Spes Magna Games

Nota Bene: The H.P. Lovecraft picture is from Publishers Choice Quality Stock Art, copyright Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games.

Yes, I know about Achtung! Cthulhu. By all accounts, it’s a great game, but I don’t own it. I do, however, own The Cthulhu Hack and WWII: Operation WhiteBox, which are also great games. So, what if I combined the latter two, while perhaps drawing some inspiration from the second edition of the also-great The Black Hack?

In my mash-up, the PCs fight against the Axis. They’re also fighting against the Thule Society, an occult society that directs much of Nazi Germany’s occult activities, operating through the Heereswaffenamt (HWA) (with its Wissenschaft (HWW) and Okkulte (HWO) divisions) as well as the Ahnenerbe, a Nazi-backed archaeological and occult organization. (Nota Bene: These groups come from the “Mini-Setting: Nazi Occult” section of WWII: Operation WhiteBox.)

Some character classes come from WWII: Operation WhiteBox. These are the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, and Überläufer. There are also civilian assets, specifically the Bruiser, Ruffian, Adventurer, Philanthropist, and Scholar, all adapted from The Cthulhu Hack. Or, at least at the moment, I’m thinking that’s how things could work out. Thus, a group of PCs could be comprised entirely of commandos, entirely of civilians, or of a combination of the two. I also might adapt The Cthulhu Hack classes into expanded background “packages” for the military and partisan classes.

For example, let’s explore what the Charmer might look like. This is a very rough draft. The Commando Usage Die would apply to doing commando things, like scaling a cliff, setting an explosive charge, et cetera. It represents the “Special Forces Training” rule found in WWII: Operation WhiteBox (p. 37). Flashlights, Sanity, and Smokes work as described in The Cthulhu Hack.

The Charmer
Charmers rely on a combination of wits and natural charisma to influence others and avoid trouble. They often play support roles in operations, acting as negotiators, translators, and liaisons, but charmers can pull their weight in a fight when necessary.

Starting Stats
Starting HP: 1d6+2
Starting HD: 1d6
Attack Damage: 1d6 or 1d4 in unarmed

Usage Dice
Commando: d6
Flashlights: d8
Sanity: d8
Smokes: d10

Special Features
Detect Deception: Roll with Advantage when attempting to detect deception.

Loyal Allies: The Charmer has a special Loyal Allies Usage Die that starts at a d4. Given time and the proper means and location, the Charmer can call upon a number of allies equal to the Usage Die roll.

His Mind of His Own: Roll with Advantage when resisting attempts to influence the Charmer.

Gaining a New Level
Acquire and share a number of Experiences equal to current HD to advance a Level. When a Level is gained:

Attributes: Roll 1d20 for each Attribute. If you roll over, that Attribute goes up by one. Make an extra roll for either Dexterity or Charisma.

Hit Dice: Gain one HD. Roll 1d6 and gain that many additional maximum HP.

Usage Dice: At every odd-numbered level, increase one Usage Die by one step.

Tags: Character Classes, The Black Hack, The Cthulhu Hack, WWII: OWB

Well, I’ve gone against my better judgment. We ended our Savage Worlds campaign, and I’ve started a d20 Modern/d20 Future campaign that started in the near future of 2069 aboard Space Station Alpha. By the conclusion of the first session, a strange solar event transported the station and all its personnel approximately 250,000,000 years into the future.

During session two, the PCs stepped into leadership roles. The station’s position was stabilized. Plans for food rationing were made. Maintenance drones were repurposed for long-range scouting. One drone found what appeared to be a collection of stone structures on the so-called dark side of the Moon. Another identified two possible areas in a temperate zone on Earth that looked like promising landing sites.

The PCs decided to scout the Moon location first as it was closer to the station. Two NPC pilots took the four PCs on a trip around the Moon. They maneuvered in for a closer look, noting the ramps between buildings, the presence of black-sailed galleons, and, unfortunately for CPO Scharff (Alex’s character), a brief glimpse of one of the monstrous inhabitants (depicted just below).

The players got to add a Sanity score to their character sheets, and Scharff failed the first SAN check of the campaign. LT Mantis (Eric’s character) managed to calm the dangerously panicked Scharff down, and the pilots made a hasty retreat. Back on the station, those in charge decided to not inform station personnel about the moon monsters.

A couple of days later, the PCs loaded up the shuttle with personnel and supplies, and made a landing on the island identified as a possible site via probe. They found fresh water, strange piscean statues, and a collection of ponderous stone structures near the beach. They decided to set up camp near the crater lake above what they take to be an abandoned village. The security detail went off to scout.

In the “village”, the PCs found the strange bird-creature captured via tangle gun by the security detail. They also found three strange statues of smallish size and a sealed clay pot. Scharff found faint tracks of something bipedal but not human leading from the “village” to the surf. The group found a resinous material in the clay pot that chemical analysis showed to be highly psychoactive.

The Bird-Creature
Small Animal
HD: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Init: +2
Spd: 15 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 30 ft.
Def: 14 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size), touch 13, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grp: +1/-3
Atk: Beak +3 melee (1d4)
Full Atk: Beak +3 melee (1d4) and 2 talons +0 melee (1d4)
FS/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
SQ: Low-light vision
AL: None
SV: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2
AP: 0
Rep: +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Spot +13, Swim +13
Feats: Weapon Finesse (beak, talons)
Environment: Temperate coasts
Organization: Solitary, pair, or flock (3-12)
Advancement: None

This avian creature resembles the albatross in size and coloration, but its feet are both webbed and sport sharp talons. Its beak has serrations and can inflict serious wounds with a sawing-motion bite. The bird-creature has been observed to dive into the sea and swim in pursuit of its prey. It appears to feed exclusively on fish.

Tags: d20 System, monsters, Tuesday Terror