Achtung! Cthulhu - Vive La Résistance - Printer Friendly [PDF]

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R E F U S E , R E S I ST, R E TA L I AT E ! A MODIPHIUS P U B L I CAT I O N®

IS SUE N O. 9 Fi ght b ac k aga ins t the hat e d opp re s s o r!

Vive la

! e c n a Résist The c o mp le t e fi el d ma nua l fo r Re sis t anc e op erative s!

®

VIVE LA RÉSISTANCE!

Credits ACHTUNG! CTHULHU CREATED BY CHRIS BIRCH Creative Lead John Houlihan

Editor John Houlihan

System Design Nathan Dowdell

Cartographer Glynn Seal – Monkey Blood Design

Writer Meric Moir

Graphic Designers Jane Robertson, Matthew Comben, Richard L. Gale, Michal E. Cross Project Managers Haralampos Tsakiris, Gavin Dady

MODIPHIUS ENTERTAINMENT Chief Creative Officer Chris Birch

Lead Graphic Designer Michal E. Cross

Lead Production Operative Anthony Morris

Chief Operations Officer Rita Birch

Graphic Designers Stephanie Toro, Chris Webb, Mark Whittington, Leigh Woosey

Production Operatives Thomas Bull, Rebecca Cartwright, Louis Hartley-Edwards, Jake Pink, Jake Skinner-Guy, Miles Turner

Managing Director Cameron Dicks

Audio and Video Producer Steve Daldry

Head of Brand Samantha Webb

Editor Bryce Johnston

Head of Development Sophie Williams

Development Coordinator Jason Enos

Head of Creative Services Jon Webb

Games Designer James Hewitt

Creative Coordinator Kieran Street

QA Testers Samantha Laydon, Nathan Perry

Financial Controller Luc Woolfenden Logistics and Production Manager Peter Grochulski Art Directors Rocío Martín Pérez, Ariel Orea

Community and Design Assistant Dominic Westerland Scheduling and Design Assistant Justin Talsma 2d20 Developer Nathan Dowdell

Studio Coordinator Rocío Martín Pérez

RPG Design Assistants Andy Douthwaite, Jess Gibbs

Photographer Fátima Martín Pérez

Senior Project Manager Gavin Dady

Lead 3D Designer Jonny La Trobe-Lewis Senior 3D Designers Joana Abbott, Domingo Díaz Fermín, Chris ‘Chrispy’ Peacey Senior 3D Plastics Designer Colin Grayson 3D Designers Ben de Bosdari, Sean Bullough

Project Managers Daniel Lade, Ben Maunder, Haralampos Tsakiris Operations Manager John Wilson

Assembly Team Elaine Elizabeth Hughes, Nichola Jones Tool Makers Luke Gill, David Hextall Customer Service and Accounts Manager Lloyd Gyan Events Manager Gregoire Boisbelaud Community Manager April Hill Translations and Publishing Manager Matt Timm Distribution and Key Accounts Manager Gary Moore Sales Account Manager Matt Vann-Hinton Marketing Manager Ben O’Brien Marketing Coordinator Shaun Hocking Brand Manager Chris Shepperson Customer Support Representative Chris Dann Webstore Manager Apinya Ramakomud

Factory Manager Martin Jones Senior Production Operatives Drew Cox, Warwick Voyzey

Bookkeeper Valya Mkrtchyan

LEGAL

Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. 39 Harwood Rd, London SW6 4QP, United Kingdom [email protected] www.modiphius.net Modiphius Entertainment Product Number: MUH0010329 ISBN: 978-1-80281-090-5

Achtung! Cthulhu ® Modiphius Entertainment 2023. Artwork © Modiphius Entertainment Ltd 2023. The Achtung! Cthulhu, Nachtwölfe, Black Sun, Section M, Majestic & Modiphius Logos copyright 2012-2023 The 2d20 system and Modiphius Logos are copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. 2020. All 2d20 system text is copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. Any unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal. Any trademarked names are used in a fictional manner; no infringement is intended. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity with actual people and events, past or present, is purely coincidental and unintentional except for those people and events described in an historical context. All Rights Reserved., except the Modiphius Logo which is Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.

Achtung! Cthulhu and all characters, underlying game systems and mechanics are copyright works © 2023 of Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. All rights reserved. “Achtung! Cthulhu”®, “Modiphius”® and the Achtung! Cthulhu and Modiphius logos are registered trade marks of Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.

Contents Introduction ................... 8 Welcome!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 1: Resistance Movements in Europe ...... 12 Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 2: The Resistance Needs You! ................... 18 Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 3: Heroes & Villains of the Resistance ............34

Chapter 7: Missions & Maps ...........66

Heroes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The Grotesque Gala.. . . . . . . . . . . 66

Demons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

The Industry of Storms.. . . . . . . . . 70

Villains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 4: Tools of the Trade............46 Requisition in the Resistance.. . . . 46

Tables.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Assassin.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 5: Spells & Tomes...............54

Raider.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Demonology Spellbook. . . . . . . . . 54

Saboteur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Chapter 6: Table & Charts................60

Characteristics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Propagandist.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Resistance Leader. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Backgrounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Talents.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Home and Hearth. . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Under Moonlit Skies. . . . . . . . . . . 72 War on the Rails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Appendix: Handouts ......................78 Museum.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Dock District.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Manufacturing Plant. . . . . . . . . . . 80 Occupied Territory.. . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Railway Depot.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Mission  Operation Falling Crystal

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Introduction

Welcome!........................................................ 8

Introduction  Welcome!

Introduction Welcome! The Nazi war machine blazed a trail of destruction and tyranny across Western Europe and beyond for half a decade. They burned, pillaged, and oppressed but even more insidious than the rolling tanks and marching soldiers, were the changes that took place in the countries under Nazi occupation. Neighbours were turned against each other, fascists within those borders were empowered to spread the Nazis’ poisonous ideologies, and countries and populations were carved up by the Axis powers. Millions were sent to concentration camps and murdered simply on the grounds of their ethnicity, sexuality or disability. As a GM, Resistance campaigns require careful handling, even more so perhaps than a standard game, due to the controversial and sensitive subject matter you’re often dealing with. Achtung! Cthulhu’s heroic, pulp nature and sinister Secret War occultism doesn’t always sit easily alongside the serious and sombre tone of the real world Resistance experience, so plan accordingly and be aware that you may be dealing with contentious and problematic encounters and themes. We in no way wish to diminish the very real suffering and hardship experienced in occupied territories during World War II, but rather celebrate the indomitable and heroic nature of the human spirit which resisted oppression and evil. Please see the Safety at the Table (p.10) section for further advice and always bear in mind the preferences and feelings of your player group. But playing a game of Achtung! Cthulhu set in an occupied territory gives your players the opportunity to stand up against a pervasive and overwhelming force— military, political, ideological, and even mystical. Your adversaries aren’t just the occupying armies garrisoned in your towns and cities, they’re also the fear and terror that affect an occupied population. The possibility of discovery and betrayal is very real for Resistance fighters but the struggle for liberation can be an inspirational one. In Achtung! Cthulhu’s Secret War, Resistance tales are stories of heroism, inspiration, bold action, espionage, moral dilemmas, survival against the odds, and the true cost of opposition. When you’re completely overmatched and have few allies that you can count on, you’ll have to find resources and solutions how and wherever you can. There’s always the temptation to believe that the ends justify the means,

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and in the Secret War, compromising your morals might lead to dire consequences for your body and even your soul. Demonic pacts, experimental technology, and untrustworthy allies feature heavily in Achtung! Cthulhu’s Resistance-themed adventures. Will you be able to liberate your country from the Nazi stranglehold? Will you be able to meet the might of Black Sun and Nachtwölfe without the backing of Section M or Majestic? And if you survive these trials, who will you be afterward? Vive la Résistance!

WHAT IS ACHTUNG! CTHULHU?

Achtung! Cthulhu is a setting for Lovecraftian roleplaying during World War II, which allows players to discover the truth behind the malign influence of the Mythos on the Nazi war machine and beyond, as conflict engulfs the globe during 1939-1945. In this pulp-influenced world of brave Allied heroes and dauntless two-fisted adventure, players will take on the roles of Allied servicemen and women, secret agents, members of the Resistance or even hapless civilians caught up in the wider conflict. All stand firm against the twisted might of the Nazi occult: the Cult of the Black Sun, who wield foul magic and summon captive horrors in their bid to unleash Yog-Sothoth, and Nachtwölfe, their nominal allies and rivals who place their trust in Atlantean technology, weird science, and strange wonder weapons to prevail. Players will experience a world where dread secrets and powerful artefacts lie forgotten in ancient ruins, abandoned sites and forgotten cities, and peer deep into dusty tomes and manuscripts seeking to understand eldritch knowledge that was never meant for the sight of mortals. They’ll arm themselves with experimental technology and deadly weapons and learn to wield powerful magical spells or harness potent psychic powers to fight against this uncanny threat. They’ll also encounter exotic native races like the Deep Ones, undersea worshippers of the dreaming god Cthulhu, or the strange Mi-Go, fungoid-insectoid beings from the furthest corners of the solar system who have come to Earth for an unknown purpose. Towering over them all are the monsters, entities and gods of the

Will your heroes prevail against all odds, or will they, like so many others before, fall to the malign influence of the Mythos? That is your story to tell…

WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK?

Vive la Résistance! is divided into seven chapters that will help you play or run Resistance-focused Achtung! Cthulhu games. Besides new character options and goals, you’ll find new enemies, allies and new opportunities to play as Resistance heroes fighting back against the tide of fascism and corrupt occult power. But the cost of resistance is also high. Chapter One: Resistance Movements in Europe An overview of Western European Resistance activities over the course of the war, focused particularly on France, Poland, Yugoslavia, and the Netherlands. Chapter Two: The Resistance Needs You! New archetypes, backgrounds, characteristics, and talents to help you build a doughty, Resistance fighter in an occupied country

Chapter Three: Heroes and Villains of the Resistance New allies and enemies including two notable Resistance leaders, chilling Nachtwölfe experiments, ruthless Black Sun operatives, and a host of demons. Chapter Four: Tools of the Trade New equipment to outfit your Resistance fighters and supplement the gear from the Achtung! Cthulhu Player’s Guide. Find spy gear, new kits, weird Mythos artefacts, and experimental technology the Resistance has developed from stolen Nachtwölfe equipment!

Introduction  Welcome!

Mythos themselves, who seek to take advantage of the chaos of the second world war to extend their dominion over the minds of men.

Chapter Five: Spells & Tomes Discover the all-new Demonology Spellbook—eight new spells for players to learn from French demonologists. Chapter Six: Tables & Charts Design your own Resistance-themed adventures featuring espionage, propaganda and organisation, raiding and combat, smuggling, and sabotage missions. Chapter Seven: Missions & Maps Kick off your Resistance adventures with five one-page scenarios, each with a location map and ten adventure seeds to help you customise your experience.

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Introduction  Welcome!

SAFETY AT THE TABLE

Content Warning and Table Safety

Naturally, for a game steeped in World War II and cosmic horror there are a few scenes that could prove distressing to some players, so please make everyone aware of the nature of the game in advance. It never hurts to check, because you want everyone to be comfortable at the table. There are no content warnings placed throughout the book, so please use your own judgement and discretion. Consent and safety in RPGs are important for both players and GMs. Not all trauma is obvious and using the following tools reduces the risk of confrontation and potential discomfort.

Session 0

This is where the GM and players can discuss their characters and the game, and perhaps flesh out backgrounds. It is also a forum to highlight potential problems and discuss players’ appetite for tackling horrific and/or contentious material. Although Vive la Résistance! is written as fun but perilous rip-roaring adventure, it does contain horrific and potentially problematic elements and scenes. You are advised to read through in advance and discuss these and other potential areas of concern with your gaming group.

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This also gives the GM and the group a chance to discuss other preferences for the campaign including historical roles, boundaries, the possible use of safety tools and how to handle other potentially contentious issues like historical racism, violence, sexism, and their appetite for cosmic horror elements. It also allows the GM and players to discuss any subject requiring the use of Veils and Lines.

Veils and Lines

Veils are when action happens “off-camera” – like older movies where potentially graphic, disturbing, or horrific content too controversial (in any sense) could not be shown. Veils should be discussed with the GM early on – violence and torture, sexual content, racism, phobias, trauma of any kind, and other triggers can be assigned as Veils or Lines in Session 0. It also permits the GM and players to avoid situations that could trigger potential discomfort– whether it’s a graphic description or simply a situation. The group can avoid such matters by “drawing a veil” over the scene (or a “fade to black”, for darker sessions!). Lines are subjects one or more of the players (or GM) definitely do not want in their game. Essentially ”drawing a line” through a subject. This means the topic is completely off-limits in game sessions. Some GMs create questionnaires for Veils and Lines before Session 0. This highlights potential concerns without identifying an individual specifically.

Chapter 1

Resistance Movements in Europe

Introduction...................................................12

Chapter One  Resistance Movements in Europe

Chapter One

Resistance Movements in Europe

Introduction

The Resistance, the Partisans, the underground—every occupied country in Western Europe had its own form of resisting the German invaders. Some activities were small acts of resistance and disruption, working slower to delay industry, listening to Allied broadcasts on hidden radios, or non-cooperation with the occupiers. Some movements, however, grew into explosive acts of sabotage, daring raids, and full-scale military engagements. Spies in occupied Europe passed crucial intelligence back to the Allies, and hardened guerrilla fighters operating in their own war-torn countries laid the groundwork for the eventual collapse of the Reich—but resistance was not without its cost. To give you some historical context to serve as inspiration, the following sections describe four of the major resistance movements in Western Europe—the French, Polish, Yugoslav, and Dutch—which serve as excellent examples of and venues for resistance-focused missions. There is also a breakdown of the German, Italian, and Jewish resistance movements, the original Resistance who battled fascism in their own country.

FRENCH

When France signed an armistice with the invading German forces, it led to the rise of the collaborationist Vichy regime run by Marshal Philippe Petain, opposition paramilitary groups began to form. Many were headed by General Charles De Gaulle, the leader in exile of the Free French who was based in Britain. With the Germans plundering the economy as well as the disappearances of French citizens, the banning of books, and increasingly harsh regulations, curfews, censorship, and propaganda— particularly against Jewish immigrants—France succumbed to an atmosphere of fear and repression. This was exacerbated by collaboration with state police forces such as the Gestapo, mainly involving letters of denunciation where French citizens reported on their neighbours. The average French citizen in the occupied areas was hungry, suspicious, and suffered under constant surveillance.

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Early Resistance activities involved severing phone lines, vandalising propaganda posters, disabling German vehicles, and the printing and proliferation of underground newspapers. The German response was executions and massacres. Many of the early French Resistance groups were subdivided into separate isolated cells. The Resistance was cosmopolitan too, including everyone from aristocrats and conservative religious figures to liberals and anarchists. There was some tension between the nationalists, mostly supported by De Gaulle, and the communists, who were tightly disciplined but only joined the Resistance after Germany invaded the USSR. They created escape networks for stranded British, Belgian, and Polish soldiers, and former agents of the Deuxième Bureau (the French military intelligence agency which had been disbanded by the armistice), as well as passing information and intelligence to Allied governments. As the deportation of Jews from France increased, non-violent Resistance activities began to focus on warning or hiding Jewish people. While direct actions became bolder—employing sabotage and assassinations— the German occupiers became more ruthless in return. A single assassination could be met with up to 50 or 100 executions of French civilians in reprisal. Early cells were fortified by officers and veterans of the Spanish Civil War, but most groups had little military experience, and very few had guns or ammunition at the beginning. In addition, because they were unproven, they were vulnerable to penetration by defectors, turncoats, and double agents. A major turning point in the French Resistance’s struggles was the introduction of Vichy France’s Service du Travail Obligatoire (Compulsory Work Service, STO) which was meant to fill German factories with labourers. Tens of thousands of men and women escaped the STO and fled to the hills, becoming the Maquis—named after the scrubland that they hid in.

UX

At first, many were just avoiding forced labour, but with an increasingly hard-line German response, the Maquis became radicalised, and they turned to the Resistance for training and organisation. Guerrilla warfare in central and southern France became a key theatre, swapping political urban sabotage for romantic nationalistic rural action. Several of these groups would eventually unite, recognising De Gaulle as their legitimate leader. The Maquis were often opposed by the Milice, a Germansponsored organisation of French collaborators made up of fascists, gangsters, the French bourgeoisie, and disaffected aristocracy. The Maquis preferred to fight the Milice, as they were more comparably armed, and they saw the collaborators as traitors to the country. The Milice, in turn, saw destroying the Maquis as a way to prove their loyalty. As the Maquis gained more support from the Allies—including training and weaponry—and as the war turned against Germany, the Milice and Vichy France grew in brutality. The Maquis responded in kind. Expecting an Allied invasion in the central and south of France, the Maquis attempted to seize defensible positions, but they were unaware that the Allied governments had decided this plan was unfeasible. They were surrounded and destroyed many times by the German Army. In the North, in Occupied France, the Resistance was key to Operation Overlord and the Allied landings on D-Day. They provided intelligence on Wehrmacht deployments, and they destroyed key bridges and railroads, disrupted phone lines and communication, and forced the German army to rely on encrypted radio transmissions—the codes for which had been broken in secret by the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. After the Allied landings, many Resistance forces were formally organised into the French Forces of the Interior (FFI), commanded by De Gaulle, in part to give them protection under the Geneva conventions as soldiers—however the Germans did not recognise these legal protections and continued to treat the Maquis as insurgent organisations. After the liberation of Paris, the FFI numbers swelled, though these late comers—known as Septemberists, for the month in which they joined— were looked down upon by the Resistance veterans. The rest of France was hard-won.

POLISH

Resistance efforts in Poland began with the Związek Walki Zbrojnej (the Union of Armed Struggle or ZWZ), but included several large military organisations such as the conservative Narodowe Siły Zbrojne (National Armed Forces or NSZ) and later, after the Germans turned on the Soviets, the communist Armia Ludowa (People’s Army or AL). In 1942, the ZWZ was reorganised into the Armia Krajowa (Home Army or AK), which was loyal to the Polish government in exile, which operated out of London. One of the largest resistance organisations in Western Europe, the AK began with over 100,000 members and grew to almost half a million by the end of the war.

Chapter One  Resistance Movements in Europe

ILICE M E H T AND ME COIN OMEN S A I S U E Q A H T “THE M AND W IDES OF N S E O M W G T IAL. OUN ARE Y R T Y S R I G H N T -A PED BY A H S N E VE BE BOTH, M E H T WHO HA Y I PIT AQUIS.” M E H T VE FELIPE BUT I LO BABINEA

Early activities by the Polish Resistance included sabotage, subversion, false flag propaganda, and the smuggling of intelligence about the Holocaust to Britain and other Allied governments. Some of the earliest reports of genocide at the camps came from Witold Pilecki, a Polish intelligence officer who got himself intentionally arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where he organised an underground cell in the camp and smuggled intelligence out to his contacts. With Poland jointly occupied by Germany and the Soviets, there was a significant amount of anticommunist sentiment among Resistance factions, and actions in the east focused on freeing Polish soldiers from Red Army prisons. Similar to many other countries’ responses to partisan actions, the occupiers adopted a policy of extreme reprisals. When Resistance fighters killed collaborators, Gestapo, or SS officers, Polish hostages were executed in retaliation. As the years went on, Resistance organisations such as the Żegota Council for the Aid of the Jews helped over 50,000 Jews escape the Nazis, smuggling them out of ghettos and providing them with false documents. In addition, prisoner escapes from concentration camps and armed uprisings in the cities and the ghettos increased in frequency, as did Resistance attacks on rail infrastructure, bridges and supply depots.

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Chapter One  Resistance Movements in Europe

In early 1944, the Home Army won a major victory after clashing with the Lithuanian Territorial Defence Force. This engagement ended with the Lithuanian force being disbanded by the Germans. However, as the war turned in the Allies favour, a frustrating pattern began to emerge. Though the Soviets now opposed the Germans, whenever Polish forces succeeded in a battle or an uprising against the Germans, the Soviets would take control and arrest or conscript Polish officers into the Red Army. In the battle to liberate Warsaw, heroic Home Army soldiers with small arms fought against the well-armed German Army and their SS counterparts, attempting to liberate the city before the Soviets—then technically allies—arrived and installed a communist regime. Although Britain dropped some munitions by air, it didn’t change the outcome of the battle. The Germans won, and the Home Army soldiers became POWs. Hundreds of thousands were killed, with over a hundred thousand civilians were sent to labour or death camps. In the end, the Germans razed over 80% of Warsaw before they left, and the provisional government put in place after the war—the Polish Committee of National Liberation—was a Soviet backed regime. The Armia Krajowa disbanded shortly after the war to stave off the threat of civil war.

YUGOSLAVIAN

When the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded by Axis powers, the Royal Yugoslav Army had no choice but to unconditionally surrender. The Axis powers carved up the country and introduced severe burdens on the people, leading to the formation of several Resistance organisations, most particularly the communist-led anti-fascist group, eventually known as the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia, or simply the Partisans, founded by Josip Broz Tito. Another significant organisation was the Chetniks, a xenophobic, pro-monarchy force of Serbians. The ideological differences between the pan-ethnic communists and the xenophobic royalists would cause friction throughout the entire war. The occupation of Yugoslavia was particularly brutal, with collaborationist militias roaming the countryside and terrorising the population, massacres in Serbia, and German policies that would hang or shoot up to 100 local inhabitants for every single German soldier killed. Because of these harsh conditions, the Partisans and Chetniks saw widespread support from civilians. A major success for the Partisans was unfortunately short-lived when they created the first liberated European territory in World War II, the Republic of Užice, but lost it to the Germans shortly afterwards. After that, the exchanges fell into a rhythm. The German Army would attack, and most often the Partisans would be defeated, but still be able to slip away—growing in

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support, resources, and experience as they continued to survive. The people of Yugoslavia had come to realise that their only options were resistance or death, imprisonment, and starvation. This ended up unifying many of the disparate groups and forging a truly formidable fighting force. In addition, because the Partisans were becoming so bold, British and Red Army support began to flow in their direction instead of to the Chetniks, allowing for the recapture of areas of Serbia, including Belgrade. In 1944, Tito offered amnesty to collaborators, which saw tens of thousands of new fighters join the Partisans, including a large number of Chetniks. By the end of the war, the Yugoslavian Partisans were one of the most successful Resistance groups in Western Europe, and over 800,000 of their soldiers were officially reorganised into the Yugoslav Army.

DUTCH

With its strong ties to Germany, the Dutch government intended to remain neutral through the war. When the German Army invaded, the Dutch army was caught unprepared, and the German army was larger and better equipped than its own forces. However, it fought several delaying actions which allowed time for the government and Queen Wilhelmina to flee. The Germans considered the Dutch to be fellow Aryans, and so the country was administered by the Nazi Party and the SS rather than the Germany Army, with a strategy of indoctrination and Nazification, which included heavy oppression of Jewish citizens. With a densely-concentrated Dutch population and a relatively open landscape, resistance actions were more difficult to sustain. There wasn’t significant civilian support, collaborators were numerous, and there weren’t many areas in which to hide or go to ground. Most Resistance activities were non-violent and personnel included communists, churches, and various independent groups. They sabotaged phone lines, vandalised posters, and forged ration cards and counterfeit money. Unfortunately, because of widespread religious registration, Germans were easily able to identify a large proportion of the Jewish population. In response to that, the main avenues of resistance were hiding people—hundreds of thousands of people were concealed from the German authorities including Jewish families, draft-age Dutchmen, and Allied aircrew. In addition, the Netherlands included a massive concentration of illegally published newspapers and pamphlets—over 1,000 separate titles printed and distributed by the underground. One of the major events was the February Strike of 1941, where the Communist Party called for a general

Resistance organisations included social democrats, Catholics, and communists—groups from the National Organisation for Helping People which had its own social welfare program to the National Assault Group, which conducted sabotage and assassination operations. Additionally, the Reformed and Catholic churches set aside their differences and worked together to be havens for the Resistance and to denounce anti-Semitism. As in other occupied countries, increasing attacks against Dutch fascists and Germans led to large-scale reprisals— for dozens or even hundreds of randomly selected people to be executed, sent to concentration camps, or taken as forced labour. In all, over half a million Dutch men and women were sent to Germany as forced labourers in factories or on public works. When two highly-ranked government officials were assassinated in 1943, the German occupiers cracked down, executing civilians and POWs as well as raiding the village of Putte, burning dozens of buildings to the ground and taking hundreds of men to concentration camps. In 1944, members of various Resistance groups were organised into a Dutch army unit: the Stoottroepen, which numbered in the thousands by the close of the war.

GERMAN

Widespread political opposition was not possible within the German state, so resistance actions tended to be small, isolated groups. They conducted individual attacks on Nazi authority, sabotaged operations and infrastructure where they could, and provided intelligence to the Allies. In Berlin, a major component of any resistance against the Reich was the hiding of German Jews. Most notable were the numerous attempts to assassinate Hitler or foment a coup amongst his inner circle. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of Germans were arrested by the Gestapo for resistance activities, with tens of thousands of them executed.

ITALIAN

Anti-fascist organisations had existed in Italy for many years before the war, but their operations were limited until the German occupation of Italy. Suddenly, la Resistenza had the support of the people—and this led to a mass uprising in Naples, which led to open warfare and guerrilla actions throughout the mountains. The Italians, intimately familiar with the mountainous terrain, would ambush the Germans and fade away before they could be cornered. In the cities, many Italians turned a blind eye to Resistance actions, but others organised networks of safe houses to hide weapons and wounded fighters.

JEWISH

In Germany, the system of ghettos and the hostility of German civilians made military actions near impossible, however there were still over a hundred armed Jewish uprisings within Germany’s borders. The Jewish Resistance in Germany relied more on spiritual resilience—constantly working to orally preserve Jewish art and culture as well working to maintain their dignity and give their oppressors as little satisfaction as possible. Outside of Germany, Jewish men and women formed their own partisan groups in Poland and France and joined other Resistance groups throughout occupied countries such as Yugoslavia and the Netherlands.

Chapter One  Resistance Movements in Europe

strike in response to a Nazi raid on Amsterdam’s Jewish population. Over 300,000 people joined the strike, which was heavily suppressed by the German occupiers.

ALLIED SUPPORT

When Churchill founded the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in 1940 to consolidate sabotage and subversion efforts against the Axis powers, the work of fostering Resistance organisations and spies throughout Europe began. As Resistance organisations were born, the SOE would offer weapons, equipment, forged papers, and training in guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage. In addition to the conventional support from the SOE and later the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Resistance groups that found themselves up against inexplicable forces brought to bear by Nachtwölfe and Black Sun could expect support from Section M and eventually Majestic as well.

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Chapter 2

The Resistance Needs You!

Introduction...................................................18 Assassin..........................................................19 Propagandist................................................20 Raider..............................................................21 Resistance Leader........................................ 22 Saboteur........................................................ 23 Backgrounds.................................................24 Characteristics ............................................. 26 Talents........................................................... 28

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Chapter Two

The Resistance Needs You! Introduction The Secret War takes to the hills, the safe houses, and the streets of occupied Europe! The agents whose backgrounds are in the Resistance or the specialists who parachute in to train or lead Resistance groups are a varied mix of fighters, charismatic leaders, engineers, and tacticians. Resistance missions run the gamut from assassinations to sabotage, from the seizure of needed materials to the building of sympathetic local networks, and the recruits and partisans that join Resistance cells come from every walk of life. They could be political targets on the run from the SS, patriots fighting to free their homeland, communists waging an ideological struggle, soldiers who refuse to surrender, or blackmarket profiteers looking to make money from supplying those who fight against the occupiers.

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In this chapter, you’ll learn why these individuals take up the fight as spies and soldiers, and you’ll learn how to create your own character in the ongoing struggle against Axis forces and the Mythos. Using these new archetypes, backgrounds, characteristics, and talents, you can develop a character tied to the themes of a Resistance campaign.

Play an Assassin if you want to…

Whether ill met by moonlight, encountered at a lavish party, or operating undetected behind enemy lines, an assassin deals in death. As a member of the Resistance, assassins target occupying army officers, key personnel, collaborators, and traitors. Their tools of the trade include hidden blades, silenced pistols, and deadly poisons, but they can improvise when they have to and anything can become a deadly weapon in their hands.

ATTRIBUTES Agility +2 ? Coordination +2 ? Insight +1 ? Reason +1 ?

. Land swift and deadly strikes. . Concoct and deliver insidious poisons. . Slip away when things go sideways!

SKILLS

Athletics +1 ? Fighting +2 ? Medicine +1 ? Observation +2 ? Persuasion +1 ? Stealth +2 ?

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Assassin

FOCUSES

Choose any 2 focuses from Fighting, Observation, and Stealth.

TALENTS

Choose 1 talent from the list below.

EQUIPMENT

A disguise kit or a poisoner’s kit ? One weapon with a restriction of 2 or lower OR one ? weapon with a restriction of 3 or lower that has the Hidden or Subtle quality One contact (Observation) ?

Talents Deadly Assassination Keywords: Assassin, Fighting You are deadly against unaware foes, striking them down quickly and quietly. When making an attack against an unaware target, you may generate 2 Threat to perform a Deadly Assassination, gaining the Piercing 2 and Intense weapon effects to the attack (or Piercing 2 and an additional +3 if the attack is already Intense). If the target is defeated by your assassination, then the attack is silent and not heard by anyone.

Skilled Poisoner Keywords: Assassin, Medicine

Momentum to either increase the difficulty of the Insight + Medicine test for treatment by 1, or you can accelerate the poison, causing the character to suffer 1 Fatigue at the end of every round instead of at the end of every scene.

Smooth Criminal Keywords: Assassin, Athletics, Persuasion It’s your job to get into dangerous situations, but you’ve survived this long by always knowing the best way out. When you’re making a test to talk your way out of or escape a hazardous scene or situation, the first d20 you buy costs 0 Momentum.

You understand how to mix and match the ingredients in your kit to get the most out of your supplies. When you use Ammo from a Poisoner’s Kit, you may spend 1

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Propagandist

Play a Propagandist if you want to…

A propagandist sways emotions and beliefs. They may be skilled in oratory or the printed word, or they may excel at disseminating information to large groups of people. A propagandist is always “in the know,” and as a member of a Resistance, they’re key to gathering the allies needed to survive and thrive. A propagandist’s work requires subtlety and patience, but they wield hidden power and are able to influence and persuade many to take up arms against their oppressors.

ATTRIBUTES Brawn +1 ? Insight +2 ? Reason +1 ? Will +2 ?

. Inspire a downtrodden populace. . Build a network of reliable contacts. . Crack the code of the conventional or Secret War!

SKILLS

Academia +2 ? Athletics +1 ? Fighting +1 ? Observation +1 ? Persuasion +2 ? Tactics +2 ?

FOCUSES

Choose any 2 focuses from Academia, Persuasion, and Tactics.

TALENTS

Choose 1 talent from the list below.

EQUIPMENT

Identity documents ? One contact (Any focus) ?

Talents Codebreaker Keywords: Propagandist, Academia A mathematical prodigy, a crossword aficionado, or a codes and ciphers expert—people like you were recruited by countries on all sides of the war to decrypt hidden messages on military channels or in public broadcasts. When solving a puzzle or cracking a code, you reduce the difficulty by 2 to a minimum of 0. In addition, you may spend 1 Momentum to encode your own outgoing communications. If someone other than the intended recipient attempts to decode your message, they must pass a difficulty 2 Reason + Academia (Cryptography) test.

Righteous Rage Keywords: Propagandist, Persuasion You are practised at stoking rage and fury in an oppressed population. When you attempt to incite

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violence or anger in an audience, reduce the difficulty by 1 to a minimum of 0. In addition, you can also attempt a focusing cry during any action scene; make a Will + Persuasion test as a major action, with a difficulty of 1. If you succeed, every ally able to hear you gains Vicious on their melee attacks for the rest of the scene. If they already have Vicious, they deal +2 instead.

Web of Contacts Keywords: Propagandist, Persuasion You know people. Some are reliable, some aren’t as easy to count on—and in the ever-shifting circumstances of war and occupation, you never know which ones might have been compromised. You may add two points to Threat to make use of a contact a second time during a mission.

Play a Raider if you want to…

An expert in the art of guerrilla warfare, a Raider knows a lot about how to ambush, steal, and get away before reinforcements arrive. They move fast, strike hard, and then vanish, emerging only when the danger has passed. A Raider’s job in the Resistance is to disrupt conventional military or police force operations and find ways to snatch enemy’s assets and turn them into a few more weeks, or a few more months of opposition.

ATTRIBUTES Agility +1 ? Brawn +2 ? Coordination +2 ? Will +1 ?

. Liberate ill-gotten goods from oppressive occupying forces

. Thrive as a team player in a tight-knit guerrilla group.

. Hit hard, drive fast, and live free!

SKILLS

Fighting +2 ? Observation +2 ? Stealth +1 ? Survival +1 ? Tactics +1 ? Vehicles +2 ?

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Raider

FOCUSES

Choose any 2 focuses from Fighting, Observation, or Vehicles.

TALENTS

Choose 1 talent from the list below.

EQUIPMENT

A demolition kit or a safecracking kit ? One weapon with a restriction of 2 or lower ? One contact (Vehicles) ?

Talents Against All Odds Keywords: Raider, Fighting You’re used to fighting on the back foot, on the retreat, or when otherwise outgunned and outnumbered. If you and your allies are outnumbered when an action scene begins, you and any allies within Close range of you gain +1 physical resistance during the first round. At any time during the first round you may spend 2 Momentum to extend this effect until the end of the current scene.

Bolt Hole Keywords: Raider, Fortune You can vanish without a trace. To those pursuing you, it seems like magic—but you know what it really is: evasion

skills and good planning. You can spend a Fortune point to declare that there is a nearby hiding space for yourself and up to 10 allies. Anyone pursuing you must pass a difficulty 3 Insight + Observation test to find your bolt hole and if they fail, you and your allies will remain undetected for at least a further thirty minutes.

Scrimp and Save Keywords: Raider, Persuasion You’ve operated through lean times, and you know how to make your supplies last a little bit longer than others. The first time you go down to 0 Ammo in a mission, make a Fighting + Tactics test at difficulty 1, if you succeed you regain 2 Ammo.

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Resistance Leader Part tactician, part politician, part quartermaster, a Resistance Leader needs to know all the intricacies of their group’s operations, as well as how to interface with other Resistance cells, sympathisers, and conventional armies. They make the hard decisions, often with little intel and no guarantees of support or success—but there are few more dedicated to the cause of freedom.

ATTRIBUTES Brawn +1 ? Coordination +1 ? Insight +2 ? Will +2 ?

FOCUSES

SKILLS

Academia +1 ? Observation +2 ? Persuasion +2 ? Resilience +1 ? Survival +1 ? Tactics +2 ?

Play a Resistance Leader if you want to…

. Lead your Resistance cell. . Balance risk and reward to achieve your goals.

. Break the

oppressive hold on your people and your country!

Choose any 2 focuses from Observation, Persuasion, or Tactics.

TALENTS

Choose 1 talent from the list below.

EQUIPMENT

Two contacts (Each with any one focus) ? A rifle or SMG plus a pistol of your choice. Grenades. ? Disguise kit ?

Talents Emergency Resupply Keywords: Resistance Leader, Persuasion You know that survival means being able to get what your team needs, and you’ve cultivated contacts that can help you out in an emergency. Remember though that the oppressors’ eyes are everywhere, and speed is rarely subtle, so you may find yourself drawing unwanted attention. Once per mission, when you call upon a contact to request access to resources, you can add 2 Threat to gain up to 5 requisition points worth of equipment.

Force Multiplier Keywords: Resistance Leader, Tactics, Fortune You know just when to apply significant force, and when luck doesn’t go your way, you’re able to cut and run mitigating your losses. You may spend a Fortune point to make one of the following Reactions: Steady Up!: When an ally within Medium range of you declares a Salvo attack, they may set one of their dice to

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a 1 for a critical success. In addition, if their attack hits, they may reroll any of their Challenge Dice once. Vulnerable Spot!: When an ally within Medium range of you makes a ranged weapon attack, you may assist them with Insight + Tactics. Whether you add successes or not, the ally’s attack gains the Piercing quality or improves the weapon’s Piercing quality by 1.

Unexpected Reinforcement Keywords: Resistance Leader, Tactics You’re building a reputation, and when you need it, you can count on the support of your neighbours. Whenever you create a truth using Threat that represents local support—such as from a distraction, a timely sabotage, helpful equipment, or some other inconvenience to your enemies—you and all of your allies within Medium range recover stress equal to your Tactics skill. Additionally, you may add one point to Threat, causing you and your allies to gain Morale equal to your Tactics skill until the end of the scene.

Play a Saboteur if you want to…

A Saboteur knows how to spoil, disable or break things for maximum effect and in the Resistance, a good Saboteur is an invaluable operative. Many missions involve stopping the gears of the Fascistic machine from working, and a Saboteur has all sorts of tricks up their sleeve to make that happen. Whether it’s by explosive interdiction, subtle sabotage, or sheer brute force, you have the skills to make it happen.

ATTRIBUTES Brawn +2 ? Coordination +1 ? Reason +2 ? Will +1 ?

FOCUSES

. Be the most resourceful. . Operate under pressure. . Destroy enemy fortifications and infrastructure!

SKILLS

Athletics +1 ? Engineering +2 ? Medicine +1 ? Observation +2 ? Stealth +2 ? Vehicles +1 ?

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Saboteur

Choose any 2 focuses from Engineering, Observation, or Stealth.

TALENTS

Choose 1 talent from the list below.

EQUIPMENT

A demolition kit ? Concealed explosives ? A rifle or SMG and a pistol of your choice. Grenades. ?

Talents Booby Trap Keywords: Saboteur, Stealth You know how to dissuade people from even trying to disarm your devices or tamper with your work. After you succeed on an Engineering test, you may spend 1 Momentum to add a Booby Trap to your handiwork. The Booby Trap won’t be detected unless a searcher passes a difficulty 2 Insight + Observation test. Disarming the Booby Trap requires a skill test at one difficulty higher than normal and if the Booby Trap is triggered, anyone within Close range suffers 4 stress.

Gremlins in the Machine Keywords: Saboteur, Engineering You understand the subtle art of introducing inefficiencies. You know how to make a machine

inefficient without shutting it down completely. When you attempt an Engineering test to sabotage equipment, rather than fully disabling the target, you may increase the complication range of all tests made with the equipment by 2. In addition it takes twice as long to do routine tasks with the equipment due to constant failures and problems.

Timing is Everything Keywords: Saboteur, Engineering Your work unfolds with the precision of a well-tuned clock, and your team knows how to take advantage of your meticulous planning. In a scene where your sabotage, demolition, or other method of destruction is revealed to your enemies, each of your allies may reroll one of their dice in a single test that they attempt within the same scene.

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Backgrounds INTERROGATOR

You understand how to pick facts out of lies, half-truths, and obfuscations. Maybe you were specially trained by a government organisation, or maybe you simply have a knack for knowing what makes people tick? The methods you use vary widely—from charm and intimidation to coercion and violence. What’s important is that you can uncover the information that your organisation needs. Attributes: Coordination +1, Insight +2, Reason +2, ? and Will +1

Skills: Academia +1, Observation +1, Persuasion +2 ? Focuses: Choose 1 focus from Persuasion and 1 focus ? from any other skill.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Persuasion keyword. ? Truth: Choose a truth from the list, or create your own ? relating to your activities as an interrogator.

Magnetic Personality ? Student of Human Nature ? Intimidating Questioner ? Belongings: A contact with one of the following ?

focuses: Cryptography, Explosives, History, Linguistics, Occultism, or Surgery.

LIBERATED PRISONER

You were held in a jail, garrison, forced labour camp, or concentration camp. Whether you were liberated by a daring Resistance raid or you found a way to escape on your own, you are free now, and you can choose what that means. You might have been a prisoner of war, a political target, a dissident, healthy enough to work, or simply unlucky enough to be chosen—whoever you were, you’re a different person from who you once were, but you can turn that to your advantage. Attributes: Agility +1, Brawn +2, Coordination +1, ? and Will +2

Skills: Athletics +1, Medicine +1, Resilience +2 ? Focuses: Choose 1 focus from Resilience and 1 focus ? from any other skill.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Resilience keyword. ? Truth: Choose a truth from the list, or create your own ? relating to your experiences as a prisoner.

?Concentration Camp Survivor ?Fuelled by Vengeance ?Workhorse for the Third Reich Belongings: Burglar’s kit or Safecracking kit. ?

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PARTISAN

Your country has been invaded. Maybe you were able to live for a while under the occupation, but eventually, you could take it no more. Something happened that radicalised you—a curfew, an attack, propaganda on the radio, or a friend’s execution. You might have started with small acts of resistance and graduated to direct action, or maybe you picked up a weapon and haven’t stopped fighting since. You are one of thousands of partisans working from within to reclaim your homeland. Attributes: Agility +1, Brawn +2, Coordination +1, ? and Will +2

Skills: Athletics +2, Stealth +1, Survival +1 ? Focuses: Choose 1 focus from Athletics and 1 focus ? from any other skill.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Athletics keyword. ? Truth: Choose a truth from the list, or create your own ? relating to your activities as part of a partisan fighting force.

?Home Army Private ?Rookie Squad Leader ?Liberator of Your Homeland Belongings: One of the following: a piece of covert ?

communications equipment, a Saboteur’s kit, a weapon of restriction 2 or lower, or a contact (Fighting).

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

STRIKER

You participated in an anti-war demonstration, ?

whether that was a march, a general strike, or civil disobedience in the face of the Nazi war machine. Your steadfastness was rewarded with brutal reprisals. You know that the Third Reich won’t be defeated by single actions alone, but by the combined effort of united workers, intellectuals, fighters, and leaders.

Attributes: Agility +1, Brawn +2, Reason +1, and ? Will +2

Skills: Academia +1, Fighting +1, Persuasion +2 ? Focuses: Choose 1 focus from Persuasion and 1 focus ? from any other skill.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Persuasion keyword. ? Truth: Choose a truth from the list, or create your ? own relating to your experience in combined social resistance.

TURNCOAT

You were part of the Third Reich, but you’ve left that behind. Whether you were part of the German Army, the Nazi party, the Gestapo, or even Black Sun or Nachtwölfe, you have found a reason to turn away from your country’s ideology and fight on the side of the Allies and the occupied territories. Although met with suspicion by everyone you meet, your insights and knowledge are an invaluable asset to use against your former comrades. Attributes: Coordination +1, Insight +2, Reason +1, ? and Will +2

Skills: Observation +1, Persuasion +1, Tactics +2 ? Focuses: Choose 1 focus from Tactics and 1 focus from ? any other skill.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Tactics keyword. ? Truth: Choose a truth from the list, or create your own ?

?Firebrand Orator

relating to your history in the Third Reich or why you left it.

?Middle-Class Worker

?Former SS Officer

?Student Organiser

?Heer Deserter

Belongings: A contact with one of the following ?

focuses: Academia, Hand-to-Hand, History, First Aid, Rhetoric, or Tactics.

?Nachtwölfe Defector Belongings: Identity documents and a German ? handgun.

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Characteristics ANTI-FASCIST

A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, a citizen of an occupied country, a communist, an anarchist, or a socialist, whoever you are, you oppose the fascist ideologies of the Axis powers. Were you part of an anti-fascist organisation before the war, sounding the alarms of the rising dangers in Italy and Germany? Or did fascist powers invade your country and force you into opposition? Attributes: Reason +1, Will +1, and +1 to any other ? attribute.

Skills: Fighting +1, and +1 to three other skills. No ? skill can be chosen twice.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Academia or ? Fighting keyword.

Truth: Use the “Anti-Fascist” truth, or make up your ?

own related to your experiences fighting back against fascism.

BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN

You lost your shoe. Your gun jammed in your first ever fight, or your rations were the only ones that went mouldy. It’s not your fault that you have bad luck, or at least, you’re fairly certain you didn’t do anything to deserve it. You just can’t catch a break. Attributes: Agility +1, Insight +1, and +1 to any ? other attribute.

Skills: Athletics +1, and +1 to three other skills. No ? skill can be chosen twice.

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Athletics or ? Observation keyword.

Truth: Use the “Born Under a Bad Sign” truth or make ? up your own related to your rotten luck.

Belongings: You have a lucky charm that never seems ? to help.

Belongings: You have pamphlets, newspapers, or ? books related to your political ideals.

e. f i l n i ve o l I s g in h t o w is t z e a r a N e ” . g d n i n h u c i, o n "Ther r k g s e Pu w h tt i abro h D m e h t ies” er g r n i e A e x " and s er bo zyli Ba

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form

RUTHLESS

Attributes: Agility +1, Coordination +1, and +1 to ?

Attributes: Coordination +1, Will +1, and +1 to any ?

Skills: Engineering +1, and +1 to three other skills. ?

Skills: Fighting +1, and +1 to three other skills. No ?

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Academia or ?

Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Fighting or ?

Truth: Use the “Field Tester” truth or make up ?

Truth: Use the “Ruthless” truth or make up your own ?

Belongings: You gain one skill kit for a skill you have ?

Belongings: You have a treasured memento from the ?

The strangest, most wonderful and sometimes simply terrifying technology comes out of the labs of Section M, Majestic, Black Sun, and Nachtwölfe. When the brass needs someone to take something unusual out into the field and give it a try, you’re first in line. Are you a little too reckless with your life? Maybe. Is it worth it? Every time. any other attribute.

No skill can be chosen twice. Engineering keyword.

your own related to your activities working with experimental technology. a score of 2 or more in.

The war is the world. The world is the war. Sentimentality will get you killed, so you left it behind. You hid your feelings away so that you could wreak terrible and furious vengeance on the Nazis and the collaborators who have poisoned your country. Maybe one day you’ll be able to reclaim that hidden part of yourself, but until then you remain without mercy. other attribute.

skill can be chosen twice. Resilience keyword.

based on the experiences that led you to embrace a merciless attitude towards your enemies.

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

FIELD TESTER

time before you became who you are.

SEES BEYOND THE VEIL

You are sensitive to energy, emanations, and spirits. You might have been born this way, or you might have developed this ability after a traumatic experience or a moment of profound cosmic insight. If you work at it, you might be able to develop extra sensory perception, but for now, you simply know a little more than most mere mortals. Attributes: Insight +1, Will +1, and +1 to any other attribute. Skills: Observation +1, and +1 to three other skills. No skill can be chosen twice. Talents: Choose 1 talent with the Observation or Weird keyword. Truth: Use the “Sees Beyond the Veil” truth or make up your own related to the specifics of your supernatural perception. Belongings: You have a special item that helps you keep the feelings and visions at bay. Or amplifies them.

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Talents COMMON TALENTS Frugal

Keywords: Fortune You’re careful to spend only what you need, so when you do get the opportunity to buy something, you’ve usually got something extra on-hand to trade, or you know how to haggle to get the best deals. Whenever you requisition equipment, you may spend 1 Fortune point for 5 additional Requisition points for the group to spend on equipment.

Individualist Keywords:

You’re not a loner, you just know that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to do it yourself. You gain one point of personal Momentum, which refreshes at the beginning of each play session. You may spend this Momentum on any test where you did not get assistance or use Momentum from the group pool. When you use your personal Momentum, you may still buy additional dice by generating Threat.

Highly Effective

Keywords: Getting your success to stick is top priority, so when you land a hit or make progress in a challenge, you make certain that the full effects of your efforts are felt. When you select this talent, choose a single skill. Once per scene when you would deal stress (with an attack or extended task) using that skill, you may reroll up to 2 .

Never Surrender! Keywords: Fortune

You have an inner well of fortitude and grit, and when the going gets rough, you can draw on that determination to get back on your feet and fight on through. When you spend a Fortune point to Avoid Defeat, you rejoin the scene immediately, recover 3 stress, and gain 2 Morale. This Morale boost lasts until the end of the scene.

" Fight eath, to your last nbrever give up!" 28

Practised Skill

Keywords: , Advanced Of all the people in your field, you’re a leading expert. You have the experience, the training, or the natural aptitude to make something look easy. When you select this talent, choose a single skill with a rating of 3 or more. Whenever you attempt a skill test using that skill, you reduce the complication range by 2 to a minimum of 1.

ACADEMIA

Explosive Chemist

Keywords: Academia, Advanced You understand the science behind explosives, volatile chemicals, and munitions. When setting or disarming explosives, you may use your Academia skill instead of Engineering. In addition, when inflicting stress with an explosive, you may reroll a number of challenge dice up to your rating in Academia.

Forger

Keywords: Academia Every little detail counts—the quality of the paper, the thickness of a letter’s descender, even the smell of the ink. You have studied signatures, official documents, and military procedures, and you use that knowledge to create or perfect forgeries that would fool the most eagleeyed bureaucrat. When you make identity documents the skill test to create them is reduced in difficulty by 1. When enemies examine your identity documents the difficulty of detecting your forgeries is increased by 1. In addition, when a test is made which relies on your forged documents, the agent making it may reroll one of their dice. When you requisition Identity Documents for your group, each set costs 1 Requisition point instead of 2.

ATHLETICS

Disarming Technique Keywords: Athletics

You’ve trained to relieve your opponents of their weapons in close combat. When you disarm a target by spending Momentum, you may remove the weapon or drop it within Close range, rather than within Reach. In addition, you may defend against melee attacks with Agility + Athletics instead of Agility + Fighting. If you successfully defend against a melee attack with Athletics, instead of inflicting stress on your attacker or repositioning, you may disarm the attacker without spending Momentum.

Keywords: Athletics, Advanced You’re not just practised at throwing grenades, you’re precise. You know how to time them, arc them, and bounce them to deliver maximum effect. Whenever you roll challenge dice from a grenade thrown with Athletics, you may spend 2 Momentum to change any challenge dice to an effect result, up to your rating in Athletics.

ENGINEERING

Bottomless Pockets Keywords: Engineering

You have pouches, satchels, and pockets overflowing with parts, pieces, and unfinished gadgets. You may carry two additional minor items without becoming encumbered. In addition, at the start of a mission, you may select one skill kit that provides Momentum. That kit gains one additional bonus Momentum which can be used to buy d20s.

Fine Tuning

Keywords: Engineering You’re used to working with temperamental technology or new gadgetry, and in your downtime, you adjust, tinker, and test exhaustively. At the start of a mission, you may select one piece of equipment in your team’s possession with the Experimental quality—your team may ignore the first complication rolled using that item in each scene.

FIGHTING Dirty Fighter

Keywords: Fighting Honour in battle? You’ve never heard of it. When you see an opening, you exploit it. Whenever an opponent you can see rolls a complication on a melee or ranged attack, you may reroll 1d20 on your next attack against them.

Shield Specialist

Keywords: Fighting, Advanced You’ve trained to incorporate a shield into your fighting techniques, making the most of its defensive capabilities and working it into your attacks. When using a Shield, you gain an additional +1 Armour resistance. In addition, when you are wielding a shield and you take the Prepare minor action before attacking with a melee weapon, you may add the Stun quality to that melee attack.

MEDICINE

Field Medicine Expertise

Keywords: Medicine, Advanced You’re good at tending to wounded comrades under challenging conditions. When attempting a Medicine test to treat a physical or mental injury outside of a proper facility, you may reduce the complication range of the test by 2 to a minimum of 1. In addition, if you successfully treat their injury, your patient’s recovery time is the same as if they were in a proper facility.

First on the Scene Keywords: Medicine

Saving lives can’t wait, so you know how to act quickly and decisively in moments of stress and danger. At the start of any round in an action scene, you may add 2 to Threat to take the first turn, regardless of who would otherwise have acted first. In addition, if one of your allies is dying, you may Keep the Initiative without spending Momentum, as long as you take the next turn.

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

Grenadier

OBSERVATION A Nose for Poison

Keywords: Observation You have made a concerted study of poisons—their taste, odour, and consistency. You know which ones can be hidden by what flavours and scents, and you know which ones are fast acting and which ones are subtle. When attempting to detect or identify poisons, you reduce the difficulty of the test by 2, to a minimum of 0. In addition, your familiarity with poisons means you are more likely to identify danger before taking a full dose. If you are afflicted with the Poisoned condition, you only ever suffer 1 Fatigue at the end of every scene.

Three Moves Ahead Keywords: Observation

You observe, you plan, you come up with contingencies. You can’t help it, but small details come together to give you an uncanny sense of how events might unfold. When an action scene begins, you may add 1 Momentum to the group Momentum pool to reflect your foresight.

"Think ahead, explore the outcomes. In the Resistance it will save your life." - Ariane Dubois

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Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

PERSUASION Gift of the Gab

Keywords: Persuasion Chattering, conversation, communicating. You’ve always had a gift for putting people at ease and bringing them around to your way of thinking. When using Persuasion as part of an extended test, you reduce the resistance of the test by 2 to a minimum of 1. In addition, if you roll a complication on a Persuasion test, you may buy off the complication with Momentum instead of Threat.

Menacing Words

Keywords: Persuasion, Advanced An air of violence or danger clings to you. If you direct it at someone, they can’t help but be unsettled by your intensity and simmering air of menace. When you attempt a skill test using Intimidation, Negotiation, or Rhetoric, you may increase the complication range on the test by 2 to double your critical success range (to a maximum of twice your skill rating).

RESILIENCE

Impenetrable Mind

Keywords: Resilience, Advanced Your mind is slippery and full of twists and turns. It’s hard for people to pin down what you’re thinking, and it’s even harder for people and supernatural horrors to affect your mind. When defending against a Mental attack or invasion of your mind, every bonus d20 you buy is discounted by 1.

Relentless

Keywords: Resilience You’ve had it rough. You might have been a prisoner, a forced labourer, or even just suffered through a harsh winter—whatever the circumstances, you learned how to stretch your limits beyond what many would consider possible. When you take the Catch Breath major action, you may also spend Momentum to remove Fatigue (1 Fatigue per Momentum spent).

STEALTH False Trail

Keywords: Stealth Leading people astray is your speciality. When you pass an opposed Stealth test, you may spend 1 Momentum to create a truth related to the searchers being misled or misdirected.

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Quick Change

Keywords: Stealth Fashion is an art, and art is deception. Adding a scarf, changing a coat, swapping hats—any of these actions can change your entire profile, stymying pursuers and witnesses. When you take a Prepare minor action you can quickly swap a few key pieces of wardrobe to create a truth in that scene related to the effectiveness of your new disguise.

SURVIVAL Sheltered

Keywords: Survival You have a home base. It’s not much, but it’s yours. This could be a small Resistance outpost in the scrublands, a safe house in an occupied city, or a hidden room in a ghetto. Once per mission, when you visit your shelter, you may gain 4 Requisition points worth of minor or trivial items representing supplies you’ve set aside for a rainy day. In addition, you gain one additional contact (Stealth).

Urban Scavenger Keywords: Survival

You know how to find what you need in the spaces between society, the underground, the occupation, and the criminal element. You gain three contacts, each with a focus in any one of vehicles, explosives, first aid, negotiation, or urban stealth.

TACTICS

Guerrilla Warfare

Keywords: Tactics, Fortune You have a network of allies and likeminded rebels ready to coordinate attacks, sabotage, and distractions with you and your team. Once per mission, you may spend a Fortune point to gain reinforcements. Four Resistance Fighter/Partisan Trooper NPCs (Gamemaster’s Guide p.170) will arrive in 2 turns and follow your orders for the next three scenes after this one.

Tactical Genius Keywords: Tactics

You know how to capitalise on an ally’s success and turn that into an opportunity for yourself, furthering the team’s mission at the same time. Whenever an ally within Close range of you passes a test with a critical success, you may reroll one die in the next test you make this scene. You may accrue a number of rerolls on the next test up to your Tactics skill, and these rerolls may be used on d20s or .

Speed Demon

Keywords: Vehicles City streets? Country roads? High above the clouds? It doesn’t matter which—each is your playground, and you play best when you’re going fast. Any vehicle you drive, fly, or pilot increases its natural speed by 1. In addition, when you succeed at a Vehicles skill test which is part of an extended task, you may add +2 to your stress roll to progress in the extended task.

Three Wheels on My Wagon Keywords: Vehicles

You know how to get the most out of every vehicle you drive, mitigating any damage or mechanical failures that you sustain through sheer stubbornness and willpower. When you’re operating a vehicle, it isn’t defeated until it suffers 1 additional injury to its normal injury profile.

WEIRD

Child of Carcosa Keywords: Weird

You have been marked by the Yellow Sign. Whether you were part of a cult dedicated to the dread King in Yellow, or you were a victim of his followers, you have been claimed. You are sallow and sickly, prone to illness and fatigue. But the true horror is that you may share the curse of the Yellow Sign with another. Once per game session, when you make a successful melee attack, you may add the Persistent 4 weapon effect to the attack.

Empath

Keywords: Weird Dutch metaphysicians and parapsychologists have been studying the evidence of extrasensory perception for decades, with some notable practitioners publishing books on their experiences and abilities. Whether you’ve always been sensitive or someone or something unlocked your gift, you have the uncanny ability to sense precisely what someone is feeling. Once per scene, you may Obtain Information about the emotional state of a character within Medium range at no cost.

Impish Familiar Keywords: Weird

You have forged a bond with an Andrasian Imp (p.42), a creature of infernal mischief and cunning wickedness. Either through a ritual, an offering, a great service, or some other strange circumstance, the creature owes you its loyalty and support but is fickle and will only appear when summoned for 2 scenes every mission. The Imp is treated as an Allied NPC under your command. If your Imp is ever slain by enemy action or misfortune, you immediately gain a Fortune point, and you have a choice between retraining the talent (and summoning a new Imp) or replacing it with a different talent.

Chapter Two  The Resistance Needs You!

VEHICLES

Psychic Power

Keywords: Weird, Fortune You have plumbed the inner depths of your psyche, unlocking incredible talents of a metaphysical nature. Although you haven’t mastered everything yet, you are capable of intense moments of focus and precision that show your true potential. When casting a spell from the Psychic & ESP spellbook (Player’s Guide p150) list, you may spend a Fortune point to ignore the Flawed status of that spell.

31

Chapter 3

Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

Heroes............................................................34 Villains........................................................... 38 Demons..........................................................42

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance 34

Chapter Three

Heroes and Villains of the Resistance Heroes After the shock of invasion passes, Resistance groups form within every occupied country under German control—and even in Italy and Germany themselves. These cells vary wildly in organisation, efficacy, and equipment, but as the war continues, they gain numbers and support, and find allies. Supply drops from the Allied governments, propaganda from within their own country, and the tightening grip of the Nazi powers all play a part in igniting the spirit of resistance.

Special Rules

Shattering Charge: In combat, Kowalcyzk relies on ?

Nemesis NPC

Raised in the railyards of Poland, Valeria Kowalcyzk has always been at home around machines and her familiarity with engineering makes her an excellent saboteur. Her early operations with the Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Union of Armed Struggle, ZWZ) disabled dozens of rail shipments and continued success saw her rise to become a regional commander in the newly formed Armia Krajowa (Home Army, AL). After a raid on an Einsatzgruppe stockpile outside Katowice yielded a huge cache of Nachtwölfe technology, Kowalcyzk conducted a daring campaign to liberate captured Polish scientists and alchemists who could make use of these new resources and placed a limited supply of experimental technology in the hands of the Home Army. An innovator and scientific experimenter, Kowalcyzk strides with confidence and leads from the front, swinging her enhanced war hammer with power and precision against Nazi invaders, supernatural foes, and the machines of her enemies.

Truths

her brute strength and the intimidating arc of her alchemy-enhanced, two-handed war hammer, the Flame of Wawel. When Kowalcyzk uses a minor action to move a Medium distance, the first d20 she buys on her next attack this turn is free. In addition, she may spend 2 Momentum to give The Flame of Wawel the Area effect for that attack.

Technological Wonders: Kowalcyzk has made it a ?

personal mission to equip the Home Army boffins with every piece of Secret War equipment she captures from the Nazis. If Kowalcyzk spends 1 Momentum, she can reveal some small gadget or variation of experimental equipment that has been overlooked.

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

VALERIA KOWALCYZK

Regional Commander in the Home Army ? Saboteur, Gadgeteer, Leader ?

Attributes AGILITY

9

BRAWN

12

COORDINATION

8

INSIGHT

9

REASON

8

WILL

8

Skills

Athletics 1, Engineering 3 (Engineering, Explosives), Fighting 5 (Exotic), Observation 3, Persuasion 1, Resilience 2, Stealth 1, Tactics 3 (Covert Operations), Vehicles 1 STRESS

14

INJURIES

3

ARMOUR

5

COURAGE

0

Attacks

The Flame of Wawel: (Exotic), 8 ? tent 4

Stun, Bane, Persis-

Gas-Powered Grappling Gun: (Handguns), Long ? range, 2

35

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

FELIPE BABINEAUX

The Bands of Iron and Bone: One of the artefacts ?

Nemesis NPC

After the Great War, Felipe Babineaux thought he was done with fighting and threw himself into the study of the occult. His father and uncle had been part of a secret society in Paris, the Loge de Flauros, but when he joined, Babineaux found an organisation in disarray and decline—too few of the next generation had any interest in diabolism. Nevertheless, he pored over dusty tomes and forgotten manuscripts, and slowly grew in confidence and ability, speaking only by correspondence with other students of the occult. It was that correspondence that led Black Sun to his door and when the Nazis came, his arcane treasures were looted by their sorcerers. Babineaux’s war was not over and he began to lend sorcerous support to several Resistance groups in Northern France including that of Ariane Dubois (Gamemaster’s Guide p.171). Fuelled by guilt, Babineaux wages a personal war against Black Sun and the Fascist powers strangling his homeland.

Truths

Last Eidolon of the Loge de Flauros ? Veteran of the Great War ?

Attributes AGILITY

7

BRAWN

7

COORDINATION

8

INSIGHT

9

REASON

12

11

WILL

Skills

Academia 5 (Occultism), Fighting 3 (Rifles), Observation 1, Persuasion 3, Resilience 4 (Discipline), Tactics 3 (Army), Vehicles 1 Power: 5 STRESS

15

INJURIES

3

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

7

Attacks

Sword Cane: (Melee Weapons), 3 ? Precise

, Hidden, Parrying,

Berthier Modèle 1892 Carbine: (Rifles), Medium ? Range, 5 , (Salvo: Vicious), Reliable

Special Rules

Shrouded by Whispers: Babineaux has made a pact ?

with a demon to shroud his activities from enemy forces. Babineaux adds 2 automatic successes to all Stealth tests. By spending 2 Momentum, he can grant all allies within Close range of him 1 automatic success on their Stealth tests as well.

36

that Babineaux was able to escape with was the Bands of Iron and Bone, a pair of matched medieval bracelets of woven bone and metal. While wearing these, Babineaux may spend 2 Momentum to secure the obedience of any summoned creature. This obedience lasts for a number of minutes (or rounds in combat) equal to his Persuasion skill, after which the creature must be commanded as normal. If the creature is under the control of another spellcaster, Babineaux must pass a Reason + Academia (Occultism) test opposed by the other spellcaster’s Will + Resilience (Discipline). Both tests are at difficulty 1.

Spells and Rituals

Babineaux is a spellcaster, who casts spells using Reason and is always considered to have an applicable focus when casting spells. He knows any spell the GM requires from the Demonology spellbook as well as the Banishment ritual.

Lieutenant NPC

STRESS

12

INJURIES

2

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

2

Leading small cells of partisans, planning strikes and operations, coordinating logistics, training, and supplies, or fomenting even small acts against the occupiers, Resistance Organisers are clever, charismatic, or lucky individuals. Values given are typical, but individuals may have different skills and expertise, according to their background, occupation, and the country they reside in. They might also have different weapons and equipment, supplied by London or have acquired local weapons and equipment from the invading forces.

Attacks

Truths

Vive la Résistance!: The Resistance Organiser knows ?

6 , (Salvo: Stun), Unreliable

Escalation Options

Stielhandgranate 24: (Throwing), Close range, 5 ? Stun, Munition

,

Special Rules

how to inspire their followers, redoubling their efforts and unlocking that extra bit of energy. By spending 2 Momentum as a minor action, the Resistance Organiser grants +1 Morale and +1 Cover to all allied Troopers NPCs within Close range for the scene.

Leader Dedicated to Overthrowing Oppressive ? Occupiers

Attributes AGILITY

8

BRAWN

7

COORDINATION

8

INSIGHT

9

REASON

9

WILL

Skills

Sturmgewehr 44 (StGw44): (Rifles), Medium range, ?

10

Local Support: When absolutely necessary, Resistance ? Organisers can galvanise the oppressed populace into violent action. By generating 2 Threat, a Resistance Organiser can introduce reinforcements—either one Trooper NPC or up to four Incidental NPCs of Basic quality (Gamemaster’s Guide p.150).

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

RESISTANCE ORGANISER

Athletics 1, Engineering 2, Fighting 3 (Rifles), Persuasion 4 (Rhetoric), Resilience 2, Stealth 1, Tactics 4 (Covert Operations, Leadership)

37

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

Villains As the Reich’s forces spread across Western Europe, specialised units are deployed to police and pacify the occupied territories. Black Sun hunts down magical practitioners and captures their traditions and knowledge for use by the Nazi war machine, and Nachtwölfe develops strange new avenues of detection and infiltration. On the following pages you’ll find a selection of anti-Resistance villains, both individuals and units, whose main function is to harry, interdict, and hunt the Resistance and their sympathisers. You can use the personnel, either individually or collectively, to make life difficult and challenging for your Resistance heroes.

GESTAPO

Trooper NPC

The Geheime Staatspolizei, or Gestapo, are the cruel and ever-present secret police of Nazi Germany and its occupied territories. Relying on a network of informants and adherents to Nazi doctrine, the Gestapo investigates and prosecutes anyone who undermines the regime. In occupied territories, it is often supplemented by local police forces and supported by collaborators and informants—particularly in occupied France, which sees the Gestapo number in the tens of thousands. As one of the Reich’s leading tools of oppression and counterinsurgency, the Gestapo are responsible for countless atrocities against civilians.

Truths

Ransack: The Gestapo are adept at searching, but ?

they’re not subtle about it. When they attempt an Observation test to search an area, they may spend 2 Threat to reduce the difficulty of the test by 1 and reduce the time the search takes by half.

BLACK SUN SILVERWALKER Trooper NPC

To support their activities in occupied countries, Black Sun has developed a specialised division of Novices and Masters tasked with rooting out magical practitioners— whether they are agents from Section M or Majestic, members of Resistance cells, or simply local practitioners of traditional arts. The Silverwalkers use specially-tuned amulets forged from silver and captured Dreamlands energy to home in on magical emanations. When they identify a source of magic, Black Sun mobilises with extreme prejudice to capture or eliminate the practitioner and plunder any artefacts, tomes, or other magical items their target may possess. Some who are caught are turned to become Silverwalkers themselves.

Truths

Black Sun Initiate ? Hunter of the Arcane ?

Attributes

Ruthless State Police ?

Attributes AGILITY

7

BRAWN

8

COORDINATION

8

INSIGHT

9

REASON

9

WILL

7

Skills

STRESS

4

INJURIES

1

ARMOUR

2

COURAGE

2

Attacks

Walther P Series: (Handguns), Close range, 4 ? Vicious), Close Quarters, Hidden, Reliable

Escalation Options

8

BRAWN

7

COORDINATION

8

INSIGHT

8

REASON

9

WILL

8

Skills

Academia 2 (Occultism), Athletics 2, Fighting 1, Observation 3 (Instincts), Resilience 1, Vehicles 1

STRESS

4

INJURIES

1

ARMOUR

1

COURAGE

4

Attacks

Luger P08 9mm: (Handguns), Close range, 4 ? , (Salvo:

Maschinenpistole 40 (MP40): (Close Quarters), Close ? range, 4 , (Salvo: Stun), Inaccurate

AGILITY

Power: 1

Athletics 1, Fighting 2, Observation 2 (Instincts), Persuasion 3 (Intimidation), Resilience 1, Tactics 1

38

Special Rules

Vicious), Close Quarters

, (Salvo:

Special Rules

Silver Amulet of Sulen-Var: Merged with Dreamlands ?

energies harvested from the fields of Sulen-Var, a plain bathed in the rays of the Black Sun, Sulen-Var Amulets aid in the tracking and identification of magical practitioners. The Silverwalker can determine if a character

Occult Neophyte: Silverwalkers have yet to awaken ?

their full magical potential. Though they have a Power of 1 , they are not spellcasters themselves. Their power can only be used to assist other characters in performing rituals.

STANDARTENFÜHRER HELMUT ZIEGLER Nemesis NPC

Intelligent, arrogant, and relentless, Ziegler was a rising star in the SS even before Klaudia Fleischer (Gamemaster’s Guide p196) recruited him into Black Sun. Ziegler is multilingual, and as an interrogator, he can be menacing and charming in equal measure. His most-lauded exploits have been his successes in hunting and rounding up opponents in France as well as convincing sympathisers to provide information on resistance leaders and operations.

Skills

Academia 3 (Linguistics), Fighting 2, Observation 5 (Insight), Persuasion 4 (Intimidation), Resilience 3 (Discipline), Tactics 3 Power: 2 STRESS

12

INJURIES

3

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

2

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

has a Power rating by attempting an opposed Insight + Observation test at difficulty 1; the defending character opposes this with a Will + Resilience test also at difficulty 1. In addition, the Sulen-Var Amulet grows cold to the touch if a spell is cast within Long range of it.

At his heart though, Ziegler is not a zealot. He joined the SS purely out of self interest and pragmatism, and when he was offered the opportunity to draw upon the resources and knowledge of Black Sun, he made the same decision with the same dispassion. He is excellent at feigning an air of devotion to the Exarch and the Priors, but in truth he sees them only as additional tools in his arsenal—tools that he will use for his own advancement in a world that is cruel and ruthless. As a spellcaster, he’s an average proponent. Ziegler is an excellent student, but by not devoting himself wholly to his path, he lacks some potency. He tends to focus on spells which advance his primary objective—finding persons of interest and picking Resistance cells apart with meticulous care.

Truths

Charming Ruthless SS Interrogator ? Polyglot ? Ruthlessly Intelligent Occult Dabbler ?

Attributes AGILITY

7

BRAWN

7

COORDINATION

7

INSIGHT

13

REASON

11

WILL

9

39

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

Attacks

Black Sun Degen: (Melee Weapons), 4 ? Hunger, Bane, Parrying

Piercing 1,

Walther P Series: (Handguns), Close range, 4 ? Vicious), Close Quarters, Hidden, Reliable

(Salvo:

Special Rules

Genius Investigator: Ziegler is able to make quick ?

leaps in understanding through logic and deduction that seem to pull details out of thin air. Once per scene, Ziegler may spend 2 Threat to immediately learn three facts about his location or subject that wouldn’t otherwise be known. In addition, when he succeeds at an Observation skill test which is part of an extended task, he may add +2 to his stress roll to progress in the extended task.

Meticulous Strike: Although he prefers to use words ? and intimidation as weapons, Ziegler knows how to land devastating blows when necessary. Twice per scene, when making a melee attack, Ziegler may use Insight in place of Agility. If successful, his weapon attack gains the Intense effect.

Multilingual: Ziegler is fluent in German, English, ?

French, and Italian. When faced with a language he does not know, he may spend Threat to understand the overall meaning of the conversation the same way as the Polyglot talent (Player’s Guide p.88).

Unsettling Insight: Ziegler loves to intellectually spar ? with opponents, arrogantly needling his enemies with unsettlingly accurate observations about them. Once per scene and using a major action, Ziegler can deal 2 mental stress (ignoring Courage and Morale) to a character of his choice that can hear him.

Spells and Rituals

Ziegler is a Dabbler spellcaster, who casts spells using Will. When casting a spell, Ziegler may increase his Power by +2 , but if he does so, one point is removed from Threat for each effect rolled when he rolls his Power dice. He knows three spells from the books of Nyarlathotep or Yog-Sothoth as chosen by the GM.

Truths

First-Class Nachtwölfe Spy ? Shapeshifting Abomination of Advanced Science ?

Attributes AGILITY

9

BRAWN

7

COORDINATION

9

INSIGHT

9

REASON

8

WILL

9

Skills

Academia 1, Athletics 2, Fighting 2 (Handguns, Melee Weapons), Persuasion 4 (Deceive), Resilience 2, Stealth 3 (Urban Stealth), Tactics 1 STRESS

11

INJURIES

2

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

2

Attacks

Fighting Knife: (Melee Weapons), 4 ? Hidden, Subtle

Piercing 1,

Walther P Series: (Handguns), Close range, 4 ? Vicious), Close Quarters, Hidden, Reliable

(Salvo:

Escalation Options

Stielhandgranate 24: (Throwing), Close range, 5 ? Stun, Munition

,

Special Rules

Deadly Assassination: Formwandlers are unparalleled ?

experts at finding the perfect time to strike. When making an attack against an unaware target, a Formwandler may spend 2 Threat to perform a Deadly Assassination, gaining the Piercing 1 and Intense weapon effects to the attack (or Piercing 1 and an additional +3 if the attack is already Intense). If the target is defeated by this assassination, then the attack is silent and not heard by anyone.

Poisoner (Escalation): When a Formwandler first ?

NACHTWÖLFE FORMWANDLER Lieutenant NPC

The Formwandlers are chosen from the most elite of Nachtwölfe’s assassins and spies to undergo a horrific experimental procedure that combines a bio-enhancement derivative of Vitalität IX and stolen samples of Mi-Go protofleisch. There are few who survive these combined mutagens, which when administered together, cause days of excruciating pain as the subject’s flesh is transformed into mutable material. Those who do survive are blessed with the ability to reform their features at will, becoming the perfect undercover agents and infiltrators.

40

appears in a scene, they may spend 2 Threat to have their Fighting Knife be poisoned and able to apply the Poisoned condition (p.47) when any effects are rolled.

Shapeshift: As a major action, a Formwandler may ?

rearrange their features, completely changing skin tone, facial features, hair colour and length, eye colour, and—to a lesser degree—body type and height to create a more or less identical copy of a person they have studied. They do not lose or gain any mass when using this ability, they simply redistribute it. This ability is horrific to witness, and anyone seeing the flesh crawl and reform across the Formwandler’s features and body must pass a difficulty 1 Will + Resilience test or suffer 3 mental stress with Piercing 1.

Lieutenant NPC

In an effort to compete with Black Sun Norn Dreamers as the premiere arcane counterinsurgency resource for the Gestapo, Jünger researchers coerce, abduct, and recruit dozens of Dutch psychics to use as emotional bloodhounds. Projekt Wachund is launched to network small groups of psychics together and amplify each individual’s abilities. When distance proves to be an insurmountable obstacle, connective machinery for three Seers is modified to fit on Opel Blitz trucks, colloquially called “Seer Wagons” by Resistance fighters. These Seer Wagons patrol through ghettos and areas suspected of harbouring insurgents. Jünger scientists monitor readings while the Seers sense and relay the emotional landscape of the occupied populace.

Truths

Nachtwölfe Psychic ? Attuned to Emotions ?

Attributes AGILITY

7

BRAWN

8

COORDINATION

7

INSIGHT

10

REASON

9

WILL

10

Insight + Observation test to sense the most prevalent emotions within Close range. By expending 1 Threat, the Seer can increase the distance of Sense Emotions to Medium range.

Spells and Rituals

Nachtwölfe Seers are spellcasters, who cast spells using Will. When casting a spell, the Seer may increase their power by +2 , but if they do so, one point is removed from Threat for each effect rolled when they roll their power dice. All Nachtwölfe Seers are trained to unleash a Primal Scream, but many others will have a flawed version of one or two additional Psychic & ESP Talents (Player’s Guide, p150). Primal Scream: (Will + Persuasion, difficulty 4 ?

Drain, Stun) The Seer inflicts Power +2 mental stress with the Stun effect to all enemies within Close range. For 2 Threat, the Seer may increase the range to Medium or add the Piercing 1 or Vicious effects.

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

NACHTWÖLFE SEER

Skills

Academia 2 (Occultism, Science), Fighting 2, Medicine 2 (Psychiatry), Observation 4 (Instincts), Persuasion 3, Resilience 3, Survival 1 Power: 3 STRESS

13

INJURIES

2

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

4

Attacks

Unarmed Strike: (Hand-to-Hand), 2 ?

, Subtle

Escalation Options

Jünger Bodyguard: When a Seer first appears in a ?

scene, they may spend 3 Threat to be supported by a Nachtwölfe Stalker (Gamemaster’s Guide p.201) bodyguard.

Special Rules

The Power of Three: When networked with two other ? Seers using Jünger technology, each Seer’s individual Power increases by +1 . In addition, when one Seer attempts to Sense Emotions and the other two assist, the distance of Sense Emotions increases to Extreme range and the difficulty of the test is reduced by 1.

Sense Emotions: A Seer can attempt a difficulty 2 ?

41

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

Demons Summoned from the infernal reaches beyond our reality, demons are spirits of violence, chaos, and hunger. Are they genuine infernal creatures or entities of the Mythos adopting their guise? It is hard to say with any certainty, although they are considered Mythos entities in Achtung! Cthulhu. Demons of lore come in all shapes and sizes, with agendas, needs, and wants nearly as varied as humanity’s own. Many medieval texts attempted to categorise the various incarnations, hierarchies, and laws about demons, but no inventory of the infernal was ever exhaustive. It has been postulated by Section M researchers that the recorded variations in so-called demons are simply reflections of the summoner’s expectations—that demons themselves have mutable forms and adopt the attitudes and appearances that best benefit them when dealing with humans. However, when summoned through the arcane rites in the Demonology Spellbook (p.54) or via the Summon Mythos Creature ritual (Gamemaster’s Guide p.110), demons are bound by the agreements they make. Part of the spell ensures that once a deal is struck, the demon may not break the terms of that bargain, although exact wording and phrasing is key. Some individuals may attempt to undermine the deal or creatively interpret it in their favour, but others will hold to it unwaveringly and without subterfuge. There is one thing that all demons share, however— and that is an overwhelming hunger. They have been poetically described as the devouring dark flame of the cosmos, and if unleashed, they will indulge their chosen hunger to excess. And their favourite food? Mankind’s souls.

ANDRASIAN IMP Trooper NPC

Filled with a vicious glee and a nose for trouble, Andrasian Imps are excellent thieves and saboteurs. Summoners who bring these creatures out of the infernal realms beyond time and space unleash a supernatural force of mischief, disruption and destruction.

Truths

Mischievous Demon ?

Attributes 11

BRAWN

9

COORDINATION

6

INSIGHT

10

REASON

5

WILL

AGILITY

42

9

Skills

Athletics 1, Engineering 3, Fighting 1, Stealth 3 (Camouflage), Resilience 1 Power: 1 STRESS

4

INJURIES

1

ARMOUR

0

COURAGE

1

Attacks

Talons: (Hand-to-Hand), 3 ?

Vicious

Special Rules

Opportunistic Pickpocket: After making a successful ? attack with its Talons, an Andrasian Imp may spend 1 Threat (or 1 Momentum if summoned by an agent) to steal one trivial item from its target.

Saboteur: Andrasian Imps excel at breaking deli ?

cate things, and they take great joy in making something complicated break in a spectacular way. When attacking an object, structure, or stationary vehicle, the imp may use its Engineering skill instead of Fighting, and it deals an additional +2 physical stress. When inflicting stress against such a target, the imp can spend 2 Threat (or generate 2 Threat if summoned by an agent) to change any challenge dice to an effect result, up to its rating in Engineering.

SOLDIER DEMON OF THE OUTER REACHES Lieutenant NPC

A hulking monstrosity of muscle and fury, a Soldier Demon of the Outer Reaches is a warrior summoned to unleash carnage and horror. This creature hungers for violence, the more brutal, the better. Secret societies of French demonologists held the secrets of how to summon these creatures for centuries, but with the occupation of France by the Nazis and the looting of valuable manuscripts and arcane practices by Black Sun, these creatures are being fielded alongside the horrors of Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth. In the hands of Resistance cells, these creatures can serve as powerful frontline troops, but the danger of collateral damage is ever present.

Truths

Warrior Demon ? A Honed Hunger for Violence ?

AGILITY

10

BRAWN

14

COORDINATION

10

INSIGHT

08

WILL

12

REASON

6

Skills

Academia 3, Athletics 4, Fighting 4 (Hand-to-Hand), Persuasion 3 (Intimidation), Resilience 5 (Fortitude) Power: 6 STRESS

18

INJURIES

2

ARMOUR

5

COURAGE

8

Attacks

Blackened Talons: (Hand-to-Hand), 7 ? Horrific: (Mental Attack), 4

Vicious

Piercing 1, Stun

Escalation Options

Heart of Tarnished Flame: When a soldier demon ?

first appears in a scene, it may spend 2 Threat (or generate 2 Threat if summoned by an agent) to be able to cast the Spontaneous Combustion spell (Player’s Guide, p152).

rors r o h ey h h t s t a a e th unl n l u l i S w k c Bla y, we l l e a h n t i “F upon fear. l l .” i d w e n s r e u v t el e thems e tables hav e Dubois Th Arian

Chapter Three  Heroes and Villains of the Resistance

Attributes

Special Rules

Extraordinary Brawn 1: The Soldier Demon ?

gains one automatic success on all Brawn-based skill tests. In addition, it inflicts +1 physical stress with melee attacks, has +1 maximum stress, and +1 Armour resistance, all of which are included in the profile above.

Fearsome 1: The Soldier Demon inspires ?

fear. It can make mental attacks, including +1 and the Piercing 1 effect (listed above). In addition, the first time a character sees the Soldier Demon, they must immediately attempt a Will + Resilience test with a difficulty of 1 or suffer mental stress as if from that mental attack.

Immune to Fire: The soldier demon is ?

immune to stress, truths, and other effects caused by heat or fire.

Menacing: When a soldier demon enters a ? scene, immediately generate 1 Threat.

Scale 1: The Soldier Demon suffers an injury ?

after suffering 6 stress (after reductions) from a single attack, rather than 5. Other actions may be easier or harder based on its size.

43

Chapter 4

Tools of the Trade

Requisition in the Resistance.....................46 Tables..............................................................51

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

Chapter Four

Tools of the Trade From the espionage and covert equipment supplied by the SOE and OSS to the cobbled-together technological wonders scavenged from their oppressors, the equipment that Resistance can call on covers a huge swath of weapons and devices.

of Nachtwölfe technology including Blauer Kristall, protofleisch, Vitalität IX, and a yellow, chalky powder called the Sands of Yog-Sothoth. These resources have been combined to give Resistance fighters an edge against Black Sun and Nachtwölfe’s horrors.

In Poland, alchemy has been studied by inquisitive occultists for hundreds of years, and as the Nazis tighten their grip on the country it is turned to again, as Resistance fighters in the Polish Home Army look for every advantage. When Valeria Kowalczyk and her unit of Armia Krajowa fighters raided an Einsatzgruppe stockpile, they discovered a cache

What follows are a series of skill kits, covert equipment, and secret, arcane, or experimental items that can supplement the items found in the Player’s Guide: Chapter 7: Tools of the Trade and which are commonly deployed by the Resistance in the fight against the occult forces of the Reich.

Requisition in the Resistance When acquiring equipment, Resistance fighters will default to the In the Field rules (Player’s Guide p.118) although certain Resistance cells and strongholds can manufacture their own kits and equipment. However, if the Resistance has an opportunity to requisition items from a supporting organisation such as the OSS, SOE, Section M, or Majestic, Mission Support level should always be one level less than a non-Resistance mission would rate. It’s harder to gather and deliver specific equipment to agents in occupied territory.

Experimental Some of the following items have been developed with little to no field testing and are rushing into use by Resistance fighters pushing for every advantage they can find. Experimental: Tests with this item increase their complication range by 2. In addition, for every 2 Momentum generated on a test with this item, you also generate 1 Threat.

46

SKILL KITS Poisoner’s Kit

Restriction Rating: 2 A poisoner’s kit comes with a variety of poisons and chemical substances that can be applied to weapons, dissolved in drinks, or sprinkled onto food. It comes with 3 Ammo for use when applying a Poisoned condition. A poisoner’s kit is a Minor item.

While the Poisoned condition is in effect, the character suffers 2 Fatigue at the end of every scene. Removing the truth requires medical attention Insight + Medicine difficulty 2) or some (Insigh equivalent treatment for poison. Once the truth is removed, the Fatigue can be recovered as normal.

Safecracking Kit

Restriction Rating: 2 A comprehensive safecracking kit includes drills, a steel wedge or short crowbar, corrosive chemicals, small explosives, and a stethoscope to provide many options for opening a safe—quietly, quickly, or reliably. Larger kits may include a small, gasoline-powered concrete saw or a small amount of oxy-acetylene to power a thermic lance torch. The kit comes with enough supplies to gain 3 bonus Momentum to buy d20s to use when opening safes. A safecracking kit is a Minor item. Larger kits are major items.

Vitalität Derivative Restriction Rating: 4

Polish alchemists working with stolen samples of the Nachtwölfe Vitalität IX have developed a diluted and experimental enhancement serum—the pochodna witalności—which provides temporary increases to physical prowess or mental focus. Each kit is tailored to improve an agent’s Brawn (physical enhancement) or Insight (focus enhancement), and the linked attribute must be determined when the kit is acquired. The kit comes with enough pills, injections, or inhalers to gain 3 bonus Momentum to buy d20s for tests including the linked attribute. After the scene in which the kit is used is concluded, the agent suffers a truth related to their use of the vitalität derivative such as “Debilitating Headache,” “Chemical Exhaustion,” or “Diminished Senses” The truth stays in place for a period of time determined by the GM and may affect subsequent skill tests. A vitalität derivative kit is a Minor item.

, r e t r a m s , r e t "I feel brighe alive!" mor

EQUIPMENT

Bicycle Dynamo

Restriction Rating: 1 Converting mechanical energy from a stationary bike into electricity, a bicycle dynamo is an invaluable tool for Resistance cells operating away from power sources or in makeshift bases where tapping into existing utilities might be discovered. Bicycle Dynamos were used to charge generators and power radios, particularly those used by the Maquis. Bicycle dynamos are Major items.

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

Poisoned Condition

Concealed Explosives Restriction Rating: 2

From “Black Joe” coal grenades to dead rats filled with homemade explosives, the Resistance can get very creative when it comes to planting unobtrusive bombs which can be used to sabotage machinery or injure occupying soldiers. These explosives have a smaller yield than conventional demolition items, but they are more difficult to uncover. Tests made to discover these explosives are made at +2 difficulty, although they have a weaker yield than standard charges. Three concealed explosives are a Minor item.

Pipe Pistol

Restriction Rating: 2 Developed by the SOE as a hidden weapon to be used by the British Home Guard, an armed civilian militia, pipe pistols have occasionally found their way into the supplies sent to Resistance cells that use covert tactics. Also working as a fully functional smoking pipe, the pistol can fire a single, .22-calibre shot from its stem. Pipe Pistols are Trivial items.

Rubber Overshoes Restriction Rating: 1

Using the logic that boot tracks would increase the suspicions of occupying soldiers, the SOE developed rubber boot attachments shaped like bare feet to confuse scouts and patrols. When making tests to detect the tracks of agents wearing these overshoes, enemies increase the difficulty of their test by 1. In addition, if the search is part of an extended test, the test gains a resistance of 1. A pair of rubber overshoes are a Minor item when not worn.

47

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT Gas-Powered Grappling Gun Restriction Rating: 3

Grappling hooks occupy an important niche in the toolkit of soldiers and operatives in active theatres. Used to detonate tripwire-fused landmines, dragged behind ships to damage enemy submarines, or relied on to climb the cliffs of Normandy during D-Day, they are a staple tool. To aid with clandestine assaults on Nazi fortifications, Section M boffins have worked up several prototypes for a silent, condensed gas-powered, grappling hook launcher. The devices are approximately the size of a large flare pistol and come with an attached spool of lightweight rope. The grappling gun’s cartridges are filled with a condensed gas similar to carbon dioxide but much more potent. The cartridges are cold to the touch and release a subtle but recognizable hiss on use. A gas-powered grappling gun can fire its grappling attachment up to a Medium distance. A Coordination + Agility test is usually used to determine success, and on a hit, the grappling hook attaches, and the rope can be climbed. Gas-powered grappling guns are Major items.

Glue Charge

Restriction Rating: 2 Developed in Poland by enterprising alchemists when they couldn’t obtain the materials for explosives, glue charges are a subtle method of sabotage. Most of these devices include two or more glass chambers of separated chemicals—when these chemicals intermix, either through a timer mechanism or from applied force, they rapidly expand into a powerful adhesive that is excellent at fouling vehicles and mechanical machinery. A glue charge kit comes with 3 Ammo for use with placed adhesives. Vehicles or machinery affected by a glue charge suffer the Fouled truth, which diminishes their efficiency or effectiveness in an appropriate manner defined by the GM. Glue charges are a Minor item.

Grenade, Glue

Restriction Rating: 2 Created to incapacitate pursuers or seal doorways, this rapidly-spreading adhesive was developed by Polish alchemists working to undermine the occupation of their country. These grenades are often homemade and come in all sorts of containers which break on impact. Inside, there are several chemicals that energetically react with oxygen, spreading to cover everything within Close range. Instead of suffering stress, affected characters must pass a difficulty 2 Agility + Athletics test or be held in place until they break free with a major action and a difficulty 2 Brawn + Athletics test. Three glue grenades are a Minor item.

Grenade, Time Dilation Restriction Rating: 4

Polish alchemists, scientists, and boffins have experimented with the Sands of Yog-Sothoth, discovering their strange effects on time and space. Those caught within the effects of a time dilation grenade find themselves frozen between moments, unable to perceive, act, or be acted upon for 4 rounds. If there are any effects rolled on damage from a time dilation grenade, affected characters are also stunned for two rounds after the freezing effect wears off. Three time dilation grenades are a Minor item.

"Messing with time , gives me a headach e." Prof. Richard Deadman 48

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

NK13 Repulsor Shield Restriction Rating: 4

Forged from steel and laced with Blauer Kristall, NK13 Repulsor Shields are held in one hand, providing additional protection from melee and ranged attacks. In addition, when you defend against a melee attack while wielding this shield, instead of inflicting stress on your attacker or repositioning, you may make a difficulty 2 Brawn + Fighting (Hand-to-Hand) test to slam your attacker. If you pass the test, you may knock them prone or move them to any point within Close range. NK13 Repulsor Shields are Major items and follow the shield rules (Player’s Guide p.109).

TW77 Shock Gauntlets Restriction Rating: 4

After Polish inventors recover the damaged parts of a Majestic Crackler M5-1 Electric Bazooka, they engineer a chemical power source that can deliver measured electric shocks on contact. These devices are worked into a small number of gauntlet-like devices that prove to be quite effective against the supernatural creatures summoned by Black Sun sorcerers. TW77 Shock Gauntlets use the same rules as Electric Discharge Weapons (Gamemaster’s Guide p.59) but only work in melee and within Reach. Their Bane quality may be used up to three times, after which the gauntlets lose the Bane quality until they are charged from an electrical source. TW77 Shock Gauntlets are Minor items.

Temporal Accelerator Restriction Rating: 5

When looking for additional uses for the Sands of Yog-Sothoth, Polish boffins discovered that running an electrical charge of just the right amount through the material caused increased acceleration in a small area. By modifying a muzzle-mounted silencer with a small power source and a layer of metal that had been treated with the Sands of Yog-Sothoth, these inventors were able to greatly increase round velocity. A Temporal Accelerator is a trivial item that can be mounted onto pistols, submachine guns, and rifles effectively. Once affixed, they grant the weapon the Experimental quality if it didn’t already have it. In addition, the weapon gains Salvo: Piercing 2.

"I'm going to give th Nazi conn ose ards a han dshake they'll nev er forget!" Gregoire Boisbelaud - French Resistance Leader

49

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

STRANGE EQUIPMENT Grounding Spike

Restriction Rating: 4 Resembling a tapered, metal fencepost, a grounding spike is made of pure iron and etched with arcane sigils. Created by the Loge de Flauros, a French diabolic society based in Paris, grounding spikes were used to weaken summoned demons so that better terms could be negotiated in deals and bargains. However, the Loge de Flauros was already in decline when Black Sun forces raided their temple. Few members survived, and many of their tomes and implements—items such as the grounding spikes—were confiscated. Some were acquired by black market dealers who only had an inkling of what these items could accomplish. When pressed into the ground and activated by a small amount of blood, a grounding spike reinforces the laws of reality around it, weakening demonic and Mythos influences. If arranged within a triangle or square surrounding the summoning area, creatures within may not leave it without the ritualist’s permission, or cast spells until the bargain is concluded. Entities within Close range of a Grounding Spike lose their Invulnerable quality and creatures with the Tough quality may not spend Threat to ignore an injury. In addition, all spells cast by creatures within Close range of a grounding spike have their difficulty increased by 1.

50

Living Key of Ayrshire Restriction Rating: 4

Discovered deep within a Scottish coal mine, this ineffable, dull grey metal is unsettling to handle and seems to radiate a sense of hunger and malice. Though the potential uses for the Ayrshire metal are still being explored, one early breakthrough revealed that when activated with warm blood, the metal could reshape itself to match its surroundings. Further experimentation by the Section M’s espionage teams, created a small number of these Living Keys. When the key is inserted into a lock, the agent holding it suffers a wound inflicting 1 stress which causes minor blood loss and powers the Living Key to reshape itself. Until reshaped again, the Living Key opens this lock as if it were made for it. Every time a Living Key is used, roll a d20. On a 20, the key becomes inert as its enchantment is spent. Living Keys of Ayrshire are Trivial items.

re's e h T ! e m "Open sesa ing from us now." no hid

Fenna de Vries Dutch Resistance organiser

Melee Weapons NAME

FACTION

FOCUS

TW77 Shock Gauntlets

Resistance

Hand-to-Hand Combat

STRESS

SIZE

QUALITIES

RESTRICTION RATING

4

Minor

Bane, Escalation, Experimental

-

Stun

Armour NAME

FACTION

RESISTANCE

QUALITIES

RESTRICTION RATING

NK13 Repulsor Shield

Resistance

+2

Experimental, Shield

-

Chapter Four  Tools of the Trade

Tables

Ranged Weapons NAME

FACTION

FOCUS

RANGE

GasPowered Grappling Gun

Resistance

Handguns

Long

Pipe Pistol

Britain

Handguns

Close

SALVO

SIZE

QUALITIES

RESTRICTION RATING

2

-

Minor

Experimental, Subtle

3

2

-

Minor

Close Quarters, Hidden

2

QUALITIES

RESTRICTION RATING

STRESS

Grenades & Bombs NAME

FACTION

FOCUS

RANGE

STRESS

SALVO

SIZE

Concealed Charge

Resistance

Demolition

Close

4 , Area, Stun

Intense

3 per Minor

2

Glue Charge

Poland

Demolition

Close

-*

3 per Minor

2

Grenade, Glue

Poland

Throwing

Close

6 , Area

3 per Minor

Inaccurate, Munition

2

Grenade, Time Dilation

Poland

Throwing

Close

6 *

3 per Minor

Inaccurate, Munition

4

*See entry for more details

51

Chapter 5

Spells & Tomes

Demonology Spellbook..............................54

Chapter Five  Spells & Tomes

Chapter Five

Spells & Tomes

Demonology Spellbook The belief in evil spirits and demons occurs throughout the world, but the organised study of demonology in Europe possibly began in the 13th century with the French Livre des Esperitz or Book of Spirits. Further study and translations became the Dutch Pseudomonarchia Daemonum in the 17th century, which was then refined some hundred years later with the Lesser Key of Solomon.

ABJURATION OF THE REGAL STAR Drawing on the authority of contracts and deals written into the fabric of reality, the spellcaster inflicts damage upon Mythos creatures, possibly forcing them from the material plane completely. Skill: Academia Difficulty: 3 Cost: 5 Drain, Piercing 2 Duration: Instant

54

Many secret societies, particularly throughout Britain and France, studied these manuscripts and further explored these practices as time went by. These organisations and their libraries were prime targets for Black Sun sorcerers when they occupied France and the Netherlands. Demonology is considered to be a Researcher-based pursuit when it comes to classifications of magic and its users use Reason to cast spells.

Effect

Banishment spell. This spell targets a single supernatural or Mythos creature within Medium range and inflicts Power +2 mental stress to the creature, with the Stun and Piercing 2 effects, even if the creature is immune to mental attacks normally (creatures normally immune to mental attacks count as having a Courage of 4). If the creature would suffer one or more mental injuries from this spell, then it must pass a difficulty 3 Will + Resilience test or vanish, banished to the realm it originated from.

A flawed version of this spell is more harrowing for the spellcaster than usual. When a creature is banished, the spellcaster suffers 3 physical stress that ignores resistance.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, add the Area effect. ?

BREACH THE GATES

The spellcaster calls into the infernal darkness outside of time and space and a monstrous demon answers, a creature of cunning cruelty spawned from ancient powers. The demon has a mutable form, most often appearing in a guise that unsettles or terrifies. Skill: Persuasion Difficulty: 2 Cost: 5 Drain, Piercing 2 Duration: Instant

Effect

Summoning spell. The spell summons one Soldier Demon of the Outer Reaches (p.42), which arrives at the end of the round (complications may delay the demon’s arrival by one round per complication suffered). The demon will regard the spellcaster as an ally, but it will act as it wishes: the spellcaster must persuade or bribe it to perform specific tasks.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell discharges dangerously. Roll 1 for everyone within Close range of the caster. Each effect rolled causes 4 physical stress with the Stun effect.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, the spellcaster summons three ? Andrasian Imps instead (p.42).

For 2 Momentum, the summoned demon(s) gain the ?

Flight special rule for a number of rounds equal to the spellcaster’s Power.

Flight: The creature can move freely through aerial ?

zones above the battlefield. Attempting to carry objects or creatures while flying may require a Brawn + Athletics test.

Conjure Hellfire

The spellcaster calls upon the infernal power of the demonic hosts and unleashes a gout of flame that crackles with vicious glee and smells of rank sulphur. When focussing their will even more upon the flame, some spellcasters can turn some of that demonic hunger to their own benefit.

Skill: Fighting Difficulty: 2 Cost: 5 Drain, Piercing 1 Duration: Instant

Effect

Attack spell. The spell targets a single enemy or object within Close range and inflicts Power +2 physical stress with the Persistent 3 effect.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell sometimes leaps to unintended targets. The GM may spend 1 Threat to have the Hellfire also affect one other target of their choice within the same zone as the target. Even if flawed, the spellcaster may still choose to add 2 to Threat to add the Hunger effect to the spell.

Chapter Five  Spells & Tomes

Flawed

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, add the Area effect. ? For 2 Momentum, the enemy or object may be targeted ? within Medium range.

For 2 Threat, the spell gains the Hunger effect ?

(Gamemaster’s Guide p.58) against living creatures.

INFERNAL WHISPERS

The spellcaster opens their mind to the quiet whispers of amoral demon hosts, allowing the creatures to guide and inform them. It may take some time for the spellcaster to decipher the mysterious words that come into their mind, but the words are always true, or as close to the truth as a demon can make them. Skill: Observation Difficulty: Varies, see below Cost: 3 Drain, Stun Duration: Instant

Effect

Divination spell. The spellcaster hears one, two, or three cryptic premonitions: the difficulty of the spell is equal to the number of premonitions received. The premonitions remain in the spellcaster’s mind for a number of hours equal to the spellcaster’s Power, and the spellcaster may add 1 to Threat to experience a premonition, gaining one of the following effects: The spellcaster may force one critical or complication ? roll to be rerolled.

The spellcaster may introduce a single relevant truth ? to a scene which is framed as advice from demonic whispers.

The spellcaster may discover one minor item. ?

55

Chapter Five  Spells & Tomes

Flawed

When using a flawed version of this spell, the spellcaster suffers 1 Fatigue at the end of every scene while they hold premonitions in their mind.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, the truths created have a rating of 2. ? For 2 Momentum, the item discovered can be minor or ? major.

Skill: Academia Difficulty: 2 Cost: 4 Drain Duration: Until the end of the current scene

Effect

Transmutation spell. The spellcaster selects a single character within Close range (which may be themselves). This character grows bat-like wings which grant them the Flight special rule for the duration of the spell. Flight: The affected character can move freely through ?

MISTS OF THE FORGOTTEN WANDERER

Drawing on the lamentations of lost conjurers who dabbled with powers beyond their abilities, the spellcaster fills an area with an obscuring and befuddling fog. Those caught within the mists find it hard to form thoughts or speak clearly. Skill: Academia Difficulty: 2 Cost: 5 Drain, Stun Duration: A number of rounds equal to the spellcaster’s Power

Effect

Manifestation spell. The spell conjures an insubstantial mist, filling one zone within Medium range. Any creature within the mist at the end of their turn must pass a difficulty 2 Will + Resilience test or be stunned for rounds equal to half the spellcaster’s Power (rounding up). In addition, the zone gains a location truth— Obscuring Mists—which hinders vision out of the zone but not into it.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell can only fill a zone within Close range.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, add the Drain effect. ? The spell may extend the mist out to one or more ? adjacent zones, it costs 2 Momentum for each additional zone filled.

aerial zones above the battlefield. Attempting to carry large objects or creatures while flying may require a Brawn + Athletics test.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell causes the affected character to suffer one immediate physical injury from the strain of the spell.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, the spell lasts for a number of hours ? equal to half the spellcaster’s Power, rounded down.

For 2 Momentum, the affected character also gains the ? Night Vision special rule for the duration of the spell.

Night Vision: The affected character can see in ?

darkness. They ignores any increases to difficulty or complication range caused by lack of light, and they may attempt skill tests that would normally be impossible in darkness.

OROBAS SEAL

The spellcaster marks, paints, or carves a warding seal into a location, imbuing the area with a protective enchantment. Overseen by the binding word of a prince of Hell, the seal can alert the spellcaster to intruders, abjure supernatural creatures, or explode. Skill: Academia Difficulty: Varies, see below Cost: 4 Drain. In addition, each effect rolled on the cost adds 1 to Threat Duration: A number of rounds equal to the spellcaster’s Power

Effect

ON WINGS OF LEATHER AND BONE

The spellcaster binds a swarm of lesser demons to possess their flesh or that of a willing subject, causing the target to sprout batlike wings that smell of sulphur and carry the target of the spell through the skies.

56

Ward spell. The spell creates a seal in one zone that can have one of three different effects: If anyone enters the zone, the spellcaster is psychically ? alerted to their presence and knows the number of intruders as well as if they are hostile, neutral, or friendly. This seal is difficulty 1.

physical stress with the Area effect. This seal is difficulty 2.

Supernatural or Mythos entities that enter the zone ?

suffer 4 physical stress with the Piercing 2 and Stun effects. If a creature takes one or more injuries from the damage, they are physically forced out of the warded zone and knocked prone. A creature defeated by this damage is banished to its home dimension, if any. This seal is difficulty 3.

Once the seal is activated, its magic is exhausted and ? the duration immediately ends.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell requires that the spellcaster stay within Medium range for the seal to function.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, the duration is a number of hours ? equal to the spellcaster’s Power.

The seal can be triggered multiple times without ? exhausting its magic, for 2 Momentum for each additional charge.

SILVER TONGUE OF NABERIUS

Calling on the cunning arts of Naberius, a Marquis of Hell, the spellcaster makes themselves appear as an ally, changing hostility to indifference or indifference to friendliness. The effects are generally fleeting, but when turned against the weak-minded, the spellcaster can exert even more control. Skill: Persuasion Difficulty: 1, opposed by target’s Will + Resilience Cost: 4 Drain, Stun Duration: Instant

Effect

Control spell. The spell targets a single enemy within Close range and inflicts Power +2 mental stress. If the target suffers any stress, they consider the spellcaster friendly until the end of their next turn. If this spell would inflict an injury on the target, then the target is placed under the spellcaster’s control instead of suffering the injury. This control lasts until the end of the target’s next turn.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell requires that the spellcaster be touching their target.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, add the Piercing effect. ? For 2 Momentum, the spell lasts for a number of ? rounds equal to the spellcaster’s Power.

WAR REGALIA OF THE INFERNAL COURT

The spellcaster calls a swarm of lesser demons to possess their flesh or that of a willing subject, filling the target with demonic fury and a war-born bloodlust. Imbued with these supernatural gifts, the target eschews ranged weapons, becoming a fearsome melee combatant which can stand toe to toe with some of the direst of Mythos monstrosities.

Chapter Five  Spells & Tomes

If anyone enters the zone, the seal deals 8 ?

Skill: Fighting Difficulty: 2 Cost: 4 Drain Duration: Until the end of the current scene

Effect

Transmutation spell. The spellcaster selects a single character within Close range (which may be themselves). This character gains demonic aspects such as clawed hands, prodigious muscles, and fangs, and they are unable to make ranged attacks while this effect persists. The subject may make melee attacks which inflict Power +1 physical stress (or gain +1 to their melee attacks for non-spellcasters) with the Bane and Vicious effects.

Flawed

A flawed version of this spell leaves the subject unable to distinguish friend from foe, and they will attack the nearest individual.

Momentum

For 2 Momentum, the affected character’s melee ? attacks gain the Piercing 1 effect as well.

For 2 Momentum, the affected character gains +3 ? Armour resistance as well.

Rituals

Infernal mastery of the Elements (Alter Weather ? Gamemaster’s Guide p.98)

Demonic Exorcism (Banishment Gamemaster’s Guide ? p.99)

Diabolic Bewitchment (Glamour Gamemaster’s Guide ? p.105)

57

Chapter 6

Table & Charts

Introduction..................................................60

Chapter Six  Table & Charts

Chapter Six

Table & Charts Introduction Resistance missions can be as simple as passing a coded message from one side of town to the other or as complicated as carrying out a joint assault on a heavilyfortified Nachtwölfe base. In the latter case, timing your attack to coincide with a commando insertion, a riot in the nearby town planned by another cell, and a mystical assault by Section M occultists becomes a major joint operation.

ROLL

MISSION TYPE

1–4

Espionage

5–8

Propaganda and Organisation

9–12

Raiding and Combat

13–16

Sabotage

The following tables serve as framing devices and jumping off points to help GMs build exciting, fast-paced, pulp-influenced Resistance missions that will shine in a game of Achtung! Cthulhu.

17–20

Smuggling

You can also use this initial sentence to generate further questions and secondary objectives for example:

Using these tables, you’ll fill in a two-sentence framework for your adventure:

Why are there POWs at an upper-class party? Are they political prisoners scheduled for execution?

The agents’ mission is to [GOAL] [LOCATION]. They’ll be up against [ADVERSARIES], but they’ll also have to [COMPLICATION]—and everything will lead up to [CLIMACTIC ENCOUNTER].

Why does the Resistance need printing equipment stored in a fortified base? Are the items they print too difficult to forge?

Further Resources for Adventure Development If you want to dig down even deeper, use the tables in the Achtung! Cthulhu Gamemaster’s Toolkit to develop individual antagonists, personal goals, specific items of interest, and much more!

Why is a Black Sun Norn Dreamer patrolling a train yard? Is there access to the Dreamlands nearby? However, it’s your adventure—if you don’t like the randomly generated result, feel free to roll again, choose one you prefer, or make up something completely original.

ows n k o wh d n a , e us. e k m a i t t ill ake w t y l l e i urn "It w o j e h et until t wher s e r t il ." o o t o o s b n k e jac will s e ' hom i w z r a t N u u B on o ingle s s a d not trea

Mordecai Abrams - Jewish Resistance

60

ROLL

ESPIONAGE

PROPAGANDA AND ORGANISATION

1

Assassinate or abduct a collaborator, military official, sorcerer, or turncoat at

Ally with a radical Resistance cell, a cult, or a Mythos faction at

2

Conduct a secret magical ritual in

Broker a working arrangement between two resistance cells at

3

Deliver key information to an asset at

Burn the Nazi flag at

4

Discover a double agent in your ranks who reports to someone in

Discredit a collaborator, military official, sorcerer, or turncoat at

5

Discredit or frame a collaborator, military official, sorcerer, or turncoat at

Distribute anti-fascist propaganda throughout

6

Extract an asset or artefact from

Establish a safe house near

7

Gather leverage on a collaborator, military official, sorcerer, or turncoat at

Foment a civilian strike at

8

Infiltrate a cult operating secretly at

Gain the favour of a potential asset by attacking or disrupting

9

Install or recover a prototype device at

Inspire a failing Resistance cell at

10

Negotiate a deal with the black marketeers at

Investigate a potential leak in your network at

11

Obtain the positions of anti-air emplacements from

Lead a peaceful demonstration at

12

Photograph a ritual being conducted at

Negotiate a deal with the black marketeers at

13

Photograph military equipment held at

Perform a subversive play, concert, or art piece at

14

Plant false scout reports at

Protect a local Resistance leader during their speech at

15

Poison the food at

Protect strikers during their action at

16

Recover key intelligence concealed as a mundane item from

Provide supplies to civilians at

17

Steal a codebook from

Publicly debate an outspoken collaborator at

18

Steal the coordinates of manufacturing facilities from

Recruit a potential asset at

19

Surveil the activities at

Satisfy a contact's need for revenge by destroying

20

Roll again on Espionage for a primary goal, but then roll for a secondary goal on another table as well

Roll again on Propaganda and Organisation for a primary goal, but then roll for a secondary goal on another table as well

Chapter Six  Table & Charts

Goals

23 May 42

S.O.E. SECRET owski

Bazyli Dabr

istall e Blauer Kr Intercept th at tonight's t shipment ar n le o st d an ala Grotesque G

61

Chapter Six  Table & Charts

Goals ROLL

RAIDING AND COMBAT

SMUGGLING

1

Ambush a convoy on their way to

Deliver a Resistance propagandist to

2

Assassinate or abduct a collaborator, military official, sorcerer, or turncoat at

Deliver black market goods to

3

Disrupt a magical ritual in

Extract a Resistance leader from

4

Harry an enemy force retreating to

Smuggle escaped prisoners through

5

Liberate prisoners from

Smuggle perishable foodstuffs through

6

Participate in a joint assault of

Sneak a codebook through

7

Release a bound Mythos creature from

Sneak an operative or soldier from the Allies through

8

Retake an occupied town by attacking

Sneak bombs to a saboteur in

9

Secure cash reserves by robbing

Sneak refugees through

10

Steal art from

Sneak Resistance fighters through

11

Steal encryption equipment from

Transport a Mythos creature through

12

Steal experimental technology from

Transport a stolen enigma machine through

13

Steal food supplies from collaborator farms near

Transport an unstable psychic through

14

Steal medical supplies from

Transport banned books through

15

Steal military equipment from

Transport black market goods through

16

Steal printing equipment from

Transport Blauer Kristall through

17

Summon a Mythos creature to attack

Transport humanitarian aid through

18

Support a planned civilian uprising at

Transport liberated art through

19

Unleash your full fury and storm at

Transport military equipment through

20

Roll again on Raiding and Combat for a primary goal, but then roll for a secondary goal on another table as well

Roll again on Smuggling for a primary goal, but then roll for a secondary goal on another table as well

Goals

62

ROLL

SABOTAGE

SABOTAGE

1

Booby trap a bridge leading to

Destroy census and registration information in

11

2

Booby trap a deposit of Blauer Kristall discovered in

Destroy radio equipment in

12

3

Booby trap a landing strip outside

Disable armoured vehicles near

13

4

Burn down

Disable the power grid for a

14

5

Cut the communication lines in

Disable the weapons of a garrison at

15

6

Delay a military force moving through

Disrupt a magical ritual in

16

7

Derail a train passing by

Disrupt the machinery or equipment at

17

8

Destroy a bridge leading to

Disrupt the metaphysical energies surrounding

18

9

Destroy a dam and flood farmland near

Foul the water supply of

19

10

Destroy a Dreamlands gate in

Roll again on Sabotage for a primary goal, but then roll for a secondary goal on another table as well

20

ROLL

ADVERSARIES

LOCATIONS

1

A colony of Deep Ones

A border crossing

2

A detachment of Mi-Go

A captured Resistance base

3

A Die Draugar let loose

A centuries-old castle

4

A master spy

A factory

5

A police force

A field hospital

6

Allied operatives

A forced labour or POW camp

7

An antagonistic Resistance cell

A fortified base

8

An armoured German Division

A ghetto

9

An infestation of Ghouls

A government office

10

Black Sun Master and Novices

A hospital

11

Black Sun Military

A research laboratory

12

Conventional German Army

A sacred site

13

Einsatzgruppen and Gestapo

A soldier's banquet

14

Nachtwölfe Military

A sprawling estate

15

Nachtwölfe Scientists or Field Researchers

A supply depot

16

Non-German Collaborators

A university or school

17

Radical Communists

A village or small-town garrison

18

Section M or Majestic operatives

An active Resistance base

19

SS Sonderkommandos

An airfield

20

Worshippers of the Old Gods

An upper-class party

Chapter Six  Table & Charts

Adversaries and Locations

O PENCE

AY 25TH,

ESTER – M

D MANCH

DON AN D IN LON

1942

PRICE TW

T R A N E STOL EVED! RETRI PRINTE

NO: 1,043

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63

Chapter Six  Table & Charts

Twists and Finales ROLL

COMPLICATIONS

CLIMACTIC ENCOUNTER

1

Avoid a Black Sun Norn Dreamer

A bombing run by the Allies

2

Avoid a significant number of traps, mines, or patrols

A car chase

3

Avoid compromising a partner organisation's conflicting goal (Goal tables)

A contest of skill

4

Avoid Nachtwölfe Hundmeisters and their Kristall modified Alsatians

A daring escape

5

Avoid the use of magic around a Black Sun Silverwalker

A duel

6

Avoid undercover Gestapo officers

A face to face with a terrible eldritch power

7

Deal with a Femme/Homme Fatale

A fire

8

Deal with double the opposition they expect

A melee battle on a moving vehicle

9

Face a Nachtwölfe Stormtrooper

A moral choice that could hamper the mission

10

Frame a separate adversary group (Adversaries table)

A pitched battle

11

Hold your emotions in check around a trio of Nachtwölfe Seers

A riot

12

Identify a Nazi informant

A romantic entanglement with an enemy

13

Navigate a Shoggoth nest

A series of explosions

14

Neutralise a Black Sun Demon Tamer: Damonbandiger

A standoff with a major villain from t he Adversary group

15

Notice a pair of Nachtjager snipers

A surprise third party (Adversaries table)

16

Operate in terrible weather conditions

A tense negotiation

17

Operate in half the time they planned for

Death and mayhem, but then time stops and rewinds to the beginning of the mission

18

Race against a rival organisation trying for the same goal

The reveal of a traitor

19

Uncover a Nachtwölfe Formwandler

Transportation to another plane of existence

20

Roll twice on Complications

Roll twice on Climactic Encounters

ES

RVIC E S C I G RATE

OF STDEPARTMENT – E C I F F O – WAR 64

RET - S

ET - SEC

ET

T - SECR

SECRE ECRET -

Chapter 7

Missions & Maps

The Grotesque Gala.....................................66 Home and Hearth......................................... 68 The Industry of Storms...............................70 Under Moonlit Skies..................................... 72 War on the Rails........................................... 74

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

Chapter Seven

Missions & Maps The Grotesque Gala BRIEFING

Thousands of art objects were plundered from occupied countries throughout the war by German forces. Though many of these items made their way into private collections, many more were destined for Hitler’s Führermuseum, which was to be built in the Austrian city of Linz. Before a massive, well-guarded shipment of looted art is sent to Austria, the occupying German army is hosting a viewing of those pieces. Invitations have been sent to SS officers, highly-placed collaborators, and other luminaries of the occupation. What the German forces do not realise is that local arcane scholars secreted a dangerous Mythos manuscript among the paintings. The manuscript was broken into three pieces and hidden behind the canvases. Your mission is to ensure those arcane texts do not fall into Nazi hands.

LOCATIONS Mingling Areas

Nazi flags and banners adorn every space where people drink and socialise and mill about. At least a third of the people in attendance are in German military uniforms. The rest are dressed for an exclusive social event.

A series of Nazi academics give lectures here throughout the night. They opine on local artists and promote the preferred aesthetics of the Reich while outlining the perceived flaws of “degenerate” art.

Offices

The offices on the ground floor and first floor were hastily abandoned after the museum was taken over by the occupiers.

Basement Storage

A series of building utilities, store rooms, and secure vaults make up the basement.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

The following ideas can be used as secondary objectives or as the base for a completely different mission focused on the museum. 1. A Waffen-SS (Gamemaster’s Guide p.248) officer attending the gala leaves for an anti-Resistance mission in the morning. They must die tonight.

Galleries

2. One of the political attendees oversees the transport of military prisoners. Get them to talk and uncover the next transport’s route.

Screening Room

4. The Resistance has uncovered blackmail materials on a highly-trusted collaborator. Show them the proof and turn them to your cause.

The two large galleries hold many plundered art pieces— paintings, sculptures, books, and even religious artefacts. A more exclusive gallery is open only by special invitation.

Popular films are shown throughout the night, interspersed with short Nazi propaganda films.

Meeting Rooms

Commandeered by various officials to conduct business behind closed doors, these rooms are rarely empty.

66

Lecture Hall

3. The owner of a newspaper is looking for a new floor supervisor. Build a cover and insert an agent so that you can gain access to printing infrastructure.

5. An ambitious Black Sun Master (Gamemaster’s Guide p.187) has also learned of the Mythos manuscript. They’ve decided to claim it for themselves. 6. The agents’ mission is complicated when a separate Resistance cell firebombs the museum. 7. The gala is a cover for a Blauer Kristall shipment. Intercept it.

9. Conduct a ritual in front of a cursed painting held in a secure vault in the basement.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Security Coat Check Gallery Garden Washroom Storage Cocktail Bar Public Sitting Area

9. Anteroom 10. Screening Room 11. Meeting Room 12. Lecture Hall 13. Reception 14. Elevators 15. Offices 16. Break Room

Valet Parking

1

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

10. Disrupt the metaphysical protection around the gala so Section M occultists can scry on the proceedings without being noticed.

8. Protect Valeria Kowalcyzk or another Resistance leader as they give a speech.

2

Grand Entrance up

up

3





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up

 5

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

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

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Museum

12

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67

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

Home and Hearth BRIEFING

Resistance operations in occupied countries took many forms—from raiding forces and guerrilla warfare to strikes and sabotage. Avoiding Nazi scrutiny while still passing information and being able to organise was a demanding balancing act. However, no matter how secure a base seems, it can always become the target of a search or raid. While the agents are taking some downtime in a safe house, the Gestapo descends and begins to tear the warehouse above them apart. In only a few short moments, the secret trapdoor will be discovered. How much of the Resistance operation can the agents conceal before they’re forced to fight or flee? And who betrayed this location?

LOCATIONS Warehouse

An unremarkable warehouse in an unremarkable docks district, this building leases temporary storage of goods before they are distributed to businesses in the city. This means a constant stream of delivery vehicles and lots of inventory turnover.

The Tunnels

Cleverly and quietly dug into the building’s foundation are winding, narrow tunnels. When necessary, Resistance fighters and contacts can sleep in these tunnels. Many of them are rigged to be collapsed at key points.

Cargo Tunnel

Connecting the storage area to a false wall in a fenced cargo yard, this tunnel can be used to covertly move supplies and people without bringing them through the warehouse.

Resistance Storage

Stockpiles of food, ammunition, and contraband are held here. A small side chamber holds more valuable and dangerous storage such as explosives or Secret War artefacts. That section is always guarded.

Radio Room

Several radios in this room are tuned to Allied broadcasts and other Resistance cells as well as Nazi military channels. Code crackers and communicators take meticulous notes here.

Common Area

A larger excavated area, this is used for briefings and post-mission celebrations.

68

Infirmary

The resources here are usually stretched thin, but there’s space and a few cots for injured Resistance fighters to be tended to as they recover from injuries.

Emergency Exit

Hidden tunnels in the infirmary and radio room lead to a hatch that exits up to the street level. This is only to be used in the direst of emergencies because it offers quick escape with no way to conceal the exit once exposed.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

The following ideas can be used as secondary objectives or as the base for a completely different mission focused on the Resistance safehouse. 1. The Gestapo arrives just as a crucial coded message is being relayed in the radio room. They must be held off long enough to get the whole message through. 2. The Gestapo are augmented by a Black Sun Demon Tamer: Dämonenbändiger (Gamemaster’s Guide p.186) with a creature of your choice. 3. Rather than raiding with confirmed intel, the Gestapo is conducting a routine inspection. Unfortunately, one of the agents happens to be up in the office. 4. Nearly everyone in the safehouse becomes sick. Were the rations spoiled? Is there a poisoner among their ranks? Maybe a Nachtwölfe Formwandler (p.40) is to blame? 5. While investigating a captured Nachtwölfe canister, the base inhabitants accidentally release a dose of Die Draugar Gas (Gamemaster’s Guide p.76). 6. A group of three Nachtwölfe Seers (p.41) are patrolling the area outside or assisting the searchers. 7. Last-minute orders over the radio direct you to forge believable but false mission plans for the Nazis to find—this could be an extended test. 8. And you just finished booby trapping the secure exit— no time to disarm them. You’ll have to make your way carefully through the mines. 9. Standartenführer Helmut Ziegler (p.39) is leading the search. 10. Instead of being discovered, use this location to host a rival Resistance cell and convince them to work with you.

0

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Cargo Yard

90

100

NORTH  1. Cargo Boxes 2. Cargo Tunnel 3. Storage 4. Guarded Stor age 5. Radio Room 6. Common Area 7. Infirmary 8. Emergency Ex it 9. Reception 10. Office 11. Warehouse 12. Secure Storag e 13. Washroom

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

Metres

River

Fenced Yard w/Cargo

Pier

Lad der dow n to tun nel s

4

12 Lad der up to Area 11 (un der dis ca rde d pa llets)

11

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69

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

The Industry of Storms BRIEFING

The Nazi regime exploited millions of civilians and prisoners of war in forced labour operations throughout Germany and occupied Europe. From agriculture to conventional industry to munitions and arms manufacturing, slave and forced labour continued to expand as the war went on. In this mission, Nachtwölfe forces have commandeered a manufacturing plant in a nearby town. Before the war, the factory fabricated car parts. Since the occupation, it has been used to produce tank parts. After Nachtwölfe took over, the worker population was segregated and security increased. Your mission is to discover what horrific wunderwaffen Nachtwölfe is creating in there, and if possible, steal schematics and sabotage its operations.

LOCATIONS Factory Floor

Chaotically loud and constantly in motion, the factory floor includes machining stations, conveyor belts for assembly, workbenches for fine tuning, and an open area with partially assembled Stormtrooper armour. Light comes from hanging bulbs as well as an overhead skylight that runs the spine of the building, but the windows have all been papered over.

Material Storage

This locked and guarded shed holds stockpiles of Blauer Kristall, munitions, special alloys, chemical compounds, and other Nachtwölfe materiel.

Laboratory

Nachtwölfe scientists use this location to concoct the serums and chemicals required to transform a regular trooper into an enhanced Stormtrooper.

Dormitory (Secure)

This room has been converted into a makeshift hospital where Nachtwölfe scientists monitor the process of bio-enhancing their soldiers into cybernetic Stormtroopers. The five Nachtwölfe Troopers (Gamemaster’s Guide p.199) in this room each have one or more augmentations or bio-enhancements (Gamemaster’s Guide p.74).

Dormitory (Workforce)

Ever since Nachtwölfe took over operations, the local labour force has been kept on site. The workers alternate sleep and work shifts.

70

Nachtwölfe Forces These Nachtwölfe enemies are found in Gamemaster’s Guide: Chapter 6 Heroes & Villains of the Secret War p.199. 10 Troopers ? 5 enhanced Troopers ? 4 Scientists ? 2 Hundemeisters ?

ADVENTURE SEEDS

The following ideas can be used as secondary objectives or as the base for a completely different mission focused on the factory. 1. Nachtwölfe has allied with two Mi-Go Scientists (Gamemaster’s Guide p.248) who have been conducting their own strange experiments in the laboratory. 2. One of the forced workers was a smuggler for the Resistance, and their knowledge is crucial to maintaining the secret movement of refugees out of German-occupied areas. 3. Rather than Stormtrooper armour, the factory is making 100 NW-Jagdgewehr-StGw43-A Assault Rifles (Gamemaster’s Guide p.194). These weapons would be a great boon to Resistance efforts. 4. Professor Kraft Heimburg (Gamemaster’s Guide p.210) and two Stormtrooper bodyguards (Gamemaster’s Guide p.205) are overseeing the latest recruits, and he has ordered an additional regimen of Blauer Kristall infusions into the enhanced soldiers’ serum. 5. An undercover Majestic agent is working in the factory on a mission of their own, and they tell the agents to scrub their operation—or months of planning will be ruined. 6. A secondary objective is to frame a scientist for sabotage. 7. The agents must photograph the activities within the factory without being caught. 8. There’s a saboteur in the factory—and the mission is to sneak explosives in to them. 9. A shipment of specially-treated metals are arriving at the factory. The mission is to steal them. 10. The Allies have a plan to storm the factory. Your mission is to delay production for three days without raising suspicion and triggering additional reinforcements.

0

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13 Open to below Catwalks 14

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Manufacturing Plant

t 1. Security Checkpoin 2. Reception 3. Office 4. Mess & Restrooms 5. Foreman’s Office 6. Assembly Belts 7. Machine Stations 8. Workbenches led 9. Partially Assemb our Arm Stormtrooper 10. Yard 11. Material Storage 12. Secure Dormitory ories 13. Workforce Dormit “ ks rac Bar 14. Nachtwolfe 15. Laboratory

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

Metres

Fence

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1 2

Parking

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Bay Doors

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71

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

Under Moonlit Skies BRIEFING

From simple agent support and supplies in the early years of the war to more comprehensive endeavours like Operation Carpetbagger in 1943, the Allies supplied weapons, ammunition, fuel, and personal effects to Resistance fighters throughout Western Europe. Taking advantage of the light of a full moon, Allied forces sent a supply drop into occupied territory. Unfortunately, the German garrison in the occupied town—whether through luck or informants—spotted the plane and opened fire with anti-air artillery. The drop was botched, and the package landed somewhere nearby. Your mission is to recover those crucial supplies and get them back to safety without revealing the Resistance base to German forces.

LOCATIONS Farmland

Many of the local farmers will provide small packages of food for Resistance fighters, but few will harbour fugitives during active searches by Nazi occupiers.

Foothills

Resistance fighters are practised at fading into these rugged natural features, and German Army forces are wary of traps and ambushes.

Mines

Several active mines operate just outside the town. Attitudes towards Resistance fighters are generally negative here as occupying overseers blame the miners for delays caused by Resistance sabotage.

Railyard

A small train station transports local materials out and other supplies in.

Occupying Forces These enemies are found in Gamemaster’s Guide: Chapter 6 Heroes & Villains of the Secret War p181. Search Parties ? 5 German Infantry Soldiers ? 1 Infantry Officer ? Anti-Magic Group ? Black Sun Troopers ? Black Sun Silverwalker (p.38) ?

72

Resistance Base

Hidden in one of the numerous caves and former mines is a small Resistance base with limited resources. These doughty fighters sabotage coal production and transportation and occasionally travel outside this region to strike at tactical targets near other villages and cities.

Mining Town

With a population of around 20,000, the town is devoted mostly to mining and shipping coal—which makes it a key resource for occupying forces. The German Army keeps a garrison here including 200 soldiers, several officers, and a small fleet of BMW R75 Motorcycles and Kübelwagens. Civilian attitudes regarding the Resistance range from cautious support to anger and frustration. Some support includes small acts of defiance and graffiti, but there are any number of informants and collaborators that make being openly anti-occupation dangerous.

Watchtower Ruins

The crumbling stone ruins of a centuries-old fortification command an excellent view of the town and valley, but it is regularly checked by German patrols.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

The following ideas can be used as secondary objectives or as the base for a completely different mission in this region. 1. Instead of just being forced off course, the anti-air fire brought the supply plane down. Now it’s a race to the crash site to recover supplies and rescue any survivors! 2. After a vein of Blauer Kristall was discovered in the mines, a team of three Nachtwölfe Field Researchers (Gamemaster’s Guide p.200) were stationed at the garrison. When they join the patrols, they see it as an excellent opportunity to field test some new experimental technology that they have developed. 3. Part of the drop was a canister of captured Protofleisch. The Resistance were supposed to deliver it safely to a Section M team in a nearby city, but the material has escaped and taken on a new, aggressive form. 4. The drop lands near the lake and disturbs a community of squamous monstrosities! When the agents find the payload, it has been claimed by three Deep One Warriors (Gamemaster’s Guide p.240). 5. Under the light of the full moon, two Black Sun Masters (Gamemaster’s Guide p.187) and their retinues conduct the Evoke Yog-Sothoth ritual (Gamemaster’s Guide p.102). The botched drop causes them to miscast, and rents in the fabric of reality fill the valley.

7. When visiting one of the farms for supplies, the agents discover arcane notes and implements. One of the farmer’s teenage children who has been working as a servant in the German garrison has been studying Mythos lore and magic. Are they about to attack the garrison or offer their services?

8. A group of wounded Section M agents are smuggled into the region aboard the train, but they are swiftly followed by a team of Black Sun investigators. 9. One of the Resistance’s informants is taken into custody by the garrison. They must be liberated before they can reveal any information. 10. A swarm of Mi-Go Drones (Gamemaster’s Guide p.247) commanded by three Mi-Go Centurions (Gamemaster’s Guide p.249) descend upon the town and begin testing the populace for latent psychic abilities.

Occupied Territory

NORTH 

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0.5

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Lake

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Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

6. The coal miners are taking overtime shifts and working themselves to exhaustion. This is because they are being compelled to gather Blauer Kristall and hoard it in the mines. Once there is enough of it, what will the blue madness compel them to do?

5

Foothills

Watch Tower Ruins

River Mining Town

Farmland

Road

Railroad Railyard  

 

Mines

 

Resistance Base  Foothills

73

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

War on the Rails BRIEFING

Modern warfare required vast logistical support, and key to that was both the Deutsche Rechsbahn (the German National Railway) and captured rail systems. This meant that railway sabotage was a key tactic for Resistance movements. A significant German supply shipment is moving through the region, and your team must delay it. The convoy is made up of five Kriegslokomotiven, each pulling 30 cars of fuel, food, ammunition, and other supplies. The trains will arrive at the depot tomorrow afternoon and spend the night undergoing maintenance. In the morning, the convoy will take on new personnel and then continue its journey. Whatever your method—mechanical sabotage, arson, explosives—those trains must be delayed at least three days.

LOCATIONS Watchtowers

Between the barbed wire fence and the main rail operations, the German army has cleared the ground and set up elevated watchtowers. One German Infantry Soldier is always stationed in each watchtower, and patrols between them are regular.

Ticket Building

The train yard is surrounded by a barbed wire fence which runs to either side of the ticket building, a small queuing area where identities are checked by German Infantry Soldiers (Gamemaster’s Guide p.181). If you can pass through that area, a raised bridge crosses over a barren strip of dirt to connect with the passenger depot.

Passenger Depot

Formerly a bustling hub of continental travel, this building has large windows, neatly placed benches, and a garage for maintenance vehicles. A control tower rises out of one corner where railyard operators direct the daily activities of the trains. Stairs lead up to two raised bridges, one which goes to the ticketing booth and one which goes to the maintenance building. A Waffen-SS officer (Gamemaster’s Guide p.184) oversees operations from this building.

Maintenance Building

Filled with frantic activity, the smells of grease and coal, and innumerable tools and apparatus, the maintenance building is where the Kriegslokomotiven are worked on. German Infantry Officers (Gamemaster’s Guide p.182) oversee the activities of the mechanics, some of whom are local conscripts, some of whom are Deutsche Rechsbahn imports.

74

Refuse Pile

The facility’s waste is dumped unceremoniously in this section of the yard. Although regularly patrolled, it still provides excellent cover.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

The following ideas can be used as secondary objectives or as the base for a completely different mission focused on the railyard. 1. Two unmarked train cars within the yard are carrying captured Resistance fighters, refugees, or other prisoners of war. The agents must liberate them. 2. In anticipation of sabotage attempts, three of the trains include armoured cars with artillery (use stats for a Panzer II Player’s Guide p.132) and three Panzergrenadier each (Gamemaster’s Guide p.182). 3. Albrecht Lohmann, Prior of the Black Sun (Gamemaster’s Guide p.194) is moving with the convoy to the front to complete a major ritual. He is supported by two Die Toten bodyguards (Gamemaster’s Guide p.192), four Black Sun Canons (Gamemaster’s Guide p.188), and a dozen Black Sun Novices (Gamemaster’s Guide p.187). 4. Supercharged by Nachtwölfe technology and overseen by a team of six Pioniers (Gamemaster’s Guide p.203), the train engines will be much more difficult to sabotage. 5. Rather than an overt military supply convoy, the train yard is operating as usual, ferrying several German officials. The agents must neutralise a spy who is set to reveal information about the Resistance. 6. This train is the best way to get supplies to another Resistance cell in the next province. The mission is to smuggle supplies onto the train. 7. The train is a luxury vehicle hosting high-ranking Nazis and local political collaborators. The mission is to poison their meal. 8. Felipe Babineaux (p.36) is being held in one of the train cars. Extract him, and make it overt so that everyone knows. 9. A black market smuggler uses the train to move goods. Meet with them and broker a deal for the vital supplies your cell needs. 10. One of the passengers on the train is the notorious “Blue Mink.” The code phrase “Great weather for skiing” will be confirmed with “My baggage is too heavy for mountaineering,” and the agents will receive key intel or a valuable stolen item.

Chapter Seven  Missions & Maps

NORTH 

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Appendix

Vive la Résistance! Handouts

Museum.......................................................... 78 Dock District................................................. 79 Manufacturing Plant....................................80 Occupied Territory.......................................81 Railway Depot.............................................. 82

Appendix  Vive la Résistance! Handouts

Appendix

Handouts

Museum 78

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Appendix  Vive la Résistance! Handouts

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Appendix  Vive la Résistance! Handouts

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Appendix  Vive la Résistance! Handouts

Railway Depot

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Appendix  Vive la Résistance! Handouts

83

Refuse, Resist, Retaliate!

The Nazi war machin e blazed a trail of destruction and tyra over half a decade, nny across Western but in response, he Europe for roic Resistance move ments rose up to co unter the hated occupier. In this brand new Ac htung! Cthulhu Resis tance-themed source opportunity as a pl book you’ll find am ayer to explore new ple Resistance archetyp Propagandist, or Re es like Assassin, Sa sistance Leader, with boteur, new weapons, equipm ent and tools to he lp you lead the fight back. For the gamemaster , there’s a host of ne w Resistance NPC al to bring colour to lies and adversaries your campaigns, a ne to handle w demonology spellb tables to generate ook to explore, plus missions and objectiv ch arts and es, and five new five Resistance-themed sa adventures to run. ndbox Resistance games ar e thrilling but dead ly and the possibilit is constant but the y of discovery or be struggle for liberat trayal ion can be an inspir ational one. Will you be able to free your country fr Will you be able to om the hated Nazi st meet the might of Bl ranglehold? ack Sun and Nachtw ölfe without the fu backing of Section ll M or Majestic? And if you survive these trials, who wi ll you become afterw ard?

Features: • New archetypes, backgrounds and characteristics to help bring your Resistance operative to life • Dauntless Resistance NPCs and evil Nazi nemeses to populate your campaigns

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