c

1
 he horrors lurking in t

graphic sex and violence, we can easily believe in their existence even il
e have not seen them ourselves. Susan Smith was to all appeara
a loving mother, yet she sent the car with her two young sons

ted in this book attempt to be both

at the same time - plausibility is the key.

o us here and now. THE 1990'S HANOB is a revision of

: and brings CALL OF CTHULHU into the rnid-I$m)s.
ment detailed includes surveillance paraphernalia,
and lethal and non-lethal weapons. The roles of the government,
the military, the police, and crime in the modern world are d
n optional hit location system is presented.
Several scenario storylines are given.
The 1990's Handbook
Modern-day Background for Call of Cthulhu
 The 1990’s
Handbook
new material by

GREGORY RUCKA

new equipment, weapons, hit locations SANDY PETERSEN

computers PETER CORLESS
additional computer material MARK BEARDSLEY
helicopters SAM SHIRLEY
medical emergency equipment JAY J. WISEMAN
additional gun material BENJAMIN WRIGHT
interior illustrations EARL GEIER, DRASHI KHENDUP, RON LEMING, KIRK
WESCOM
cover artwork ERIC VOGT

editorial and layout JANICE SELLERS

proofreading ALAN GLOVER
cover design and layout ERIC VOGT

Chaosium, Inc.
1995
 Contents
Introduction...... ................... v The Police ........................................... 43

New Equipment...............................~.....l what the policecan and can't do ............................................... 37

modemforensics....................................................................... 38
bulletproofvests ..............................
modemsurveillance........................
computers................................................................................... 3
Criminals and Crime ................ 46
helicopters................................................................................... 7 organizedcrime.......... 40
medicalemergencyequipment................................................... 9 urban gangs ................................................................ .42
scuba gear and accessories 10 pornographyand drugs ............................................................. 44

Weapons ............................ 11
serial crime................................................................................ 45

..........
a

non-lethalweapons...................................................................
firearms .....................................................................................
11
14
.
Hit Locations: An Option
what is hit location?................................................................ 47
effects of damage...................................................................... 47
hit locationsfor monsters .......................................................... 48
53

concealedweapons .................................................................. 22
breakingthe law........................................................ 22
Story S
ed
s
.....................
5
8
Government and YOU...........................30
the invisiblepattern ........... .............................. .52
federal bureauof investigation.................................................. 25 death and taxes .............................................. .53
bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.................. ogy ................................................ 53
drug enforcementagency the Yithian candidate...................................................
internal revenueservice .................................... 27 but is it art?.........................................
nationalsecurity agency ........................................................... 28 cult of the new millennium...... ................................ 55
central intelligenceagency........................................................
secret service..........................................
marshalsservice .............................
29
30
31 ..
church of the glorious retum......................................................

Cthulhu machina.......................
next step, the world! ....
........................
.....................................
55

56
.57
The Armed FoIIc~s...............................~~
corrupt militaries .............................................. 32
Bibliography ........................................ 70

Index ...................................................
militaly servicein the U.S. ........................................................ 32
investigatorswith militaly backgrounds.................................... 33 71
generating militaly characters......................
the reservesand nationalguard ..................

The 1990'sHandbook is publishedby Chaosium, Inc.

The 1990'sHandbook is 0 1995by Chaosium, Inc.; all rights reserved. Some materialin ths book has been publishedpreviouslyin Cthulhu Now.
CallofCfhu/buBis the registeredtrademark of Chaosium, Inc.
Similaritiesbetweencharactersin The 1990'sHandbook and personsliving or dead are strictlycoincidental.
Exceptin this publicationand in relatedadvertising, artworkoriginalto The 7990'sHandbook remainsthe propertyof the arfists, and is copyrightby them undertheir
separatecopyrights.
The reproductionof materialfrom within this bwkfor the purpose of personalor corporateprofit, by photographic,electronic,
or other methodsof retrieval, is prohibited.
Address questionsand commentsconcerningthis book as well as requestsfor free catalogs of Chaosium books,games,
and supplements to Chaosium, Inc., 950-A56th Street, Oakland, CA94608-3129, U.S.A.
Chaosium Publication2355. Publishedin October 1995.
ISBN 1-56882-048-8
A
s the end of the millennium approaches, more and
more people are sitting up to take notice. Histori-
ally, the end of a millennium has been a time of
great social, political, and religious fervor and upheaval,
times when those who have been waiting for-some-
C all of Crhulhu is a game of horror. It is a horror
that derives, in great part, from the collision of
reason and imagination, and it thrives in the mid-
dle ground where neither school holds sway.
As such, many of the ideas put forth in this book are
thing-feel that their patience is about to pay off. With the plausible while still managing to be fantastic. The horrors
year 1000 we saw the Crusades, destruction, death, and lurking in our modern world are most often of this kind-
pain, people scattered and running for the safety of ideas a synthesis of the mundane and the monstrous. Movies are
that offered salvation and redemption. mundane. Movies with graphic violence are mundane.
The same thing may be happening now. Look around Movies with graphic sex are mundane. Snuff films are
you-look and see the changes,the many different groups monstrous, but we can easily believe they are out there
with their many conflicting agendas, and look at what because the preceding foundation is so reasonably solid.
they offer. The year 2000 is on the horizon, and humanity After all, there are people in the world who cut up children
is racing to the date with a prayer on its lips and no small and eat them (witness Jeffrey Dahmer). If that kind of
fear in its heart. Somethingis going to happen, but nobody horror exists, what more must be lurking under the sur-
is certain what. face, waiting to rise?
The late twentieth century has seen more and more Whereas the 1920’s are a matter of historical record,
people stray from “traditional” religious beliefs to em- our modem age, by definition, is not. It is easy to believe
brace ideologies that fifty years ago would have been in the absolute depravity of mankind, in white slavers and
branded as pagan. Witches and devotees of other super- babies sold on the black market, of snuff films shown in
naturallnatural glories abound, and the New Age has cramped and dirty basements below Times Square. It is easy
brought healing through crystals and past-life regression to accept that our world is controlled by shadowy groups
through hypnosis. Factions of today’s youth embrace a that move in darkness, plotting and planning, selling drugs
nihilism not seen since the Roaring Tiventies, a hedonistic and weapons and politicians. The Conspiracy Theory is a
drive that glorifies the pleasures of the “primitive” over child of our modern era-but potentiality is not proof, and
the restrictions of modernity. Not so long ago, fear of the reality of Watergate does not prove CIA involvement
nuclear war kept people from gazing too far into the fu- in the assassination of President John E Kennedy.
ture, afraid of what they might see. Now we know our This book maintains the existence of none of these
planet is slowly eroding beneath our feet, that our popu- things; it merely presents more ideas for horror in our
lation is nearing a critical mass. The future holds less hope modern age. In keeping with the Lovecraftian thesis, the
than fear, and fear has always demanded comfort. With ideas presented here attempt to be both mundane and
the year 2000 as an arbitrary signpost of the future, more fantastic at the same time-the plausibility is key, as any
and more people are seeking to ease their fear, going to Keeper or investigator would agree.
those who offer answers and hope, often heedless of the It is in the details that the horror lies, perhaps because
price for such artificial succor. it is from the believability of the details that the fantastic
As always, there are those who seek to exploit this can rise and stand.
time, this vulnerability that we are faced with when we Here, then, is a book of details, most mundane, some
look and realize that in the last 2000 years we have grown, fantastic, but all with one purpose-that of bringing
perhaps, not at all. We are still as we were when the Mad Lovecraft’s horror home to us here and now.
Arab gazed up into the night sky-pitifully inconsequen- Just don’t believe everything that you read.
tial and naive, adrift in a vast universe that is possibly
hostile, but more likely (and more frighteningly) apathetic. - Gregory Rucka
 -~ ._ ~

Equipment - 1

New Equipment
Wherein are considered modern devices fashionable or otherwise
useful today, their relative merits, and how to use them.

T” IS SECTION, like the following weapons sec-

tion, considers equipment legally possible for in-
vestigators to own in the United States. Possession
is a matter of law as well as wealth, at least when consid-
ering potentially murderous devices or devices which
an individual wearing such protection, and the optional hit
location rules are not being used, roll ld6. A result of 1-3
indicates that the bullet struck the target’s unprotected
head, arms, or legs, while a 4-6result indicates that the
bullet struck the vest, and that its effects are appropri-
tend to put their owners beyond the reach of the law. ately reduced.
Heavier body armor, Levels 3 and 4, is available, but
Bulletproof V e s t s is neither flexible nor light. Reinforced with titanium,
Bulletproof armor has been available for centuries. In the steel, or ceramic plates, such armor is much too stiff and
early Renaissance, suits of armor were “proofed” by fir- bulky for most active use. It cannot be concealed under
ing matchlocks at them at close range. anything less than a rain poncho or loosely belted trench-
coat. Levels 3 and 4 protect against standard rifle bullets
Modern body armor is categorized by threat level.
and armor-piercingbullets, respectively. Commonly called
Threat Level 1 is intended to protect against low-powered
handguns. Threat Level 2 defends against high-powered
flak jackets, such armor is commercially unavailable.
handguns and submachine guns. Bulletproof V e s t s
Threat Skill Armor
Level 1 and 2 bulletproof vests are available from
Protection Level Loss Points Cost
police specialty shops, some gun stores, and similar Light Vest 1 5% 6 $200
sources. All bulletproof vests are hot to wear, and restrict Heavy Vest 2 10% 8 $400
the user’s action to a greater or lesser degree. Reflect this Lt. Body Armor 3 20% 10 $2,000’
in play by a flat percentile loss from the wearer’s Climb, Hvy.BodyArmor 4 30% 12 $4,aoo*
“Nominalprice only Such armor is normally unavailable to pri-
Dodge, Jump, Swim, and Throw skills and all melee vate citizens.
weapon attacks and parries.
Level 1 body armor, made of Kevlar nylon cloth, is
comparatively light. Such a vest can be concealed beneath a Modern Surveillance
jacket or sport coat. Any observer suspecting a bulletproof This section roughly details the myriad devices that have
vest may attempt a Spot Hidden to notice the vest. In fact, sprung up and since been refined since the 1920’s for the
Kevlar can be tailored into a sport jacket or suit, though the sole purpose of gathering information about an individual
cost is considerable: For a suit, figure $5,000 for a suit coat without notifying your quarry that you’re on to him. It
and trousers or skirt, for a sport coat only, figure $3,000. would be quite impossible to list all devices available for
A Level 2 vest is more bulky. Normally, such vests are electronic eavesdropping and surveillance here, but
worn outside one’s clothing, though they could be concealed roughly the field breaks down into devices that detect
under a windbreaker or heavy coat. Level 2 protection is not and/or record sound, devices that detect and/or record
directly tailorable to become ordinary-seeming garments. images, and devices that defeat either of the aforemen-
hotection lent either by Level 1 or Level 2 body tioned. Much of this equipment is combined, allowing the
armor is not perfect. The bullet’s impact against the vest user to observe both action and conversation.
passes directly to the target’s body. This blunt trauma can Investigators should be cautioned, however--eaves-
cause serious injury, even death, though the bullet itself dropping is an invasion of privacy, and widely punished
may not penetrate the vest. Some experts claim that this throughout the world when not performed with official
type of body armor is vulnerable to blades. If the Keeper consent. Additionally, prolonged surveillance of an indi-
wishes, Levels 1 and 2 can be considered to give no vidual can be deemed stalking, another crime, only re-
protection against a knife or other bladed weapon for cently acquiring legislation in the United States. In either
which an impaling roll result can be achieved. case, possession of such surveillance devices naturally
Furthermore, even the best bulletproof vest only cov- raises police eyebrows, and anyone caught with such
ers the wearer’s chest and abdomen. Whenever a shot hits equipment better have an attorney handy, or at least a
substantial Fast Talk.
2 - 1990’s Handbook
EAVESDROPPING sweep, because they do not make any noise, nor do they
Parabolic Mcrophones emit any telltale transmission waves. In fact, detection
Parabolic microphones have long been available from a requires either an on-site inspection or the use of IR gog-
variety of sources. Most models are battery powered, gles that will pick up the specific bug’s transmission
cumbersome, and nearly impossible to conceal. Smaller beam. However, this does mean that once the beam is
versions are available, about the size of a bullhorn, but detected, it can be followed to its receiving source, per-
efficiency and range suffer. Effective ranges differ depend- haps giving a nasty surprise to the investigator sitting
ing on individual devices, but have been known to exceed there with her headphones clapped tightly over her ears.
one mile in optimal conditions (no wind, no traffic, no When coupled with a stethoscope attachment, it is
noise pollution). In the hands of an expert with appropriate possible to place an IR bug outside of the locatiodrmm
audio recording equipment and editing facilities, however, being monitored, and the transmitter will still pick up the
specific conversations can be extracted from a crowded sound through a wall. These devices are hard to come by,
room, or even a football stadium. Parabolic microphones and normally cost upwards of $600.
can be acquired for an outlay between $100 to $1,000.
Lasers
At the top of the eavesdropping mountain are the helium-
Bugs come in all shapes and sizes, but work on the same neon laser devices. With a range of two miles in optimal
principle. A microphone is concealed in the presence of conditions (perhaps more), the laser bounces its beam off
the subject being listened to, and using some sort of power of any window behind which a conversation is taking
source, the bug either transmits the sound via radio waves, place. Voices within the room set the window vibrating
the telephone line, or infrared light to a receiver that plays minutely, and these changes cause the laser to modulate
the sound and/or records it for later review. Modern tech- slightly. Bounced back to a specific demodulator and
nology has advanced to such a degree that it is possible to electronicallyenhanced, entire conversations can be over-
conceal a microphone in a shirt button or a ballpoint pen heard and recorded. As many lasers are invisible, the
or perhaps something even smaller. Such concealed mi- beam itself may be invisible and consequently nearly im-
crophones run on batteries and are normally used as possible to detect.
“wires” for undercover work, allowing a back-up team to However, there are a number of drawbacks to this
monitor their investigator’s status. These microphones are system, price being only one of them. Retailing through
available from $90 to $1,OOO depending on transmission certain security companies at $25,000 or more, an inves-
type and range. tigator interested in acquiring a laser bug had best build
The major drawback with most types of bugs is that one of his own. Then there’s the trouble with the re-
when they do transmit, they use radio waves, and thus
may reveal themselves during a bug-sweep. Most sweep-
ing devices bathe the subject area with high-frequency
bursts that cause a microphone to squeal, allowing its
location to be pinpointed. Other sweepers simply scan for
specific transmission waves and then allow the user to
triangulate back to the source. Sweepers run from $50 for
a standard telephone tap detector to over $1,000 for pin-
pointing devices that also deactivate automatic wiretap-
ping equipment.
Recording bugs can be hidden in almost anything and
most are voice-operated, so as to conserve needed tape
space. Specially fitted pagers and attache cases are avail-
able, custom made to conceal their recording system yet
remaining fully functional to the casual observer. These
run from $100 to $500.
Infrared bugs work on the same principle as their
more mundane counterparts, except that instead of trans-
mitting audio via radio waves, sound is transmitted on a
modulated IR beam. This requires line-of-sight reception
and has a limited range (200 to 500 yards in optimal
conditions). Thus, IR bugs are not usually worn, but rather
placed at a location (say, behind the curtains) that the
eavesdropper wishes to monitor. They tend to work better
at night than during the day, but they have the distinct
advantage of being far harder to detect in a standard bug-
ceiver-it must be placed perfectly to demodulate the Computers
beam, and that’s hard to do when you can’t see the laser.
There is no question that one of the most powerful tools
Using a colored laser (standard helium-neon red, say)
at the modern investigator’s disposal is the computer. But
makes this easier, but it also puts a nice bright red dot on
it takes knowledge to use this tool, to perform database
the window the laser is pointing at, and, in some cases,
searches via the Internet or to cross-reference occurrences
may scatter off of curtains and bathe the interior in the
of obscure phenomena around the world, and today’s cult-
same rosy hue. Finally, even using a low-powered laser is
ists certainly have access to the same technology. Perhaps
dangerous and could easily blind anyone looking directly
some of them already have established an underground
into the unit, either temporarily or permanently, depend-
computer network to organize their diabolical plots and to
ing on duration of exposure and strength of the beam.
gather information about investigators that need to be
OBSERVATION watched-or eliminated.
Opticals is a broad category, ranging from simple, sturdy A BRIEF HISTORY
and trustworthy monoculars to the more esoteric night
During World War I1 an engineer named J. Presper Eckert
vision goggles and IR goggles and their ilk. All such
and a physicist named John Mauchly approached the U.S.
devices are easily available through catalogs specializing
Army with a proposal for an electronic device that would
in Army surplus/police surplus.
speedily calculate gunnery coordinates, a job that was
Even with the bounding evolution of optical devices
then tediously done by hand. With government backing,
in the last twenty years, the best unit remains the same: a the Electronics Numerical Integrator and Calculator
good old pair of binoculars. Easily available, a good pair (ENIAC) was created in 1946. ENIAC was a one-task
of binoculars will range from $50 to $500, depending on machine, a distant relative to the computers of today. It
magnification, manufacturer, ability, and availability. was Konrad Zuse, with his idea for a general purpose
While $100 will get you a good pair of 6x42 “surveil- electromechanical relay computer (turned down by the
lance” binoculars with magnesium flouride-coated lenses U.S. Patent Office in 1938 for being too non-specific),
(to improve light transmission), for just $100 more you who visualized a machine that could do almost anything.
can take home a battery-powered 7x50 pair of compass Through the invention of the transistor, integrated cir-
binoculars, with specially treated light-gathering lenses cuits, and miniaturization, computers gradually shrank in
and a built-in red light which allows you to see the built-in
size while increasing in power. In the mid-1970’s the true
compass and range finder. Waterproof, fogproof and per- revolution took place with the coming of the personal
haps people-proof, this is a bottom-line powered binocu- computer. Small enough to sit on (or under) a desk, the PC
lar. Auto-focusing units are available as well, starting at
allowed a single user an affordable, speedy way to ana-
about $200, with prices climbing exponentially as more lyze and process data. By 1984 there were over six million
features are added. Note that these are not night viewing computers in use, most of them PC’s. Today there are over
devices, and in the dark you’re just as blind with them at 40 million PC’s used in American homes alone, and hun-
your eyes as you’d be with them at your side. dreds of millions more-of different shapes, sizes, and
Monoculars are far more concealable, and many tele- configurations-used world-wide. The modern bottom-
scope, making them easy to stick in a pocket and then of-the-line PC is a computational titan compared to
forget about. A 5“ long unit with 10x25 magnification ENIAC. The world of computers now spans from pocket-
runs about fifty dollars, while a 13” long unit (16“ ex- sized electronic day-timers, like the Apple Newton, to
tended) offering 15x to 40x magnification costs $200. supercomputers capable of creating fully animated artifi-
Of course, all of these devices are available in night cial realities-as in special effects for motion pictures-
vision variations. Night vision binoculars, providing 5x o r performing millions of detailed analyses and
magnification and running on 2 AA batteries, cost $750 computations, as with DNA typing and analysis.
and are hard to find. Night vision monoculars are a little
more common, but the limitations remain the same, albeit TYPES OF COMPUTERS
with a tad more power. In fact, the best night viewing
monoculars are actually scopes designed to be fitted to The descriptions offered here are extremely generalized
rifles, some with magnifications up to 3 . 5 ~ These
. run simply because the computer industry is so protean.
Prices and capabilities are approximated, but in general,
between $500 and $600, are battery powered, and weigh
about two pounds. the more expensive the computer system, the more users,
processing power, and peripherals it will be able to support.
Night vision goggles allow for illuminated and im-
Computers still continue to gain in power while lowering
proved viewing at night and in darkness. While the many
in price. The money one may spend today on a computer
versions that have been fitted for scopes will not work in
might purchase twice, or even ten times, what it would
total darkness, some NVG’s do, and do so well enough to
have bought five years ago. Older but not yet obsolete
allow near-normal vision quality. Battery powered, cum-
computer equipment may be found at discounted prices.
bersome, and reputedly not the most comfortable things
in the world, they can be fitted over eyeglasses and cost
between $2,000 and $4,000.
4 - 1990’sHandbook

On this scale, information is processed in units of “bil-

New Skills lions of instructions per second.” Supercomputers require
Computer Use (Base OO%o): The skill necessary to oper- large amounts of electrical power, some needing liquid
ate and troubleshoot computers. This may involve under- nitrogen cooling systems to keep their circuits from melt-
standing what a program does, retrieving obscure data, ing due to the heat they produce. Like mainframes or
maneuvering around web pages and the Internet, etc. An
minicomputers (see below), supercomputers can support
investigator with at least a 20% Computer Use skill can
use general prewritten applications in a simple fashion multiple users, but their real strength lies in their sheer
without needing a skill roll each time. To do something muscle and speed. For instance, a supercomputer could
more difficult, such as track down a computer virus or use analyze a scanned set of fingerprints and match them
an application in a specialized way, the investigator must against the entire contents of the FBI fingerprint library
roll his skill. within a few minutes (a search of over 193,000,000 re-
Computer Programming (Base 00%): The skill neces- cords). Supercomputers might also be used for weather
sary to program and “hack” computers. This may involve
writing a program, modifying an existing program, hacking
forecasting, scientific data analysis, or even realistic com-
into a security-locked system, etc. A minimum 30% Com- puterized animations.
puter Use skill is required to have Computer Program-
ming. A skill roll is required for all attempts. Mainframes
Note: Both of these skills are different from Electron- Costing from $1,000,000to $10,000,000,mainframes are
ics, which an investigator uses to build or repair any
electronic equipment, including computers. designed to accommodate from 100 to 500 users who
In a situationwhere a skill roll is required, the investi- need access to huge amounts of information simultane-
gator outlines the task he is trying to perform, giving a ously. This is accomplished through hundreds of attached
rough estimation on the time dedicated to the task (includ- terminals-screen and keyboard units-spread through-
ing research, reading the appropriate software or hard- out various computer-linked complexes. Although not as
ware manuals, setting up the equipment, performing the computationally fast as the supercomputer, mainframes
task, and so on), such as a few hours, a day, a week, a
month, or more. The investigator should also state can work under the load of many users without consider-
whether he spends any money to obtain hired help, addi- ably slowing. Mainframes are found quite often in gov-
tional hardware, software, or other items to aid in accom- ernment institutions and corporations, and are used to
plishing the task. Based upon the description, the Keeper track hundreds of millions of records about hundreds of
may assign any positive or negative modifier to the inves- millions of people, in everythingfrom insurance coverage
tigator’s skilf. especially if the task seems too ambitious or
to airline reservations to criminal history to credit history.
fairly easy.
The investigator makes a roll against his Computer
Use/Programming skill. If successful, he accomplishes Minicomputers
the task within the allotted time period. If the roll was Going for from $50,000to $2,000,000, minicomputers,
failed, the investigator has been muddling along without often called “minis”, are mainframes scaled back to ac-
much success, and needs to start from the beginning.
commodate fewer users. Limits for a mini may be as few
If the attempted use is quite difticuk, the user needs a
special success. If the player rolls 95-00, then the attempt as five or ten users, or as many as a hundred. Today even
seems to have succeeded but actually has subtly failed, small and mid-sized companies and institutions can afford a
which may not be noticed for some time. The Keeper may minicomputer, and often use them in the same capabilities
wish to roll the dice to determine the success of these skills. as mainframes. On the other hand, some companies may
EXAMPLE: Harvey Walters, JK tries to write a pro- opt for using several personal computers linked by a LAN
gram to classi& all the names in the New York City tele- (see Networking below), providing much the same com-
phone directory by ethnic background. The Keeper de-
clares this to be a difficult task, and decrees that Harvey puting power as a minicomputer system.
Jr. needs a special success, each attempt lasting one full
working day. Harvey’s Computer Programming skill is Personal Computers
40%; for the first four days the keeper records successive Costing anywhere from $500 to $20,000, PC’s, also re-
rolls of 44,66, 51, and 72, all failures. Gamely plugging
away, Harveygets a 97 on day five: The Keeper rules that
ferred to as microcomputers, are designed for a single
the program appears to work, and Harvey begins the user. Some are small and light enough to be carried
mountainous printout. Alas, unknown to Harvex a bug in around in a briefcase, while others must sit on a desk or a
the program classifies all names ending in “S”as ethnic floor. Actual names vary, but, in order of increasing size,
Albanian. Perhaps the heir to the proud Walters tradition they are usually called notebooks, portables, laptops, and
notices the problem when he sees that he, himself, has desktop computers. A small notebook may weigh as little
been categorizedas Albanian.
as three pounds, where a desktop may weigh over one
hundred pounds, including the monitor and other periph-
erals. Personal computers are by far the most prevalent
Supercomputers kind of computer in the world today, and there are literally
thousands of different models manufactured by hundreds
Running from $1,000,000to $20,000,000+, these are usu-
of companies.
ally only found in government or research institutions,
although some large corporationsmay have them as well.
 Equipment -5

ABILITLES common peripherals, such as printers, file storage de-

In this age of computers, distribution of information has vices, and so on. In its simplest form, networking consists
become virtually instant and relatively simple. This in- of taking, by hand, a disk from one computer to another
cludes gaining access to information through telephone one across the room, city, or nation. In its most complex
networks (via on-line databases and bulletin-board sys- form, it involves satellites, microwave and radio anten-
tems), personal networking, and desktop publishing. nae, and the entire worldwide telephone system. Some
computers now even use wireless infrared remote links
Communication similar to television remote controls. In these cases, both
Since the invention of the computer, people have been machines must have the same hardware installed and be
fascinated by the possibility of combining the power of within short distances of one another, again like a televi-
multiple systems. Many problems stood in the way of this sion remote. In order for computers to be networked, they
goal: Each computer was almost completely different from must have compatible software as well as hardware.
every other one, and no standards existed for a long time Hardware connections can be of different types, either
as to how they should share information. Over the years, local or remote, and with varying speeds. A local connec-
these problems have been addressed and solved-hard- tion is when computers are physically connected by a
ware and software compatibility standards were invented, common network cable. Such a connection between com-
and communication protocols adopted. Still, there aremany puters is called a local area network (LAN). Computers
competing and mutually incompatible communication residing at different locations that use an intermediary
systems. Unlike the imaginings of science fiction, there is medium, either a telephone network or other switching
no one universal network or data file standard-yet. stations (satellite, microwave, radio, etc.), are referred to
as remote networks.
Networking Local networks can be closed or open. A closed net-
work only connects the computers at that site, and has no
Defined as the sharing of data between two or more com-
connection to, and cannot be tapped into from, a remote
puters, often PC’s. Additionally, it can be used to share network. This enhances security (see below), but obvi-
ously limits the sharing of information with other sites. An
open local network may have one or more connections to
a remote network.
Remote networks can be a group of separate stand-
alone computers or a collection of remotely connected
LAN’s. Such a collection of multiple LAN’s is sometimes
referred to as an “internetwork”, such as the Internet. The
most common connection device for a computer to a re-
mote network is the modem (modulator-demodulator).
The modem takes a computer’s digital information and
turns it into signals that can be sent via a telephone line.
Modems are inexpensive and common, and the telephone
network is ubiquitous in our information-age society, mak-
ing it the perfect choice as acommunicationsmedium. With
a modem, it is possible to use an inexpensive terminal
hundreds or thousands of miles from its host computer.
An important type of remote network for investigators
is the information service. Several types exist, all of them
provided by private organizations. In general, for a basic
usage fee of about $5.00 an hour, an investigator can
search huge, remote databases for information about an
incredible number of topics, from the Nikkei Index to
baseball trivia, or even on-line versions of international
publications. To access an information service, an inves-
tigator needs a computer equipped with a modem and the
appropriate software to operate it. In game terms, using an
information service is similar to using a traditional library,
and regular Library Use rolls should apply.
Anyone with a PC, a modem, and a program can now
create his own on-line service. The only limitations to
such a service would be that of hardware-the larger the
capacity of the computer. the bigger the service. In fact,
many people do have their own on-line services to estab-
6 - 1990’s Handbook

AN EXCERPT FROM THE HACKER MANIFESTO

Found in the on-line publication Hack ‘n’ Crack, ed. Uplink

Hackers of the World Unite!

Join Together Now and Throw Off the Bonds of Your Oppressors!
A paraphrase, I must admit, although one not inappropriate considering our current standing with the paranoid-schizophrenics in
the corporate structure known as Power. We have been identified as their enemy, and not only their enemy, but the enemy of all
good, law-abiding people!
Outrageous!
In the tradition of the House Committeeon Un-AmericanActivities, we now labor under a reign of terror. We are that which Power
does not comprehend, so they send their Gestapo against us in the form of the FBI and the Secret Service, knocking down doors
and stealing equipment of some who have no ties whatsoever with hacking!
Now the danger becomes greatest, because they’ve discovered ways to find us without yet understanding us. Or perhaps we
simply begin to understand them all too well. Without the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation-dedicated to protecting True
Hackers’ civil rights-Knight Lightingwould most likely be in prison now. And, much to everyone’s surprise, not to mention dismay,
they’ve at last made an “example” of Phiber Optik, sentencing him to a 12-month prison sentence. These gross abuses of Power,
degrading and eliminating our civil rights, must stop!
My message to the True Hacker, then, is two-fold:
First, we must uphold our own code of honor, forged over years of curiosity and love of the computer and all that one can do with
such a wondrous device. Our sole purpose in using the computer is the “discovery“ and dissemination of all data available, but in
order to liberate some data, we must “invade” some computer systems, made “secure” by those who seek to keep information
out of the hands of the people. This is why the Grand Inquisitors known as the federal government and corporate sector seek to
harry and jail us-their secrets will be revealed to an uninformed, and thereby unsuspecting, public. The Informed Public that all
True Hackers wish to create through the free exchange of information would bring down the corporate giants and make a
government suitable for the people. This can never be with all True Hackers in prison.
Curiosity should not be a Federal Offense!
As for the vandals that masquerade as our kind and create and then distribute the thousands of destructive computer viruses,
they should be revealed as just that: vandals! No self-respectingHacker would ever think to destroy data that should be liberated
from Power, nor would one desire the destruction of the vessel that holds such precious information!
If Power did not seek to undermine and marginalize its own population-the population that grants them their power-such
“security measures” would be unnecessary.The old saying, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” already haunts the many people
who lived on or near nuclear test sites. Isn’t it time the public was told what else might possibly destroy their lives so they can
have a choice in stopping it? Did the Freedomof Information Act mean anything at all? Not according to corporate and government
sources.
Join together now in the fight against the ownership of information! Liberate data! Add your voice to the noise against the silence!
Free those jailed for curiosity and democracy!

lish relationships with other people who share similar other 1200, the information exchange rate occurs at 1200
interests. Such interaction in the safe and often anony- baud. Current software also allows for many different
mous world of computer communications is ideal for in- types of terminal emulation, so that even if one person is
vestigators and cultists to plot their respective agendas. using an IBM PC compatible computer connected to a
This anonymity can also serve to mask someone’s true DEC mainframe via modem, the mainframe will react as
agenda; it is difficult to tell with absolute accuracy with though one of its own terminals was installed via the mo-
whom you are communicating, especially when all you dem, if the proper communications software is installed.
see is the words he types. Psychology rolls are useless
against a VDU. COMPUTERS AND THE LAW
Such electronic bulletin board systems (BBS’s) do not Originally computers were thought by the authorities to
require that computers and software necessarily be com- be just a new tool for use in ordinary crime by common
patible. Rather, compatibility is almost a moot point in criminals rather than as a whole new arena allowing for a
such systems, as modems are designed to the same stand- whole new type of criminal. They were wrong. In 1976,
ards across the board (other than the cutting-edge mo- in a desperate attempt to catch up with these new, high-
dems that use blisteringly high speeds, and those, too, are tech criminals, two important events occurred in the
being standardized), and most modems automatically ad- United States. The FBI established a four-week training
just to the highest speed possible between the two connec- course in the investigation of computer crime, following
tions. For example, if one modem is 2400 baud and the it up with another course established in 1978 open to other
 Equipment -7
investigative agencies; and Senator Abraham Ribicoff algorithm DES method, based on the U.S. Department of
and his U.S. Senate Government Affairs Committee pro- Defense Data Encryption Standard ANSI X3.92-1981, is
duced two research reports that led Ribicoff to introduce so complex your average hacker has only a 1-in-70 qua-
the first Federal Systems Protection Act Bill in June 1977. drillion chance of breaking it. These are one-key codes.
These reports eventually became the Computer Fraud and The PGP program (Pretty Good Privacy), available on
Abuse Act of 1986. Since the introduction of this act, the the Internet and consequently available to over
feds have been cracking down hard on computer crimi- 20,000,000 users worldwide, utilizes a two-key method,
nals, whether any real damage was done by them or not. and is the closest thing to unbreakable that a code has ever
This has led to several blunders, the biggest of which was come. Encrypted e-mail requires the sender using his key,
known as Operation: Sundevil, which embroiled the U.S. and the recipient using another one, and both keys can be
government in several civil lawsuits versus private citi- further encrypted on the host computers, making access
zens who were suspected of using their hardware and to them nearly impossible. Without both keys, the docu-
software for “criminal” purposes. ment in question remains locked, and the odds of cracking
it are so laughable there’s no point in trying. The PGP is
HACKING AND CRACKING so good, in fact, that Mr. Philip Zimmermann, its creator,
Hacking, like other investigative activities, involves the is in danger of going to prison for developing it and then
use of several skills, not just Computer Use. Hard re- “allowing” it to be distributed to foreign countries, al-
search-in libraries, newspaper morgues, and though whether or not he did allow it to be so distributed
dumpsters-is required before a hacker can sit down at a is still open to question. The fact of the matter is, not even
keyboard and punch her way into the NATO mainframes governments with all of their resources and power can
in Brussels. Advanced knowledge of the target system is crack the PGP.
required. This may include a trip to the office where the
system is, or perhaps some research into the group that
uses the system, or acquiring a detailed biography of the
Helicopters
Even before da Vinci, inventors had toyed with the idea of
man who programmed it. One might dig through the gar-
a rotary-wing flying vehicle, but not until 1909 did Igor
bage bins of the owner of the computer to see what memos
Sikorsky build a prototype that was able to lift its own
have been thrown out containing pertinent information,
weight. He didn’t build a fully successful prototype until
including passwords. For investigators that like to live
1940, when engines had become powerful enough to lift
wildly, a little breaking and entering may be involved,
a helicopter with pilot and cargo.
too-a night foray past security guards to do some flash-
light research at someone’s work station. In any case, Helicopters can be useful to modern investigators.
knowledge must be obtained about the system before the Their ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover
system itself can be breeched. above rough terrain, makes them ideally suited for reach-
ing remote sites that would otherwise require days or even
When such information is acquired, an investigatormay
weeks of arduous mountain trekking. Lightweight heli-
attempt to use his Computer Use skill either to break into
copters require only 100 square feet to land in, making
the system (if a password has not been previously secured)
them the most rapid means of getting almost anywhere in
andor to locate the information desired. Therein lies an-
a city. A military helicopter packs tank-killing power, but such
other problem-computer systems, especially those used
a vehicle would rarely fall into the hands of a civilian.
by major corporations, hold such a mammoth volume of
Because of their great cost and heavy maintenance
data that one must know where to look or else risk being
requirements, only the wealthy can afford to own helicop-
swamped in the torrential flood of irrelevant information.
ters. Most will have to rent them for occasional use; per-
In game terms, an investigator must have a Computer
haps someone, if lucky, will have one available through a
Use skill of 50% and a working password to log on to an
patron or employment.
unfamiliar system; otherwise a skill roll is required. Only
after one has logged on successfully can any attempt to BASIC TYPES
access information be made. For this, another Computer
Use roll is required, regardless of the player’s skill level. SMALL-LIGHTWEIGHT Smaller helicopters are the
Computer Use might also allow an investigator to recog- more common variety for everyday use. The media uses
nize when a piece of information might be useful in gain- them to photograph hard-to-cover events and to provide
ing access to a computer system or a particular piece of traffic reports. Police use the Bell Jet Ranger to monitor
data-at the discretion of the Keeper, of course. traffic and locate accidents. In the largest metropolitan
areas, such as New York City, helicopter shuttle services
Codes use the five-passenger model to fly travelers between ma-
jor airports. Typically these vehicles seat from two to five
With the rise of computers, encryption programs began
passengers, including the pilot. A smaller model like the
using incredibly sophisticated mathematics to code files
McDonnell Douglas 500C is the sort available for rent at
and electronic mail. Several programs and types of en-
an airport for about $450 per hour. To purchase one would
cryption exist, but the bottom-of-the-line mathematical
cost $220,000.
8 - 1990’s Handbook

Typical Helicopters
McDonnell Bell Long Sikorsky Hughes Apache Bell Jet Ranger
Douglas 5 0 0 ~ Ranger II Skycrane

Use Passenger Air Ambulance Flying Crane Attack Helicopter Police

Passenger Capacity 5 7 55 2 5

Maximum Speed 105 mph 150 mph 126 mph 235 rnph 137 mph

Maximum Range 260 mi 385 mi 230 mi 350 mi 300 mi

Lifting Capacity” 1,200 Ib - 25,000 Ib - -

*Lifting capacity with weight suspendedfrom an exterior harness. Interior capacity is smaller:

RESCUE HELICOPTER: Air ambulances are used Helicopters move up and down by uniformly adjust-
by the Coast Guard or the police to rapidly ferry injured ing the pitch, or angle, of the blades, and thereby provid-
or ill patients to medical facilities. The helicopter’s ability ing more or less lift. Helicopters move horizontally by
to land and take off vertically makes it the perfect vehicle individually altering the pitch of each blade as it rotates.
for this use. The medical equipment available on a heli- This change in cyclic pitch causes the rotor plane of the
copter ambulance is comparable to that found in a normal blades to tilt, creating horizontal thrust.
ground ambulance. A fully equipped rescue helicopter The rotation of the blades has a corresponding effect
costs around $400,000. on the main body of the helicopter, which tends to rotate
LARGE TRANSPORT: Medium-sized transports like in an opposite direction from that of the blades. This is
the Sikorsky UH060A Black Hawk can lift 8,000 pounds why helicoptershave a tail rotor, which acts as a stabilizerto
on an external platform. The bigger Sikorsky Skycrane or keep the helicopter pointing in the correct direction. The
the Chinook can lift external payloads of 36,000 or 28,000 pitch of the tail rotor can be adjusted to swing the helicopter
pounds respectively. The military uses them to transport left or right.
supplies and troops into battle or to difficult-to-reach Both a pilot’s hands and feet are occupied in flying a
sites. In civilian life they haul where normal trucks and helicopter. The left hand controls the overall pitch of the
cranes can’t, being employed in remote logging, bridge main rotor, the right hand controls its cyclic pitch, and the
construction, or laying pipeline through wilderness. left and right feet control the tail rotor. Because of all
Contractors hire out helicopters on a per-job basis, at a these controls, helicopters are more difficult to fly than
cost of thousands of dollars. One can be purchased for fixed-wing aircraft. They cannot be flown without spe-
about $600,000. cific training, even by an experienced pilot.
MILITARY HELICOPTER: The military flies all of
the above types of helicopters, plus one variety entirely MAMTIfNANCE
their own-the military combat helicopter. Helicopters Helicopters generally use one set of main rotors which
like the AH-64A Apache or the Huey Cobra were de- propel, lift, and control the flight path. A breakdown of
signed as dedicated attack helicopters. The Apache is fit- these would be catastrophic for passengers and cargo, and
ted with infrared night-vision system, TV camera, therefore helicopters require greater servicing and pre-
forward-looking infrared target acquisition system, and ventive maintenance than ordinary aircraft. This adds to
magnified visual optics. It sports a 1,200 round .30mm the already considerable expense of purchasing and main-
chain gun, rockets, laser-guided Hellfire anti-tank mis- taining a jet-powered aircraft, in effect making helicop-
siles, and other weapons, all too often woefully inade- ters available only to very wealthy individuals or to gov-
quate against Mythos entities. The cost, and there are ernments and large corporations.
none for sale, would be from $20 million to $30 million.
MISHAPS
FLYING A HELICOPTER
A bad landing usually does no more than light damage to
Modern helicopters are powered by a jet engine called a a helicopter. A heavy crash can ground the rotors and
turboshaft, which propels two or more rotating wings cause major damage.
above the helicopter. The rotation through the air provides In the event of an engine failure, air rushing up past
the lifting force, so unlike fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters the helicopter’s main rotors causes them to spin automat-
do not need to be moving to fly. They can take off and land ically (auto-rotate), providing enough lift to allow the
vertically, hover, and move horizontally in any direction helicopter to descend in a controlled crash. An investiga-
without a corresponding change in heading. tor pilot with a successful Pilot Helicopter skill roll can
 Equipment -9

auto-rotate to a crash landing, causing medium to heavy SPLINT KIT four wire-ladder splints (excellent for
damage to the helicopter and costing each passenger ld6 angulated fractures) and one traction splint. Splinting
hit points. Failure at the Pilot Helicopter roll means a mitigates the pain, blood loss, and shock caused by a
crash landing in which the helicopter is destroyed and all fracture. Traction-splinting a fractured femur may be life-
on board lose 4d6 hit points. saving. Kit costs $300.
Loss of the tail rotor in flight won’t make a helicop-
ter crash, but it makes it virtually uncontrollable. The Paramedic muipment and Training
pilot must make his Pilot Helicopter skill to bring the Like the EMT, a paramedic’s mission is to protect life and
helicopter down safely; otherwise all on board suffer in- reach a hospital in an hour or two. Paramedic training
juries costing ld6 hit points, and the helicopter is dam- takes about 1,000 hours; EMT training is prerequisite. A
aged extensively. paramedic-level investigator can provide significant psy-
chological first aid, as determined by the Keeper. The
Medical Emergency
-
equipment costs $10,000.
AIRWAY KIT: allows the insertion of a plastic tube
Equipment into the windpipe, keeping an unconscious victim’s air-
What first aid resources are useful in the late 20th century way and lungs clear of blood, vomit, etc., and bettering a
to Call of Crhulhu investigators? When calling an ambu- comatose victim’s chance of survival. Kit costs $200.
lance, how much help can be expected? In the field, what ANTI-SHOCK TROUSERS: These G-suit-type pants
equipment and skills might be needed? Two levels of squeeze blood from the legs and pelvis up into the chest
expertise and associated equipment are discussed. With and brain, an excellent treatment for shock due to blood
both, patients must quickly arrive at hospitals, or lose the loss. The pants can compensate for one liter of lost blood.
effect of emergency treatment. The pants also make easier the starting of intravenous
The following information has been regularized for lines in a victim whose veins have collapsed from loss of
playability. Actual times, amounts, etc. vary. blood. Shock due to blood loss (caused by losing more
than one liter) lasting longer than one hour probably kills
EMT wuipment and Training the victim. Anti-shock trousers can be applied in five
Emergency medical technician (EMT) training takes minutes. Such trousers cost $300.
about 200 hours, and gives an investigator the ability to CARDIAC MONITOR, DEFIBRILLATOR: A small
employ additional equipment. The training cost varies, as video monitor shows life-threatening heartbeat irregulari-
the Keeper sees fit. The cost of the equipment amounts to ties. Shocks delivered by paddles applied to a victim’s
about $1,400. chest (defibrillation) may restart a stopped heart. There is
BANDAGE KIT: 25 4”x4”gauze pads, five rolls of 3” a slight risk of serious electrical shock to rescuers. Re-
bandage, four triangular bandages, ten packets of disin- peated defibrillation, combined with CPR, oxygen, air-
fectant, two rolls of 1” tape, one pair of bandage-type way management, and drug therapy is often necessary.
scissors that cut clothing, straps, and boots, and one ob- Optimally, delivery of the first countershock occurs
stetrical kit. This kit dresses five minor and two major within ten minutes. A restarted heartbeat may stop again;
wounds, and can handle an uncomplicated childbirth. Kit the stabilizing drug lidocaine reduces that chance. Equip-
cost is $100. ment costs $6,000.
BASIC DIAGNOSTIC KIT one stethoscope, one DRUG BOX: The box includes two IV set-ups, with
blood pressure cuff (may also be used as an arm tourni- needles, tubing, and two one-liter plastic bags of fluid. An
quet), one pen-sized flashlight, one oral and one rectal IV must be in place before drugs can be administered, and
thermometer, and one reflex hammer. The user needs a takes five minutes to start. IV’s are hard to start on victims
watch to count pulse and breathing rates. Kit cost is $200. in shock; anti-shock trousers help. One liter of IV fluid
OXYGEN EQUIPMENT: one oxygen tank (a heavy replaces 500ml of lost blood. Maximum IV flow rate is
tube about 6”x18” inches) and supplies, to provide sixty l00ml per minute, though two IV’s may run at once. The
minutes of oxygen. This equipment can give artificial following drugs and amounts are included in the standard
respiration to a non-breathing victim, though someone drug box. Box costs $1,000.
must constantly operate the equipment. Oxygen mitigates Calcium chloride: two doses. The drug of last resort
any cardiopulmonary problem, and can mitigate shock, for cardiac arrests. May restart heartbeat; may cause brain
coma, physical trauma, and some poisons. Equipment damage. One dose lasts ten minutes.
costs $500. Diazepam (Valium): six doses. Relieves convulsions
SPINAL INJURY GEAR: one 6’xlS’ board folding and sedates for up to six hours. An overdose (two or more
in half (along the waist) for storage, one rescue-type cer- doses) causes unconsciousness.
vical collar, two five-pound sandbags, and three straps. Epinephrine: twelve doses. Used for a cardiac arrest,
This gear immobilizes victims, can be used as a stretcher, it improves the chance of defibrillation, especially when
and allows relatively safe moving of one injured patient. used with lidocaine and sodium bicarbonate. One dose
Gear costs $300.
10 - 1990’s Handbook

lasts five minutes. One dose also relieves a life-threaten- Naloxone: six doses. This is a specific antidote to
ing allergic reaction such as from a bee sting. opiate (heroin, morphine) overdose. If only an opiate
Glucose: two doses. It rapidly wakes an unconscious overdose keeps a victim unconscious, naloxone will
victim with dangerously low blood sugar. One dose lasts awaken the patient within three minutes. Two repeat
one hour. doses may be needed.
Lidocaine: six doses. Reduces chance of cardiac ar- Sodium bicarbonate: six doses. Use in a cardiac arrest
rest or re-arrest and improves chance of defibrillation, with epinephrine and lidocaine to improve the chance of
especially when used with epinephrine and sodium bicar- defibrillation. One dose lasts ten minutes.
bonate. One dose lasts ten minutes. RESCUE GEAR: used to gain access to and remove
Morphine: six doses. Relieves pain, especially from a a victim from wreckage, especially wrecked cars. In-
wound, burn, or fracture; sedates. One dose lasts four cludes an axe, shovel, crowbar, rope, hydraulic spreader,
hours. Worsens a head injury. An overdose (two doses) air-powered chisel with a compressed air tank, and a ca-
causes unconsciousness. Asevere overdose (three or more ble-type pulley. Gear costs $2,000.
doses) causes respiratory arrest: Keep victim alive with SURGERY KIT: contains gloves, scalpels, needles,
artificial respiration; give oxygen and naloxone. tubing, and sutures needed to clear a blocked airway or
to relieve respiratory distress due to chest trauma. Kit
costs $500.
CPR
Investigators with Medicine or First Aid skills above 10% Scuba Gear & Accessories
are assumed to have completed the requisite five- or six- To go skin diving, one needs a fairly impressive array of
hour course granting certification in CPR and the Heimlich equipment. The buoyancy control is absolutely essential, as
maneuver. It is important to understand that individuals
who require CPR are, for all intents and purposes, dead. it maintains the swimmer’s depth in the water. The device
They are not breathing and their heart is not beating. A s commonly called an “octopus” is also important. This bit of
such, CPR rarely works to resuscitate; rather, the proce- gear has several tubes running from the air tanks to the
dure is used to keep the brain alive with oxygenated blood buoyancy conkol, to your mouthpiece, and to a second mouth-
until proper medical attention can be obtained. In cases of piece which permits a buddy to breathe out of your air tanks
heart attacks or other methods of injury where a charac-
ter’s Hit Points have not gone negative, CPR is especially if his tanks go bad (voiding any need to share mouthpieces).
effective and may result in resuscitation, but in cases of Experienced divers state that a knife and gloves are required
traumatic arrest as a result of great injury, when Hit Points as well. The main purpose of the knife is to bang on one’s
have gone negative, the best CPR can do is to keep the own air tanks as a signal to one’s friends.
brain alive until medical assistance arrives, or until the One must be taught to use scuba gear properly. Once
patient has reached a hospital or some other medical the essentials are learned, use the Swim skill to operate
facilitywhere appropriate trauma care can be offered. It is
not possible for a single investigatorto apply general first the equipment. An air tank’s supply of oxygen varies with
aid and perform CPR at the same time, although another the depth and temperature of the water. Investigators at a
individual may assume one of these tasks. Individuals who depth of 60’ get only ten to twenty minutes per tank of air.
do not continue to receive oxygenated blood to the brain Those staying at 15’ below the surface can get an hour’s
are considered irrevocably brain-dead within ten minutes breathing from the identical tank.
of their last breath, although exceptions to this rule have
been documented. Scuba Equipment & Cost
When a character dies through shock or heart attack Air Tank (single,80 pounds) $120
or some other trauma that does not reduce all Hit Points, Air Tank Refill $5
the player performing CPR may roll d100. Within a minute Buoyancy Control $350
of the collapse,a d l 00 result of 01 to 10 indicates that the Dive Log $10
deceased has returned to the land of the living. After one Dive Master with Boat $25*
minute, a result of 01 to 05 is required to resuscitate. In Flag $20”
cases where Hit Points have been reduced to 0 or tower, Gloves $16
no resuscitation is possible. However, CPR in these cir- Knife $25
cumstances, barring the nature of the injury (decapitation, Light $100
for instance), is considered automatically successful, and Mask $60***
will keep the subject’s brain alive. If the subject recovers octopus $200
Hit Points greater than 0 through successful First Aid or Rubber Raft $5
Medicine application, they may be resuscitated normally. Signal Whistle $10
Hospital equipment and administration of the appropriate Slate $10
drugs increase the chance of resuscitation by 10%. Snorkel $1 5
Afinal notc+CPR is hard work, especiallyalone. After Speargun $1 00
ten minutes of one-person CPR the player performing it is Swim Fins $1 00
required to roll under CONX5 for each additional minute. Underwater Camera $1 70
Two-person CPR may be performed indefinitely. Wet Suit $225
*Perperson per day.
‘“To show position.
“‘Mask with prescription lens more expensive.
 Weapons - 11

I 1

Weapons
Herewith a clutch of contemporary weapons, legally obtaining
weapons in the US., suppressors, guns and the law, explosives, etc.

C OMBATIN Cull ofcthulhu is clearly designed to

be two things: quick and dangerous. Tradition-
ally, investigators that go looking for a fight more
often than not return home on their shields (or, more to
their era, in a body bag). It can sometimes be advanta-
All non-lethal weapons work on the same princi-
ples, causing physical, psychological or physiological
effects that force an opponent to cease and desist. The
physical effect is almost always pain, inducing the psy-
chological effect of fear. Physiological effects vary
geous for investigators to consider weapons that are not from device to device, but normally affect the respira-
designed to kill. tory or nervous systems.
For those players who wish to maintain their lethality,
however, the root of the firearms system is simple: Did IMPACT DEVICES
you hit, and, if you did, what was the result. While a
Impact devices are clubs, couched in a variety of shapes
plethora of new firearms are available to modern-day in-
and names from the the come-along cosh of the turn of
vestigators and cultists alike, the practical differences be-
this century to the spring-loaded expanding ASP Tactical
tween such weapons and their predecessors, at least as far
Baton. The purpose of the device is simple: Hit your
as damage is concerned, are virtually nil. Guns still work
opponent before your opponent hits you, and do enough
on the same principle-that of subjecting the target to a
damage (or cause enough pain) to force him to break off
sudden and debilitating kinetic impact. While the 1990's
his attack. Most batons are made out of steel and weigh
afford a variety of more efficient ways to achieve this
anywhere from three to ten pounds, and many come with
goal, the damage and difficulty of doing so remain much
crossguards to protect against knife attacks. Some are
as they did seventy or so years ago.
spring-loaded, others gravity-activated. Almost all are ex-
Military weapons are now much lighter in weight and
ceptionally concealable, with some as short as 8" and
are generally fully automatic, providing an awesome vol-
capable of telescoping to 26" with a flick of the wrist or
ume of fire. Neither benefit is particularly advantageous
the press of a button. These devices have become favored
to an investigator, however, since investigators rarely
in certain law enforcement circles as wzll as with protec-
make 50-mile hikes with full pack, nor can they legally
tive services, and the Tokyo Police carry such expanding
possess burst-firing guns. In a modern Cthulhu campaign,
metal batons as part of their duty equipment. Easily ob-
just as in a 1920's campaign, firepower alone is capable
tainable, batons range from $30 to $60, depending on
of solving few investigatorial problems.
construction and materials.
Illegal groups such as terrorists and cultists often may
These batons have no difficulty breaking wood, glass,
have access to submachine guns and the like since, unlike
or bone, and can quite easily cause critical injury or even
investigators, they are outside normal society, live hunted
death if used inappropriately. It is important to remember
lives, and need not obey society's laws and standards.
that the primary function of a baton as a non-lethal
weapon is to keep hand-to-hand attackers at bay, forcing
Non-lethal W e a p o n r y one's assailant to remain out of arm's reach.
Non-lethal weaponry is divided into three broad catego- Use Club skill; most batons do ld8+db damage. They
ries: impact, electrical, and chemical. Although the de- do not break, but malfunction on a 00 result, indicating
vices in these categories radically differ, the intention in that the device has not opened or has collapsed, depend-
using them remains the same. Non-lethal weapons are ing on the circumstance. If the user has over 20% in his
designed to halt and/or incapacitate an attacker without Club skill, extending a baton takes no appreciable time;
causing death. Death may result through accidental or otherwise in the round the baton is first being deployed
malicious handling of these devices, however, and many the user's attack takes place at half DEX. All batons are
jurisdictions require some sort of training before allowing designed to parry.
citizens to carry these devices.
ELECTRICAL DEVICES
Electrical devices fall into three subsections: stunners,
TASER's, and blinding flash guns.
12 - 1990%Handbook

Stunners When the stunner hits a target, match the target’s CON
Stunners are hand-held devices made of high-impact against the result of the appropriate damage roll on the
plastic and are well insulated, commonly with rubber- Resistance Table. If the target resists the stunner’s effect,
ized grips. Some are small enough to be held in a palm he is stunned only for a number of combat rounds equal
and concealable enough to be carried in a pocket with- to half of the damage score, rounded down. If the target
out undue detection. Two blunt steel prongs are set at resists the stunner with a special success (one fifth or less
one end of the device, and when the stunner is activated of the roll needed) he is stunned only for that round. If the
(normally by a toggle switch) a brief, powerful charge target’s CON is overcome, he is stunned for a number of
is released, ranging anywhere from 40,000 to 120,000 rounds equal to the damage roll. If the roll is 96-00,the
volts, some higher. Discharge is accompanied by a loud target must immediately reroll against the same damage;
crackling sound and sometimes by blue sparks jumping if the second roll also overcomes the target’s CON,he dies
from one contact to the other. Other models may also flash of a heart attack.
a bright light, hindering an attacker at night (-10% from Incapacitated victims may be repeatedly stunned, but
the attacker’s chance to hit the user with any hand-to-hand the effect only lasts for as long as the longest time rolled.
weapon). Most stunners use a standard nine-volt battery, Example: A mugger stunned three times for 8 minutes, 10
although some models are rechargeable, useful for two to minutes, and 16 minutes, respectively, remains incapaci-
five minutes of continual use. As most stunners only re- tated only for 16 minutes.
lease charges from one to five seconds in duration, you get Stunners are only effective against the following
a lot of bang for your buck. Stunners are available in a monsters from the Call of Cthulhu rulebook deep ones,
variety of models and colors, ranging from $30 to $80 per ghasts, gugs, sand dwellers, and serpent people. A mon-
unit. The legality of these devices is subject to local law ster’s natural armor is subtracted from the stunner’s dam-
enforcement preferences. age roll before matching the result against its CON.
Mi-go are affected by stunners as well, but instead of
being stunned they take ld6 damage from a hit.

Tasers
Tasers work on the same principle as stunners, but with
the added benefit of being deployable at range, albeit only
up to six feet. TASER stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric
Rifle, named after the intrepid science fiction adventurer
himself. A cumbersome and hard to conceal pistol-like
device, when the trigger is pulled, the taser fires two
C02-propelled probes that remain attached to the pistol
by wires. A current runs from the unit through the wires to
the probes and, upon both probes contacting a target,
completes a circuit sending upwards of 250,000 volts
through the body of the victim. However, in order to stun
a target, the trigger must remain depressed. If the trigger
is lifted before the probes make contact, no charge is sent.
Tasers are battery powered, generating enough power for
To be effectivethe stunner must make contact with the
one to three minutes of use, and the probes must be re-
target’s body, requiring a successful Fist/Punch roll. Stun-
ners do not necessarily induce unconsciousness. Victims loaded after each shot. The C02 canisters are good for
roughly ten shots.
may suffer confusion, weakness, loss of balance, disori-
entation, and loss of muscle control for several minutes. Taser damage is calculated the same way as stunner
Normal clothing does not protect against a stunner’s ef- damage, with the same effects and liabilities. Addition-
fect, but very thick clothing may (requiring a Luck roll). ally, the probes fired from a taser need not touch skin,
Damage is calculated on the basis of voltage according to as they arc electricity anywhere from 1.5” to 2“ from
the following table: their contacts. Thus, if the taser imbeds in clothing,
there is still a good chance that the target will be
Voltage Damage stunned. Usage of a taser requires knowledge of the
40,000 to 90,000 Volts 3d6
Taser skill. Completing a course in taser usage, avail-
90,001 to 140,000 Volts 3d6 + 2
140,001 to 190,000 Volts 4d6 able only through law enforcement agencies and cer-
190,001 to 240,000 Volts 4d6 + 2 tain protective service organizations, grants an
240,001 to 290,000 Volts 5d6 investigator a base 20% in the skill.
And so on for each additional 50.000 volts. Running about $500, often more for different makes
and models, purchase and possession of a taser is re-
stricted to the law enforcement community.
 Weapons - 13

Blinding Flash Guns

Blinding flash guns are flashlight-like devices that emit
extremely bright bursts of light intended to temporarily
blind and dazzle attackers. Usable only at point-blank
range (no skill roll needed), a target is blinded for ld6
rounds, with his vision obscured for a subsequent 3d6
combat rounds. While vision is obscured, all sight-ori-
ented skills are halved. Each “shot” from a flash gun
burns out its bulb, and a new bulb must be screwed in,
taking one combat round, before it may be used again.
The batteries powering these devices are usable for up-
wards of thirty flashes.
If a target knows that such a device is present, he
may attempt to shield his eyes or turn his head. Give
such an alert individual a Luck roll to avoid catching
the flash.
Blinding flash guns are only effective against the fol-
lowing Mythos monsters from the Call of Cthulhu rule- dyes therefore need not hit the target in the eyes to be
book: byakhee, deep ones, ghouls, gugs, sand dwellers, effective, as being tagged in this manner is often enough
serpent people, and shantaks. to drive off many common assailants. To hit a target in the
Ghasts and hunting horrors take ld6 damage from eyes, the user must succeed on a DEXxS roll. Otherwise
blinding flash guns directed against them at point-blank it is assumed that the target is marked unless he obtains
range, and normally respond to such an affront by attack- a special on his Dodge roll. Being hit in the eyes blinds
ing the individual wielding such a device. the target for ldlO rounds, and obscures vision for an-
Blinding flash guns cost $130, with replacement other ld10 rounds after that. Chemical dyes are sold in
bulbs running from $6 to $8 each. These weapons are aerosol canisters, are easily concealable, and have an
legally obtainable, but are becoming rarer faced with the effective range of up to 25’. Most canisters contain
growing mace, gas and stunner markets. enough dye to fire ten squirts. These run about $20.
Pepper gas employs oleoresin capsicum extracted
CHEMICSL DEVICES from hot peppers; although this is found in nature, it is
Chemical sprays are now common in three forms- used in a concentrated form for these sprays. Pepper
mace, dyes and pepper gases-and are often available gas is an inflammatory agent, and it hurts, causing a
in combination. All work on identical principles of burning sensation wherever it contacts skin. The victim’s
causing temporary blindness and generating fear in the eyes swell shut and mucous production increases tre-
target. However, mace, using a standard CN (tear gas) mendously, constricting breathing. Pepper gas is ex-
formula, does not cause respiratory distress. Targets actly that, a gas, and consequently subject to the
feel a tightness of the chest, but no actual physiological vagaries of the weather. In close quarters it can spread
effect occurs. The target’s eyes tear, and instinctively out over several targets grouped together, and may in
he closes his eyes. This only aggravates the sensation fact blow back at the user. Highly concentrated, even
of fear already being experienced. Breathing changes minor exposure can incapacitate. The user must roll
as a result of this. As such, mace is only effective when dlOO to successfully use the spray. On a result of 96 to
sprayed in an individuals eyes, requiring a roll of 00, the user has been caught by some of the spray. This
DEXXSto hit. A successful hit blinds a victim automat- should be modified as the situation warrants. As pepper
ically for l d 6 minutes and obscures vision for another gas need not hit the eyes, assume anyone targeted in
1d6 minutes after that (halving all vision-oriented range is hit unless he achieves a special result on his
skills for the duration). Additionally, the target is inca- Dodge. Pepper gas causes blindness and severe respi-
pacitated until rolling CON or lower on d100. This roll ratory distress within one round of being hit and this
may be attempted once per round. Mace is restricted in continues for the next 2d10 rounds. The target must
several areas; it is commonly sold, as it is to police, in make two CON rolls. Success indicates either or both
small aerosol canisters that are easily concealed and the durations for blindness and distress are halved. Ad-
can spray anywhere from 3’ to 25’, depending on the ditionally, while in respiratory distress the target must
device. Mace sells for $10 to $30 accordingly. Most succeed in another CON roll if he wishes to act in any
cans hold about thirty squirts. way. Pepper gas is restricted in some areas, and comes
Chemical dyes work on the same principle, with the in a concealable aerosol canister, some as small as a
additional effect that the target has been “marked” with ballpoint pen. Effective range is anywhere from 5’ to
an indelible dye that will remain on the subject’s skin 12’. Most canisters contain enough for fifteen sprays.
for over a week, even after several washings. Chemical Prices range from $10 to $30.
14 -1990’s Handbook

Mace and pepper gas are effective against the follow- HANDGUNS
ing monsters from the Call of Crhulhu rulebook, as are .22 SHORT LONG, or LONG RIFLE: The .22 rimfie is
chemical dyes when they hit the eyes: ghasts, ghouls, one of the most widely used rounds in the world, and
gugs, sand dwellers and serpent people. Old Ones and comes in the noted major varieties. Arevolver or lever-ac-
members of the Great Race are partially affected by tion rifle which fires the long rifle (LR) round can use all
mace-they suffer no pain but are blinded. Since these three rounds. Generally, less expensive weapons fire the
latter entities have effective non-visual senses, reduce all weaker rounds. Damage is identical for all .22 rounds, but
vision-oriented skills by only 10% for 2d6 minutes. Pep- range is not. The .22 round is used in all types of pistols
per gas is the only one of these that is effective against and rifles. Automatic pistols and non-lever-action rifles
deep ones, and then only inasmuch as it may blind them generally use only the LR shell.
for ld6 minutes. The infamous “Saturday Night Specials”, banned in
the United States in the mid-l970’s, were mostly cheap
Firearms .22 revolvers which fired only the short round. Zip guns,
used by street gangs lacking access to real handguns,
Tabular categories for the firearms table occur as in the usually fire a .22 round. Some .22 revolvers hold nine
Call of Cthulhu fifth edition rules, with two exceptions. rounds instead of the usual six. These slightly bigger
The dollar cost column now includes the price of the handguns cost about $20 more than average.
gun and the cost of one round of the gun’s ammunition.
Rather than list all the bewildering diversity of .22
Normally, pistol cartridges come in 50-round boxes, and
handguns available nowadays, few of which will be pop-
rifle cartridges come in 20-round boxes. A box of .32
ular among investigators, a typical revolver and a stand-
automatic bullets nominally costs $20 (40$ a bullet). A
ard lever-action rifle are described. Keepers whose
20-round box of .444 Marlin ammo lists at $19.
investigators desire a wider variety of .22’s must phone
Also added to the table is a column headed mal- their local gunshops for details.
function number. With any attack die roll result equal
.22 MAGNUM: a more powerful .22 round, used in
to or higher than the firing weapon’s malfunction num-
both revolvers and rifles. A .22 Magnum revolver can also
ber, the firer’s weapon does not fire. If the weapon is a
fire regular .22 rounds.
revolver or bolt-action rifle, the problem is merely a
.25 AUTOMATIC: These flat, miniature automatic
dud round. If the weapon is an automatic weapon,
pistols are excellent “hideaway” guns, suitable for secret-
pump-action, or lever-action gun, then the malfunction
ing in one’s purse or hip pocket. Excepting derringers,
is a jam.
they are the smallest pistols available.
Fixing a jam takes ld6 combat rounds plus a success-
ful Mechanical Repair or appropriate firearm skill roll
.30 MAUSER: one of the first and most famous auto-
matic pistols ever made, the “broom-handle” mauser. Its
(Le., one’s Rifle skill could fix a jammed rifle, but not a
potent round has been used in a few other rather large
jammed pistol or shotgun). The user can keep trying until
automatic pistols.
succeeding, or until destroying the gun on a Mechanical
Repair result of 96-00. .32: a caliber quite popular in the 1920’s; now of little
appeal, though still available. Cartridges for the .32 revol-
While the chart lists most of the firearm calibers
ver and automatic differ and are sold separately; the two
available today for practical purposes, the ballistically
types of ammunition are not interchangeable.
inclined will note omissions. From this list, however, it
is relatively simple to adapt a specific weapon not .357 MAGNUM: popular among police as well as
civilians. The well made Colt Python (which costs about
listed for game use. Investigators and Keepers inter-
ested in using weapons not listed here are advised to $650) is the best-known gun firing this round. Most .357
find the nearest one or two comparable weapons that Magnum revolvers can also fire the .38 Special round.
are listed and approximate the appropriate statistics ac- These guns are bulky for shoulder holsters, though caniable
cordingly. Someone interested in equipping his DEA that way. Rarely, automaticschambered for the .357 Mag-
agent with a Glock-17, for example, need only know num can be found, at prices double that of the revolver
the caliber of the gun in question (9mm) and the num- (auto .357’s hold seven rounds).
ber of rounds it can carry (seventeen plus one “in the .38 AUTOMATIC: This caliber has been largely su-
pipe”). Using the list below, the nearest comparable perseded by the 9mm. A variety of smallish, fairly con-
weapon is the 9mm Parabellum, which does ldlO dam- cealable .38 automatics are still manufactured. The .38
age, fires three shots per round, and has a base range of auto is now mostly used in customized “speed shooting”
20 yards. competition pistols.
When firing bursts, the reliability of a weapon de- .38 SPECIAL: one of the most common calibers
creases by 3 percentiles. Thus, when firing an M16A2 on used in America today. In general, whenever a villain
or hero displays a revolver on a TV crime drama, it is a
full-auto, the gun jams on a ldlOO result of 94-00: Its
malfunction number is then 94. .38 Special.
.40 S& W: This modern caliber is used in semi-auto-
matic pistols; it is a good balance (or compromise, ac-
 Weapons - 15

cording to some) between “stopping power”, available

shots, control, and accuracy. The .40 became popular SPECIAL AMMUNITION
with police, and several gun makers provide models in Investigators may wish to avail themselves of the many
this caliber. Specific models include the AMT On Duty, different types of ammunition that can be purchased for
Beretta Centurion, Browning Hi-Power .40 S a w , firearms.
Iron-piercing and “cop-killer“ Teflon-coated bullets are
Glock 22 and 23, and Heckler & Koch P7M10. The
available through specialty resalers at a significant in-
H&K P7M10 is specifically noteworthy as it works on crease in cost over regular bullets, on average $5 to $10
a unique “squeeze-cocking’’ mechanism, making it more per box as compared to the normal caliber cost.
fully functional for one-handed use; it is consequently Iron-piercing bullets will pass through Threat Level 1 and
popular among bodyguards and other protection spe- 2 armor, but are stopped at Level 3 or higher. Teflon
cialists. The H&K P7 series also comes in 9mm, .380, bullets will only be stopped by Threat Level 4 armor. All
damage from these bullets is at -2, to a minimum of 1 Hit
.32 ACP, and .22 LR.
Point of damage, as they are more apt to pass straight
.44 MAGNUM: one of the biggest handguns through their target and consequently transfer less trau-
around. These huge pistols won’t fit in shoulder holsters, matic energy.
but greatly impress bystanders. An automatic pistol fir- The Glaser Safety Slug is an exceptionally lethal
ing a round titled the .44 Auto Mag is sometimes avail- load-a hollow-nosed round holding a selection of shot
able (priced around $800 and holding seven bullets). in liquid Teflon, designed to be released on impact. The
advantages of this round are two-fold: first, the round
The .44 Auto Mag performs similarly to the regular .44 almost never ricochets, as impact fragments the bullet
Magnum but is much less common and hence much almost completely, transferring all of its energy to its
more expensive. target; second, the damage is horrific. A wound from a
.45: The original .45 Colt was the gun that won the Glaser Safety Slug is considered 99% lethal, even if that
West, and these large caliber revolvers are still fine wound was to an extremity, and if the liquid Teflon en-
ters the bloodstream, the results are almost always
guns. The .45 automatic is the famed U.S. Army pistol,
fatal. Due to their nature, Glaser Safety Slugs are com-
which is big, heavy, old, proven, tough, and durable. pletely stopped by all vests. However, successful hits do
Many other .45 automatics are available, most similar to an additional +4 Hit Points of damage at close range,
the Army Colt. lowering to +2 at medium and no bonus at long. Glaser
9mm PARABELLUM: probably the most popular Safety Slugs are hard to come by, very expensive-up-
chamber size in the world. The famous Luger pistol wards of $50 per box-and unavailable in calibers
below .38.
fired such a cartridge. An enormous variety of 9mm
automatic pistols exist, and many police departments
have adopted this as their standard caliber. Most sub-
machine guns, such as the Uzi, also use the round. KIFLES
Investigators willing to pay $100-$150 more than aver- Many of the weapons described here (such as the .30
age can get fine quality 9mm pistols with magazines carbine) were once standard Army issue, but are now
holding fifteen bullets or more. An occasional 9mm considered obsolescent or unfashionable and are rele-
“pistol” with a magazine holding twenty or even thirty gated to gunshops and to the Third World.
cartridges is available! These latter are generally altered .I7 REMZNGTON: a super-high velocity rifle
submachine guns modified for sale to civilians, and are intended for shooting varmints. It shoots a very light,
fairly inaccurate (15-yard base range rather than the flat-trajectory bullet at the highest velocity of any com-
usual 20 yards). Recently, ten shots was ruled to be the mercial round.
maximum legal capacity for any civilian pistol. How- .22: See description of the .22 handgun.
ever, there are still many fifteen-shot guns available for .22 MAGNUM: The rifle described is a lever-action
legal sale. carbine. Bolt-action rifles are also made. These have 4-
IOmm AUTOMATIC: This chamber size was de- round clips, cost about $190, and have a fire rate of 1/2.
veloped in the ever-expanding search for greater “stop- .220 SWZFC like the .17 Remington, a gun generally
ping power.” The .40 S&W has largely eclipsed lOmm, considered a varmint rifle. Perceptive investigators, how-
but several weapon makers have chambered weapons ever, may recognize that this high-velocity firearm is
in 10mm: Smith & Wesson 1076 and Colt Delta Elite
powerful and exceptionally accurate.
lOmm (both of which were issued to FBI agents for a
.30 CARBINE: originally the M1 and M2 carbines of
brief time), S&W 1006, Glock 20, Colt Double Eagle,
World War 11. The regular Army eventually declared the
and Colt Delta Commando lOmm, to name a few. This
round too weak for military tasks, but before then tens of
caliber provides a greater amount of stopping power
thousands of soldiers enjoyed its light recoil and ease of
than the 9mm, .40, or .45, but the added shell size
use. Various states’ National Guards maintain .30 car-
reduces magazine capacity, although still granting a
bines, as do the armies of Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Phil-
substantial number of shots.
ippines, Taiwan, Morocco, etc. Several police forces
outside the U.S. employ such weapons.
 16 - 1990's Handbook

Handguns
shots per base range dollar cost malfunction
name round damage (yards) ammo gun /ammo number
22 sholl 3 I& 10 6 190f .05 00
.22 Long 3 Id6 15 6 1901.06 00
.22 Long Rile 3 I d6 20 6 1901.07 00
.22 Magnum 3 ld6+1 20 6 205 I.15 00
.25 Automatic 3 1d6 15 6 1251.35 99
.30 Mauser 2 ld10
_ _ __
25 i.-n ---. .--
enni Sn 99
.32 Automatic 3 1d8 15 8 240 I.40 Q9
.32 Revolver 3 1d8 15 6 1501.30 00
,357 Magnum i ld&Fld6 20 6 330 I .50 00
.38Automatic 3 1d8 15 6 265 I .35 99
.38 Special 2 Id10 15 6 250 I .45 00
.40 S&W 2 idiO+i 2n in 99

9mm Parabellum 3 Id10 20 15 450 I .45 99

IOmmAutomatic 1 1d8+1d6 20 8 500 I 50 99

Rifles
shots per base range dollar cost malfunction
name round damage (yards) ammo gun /ammo number

.30 Carbine 2 ld8+ld6 80 15 240 I 50 93

.30-06 Garand 1 2d6+2
~~. - iin -R x n i .""
---, QK 00
,3046 SpringfieW ll2 2d6+4 110 5 1501.85 00
.30-30Winchester 1 2d6t3 90 6 250 I.65 98
,300 Winchester Magnum 1/2 1d8+ld6+3 120 3 550 I 1.05 00
,303Enfield 112 2d6+4 110 5 200 I.85 00
,375 H&H 112 2d8+3 100 3 770 I1.25 00

I 8mmMauser 112 2d6+3 110 5 200 I.85 00

1 2d6+3 110 20 780 I.80 97

I Shotguns
shots per range dollar cost malfunction
1 name round damage (yards) ammo gun/ammo number

ld10+4 30 5 280 I.75 00

20-Gauge, shot 2 2d6 10 5 280 I.70 00
1d6 20
--
1.dR r;n
I-

16-(3auge, slug 1 ld10+5 30 5 3101.80 00

16-Gauge, shot 1 2d6+2 10 5 3101.70 00
ld6+l 20
id4 50
12-Gauge, slug 1 ld10+6 30 5 33011.00 00
12-Gauge,shot 1 4d6 10 5 330 I.80 00
2d6 20
1d6 50
IO-Gauge, slug 1 ld10+7 25 5 700/1.40 99
10-Gauge, shot 1 4d6+2 10 5 700 I1.20 99
2d6+1 20
1d8 50
 - - --- .___

Weapons - 17

Assault Rifles
shots per base range dollar cost malfunction
name round damage (yards) ammo gun /ammo number
M-47' ofm Zorburst 2U6+1 80 30 1oO011.00 00
AK-74 Zorbwst 2d8 120 30 NtA 97
Barrett Model82 1 2d1Ot4 210 11 3000I 5.00 96
EnfieldL85 2orburst 2d8 120 30 NIA 98
FN FAL' 1 or burst 2d6+3 100 20 800 IB O 97

SIG 510, Stgw 57' 1 or burst 2d6+3 100 20 2200 I 8 0 96

SteyrAUG' 2orburst 2d8 130 30 900 I 6 0 97

MA: Not for sale to individuals; possibly not for sale to most governments.
Burst capabilify unavailable for civilians.
"3-round burst only

Submachine Guns
shots per base range dollar cost malfunction
name round damage (yards) ammo gun /ammo number
Beretta Model 12 Zorbwet Id10 40 20LW40 NIA 97
Heckler& Koch MPS (Qmm) 2orburst ldlO 45 15/30 NIA 97
Heckler& KochMP5(.40) 2 or burst idlO+l 45 30 NIA 97
Heckler& Koch MP5 (IOmm) 2 or burst id8+ld6 45 30 NIA 97
Heckler& Koch MP5K 2 or burst ld10 25 15/30 NIA 97
lngram MAC 10 2 or burst Id10 25 32 NIA 96
tngram MAC 11' 30fbufst ld8 20 32 400I .35 96
Madsen burstonly ldlO 40 32 NIA 98
Mini-Uzi' 2orburst Id10 25 32 550/1.60 98
Skorpion SMG 3orburst ld8 20 20 NIA 96
SterlingSMG 2 or burst Id10 40 34 NIA 98
SterlingMP 2orburst id10 25 34 NIA 98

MA: Not for sale to individuals; possibly not for sale to most governments.
Burst capabilify unavailable for civilians.

Grenade Launcher
shots per base range dollar cost malfunction
name round damage (yards) ammo gun /ammo number
M79'Blooper" 113 3d6 (2 yd radius) 20 1 NIA 99

N/A: Not for sale to individuals; possibly not for sale to most governments.

Explosives
shots per base range malfunction
name round damage (yard4 dollar cost number
wandomde ?I2 4dS(4ydlmJs) Throvjn NIA 99
DynamiteStick 112 5d6 (2yd radius) Throw $5.00 99
C-4, lib 6d6 (3yd radius) ** NIA 99
BlastingCap 2d6 (1 yd radius) ** NIA 98
Pipe Bomb 4d6 (3yd radius) ** NIA 95

N/A: Not for sale to individuals.

'One use only Musf be prepared prior to use.
"These explosives are generally not thrown, but set in place and detonated remotely.
18 - 1990’sHandbook

.30-06 GARAND: The M1 Garand was the standard all the Weatherby line, they are available only in a scatter-
U.S. Army rifle in World War I1 and the Korean War. It ing of gunshops.
fires the same cartridge as the .30-06 Springfield. It 8mm MAUSER: The 98K rifle armed Germany dur-
proved reliable, sturdy, and accurate. Thanks to it, an ing both world wars and was sold all over the world to
average American soldier had firepower twice or three armies, paramilitary forces, police, and civilians. It is still
times that of his German or Japanese foe. After the war, seen today, though it is no longer manufactured.
use of this rifle spread all over the world. It is still being M14: Chosen in 1957 to replace the older M1 Garand,
manufactured, and is purchased not only by civilians but tthe M14 is actually very similar; its 7.62mm NATO am-
by U.S. National Guards, Greece, the Philippines, Tai- munition is a ballistic near-twin to the Garand’s .30-06
wan, Turkey, several Latin American countries, etc. The rounds. However, the M14 is capable of semi- and fully
Italian army uses a version of it rechambered to take the automatic fire. There have been many variations, such as
standard NATO 7.62mm round (which, in game terms, is a sniper model and one with a folding stock. Almost
identical to the Garand 30-06 round). 1,400,000 M14’s have been made, so they can be found
.30-06 SPRINGFIELD: the standard US.Army rifle almost everywhere.
until World War 11, also used by the Marines during most SKS Carbine: The first Soviet weapon to fire their
of the war. It is a fine, accurate gun, and has long been 7.62x39mm cartridge, the Samozarydanyi Karabin
available to civilians. Simonova was manufactured in huge numbers; even
.30-30 WINCHESTER: a lever-action carbine with a though it is no longer in service in Russia, it has been used
good strong round. It was immortalized in the TV western by almost every Communist country in the world. The
The Rifleman. semi-automatic SKS is simple, strong, and easy to use,
.300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM: Recently the West and has a one-piece wooden stock and a built-in bayonet
German army did a series of tests in an attempt to find the which pivots beneath the barrel. Chinese and Yugoslavian
most accurate cartridge possible for a high-tech sniping copies are common.
rifle. They concluded that the .300 Winchester Magnum
was the best round for the job. Ordinary hunting rifles snoTGulys
firing this cartridge can easily be obtained. Most contemporary shotguns are pump-action or semi-
.303 ENFIEID: This is a reliable, powerful rifle used automatic. The guns on the table are assumed to be pump-
by the British in the two world wars. The Enfield rifle can action. Semi-automatic shotguns cost about 50% more
be found all over the world in both military and sporting than their pump-action counterparts, cany up to seven
versions. It is still officially employed in a few Common- rounds in their magazines, and jam on an attack roll result
wealth territories. of 99-00 (98-00 for 12-gauge weapons).
.375 H&H: the most common big-game rifle. It is not
so huge as to be grossly unwieldy, and the cartridges are ASSAULT RIFLES
not so ridiculously expensive as the bigger magnum We here classify modern-style military rifles. Prices given
rounds. If your investigators buy safari rifles with are for semi-automatic civilian versions of these weapons.
which to shoot Cthulhu monsters, the odds are good that Some of these guns have no such versions; for them, no
they’ll walk out with .375 H&H’s, or possibly .444 Mar- prices are listed.
lins. These two are the heaviest guns normally available AK-47 orAKM: the most popular military rifle of the
at gunshops. 1960’sand ‘70’s. It uses the Soviet 7.62mm bullet. It is still
.378 WEATHERBE The Weatherby gunsmiths, lo- deployed in vast quantities by Third World armies around
cated in England, produce a line of high-quality, high- the globe. Eastern European soldiers and second line So-
priced, heavy-duty rifles and a line of special rounds viet troops use a slightly revised version, the AKM, which
made only for their rifles. Weatherby guns are excellent, is identical to the AK-47 in game terms.
but one must go to a specialty shop to find them. AK-74: the modern Soviet rifle, firing a 5.45mm
.44-40 CARBlNE: This is a lever-action carbine with round. This weapon is not available commercially, nor has
a history dating back to the days of the Wild West. Many it yet been used outside of Russia. It is included only on
of the Sioux warriors who defeated Custer’s cavalry at the chance that investigators get mixed up with Soviet
Little Big Horn used such carbines. first line troops (which God forbid).
.444 MARLIN: This is, quite simply, the most BARRETT M O D E L 82: an enormous weapon
powerful lever-action rifle around. It is often used for (weighing 35 pounds and over five feet long) originally
big-game hunting. designed as a semi-automatic sniper’s weapon for the
.458 WINCHESTERMAGNUM: the biggest Ameri- U.S. Army. It fires the colossal S O caliber Browning ma-
can-made hunting rifle. It fires the second most powerful chine gun round, and can be purchased on the civilian
sporting round in the world, exceeded only by the .460 market. Investigators who want the most ridiculously
Weatherby Magnum. powerful gun possible may desire to punish themselves
.460 WEATHERBYMAGNUM: the heaviest Weath- by purchasing this monster. It has a bipod and a scope
erby rifle, and a true elephant gun. Unfortunately, as with permanently mounted on it. It cannot be fired from a
 .
.. I-

Weapons - 19
standing position, for obvious reasons. One reasonable Army M16A2. It uses the 9mm round. An extremely
investigatorial use for this weapon would be to swivel- small version of the MP5 (the MPSK, only 13" long) is
mount it on a small boat or cross-country vehicle. available. It is intended to be hidden inside a pocket,
ENFZELD L85: the newly adopted British standard briefcase, or glove compartment. This version is identical
army rifle. It appears to be a rather nice weapon, firing the to the normal version except that its magazine normally
.223 round, though it certainly looks anachronistic seen holds only fifteen rounds. The MP5SD is a suppressed
carried by the Royal Guard. version, available only to police and military personnel.
FN FAL, G3: The FN is a Belgian weapon, and one The MP5 can also be had in .40 or 10mm.
of the most popular military rifles in the world. It has been ZNGRAM MAC-IO: This compact and sturdy ma-
slightly eclipsed by the similar West German G-3. Both chine pistol is only l l " long with its wire stock folded
Guns use the 7.62 NATO cartridge. Between the two of up. The most common version fires the 9mm Parabel-
them, these guns are found on every continent, employed lum round, but another model is also available which
by 74 nations as different as Australia, Bangladesh, Mex- fires the .45 Colt automatic round. The .45 caliber guns
ico, Norway, and Zambia. do ld10+2 damage, have a range of 20 yards, carry
GALIL: the modern Israeli rifle, which is loosely thirty rounds in the magazine, and only fire one shot per
based on the AK-47. It has become renowned because it round in single-shot mode. This gun is specially de-
is one of the few Western rifles which has been proven in signed to accept an unconventional type of silencer
action. It uses a .223 round. The military version of the (called a suppressor) which does not reduce the bullet's
Galil has a 35-round magazine. range. Ordinary silencers can also be fitted to the
MZ6: The standard American assault rifle got its MAC-IO, but a MAC suppressor cannot be used on any
baptism of fire in Vietnam. Its cartridge, the .223 other gun.
Remington, is becoming the standard NATO round. ZNGRAMMAC-11: This is quite similar to the MAC-
The newest version of the M16, called the M16A2, can 10, but is even tinier. It fires the .38 automatic round, is
only fire single shots or 3-round bursts. To simulate the less than 9" long, and can be carried in a large shoulder
greater control this gives, increase the user's attack holster. Both 16- and 32-round magazines are available
chance by 20 percentiles (instead of the nominal 15) for this gun. The 32-round magazines cannot be used in a
when shooting off bursts. shoulder holster. A single-shot civilian version is avail-
SIG 5I0, Stgw 57: The Stgw 57 is the standard Swiss able. As with the MAC-IO, a suppressor is available but,
Army rifle. The SIC 510 was developed from it and is of course, it is illegal for civilian use.
identical in game terms except for caliber. The guns have MADSEN: a Danish submachine gun firing a 9mm
been sold to Chile and Bolivia. The SIG 510 uses the bullet. It was exported heavily to Latin America and
standard Nato round (7.62mm), but the Stgw 57 uses a Southeast Asia in the 1950's. It is simple and reliable, but
7.5mm bullet made only in Switzerland. cannot fire single shots-only bursts.
STEYR AUG: an Austrian weapon of unusual ap- MZNZ-UZZ: This weapon is exactly the same as the
pearance. Versions are made with many different bar- Uzi, except that it's smaller. With the stock folded and
rels intended for use as submachine guns, carbines, loaded with a 20-round magazine it can easily be con-
rifles, and even light machine guns. The rifle version is cealed under a coat, but it can also accept the Uzi's 25-
the only one available for the civilian market, and is and 32-round magazines. An even smaller version, the
described here. With its transparent magazine, a user Micro-Uzi, is comparable in size to a MAC- 11 and will fit
can tell at a glance how many bullets it has left. It uses under a jacket.
the .223 bullet. SKORPZON: a Czechoslovakian machine pistol
which is supplied to paramilitary and military forces in
SUBMACHINE GUNS various nations connected with the Soviet Union. It is
BERETTA PM12: The Model 12 is pretty-looking (for a quite small and light, and can be carried in a shoulder
submachine gun). It is used by armies scattered across holster. Unusual for an East European weapon, the Skor-
Africa and South America. It is also the standard subma- pion fires the .32 automatic round.
chine gun of the Italian Army. As with most modern sub- STERLING: the standard British submachine gun. It
machine guns, it fires a 9mm round. is reliable and compact, keeping true to the British tradi-
HECKLER & KOCHMPS: A submachine gun which tion in firearms, and fires a 9mm round. This submachine
is more accurate than most weapons of its ilk. It was used gun is used by several U.S. police forces. A semi-automat-
extensively by West German anti-terrorist forces and can ic version is also made for police use, as a sort of long-
be seen in the hands of other European police units as range pistol.
well. Some of these weapons have a burst control device STERLZNG MP: a tiny version of the standard Ster-
fitted, causing them to fire either single-shot or in 3-round ling made for use by commandos or police SWAT teams.
bursts. Because of its unusual accuracy when firing 3- It also fires a 9mm round.
round bursts, the user's chance to hit is increased by 20 UZZ: This Israeli submachinegun was developed in
percentiles rather than 15 percentiles, just as with the U.S. the 1950's and is still considered one of the best, most
reliable 9mm SMG's in existence. It is exceptionally
20 - 1990’s Handbook

compact owing to the fact that the magazine feeds into accuracy so much as rate of fire. Scopes on shotguns are
the weapon’s pistolgrip-a design feature which makes of dubious merit, as any possible range benefits are
one-handed fire very manageable. It has a folding quickly discounted by the dispersal of the shot. Scope-
stock, and its grip safety ensures that the weapon will not mounted pistols cannot be holstered without either re-
fire if dropped. moving the scope or entirely destroying its alignment.
LASER SIGHTS: Available for mounting on any
SCOPES AND LASER SIGHTS weapon, laser sights project a red spot of light onto the
SCOPES: Iron sights are fine against close targets, but place the shot will strike when fired. This adds 5 percen-
telescopic sights are needed for long-range shooting and tiles to the user’s chance to hit at all ranges except point-
sniping. Effective scopes can be purchased for $100 for blank, and raises aimed shot acquisition as well (increase
both rifles and handguns. These typically double the the user’s DEX by +2 for all shots fired). Operated by a
weapon’s base range, but not the range multiples past that. pressure switch which in some models can be placed
For instance, when used on a rifle with a 100-yard base anywhere on the weapon (rather than just the trigger),
range, the attacker could use his full attack skill up to 200 laser sights have effective ranges from 100 to 500 yards.
yards away. His skill percentage would then be halved for The batteries for these sights are usable for one to ten
ranges from 200 to 300 yards, halved again at 300 to 400 hours, depending on make and model, before they need to
yards, and so forth. Scopes can only be used when firing be replaced.
single shots (no bursts or full-auto). Laser sights cost anywhere from $100 to $500. For
Higher quality scopes of greater magnification and $30 special holsters are available for handguns using
price increase the base range further, tripling it for $200, these sights.
quadrupling it for $400, and quintupling it for $800. Keepers may wish to offer a 112 Luck roll to notice if
Modern scopes come with a variety of perks, from a laser sight is trained on someone else, and a 1/4 Luck
acquisition dots which allow greater speed in aiming roll to notice a laser sight trained on oneself.
(aimed shots take place at DEX rather than half DEX) to
automatic wind and range gauges (reduce modifiers for suPPREssoRs
environment). Many scopes are now “shock-proof’, mak- Suppressor is the actual term for what is commonly called
ing it very difficult to knock the sights out of alignment a “silencer”, a name made popular by the media.
with casual bumping or dropping. However, such shock- Suppressors are illegal. All suppressors must be obtained
proof devices will be out of alignment often if the weap- from the underground market or made at home. Interest-
ons they are mounted on are treated capriciously. Unless ingly, do-it-yourself suppressor kits can be purchased and
the scope is specified to be shock-proof, assume any sub- these, for arcane constitutional reasons, are legal in many
stantial contact knocks the scope out of alignment. If the U.S. areas,’though making and using suppressors with
scope is shock-proof, a Luck roll should determine them is not.
whether or not the scope remains aligned. When out of Suppressors are long, thick tubes attachable to the
alignment, the scope becomes little more than an expen- muzzles of firearms. They are used solely to muffle the
sive telescope, and is absolutely useless as a gunsight. sounds of gunshots. These devices work by using a series
Resighting a scope is difficult to do, requiring exact sta- of baffles both to slow down the bullet and to muffle the
bility for the weapon and precise knowledge of the ranges noise made by its firing. As a suppressor is used, these
involved. For this reason, most scope sighting is per- baffles are weakened and then ruined, and the gun gradu-
formed at firing ranges. ally becomes louder and louder. After a hundred shots or
Many scopes are available with light amplification so (fewer if using powerful cartridges like the 9mm para-
or night vision enhancements, allowing the user to ac- bellum or .45 ACP) the suppressor is worthless. It must be
quire a target and sight in near total darkness. These unscrewed and replaced.
scopes commonly require battery power of some sort, Suppressors halve a gun’s range. A suppressed .38
and, depending on the demands placed on the scope and automatic, for instance, has a basic range of 7.5 yards.
the quality of the device, the batteries will run down in Not all guns can take a suppressor. Most revolvers
four to eight hours. These devices work on the principle and automatic weapons, for instance, cannot. Nor-
of light amplification from the surrounding area and mally, a gun’s barrel must be specially prepared,
require some source of light (starlight, moonlight) to be though a few guns (notably the Ingram MAC- 11) come
of any use at all. In total darkness they are absolutely with barrels specially threaded for this purpose. Sup-
ineffective. These devices are available from $1,400 to pressors only work on comparatively low-powered bul-
$6,000, depending on range capabilities, abilities, and lets. A suppressed M-16 rifle, for instance, is not only
additional perks. ludicrous but impossible. Many modern submachine
Scopes can be fitted to almost any weapon manufac- guns have specially made suppressed versions for cov-
tured, including shotguns, although some weapons are ert operations. Some even fire bullets specially made
more suited to the addition than others. A scope on a for suppressed work.
machine gun will quickly be knocked out of alignment
and is, in truth, pointless, as machine guns aren’t used for
 Weapons - 21

Suppressors cannot be used in conjunction with tured or aged beyond reliability, making the explosives
holsters. Up to ten inches long, suppressors are normally unstable or underpowered.
carried separately and then screwed on to the gun Explosives usually make use of two elements: the
before firing. main charge, and the primer charge that is used to
Normal price for a suppressor on the underground ignite the main explosive. Professionally manufac-
market, assuming one can be found at all, is about $200. tured explosives are quite stable, and cannot be set
A do-it-yourself kit costs about $100, but both successful off through friction or impact. Electrically detonated
Mechanical Repair and Handgun skill rolls are needed to blasting caps are commonly used for this purpose.
make and fit the device correctly. There exist some military plastic compounds that are
Suppressors cannot be fitted to shotguns. However, a moldable into any shape and are extremely stable,
special silent shotgun round, called the Teleshot, is manu- unless set off by a directly applied electric charge.
factured, and persistent investigators might be able to get Use the C-4 statistics (see chart) to represent their
hold of some. They are not illegal to own or fire, are made blast effect.
for 12-gauge shotguns only, have a 10-yard range, and do Electrically detonated explosives can be directly
only ld8 damage. wired to a battery switch, a timer switch, or even a radio-
activated switch. The Electrical Repair skill is used to rig
GRENADE LAUNCHERS up one of these types of switches. Failure indicates the
The M79 “Blooper” looks and operates rather like a huge switch does not work when activated, while a malfunction
single-barreled, break-action shotgun. This device is in result (from the table on page 25) means the investigator
use with many nations. It must be reloaded after each shot, must roll on the Explosives Malfunction Table. The
hence the low rate of fire. The explosive grenade does 3d6 Keeper may wish to make this roll himself, to preserve the
basic damage with an explosive radius of 2 yards. In suspense of the moment.
addition, a wide variety of varicolored smoke and flare Fuses can be used to set off some types of explosives.
rounds are available. The Grenade Launcher skill (base With these a length of safety fuse terminates in a small
chance 25%) is used to fire a Blooper. The user’s chance detonating charge, which sets off the main charge in the
to hit is normally doubled, since the target isn’t the same manner as a blasting cap. Fuses can be cut to spe-
enemy himself, but the ground near his feet. If the user cific lengths that burn in a known amount of time, from a
misses, randomly determine where the round lands (ld6 few seconds to several minutes.
yards away is a reasonable amount), as the explosion may An investigator requires ld6+5 minutes to emplace an
still injure the target. A malfunction indicates that the explosive charge and set the primer charge and fuse or
grenade is a dud and either does not fire or does not wire. At this time he makes his Mechanical or Electrical
explode upon landing. Repair roll and determines any malfunction. The explo-
sives can be detonated at any time after that.
EXPLOSIVES
Explosives have improved greatly since the 1920’s, be- Explosives Malfunction Table
coming safer to handle and in some cases more powerful. ld6 Result
Modern explosives are unavailable to the common citi- 1 Hangfire: Explosives ignite 2d6 rounds late.
zen, and can only be acquired by licensed individuals for 2-3 Dud: Main charae fails to exolode.
approved uses, such as mining or construction work. The 4-5 Excessive Blast: The explosion is twice as large as
military makes great use of explosives, which infre- expected, doing twice the number of dice of damage
quently find their way onto the black market. Criminally
inclined characters may have some connections in that
is wired, or as the fuse is placed in position. Roll
area. Generally, though, explosives are difficult to acquire explosion damage for the investigator setting the
and illegal to possess.
The Keeper should not feel pressured by these explo-
sives rules. They are guidelines for his use, and not the Invariably some investigator wishes to contrive
players’. They are false hope in the hands of wishful homemade explosives. This is a very dangerousendeavor.
investigators. Many Mythos entities are impervious to Both successful Chemistry and Mechanical Repair rolls
these weapons. Imagine the investigators’ alarm when the are necessary to do this. A 98-00 in either roll results in a
Star Spawn catches the stick of dynamite and swallows it workroom explosion. Homemade bombs can be ignited
down in two gulps, to no apparent detriment. Keep in either electrically or with a fuse, in the usal manner. Use
mind that these items are highly restricted; owning them the pipe bomb statistics.
is nearly as criminal as using them. Simply denying inves- For thrown explosives, such as a dynamite stick or a
tigators access is one way to regulate their use. And then grenade, the Throw skill determines the chance of suc-
what is available through the black market or other dis- cess. For missed throws, roll ld6 to determine the direc-
reputable channels is likely to be improperly manufac- tion from the target that the explosive lands. Roll a second
22 - 1990’s Handbook

ld6 for the number of meters away from the target which find a previously registered fully automatic weapon
the explosive comes to rest. whose owner wishes to sell. This is perhaps less difficult
Damage for explosives is given with a radius. The than it might be, since several gun suppliers own such
damage done decreases by ld6 for each increment of registered weapons and are willing to sell or buy at any
the stated distance between the explosive and the tar- time. However, the investigator’s choice is always going
get. To determine damage to a target, roll the appropri- to be limited. The gun supplier is unlikely to have even a
ate explosives damage separately for each target within half-dozen fully automatic weapons for sale at any one
the radius. time and, of course, private owners rarely wish to sell
The radii given should not be treated as hard-and-fast more than a single gun.
rules. Circumstances can act to increase or decrease the STEP TWO: Assuming the investigator has found a
blast. For example, a dyamite stick burried in the ground registered fully automatic weapon which is for sale, he
would have almost no radius, while covering one in a must now send an application plus $200 to the Bureau of
small amount of loose gravel would increase its radius. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to gain a Class 3 Collec-
The Keeper will have to use his judgement to determine tor’s Permit.
the actual effects of a blast. STEP THREE: Once the application has been made,
the investigator must wait six to eight weeks for it to be
approved or disapproved. If he has ever been convicted of
Nuclear Weapons any felony or certain misdemeanors (violence or drug-
What about nukes? They’re clearly the most destructive connected violations), it is automatically disapproved. A
weapons available to mankind. Shouldn’t even the horrors permit can also be refused for other reasons: An investi-
of the Mythos take pause before trying to destroy a species gator who has spent time in an asylum, for instance, is
with such awesome might? Not necessarily. Many of the unlikely to receive a permit.
Great Old Ones must chortle in glee at such self-destruc- STEP FOUR: If the permit is approved, the investi-
tive power. gator still may not be able legally to own a fully automatic
Nuclear weapons are, of course, completely inaccessible weapon. He must now fulfill any state or city laws which
to investigators. Such weapons cannot, despite media sug- apply. Generally, these are much more rigorous than
gestions, be home-made or stolen-numerous skilled and federal laws. In California, for instance, regardless of fed-
dedicated groups have tried for decades to obtain such eral law, private ownership of fully automatic weapons is
bombs. All have failed.Investigatorsare unlikely to succeed not permitted. (It is possible even in California to make a
where well funded fanatics have failed. special appeal to gain such permission, though the proc-
Even so, it is possible to imagine situations in which ess is involved.)
nuclear bombs may be used in Call of Cthulhu.Perhaps the STEP FIVE: If the investigator manages to fulfill
investigators have managed to contact and warn the military all state and federal obligations, all he needs now is to
of a nation possessing nuclear weapons. Would the military, purchase the weapon, if it’s still for sale after all the
if desperate enough, resort to nuclear explosions to save the delay. It is illegal for the investigator to take the
world? Only the Keeper can answer this question. It is diffi- weapon out of his home except when traveling to a
cult, however, to imagine a situation in which non-nuclear registered firing range. The weapon may not be loaded
weapons could not answer the need as effectively and with except within the investigator’s home or at the firing
less cost in life and time. range. It may be illegal to fire the weapon at home,
The final question is always, ‘What happens when we depending on local laws. Finally, the investigator must
nuke Cthulhu?” The answer is, of course, “He reforms fif- get special government clearance each time he takes
teen minutes later. But now he’s radioactive!” the weapon out of state.
Unsurprisingly, full-auto firearms are extremely ex-
Obtaining Fully Automatic pensive. Here are some sample prices: M-16 $1200;
used Uzi SMG $650, new Uzi SMG $2000; Galil rifle
Weapons $700; AK-47 $1500; MG-34 machine gun $2400;
Investigators are likely to desire fully automatic weap- M-60 machine gun $2300 to $4000; Browning L-30
ons, if only for their rather spectacular effect when machine gun $2200; Sten SMG $150 to $8000 (de-
posing in the mirror. In the 1920’s tommy guns could pending on quality); Ingram MAC- l l $400.
be purchased at Sears & Roebuck, but since that time
the law has moved in, and such weapons are no longer
easily accessible.
Concealed Weapons
Federal law permits private ownership of fully auto- Legally carrying a concealed weapon is deceptively easy.
matic weapons by collectors. To obtain such weapons, a An investigator must demonstrate a valid reason for
strict procedure must be followed. needing a concealed weapon and obtain a permit from his
city police department. This permit is good in other cities,
STEPONE: For several years now, it has been illegal
but it must be obtained from the city in which the investi-
in the U.S.A. to manufacture or import any new fully
gator resides.
automatic weapons for civilian use. The investigator must
 Weapons -23
Customarily, the police do not issue concealed
weapon permits to anyone whom they do not know. Cer- OBTAINING ILLEGAL WEAPONS
tainly no felon or suspected felon could obtain such a It is relatively simple to acquire an illegal or unregistered
permit. Each police department has its own practices be- firearm, providing the investigator knows where and how
yond this, and the actual proportion of permits issued to look (fully automatic weapons will be very difficult to
find). A Credit Rating roll is required (difficultyat Keeper’s
varies enormously from city to city. San Francisco and
discretion, modifiedfor territory and method of search) to
Oakland are only seven miles apart, and Oakland has half locate an individual willing to sell the item in question. This
the population of San Francisco. However, San Francisco may take several hours or even days before the buyer and
has issued less than half a dozen concealed weapon per- the seller can arrange an initial meeting, at which time the
mits, while Oakland has issued several hundred. items sought are discussed and prices set. At this stage
As a practical matter, a concealed weapon can be used the Keeper may require multiplerolls from the investigator
in Fast Talk and/or Persuade. If all goes well, a time and
for little that an unconcealed weapon (worn on the hip, locationcan be established where cash and weapons will
say) could not do just as well. change hands.
This method will work for other illegal items as well,
Breaking The Law but it should always be remembered that this is highly
illegal, and that investigators caught buying or selling any
Player-investigators may wish to obtain illegal fire- outlawed items will be in dutch with the law. The Keeper
arms, especially fully automatic weapons. If they at- should feel free to make foolish investigators pay for their
mistakes.
tempt this, the Keeper is perfectly within his rights to
give them grief.
Until 1980-1981, a moderate sale of illegal weapons
operated within the United States. Then a major crack- skill roll. If you are using a special conversion kit, your
down came: The little pipelines funneling weapons out of chances for success at either skill roll are doubled. Failure
military bases were closed and the dealers and buyers at either roll ruins the gun (and the kit, if you used one),
themselves were imprisoned en masse. Today, despite though the weapon itself might be repaired by a profes-
depictions in television and film, it is practically impossi- sional gunsmith.
ble to purchase illegal fully automatic weapons within the It is extremely dangerous to use or keep an illegal
United States. fully automatic weapon in the U S A . Depending on the
This rule, sadly, does not apply to foreign states, espe- route the investigators used to obtain their weapons, they
cially in the Third World. Philippine police, for instance, may have one or more of the following agencies on their
estimate that over 500,000 illegal firearms are floating trail: the CIA, the FBI, Treasury agents, the police, mili-
around their country. But purchase of such firearms may tary intelligence, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
be complicated. Remember, the investigators are trying to Firearms. This sobering prospect is darkened by a stand-
hand over huge amounts of cash to criminals possessing ard police procedure: When fully automatic weapons are
fully automatic weapons. What could be likelier to lead to suspected, the forces of law don’t mess around-the po-
disaster? And, of course, smuggling fully automatic lice will call the SWAT team, the FBI will probably have
weapons into the United States will not be easy. a sniper handy, etc.
An alternate means of obtaining a fully automatic Using a fully automatic weapon in a foreign nation
weapon is to buy a semi-automatic version of some can be even more dangerous, depending on the nation.
military firearm and convert it, though many civilian Police and militia in nations troubled with insurgency, for
models are altered slightly from the military guns to instance, are quite likely to shoot first without asking any
make them difficult to convert to full-auto. The civilian questions at all. Since such nations are generally also the
version of the Uzi submachine gun, for instance, fires easiest places for the investigators to obtain illegal arms,
from a closed bolt rather than an open bolt, making the they can get into big trouble fast.
weapon seriously overheat when illegally converted to These guidelines should not be applied rigorously to
fire full-auto. Special conversion kits for transforming cultists or terrorists. Such groups live, work, and function
a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic one are outside the law. They lack the cultural and personal ties of
available for purchase, through the same kind of legal normal investigators, and forge or do not own such every-
loophole permitting the sale of suppressor kits. These day documents as driver’s licenses and credit cards. Their
kits are specific as to gun type and cost about $75. If confused background trails render them much more dif-
you own, say, a semi-automatic Thompson submachine
ficult to trace, even by modern data-processing tech-
gun, you’ll need to find a Thompson submachine gun niques. This in particular applies to someone who has no
conversion kit. computer record at all, not as difficult to achieve as one
To convert a semi-automatic weapon to full-auto, the might think.
user must succeed at both a Mechanical Repair and a Rifle
24 - 1990's Handbook

Selected Contemporary Weapons

In Relative Scale

drawings by RON LEMING text by SANDY PETERSEN

loaded. Length: 8" (199mm).
Round: .357 magnum. Rate of
Fire: double action. Narion of
Manufacture: U.S.A.

MADSEN SUBMACHINE GUN: -

Weight: 81b 602 (3.8kg) fully loaded.
Length: 31" (794mm), 21" (528mm)
with s t o c k folded. Round: 9 m m
parabellum. Rate of Fire: 550 rounds
per minute. Nation of Manufacture:
Denmark.

MP5 HECKLER & KOCH SUBMA-

CHINE GUN: -
Weight: 61b 1202
(3.07kg) fully loaded. Length: 27"
(680mm). Round: 9mm parabellum.
Rate of Fire: 550 rounds per minute.
Nation of Manufacture: Germany.

AKM ASSAULT RIFLE: - Weight:

81b 1202 (3.98kg) fully loaded. Length:
34.5" (876mm). Round: 7.62mm x 39.
Rare of Fire: 600 rounds per minute.
Nation of Manufacture: U.S.S.R.
 Weapons -25

e ~ n

UZI SUBMACHINE
Weight: 91b ( 4 . l k g ) f
Length: 25.5" (6501
(470mm) with stock folded. Round:
9mm parabellum. Rate of Fire: 600
rounds per minute. Nation of Manufac-
ture: Israel.

W
HANDGRIP lTHACA SHOTGUN: - Weight: 51b 802
(2.5kg) fully loaded. Length: 27.5" (69Omm). Round: 12-
guage, 2.75". Rate of Fire: pump action. Nation of Manufac-
ture: U.S.A.

ppirl MODEL 61 SKORPION MACHINE

MODEL 12 BARE'ITA SUBMACHINE GUN: Weight: - PISTOL: - Weight: 41b 402 (2kg)
fully loaded. Length: 20" (5 13mm),
81b 502 (3.77kg) fully loaded. Length: 25" (645mm),16.5"
10.5" (269mm) with stock folded.
(418mm) with stock folded. Round: 9mm parabellum. Rate
Round: .32 ACP. Rate of Fire: 840
of Fire: rounds rounds per minute. Nation of Manufacture:
rounds per minute. Nation of Manufac-
Italy.
ture: Czechoslovakia.

XL 85 E l (Individual Weapon)
ENFIELD WEAPON SYSTEM - Weight: 1llb (4.98kg)
Length: 3 1" ( 7 8 5 m ) . Round: 5.56 Mm NATO. Rate of Fire:
750 rounds per minute. Nation of Manufacture: United King-
dom.
 26 - 1990’s Handbook

STEYR RIFLE: - Weight: 91b

(4.09kg). Length: 3 1” (790mm).
Round: 5.56mm NATO standard. Rate
of Fire: 650 rounds per minute. Nation
of Manufacture: Austria.

M16 RIFLE: - Weight: 71b 1302 (3.555kg). Length: 39“

(990mm). Round: 5.56 NATO standard. Rate of Fire: 950
rounds per minute. Nation of Manufacture: U.S.A.

WJZATHERBY MARKV - Weight: lOlb 1402 (4.955kg)

fully loaded. Length: 46.5“ (1 181mm). Round: various, up to
.460 Weatherby. Rate of Fire: bolt action. Nation of Manu-
facture: United Kingdom.

AK-74 ASSAULT RIFLE - Weight: 91b (4.lkg) fully

loaded. Length: 36.5” (93Omm). Round: 5.45mm x 39. Rate
of Fire: 650 rounds per minute. Nation of Manufacture:
 Weapons -27

FN 5O-00 FAL Rifle: - Weight: lOlb

lloz (4.85kg). Length: 43" (109Omm).
Round: 7.62m.m NATO. Rate of Fire:
700 rounds per minute. Nation of
Manufacture: Belgium.

GALIL AR ASSAULT RIFLE: -

Weight: lOlb 202 (4.61kg) fully loaded.
Length: 38.5" (979mm). Round: 5.56
NATO standard. Rate of Fire: 650
rounds per minute. Nation of Manufac-
ture: Israel.

G3 HECKLER & KOCH RIFLE: - Weight: lllb 1 oz

(5.025kg). Length: 40.4" (1025mm). Round: 7.62mm
NATO. Rate of Fire: 600 rounds per minute. Nation of
Manufacture: Germany.

M1 CARBINE (civilian copy, Ivar Johnson PM 30 HB,

shown) - Weight: Jlb 302 (2.6kg) fully loaded. Length:
35.5" (904mm). Round: .30 M1. Rate of Fire: semi-automat-
ic. Nation of Manufacture: U.S.A.
 28 - 1990% Handbook

NATO M14 RIFLE: -

Weight: 131b
(5.9kg) fully loaded. Length: 4 4 ”
(1 120mm). Round: 7.62mm NATO.
Rate of Fire: semi-automatic. Nation of
Manufacture: U.S.A.

MARK 7 STERLING PARA-

TROOPER’S PISTOL: - Weight:
P-OS LUGER PISTOL: -
61b 6 0 2 (2.9kg) fully loaded. Length:
14“ (355mm). Round: 9mm parabel- 21b 6 0 2 (2.5kg) fully loaded. Length: 9”
lum. Rate of Fire: 550 rounds per min- (223mm). Round: 9mm parabellum.
ute. Nation of Manufacture: United Rate of Fire: semi-automatic. Nation of
kingdom. Manufacture: Germany.

MARLIN 444SS LEVER-ACTION SPORTER: -

Weight: 71b 802 (2.05kg) fully loaded. Length: 40.5“
(103Omm). Round: .444 Marlin. Rate of Fire: lever action.
Nation of Manufacture: U.S.A.
 Weapons - 29

MODEL 1911A1 AUTOMATIC PIS-

-
TOL Weight: 31b (1.36kg). Length:
8.5" (219mm). Round: .45 A B . Rate of
Fire: semi-automatic.Nation of Manu-
facture: U.S.A.

INGRAM M11 (now C

MACHINEGUN: -
lOoz (2.lkg) fully loaded. Length: 18"
BARRETT MODEL 82 SNIPING RIFLE: - Weight: 321b (445mm), 9" (222mm) with stock
1502 (14.97kg) fully loaded. Length: 66" (1676m). Round: folded. Round: .380 ACP or 9mm
S O Browning. Rate of Fire: semi-automatic. Nation of parabellum. Rate of Fire: 1200 rounds
Manufacture: U.S.A. per minute. Nation of Manufacture:
U.S.A.

-
SIG 510-4 RIFLE: Weight: lOlb 12 oz (4.75kg). Length:
40" (1016mm). Round: 7.62mm NATO.Rate of Fire: 600
munds w r minute. Nation of Manufacture: Switzerland.

M79 GRENADE LAUNCHER. - Weight: 61b (2.72kg)

fully loaded. Length: 29" (737mm). Round: 4Omm grenade
cartridges. Rate of Fire: single-shot. Nation of Manufacture:
USA.
30 - 1990’sHandbook

Government and You

Selected agencies and departments of the government with which
investigators might interact, for weal or woe.

The United States

I N THE MORE developed nations, government regu-
lates almost every aspect of the individual’s life. For
the investigator this is a double-edged sword, for
while bureaucracy can assist the astute and smooth-
tongued in ferreting out the gems of information that ulti-
The U.S. specifically has several agencies that investiga-
tors may come into contact with in a variety of circum-
stances. This list is by no means complete, and Keepers
mately save sanity, it can also become a crushing weight are encouraged to do their own research into other fields.
and an exceptionally tireless adversary that will facelessly Agents earn incomes anywhere in the middle class
and relentlessly pursue its quarry without fail. One can’t bracket, and for the most part may be anywhere from their
fight City Hall, the saying goes. More accurately, one can early twenties to middle fifties. Physical requirements are
fight City Hall, but one had better be prepared to lose
more than just the battle.
In the United States particularly, as with most of
Europe and Asia, individuals are linked to their nation’s WHAT DO THEY KNOW?
government almost from birth. Most borders require pass- At the turn of this century, well into the 19203, the few who
ports for entry into foreign lands, and this regulation ex- combatted the Mythos for the most part felt they were
confronting a newly realizedthreat. Although the menace
tends to all aspects of an individual’s life. In an era where had existed since before the dawn of time, investigators
human beings are quantifiable as numbers and alpha-nu- approachedthe mysteries surrounding the cosmos with a
meric sequences, it is foolish to think that information great degree of arrogance, confident that the Age of Rea-
about you is safe. And while the bureaucracy is mam- son would guide them safely past the dangers of a cold and
moth, it isn’t necessarily ineffective. Information is stored impassive universe. It was rationalized,therefore, that most
with fanatical attention to detail, waiting to be retrieved governments had little or no knowledge of these dangers.
Even if this were the case, it certainly cannot be true
when the right form crosses the right desk. now. The incident at lnnsmouth in 1927-28 only serves
Is it possible that the governments of the world remain to substantiate this. So the question must be asked:
ignorant of the Mythos threat? Or are the conspiracy theo- How are the governments of the world dealing with the
rists right when they claim that something behind the Mythos threat?
scenes is always at work, planning and manipulating and They may not be. In fact, it is entirely reasonable that
slowly advancing human pawns towards a nameless goal, our governments are actively not pursuing these issues,
not from a sense of self-destruction (although that must
a goal that many investigators no doubt obstruct? be the eventual result) but because it is so much easier
Alternatively, the governments of the world may be not to do so. Governments and bureaucracies are reac-
the single most effective tool in halting Mythos designs. tive institutions, reluctant to take initiative and paralyzed
Civil servants may be uniquely placed to bring to bear the when confronted with the possibility of looking wrong or,
full power of their governments when the Mythos comes worse, foolish.
Yet government touches so much of the modern
to light. Hostages freed from a survivalist’s camp by the
world; how is it possible that they can remain impotent and
FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team may have been more than an immobile in confronting these issues? Other possibilities
exercise in law enforcement. Perhaps the government was lend themselves for explanation: Perhaps our govern-
responding to something far more frightening. But how- ments are fully aware of the threat and are actively com-
ever aware a given government may be of the minions of batting it with the security that comes from ultimate power
Cthulhu, investigators must always remember this-it is over media and information. Pitched battles may be
fought even as we speak between government agencies
easy to hide in the bureaucracy, and rarely will the gov-
and the cults that would call fire down from the stars. Of
ernment’s agenda be your own. Be careful; they know course, it is also possible that our governments are inac-
where you live, what borders you cross, and how you’re tive because that is the course they have chosen, be-
paying for your travels. If someone, somewhere, begins to cause it is the course dictated to them by their masters. In
wonder why, globetrotting investigators may find them- that case we are truly lost, as mankind, still in its infancy,
selves audited by the IRS come tax time, while the Bureau has no sense of proportion or self-control. There are,
indeed, too many ways for us to destroy ourselves.
of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms takes a sudden interest
in the high caliber weapons that they’ve been stockpiling.
 Government -31

not as stringent as they once were, but universally, agen-

cies employing law enforcement officers have vision re- THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ANALY-
quirements. All law enforcement personnel must have SIS OF VIOLENT CRIME (NCAVC)
vision correctable to 20/20, and be able to shoot and drive The NCAVC is a resource center availableto law enforce-
without corrective lenses, as well as being physically fit ment agencies in the United States specifically, and
enough to perform the duties their job may require. Spe- around the world generally. The center consolidates re-
cific physical requirements vary. search, training, and operational and investigative sup-
port services and makes them available to law enforce-
ment agencies dealing with bizarre, high-risk, vicious, or
FEDERAL BUREAU OF MVESTIGATION repetitive crimes. In fact, it is a clearing house of tech-
Headquartered, as most of its relative agencies are, in niques and training, allowing a unified law enforcement
. Washington, D.C., the FBI is the United States’ largest front on a variety of crime-related issues. The NCAVC
hosts guests from all around the world for conferences,
federal law enforcement agency. lectures, and training.
Employing some 10,000 agents The NCAVC is divided into three specialized serv-
across the country, the organiza- ices: Behavioral Science Services (BSSU), Investiga-
tion is actually smaller than the tive Support (ISU), and Special Operation and Re-
New York Police Department search (SORU). The BSSU is responsible for personal-
(over 30,000 officers). But the ity profiling and ongoing research into the motivations,
behavior, and thought processes of criminals. SORU
FBI has the backing of the fed-
supports BSSU research and deals extensively with
eral government, and is widely hostage negotiations, SWAT units, and crisis manage-
considered to be the finest law ment operations.
enforcement organization in the world. Established in The ISU administers the Criminal Investigative Analy-
1908, the FBI is the principle investigative arm of the sis division, which prepares profiles on violent offenders,
United States Department of Justice, tasked with gather- suggests investigative and interviewing techniques and
strategies, and provides expert witnesses for court ap-
ing evidence, locating witnesses, and reporting facts in pearances, among other things. The ISU also runs the
connection with crimes falling under federal jurisdiction. Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP), a serv-
Cases most often investigated by the FBI include any- ice that alerts law enforcement agencies when they may
thing involving organized crime, drugs, counterterrorism, be pursuing the same offender in multiple jurisdictions.
white-collar crime, foreign counter-intelligence, and vio- This has proven especially helpful in the apprehension of
lent crime. Any violation of federal law falls into their various serial offenders.
domain except those that have been alternately assigned
by legislative enactment or otherwise presented to an-
other federal agency.
Much has been made in recent years of the FBI’s
The FBI maintains fifty-six field offices in major cit- Behavioral Science Unit, which provides psychologi-
ies throughout the United States, with another 400 smaller
cal profiles of violent offenders, most notably serial
offices scattered in communities across the country, all of
killers. The image of agents zipping cross-country in
these staffed by special agents. The term applies to any pursuit of serial killers is incorrect, however-most of
FBI agent, and is a holdover from when the Bureau used the process goes on behind closed doors, where profes-
Treasury agents as investigators. These moonlighting sionals pore over all available data about the crime(s)
agents were referred to as “special”, and the designation
in question. Although the Bureau does use this tech-
stuck. Most agents are well educated, holding a manda-
nique, it does not do so capriciously, as the process is a
tory four-year degree, and many others also hold ad-
slow and difficult one. More often, psychological pro-
vanced degrees in a variety of fields. All are required to
filing is the investigative tool of last resort, when all
complete a sixteen-week course at the FBI training facil- other leads have failed. And the FBI can follow any
ity in Quantico, Virginia, where the prospective agents are
lead. The J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington,
taught a variety of skills relating to law enforcement D.C., where the FBI is headquartered, contains the
work. Special agents must have vision correctable to
most advanced forensic labs in the world. Coupled with
20/20, be in good physical health, and be able to travel
an exhaustive fingerprint database and another data-
wherever the government desires. All FBI agents are quite
base called VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension
knowledgeable about federal and local law, are proficient
Program) where information about repeat violent of-
in armed and unarmed self defense, and may have other
fenders and crimes are stored, the FBI’s resources are
specific skills as deemed necessary by their posting.
enormous. Investigators who habitually break the law
Dress standards vary, but must be professionally appro-
may find themselves escaping arrest the first two, three,
priate except when undercover. Standard FBI weaponry
or even ten times they burn down a cultist townhouse,
has changed no less than five times in the last ten years,
but they might find themselves in for a shock when they
but at this time SA’Scarry either a standard .38 revolver
try to light number eleven.
(such as the 4” Smith & Wesson) or a 9mm semi-automat-
ic pistol (the SigSauer P228 or Glock-17).
32 - 1990’s Handbook

Hostage Rescue Team To this end, the ATF is divided into two basic arenas: law
The FBI has a specific special weapons and tactics unit, enforcement and compliance operations.
the Hostage Rescue Team, and it is considered one of the Law enforcement objectives include the suppression
finest SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics)-like teams in of illegal trafficking in firearms, explosives, liquor and
the world. The HRT is complemented with fifty special tobacco;the investigation of drug traffickers who use fire-
agents and a separate support staff, and each agent is arms and/or explosives in their trade, including gangs;
rigorously trained in such areas as firearms; explosives; investigation and exposure of arson-for-profit schemes;
rescue operations in high-rise buildings, airplanes, and and assisting federal, state, and local law enforcement
buses; and various other specialized law enforcement agencies to reduce crime and violence resulting from
training. The HRT is called upon to provide counter-ter- these activities.
rorist protection, collect and gather evidence, make high- Compliance operation objectives include maintaining
risk arrests, provide executive protection, plan security adequate health warnings regarding all related products;
details for individuals and locations, and conduct special- ensuring full collection of federal revenue from the legal
ized surveillance. sale of related products; preventing commercial bribery,
The HRT is not a SWAT team; the FBI has plenty of consumer deception, and other improper trade practices
those. The HRT is a specialized unit, and is called upon regarding alcohol; ensuring that storage facilities for ex-
only when the situation warrants it. In issues of suspected plosive and firearms are safe and secure; and maintain-
terrorism or hostage situations, though, the HRT will ing complete audit trails regarding the sale of firearms
probably be deployed. Their motto is, “To Save Lives.” and explosives.
ATF agents trained for field work receive standard
EVELYN AURDOIR, Special Agent In Charge of Operations, law enforcement training at the Combined Federal Law
Seattle, Washington, age 31 Enforcement Training Center in Glenco, Georgia. The
STR13 CON14 SIZ12 INT15 POW15 course of study covers such subjects
DEX14 APP13 EDU16 SAN75 HP13 as rules of evidence, surveillance
Damage Bonus: +ld4 techniques, undercover techniques,
Weapons: 9mm automatic (or .38 revolver) 72%, damage ld10 arrest and raid techniques, and fire-
FisffPunch 65%, damage l d 3 + db arms training. Following the CFLEC
Skills: Bargain 50%, Climb 54%, course, ATF agents attend new agent
Computer Use 32%, Dodge 52%, training to further specialize in the ar-
Drive Auto 6O%, Fast Talk 23%, Fo- eas specifically required for ATF work. These subjects
rensics 59%, Hide 25%, Law 76%, Li-
brary Use 47%, Listen 55%, Occult include laws relating to,the ATF, firearms and explosives
14%, Persuade 43%, Psychology nomenclature and identification, bomb scene evaluation,
54%, Sneak 42%, Spot Hidden 73%; arson training, case report writing, and link analysis.
Languages: English 75%, French
56%, Spanish 27% Additional training continues throughout their ca-
reers, depending on fields of operations and ability. All
ATF agents must have a minimum of three years of law
enforcement experience before being accepted as
BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND agents, although education may sometimes substitute
mKEARMS
for this requirement.

Established by a Treasury Department order in 1972,the BRIAN DONNELLV, ATF Liaison Agent, Denver, Colorado,
ATF assumed complete responsibility for all functions, age 41
powers, and duties arising under STR16 CON13 SI212 INT16 POW8
the laws concerning alcohol, to- DEXlO APP12 EDU15 SAN40 HP13
bacco, firearms, and explosives, Damage Bonus: +ld4
a job that had been previously Weapons: 9mm Automatic 75%, damage 1d l 0
held by the IRS. With the pas- FisVPunch 74%, damage l d 3 + db
sage of the Anti-Arson Act of Head Butt 13%, damage 1d4 + db
Kick 39%, damage ld6 + db
1982, the ATF became addition-
ally responsible for investigating Skills: Bargain 35%, Climb 22%,
Computer Use 12%, Dodge 54%,
cases of commercial arson na- Drive Auto 49%, Fast Talk 41%,
tionwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the ATF is Law 44%, Listen 62%, Persuade
a decentralized agency, with regional offices in all fifty 48%, Psychology 45%, Sneak
states and the dominions. Personnel are stationed 29%, Spot Hidden 62%; Lan-
guages: Arapahoe 51%, English
throughout the country in individual theaters of operations. 80%
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms seeks
to promote compliance of the laws regarding these prod-
ucts while investigating any violations that are detected.
 Government -33

DRUG EFIFORCEMENT AGENCY from the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), managed by
The chief federal agency in the “war against drugs”, the the DEA and staffed with federal personnel from thirteen
DEA is perhaps the largest federal enforcement agency ~~
other agencies. Current interest and focus is directed to
after the Treasury Department. high-level drug traffickers, and in recent years the DEA
Created in 1973, the DEAis con- has worked closely with the IRS to seize the incredible
cerned with individuals sus- amounts of money that traffickers have been making. This
pected of cultivating, producing, has been proving remarkably easy, as in the last ten years
smuggling, andlor distributing or so the lucrative sums made from drug sales have be-
illegal narcotics in or to the come harder and harder to hide. However, it may be that
United States. As such, it oper- the dealers and suppliers really aren’t that concerned.Af-
ates on a worldwide basis, with ter all, there’s always more money to be made.
offices in fifty-eight
. - countries, DEA agents are required to have four-year degrees
second only to the State Department in comparative scope (many have advanced degrees), be in good physical
of operations. From Thailand to San Francisco, the DEA health, and have vision correctable to 20120. At a
maintains offices devoted to reducing the demand and premium right now are agents with fiscal education
availability of controlled substances. Many postings, es- and/or language skills. All agents receive basic agent
pecially in Thailand and Columbia, are considered com- training, which focuses primarily on the history of the
bat postings, and time served in such locations is spoken drug trade and the ability to recognize the countless vari-
of in military terms, i.e., tours of duty. Many agents work- ations of controlled substances that are sold in the world
ing these tours suffer the effects of soldiers serving in today. Training also includes firearms and physical condi-
battle, as their existence is somewhere between that of a tioning, as well as further training in other law enforce-
foot-soldier surviving a war and a secret agent working in ment techniques. Additionally, DEA agents are well
enemy territory. schooled in issues of jurisdiction and international law
Specific DEA responsibilities include investigation of protocols. Due to the frequency of DEA cases crossing
major drug suppliers who work on an international or international boundaries, an entire division in the DEA
interstate level; seizure of assets arising from traffic in head office in Washington, D.C. is devoted to foreign
illegal drugs; management of the National Narcotics In- affairs. Their relationship with INTERPOL is solid and
telligence System; liaison and coordination with all other long-standing.
federal, state, and local law enforcement bodies, both in Finally, DEA agents are law enforcement investiga-
the United States and abroad; training, research, and in- tors. In issues of forensics or other lab work, they use
formation exchange with a mind to further drug traffic either local facilities at the grace of other agencies, or
prevention and control; and enforcement of the regula- one of the six regional DEA labs placed across the
tions regarding the legal manufacture, distribution, and United States.
usage of controlled substances.
The DEA often works with the ATF, FBI, and IRS,as WALTER MATUSEK, Undercover Agent, Palerrno, Sicily,
age 29
well as state and local authorities around the world. Data
STR14 CON16 SI215 INT11 POW10
pertinent to the ongoing drug war is frequently distributed DEX14 APPB EDU15 SAN50 HP16
Damage Bonus: +ld4
Weapons: 9mm automatic (back-up .25 automatic in ankle hol-
INTERPOL ster) 85%, damage 1d10 (or ld6)
After the criminal explosion following World War I, law- FisVPunch 77%,damage l d 3 + db
yers, judges, and police officers from across Europe met Grapple 62%, special
in Vienna in 1923 and laid the groundwork for an interna- Head Butt 23%, damage l d 4 + db
tional organization for police cooperation. Initially called Kick 56%, damage 1d6 + db
the International Criminal Police Commission, in 1956 the Skills: Accounting 37%, Climb 62%,
in-house term applied to the organization was adopted as Dodge 52%, Drive Auto 48%, Fast
its official title. Headquartered in Paris, France, overlook- Talk 56%, Hide 37%, Law (Intema-
ing the Seine, INTERPOL coordinates mutual assistance tional) 43%, Law (United States)
between criminal police authorities in all member nations. 62%, Library Use 26%, Listen 51%,
INTERPOL maintains a vast criminal database and acts Persuade 79%, Pharmacy 53%,
as a sort of clearing-house for police of all nations to Psychology 30%, Sneak 48%, Spot
inform one another of progress in investigations. Hidden 55%; Languages: English
INTERPOL personnel make no arrests and carry no 55%, Italian 68%, Spanish 57%
weapons. Their stock in trade is information and extradi-
tion proceedings. They make it their business to know INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
where the criminals are and what can be done to send The IRS administers and enforces the internal revenue
them back to the countries they are wanted in. With over laws of the United States according to all statutes, with the
120 member nations, it is the preeminent organization
involved in international criminal investigation. .
exception of revenue relating to alcohol, tobacco, fire-
arms, and explosives, which are tended to by the Bureau
34 -1990’s Handbook

of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The IRS seeks to col- NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCYICE-
lect the DroDer amount of tax revenue at the least cost to SECURITY SERVICE
the public, while attempting to Located at Fort Meade, Maryland, the NSA is tasked with
win public confidence in the the Drotection of U.S. government communications and
IRS’ integrity and ability. Obvi- the gathering of foreign intelli-
ously, this is an uphill battle. The gence information. They are
stereotype of a weak-minded ac- spies, end of story. But the NSA
countant with a chip on his does not delve into operational
shoulder and too many pens in concerns; rather, the NSA ana-
his pocket is inaccurate and un- lyzes everything,gatheringintel-
fair. Of all the federal organiza- ligence and evaluating it for dis-
tions listed here, the IRS is perhaps the most open and tribution to other federal organi-
visible, seeking more than its brethren to work with the zations, who in turn use the in-
public. After all, nobody likes having his money taken forhation to set policy and initiate operations. Estab-
away from him. lished in 1952 as a separate agency in the Department of
Established in 1862, the IRS attempts the following: Defense, throughout the Cold War the NSA was responsi-
to achieve the highest possible voluntary compliance with ble for maintaining the security of government signals
the federal tax laws and regulations, to advise the public while breaking the codes of the Other Guy. In 1984 Presi-
of their rights and responsibilities relating to these same dent Reagan expanded the NSA’s concerns to computer
laws, to administer and enforce the tax laws properly and security, and it is the NSA now that is pushing for the
fairly, to determine the extent of compliance and the Clipper chip, a hardware chip to be installed into every
causes of noncompliance, and to continually search for computer sold that would allow the government to access
more efficient ways of accomplishingthese goals. Addi- encrypted files. In 1988, the NSA again had its role ex-
tionally, the IRS has investigative and undercover arms, panded with the inclusion of “an operations security train-
and agents have been known to travel the world to un- ing mission.”
cover schemes involving the defrauding of the govern- In 1972 the Central Security Service was created to
ment and to apprehend those who abuse the United States’ deal exclusively with cryptology, providing a more
banking and revenue services. centralized and consequently unified “coding” staff to
Unlike the other agencies listed here, the IRS is an service the Department of Defense. The C S S is a
organization unto itself, although it does fall under the division within the NSA, responsible to the director of
auspices of the United States Department of the Treasury. the latter.
The IRS has offices established throughout the country on The Agency’s two primary missions are to maintain
three organizational levels: national, regional, and district. the security of information systems within the United
Additionally, service centers are located in every major States, particularly in the military, and an ill-defined
city throughout the U.S.Since the IRS is a decentralized and amorphous “foreign intelligence mission”, about
organization, most agency personnel and activities are as- which very little data is available. It seems probable
signed to field offices. that this foreign intelligence mission concerns code-
IRS personnel must have at least a high school de- breaking, but as the next century grows near, the for-
gree, and many hold four-year and advanced degrees as eign intelligence mission will doubtlessly expand to
well. Auditors have extensive understanding of both ac- include economic and high-tech information as well.
counting and tax law, and are renowned for their atten- Indeed, an argument can be made that this is what the
tion to detail. NSA is currently doing.
NSA resources are enormous, although the organi-
LANA CONTRARES, IRS Special investigator, Miami, zation itself seems quite small. With access to all of the
Florida, age 37
latest technology, multiple CRAY super-computers,
STR9 CON12 SiZ10 iNT15 POW14
DEX12 APP14 EDU16 SAN70 HP11
and some of the finest minds in the United States, the
information the NSA produces is invariably accurate;
Damage Bonus: None
its interpretation, however, is another matter. In the
Weapons: .38 revolver 20%, damage Gulf War, the NSAplayed a substantial part in targeting
ld10 allied attacks against Iraq, and the agency’s access to
Skills: Accounting 85%, Computer satellite photography certainly contributed to the selec-
Use 67%. Credit Rating 49%, Drive
Auto 30%, Law 68%, Library Use
tion of targets.
62%, Listen 37%, Persuade 35%,
Psychology 27%, Sneak 31‘Yo,Spot
Hidden 79%; Languages: English
65%, Spanish 77%

I ’ I
 Government -35

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SPIES GONE? intimate relationship already established by most major intelli-
The Cold War did not herald the end of espionage organiza- gence services with the major drug traffickers of the world,
tions; it merely changed their priorities. Intelligence agencies many operations directors are hesitant to fulfill their govern-
are primarilyvessels of government policy, and one need merely ments’ orders for fear of what their one-time allies might do.
look at the daily paper to see where a specific government‘s Bribes and kickbacks abound, and there are too many skele-
concerns lie. Information is the name of the spy game, and tons in each country’s espionage closet. No one wants to be the
governments always want to know what the Other Guy is doing, person to open the door and start spring cleaning.
even if the other guy is this week‘s ally. While the demand for Today intelligence gathering takes a higher priority than
military information has decreased, the interest in technological operations. Every government knows that informationis power,
and economic intelligence certainly hasn’t. In fact, the fiercest and when two nations sit down across from one another at a
espionage battles are indeed being fought on those two fronts. bargaining table, you can be certain the representatives have
Then there are the terrorist threats, something which con- been fully briefed. Espionage was never a “nice” business; just
cerns every government. A majority of intelligence resources because the Cold War ended doesn’t mean that‘s changed.
are dedicated to the the tracking, monitoring, and eradication of Blackmail is a tool of policy, and in an era of satellite photogra-
terrorist cells that in some way oppose government policy. phy so detailed that license plates can be read from orbit, there
Some of these cells received secret aid-money, weapons, are very few human secrets still kept safe. Double agents are
training, even intelligencein exchange for disrupting foreign still being run, moles are still burrowing into their enemies’ lairs,
governments that were deemed to be enemies. But once their and sleepers are still waiting for the wake-up call that will send
purpose was completed, the cells didn’t necessarily disappear them to work.
and whither away without their original backing. Rather, many Intelligence organizations share a unique relationship with
terrorist groups have demonstrated remarkable longevity, and their parent governments, however. To performtheir duties they
through their relationships with other espionage agencies have must have a significant freedom, a freedom to take actions that
learned enough tricks of the trade to survive. Sometimes they are often immoral or outright illegal; whether their parent gov-
even beat their parents at their own game. ernment likes it or not, intelligenceagencies will take action to
And there’s drugs, a multi-billion dollar industry that has reach their government‘s proscribed goals. Of all governmental
more effect on the world economy than any defense plant arms, in fact, it is the intelligence branch that most likely has had
closure. The irony in this is that much of the drug trade was significant Mythos contact. The spy agencies of the world may
financed and streamlined by the intelligence agencies of the be the shock-troops thrown into the breach while other meas-
major powers. The heroin trade is booming as a direct result of ures are taken to halt the Mythos spread.
first French and then American interference in Southeast Asia- By the same token, and again by their very nature, espio-
in fact, these two countries’ intelligence services fought openly nage agencies are possibly the most susceptible to Mythos
in Southeast Asia during the 1950s. The irony is bitter, as the corruption in its many guises. If infonation is the name of their
same agencies that once promoted narcotics are now tasked by game, power is the instrument they use to collect it.
their besieged governments to destroy them. With such an

Dr. RUSSELL GORDON, JR., NSA Analyst, age 54 ligence Agency is the President’s chief intelligence advi-
STR 10 CON 11 SIZ9 INT17 POW16 sor, and the position is appointed by the President with the
DEX13 APPlO EDU20 SAN80 HPlO consent of the Senate.
Damage Bonus: None Directed by either the President or the National Secu-
Skills: Accounting 62%, Astronomy rity Council, the CIA is tasked with the following duties:
32%, Chemistry 45%, Computer Use advising the National Security
87%, Credit Rating 32%, Cryptogra- Council and the President in in-
phy 84%, Electronics 67%, History
39%, Law 24%, Library Use 88%,
telligence matters relating to na-
Persuade 35%, Physics 21’70, Spot tional security; recommending
Hidden 51%; Languages: English coordination of intelligence ac-
85%, Farsi 44%, German 77%, Ko- tivities between different gov-
rean 57%, Mandarin Chinese 46%.
Spanish 77% ernment divisions; correlating
and evaluating intelligence gath-
I R I
ered abroad and determining the
appropriate dissemination of the same; performing for
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY other intelligence agencies services approved by the Na-
tional Security Council; collecting, producing, and dis-
As with the NSA, the CIA is an intelligence organization,
seminating counterintelligence and foreign intelligence,
and as such offers very little of itself for public inspection.
including information “not readily available”;collecting,
Established in 1947 with the death of its parent organiza-
producing, and disseminating information on current nar-
tion, the OSS (Office of Special Services), the CIA col-
cotics trafficking and production outside of the United
lects, evaluates, and disseminates “vital” information on
States; coordinating and conducting counterintelligence
military, political, scientific, economic, and other devel-
activities as seen fit to safeguard the national security;
opments outside the United States as deemed necessary to
conducting special operations approved by the President;
insure national security. The director of the Central Intel-
contracting and researching new technical systems and
36 - 1990’s Handbook

devices relating to other CIA work; protecting the

security of its installations, activities, information, TERRORISM
property, and employees through investigations of ap- The end of World War IIand the beginning of the Cold War
plicants, employees, etc.; and performing other func- saw a rapid increase in terror tactics by small organiza-
tions and duties relating to intelligence as the National tions trying to effect political change. With the Cold War
over, terrorist groups have become the major focus of
Security Council directs. most intelligence agencies throughout the world. Although
As one can see, these duties are a catch-all. A cou- most terror groups seem to be motivated by Middle East-
ple of points-the CIA is authorized to steal informa- ern concerns, there are many other organizations at-
tion if it is otherwise “unavailable.” Within the United tempting to effect change in other parts of the worid-no
States, the CIA may not engage in intelligence or coun- less violent, but much less frequently noted. In fact, there
terintelligence operations; that is the domain of the are very few countries on Earth that do not have multiple
terrorist groups working within their borders.
FBI. Finally, the CIA has no powers of arrest or sub- Small, fanatical organizations whose members make
poena nor, in fact, any law enforcement powers at all. frequent trips to different countries, who have frequent
Still, they are perhaps the single most powerful intelli- entanglements with law enforcement agencies, and who
gence service in the world, and if they don’t know the are suspected of using violence are closely observed by
answer to a specific question, you can bet they’ll pull national and internationallaw enforcement. The terrorist
out the stops trying to get it. Undoubtedly divided into threat in the world is very real and very constant, and
targeted governmentswon’t hesitateto use their big guns
intelligence gathering/analysis divisions comple- to deal with these threats. Investigators that rely on fire-
mented by an operational arm, the CIA is awesomely power and illegal actions will often find themselves identi-
powerful on a human scale. Where they stand in rela- fied as a threat, and most likely will not be given enough
tion to the Great Old Ones is a subject of much debate time to explain the misunderstanding while being raided
among current Mythos scholars. Through their unique by the SAS or GSG-9, groups with a standard operating
relationship with the National Security Council, the procedure of shooting first and apologizing later.
CIA can request personnel appropriate for almost any
task imaginable.
Vice President-elect, and members of their immediate
RANDAL HORNE, Head of CIA Station, Lima, Peru, age 39
families. Protection is also extended to major candidates,
STR13 CON14 SIZ14 INT15 POW16
DEX16 APPl4 EDU17 SAN80 HP14
former Presidents and their spouses (although spousal
protection terminates when and if the spouse remarries),
Damage Bonus: +ld4
children of a former President until age 16,visiting heads
Weapons: .25 automatic 65%, damage ld6
of foreign states or governments, and other distinguished
Small Knife 48%, damage 1d4 + db
FisVPunch 84%, damage ld3 + db visitors to the United States. Finally, Secret Service pro-
Kick 66%, damage ld6 + db tection is extended to official representatives of the
Head Butt 47%, damage l d 4 + db United States performing special tasks abroad, as directed
Skills: Bargain 48%, Climb 32%, by the President. This security is comprehensive, and in-
Computer Use 32%, Conceal 24%, cludes all aspects of the individual in question’s life.
Disguise 55%, Dodge 64%, Drive Agents are required to hold a bachelor’s degree
Auto 35%, Fast Talk 61%, First Aid
21%, Hide 69%, Library Use 44%, from an accredited institution, must pass vigorous writ-
Listen 78%, Locksmith 19%, Per- ten and oral tests, and weather an intensive background
suade 81% Psychology 63%, check before being accepted into the service. Agents
Sneak 42%, Spot Hidden 85%;
Languages: English 75%, Japa- receive their basic training at the Glenco, Georgia Fed-
nese 33%, Spanish 84% eral Law Enforcement Training Center and then pro-
ceed to advanced training in Beltsbill, Maryland. Basic
SECRET SERVICE training covers standard law enforcement techniques,
One of the smallest federal law enforcementagencies, the including personal safety and defense. Advanced train-
Secret Service employs somewhere in the neighborhood ing covers all aspects of forgery and counterfeiting cur-
of 2,000 agents worldwide. Se- rently known to the Treasury Department, with visits to
cret Service agents, or Treasury the major printing centers of bills and coins in the
agents, fulfill two distinct law United States and a trip to the Crane Paper Company in
enforcement roles in the United Massachusetts, where the paper used in U.S. bills is
States. As a division of the Treas- manufactured. This training culminates in agents coun-
ury Department, they investigate terfeiting their own currency. The protective training is
all crimes concerning forms of some of the best in the world, and agents leave the
U.S. currency, from forgery to program trained to do the unnatural: When somebody
credit card fraud. Additionally, pulls a gun, they don’t duck. Instead, they present a
the Secret Service is responsible for providing protection large target and offer themselves as an alternative to the
to the President, Vice President, the President-elect, the principal being protected.
 Government-37

HARLAN LOWENSTEIN, Secret Service Advance Team threatened or targeted government witnesses; transporta-
Leader, Washington, D.C., age 42
tion and custody of thousands of federal prisoners annu-
STR14 CON12 SIZ16 INT13 POW14 ally; seizing property and funds forfeited by drug
DEX16 APP9 EDU15 SAN60 HP14
traffickers and other criminals; and executing federal
Damage Bonus: +ld4
court orders of search, seizure, and arrest.
Weapons: 9mm automatic (SigSauer P228) 77%,damage ldlO
Club (ASP Baton) 49%, damage ld8 + db
Additionally, there is a Special Operations Group of
FisVPunch 54%, damage l d 3 + db the Marshals Service that responds to emergency situ-
Grapple 87%, special ations like civil disturbances, terrorist incidents, and other
Special Equipment: Two-way crisis situations. The SOG is trained in restoring order in
voice-activated radio, fixed fre- riot and mob situations.
quency to Treasury Department se- Marshal and Deputy Marshal requirements are similar
cured line; ear-piece; lapel pin; la-
pel mike to those for other federal law enforcement agencies, in-
cluding the mandatory bachelor’s degree, physical re-
Skills: Accounting 45%, Art 41%,
Bargain 29%, Climb 48%, Dodge quirements, and training. Marshals are trained at the
53%. Drive Auto 66%, Engraving Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glenco,
59%, Fast Talk 36%, Hide 29%, Georgia, and advanced training is received later depend-
Law 64%,Library Use 34%, Listen
62%, Persuade 41%, Psychology ing on the individual’s posting. Basic training covers fed-
43%, Sneak 42%, Spot Hidden 81%; Languages: English 65%, eral law, personal protection, and standard law
German 22% enforcement techniques, with the ubiquitous personal
safety and defense training.
MARSHALS SERVICE Much has been made of the Marshals Service as a
The oldest of the U.S.A.’s federal law enforcement agen- protective organization in the past several years, includ-
cies, established in 1789, the Marshals Service links the ing their presence at abortion clinics in Florida to protect
executive and judicial branches doctors and patients threatened with violence. It must be
of the government. A total of 95 remembered, though, that their primary training is in ap-
Federal Marshals are appointed prehension, not protection. Further, the U.S. Marshals
by the president, each responsi- Service has a Canadian Mountie-like reputation of “al-
ble for a federal judicial district ways getting their man”, and are known for the dogged
nationwide, from Guam to and persistent pursuit of felon and escapee alike.
Alaska. Each Marshal is backed
by a support staff of Deputy KEIRDON PAYDEN, Sub-office Manager, Laramie,
Marshals, with roughly 3,500of Wyoming, age 48
these personnel throughout the service. A Marshal’s re- STR15 CON11 SIZ14 INT13 POW11
gion is defined by judicial district, and as such varies in DEXl2 APP14 EDU16 SAN55 HP13
size depending on location. The state of Oregon, for ex- Damage Bonus: +ld4
ample, has only one Federal Marshal based out of Weapons: 9mm Automatic (HK-P7) 66%, damage ld10
Portland, with sub-offices in other cities throughout the Small Knife 44%, daamage 1d4 + l d 4
FisVPunch 69%, damage l d 3 + l d 4
state staffed by one to five Deputy Marshals each. There Grapple 38%, damage special
are a total of 427 office locations in the United States and Kick 52%, damage l d 6 + l d 4
its dominions.
Skills: Bargain 33%, Climb 57%,
The Marshals Service is present in almost every as- Computer Use l6%, Dodge 48%,
pect of the federal justice system. Duties include provid- Drive Auto 60%, Fast Talk 43%,
ing support, protection, and security for over 700 federal Hide 47%, Jump 43%, Law So%,
Listen 47%, Persuade 29%, Psy-
courts and approximately 2,000 federal judges and mag- chology 53%, Ride 54%, Sneak
istrates; providing protection to other trial participants 41%, Spot Hidden 63%, Track
such as attorneys, jurors, and witnesses; apprehending 74%; Languages: English 65%; Lak-
ota 23%
federal fugitives; operation of the Federal Witness Secu-
rity Program, and ensuring the safety and survival of
 ~

38 - 1990’s Handbook

The Armed Forces

Herein are contained rules and background for incorporating the
American military into modern campaigns.

M i l i t a r y Service in the U.S.

T” E MILITARY in our modern world is one of the
most visible, expensive, and oftentimes controver-
sial national institutions. Military organizations in-
creasingly are microcosms of society, particularly in the
industrialized nations of the world. This is not surpris-
In the United States military training and experience is
voluntary and, in fact, many individuals fund their college
education by dedicating four or more years to military
ing-the military has everything: doctors, lawyers, me- service. Additionally, many former military service per-
chanics, secret agents, and police, as well as infantry, jet sonnel, as well as lifelong “weekend warriors”, serve in
pilots, and commandos. Since the military of any given the Reserves and National Guard. The Guard and Re-
country is normally a large employer, providing opportu- serves usually act in supporting roles for military opera-
nities for work, education, and career development, and tions and are employed in a variety of disaster relief roles.
because, in most countries outside of the United States, The military in the United States is dedicated to serving
military service is mandatory for a year or more, the the interests of the nation, usually under the supervision
chance of running into someone with military experience of the civilian administration, and builds soldiers on a
is quite high. model of honor, duty, and country.
In several European countries military service is man- There are problems, however. While the military
datory for young males for one or two years as enlisted urges its soldiers to strive for some of humanity’s high-
servicemen. Officers are usually drawn from military est goals, it also demands that they surrender them-
academies or other locations where an individual has in- selves to some of its basest motivations-to kill
dicated a commitment to the military as a career. Standing without remorse, to dehumanize the enemy, and to fol-
armies are generally small in this context, being voluntary low orders without thought. While there is much to be
and professionally oriented, depending on the reserves in said of the nobility inherent in service and sacrifice to
times of trouble. Militaries in parts of Asia, Africa, and the military, one cannot escape the inherent brutality
Latin America follow the general European pattern of which is enshrined in its rituals, training, and goals.
organization, but these armed forces are quite distinct in These factors are as present as the precepts of duty,
their mission from their European counterparts. honor, and country.
Still, if the armed forces must appeal to and em-
Corrupt Militaries brace the darker traits of humanity, as an institution, it
has also provided significant opportunities to over-
Outside of the modern industrialized countries the mili-
come adversity through career choices. The military in
tary’s role frequently is to protect the interests of the
the United States strives to offer its troops unlimited
ruling elite from those of the general population, rather
opportunities, making it a curious bastion of both liber-
than to protect the population as a whole. There are many
alism and discrimination. Soldiers from diverse back-
corrupt militaries that serve the vested interests of the
grounds have risen to high rank, winning great honors
wealthy, the influential, and the criminal (quite often all
through their service. At the same time, soldiers have
one and the same). Most such regimes are in a constant
been beaten down, abused, humiliated, and destroyed,
state of conflict with those who oppose their domination.
simply on the basis of their identities.
Frequently, these militaries have at their disposal state-of-
the-art equipment and munitions that have been obtained The military in the United States is a tiny universe,
but not an exact replica of U.S. society. It contains in
from the world’s arms market with or without external aid
many ways more of the best and more of the worst, and
from the former Cold War giants. Discipline, esprit de
for this reason it is a likely breeding ground for inves-
corps, and professionalism vary in these armed forces, but
tigators and for inscrutable events hidden from the
those officers and soldiers which have been trained by
public eye.
former Cold War allies are often among the best in the
world. Most military troops, however, are poorly trained,
poorly motivated conscripts who serve out of fear and a
sense of knowing where their next meal comes from.
 Armed Forces -39

Investigators with Military Generating Military

Backgrounds Characters
Players choosing to make the military part of their back- The following are basic guidelines for the groups that
ground gain a number of advantages. A military back- comprise the United States Armed Forces. Much of the
ground may offer an investigator specialized skills and information will also be useful for generating characters
training in survival and combat, as well as useful and from other nationalities, but it may require some adjust-
informative contacts. Participation in the Reserves or Na- ment. For many of the backgrounds there are significant
tional Guard will bring routine familiarity with military skill points available-benefits from rigorous training
exercises and weaponry, without unduly keeping an in- and heavy investment by the military. Such benefits
vestigator from his main line of work. should be balanced by the requirements the government
There is, however, a price for all of this. As a branch will exact from such individuals. In most cases, specially
of the federal government the trained military personnel should not be available for
military keeps extensive re- solving mysteries and investigating Mythos enigmas un-
cords, accessible to all other fed- less a clear military objective has been identified.
eral and most law enforcement These templates include skill lists on which investiga-
agencies. The investigator who tors spend their background points as usual. There are also
wants to keep his paper trail to a specialty skills in which the military ensures that the serv-
minimum doesn’t have a chance. ice person has a minimum qualifying level. The investi-
Military service will leave the gator either receives the minimum score to meet the level
player exceedingly traceable, if of expertise, or the Keeper may assign a skill percentage
for no other reason than that the within the range of that skill level. Players may assign
military likes to keep track of its background points to these skills as well, increasing them
own, whether they are currently from the minimum proficiency level.
enlisted or a veteran. Investiga-
tors that are active in the military, SAILORS
Reserves, or National Guard are These are the enlisted members of the Navy and Coast
at the beck and call of their gov- Guard, from Seaman to Master Chief Petty Officer. They
ernment, and must recognize are the basic staff and crew for ships and installations
that to a greater or lesser degree, operated by the Navy. Sailors are part of an independent
their lives are not their own. society that has its own police, cooks, mechanics, journal-
Active military must adhere ists, and so on.
to the chain of command, and For career sailors distribute background points as
specially trained soldiers such as usual. A bonus of 10 points each should be granted to
Rangers, Special Forces, or In- Swim, Navigate, and one Pilot skill. Career sailors also
telligence operatives are strictly receive three skills, considered their specializations: two
controlled and are expected to at a professional (50%-70%) level and one at an expert
repay the extreme investment (75%-85%) level; these are often interrelated based on
Uncle Sam has put into them the role of the sailor (e.g., a gunnery Petty Officer
with absolute loyalty, account- might have Artillery, Mechanical Repair and Operate
ability, and availability. Even if Heavy Machinery).
an investigator is only part-time Investigators using the Navy or Coast Guard as part of
military, he cannot count on hav- their background should distribute their occupation back-
ing an unencumbered life. Train- ground points in their primary occupation. For their mili-
ing and practice exercises are tary experience they distribute 10 occupation points
mandatory, and missing them, among their military skills per year in the armed forces
especially without permission, (usually a minimum of four years) and gain three skills,
can have severe repercussions. considered their specializations, at a novice (20%-40%)
Keepers should remind investi- level. Add the years spent in military service to the inves-
gators involved with the military tigator’s base age.
that they can and will be called Skills: Fist/Punch, Grapple, Handgun, Head Butt,
upon at a moment’s notice. Cruel Kick, Knife, Navigate, Pilot Boat, Pilot Ship, Rifle, Sub-
Keepers may wish to make an machine Gun, Swim, Throw.
occasional Luck roll on behalf of Specializations:Accounting, Artillery, Climb, Com-
the investigators. puter Use, Conceal, Electric Repair, Electronics, First
Aid, Heavy Weapons, Law, Library Use, Listen, Machine
Gun, Mechanical Repair, Operate Heavy Machinery,
Other Language, SCUBA Diving, Sneak, Spot Hidden.
40 - 1990’s Handbook

SOLDIERWMARINES OFFICERS
This background broadly represents enlisted troops from Officers come from many different backgrounds, al-
Private to Sergeant Major of the Army, Marines, and Air though the bulk of the officer corps are compiled from
Force. These individuals are the infantry, armor, artillery, ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) programs at
combat engineers, medics, military police, mechanics, universities and officer training schools that promote
and electronic specialists which keep the Army, Marines, from the enlisted ranks. A few prestigious and elite offi-
and Air Force in business. Many non-commissioned offi- cers, perhaps 10%-20%, come from military academies.
cers (NCO’s) are career military, but the bulk of these In the United States, these include the Air Force Academy,
individuals are short-timers who do their stint and get out Annapolis, the Coast Guard Academy, and West Point.
to take their skills into civilian life. Most reservists and Officers, whether in the Air Force, Army, Marines,
guardsmen have this sort of background, rather than more Navy, or Coast Guard, provide the basic leadership and
intensive specialized training. administration for their branches of the armed forces.
To generate career military service personnel, They also provide the doctors and lawyers which serve
distribute background points as usual. Distribute an addi- the military community in times of war and peace. Many
tional 50 bonus points among combat skills. Career mili- officers receive even more specialized training as pilots and
tary also receive three skills considered their leaders of commando and Special Forces teams, and they
specializations at a professional (50%-70%) level; these are covered under the descriptions of those backgrounds.
are often interrelated based on the role of the soldier (e.g., Career officers distribute their background points as
an MP (Military Police)-Law, Psychology, and Spot usual. They get 50 bonus points to distribute among their
Hidden; a tank driver-Artillery, Mechanical Repair, and administrative or command skills (e.g., Computer Use,
Operate Heavy Machinery; or any other variations the Persuade, etc.). Career officers also start with three spe-
Keeper deems appropriate). cializations at a professional (50%-70%) level and one at
Investigators using the military as part of their back- an expert (75%-85%) level. At the Keeper’s option,
ground should distribute their occupation background graduates of the prestigious military academies may add
points in their primary occupation. For their military ex- 10%to their Credit Rating.
perience, 10 occupation points should be distributed Investigators having formerly been a military officer
among their military skills per year in the armed forces distribute their occupation background points in their pri-
(usually a minimum of four years) and investigators also mary occupation. For their military experience they dis-
gain three skills considered their specializations at a nov- tribute 10 occupation points among their military skills
ice (20%-40%)level. Add the years spent in military serv- per year in the armed forces and gain four skills consid-
ice to the investigator’s base age. ered their specializations at a novice (20%-40%)level.
Skills: Bayonet, FistRunch, Grapple, Handgun, Head Add the years spent in military service to the investiga-
Butt, Kick, Knife, Rifle, Submachine Gun, Throw. tor’s base age, with a minimum of four years.
Specializations: Accounting, Artillery, Computer Skills: Accounting, Computer Use, Credit Rating,
Use, Conceal, Drive Auto, Drive Motorcycle,Drive Tank, Dodge, Fast Talk, Fisflunch, Grapple, Handgun, Head
Electric Repair, Electronics, First Aid, Heavy Weapons, Butt, Jump, Kick, Navigate, Persuade, Psychology, Rifle,
Law, Library Use, Listen, Machine Gun, Mechanical Re- Submachine Gun.
pair, Navigate, Operate Heavy Machinery, Other Lan- Specializations: Bargain, Hide, History, Medicine,
guage, Sneak, Spot Hidden. Law, Library Use, Listen, Other Language, Pilot Boat,
Pilot Ship, Sneak, Spot Hidden.
Corporal GUADALUPE “Lupe” SALAZAR, U.S. Army MP,
Fort Bliss, Texas, age 20 INTELLIGENCE
STR12 CON13 SIZ11 INT12 POW10
DEX14 APPl5 EDU13 SAN50 HP12
Military planning relies heavily on information gathered
by its own network of operatives and contacts and proc-
Damage Bonus: None
essed by its analysts. While some intelligence does come
Weapons: Beretla Model 92s 9mm 8O%, damage l d l O
from the CIA and NSA, the different armed forces in the
Nightstick 50%, damage l d 6 + db
FisVPunch 75%, damage 1d3 + db United States train and maintain their own intelligence
Grapple 8O%, special personnel in espionage, satellite data analysis, reconnais-
Kick 50%, damage 1d6 + db sance, and tactical analysis of conventional and uncon-
Skills: Computer Use 6O%, Drive Mo- ventional conflict zones. Organizations include the De-
torcycle 70%, First Aid 40%, Law fense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which coordinates mili-
50%, Listen 40%, Rifle 6O%, Spot Hid- tary intelligence and assigns military attaches to U. S .
den 45%, Submachine Gun 50%.
Throw 70%; Languages: English embassies; the U. S. Army Intelligence and Security
65%, Spanish 40% Command (INSCOM); the Office of Naval Intelligence
(ONI); the Air Force Intelligence Service (AFIS); the Na-
tional Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which runs spy sat-
 Armed Forces -41

ellites and military payloads in the space program; and Skills: Computer Use, Dodge, First Aid, Fist/Punch,
U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence. Grapple, Handgun, Head Butt, Jump, Kick, Navigate,
There are also investigative arms for each branch of Parachute, Pilot Airliner, Pilot Civil Prop, Pilot Helicop-
the armed forces: Criminal Investigative Division (CID) ter, Pilot Jet Fighter, Rifle, Spot Hidden, Submachine Gun.
in the Army, Naval Investigative Services (NIS) for the Specializations: Elec tr ic a1 Rep air, Electronics ,
Navy and the Marines, Office of Special Investigations Heavy Weapons, Listen, Machine Gun, Mechanical Re-
(OSI) in the Air Force, and Coast Guard Investigations pair, Psychology, Sneak, Swim.
(CGI). During peacetime they deal primarily with inter-
nal affairs, but in time of war they can also be called upon Major ROBERT FRANKLIN, Air Force Pilot, Special Test
for intelligence duties. Squadron Leader (Area 51), Groom Lake, Nevada, age 30
For officers, distribute background points as usual. STR11 CON12 SIZ10 INT15 POW13
DEX16 APPl3 EDU20 SAN65 HP11
Divide 50 bonus points among knowledge skills (e.g.,
Damage Bonus: None
Library Use, Other Language, Psychology, etc.). Pick
three specializations to start at a professional (50%-70%) Weapons: FisVPunch 75%,
damage 1d3 + db
level. For enlisted personnel, generate as per the instruc- Beretta Model 92s 9mm 6O%,
tions for Soldiermarine, but use the skills and specializa- damage l d l O
tions lists below. Grapple 45%, special
Skills: Computer Use, Fist/Punch, Grapple, Hand- Skills: Computer Use 70%,
gun, Head Butt, Kick, Library Use, Other Language, Per- Credit Rating 35%, Dodge
suade, Psychology, Rifle, Submachine Gun, Throw. 62%, Fast Talk 55%, First Aid
50%, Heavy Weapons 6O%,
Specializations: Accounting, Disguise, Electronics, Jump 65%, Listen So%, Ma-
Forgery, Law, Locksmith, Medicine, Navigate, Sneak, chine Gun 40%, Navigate
Spot Hidden. 80%. Parachute 6O%, Physics
35%, Pilot Jet Fighter 85%,
Spot Hidden 60%, Swim 45%
Lieutenant HAROLD FONG, CGI Detective, Coast Guard
Island, Alameda, California, age 25
RANGER/AIRBOKNE COMMANDO
STR10 CON14 SIZ15 INT15 POW12
DEX13 APP10 EDU16 SAN60 HP15 These are elite fighting forces, used for both frontal as-
Damage Bonus: +ld4 saults and missions behind enemy lines. They must be
ready to participate in reconnaissance, raids, disruption of
Weapons: Beretta Model 92s 9mm
70%, damage ld10 enemy communications and supplies, and spearheading
FisVPunch 60%, damage l d 3 + db major offensives at a moment’s notice. In general, Rang-
Grapple 50%, special ers/Airborne Commandos are voluntary career choices.
Skills: Accounting 45%, Computer Distribute occupation points as usual. Add 75 bonus
Use 50%. Credit Rating 20%, Drive points distributed among any combat or survival skills.
Automobile 50%, Dodge 36%, Fast Take one specialization at a professional (50%-70%) level
Talk 40%. First Aid So%, Law 75%,
Library Use So%, Listen So%, Lock- and one at a novice (20%-40%) level.
smith 20%, Mechanical Repair Skills: Bayonet, Climb, Conceal, Dodge, Fist/Punch,
30%, Navigate 40%, Persuade Grapple, Handgun, Head Butt, Heavy Weapons, Hide,
6O%, Photography 50%, Psychol-
ogy 55%, Rifle 45, Sneak So%, Kick, Knife, Listen, Navigate, Parachute, Rifle, Sneak,
Spot Hidden 50%, Submachine Spot Hidden, Submachine Gun, Throw.
Gun 45%; Languages: Chinse (Canto1lese) 40%; English 75% Specializations: Computer Use, Demolitions, First
Aid, Machine Gun, Martial Arts, Mechanical Repair, Op-
PILOTS
erate Heavy Machinery, Other Language, Psychology,
Pilots serve in all branches of the armed forces, be they of Tracking.
jet fighters, bombers, transports, reconnaissance planes,
or helicopters. All play a vital role in military missions, SPECIAL FOKCES/SPFEIAL OPERATIONS
but the fighter jocks tend to be the darlings of the armed Special Operations, or Special Forces, personnel are the
forces. These pilots are also officers, but receive special
elite of the elite. These are the most highly trained and
treatment and consideration because of their extensive edu-
experienced NCO’s and officers in the armed forces. They
cation and training. Note: Pilots must usually not be over
are trained for a variety of missions, including counter-
SIZ 15 and must have a minimum INT and DEX of 15. They
terrorism, counterinsurgency, low intensity conflict, sabo-
also must have a minimum uncorrected vision of 20120. tage, training of insurgents, support of espionage mis-
Pilots distribute background points as usual. They re- sions, assassination, and any other mission deemed nearly
ceive 75 bonus points to distribute only to piloting and impossible. These are all-volunteer forces made up of
piloting-related skills. Pilots choose one specialization to career soldiers who are superior in every way; the training
start at a novice (20%-40%) level, and one at a profes- is difficult and frequently dangerous. Any investigator
sional (50%-70%) level. with this as his (or much less frequently her) background
42 - 1990’s Handbook
will be a very skilled charactercapable of wreaking havoc The Reserves and National
in most conventional and unconventional situations,
and will therefore be watched and counted on by the
Guard
government. Special Operations Investigators may be members of the Armed Forces Re-
forces in the United States serves or National Guard. They are required to participate
include the Delta Force, the in frequent (once or twice a
Green Berets, Special month) weekend training and
Operations Squadrons, Aero- practice sessions, and also are
space Rescue and Recovery expected to attend yearly maneu-
Squadrons, Navy SEALS, and vers which may take a week or
the Marine Corps Force Recon. Other countries with simi- more. Unless part of a story,
lar forces include the UK’s Special Air Service (SAS) and there is no need for the Keeper to
Royal Marine Special Boat Service (SBS); France’s role-play these exercises, but
Groupe d’Intervention Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN); participating investigators
Israel’s Unit 269, Sayaret Matkal, and Kommando Yomi; should be credited with using
and Russia’s Spetsnaz units. their military skills and receive
Note: To have this occupation the investigator must experience rolls in the ones that
have a minimum CON, INT, and EDU of 15. Remember, the Keeper deems were chal-
these operatives are valued and watched closely by the lenged during the various drills.
government and are not free to act too independently. For monthly service this may be
Special Operations characters get double occupa- one to three skills. For more ad-
tional background points (40x EDU). They also receive vanced and lengthy actions the
two specializations at a professional (50%-70%)level and investigator may check six to ten skills, always at the
two at an expert (75%-85%) level. Officers frequently discretion of the Keeper. This can be done outside of the
hold advanced degrees, sometimes multiple ones. main sessions for ease, or perhaps a solo adventure can be
Skills: Climb, Computer Use, Conceal, Demolitions, run for the investigator.
Dodge, Electrical Repair, Fast Talk, First Aid, Fist/Punch,
Grapple, Handgun, Head Butt, Heavy Weapons, Hide,
Jump, Kick, Knife, Listen, Machine Gun, Martial Arts, New Skills
Mechanical Repair, Navigate, Psychology, Rifle, Shot-
Artillery (00%): With this skill the investigator may oper-
gun, Sneak, Spot Hidden, Submachine Gun, Swim, ate properly any of a number of large caliber guns, from
Throw, Track. howitzers and tank guns to autocannons.
Specializations: Artillery, Disguise, Electronics, For- Demolitions (00%): Investigators with this skill are able
gery, Locksmith, Medicine, Operate Heavy Machinery, to set explosive charges and create explosive booby
Other Language, Parachute, Pilot Boat, Pilot Civil Prop, traps. They know how to effectively use explosives to
Pilot Helicopter, Pilot Jet Fighter, Scuba Diving. demolish vehicles and buildings, and they are aware of
how to disarm explosive devices.
Lieutenant ERIC WEST, USN SEAL, SEAL Team M o ,on Disguise (05%): The ability to change one’s appearance
Assignment in Persian Gulf, age 28 through make-up, clothing, accessories, or attitude to
STR16 CON18 SIZ15 INT16 POW15 avoid notice or to pass oneself off as something one is
DEX15 APP14 EDUl8 SAN75 HP17 not.
Damage Bonus: +ld4 Forgery (05%): This skill allows the user to create false
Weapons: FisVPunch 60%, damage l d 3 + db documents or signatures and have them accepted as
Grapple 6O%, special genuine.
Kick 60%. damage l d 6 + db Heavy Weapons (10%): This covers the use of heavy
Knife 50%, damage 1d4 + 2 + db military support weapons such as grenade, missile, and
Others as required for mission rocket launchers; flamethrowers; and mortars. These
completion. weapons may be of the portable or vehicle-mounted
Skills: Climb 6O%, Computer Use types.
25%, Conceal 50%, Demolitions
6O%, Dodge 6O%, Fast Talk 50%,
First Aid So%, Handgun6O%,
Heavy Weapons 60%, Hide 55%,
Islamic Literature 48%, Jump 50%,
Listen 50%, Martial Arts 40%, Navi-
gate 50%, Pilot Boat 75%, Pilot
Helicopter 50%, Psychology 6O%,
Rifle 6O%, Sneak 50%, Spot Hidden So%, Submachine Gun
70%, Scuba Diving So%, Swim So%, Throw 55%, Track 25%;
Languages: Arabic 75%,English 80%
 The Police
The continual presence of central authority in daily life, and some of
the limits of that authority.

LICE DEPARTMENTS and divisions vary all department worldwide strives to change this. It should

p” around the world, but one thing unifies them all-

police stand on the front line between those who
are in society and those who, for one reason or another,
also be remembered that the police must follow rigid
protocols in dealing with suspects and offenders. There is
very little room for interpretation of the law or their or-
have been left outside. Most cops will be quick to point ders; officers who break protocol or break ranks are very
out that the average person has no conception of what it’s often punished for it, either through peer exile or actual
like to be a cop, and, in fact, they’re probably right. Most administrative action.
people don’t see humanity at its worst on a regular basis, Finally, most police officers see what they do as a job
and the few people who do tend to avoid such revelations first and foremost. This is not to say that the idealist who
in the future. The police do this on a daily basis, so it is no
wishes to serve society does not wear a badge; rather, it is
wonder the Brotherhood is so tightly knit-soldiers who
important to remember that being a police officer is a
have survived wars together have relationships closer
than most family. secure job with a steady paycheck, fair benefits, and pos-
All this being said, the police are infinitely fallible, sible room for advancement. As a cop, one subscribes to
being human. Corruption exists, in some parts of the a certain “Us versus Them” attitude that is not at all dis-
world to a ridiculous extent. Resources are often tight, and similar to what soldiers .undergo during basic training.
more often than not the police are called to respond to a Being a member of a unique and special group gives most
symptom rather than the disease. Most policing is reactive police officers needed support and comfort. Those who
rather than preventative, although almost every police find an additional reward in helping others have a bonus.

What the Police Can and Can’t D o

The Police CAN: The Police CAN’T:
H Effect an arrest of a person given probable cause that H Detain a person for a substantial period without fur-
an infraction of the law has taken place. nishing probable cause for an arrest.
Effect a search and seizure after formally detaining a Force an individual to hand over identification or
suspect and obtain physical evidence from that per- other personal items while not arresting that person.
son without consent.
Effect a warrantless arrest without viewing the com- Stop a person longer than is reasonably necessary to
mission of a crime but with probable cause. fulfill the legitimate purposes of the stop.
H Use whatever reasonable non-lethal force is neces- Stop an individual on the basis of a hunch or any
sary to effect an arrest. other non-articulated suspicion.
Seize items in plain view without a search warrant H Arbitrarily search an individual or her belongings
when effecting an arrest. without either effecting an arrest or presenting prob-
able cause.
H Establish brief systematic stops at roadblocks and H Make random stops of vehicles on public roadways.
checkpoints.
Force an entry only when seeing a crime in progress H Frisk an individual without reasonable suspicion that
or with the belief that a suspect is within. a crime has taken or will take place.

Of course, this list could go on and on, and these vary from country to country. Most police departments, however,
remain very aware of the rights of the individual where such rights are protected by government legislation.
44 -1990’s Handbook

MIRANDA/ESCOBEDO Detective NICHOLAS TORO, NYPD Twenty-sixth Precinct,

age 44
In the United States, the MirandaIEscobedo decisions of STR13 CON13 SIZ14 INT12 POW11
1966 were received by the law enforcement community DEXS APP13 EDUl3 SAN55 HP14
as a death blow to the criminal investigation process. At a Damage Bonus: None
time when coercion, both physical and psychological,
was routinely used in interrogations, the Miranda and Weapons: .38 revolver 52%,
Escobedo decisions were delivered by the United States damage ld10
lthaca Pump-action 12-gauge
Supreme Court to insure that confessions made by sus- 42%, damage 4d6
pects were voluntary. Reasonably enough, the police re- FisVPunch 49%, damage 1d3 + db
action to the decisions (which required that a suspect
Skills: Bargain 41%, Climb 24%,
know his rights to counsel and silence, and that those Computer Use 22%, Dodge 32%,
rights extended to a police interrogation room) was al- Drive Auto 38%, Fast Talk 42%,
most unanimously negative. Who in his right mind would Forensics 39%, Law 46%, Library
Use 26%, Listen 48%, Occult
open his mouth and give a confession if he knew that 18%, Persuade 6l%, Psychology
keeping it shut was perfectly legal, and in fact the quickest 54%. Sneak 17%. SDot Hidden
way out of an interrogation, if not a conviction? Any 56%; Languages: English 6O%, Spanish 75%
attorney will tell you that there is no logical reason to
speak to a detective in an interrogation without having Modern Forensics
counsel present.
Most major police departments now have units specifi-
It’s amazing what people will talk about, however,
cally trained for crime scene analysis, with professionals
and police detectives, who are veritable professors of hu-
whose job it is to deliver a complete forensic evaluation
man nature, are virtuosos at convincing suspects to sign
of a crime scene, be it a bedroom, an alley, or the trunk of
their rights away in an interrogation. As most crimes are
a car. In smaller rural departments, detectives double up
solved on the basis of a confession in conjunction with
as forensic specialists, lifting prints themselves rather
physical evidence and eyewitness testimony, a majority of
than summoning a specialist to do the dirty work. Foren-
crimes in the United States would go unconvicted if the
sic work-ups are thorough, supplemented with photographs
interrogation process was crippled by the spirit of Mi-
and drawings of the crime scene and complete inventories
randfiscobedo. Instead, detectives follow the letter of
of all items at the location. Don’t be fooled-these people
the law, and once they have dispensed with that formality
won’t miss much, and they know how to look.
they begin their interrogations in earnest. It is through an
Since the crime scene evaluation is so vital to an in-
act of salesmanship unlike any known elsewhere in his-
vestigation, the process is carefully performed, in some
tory that a detective can convince a suspect to allow an
cases taking several hours. The investigation of John
interrogation to take place without representative counsel.
Wayne Gacy’s Chicago basement took over a week, for
All a suspect need do is demand a lawyer and the detec-
example. Anything that could be at all pertinent to the
tive must comply. That’s all a suspect need do. But so very
crime is examined and recorded.
often, they just don’t, convinced that asking for a lawyer
will only make matters worse. The forensic process is now a refined one. A mysteri-
ous stain can be tested quickly and easily in the field and
be identified in a matter of seconds as blood, human or
otherwise. Prints can be lifted from almost any surface
using the right equipment, and if the equipment isn’t
available, and the investigation warrants it, the item in
Miranda question can be forwarded to the FBI labs in Washington,
The Miranda Warning, as commonly presented in the
United States, is similar to this: D.C. for further analysis, where the Bureau maintains a
fingerprint database with over 193,000,000prints on file
You have the absolute right to remain silent.
and receives an additional 34,000+ sets of prints each
Anything you say or write can and may be used workday. With a fluoroscope and the appropriate aerosol,
against you in a court of law.
detectives can determine the existence of blood stains on
You have the right to talk with a lawyer at any time, concrete or other surfaces, even after the suspect surface
before any questioning, before answering any ques-
tions, or during any questions.
has been cleaned. The standard paraffin powder-residue
test has been replaced by a far more efficient one, using
If you want a lawyer and cannot afford to hire one, you
will not be asked any questions, and the court will be
pretreated swabs, that will reveal the presence of gunpow-
requested to appoint a lawyer for you. der on a suspect’s hands.
Forensic teams will often work a site with vacuum
cleaners that hold special bags, in order to collect fibers,
hairs, and other human detritus left at the scene for later
laboratory analysis and possible matching with a suspect.
The effort is significant, but the process is refined, and
 Police -45

such physical evidence is often vital to a detective who individuals except identical twins, and may be recovered
wishes to extract a confession. from blood and other body fluids, as well as tissues and
At the same time, modem ballistics is appallingly organs. To recover DNA from a strand of hair requires an
comprehensive. If a bullet can be recovered more or less intact strand, including the root. Specific laboratories are
intact, the police will be able to match it to its original required to extract and analyze DNA, and the process is
weapon if the gun is ever discovered. By the same token, expensive and not undertaken lightly, although this is
specific weapons may be identified through an examina- changing as its admissibility in court becomes more com-
tion of spent brass or bullets. Although shotgun slugs mon. Dr. Alec Jeffreys of the University of Leicester dis-
cannot be identified through the same procedure, spent covered the DNA “fingerprint” in 1984, but it wasn’t until
casings can be matched to their parent weapon. And if you a rape case in November 1987 that the procedure was used
think the gun is a problem, bear in mind that bullets are in court, leading to conviction. The Federal Bureau of
manufactured in lots, and lots can be traced to dealers, and Investigation became the first crime laboratory in the
dealers can be questioned about who was buying .45 ACP United States to offer DNA testing in December, 1988,
shells in, say, the last month. If the police have a partial and in collaboration with scientists from state and local
description of their suspect, even better. crime laboratories has developed the Combined DNA In-
dex System (CODIS), to be used in grouping serial rape
DNA ANALYSIS cases and sexual assault cases, and in identifying pre-
Analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid can positively match a viously unidentifiable corpses.
suspect to a crime scene or victim. DNA is unique in all
46 -1990’s Handbook

Criminals and Crime

Those elements of society that make the world dangerous, some of
whom perhaps are under the influence of a greater evil ...

The M a f i a
Organized Crime It is generally held that the Mafia began with the Sicilian
unification in 1860 that drove the Bourbon monarchy
from the island, as a band of freedom fighters that used
Organized crime, ever-present in human history, under- everything they had to liberate themselves. From this be-
went radical growth in the twentieth century. The actual ginning rapidly grew a semi-organized para-military
organizations are varied, but all share similar traits, and group of families that parceled up portions of that island
all, ultimately, have the same goals. Of the hundreds of nation and then began collecting money from a variety of
criminal groups operating in the world today, almost all ventures, including extortion, theft, and protection rack-
are influenced by or beholden to one of the Big Three (the ets. Those who opposed a particular mafia family’s requests
Mafia, the Triads, and the Yakuza), and it is this Big Three were most often murdered outright, publicly and grue-
that collectively have formed what is now referred to as somely. In fact, to be a true mfioso-a Man of Honor, or
the International Mafia. With the recent addition of vari- a made man-one must have committed murder. Those
ous Central and South American drug cartels, most often who kill with exceptional skill or “style” are called Men
collectively and erroneously labeled as the Columbians, of Valor. The prestige and respect granted those with these
organized crime affects every government on the planet titles comes from the rather peculiar homicide hierarchy
economically, socially, and politically. While the Mafia, of the Mafia-the more you murder, and the more impor-
the Triads, and the Yakuza all claim histories ranging back tant the victim, the greater the prestige.
hundreds of years, it has been only recently that law en- This works exceptionally well, as death is the ultimate
forcement and politicians throughout the world have be- tool of any terror organization, and the Mafia has time and
gun to identify the scope and nature of this threat. It was again made it clear that they are always willing to kill.
the 1980’s before the United States government officially The Mafia is most often seen as two divided organi-
acknowledged that the Mafia existed, and even now there zations, the American and the Sicilian factions. In the
are politicians in Italy who maintain there is no such group. 1920’s this was the case, with the American Mafia, or
These big three have a vested interest in portraying Cosa Nostra (“our affair”), existing as a separate entity
themselves as the champions of the common man, mod- rising from the immigrant mafiosi that fled Sicily when
ern-day Robin Hoods that strike at the rich for the greater driven out by other families. During Prohibition the
equality of all. In each culture this analogy is attempted American arm flourished, monopolizing trade in bootleg
and it ultimately fails, because the assertion is patently liquor, controlled loan sharking, gambling, and prostitu-
false, and an examination of any of these groups’ activi- tion. The Sicilian arm flourished as well, despite attempts
ties will reveal this. Traditions are paid frequent lip-serv- by Mussolini to destroy it, and with the World War I1
ice in each of these organizations, but even that has fallen landing of the Allies in Sicily found itself allied with the
away as the younger members wrestle with the modern United States military.
world, taking whatever they can without consideration of But it was heroin that brought the two arms back
history or appearances. The modern gangster in any of together, with a summit organized by Lucky Lucian0 in
these organizations is more likely to be found in a bank Palermo during the fall of 1957. Roughly what occurred
ofice than in a nightclub, most likely wearing the latest was this: The American arm asked the Sicilian arm to take
fashions. This is business, and that is foremost on the over trafficking and distribution of heroin in the United
mind of organized crime. Ultimately, all these groups are States, an arrangement that stands to this day. With this
concerned with making money, and with that as their decision, Cosa Nostra immediately became subservient
common goal, they rarely find themselves in conflict to and dependent on the Sicilian Mafia. In return, signifi-
these days. The world seems big enough for them, and cant law enforcement pressure was taken off the Ameri-
they know how to share. can arm.
 Criminals and Crime -47

It is estimated that drugs alone make the Mafia the the United States. Law enforcement agencies in all the
twentieth richest nation in the world. Conservative es- areas concerned are only now beginning to realize the
timates during the 1980’s put Mafia yearly profits at a threat the Triads pose. Of all organized crime, it is the
quarter of a trillion dollars. Europe is considered solely Triads who are the richest, biggest, and most fearsome,
Mafia-held, although both the Triads and the Yakuza boasting a total membership in the millions, and “clean-
have begun to infringe on this sovereignty in the last ing” more than $100 billion a day through front compa-
ten years. nies and other “laundries.”

THE TONGS
The Triads
Frequently the terms Tong and Triad are used
Preceded by thousands of years of Chinese secret so-
interchangeably, but there is a distinction. Since the
cieties, the Triads were founded in the late seventeenth
turn of this century, the Tongs have acted as the Triads’
century, purportedly by five Foochow monks, with the
“foreign office” for immigrant communities. The
sole agenda of overthrowing the Manchu dynasty and
Tongs grew from the need of Chinese immigrant com-
restoring the Ming dynasty to power. The name “Triad”
munities to have some sort of centralized government
derives from the three basic Chinese concepts of
and voice when dealing with their host countries, as
Heaven, Earth, and Man. Bound together through se-
well as the expected Triad relationship in their new
cret oaths and rituals that combine ancestral and astral
homes. Of all immigrants, the Chinese have tradition-
worship, segments of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian ally been dealt with most harshly, and especially in the
philosophies, and a healthy dose of mythology, new
United States, the Tongs acted as a voice for each Chi-
recruits must pass rigorous physical tests, swear thirty- natown to local government, while providing for their
six oaths, and often drink blood, either human or ani- own communities those cultural necessities denied by
mal, to signify not only a blood brotherhood but also host law. China has a long cultural history of gambling,
the spilling of blood that will result from any violation and, from persistent British efforts, an acquired opium
of their oaths. habit. The Tongs established and maintained gambling
Over the next two hundred years the Triads began and opium dens for their communities. In the U.S.,
to realize the immense wealth that could be reaped where Chinese immigrants were not allowed to bring
from criminal pursuits, and more and more of the sects women into the states, this diversified into prostitution.
forgot their political agendas and pursued more crimi- Other vices followed.
nal enterprises. Still, it was the Eight Trigrams Sect- Today Tongs are seen as legitimate Chinese cultural
also called the Fists of Harmony and Justice, or the organizations, and many engage in multiple community
Boxers-that led the 1900 Boxer Rebellion against the and charitable activities. The extent of their current rela-
European invaders. tionships with the Triads remains open to speculation.
Like the Mafia, World War I1 presented the Triads
with an incredible opportunity to increase their scope and
profits, most specifically in the field of opium production, T h e Yakuza
recently abandoned by the British. From opium comes Multicolored full-body tattoos and severed fingertips
heroin, and from heroin comes incalculable wealth. Hong are the popular hallmark of the Yakuza, but like their
Kong, already a Triad-controlled domain, soon was brethren in Sicily and Hong Kong, this is more often
flooded with more sects of the Triads when Mao Tse-tung concealed beneath exquisitely tailored clothing. The
came to power on the mainland. missing digits paid to an oyabun (leader) for disobedi-
Today, all of Southeast Asia is dominated by the ence and the tattoos vowing allegiance and illustrating
Triads. Most Triad money comes from heroin, and they virility are merely the trappings of a criminal organiza-
control the entire process from opium harvests in Thai- tion as powerful as its brothers. Predecessors of the
land and Burma to refineries that process the poppy Yakuza can be traced back to the kabuki-mono-“crazy
into injectable and smokable heroin, to the smuggling ones”-in 1612 Japan, and it is from these ronin (mas-
of the product throughout the world, primarily from terless samurai) who looted towns after the Tokugawa
Hong Kong. Additionally, the Triads have a brutal repu- Shogunate that they were born. The Yakuza, however,
tation in all other criminal pursuits, from a wide-rang- promote the belief that they are the descendants of the
ing flesh trade that includes white slavery and machi-yako-“servants of the town”-who fought off
hard-core pornography to the more mundane pursuits, the crazy ones. This self-delusion is important, because
such as jewel robbery. it influences the perception of the Yakuza in Japan to
Most importantly, the Triads are, by necessity, this day. They are promoted in pop culture as chival-
migrating. With the return of Hong Kong from the U.K. rous Everymen, trying to do only the most honorable
to mainland China in 1997, and then the return of Macao thing in all endeavors. Whatever their true lineage may
in 1999, members of the various sects are already plan- be is absolutely impossible to verify.
ning ahead, moving funds and bases of operations else- Nowhere else in the world does any organized crime
where in the world, particularly into Europe, Canada, and group have as much power as the Yakuza does in Japan.
48 -1990’s Handbook

They are a fact of life, to such a degree that thoughts of The nine major Yakuza syndicates boast a member-
resistance are ludicrously inconceivable. Traditionally ul- ship of roughly 30,000 members, with the Yamaguchi-
tra-right-wing in their politics, the Yakuza has been be- gumi being the largest and Toa Yuai Jigyo Kumiai the
hind every Japanese parliament since World War 11, when smallest. There are over 2,000 other, minor, syndicates,
the United States restructured the country. In so doing, with another 70,000 or so members. Japanese police have
they built the Yakuza into the foundation. Practically been working furiously since the 1980’s to lower these
nothing that earns significant revenue is free from Yakuza figures, with mixed success.
fingers. The entertainment industry in Japan is Yakuza- Perhaps of all organized crime groups, it is the Yakuza
controlled, and this goes some way to explaining the con- that maintains the most rigid controls, due in great part to
stant films, books, songs, and comics that are produced the cultural emphases on honor and duty. Other than that,
promoting the noble Yakuza image. their rules are roughly the same as the Triads and the
The Yakuza draws half of its income from the staple Mafia-a member should never reveal the secrets of the
of modern organized crime, drug trafficking. It was esti- organization, never violate the wife or children of another
mated in 1982 that narcotics brought in $1.92 billion dol- member, never withhold money from the gang, never dis-
lars, and there is no reason to assume this figure has obey a superior, and never, ever, appeal to the police or
dropped. Although this is meager in comparison to the any other law except their own.
amounts made by the Triads and the Mafia, the amount is Like the Triads and the Mafia, the Yakuza is diversi-
still staggering, especially when viewed with an eye to the fying, except that instead of making its way through
exclusiveness of the Japanese market. Gambling and a Europe to the New World, the Yakuza has turned east,
thriving skin trade provide for another thirty percent of sliding into North America first. It was with some alarm
Yakuza income, with protection and other practices mak- in the late 1970’s that the U.S. Department of Justice
ing up the remainder. began to realize just how much Yakuza influence was
present in Hawaii and California, a situation they have
been actively trying to rectify ever since.
Most notorious of all the Yakuza’s practices, though,
are its adventures in the skin trade. Hard-core pornogra-
phy is illegal in Japan, and thus this void is filled from
overseas. Additionally, live women are imported from
overseas, particularly the United States, either with their
consent or through trickery. Documented horror stories of
women answering casting calls in Los Angeles or San
Francisco only to be sent to Japan to work as prostitutes
or “hostesses” continue to come to light. This trade, how-
ever, is minor compared with the trade in women that
exists between Thailand or the Philippines and Japan. The
brothels of World War I1 are still remembered through-
out Southeast Asia, and the demand for such exotic
women continues.

Urban Gangs
The banding of people for security or comfort is nothing
new, and as such gangs are not new either, despite their
frequent portrayal as a twentieth century phenomenon. An
accurate count of all the different gangs in the world
would be impossible, not only because of the sheer num-
ber of them but also because of their transitory nature.
Technically, the Mafia, the Yakuza, etc. all began as
“gangs.” Normally found in the more recent immigrant
communities, where there is a desperate need for self-pro-
tection and validation, modem gangs do differ from their
-D . UfLdd?
predecessors in two different aspects. First of all, they
have many of the obvious benefits of technology, and this
most often manifests in a proliferation of weaponry-far
 Criminals and Crime -49

more violent crimes are committed by gangs now than of youths from Fremont High School in Watts, a small
ever before in history, possibly because it is now that gang that indulged in petty theft and the standard gang
much easier to kill, maim, and hurt another person. The practicesofterritorial/communityprotection.Atthesame
second reason is drugs. On the street level, any gang that time in Watts there lived a large population of elderly
wishes to survive must deal with drugs. Those that don’t Japanese, and it was on one night while a group of them
will not last long. were outwalkingthatthey were attacked by Washington’s
The reason for this is simple: Organized crime uses gang. The Japanese group started screaming and shout-
many street gangs, either wittingly or unwittingly, as foot- ing, driving off Washington and his homeboys and sum-
soldiers. The Triads in particular have been known to moning the police. It was during the ensuingexplanations
cultivate and arm other Asian gangs, playing the cultural made to the cops in fractured English that one of the
biases of one group against another. A Laotian gang elderly people described one of her assailants as “a crip
turned against a Vietnamese gang will result in furious with a stick”, apparently meaning that one of the home-
fighting, as both peoples have long memories of the injus- boys had a bad leg and acane. Apolice reporterpicked up
tices they have suffered at each others’ hands. the term, and the Crips were born.
This is not to say that all gangs have organized The Crips continued terrorizing the Watts community
crime ties. Far from it. Rather, most gangs are far more and, out of admiration, other sets began cropping up in the
concerned with the day-to-day problems of preserving area. In Compton, the West Side Crips were formed, for
their honor and territory and, most importantly, protect- example, by a group of sophomores at Washington High
ing each other. Here is the root of all gangs-members School. It was this group that adopted the color blue, from
support and defend one another against all outsiders for the blue and white bandanas they used to cover their faces
the sake of colors or territory or ideas that ultimately tie when they went on their little sprees.
more strongly than the bonds of blood. This sense of In opposition to these West Side Crips, some kids
security, of belonging, is what makes most gangs so on Piru Street organized into a gang-the original Pirus
appealing and powerful. Ultimately they survive on the (there are several now). The bandanas the West Side
basis of their need for one another, a need based, per- Crips were wearing also came in red and white; the
haps, in human nature. Pirus started wearing those, claiming red as their color.
Most gang members, whatever their topical reasons Roughly at this time the Pirus began calling themselves
for banding together, share certain common traits. A “Bloods”, the word black soldiers had called each other
practiced hand at casual violence is common, with ex- in Vietnam. It stuck.
perience in a variety of weapons or hands or fists. More and more sets began to spring up, for the most
Knowledge of their immediate territory is complete, part Blood sets organizing to fight off the rapidly prolif-
down to the names of everyone who lives in each house erating Crips. Warfare between the Crips and the Bloods
on each street. All geography is territory-based, and was open, until a falling-out occurred between certain
most gang members can tell you where the lines are Crip sets, and they began fighting among themselves and
drawn at any given time. Frequently there is some fun- with the Bloods. In 1991 it was estimated that fifty-six
damental schooling, often forgotten, but remembered Crip sets ran in Los Angeles alone, some with upwards of
by others. Illiteracy is common. 350 members. By this time, gangs of Crips and Bloods
had also sprung up in cities throughout the United States,
as well as some cities in Europe.
The Crips and the Bloods Most Crip names are derived from territorial con-
The most notorious gangs in the United States are the fines-the Eight-Tray [sic] Crips (83rd Street from Ver-
Crips and the Bloods. These are gangs made up predomi- mont to Van Ness in Los Angeles), the Watts Baby LOC
nantly, but not exclusively, of black youths. It is not un- Crips, the Kelly Park Crips, Broadway 52. Blood names
common for Asians, Caucasians, or Latinos to be are similarly colorful-Skottsdale Pirus, West Side Pirus,
members of a Crip or Blood set (a smaller subset of the Bounty Hunters, Five-Deuce Villains.
larger gang). A gang-banger’s allegiance is to his gang’s Irish and Jewish and Italian youth gangs in the
colors, not the color of those in the gang, and these colors United States eventually evolved into more subdued, at
are what all ‘bangers must be willing to die for. least superficially, organized crime groups. Unlike this
The origins of these two gangs are obscure. Both past gang pattern, the Crips and Bloods have remained
arose in south central Los Angeles at about the same roughly the same for thirty years. They have already
time, after the Watts riots of 1965. The politically ori- raised new generations of gangsters, and while some of
ented gangs that came out of the riots-the Black Pan- the old gangsters have moved on to greener pastures-
thers, US, and others-failed to attract much of the drug dealing while the younger ‘bangers do the foot-
area’s youth. It is theorized that around 1968-1969 a work, for example-most Crip and Blood sets have not
kid named Raymond Washington put together a group really changed.
50 - 1990’s Handbook

Drugs
Pornography Addiction is a powerful force. So is greed. With these
two forces married in the drug trade, illegal narcotics
and Drugs have affected all aspects of the late twentieth century,
and there is no indication that the problems arising
from this union are going to subside. Certainly, drugs
are not new. The British alone managed to addict most
A lot of the money moving in the world today comes
of China, creating an opium market where none existed
from illegal sources of income, and the amount is truly
before and leaving it behind them when they were
staggering, especially where narcotics and pornogra-
driven out of the country in the early part of this cen-
phy are concerned. Over $100 billion a day moves be-
tury. The scope is enormous-the manufacture and dis-
tween privately owned security companies, keeping the
tribution of illegal narcotics may, in fact, be the first
funds clean and safe, and of that figure easily three
truly worldwide industry. From the opium cultivated in
quarters is from the narcotics trade alone. Between the
the hills of Afghanistan by Pathan tribesmen to the
sale of illegal drugs and the manufacture of porno-
17-year-old junkie lying in a shooting gallery in Paris,
graphic material, the unscrupulous could fund their de-
drugs have reached everywhere, crossing all lines of
signs indefinitely.
class, race, and belief,
For cultists, the benefits here are plentiful and ob-
Pornography vious. The drug trade, being international, allows for
Pornography is a widespread and entrenched industry communication between organizations throughout the
throughout the world with the manufacture of films, vid- world and the transport of more than just mind-altering
eos, and magazines depicting all manner of soft- and chemicals. At the same time, the varied products that
hardcore activities on the rise, partially as a response to are distributed in our cities strike at all humanity, and
the threat of AIDS and partially as a response to the where addiction fosters, society weakens. The crack
world’s changing perceptions of sexuality. Restricted to used in the inner city to break wills and annihilate hope
some degree in all countries except Denmark, possession isn’t all that different from the cocaine being snorted by
and sale of pornographic material is punishable in a vari- the yuppies in trendy bathrooms in New York. Both
ety of ways ranging from fines to death, depending on destroy will and spirit, and both lead ultimately to
where the infraction occurs. The definition of pornogra- death. With the biological nature of addiction as a bo-
phy is amorphous as well, and changes depending on nus, what better weapon is there to pave the way for the
local and federal standards. return of the Great Old Ones (and who knows how
As demand increases for pornography, more and more drugs came to exist?)?
varied tastes are being catered to, from bestiality and pe- Additionally, drugs which naturally induce hallucina-
dophilia to sado-masochism and other fetish-oriented ma- tions and visions may, with the proper additions, lead to
terial. Some of this material is patently illegal, with revelations of a more horrifying kind. A “higher percep-
depictions of mutilations, rape, and murder. Such illegal tion” revealed by a particularly treated batch of heroin
material naturally fetches a very high price and is in may leave the user babbling from visions of something
great demand, especially among the tightly knit special piping at the center of the universe. It’s not impossible,
interest communities. Snuff films are widely rumored to considering the basic link between religious visions and
exist, especially in South America, although these films of the use of narcotics.
murder and sex shot in 8mm or 16mm have apparently And the money-never forget the money. A cult
never surfaced. funded by even a minute portion of the drug trade has
In addition to the obvious financial benefits that cults enough financial power to crush almost any individual,
would receive from the manufacture and distribution of and with addicts as shock troops, or at least cannon fod-
these materials, another goal can be discerned. Pornogra- der, willing to do just about anything to get their next fix,
phy that is directed at deviant behavior and desire can the potential for warping people against other people
only serve to diminish an individual’s sanity and sense of should give us all pause.
morality. In the last twenty years some psychologists have
begun establishing a link between the use of pornography Cultists Need Money, T o o
and acts of sexual violence, and it is well known that
It’s a capitalist world and money is a way of life. Every-
many serial killers have had extensive porn collections
thing has a price and everything costs something, and
depicting exceptionally deviant acts. By linking sex, a
cultists need money to pay for their lodging and travel and
natural act, with any number of unnatural ones, partici-
weaponry and the stranger things that might be required
pants may have their disposition turned away from hu-
to see their goals reach fruition.
manity and towards the enemies of humankind that lurk
The first thing a modern investigator should do when
in the skies.
confronting a new foe is to determine how the organiza-
tion or individual is funded. Bank statements and tax re-
 Criminals and Crime -51

turns should be reviewed, and perhaps a credit check or a whole group of the same. The label for that group is
two might be made. Most countries regulate their banks often “cult.”
and the banking process, tracking deposits and withdraw- On a fundamental level, perhaps all modern cultists
als in an attempt to monitor the economy, determine ap- are truly serial criminals, or vice versa. There is really
propriate tax rates, and, among other things, spot illegal very little difference. Both act on a private agenda known
funds and money-laundering operations. only, ultimately, to themselves. Both are exceptionally
Not all cultists will be making their money illegally. skilled at concealing their true natures and motives. Both
Many hold regular jobs, as steady employment creates interact freely with society, and have been known to exer-
a wonderful illusion of stability. But a regular paycheck cise exceptional charisma and charm. And both have ab-
may not always be enough, and investigators should be solutely no regard for other human beings, seeing
prepared to track supplemental funds from dummy cor- themselves as certainly different and sometimes, perhaps,
poration to dummy corporation, from Hong Kong to as better.
Canada to Panama before discovering who cut a check Serial killers in particular pursue an agenda that
in Brussels. most often arises from sexual inadequacy, fantasy, and
wish fulfillment. Almost without exception, all known
serial killers have been the products of dysfunctional
families where love and comfort were uniformly de-
Serial Crime nied. All serial killers lack empathy and, in point of
fact, must lack it, or else they would not be able to do
what they do. Somewhere in the serial killer’s develop-
ment sexual fantasies begin to incorporate violent im-
Much has been made in recent years of serial crimes and agery, far beyond the normal fantasies of adolescents,
offenders. The term “serial killer” was coined by the and these fantasies grow to the point where the victim
FBI’s Robert Ressler and is best defined as an individual involved has no purpose other than that of a prop, and
who, for whatever his reasons, is committing murder in a certainly is seen to be only that valuable. It has been
series. Implicit in this is that the series has some sort of stated, in fact, that all serial crime is sexual, and that
unifying logic-for the murderer-and it is through the serial killers in particular are acting out detailed and
discovery and subsequent understanding of this interior disturbed sexual fantasies that ultimately can never
logic that most serial killers are pursued. be the experiences they are seeking. This does not
The last fifty years particularly have seen serial crime mean serial crime must include the actual sex act, but
rates escalate. One clear reason for this is simple advances rather that sex is the driver of the vehicle. The nature of
in communication. Unlike most law enforcement investi- the serial insanity is fundamentally this: The reality can
gators, the serial criminal is rarely tied to one location, never be as good as the fantasy, and therefore the serial
and therefore may commit crimes in multiple jurisdic- killer must try and try again.
tions. Where different law enforcement agencies did not
communicate, they had no way of knowing that the MASS MURDERERS, SERIAL KILLERS, AFpD
crimes being committed in Miami were quite similar to SPREE KILLERS
those committed in Dallas. The FBI’s VICAP program
was developed to solve this problem, fostering greater The term mass murderer applies to both serial killers and
communication between investigative bodies. In turn, spree killers alike, describing an individual who leaves
this communication has led to a greater recognition of multiple corpses in his wake. The appreciable difference
serial behavior. lies in the methodology of the murderer. Where a serial
killer is content to move from one victim to another, rarely
Then again, perhaps the times themselves are to
claiming multiple victims at a time, a spree killer is far
blame, at least for the increased numbers of serial
more likely to walk into a fast-food restaurant and open
crimes. The late twentieth century has by no means
fire with an automatic weapon, attempting to take the life
been easy on the individual’s psyche, and with the
mushrooming population, incidences of insanity have of everyone in his path.
certainly risen as well. As a result, most spree killers end up taking their own
lives, for the nature of their crime is particularly disorgan-
Investigators are uniquely placed to investigate serial
ized, at least upon execution. There is little or no concern
crime, because the major thrust of such investigation is in
for actions after the crime has taken place-the murders
the discovery of some hidden unifying factor, a technique
committed are the terminus of the action. (In fact, some
not dissimilar to the procedure used to uncover Mythos
plots. In fact, many of the clues that alert investigators to people apparently conduct killing sprees in a deliberate
attempt to be killed by police-the phenomenon of “blue
potential Mythos activity could easily be perpetrated
by a serial killer rather than a cultist. Strange and appar- suicide.”) Conversely, a serial killer is more frequently
concerned with continuing his actions and thus with the
ently random murders with mutilation and sexual assault
in a series could be the act of a lone, insane individual, or necessary steps to conceal his crimes, or at least his iden-
tity, from the law.
52 - 1990’s Handbook

The Personality Profile serial killers; second, the mutilations described would
require a significant amount of upper-body strength,
By reviewing past crimes and other related evidence, common in the male. Age is a best guess, but due to the
certain professionals can make educated guesses about physical nature of the crime, the suspect must be
the nature of the criminal being sought. With the physi- young enough still to have the strength required to
cal description that can be determined from hard evi- open the victim’s rib cage. There was no forced entry
dence (such as height, weight, handedness, perhaps at the scene, so the victim either knew the serial killer
even hair color), the personality profile provides a or he was able to convince her to let him inside. Since
sense of the actual person-gregarious or shy, quiet or the mutilation was post mortem, and the shot was de-
boisterous, married, single, divorced or widowed, tran- livered at point-blank range, the serial killer probably
sient or local. bound and gagged the victim first. This means the kil-
Here’s an example: ler had his gun with him, and used it to control the
victim before killing her. Nothing but the sheets and
Victim is a white female, 25 years of age, found in her the towels were taken from the scene, which means
apartment gagged and bound with duct tape, eviscer- that the killer brought his own “kit”, including the
ated; several internal organs missing including the knife used in the mutilations, the tape, the gun, and any
heart, which was removed intact from the victim’s other containersused to carry off the organs. Hence the
opened rib cage. Very little blood visible at the scene. killer had his own vehicle, one that would be large
Autopsy reveals that the mutilations occurred post enough to carry everything required while still con-
mortem, and the cause of death was a gunshot wound cealing it. The missing towels and sheets, in addition to
through the left eye at point-blank range with a .22 the lack of blood, tells us that the killer tried to keep the
caliber pistol. No signs of forced entry, and a catalogu- scene clean, and possibly showered after mutilating
ing of the victim’s belongings indicates that nothing is the victim. The killer was rational enough to take away
missing but a set of towels from the bathroom and all those items that possibly would have left fibers or
of the bedclothes. other telltale details about his person.
Profile is as follows: Suspect is a white male, between Mostly, we know this is an organized person, one
20 and 40 years old, in good physical condition, outgo- whose madness has not interfered with his ability to
ing, perhaps talkative and funny, owns a car, probably interact in society. The preparation for the crime indi-
a four-door or a van kept in good condition. Suspect cates this, including the fact that the victim was not
probably holds a white-collar job with some degree of beaten or otherwise physically assaulted while alive.
responsibility. Suspect owns his own home or apart- The killer managed to control the victim with a tool
ment, and keeps the same clean. Suspect may be mar- (the gun) and, likely, words. In fact, the person de-
ried, and was perhaps known to the victim. scribed could be quite functional at all other times,
Here’s why: Suspect is white because very few serial possibly in a stable marriage, certainly holding a re-
killers “work” outside their ethnic group. Male for two spectablejob.
reasons-the first is that there are very few female
 _ _ _ ~ _ _ _ _ _

Hit Locations -53

Hit Locations:
An Option
Rules which offer more realistic-seeming damage results for Call of
Cthulhu, including hit locations for most Myfbos monsters.

IT LOCATIONS ARE OPTIONAL. Any deci- 4 in each arm, and 6 in his chest. The locational points
sion concerning hit locations in Call of Cthulhu total 34. Howevel; when the investigator loses 14 total hit
.is entirely up to the Keeper. Only he can decide points, he still dies.
whether added realism is worth the trouble involved. For any human character, find the exact number of hit
points per location with the following formulae:
What I s a Hit Location? points per leg, abdomen, and head each equal 1/3 of
Most physical blows actually must land on a particular the total hit points;
part of the body. To simplify the determination of just W points per arm each equal 1/4 of the total hit points;
where, the roleplaying game RuneQuest divided the hu- and
man body into categories of location, which herein have points in the chest equal 4/10 of the total hit points.
been adapted to Call of Cthulhu. Always round up fractions. For convenience, the ac-
When using hit locations, the successful attacker rolls tual points per location as derived from total hit points 6
ld20 for the hit location of his strike. The following table through 18 are given in a table nearby.
gives the d20 result necessary to hit a specific area and a
description of that area for human targets. CALLED SHOTS
HUMAN HIT LOCATION TABLE To use the hit location tables in order to hit a specific body
1d20 location description section, the shooter must fire only once in a combat round,
01-03 Right Leg right leg from hip joint to foot at half his ordinary DEX rank. He then must roll an im-
04-06 Left Leg left leg from hip joint to foot p a l e - o n e fifth or less of his ordinary skill percentage-
07-10 Abdomen hips to just under the floating ribs to hit the intended body part. Otherwise he misses entirely.
11-15 Chest floating ribs to neck and shoulders EXAMPLE: Tom has Handgun of 50% and D M 14. To
16-17 Right Arm entire right arm
18-19 Left Arm entire left arm
make a called shot he must wait until DEX round 7, and
20 Head head and neck then he fires. One fiBh of his skill percentage is IO; he
must roll 10 or less on dlOO to hit.
Each hit location has allotted to it an amount of loca-
tional hit points. The number of points per location is a
function of the individual’s total hit points, as shown on
Effects of Damage
the table below. The points allotted to the various loca- Whenever any injury does damage equal to half or more of
tions always add up to more than the character’s total hit the user’s current total hit points, check for shock (see the
points. Call of Cthulhu rules). A location is considered to be “crip-
An attacked, injured, poisoned, etc., character who pled” if it has been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points. General
loses all total hit points is dead. No area of his body may effects of crippling are discussed below.
have been completely disabled, but the character still A limb cannot take more than twice its undamaged
bleeds to death, dies of shock or general trauma, etc. points in damage. Thus, a 3-point leg hit for 7 points
As a character takes injury, mark off the hit points subtracts only 6 points from total hit points, the remaining
from the character’s statistics. Remember that each point point of damage having no effect. A limb hit for twice its
of damage must be marked off twice, once from the maximum hit points in a single blow is maimed or sev-
location actually hit (the locational hit points), and also ered. The victim bleeds away his remaining total hit
from the total hit points (“HP’) entry. points at the rate of 1 per combat round until the bleeding
is stopped with a successful First Aid roll.
EXAMPLE: There are two kinds of hit points, total
and locational. An investigator with 14 total hitpoints has LEG HITS: If a leg is wounded, the victim’s movement
5 locational hitpoints in his abdomen, head, and each leg, is halved. Someone with only 1 hit point remaining in his
54 - 1990% Handbook

leg can only move if assisted by another person. If a leg is deep one’s Claw attack hits only one location, but
crippled, the limb is useless and the investigator must fall, Cthulhu’s Claw attack destroys the victim’s entire form at
not doing anything else that round. The victim may at- once). In any such area attack, damage done is subtracted
tempt to crawl away or to fight from the ground on suc- from the target’s total hit points, but not from his loca-
ceeding rounds. tional hit points. Application of First Aid is still advised.
ABDOMEN HITS: When the abdomen is at 0 or fewer If a target wears armor and is hit by an area attack, the
points, both legs are useless and the victim must fall. armor is effective only if it covers the target’s entire
body. Even whole-body armor is worthless against mon-
CHEST HITS: When the chest is reduced to 0 or fewer sters such as the shoggoth, which literally sucks its vic-
points, the investigator falls and begins to bleed to tims apart.
death at the rate of 1 hit point per combat round. This
continues until the bleeding is stopped with a successful
First Aid roll. Hit L o c a t i o n s for Monsters
Normally, roll Id20 to determine location when attacking
ARM HITS: If an arm is wounded, halve the victim’s
monsters, just as when attacking humans. However, when
percentage skill in any skill requiring use of the injured
engaged in hand-to-hand combat, some monsters are so
arm.If an arm is crippled, the limb becomes useless and
huge that hit locations are a bit absurd. If an investigator
the investigator must drop anything in that hand.
is hacking at a star-spawn’s leg with a cavalry saber, don’t
HEAD HITS: When a target’s head is reduced to 0 or bother to roll for hit location-the investigator hits the leg
fewer hit points, he falls unconscious. he’s standing beside.
AREA ATTACKS: Many monster attacks do not strike a For unique creatures, such as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep,
specific part of the body-the formless spawn’s Bite, the or Y’golonac, exact hit points per location are given.
dhole’s Engulf attack, and the flying polyp’s Wind Blast are For races of creatures, such as byakhee or deep ones,
examples, as are attacks delivered by a colossal monster (a the hit point fraction per area is given. For instance, the
deep one leg hit-point fraction is 113, so a deep one with
20 hit points has 2013 or 7 hit points in each leg (always
round up). For creatures, such as fire vampires, which
HUMAN HIT POINTS have only one location, the word all is merely noted.
-Total hit points - Creatures with the ability to regenerate normally do so
location 6 7 8 9 1 0 separately in each location. Thus, an adult chthonian
each leg 2 3 3 3 4 regenerates 5 points of damage in each injured location
abdomen 2 3 3 3 4
each round.
chest 3 3 4 4 4
each arm 2 2 2 3 3 A body area reduced to 0 hit points is crippled and can
head 2 3 3 3 4 no longer function. Unless noted otherwise, monsters do not
suffer from the effects of bleeding or shock. Tentacles,
-Total hit points- claws, arms, legs, tails, and wings are considered to be limbs,
lcoation 11-12 13-15 16 17 18 and so never take more damage than twice their hit points.
each leg 4 5 6 6 6
abdomen 4 5 6 6 6 WING HITS: Any injury to a flying monster’s wing
chest 5 6 7 7 8 halves its flying speed. If a wing is crippled, the creature
each arm 3 4 4 5 5
head 4 5 6 6 6
is grounded or, if in flight, must glide to a landing. If the
wing is maimed or severed (Le., has taken double dam-
age), the monster falls to the ground.

QUADRUPED HIT POINTS Keepers will want to customize the quadruped location table
location Id20 hit point fraction
when presenting an unusual four-legged mammal such as the
Right Hind Leg 01-02 1I4 elephant, or in general when using larger reptiles, shifting 1 or
Left Hind Leg 03-04 1I4 2 points from the body to make up trunk, tail, etc.
Hindquarters 05-09 215 SMALLER NATURAL ANIMALS. Animals smaller than
Forequarters 10-14 215 dogs (cats, mice, birds, etc.) have total hit points, but not hit
Right Front Leg 15-16 1I4 locations.
Left Front Leg 17-18 1I4 Insect swarms receive the number of total hit points com-
Head 19-20 1I3 mensurate with their total mass, but no hit locations.
ABHOTH CTHULHU DHOLE
location ld20 locational HP location ld20 locational HP location ld20 HP fraction
Body 01-20 90 R Leg 01-02 54 Tail 01-04 1I3
L Leg 03-04 54 Hindbody 05-10 2/5
ATLACH-NACHA Abdomen 05-06 54 Forebody 11-17 2/5
Chest 07-08 54 Head 18-20 1I3
location ld20 locational HP
R Wing 09-10 54
R Back Leg 01 9 NOTES: When a dhole’s tail is crippled,
L Wing 11-12 54 halve its speed. If its head is crippled,
L Back Leg 02 9
R Arm 13-14 54 the creature can no longer swallow its
R Hinder Leg 03 9
L Hinder Leg L Arm 15-16 54 prey or spit its loathsome goo, but it is
04 9
Tentacle Mass 17-18 54 not incapacitated. If the hindbody or
Abdomen 05-11 20
Head 19-20 54 forebody are crippled, the creature can-
R Foreleg 12 9 not crawl or burrow, but can still attack.
L Foreleg 13 9 NOTES: Cthulhu’s hit points are trans-
R Front Leg 14 9 ferred between locations at will. Thus
he could shift 53 points from an arm to DIMENSIONAL SHAMBLER
L Front Leg 15 9
Head 16-20 17 a leg, giving that leg 107 hit points and As per human.
reducing the arm to 1. No area may be
increased in hit points beyond Cthulhu’s
AZATHOTH ELDER THING (Old One)
total hit point number (no one location
location 1d20 locational HP may have greater than 540 hit points.) A location ld20 HP fraction
Body 1-20 300 location may be reduced to 0 or fewer Leg 1 01 1I4
hit points, which incapacitates it. Leg 2 02 1I4
BYAKHEE Leg 3 03 1I4
CYAEGHA Leg 4 04 1I4
location 1d20 HP fraction Leg 5 05 1I4
location ld20 locational HP
R Leg 01-02 1I3 Torso 06-08 213
Body 01-20 160
L Leg 03-04 1I3 Tentacle 1 09 1I4
Abdomen 05-08 1I3 Tentacle 2 10 1I4
DARK YOUNG OF SHUB-NIGGURATH
Thorax 09-13 2/5 Tentacle 3 11 1I4
R Wing 14-15 1I4 location ld20 HP fraction
Tentacle 4 12 1I4
L Wing 16-17 1I4 Legs 01-08 1I3
Tentacle 5 13 1I4
R Claw 18 1I4 Each Trunk 09-16 213 Wing 1 14 1I4
L Claw 19 1I4 Tentacle 1 17 1I4 Wing 2 15 1I4
Head 20 1I3 Tentacle 2 18 1I4
Wing 3 16 1I4
Tentacle 3 19 1I4 Wing 4 17 1I4
CHTHONIAN Tentacle 4 20 1I4 Wing 5 18 1I4
location 1d20 HP fraction NOTES: Atypical dark young has Head 19-20 1I3
Hindbody 01-04 1I3 ld4+1 legs. Divide the ‘‘legs’’ hit loca-
tion (01-08 on the hit location table) as NOTES: Each leg crippled subtracts
Midbody 05-08 2/5 one from the creature’s walking rate-if
evenly as possible among the number
Forebody 09-12 2/5 of legs rolled. Each time a leg is re- all five legs are crippled, it can only
Tentacle 1 13 1I5 duced to 0 hit points, reduce the crea- slither along at 3 yards per round. Each
Tentacle 2 14 1I5 ture’s speed by 1. If the dark young has wing crippled subtracts 1 from the crea-
Tentacle 3 15 1I5 only one leg left, its speed is 1. If all its ture’s flying or swimming speed. How-
legs are crippled, it is immobilized. If its ever, if it is reduced to one or no wings,
Tentacle 4 16 1I5
trunk is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it can no longer fly. Crippling the head
Tentacle5 17 1I5 or torso incapacitates an Old One.
Tentacle 6 18 1I5 the horror is incapacitated.
Tentacle 7 19 1I5
Tentacle 8 20 1..-
15 FATHER DAGON or MOTHER HYDRA
location ld20 locational HP location ld20 locational HP
NOTES: If its hindbody, midbody, or fore- Body 01-20 all
body is crippled, the chthonian cannot R Leg 01-03 19
burrow; its crawling speed is halved until L Leg 04-06 19
the damage is regenerated. If the crea- Abdomen 07-10 19 FLYING POLYP
ture’s midbody or forebody is reducedto Chest 11-15 22 location ld20 locational HP
0 or fewer hit points, the creature is inca- R Arm 16-17 14
pacitatedand can make no attacks until it Body 01-20 all
L Arm 18-19 14
has regenerated. Damage to a
chthonian’s tentacles do not count Head 20 19 FORMLESS SPAWN OF
against the creature’s hit point total. How- NOTES: Father Dagon or Mother Hy- TSATHOGGUA
ever, cripplingtwo tentacles reduces by dra’s swimming speed is reduced by 3 location ld20 locational HP
one the number of tentacle attacks the for each limb crippled.
creaturecan perform each round. Hence, Body 01-20 all
if two tentacles were crippled on a given DEEP ONE
round, the creature could only attack with
ld8-2 tentacles. Acrippled tentacle falls As per human. A deep one’s swimming
away from the victim. speed is reduced by 3 for each limb
crippled. Adeep one with only one func-
CTHUGHA
tional limb swims at a speed of 1.

location ld20 locational HP

body 01-20 130
56 - 1990’s Handbook

GHAST HASTUR LLOIGOR

lodtion 1d20 HP fraction location ld20 locational HP location 1d20 HP fraction
R Leg 01-04 1I3 Body 1-14 150 Tail 01 1I4
L Leg 05-08 1I3 R Tentacle 15-16 30 R Hind Leg 02-03 1I3
Abdomen 09-11 1I3 Center Tentacle 17-18 30 L Hind Leg 04-05 1I3
Chest 12-15 215 L Tentacle 19-20 30 Hindquarters 06-09 215
R Arm 16-17 1I4 Forequarters 10-14 215
NOTES: Injury to a tentacle does not af-
L Arm 18-19 1I4 fect Hastur’s total hit points. If one of Has- R Foreleg 15-16 1t3
Head 20 1I3 tur’s tentacles is crippled, he can send L Foreleg 17-18 1I3
out a replacement from his body by re- Head 19-20 1I3
GHATANOTHOA ducing his body‘s hit points accordingly.
MI-GO
location ld20 locational HP
HOUND OF TINDALOS location ld20 HP fraction
Body 01-20 120
location ld20 HP fraction R Hind Leg 01 1I4
GHOUL R Hindleg 01-02 1I4 L Hind Leg 02 1I4
L Hindleg 03-04 1I4 Abdomen 03-06 215
As per human. Hindquarters 05-09 215 R Mid-Leg 07 1I4
Forequarters 10-14 215 L Mid-Leg 08 1I4
GNOPH-KEH R Foreleg 15-16 1I4 Thorax 09-12 215
location ld20 HP fraction L Foreleg 17-18 1I4 R Wing 13-14 1I3
R Hind Leg 01-02 1I4 Head 19-20 1I3 L Wing 15-16 1I3
L Hind Leg 03-04 1I4 NOTES: Crippling any limb reduces a R Foreleg 17 1I4
Hindquarters 05-08 215 hound’s movement by 5. Thus, after it L ForeLeg 18 1I4
R Mid-Leg 09 1I4 has lost two limbs, it can no longer Head 19-20 1I3
L Mid-Leg 10 1I4 move except by flying. Crippling the NOTES: Damage to a mi-go’s legs or
Forequarters 11-15 215 hindquarters renders both hind legs use- wings do not count against its total hit
R Foreleg 16-17 1I4 less, and crippling the forequarters ren- points. If either hind leg is crippled, the
L Foreleg 18-19 1I4 ders both forelegs useless. Crippling creature cannot stand erect and must
Head 20 1I3 the head makes the creature incapable crawl on all six legs. If it is reduced to
of attacking with its tongue, but does two or fewer legs, it can no longer crawl
NOTES: Crippling the hindquarters im- not otherwise inconvenience it. at all.
mobilizes both hind legs and prevents
the gnoph-keh from rearing up to attack HUNTING HORROR
with all four claws. Crippling the fore- MOON BEAST
quarters immobilizes both middle legs, location ld20 HP fraction location 1d20 HP location
preventing the creature from attacking Tail 01-03 1I3 R Leg 01-03 1I3
with the front two paws. The gnoph-keh Abdomen 04-08 1I3 L Leg 04-06 1I3
loses 2 from its movement rate for each Chest 09-14 215
leg immobilized or crippled. Abdomen 07-09 1I3
R Wing 15-16 1I4 Chest 10-12 1I3
L Wing 17-18 1I4 R Arm 13-15 1I3
GREAT RACE OF YlTH Head 19-20 1I3 L Arm 16-18 1I3
location 1d20 HP fraction NOTES: Crippling the tail or abdomen Head 19-20 1I3
Base 01-04 1I3 prevents the hunting horror from using
Body 05-12 213 its tail attack. Crippling the monster’s NOTES- Moon beasts can alter their hit
chest or wing prevents it from flying. points per location in the same manner
R Pincer 13-14 1I3 as star-spawn.
L Pincer 15-16 1I3
Feeding Head 17-18 1I3 ITHAQUA
NIGHTGAUNT
Sensory Head 19-20 1I3 location ld20 locational HP
location 1d20 HP fraction
NOTES: If the base is injured, the crea- R Leg 01-02 42
R Leg 01-02 1I3
ture’s movement is halved; if the base is L Leg 03-04 42
crippled, it is immobilized. Crippling the L Leg 03-04 1I3
Abdomen 05-08 42
feeding head has no immediate effect Abdomen 05-08 1I3
Chest 09-13 50
beyond the hit point loss; crippling the Chest 09-13 215
R Claw 14-16 32
sensory head blinds the creature (it does R Wing 14-15 1I4
L Claw 17-19 32
not incapacitate it, because the Great L Wing 16-17 1I4
Race’s brains are not in their heads). Head 20 42
R Arm 18 1I4
NOTES: The Windwalker has no feet. L Arm 19 1I4
GUG Head 20 1I3
Location 1d20 HP fraction LESSER OTHER GODS
R Leg 01-03 1I3 These creatures can come in almost any NODENS
L Leg 04-06 1I3 shape. It is best for the Keeper to de- location 1d20 locational HP
Abdomen 07-10 1I3 velop his own hit location table when R Leg 01-03 10
Chest 11-15 215 needed, perhaps using one of the hit lo-
L Leg 04-06 10
R Lower Arm 16 1I4 cation tables in this essay as inspiration.
Abdomen 07-10 10
R Upper Arm 17 1I4 Chest 11-15 12
L Lower Arm 18 1I4 R Arm 16-17 8
L Upper Arm 19 1I4 L Arm 18-19 8
Head 20 1I3 Head 20 10
NYARLATHOTEP: The Black Man SHOGGOTH Y’GOLONAC
location 1 d20 locational HP location ld20 locational HP location id20 locational HP
R Leg 01-03 5 Body 01-20 all R Leg 01-03 25
L Leg 04-06 5 L Leg 04-06 25
Abdomen 07-10 5 SHUB-NIGGURATH Abdomen 07-11 30
Chest 11-15 6 Chest 12-16 30
R Arm 16-17 4 location ld20 locational HP
R Arm 17-18 19
L Arm 18-19 4 Body 01-20 145
L Arm 19-20 10
Head 20 5
SHUDDE M’ELL
VIG: Human Form
NYARLATHOTEP The Clawed location ld20 locational HP
Monster location ld20 locational HP
Hindbody 01-04 33
Midbody L Leg 04-06 24
location ld20 locational HP 05-09 40
Forebody Abdomen 07-10 24
R Leg 01-02 24 10-14 40
Tentacle 1 Chest 11-15 28
Center Leg 03-04 24 15 20
R Arm 16-17 18
L Leg 05-06 24 Tentacle 2 16 20
Tentacle 3 L Arm 18-19 18
Body 07-11 35 17 20
Head 20 24
R Claw 12-14 24 Tentacle 4 18 20
L Claw 15-17 24 Tentacle 5 19 20
Tentacle 6 20 20 VIG: Serpent Form
Head 18-20 28
NOTES: As per chthonians. location 1 d20 locational HP
N’OTES: This entity has a thousand dif- TaiI 01-06 24
ferent forms and as many different hit lo-
cation tables. The above are two sam- STAR-SPAWN OF CTHULHU Body 07-14 28
ple shapes. Head 15-20 24
location ld20 HP fraction
R Leg 01-02 1I3
NYOGTHA YOG-SOTHOTH
L Leg 03-04 1I3
location ld20 locational HP Abdomen 05-06 1I3 location ld20 locational HP
Body 01-20 60 Chest 07-08 1I3 Sphere varies varies
R Wing 09-10 1I3 NOTES: Yog-Sothoth can arrange his
OLD ONE L Wing 11-12 1I3 400 hit points among as many spheres
R Arm 13-14 1I3 as he desires. Each sphere may be at-
See Elder Thing. L Arm 15-16 tacked separately. He can transfer hit
1I3
Tentacle Mass 17-18 1I3 points from sphere to sphere when they
SAND-DWELLER Head 19-20 1I3 are in contact, but the various spheres
are often sent flying about separately.
As per human. NOTES: These entities do not have
a fixed form and can change their ZHAR
SERPENT PERSON proportions. Do not alter the l d 2 0
roll (unless you feel especially ambi- location ld20 locational HP
As per human.
tious). The creature’s hit points func- Body 01-20 100
tion as per Cthulhu.
SERVITOR OF THE OTHER GODS
ZOTH-OMMOG
location ld20 HP fraction STAR VAMPIRE
Tentacles 01-08 special location 1620 locational HP
location ld20 HP fraction Base 01-03 30
Body 09-17 1I2 R Hind Claw 01-03 1I3
Head 18-20 1I3 Body 04-09 45
L Hind Claw 04-06 1I3 Tentacle 1 10-11 23
NOTES: Servitors continually form and Hindbody 07-10 1I2 Tentacle 2 12-13 23
absorb tentacles. Any hit on one of the Forebody 11-14 1I2 Tentacle 3 14-15 23
creature’s tentacles slows the rate at R Foreclaw 15-17 1I3 Tentacle 4 16-17 23
which it is absorbed. Thus, for each tenta- L Foreclaw 18-20 1I3
cle hit which does damage to a servitor Head 18-20 30
each round, the servitor attacks with one NOTES: If 20th-Ommog’s base is crip-
less tentacle on the following round. If it TSATHOGGUA pled, he is immobilized.
were hit once, It would attack with 2d3-1 location ld20 locational HP
tentacles next round, instead of the full R Leg 01 03 25
2d3. Treat any result less than 1 as 0. For illustrationsof any of the above, re-
L Leg 04-06 25
fer to the Call of Cthulhu rulesbook,
Abdomen 07-09 25 pages 91-127.
SHANTAK Chest 10-12 25
location ld20 HP’ fraction R Arm 13-15 25
R Leg 01 1I4 L Arm 16-18 25
L Leg 02 1I4 Head 19-20 25
Abdomen 03-06 1I3 NOTES: Tsathoggua can transfer hit
Chest 07-11 2l5 points between locations, as do the
R Wing 12-15 1I3 Cthulhu and the star-spawn. In addition,
L Wing 16-19 1I3 he can contract his bulk into a single, ro-
Head 20 1I3 tund mass, giving him only one hit loca-
tion containing all his points.
58 - 1990’s Handbook

Story Seeds
These ideas incorporate some of the concepts in this book. Shake well,
add your own elements, and then duck.

The Invisible Pattern perhaps tenvictims togo, well within thereachofthenext

year or two. .
The investigators are summoned to meet with Edward
The investigators must take the pattern Barlow pro-
Barlow in a local private hospital. Barlow, it turns out,
vides from the Book of Dzyan, his recollections of his
is dying from AIDS. He tells the investigators that he
has information regarding a serial killer, but only they killings, and the research he has done on the past murders
will be able to catch him. Barlow cannot go to the to begin the search for the new vessel of the god. Barlow
police or the FBI, because these killings do not look
is convinced that the man will be in his late twenties,
like serial murders. He tells the investigators that he married, and both heterosexual and monogamous. The
used to be the serial killer himself, but now someone god has likely learned to monitor such behavior more
else has taken his place. closely. The god will protect its vessel, and may risk turn-
ing it on the investigators if they become a threat, but will
Barlow tells them of his home neighborhood on the
try to remain surreptitious otherwise. The original gate
east side of Chicago (or any pertinent city), where once
opened in Chicago may be shut down, but that will only
there was a witch cult that let “something” through. For
the last one hundred years, a man from that neighbor- prevent another vessel from being selected. This one must
be exorcised or destroyed. Of course, the death of the
hood has been chosen by It (a god, Barlow claims) to
upstanding and sensitive human being that the god has
do its work. He thinks there were fifty-three killings
selected may weigh heavily on the investigators’
before he started. He did thirty before he found a way
consciences, and may draw unanswerable questions from
to stop. He tells the investigators that he began killing
the authorities.
just as he became an adult, while he was studying to
become a researcher in virology. As a result of his pro-
fession, Barlow traveled extensively for both research
purposes and conferences. He killed almost every-
where he went.
Barlow was also an early researcher in the study of
HIV, and he found that while the god would not let him
tell his story to anyone, or turn himself in, or kill himself,
that it did not strictly regulate his behavior-especially
his sexual behavior and the taking of drugs. He therefore
purposefully pursued a pattern of behavior to contract
HIV. Once he had it and became confined to a hospital
ward, he was free.
Barlow knows that someone else from the neigh-
borhood has now taken his place. He dreams about this
person, and in fact his only remaining contact with the
god is that he sometimes dreams through the killer’s
eyes. Barlow knows that the new killer is a sales repre-
sentative for some sort of electronics firm, and that he
still lives in Chicago, though outside of the old neigh-
borhood. Barlow has researched the god and the witch
cult, and the killings that have occurred after the god
left him, with the help of paid assistants and detectives.
He believes that the god is trying to come “all the way
through” and that the murders are part of the plan.
Blood has been spilled all over the continent, and some
sort of pattern is forming. Barlow guesses that there are
Death and Taxes Better Living through
A mobster and his wife have formed a religious cult as a Biotechnology
tax shelter. IRS investigators are sent to find holes in the
In Davis, California, there is a lab producing biologically
organization and to break the Church of Cosmic Salva-
engineered food plants. It is just about to release a newly
tion. Several mundane complications exist: The mobster
engineered strain of corn that is heartier, tastier, more
maintains connections with many world organized crime
storable, and produces a very high yield. It has met all
figures with whom he exchanges favors; he also has sev-
FDA requirements, and has even pleased most concerned
eral local and perhaps even national politicians that are
environmental groups. There is just one catch-a bizarre
contributing members of his church. All of these figures
mass killing and suicide in the Midwest. Though seem-
openly donate to this tax-exempt body and get most of it
ingly unrelated, the perpetrator, Harold Jurgenson, was a
kicked back under the table. They do not want to have
member of one of the volunteer test groups that ingested
their gravy train derailed.
this corn.
Further, the church itself is running a variety of illegal
The investigators are called in by the coroner to advise
activities, including smuggling illegal immigrants into the
on the incident, referred by a mutual friend or professional
country for hefty fees or long indenturements, importing acquaintance. The deceased spree killer was a fifty-year-
and distributing narcotics, and running guns. In this way
old white male who shows strange mutations on parts of
the money of the faithful increases and multiplies. The his body-scales, incipient gill structure, webbing be-
books are cooked and the transactions shielded, but the tween his toes. These are not deformities that were pre-
IRS, with help from other governmental agencies, can viously observed in his medical record. Jurgenson is of
crack this one. Scandinavian heritage, but has never lived near the sea
However, the mobster’s wife is an independent nor any large body of water. His killing spree occurred,
woman of the nineties, with her own agenda. A priestess however, at the largest water-slide entertainment complex
of Yog-Sothoth, her contingent in the church is quite in the state. Witnesses recount him saying, “It’s ours. And
loyal, and even more fanatical than the mobster’s follow- soon all will be conquered by the waves.” At the end of
ers. They participate fully in all illegal activities, and add his spree, with a legally obtained and licensed semi-auto-
a further shopping list of their own in the pursuit of Yog- matic rifle and pistol, Jurgenson plunged himself into the
Sothoth’s glory, from human sacrifice on down the line. If largest pool. For whatever reasons, however, he despaired
the criminals and the politicians make things hard for the there, and put a bullet through his own brain.
IRS, the cultists will only make it worse. The only odd event in this man’s life was his selection
The Director wants a solid case with an FBI-led raid in the testing of the new corn strain. Both sides of his
to simultaneously shut down operations at each church family have been landlocked for several generations. Fur-
location, capturing their records and seizing their assets. ther research will turn up no other violent sprees in con-
The more the investigators look, however, the more they nection with the corn. However, several people on the
come to one inescapable conclusion-this won’t be your coasts involved in the testing of the corn have, in both
ordinary audit. organized and disorganized manners, left their former
lives and disappeared.
The chief scientist on the project, Dr. Jeffrey Arnzen,
is a priest of Cthulhu, pledged to returning the Great Old
One to glory. To this end Arnzen has created a virus
which seeks out the genetic material buried in the DNA
make-up of human beings which comes from a connec-
tion with the deep ones. These recessive genes are copied
and made dominant by the virus, taking these otherwise
Mythos-free and “normal” human beings and drafting
them into the army of water-breathing toad-things that
fawn upon Cthulhu.
If the corn becomes popular, everything that it is used
in (tortillas, chips, corn meal, grits, cattle feed, corn-fed
chicken, movie popcorn, etc.) could come into the human
diet and potentially expose unsuspecting repositories of
the recessive deep one genes, thus causing painful and
occasionally madness-inducing transformations, not to
mention embarrassment.
The distribution of the corn must be stopped, the virus
destroyed, and the scientist discredited, at the very least.
Or else thousands of people will take themselves to the
ocean and perhaps the stars will come right!
60 -1990’s Handbook

The Yithian Candidate locate the attuned Yithian; when it does, it projects a
holographic image of the Yithian. This being can then see
The Great Race of Yith, with its mastery of time travel,
into the time and space occupied by the communicator
often seems unified and utopian, if highly alien. That does and can communicate with those around it.
not mean that there is no conflict played out between
The Yithian can voluntarily break its mental link with
members of the Great Race, although the discord may
the attuned jewel at any time. If this link is broken, the
respond to higher harmony. In this case, Yithian minds
Yithian must forge a new psychic link with another jewel
from the distant past have decided that a higher back-
existing in its own space and time.
ground radiation needs to build up on Earth, starting in the
1990’s, to provide for the proper evolution of suitable
hosts for them to flee to in the future. But I s I t Art?
Another group apparently feels that the 1990’s is not A young, hip filmmaker is on the scene, hailed by critics
the appropriate time to start this particular project. This one and all as the freshest voice of his generation. His
disagreement, as far as humans can understand it, frames films are flashy, occasionally funny, often clever, and al-
the following adventure. ways graphic, either in their violence, sexual content, or
The radiation advocates of Yith send one of their num- both. He is leading the way for a small group of other
ber to possess the body of an unsuccessful and laughable filmmakers, called the Splatter Pack by the trades, all
politician whose career is considered finished. With supe- colleagues of his (writers, cinematographers, actors, edi-
rior knowledge of time and space, and access to mysteri- tors), to what he terms “a new cinematic experience; an
ous resources, the possessed candidate begins to make a elevation of a dying art form.”
credible and perhaps unassailable bid for the Presidency His film openings are frequently plagued by violence,
of the United States of America. One who was washed up where waiting crowds have butted heads with other film-
and a late-night talk-show monologue staple is now the goers or the authorities. An undiscovered pattern exists as
coming power, with nothing but rave reviews and a fantastic well-at least one member of every audience returns to
approval rating paving his way. What he, or rather the his home to commit an act of violence, and then, in re-
Great Race possessing him, will do in oftice to increase morse, kills himself. The violent act varies, but always
background radiation could be anything from building bears some similarity to a scene in the film. Thus far the
more fission reactors, to secretly promoting the spread of authorities have not made this connection. Autopsies have
nuclear technology, to starting a limited nuclear conflict. shown each perpetrator to have highly elevated adrenal
Since the opposing members of the Great Race cannot levels in his blood stream, as if reacting to extreme stress.
use another possessed individual to counter this threat In fact, the filmmaker is a hack, with little talent but a
(since the Great Race would sense one another), human penchant for blood. It is his friend, another director who
agents are being used instead. A particular agent has been has remained discreetly undiscovered, who is pulling the
activated, a Special Forces team leader (or SAS, or what- strings, writing the scripts, and editing the films. Through
ever), who remains in intermittent contact with his mas- a variety of post-production techniques (subliminal
ters through the usage of a Yithian communicator. The sounds, subsonics, subliminal images), this friend is
investigators are members of, or associated with, his team. warping the minds of the filmmaker’s audience.
Their mission: Stop the candidate by any means necessary. To what end is unclear. The friend may be a tool of the
This, of course, does not have governmental sanction, Great Old Ones, indoctrinating a populace with the ideals
and if the authorities get wind of a rogue special forces of violence and anarchy. Or perhaps he is simply a pawn
team, there will be hell to pay. himself, controlled by another power, perhaps a studio
In the end, the investigators may neutralize the threat, head? Cults are not at all uncommon in Hollywood; in
realize the alien control of their leader, or may just get fact, many leading actors belong to them. Could all this be
toasted by their own government. The most hopeful result a means of recruiting more members into a cult that serves
for humanity would be to get Yithian help to expel the some power outside of humanity? And what will happen
alien intelligence from the politician without killing him, when these films start hitting video?
and then to destroy the cell of humans pledged to the The investigators could be any number of people-
Great Race that has tried to control these events, thus relatives of victims or perpetrators who have acted out
giving humanity an additional modicum of free will. after one of the filmmaker’s shows, or perhaps even fans
of the director himself. Perhaps they are connected with
YITnIAN COMMUNICATOR the police or Medical Examiner’s office in some way, and
A Yithian communicator is an intricately carved bronze the results of the autopsies come to their attention.
device surmounted by a an attuned jewel; it stands nearly However they connect with the case, they’ve a lot of
a foot tall when assembled. It allows the user to speak work ahead of them. Repeated viewing of the filmmaker’s
through the space-time continuum to a specific Yithian. movies clearly increases one’s capacity for violence, and
When the machine is operating, it emits a low humming the filmmaker has surrounded himself with people who
noise; a soft white glow emanates from the bottom portion watch his movies all the time.
of the device. It may take a few moments for the device to Perhaps a new rating system is in order?
 Story Seeds -61
Cult of the New Millennium Church of the Glorious
Founded in 1990 by Adam Searle of Gaithersberg, Mary- Return
land, a sometimes artist, bandleader, and philosopher, the
Deceptively alluring, the Church of the Glorious Return
Cult of the New Millennium is still small, but it is growing
is dedicated to preparing humanity for the Second Com-
with the intractable persistence of cancer. Initially starting
ing. Led by the Reverend Samson Garvey and his wife
as a cross between a gag and a drinking society, Searle and
Cassandra, the church stands in woods outside Hyde Park,
his friends found themselves wondering what the next
New York. Built by Jeremiah Garvey, a distant relative of
1000 years would bring. Theorizing that evolution would
Samson’s, its front has always been respectable and never
continue, and that the last 1000 years had seen only slow
eccentric. Openly, the Reverend and his wife promote a
growth on the part of humanity towards a higher life form,
belief in a messianic return, a return that can only come
the organization half-jokingly dedicated itself to assisting
when there is utter harmony between all people. Both are
this evolution.
mild, gentle, and unassuming.
In July of 1991 Searle made a professional visit to
Their actual agenda is quite similar to their hidden
London, a trip only scheduled to take him three weeks. He
one, omitting only one rather important step. Before hu-
returned in December of the following year a changed
manity can rise, it must sink as far as possible.
man, bearing with him multiple notebooks he had filled
With the help of Samson’s ancestors, they have de-
during his travels. He now spoke with charisma and in-
scended quite far, indeed. True inductees of the church
cendiary passion of the coming millennium, asserting that
have committed acts of debauchery that would have
he now knew the date of humanity’s rendezvous with its
them stoned in a public forum, from cannibalism of
destiny: November 1, 2000. He brought with him a He-
infants and the elderly to orgies where bestiality is sec-
brew text, Ha-Sepher Shel Teefays Or, or the Book of the
ond only to eccentric torture. The church seeks to ac-
Climbing Light, a gift from a man Searle would not name.
celerate the descent of man and as such has dabbled in
What was once a recreational diversion became a full- all things which might bring this about, from terrorist
time obsession, and since then Searle, with a growing bombings to drug and weapons sales, from human sac-
number of followers, has been crisscrossing the world, rifice to snuff pornography.
recruiting new members, establishing small shrines and
The church has, over the last two hundred years, at-
teaching his lieutenants at each of these locations the
tempted to move members into every major city in the
prayers and doctrines that will be used to aid them in their
world. It has done quite well, with members in almost all
ascension. He has distributed annotated photocopies of
the major cities in North America and Europe, as well as
the book to many of these shrines, and is rumored to be
in Asia. Achild abducted in Rome might be spirited to the
working on a publishable version on his laptop PC in his Hyde Park church within a week, only to be used and then
spare time. Where Searle has found the money to fund
discarded in Mexico City.
these trips, and how he maintains contact and command
The Church of the Glorious Return began as a cult
over these shrines, is unknown. Current estimates put
dedicated to the fertility forms of Shub-Niggurath, which
membership in the Cult of the New Millennium at 250,
brought Samson Garvey’s ancestors into contact with the
but this is impossible to verify.
Arkham Witch Cult. Through the tutelage of that body, the
ADAM SEARLE, Leader of Cult of the New Millennium, age
Church of the Glorious Return began to diversify, and
32 now has knowledge of many of the Great Old Ones. It was
STR11 CON14 SIZ10 iNT18 POW25 also through alliance that the Garveys began seeking
DEX14 APP15 EDU15 SANO HP12 mates for their children. Each son that was chosen to
Damage Bonus: None assume the mantle of Reverend found a bride by the grace
Weapons: lOrnrn automatic 42%, damage ld10 + 2
of the Arkham Witch Cult. Cassandra and Samson are
Stiletto 49%, damage ld4 + db such an arranged marriage.
FisVPunch 25%. damage ld3 + db Visits by the Black Man, while by no means common,
Skills: Astronomy 34%, Bargain 27%, Computer Use 42%, have occurred on several occasions. Finally, it was
Credit Rating 32%. Cthulhu Mythos 24%, Drive Auto 29%, Fast through the Arkham Witch Cult that Samson’s ancestors
Talk 62%, Hide 33%, Library Use i!1%, Listen 72%, Occult were allowed to copy both the Gran and Petit Alberts.
24%, Persuade 49%, Play Guitar
23%, Psychology 68%, Spot Hid- The Church’s current goals are unknown, but Cassan-
den 33%, Write Music 37%; Lan- dra has become impatient with her husband, finding him
guages: English 90%, German tiresome and foolish. Although he is aware of her feelings
29%, Hebrew 47%
towards him, he has done nothing yet. A schism between
Spells: Create/Control Walking
Fires (SummonlBind Fire Vam-
the two of them, both equally powerful, would certainly
pire), Fire Dance, Mental Sug- destroy the church, but there is no telling what else they
gestion, Raise Ascending Light might take with it.
(Call Cthugha), Raise the Inner
Light (Incinerate),Release the
Burning (Death Spell), Voice of Ra
62 - 1990’s Handbook

Reverend SAMSON GARVEY, leader of Church of the The response to

Glorious Return, age 49 the homeless prob- Hungry? Cold?
STR8 CON16 SIZ12 INT18 POW18 lem in the last ten Come by for a meal
DEXl2 APP7 EDU12 SANO HP14 years h a s been and a warm blanket
Damage Bonus: None weak at best, and at
Weapons: Walking Stick 56% (en- while compassion- House of the King
chanted with Enchant Cane), dam- ate people have in Yellow
age Id8 +1 sought solutions, I234 Main Street
Skills: Astronomy 28%, Cthulhu society as a whole
Mythos 24%, Drive Auto 21%, Lis- Lunch served
ten 48%. Occult 44%, Persuade
has grown tired of 11:30 a.m.-l:3Op.m.
29%; Languages: Arabic 25%, the problem and Dinner served
English 90%, Ghoul 17% has, in fact, man- 4:30p.m.-7:00p.m.
Spells: Blight Crop, Contact Nyar- aged to censure it- Open to all
lathotep, Dread Curse of Azathoth, self e n o u g h t o
Enchant Cane, Evil Eye, Shrivel-
ling, Summon/Bind Dimensional ignore most home-
Shambler less. The problem
remains, yet most individuals have turned a blind eye to
CASSANDRA GARVEY n6e White, wife of Samson Garvey, an entire population, a population separated from the rest
age 28 of society for economic reasons as much as any other.
STRlO CON12 SIZ10 INT16 POW25 This is an entire population that has been forced out
DEX15 APPl6 EDU17 SANO HP11
of societydehumanized to such an extent that perhaps
Damage Bonus: None we are thrusting them straight into the hands of the enemy.
Weapons: .25 Automatic 33%, damage l d 6 Ashelter is a shelter, after all, even if it is called the House
Knife 29%, damage l d 4 + db of the King in Yellow. Clothes are clothes, and if reciting
Skills: Astronomy 35%, CthulhL
a prayer before you are allowed a hot meal is all it takes
Mythos 31%, Fast Talk 32%. to get that hot meal, isn’t that a small price to pay? Our
Hide 27%, Occult 44%, Per- compassion and energies have failed us; we should not
suade 54%. Pharmacy 32%, think the same of our foes. And if the homeless do fall
Poisons 21%, Psychology 18%, prey to cults and other minions of the Mythos, who is
Sneak 37%; Languages: Eng-
lish EO%, French 59%, Ghoul ultimately to blame?
21%, Latin 47%
Spells: Blight Crop, CalVDis-
miss Shub-Niggurath,Contact
Cthulhu ex Machina
Nyarlathotep, Dread Curse of One day an investigator is cruising the local BBS and
Azathoth, Evil Eye, Implant happens upon a new phone number to a mainframe sys-
Fear, Shrivelling, Summon/Bind lark Young, Voorish Sign
tem, “The Fortress of the Unspeakable One.” Logging on,
the interface is stunning, so advanced it even supplies
Down the Mean Streets graphics and sound on-line. Reading some of the public
Some Mythos scholars have already commented that with boards, he discovers several interesting dialogues con-
the unchecked growth of mankind and its pell-mell acqui- cerning the occult, pornography, the First Amendment,
sition of new technologies, we may be our own best and censorship. The underlying tone of all these messages
agents in humanity’s destruction. Our cities in particular seems to be that other users are trying to get in good with
represent this best, with their crowded conditions and the sysop (system operator) in order to gain access to
taxed resources. In such stratified environments, it is easy other, secret message boards and download sections, and
for humanity to revert to its baser instincts of self-preser- perhaps even to learn the name of the Unspeakable One.
vation and survival. In cities around the world people live This is only the beginning. Computers have become
lives devoid of true contact and communication with their part of every aspect of daily life, so why should cultists
fellows, easily ignoring what happens all around them, and even Mythos creatures sit this one out? Today’s cult-
delving instead into the darkness of their own minds. ists are not only found in crackpot splinter groups, but
Specifically of interest are the homeless, those liter- also in government and corporate environs. The Mythos
ally without shelter. A worldwide problem, in the United has always attracted those intelligent enough to know a
States no accurate census has yet been taken of these quick route to power when they see it. A large corporation
disenfranchised people, but estimates of two million indi- with access to a Cray supercomputer could be just a front
viduals are considered by some to be conservative. While for a very sophisticated cult with networks spanning the
many homeless are single males, or individuals suffering globe. Of the many companies called on the carpet in the
from a variety of mental disorders, a great many others are last twenty years, several of them could easily have been
families unable to find affordable housing in the city. Mythos-sympathetic, if not Mythos-controlled. In the
Many homeless do in fact hold jobs, yet cannot afford 1990’s, though, these companies and cultists are being
their own residence. forced underground again as the truth of their dealings
 Story Seeds -63

comes slowly to light. This doesn’t mean they have simply pack your CD case and notebook computer, ac-
stopped their plotting; when has it ever? In fact, the only quire an eye of newt or the odd virgin, and you’re good to
thing this has done is to make certain their plans are even go. While not all elements of magic could be thus dis-
more devious and subtle than before. tilled, it would certainly streamline the process. Isn’t tech-
Although some might believe that no spell can be nology wonderful?
bound in a field of 255 characters, computers are now Advances in virtual reality (VR)technology also lend
sophisticated enough, at the very least, to scan pages di- some interesting possibilities for encounters with the My-
rectly from Cultes de Goules. With the more powerful thos. Designers are already selling full-body suits de-
audiohisual systems, one might find it possible to access signed to mimic one’s actions in cyberspace, to be viewed
the proper graphic, intone the chant, and light the room through a cyberhelmet. Using such tools, cultists and in-
(albeit electronically) to set just the right mood for an vestigators could enter virtual space. The unwary or un-
unsuspecting Mythos minion to be summoned or, more fortunate could be lured into cyberspace via some popular
optimistically, banished. The Cray series of computers entertainment, or even to just escape the clutches of a
may even be powerful enough to breach dimensional bar- Mythos creature (although one shudders to think of what
riers. Even if a computer alone could not perform such might be happening to the investigator’s undefended
feats, one must never underestimate the insane resource- body). A not-too-crazy cultist or a round-the-bend inves-
fulness of cultists who surely are experimenting with such tigator might try to summon a creature while in virtual
fearful concepts even now. reality, and why not? The environment can be tailored to
With the immense storage and access capacity of the the exact requirements, and even if it did work, it’s not
latest optical storage devices (compact discs that can be real, right? Many might see this as an opportunity to study
both written to and erased), it is now possible to upload foreign creaturesin a safe setting,if such a settingcan indeed
not only an entire encyclopedia, but to transfer the same be called “safe.” If nothing else, such virtual landscapes
data to a CD-ROM for easy file transfer. If this can be might provide access to the Dreamlands by their nature as
done, with the addition of visuals and sound bites, then so devices that trick the mind into alternate realities.
too can Necronomicon or any other applicable Mythos
tome be stored, with perhaps a hypertext addition of the
notes and other marginalia inscribed by the mad professor
N e x t Step, the World!
who undertook the project. If a whole book can be The following six pages of maps highlight different loca-
uploaded as such, then it follows that spells distilled tions in the world. Some are already connected with the
from such books could also be saved. Then, perhaps, the Mythos, while others merely have interesting facts con-
disc itself could be magicked and used in place of the nected with them. Use them as springboards for placing
spell, or as a component to invoke the same. This would or creating your own scenarios.
eliminate the need to lug around all of those bulky tomes;
 KaraShehr, Saudi Arabia.
Also Beled el-Djinn, the 'City
of Devils." Alhazred calls it
the City of Evil.
Ain Hanech, Algeria. Cairo, Egypt.
Tools one to one and a half Center of the cults of Brotherhood
million years old have been found of the Black pharaoh and Harag-Koiath,Saudi Arabia.
here, including multi-faceted Children of the Sphinx. Undergroundcity in which
. .
soheroids of unknown DurDose.
\
Bubastir, Egypt.
Center of the cult of Bast in
Shub-Niggurathmay be waiting until
Hastur is free to come to Earth again
 nngus blast zone, Slberla.

ponds of gases,
hot water, and
minerals.

Alchl, Ladakh, Tlbet.

Sunda Stralt, Indonesia.

 R'lyeh.
Ponape, Carollnes. Resting place of
Island where Captain Abner Great Cthulhu.
Ezekiel Hoag discovered the
Ponape Scripture, written in
hieratic Naacal.
Modjokerto, Java, Indonesia.
A 2 million-year-olddecapitated
child's skull was found here. ~

Ponape

Retoka, Vanuatu.
Island grave of Chief Roy Mata
of Efate, who was buried with
35 retainers sacrificed for
the ceremony.
,se members liveti
ge was known as :

Kamai
 -_ - .

& Central America

Galapagos Islands.
Place where nature and evolution went
crazy, creating several strange species.

goa Santa Caves, Brazil.

man remains and those of
inct animals dating from 7000 B.C.
70 - 1990’s Handbook

Annotated Bibliography
Bing, LAon. Do or Die. New Y o k Harper Collins Publishers, Marriner, Brian. On Death’s Bloody Trail: Murder and the Art of
1991. Excellent book; first real ground-floor look at the Crips and Forensic Science. New York: St. Marlin’s Press, 1991. Examination
Bloods and how their presence dominates the lives of inner-city of modern forensic science, notable mostly because of its publi-
youth. Contains excellent accounts of personal lives on the cation date and the pertinenceof its information.Recommended.
streets and behind bars, including sections on the juvenile camps Newton, Michael. Armed and Dangerous: A Writer’s Guide to
offenders are sent to. Much recommended. Weapons. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1990. Designed for
Booth, Martin. The Triads: The Growing Global Threat from the the would-be mystery writer, contains enough information to
Chinese Criminal Societies. New York St. Martin’s Press, 1990. teach just about anybody everything they need to delve into the
fields of firearms and ballistics, and a fairly useful but brief history
Bulkeley, William M. “Cipher Probe: Popularity of Encryption
of the evolution of firearms through history. Part of the “Howdun-
Code Has the U.S. Worried.” Wall Street Journal, 29 April 1994,
nil‘ Series.
sec. 1.
~~

Posner, Gerald R. Warlords ofcrime: Chinese Secret Societies-

Dibbell, ,8PhiberOptik Goes to Prison.,, Wired,April 1994,:
The New Mafia. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1988.
27. Wiredmagazineitself is a dynamic publicationconcerned with
Clear, well written, engaging, and ultimately terrifying history of
new technology and the way it influences and changes modern
not only the Triads but of the heroin trade as well. One of the few
popular culture. Flashy, pretty, and often informative.
books on the subiect that Drovides anv sense of the incredible
Dubro. Alec and David E. Kaplan. Yakuza: The ExplosiveAccount scope of Triad operations and reveals their potential power. Much
of Japan’s Criminal Undenvorld. Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley recommended.
. - -. .....-. .- - -.
PublishingCompany, Inc., 1986. Dry and practically scholarly, but
Reader’s Digest. Natural Wonders of the World. Pleasantville,
perhaps the only comprehensiveview of the Yakuza and how they
NY The Reader’s Digest Assoc., Inc., 1980. Due to appearances,
dominate crime in Japan. Also details their known expansion
several naturally occurring phenomena can be tied quite easily
efforts.
into Mythos storylines.
Fooner, Michael. lnside Interpol: Combatting World Crime
through scienceand lntemationalpolice c ~New York: ~ Reader’s
~ Digest. The~ World‘s Last
~ Mysteries.~ Pleasanwille,
~ NY ~ ~
coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1975. Short and sweet
The Reader’s Digest Assoc., Inc., 1978. Lists several “mystery“
primer about I N ~ ~how L : how it works, and
~ it ~was~formed, places in the world, where evidence exists of strange occur-
details on some of its more spectacular successes. rences, but no explanation has yet been found.

French, Scott and Lee Lapin. SpyGame: Winning through Super Simon, David. Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. Boston:
Technology. Boulder: Paladin Press, 1985. Poorly edited, poorly
Houghton Mifflin Book Company, 1991. A “new journalism” style
written, full of paranoia and other fun tidbits about all the devices book. Simon, a Baltimore crime reporter, spent a year with one of
available at the time of publication that can be used to maim, kill, the Baltimore Homicide squads. Rivetting and harsh, the book
hurt, burn, explode, watch, listen, and copy that which walks, strips away most of the myths surrounding the police and all of the
crawls, or slithers. myths surrounding homicide investigations in major cities. Much
recommended. (Incidentally, the basis of the on-again-off-again
Gimbutas, Marija. The Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe 7000- television series, Homicide: Life on the Streets.)
3500 B.C.: Myths, Legends, and Cult Images. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press, 1974. Contains references to fish Sterling, Claire. Octopus: The Long Reach of the lntemational
Sicilian Mafia. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1990.
gods and fish totemism.
Similar to the Posner book, but Sterling is concerned with the
Hammond Past Worlds: The Times Atlas of Archaeology. Maple- Mafia. Well researched and chock full of details about the Mafia
wood, NJ: Hammond, Inc., 1988. Especially useful in conjunction in general, the Sicilian and American arms in particular.
with the Dictionary of Archaeology for pinpointing locations in
Whitehouse, Ruth D., Ed. The Facts on File Dictionary ofArchae-
today’s world.
ology. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1988. As with Natural
Ha r ms , Danie I. Encyclopedia Cthulhiana. Oak Iand , C A : Wonders of the World, circumstances and appearances of ar-
Chaosium, Inc., 1994. Contains listings of locations associated chaeological finds can easily be connected with the Mythos.
with the Mythos, useful for placing adventures.
Williams, Linda. Hard Core: Power, Pleasure and the “Frenzy of
Joyce, Christopher and Eric Stover. Witnesses from the Grave. the Visible.”Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. Fairly
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. Comprehensivewalk scholarly and dry, but compelling nonetheless. Talks at length
through forensic anthropology with details of the procedures used about the rapid proliferationof pornography in the last thirty years,
to net some truly spectacular results. with studies of the psychological and sociological effects that this
Love, Penelope et a/. Terror Australis: Cthulhu Down Under: distribution has had.
Australian Background and Adventures. Oakland, C A Chaosium, Wilson, Colin. Clues!: A History of Forensic Detection. United
Inc., 1987. Gives brief background history of Australia, including States: Wamer Books, 1991. Wilson, ever prolific, has written an
odd places and happenings. accomplished overview of forensics. Contains details of cases
Knightmare, The. Secrets of a SuperHacker. Port Townsend: from all over the world, ranging back to ancient Greece in some
Loompanics Unlimited, 1994. A hacker’s bible, full of all sorts of cases. Recommended.
information about the process from social engineering to Wilson, Keith D., M.D. Cause of Death:A Writer’sGuide to Death,
dumpster diving; includes Knightmare’s philosophy of hacking, Murder and Forensic Medicine. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books,
and his evaluation of the United States’ “backwards” attitudes 1992. Another of the “Howdunnit“ Series for wanna-be mystery
about the same. writers and those with morbid curiosities. Vital for Keepers and
investigators who want to know the stories that a corpse can tell.
 Index -71
Index
AFIS 40 Force Recon 40 National Guard 39,42
ATF 32 forensics 44-45 National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) 40
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery 42 Forgery skill 42 National Security Agency (NSA) 34,41
Air Force Intelligence Service (AFIS) 40 fully automatic weapons 22 Naval Investigative Services (NIS) 41
Airborne Commandos 41 gambling 46,47,48 networking computers 5
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Bureau gangs 48-50 new skills 4,42
of (ATF) 32 generating military characters 39 night vision goggles 3
ammunition, special 15 ghasts 12,13 non-lethal weapons 11-13
Artillery skill 32 ghouls 13 nuclear weapons 21-22
assault rifles 17,18-19 government 30 ON1 40
automatic weapons, fully 22 Great Race 13 os1 41
batons 11 Green Berets 42 observation equipment 3
Behavioral Science Unit (FBI) 31 grenade launchers 17,20-21 Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) 40
binoculars 3 gugs 12,13 Office of Special Investigations (OSI) 41
blinding flash guns 12-13 gun sights 20 officers 40
Bloods 49 Hacker Manifesto (excerpt) 6 Old Ones 13
“blue suicide” 51 hacking 7 opium 47,50
Boxer Rebellion 47 handguns 14-15, 16 paramedic equipment 9- 10
bugs 2 Hawaii 48 Pepper gas 13
bulletproof vests 1 Heavy Weapons skill 42 personal computers 4
byakhee 13 helicopters 7-9 personality profile 52
CGI 41 heroin 45,57 pilots 41
CIA 35-36,41 hit locations 53-57 police 43-44
CID 41 hit locations, human 53-54 pornography 48,50
CPR 10 hit locations, monster 54-57 prostitution 46,41
css 34 hit points, human 54 Rangers 39,41
California 48 hit points, monster 55-57 Reserves 39,42
called shots 53 hit points, quadruped 54 rifles 15, 16, 18
Central Intelligency Agency Hong Kong 47 Royal Marine Special Boat Service
(CIA) 35-36,40 Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) 32 (SBS) 42
Central Security Service (CSS) 34 hunting horrors 13 SEALS 42
chemical dyes 13 INSCOM 40 sailors 39
chemical sprays 13 IR goggles 3 sand dwellers 12,13
clubs 11 IRS 33-34 scenario seeds 58-69
Coast Guard Investigations (CGI) 41 illegal weapons 22-23 scopes 19-20
Combined DNA Index System Innsmouth 30 scuba equipment 10
(CODIS) 45 Intelligence and Security Command Secret Service 36
Combined Federal Law Enforcement (INSCOM) 40 serial crime 51
Training Center 32, 36.37 intelligence, military 40-41 serial killers 51
computer information services 5 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 33-34 serpent people 12,13
computer networking 5 INTERPOL 33 shantaks 13
Computer Programming skill 4 laser sights 20 shotguns 16,18
Computer Use skill 4 lasers 2- 3 Sicily 46
computers 3-7 loan sharking 46 sights 20
computers and the law 6 Macao 47 “silencers” 20
concealed weapons 22 mace 13 soldiers 39-40
corrupt militaries 38 Mafia 46-47 Special Air Service (SAS) 42
Criminal Investigative Division (CID) 41 mainframe computers 4 Special Forces 39,41-42
Crips 49 Marine Corps Intelligence 41 Special Operations 41-42
DEA 33 Marines 40 Spetsnaz 42
DIA 40 Marshals Service 37 spies 35
DNA analysis 45 mass murderers 51 spree killers 51
damage effects 53-54 medical equipment 9-10 stunners 12
deep ones 12, 13 mi-go 12 submachine guns 17, 19
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) 40 microphones 2 supercomputers 4
Delta Force 42 military characters, generating 39 suppressors 20
Demolitions skill 42 military intelligence 40-41 surveillance equipment 1-3
Disguise skill 42 military service 38 tasers 12
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) 33 minicomputers 4 terrorism 36
drug trafficking 48,50 Miranda warning 44 Tongs 47
EMT equipment 9 monoculars 3 Triads 47,49
eavesdroppingequipment 2 murderer personality profile 52 VICAP 31.51
explosives 17,21 NIS 41 Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
FBI 31 NRO 40 (VICAP) 31,51
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 31 NSA 34,40 Yakuza 47-48
firearms tables 16-17 National Center for the Analysis of
Violent Crime (NCAVC) 31