The door leading to the Lido Deck is locked and sealed shut; the lock has been damaged. When a piece of space debris or a small asteroid collided with the glass roof, it punctured a hole, triggering the safety mechanism that sealed off the Lido Deck to prevent depressurization of the rest of the ship. The door will have to be forced open or the lock repaired. If opened, there won't be any immediate risk of depressurization since a skate currently covers the hole. Clinging to the ceiling and dark niches are skates (1per Wildcard +1).
This week's map is taken directly from the Heart of Darkness adventure. I have included both White Star and Savage Worlds stats for this encounter as a bonus this week.
Skate: Skates are very difficult to see against the black vacuum of space; their skin is black with iridescent spots mimicking stars. They have a poison sting that they use to defend themselves when danger comes near. The sting's poison causes paralysis for 3d6 turns.
White Star Stats:
Skate (x7): HD 1; AC: 7[12]; Attacks: 1 sting (1d3 + poison); Move (Fly 10); Save 17; HDE/XP: 1/15; Special: Save vs. non-lethal poison.
Savage Worlds Stats:
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6(A), Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6 Skills: Fighting d6, Stealth d8 (+2 against the great glass observatory) Pace: 2 (Fly 8); Parry: 5; Toughness: 3 Special Abilities: Fly: The creature flies at a Pace of 8” and Climb -1 Size -2: A skate is roughly the size of a large dog. Poison: A target who suffers a Wound or a Shaken result must make a Vigor roll or be paralyzed and incapable of any action – even speech – for 2d6 rounds before they can attempt to recover from Shaken.Sting Damage: Str+1d4
You can download this week's Free Map here. While you're there consider supporting the project. Patrons receive watermark free high resolution maps, modular kits, VTT maps, and bonus material.
Normally I donate a percentage of my Patreon to the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, but Ryan Denison lost his wife back in November, leaving him and his 2 year old son in a tough spot.
+Dan Proctor has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser for Ryan and his family as well as some generous RPG PDF and POD bundles in return for donations between $30 and $60. I was able to donate $60 to the fund so far thanks to the generosity of my patrons, and will continue to donate in March. Give what you can if you can and spread the word.
Heart of Darkness is a Science Fiction Gothic Horror Love Story, the story of the maiden voyage of the Mara Irons. After setting sail, the Mara Irons became the victim of an unexpected solar event. Blown off course and out of control, the luxury cruise ship was thrown into the uncharted regions of the Great Barrier Asteroid Field where it was tossed about and battered. Severely damaged and lost, the spacecraft finally came to rest in a sea of mangled metal, lost hope, and broken dreams and in the darkness, something evil wakes.
We don't pay much attention to it though until that someone is one of our own. You don't know what happened, one day they were there and gone the next. You've been able to pick up trail though, a very strange trail, you've been tracking bits and pieces of large strands of raw silk. The trail has lead you here under the city and into the sewers.
While this map is intended as a modern map, its roots lie in a fantasy map created by the Inkling, my 8 year-old son. This map could almost be used for any genre or setting whether it be modern Cthulhu horror , Super heroes such as Adolescent Kung Fu Reptile Freaks, World War X, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or more.
Original Notes for
Death Ray Dungeon
This week's map was inspired by, my 8 year-old son's latest adventure, Death Ray Dungeon. I'm not sure where the Death Ray is, but I'm sure my unsuspecting PCs will find out the hard way.
You can download this week's Free Map here. While you're there consider supporting the project. Patrons receive watermark free high resolution maps, modular kits, VTT maps, and bonus material.
A behind the scenes look at
the making of Raiders of the Forgotten Treasure.
Heart of Darkness is a Science Fiction Gothic Horror Love Story, the story of the maiden voyage of the Mara Irons. After setting sail, the Mara Irons became the victim of an unexpected solar event. Blown off course and out of control, the luxury cruise ship was thrown into the uncharted regions of the Great Barrier Asteroid Field where it was tossed about and battered. Severely damaged and lost, the spacecraft finally came to rest in a sea of mangled metal, lost hope, and broken dreams and in the darkness, something evil wakes.
To us, a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense.
—Screwtape, C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Take your sweetheart out for Valentines Day; way out to the edge of the galaxy where you'll meet the most impeccably dressed Bioelectric Animated Dead, Shadow Creatures from beyond the fourth dimension, and a guy with a really big heart.
Mal Fisher, the Captain of the light freighter Bella LeGosi, claims to know the whereabouts of The Lady of Esparto, an ancient lost ship carrying treasure worth millions, and he is looking to hire a salvage crew. He wants to keep everything off the books as he is operating without the required paperwork. He has chosen not to apply for a salvage license for fear that a treasure as great as the Lady of Esparto will attract too much unwanted attention, increasing the likelihood of claim jumpers, pirates, and crooked authorities looking for an easy buck. He is offering a substantial amount of money and a percentage of the treasure for the completion of the job.
While Heart of Darkness is our first published full length adventure, it is not written like a traditional adventure but as an adventure framework. The traditional map has been replaced with locations and connections. Removing the “empty space” areas, the countless rooms, and places that may contain nothing of interest to the players or the story, it reduces the amount of paper shuffling and allows the Game Master to see at a glance the information needed for each area, encounter, or point. Instead of a keyed map, the adventure is divided into multiple Areas. These Areas are not fully fleshed out with detailed descriptions; instead the contents of each Area are suggested, allowing Game Masters to taylor the story to their needs.
