then it will spread through the DGI network,
locating and sending all files containing mention of their bio-
logical warfare division to our friends at NSA and the nation-
al media. The problem should resolve itself.”
Control leans forward to regard you intently. “Do you have
any questions?”
Map Key
The following map key provides descriptions of each
manor location, as well as details about the movements
of guards and spectators. Please refer to this text while run-
ning this open-ended scene.
GC Description
Control supplies the team with a map of the target DGI
office facility (the GC may simply hand the players a copy of
pages 17–18), as well as a realistic estimate of the site’s
expected security.
A remarkably small office complex within the business
district, the DGI facility serves primarily as a meeting place
for executives, investors, and important guests, but also dou-
bles as a headquarters for one of the corporations’ data
analysis divisions. Information collected from dozens of cor-
porate laboratories across the globe cycles through this office
every day for analysis, computation, and comparison.
Despite its small size, the facility is strikingly important for
to DGI, and as such is protected by considerable security
measures.
This scene requires at least one agent with superior com-
puter skills (i.e. a Computers skill rank of +5 or better). If the
team doesn’t currently contain at least one such agent, they
are placed in radio contact with a hacker who works from a
secure vehicle nearby. While the hacker’s in contact with the
team, he makes cooperation checks using his Computers
bonus of +8 to add circumstance bonuses to the agents’
Computers skill checks.
 15
Once the agents get to a location where they can upload
the worm virus (either of the executive offices — see location
#5, page 16), the process takes 1 full minute (10 rounds). The
GC should continue to make Listen or Spot checks as normal
during this time (see below), though he may optionally spend
one action die each round to make an additional Listen or
Spot check using the same rules.
The DGI Fa c i l i t y
All external doors require a successful Electronics check
(DC 30) to open, while all internal doors require a successful
Electronics check (DC 15) to open. Failure with any of these
checks sets off the site’s alarm system — thundering waves of
sound are heard for blocks and obnoxious klaxons emerge
from facility’s wall panels, dousing every room is alternating
pink filtered light and shadow.
All computers on site are password-encrypted, requiring
the agents to succeed with a Computers check (DC 10) to gain
access.
Finally, a number of security guards are stationed at the
facility equal to three times the number of agents present. All
of these guards are blissfully unaware of their employers’
unethical activities, and are generally unobservant, knowing
that there are far too many of them for such a small complex.
When the alarm sounds or gunfire erupts, however, these
men fall back on the killer instincts that secured their posi-
tions at the facility, ruthlessly hunting down all intruders and
eliminating them before the police arrive.
As the agents make their way through the facility, the GC
should make a Listen or Spot check for the security guards.
He makes one of these two checks every minute, and the
result of each becomes the DC for the agents’ Move Silently
or Hide skills, as appropriate. Should the agents fail any of
these checks, they’re spotted by the guards within their cur-
rent location, or a random patrol of 1d4+1 guards.
The locations of some guards are documented in the map
key section, below; the rest wander the facility on patrol —
these are the first to arrive when an alarm is sounded (arriv-
ing in squads of 3, one squad per round, beginning the round
after the alarm sounds).
Map Key
The following map key provides descriptions of each facil-
ity location. Please refer to this text while running this open-
ended scene.
1. Lobby: This stylish room is tastefully decorated with a
variety of appealing art and comfortable furniture. During
the day, a trio of receptionists work the desk. At night,
they are replaced by three security guards.
2. Hallway: A guard is positioned at the farthest end of each
hallway at all times, day and night.
3. Minor Offices: Little more than cubicles — albeit comfort-
able cubicles — these working cells are assigned to various
unimportant bureaucrats and administrators who over see
16
the facility’s day-to-day functions. Each of these offices
contains a computer (without direct access to the main-
frame), as well as several personal affects.
4. Conference Rooms: The gigantic mahogany tables in these
expansive rooms are clearly intended to make a statement
about DGI’s prominence in the field of biological research
and the business world in general. Neither of these loca-
tions has direct computer access.
5. Executive Offices: These ostentatious areas are reserved for
DGI’s highest ranking executives, and are only used when
one of them arrives to conduct an inspection or host a
meeting. None of these rooms is permanently assigned,
and therefore none contain any personal affects. Each is
furnished with an executive desk, bookshelves (all cur-
rently stocked with generic medical reference texts), and a
secure computer (with full access to the off-site corporate
mainframe). These computers are the agents’ destination
during this scene — they’re the only nodes with the access
required to deliver the virus.
6. Data Analysis Center: Easily the largest of the facility’s
rooms, this office space contains 48 cramped workstations
distributed in small cubicles across four large tables. Each
workstation has a computer hooked up to the corporate
mainframe, but each of these nodes is capable only of
downloading information (and is therefore useless to the
team). Two guards are on duty in this room at all times.
7. Supply Closet: This small room contains many cleaning
chemicals and various janitorial supplies.
Threats
The number of DGI security guards equals three times the
number of agents sent in during this scene.
DGI Security Guards, 1st-level shocktroopers (minions, squads of
3, variable number in all — 28 MP). CR 1/2. SZ M; v/wp 12/14;
Init +2 (+1 class, +1 Dex), Spd 30 ft.; Def 11 (+1 Dex); Atk: taser +2
(1d8 + Special, error 1, no threat, no range increment), Ruger P97
+3 (1d12, error 1–2, threat 19–20, range increment 25 ft.); Face 1
square; Reach 1 square; SA None; SQ None; SV Fort +3, Ref +1,
Will +2; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10; Skills:
Balance +2, Demolitions +1, Forgery +1, Intimidate +2/+1,
Jump +2, Sport (Basketball) +2/+2, Spot +1, Survival +1.
Feats: Weapon Focus (Ruger P97). Gear: Weapons, radio headset
(encrypted). Gadgets and Vehicles: None.
Rewards
Keep track of the agents’ accomplishments throughout this
scene and reward them with the following XP at the serial’s
end accordingly.
All XP rewards have an associated letter (“A”, “B”, “C”,
etc.), indicating their difficulty and benefit within a ‘mini-
tree’ of XP rewards. Agents only ever earn the highest letter
within any mini-tree.
 17 18

Example: When an agent receives a “C”-class reward, he B. Capturing one or more of Benson’s bodyguards after the explosion: 100
cannot gain the “A”-class reward, the “B”-class reward, or XP per agent
any other reward within the same tree.
Note: Experience is not rewarded until the serial’s end, and Scene 2
agents may not gain levels during a serial.
A. Rescuing one or more civilians from the rubble: 50 XP per agent
Scene 1
A. Determining the cause and nature of the explosion: 50 XP per agent
A. Acquiring the necessary surveillance sound bytes: 25 XP per agent
A. Alerting the apartment building’s occupants to the fire: 50 XP per agent
A. Defeating Benson’s bodyguards in combat before the explosion: 25 XP per
agent A. Killing Jonathan Gareth: 25 XP per agent

B. Avoiding detection by Benson’s bodyguards before the explosion: 50 XP B. Capturing Jonathan Gareth: 50 XP per agent
per agent
A. Investigating the café scene without suspicion: 75 XP per agent
A. Rescuing one or more civilians from the explosion: 50 XP per agent
A. Discovering one or more clues within Williams’ apartment: 50 XP per
A. Killing one or more of Benson’s bodyguards after the explosion: 50 XP per agent
agent

0 5 10
DGI FACILITY N
W E
Scale in Feet S

3 3

2 7

3 4 4

6 2

1 5 5
 19
A. Discovering one or more clues within Benson’s base of operations: 50 XP
per agent
A. Putting the clues together and proceeding to Scene 3: 50 XP per agent
A. Killing one or more of Benson’s security guards: 25 XP per agent
B. Capturing one or more of Benson’s security guards: 50 XP per agent
A. Killing one or more DGI corporate enforcers: 50 XP per agent
B. Capturing one or more DGI corporate enforcers: 100 XP per agent
Scene 3
A. Entering the DGI facility with one or more casualties: 25 XP per agent
B. Entering the DGI facility with damage, but no casualties: 50 XP per agent
C. Entering the DGI facility without detection: 100 XP per agent
A. Uploading the worm virus: 150 XP per agent
A. Killing one or more DGI security guards: 50 XP per agent
B. Capturing one or more DGI security guards: 100 XP per agent
Debriefing
Ultimately, this mission’s primary goal is uploading the
virus into the DGI facility’s computer system, then escaping
alive. If the agents are successful in this goal (and they per-
formed well during Scenes 1 and 2), Control congratulates
the team on their ability to roll with the punches and make
the most of a disastrous situation.
If there’s extra time, feel free to roleplay the debriefing
and have Control assess the group’s performance. Then have
the players fill out their RPGA forms and wrap up the ses-
sion.
20
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Open Game License v1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules
Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte
Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Star Wars roleplaying game, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast and Lucasfilm Ltd.;
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