Savage Worlds - Pulp - Out of Sight

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L E G I O N P U B L I S H I N G P R O U D LY P R E S E N T S

OUT OF SIGHT
F E A T U R I N G
SPECIAL AGENT JOHN SAVAGE DETECTIVE KELLEY

SUMMER KEENE CARL RACKETT


LEG1201

OUT OF SIGHT
Published by

TM

www.legionpublishing.co.uk

First Published 2004

C R E D I T S & AC K N O W L E D G M E N T S
Written by
Simon Lucas
Additonal Material Illustrations by
Martin Whittick, Kirsty Crabb Dan Harding

Editing Graphic Design


R. C. Jones, K. Crabb & R. Elliott Robin Elliott

Savage Worlds created by Shane Lacy Hensley

Legion Publishing, the Legion Publishing logo, Legionnaire, and all related characters and elements are
trademarks of Legion Publishing.

Wildstar Digital Arts and its logo are trademarks of Wildstar Digital Arts.

Snake Eyes Studio and its logo are trademarks of Snake Eyes Studio.

Savage Worlds is a trademark of Great White Games and is used under license.
Economy printing control.
Typeset on QuarkXpress 4.1
Set in Kuenst480 12pt on 16pt
Trim size 8.5” x 11”
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

INTRODUCTION tense and exciting. Before starting, decide


on the kind of imagery you want to use and
Welcome to Out of Sight, the first in on the level of unpleasantness your players
Legion Publishing’s Savage Features series; a can tolerate. Play up to their fears, make the
collection of one-shot action stories based mind a terrible place to explore; just don’t
around a classic cinema theme. Each of our overdo it - this is supposed to be fun!
Savage Features presentations is an adven-
Out of Sight requires the Savage Worlds
ture for Great White Games’ Origins Award-
rules and we have provided and all-star cast
winning Savage Worlds roleplaying game.
of characters at the end of the adventure. If
you need additional heroes or want to run
Out of Sight should play like a 1940s or
the game with your own characters, that’s
1950s sci-fi B-movie, in which the players
fine; just take a look at our cast for some of
take the role of psychological investigators
the Knowledge topics and other skills that
tasked with a desperate mission. A revolu-
might help in the course of the adventure.
tionary technique allows the sharing of a
Give the players a chance to get to grips
person’s thoughts with others via a neural
with their characters (collectively called
connection. The investigators wander
professionals in this scenario), and then
through the neural pathways as if in the
throw them right into the briefing. Make
streets of some unfamiliar city and experi-
sure you emphasize that the victim’s life is
ence the thoughts of the subject as if they
at stake to keep a sense of urgency during
were real. The players must discover the
the game.
secrets the brain has to hold. The subject is
Miles Furnace: a vicious killer with murder
on his mind!
LOSING THE PLOT
To heighten this urgency, the longer the
RUNNING THE GAME professionals remain immersed
Furnace’s mind, the more the environment
in

begins to hold sway over them, and they


GM’S NOTES start to lose the distinction between the real
This scenario is unusual in that it offers and the imaginary. Furnace, aware of the
no location maps and, while it does provide intrusion, also learns to resist the team
all the necessary stats and situations, you’ll over time. Losing one’s mind, or one’s life,
still have some work to do as the landscape becomes a real possibility for the profes-
of the killer’s mind changes as the heroes sionals.
experience it. A series of tables covers all
the important information, but you must While immersed, time is measured in
fill out some descriptions, providing the blocks. The concept is abstract, like time in
horror and weirdness that keeps the game a dream, so each block represents an unspe-

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

cific period of time. Keep track of the blocks of bennies! It is important to note that, as
as they pass: they modify the professionals’ Grounding is not a Trait in itself, a player
Grounding rolls (see below). To do this, cannot use bennies to affect the outcomes
keep a d20 handy by the side of you and set of Grounding checks.
it to show a 1. As time blocks pass, rotate
the d20 to show the current time spent In addition, players may choose to make
immersed. If the d20 shows a 10 or greater, Grounding checks to change the environ-
Furnace is learning to create and shape the ment around them or undo unpleasant
scenes the intruders into his mind events. Taking control of the scenes like
encounter and the horrors they witness. this is a way of the professionals steering
From that point onward, the professionals themselves towards the clues they need.
can no longer ignore damage, reclaim ben- Whenever anything bad has just happened,
nies, or change events using Grounding offer them a Grounding roll to realize it
rolls, and all damage rolls against the pro- isn’t real. Success indicates that the profes-
fessionals are modified by +2. If ever the sional can reverse what happened to them
d20 shows a 20, the professionals are in and ignore whatever effects the event
serious trouble (see End Game on page 38). caused. Note that the professionals can
only reverse effects that happened to them.
THE PRECARIOUS A Grounding check cannot reverse events
affecting a colleague; they must believe
M E N TA L B A L A N C E themselves that what they have witnessed
Frequently throughout this adventure, is not real. Furthermore, a successful
the professionals have opportunities to Grounding check allows a professional to
make “Grounding checks”. These represent “create” any mundane tool they require at
a professional’s grip on reality and how like- will. A raise is required for more elaborate
ly he or she is to mistake the experiences in requests (including weaponry). Apply modi-
the killer’s mind for the real world. Each fiers as appropriate for the object sought.
professional has a Grounding value equal to
his or her Spirit die type, plus or minus The following modifiers apply to all
modifiers from Edges and Hindrances. Grounding rolls as well as any standard
Whenever a professional uses a benny, offer modifiers (multi-action penalties, wound
the player a Grounding check. Success on a modifiers and the like).
check means that hero has kept a grip on
the situation. The benny still takes its For each wound Furnace has suffered -1
effect, but the hero does not have to throw Time die is showing 1-5 blocks -1
it away. Essentially, as long as the profes- Time die is showing 6-10 blocks -2
sionals keep making their Grounding Time die is showing 11-15 blocks -3
checks, they have an inexhaustible supply Time die is showing 16-20 blocks -4

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Failing any Grounding check adds one “You are all familiar with the case of
time block. If a player’s roll should come up Miles Furnace; shot in his home by FBI
double 1 on any Grounding check, that Agent March last week while resisting
character is lost in the world of the killer’s arrest. Agent March was investigating
mind unable to tell Furnace’s fantasy from the disappearance of Julie Ward, kid-
napped almost two weeks ago.
reality. The hero cannot make another
Evidence collected at the scene links
Grounding check until someone else first
Furnace with the kidnapping and with
‘Grounds’ them. the murder of four other young
women. In each case, Furnace kept his
In addition to any other effects, when victims alive from ten days to three
they succeed well at Grounding rolls the weeks. The chances are that Julie Ward
heroes can exert control over their environ- is still alive and Furnace is the only
ment. For each raise, a player may choose man who knows where she is.
either to ‘Ground’ a lost character (the suc- Unfortunately, Agent March shot him
cessful professional gives their colleague a in the head rendering him, in all likeli-
success for that Grounding check), or hood, permanently unconscious. This
is where you come in. This institute
remove one time block (don’t forget to offer
has pioneered a new method of treating
this option – they may need it!).
mental illness by means of a neural
link-up between the patient and one or
Make sure you keep reminding the more clinicians. We have obtained
players that the professionals are court permission to use this revolution-
in control and offer them the option ary treatment on Furnace and we need
to undo stuff and get free with their you to find the information that will
bennies using Grounding rolls. The more lead us to Julie Ward.”
they try to take control, the more they
can fail, and that makes things more “The neural link works by interpreting
the brainwaves of the patient and
deadly! Just the way I like it!
recreating them in your mind, causing
you to see and feel the subject’s
THE BRIEFING thoughts. Although the things you
experience will seem real to you, you
Gathered in a small room at a psychiatric must remember that they are not. You
institute is a collection of senior law have been selected for your clinical
enforcement officers, medical specialists excellence and your intimate knowl-
and legal experts. The professionals have edge of the case. You are the only peo-
been selected to undertake a dangerous mis- ple who can find out where she is.”
sion on which rests the life of a young “Be warned, this project is not without
woman. The FBI agent in charge of the case risk. Intruding into someone’s mind is
addresses them. an invasive procedure and the more
times you go into and come out of

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Furnace’s psyche, the more damage have messed up these areas causing
you will do to him. In addition, the unpredictable patterns of association.
longer you stay in there, the more like-
ly your mind is to believe that what Give the players a chance to introduce
you’re seeing is real. This is a race
their characters and explain their interest in
against the clock!”
the case and their fields of experience. Once
the heroes have come together as a team,
Your players are probably bursting
they are led to the Immersion Laboratory.
with questions. A few facts are includ-
ed here, but this is a game, not an
anatomy lesson! Answer as many questions THE IMMERSION LAB
as you feel like (make up stuff if neces-
From the briefing room, the team is taken
sary) but hurry ’em up if they get too tech-
to a pristine white room and, seated in
nical! Remember, this should be played as a
reclining padded chairs, restrained. The
sci-fi B-movie, full of strange psycho-bab-
doctors explain that the procedure is some-
ble, which the players accept at face value.
what uncomfortable as numerous techni-
cians busy around the team, making prepa-
No one area of the brain stores mem-
rations. Heavy clamps surround each char-
ories; damage to part of Furnace’s
acter’s head, preventing any movement, as
brain doesn’t erase them, so the infor-
technicians close in with an array of long
mation may be retrievable.
needles and probes. Syringes are inserted
Information received from senses or
into the base of the skull and into the eye
generated by thought is processed in
sockets of each team member; through the
many parts of the brain. Despite
eyelids just above the eyeball. Almost
Furnace’s incapacity, information
immediately, each sees a bright blinding
regarding the whereabouts of the
flash in front of his or her eyes, obscuring
missing girl could well be in there
everything. Before they know it, the profes-
somewhere, undamaged.
sionals feel as if they are falling through
The cerebral cortex is the site of con-
space and, suddenly, they emerge in the
scious behavior. Areas that respond to
first scene of Furnace’s mind.
touch lie behind the motor areas.
While Furnace’s motor function is
negligible, he may well still be able to
IMMERSION
feel, he is just unable to respond. Going into the killer’s mind for the first
Large parts of the cerebral cortex are time is a terrible shock, both for the patient
taken up by so-called “association and for the professionals. Each hero must
areas” which analyze information make an immediate Grounding check, so
received by the primary sensory sites. each failure on this check reduces the
The damage to Furnace’s brain may length of time the team can safely remain

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

immersed. In addition, for each failed whole team is ever rendered unconscious or
Grounding check during immersion, incapacitated (or if any one hero dies while
Furnace suffers 2d6 damage. immersed), the whole team is removed
from the situation by the team of techni-
COMING OUT cians monitoring their vital signs. The
During the course of the adventure, the Grounding checks are made as usual (using
professionals may have cause to escape the the -4 penalty above), though failures in
confines of Furnace’s
twisted psyche, return-
ing after a brief respite.
Each foray into the
mind of the killer
requires another
immersion, with all the
attendant risks and
rolls. The time die does
not reset between
immersions, so the
team cannot avoid the
inevitable endgame sce-
nario in this way!

Leaving the sewer that


is the patient’s mind is,
like the immersion, a
dangerous time for host
and professional. Another
Grounding roll is required
to leave, using the follow-
ing modifiers (in addition to the standard this circumstance only advance the time
Grounding modifiers): die one block – the team is always removed
from Furnace’s mind.
Sudden removal (removed by a third
party) -4 If a hero dies while immersed and the
In mid-interaction with host -2 team is brought out, the “dead” hero gets a
Vigor check to be revived. On a success, the
Failure results in an inability to leave professional wakes gasping and frightened
and, as usual, adds one time block. If the in the immersion chair in the lab. On a

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failure, the hero cannot be revived, he or PSYCHOLOGICAL


she believed the events that befell him or
her in Furnace’s mind and the profession- CLUES
al’s brain died. For the characters with psychological
training, the presence of the child provides
FINDING CLUES opportunities for understanding the killer.
Allow these characters checks against their
There are only a few steps to unraveling particular knowledge skills to gain an
the whereabouts of the missing girl and insight into Furnace’s psychology.
the players must explore Furnace’s mind Successes and raises on these rolls glean
to discover what they need. However, the bits of information useful in winning over
various combinations of information that the child; some examples of which are pro-
can be created from the random scene gen- vided here.
erator allow a huge array of encounters the
players can face. They must try to sift the The child is terrified of men (who
few bits of useful information from the have -1 Charisma while interacting
misleading and revolting detritus of the with him)
killer ’s mind. Any aggression toward the child
causes him to run away (all future
PHYSICAL CLUES rolls to influence him are modified
As the professionals explore the scenes, by -2)
they can find several that are real-world Any sign of rejection causes the child
locations. Heroes with Knowledge (Case to hide (he has been rejected all his
History) and Investigation skills can recog- life)
nize many of the scenes and situations pre-
sented. This should allow the team to If the psychologists can win the boy over,
understand that Furnace’s mind is accu- he can hint to the team the locations that
rately portraying information about his vic- provide the lawyer or detective with the
tim’s whereabouts. information they need (apply a -1 modifier
to the dice rolls for the next scene). By
Furthermore, these characters have suit- working together in this way, the team can
able skills for tracing such clues in the real piece together the puzzle and find Julie
Ward.
world. Whenever the team emerges from
the mind, they can conduct as much or as
little real-world investigation as they S AV I N G THE D AY
choose (though they should always bear in When the heroes think they have suffi-
mind that the clock is ticking for Julie cient information, they can make a real-
Ward). world visit to the place they think Julie is

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

held and discover if they are correct. If the the professionals immerse or move to a
professionals find sufficient clues in time, new location), roll d8 to find what the
they can save Julie’s life. She is in a deep new location is. Feel free to create addi-
pit, in a cellar of a crumbling house by a tional weird locations or areas to link
river. Many of the things the professionals these places together or vary the adven-
will witness point to such details and the ture, but the eight locations presented
characters intimate with the facts of the here provide sufficient clues for the pro-
case can pick up on such things. fessionals to find Julie’s whereabouts.
Once you know where the professionals
When they eventually find her, if they are, roll on the event table to see what
reach her in time that is, Julie is rescued by happens there. Certain entries on the
policemen and ambulance crews. If the pro- tables require additional rolls as well. The
fessionals conversed with Julie while GM must interpret, describe and embel-
immersed, she appears to recognize them lish the rest of the entries as the game
and, as she is being carried from the deep develops, fleshing out the surreal land-
well in the basement of the house, she whis- scapes of Furnace’s mind.
pers to them, "I knew you would come for
me," before lapsing into unconsciousness. RETRACING YOUR
STEPS
IN THE MIND OF A Note that there is little internal consis-

KILLER tency to the layout of these “locations”. If


the team decides to turn back and retrace
There is no map presented here for play- their steps, they move to another scene. It
ers to follow; the mind has its own internal is not necessarily the same one they came
logic and the professionals must decipher it from. The players should feel somewhat
as they try to come to terms with its disoriented and adrift; aware they have a
difficult task ahead.
imagery. Instead of plotting the players’
progress on a map, the GM determines
each location they come to using the tables LANDSCAPE OF THE
presented here, applying appropriate modi-
fiers as the professionals begin to under-
MIND
stand their surroundings. Remember the d8 Location
heroes must always be somewhere. As they 1. Basement
roam Furnace’s mind they move from scene 2. Empty Pool
to twisted scene. 3. Condemned Building
4. Peepshow
Whenever a new scene is required (as 5. Hospital Ward

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6. Sewer 2. Bloody Walls


7. Foggy Street 3. The Dead Mariner
8. Bedroom 4. Wall Crawler
5. The Black Hole
BASEMENT 6. Bone Man

DESCRIPTION: JULIE’S CONNECTION


Several stone steps lead down, flanked by At the foot of the well on the far side of
a rotting wooden banister. Descending into the room, Julie Ward cowers in the dark. If
the dim half-light, the professionals are in the professionals speak to her, she is too ter-
a large room with dark stone walls. The rified to answer, but they can hear her cry-
high barred window, less than a foot across, ing softly. A successful Knowledge
is set high on the wall, close to the ceiling (Psychology) check or, failing that, a
indicating that the room is a basement of Persuasion roll (-2), encourages a feeble
some crumbling stone building. In one cor- reply from the weakened girl.
ner an oil lamp stands on a table next to a
pile of sheets and some lengths of lead pip- Unfortunately, she is unable to provide a
ing. The only other light source in the detailed description of her whereabouts,
room is a bare bulb hanging from a naked though she can confirm she is in a deep
flex in the center of the room. The light is dark shaft of some kind, with water at the
off but, even without its stark illumination, bottom and no exits. She is terribly fright-
the professionals can make out the shape ened as there are also some bones down
of a black hole in the floor on the far side there. By some strange inexplicable phe-
of the room. nomenon, however, as the team converses
with Julie, the professionals doing the talk-
MEANING: ing get the sense that they are actually con-
The basement is where Furnace has tacting the girl.
imprisoned his last victim, Julie Ward, at
the foot of the 20’ deep old well in the base- If the professionals try to rescue their
ment of a house by the waterfront. The prize from the well here, they discover only
house belonged to an old mariner who was the dead mariner (see below) in the well.
unfortunate enough to disturb Furnace one Julie’s voice can be heard echoing in the
evening. The man’s remains lie in the bot- darkness, but there is no further sign of the
tom of the well with the terrified girl. girl. A successful Knowledge (Psychology)
roll gives the professional an urgent sense
EVENTS: that the team must find this place. A raise
d6 indicates to that professional that this is
1. Julie’s Connection the place where Julie is kept.

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BLOODY WALLS drag them back out of the door to the


As they stare around the grim room, the basement, the team finds itself in the
professionals become aware of a dripping sewers, where they can wash the blood
sound. A successful Notice roll detects the off. Then roll on the Sewers below to
source of the sound. The walls are oozing find out what the professionals face
blood and, as it trickles from the mortar next.
between the bricks, it pools and drips from 4. The blood pools on the floor as it
rough masonry and ledges in the walls. Roll runs in thick rivers from the walls.
d4. The pools around the room bubble
and boil like lakes of lava and, as the
1. The blood soon stops flowing, but professionals watch, 1d8 pools rise
the floor is slick with gore. Any Agility into the shapes of figures. The liquid
or Agility-based rolls in this hideous seethes upward until a full-sized
place are made at -2. Roll for another humanoid blood monster stands in
event at this location to see what hap- each pool. The blood creatures attack
pens next. the professionals en masse, protecting
2. The blood starts to run faster, soon the well from prying eyes. If all are
becoming a flood and gushing toward defeated, the team has earned the
the well. As it begins to fill, Julie over- right to speak to Julie as per Julie’s
comes her fear and starts to scream. It Connection, above.
requires a successful Guts roll to dive
into the dark, bloody well. Any hero BLOOD CREATURES
making such a brave move finds only These horrific entities, composed of thick
the body of the dead mariner inside blood, shift and change their fluid form
(see below). making them difficult to hit and damage.
3. The brickwork starts to crumble Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6,
and crack under the pressure of the Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
rapidly increasing flow of blood. Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice
Almost at once, the liquid is jetting d6
from the cracks in a fine spray, which Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
covers the professionals. If they don’t Special Abilities:
leave at once, the blood begins to Engulf: The Blood Creatures do Str
harden, encasing them in a terrible damage on a successful Fighting roll.
shell of gore. It requires a successful On a raise, they Engulf instead. Each
Strength roll (-4) to break through the round thereafter, a victim must suc-
dried blood and those failing can take ceed an opposed Strength roll, or start
no actions inside their bloody cocoon. to drown in blood! Use the drowning
If another professional manages to rules in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

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Invulnerability: Ordinary weapons do This house was once a harbormasters


not harm the Blood Creatures (though house.
they can be shaken as normal) It stood by the side of the busy city
Weakness: The Blood Creatures suffer docks.
double damage from flames or fire- Once they controlled all commerce to
based attacks. the city.
The docks changed much from that
THE DEAD MARINER time, of course, but the house still
From the well at the far side of the stands.
room comes a scraping sound. From the The ancient mariner met Furnace,
dark hole, a hand reaches over the side. dressed as a sanitation worker, as the
The fingers search for a handhold on the killer crawled from a sewer.
well’s stone edges. With rasping breath, a
figure throws another hand out to haul up Using this information in the real world,
their body. As the professionals look on, a the team can locate the actual property in
decaying skull comes above the level of the real world with a simple Investigation
the well. The skull is followed by a rot- roll. However, they need to link the place
ting torso as the hideous creature crawls with Julie to know it is the location they are
slowly over the low stone parapet and seeking. In all likelihood, they must come
into the room. The thing is the remains through this room again to discover the
of the mariner who owned this house. He truth.
met Furnace by chance and died by his
hand. WALL CRAWLER
A soft scratching sound emanates from
Despite his grisly appearance, the one corner of the room. If the team moves
mariner means the team no harm. His to investigate, they discover thousands of
vocal chords are badly damaged by the small spiders pouring from a large egg sac.
wound Furnace inflicted, however, so he If the team acts quickly, using fire to
drags himself toward the professionals, his destroy the sac saves the professionals a lot
voice barely audible above the rasping croak of trouble, though they still have three
of his labored breathing. swarms of vicious biting, jumping spiders
to deal with, each covering a small burst
If the team manages to overcome their template. Failing that, two rounds after the
(understandable) fear and loathing of the first wave of spiders attack, a second wave
mariner, they can find out some valuable of spiders—much larger individuals than in
information. Each success and raise on a the first—starts to emerge. Three swarms
Persuasion or Investigation roll reveals one of these larger spiders (each covering a
of the following facts. medium burst template) scuttle from the

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sac, one each on the two side walls and one damage equal to his or her Strength
crawling across the roof. each round.
Wall Walker: The swarm can move at
Two rounds after that, the mother of all full pace on vertical or inverted sur-
these spiders crawls from the pit on the far faces.
side of the room. The thing is huge and can Weakness: The spiders suffer double
jump and bite. It also leaps straight for the damage from flames or fire-based
professionals who are fighting its young. If attacks.
the team flees the scene, the swarms of
“babies” remain in the basement. The SPIDERS
mother is less forgiving, however, and fol- The swarms of spiders each cover a
lows close behind, chasing the heroes medium burst template. Again, one swarm
through location after location until killed attacks along each wall while the third
or evaded. swarm drops from above. Once a swarm is
wounded, it is dispersed and the spiders
SMALL SPIDERS scuttle off into the darkness.
The swarms of small spiders each cover a Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4(A),
small burst template. One swarm attacks Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d10
along each wall while the third swarm Skills: Notice d6
drops from above. Once a swarm is wound- Pace: 10; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
ed, it is dispersed and the spiders scuttle off Special Abilities:
into the darkness. Bite: The Spiders inflict hundreds of
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4(A), tiny bites each round, automatically
Spirit d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6 hitting any hero covered by the burst
Skills: Notice d6 template and causing 2d4 damage to
Pace: 8; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 each victim.
Special Abilities: Swarm: Parry +2; Because the swarm
Bite: The Spiders inflict hundreds of is composed of hundreds of individual
tiny bites each round, automatically spiders, cutting and piercing weapons
hitting any hero covered by the burst do no real damage. Area-effect
template and causing 2d4 damage to weapons work normally, and a hero
each victim. can stomp on the creatures to inflict
Swarm: Parry +2; Because the swarm damage equal to his or her Strength
is composed of hundreds of individual each round.
spiders, cutting and piercing weapons Wall Walker: The swarm can move at
do no real damage. Area-effect full pace on vertical or inverted sur-
weapons work normally, and a hero faces.
can stomp on the creatures to inflict Weakness: The spiders suffer double

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damage from flames or fire-based The immense pull is almost irresistible and
attacks. the stonework around the edge of the pit
crumbles and collapses into the hole.
QUEEN SPIDER
This giant arachnid makes audible click- The next round, any hero within 10' of
ing sounds as she moves over the walls. Her the pit must make a Strength roll (-4) or be
wicked fangs drip with venom and she dragged into the pit. The few pieces of fur-
aggressively pursues anyone who attacks niture in the dark room fly toward the hole
her offspring. and crash down into the pit, which is
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6(A), expanding rapidly as the floor around it dis-
Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d10 integrates and vanishes into the abyss. Any
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6 professionals in the room have their pace
Pace: 10; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 reduce by half.
Special Abilities:
Bite: Str+2 On the next round, any hero still in the
Venom: A hero bitten by the queen room must make a Strength roll (-6) or be
must make a Vigor roll (-2). On a sucked into the gaping black hole, which
success, the affected area swells and now devours the best part of the room. The
becomes numb. The victim is remaining professionals have their pace
Exhausted until healed (or until the reduced to 0 and stand, rooted to the spot,
team next leaves Furnace’s mind). as the edge creeps ever outward. A roaring
On a failure, the victim is incapaci- wind makes any communication impossi-
tated and must make a second Vigor ble and the professionals can do nothing
roll or die. but await their fate.
Wall Walker: The spider can move at
full pace on vertical or inverted sur- Finally, the whole team wakes in the
faces. immersion lab, startled and disoriented.
Weakness: The spider suffers double Make a Grounding check as usual for being
damage from flames or fire-based brought out by the third party.
attacks.
BONE MAN
THE BLACK HOLE With a roar that leaves the professionals
As the professionals explore the base- stunned, the Bone Man leaps from the well
ment, a deep groaning sound begins to in a single bound and lands crouched on
emanate from the pit on the far side of the one knee, glowering at them. He rises to his
room. Any hero peering over the edge must feet, a mocking sneer on his face. At this
make an immediate Strength roll (-2) or be location, the Bone Man always attacks the
dragged into the pit by a great sucking force. team, as he tries to prevent them from

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examining the well. See the section on the ing “GO SHARKS!” in support of the school
Bone Man on page 39 for his stats. team. On the bottom of the pool, EAST-
SIDE HIGH is written in large black letters.
EMPTY POOL Two tall diving boards stand at the far end
of the pool. Down one side, a tier of seats
DESCRIPTION:
stretches back into the gloomy recesses
The team comes through a door into a
where the pitched roof meets the wall.
large room. It is an old school swimming
pool, drained of its water. The pool is in MEANING:
darkness, but the faint moonlight filtering The sports hall and swimming pool at
the high school he attended carry painful
memories for Furnace. He was mocked by
his male schoolmates for his lack of physi-
cal development and spurned by the
females for his social awkwardness. His
painful childhood memories often focus on
swim sessions, where the embarrassment
was most acute.

EVENTS:
d6
1. Sad Child in the bleachers
2. Pit of Hell
3. Litany of excuses
4. Cheerless Cheerleaders
5. Zombie Jocks
6. Bone Man

SAD CHILD
Sitting in a seat high in the bleachers to
the side of the pool is a small boy. If the
team approaches, he is wary of them (par-
ticularly the male team members, who suf-
fer -1 Charisma in their dealings with the
child). A successful Persuasion attempt
into the room from the skylights overhead allows a professional to win the boy’s trust
paints the room with a pale blue sheen, for the time being. If a hero first makes a
picking out the banners on the walls read- successful Knowledge (Psychology) roll, that

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hero benefits from a +1 bonus to all rolls to LITANY OF EXCUSES


interact with the child. A success also indi- At the far end of the pool, bathed in pale
cates (in case the professional hadn’t light, the team notices a row of shapes lying
guessed) that this is Furnace’s “inner on the floor. Approaching, they discover
child”. Once the child trusts the team that the shapes are roughly human-sized
slightly, the team can learn, through a suc- and covered in long towels, obscuring their
cessful Knowledge (Psychology) roll, or an features. If the professionals lift the towels
Investigation roll (-2), the information con- to see what is beneath, under each is the
tained in the Meaning section for this body of a girl lying apparently peacefully
scene, which the child delivers in scared, asleep. Only her stillness and her pallid
halting language (he is unused to people skin reveal that each girl is dead. Around
dealing with him compassionately). each girl’s neck is hung a sign daubed (a
Smarts roll reveals the writing to be blood)
PIT OF HELL with a reason for not dating the adolescent
The bottom of the pool appears to pulse Furnace. The signs read:
and ripple, even though there is no water in
it. If a hero investigates this strange phe- I can’t, I’m washing my hair
nomenon, he or she is sucked through the You’re just not my type
pool’s bottom and into the abyss beyond. If It’s not you, it’s me
the rest of the team does not follow, the pro- I just need some time for myself
I think it’s best if we don’t see each
fessionals are immediately torn from
other
Furnace’s mind and wake back in the
I’m not ready to go steady
restraining chairs in the institute immer- I don’t want to lose you as a friend
sion lab. My father would be angry
…and so on.
Any hero encountering the abyss beyond
the pool sees a vision of Hell itself. The If necessary, a successful Knowledge
Bone Man stands, wreathed in flame on a (Psychology) roll reveals these bodies to rep-
pedestal high above a pool of lava. Sulfurous resent the death of Furnace’s attempts at
fumes snake upward from the bubbling liq- normal relationships. Constant rejection
uid, choking the life from the professionals, bred in him an animosity toward woman
who observe as if suspended in mid-air. As which fueled his twisted personality.
they watch, the Bone Man appears to notice
their presence and his eyes snap up to CHEERLESS CHEERLEADERS
return their gaze. He laughs a hideous As the team stands staring around the
laugh and the professionals are suddenly large swimming pool, the doors at one end
yanked away, arriving almost instanta- of the hall swing open and a troupe of
neously at a new location. cheerleaders enter decked out in the colors

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of the school team. The grinning girls make midst of an otherwise gloomy scenario!
straight for the professionals and encircle Give a benny to anyone making the group
them, chanting and performing extremely laugh during this encounter.
athletic kicks.
CHEERLEADERS
The chanting quickly changes from The cheerleaders are slim and agile and
encouraging support to taunting attacks. attack with high kicks and spinning jumps.
Each round, every professional feels picked They rely on the use of the taunt and trick
upon and jibed at by the stinging mockery maneuver options in combat (using
of the cheerleaders. Female professionals opposed Agility rolls) to wrong-foot their
are teased for not being attractive enough, opponents before launching damaging
males for being physically inferior or in attacks.
other ways lacking! Even though they are Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6,
not yet in combat, treat the tests of wills as Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
though they were. If the cheerleaders Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Taunt
achieve a success against a hero, the cheer- d8
leaders get +2 on their next attempt. On a Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
raise, the hero is Shaken. In addition, any Special Abilities:
hero with a Hindrance related to their phys- Acrobat: The cheerleaders add +2 to
ical appearance (Obese, Small, Bad Eyes) is all Agility rolls made to perform acro-
particularly mortified and suffers a -1 batic maneuvers (including opposed
Charisma modifier until the GM deems Agility rolls in combat).
they have recovered. A successful
Knowledge (Psychology) reveals that ZOMBIE JOCKS
Furnace’s childhood was often blighted by From the locker rooms adjacent to the
the scornful attitude of these popular girls. pool a chant begins, slowly at first then
gathering in tempo until it becomes a roar.
The cruel taunting continues until all the As the shouting reaches its crescendo, the
team is Shaken or the heroes decide to doors into pool fly open and a squad of foot-
move. At this point the girls attack with a ball players – suited for a game but for their
vicious kicks and acrobatic routines. The helmets – runs into the hall chanting as
girls get +1 to their Parry in melee combat, they come. However, the team is immedi-
dodging attacks with all manner of gymnas- ately aware that these athletes are unusual
tic maneuvers rather than blocking normal- in that each and every player is dead! The
ly. If the head cheerleader is rendered zombie jocks jog awkwardly toward the pro-
unconscious, the rest of the troupe pick her fessionals, their rotting, ill-fitting shirts
up and flee, crying. This is a very surreal hanging from decaying flesh. The chanting
scene and can be a bit of light relief in the comprises a babble of gridiron talk as the

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players commend each other on a “heck of Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4,
a play,” or recite codes from the playbook. Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6,
As they approach the team, the zombie Notice d4,
jocks jostle and barge into the professionals, Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
making crude jokes at their lack of physical Special Abilities:
development and attempting to knock Armor +1: The jocks’ football pads
them to the floor. As they surround the provide protection to arms, legs, and
team, the jocks push the professionals torso.
about, continuing the verbal abuse as they Claws: Str.
begin to punch and kick at their victims. Fearless: the jocks are immune to Fear
Heroes making a successful Knowledge and Intimidation.
(Psychology) roll realize that this is the Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recov-
treatment Furnace endured as a child at ering from being Shaken. Called shots
school, and that the footballers’ appearance do no extra damage. Piercing attacks
as zombies is revealing of his attitude do only half damage.
toward the more athletically inclined. Weakness (Head): Shots to the zom-
bie’s head are +2 damage, and pierc-
The professionals must either flee or ing attacks do normal damage.
fight the zombies as best they can. If they
run, they escape to another location as soon BONE MAN
as they leave the pool. The creatures are rel- The Bone Man laughs at the team from
atively slow, so cannot give chase outside high in the bleachers. He strikes a muscle-
the pool building. If the team takes refuge man pose and does his finest Charles Atlas
in other rooms at this location, they can impression before laughing at the team
find assorted gym equipment which may be once more. Reaching behind him, he picks
employed as weaponry of various descrip- up a football and fires a rifled pass at one
tions. Fighting in the open expanse of the of the men. The stats for the Bone Man
pool is dangerous as it gives ample opportu- are presented on page 39. He throws pass
nity for the zombie jocks to gang up on the after pass at the heroes until they take
professionals. cover in one of the corridors leading off
from the pool hall. The following round,
ZOMBIE JOCKS he appears behind them. This time he
The jocks are unpleasant bullies who rely clutches a baseball and, still laughing, fires
on their intimidating physique and football a wicked fastball straight at one of the pro-
padding during combat. They knock their fessionals. Again, he follows them,
victims over and gang up on them when launching pitch after pitch at one of the
possible. unlucky team.

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Any hero hit by one of the balls must often the scenes of his crimes before his vic-
make an Agility roll (-6) to catch the ball. tims’ bodies were dumped in the sewers. As
Doing this angers the Bone Man, but the such, Furnace’s memories of these con-
display of athletic prowess brings back demned structures are vivid and unpleas-
unsettling memories of the bullies who ant.
showed him up at school. With a bellow of
rage, he vanishes. Failing to catch the ball EVENTS:
means the professional is struck for 2d4 d6
damage (from the football) and 2d6+2 1. Far off Screams
damage (from the fastball). If players com- 2. Wrecking Ball
ment that this is like being shot, they are 3. Collapse
right - the Bone Man has immense strength 4. Crime scene
and can kill a professional struck with the 5. Lightning Storm
full force! If the professionals are unable or 6. Crawling Corpses
unwilling to try to catch the balls, a
Grounding check allows them to find a con- FAR OFF SCREAMS
venient exit and flee. Modify the next The heroes may make a Notice roll to
Location roll by +1. detect the sound of far-off screams. If the
professionals succeed and decide to follow,
CONDEMNED allow an additional Notice roll (-2) to deter-
mine the direction from which the sounds
BUILDING are coming. Success allows a -1 modifier on
DESCRIPTION: the roll to find the next location.
The heroes find themselves in a room
with chipped brick walls and a high ceiling. If the team is really struggling, these
The windows are all boarded up leaving the screams can be heard at that location too,
room in darkness. As the professionals’ in addition to any other events that take
eyes become accustomed to the lack of place there. Subsequent Notice rolls give a
light, they see the room is empty and holes cumulative -1 on the die throw to deter-
in the floorboards and ceiling above become mine the following location. Eventually,
visible. Doorways leading off to other keen-eared professionals can track the
rooms and to the stairs are also boarded up. screams to the basement (roll as usual to
determine the event the team witnesses
MEANING: there).
When industry left the waterfront area,
the buildings around the factory where WRECKING BALL
Furnace used to work were marked to be A sign lying on the floor reads “Building
torn down. These derelict buildings were Condemned” and shows the logo of the

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construction firm hired to carry out the ly followed by lumps of masonry and brick-
demolition (the flaming ball motif of work as the building starts to collapse! Each
Pioneer Inc – “Blazing the Way!”). Before hero must make a successful Agility roll
they can make too much of the find, the (–2) or suffer 2d6+5 points of damage as
wall explodes to one side of the team. Have they crash through two or three floors of
each hero make an Agility roll (-4) to avoid rotten timbers into the blackness below.
flying masonry and another at -2 to dive Any heroes clinging to the remnants of the
clear of a giant wrecking ball as it smashes derelict building when their colleagues fall
through the building’s wall. Heroes hit by hear the sound of splashing from beneath.
flying bricks suffer 2d6 damage, while the Those who fall land in the sewers (roll on
wrecking ball inflicts a devastating 4d8 the event table for that location).
damage to anyone too slow to dive for
cover. CRIME SCENE
In the dim light of the derelict structure,
In the real world, the team can use the the professionals happen upon Furnace at
logo and company name to pinpoint a num- work! He crouches, with his back to the
ber of areas which Pioneer Inc demolished, team, over the body of one of his victims.
or are in the process of demolishing, con- As they watch, he wraps her body in a large
demned buildings. There are fifteen likely sheet, winding lengths of lead piping into
locations. If the professionals opt to do the sheet as he works. A hero making a suc-
some research, allow an Investigation roll cessful Knowledge: Case History roll identi-
to eliminate some of these locations. For fies the procedure as that he followed with
each success and raise, eliminate one site all his victims. A subsequent successful
(until there is only one left). The team has Knowledge (Psychology) reveals to a quali-
narrowed the search down to these areas, fied individual that this is a memory of the
but they need more to go on before they can actual crimes and that the killer’s identifi-
pinpoint Julie’s exact position. cation with this location indicates that the
place has importance for him. The profes-
COLLAPSE sional can also suggest that the location is a
The floorboards creak and groan at every real place rather than an artificial construct.
step and each professional must make an If the team can discover what the place is,
Agility roll to avoid falling through weak they may discover some important clue as
floorboards once every minute. As soon as a to Julie’s whereabouts.
hero fails (or sooner if you wish), the floor-
ing begins to crack and drop away through- LIGHTNING STORM
out the level(s) of the building the team As the team stands looking about them,
occupies. Almost simultaneously, the plas- thunder peals overhead and a sudden bolt of
ter begins to fall from the roof above, close- lightning illuminates the room. The flash

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of blue-white light is gone as quickly as it 1. The figure is that of Julie. If the pro-
came, but it an ominous rumble outside fessionals do not turn and flee, she
indicates that the storm is far from over. beckons a bloody finger and leads
them from the derelict building to the
As they explore this location, an occa- foggy street location (roll on that loca-
sional clap of thunder booms out and a tion’s Event table if the professionals
fork of lightning throws shadows across follow her).
the walls. Suddenly, as they are about to 2. The thing crawling up the stair is a
leave, lightning strikes the boards cover- skinless corpse intent on sinking its
ing one of the windows, bursting the wood claw-like fingers into the professionals
into smoldering splinters. The lightning and drinking their blood.
arcs from the window frame and touches
off the floor, appearing to creep toward the CRAWLING CORPSE
team. Searching fingers of lightning crawl Skinless and relentless, the corpse drags
up the walls and spring to every metallic itself across the floor toward its chosen vic-
surface, causing old light fittings and tim leaving a trail of blood behind it. The
water pipes to spark and spit as the sear- corpse attacks with claws on a successful
ing electricity shoots deadly tendrils to Fighting roll, or bites on a raise.
each, moving inexorably in the direction Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4,
of the team. The first professional to turn Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
and run is targeted and the bolt of light- Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6,
ning streaks toward him or her at breath- Notice d4,
taking speed. That hero immediately Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
takes 10 wounds minus his or her Special Abilities:
Toughness (bennies may be used to soak Bite: Str +2.
wounds as usual). Claws: Str.
Fearless: the corpses are immune to
CRAWLING CORPSES Fear and Intimidation.
Descending a fight of stairs, the profes- Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recov-
sionals hear a wet slapping sound emanat- ering from being Shaken. Called shots
ing from below them in the darkness. The do no extra damage. Piercing attacks
scraping is interspersed with a dull scraping do only half damage.
noise, as if something wet and heavy is Weakness (Head): Shots to the
being dragged along. A successful Notice corpse’s head are +2 damage, and
roll (–4 for the poor lighting conditions) piercing attacks do normal damage.
allows a professional to detect the shape of
a person apparently dragging its body up the 3. As above, but the creature is not
steps toward them. Roll d4. alone. At every turn, the professionals

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meet other bodies, flayed and bloody, such as this frequently. The few women he
crawling toward the team or dragging met tended to be, in some way, related to
themselves on raw limbs. Use the the sex industry and the bored-looking
same stats as the corpse (above) for dancers in the peepshows he visited in part
these horrific monsters. shaped his already-skewed perception of
4. The thing dragging itself around the women.
corner is the body of the small child.
He crawls toward the professional he EVENTS:
most trusts (or a random female hero d6
if they have failed to interact with the 1. Woman’s Intuition
boy), bleeding from many wounds. He 2. Shadowing the Killer
gasps to the chosen professional, 3. Humiliation
“Stop him! He does bad things!” and 4. Dead Man Watching
dies in the professional’s arms. From 5. Attack of the Strippers
now on, whenever a roll indicates that 6. Bone Man is Watching
the small child should appear, the
Bone Man appears instead, imperson- WOMAN’S INTUITION
ating his younger alter ego’s dying As the team looks on, one of the dancers
words and taunting the professional approaches them from behind. If any of the
the boy chose to ask for help. He then professionals make a successful Notice roll
struts arrogantly away. (-4 for the dim conditions and music), they
spot her before she gets too close.
PEEPSHOW Otherwise, she takes them by surprise as
she addresses them.
DESCRIPTION:
Pushing aside a heavy maroon curtain, “These pathetic wretches are in here
the team enters a dark corridor with other all the time. Watching, too timid to go
curtains hanging in entrances on either out and talk to real women. Hell, they
side. A stale, rank odor pervades and seedy wouldn’t know a real woman if she
muted saxophone music fills the air. walked up and bit them on the ass.
Entering through any of the curtains leads Probably enjoy it and slink off leaving a
the professionals into a small dark room. In twenty on the nightstand.” She laughs
the gloom, a dark figure sits with his back a bitter laugh and stalks away.
to them staring intently into a square win-
dow in the far wall. If the heroes manage a Persuasion roll to
convince the bitter stripper to stay and talk,
MEANING: she shares further her scornful view of the
As a lonely man who had difficulty meet- men she sees in her daily work.
ing women, Furnace visited seedy dives Photographers and pimps, tricks and thugs,

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she has a poor opinion of men in general As they approach, their movements become
and of the men sitting quietly in the dark in less suggestive. They climb through the
particular. A successful Knowledge windows (from which the glass apparently
(Psychology) roll reveals to a professional appears to have vanished). Surrounding the
that these are the views Furnace imagines team, the strippers begin to laugh and jeer.
these women to have of him. He loathes his Have each professional make a Spirit roll
inability to deal normally with women and
feels that all women share that loathing. A
raise on this roll reveals the information in
the Meaning paragraph, above.

SHADOWING THE KILLER


The watching man stands to leave and,
in the half-light, the professionals can make
a Knowledge (Case History) to recognize
Furnace’s features despite the heavy shad-
ows and turned up collar.

If the heroes make a successful Stealth roll


against Furnace’s notice of d6 (Furnace starts
the encounter inactive), they can follow him
down a dark alley. If he becomes aware of their
pursuit, he runs for it and tries to evade the
team (use the chase rules to handle this pur-
suit). If the heroes chase him down, furnace
lifts a manhole cover and drops into the sew-
ers. If the team follows him down, they too
end up in the dank tunnels (roll on the table
for that location to determine what happens
there). If the professionals are not spotted,
Furnace heads into the condemned building.
The heroes can follow him in, but he is lost in (–2 if the hero has a Hindrance based on a
the unstable interior. Roll on that location’s physical disability, such as Bad Eyes or
table to find what the team encounters there. Obese) to avoid suffering –1 Charisma for
the remainder of the scenario from the
HUMILIATION humiliation and self-doubt. If the team
The dancers beyond the glass stop danc- flees, they escape with the laughter of the
ing and move seductively toward the team. dancers ringing in their ears. If they attack,

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the women do not fight back, but fall dead nicate as she approaches. Once the exotic
on the floor the first time they suffer any dancer is within a few feet, she begins to
damage (Toughness 4). Victorious heroes dance seductively for one of the profes-
find themselves standing over the bodies of sionals, looping her feather boa around
these poor unfortunates, wondering if they his or her shoulders and shimmying to
are any different from the man whose the music. Suddenly, she twists the boa
thoughts they explore. and, in a single movement has the pro-
fessional in a stranglehold. As this hap-
DEAD MAN WATCHING pens, 2d4 other dancers appear in the
Disturbing the voyeur gives the profes- doorway and attack the remaining team
sionals a terrible fright. As the watching man members. If they win or run, the heroes
turns around, he faces the team blankly. move on to another location. This event
This is not to say that the man has no only happens once—if you roll this result
expression. He has no face! Instead of fea- more than once, roll again on subsequent
tures he has only stretched skin, shiny like occasions.
scar tissue. Each player must make a suc-
cessful guts check or lose their lunch at the STRIPPERS
horrible featureless face. The faceless man The strippers are thin and angular with
laughs a terrible muffled laugh and the lights faces lined with worry and aged beyond
go out. As the echoing laughter dies, the their years. They attack with a raging fury
heroes feel a cool breeze. They have moved and should shout and curse as they claw at
to another scene when the light is restored. the heroes with wicked fingernails.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6,
ATTACK OF THE STRIPPERS Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vigor d6
The dancers beyond the glass move to the Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6,
windows, pressing their hands against the Taunt d8
partition and moving their heads in time to Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
the music as they peer intently at the
strangers in the dark room. One of the BONE MAN
strippers grabs a chair and swings it against The figure sitting in the chair watching
the glass, which shatters, showering the the dancer is the Bone Man. He is distract-
team in shards. The sound of smashing ed here and so does not notice the profes-
glass from the other booths on this corridor sionals behind him. If they attack, he is not
indicates that the aggressive dancer is not dealt into the first round of combat. When
alone. he does join the fray, he does so in a frenzy
and uses anything to hand as a weapon as
The wicked woman gyrates across the well as his armored fists. See page 39 for the
room, ignoring any attempts to commu- Bone Man’s stats.

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ger to his lips to indicate silence. If the team


H O S P I TA L WA R D manages to win him over at this location, he
whispers in hushed tones “the people here
DESCRIPTION:
do bad things.” A raise on any roll to interact
The professionals enter through double
with the young Furnace reveals the informa-
swing doors into a dark room. The furious
tion in the Meaning paragraph, above. Roll a
flash of a flickering fluorescent strip light sud-
random creature (see below) to interrupt this
denly banishes the darkness. In the harsh
interaction prematurely, during which con-
glare, the professionals can make out that
frontation, the small child flees.
they are in a long room with a highly polished
floor. Down either side of the room a series of DEADLY NURSE
cubicles are partitioned from the rest of the As the professional draws back the
room by drawn curtains. The smell of hospi- screen, the team sees a nurse bending over
tals is in the air and the buzzing of the inter- her patient. She has a long syringe inserted
mittent strobing fluorescent lights is the only
in the patient’s arm and has just adminis-
sound, save that of the heroes’ feet squeaking
tered a fatal dose to the suffering soul. As
on the floor as they move.
the machines attached to the man register
the flat-line, the nurse turns to face the pro-
MEANING:
fessionals, the half-full hypodermic still in
Furnace visited his mother in hospital as
her hand.
a boy and his memories of this place are of
frail and frightening faces staring at him
If the team challenges her, she attempts
from the beds. The actual hospital was
to stab one of the professionals with the
destroyed a long time ago, but Furnace’s
needle. If a hero is left Shaken by the
childhood recollections of this scary place
nurse’s attack, have that player make a
are fresh and powerful.
Vigor roll (–4) to overcome the effects of the
EVENTS: potent drug. Failure indicates that the pro-
d6 fessional suffers a severe seizure resulting
1. Small Child in two Fatigue levels. An immediate
2. Deadly Nurse Healing roll allows a fellow professional to
3. The Chair take steps to alleviate the victim’s suffering
4. Dead patients such that no further effects are suffered.
5. Surgical Team Failing that, the hero must make a second
6. Autopsy Table successful Vigor roll or suffer an additional
two Fatigue levels. There is sufficient toxin
SMALL CHILD in the hypodermic for the nurse to affect
Behind the curtain, a sad-looking small two targets, after that, if she is still alive,
child sits by an empty bed. He puts his fin- she turns and flees. Of course, if the strick-

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en heroes make a successful Grounding roll or location event rolls until the team
or exit Furnace’s mind all Fatigue levels next visits the basement.
from the injection are recovered. 2. As they round a bend in the corri-
Otherwise, the drug continues to take effect dor, the professionals find the nurse
for the rest of the scenario. lying dead on the floor. Blood stains
her white uniform and pools on the
DEADLY NURSE floor from a vicious wound to her
The evil “angel of mercy” brandishes her abdomen. There is no sign of her
hypodermic in front of her as she fights and patient and as the team moves on to
continues the combat until the syringe is investigate further, the professionals
empty. find themselves in a another loca-
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, tion.
Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vigor d6 3. The team catches up with the
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth nurse and her patient and find, to
d6 their shock, the nurse bending over
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 the bandaged figure, her teeth sunk
Equipment: Hypodermic with two into his neck as she drains his
doses of lethal injection (see above). blood. Sensing the presence of the
professionals, the vampire nurse
THE CHAIR looks up and hisses at them, baring
At the end of the room, a squeaking her bloody fangs. She raises her
sound is heard. As the team watches (or hands to display long blood-red
investigates further), a nurse pushes a band- nails. With another hiss, she flings
aged figure in a wheelchair away from the herself at the nearest professional
team and round a corner in the corridor. and attacks.
The chair squeaks on the highly-polished
floor. If the team follows the pair, roll d4. VAMPIRE NURSE
This deadly creature reveals Furnace’s atti-
1. The nurse turns to look over her tudes toward many healthcare professionals!
shoulder and beckons the profession- She attacks with claws on a successful attack
als to follow her. She escorts them to a and with her teeth on a raise infecting the
deserted corridor leading to a solid- victim with the vampiric disease. If ever the
looking door. The door leads out onto whole team is infected, they all are ejected
the foggy street, and the nurse points from the mind of the killer and wake in the
down the street placing the index fin- immersion lab at the institute.
ger of her other hand to her lips in a Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8,
gesture of silence. Apply a –1 modifier Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
to all future rolls on the Location table Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8,

25
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shooting ure’s body. The figure is the Bone Man
d6, Throwing d8 and with a menacing laugh he
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 advances to attack.
Special Abilities:
Bite: Str +2. DEAD PATIENTS
Claws: Str +2. Every curtain conceals a steel gurney cov-
Frenzy: the Vampire can make two ered with a white shroud. Beneath the
attacks per round without penalty. shroud, clearly is outlined the shape of a
Sire: If a hero is bitten, he or she must corpse. For each shroud the professionals
make a successful Vigor roll or fall choose to lift, roll d4.
unconscious. The professional rises
the following round as a Vampire ver- 1. There is a dead body under the
sion of themselves and attacks a col- shroud. The corpse has a large Y-
league. If the vampire professional hits shaped autopsy scar on its chest and
with a raise, he or she infects that pro- bears many horrific wounds, cleaned
fessional also. now, but ugly all the same. That, com-
Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recov- bined with the pallid skin and lifeless
ering from being Shaken. Called shots staring eyes, causes each professional
do no extra damage. Piercing attacks to make a Guts check or be Shaken.
do only half damage. 2. As above, but the corpse is that of
Weakness (Holy Water): the vampire is the professional him- or herself and, if
Fatigued if sprinkled with Holy water. the Guts check is failed, the profes-
If immersed, the vampire catches fire sional rolls on the Fright Table.
and suffers 2d10 damage per round 3. As above, but if the Guts check is
until they are destroyed. failed, the corpse sits up suddenly and
Weakness (Stake Through The Heart): attacks! Use the stats for the Crawling
If the vampire is staked hit with a Corpse on page 20.
called shot to the heart (-6), it must 4. The “corpse” under the shroud is
make a Vigor roll versus the damage. the Bone Man. As the professional lift-
If successful, it takes damage normal- ing the sheet sees the face of the thing
ly. If it fails, it disintegrates to dust. beneath, the Bone Man’s eyes snap
suddenly open! Springing from the
4. When the team turns the corner, table, he attacks the nearest profes-
the wheelchair lies on one side – its sional (most likely the one lifting the
squeaking wheel spinning idly. shroud). Any professionals nearby
Standing over the discarded chair is must check to see if they are surprised
the bandaged figure, the bandages now by the sudden assault. Otherwise they
hanging in ragged strips from the fig- are not dealt a card in the first round.

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

SURGICAL TEAM on an operating table was not disturb-


Behind the curtain, a team of three doc- ing enough, the professional notices
tors stand, their backs to the team. They that the body has his or her eyes, nose
are wearing surgical gowns and masks and and mouth stitched shut. Suddenly
bend over the table before them, peering the professional realizes that he or she
intently at their patient. A bright white actually cannot breathe. The horrify-
light shines overhead. If the heroes disturb ing discovery forces the player to make
the surgical team, roll 1d4. a successful Guts roll or roll on the
Fright Table. In addition to any effects
1. The doctors have Furnace on the of fear, the hero begins to suffocate
table, the skin on his head reflected (use the drowning rules in the main
and the top of his skull removed. They Savage Worlds rulebook, but substi-
seem to be operating on his brain and, tute Vigor rolls for Swimming rolls).
as they notice the professionals, they 3. The surgeons turn slowly to look at
look up. The lead surgeon raises a the professionals, then suddenly reach
hand as if he has been waiting for the out and grab a random hero, hauling
team to arrive. He points down at him or her back onto the now-empty
Furnace on the table and inserts his table. The hero is restrained by the
finger into the open cavity. Furnace’s surgeon’s unnatural strength and can
eyes snap open and he looks directly at do nothing but scream as the menac-
the team. His lips begin to move ing doctors lean in above them, an
soundlessly but, after a few seconds, array of wickedly sharp implements
he begins to whisper in a croak. The descending! If the rest of the team
doctor looks up and says sharply, does not intervene, the surgeons oper-
“Listen very carefully!” Furnace then ate upon the professional while he or
croaks hoarsely, “Pay attention to the she is still fully conscious. The hero
basement,” before lapsing back into suffers 2d6 damage each round until
unconsciousness. In the real world, somebody interrupts the procedure.
Furnace actually uttered these words 4. The patient is the Bone Man. He sits
and lapsed back into his silent coma. up suddenly, knocking the surgeons to
Advance the time die one spot. the floor. As they hit the ground, they
2. The surgeons turn to reveal they vanish leaving only their gowns remain-
have no eyes. Sightless they walk away ing. The Bone Man rises from the table,
from their patient, ignoring any laughing, surgical instruments dangle
attempts by the team to interact. A from an open wound in his chest. He
successful Notice roll spots that the attacks the team using the various
patient on the table is one of the pro- scalpels and other medical equipment
fessionals. As if seeing yourself lying he pulls from the gaping hole.

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AUTOPSY TABLE autopsy on Julie. If the team does not


Behind the screen is a large metal autop- intervene, that is exactly what he does
sy table. A young woman is lying on the and, as he makes his incision, Julie
table, her hands crossed over her chest. A begs the team to stop him and to save
hero making a successful Smarts roll can her. Allowing this to happen advances
identify the woman as Julie Furnace. If the the time die by one block and forces
professionals approach her, roll d4. each professional to succeed at a Guts
check or roll on the Fear table. If the
1. Julie sits up as the team look on. heroes prevent Furnace from complet-
She beckons to the professionals to ing his grisly task, the Bone Man
follow her and walks out of the hospi- attacks them with the bone saw and
tal. She points down a dark alley and scalpel.
asks, “Can you save me?” Apply a –1
modifier to the next location roll. SEWER
2. Julie’s eyes open and she turns her
DESCRIPTION:
head to look at one of the team. She
A sudden step down leads the profession-
whispers, “Help me, please! He has
als into a cold dank tunnel. By the stench,
me in a dark place. Help me.” She
it is immediately apparent that they are in
then shuts her eyes again and no a sewer. Old and crumbling thick stone
attempts to communicate with the blocks make up the walls of the filthy tun-
victim can get any more from her. nel and stagnant water stands ankle-deep
3. The body on the table lies inert. A on the floor. Water and who-knows-what
successful Healing check indicates she else can be heard falling and splashing in
has been dead for several hours. Just the dark of the sewer.
as they are about to leave, the girl’s
dead eyes open and she murmurs, MEANING:
“You didn’t save me. You took too Furnace’s father was a sanitation worker
long. You let me die!” She keeps talk- and maintenance of the sewer system was
ing in this way until the heroes turn to part of his job. Furnace dressed in his uni-
leave. Have each professional make a form to access the sewers beneath the city
Spirit check to resist the demoralizing and used them to escape detection.
effect of Julie’s words. Move the time Carrying his victims to the tunnel exits
die on one block for each failure. near the sewer, he dumped the bodies and
4. The bone man steps from behind escaped unseen.
the curtain, a bone saw in one hand, a
scalpel in the other. “You are too late,” EVENTS:
he mocks, “she is dead; she is mine!” d6
He steps forward as if to perform an 1. Furnace Senior

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

2. Something Heavy something heavy dropping into the water


3. Labyrinthine tunnels alerts the professionals to the fact that they
4. Rat attack are not alone down here. If they investigate
5. Collapse! further, the team finds a body wrapped in a
6. Bodies in the sewer sheet secured by rope – dropped through the
manhole above. As they gather round the
FURNACE SENIOR corpse, any professional looking up sees the
Ahead in the darkness, a body awaits. face of a man staring down at the team. If
Have each of the team make a Notice roll the professionals appear frightened, it is the
(-2 as they splash through the ankle-deep Bone Man, who drops down into the sewer
water). On a success, the professional has with a terrifying laugh, ready to attack. If
picked up a faint sound from up ahead. A they appear fearless, it is Furnace and he
raise indicates that the sound was that of a bolts. If the team follows, by the time they
sigh. If the heroes push on through the climb the ladder leading from the sewer,
darkness, they see a red glow around a bend Furnace has gone and the professionals find
in the tunnel ahead. themselves in the Foggy Street. Roll on the
Event table for that location.
Rounding the bend, the team is faced
with a grisly sight. The decomposing corpse LABYRINTHINE TUNNELS
of Furnace’s father sits on the exposed end Have the heroes make Notice checks to
of an inlet pipe, smoking a cigarette. Smoke spot an unusual mark on the walls of the
drifts through the holes in his flesh causing sewer. They press on through the twisting
each professional to make a Guts check. maze of tunnels, making left and right
Before any of them can speak, he starts to turns as the sewers weave through the
berate them in a hoarse rasping voice. crumbling pipes. Constant bends and T-
“Can’t stop him, eh? I always said he wuz a junctions make it more and more confusing
waste of space!” if any heroes failed their to pick a route beneath the city. Players
Guts rolls, they become the object of his expressing concern about getting lost may
scorn, “What’s your problem? Never been make increasingly onerous Smarts rolls to
in a sewer before? Beneath you is it? Afraid keep track of the course they have followed.
of what you might find down here? You The penalty for these rolls begins at –2 and
make me sick!” He goes on in this vein for increases by 1 each minute until they fail.
as long as the heroes are prepared to listen. At that point, have the players make a
Any attempt to get information about his Notice roll to spot the same unusual mark
son results in a torrent of abuse. on the walls they spotted all that time ago –
they are utterly lost in the labyrinth of sew-
SOMETHING HEAVY ers that is Furnace’s mind! As they roam
Up ahead in the darkness, the sound of through the tunnels, roll d4 for each

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minute they wander. the water level is rising gradually as


they walk. If the team encounters this
1. The team has discovered a way out result three times, the water is almost
of the maze of sewer tunnels. Roll over their heads and they must make
Swimming rolls to
avoid drowning (as per
the Savage Worlds
rules).
4. The pipes appear
slightly narrower as
the professionals
round the next bend.
Each time they move
forward or backward,
the tunnels are nar-
rower and constrict
tighter and tighter
until there is little
room for the profes-
sionals to move. If the
team persists in their
efforts to escape the
sewers, they must
make an Agility roll to
force themselves
onward. Each effort
again on the event table for this loca- they make, impose a cumulative –1
tion to find what else the heroes dis- penalty until one of the professionals
cover in the sewers. Advance the time fails. Any heroes failing these checks
die by one block. is stuck fast as the sewer tunnels
2. The professionals remain lost! become too small to fit through. The
Advance the time die by one block pipes continue to constrict, however
and roll d4 again after another minute and any stuck hero must make a
spent searching. Vigor check or suffer 2d6 points of
3. After taking turn after turn search- damage from the crushing pipes. The
ing for a way out, the professionals heroes are forced to exit Furnace’s
notice that they are in the water up to mind and re-enter to escape the con-
their knees. Even if they turn back, stricting sewer pipes.

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RAT ATTACK the darkness.


As the professionals wade through the Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4(A),
sewer system, searching for clues or an exit, Spirit d12, Strength d8, Vigor d10
allow a Notice roll (-2) to spot a fast-moving Skills: Notice d6
threat up ahead. 1d4 swarms of large rats Pace: 10; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
round a bend in the sewer tunnel and make Special Abilities:
straight for the heroes. Roll 1d4 for each Bite: The rats inflict hundreds of tiny
swarm. Use the swarm statistics from the bites each round, automatically hit-
Savage Worlds rules. ting any hero covered by the burst
template and causing 2d4 damage to
1. The swarm has no interest in the each victim.
team and teems past the professionals Split: The rats can split into two
as if fleeing something… smaller swarms (each using a Small
2. As above, but the heroes are in the Burst Template) if the heroes split up.
way and unless they move, the rats The Toughness of these swarms is
attack to get past them. lowered by -2 (to 5).
3. The rats are in a ravenous frenzy, Swarm: Parry +2; Because the swarm
intent on attacking the professionals. is composed of hundreds of individual
They must fight off the vicious rats, cutting and piercing weapons do
rodents. no real damage. Area-effect weapons
4. The rats are leading the Bone Man work normally, and a hero can stomp
to the professionals. As the team dis- on the creatures to inflict damage equal
patches the last swarm, Furnace’s evil to his or her Strength each round.
incarnation rises from beneath the
water and slowly draws himself up to COLLAPSE
his full height. He bellows a deafening Without warning, the stone tunnel walls
roar at the team, who must make a begin to crumble. At first a stream of fine
successful Spirit roll or be Shaken. He powder falls from above. Each hero can
charges at the professionals and (if attempt to make a Smarts check to predict
they stick around) attacks the heroes. what is about to happen and dive clear of the
The Bone Man’s stats are provided on danger zone. Almost immediately, there is a
page 39. If the team turns to run, loud rumble and debris and masonry tum-
Furnace laughs as they go. bles from above as the sewer collapses.
Those who failed the Smarts check are
RATS! caught in the deluge of rock.
The swarms of rats each cover a medium
burst template. Once a swarm is wounded, Each hero must make a successful Agility
it is dispersed and the rats scamper off into roll (–4) to avoid taking 2d6 damage from

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falling masonry. The team cannot go fur- he attacks the professionals, if they
ther forward and must return the way they run, he lets them go, laughing at them
came. Roll again on the sewer event table to as they run. The Bone Man’s stats are
see what else the professionals encounter in provided on page 39.
these stinking tunnels.
FOGGY STREET
BODIES IN THE SEWER
The professionals emerge through the ris-
Something slithers through the water
ing steam to find themselves in a dark and
ahead, splashing softly as it moves. A suc-
foggy street. Flanking the sidewalk are two
cessful Notice roll (-2) alerts the team to the
rows of street lamps, only two of which
sound, but it requires a second Notice roll
work. In the swirling mists the dim lights
(-6 due to the dark), to make out what is
cast an eerie glow. Through this gloom, the
moving through the stagnant water.
distant shape of the towers of a tall bridge
1. A body is drifting face-down in the
can be made out. Imposing industrial-look-
filthy tunnel.
ing buildings crowd the sides of the streets.
2. As above, but as the professionals
move to examine it, the thing throws MEANING:
back it head to reveal wicked teeth and Furnace only ever held one job, in a facto-
attacks the nearest professional. Use ry on the waterfront. From there, the city’s
the stats for the Crawling Corpses on bridge was clearly visible and Furnace passed
page 20. it daily. When the factory closed and indus-
3. First one, then a dozen more try moved away from the area, the water-
corpses float into sight. As they get front was left derelict. Furnace still returned
closer, the bodies writhe and squirm there long after and used the derelict build-
before rearing upright suddenly and ings as places to take his victims.
attacking. Use the stats for the
Crawling Corpses on page 20. EVENTS:
4. The thing seems to snake through d6
the water like an oversized eel until it 1. The Mists Clear
stops just short of the team. Slowly, the 2. The Horn and Whistle
thing begins to rise from the waters. It 3. Icy Chill Descends
is the bone man, who raises himself to 4. Blood Bubbles
his knees, then stands slowly in all his 5. Haunting Laughter
terrifying majesty. He approaches the 6. Footsteps in the Fog
team slowly, twisting his head from
side to side, making an awful cracking THE MISTS CLEAR
in his vertebrae. He cracks his knuckles As they peer at their eerie surroundings,
as he closes. If they stand their ground, trying to make out where they are, the team

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is relieved to find the mist begins to clear. or gain a Fatigue level. Each round, the tem-
Gradually the location is revealed to be by perature drops by another 20 degrees,
the river. A successful Common Knowledge imposing a cumulative –1 penalty for each
roll indicates that this is the waterfront dis- round after the first. When the first profes-
trict of the city and the location looks exact- sional passes out, the thick fog clears and
ly like the real place. This area clearly has the team is standing in a new location (roll
some significance for Furnace. A Knowledge on the location table to determine where).
(Case History) check (-2) reveals that the All fatigue is mysteriously recovered and
killer left one of the bodies in the aban- any unconscious professionals are restored
doned buildings that line the waterfront to health.
district. The rest were found floating in the
river itself, though no witness ever came BLOOD BUBBLES
forward who saw the bodies being dumped. Ahead, lost in the mist, the heroes hear a
strange sound – like chains clanking in water
THE HORN AND WHISTLE – indistinctly at first, but growing louder. A
Suddenly, echoing through the swirling successful Notice roll reveals that the water
fog, a deep horn sounds. A ferry is sounds as if it is gurgling from somewhere
approaching its dock in the mist and close by. If the team investigates closer, they
sounds its melancholy note as it nears the find a manhole cover in the street clanking
wharf. The sound is answered by a shriller, and rocking as thick, black liquid bubbles up
higher-pitched noise. This haunting note is from underneath and spurts from around the
that of a factory whistle marking the end of edges. A professional making a successful
a shift. If the heroes visit the waterfront Smarts roll guesses that the substance is in
area in the real world, they hear the sound fact blood and that the pressure below the
of the ferry, which plies the river still. The cover is building.
factories are silent now, but the sound alerts
the professionals to the fact that they are in If they watch for a short while longer, the
the right place. team is shocked to see the manhole cover
fly up as a jet of thick blood spouts like a
ICY CHILL DESCENDS geyser from the manhole. Roll d4.
As they move through the thick mist, the
team sees the breath drift from their 1. The manhole clatters noisily to the
mouths, mixing with the foggy air in a floor as the blood splashes all about.
swirling steam. The temperature starts to Hundreds upon hundreds of dead rats
drop rapidly and the professionals pull their lie scattered in the pool of red. Any of
clothing tighter around them. As the air the team standing close by is drenched
becomes colder and colder, the profession- with blood and covered in the corpses
als must succeed at a Vigor roll each round of the sewer rats.

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2. Blood splashes down all about the them in a crouch. He draws himself up
team, drenching them in blood from to his full height and twists his head
head to toe and lying all around in from side to side, cracking the bones in
hideous puddles. The scent of the his neck as he advances. If the team
blood attracts a huge number of flies runs, he laughs mockingly as they
almost immediately and the heroes depart, but lets them go. If they stand
are beset by the buzzing of insects, their ground, he attacks. The Bone
which swarm about their faces and Man’s stats are provided on page 39.
crawl all over them. All this seems to
happen at a vastly accelerated pace HAUNTING LAUGHTER
and, if they cannot clean off the blood, A deep and mocking laughter rings out in
the professionals soon discover tiny the night. The cruel sound is muffled by the
maggots crawling on their skin. Soon, mists but a successful Notice roll allows the
all the pools of blood in the street are professionals to pinpoint its direction. If the
seething with maggots. If the heroes team elects to follow the chilling sound, it
have not purged themselves (by diving leads them astray, moving as they attempt
into the river, perhaps), the wriggling to track its source. On subsequent rolls on
creatures start to burrow into their the location table, apply a +1 modifier as
skin, nibbling at them. Any hero fail- long as the team follows the echoing laugh-
ing to remove all the maggots must ter.
make a Vigor roll each minute or suf- FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG
fer 1d4 damage from numerous bites A deep hollow echo of footsteps comes
inflicted by the maggots. from the mists behind the professionals as
3. The column of blood does not peak they walk down the street. The footsteps
and splash down, but remains a thick are slower than their own, seeming to move
crimson column snaking up into the in a purposeful way, but perhaps made by
air. Suddenly it reaches out and grabs someone with an extremely large stride. If
the nearest professional, hitting and the teams stops or reverses their direction,
entangling the victim automatically the footsteps disappear for a brief time
and crushing him or her for damage before starting again… behind the team. If
equal to Str+4 each round. The blood the professionals make determined
column’s Strength is d8 and a hero attempts to track the footsteps to their
can only escape by succeeding at an source, the steps obligingly move away from
opposed Strength roll. the team slowly enough for them to follow
4. As the column of blood reaches its (though fast enough not to be caught).
peak, the Bone Man flies from the top of Eventually the team find themselves pass-
the spout. He soars over the profession- ing through the mist to another location.
als’ heads before landing lightly behind However, if the team followed the footsteps,

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they have been led astray – apply a +1 mod- SMALL CHILD


ifier to the next location roll. In the cupboard or under the bed, a small
boy hides, cowering in fear. Any male
BEDROOM heroes frighten the timid boy further and
suffer a -1 Charisma modifier in any
DESCRIPTION:
attempt to influence the child. If the profes-
The heroes enter a small dirty room with
sionals fail any interaction attempts, all
peeling wallpaper, depicting clowns holding
future attempts suffer an additional –1
balloons. In one corner stands a small tat-
modifier. If they succeed, future attempts
tered bed, the white paint on the woodwork
receive a cumulative +1 modifier to
chipped away. The covers are dirty and the
attempts to talk to the child. A raise on this
bed unmade. A chest of drawers occupies
roll persuades the child to relate, in his own
the center of one wall, with clown-strewn
halting manner, the facts contained in the
curtains drawn across a window in the one
opposite. The drawers are open and shabby Meaning paragraph above, explaining to the
clothes hang from each one. A tall cupboard professional befriending him that the bed-
stands alongside the door. room is a bad place. Nothing good happens
here, he says fearfully and “if they want to
MEANING: stop him doing bad things”, they need to
Furnace’s childhood was a traumatic one, look for the hole in the ground.
and this bedroom is the scene of many of
these remembered traumas. Furnace’s over- BLEEDING WALLS
whelming memory of this place is fear and As the team investigates Furnace’s child-
so, while the professionals are in the bed- hood bedroom, something very eerie begins
room, they feel a measure of his terror. All to happen. Have each hero make a Notice
Guts checks are made at –1, in addition to roll to detect drops of liquid falling from the
any other modifiers. Furthermore, so terri- ceiling. After two rounds, everyone in the
fied is Furnace of this place, that he is vul- room is aware of the dark, sticky substance
nerable here, even when manifesting as the dripping more steadily all around them.
Bone Man (see below for details). Soon the walls are running with blood and
the carpet is soaking. Each professional
EVENTS: must make a Fear roll at this grisly occur-
d6 rence.
1. Small Child
2. Bleeding Walls While this is happening, the door is
3. Furious Voices jammed fast. If the professionals draw back
4. Send in the Clowns the curtains (now soaked in blood), the win-
5. Dogs Barking dow beyond is bricked up and daubed with
6. Bone Man vulgar graffiti. The blood flows ever more

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

freely until it is pouring from above and 1. One of the two doors opens and a
they are soaked. Before long, the level of the large, heavyset man comes into the
blood is rising and filling the room. It room, shouting abuse. He directs his
appears there is no way out and the heroes anger at one of the female profession-
are trapped. Once the room is full, have als, but he talks to her as if she were
them make Swimming checks against his child. “You little sonofabitch,
drowning for 2 rounds. Then, the door mys- that’s the last time you make me wait
teriously bursts open, and the team floods for my dinner, you hear me? I’m
out in a gush of blood, down a steep flight gonna teach you a lesson!” in his hand
of stairs, before being
deposited in a new loca-
tion.

FURIOUS VOICES
The sound of shouting
can be heard from
behind the door. The
actual words are indis-
tinct, but a raise on a
Notice roll picks up that
the man shouting the
angry words feels the
house hasn’t been kept
tidy and that the object
of his abuse is too
blame.

Following the sound of


the shouting through the
door, leads down a steep
narrow flight of stairs. At
the foot of the stair is a
bare living room, lit by a single naked bulb. he carries a thick leather belt, which
The two doors leading from the room are he starts swinging menacingly. He
shut and a successful Notice roll detects attacks the professionals until he is
heavy scratch marks around the bottom of Shaken, at which point the room goes
each door (from the Dobermans Furnace’s dark he vanishes. A successful
father kept). Roll 1d4. Knowledge (Psychology) check indi-

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S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

cates this as a demonstration of his head, throwing weird shadows around


insecurities and his cowardly, bullying the room. Strange patterns of dark and
nature. Sensitive souls pick up on his light dance on the wall and each hero
damaging effect on the young Furnace. must make a successful Smarts roll to
see that the shapes on the walls appear
SHOUTING MAN to be the source of the shouting. The
This angry representation of Furnace’s shadows throw their arms about fre-
father is blustering and aggressive netically in the bizarre light. Suddenly,
until challenged, when he vanishes as one of the professionals is struck as the
soon as possible. shouting shadows attack the team.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4,
Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 SEND IN THE CLOWNS
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d4, Have each hero make a Notice roll.
Intimidation d8, Notice d6 Success indicates that professional has spot-
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 ted something strange in the room. Some of
Equipment: Leather Strap (Str +1) the clowns on the wallpaper have started to
move! Any player making a successful
2. The shouting seems louder down here, Grounding check can stop this from happen-
but still the angry man cannot be seen. ing; otherwise the clowns appear to run
Moving through either door plunges the toward the room – as if from out of the walls
team into total darkness beyond. The – getting bigger and bigger. As they reach life-
shouting seems closer but as they follow size, they spring from the walls and attack
it or look for lights, it becomes indistinct the team. If, for any reason, the child is pres-
and muffled. As their eyes grow accus- ent, the clowns (one of Furnace’s childhood
tomed to the gloom, they realize they are fears) attempt to attack him first.
in a different location.
3. The two doors burst open and bark- EVIL CLOWNS
ing dogs charge into the room. If the The horrifying carnival folk were the
professionals turn to flee up the stair, stuff of Furnace’s nightmares as a child.
the individual steps seem to turn to The heroes sense some twisted crazily off-
quicksand beneath their feet slowing beat fairground music as the clowns cavort
their pace by half. Furthermore, the demonically in front of them, waiting for an
stair seems to extend the farther up it opening to attack.
they go, meaning that it is almost Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6,
inevitable that the team is caught and Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
attacked by the dogs (see the stats for Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice
the dogs on page 39). d6
4. The light bulb swings crazily over- Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5

37
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Special Abilities: It’s too late. She’s already dead – you failed
Fear: These weird and twisted clowns before you even began.” His scorn continues
in their fearsome masks cause Guts until the heroes flee or attack. Each profes-
checks when witnessed sional must make a successful Spirit check
Paralyzing Gaze: The glowing eyes of to avoid a crushing feeling of despair wash-
the hideous clown masks can entrap ing over him or her. Those who fail advance
the unwary. If the clown takes an the time die by one block. If the heroes do
action to stare at a Shaken hero, the not attack him, the Bone Man is content to
hero must make a successful Vigor taunt them indefinitely. If they attack, he
check or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds fights back with his usual savagery (the stats
(a paralyzed hero is not dealt a card for the Bone Man are on page 39).
and may take no actions)
END GAME
DOGS BARKING
From beyond the door, the sound of fero- If the professionals remain immersed for
cious barking comes suddenly. Investigating too long, they will lose the ability to deter-
the sounds leads the heroes down a flight of mine what is real and what is the creation
stairs to an untidy kitchen. Before the team of the killer’s deranged mind.
gets a chance to explore the rest of the
house, have each professional make a If the time die reaches 10, the environ-
Notice check (-2). With a success, the hero ment becomes more dangerous. At each
spots a sudden movement outside the location, roll on the random horror table
kitchen window, just as two dogs spring below and apply the result in addition to
from nowhere toward the team, vicious the results of the location event roll. If the
teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. A raise on time die reaches 20, Furnace has become
the Notice roll means the professional spot- aware of the nature of the intrusion and
ted that the dogs were slick with blood and has learned to control what the heroes see.
gore… as if they had no skins! They have All Location rolls and all event rolls at
no time to react, however, as the beasts are those locations are at a +1, meaning that
on them in no time. See page 39 for the there is effectively almost no way to find
Dream Hounds’ stats. the basement or learn too much more
about the case. If the time die ever needs
BONE MAN to go above 20, Furnace immediately goes
The cupboard door swings slowly open into convulsions and the professionals
and the burly form of the Bone Man steps must each make a successful Grounding
from within. He peers around the edge of the roll (at -2 in addition to the usual
door and snorts derisively at the team. “They Grounding modifiers) to escape or suffer
send you to analyze me?” he laughs, “Pitiful! 6d6 damage, experiencing Furnace’s death

38
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

as if it was their own. If they don’t have Charisma: -1


enough information to save Julie Ward by Gear: Bone Armor (+2)
this time, they have failed. Special Abilities:
Fear -2: The armored man causes a
THE PRODUCTS OF A Guts check at -2
DERANGED MIND Size +1: The Bone Man stands over 7
feet tall
The tortured psyche of the killer is a danger-
ous place to roam and the demons tormenting RANDOM HORROR TABLE
Furnace pose a greater threat to the profession- d8 Horror
als the longer they remain immersed. 1 Bone Man
2-3 Ghostly Victims
THE CHILD
4-5 Dream Hounds
The frightened child is the small ker-
6-7 Nightmares
nel of decency that is all that remains
8 Nothing
of Furnace’s humanity. The professionals
can extract insights and information from
GHOSTLY VICTIMS
the child, but only if they can win him over
The grisly apparitions are Furnace’s memo-
and earn his trust.
ries of his victims. They are cruel, taunting
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4,
mockeries of the women they once were, bear-
Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d4
ing the grisly wounds that ended their lives.
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Notice
d6, Persuasion d4, Streetwise d4 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6,
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4; Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Charisma: 0 Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidate d12+2,
Hindrances: Young Notice d12, Taunt d10, Stealth d12
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
THE BONE MAN Special Abilities:
The Bone Man is the brutal side of the Fear -2: These horrors cause Guts
killer’s character. He mocks and humil- checks at -2 when witnessed
iates the professionals and, if he feels they
are getting too close to discovering truths DREAM HOUNDS
about him, attacks them. He is dressed head Twisted versions of the vicious dogs kept
to toe in a suit of armor made from bones. by his father, the hounds stalk through
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Furnace’s mind, drooling for something to
Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10 set upon.
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A),
d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d10, Taunt d8 Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10; Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d10

39
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4 should be kept secret from the other play-
Special Abilities: ers). The ability can only be used under the
Bite: Str +1 circumstances described on the character
Fleet Footed: Hounds roll a d10 when description below.
running
SPECIAL AGENT JOHN SAVAGE
THE NIGHTMARES FBI Profiler
These beasts are the demons that populate Rank: Novice
Furnace’s dreams. They can be any creature Attributes:
from the Savage Worlds rulebook or any Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
other Savage Worlds setting or scenario. Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills:
NOTHING Fighting d6, Guts d6, Investigation
The heroes encounter no additional hor- d6, Knowledge (Criminology) d6,
ror, but must still face whatever the loca- Knowledge (Case History) d4, Notice
tion has in store for them. d4, Persuasion d6, Shooting d8,
Streetwise d4
THE COMATOSE Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5;
Charisma 0; Grounding d6
KILLER Hindrances: Vow (to uphold the law),
Cautious (tries to discover the facts
MILES FURNACE before acting), Curious (always
Each time the professionals immerse, attempts to find the truth)
Miles Furnace's body suffers physical dam- Edges: Danger Sense (Notice -2 to
age from the experiment being conducted in detect surprise attacks)
his head. Furnace has a Toughness of 5. His
Vigor and Spirit are both d6. If he ever takes Description: A straight-laced and upright
his 4th wound, he goes into convulsions agent, exactly as Hoover envisaged, John
and dies (see Endgame on page 38). Savage, is the epitome of the incorruptible
image of the FBI. He is serious-minded and
THE PROFESSIONALS dedicated, but is also sensitive and a good
communicator. His handsome face and easy
The following are all Wild Cards and each manner mean that Savage is often underesti-
has something to offer the scenario. The mated or seen as a soft touch. Nothing could
players will need to flesh out the descriptions be further from the truth, of course. Perhaps
and backgrounds for these intrepid special- played by Cary Grant, Savage has a steely
ists before the adventure starts. determination beneath his winning smile.
Special Ability: At the cost of one of his
Each hero has a special ability (which

40
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

bennies, Savage can choose to command whose thoughts the team probes. The other
any person or creature the team encounters characters are unlikely to be sympathetic to
to answer a “yes or no” question. The her attempts to understand the villain and
answer must be truthfully given. Note that hostile to her attempts to discover what
this benny must be permanently sacrificed drives Furnace. Perhaps played by Lauren
– no Grounding roll can be made to regain Bacall, Summer is impatient with conde-
it after the question is asked. scending male attitudes toward her.

SUMMER KEENE Special Ability: Despite her tough image,


Psychologist Summer has a strong urge to protect the
Rank: Novice innocent. If ever another woman or a child
Attributes: is in danger, Summer shows a feisty (and
Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, fiery) ability. She gains the Bolt power along
Strength d4, Vigor d6 with 12 Power Points. The trapping can
Skills: vary each time she uses the power and
Guts d8, Investigation d8, Knowledge should be described as the power is used.
(Forensics) d6, Knowledge The bolt can only be used to protect women
(Psychoanalysis) d4, Knowledge (Psy- and children and once the power points are
chology) d8, Notice d4, Persuasion d6 gone, they cannot be regained.
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5;
Charisma 6; Grounding d8 DETECTIVE KELLEY
Hindrances: Overconfident (believes Rank: Novice
she can do anything), Bad Eyes (cor- Attributes:
rected by spectacles otherwise -2 to Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
Notice rolls at greater than 10 yards), Strength d6, Vigor d8
Vow (to understand criminality) Skills:
Edges: Very Attractive (+4 Charisma), Driving d4, Fighting d8, Guts d4,
Charismatic (+2 Charisma) Intimidation d6, Investigation d6,
Knowledge (Case History) d6, Notice
Description: A sassy and beautiful young d6, Shooting d8, Streetwise d4
woman struggling to make her way in a Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6;
man’s world, Summer Keene is a talented Charisma 0; Grounding d4
psychologist with a knack to understanding Hindrances: Doubting Thomas (-1 to
human beings. She is, despite the tough Grounding checks), Vow (uphold the
persona she adopts, a sensitive soul who law), Heroic (compelled to save the
feels the pain of those she studies. Hers is a innocent)
difficult character to play – she tries to Edges: Quick Draw (draws weapon as
understand what made the repellent killer a free action)

41
S AVA G E F E AT U R E S - O U T OF SIGHT

Description: Kelley is a hard-bitten, hard- Charisma 0; Grounding d6


drinking cop of 40s detective fiction. Perhaps Hindrances: Greedy, Obese, Yellow (-2
played by Humphrey Bogart, Kelley is a no- to Guts checks)
nonsense man’s man. Despite his many flaws, Edges: Scholar (+2 to Law and Miles
he is fundamentally driven to find the truth Furnace Knowledge checks)
and nail Furnace. However, he can be prone to
violence and one-dimensional thinking. Description: Rackett is an oily and slip-
pery attorney who has made his living
Special Ability: Kelley carries a hip-flask defending the indefensible. Appointed by the
with him at all times (it is still in his posses- court to ensure that the team does nothing
sion while immersed) and swigs from it fre- outside the scope of the warrant, Rackett is
quently. Once during the game, Kelley may responsible for ensuring that no damage is
drain the hip-flask in a single swig before intentionally done to Furnace. Perhaps
throwing his head back and screaming in played by Peter Lorre, Rackett is a complex
rage. He grows in stature and his clothes character, however, beneath it all; a sensitive
split as his muscles bulge. With a fearful man who abhors violence and has a deep
cracking and splitting, a suit of bone armor respect for the rights of the individual. His
bursts out. Kelley’s Strength and Vigor are abiding fear is that people will discover the
boosted to d12 (raising his Toughness: to 8, depth of his cowardice. He once let a woman
+2 for the bone armor) for the duration of die – too afraid to say anything to prevent her
the transformation, which lasts until he kills being attacked by a burly thug.
something, or until he is Shaken. While he is
transformed, however, the team cannot Special Ability: If any of the team is inca-
interact with any friendly individual. pacitated and under attack, the hero inside
Rackett makes itself known. He gives a great
CARL RACKETT
and deafening shout, which interrupts all
Defense Attorney
attacks and prevents any others this round.
Rank: Novice
All heroes and horrors must make an imme-
Attributes:
diate Spirit check (-2) or be Shaken. Rackett
Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
can then command any Shaken creature to
Strength d4, Vigor d4
leave, a command it must obey. From this
Skills:
point onward, each member of the team
Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidation d4,
gains the edge Common Bond (regardless of
Investigation d4, Knowledge (Law) d8,
whether or not they have the required Spirit).
Knowledge (Legal Loopholes) d6,
Knowledge (Case History) d8, This could prove very important toward the
Persuasion d8 end of the scenario when time is short and
Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5; the team cannot afford to fail Grounding
checks.

42
SPECIAL AGENT JOHN SAVAGE
VOW (TO UPHOLD THE LAW)
CAUTIOUS (TRIES TO DISCOVER THE FACTS BEFORE ACTING)
SAVAGE FEATURES CURIOUS (ALWAYS ATTEMPTS TO FIND THE TRUTH)
VOCATION: FBI PROFILER

NOVICE

DANGER SENSE (NOTICE -2 TO DETECT SURPRISE ATTACKS)

NOTES:
Description: A straight-laced and upright agent, exact-
ly as Hoover envisaged, John Savage, is the epitome
of the incorruptible image of the FBI. He is serious-
minded and dedicated, but is also sensitive and a
good communicator. His handsome face and easy
manner mean that Savage is often underestimated or
seen as a soft touch. Nothing could be further from
FIGHTING the truth, of course. Perhaps played by Cary Grant,
Savage has a steely determination beneath his win-
GUTS ning smile.
INVESTIGATION
Special Ability: At the cost of one of his bennies,
KNOWLEDGE (CRIMINOLOGY) Savage can choose to command any person or crea-
ture the team encounters to answer a "yes or no"
KNOWLEDGE (CASE HISTORY)
question. The answer must be truthfully given. Note
NOTICE that this benny must be permanently sacrificed - no
Grounding roll can be made to regain it after the ques-
PERSUASION tion is asked.
SHOOTING
STREETWISE

6
5
5
0
GROUNDING - D6
SUMMER KEENE
OVERCONFIDENT (BELIEVES SHE CAN DO ANYTHING)
BAD EYES (CORRECTED BY SPECTACLES OTHERWISE -2 TO NOTICE
SAVAGE FEATURES ROLLS AT GREATER THAN 10 YARDS)
VOCATION: PSYCHOLOGIST VOW (TO UNDERSTAND CRIMINALITY)

NOVICE

VERY ATTRACTIVE (+4 CHARISMA)


CHARISMATIC (+2 CHARISMA)

NOTES:
Description: A sassy and beautiful young woman struggling
to make her way in a man's world, Summer Keene is a tal-
ented psychologist with a knack to understanding human
beings. She is, despite the tough persona she adopts, a sen-
sitive soul who feels the pain of those she studies. Hers is a
difficult character to play - she tries to understand what
made the repellent killer whose thoughts the team probes.
The other characters are unlikely to be sympathetic to her
attempts to understand the villain and hostile to her
GUTS attempts to discover what drives Furnace. Perhaps played by
INVESTIGATION Lauren Bacall, Summer is impatient with condescending
male attitudes toward her.
KNOWLEDGE (FORENSICS)
Special Ability: Despite her tough image, Summer has a
KNOWLEDGE (PSYCHOANALYSIS) strong urge to protect the innocent. If ever another woman
KNOWLEDGE (PSYCHOLOGY) or a child is in danger, Summer shows a feisty (and fiery)
ability. She gains the Bolt power along with 12 Power Points.
The trapping can vary each time she uses the power and
NOTICE should be described as the power is used. The bolt can only
PERSUASION be used to protect women and children and once the power
points are gone, they cannot be regained.

6
2
5
6
GROUNDING - D8
DETECTIVE KELLEY
DOUBTING THOMAS (-1 TO GROUNDING CHECKS)
VOW (UPHOLD THE LAW)
SAVAGE FEATURES HEROIC (COMPELLED TO SAVE THE INNOCENT)
VOCATION: COP

NOVICE

QUICK DRAW (DRAWS WEAPON AS A FREE ACTION)

NOTES:
Description: Kelley is a hard-bitten, hard-drinking cop
of 40s detective fiction. Perhaps played by Humphrey
Bogart, Kelley is a no-nonsense man's man. Despite his
many flaws, he is fundamentally driven to find the
truth and nail Furnace. However, he can be prone to
violence and one-dimensional thinking.

Special Ability: Kelley carries a hip-flask with him at all


DRIVING times (it is still in his possession while immersed) and
swigs from it frequently. Once during the game, Kelley
FIGHTING may drain the hip-flask in a single swig before throw-
GUTS ing his head back and screaming in rage. He grows in
stature and his clothes split as his muscles bulge. With
INTIMIDATION a fearful cracking and splitting, a suit of bone armor
bursts out. Kelley's Strength and Vigor are boosted to
INVESTIGATION d12 (raising his Toughness to 8, +2 for the bone
KNOWLEDGE (CASE HISTORY) armor) for the duration of the transformation, which
lasts until he kills something, or until he is Shaken.
NOTICE While he is transformed, however, the team cannot
interact with any friendly individual.
SHOOTING
STREETWISE

6
6
6
0
GROUNDING - D4
CARL RACKETT
GREEDY
OBESE
SAVAGE FEATURES YELLOW (-2 TO GUTS CHECKS)
VOCATION: DEFENSE ATTORNEY

NOVICE

SCHOLAR (+2 TO LAW AND MILES FURNACE


KNOWLEDGE CHECKS)

NOTES:
Description: Rackett is an oily and slippery attorney who has
made his living defending the indefensible. Appointed by the
court to ensure that the team does nothing outside the scope
of the warrant, Rackett is responsible for ensuring that no
damage is intentionally done to Furnace. Perhaps played by
Peter Lorre, Rackett is a complex character, however, beneath
it all; a sensitive man who abhors violence and has a deep
respect for the rights of the individual. His abiding fear is that
people will discover the depth of his cowardice. He once let a
FIGHTING woman die - too afraid to say anything to prevent her being
attacked by a burly thug.
GUTS Special Ability: If any of the team is incapacitated and under
INTIMIDATION attack, the hero inside Rackett makes itself known. He gives
a great and deafening shout, which interrupts all attacks and
INVESTIGATION prevents any others this round. All heroes and horrors must
make an immediate Spirit check (-2) or be Shaken. Rackett
KNOWLEDGE (LAW) can then command any Shaken creature to leave, a command
it must obey. From this point onward, each member of the
KNOWLEDGE (LEGAL LOOPHOLES) team gains the edge Common Bond (regardless of whether or
not they have the required Spirit). This could prove very
KNOWLEDGE (CASE HISTORY) important toward the end of the scenario when time is short
and the team cannot afford to fail Grounding checks.
PERSUASION

5
5
5
0
GROUNDING - D6
What drives a man to kill?
What makes a murderer, and what
secrets about his crimes are
locked in his mind?
“Heavy clamps surround
your head, preventing
any movement, as techni-
cians close in with an
array of long needles
and probes. Syringes are
inserted into the base
of the skull and into
your eye sockets;
through the eyelids
just above the eyeball.
Almost immediately, you
see a bright blinding
flash in front of your
eyes, obscuring every -
thing. Before you know
it, you feel as if you
are falling through
space and, suddenly, you
emerge in the first
scene of Furnace's
mind...”
Out of Sight is the first in Legion Publishing's new Savage Features series
for Great White Games' Savage Worlds.

In it, a team of law enforcement professionals must risk their sanity and
their very lives as they use an experimental technique to explore the
twisted landscape of the killer's mind.

At stake is the life of the murderer's last victim, and arrayed against them,
all the horrors that plague the killer's thoughts.

$7.99 USD LEG1201

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