N@TO Alphabet Jam - New Rituals

While I'm working on my follow-up post to "Some Changes For Last Things Last", I thought I'd tide things over with a few rituals I've recently put together. The N@TO Discord server is currently running its annual Alphabet Contest (albeit as a "Jam", due to it lacking a panel of judges this year). These rituals are for my scenario entry, "H is for Heliophobia" - set in 2000s Greece and involving a bevy of factions in the European and Near Eastern occult undergrounds.

I'll likely post some play-reports when I get round to playtesting it, along a link to the full scenario's Google Docs page when I'm done. In the meantime, here's some new rituals:

CONSORT OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Complex ritual. Study time: weeks; 1D4 SAN. Activation: an hour; 12 WP, 1 SAN. 

This ritual, often appearing in relation to Tantric traditions, uses prayers to Tsathoggua and lengthy, exhausting acts of ritualistic sex to align the operator’s mind with the higher mysteries of existence. Despite the nature of the ritual, this act of sex appears as a purely utilitarian method of achieving spiritual enlightenment. Attraction between the operator and any assistants is not required. 

Whilst listed as requiring sexual congress between two individuals, this ritual can be performed in a masturbatory form - but the ritual will count as Flawed, incurring a -20% to the Ritual Activation roll. 

Additionally, the ritual being performed with an assistant has an additional benefit - the operator can share the WP cost with their sexual partner/s (albeit this costs 0/1 SAN to the Unnatural for the assistant, as the operator bellows and chants inhuman prayers to the “Sleeper of N'kai” mid-coitus). Theoretically, this ritual can be performed with up to three assistants, reducing the cost to 3 WP each.

If all of the assistants involved have learned this ritual, this grants a +20% to the Ritual Activation roll.

If the ritual succeeds, the operator gains great insight into hypergeometry. They receive a +20% to any Ritual Activation or Unnatural rolls for 1D4 + 2 days. This ritual’s bonus can be “stacked” to a +40% by performing it again before the duration expires. However, this does not extend the duration of the bonus.

Alternate Names: Karmamudrā, Maithuna, Invoke The Tumescence Of The Horned Toad.

OPINT - QUESTION OF CONSENT

The original version of this ritual, or at least what inspired it, was the “Keenness of Two Minds Alike” from Call of Cthulhu 6e, which was explicitly incestuous and frequently seen used in an abusive context. It is up to the Handler’s discretion whether this ritual can be used non-consensually. If your players are comfortable with such topics, perhaps it can. But it can just as easily require the consent of assistants.

OPINT - CRITICALS AND FUMBLES

On a critical success, the operator doubles the duration of the ritual’s bonus. Additionally, any assistants who participated in the ritual learn how to perform it in a bout of spiritual communion with the operator.

On a fumble, the operator attunes too deeply with Tsathoggua and suddenly vomits up a torrent of foul-smelling, black bile. Any assistants participating in the ritual lose 1/1D4 SAN to Helplessness, while the operator loses 1D4 CON and becomes sexually impotent until they heal back to their original CON score via “Improve Stat or Skill” Home Scenes or other methods (such as the Healing Balm ritual).

HE WHO OPENS THE WAY 

Simple ritual. Study time: days; 1D6 SAN. Activation: varies; 6 WP, 1 SAN. 

This ritual shifts a section of stone, rock, brick, concrete, rubble or similar material to open a passageway. It can also seal off an existing passageway if enough loose material is present (especially if this ritual was already used to create the passageway in question). Despite the volume of material being moved by this ritual, it is disconcertingly quiet - creating only the rasp of rock softly scraping against rock.

The archetypal example of this ritual is the Tomb of Jesus or Polyphemus' Cave, where a large rock is "rolled" in front of a tunnel - sealing it closed or opening it. However, it could also be used to excavate a collapsed mine shaft, bore a hole through concrete or seal a doorway with a pile of loose bricks. 

To open a passageway with this ritual, the operator must first carve a series of geometric designs into the surface they wish to "open". With the advent of modern power tools, this only takes a proficient operator around five minutes. Else it’s an hour’s work with a chisel, halved with a Craft (Masonry) roll. Once the carved shapes are present, even if from a prior use of this ritual, the operator prays to Yog-Sothoth, the Opener of the Way for two rounds and shifts up to ten cubic metres of material. Passageways have excellent (but mundane) structural integrity, commiserate with the material used. 

To seal a passageway, the operator prays to Yog-Sothoth as they gesture the geometric configurations in the air. Similarly, this takes two rounds and shifts up to ten cubic metres of material to create the seal. Additionally, once the blockage has formed in the passageway it has the exact same geometric designs already carved onto its surface.

Anyone with Unnatural 20%, or who succeeds a roll, understands the nature of the carvings the ritual leaves behind, and the existence of a passageway behind it. The Voorish Sign ritual also reveals this. Someone with the Elder Sign ritual can deface the carvings (at the cost of 4 WP and 2 SAN) immediately causing the blockage to crumble into dust and revealing the passageway hidden behind it. (of note, defacing the ritual’s geometric designs without the use of the Elder Sign ritual has no effect, beyond forcing the operator to carve them all over again to reopen the passageway).

Alternate Names: Unseal The Saviour’s Tomb, Entrap The Nemean Lion, Folly Of The Cyclopes (particularly devious Handlers could also rename the ritual “Create Stone Gate”).

OPINT - NAMES TO SAY, WAYS TO PAY 

For operators who don't wish to spend a full 12 WP to open and close a passageway, they can substitute HP for WP. This HP can come from a willing participant, such as the operator or an assistant, or from a human sacrifice. The operator must carve the geometric designs into the sacrifice and use their blood to paint the same shapes onto the passageway, or gesture them in the air with a bloody hand.

OPINT - CRITICALS AND FUMBLES

On a critical success, the operator creates a far more efficient and permanent passageway that now only costs 3 WP (and 0/1 SAN to the Unnatural) to open and unseal. Additionally, defacing it now requires a permanent version of the Elder Sign (necessitating a Craft (Type) skill of 20%, 1D6 SAN and 2 POW).

On a fumble, the operator seals their hand in the wall. Freeing the operator requires re-casting the ritual, amputation (2D6 DMG, halved with a Surgery roll) or a chisel and a DEXx5 roll or Craft (Masonry) 20%.

 

Some Changes For Last Things Last: Part 1

A common question I see from prospective Handlers is how to run Delta Green's quick-start scenario, Last Things Last ("LTL"). And whilst LTL is mostly fine as-written, I do think there's some changes that could be made to enhance the scenario - especially in its role as an introduction to the world of Delta Green for new players.

So without further ado, here's some of the changes I've used:

Baughman's Apartment

1) Adding More To Find

For a deranged ex-Delta Green Agent, Baughman's apartment certainly seems a bit bare. This is fine if you're trying to squeeze in LTL as a 2-hour oneshot after character creation. But, if you've got more wiggle-room for session time, consider adding some of the following.

• A loaded .38 snubnose revolver in Baughman's office, secured to the underside of his desk with liberal amounts of peeling duct tape (10m range, 1D8 DMG). Noticed immediately by Agents with Alertness 60% or found with a basic search of the room. 

• A metal fishing-tackle box hidden inside an air-vent in the spare bedroom. Inside of it is an Unusual Expense (approx. $2,000) in $50 bills. Some of the money has a white residue on it, recognisable as trace amounts powdered fentanyl for any Agents with Criminology 40% or Pharmacy 20%. This stash can be noticed by Agents with INT 13 or Search 60%, who realise the screws on the room's vent cover have been stripped - as if someone had been repeatedly unscrewing them.

• Battered orange pill-bottles for various cardiovascular medications inside the bathroom's medicine cabinet. Anyone with Pharmacy 20% or Medicine 20% notes discrepancies in the labels of the bottle. Any subsequent examination of pills finds a suspicious resemblance to synthetic opioids (see also, An Unexpected Visitor).

• A sawn-off 12-gauge shotgun stuffed under Baughman's filthy king-sized mattress (15m range, +20% to hit, 2D8 DMG, 1/2 AP). Agents with Search 40% who enter the room notice a bulge beneath the mattress, revealing the shotgun's presence. Agents with Military Science (Land) 20% note that Baughman could've grabbed the weapon whilst lying in bed - the man was evidently deathly paranoid.

So why add this illegal paraphernalia? 

Well, firstly it reinforces Baughman's nature as a paranoid and violent man, encouraging the Agents not to trust his deranged demands later in the scenario. Secondly, it gives players something else to actually do in the apartment - searching it for hidden illicit goodies. 

Finally, it adds an extra complication for the Agents to deal with. What do they do with all this illegal stuff? Sure, maybe they just destroy it. Or maybe they keep the guns, drugs and cash as a little "bonus" for their work. After all, it isn't like Delta Green is paying them.

(Or maybe they continue a time-honoured tradition; renting a storage container nearby and starting their very own Green Box, stashing the contraband they can't take home with them.)

2) Shooting At Your Monks

An adage from DnD that's equally as applicable in Delta Green. Put simply, if your Agents have an ability, let them use it. Delta Green suffers from a degree of skill bloat, so be sure to make those niche skill choices feel like they actually have an impact on the game.

In the context of LTL, the specific clue that moves the game forward is discovering the Cabin's existence. As written, it's a few hours of sifting through a paperwork to move the game forward. That's fine as a fail safe, but it's also a brilliant excuse to let your Agents' skills shine.

Here's some suggestions for making certain skills feel useful. I'd err on the side of giving an Agent an auto success here - nothing feels worse for a player than getting to use your super niche skill once in a session, but flubbing the roll due to bad dice luck.

• Accounting or Law. Baughman was deliberately trying to disguise his ownership of several properties with fake identities and laundered cash flows. However, he's gotten sloppy and left a paper-trail leading to a rural Cabin he seemed particularly interested in keeping a secret. (Of note, the dead man's financials could also be used to seed other scenario hooks - maybe Baughman was the one who organised and owned the Green Box in Lover in the Ice?).

• Computer Science. Baughman had an old computer in his office. It's password protected, but the security isn't up to scratch against modern digital intrusion techniques. Before long, you crack it open. It turns out Baughman had most of his financials digitised; CTRL-F is a much more expedient way of sifting through them.

• Craft (Locksmith). A wall safe can be found behind a dusty portrait of Marlene in Baughman's bedroom. Cracking it open (also possible with a prybar, a STRx5 roll and a can-do attitude) finds a stack of yellowed documents. These include the property deed for the Cabin, mortuary records attesting to Marlene's remains being cremated and a silver urn labelled "MARLENE BAUGHMAN" (which is filled with sand).

• Craft (Microelectronics). Similar to the Computer Science clue, except it appears Baughman beat his computer to shit with a hammer in a drunken rage (shortly before dying of a heart attack). Thankfully, with a soldering iron and a steady hand, you can repair the computer's internals and boot it up with administrator privileges.

3) An Unexpected Visitor

For Handlers who want a more serious complication than old Mrs Janowitz, consider employing an old writing cliche - having a man with a gun come through the apartment door.

EUGENE MYERS - Petty Drug Dealer
STR 11, CON 11, DEX 12, INT 10, POW 10, CHR 10
HP 11, WP 10, SAN 50
SKILLS: Alertness 30%, Athletics 40%, Criminology 40%, Dodge 40%, Firearms 25%, HUMINT 30%, Melee Combat 35%, Persuade 30%, Stealth 40%, Unarmed Combat 45%.
ATTACKS: Glock 17 w/ Extended Magazine 25%, 1D10 DMG, Junk

Pocket Knife 35%, 1D4 DMG, 3 AP

Unarmed 45%, 1D4 - 1 DMG

Myers would sell the depressed Baughman illegal painkillers poorly disguised as heart medication. But once he started feeling bad for the widower he began hanging out with him - bringing with him an old PS3 to pass the time. Handlers can foreshadow Myers' arrival by having a PS3 controller sitting on Baughman's coffee table - with no sign of an accompanying console.

If the Agents just locked the door, Myers just lets himself in with a spare key - carrying his PS3 with him. If they had the forethought to deadbolt the door, the dealer starts knocking on the door and calling out for Baughman (Myers genuinely has no idea that he died recently).

If he spots any Agents dressed obviously as federal agents, he drops his console on the ground and flees the way he came. Agents can catch up with an opposed Athletics roll, but Myers will panic if pursued - pulling out a handgun and waving it at the Agents. Obviously, a foot pursuit (and potential gunfight) will likely be noticed by several phone-wielding witnesses.

If the Agents are dressed more lowkey, the first Agent that Myers sees must make a CHRx5 roll (at a cumulative -10% for every other Agent visible). On a failure, he flees as above. On a success, he's still wary but doesn't run. He lies about his purpose at the apartment, saying he's a social worker here to keep Baughman company (he was here to sell him the drugs in his jacket pocket). Agents can learn the following with Persuade or suitable legal threats with Law:

• Baughman was losing it after his wife died, spiralling into depression and paranoia. That’s when Myers met him, sold him drugs and, feeling bad about the old guy, started hanging out with him.

• When high, Baughman talked about some weird stuff, referencing a strange mix of clandestine government work and criminal activity. He did seem to be kind of anti-government / Deep State, but Myers never really got a MAGA vibe off him. 

• And when Baughman got really high he would mentioned that, although he was raised Baptist, he knew the Abrahamic God was bullshit. That there are other gods, countless of them, clawing at the fabric of reality. One time, Baughman mentioned a “safe house” that Myers was invited to take refuge in “if they ever do awaken”. Myers divulges the address if coerced, promising he’s never been there.

Alright, I think that's enough for a Part 1. 

The second half of this post will discuss what I change at Baughman's Cabin. Stay tuned!

Out In The Cold: Pregenerated Characters

An edited map of the IRL "Warren Island"

I've wanted to run "Black Cod Island" from Delta Green's "Targets of Opportunity" for a while now, but wasn't sure how to make the write-up playable. However, I recently came up with the idea to steal the concept of Seth Skorkowsky's Call of Cthulhu scenario "A Mother's Love".

02/12/2008. Ketchikan, Alaska.

You are a group of federal agents working a fugitive apprehension taskforce in the snowy wilds of Alaska.

Your quarry is Jason Tak’wjaa, and his five accomplices, who robbed several jewellery stores in Vancouver, Canada. The gang has been on the run through rural British Columbia, evading Canadian authorities for months.

After a shootout with the RCMP that left one of their number dead, it was believed the gang fled through the Canadian wilderness and crossed the border into Alaska. This was confirmed when workers at the Lower Silvis Lake Powerhouse Dam on Revillagigedo Island discovered of the corpse of another gang member, dead of blood loss and hypothermia. Authorities are unsure as to the other fugitives' whereabouts, with most arguing they perished in the cold of the Alaskan wilds.

However, whilst Tak’wjaa spent most of his life in Canada, he originates from the nearby Native American reservation of "Black Cod Island", situated to the west of Prince of Wales Island - home to the eponymous Haida Indian tribe.

You have been assigned to search Black Cod Island for the fugitives, in case Tak’wjaa took refuge in his hometown. Unfortunately, tribal authorities don't have the strongest history of cooperation with the federal government, due to several scandals involving the CDC in the 1980s.

Thankfully, despite these hang-ups, the Black Cod Tribal Police have agreed to help you search the reservation for Tak’wjaa and his gang - though they have expressed serious doubts at the idea of fugitives hiding on their island.

And without further ado, here's the four pregenerated federal agents for the scenario:

> Special Agent Rocco Whitaker, 27 YOA, Bureau of Indian Affairs OJS 

STR 10, CON 12, DEX 11, INT 13, POW 12, CHA 14

HP 11, WP 12, SAN 60, BP 48

BONDS: Adoptive Sister, Irene Whitaker - 14

Fiance, Charlotte Clark - 14

Anchorage University Anthropology & Geology Department - 14

MOTIVATIONS: Reconnect with your roots

Make Native Alaskans better off

Prove you can get your hands dirty

SKILLS: Alertness 40%, Anthropology 60%, Athletics 50%, Bureaucracy 60%, Criminology 50%, Firearms 40%, Foreign Language (Spanish) 50%, Foreign Language (Na-Dene) 50%, Foreign Language (Haida) 40%, History 60%, HUMINT 70%, Law 40%, Persuade 70%, Search 40%, Survival 30%, Swim 40%, Unarmed Combat 60%

ARMOUR: Reinforced Kevlar Vest (4 Points)

ATTACKS: Unarmed 60%, 1D4 - 1 DMG

Folding Knife 30%, 1D4 DMG, 3 AP

Pepper Spray 55%, CONx5 or Stun

Glock 22 Pistol 40%, 1D10 DMG

CAR-15A3 Rifle w/ ACOG 60%, 1D12, 3 AP DMG

DESCRIPTION: You're a slender, well-groomed Native Alaskan man that looks great in a suit and awkward in basically everything else. You try to affect a local accent, but your adoptive Californian upbringing always seems to creep into your voice.

> Deputy Marshal August Bates, 35 YOA, US Marshal Service SOG 

STR 14, CON 14, DEX 13, INT 10, POW 10, CHA 8

HP 14, WP 10, SAN 45, BP 40, Adapted to Violence

BONDS: Old Marine Corps Buddies - 8

Ex-Boyfriend, Sam Tanner - 8

MOTIVATIONS: First one in, last one out

It's not about the glory, it's about getting the job done

Unhealthy coping mechanisms

SKILLS: Alertness 70%, Athletics 60%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 50%, Dodge 60%, Drive 50%, Firearms 50%, First Aid 30%, Forensics 30%, HUMINT 60%, Law 30%, Melee Weapons 50%, Military Science (Land) 40%, Navigate 50%, Persuade 50%, Search 50%, Survival 50%, Swim 60%, Stealth 40%, Unarmed Combat 60%

ARMOUR: Reinforced Kevlar Vest (4 Points)

ATTACKS: Kevlar Gloves 60%, 1D4 + 1 DMG

Telescoping Baton 50%, 1D6 + 1 DMG

M1911 Pistol 50%, 1D10 DMG

HK416 Assault Rifle w/ Reflex Sight 70%, 1D12, 3 AP DMG or 10% Lethality

DESCRIPTION: You're a stout, hairy Caucasian man who looks like he never left the Marine Corps. Hair cut short, thick arms covered in tattoos and mouth perpetually filled with dip.

> Special Agent Elizabeth Sharp, 37 YOA, Federal Bureau of Investigation CID 

STR 9, CON 13, DEX 13, INT 12, POW 14, CHA 11

HP 11, WP 14, SAN 70, BP 56

BONDS: Ex-Husband, Timothy Graham - 11

Another Ex-Husband, Jacob Riley - 11

Daughter, Zoey Sharp - 11

MOTIVATIONS: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

Punching above your weight

Not sacrificing your morals

SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Athletics 50%, Bureaucracy 60%, Craft (Locksmithing) 40%, Computer Science 50%, Criminology 50%, Drive 50%, Firearms 70%, Forensics 30%, HUMINT 60%, Law 50%, Persuade 50%, Search 70%, Stealth 60%, Unarmed Combat 80%

ARMOUR: Reinforced Kevlar Vest (4 Points)

ATTACKS: Unarmed 80%, 1D4 - 1 DMG

Glock 22 Pistol 70%, 1D10 DMG

TASER Pistol 70%, CONx5 or Stun

HK UMP45 Submachine Gun w/ Holographic Sight 90%, 1D10 DMG or 10% Lethality

DESCRIPTION: You're a stern African-American woman with a slight build who projects the air of an exasperated highschool teacher. Beneath your ubiquitous pantsuit you’re surprisingly muscular - body honed from regular exercise in keeping with departmental fitness standards.

> Special Agent Dominic Walsh, 29 YOA, Federal Bureau of Investigation CID

STR 15, CON 9, DEX 10, INT 13, POW 12, CHA 13

HP 12, WP 12, SAN 60, BP 48

BONDS: Long-Distance Girlfriend, Chelsea Hoffman - 13

Mother, Sabrina Walsh - 13

SREMSC Rural Paramedic, Declan Snow - 13

MOTIVATIONS: Heal more than you hurt

De-escalate where ever you can

Good food and good company

SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Bureaucracy 40%, Criminology 50%, Drive 50%, Firearms 50%, First Aid 70%, Forensics 50%, HUMINT 60%, Law 30%, Medicine 40%, Persuade 50%, Pharmacy 50%, Psychotherapy 50%, Science (Biology) 40%, Search 50%, Unarmed Combat 60%

ARMOUR: Reinforced Kevlar Vest (4 Points)

ATTACKS: Unarmed 60%, 1D4 DMG

Glock 22 Pistol 50%, 1D10 DMG

SGT TR-870 Shotgun w/ Targeting Laser, varies

    (Buckshot) 90%, 2D8 DMG, 1/2 AP

    (Slugs) 70%, 2D8 DMG

    (Rubber Baton) 70%, 1D6 DMG, CONx5 or Stun

DESCRIPTION: You're a friendly faced, pudgy Irish-American man with frizzy red hair that you can never keep properly coifed. Whilst your cardio isn't great, your paramedic background and solid build makes you well-suited for dragging injured people out of the line of fire.

(Do note that I use a house rule where Agents can start with a free +40% in one (Type) Skill, such as Art, Craft, Military Science, Pilot or Science).