Many Faces, One Mask (Fallout Supplement)
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Introduction[edit]
One Mask, Many Faces is an adventure for the Fallout PnP Roleplaying Game that has been converted to the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. It is recommended for character levels 1-3, and is intended to be the first adventure in an ongoing campaign.
GM Notes[edit]
Many Faces, One Mask takes place roughly 100 years after the War in Southwest Missouri and Northeastern Oklahoma. Although it is intended to be run as the first adventure in a complete campaign, Many Faces, One Mask can be run independently. The setting is fairly universal, and the adventure can easily be adapted to any scenario, although places with a strong religious presence work the best. Remember that this adventure is for the GM’s eyes ONLY; players who read certain parts of this text will spoil the fun of trying to solve a deep, multi-layered puzzle.
Adventure Overview[edit]
The adventure opens with the characters looking for work in the city of Springfield, in the old state of Missouri. How they came to be together is a problem for the GM to sort out; perhaps the group is a bunch of childhood friends, or perhaps they were all laid off from a factory together. At any rate, the mayor of Springfield hires the characters to make a personal delivery for him: a very important letter that he must get to a relative in the ruins of Tulsa, to the south. He suggests that the characters try to get a job guarding a merchant caravan, so they can be paid for their troubles. In addition, he will pay them a large sum of money when the characters return with his relative’s answering letter.
The characters then locate a caravan and take a job as guards. It leaves the very next day. On the way to Tulsa, the caravan is attacked. The raiders aren’t all that tough, and everyone should survive.
Once arriving at Tulsa, the characters find an extremely oppressive religious environment, run by a church called the True Believers. They deliver the mayor’s letter to his sister, and she informs the party that it will be a week before she can give them a letter in return. The characters should then look for something to do, and find that the outpost town of Okmulgee is in need of supplies. Okmulgee is a supplier of Tulsa’s wood, and the party is promised a rich reward for their troubles.
Once arriving in Okmulgee, the town is attacked by a strange tribe from the Great Wastes. Riding horses and attacking like ghosts, the tribe does some serious damage to the town. Battered but not broken, the party is sent back to Tulsa with word of the attack and the message to send re-enforcements.
Once the party shares the news, they contact the mayor’s sister and she gives him a missive to take back to Springfield. Once this task is complete, the characters get some experience and supplies.
The Background Story[edit]
Of course, nothing is what it seems in this adventure. Tulsa is ruled by a extremely strict religious group called the True Believers, who teach a modified version of late 20th-Century fundamentalist Christianity. Using guilt and fear, they have a near chokehold on Tulsa’s 40,000 people, and are currently expanding their operations to 141 other cities. The True Believers have had their eye on Springfield for quite a while, and it is their next planned conquest.
The True Believers are far more than just a religious organization with a grasp on a group of people. They use their religion as a front for business operations, many of them illegal – and many of which are the same things they preach against in their pulpits every Sunday. The wood operation in Okmulgee is a front for a lucrative slave trade, and the manufacture of drugs that are covertly distributed to Tulsa’s population keeps the people in a constant state of guilt-riddled addiction while they work in factories owned by some of the highest members of the Believer’s church, and continue to consume goods produced by these factories.
Of course, there are only six people who know the full extent of the true nature of these operations – a council of businessmen known as the Elders. Each Elder is a “priest” of the True Believers, and they are all amazed at how well their little operation is going. In addition, each is hungry for more, and expansion northward and eastward, into the fertile, resource-rich land in Arkansas, is their next goal.
Of course, the mayor of Springfield recognizes this threat. When strange drugs began appearing on the streets of Springfield, he ordered a full investigation and found they came on caravans from Tulsa. He is aware that the Believers are likely a front for business, and that they would like to take over Springfield, but he isn’t fully aware of the extent to which the web has been woven. His “sister” is really a spy attempting 142 to gain access to the highest levels of Believer knowledge, who has met with moderate success.
The mayor isn’t interested in saving his own people so much as he is interested in saving his own business interests. Given half the chance, he would extend his own empire into Tulsa, but is content with his holdings in Springfield and the entertainment industry in Branson, not far to the south.
The Tribals that attack the party in Okmulgee are very much aware of the Believer’s plans, as these tribals are often the targets of slave raids. They are a tribe of Indians that moved to reclaim land the White Man once stole, and then befouled with radiation. They are extremely well equipped, even possessing energy weapons, as they have learned to adapt to conditions within the Great Wastes and have raided old military installations for supplies. Their attack on Okmulgee was merely testing the town’s defenses; although there is not a single Indian leader, many tribes have banded together and are planning to attack Tulsa, rescue their enslaved brethren, and attempt to destroy the Believers.
Chapter One: The Adventure Begins[edit]
Overview: Springfield Missouri[edit]
Springfield is home to about 10,000 people. Since the town was spared direct bombing in the War, many of the buildings are relatively intact. Springfield is run by a man named John Dotson, who calls himself the mayor. Dotson is a gray-haired man in his mid-50s, who became rich after getting an abandoned factory in operation again, turning out goods like clothes and shoes. His business flourished, and he opened a series of factories in Springfield, giving the people a sense of purpose, a higher quality of life, and bringing himself considerable wealth. It wasn’t long before Dotson built a power plant, bringing electricity back to Springfield. Most of Springfield’s residents live in the old downtown area since the buildings are in such good shape, and many of those that do are employed in Dotson’s factories.
For a map of central downtown Springfield and a description of important places, see below. File:MFOM SpringfieldMap.jpg
Locations[edit]
The Glowing Lights Bar[edit]
The Glowing Lights is Springfield’s local watering hole, and the most likely place for the characters to start the adventure and find work. This smoky, dingy bar is in the basement of a large apartment complex, and the crowd changes from the usual drunks and prostitutes early in the evening to toughs and gangsters later on. One the far wall is a notice board about work; this is where the characters can find notices about Mayor Dotson needing a favor, and work in the Brahmin yards west of town.
The Glowing Lights is run by a surly, bald-headed giant of a man named Jason Lester. Jason is friendly enough, but if anyone causes trouble, they can expect to get a lot of it back.
The Springfield Power Plant[edit]
This enormous, brick-and-mortar building is surrounded by rusty razor wire. It is here that Springfield produces the electricity that runs the town by burning old junk from before the War (and there is plenty of it to scavenge). Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside, and the guards will physically restrain anyone attempting to enter.
(GUARD STATS) File:SpringfieldGuards.jpg
The Old Town Square[edit]
The town square is left from the pre-War days. It used to house a park with a fountain; now, it is an ad-hoc farmer’s market where people from surrounding farms and tiny towns come to sell their produce in exchange for supplies from the factories. The farmers stay from sunrise to sundown, and after night falls, you can buy almost any kind of chemical from dealers who hang out in the shadows. Except the dealers to demand at least 200% of a drug’s list value; Springfield isn’t the easiest place to smuggle drugs into and out of.
Residences[edit]
These brick and metal buildings were originally department stores and clubs before the War. Since then, they have become apartments for Springfield’s citizens. Most apartments are one or two room affairs, and extended families often live next to each other so they can break down walls and give each other more room. These buildings are anywhere from five to fifteen stories high.
Police Station[edit]
This long, squat building houses Springfield’s police department. Of course, Springfield’s finest are all owned and controlled by Dotson.
(COP STATS)
Bob's Gun N' Pawn[edit]
The only sanctioned weapons store in town, Bobs Guns N’ Pawn capitalizes on his monopoly status and charges 200% the listed price for guns and ammunition. Bob is a crusty old coot who chews tobacco and likes to spit on his tired old hound, Blue. Bob’s stock is listed below. Bob pays a large sum to Dotson for 'job security'.
(BOB STATS) (BLUE STATS)
STOCK: Brass Knuckles (x3), Club (x5), Sledgehammer (x1), Combat Knife (x1), Colt 6520 10mm Pistol (x3), VP91z 9mm Pistol (x2), Winchester 12-guage Shotgun (x1), 10mm ammo (x10), 9mm ammo (x20), 12-Guage Shells (Buckshot) (x10), 12-Guage Shells (Slugs) (x2).
General Store[edit]
Run by Bob’s ornery son Bob Jr., the General Store is a wood-frame building with a rather thin stock. Aside from the farmer’s market, which is a hit-ormiss situation, the General Store is the only place where some items are guaranteed to be in stock. Like the gun store, the General Store will charge 200% of the value of most goods.
STOCK: Flare (x10), Lighter (x3), Flashlight (x2), Shovel (x1), Boots (x10).
Brahmin Yards[edit]
The Brahmin yards take up most of western Springfield. They are made up of corrals where Brahmin are held either for drives to other cities or slaughter at one of the tiny slaughterhouses interspersed throughout the yards. This is where Brahmin drive caravans leave for Tulsa and other parts of the countryside. The Brahmin yards are a dusty, open area that sits on the remains of Interstate 44, the main road to Tulsa and St. Louis.
(BRAHMIN STATS)
Mayor Dotson's House[edit]
Mayor Dotson lives in the rambling Victorian house left over from Springfield’s railroad days in the 1850s. Dotson completely restored the structure, and its quiet elegance is almost out-of-place in the wastes. Dotson’s house is protected by his personal, well-armed bodyguards.
(MAYOR DOTSON STATS) (BODYGUARD STATS)
Encounters[edit]
The Job[edit]
The players should take the time to get acquainted with each other and become comfortable with their characters. Somehow, they should end up in the Glowing Lights Bar and see the job notice. The job notice reads:
“Looking for work? Like to travel? Mayor Dotson needs reliable delivery specialists to run correspondence to Tulsa. Inquire in person at the Mayor’s house.”
That should be enough of an incentive to encourage the players to go to the mayor’s house. If not, Jason the bartender can give the party encouragement as well, by speaking well of the mayor.
The Mayor's House[edit]
When the party arrives at the mayor’s house, they will find the lights blazing if it’s nighttime, or the windows open if it’s daytime. After knocking on the door, the party is met by a huge, muscled guard who doesn’t give his name. The guard ushers them into a formal sitting room, where Mayor Dotson will come out to meet them. For complete info on the Mayor, see the NPC roster, below. Once the party is in the room, read the following:
After a few moments wait, an average-looking, gray-haired balding man comes down the stairs and steps into the sitting room. He has the warm, measured smile of a politician as he shakes your hands in turn. “So, you’re looking for delivery work? That’s great. Usually, I ask my own people, but for this job, it might be better if I didn’t send one of my usual couriers. The job is simple: run a sealed letter to my sister in Tulsa, about seven days journey south. After a few days, she’ll write you a letter to bring back to me. When I get that letter, sealed, and I know my letter to her arrived intact, everyone gets 20 TUs/200 Caps each. I’m not really interested in Tulsa’s authorities knowing about this little exchange, so your reward is dependant upon whether or not you are noticed as well. So, what do you say?”
Give the party a few minutes to discuss the mayor’s proposal. If they agree, skip to the text below. If they attempt to bargain, the mayor will pay as much as 25/250 per person. If the party demands any more than that, the mayor will bid them good night and the adventure more or less ends.
When the party agrees, read this:
“Excellent! My sister’s name is Maria Dotson, and you can find her in Tulsa’s Residential Zone. I don’t recommend traveling to Tulsa alone. You’re best bet is to try and find a caravan heading that direction and ask if you can travel with them. Unless there are any questions, I’ll see you in half a month.”
The mayor will answer basic questions about Springfield, but merely refers to the letter as “personal correspondence.” If, at any point, the party opens the letter to read its contents, they will either be tearing the envelope or breaking the seal. Although Maria will pretend not to notice this in front of the characters, she will include something about it in her letter to Dotson. Knowing his security has been compromised, Dotson will pay the characters only 10 TUs/100 Caps and then ask his goons to have the characters executed at the first opportunity.
The Caravan[edit]
Once the characters leave Dotson’s house, they almost run into a scarred, jovial man named Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a caravan driver about to leave for Tulsa whom Dotson contacted shortly after the characters arrived. After leaving the mayor’s house, read the following:
Walking past Mayor Dotson’s neatly manicured lawn, you take a moment to marvel at the simply beauty of his flower gardens. As you do so, you almost run headlong into a huge, bald man covered with scars. The man laughs and says, “'scuse me, folks. I nerly didn’t see y'all. Mah name is Jeremiah, the best darn caravan driver in this thar area.” He sticks out his meaty hand, ready to shake.
If the characters shake Jeremiah’s hand, or otherwise greet him, read the following. If they don’t warm up to him, Jeremiah merely shrugs and walks into Dotson’s house.
After shaking your hand vigorously, Jeremiah sizes you up. “Y'all look like a group that can handle themselves. I’m lookin’ for some hired guns to go on a run with me down to Tulsa. What'd y'all say? We’d leave tomorrow morning, crack of dawn.”
If this scenario seems too good to be true, it’s because it is. Jeremiah is one of Dotson’s agents, but cannot deliver the letter to Maria himself. His caravan is also somewhat undermanned, so he’s willing to pay each character 5 TUs/50 Caps. When the characters agree, Jeremiah tells them to meet him at the Brahmin yards tomorrow morning before the sun comes up (about 5:00 am). The party is then free to spend the evening however they wish.
==Chapter Two: The Brahmin Drive
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