Introduction....................................4World of SteamCraft.........................6Arcadian Coast.................................6 Commonwealth of Arcadia..............6 Metropolitan Area of New Arcadia. 13Granite Valley................................18Badlands........................................19Central Savannah ..........................23Shadowlands..................................25Northern Laurentia........................26Anatolia.........................................28Cymuria.........................................31Society..........................................32 Racism and Sexism......................32 Social Class..................................32 Customs of the Higher Classes.....36 Entertainment..............................37 Customs of Other Cultures...........37The Fae..........................................38Technology....................................38 Computer Programming................39 Arcadian Identification Number....40 Science and Magic........................40 Transportation..............................41 Armor and Weapons.....................44 Communication............................44 Sewage and Water........................44 Healthcare....................................44Religion.........................................45 Avalonianism................................45 Khemetic......................................48 Shin-Do........................................49 Tefong..........................................50Noteworthy Guilds & Associations .52 Wanderers....................................52 Cogwork Guild..............................53 Pilots’ Guild..................................53 Arcadian Intelligence Agency.........55 Order of the Silver Keystone..........55 The Order of Eternal Darkness ....56 Technomages................................57 Military.........................................58Character Creation.........................62 Races...........................................63 Edges and Flaws...........................70 Abilities........................................73

Ability List by Attribute.................74 Specializations..............................81 Gearing Up ..................................82

Equipment Pick Table...................84Woolies Store Price Guide..............86 Selected Item Descriptions............89Sample Character Creation............98Archetypes ..................................102Game Play....................................107 Fate Points ...............................108 Experience Points (X.P.)..............108 Initiative.....................................112 Combat.......................................113Technology Rules.........................116Augments & Replacements...........116Item Creation and Invention........119Ships............................................123Alchemy.......................................129Magic & the Reawakening............136 Magic and Machine.....................137Elementalism...............................138Enchantment...............................146Necromancy.................................155Shamanism..................................164Sorcery........................................175Theurgy ......................................180Running a Game...........................188 Creating an Adventure................188 Campaigns.................................192 Setting the Mood.........................194Beastiary......................................195 Unseelie Races............................195 Technomage Creations................196 Insects and Animals...................200 Paranormal Creatures.................202 Spirits and Undead.....................203 Netherbeings..............................206Appendix

Advanced Combat Rules............210Weapons Damage ………………… 212

Character Sheet .….…….………… 214 Setting Map................................217

claimed the King was in negotiations to join theCommonwealth, and produced a will showing thatthe King bequeathed the land to Arcadia upon hisdeath. Representatives from Arcadia claimed thatthey would not have used the will if it were notfor the need to stop the violence.

Prior to annexation, Kerdref and the kingdom asa whole preferred the simple life. Very fewfactories existed, and production was controlledby trade guilds. Coal powered industries wereviewed as damaging to nature, and disruptive ofthe harmony people have with nature. Localsbelieve tampering with nature would likely angerlocal spirits, leading to destruction. While lessthan 1% of the general population of the world iscapable of magic, over 7% of the residents in thearea practiced magic prior to annexation. Mostof those that did practice magic, practiced elemen-talism. Magic was used in the place of industryto provide many modern conveniences.

Since annexation, the population of Kerdref hastripled, with about half that number being immi-grants from other areas. The Arcadian govern-ment gave special grants to encourage the build-ing of factories. Large buildings now fill theadministration district and factories billow smokein the northern sections of Kerdref. One-quarterof the immigrants to the city are of Anatoliandescent, and the city’s new buildings reflect thatinfluence. Along with new residents came a highrate of crime. Starting two years ago, terroristactivities began. To combat this crime wave,Almyra Hastings has been appointed as governor.

Governor Hastings began using the military aspolice, and has sent some officers undercover.Her efforts have been met with some success.Her officers prevented the bombing of Harrod’sHotel, but it did not stop the bombing of the HydePark Rail Bridge. A group calling itself theNorthern Alliance claims responsibility for mostof the attacks. Much of the damage is caused bymagical means, including what appear to bemagically infused explosives with a mechanicaldetonator.

A recent uptake in air piracy has been compound-ing the problems of the city. The new governorrefused to pay tribute to the criminals, and theattacks increased. Captain Barbosa captured 15airships in two months, leading to aeronauticaltraffic screeching to a near halt. To combat this,Governor Hastings granted Letters of Marque,authorizing attacks against all pirate vessels, allvessels from Tunis, and any Khemetic vessel.This culminated in the Battle of Tunis. Militaryvessels from Arcadia, the Khemetic Empire anddozens of pirate vessels on each side fought adaylong battle. Tunis lost two coal transportvessels, and Captain Barbosa died during thebattle. The conflict nearly caused a war betweenthe Khemetic Empire and the Commonwealth ofArcadia. Arcadia resolved the problem by cancel-ing the Letters of Marque and preventing thegovernor from granting additional ones. Arcadiapaid reparations to the Khemetic Empire andTunis. The pirate attacks were supposed to stop,and they did for a few months, attacks are onceagain causing problems for aeronautical traffic.

Pirates Seize Airship Near Kerdref

Another airship was seized northeast of Kerdref inthe early morning hours. The crew was taken to Tuniswhere they were released unharmed. In response toa telegraph inquiry, The Pilots’ Guild responded thatit was upset by the tragedy, but that it was not asurprise. The Pilot’s Guild only provides protectionto its members and recommends that all airships userecommended flight paths. The governor’s office hasno response to the latest incident, but insider sourcesreport that telegraphs were sent to Septus Security.Insiders also report that the Governor regrets she nolonger is permitted to grant Letters of Marque in orderto attract rogue pilot crews who would wage war onthe pirates.

Bomb Destroys Train, Damages TrackNear Kerdref

The Northern Alliance has claimed responsibilityfor a blast on the Bakersfield Zephyr. The blastoccurred as the express change was making its morn-ing commute to Bakersfield. The blast destroyed thelocomotive and many of the freight containers. It willbe at least three days before the track will be usable.In response to the attack, Governor Almyra Hastingshas put in place new banking restrictions in an attemptto cut off funding for the terrorist group. Addition-ally, plans were announced that would require allcitizens to secure an Arcadian Identification Numberby the end of next month instead of the year. Failureto do so will result in fines and the possible loss oflegal protections.

created some unusual problems. Buried corpsesfloated to the surface. To address the problem,city cemeteries began burying bodies in cryptsand mausoleums. This feature of the city has ledto many unintended side effects, ranging fromincreased tourism to unwanted attention fromnecromancers.

Newport serves as the major coastal and aeronau-tical port for the area. It has become a commonrefueling depot for airships prior to crossing theCentral Valley. Exports consist mostly of pro-duce. Since most of the cities in the region areon the Yarak River, there has been little develop-ment of railroads outside of the city. However,Central Railways has begun building a rail linefrom Newport to Bakersfield. There have beennumerous accidents during the new rail lineconstruction. The Newport Sentinel has writtena series of articles over the delays. It reports thatthe closer the line has gotten to the mountains,the more problems the line experiences. Thearticles have suggested that outside forces areresponsible for the delay, although they do not

speculate as to who is responsible. Over the pastfew months, The Underground has put forth avariety of possible explanations. First, NewArcadia Railways is responsible for the delay,seeing Central Railways as a threat. Second, NewArcadia Railways has a secret testing facility, andis trying to keep it from being discovered. Third,a secret aeronautical port from Chen or Ryoko isoperating in the area. Fourth, the Pilots’ Guildwants to ensure that trains do not replaceairships. Finally, that Technomages have a secretbase in the area.

Newport has mostly escaped problems involvingpiracy and civil strife. However, trains runningfrom New Arcadia to Newport have been attackedfarther south. Airship attacks are also on theincrease. The attacks seem to be approximatelyhalf-way between the cities. The Pilots’ Guild hasmanaged to protect most airships. Companieswanting to secure their train cargo have begunhiring mercenaries to ride on the trains to protectits cargo.

Due to natural borders, the Uncharted Territoriesare isolated to land travel. The area has oceansto the west and the south. The Titan Mountainscreate a nearly impenetrable eastern border tothe region. The only land access to the regioncomes from the north. The northern portions ofLaurentia are controlled by the Khemetic Empire.

The Khemetic Empire is one of the oldest coun-tries in the world. There are three incarnationsof the Khemetic Empire: the Old KhemeticEmpire, the Middle Kingdom, andthe New Khemetic Empire. The“New” is not used in any officialcapacity. Its current dominioncovers 831,000 square miles.Its borders stretch from theTogo Rainforest in the north,to the borders of the Bad-lands in the south. It con-trols islands off its eastcoast in the KhemeticSea. These islands pro-duce various agricultur-al goods produced byslave labor. It has someauthority over the islandsoff its western coast in theGreat Western Ocean.

The length of the KhemeticEmpire is just over 2000 miles.The southern portion of the west-ern coast is mostly desert. As youtravel along the coast northwards, you passinto grasslands and finally lush forests. The portcities of Zafarana and Dametia are located on thewestern coast. The eastern coast is dotted withwhite sandy beaches that serve as tourist desti-nations. The southern portion of the KhemeticEmpire is desert in the central portions with withmountains and mesas dotting the landscape tothe east and west. The semi-arid climate andtopography continues into the central regionsthat are filled with fertile flood plains. Abydos,the capital of the Khemetic Empire, lies at thesouthern edge of the flood plains.

The Old Khemetic Empire covered the same area,but extended farther south to the Red River in theBadlands. During that time, water was pumped

into the desert from aqueducts, creating a lushand fertile area. Burial sites line an ancient riverrunning north. A southern capital is rumored tohave been built by Pharaoh Nefer. According tofolklore, a large library containing all humanknowledge was built by a group of monks in thetown of Babyl. During that period, necromancersanimated the bodies of dead slaves to constructbuildings and serve as guards for tombs. Manybuildings are believed to be buried under moun-tains of sand.

The current Khemetic Empire seeks to regaincontrol of the Badlands, and believes that theruins of the Old Khemetic Empire below its soiljustify its claim to that area. While artifacts havebeen uncovered that suggest the Khemetic Em-pire controlled the area, archeological evidence

suggests that the technology is tooadvanced to have belonged to the OldKhemetic Empire. This has led to

various theories. One is the DarkAge Theory that suggests the Old

Khemetic Empire was very ad-vanced, and, when it col-lapsed, most of that knowl-edge was lost. Another, TheKingdom of Hiva theory,suggests that there was anancient civilization that ex-isted prior to the KhemeticEmpire. The Old KhemeticEmpire used the technolo-gy left behind to make the

area livable, but its lack oftechnological knowhow led to

the desertification of the Bad-lands, which led to the collapse

of the Old Khemetic Empire.

The current Khemetic Empire points to anolder version of its language found in some ruins,as well as the recent discovery of a pyramidsimilar to the ones it currently builds as proofthat the area belonged to them. They have usedthis to justify their assertion that the Badlandsproperly belong to them, and other countriesshould not lay claim to the area.

Tensions are high between the Commonwealth ofArcadia and the Khemetic Empire for variousreasons. The Khemetic Empire is strong andwealthy, but it is less advanced than Arcadia.The Khemetic Empire is jealous of the tradingwealth and technological developments of Arca-dia. The most recent tensions involve tombraiding in the Badlands by citizens of Arcadia.

Are Flesheaters the Result of failedTechnomage Experiments?

In today’s expose in the Underground , we report onProfessor Zachariah Trigwell’s findings of an unauthor-ized autopsy of a mechanically modified flesheater doneby a secret group. Professor Trigwell’s theory is thatthese nefarious creatures are the product of experi-ments that could only be done by those who are capableof mixing magic and machine. It has long been an opensecret that flesheaters were the product of dark necro-mancy. This new monster had metal armor andappendages grafted on to its body, including circularsaws. Without the aid of magic, the body would havebeen incapable of using these new parts. What struckProfessor Trigwell as most odd, was that the lungs ofthe creature were covered in an unknown substance.Further, the internal condition of the organs indicatedthat it was alive when it was turned into a flesheater,instead of being an animated corpse. When askedabout the group he was working for, Professor Trigwellrefused to answer most questions claiming he did notknow any information. He did confirm that at leastone member of the Cogwork Guild was present. Giventhe clothes being worn, he suspected that at least somein attendance were wealthy. Are corporations trying tounderstand how technomages violate the laws of naturein order to enhance their wealth and power? Are theytrying to weaken the government even further, or arethey in cahoots? Stayed tuned because as we find out,you’ll find out!

puters are forced to use true and false, or on andoff for all of the values, ternary computers canhave on, off, and in-between. The in-betweenallows for more options from the Engines CPU.This advancement has led to computers that areroughly equivalent in abilities to the computerson Earth from the early 1960’s.

Programming is done by celluloid punch cards.Punch cards are cards that contain punchedholes that tell the machine what to do. It takesdozens of cards for even the simplest program.There is no standard language for engines.Clackers often invent their own languages to dovarious things on engines, and their improve-ments and programming skills are well keptsecrets.

The National Security Act of 1875 established theArcadian Identification Number (AIN). All personsare required to carry their identification card.Refusal to provide police with proper identificationcan result in a fine or imprisonment. An AIN isrequired to hold a job. Having an AIN entitles theperson to legal protection as well. The AINrecords a person’s address, income, family histo-ry, and criminal background. Companies canrequest a background check on their employeesto ensure that none of them are criminals. Aperson lacking an AIN is someone that does notexist as far as the government is concerned.Those lacking an AIN are not permitted to legallywork or own property. They are also afforded lesslegal protections.

Anyone born in the Commonwealth is issued anAIN at birth. Foreign immigrants and visitors cansecure an AIN as well. It identifies them as atemporary visitor or immigrant. It requires thata full family background be provided, a currentaddress, previous addresses, current occupation,fingerprints, and the payment of a fee. Providedthat there are no outstanding warrants, an AINwill be issued.

The AIN has met with some resistance andtechnological limitations. New Arcadia has fullyadopted the system, as well most major cities,such as Newport. However, implementation hasbeen difficult in the northern regions. Rural areasalso lack the needed engines to fully implementthe AIN. The Commonwealth has established

regional engines that are connected to telegraphlines to help with full implementation. Handissued paperwork from these areas, especiallyones that cannot be verified on the governmentengines, are viewed with suspicion in New Arca-dia.

SteamCraft is a world of science and magic.Magic is generally viewed as having a scientificbasis, but its origins remain a mystery. Theamount of magic in the world ebbs and flows.Currently, there is an increased period of magicalactivity that has enabled about 1% of the popu-lation to be able to do magic. While machinesdominate the world, and very few use magic, it isstill a powerful force. Most governments attemptto restrict access to both, and yet attempt to usemagic and technology to pursue their own ends.Those not registered in the government’s enginesare forbidden from practicing magic. Only certainlicensed individuals are permitted to study sor-cery or necromancy in the Commonwealth.

New Arcadia TimesVol. 17 15th Day of the 4th Month, 1880 Morning Edition ¤.02

New Lumber YardB.F. Williams,

Proprietor.

Lumberton Long-leaf Yellow Pine

Lumber,Shingles, Sash, Doors, & Blinds,

Moldings and Cypress Posts

Town Forgets Day

In other hard to believe news, theresidents in the town of Jasper claim theycannot remember the past day. The smalltown of 600 residents is located 120 milesnortheast of Coalville. Residents reportwaking up in various locations aroundtown, unable to remember what hadtranspired over the previous 24-36 hours.Many of the residents reported a metallictaste in their mouths. There was onedeath reported with the incident. It isbelieved to be caused by some wildanimal, given that the victim appears tobe partly eaten. The only other incidentof note was a Mr. Edward Thomasreporting that his lab was broken into,with several prototypes and notes relatingto them stolen. Commonwealth Mar-shall, Levi McDermott, is investigating,but his preliminary assessment is thatfumes blew in from Coalville, causingthem to fall asleep. As for Mr. Thomas,he is noted to be a bit paranoid andeccentric, so his claims are likely false.

Arcadian Firm Claims RyokoCorporate Mercenaries Seized

Prototype on Train

Intercontinental Business Engines isclaiming that private mercenaries, hiredby Nakamora Industries, seized a proto-type of a new business machine that hasintegrated elements of an analytical en-gine. IBE claims to have sufficientevidence against Nakamora Industries,which was presented to New ArcadianPolice. A search by police of NakamoraIndustries’ offices and factories has re-vealed no trace of the contraption. IBEis expected to file suit against NakamoraIndustries next week, but it is unlikelyIBE will see its property returned.

Bronze Dragons CaughtMoving White Lotus

Members of the Bronze Dragonsyndicate have been caught importingwhite lotus in, what else, bronzedragons. Acting on an anonymoustip, police intercepted members of thegang transporting bronze dragon stat-ues from a warehouse near the aero-nautical port. When the bronze drag-on statues were broken, they werefound to contain white lotus powder.Some white lotus is imported legally,but only for medicinal use by licensedalchemists through a partnership withthe Ryoko government. While its useis technically legal, there is a ban onthe importation of white lotus. Culti-vation of white lotus outside of Ana-tolia has, so far, proved unfruitful,making illegal import the only way tosupply recreational users with whitelotus.

Mysterious Robbery atMorrigan Enterprises

A review of police records reportsthat a Newport subsidiary of MorriganEnterprises was robbed of a largeamount of metal canisters used tocontain gasses. According to policerecords, the subsidiary produced in-gredients used in alchemist concoc-tions. The records state that thecanisters were empty at the time oftheft. Police suspect it was an insidejob, since there is no evidence offorced entry. However, police notesindicate a strong sulphur stench andmarkings on the ground near wherethe canisters were taken.

Drones refer to automated orsemi-automated robotic ma-chines. There are two types ofdrones. The first type, the mostcommon, uses a remote control.A control box is connected bywire to the drone. The secondtype of drone uses punch cards.With the advent of smaller andmore powerful analytical en-gines, it is now possible to pro-gram drones to perform func-tions automatically. Punchcards are fed into the drone toprogram it. The drone thenperforms the function. Droneshave traditionally been poweredby springs, but recent advanceshave led to coal powered drones.Battery powered drones are cur-rently being experimented on.

Wide spread power generationdoes not exist. However, elec-tronics and the means of electric-ity generation do exist to a limit-ed extent. Batteries were createdby alchemists over 500 years ago,and, recently, the amount ofpower capable of being delivered

Technomages are individuals who violate the lawsof nature by combining magic with technology.Mixing magic with technological items leads todisastrous consequences. Typically, these areviolent explosions, but other common affects arespell reversal, time reversal, changes in gravity,and opening portals to other dimensions. Suchconsequences led to the practice of technomancybeing banned, with the typical punishment beingdeath. This has not stopped the practice oftechnomancy, but simply made its practitionerssecretive, with many of them relocating to theBadlands.

Technomages have learned different castingtechniques, new spells, and engineering methodsthat increases the safety of creating complexmagical items. The most beneficial items tend tobe replacement limbs. Arms and legs have beencreated that provide the same or greater useful-ness than original limbs. Additionally, augmentshave been created, such as eyes capable of seeingin the dark. However, most items attributed totechnomancy have malign purposes. For exam-ple, spring and steam powered appendages havebeen added to animated corpses. Souls have beentrapped inside mechanical creations in order togive life and intelligence to those creations.

Public knowledge of technomages is limited.Officially, the Commonwealth of Arcadia and

other governments deny that they even exist.Their stance is that magic and machines areincompatible. After years of dangerous conse-quences, even attempting to mix magic withmachine was banned. The Historian, EmilyBrown, recently published A Secret History ofTechnomancy. In her book, she argues thattechnomancy has always been practiced in anyperiod where magic existed. The difference seemsto be in the level of complexity of the items.Enchantments cast on iron ore have no problemand casting on iron ore only occasionally leads tospell failure. Archeological evidence suggests thatill effects only arise with complex items andcomplex substances such as alloys. This is whyancient scrolls refer to magic swords and armorand how the Church of Avalon has magicalhealing items. Her conclusion is that with therecent Reawakening, nascent practitioners lackedthe skills and knowledge to properly enchantitems. Further, they failed to take into accounthow modern alloys, new metals, and greatercomplexity of items would require different tech-niques to enchant items properly and safely. Ms.Brown urged that governments should fundresearch into technomancy, and establish safelabs away from the city for further research.Shortly after the release of her book, she wasdismissed from her university position and copiesof her book were pulled from publication. Thereare no known complete copies of her bookavailable. What is known of the book's contentscomes from a few excerpts and interviews innewspapers done prior to the release of the book.

EnchanterEnchanters specialize in enchanting items, creat-ing illusions, and manipulating the materialworld. They are the most common types of mage.They tend to be the most open about magic andits practices. Enchanters usually work privatelyafter being trained. Like all mages, enchantersare required to register their abilities with theCommonwealth. This information is recorded onthe AIN record.

Some enchanters work for colleges doing researchor for corporations providing magical security.Most enchanters, if they were fortunate enoughto find a private trainer, avoid having theirabilities publicly documented. These enchanterssell their skills to various persons and groups whoneed to keep their things private.

Abilities: Enchantment, Arcanum, Liberal Studies,Forging, Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons

Engineer/InventorEngineers focus on building, adapting, modifying,and creating new mechanical devices. They arethe backbone of industry and the new economy.They keep airships running, design new inven-tions for industry, and work alone in shackstrying to make the next big invention. Engineersshould not be confused with mechanics, whosimply maintain and repair equipment.

Many engineers are solo inventors that belong tothe Cogwork Guild. They use the guild’s connec-tions in attempts to design the latest profitableinvention. Some even work as agents on theguild. Those that do not belong to the guild oftenfind employment with corporations or the govern-ment. A few engineers take a different path. Theyply their skills in creative ways for third partiesand refuse to join the Cogwork Guild. Theseengineers can be found designing and modifyingvarious contraptions used by adventuring sorts,including such activities as code breaking,building/disarming security systems, armoringsteamers, building gliders, and operating steamdrones.

Abilities: Engineering, Jury-Rig, Forging, Evalua-tion, Natural Philosophy, Melee Weapons

ExplorerExplorers are experts in wilderness travel andsurvival. Explorers often began as members ofthe Commonwealth’s Expeditionary Forces.Others simply learned by experience living theoutskirts of civilization. Explorers are rare to find,but high in demand as civilization expands intothe wilderness. They are often hired to scoutterritories, create maps, escort groups, finddesired natural resources, and capture wildbeasts. Many are self-employed explorers seekingwealth and fortune in the unexplored world.

Abilities: Ranging, Ranged Weapons, Survivalism,Athletics, Melee Weapons, Language

FilcherFilchers are thieves. They are skilled at mostforms of theft. They are usually motivated bymoney, but sometimes they steal for other rea-sons. Filchers succeed by going unnoticed. Theyply their trade as pickpockets and burglars ofempty houses instead of engaging in violentconfrontations like mugging. Filchers are trainedin disarming traps and avoiding security. Forthese reasons, they are often hired by a variety ofindividuals needing those skills. Not surprisingly,they are often sent along with archeologists whoare exploring ancient ruins.

Abilities: Thieving, Evaluation, Scrutiny, Street-wise, Melee Weapons, Commerce

tion, Natural Philosophy, Melee Weapons

GamblerGamblers make their living playing games of skilland chance. They are skilled at playing all typesof games. Gamblers are good at what they do.However, some gamblers are good at cheating,while others are good at playing. Their goal is thesame regardless of their style: to walk away fromthe table alive and with as much money aspossible. Since things don’t always go their way,gamblers are prepared for a brawl. The life of agambler is the life of a traveler. They travel tocasinos and saloons, and most try to avoid gettinga reputation. The key is to find people to play towin money from, and being known as a cheat ora winner makes people avoid playing.

Abilities: Games, Deception, RangedWeapons, Evaluation, Martial Arts,Streetwise

InfiltratorsInfiltrators are trained in covert opera-tions. Their goal is to use stealth,disguise, and subterfuge to infiltratevarious places to secure covert objec-tives. Infiltrators work as spies forcorporations and governments. Aswith any good spy, they are alsotrained to kill. Infiltrators prefer touse traps, poisons, and to makedeaths look accidental, however,they are not against using weap-ons to achieve their goals. Mostinfiltrators are not highly skilledin direct combat, and prefer toavoid those situations while onmissions.

Infiltrators learned their skills from varioussources. Some began life as thieves or conmen,while others were bought from an orphanageand trained as spies and assassins by govern-ment agents. Corporations, mercenary compa-nies, and intelligence agencies currently employmost infiltrators. However, some infiltratorshave become private contractors, hiring outtheir skills to the highest bidder. Given theimportance of secrecy, most private contractorsuse a middleman to arrange contracts.

Abilities: Deception, Espionage, Stealth, Thieving,Scrutiny, Melee Weapons

InvestigatorInvestigators are professionals who specialize infinding criminals, collecting information, andretrieving (usually) stolen items. They use thetools of modern science to collect and analyzeevidence. They are skilled at the art of interroga-tion to acquire information and confessions.Investigators are plugged into the criminal worldenabling them to exploit their connections forinformation.

Most investigators began their careers as bobbiesand worked their way up to detectives. Whilemost investigators work for the Commonwealth,

a growing number have private practices.Private investigators tend to focus on oneof two types of clientele. They help inves-

tigate crimes of the lower andmiddle classes that are low priorityfor the police, or they work for

wealthy corporations. Corporationsare often the victims of other corpora-tions and radical groups. In somesensitive matters, corporations do notwant the police involved, nor do theywant to draw attention by using their

own private security forces. In-stead, they bring in private con-sultants to resolve the matter.

Abilities: Investigation, Street-wise, Ranged Weapons,

Evaluation, Stealth,Scrutiny

MercenaryMercenaries, or mercs, are pro-

fessional warriors. Many begantheir career in the military, but others

were trained by private security. Mercs arehired guns willing to provide a wide rangeof services ranging from security, bodyguard, enforcer, or combat missions.Most mercs belong to a private securityfirm or work for companies and otherorganizations. The remaining mercs areself-employed often searching the clas-sifieds and taverns for employment.

Abilities: Melee Weapons, RangedWeapons, Martial Arts, Athletics,Command, Waylaying

Description: A clockwork beholder is a fullymechanical monster. It is 6 feet in diameter andis round. It has the shape of a very large eyeball.In the center of the sphere is a large mechanicaleye with gears serving as the iris. It is made of abrass colored metal, and one can easily see therivets used to bolt together the panels. Theclockwork beholder hovers above the groundbecause of a levitation spell cast on it. Thecreature is silent unless attacking. If needed, itcan use its mechanical mouth to talk. Atop thesphere are eight bendable and expandable metalstalks. Each stalk is attached to various devicesthat cause different effects.

The creature is often in service as a protector fora mad scientist. If not under someone’s control,it is a bloodthirsty and evil creature. It is rumoredthat brains of psychopaths are used to controlthe creature.

Combat: Only half of the stalks will be able toattack in any given round. Each stalk has 10 HitPoints and 12 points of protection. Damage to astalk does not lower the overall Hit Points. Only

when the main Hit Points hit zero is the creaturedestroyed. If left alive, the creature will repairitself. It takes 2 hours per stalk to be rebuilt.Casting magic on the Beholder is dangerous. Ifthe spell hits, there is a 50% chance nothing willhappen. 25% of the time the spell is reversed and25% of the time the spell works. The large eye atthe front of the creature generates a field thatdistorts projectiles. Projectiles that are aimed atthe center eye have a 50% chance of beingdeflected.

Mallet 1d10Circular Saw 1d12Poison Gas (All within 20 ft must save versusspeed to avoid the gas. If effected, then targetswill suffer 1d10 damage and be forced to flee for1d4 rounds)Glue (Squirts glue up to 10 ft. If hit, the targetwill be incapable of moving for 1d4 rounds. Alsounable to use hands to pick up items or switchout weapons.)Aether Gun 1d20+2Biting Mouth 2d10