(Michael Brown) Demon's Realm - A 2D6 Science Fiction Campaign Starter (TCE)
(Michael Brown) Demon's Realm - A 2D6 Science Fiction Campaign Starter (TCE)
(Michael Brown) Demon's Realm - A 2D6 Science Fiction Campaign Starter (TCE)
Ageres is an interdicted world on the edge of a minor rift in the The heroes (and a number of the ship’s other passengers) have
subsector. Because of this, limited permission has been granted survived the crash, but now comes the ticklish task of surviving
for ships with the capability to do so to refuel at the system’s gas the aftermath. After attending to casualties, the group must
giant. However, the interstellar government has made it clear assess damage and supplies. This takes a full day. The ship’s
that Ageres itself is strictly off limits. No one knows the reason emergency beacon is a total loss on 6+, but PCs with Comms or
for the planet’s forbidden status, although conspiracy theories Electronics skills can jury-rig a beacon using at least two
are rife. portable communicators (8+, Comms or Electronics, EDU, 15
minutes.) The resulting equipment can run off of a surviving
One: Crash ship battery indefinitely.
The heroes, each having recently mustered out of their Not all of the foodstuffs may have survived the crash. Intact food
respective careers, are journeying to the subsector capital as stores last each survivor for a month (assuming 1 kg per person
passengers aboard the Hwanghu Yeong to begin the next per day.) But throw 8+ for up to 60% of the food to have been
chapter of their lives. destroyed in the crash. Local resources may or may not be
Soon after jumping into the Ageres system, however, the ship compatible with humans; referee’s decision. If so, the shipboard
suffers a catastrophic drive failure. This in turn causes a food can be replaced or supplemented by hunting and gathering;
cascading power plant failure. The jump drive is now a multi-ton use Survival skill to assist in this.
paperweight; the power plant, although still (somewhat) Two nights after the crash, anyone on watch should make a
functional, will fail at some point, meaning an icy death in the successful Recon check to notice a pack of small animals, each
outsystem. Fortunately, the ship’s maneuver drive is still working about the size of a housecat, fast approaching the wreck (see
for now, so the captain — faced with the above choice — opts to box.) Groups out exploring must also make a Recon check. The
make for the only habitable body in the system: Ageres itself. He animals immediately attack the survivors by leaping upon them
asks the PCs to use their skills to help keep the ship functional and trying to stab them with sharp, bony projections at the end of
whiplike tails. The creatures seem adept at finding their victims’
Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press are the trademarks of Jason "Flynn" Kemp. The author is not affiliated with Jason "Flynn" Kemp or Samardan Press™.
soft tissue. Adventurers vulnerable to acidic attacks (10+, Science, EDU, 1 hour.) The
who try to use 6 kg Eater (Omnivore), Runner creatures’ lair can be sealed with explosives set in the proper
communicators during the (4 legs), 37607E, #App: 4D6 places (8+, Demolitions, 3 hours), trapping any beasts inside
attack find that they’re Athletics-0, Natural Weapons forever (see above for the percentage trapped within.)
being jammed (–4 to all (Stinger)-2, Recon-1, Survival-0
use of communicators at Stinger (1D6); Special (3/8); The strangers: While not presenting an immediate threat, they
Short range.) Speed: 6m* seem to be connected to the creatures somehow. However, they
also represent a chance at getting off of Ageres and back to
The animals are ferocious These creatures are small, civilized space — they must have a way to leave. The PCs and
and attack as berserkers hairless animals vaguely their shipwrecked allies must devise a way to contact the
— once they’ve killed a resembling large rodents, strangers. They don’t respond to any sort of hail, and withdraw
victim, they move on to although with longer legs. immediately if approached. Worse, they’re only seen during
the next nearest one until They’re slippery and hard to attacks by the animals. However, they may be tracked (10+,
they themselves are killed grasp. They can leap up to Survival, INT, 1 hour. Must make three successful rolls or
or the party escapes. twice their normal Move in a lose the trail.) Successfully tracking the observers (who may
Unfortunately for the round. They attack by grasping have a grav vehicle and thus can fly) leads the heroes to a large
castaways, victory doesn’t onto larger creatures with their clearing which has been set up as a field research base. Several
mean the end of the claws and piercing internal Pre-Fabricated Cabins are set up, with auxiliary vehicles nearby
attacks; on subsequent organs with a bony spike at the (referee’s decision whether these are off-road wheeled vehicles
days, the referee should end of a long, whiplike tail. See or grav vehicles.) The main camp is ringed with a metal fence
throw 8+ (DM: +2 if at the text for other capabilities. which can be electrified (6D6 damage.) A starship is present
night) for another attack (again, referee’s choice) on 8+ on any given day, resupplying the
by the creatures. If an attack occurs in the daytime, anyone base. The base supports a scientific staff of 15, with four
outside the wreck may notice (10+, INT) a trio of people in the Guards armed with
distance watching the assault through binoculars. The watchers submachine guns. All Guards
leave once the attack is over, regardless of the outcome. They wear distinctive jumpsuits
are only seen during subsequent attacks, and then always at a with no visible logos or 878665
distance. patches, although the Gun Combat-1, Melee Combat
guards’ jumpsuits are the (Unarmed)-1, Recon-1, Vehicle-
Three: Discovery
equivalent of Cloth armor 1
The castaways’ attention will no doubt turn toward the relentless (see box.) Two guards
assaults by the creatures and the appearance of the mysterious patrol the grounds in the Equipment: Cloth armor (AR 9);
strangers. The effort to get more information about their daytime, and the others at Submachine Gun (2D6 dmg. P);
implacable opponents gives them two avenues of investigation: night, although all can be Knife (1D6 damage P/S);
marshaled quickly in case Personal Communicator (5 km
The animals: These are the immediate threat; their attacks come of trouble. The range); Binoculars. Night
at irregular times, mostly come at night (mostly), and they’re a researchers are total guards also have Electric
drain on precious survival resources. The party might decide that noncombatants and won’t Torches
destroying the critters is of paramount importance. They’re easy directly oppose the
to track (6+, Survival, INT, 30 minutes. Must make three heroes.
successful rolls or lose the trail.), but the main body of the
creatures consists of hundreds of them, inhabiting a cave The base is dedicated to bioengineering work. Several species
complex several kilometers from the wreck site. If they detect the of creatures, both native and non-native, are undergoing
adventurers, they attack immediately. If the adventurers find the construction and tests. The base computer (12+, Computer,
caves during planetary day, many (1D6+3 x 10%) of the EDU, 15 min. to break in; subsequent throws are cumulative
creatures are within. Scientists examining one or more dead or –1 to check. Failure locks the computer; Critical Failure also
captured animals might also (8+, Science, EDU, 1 hour) make erases the drive) holds all the details of the work and the
the following discoveries: patron. The animals (not native to Ageres, as Scientist heroes
may have discovered) are being built to fight a species of large,
The creatures are not only alien to Ageres, they’ve been highly dangerous, and astonishingly fecund predator which uses
optimized to attack a particular, as-yet-unknown, creature. acid as an attack and which has been known to destroy entire
The bony spike is designed to penetrate soft tissue and worlds. The predator, which also uses biological radio signals to
rupture internal organs. seek prey and communicate with its own kind, is resistant to
Their hide exudes a substance that makes them hard to conventional weapons; the bioengineered animals the party
grasp; helps deflect melee weapons; and is highly acid- fought are designed to kill the predators by piercing and
resistant, acting as ablative armor vs. acid-based attacks. rupturing the marauders’ internal acid sacs, killing it with its own
They have a structure in their craniums that allows them to weapon. The arrival of the castaways was fortuitous — it gave
interfere with radio signals at short range. The team may the researchers a chance to observe how their creation would
already have discovered this feature (see above.) The same fare against sentient targets.
structure, however, makes the critters vulnerable to sonics; Apparently, the reason Ageres is interdicted is because it’s a
a strong enough ultrasonic pulse can disorient them, proving ground for bioengineered weapons. The referee should
imposing a –4 to their DEX and attack rolls for 2D6 minutes. decide whether the ongoing work is sponsored by the interstellar
Given the information, it’s possible to build defenses against the government, or through a licensed subsidiary. Alternatively, the
creatures: communicators can be adapted to send out ultrasonic operation may be a wildcat, undertaken by a single patron or
pulses (8+, Electronics or Comms, EDU, 30 minutes; but 1D6 group of patrons (such as a corporation or a conglomerate.)
damage against the wielder with each use unless ear Either way, the burden of explaining their presence falls on the
protection is used). And a counteragent can be thrown PCs and the other castaways. The outcome of subsequent
together that neutralizes their anti-acid secretions, making them events depends heavily on the outcome of the adventure.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The
owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights
Reserved. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly
indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark Game Content.
owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative
Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish
translations (including into other computer languages), potation, updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of
modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content
compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be originally distributed under any version of this License.
recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, 10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with
license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and
includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open
content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written
the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game permission from the Contributor to do so.
Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, 12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of
including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game
specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You
and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements,
dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, 13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to
likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of
other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination
spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special of this License.
abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or
supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any 14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be
other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent
identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically necessary to make it enforceable.
excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, 15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open High Guard System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose
Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to Publishing.
use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Mercenary System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose
Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the Publishing.
licensee in terms of this agreement. Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002-2004, Wizards of the
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles
contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used Ryan, Eric Cagle, David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher Perkins, Rodney
under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte
Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell,
from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch
this License. System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;
Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Your acceptance of the terms of this License. T20 - The Traveller’s Handbook Copyright 2002, Quiklink Interactive, Inc.
Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under license.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this Traveller System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose
License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, Publishing.
non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Traveller is © 2008 Mongoose Publishing. Traveller and related logos,
Game Content. character, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Far
5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing Future Enterprises unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Mongoose
original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Publishing Ltd Authorized User.
Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights Cepheus Engine System Reference Document, Copyright © 2016
to grant the rights conveyed by this License. Samardan Press; Author Jason "Flynn" Kemp
Demon’s Realm, Copyright 2017; Author: Michael Brown
6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT
NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the Designation of Open Game Content
COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, All of the text in this document is designated as Open Gaming Content.
modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, Please Note: This Product is derived from the Traveller System Reference
and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Document and other Open Gaming Content made available by the Open
original Open Game Content you Distribute. Gaming License, and does not contain closed content from products
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, published by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises. This
including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed Product is not affiliated with either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future
in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Enterprises, and it makes no claim to or challenge to any trademarks held
Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability by
with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work either entity. The use of the Traveller System Reference Document does
containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, not convey the endorsement of this Product by either Mongoose Publishing
independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered or Far Future Enterprises as a product of either of their product lines.
Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does