Etherscope Cinnamon Rose.pdf

CinnAmon rose

Credits

Etherscope created by Nigel McClelland and Ben Redmond

Designers: Nigel McClelland and Ben Redmond

Additional Designers: Chris Durham and David Schwartz

Writers: Ben Redmond, Nigel McClelland, Chritopher F. Allen, Chris Durham,

Mark Charke, and David Schwartz

Developer: Luke Johnson

Editor: Ken Hart

Art Diretion and Graphic Design: Shane Hartley

Cover Art Diretion: Sean Glenn

Cover Art: Jonathan Hill

Interior Art: Alex Kosakowski, Alex Shiekman, Chris Watkins, Eduardo Herrera, Ethan Paternack,

Ilya Atrakhan, James Coper, Jeremy Mohler

Editor-in-Chief: Joseph Goodman

Playteters: Mike Beddes (Rahlyns Falconer-Beddes, Xcylur Beddes, Jason Taylor, Corey Starr, Billy

Ujhely), Benjie C/S, Jim Crapia, Chris Durham, Mark Gedak, Sean Holland, Jamallo Kreen, Stefan

Lundsby, Michael McConnell, Scott Moore, Jer Petter ( Jason Bazylak, John Gillepie, Linda Gillepie,

Brett Watters), Ben Redmond (Melanie Dufy, Mark Fair, Matt Finn, Paul Johnson, Gérard Kraus,

Beatty Osborne, Matt Sims, James Todd), David Schwartz (Catherine Pegg, Michael Woodhams, Sam

Noel, Carlene Quedley, Nathan Smith, Carol Phillips), Beckett Warren

Learn more about Etherscope at www.EtherscopeRPG.com

Learn more about Goodman Games at www.goodman-games.com

his printing of Etherscope is published in accordance with the Open Game License.

he mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

FACTIONS

Several factions vie for the artefact known as the Rose.



THE ADMINISTRATION DIVISION

Unbeknownst to almost everyone, including himself, the chief

executive of the Corporation of the Great Metropolitan Estate,

Maxwell Booth, has been possessed by the demon Yrjn’kruh-Gkay-

loi. A ruthless man even without demonic inluence, the demon

steers Maxwell towards some unknown (but undoubtedly nefarious)

goal. The demon thought the Rose was destroyed and was dismayed

to discover parts of it in the hands of mortals. He orders his minions

to destroy it once and for all.

More about Maxwell Booth and the Corporation of the Great

Metropolitan Estate appears in The great Metropolis.

THE ANCOATS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

On the surface, the Ancoats Historical Society is just another

local society dedicated to historical preservation. In truth, the

organisation is a collective of occult researchers who exchange

information and discuss their indings. They also work to

protect humanity from etheric entities. A wealthy

benefactor funds the society, and it has an

extensive library of occult books and

artefacts. Acquiring the Rose would

be a boon, both to the collection

and to humanity’s defence.

More information about

the Ancoats Historical Soci-

ety appears in The great

Metropolis.

es, the railway arches, the cheap abundant

drugs. hat’s what did it in the end. Not the

money, not the music, not even the guns.

hat is my heroic law: my excess of

civic pride.”

– Tony Wilson, 24 Hour Par-

ty People

Brought in to resolve a

kidnapping, the charaters

are drawn into a shadowy

world of occult conpira-

cies. “Cinnamon Rose”

takes place in the Great

Metropolis as well as in

the Scope. he charac-

ters need social skills and

a degree of Scope skill to

overcome the challenges

in this adventure. Occult

knowledge may help the PCs,

but is not necessary.

THE GHOST

HAND GANG

Mike Ryder, the Ghost

Hand leader, took the

Rose’s Prime Reality com-

ponent from Tony Porter

when he kidnapped him.

Mike saw Sally Cinnamon give

the cylinder to Tony; he doesn’t

know what it is, but he igures it

must be valuable.

is a virtuoso Scope performer. However, few

people know that she is also an invetigator of Scope phenom-

ena. he same exceptional Scope skills that make her a famous

artit open her etheric senses to trange happenings in the

Scope.

Milo Porter, tobacconit, is a member of the Ancoats

Hitorical Society. Unbeknownt to the general populace,

the society is a front for occult research (more information

about the Ancoats Hitorical Society can be found in he

Great Metropolis ). Although not a member of the society,

Sally Cinnamon has done ieldwork for the aging Porter on a

number of occasions. To allay supicion, Porter communicates

with Sally through his son Tony, an apiring music promoter.

THE SYSTEM AGENTS

The System is also aware of the Rose’s re-

emergence. In a misguided attempt to destroy the

demon contained within it, the System sends a team of System

agents to destroy the Rose. The PCs may be able to convince the

agents to abandon this goal if they demonstrate either the danger of

destroying the Rose or the artefact’s potential usefulness.

More information on the System and System agents appears in

Mysteries of the Occult.

Sally recently acquired a myterious Lemurian artefat. he

artefat has two components, one in Prime Reality and one

in Etherpace. A fan gave her the Prime Reality component,

but, because its Prime Reality and Etherpace components

are separated, the artefat is inative. Sally gave the objet to

CinnAmon rose

An Etherscope adventure for 6th-level charaters

“M ot of all, I love Mancheter. he crumbling warehous-

background

E veryone knows that Sally Cinnamon

THE ROSE

This artefact appears as a perfect red rose in Etherspace and a small,

thin brass cylinder in Prime Reality. The efects of the Rose manifest

only if a character holds the Prime Reality component and the etheric

component is bound to his avatar.

The etheric Rose bonds with the avatar of whoever holds it; it dis-

appears when the character jacks out and materialises when he jacks

in. The bond is severed if the bearer loses possession of the Rose (vol-

untary or not).

Etherspace Efects: The Rose’s etheric component provides a +4

bonus on Charisma-based checks in Etherspace. In addition, the bear-

er can make a smite attack against etheric creatures in Etherspace.

The bearer must declare the use of this ability before making a melee

attack roll. The character adds his Charisma bonus on the attack roll.

If he hits, he deals additional damage equal to his character level. The

bearer can use this ability once per day for every 5 ranks she has in

Scope Use (immersed).

prime reality Efects: The bearer can activate the Rose’s Prime

Reality component to trap an etheric creature encountered in Prime

Reality, banishing it to an Etherspace prison. Doing so requires a DC

15 Warding check and a ranged touch attack (range equal to 25 feet,

plus 5 feet for every two ranks in Warding). If the attack succeeds,

the target must attempt a Will save (DC 10 + half the bearer’s ranks

in Warding + the bearer’s Intelligence modiier). If the creature fails,

it is sucked into a portal, which shuts around it and traps it forever.

If the save succeeds, the portal opens and sucks in part of its

essence, dealing 1d6 points damage for every 2 ranks the bearer has in

Warding. If this attack reduces the creature to 0 hp, it is sucked into

the prison.

The bearer can target a creature possessing a character with this

attack; the attack afects the possessing creature and could free the

host from the possession.

Destroying the rose: If either component is destroyed (hard-

ness 10, 35 hp, 1/2 damage from all energy types), the artefact no

longer functions. If the etheric component is destroyed, in addition

to deactivating the device, an etheric bubble opens and its prisoners

escape — one per round, starting with the irst to be trapped. Only

Xyscyila (a tentacled horror) is trapped in the artefact at the start of

the adventure.

A character can permanently deactivate the Rose (without releas-

ing its prisoners) by separating its components and making a DC 30

Scope Use check over 1 hour of work.

Tony Porter whilt she searched for the etheric component.

Unfortunately, Mike Ryder, leader of the Ghot Hand and

Sally’s jealous on-again-of-again boyfriend, witnessed the

exchange. With some diiculty, Sally acquired the missing

etheric component, but before she could pass it along to Tony,

Mike Ryder’s thugs abduted him.

Milo learns about the kidnapping and asks the PCs to

rescue his son. Meanwhile, Sally has drawn the attention of

Sytem agents and demons, who seek the artefat for their

own inscrutable purposes.

When the PCs enter the shop, Milo greets them warmly

and invites them into his uptairs lat. Milo explains that two

nights ago the Ghot Hand gang kidnapped his son Anthony

(everyone else calls him Tony, but his father never does).

Milo initially suggets that the abdution may be related to

Anthony’s business — Anthony works clubs in the seedier side

of town, looking for talent. However, with skilful diplomacy

(a Diplomacy check opposed by Milo’s Resolve check — his

bonus is +9), Milo reveals that his son meets with Sally Cinna-

mon, the gang leader’s ertwhile girlfriend. If the PCs ask how

his son knows Sally, Milo tells them it’s because they’re both

in the music indutry. hough genuinely concerned about his

son, Milo denies ever having met Sally (his Bluf bonus is +7).

After leaving the tobacconit, the PCs likely want to do

some research. he “Word on the Street” sidebar suggets

information the PCs might discover with gather information

checks. It’s a good idea to use this opportunity to roleplay the

charaters’ interations with people in and around the area,

from moshers at the Fatory to people who live under Ghot

Hand “protetion.”

If the research drags on — or the PCs make nuisances of

themselves or the players want some ation — three Ghot

Hand thugs attack them. Use the tats for a medium-level

warrior (Chapter 8: Gamesmatering, “Ordinaries,” Warrior

Ordinary ).

which can occur for any number of reasons.

• If the PCs are police or private investigators, their superiors

might call them in to solve the kidnapping of Tony Porter.

• If the PCs are occult investigators, Milo hires them (even

though this case bears no appearance of the supernatural).

• Milo knows a surprising number of people. He has aided the

PCs’ organization in the past, and in recognition, the PCs’

superiors send them to help Milo.

• An NPC for whom the characters regularly work is secretly a

member of the Ancoats Historical Society. He asks the PCs

to help a friend.

In any case, the PCs receive diretions to Milo Porter’s shop.

Read or paraphrase the following.

Y ou head down treets that wind between dirty high-rise

residential blocks. As you turn the lat corner, you see

a ditintly old-fashioned tobacconit shop wedged between

two blocks of lats. he clean and inviting facade contrats

with its surroundings. A check of your diretions reveals

that this is your detination.



PArt one: Pendlebury

T he adventure begins when the PCs meet Milo Porter,

WORD ON THE STREET

The PCs can make gather information checks to learn about the peo-

ple involved in the kidnapping.

SALLY CINNAMON

Sally keeps a low proile in Prime Reality. The PCs are unable to

locate her physical residence (an anonymous lat in Manchester). If

they insist on meeting Sally, someone directs them to her concert in

Haven or to Mike Ryder.

A gather information check with the High Society or Street inlu-

ence reveals the following:

• DC 5: Sally Cinnamon is a famous singer from Manchester.

• DC 10: Sally got her start singing in Ancoats clubs, including the

Factory. After a few gigs in the Scope, she became a success. Her

unique brand of opera-punk makes her popular with tab-jammers

and young dilettantes alike.

• DC 15: Sally has been linked with a number of men, most notably

Mike Ryder, a gang leader from Charlestown. Their on-of relation-

ship is the object of much speculation. An additional bit of informa-

tion is that Sally is playing a gig in Haven a couple of nights after the

PCs meet Milo. (A DC 20 Knowledge (current events) check also

allows a PC to know about this show.)

• DC 20: Few know what Sally gets up to when she’s not performing.

Some have suggested that she works for a separatist organization.

• DC 25: Not many people know this, but Sally collects classical

objets d’art. Sometimes a fan or admirer gives her an artefact as

a gift.

GHOST HAND GANG

A gather information check with the Crime or Street inluence

reveals the following:

• DC 10: The Ghost Hand is a successful gang in Charlestown. They

run protection rackets and smuggle drugs, tabs, and guns. Their

colours are white on black.

• DC 15: The Ghost Hand gang claims the Justinian block as its base

of operations. It also has “patches” outside Charlestown, includ-

ing Ancoats, a popular nightspot. Mike Ryder is the gang’s leader.

Thugs from the Ghost Hand abducted Tony Porter outside the Fac-

tory a few days ago.

• DC 20: The Ghost Hand has a good reputation in Charlestown, and

is genuinely protective of those in the Justinian block. That’s where

the gang took Tony.

• DC 25: The gang holds Tony on the 68th loor.

Diplomacy: If the PCs can change a Ghost Hand thug’s attitude

from unfriendly to friendly (the thugs’ Resolve bonus is +0), he reveals

that Tony is in the Justinian block. If made helpful, the thug reveals the

precise loor.

TONY PORTER

The characters can search Tony’s lat (Milo has a key), though they

ind little. Tony’s management style is unusual: He has no contracts

and keeps few records. In any case, no mention of Sally Cinnamon

exists anywhere in his lat. A DC 20 Search check turns up a scrap of

paper on which are scrawled the words “The Rose” and “Fatal Error”

and a time and date: the night before the PCs spoke to Milo, after

Tony was kidnapped.

A gather information check with the Street inluence reveals the

following:

• DC 10: Tony Porter is an aspiring music mogul. The bands he manag-

es (Uncertain Ratio and the Transgenic League) are good enough

to get gigs at Ancoat’s famous Factory venue, but they’re not great.

Tony hasn’t been seen in several days, however.

• DC 15: Tony is not well respected as a person, but has a good idea

of image and style. He seems to have money (relative to the work-

ing-class people normally involved in this type of music). A few days

ago, some Ghost Hand thugs jumped Tony outside the Factory and

dragged him of.

• DC 20: Some people have seen Tony talking to Sally Cinnamon at

the Factory.

• DC 25: A few nights ago, one of the punks at the Factory saw Sally

slip Tony a fat envelope.

MIKE RYDER

A gather information check with the Crime or Street inluence

reveals the following:

• DC 10: Mike Ryder is the Ghost Hand’s leader. Mike is gregarious,

personable, and popular. He’s also an efective gang leader; the

Ghost Hand has expanded exponentially under his leadership.

• DC 15: Mike Ryder is a heavy drug user. Though popular, his capri-

cious decisions and juvenile pranks prove an annoyance to allies

and enemies alike. Mike has no shortage of female companionship,

notably his on-of relationship with Scope star Sally Cinnamon.

• DC 20: Mike Ryder has a stake in Sally Cinnamon’s career. Mike saw

Sally give an envelope to Tony; worried that Tony Porter is trying to

horn in on her contract, Mike ordered some of his goons to abduct

the music promoter.

MILO PORTER

A character using gather information regarding Milo discovers that he

is exactly what he appears to be: a friendly neighbourhood shopkeeper.

Milo is scrupulous about keeping his ailiation hidden. Though you

might drop hints that Milo is more than he says, for dramatic reasons,

avoid revealing too much about Milo at this time.

irm hold on the top 33 (the lower levels are conteted,

much to the residents’ detriment). he gang holds Tony on the

68th loor. Mike hasn’t seen Sally in months, but he till has a

take in her career. Mike assumes Tony is trying to teal Sally’s

contrat, and that is otensibly why he had Tony abduted.

Mike is also worried that Tony is intereted in Sally on a more

personal level. Mike has kept Tony locked up because he hopes

Tony knows where Sally now resides. (He doesn’t.)

If the PCs don’t know what loor Tony is on, they can make

gather information checks by asking the block’s residents.

buildings (many built in irregular tages) tower over

seventy tories high. Mass transit lines snake about the

buildings’ exteriors. he contabulary rarely patrols the

treets, and never enters the buildings. hus, the gangs have

free run over the blocks.



PArt tWo:

ChArlestoWn

T he Jutinian block is 76 tories; the Ghot Hand has a

C harletown is four square miles of block housing. he

Patrols (el 7)

T he PCs can enter the building either from the ground loor

and they don’t diferentiate between Tony and the PCs. How-

ever, if the charaters escape the building or incapacitate a

dozen thugs, the Ghot Hand breaks of (for now).

or one of the transit terminals; however, they mut take the

lifts to reach the upper loors. As the PCs explore the Jutinian

block, read or paraphrase the following.

W alking along the hallway feels like moving through a

mike´s Flat

I f the thugs bring the PCs to see Mike Ryder, read or

war zone. A few ether lights intermittently illuminate

the dark, clautrophobic passage. What few residents you see

pointedly ignore you as they scurry about their business.

G ang thugs (medium-level warriors) roam the halls in groups

paraphrse the following.

T he elevator wires creak as the lift ascends to the top

loor. he doors open, revealing a hallway not unlike

those in the ret of the building, yet somewhat cleaner. he

thugs push you out of the elevator, and then lead you to a

door where two more thugs tand guard. After a few terse

words from your escort, the guards open the door.

he room is well furnished for such a low-rent building.

A young man in gang colours, clearly Mike Ryder, sits at the

back of the room with a bottle of pirits. He is surrounded

by about half a dozen hangers-on.

“Oi, what do you want?” he shouts.

B y the time the PCs arrive, Mike is coming to the reali-

of 1d4; the PCs run into at leat one such patrol on their

way up, more if they don’t go diretly. hese patrols are unlikely

to trouble the PCs (too much) if the charaters look like resi-

dents and avoid drawing attention. Otherwise, the thugs accot

them; if the charaters don’t have a good explanation for their

trepass, the thugs forcibly remove them.

door to Tony’s room. he only ventilation in the room is a

small window, tuck half open, which looks out onto a brick wall

across the alley — and a 68-loor drop traight down. A Small

charater can get through the window easily; a Medium charac-

ter mut make a DC 20 Escape Artit check to do so.

he PCs probably attempt the rescue in one of three ways:

Diplomacy: he Ghot Hand thugs are initially unfriend-

ly. hey don’t attack unless provoked, but they are not above

threats. If a thug’s attitude becomes hotile or a PC takes an

ofensive ation, the thugs become violent. No amount of cajol-

ing allows the charaters access to Tony’s provisional prison.

However, if the PCs change a Ghot Hand member’s attitude

to friendly (their Resolve bonuses are +0), he takes them to see

Mike Ryder (see “Mike’s Flat,” below).

If the PCs come to Charletown at the end of the adventure

and have Sally Cinnamon with them, the thugs immediately

take them to see Mike Ryder.

stealth: he PCs can get far into the building by taying out

of sight or pretending to be working-class residents. However,

the thugs are not tolerant of folks they don’t know on the 68th

loor. Regardless, the charaters mut till deal with the guards

on the door.

Unless the PCs are good at covering their tracks, the gang

discovers that Tony is missing within 10 minutes. If the Ghot

Hand is tracking down the charaters, the block residents are

more likely to help the gang than the heroes.

Alternatively, if the PCs have a small zepcar, and they know

which room Tony is in, they might try getting him out through

the window in the alley. In this case, the gang might not notice

the escape for hours, and Mike might assume that Tony com-

mitted suicide or escaped on his own.

Combat: Buting in with guns blazing is probably the leat

efetive way to rescue Tony. Once combat breaks out, thugs

arrive in groups of 1d4 roughly every minute, as long as the

PCs are in Ghot Hand territory. hese thugs don’t hold back,

sation that Tony is no threat and has no useful informa-

tion. However, the PCs’ involvement convinces him that Tony

might be worth something to someone.

To get Tony released, the PCs mut change Mike’s attitude

from unfriendly to friendly (his Resolve bonus is +9). Mike

receives a +4 bonus on Resolve checks to resit Intimidation

(from a combination of booze and home ield advantage). If

combat ensues, the hangers-on lee (if necessary, use the tats

for low-level con artits and/or thieves; see Chapter 8: Games-

matering).

If the PCs attempt diplomacy, Mike demands recompense.

he PCs mut make a DC 12 acquisition check; they take a

–10 penalty on this roll if they hadn’t planned for this even-

tuality (and brought along extra cash). he price goes up to

DC 15 if the PCs have to return with the payment. Mike also

accepts equivalent goods, epecially drugs or tabs. As with any

bribery, the PCs gain +1 bonus on their Diplomacy check for

each point by which they beat the acquisition DC (max +10).

Feel free to give the PCs a competence bonus on their checks

for good roleplaying.

If Sally is with the PCs, she can then easily convince Mike

to release Tony.

took an item of his — a brass tube. If the PCs bribed

Mike to release Tony (or have brought Sally), Mike gives only

token resitance before handing over the artefat. If the PCs

used other means to rescue Tony, Mike is less forthcoming. He

demands recompense (as above).

If the PCs rescue Tony, Milo is exceedingly grateful. How-

ever, when Tony tells his father about the Rose, Milo becomes

worried for Sally Cinnamon’s safety. Tony was supposed to

receive an important program from her; his kidnapping pre-

vented him from meeting her, and other groups hunt the pro-

the 68th Floor

T hugs roam the halls on this loor, and two thugs guard the

success?

W hen the PCs rescue Tony, he informs them that Mike

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