The Dead of Winter

This document presents Alternity stats for the d20 Modern adventure The Dead of Winter by Stan!, available at Wizards of the Coasts website: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/oa/20031202a" http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/oa/20031202a . Not authorised by Wizards of the Coast or Stan!.

p. 3, The Sorcerer and The Directors Wife: The organisation described fits the Hoffmann Institute's activities much better than it does Department-7. The Division Supervisor of Archives Division is Gheorghe Zamfirescu. The Antiquities Office is located in Barcelona, Spain, but the Antiquities Department might have smaller, more selective collections in the United States or elsewhere.

The sorcerers cult is unconnected to other Illuminated groups.

p. 4, Character Hooks: The Hoffmann Institute has friendly contacts in some law enforcement agencies who could supply the case information used in later scenes. The Institute itself could take the role of the "zoological society" trying to document or capture the beast before it falls into the hands of the authorities.

p. 6: Heartless Insight: If the heroes know of earlier rituals performed by the Sorcerer and have worked out that he plans to perform a further, greater ritual, they may attempt a Lore-occult lore check at a +4 penalty to determine that he will need a number of human hearts taken in a particular manner. If the heroes know of earlier incidents and follow the news reports, they may attempt a Knowledge-deduce check at a +5 penalty to notice that all of the killings involve tearing open the torso and the heart is always missing.

As they investigate, the heroes may make a number of Investigate-search, Investigate-research, Administration-bureaucracy, Interaction-interview or other appropriate checks, with a -2 bonus if the heroes have the cooperation of the police to examine the scene, read the police reports and speak to witnesses and investigating officers.An Ordinary success or better on this check reveals that the victims were not robbed. An Amazing success, or Ordinary success in Medical Science-forensics, also reveals that the bodies had not been moved from where they were killed.A success on the initial check allows heroes who have the Medical Science-forensics or Life Science-zoology skills to make a further check to interpret the results. Each Ordinary success on such a check reveals one of the pieces of information listed as "DC 15". A Good success also reveals that the victims probably did not put up much resistance to the attack. An Amazing success, or a complex skill check (3 successes) in Medical Science-forensics to perform or interpret a formal autopsy, gives the full summary of injuries listed as "DC 20".

An OSIRS search on the two victims' names reveals possible connections to the cult.

p. 7: Investigations of the later victims have a -1 bonus to confirm similarities to facts that the heroes already discovered about the first two victims.The lab work to discover the presence of sodium pentothal is a Medical Science-forensics check to carry out the test (or Administration-bureaucracy check to order the test) at +1 penalty if the investigators specifically look for a sedative, or the heroes may gain this information on an Amazing success on Medical Science-forensics while looking for other details.

Ongoing Investigations: The cults rival is a cell of the Final Church. The eco-terrorist may be affiliated with the Invisible College or some other Illuminated group.

p. 8: The Big Connection: Figuring out the involvement of the Sorcerer (or one of the other suspects) requires at least a Good success on Investigate-research or Knowledge-deduce after the heroes have collected a suitable number of earlier clues. OSIRS can provide information on other known members and associates of the sorcerers cult.

A successful Interaction-interview check (-2 bonus if the heroes interview the driver as part of a police investigation) provides the pizza delivery driver's story.A successful Medical Science-forensics or Awareness-perception check provides basic description of the body (-2 bonus if the heroes can perform a full and unhurried examination, such as a police crime scene investigation). A Good success on forensics provides full details of the injuries to the body and their likely causes. A Good success on Awareness-perception reveals the incised markings and Amazing success allows the hero to determine that the chest injuries were the result of skilled use of surgical tools.

An Investigate-search check at +2 penalty reveals footprints in the bloody rainwater. If a hero has Investigate-track, this check is at a -1 bonus instead and the hero can follow the prints to a manhole cover.

An appropriate Knowledge specialty skill or Street Smart-street knowledge check at +1, or a Knowledge-deduce check at +3, may allow a hero to recall that the sewers contain underground access halls.

p. 9: Travelling through the sewers without getting lost is a Navigation-surface check at +3 penalty. If the heroes use an appropriate Knowledge specialty skill or a sewer diagram, reduce the penalty to +1.

Random Sewer Encounters:Alligators (3 to 6 depending on competence of the party) as crocodiles from the GMG, p. 233.

Gang members are Brawlers (GMG, p. 97). Half of their number (rounded up) are Ordinary SCMs and the rest are Good SCMs. Reduce the number of Good SCMs if unsure of the heroes' ability to deal with them.

p. 10: Encounter skills, including Interaction-charm or intimidate, Deception-bribe or Leadership-inspire might enlist the gang members to help against the Sorcerer.

p.11: Smelling gas over the odours of the sewer is an Awareness-perception check, perhaps penalised if the heroes use some means to block the sewers' stink, including respirators.

Breathing in gas requires a Stamina-endurance check each round. A failure inflicts 1 Wound and 1 Fatigue damage.

A gas explosion inflicts d4+3w En/G damage to everyone in the tunnel. Each hero may attempt an Acrobatics-dodge check to drop flat, reducing the explosion damage to d4+2w. This does not cause objects or characters to catch fire.

Shutting off a leaking gas pipe requires a successful System Operation-engineering check to locate the correct valve and a Strength feat check with -1 bonus to close it off.

Clearing the gas does not require dice rolls.

Rat Swarm Game DataSTR -DEX -CON 10INT 2 (Animal 8)WIL 10PER 3Action Check: 13+/12/6/3#Actions: 2Move: Walk 4mDurability 10s/10w/5f/5m

Attacks:Swarm Damage: The defender must make an Unarmed Attack-brawl check (martial arts may not be used). On a success, the defender takes d6s damage. On a Failure, the defender takes d4w damage.If the swarm attacks a character who wears armour, the defender may choose to make an Armor Operation check in place of an Unarmed-brawl check. If the defender wears completely sealed armour, his armour rating reduces the swarm damage.Distraction: A character surrounded by the swarm must make a Resolve-physical resolve check to take any action except a Walk or Run move. The character has a -1 bonus on this check if his armour partly protects him.

Defences:No STR or DEX resistance modifier.A swarm may not make Acrobatics-dodge checks.Damage to the swarm is reduced by one damage grade for attacks with LI bladed weapons or any HI damage.If the swarm is struck by a weapon that has an area of effect or by En damage from a weapon that has +0 or worse accuracy, the attacker may roll twice as many damage dice for the attack as it would normally cause added amounts are not doubled.

Skills: The swarm always gets a Marginal result for any action that would require a check against a STR- or DEX-based skill.

Survivalists: Combine the attributes of an Amazing Spacehand with skills of an Amazing Soldier (GMG, p. 99), less Armor Operation.

p. 12: When approaching the access hall and maintenance station, the heroes may attempt Awareness-perception checks with a +1 penalty to notice spatters of dried blood along the walkway. On a Good success, the heroes may realize that the blood is thickest near the doorway.

The entrance to the access hall and the gate to the creatures lair are reinforced doors (GMG, p. 56).

The telephone junction boxes are objects of Good toughness, d4 armour value and Durability 4. A junction box can be broken open or pulled off the wall by exceeding its Stun or Wound damage respectively or by making a STR feat check (+1 penalty to open or +6 penalty to tear off).

p. 13:The Sorcerer Game DataSTR 9DEX 9CON 10INT 11WIL 14PER 13Action Check 12+/11/5/2 (-d4 situation die)#Actions 3Move: Sprint 20m, Run 12m, Walk 4mDurability 11s/11w/5f/5mLast Resorts: 3FX Energy: 6*Achievements: Faith Perk, Stun Damage Increase, Wound Damage Increase, Profuse FX, Action Check Bonus

* The Sorcerer has already used 1 FX point to transfer life-force to the Beast.

Attacks9mm pistol18/9/4d4+1w/d4+2w/d4mHI/OSword cane18/9/4d4w/d4+1w/d4+2wLI/O

Defences+2 STR resistance modifier vs. melee attacksNo DEX resistance modifier vs. ranged attacks+1 INT resistance modifier vs. encounter skills and mental effects+2 WIL resistance modifier vs. encounter skills and mental effects

SkillsAthletics-throw 4 [13], Melee Weapons-blade 9 [18], Unarmed Attack-brawl 5 [14], Stamina-endurance 5 [15], resist pain 2 [12], Acrobatics-dodge 3 [12], Modern Ranged Weapons-pistol 9 [18], Vehicle Operation, Business-corporate 8 [19], Knowledge-theology 6 [17], Social Science-linguistics 9 [20], Awareness-intuition 9 [23], perception 3 [17], Creativity-painting 8 [22], Lore-occult lore 10 [24], Resolve-mental resolve 5 [19], physical resolve 6 [20], Interaction

FX Skills: Diabolism-command 4 [17], hellfire 3 [17], tongue of the damned 2 [15], summoning 3 [15], spiritwrack [14]

The Beast Game DataSTR 24DEX 12CON 17INT 4WIL 10PER 9Action check: 11+/10/5/2#Actions: 3Move: Sprint 42m, Run 30m, Walk 10mDurability: 26s/27w/13f/12mPerks: Vigor (Wound), Vigor (Fatigue)

AttacksClaws (2)30/15/7d4+4w/d6+4w/d8+4wLI/OBite27/13/6d6+3w/d6+4w/d12+4wLI/OSmite Good: Once per day the Beast may make an attack of Good firepower against any character with an Ethical, Gallant or Virtuous moral attitude.

Defences+5 STR resistance modifier vs. melee attacks+1 DEX resistance modifier vs. ranged attacks-2 INT resistance modifier vs. encounter skills+5 resistance modifier vs. spellsGood toughness against LI or HI except magical weaponsGood toughness against fire and cold attacksArmour: d6-1LI/d4-1HI/d6-1En

SkillsUnarmed Attack-brawl 6 [30], Movement-race 3 [20], swim 1 [18], Stamina-endurance 5 [22], resist pain 2 [19], Acrobatics-dodge 3 [15], Stealth-hide 2 [14], sneak 4 [16], Awareness-perception 3 [13], Resolve-mental resolve 3 [13], physical resolve 3 [13]

A successful Investigate-search check turns up the Sorcerers book of rituals. This book contains the instructions for the Diabolism spell summoning, the spells used by the cult in The Final Feast and Blood Sugar and instructions to activate the two idols that appear in those earlier adventures. Reading the book and making a successful Intelligence check can provide Ordinary teaching to reduce the cost of ranks in the Diabolism-summoning skill up to rank 3.

p. 15: The spells described in the Sorcerers tome are summoning (giving details of the means to summon a Beast as described above and several other applications of the spell) and a detailed explanation of the method to empower a summoned creature by sacrificing additional Fatigue points from a participant, whether willing or unwilling.The diabolist may make a complex skill check against Diabolism-summoning. For every success gained, he drains one Fatigue point from the donor character and infuses the recipient creature with one point that may be added to any one of its attributes. The effects of the technique last for four hours per point of Fatigue transferred. This technique may be applied at the same time as a summoning casting (no additional cost) or used at a later time for a cost of 1 FX.