Cthork Borg

Gloomy gilded age struggles against cosmic horror.

Writing, Editing, Design, Playtesting, Layout, And Publishing - Richard Kelly

Playtesting - Zach Card, Liam Kelly, PJ Kelly

Cover Artwork - "The Reader" by Odilon Redon, 1892, in the public domain and provided by
rawpixel.

Interior Artwork - Several works by Odilon Redon, in the public domain and provided by rawpixel.
Splatters by Bumiputra and CreatureSH on Pixabay, covered for unattributed commercial use
under the Pixabay license. The many other illustrations for this project come from Sine Nomine,
which purchased full rights for its Silent Legions art pieces from their creators and then released
those illustrations free for commercial and personal use. The artists who worked on these
illustrations are: David Lewis Johnson, Earl Geier, Joyce Maureira, Luigi Castellani, Miguel Santos,
and Nikola Aramovic.

Touchstones - "Flowers From The Moon And Other Lunacies" by Robert Bloch, "King Of Shreds
And Tatters" by Amanda Downum, "Eutopia" by David Nickel, "Stygian: Reign Of The Old Ones" by
Cultic Games

CW - The usual MÖRK BORG grimness, plus personal and cosmic horror.

Recommended Safety Mechanics - Whatever your group is most comfortable with. If you don't
have or typically use safety mechanics, X-Card by John Stavropoulos (http://tinyurl.com/x-card-
rpg) is this game's default.

Rights - Cthork Borg's text, save for the parts that are already covered under the MÖRK BORG
Third Party License---and save for the elements from works of late 1800s and early 1900s
literature that have entered the public domain---is CC BY NC Richard Kelly. If you want to make
something based on this, you'll still need to comply with the MÖRK BORG Third Party License, but
you can reach out @SprintingOwl and I'm happy to give advice or provide support.

MÖRK BORG Third Party License - Cthork Borg is an independent production by Richard Kelly and
is not affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell. It is published under the
MÖRK BORG Third Party License. MÖRK BORG is copyright Ockult Örtmästare Games and
Stockholm Kartell. For further details about the MÖRK BORG Third Party License, see https://
morkborg.com/license/

1
 A Word Before We Continue
People were writing this genre before Lovecraft, and people have continued writing it after him, but
because his name's been made synonymous with cosmic horror, I'm obligated to take a second to talk
about his racism.

We do a great disservice to the dead by polishing up their names and denying their faults. And we do even
worse to the living by denying that any ill ever occurred.

There are plenty of complex conversations to be had about Lovecraft, but they all start with acknowledging
that the truth is true. Lovecraft participated in a hideous and long-running tradition of encouraging harm
and dehumanization against innocent people---whether he thought of it this way, or not.

Ultimately, you're always welcome to treat this game as a kind of gloomy escapism. Shed your modern-day
problems for a while and get chased by winged things while driving over backroads in a rumrunner's car.

But if your response to this, the very mildest of critiques, is to bristle and rush to defend the reputation of
an eighty years dead human, you may want to take a moment to think about why someone critiquing
Lovecraft's racism bothers you personally.

2
Gilded Age Horrors.............................................................................................................................................................7
Character Creation.............................................................................................................................................................9
Abilities.............................................................................................................................................................................9
Testing Abilities...................................................................................................................................................10
Who Rolls Tests?.................................................................................................................................................10
Common DRs.......................................................................................................................................................10
Crits And Fumbles............................................................................................................................................. 10
Ability Drain......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Hit Points...................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Damage And Breaking..................................................................................................................................... 11
Rest And Recovery............................................................................................................................................ 11
Carrying Capacity...................................................................................................................................................... 13
Starting Gear................................................................................................................................................................14
D6..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
D12...................................................................................................................................................................14
D2..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Social Standing............................................................................................................................................................15
Omens............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Using Omens........................................................................................................................................................16
Recovering Omens............................................................................................................................................ 16
Selecting A Class........................................................................................................................................................ 18
1 Socialite.............................................................................................................................................................. 19
d6 Brushes With The Unknown................................................................................................................... 20
Socialite Specialties...........................................................................................................................................20
2 Crook...................................................................................................................................................................22
d6 Unsettling Tasks........................................................................................................................................... 22
Crook Specialties............................................................................................................................................... 22
3 Academic........................................................................................................................................................... 24
d6 Troubling Enigmas....................................................................................................................................... 24
Academic Specialties........................................................................................................................................ 25
4 Innocent............................................................................................................................................................. 27
d6 Terrors Rebuked...........................................................................................................................................27
Innocent Specialties..........................................................................................................................................27
5 Accursed............................................................................................................................................................ 29
d6 Tragic Burdens.............................................................................................................................................. 29
Accursed Specialties.........................................................................................................................................30
6 Complicit............................................................................................................................................................32
d6 Rituals Of Fealty........................................................................................................................................... 33
Complicit Specialties........................................................................................................................................ 33
How The Investigators Know Each Other............................................................................................................. 35

3
Equipment............................................................................................................................................................................37
Weapons........................................................................................................................................................................38
Armor..............................................................................................................................................................................40
Tools................................................................................................................................................................................ 42
Vehicles..........................................................................................................................................................................44
Tomes..............................................................................................................................................................................46
Artifacts.........................................................................................................................................................................49
Terrified Allies....................................................................................................................................................................55
Casting Spells......................................................................................................................................................................61
Spells Of The Terrestrial Horrors.......................................................................................................................62
Spells Of The Outer Horrors................................................................................................................................ 63
Getting Better.................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Combat..................................................................................................................................................................................67
Rounds, Turns, And Actions...................................................................................................................................67
Initiative.........................................................................................................................................................................67
Melee..............................................................................................................................................................................68
Ranged........................................................................................................................................................................... 68
Two-Weapon............................................................................................................................................................... 68
Oversized......................................................................................................................................................................68
Defense..........................................................................................................................................................................69
Non-Player Character Rolls...................................................................................................................................69
Investigator Vs. Investigator..................................................................................................................................69
Bleed............................................................................................................................................................................... 69
Combat Crits And Fumbles....................................................................................................................................70
Morale............................................................................................................................................................................ 70
Fleeing............................................................................................................................................................................71
Ending Combat........................................................................................................................................................... 71
Healing Up.................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Beasts, Monsters, And Gods........................................................................................................................................ 73
Beasts............................................................................................................................................................................. 74
Unaligned......................................................................................................................................................................76
The Articulated Huntsman.................................................................................................................................... 82
The Cruel Old Man....................................................................................................................................................84
The Disobedient Child............................................................................................................................................. 86
The Dweller In The Deep........................................................................................................................................89
The Flutist At Void's Edge...................................................................................................................................... 92
The Furious Serpent................................................................................................................................................. 95
The King In Yellow..................................................................................................................................................... 99
The Teeth Of Winter.............................................................................................................................................. 101
The Woods Mother................................................................................................................................................ 103
Advice For GMs...............................................................................................................................................................105
Sample Investigation: Whispers In The Mountains........................................................................................ 107
The Letter Arrives........................................................................................................................................... 108

4
Meeting With Dorothea...............................................................................................................................109
Reading The Notes......................................................................................................................................... 110
Calling The Cops.............................................................................................................................................. 110
Detour To The Library................................................................................................................................... 110
1 - Driving To Mariettesville....................................................................................................................... 112
2 - An Ugly Interruption............................................................................................................................... 112
3 - Downtown Mariettesville..................................................................................................................... 113
4 - Agatha's Cabin........................................................................................................................................... 114
5 - North Ridge Trail....................................................................................................................................... 114
6 - Atlas Logging Camp..................................................................................................................................115
7 - Disused Fire Tower................................................................................................................................... 115
8 - Bwca Creek................................................................................................................................................. 115
9 - Entrance To The Coldmouth Mine..................................................................................................... 116
10 - Depths Of The Coldmouth Mine......................................................................................................116
What's Really Going On............................................................................................................................... 117
The Tommyknockers...................................................................................................................................... 117
Resolution.......................................................................................................................................................... 118

5
6
 The year is 1920. A new era is poised to dawn.

The Great War has ended. The markets are on the rise. A culture of novelty and
prosperity is blossoming, with new inventions and popular trends setting the eyes of
many on the fast-approaching future.

And yet, all is not well.

The world may have shifted, but the fundamental nature of humanity has not changed.

The violence of the poor is still condemned, and the violence of the powerful is still
enshrined.

Industry magnates work their laborers to the bone. Figureheads prey on their obedient
flocks. Doctors and scientists receive informal carte blanche to experiment on those in
their care. And beneath all this common filth, something worse crawls.

We are not alone in the universe.

Earth is inhabited by ancient powers, many crueler, and all of them stranger, than our
own.

And as the technologies that drive communication and travel grow, so too do the
influences of unsympathetic gods, spreading like lines of fungus across an agar plate.

At best, we are a pawn to them.

At worst, they regard us the way we would a speck of dust in the air.

And unchecked, they will plunge the world into an age that makes humanity yearn for
the darkness of the trenches.

7
 Character Creation
To create an investigator, do the following.

Roll for their [Abilities.]

Determine their [Hit Points.]

Calculate their [Carrying Capacity.]

Randomize their [Starting Gear.]

Set their [Social Standing.]

Foretell their [Omens.]

And finally [Select A Class.]

After that, players should figure out their individual investigators' personalities and
personal histories, and the group should decide [How The Investigators Know
Each Other.]

Players may also wish to purchase a few items of [Equipment] with their funds.

8
 Abilities
Abilities measure an investigator's overall strengths and weaknesses.

All investigators are made up of the following five Abilities.

Roll the following dice and assign each result to a different Ability: d2-1, d2-1, d4-2,
d2, d4.

● Agility - Avoiding attacks, picking locks, climbing, escape artistry.

● Presence - Making ranged attacks, noticing details, charming, deceiving, and
remembering.
● Strength - Making melee attacks, grappling, lifting objects, swimming,
struggling.
● Toughness - Enduring bodily harm, resisting poisons, recovering from
disease.
● Stability - Acting rationally, making good decisions, maintaining a good
standing in society, and resisting the mental effects of casting spells.

Testing Abilities

When you are confronted with a difficult or dangerous situation and you can't just
take your time to resolve it peacefully, the GM will ask you to test an Ability.

Tests are made against a Difficulty Rating (also called DR.)

Roll a d20, add your relevant Ability, and if you roll the DR or higher you
succeed.

9
Who Rolls Tests?

Typically only the players test their Abilities. If an investigator shoots at a

monster, the investigator rolls to hit. If a monster tries to rend an investigator limb
from limb, the investigator tests to avoid the attack.

Non-player characters can still roll tests in some circumstances (such as to

activate a unique power or to test Morale,) but they use a single d20 and don't
add any Abilities to it.

Common DRs

Most tests are made at DR 12.

If a task is especially easy, it might be reduced to DR 10 or DR 8.

If a task is especially difficult, it might be raised to DR 14 or DR 15.

If a task is ever so difficult that no one at the table can imagine a human performing
it, or so easy that no one at the table can imagine a person failing to do it, the GM
shouldn't call for a roll. They should just narrate the results.

Crits And Fumbles

When a player rolls a 20 on a test, that's a crit. Crits are overwhelming successes,
and when a character crits the GM should narrate an extra benefit that tilts the
situation further in their favor.

When a player rolls a 1 on a test, that's a fumble. Fumbles are failures that escalate
the situation, and when a character fumbles the GM should narrate a new
complication that comes about as a result of the failed roll.

Ability Drain

All investigator Abilities are rated from -6 to +6.

No Ability can be raised above +6.

If an Ability would ever be reduced below -6, the investigator dies instead.

10
 Hit Points
Hit Points (HP) measure an investigator's overall physical healthiness.

All investigators begin with max Hit Points equal to their d6 + Toughness
(minimum 1,) and all investigations fill their Hit Points up to their max at the start
of each investigation.

During character creation, if a player wishes, they may lower any of their Abilities
by -1 to add +2 max Hit Points. They may repeat this up to three more times.

Damage And Breaking

When a character takes damage, they reduce their Hit Points by the same amount.
If a character would be reduced to 0 Hit Points or below, they Break.

When an investigator Breaks, they test Stability DR 12.

On a success, they manage to escape the current peril and reappear later, having
recovered d8 Hit Points but with a permanent -1 to two Abilities of their player's
choice.

On a failure, they die.

Monsters, allies, and other characters that aren't investigators don't test
Stability when they Break. Instead they die. If they Broke as the result of an attack,
the attacker may choose to restore them to 1 Hit Point and knock them out for d2
hours instead.

Rest And Recovery

Investigators may Catch Their Breath up to their Stability times per 24 hours
(minimum once per day.) This can only be done when the investigators are not
directly under attack or in danger of being attacked. Catching Your Breath takes 2
minutes and restores d4 hit Points.

Investigators may also Rest In Comfort once per day. This can only be done when
the investigators are not directly under attack or in danger of being attacked, and it
requires them to have access to food, drink, and bedding. Resting In Comfort takes
6 hours and restores d8 Hit Points.

Investigators may also heal through other means, such as items and spells.

Unless a specific rule says otherwise, investigators cannot ever increase their current
Hit Points above their max.

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12
 Carrying Capacity
Carrying Capacity is a rough picture of the number of reasonable-sized objects an
investigator can carry at before they start getting bogged down.

Investigators have a Carrying Capacity equal to their Strength+1.

Particularly small objects (a locket, a piece of silverware, normal clothing that an

investigator is wearing,) do not count towards this limit unless an investigator tries
to carry an exceptional number of them.

Investigators who carry more than their capacity suffer +1 DR on Agility tests
per object they are carrying over their capacity.

Characters with a negative Carrying Capacity are treated as if they are already
carrying that many objects over capacity---even if their hands are empty.

Investigators may not carry more than 6 objects over their capacity.

13
 Starting Gear
Investigators begin with one item from each of the following tables.

D6
1 A Bindle
2 A Backpack
3 A Steamer Trunk
4 A Horse
5 A Motor Car
6 If you did not get this on a reroll, reroll. Otherwise, you obtain A Decaying Gothic
Manor With A Single Loyal Servant Who Has Attended Your Family For Generations
(also you gain +$400.)

D12
1 Medical Box
2 Doctor's Kit
3 Lockbreaker's Kit
4 Scientist's Kit
5 Mechanic's Kit
6 Occultist's Kit
7 Actor's Kit
8 Survivalist's Kit
9 Bon Vivant's Kit
10 Cough Syrup and Nerve Tonic
11 Jaw Trap and Household Pesticide
12 Handcuffs and Club

D2
1 Roll a d2-1 on the armor table
2 Roll a d12 on the weapons table

14
 Social Standing
Social Standing is a measurement of an investigator's access to money---whether
that's through work or through well-positioned family and friends.

Investigators begin play with Social Standing equal to their Stability, and they
immediately gain $100 per point of Social Standing (if their Social Standing is
negative, they gain $0.)

At the start of each new investigation, investigators update their Social Standing
to match their Stability, then they gain +$20 per point of Social Standing (minimum
+$0.)

Social Standing encompasses an investigator's housing, grocery budget, medical

needs, and all other baseline expenses. Any other money that they have as liquid
cash and may be spent freely without lowering their standard of living.

That said, an investigator can leverage their assets in a pinch and temporarily go
without groceries, medicine, or housing. To do this, they take on points of Debt. Each
point of Debt gives them +$50 and reduces their Social Standing by -1. Debt cannot
be taken on when an investigator is at negative Social Standing, and Debt has a
chance of decreasing at the end of every investigation (see [Getting Better.])

If an investigator ever has negative Social Standing, they temporarily reduce

their max Hit Points by -2 per point of negative standing. This is caused by subpar
living conditions, guilt, stress, and all the other hydra-headed issues that stem from
not being able to fulfill your baseline needs. This penalty cannot reduce an
investigator below 1 Hit Point, but it is stressful and unpleasant.

15
 Omens
Omens are the vague manifestations of luck, grit, and supervision by higher powers
that keep investigators safe when they should be utterly destroyed.

Investigators start with 5 Omens, +1 Omen if they have less than 5 max Hit
Points, and +1 Omen if the sum of their Abilities is +3 or lower.

Using Omens

Investigators may spend an Omen at any time to do any of the following:

● Reroll any one die

● Deal maximum damage on an attack
● Reduce incoming damage by -d6
● Reduce a DR by -4

Recovering Omens

All Omens are recovered at the end of an investigation.

Omens do not recover naturally before then.

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17
 Selecting A Class
The following Classes define the broad archetypes that investigators might fit into.

Classes come with three Specialties (two fixed and one random,) which shape how they play.

Classes also include a Backstory, which describe how they were exposed to the occult.

If two people play the same Class and roll the same Backstory, they were both there.

Instead of a Class, you may take +1 to an Ability, +1 Omens, and +1 max Hit Points.

18
 1 - Socialite
Champagne bubbles rise to the top of the glass, and you are rising similarly to the top of
society.

Likeable and at ease in a crowd, you see the gilded age as a beautiful dream---one from which
you fear you may soon awaken.

19
d6 Brushes With The Unknown

1 Every night for a week, a songbird sat on your windowsill, telling you stories in its too-human voice. All
of them have come true.

2 Following a particularly bad tiff with an ex, your health took a turn for the worse. Doctors could find no
cause. In desperation, you turned to a woman on the bad side of town who blew some powder over you
and chanted a series of difficult to pronounce words. Your condition improved immediately.

3 You had an imaginary friend when you were younger, and they weren't very nice. You inherited your
parents' money at a young age. You still wake up sweating, terrified that your friend will return.

4 You grew up in a house that had more corridors than you could count. The other inhabitants only seemed
to recognize some of them, but you used to journey casually to places that you can now scarcely describe.

5 Your association with artists has led you into some iffy situations, but recently that part of your social
circle has collapsed entirely. Several of the more avant garde members have been torn to shreds. No
explanation has been provided.

6 Last month you attended a party at a remote lodge in the woods. You remember little of that evening, but
impressions of animal masks and knives linger.

Socialite Specialties

Lap Of Luxury. Your Social Standing is your Stability + 4. Well-Liked. You gain -2 DR to Presence tests
where etiquette or charm is a factor.

1 Soaring Markets. Gain $300 immediately and gain $100 at the start of every subsequent investigation.

2 Jasper And Horace. You have two lackeys who do your bidding with minimal questions asked. They each
have 4 HP, Morale 5, Thick Clothing -d2, Club d6. If they die or are lost, you may suffer -1 Stability at the
start of the next investigation and suddenly they're back. You are the only person who remembers
anything having happened to them.

3 Leisurely Hunter. Start with a custom engraved elephant gun and 5 bullets. This elephant gun has
fantastic rifling and only suffers +2 DR to hit targets.

4 Heirloom Ring. You have a unique band that has been in your family for generations. Once ever, you may
instantly recover 4 Omens. When you do, the ring shatters.

5 The Right Introductions. Once per investigation, when your group needs something odd but not
impossible (a chartered plane flight, a ticket to a seance, entry to the botanical gardens at night,) you may
simply declare that you have a contact who can provide it as repayment for a past favor.

6 Curious Heirloom. Start with a random Artifact.

20
21
 2 - Crook
Comfort and safety are only guarantees for a few. Everyone else gets by with what they can take. Your activities may be
illegal, but going straight would cost more than you can pay.

d6 Unsettling Tasks

1 A "client" is turning over their house to us as payment. Go in, take inventory, make sure we're not being
handed a wreck. But stay out of the basement, and don't pull the sheets off of any furniture you think may
be a mirror.

2 The Family wants a ridealong for a trip to the sea. It's at night. Don't ask questions, and come armed.

3 Bring the box from behind the butcher's to the old Vine Lake graveyard. Leave it by the tomb with twelve
angels. Don't look back.

4 Someone needs to meet with the men from the mountains. Find out what supplies they're asking for, pay
them their share of the proceeds, and don't question their version of scripture.

5 Boss put in an order for the usual medicine. You know where to go. Don't set foot in that asylum, no
matter how they ask. Just pay, say that the next volunteer will be along shortly, and take the ampoules.

6 The actor talked. It's fine, we don't need you to fix it, but someone has to stand lookout while the men go
in. Give them five minutes, then come back. Don't go into that house, no matter what you hear.

Crook Specialties

Lee Side Of Legal. -1 DR to Agility and Strength tests to get into places where you aren't wanted. Healthy
Sense Of Distrust. You add +1 to your team's Initiative roll, and you receive -1 DR to all tests during the first
Round of each combat.

1 Heavy. Gain +2 max Hit Points and increase your damage with unarmed attacks by +2.

2 Bodycount. You deal +1 damage on attacks where you strike to kill.

3 Rum-Runner. You gain a modded motor car with +10 Carrying Capacity via a smuggler's compartment.
You also gain -2 DR to Agility tests to drive it and similar vehicles.

4 Slippery. Once per investigation, you may automatically escape from captivity. The GM will narrate this.

5 Well-Supplied. Once per investigation, you may reveal that you had hidden on your person all of the
material needed to assemble a kit from the [Tools] section of the Equipment chapter.

6 Desperate Defense. When unarmed or holding an improvised weapon, you gain -2 DR on Agility tests to
avoid attacks.

22
23
 3 - Academic
The mysteries of this world are all fathomable.

You may not have seen to the bottom of them yet, but there is a finite number of facts in the
universe.

d6 Troubling Enigmas

1 For want of anything better to do, you went with some friends to debunk a psychic. The ensuing seance
was harrowing and ended with her rising off the ground, eyes emitting light in various colors. You still
haven't figured out how she pulled off this trickery. The friends who went with you won't have anything
more to do with you.

2 While supervising an experiment on radio waves, several of your colleagues became agitated and
claimed they needed to tear down the lab. This seemed irrational to you, so you assisted the rest of the
team in pacifying them. The pacification went a little far, and sometimes you can still see the stain of blood
on your hands.

3 During a visit to an archaeological dig, you were taken to see "the king": a massive saurian skeleton. It was
breathtaking---and oddly identical to a specimen in Chicago. Your visit to the site was regrettably cut
short when a gang of masked eccentrics attacked---one of which looked quite a bit like you. Luckily you
were able to defeat them.

4 For a brief period, you took up an interest in modern folklore. Ghosts, hobgoblins, rumors of an
underground labyrinth in rural England. It was a pleasant if harmless diversion until heavily armed people
showed up at your doorstep and demanded you explain to them the myths surrounding a set of standing
stones in the region. No violence was done, but they must have been unstable types, because the police
reported them dead in a car crash a few days later.

5 While taking core samples of the northern ice, you encountered a couple of travelers that were frozen
nearly to death. They each claimed the other was an impostor, a predator wearing human flesh, and
demanded that you shoot them. You declined and bundled them up separately for rescue despite their
screaming protestations. The dogsled that came to pick them up never reached a hospital.

6 While surveying cultural narratives concerning dreaming, you stopped in a small village where the
residents were said to share the same dream every night. You worked late into the evening studying the
case, only falling asleep after the moon was high and full. The villagers must have played a prank on you
then, because you awoke the next morning in a clearing with no houses in sight, and no one has since
admitted to recognizing the name of the village.

24
Academic Specialties

Mere Curiosity. Once per investigation, you may learn a spell from a tome without paying a Stability cost
for it. Well-Read. Gain -3 DR on Presence tests to decipher tomes or translate languages.

1 Frenzied Reading. You can digest the contents of a book or document in a single hour, but each time you
do so you must test Stability DR 12 or lose -1 Stability.

2 Harmless Busybody. Three times per investigation, you may ask the GM if your meddlesome
questioning has just alerted someone who may be hostile to you. If the GM answers yes, once per
investigation you may declare that the hostile party overlooks the incident.

3 Field Of Study. Declare a field of study, such as chemistry, psychology, or history. You gain -2 DR on
Presence tests to understand information related to that field.

4 Practiced Eye. Twice per investigation, when studying your immediate environment, you may ask the
GM if there is any hidden information relevant to the investigation or to your immediate survival. If there
is, the GM will tell you and hint at where it is.

5 Expeditious Retreat. Once per investigation, as long as you are not being physically restrained and there
is a clear escape route, you may automatically flee combat. If you flee this way, you leave combat
immediately, reach a place of at least temporary safety, and have d6 minutes before you are chased.

6 Unpleasant Bit Of Superstition. Gain a random Terrestrial Horrors spell. You gain -2 DR to resisting
Stability loss from that spell.

25
26
 4 - Innocent
The world may be unkind, but that doesn't mean you have to follow suit. Even though you see callousness and cruelty,
your spirit burns strong.

d6 Terrors Rebuked

1 A winged creature that lived in your attic was scared off when you sang one of mother's songs to it.

2 Strange men with rifles failed to find you when you hid in the old carriage house.

3 A man in a quiet seaside town ran in front of your car and begged for a ride away. You drove with him for
three hours until the locals stopped pursuing.

4 Something desecrated the bones of your family pet, so you reburied them and came back the next night
with a shotgun.

5 While volunteering at a hospital, you encountered a patient who claimed their limbs would come off and
crawl around at night. Despite the protestations of your higher ups, you helped them secure their body
with ropes, keeping them peaceful for a week until they passed.

6 Your grandfather, an artist, suffered a strange fixation after reading an old book. You stayed with him,
talked him down, and later burned all of the works he produced during this short, horrible period.

Innocent Specialties

Well Of Kindness. Gain +2 Stability. Your Social Standing is Stability -2. Spark Of Hope. Gain -2 DR to
Stability tests.

1 Appealing Prey. Gain +4 max Hit Points. When a creature can choose between multiple targets, and one
of those targets is you, it must test DR 7 to choose a target other than you. Every third time during an
investigation a creature that could target you targets someone else, recover an Omen.

2 Something To Protect. Gain +2 max Hit Points. When an ally would take damage, provided you are
nearby and not restrained, you may take that damage in their place.

3 Beacon Of Hope. All allies receive -1 DR on Stability tests while in your presence.

4 Miraculous Escape. The first time during each investigation that you would Break, you automatically
pass the Stability test and do not suffer any reduction to your Abilities.

5 Redeeming Grace. Once per investigation, you may return an ally with negative Stability to 0 Stability.

6 Final Sacrifice. When you die, all of your allies recover d6 Hit Points, 1 Omen, and gain -2 DR to hit with
attacks for the next five minutes.

27
28
 5 - Accursed
You have never had cause to doubt the existence of evil. Its touch has tainted you from the beginning.

You are not safe to be around, but if you can turn your powers back against the forces that created them, perhaps you
will do some good with your short life.

d6 Tragic Burdens

1 Descended from the stars, they poked at your brain. You now reside in a body you have trouble
recognizing as yours.

2 Every generation, a member of your family must play chess with the devil. The stakes and the time of the
appointment are announced by a scorched envelope. You are the last surviving member of your kin.

3 During an involuntary stay at an asylum, you were given unspecified fluids from a strange corpse. You
escaped when your body melted into a heap and flowed out the window of your cell.

4 You experience a terrible hunger every winter. Red, raw meat helps, but on the coldest days even it doesn't
satisfy.

5 You are not a person, but a dream. You have not succeeded in convincing anyone else of this, but you
know it to be true, and you know that one day your dreamer will wake.

6 Your sister lives in a well. Growing up, you were close, but you suspected your family might try to confine
you to a similar imprisonment when your change came, so you ran away from home.

29
Accursed Specialties

Altered State. Once per rest, at any time, you may shift your body into a horrifying second form, gaining
+3d4 max Hit Points, recovering 2d10 Hit Points, and distributing 3 points between Strength, Toughness,
Agility, and Presence. Your shift lasts for d4+1 Rounds, or until you choose to end it. After ending a shift,
test Stability DR 14 or suffer -1 Stability. Damage that was absorbed by your extra Hit Points while shifted
does not carry over to your human form when you de-shift. Malign Influences. You also crit on a 19 and
fumble on a 2.

1 Caustic Reservoir. While in either human or shifted form, you can spit acid d4 times per combat. You test
Presence DR 8 to hit, and victims suffer d4+2 damage and reduce their armor by a dice step (from -d6 to
-d4, -d4 to -d2, -d2 to -0.)

2 Ghastly Appearance. While in a shift, anyone who is not an investigator, a monster, or aligned with
monsters automatically flees from you in terror. Cultists test Morale the first time they spot your shifted
form, as do monsters that aren't aligned with a particular god.

3 Grisly Hide. While in a shift, your minimum armor is -d4, and anyone who attacks you in melee suffers
1 damage bypassing their armor after each attempt.

4 Fleeting Shadow. If you shift and de-shift during the same Round, others will instantly forget whatever
thing you did while shifted. They may still notice the consequences, however, so committing murder in a
crowded room remains risky.

5 Ravening Beast. While shifted, you may choose to suffer +2 DR on all tests until the end of the Round in
exchange for an extra Action during your Turn.

6 Cosmic Wings. Your shifted form can fly short distances, carrying up to one human if need be, although
the process is horribly physically demanding. When de-shifting following a flight, you suffer d6 damage
bypassing armor from the intense exhaustion.

30
31
 6 - Complicit
The gods will win this war. That fate has been foretold. Nothing any mortal does shall prevent
it.

However, they still underestimate you at their peril.

You have the power to tilt the balance. You have the power to pick a winner.

32
d6 Rituals Of Fealty

1 Draping organs over a lightning-split oak in the depths of the woods, screaming for absolution.

2 Taking cadavers from the medical school lab over to the tunnels beneath the cemetery for the wise ones
to pick over.

3 Marrying the eldest in a certain family and performing gruesome tasks for them until you are deemed
worthy.

4 Lowering a wicker cage into a hole in the swamp and hoping to pull up wisdom, not just bones.

5 Self-destructive indulgence in sensory stimuli until every nerve ending pulses with the heartbeat of the
world.

6 Spending a month of incarceration in a lightless chamber, and then a day staked under the sun, and then
another month without light until time and history run at the edges.

Complicit Specialties

Servant Of Powers Unseen. Suffer -2 Stability. Pick a god from [Beasts, Monsters, And Gods.] You gain its
Passive, and its creatures and agents are friendlier towards you, regarding you the way you would regard
another human at the grocery store. Nevertheless, they may still try to hurt you if you initiate violence, or
if you attempt to stop them from feeding. Invocations Open The Way. Gain a random Outer Horrors spell.
You gain -2 DR to resisting Stability loss from that spell.

1 Dignified Villain. You have an intricately carved sword cane. It deals +1 damage and has -1 DR to hit with
attacks.

2 Creature Comforts. When you Rest In Comfort, you refill your Hit Points instead of rolling. An ally of
your choice who joins you may do the same.

3 Patient And Vicious. Traps you set deal +3 damage.

4 Arcane Insulation. You gain -2 DR to resist losing Stability from casting spells.

5 Sow The Dragon's Teeth. Once per investigation, when there are multiple gods' forces in a scene, you may
declare that they fight.

6 Token Of Service. You carry a gnarled charm that protects you against baleful influences. Reduce any
damage that you would suffer from spells or monster powers by -2. This charm does not work against
agents of the god you follow.

33
34
 How The
Investigators
Know Each Other
1 Witnesses in the trial of a serial killer.

2 Thrown in the same cell after a speakeasy raid.

3 Named in the will of a recently deceased industrialist.

4 Beleaguered by the same prophetic dream.

5 Have friends or relatives interred in the same asylum.

6 Met through a shared hobby, such as aviation, intoxicants, or board

games.

35
36
 Equipment
The following equipment can be obtained by investigators during the course of their work.

37
 Weapons
Weapons are items that can be used as part of an attack.

The following weapons are obtainable by anyone who spends the time and money seeking them
out.

1 Unarmed Strike. $0. D2 damage. Does not take up any Carrying Capacity.

2 Garrote. $2. 2 Hands. Inflicts d2 damage on a successful grapple.

3 Improvised Object. $0. D4 damage.

4 Knife. $2. D4 damage, 1 bleed.

5 Shield. $3. D2 damage. -1 DR to Agility tests to avoid attacks.

6 Club. $3. D6 damage.

7 Handaxe. $5. D6 damage, 1 bleed, and -3 DR to breaking through wooden barriers.

8 Machete. $7. D6 damage, 2 bleed.

9 Bow And Arrows. $10. 2 Hands. D6 damage. Price includes quiver of 12 arrows. Reload after
each shot, but so long as you have a quiver this does not cost an Action. Additional arrows cost $1
for 6. Replacement quivers cost $3.

10 Sword Cane. $25. D6 damage and 1 bleed when drawn. D4 damage otherwise. -4 DR on
Presence tests to conceal that you are armed with the cane.

11 Boar Spear. $12. 2 Hands. D8 damage, 1 bleed. -1 DR to Agility tests to avoid attacks.

12 Harpoon. $9. 2 Hands. D8 damage, 2 bleed. If a struck victim tries to flee combat, you may test
Strength at a DR set by the GM to prevent them from leaving.

13 Revolver. $15. D8+1 damage. Price includes 6 bullets. Action to reload after 6 shots. Additional
bullets cost $2 for 6.

14 Macuahuitl. $100. 2 Hands. D10 damage, 4 bleed.

15 Shotgun. $45. 2 Hands. D10+2 damage. -2 DR to hit targets. Price includes 2 shells. Action to
reload after 2 shots. Additional shells $1 for 1.

16 Rifle. $50. 2 Hands. D10+4 damage. Price includes 5 bullets. Action to reload after each shot.
Additional bullets cost $1 for 1.

17 Elephant Gun. $250. 2 Hands. 2d6+6 damage. +4 DR to hit targets. Price includes a bullet. 2
Actions to reload after each shot. Additional bullets cost $2 for 1.

38
18 Submachine Gun. $400. 2 Hands. D12+3 damage. Price includes 50 bullets. Action to reload
after 50 shots. Additional bullets cost $1 for 1.

19 Flamethrower With Fuel Backpack. $500. 2 Hands. 4d6+1 damage. Victim lights on fire for
d4 damage at the end of each Round until extinguished. +4 DR on Agility Tests while wielding this
cumbersome apparatus. Fumbling with a flamethrower attack kills you and anyone nearby. Price
includes fuel tank. 5 minutes to reload after 20 shots. Additional fuel tanks for $50.

20 Belt-Fed Gatling Gun. $1500. 2 Hands and a trained assistant. 4d8+4 damage. 5 minutes to set
up. Counts as 6 reasonable-sized objects. Price includes box of 100 bullets. 2 Actions to reload
after 100 shots. Additional bullets cost $1 for 1.

39
 Armor
Armor are items that help to insulate their wearer from damage.

If a character wears multiple pieces of armor, only the best one

applies.

The following piece of armor are obtainable by anyone who spends

the time and money seeking them out.

1 Thick Clothing. $20. -d2 damage. +1 DR on Agility tests.

2 Body Armor. $100. -d4 damage. +2 DR on Agility tests.

40
41
 Tools
Tools are items that are situationally useful, and can be handy to keep in stock.

The following tools are obtainable by anyone who spends the time and money seeking them out.

1 Bindle. $1. 1 hand. Increases Carrying Capacity by +3.

2 Backpack. $8. Increases Carrying Capacity by +5. +1 DR to Agility tests.

3 Steamer Trunk. $15. 1 hand. Increases Carrying Capacity by +8. +4 DR to Agility tests.
Retrieving an item from the trunk takes an Action.

4 Medical Box. $10. Spend an Action and a dose to restore d4 Hit Points to an ally. 4 doses.

5 Doctor's Kit. $20. Contains gauze, scalpel, tourniquet, syringe, disinfectant. -2 DR to

diagnosing or treating medical conditions.

6 Lockbreaker's Kit. $20. Includes hand drill, saw, and picks. -2 DR to disabling locks.

7 Scientist's Kit. $20. Includes magnifying glass, simple chemicals, tweezers, sample bags, and
notebook. -2 DR to analyzing samples.

8 Mechanic's Kit. $20. Includes wrench, ruler, lubricant, chains. -2 DR to repairing machines.

9 Occultist's Kit. $20. Includes cheap athame, ancient languages phrasebook, foraged herbs, and
cheap diploma to nonexistent occult university. -2 DR to guessing at otherworldly phenomenon.

10 Actor's Kit. $20. Includes makeup, thread and needle, wig, hand mirror. -2 DR to disguising
yourself or impressing others through your appearance.

11 Survivalist's Kit. $20. Includes waterproofed tarpaulin, small traps, matches, saline tablets,
and canteen. -2 DR to surviving in the wild.

12 Bon Vivant's Kit. $20. Contains flask, cigarettes, racy magazine, playing cards. -2 DR to
making friends.

13 Ration. $1. Food and drink for one person for one day.

14 Handcuffs. $4. Spend an Action to apply to a restrained character. Spend an Action and test
Strength DR 20 to burst out of them.

15 Cough Syrup. $5. Alcohol, chloroform, cannabis, morphia. Drinker tests Toughness DR 13 or
becomes muddled (+3 DR to all tests) for d6 hours. 20 doses.

16 Nerve Tonic. $10. Cocaine, primarily. -2 DR on Stability tests and 1-in-2 chance of an extra
Action each Round of combat. Lasts for d2 hours. 4 doses.

42
17 Household Pesticide. $5. Insects avoid you for d4 hours. Extremely flammable---can be
ignited and thrown to catch targets in the area on fire (d4 damage at the end of each Round until
extinguished.) 4 doses.

18 Jaw Trap. $6. Action to set. Presence DR 13 to notice. D6 damage and 2 bleed. Strength DR 18
or Agility DR 15 to remove. Can be reset.

19 Molotov. $1. D4 damage and sets target on fire (d4 damage at the end of each Round until
extinguished.)

20 Holster or Sheathe. $20. Draw a firearm or melee weapon from this without spending an
Action.

43
 Vehicles
Vehicles are methods by which investigators can travel.

Investigators are familiar with operating any types of vehicles they start play with, or that they
specifically focus on learning between investigations.

An investigator that is not familiar with a vehicle suffers +2 DR to all tests to operate it.

The following vehicles are obtainable by anyone who spends the time and money seeking them
out.

1 Horse. $100. HP 12, Morale 14, Hoof d6+4, 10 Carrying Capacity.

2 Motor Car. $250. 25 HP, Metal Frame -d6, Crash 2d8+4 damage to victim and occupants must
test to avoid the attack as well. 15 Carrying Capacity.

44
45
 Tomes
Tomes are troves of forgotten knowledge and occult lore.

They typically teach spells to their reader---usually at a cost.

Each tome has a period of time that it must be studied for, and then a test that must be made at
the end to understand its contents. If the test is failed, the period of study must be repeated.

Tomes can only be found during investigations. They cannot be purchased during character
creation.

Tomes in an investigator's possession can be researched in the interval between investigations,

but only one test to understand the tome is allowed per interval.

1 Hammer Of Witches. A grotesque description of torture techniques to be used in securing a confession

of witchcraft. Somewhat accidentally mixed with fragmentary descriptions of minor occult powers. 8 hours
and Presence DR 13 to decipher. Optionally learn Wear The Dogskin and Aura Of Blight for -1
Stability each.

2 Seven Layered Engrams. A series of mental exercises designed to instill a deep fear of conventional
thinking in the reader. 14 hours and Presence DR 14 to decipher. Optionally learn Dust Of Mortality
and Anoint The Geometries Of Violence for -1 Stability each.

3 Of The Coming Apocalypse. A record of the future by one Saint Methodius. 6 hours and Presence
DR 11 to decipher. Optionally learn Augury and Tongue-Splicer's Chant for -1 Stability each.

4 Touching The Angles. An esoteric guidebook detailing how a seer might project their consciousness
beyond the edges of reality and commune with the beings that dwell there. 11 hours and Presence DR 14
to decipher. Optionally learn Extracausal Jaunt and Symbiosis Of Flame for -1 Stability each.

5 Coming Forth By Day. Detailed instructions on the preservation of corpses, sophisticated enough that
they may walk again under their own power, mingling unnoticed with the living. 12 hours and Presence
DR 13 to decipher. Optionally learn Pharoah's Organ Jar and Sun-Sovereign's Lance for -1
Stability each.

6 A Skeptic's Guide To Being Contemplated By God. Should just be doggerel poetry, but the lines
blur and shift on the page. 9 hours and Presence DR 10 to decipher. Optionally learn Grave The
Repulsive Sigil and Reject The Outer Gates for -1 Stability each.

7 Of The Worm's Mysteries. Riddled with typos and mistranslations, but there's an unsettling edge of
plausibility to some of its subjects. 7 hours and Presence DR 11 to decipher. Optionally learn Sweet
Scent Of The Veins and Repulse Parasite for -1 Stability each.

8 Cassilda Wears No Mask. A story about a play. Or a play about a story about a play, performed on
the stage of your life. Your name's on the inside cover. 12 hours and Presence DR 12 to decipher.
Optionally learn Flesh Runs Like Candlewax Down The Wick Of The Moment and Globe Of
Encapsulation for -1 Stability each. Gain a The Play's The Thing token (see [The King In Yellow.])

46
9 Cultes Des Goules. An overview of the methods by which one might worship the things that dwell
beneath graveyards. 6 hours and Presence DR 11 to decipher. Optionally learn Wake The Dead and
Cloaked In The Whispers Of Stars for -1 Stability each.

10 The Air On The Other Side Of Drowning. A morbid meditation on all the means by which one
may die. Particular attention is paid to deaths involving the ocean. 13 hours and Presence DR 9 to
decipher. Optionally learn Hurricane Supplication and Breath Thief for -1 Stability each.

11 A Quiet House. A ghost story, seemingly without a ghost. Nevertheless, thoroughly researched and
surprisingly precise. 8 hours and Presence DR 10 to decipher. Optionally learn Blood Aegis and
Mist-Dweller's Knell for -1 Stability each.

12 Dr. Laban's Record. Made of projected light, and written in the future. 7 hours Presence DR 14 to
decipher. Optionally learn Knit Flesh and Bind Foe for -1 Stability each.

47
48
 Artifacts
Artifacts are terrible curiosities with hidden depths.

They have unique properties that are not apparent at first glance, but slowly reveal themselves
after you take them on investigations. These Revelations remain unlocked indefinitely.

Changes to a character's statline caused by an artifact (such as -1 Stability, or +1 Agility) are only
applied when a Revelation is reached. They do not repeat, and trading the artifact does not
transfer them.

Bonuses or penalties applied by an artifact (such as -1 DR to Stability tests) are transferable, and
apply to the artifact's owner even when the artifact isn't being carried around by them.

Only the most recent Revelation applies, and if the artifact is thrown away (or traded) its effect
ends (or is transferred) only at the end of the current investigation.

Artifacts may only be found during investigations. They cannot be purchased during character
creation.

49
1 Battered Packet Of Spiced Cigarettes

● 0 Investigations: Smells sweet, tastes pleasant. -1 DR on Stability tests.

● 1 Investigation: You dream deeply. Gain +1 Stability.
● 2 Investigations: What the hell are these made from? You fear you are becoming addicted. You
must make the supply last. -1 Stability.
● 3 Investigations: You know not what they are made of, nor of what keeps replenishing them, but
you have come to rely on them. Gain +1 Stability, and your dreams cannot be invaded by
outside forces while the herbs in these cigarettes are burning.

2 Thimble Of Amber Liquor

● 0 Investigations: Kicks like a musket, but it's sweet and firey. Drops you almost instantly to sleep.
+1 Stability.
● 1 Investigation: When you stare for too long at the thimble, visions of constellations whirl in your
head. -1 Stability.
● 2 Investigations: You are almost constantly nauseous. The movement of stars haunts your
eyelids. You cannot escape them. -1 Stability and +1 DR on all tests.
● 3 Investigations: This is a drug designed to assist the mind and body in astral travel. By
microdosing, you can insulate yourself against some of the consequences of meddling in the occult.
1-in-4 chance of losing no Stability when you fail the Stability test for a spell.

3 Candled Of Jaundiced Wax

● 0 Investigations: What an unsightly thing. Its very presence feels slimy. +1 DR on Stability tests.
● 1 Investigation: The light of the flame is soothing, at least. Of late, it's been helping to lull you to
sleep. +1 Stability.
● 2 Investigations: A voice whispers from the flame, offering you secrets. -1 Stability and gain a
random Terrestrial Horrors spell. Reroll or else decline without losing Stability if the spell is
already one you know.
● 3 Investigations: The deal the voice offered came at a terrible price. -1 Stability, -4 max HP
(minimum 1,) gain a random Outer Horrors spell. Reroll or else decline without losing
Stability if the spell is already one you know.

4 Skeletonized Paw Of A Small Ape

● 0 Investigations: Lurid, but at least it invites conversation. Treat your Social Standing as +1
higher.
● 1 Investigation: The blasted thing. It pinches! Start your next investigation with d4 damage.
● 2 Investigations: Why are you keeping this? You're pretty sure it's been stealing your valuables
and caching them god knows where. At night you can hear it scuttling like a spider. Lose 2d6 x $10
(minimum 0.)
● 3 Investigations: You've come to an accord with the hand. You will give it money, and it will aid
your labors. At the end of each investigation, lose $100 or part ways with the hand. For as
long as the hand stays with you, you gain -4 DR to tests to pick pockets or open locks.

50
5 Dress Of Skulls

● 0 Investigations: Made of an unidentifiable fabric, not actual skulls. Those are merely
illustrations, dyed into every spare inch of the dress. Still, you feel strangely safe while wearing it.
While wearing the dress, you gain armor -d4.
● 1 Investigation: It's such a pretty thing. You love the way it twirls around you. As the previous
level, but you gain -1 DR to Stability and Presence rolls while wearing it.
● 2 Investigations: You...can't take it off. The skulls on the dress shift and clatter when you walk. You
can hear them. As the previous level, but all attempts to remove the dress fail and you suffer
-1 Stability.
● 3 Investigations: Those aren't skulls. Those are people. They talk to you, each with a distinct voice.
They all love the dress. They are ready to welcome you in. Suffer -1 Stability. Test Stability DR 14
at the start of each investigation. On a success, you may remove the dress at the end of the
investigation. On a failure, at the end of the investigation you vanish into the dress. In the
meantime, the dress provides armor -d6, -2 DR to Presence tests, and you can freely
manifest a machete that deals +3 damage. The machete de-manifests three seconds after it
leaves your hand.

6 Dented Brass Badge

● 0 Investigations: Engraved with letters from an unguessable language. Fastened with a

surprisingly resilient pin. You discover 2d6 x $10 at the end of the investigation.
● 1 Investigation: What a quaint little object. It feels almost warm to the touch, as if it had rested
briefly in the sun. You feel safer having it around. +2 max Hit Points.
● 2 Investigations: It may not mean anything to anyone else, but it means something to you. You
feel more secure when you wear it. -1 DR to Stability tests while wearing the badge. +2 DR to
Stability tests when not wearing the badge.
● 3 Investigations: It's yours! All the scum that skulk and crawl will never take it from you. You will
rain down blows upon their necks. You will make them see your superiority. You now permanently
suffer +3 DR to Stability tests when you are not wearing the badge, even if you throw this
artifact away. While wearing the badge, you must test Stability DR 13 to not resort to
violence when you feel you have been insulted.

7 Neglected Jeweler's Loupe

● 0 Investigations: So many lenses, all in fine articulation. Objects that you sell during an
investigation sell for 50% more.
● 1 Investigation: As you grow more comfortable with the loupe, your vision narrows. +2 DR to
Presence tests to perceive things quickly, -2 DR to perceive things in detail.
● 2 Investigations: Sometimes your vision abruptly snaps into a hyper-magnified state, rendering
you all but blind. During your next investigation, the GM may suddenly blind you for d4
Rounds up to two times.
● 3 Investigations: There is a ceremony that will fix your vision and calm the loupe, but it is
harrowing. -2 Stability. Once per investigation, you may study an Artifact and know exactly
what its next Revelation will do.

51
8 Dried Snake's Tongue

● 0 Investigations: The snake that surrendered this must have been a true monster. It's reassuring
to know that humans could triumph over such a beast. +1 Stability.
● 1 Investigation: Your opinion on the tongue has soured. You're not wholly sure why you kept it, but
it looks like such a twisted, ugly thing when you examine it. It gives you the shivers. +1 DR on
Stability tests.
● 2 Investigations: Not just ugly, but haunted. You can't shake the image of a massive, tongueless
python crawling through your home, looking for its shorn organ. Every night, you dream of it getting
closer. -1 Stability, +1 DR on Stability tests, and at the end of the investigation you are
ambushed by a giant snake.
● 3 Investigations: Twice humanity has beaten this foul, fallen creature. Ha. You spit on its corpse.
+3 Stability.

9 Wooden Shark Mask

● 0 Investigations: A carved face with massive, neatly symmetrical jaws. You feel extremely
reluctant to put it on. While wearing the mask, all melee damage you deal is increased by +2.
● 1 Investigation: It's not as bad as you thought. No horrible dreams, nor even any particular
fixation on the mask. It does seem to have power, but that's hardly a drawback. As the previous
level, but you suffer +2 DR on Presence tests to recognize other people's feelings and you
must test Presence DR 12 to show emotions.
● 2 Investigations: What a useful device! It makes you stronger at no cost. Your weaknesses lie like
shed skin on the floor around you. You cannot recognize other people's emotions or show your
own. While wearing the mask, all melee damage you deal is increased by +3.
● 3 Investigations: You are a predator. You swim through schools of bright, silvered, slippery things
that die if they catch your attention. The mask is a part of you. Its indentations are worn into the
flesh of your face. As the previous level, but when you spot a vulnerable target you must test
Stability DR 7 or attempt to kill them. You may also breathe under water.

10 Tophat Of An Unspecified Gentleman

● 0 Investigations: What a stylish piece of headwear. Perhaps it isn't in vogue right now, but it's sure
to turn heads. -1 DR on Presence tests to peacefully charm anyone who might be impressed
by your appearance.
● 1 Investigation: You've taken it for a spin out on the town, and it was like being a whole other
person. Everyone you met adored you. +1 Stability. +d6 x $10. -3 DR on Presence tests to
peacefully charm anyone who might be impressed by your appearance.
● 2 Investigations: You should have known it was too good to be true. You can scarce leave your
home without risking being torn apart by a crowd. Every human character you meet must test
Stability DR 10 or become possessive of you.
● 3 Investigations: You have ridden out the storm somehow. The tophat's terrible power has
abated. Everyone who was possessive of you has that feeling reduced to a mild affection. You
gain -2 DR to Presence tests to charm others.

52
11 Rune-Painted Cat Skull

● 0 Investigations: Complex blue sigils have been painted onto the bleached white bone. You feel
bad for the kitty that gave up its life to make this trinket. Gain +1 Omen for this investigation
only.
● 1 Investigation: The skull has hidden depths. Out of curiosity, you drilled through a tiny portion of
it, and that blue ink runs all the way through the bone. Gain +2 Omens for this investigation
only.
● 2 Investigations: Your research continues, unearthing fragmentary references to the skull in a
variety of occult texts. None seem to indicate what it does, but it has been kept in several notable
collections since the Renaissance. Gain +3 Omens for this investigation only.
● 3 Investigations: Finally, you've unearthed some context for this thing. The oldest known
reference to it seems to claim that it was taken as a trophy by the Romans during their war against
'the cats of Gaulway', whatever those might have been. Gain +2 Omens. Ultharii attack you on
sight.

12 Fire-Blackened Musket

● 0 Investigations: A revolutionary war piece, impressive despite the damages it has since
sustained. The musket is 2 Hands. 2d6+1 damage. +2 DR to hit targets. 12 Rounds to reload
after each shot. Ammunition must be hand-made at $3 per waxed cartridge of ball and
powder.
● 1 Investigation: Cleaning the weapon has scrubbed off some of the char, but it seems to keep
creeping back. As the previous level, but the musket no longer suffers +2 DR to hit targets.
● 2 Investigations: In defiance of your efforts, the musket has thoroughly re-charred itself. Does it
somehow understand what you're doing? Is it safe to continue to tinker with? As the previous
level, but targets hit by the musket catch fire for d4 damage at the end of each Round until
extinguished.
● 3 Investigations: Tragedy. Your accommodations have burned to the ground. You know exactly
what was to blame. Reduce your Social Standing by -4 for your next investigation and lose all
current wealth and possessions other than the musket. The musket now has the following
stats: 2 Hands. 3d6+3 damage. Targets hit by the musket catch fire for d4 damage at the end
of each Round until extinguished. 12 Rounds to reload after each shot. Ammunition must be
hand-made at $3 per waxed cartridge of ball and powder.

53
54
 Terrified Allies
Allies are temporary companions who are willing to aid the investigators.

They are loyal, but they do have limits, and they will flee if they fail a Morale test. 2d6 hours
after fleeing, they will summon up their courage and be willing to work with the investigators
again.

If an ally ever fumbles a Morale test, they will flee and part ways with the investigators
permanently.

Each ally has a trait and a specialty, which determine their nature and assets.

Generally speaking, no more than 2 allies will accompany a party on an investigation.

The following allies may be picked up during investigations.

55
1 Indebted Bootlegger
Grateful for the save, but desperately trying to cut down on the number of favors they owe.

HP 8, Morale 12, Body Armor -d4, Revolver d8+1

Trait:

1 Prattles about hobby

2 Self-effacing

3 Jovial in inappropriate situations

4 Wanted to grow up and be a hero

Specialty:

1 Modified automobile (18 HP, Metal -d4, Crash 2d8 and passengers must test to avoid the attack
as well. 20 Carrying Capacity.) Precise High-Speed Driving DR 8

2 Rifle (d10+2) instead of revolver

3 Picks locks DR 8

4 Skilled negotiator DR 8

56
 2 Traumatized Scholar
Will gladly sacrifice their time and effort if there's even a chance of disproving the chilling
realizations they've reached.

HP 4, Morale 13, Punch d2

Trait:

1 Avoids eye contact

2 Incapable of speaking up

3 Gets lost in tangents

4 Needlessly obfuscatory language

Specialty:

1 Translates languages DR 6

2 Produces compounds through chemistry DR 8

3 Identifies traits of animals, plants, and creatures DR 8

4 Recalls a piece of military history related to the current situation, granting 1 free Omen to a
single investigator in each combat

57
 3 Discreet Doctor
So dedicated to the craft of medicine that they are unwelcome at hospitals.

HP 6, Morale 11, Scalpel d4 damage and 3 bleed

Trait:

1 Somewhat excessive interest in injuries

2 Brusque, no bedside manner

3 Not very clear how they got their license

4 Absolutely clear how they lost their license

Specialty:

1 Restores d2 Hit Points to each investigator after each combat

2 Chloroform and rag (human victim tests Toughness DR 13 or passes out, dies on a fumble)

3 Walking pharmacy, can always produce cough syrup, nerve tonic, or other generic home
remedies

4 Counseling, once per investigation a character that would lose a point of Stability instead does
not

58
 4 Fascinated Occultist
Cannot imagine anywhere in the world that would be more exciting than right here, right now.

HP 6, Morale 7, Thick Clothing -d2, Ritual Dagger d4 and 1 bleed

Trait:

1 Aloof but always wants to be involved

2 Tries to cram entire universe into a single belief system

3 Treats everyone as a potential disciple

4 Actually being impersonated by a skeptical journalist doing a piece on the unchecked menace
of occultist fraudsters

Specialty:

1 Know weaknesses and histories of supernatural creatures DR 8

2 Coruscating Powder Of Apep Ra (almost certainly made up, but itches and blinds for d6 Rounds
when thrown in the eyes) DR 8

3 Random Terrestrial Horrors spell

4 Random Outer Horrors spell

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60
 Casting Spells
Any character who has learned a spell may spend an Action to cast it.

Casting spells always succeeds, but comes at a cost.

The caster must test Stability at a DR determined by the spell.

If they fail, they suffer -1 Stability.

Casters without Stability (such as monsters) do not lose Stability from casting spells.

Allies that cast spells test Morale instead.

Bonuses or penalties from spells cannot be stacked.

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 Spells Of The Terrestrial Horrors
1 Hurricane Supplication. Stability DR 12. Calls a foul storm to blanket the area in heavy rain and
high winds for d4 days. Users who make a big show of casting the spell are later struck down by
unseen forces.

2 Pharoah's Organ Jar. Stability DR 14. Remove a vital organ from yourself or a restrained target
and place it in a sealed jar. Target loses d10 HP and -2 Stability, but all damage to their body from
now on is halved (round down.) Damage to the organ jar is doubled and bypasses all of their
resistances.

3 Sweet Scent Of The Veins. Stability DR 8. Name a specific type of creature (i.e. bats, worms,
ghuls.) For the next d6 hours, all of that creature's kin in a mile radius are drawn to your location.

4 Breath Thief. Stability DR 11. For d4 hours, you can breathe safely in environments where this
would normally be hazardous. However, you do this by sipping the air from someone else's lungs.
They must be line of sight when you cast the spell, and any time they exert themselves during the
duration they take d2 damage.

5 Dust Of Mortality. Stability DR 10. Corrosive powder deals 2d6 to victim, ignoring armor.

6 Wear The Dogskin. Stability DR 8. Turn into a bat (1 HP, +3 Presence, +2 Agility, echolocation
DR 5,) wolf (HP 11, +2 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Toughness, Bite d6+2,) or snake (3 HP, +1 Agility,
Bite d2 and victim tests Toughness DR 13 or is paralyzed for d6 hours,) for d4 hours or until you
voluntarily end the effect. You may not speak while in animal form. Damage to your animal form
does not transfer over to your normal form. If you Break while transformed, you turn back.

7 Wake The Dead. Stability DR 9. Target dead human rises as a zombie, obeying you until the
next dawn.

8 Aura Of Blight. Stability DR 11. Plants and creatures in your vicinity lose 1 HP at the start of
every minute until you end the spell's effect. You do not take damage from this, but your
companions do.

9 Blood Aegis. Stability DR 7. Suffer d6 damage bypassing armor as your blood crawls out and
covers you in a thin layer of -d6 armor for 4d6 minutes. This replaces your current armor (if your
current armor is worse) or adds -1 to it (if your armor is the same or better.)

10 Mist-Dweller's Knell. Stability DR 12. Fills surrounding area with dense mist for 3d6 minutes.
All melee damage within the mist is amplified by +3.

11 Grave The Repulsive Sigil. Stability DR 15. Engrave a complex, twisting sign onto a physical
object. The next creature to touch the sigil takes 3d6 damage.

12 Knit Flesh. Stability DR 11. Target recovers d10 Hit Points.

62
 Spells Of The Outer Horrors
1 Reject The Outer Gates. Stability DR 18. Spend any number of Hit Points and test Presence DR
20. Each Hit Point spent adds -1 DR to the test. On a success, target nearby extradimensional
entity tests Morale or is banished.

2 Bind Foe. Stability DR 14. Victim is paralyzed for d4 Rounds. Non-human creatures reduce this
duration by half (round down.)

3 Repulse Parasite. Stability DR 13. Eject parasites from a host, or repels parasites from their body
for d6 hours. Host takes d8 damage, bypassing armor, from particularly grotesque parasite exits.

4 Anoint The Geometries Of Violence. Stability DR 11. For the next d4 hours, touched weapon
deals +d4 damage.

5 Flesh Runs Like Candlewax Down The Wick Of The Moment. Stability DR 16. Touched
character loses a point from Strength, Presence, Agility, or Toughness and transfers it to a
different Ability.

6 Augury. Stability DR 12. The GM gives you a conflicted and confusing series of images and
sensory impressions that hint at what is going on in your current investigation, and what action
you may take next to improve your situation.

7 Tongue-Splicer's Chant. Stability DR 7. You may speak and understand all other intelligent
beings for d6 minutes.

8 Symbiosis Of Flame. Stability DR 11. You are sheathed in fire and gain -2 DR on Agility tests.
Any creature that attacks you in melee combat suffers d4 damage per attack. This lasts for d4
Rounds, after which you take d6 damage bypassing armor.

9 Globe Of Encapsulation. Stability DR 14. Subject is trapped in a 24 HP, -d4 armor invisible
globe for 2d4 hours. The globe can be as big as a swimming pool or as small as a bathysphere, it
cannot be moved, and it can only be damaged from the inside.

10 Extracausal Jaunt. Stability DR 14. Instantly travel to another point within line of sight.

11 Cloaked In The Whispers Of Stars. Stability DR 7. Become invisible. Re-test your Stability
every other Round while maintaining this spell.

12 Sun-Sovereign's Lance. Stability DR 7. Reduce your Stability by any number of points. Deal
Xd8 damage to a target, where X is equal to the Stability you sacrificed to fuel the spell. Non-
investigators that use this spell may spend 5 HP per point of Stability instead.

63
64
 Getting Better
After surviving an investigation, do all of the following:

Increase your Hit Points by +2.

Gain $40.

Increase an Ability of your choice by +1.

Roll a d6 if you have any Debt. On a 5 or a 6, reduce your Debt by -1.

If you wish, you may reduce your Stability by -1 to gain $50 and +1 max Hit
Points. This represents a small adventure in your off-time which you and the
GM may quickly narrate. You may embark on no more than one such adventure
after each investigation.

After every third investigation, you may pick any Class you like and gain a
Specialty from it.

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66
 Combat
Combat is not usually the first, best, or safest method for resolving a problem, but sometimes
your options narrow and there aren't better alternatives.

Rounds, Turns, And Actions

Combat is divided into Rounds, Turns, and Actions.

During a Round, every combatant gets a Turn.

During a combatant's Turn, they receive an Action.

An Action can be used to do anything that would influence the outcome of the fight. This might
mean an attack, casting a spell, throwing a lever, or barricading a door.

Typically, an Action includes some degree of movement as well. For example, an investigator
may sprint across a fancy ballroom to deck a cultist. This movement is in addition to whatever
else the investigator does with their Action.

Talking doesn't cost an Action unless the result of that talking is being used to influence the
outcome of the fight---such as by persuading a constable to throw their weapon down.

Initiative
To determine which side goes first at the
start of a combat, roll a d6.

1--3, foes first.

4--6, PCs first.

The side that goes first picks a character to

act. After that character finishes their Turn,
the opposite side picks a character to act,
and so on until the Round has been
completed.

On subsequent Rounds, the same side goes

first, but the combatants may choose to act
in a completely different order.

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Melee
Melee attacks are made at Strength DR 12 to hit. Succeed, and you roll your attack's damage.

All melee weapons also come with the option to Grapple instead of trying to deal damage.
Successful grappling wastes the victim's next Action and gives others -1 DR to hit them until
their next Turn. Targets that are gigantic, intangible, or otherwise difficult to imagine being
successfully grappled are immune to being grappled.

Ranged
Ranged attacks are made at Presence DR 12 to hit. Succeed, and you roll your attack's damage.

Ranged weapons need reloading after a certain number of shots. The amount of time this takes
differs from weapon to weapon, but is typically an Action.

Two-Weapon
If you have a one-handed weapon in each hand and your target is in range of both of them, you
may make a two-weapon attack.

Two-weapon attacks are made at Strength or Presence DR 16 to hit. If you're carrying two
melee or two ranged weapons, test the corresponding Ability. If you're carrying a weapon of
each type, test whichever Ability is worse. Succeed, and roll your attack's damage for both
weapons.

If one of your two weapons is a melee weapon, you may choose to grapple with it instead of
having it deal damage. So, for example, you can grapple with one hand and stab with a knife
in the other.

If a non-player character makes a two-weapon attack against an investigator, instead of the

attacker rolling at DR 16, the investigator receives -4 DR to avoid the attack.

Oversized
Some weapons require two hands to wield. This is due to their bulk, weight, or need for
leverage.

Any character that tries to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand suffers +3 DR on all attacks
with it (or gives the defender -3 DR, if the character is attacking an investigator.)

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Defense
Incoming attacks are avoided with Agility DR 12. Succeed, and you suffer no damage or ill
effects.

Non-Player Character Rolls

In general, non-player characters (such as monsters) do not roll during combat unless it is
absolutely necessary.

If a non-player character attacks an investigator, the investigator rolls defense.

If an investigator attacks a non-player character, the investigator rolls to attack.

Things get a little more complicated when non-player characters interact with each other, but
allies roll attack and defense against monsters. Monsters simply hit each other.

Investigator Vs. Investigator

If an investigator ever attacks another investigator, both parties roll.

If the defense fails and the attack hits, damage is done. Otherwise, the attack misses.

Bleed
Some attacks or abilities inflict bleed.

Characters with bleed suffer 1 damage per point of bleed at the end of each Round.

Bleed can stack, but spending an Action to bandage a character's wounds removes all points of
bleed from them.

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Combat Crits And Fumbles
When an attacker crits, they choose:
● Double damage
● Ignore opponent's armor
● Something else (propel foe backward, disarm foe, create an environmental hazard)

When a defender crits, they choose:

● Make a free attack
● Gain -4 DR on defense tests until their next turn
● Something else (propel foe backward, disarm foe, create an environmental hazard)

When an attacker fumbles, defender chooses:

● Make a free attack
● Attacker suffers +4 DR on defense tests until their next turn
● If attacker was using a firearm, it jams and requires d6 Actions to clear
● Something else (propel foe backward, disarm foe, create an environmental hazard)

When a defender fumbles, attacker chooses:

● Double damage (or x4 if attacker also crit)
● Ignore opponent's armor
● Defender suffers +4 DR on defense tests until their next turn
● Something else (propel foe backward, disarm foe, create an environmental hazard)

Morale
All non-player characters have a Morale score, which represents how committed they are to
staying in combat.

Whenever it makes sense for them to do so, characters test Morale.

If a character rolls equal to or over their Morale, they are committed. They continue the fight.

If they roll under their Morale, they attempt to flee.

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Fleeing
Any character may, provided there is a clear escape route, attempt to flee combat by spending
an Action breaking off from the fight.

At the end of the Round, they escape.

If there are other non-fleeing members of their side still participating in the combat, they may
not be chased until the combat is resolved.

If all other members of their side are also fleeing or defeated, a chase begins.

To resolve the chase, the PCs test Agility at a DR determined by the GM. If they succeed, they
either get away (if they were the ones fleeing) or catch up to the escapee (if they were the
ones chasing.)

If no PCs are involved, the GM decides which side wins.

Ending Combat
When a character is reduced to 0 HP or below, they follow the rules for damage and Breaking.

When all of one side has left combat (either through Breaking or escaping,) that side has been
defeated.

When there are no longer any sides that wish to continue the combat, combat ends.

Healing Up
Characters may use items, spells, and abilities to patch themselves up during or after a fight.

Resting may not be performed during a fight, and Resting In Comfort generally isn't done
anywhere near a fight. Most after-battle healing consists of the investigators Catching Their
Breaths.

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72
The investigators may find themselves in conflict with the following entities.

When a section of this chapter has a Passive, the effect from that Passive applies to
everything in that section.

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 These creatures are mostly natural, but still quite capable of being dangerous.

Passive: During the first Round of combat, each Beast receives an additional Action.

1 Giant Snake. Crushing coils and wide jaws. Churning scales and an implacable purpose.
HP 7, Morale 11, Scales -d2, Surround And Squeeze d6 damage and victim tests
Strength DR 13 to avoid being grappled. Swims effortlessly. Climb DR 5.

2 Large Cat. The reason early man huddled around fires. HP 10, Morale 12, Claw d4+1
damage and 1 bleed. Great Leap DR 7.

3 Rat Swarm. Like piranhas, but they climb. HP 4, Morale 9, Many Bites d2 damage
and 1 bleed. Only takes one damage at a time from non-area-affecting weapons. Fit
Through Gaps DR 5.

4 Wasp Swarm. An irritated cloud of quivering needles. HP 3, Morale 6, Many Stings

d4-1 damage and victim tests Toughness DR 9 or suffers a cumulative +1 DR on all
tests until their next Rest In Comfort. Only takes one damage at a time from non-area-
affecting weapons.

5 Wild Dog. No longer anyone's friend. HP 4, Morale 13, Bite d4. Can spend an Action
to howl and give all enemies +1 DR against avoiding dog bites for the rest of the
Round.

6 Zombie. A rotting corpse, crudely stirred from its sleep. HP 6, Morale 5, Punch d2+1.
Only takes 1 damage at a time from bullets. Dies instantly to a crit. May mumble to
itself about things that mattered to it in life, although this does not diminish its
aggression.

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These creatures are indisputably horrors, but they are not tethered to a particular god.

Passive: Unaligned creatures test Morale when confronted by the organized forces of a
terrestrial or outer god.

1 Bremmer's Fern. Radial fronds issuing out from a central stump. A peculiarity of tropical
climes---and oddly also cold ones. Seeks to devour and replace people with imperfect
duplicates. Capable of planning, despite the absence of a brain. HP 22, Morale 4,
Thick Stump -d4, Vines And Maw d8 damage and 1 bleed. Anyone consumed by the
plant is enveloped in a thick pod. D6 hours later, a clone of them emerges. The clone
is statted as a Zombie, it's controlled by the plant from any distance, and it can
awkwardly impersonate the original---although its memories are imprecise. The plant
itself has two Actions per Round. If the plant is struck with an attack, all other characters
in the vicinity (including clones) test Stability or take 1 damage bypassing armor from
a psychic scream.

2 Cerebral Maggot. A grisly creature, native to high-altitude caves and used in certain
tasteless rituals. When placed on the back of a neck, latches on and burrows tendrils
into the flesh. Dispenses cruel and indifferent wisdoms to its host, and can see a few
seconds into the future. Seeks atrocity. HP 3, Morale 11, Latch d2 damage and victim
tests Stability DR 15 or suffers -1 Stability as the maggot takes control of them. Hitting
the maggot while it's embedded in a host is difficult: DR 16. Fortunately, the maggot
tests Morale if burned, and will drop off if it fails a Morale test. Removing it in any
other way kills the host.

3 Claspmug. A stocky humanoid body with a face that opens like a beartrap. Hated
enemy and predator of Ghuls. Seeks squirming prey. HP 17, Morale 10, Thick Hide -
d2, Claws d4+1 damage and 2 bleed, attacks twice with a single Action. May instead
make a Clamp attack, dealing d6+2 damage, 1 bleed, and victim tests Strength DR 13
to avoid being grappled.

4 Crawling Heap, Protia. Slithering cells, shifting and differentiating as they attempt to
decide what they wish to be. Seeks to invade, disassemble, and pick over the genetic
material of others. HP 12, Morale 13, Particulate Cells -d2, Lytic Enzymes d6 damage
and victim tests Toughness DR 7 or dies. Victims killed by the heap become new heaps
after d4 days. Takes half damage from melee weapons (round down,) no damage
from bullets, and double damage from fire or acid.

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5 Crawling Heap, Primordia. The ancient progenitors of the Protia, Primordia are capable
of telepathy, shape-changing, and have a great curiosity about the world. They also
have a terrible, ravenous hunger that is undimmed by their age. HP 30, Morale 7,
Shifting Cells -d4, Smother And Dissolve d8 damage and victim tests Toughness DR
10 or dies. Impersonate Other Lifeform DR 4. Can speak mind-to-mind with beings it
is aware of and that are no more than a mile from it (this feels like a faint buzzing.)
Takes quarter damage from melee weapons (round down,) no damage from bullets,
and double damage from fire or acid.

6 Dimensionlurch. Predators from somewhere very close by. Their skin brushes the edges
of our world, creating rippling distortions. They hate us for something we did, or that
we will do, or would have done. They seek to kill us, although they cannot stay in
our reality for very long. HP 14, Morale 12, Otherworldly Hide -d4, Grab And Rend
d8+2. Presence DR 18 to detect unless precautions are taken (such as bursting a bag
of flour in the air.)

7 Exogenic Benefactor, Forward Scout. Beings made of mushroom fiber and chitin, with
locust wings and cockroach arms. Seek "the betterment of humanity," whatever that is.
Have twice lost a war to the other powers on earth, and consider it enemy territory.
Have a base of operations out in the stars. HP 12, Morale 13, Tech Carapace -d4,
Blister Ray d6+1.

8 Exogenic Benefactor, Overseer. Scientists and captains among the things that call
themselves Benefactors. Speak human languages with ease and make promises freely.
Break their promises with the same ease. Seek to conduct research and establish a
new foothold on the earth. HP 19, Morale 12, Tech Carapace -d4, Blister Ray d6+1.
Receives 2 Actions per Round. Can cast Cloaked In The Whispers Of Stars and Breath
Thief.

9 Facetrader. A caterpillar's body, but vast and tapering upward to a tiny human head.
These creatures are merchants from afar, and almost without equal in their cruelty. They
can sell you a new personality, a new body, a new self, but always at a cost greater
than you can pay. They seek to exploit the vulnerable. HP 24, Morale 15, Blubbery
Hide -d2, Hundred Tiny Legs d10+1. Knows 2 random spells of the terrestrial horrors
and 3 random spells of the outer horrors. Receives 2 Actions per Round.

10 Ghul. Dwellers of cemeteries and catacombs. The original inhabitants of caves, before
humanity spread like a fungus across the surface of the world. Resemble humans in a
vague, superficial way, and see our meat as traditional and sacred. Can speak human
languages, but their thoughts are different and their pronunciation is usually slow, guttural,
and mangled. Ghuls seek meat, occult power, and status among their kind. HP 13,
Morale 12, Thick Hide -d2, Long Claws d4 damage and 2 bleed.

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11 Gnawer Of Tunnels. An ancient lithovore. Wise, but lives on a timescale where only
the flaring and dying of stars is of concern to it. Seeks solitude, and will kill any fleshy,
warm-blooded thing that troubles it. HP 45, Morale 7, Stone Hide -d8, Titanic Thrashing
2d8. Knows Reject The Outer Gates and Repulse Parasite.

12 Haint. An unresolved scrap of human will, usually delirious from the shock of death
and the unrelenting strain of loneliness. Seeks to be recognized. Doesn't care what that
takes. HP 7, Morale 3. Not visible unless it chooses to reveal itself. Can attack with
any object in the area that it haunts, either once per hour when invisible or once per
Round when visible. Takes no damage from non-magical sources. Once per hour, while
invisible, may attempt to trap and terrify an investigator, forcing them to test Stability
DR 12 or suffer -1 Stability.

13 The Hue. Disparate gasses of celestial origin. No more sentient than a slime mold.
Drains the reality from nearby creatures. Seeks expansion. HP 22, Morale 12, Seeping
Mist d0 damage but inflicts d2 Substance Fading tokens on its victim. At the end of
the investigation, all characters test a d20 against their current number of Substance
Fading tokens. On a failure---or if they reach 20 Substance Fading tokens before
that---they are reduced to a colorless husk (stat as a zombie.) The Hue cannot
move, but exerts an influence over an area that expands by a mile at the end of every
week. It can freely move husks it controls, and it can make a remote Seeping Mist
attack within its area of control once per hour. It only takes 1 damage at a time from
conventional weapons, and only 2 damage at a time from explosives. At the start of
a new investigation, all investigators reduce their Substance Fading tokens by -d8.

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14 The Patient Angler. An unseen presence at the bottom of a pond, buried in the
branches of a tree, or waiting on the other side of a door. Seeks to drag victims
through to the other side and pick the meat from their bones. HP16, Morale 11, Claw
d6 damage and 1 bleed. Deploys a small lure, which can resemble money, food, a
map, or anything the angler believes its prey might value. Anyone who touches the lure
has a vicious hook shoot into their arm, which can only be ripped out with a Toughness
DR 14 (this causes d6 damage and 1 bleed.) While hooked, at the end of every
Round victims test Strength DR 12 or are drawn towards where the angler waits. Failing
three tests means a victim is dragged through to the other side---a place now
inaccessible to others. Succeeding three tests means the angler is dragged to the victim's
side, where it may be fought.

15 Pollen Loupe. A wisp of yellow dust from an unearthly flower. Transforms the inhaler
into a lupine monster. Seeks to propagate. Victims have the following stats in wolf-hybrid
form: HP 14, Morale 7, Thick Hide -d2, Claws d4+1 damage and 1 bleed, attacks
twice with a single Action. Anyone exposed to the pollen tests Toughness DR 11 or
turns into a rampaging wolf-hybrid every moonrise, turning back at sunrise with no
memories of their extracurricular slaughterings. After 2d6 nights of this, the change
becomes permanent and their body sprouts flowers that release a puff of the pollen if
disturbed. D4+1 nights later, the wolf withers into a desiccated corpse, abloom with
lovely white flowers.

16 Retrocausal Hound. An abnormality of geometry and misfolded time. Chases victims

forwards through their own history. Seeks to kill its prey. HP 23, Morale 3,
Hypergeometric Skin -d6, Retroactive Bite 0 damage but victim's maximum Hit Points
are reduced by d4. Emerges From Paintings, Photos, Or Things Tied To Memories DR
4. Must track a victim through their own timeline before it can attack them directly.
This process takes d4 weeks (from the victim's point of view) and forces a Stability
DR 12 (or else -1 Stability) as the victim begins to remember a history of being
terrorized by dogs.

17 Revenant. A corpse, resurrected not through magic but pure cussedness. Seeks
revenge. HP 18, Morale 2, Infernal Grip d4+3. Leap To A Vertical Surface DR 4.
Smash Through A Wall DR 7. Only takes 1 damage at a time from bullets. Cannot be
killed until it believes it has achieved its goals.

18 The Starving Word. A few innocent syllables. A moment on the tongue. A slow week
of horrific transformation, and then a terrible hunger. The Starving Word cannot say its
own name, but anyone who pronounces it becomes a host. It seeks to enjoy its
rampages. The Word in its manifested form has HP 26, Morale 2, Thick Hide -d4,
Mouths For Hands d8+1 and attacks twice with a single Action. Anyone who says its
name tests Stability DR 13 or becomes a host. Anyone who reads its name tests
Stability DR 7 or does the same. The Word can only manifest in one host at a time,
and the transformation requires 2d8 miserable hours. The only way to kill it is to remove
all hosts and all traces of its name from existence.

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19 Ultharii. Occultists are careful around
cats. While Ultharii are rare, they travel
among their mortal kin and repay even
the faintest sleight in blood. They seek
power and worship. HP 14, Morale 7,
Deflection Field -d4, Claws d4 damage
and 1 bleed. Receives 2 Actions per
Round. Can cast Symbiosis Of Flame,
Extracausal Jaunt, and Sun-Sovereign's
Lance.

20 Welldweller. Thick tendrils, like the

arms of an anemone, reaching out from
a central mouth to feed. The Welldweller
lives in dark, damp places where living
things may occasionally pass. It seeks to
sate its hunger. HP 25, Morale 4, Jelly-
Like Hide -d2, Numbing Touch d2
damage and victim tests Toughness DR
14 or is paralyzed for d4 Rounds. May
spend an Action to drag a paralyzed
victim to its mouth, and may attack
characters near its mouth with Bite
2d6+1. Attacks against it from characters
near its mouth are made at -2 DR.
Receives 3 Actions per Round.

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 An outer god whose watchwords are predation and inevitability.

It lives in the space between spaces, at the intersection of all things, and it can feel
the wriggling of all lifeforms traveling down the strings of causality.

The Articulated Huntsman is not complicated. It wishes to feed. It wishes its children
to feed.

Its appetite is not overpowering. It is patient. But one day it will drink the life from
the veins of all creation.

Passive: Venomous bite. Victims test Toughness DR 7 or fall unconscious for d2 hours.

1 Cultist Of The Articulated Huntsman. A normal human, sworn to the service of a horrible
spider god. The usual reasons for this fealty are a strong fixation on consuming or on
being consumed. Cultists of the Huntsman generally seek either personal advancement
or to appease the Huntsman and its servants. HP 5, Morale 7, Bite d2. Carries (d4):
1 nothing, 2 knife, 3 machete, 4 revolver.

3 Nesting Legs. A parasitic spider, big as a dog. Capable of folding itself densely enough
to fit inside a human stomach. Climbs in through the mouth, then waits in the gastric
cavity until its host has found prey for it. Cultivates a one-sided relationship with its
host, massaging their insides and reminding them that they live only for as long as it
finds them convenient. Seeks to feed. HP 12, Morale 8, Soft Exoskeleton -d2, Bite
d4+2. Climbs into narrow spaces effortlessly. Receives 2 Actions per Round.

3 Spider Of The Plateau. The spawn of a nameless realm---a high-altitude desert that
sometimes overlaps with our reality---Spiders Of The Plateau are only a little smaller
than cars. They seek to enjoy the struggling of mortal prey. HP 19, Morale 6,
Exoskeleton -d4, Bite 2d4+2. Slips out of phase when attacked, +2 DR to all attacks
against it. Scurry Up Into Empty Air DR 3.

4 The Articulated Huntsman Manifested. Even a small portion of the Huntsman's power
is terrible to behold. Seeks to feed on the biggest possible prey. HP 72, Morale 1,
Phantom Exoskeleton -d8, Bite 3d6+2. On seeing the Huntsman manifested, onlookers
test Stability DR 12 or suffer -2 Stability. All attacks against the Huntsman have a 2-
in-6 chance of passing through without harming it. The Huntsman climbs empty air
effortlessly. It receives 5 Actions per Round.

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 A terrestrial hunting god who desires the destruction of his kin. A predator of
predators. A father with his hand brutally upraised.

The Cruel Old Man is interested in the destruction of the other gods, but not in a
way that bodes well for the inhabitants of earth.

Passive: Servants of the Cruel Old Man deal +1 damage to characters that know any
spells or have artifacts in their possession, and +2 damage to the servants of other
gods.

1 Cultist Of The Old Man. A devout hunter. A zealot with a bloody cause. Seeks the
destruction of all who have touched the powers of other gods. HP 8, Morale 8, Thick
Clothing -d2, Punch d2. Carries (d4): 1 knife, 2 handaxe and shield, 3 sword cane,
4 shotgun. Knows Aura Of Blight, Knit Flesh, and Grave The Repulsive Sigil.

2 The Cruel Old Man Manifested. A plainly-dressed man with a white, untended beard.
Malice sparks in his dark eyes. Seeks to hunt and kill agents of other gods. HP 52,
Morale 0, Chilling Aura -d8, Sacred Axe 3d8+2 and victim loses a limb of the old
man's choice. Catches up to prey whenever they stop running. Can cast Hurricane
Supplication, Augury, and Tongue-Splicer's Chant. Can fly at high speeds on hurricane
winds. Receives 4 Actions per Round.

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Half terrestrial god, half outer god, the Child is a relatively new thing, and it despises
its parents.

The Child has an interest in humanity---not necessarily in its preservation---and

sometimes it wears a human form as a kind of lowbrow entertainment.

It has governed empires before, and it enjoys the mingled scents of incense and
sacrifice. Rome was a pleasant diversion, but not wholly satisfying.

In a few millennia's time, the Child would like to see the highest gods fall from
grace, but the pieces are not all in place yet.

Passive: The Child is a creature of many forms. Its servants may spend an Action to
switch their appearance for someone they have killed. This change is perfect, but only
lasts until they take hostile action, at which point it immediately reverts.

1 Cultist Of The Disobedient Child. Human servants of the Child are quite common, as
the Child promises clear, tangible, earthly rewards. Immortality, beauty, political power---
it tickles the Child that anyone would accept such carrots as these, and so it offers
them frequently. As a result, the Child's servants tend to accumulate worldly resources.
They hire bodyguards and fixers and have hangers-on, styling themselves as kings after
the fashion of a god that they don't realize is laughing at them. HP 5, Morale 13,
Punch d2. Carries (d4): 1 knife, 2 garotte, 3 sword cane, 4 rifle. Can cast Sweet
Scent Of The Veins, Dust Of Mortality, and Wake The Dead.

2 Flayers' Mannequin. A human-sized doll, painted with the right sigils and fixed with
all the proper articulations. Moves with a worrying fluidity, but can hold as still as any
department store display. Seeks to slaughter the vulnerable and prey upon the nervous.
HP 13, Morale 6, Artificial Body -d4, Finger Blades d2 damage and 3 bleed, attacks
twice with a single Action. Stand Impossibly Still DR 2.

3 Arbiter Of Skins. One of the rare acolytes in the cult of the Child that has survived
more than a single generation. By this point their bodies have adapted to a constant
masquerade of shapes, and they bear only the faintest resemblance to their original self.
Arbiters are disliked by the Child, and they usually operate independently from it, seeking
to fulfil their own self-indulgent goals. HP 18, Morale 11, Hardened Flesh -d4, Strip
Flesh d4+1 damage and 4 bleed. Can cast Pharoah's Organ Jar, Blood Aegis, Knit
Flesh, and Mist-Dweller's Knell. Can shed its skin to ignore all damage from a single
physical source once per encounter.

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4 The Disobedient Child Manifested. An affectation by the child. A human form housing
a hybrid god. Like most gods, the Child suffers no ill consequences for being killed in
this shape, and it rarely holds a grudge against its killer. It primarily dons this form to
seek entertainment. HP 3, Morale 3, Neutralization Field -6d10, Slap d0 and victim is
permanently turned into whatever the Child wishes. Can cast any spell. Receives 3
Actions per Round.

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 A terrestrial god that inhabits the depths of the ocean, the Dweller is responsible for
most oceanic life---and by extension most life that walks upon the earth's surface.

The Dweller is worshiped as mother and father to all things that fly, swim, and crawl.
And it is sacrificed to as an act of appeasement, to keep it from stirring the ocean
into a roiling vortex and sweeping all life from the land.

It is a creature of temperament, not logic, and the Dweller is driven by slow,

unstoppable whims that can take aeons to resolve.

Passive: Servants of the Dweller can breathe underwater and swim without effort. They
also deal +2 damage against targets that are bleeding.

1 Cultist Of The Dweller In The Deep. Unlike the cultists of other gods, servants of the
Dweller are encouraged to mingle with its spawn. This contact produces subtle physical
differences, as well as traits that are adaptive to a more amphibious lifestyle. Cultists
of the Dweller seek primarily to placate their god, and are hostile to anyone they suspect
could anger it. HP 12, Morale 12, Thick Skin -d2, Punch d2+1. Carries (d4): 1 knife,
2 harpoon, 3 machete, 4 revolver. One in each group is capable of casting Mist-
Dweller's Knell.

2 Depthborn. Mingled with the strains of terrestrial life, this saltwater hominid is capable
of going ashore for short periods---either to commune with cultists, or to exact
retribution for their neglect. Depthborn are skilled swimmers and consummate predators,
and the whims of the Dweller thrum constantly through the background of their thoughts.
HP 15, Morale 9, Scaly Hide -d2, Claw d6+2 damage and 1 bleed. One in each
group is capable of casting Hurricane Supplication.

3 Fathomtreader. Vast bodies that lie in the darkness on the ocean floor, seldom stirring
except to gouge a few chunks of blubber from a fallen whale. All of them predate this
age, and few have opened their eyes for more than a few continuous hours since the
Cambrian. However, they are all perfectly capable of slithering ashore if summoned, and
they will feed opportunistically on moving prey. They seek mostly to be left alone, but
are also slave to the Dweller's will. HP 32, Morale 4, Pressure-Resistant Hide -d6,
Jaws 3d6 and victim tests Toughness or takes the same damage again. Capable of
unleashing a psychic blast (d6 damage ignoring armor to all in the area) as an Action.
1-in-6 chance of recharging the blast at the end of each Round. Receives 3 Actions
per Round.

89
4 The Dweller Manifested. A rare occurrence, usually signaling the end of an era. The
Dweller is not quick to act, but its actions are generally final. Seeks to punish the vast
numbers of people who would sin against it. HP 93, Morale 1, Gelatinous Hide -2d8,
Swat 5d8+4. On seeing the Dweller manifested, onlookers test Stability DR 12 or suffer
-4 Stability. The Dweller receives 2 Actions per Round, and may cast Globe Of
Encapsulation and Hurricane Supplication. It may fly if it wishes, but does not do so
at great speed.

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 An outer god only minimally concerned with other beings, the Flutist is nevertheless
sometimes sought out by occultists for its perceived role as the king of all gods.

This is technically true, but also the Flutist is as far removed from the thinking of
gods as they are from the thinking of mortals.

It is cosmic expansion and eternal nonbeing; entropy and scattered heat and the
insensate timelessness that follows death.

It seeks nothing.

Passive: Followers of the Flutist receive Fold Space DR 7 and may use it to teleport
short distances. They are instantly obliterated if they use it and fumble or fail.

1 Cultist Of The Flutist At Void's Edge. Mystics pursuing a better understanding of the
universe through their connection to entropy. Sometimes academic, sometimes interested
in killing things to watch them die. HP 7, Morale 13, Punch d2. Carries (d4): 1 knife,
2 cough syrup, 3 revolver, 4 garrote. Can cast Bind Foe, Augury, and Anoint The
Geometries Of Violence.

2 Winged Messenger. Long-clawed gargoylesque predators that swarm the farthest

reaches of space. Cruel and carnivorous when given free reign, but cowed easily by
the powerful. Seek freedom and good hunting grounds. HP 17, Morale 13, Resilient
Bones -d4, Long Claws d6+1 damage and 1 bleed. Flies effortlessly. Can breathe void.
Receives 2 Actions per Round.

3 Terror That Hunts. Sometimes called dragons by early humans, Terrors are coiled,
multi-winged, multi-limbed creatures that are only occasionally called to earth. In their
home environment, they typically eat Winged Messengers, but they will take other prey
when convenient. Terrors seek to feed and prove their superiority over other species.
HP 36, Morale 7, Thick Scales -d6, Bite 3d6. Can spend an Action to breathe toxic
gasses, forcing all within the area to test Toughness DR 11 or suffer 3d6 damage
ignoring armor. 2-in-6 chance of recharging that breath at the start of each Round.
Flies effortlessly. Can breathe void. Receives 3 Actions per Round.

92
4 The Flutist Manifested. A diffuse
body, like a haze of thick smog.
Distances bend and distort. Shrill
music echoes down the alleyways
of an unfamiliar city. Seeks to
eliminate whatever meddlesome force
summoned it. HP 999, Morale N/A.
On seeing the Flutist manifested,
onlookers test Stability DR 13 or
die. The Flutist Manifested is an
entire city, empty save for Winged
Messengers and the occasional
Terror That Hunts. It does have a
physical, beating heart that can be
found and damaged, but otherwise
it relies on its inhabitants to clean
out any intruders.

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94
 A terrestrial god who reigned over reptiles in ages long past.

Now neglected, along with his chosen followers.

Seeks retribution against all other earthly species, whom he holds responsible.

Passive: Followers of the Furious Serpent may go into hibernation, sleeping without
aging, for as long as they wish. They also receive -1 armor.

1 Cultist Of The Furious Serpent. Caretakers and supplicants to the vast hordes of
hibernating serpentfolk that sleep beneath the earth. Seek to prepare the world for the
return of a serpentine empire. HP 7, Morale 11, Thick Clothing -d2, Punch d2. Carries
(d4): 1 knife, 2 garrote, 3 machete, 4 revolver. Can cast Symbiosis Of Flame and
Tongue-Splicer's Chant.

2 Serpentfolk. In the Mesozoic, they were naught but skinks running under the feet of
their betters. But they were diligent in their worship and the Furious Serpent brought
the meteor to prepare the land for them...and yet, somehow this went wrong. The
majority of serpentfolk sleep in millennia-long hibernation, deep under ground, but a few
still walk the surface. They resent the temporary ascendancy of mammals and seek to
restore earth to its former glory. HP 16, Morale 7, Scaly Skin -d2, Bite d4+2 damage
and 2 bleed. Can take the form of any human-sized animal that they eat a piece of.
Maintaining this form is tiring, and if they let it drop they must eat another piece to
reassume the form. Can cast Cloaked In The Whispers Of Stars and Sun-Sovereign's
Lance.

3 Amphisbaena. A weapon of war, now deployed for terror attacks. Primordial serpents
stitched together into an unwilling trunk. In pain and ravenous. They seek to do harm
to everything within sight. HP 32, Morale 4, Scaly Hide -d4, Strike And Strike And
Strike 2d4+1 damage, attacks three times with a single Action. May spend an Action
to unfurl its hoods and force all onlookers to test Stability DR 13 or be mesmerized
and useless for d2 Rounds. 2-in-6 chance of recharging this at the start of each
Round.

95
4 The Furious Serpent Manifested. The
towering wrath of an ancient parent,
focused for a moment on this particular
place and time. Seeks to punish all non-
worshippers. HP 72, Morale 2, Massive
Scales -2d10, Lightning Bite 3d10 and
attempts to avoid this attack are at +3
DR. On seeing the Furious Serpent
manifested, onlookers test Stability DR 12
or suffer -1 Stability. Once per combat,
the Furious Serpent may breathe a
caustic mist across the area, which
lingers for d8 Rounds and deals d4
damage bypassing armor to all non-
reptilian creatures at the end of each
Round. The Furious Serpent can cast
Sweet Scent Of The Veins and Hurricane
Supplication. It receives 3 Actions per
Round.

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97
 Neither a terrestrial god nor an outer god.

Not even real by the definitions the gods use.

A play with no author. A parasitic narrative that warps reality around those who hear
of it. A city far off in the Hyades, where every night the same revel dissolves into
screams.

The King In Yellow's power is difficult to calculate. Its influence is pervasive.

The other gods hate it, but this is because they are scared.

Passive: Anyone who encounters an agent or object of the King In Yellow tests Stability
DR 12 or gains a The Play's The Thing token. At the start of each investigation, the
GM rolls a d20 for the investigator with the highest number of these tokens. If they
roll the investigator's number of tokens or less, they must add at least one agent or
object of the King In Yellow to the current investigation. If a character ever reaches 20
The Play's The Thing tokens, they become fiction---a story their friends and family
used to comfort themselves by believing in.

1 Cultist Of The King In Yellow. Devotees of unreality, addled by the play and by their
dedication to artistic perfection. Seek to bring more members into their ranks---without
expanding so rapidly that the agents of the other gods detect their operations and put
them to an end. HP 5, Morale 15, Punch d2. Carries (d4): 1 club, 2 garrote, 3
knife, 4 revolver. Can cast Anoint The Geometries Of Violence and Grave The Repulsive
Sigil.

2 Yhtill Puppet. A disjointed simulacra made of wax and porcelain, dripping bile. Seeks
to kill those within its sight. HP 8, Morale 9, Porcelain Hide -d4, Razor Nails d4+2
damage and 1 bleed. Can walk through mirrors and roost on ceilings.

3 Yhtill Angel. A human corpse, bent and re-articulated so that it crawls like an insect.
Grafted with cicada wings. Seeks to kill those who become aware of it. Believers in
the king know not to look up. HP 14, Morale 11, Proboscis d4 damage and victim
tests Toughness DR 14 or vomits helplessly for d4 Rounds. Can only be detected with
two consecutive Presence DR 11 tests. Can fly short distances at high speed.

98
4 The King In Yellow Manifested. A masked stranger in elaborate robes. A party guest
that is difficult to point out or draw attention to. Seeks to sow doubt and horror in the
minds of others. HP 42, Morale 2, Deflective Field -d6, Touch d0 damage and victim
gains d8 The Play's The Thing tokens. On seeing the King In Yellow manifested,
onlookers test Stability DR 13 or gain d8+2 The Play's The Thing tokens. Can cast
Globe Of Encapsulation, Extracausal Jaunt, Symbiosis Of Flame, and Mist-Dweller's
Knell. Receives 3 Actions per Round.

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An outer god of barren spaces, scarcity, and hunger, the Teeth have little interest in
earth, but some of their followers reside here nevertheless.

The Teeth primarily seek to be left alone, and they take swift vengeance over those
who would try to summon them.

Passive: Followers of the Teeth Of Winter suffer no damage from environmental cold
and wind. They recover +1 Hit Point every time they eat a meal of human flesh.

1 Cultist Of The Teeth Of Winter. Thin and red of tooth. Sees a sacred truth in the
consumption of others. Seeks to gorge on humans, and to survive in inhospitable places.
HP 7, Morale 9, Thick Clothing -d2, Punch d2. Carries (d4): 1 knife, 2 handaxe,
3 shotgun, 4 rifle. Can cast Wear The Dogskin, Dust Of Mortality, and Breath Thief.

2 Horror Of Annointed Bone. A shambling shape. Roughly humanoid. Pieces of skeleton

showing through thick parchment flesh. Painted with sigils of reanimation. In agony, and
seeks release. Rends those it encounters. HP 34, Morale 7, Profane Wards -d4, Smash
2d4+2 and victim tests Toughness or is dazed and may not act during their next Turn.
Walks slowly. Takes double damage from fire, and tests Morale in fire's presence.

3 Treader Of The Ice. Six legs. Two horns. Produces a sound like the whistling of wind.
Seeks red meat. HP 33, Morale 8, Shaggy Hide -d4, Horns d6+3. Can freeze and
thaw, or revive from a husk if it Breaks. Reviving takes 3d6 days (unless the body
is burned away to ash) and restores it to full Hit Points. Takes two Actions per Round.
Tests Morale in the presence of flute music. Track Prey In Icy Environments DR 3.

4 The Teeth Of Winter Manifested. Whirling starvation. The will of all life to persist, no
matter the cost. Resembles an unusually fierce storm. Seeks to feed upon all life within
its range, and then depart without a trace. HP 67, Morale 5, Scything Winds 3d6
damage bypassing armor. On seeing the Teeth Of Winter manifested, onlookers test
Stability DR 11 or suffer -1 Stability. Lowers the temperature by -20 C when it arrives,
and another -1 C at the end of every subsequent hour. Takes no damage from physical
sources. Cannot attack through buildings, caves, or other resistant barriers. Receives 3
Actions per Round.

101
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 A terrestrial god responsible for plant life and birth.

The Woods Mother is venerated by remote communities. And as long as this respect
persists, she refrains from blighting the world with stillbirths and plagues.

Although she is swift to punish faithlessness, the Woods Mother ultimately seeks
adoration by her children, as well as the relentless proliferation of all living things.

Passive: Followers of the Woods Mother receive a pool of 4 Mother's Care at the start
of each combat. As long as they have Mother's Care, they can deduct damage from
it instead of from their Hit Points.

1 Cultist Of The Woods Mother. Supplicants who seek to keep the Mother pacified. Often
this involves gruesome rituals and painful sacrifices. HP 8, Morale 11, Punch d2. Carries
(d4): 1 club, 2 machete, 3 shotgun, 4 rifle. Can cast Knit Flesh, Augury, and Blood
Aegis.

2 Milk-Supped Brood. Supplicants who have imbibed a portion of their goddess. This
inspires growth, but suppresses higher cognition. They seek to perform ritual observances
and defend their territory. HP 13, Morale 11, Thick Skin -d2, Punch d6+1. Adds +2
damage to all attacks with melee weapons. Carries a Jaw Trap.

3 Gnarled Spawn. Resembles a tree when it stays still. Defends the holy grounds of
the Mother, and seeks to punish those who intrude. HP 31, Morale 6, Thick Bark -d6,
Branch Lash 2d6+1. Receives 2 Actions per Round. Recovers 4 Hit Points at the end
of every Round. Will not stay dead unless killed with acid or fire.

4 The Woods Mother Manifested. A towering organic embodiment. Resembles neither a

woman nor a forest. Seeks to be revered. HP 102, Morale 3, Hide Of A Thousand
Oaks -3d6. On seeing the Woods Mother manifested, onlookers test Stability DR 11 or
suffer -4 Stability. Cannot attack, but spawns d6 Milk-Supped Brood and one Gnarled
Spawn at the end of every Round.

103
104
 Advice For GMs
These aren't hard and fast rules, but here's what I use to get the most out of
the system.

Start slow, escalate in intensity: Starting from a place of quiet and safety makes
the screaming later that much more intense. Don't be afraid to dwell on quiet
Sunday mornings, mundane concerns, dinner and lodgings, and the relationships
and lives of minor characters in the leadup to an investigation's horror.

Let the players drive the focus: If the players fixate on a random pub, or a grave
site, or person, give them plenty of information about the object of their interest.

Ask routine questions: If the investigators sit down to a completely mundane snack
with a completely mundane friend, ask "do you drink any of the tea or eat one
of the biscuits?" Likewise, if they go to sleep in a totally normal bed and breakfast,
ask "does anyone stay up or keep watch?" These questions create an atmosphere
where any choice could be important, and it's up to the players to decide when
to be on alert.

The less of a monster you show, the scarier it is: Rely on branches, smoke, darkness,
movement, and other obscuring elements when you describe a scene. Make it
clear what the investigators can see, but also what's just out of sight. Don't sit
and describe a monster in its totality unless someone gets a good, long look.
And if that happens…

Pick out the little details: Don't get lost in the weeds, but adding a few concrete
details to a scene can help to anchor the players in the fiction. It also gives
you more to run with. "You see a shopkeeper" is less effective than "You see
a shopkeeper. Early fifties. Muscular arms. Rolled up sleeves."

Guns are loud: Violence, by its very nature, is shocking and disruptive. When things
do get dangerous, make that clear. Cthork Borg can be exceedingly lethal, and
this will feel cheap if it's not handled with at least some gravity.

Finally, you want the players to get as close to the heart of the mystery as they can: Even
if they're up against an extremely well-informed cult, the cult shouldn't be making
GM-guided player-seeking-missile kinds of decisions. They'll use the tools they have
to protect themselves and to punish transgressors against their creed, but they
have limitations just like the investigators. Don't play to "get" the players, play to
help them find the scariest part of the investigation. If things go pear-shaped
afterwards and they all get eaten, it will still have been a memorable session.

105
106
 Sample Investigation:
Whispers In The
Mountains
A missing author. A suspicious town. Voices that hiss and gibber and make ready to feed.

Will the investigators put an end to a horrible secret, or will they fall prey to...the whispers in the
mountains?

107
The Letter Arrives

On a bright morning in autumn, the investigators receive a letter from a mutual acquaintance,
Agatha Carthage.

Mrs. Carthage is a widowed writer whose works (under pen names) are published in a variety of
periodicals, from reputable to pulp. She is kind and sociable and meddlesome, and she has made a
number of friends from varied walks of life in the process of researching her stories.

Her letter is as follows:

"If you are reading this, know that something has happened to me."

"I have gone into the mountains, to Mariettesville, to research some unique local legends connected to the
town."

"I don't expect I shall be in any danger, but nevertheless I will trust my gut. This letter is to be mailed if and
only if I do not return by the agreed upon date."

"Else I suppose I shall rip it up myself, feeling very foolish all the while."

"Nevertheless, let's suppose something has happened. If that is the case, and if you are willing to help your
friend, please go at once to the house of my daughter, Dorothea."

"I have written more than one of you, as searching in a group is less frightening than searching alone."

"Dorothea will help coordinate the effort, and she will pay $80 apiece to anyone who helps to recover me,
alive and well or otherwise."

"Yours somewhat anxiously,"

"Agatha"

It is a few days after the agreed upon date, and Dorothea's address is provided at the bottom of
the page.

108
Meeting With Dorothea

Dorothea is a young, somewhat anxious woman, living in a rural house with two young children.

The house is on a nice but unkempt piece of land, and it looks as if the repairs are slipping.

Dorothea lost her husband a year ago to a sudden illness, and Agatha has been supporting her off of
the proceeds of her writing. Unfortunately, this means Agatha's disappearance has made Dorothea
into a raw mess of nerves.

She will serve the investigators tea when they arrive, and once she's confident no others will show,
she will go over what little she knows about her mother's trip.

Agatha is aging but in good health, and she at least theoretically understands her limits. She was
planning to research the town's folklore, some of which concerned the woods and mountains, but
she wouldn't have wandered off into the wilds alone. She didn't disclose the reason for her bad
feelings about the trip, but she provided Dorothea with letters and instructions to mail them if she
failed to return.

Dorothea does have some of her mother's notes and manuscripts, but she isn't sure how much those
will help.

109
Reading The Notes

Reading the heap of notes takes 6 hours, but

reveals the following information:

● Agatha was studying modern fairy tales

and ghost stories
● There were legends of "wee folk" in
Mariettesville
● According to the stories, they could be
repulsed with iron or running water

Calling The Cops

If the investigators talk to the local cops, the

sergeant who handles this will call ahead to the
Mariettesville police, and will advise the
investigators to speak with them.

This will start the investigators off with +2 Heat.

See [3 - Downtown Mariettesville] for more.

Detour To The Library

If the investigators stop to research the town,

either by combing old folklore troves or tediously
reading through years of newspaper articles, the
process will take 8 hours and requires a Presence
DR 12.

On a success, it reveals:

● Mariettesville was a mining town up until

about seventy years ago, when there was a
series of deaths, a small war between
labor and ownership, and a tiny portion of
the town caught on fire
● Mariettesville has a local critter, called the
Bwca (from Welsh.) Other words for it are
Knocker and Tommyknocker
● Mariettesville boasts a local legend where
George Washington supposedly stayed
there after taking a wound during the
revolutionary war. The injury was quite
deep, but the townsfolk nursed him
miraculously back to health

110
1 - Driving To Mariettesville

A brisk, refreshing tour through meandering backroads, surrounded by leaves in red-gold splendor.

● Looking Out The Window: The drive is pleasant. Elevation slowly increases as the
investigators near Mariettesville.

A LONG DRIVE: The drive to Mariettesville takes 6 hours if the investigators have their own
automobile transportation, 9 if they hitchhike, or 12 if they take a train to the next closest town and
hire a local to drive them over.

STOPPING FOR SUPPLIES: Handaxes, revolvers, shotguns, thick clothing, backpacks, survivalist's
kits, rations, and household pesticide can be found if the party spends 2 hours in total detouring to
visit hardware, grocery, and gun shops just off the route.

2 - An Ugly Interruption

Less than a half hour from the town itself, the road is abruptly crossed by a massive fallen tree. Passage is
impossible without its removal.

● The Tree: A gargantuan oak. Still alive, although not for much longer.
● The Surroundings: Unexpectedly eerie. Anyone who pokes around the woods on either side
of the road will find the pelts of small animals, recently flayed and still dripping, nailed to
trees with hard bits of wood.
● Listening: A lilting, hissing whisper passes through the area. Then the wind blows and the
trees rustle.

WAITING: An hour later, two members of the Mariettesville police department and four townsfolk
will arrive by police wagon. The townsfolk have axes and saws and chains, and over the course of
another three hours they will dismantle the tree and clear the path. The police will offer the
investigators a ride to town in the meantime, and they will offer to bring whatever transportation
the investigators were using over to the station once the tree is cleared.

WALKING: If the investigators simply walk into town, this takes half an hour. When the police arrive
to clear away the tree, they will collect any vehicles the investigators left behind and bring them to
the station.

CIRCUMVENTING THE OBSTRUCTION: Trying to finagle a car around the side of the tree, into a
steep roadside ditch full of underbrush, and back out again is an Agility DR 18. On a failure, the car
gets stuck. It will need to be chain-dragged out by another vehicle after the tree has been cleared.

BRUTE-FORCING THINGS: If the investigators have axes, saws, chains, and other supplies plus at
least one motor car, they can remove the top branches (which have become entangled in the trees
and foliage on the far side of the road) and chain drag the rest of the tree off of the path. This takes
an hour, at which point the police wagon arrives.

112
IF THE POLICE GET AHOLD OF THE INVESTIGATORS' VEHICLES: They will bring them to the
station, crudely but expediently sabotage them, and then insist on having the town mechanic "fix
them up" at no cost to the investigators. This is a stalling tactic, and the longer the investigators stay,
the less intention the police have of surrendering the vehicles.

3 - Downtown Mariettesville

A picturesque little town buried in the mountains, Mariettesville's infrastructure is highly concentrated
around its town center, with only a few dirt trails heading out towards rental cabins or up the mountain.

● Mariettesville Police Station: Captained by Jacoby Wallins, a staunch but balding man in
his mid-fifties. He is gruff but initially friendly, and this is a pure facade. Beneath it, he is
dedicated to the town. And beneath that, he really likes killing. Any cars or property
obtained from the investigators will be brought here. 2 revolvers, 1 shotgun, and loads of
clubs and handcuffs are kept under lock (Agility DR 14) in a wooden cabinet. There is also a
map of the mountain on display, with North Ridge Trail faintly marked.
● Reasonably Priced Cabin Rentals: A dusty and ill-used converted house, with a sign
declaring that they are open from 2-3 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays. During that time,
there is a very old woman at the desk, and she does respond to mail. She will rent cabins at
$3 per night. She vaguely remembers Agatha, and thinks she went north up the mountain,
but also admits she may be confusing Agatha with her daughter.
● General Store: Sells handaxes, rations, steamer trunk, medical box, cough syrup, and jaw
traps.
● Residences: Standoffish, but polite. Not really keen on opening up to strangers, but not
willing to be rude unless the investigators are rude first. Small bits of Agatha's belongings
can be found in some of the homes, which the locals will claim they received from the town
junk swap. Items in the junk swap are either things that have been abandoned at the police
station or found on the mountain.
● Mariettesville Private Library: Almost more of a museum than an archive, the library has a
variety of objects from the town's mining days on display in their open visitor's area. The
stacks are deeper in, and locked. Getting the key requires membership. There is a $50
application fee for membership. Any investigator who applies will then have their
application put in "paperwork processing" indefinitely, and any attempt to inquire about the
process will result in a runaround. Investigators who break in and spend 4 hours searching
can find a copy of Hammer Of Witches, an old geological survey map of the mountain, and a
small trove of newspaper clippings involving missing persons, none explicitly connected
with the town. There are also a lot of books concerning British Isles folklore, poetry, and
religion.

SEARCHING FOR AGATHA: The locals know that she was renting a cabin just outside of town for a
retreat, and will claim they think she's still there. The police can give directions to the specific cabin,
but will claim she left just the other day. The woman at the cabin rentals place is correct about
Agatha going up the mountain, but only partially. Agatha did not go up the mountain voluntarily.

LATE NIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS: If the police spot the investigators in town without a place to
stay, they will offer them cots at the station. As long as the police aren't suspicious of the
investigators, this is a genuine offer. Otherwise, it's a precursor to an interrogation or an abduction
attempt. The Mariettesville police won't tolerate investigators camping out in their car or by the
side of the road.

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MARIETTESVILLE POLICE ENCOUNTERS: Every time the investigators have an interaction with
the police in Mariettesville, add +1 Heat if the investigators showed any suspicion or hesitance, or
if they asked about Agatha, other missing persons, or the town's history. If more than one of these
things are true, the investigators can gain multiple Heat from a single encounter. At 6+ Heat, the
police will begin targeting them for discreet violence. At 9+ Heat, the police will attack them
outright, aiming to subdue them and drag them up to the Coldmouth Mine.

MPD Legbreaker: HP 6, Morale 12, Club d6. Keeps a rustic monster costume in a trunk in their
home. Anyone surrounded or attacked by legbreakers wearing the masks tests Stability DR 11 or
suffers -1 Stability.

MPD Captain Jacoby Wallins: HP 12, Morale 11, Body Armor -d4, Revolver d8+1. Can cast Breath
Thief and Mist-Dweller's Knell.

4 - Agatha's Cabin

A crude log building off of a narrow, twisting trail, a little over half an hour's hike from the town.

● Cabin Interior: Disquietingly spotless. No trace of Agatha's possessions remains. Tucked in

the angle of a ceiling beam is a tightly folded note in her handwriting: "I will take this with me
when I go. If I haven't, then the town is unsafe and you should leave. Hopefully I have just
spent too much time imagining and the mountain air will clear my head."
● Cabin Exterior: Disturbances in the soil around the cabin. Someone has recently buried a lot
of nails in a ring around the foundation, points facing down.
● Surrounding Trees: Dense and obstructive, making it so that vision drops to nil more than a
dozen feet from the cabin.

STAYING OVERNIGHT IN THE CABIN: Not a great idea. Intense hissing and whispering from the
trees around midnight, enough to wake up sleepers. Flayed animal skins found in the morning.

5 - North Ridge Trail

A long dirt trail leading upslope out of town. Gated and marked with a sign warning of wolves.

● Gate: Not really preventing anyone from reaching the trail. Chained, but can easily be
climbed over.
● Foliage: Dense. Poison ivy and belladonna grow in the tangle.

A LONG HIKE: Ascending the North Ridge trail takes 3 hours.

SOUNDS AMONG THE TREES: As the investigators cross the gate, a coarse, sibilant hissing sounds
out. However, it coincides with the wind. It could just as easily be the passage of a stray gust through
an unusual hole between branches.

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6 - Atlas Logging Camp

An old logging camp, built, abandoned, and then partially reclaimed by the woods.

● Processing Yard: Covered in thick grass. D8 rusting jaw traps have been set here (Presence
DR 13 to notice. D6 damage. Toughness DR 11 to avoid contracting tetanus. If contracted,
suffer -1 Strength and make another Toughness DR 11 to avoid dying of it d2 months later.)
● Storage Sheds: Contain abandoned logging tools. Saws, hatchets, hooks, and chains.
● Supervisor's Cabin: Left to the elements.

TREKKING DEEPER: Traveling back to town from here takes 3 hours on the North Ridge trail.
Traveling to the Disused Fire Tower or Bwca Creek takes 30 minutes.

TOMMYKNOCKER ENCOUNTER: If it is dark, a single Tommyknocker is here, and will attack the
investigators (see [The Tommyknockers.])

7 - Disused Fire Tower

A tall wooden tower peeking over the treeline. No longer maintained, but still sturdy.

● Ladder: Somewhat slippery from moisture absorbed into the wood. Agility or Strength DR
8 to climb without falling. D8 damage from a fall.
● Tower Interior: Whoever used this tower before, they were looking to patch it up. A few
supplies remain. There is a hammer, a box of nails, and a rusty metal pitcher of rainwater
sitting under a hole in the roof.

FOLLOWING THE TRAIL TO ITS END: Traveling to the Atlas Logging Camp, Bwca Creek, or the
Entrance To The Coldmouth Mine from here takes 30 minutes.

HOLING UP AT THE TOWER: The tower is a wonderful defensive position, should the investigators
be pursued by Knockers. Knockers will attack the tower every d4-1 hours, trying to ascend the
ladder, but anyone who stands at the top can test Strength DR 12 to force them back down.
Furthermore, characters in the tower have -2 DR to ranged attacks and ranged defenses against
opponents on the ground.

8 - Bwca Creek

A shallow, winding stream over rocky ground.

● The Stream: Lovely. Peaceful. The water is clean and good to drink.
● The Surrounding Woods: The trees are matted with animal hides that have been fastened
to them with wooden nails. Glittering masses of flies infest the scenery.

FOLLOWING THE TRAIL TO ITS END: Traveling to the Atlas Logging Camp, Disused Fire Tower, or
the Entrance To The Coldmouth Mine from here takes 30 minutes.

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TOMMYKNOCKER ENCOUNTER: If it is dark, d4+1 Tommyknockers are here. They will ask for a
gift in a strange chirping language, clearly indicating that they want one of the investigators as that
gift. If the group complies, the Tommyknockers will brutally slaughter and skin the gift (onlookers
test Stability DR 18 or suffer -1 Stability,) then offer nectar to the survivors. A dose of nectar heals
2d6 and removes d4+1 years of aging. Investigators who have drunk nectar will not be troubled in
the Entrance To The Coldmouth Mine (see [The Tommyknockers.])

9 - Entrance To The Coldmouth Mine

A raw wall of darkness gouged into the flesh of the cliffside. A strange, sweet smell wafts from within. A
heap of viscera as tall as your knees buzzes with flies just outside.

● Pitch Black: Entering the cave without a light source is a terrible idea. Presence DR 19 to
fumble your way back out.

REACHING THE DEPTHS: Descending to the lowest level of the mine takes 30 minutes.

TOMMYKNOCKER ENCOUNTER: There are d6 Tommyknockers inside the upper portion of the
mine. They will stalk the investigators, mimic echoes, try to split up and confuse the group. If the
investigators have ornamented themselves with iron, the Knockers will stay just out of reach and
hiss and whisper and promise all kinds of things if the investigators will simply remove their iron and
step into the dark. If the investigators have drunk nectar, they will leave the group completely alone
(see [The Tommyknockers.])

10 - Depths Of The Coldmouth Mine

Here the Tommyknockers have made their nest. A dense hive of flesh and veins clings to the wall.

Lying before it is a body.

● The Body: If the investigators have gotten here in 4 days or less since the start of the
investigation, Agatha is alive. She is 13 years old now, having been repeatedly administered
nectar by the Tommyknockers. She has, at bare minimum, an anxiety disorder and acute
nyctophobia and claustrophobia, but she is still extremely clear-headed and will gladly flee
with the investigators. If the PCs have arrived after 4 days, her de-aged body has partially
merged with the mother.
● Hive Secretions: d4 doses of nectar have recently oozed from the skin of the mother.
Anyone who consumes a dose recovers 2d6 Hit Points and is de-aged d4+1 years.

TOMMYKNOCKER ENCOUNTER: 3 Tommyknockers defend the mother (see [The

Tommyknockers.])

THE MOTHER: HP 36, Morale 0, Hive Tendrils d4. 3 Actions per Round. Can cast either Knit Flesh
or Dust Of Mortality once per Round. Takes double damage from iron or fire. Sustains the
Tommyknockers with nectar, and the Tommyknockers periodically return the favor by giving it de-
aged victims to add to its structure. If killed, the whole colony will scatter and most will die. The
townsfolk, when they find out, will be lost in rage and grief.

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IF THE INVESTIGATORS JUST GRAB AGATHA AND RUN: The Tommyknockers will pursue them,
attacking in waves of d4 every d2 hours as long as it's dark. The police will also do their best to
hinder escape from the town, and most townsfolk will join in (HP 4, Morale 13, Knife d4 damage and
1 bleed.)

What's Really Going On

Welsh and Cornish miners came to Mariettesville during the immigration wave in the 1820s,
bringing with them tales of Tommyknockers.

The mountains and woods of Mariettesville already had their own creatures, and the Welsh name
simply replaced the original in local usage.

The Mariettesville creatures work very simply. They wish to hunt humans---both for food and to
create de-aged biomatter for their Mother---and they think it is sweeter to do this with permission.
Though they will take any prey when they get hungry, anyone who provides them with a family
member, lover, or even a hogtied stranger can receive a dose of their nectar.

The nectar cures physical maladies and adds years back onto the lifespan of the drinker.

Nearly all of Mariettesville serves the Tommyknockers by this point, and they strive to keep the
town out of the newspapers---but not so hidden that the occasional person doesn't visit, and
disappear.

Agatha knew nothing of this, she was just interested in the folklore, but the townsfolk got weirder
the more she pried into the matter, and eventually they grabbed her and took her up to the mine to
feed to the Knockers.

The Knockers recognized her as usable material for their Mother, and so they began feeding her
nectar to prepare her for merging with the Mother's flesh.

The Tommyknockers

Each Tommyknocker is as tall as a person, although their arms are unusually long, their bellies are
distended, and they walk with a slight forward hunch. Their faces are expressive, but their mouths
yawn wide to reveal row upon row of dagger teeth. They hiss and whisper and cling to the trees,
avoiding daylight, and they will attempt to take investigators that have become isolated from the
rest of the group. They are good but not perfect mimics, and they are not above using their
vocalizations to try and lure investigators away into the woods.

Tommyknockers have HP 11, Morale 13, Pale Hide -d2, Long Claws d6+1 damage and 1 bleed. They
cast Bind Foes at DR 8 and test Morale when confronted with iron or sunlight.

The first time the investigators see a Tommyknocker, they test Stability DR 12 or suffer -1 Stability.

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Resolution

If Agatha is found within four days, she is still alive. All of the investigators gain +1 Stability.

If Agatha is brought back to Dorothea, alive or dead, the investigators each gain $80.

If Agatha is found dead, or never found, investigators who figure out a way to ensure that Dorothea
and her children are still supported do not suffer -1 Stability.

Sensational papers will buy the story about the creatures in the mines for $50, but to the
townsfolk's relief, few will believe it.

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