By James Thomson

Special thanks to Joanne Vesper for all of her many sacrifices and invaluable assistance.
Blacktop and the Street Saviors contributed by John Polojac, and are used here with permission.
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 Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 5 The Office of the Public Defender ................................ 97
Thanks for Visiting Bedlam .................................................... 5 Sample Public Defenders ..................................................... 98
What You Will Need to Use This Book .................................... 5 The Corrections System ............................................................... 99
Bedlam Basics ................................................................. 6 Hospitals and Emergency Services .............................................. 108
How Big is Bedlam? .............................................................. 6 The Fire Department ......................................................... 108
Where is Bedlam?................................................................. 6 Sample Firemen ....................................................... 108
Which Way is Up?................................................................. 6 Sample Arson Investigators....................................... 110
Bedlam’s Economy: How Bad is it? ........................................ 7 Hospitals .............................................................. 112
Crime in Bedlam: How Bad is It? ........................................... 7 Animal Control .............................................................. 116
City of Now ................................................................. 8 Utilities .............................................................. 118
Why are There so Few Superheroes? ..................................... 8 Public Transportation in Bedlam ................................................. 121
Lost Lands and Other Worlds ................................................ 9 Bedlam’s Schools .............................................................. 125
Map of Bedlam City ................................................................10 Public High Schools ........................................................... 126
Neighborhoods of Bedlam.............................................................11 Public Middle Schools ........................................................ 128
Important Locations in Bedlam......................................................18 Public Elementary Schools ................................................. 129
History of Bedlam ................................................................24 Private and Parochial Schools............................................. 132
Your Guide to Bedlam’s City Government.......................................30 Notable People Within the Bedlam School System ............... 133
Municipal Council ................................................................30 Higher Education in Bedlam ............................................... 139
City Commissions ................................................................31 Business in Bedlam .............................................................. 141
City Departments ................................................................32 Bedlam High Society .............................................................. 147
Major Political Figures ..........................................................39 Bedlam Low Society .............................................................. 149
Criminal Justice in Bedlam ............................................................46 Shopping in Bedlam .............................................................. 153
The Bedlam City Police Force ...............................................46 Lawyers and Law Firms.............................................................. 156
How to Bribe a Bedlam Cop .........................................46 Security Firms .............................................................. 162
Structure of the Bedlam PD .........................................47 Private Detectives .............................................................. 164
Patrol Services ............................................................48 Sports in Bedlam .............................................................. 170
The Five Precincts.......................................................49 The Media in Bedlam .............................................................. 172
A Crime Scene: Who’s in Charge? ................................51 Newspapers .............................................................. 172
How Does Graft Work? ................................................51 What’s on TV in Bedlam .................................................... 174
Bedlam Patrol Officers .................................................51 Bedlam TV Personalities............................................ 176
Ranking Officers .........................................................54 Radio Bedlam .............................................................. 177
Stats for a Squad Car and a Paddy Wagon....................58 Bedlam Radio Personalities........................................ 179
Dispatch Center ..........................................................58 Art and Culture .............................................................. 181
Highway Patrol ...........................................................58 Nightlife in Bedlam .............................................................. 190
Traffic Patrol...............................................................59 Fine Dining in Bedlam .............................................................. 195
Special Operations ......................................................59 Bedlam’s Music Scene .............................................................. 199
SWAT ................................................................60 Social Life and Clubs .............................................................. 203
Sample SWAT Team Members ....................61 Secret Societies .............................................................. 203
Special Assault Squad .........................................63 Religion in Bedlam .............................................................. 207
Sample Members of Assault Squad..............63 Organized Crime in Bedlam: an Overview.................................... 210
Beefing up the Special Assault Squad..........65 Organized Crime in More Depth ......................................... 215
Community Relations Bureau .......................................67 The Mafia .............................................................. 215
Detectives Bureau .......................................................68 The Scarpia Borgatta........................................ 216
Investigative Resources ......................................69 Important Scarpias .................................. 218
Hostage Negotiation Unit ....................................69 The Gorganzua Borgatta ........................................... 222
Sample Hostage Negotiators.......................70 Important Gorganzuas ..................................... 223
Bomb Squad ......................................................71 Eentsy Z and the Last of the Last .............................. 226
Homicide Squad .................................................71 Other Gangs of Wolverton......................................... 228
Robbery Squad...................................................71 The A’s............................................................ 228
Auto Crime Unit .........................................71 The Ravens ..................................................... 229
Burglary Squad...................................................72 The Rock and the Stone............................................ 230
Organized Crime Squad ......................................72 The Mara .............................................................. 236
Vice Squad.........................................................72 Other Gangs of Hardwick Park................................... 241
Narcotics Squad .................................................73 The Latin Aces ................................................. 241
Missing Persons Squad .......................................73 Los Furies........................................................ 242
Computer Crime Squad.......................................73 Gangs of Stark Hill.................................................... 245
Fraud Squad ......................................................73 The O’Ryan Boys ...................................................... 246
Juvenile Crime Squad .........................................73 The Brotherhood ...................................................... 247
Special Victims Liasion Unit .................................73 Gangs of the Country Club ........................................ 250
Gang Task Force ................................................74 The Triads .............................................................. 251
Sample Police Detectives ....................................74 The Iron Wind Society .............................................. 251
Administrative Services................................................80 The Yip-Wing Tong................................................... 252
Training Bureau ..........................................................83 The Organizatsiya..................................................... 254
Federal Law Enforcement in Bedlam .....................................83 The Yakuza .............................................................. 256
The FBI ................................................................83 The Narcotrafficantes................................................ 257
The DEA ................................................................84 Ellmore Place ........................................................... 258
The UNICORN.............................................................86 Invincible Ya-Ya Massive ........................................... 259
The Court System................................................................91 Thunder Road .......................................................... 262
The Office of the District Attorney................................91 The Murder Club....................................................... 262
District Attorney Cord Killingsworth......................92 Beefing up the Resistance ......................................... 265
Assistant DAs .....................................................92 Legendary Criminals .............................................................. 267
Judges of Note ...........................................................95 Creepy Rumors and Sinister Forces............................................. 269
The Probation Department ..........................................97 Running a Bedlamite Campaign .................................................. 271

3
 Metaplots and Grand Designs .............................................275 Minions of Master-Bot ............................................... 349
Heroes of Bedlam ..............................................................276 Doctor Boogie and the Disco Pirates................................... 351
Nocturne ..............................................................276 The Brain-Raper .............................................................. 354
His Delta Interceptor.................................................278 Horrible Secrets for the GM Only ................................................ 356
Hammer of Justice.............................................................279 Denizens of Ash Street ...................................................... 356
The Midnight Shadow ........................................................281 The Bedlam Train Station .................................................. 356
Justice Xtreme ..............................................................283 The Smirlock Building ........................................................ 356
The Street Saviors .............................................................284 Secrets of Stone Ridge: Doktor Gertrund Harder ................. 357
Homegrown Menaces ..............................................................285 Father Dennis and the Celestial Spirit Fellowship ................. 358
The Nowhere Men .............................................................285 Big Chuck O’Ryan.............................................................. 358
Woodchuck Man .......................................................288 Where Does Assault Squad Keep Prisoners?........................ 358
The Ratcatcher .........................................................290 Operation Salami .............................................................. 360
Grim Diddle ..............................................................292 Rainbow Acres Treatment Center ....................................... 360
Stabbo the Clown ..............................................................293 Public School 113 .............................................................. 361
Doctor Scorch ..............................................................295 Greely Bridge .............................................................. 362
Mister Twisted ..............................................................297 The Serpent Room ............................................................ 363
Blacktop ..............................................................299 Gorgah the Lady-Killer....................................................... 367
Capricorn ..............................................................302 The Office of Tax Assessment ............................................ 367
Capricorn’s Murder Map .....................................................303 Detective Johnny Valentine................................................ 369
The Scarlet Man ..............................................................305 The Office of the District Attorney ...................................... 369
Eat-Em-Up Jack ..............................................................307 Dave Odnarski .............................................................. 369
The Queen of Skulls...........................................................309 Calabria Workingmen’s Benevolent Association ................... 370
Big Scary Guys From Out of Town...............................................311 Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars...................................... 371
Doc Zombie ..............................................................311 Mister Nobody .............................................................. 374
The Black Eagle ..............................................................314 Torchy the Firebug............................................................ 375
Captain Condor ..............................................................316 The Cannon .............................................................. 377
Doctor Frightful ..............................................................318 Lucius Hardwick IV............................................................ 378
Hitler’s Brain ..............................................................321 Club Del Morocco .............................................................. 381
Hell-Girl and God-Boy ........................................................322 Berth 13 .............................................................. 381
Thor ..............................................................324 Mack the Hack .............................................................. 382
Code Name: Wifebeater .....................................................326 Doctor Death .............................................................. 382
Officer Friendly ..............................................................329 Rocco the Stick .............................................................. 383
Stupid and Violent .............................................................331 The Triads .............................................................. 383
Captain Violent ..............................................................332 The Narcotrafficantes ........................................................ 385
Doctor Stupid ..............................................................334 Gom the Unspeakable ....................................................... 387
Naked Man ..............................................................336 Capricorn .............................................................. 388
$#!+face ..............................................................338 The Terrible Truth About the Diabolical Doctor Boogie......... 389
#@%&face ..............................................................340 Appendix A: Adventures in Bedlam ............................................. 390
Smashface ..............................................................342 Showdown at Papal Discount Warehouse .................................... 390
Th’ Pope ..............................................................344 Stabbo the Clown’s Big Wacky Adventure.................................... 391
Master-Bot ..............................................................348

4
Thanks for Visiting Bedlam What You Will Need to Use This Book
Welcome to Bedlam—the meaner, poorer, This is not a stand-alone game or an adven-
smaller, town next door to your main ture module (although we do have a couple of
campaign city. The Gary, Indiana to its adventures for you in the back.) It’s a setting
Chicago, the Newark to its New York, the for Savage Worlds super-adventures, a fully-
Compton to its Los Angeles. The town where fleshed-out city that you can drop right into
your PCs can go to have grim urban your campaign with NPCs and neighborhoods
adventures for a change of pace. and plot hooks all ready to go. You are going
At least, that’s the way we conceived to need a copy of the Savage Worlds core
of it. If you would rather make Bedlam the rulebook (the Explorer’s Edition would work
home city for your campaign, go right ahead, best), the Supers Companion (or the superb
but we thought its dark and corrupt plot-point campaign “Necessary Evil”) and a
atmosphere might be better for an occasional bunch of willing players. And that’s about it,
visit than for a whole campaign. This grim apart from the dice and snacks. While we’ve
and gritty stuff can get pretty depressing after imported some NPCs from other Plain Brown
a while (just ask a certain pointy-eared Dark Wrapper Games’ products (The Bad Guys,
Knight.) It’s probably not a great setting for a More Bad Guys, Another 13 Shades of
traditional four-color campaign. It’s not a very Darkness) you won’t need any of those books
four-color kind of place. to use this one.

5
Bedlam is a medium-sized city, probably skyline, a waterfront and some big city
located either on the East Coast or in the problems. The stats we have included
Upper Midwest, somewhere near a much should work for any city in that size range.
bigger metropolis (unless the GM decides If you want to make it significantly bigger,
otherwise.) It has a waterfront, a harbor add some more wards, some extra police
and a shipping terminal, but whether its and fire stations, and increase the size of its
harbor opens onto an estuary or a lake Municipal Council. If it’s smaller, reduce
we’re leaving up to the GM. them. You can still use the same map either
Formerly an industrial town, way—just assume there are either more or
Bedlam’s factories have largely closed. For less little side streets in between the big
a while everyone hoped that the new main ones.
shipping terminal on Rook Island would
bring prosperity back to the city. Instead it
brought vast amounts of pollution and a
resurgence in organized crime. Then,
through corruption and mismanagement, We’ve carefully avoided including any details
the shipping terminal began to lose its cli- that fix the location of Bedlam in any one
ents. Bedlam gained a reputation as a place state. New Jersey and Pennsylvania would
where shakedowns were common and make a lot of sense. So would Michigan or
everybody wanted a bribe, so most of the Wisconsin. You could locate it California or
big ships stopped coming here. the Pacific Northwest, but that would take
The municipal government has more fudging and require more changes. It
fallen into default on its loans. To keep the would be even harder to locate Bedlam in
city’s services functioning a lot of them have the Southeast or Texas without changing a
been sold off to private contractors who are lot of the details. It’s meant to feel like an
now accountable to no one and provide East Coast or a Rust Belt town.
exactly the kind of service you’d expect. But of course you don’t even need
It’s the kind of town where a visit to to specify a part of the country. Bedlam is
the Department of Transportation won’t get really located in the comic book territory of
a pothole fixed, but a visit to the local Gothic Urban Wasteland: Night.
Mafiosi probably will. Bedlam’s cops are
famously crooked and trigger-happy—more
on them below. No major world-class
superheroes make their home here (unless One of the things we haven’t specified is
the GM decides otherwise) but there might where exactly Bedlam is in relation to the
be a vigilante or two lurking in the shadows. larger metropolis. It could be in any
direction and anywhere up to about a
hundred miles away, to make it simpler for
you to integrate. For this reason, we
haven’t marked the directions on the
Bedlam map. While the top of the page
could well be north, it doesn’t have to be.
Because we don’t know how big your main Use whichever set of cardinal directions
campaign city is, we won’t set a specific makes the most sense in terms of where
population figure for Bedlam. It’s your main campaign city lies.
somewhere between 120,000 and 500,000.
Not a huge city, but a big enough to have a

6
Let’s face it—not everyone in Bedlam can Bedlam is not a post-apocalyptic ruin
be a criminal or unemployed. Not (where nobody has a real job and
everyone can be on public aid. Just how everyone is a criminal.) At least not yet.
bad is Bedlam’s economic crisis and where It’s nowhere near as bad as, say,
do the people with jobs get them? Here Baghdad. The crime rate is one incident
are the statistics. per 100 people, and in some
Unemployment in Bedlam is at a neighborhoods (like the Country Club) it
totally shocking 12%. That’s about the rises to an astonishing 1 per 20 residents.
same as Flint, Michigan or Gary, Indiana In an average week you can
and it’s nearly three times the national expect there to be about 240 felony
average. The Median income is $27,200 offenses in Bedlam, of which 140 will be
for individuals ($35,000 for men, $24,400 violent crimes and 100 will be crimes
for women) and $32,205 for households. against property. Add to this 870
The per-capita income is $14,383. More misdemeanors (thefts, car thefts,
than a quarter of the population (25.8%) vandalism, etc) and you have a city that is
lives below the poverty line. This puts it by American standards positively overrun
firmly in the worst twenty cities in America with crime. But these are no worse than
in terms of poverty and unemployment. the conditions that really exist in some
In most years, it makes the bottom ten or smaller US cities right now. There are
even the bottom five. cities in other countries that have far
The largest employers in Bedlam more serious problems with crime and
are the Rook Island Shipping Terminal, poverty (Lagos and Calcutta for example.)
the Greely Point Docks, the Airport (which As bad as things are in Bedlam,
is actually expanding its employment more than half the population has a job,
opportunities), the Greely toy factory, the not all the local industries have entirely
Snacktastic candy company and the host collapsed and some areas (Greely Point
of smaller businesses associated with the and the Meadows) are actually
harbor, docks and airport (longshoremen, experiencing economic growth.
warehousing, service and maintenance for But of course how bad Bedlam is
airport vehicles, etc.) depends most of all on how bad the GM
Except for the Greely Point docks, wants it to be. If you picked up this book
the airport and the businesses associated looking for a post-apocalyptic ruin, then
with it, all of these sources of employment feel free to shut down Rook Island, cripple
are in decline and have experienced Greely Point, put everyone out of work,
multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years. and dial the crime rate up to something
insane like 1 per 10. Then buckle on your
body armor and load up some extra
magazines.

7
 Because we want to give your PCs a chance
to shine. The official rationale is that
Bedlam is a smaller city and statistically
speaking it doesn’t have enough of a
population to have more than a handful of
superheroes and vigilantes looking after it.
But in fact, it’s because we want to put your
PCs at the center of the campaign, where
Bedlam never really had a nickname, so in they should be. When the city is in danger,
the 1990s the Redevelopment Commission there will be no one else to save it.
spent a lot of money trying to give it one. Nocturne is too hard to get in touch
At first they wanted to use “The Steel City,” with and the other two vigilantes care only
despite the fact that Bedlam’s steel mills about their individual neighborhoods. If the
were always a minor part of its economy. PCs don’t try to clean up Bedlam, who will?
Huge numbers of promotional buttons, Not the Hammer of Justice or the Midnight
banners, fliers and refrigerator magnets Shadow—they’re part of the problem. And
were produced. A public statue was not Nocturne, either, since he’s so focused
commissioned and a giant gala celebration on bigger, national issues and doesn’t feel
scheduled to launch the new name, along much connection to his adopted city. It’s all
with a series of television commercials in the hands of the Player Characters. The
featuring a lovable mascot (a dog in a decisions they make, their mistakes, their
hardhat named “Steel Hound”.) victories and their defeats are going to
Alas, it turned out the city of Gary,
matter.
Indiana already had the rights to the name
This also accounts for the relative
“The Steel City” and they threatened to sue.
scarcity of super-villains in this book. It’s
So the campaign had to be scrapped before
true that a town this size probably wouldn’t
it was ever launched.
have a whole massive horde of superhuman
Without much development money
criminals living in it, but we also wanted to
left, the Commission went to a lower-end
throw the GM’s own villains into sharper
publicity firm, which devised the slogan “The
relief by giving them less competition.
City of Now.” The Commission launched a
There are plenty of supervillains listed at the
considerably scaled-back promotional roll-
end of this book but most of them are either
out, which didn’t get the kind of attention
hired guns that organized crime can bring
they hoped.
into Bedlam as needed, or else menaces
The logo looks old and dated, no
from out of town who might show up and
one uses the motto if they can help it, but go on a rampage. There are relatively few
until they get the funds to come up with
home-grown super-criminals to clutter the
something better, Bedlam remains the City
stage and get in the way of whatever villains
of Now. Although some people really have
the GM dreams up as antagonists for our
started calling it “the Steel City” which, it’s
heroes.
generally agreed, is a much cooler
Of course, it’s possible that the GM
nickname. might not have the time or the inclination to
devise their own villains, in which case you
can either have new ones roll into town on a
regular basis (this happens in the comics all
the time) or have one or more villain decide
to settle down in Bedlam and make it their
home.

8
Enclaves of dinosaurs hidden at the our view of Atlantis or the galaxy’s
Earth’s poles, secret fairy tale kingdoms in political balance to interfere with yours.
the alps, alien civilizations sprawling For this reason, we’ve tried really
across the stars—I’m afraid we don’t have hard not to include any NPCs with origins
any. As I mentioned back in the or back-stories that might conflict with
introduction, we want Bedlam to fit as your broader campaign history. There are
smoothly into your campaign as possible, no aliens, no Princes of Lost Atlantis, no
without distorting its edges. For that gods—not even any exiles from secret
reason, we haven’t included anything at science cities full of talking gorillas.
all about the Secret History of the World, (though I must admit I was gravely
the True Nature of the Universe or tempted by that last one.) Bedlam is
anything else that’s going to contradict really intended as an adjunct to your
your campaign’s back-story. We’re sure campaign world, not as a universe in its
you already have an alien Star Empire and own right. It’s frankly a challenge to try
an undersea kingdom or two. We don’t to write it this way, but I think it’s worth
want the extra effort.

9
10
 goes on in the Country Club itself, but only
the inexpensive kind. Even dealers and
junkies leave this neighborhood as soon as
they can afford anything else. It’s the
roughest place in Bedlam, and yet only the
lowest levels of organized crime operate
here. The mob doesn’t want to dirty itself
Here’s a brief guide to the city’s individual with the Country Club, just as the country
neighborhoods, including the bedroom club wouldn’t have admitted them.
community of Stone Ridge, and the
unincorporated area outside the city limits Ash Street
that everyone informally calls “The Known informally for the largest street that
Meadows.” runs through it, Ash Street is a commercial
district near the harbor, between Gravesend
The Country Club Beach and the smog-poisoned heights of the
Bedlam’s wealthiest citizens invested a lot of Country Club. Ash Street was dying even
money into creating a first rate golfing before the new shipping terminal opened
resort and country club, on some wooded and choked it with diesel exhaust. It’s not
hills overlooking the harbor. They had a as polluted as the Country Club, because it’s
good view of Rook Island and the charming at the base of the hill rather than up on top.
old Rook Island Naval Station. Still, the failure of the beach to attract
The club was nearly ready to open business and the overall economic decline
when the Navy sold Rook Island, which has shuttered most of the stores on Ash
shortly became a freight terminal. Giant Street. There are a few shabby resale and
cranes and derricks worked day and night thrift shops, a storefront church or two but
rebuilding the island, ripping up the old 19th for the most part Ash Street is utterly
century buildings and replacing its trees with desolate. Even criminals avoid this place,
a sea of concrete. The Country Club was for the most part, since no one here has
already getting unpopular by the time the anything worth stealing. The low level of
first of the giant ocean-going container ships street crime and abundance of abandoned
arrived. Soon you could hear the deafening buildings have made Ash Street Bedlam’s
blasts of their horns at any hour of the day Skid Row.
or night, and the huge old trees around the Most of the buildings along Ash
country club began to die from the clouds of Street itself are two-story shop fronts, in a
reeking exhaust. style best described as “ugly.” Everything
Today the country club stands here seems to be made out of brown brick,
empty, its putting greens gray and dead, its smudged with smoke from the diesel fumes.
trees bare skeletons clutching at the sky. It smells of exhaust, like most of the
Ironically enough, the shipping terminal neighborhoods near the shipping terminal.
which killed the club is now dying, too. The horns from the giant ships are very loud
The name “The Country Club” has here, and can be heard at all hours of the
come to apply to the surrounding night (although not quite so much, now that
neighborhood, where fine old homes have Bedlam’s port is failing.) Trash collection
been divided and subdivided into isn’t very good, and there are a lot of papers
apartments for people who can’t afford to and old plastic bags blowing through the
live anywhere else. The meandering streets desolate streets. No aluminum cans,
stink of exhaust and the police venture here though. Collecting discarded cans is the
only in groups. A brisk trade in narcotics

11
only form of ready employment this buildings, and the ones that do exist tend to
neighborhood offers. be in very bad repair.
There is a real shortage of locally
Gravesend Beach owned businesses here and there are no
Bedlam never did have much of a beach. supermarkets or department stores at all.
The sand at Gravesend is cold and hard and People buy food from little corner markets
slopes down too sharply into the water, and convenience stores, which offer high
creating vicious undertows. It recent years prices and not much variety.
it has eroded a great deal, leaving what The police and other emergency
remains of the beach narrow and services are notoriously slow in this
uncomfortably small. It’s a truly excellent neighborhood. Emergency response time is
place to go of you would like to find double what it would be in Stark Hill. In the
cigarette butts and broken beer bottles winter, their streets always seem to get
under your beach blanket. plowed last (but only because the Country
The city’s Department of Public Club’s streets never seem to get plowed at
Works used to post lifeguards here all all.)
summer. Now they post signs that say
“Swim at Your Own Risk” instead, since Hardwick Park
that’s a lot cheaper.
Most sections of the beach are
accessible directly from the street, and yet
not many people visit. Not because of the
trash or the cold and dangerous water, but
because of the shipping terminal across the
harbor. The giant container ships that dock
there make so much noise and release so
much diesel exhaust that if one is pulling
into port, a day at the beach can become
unbearable.
Now that less ships come to Bedlam
it’s not quite so bad, but people have yet to
rediscover the dubious pleasures of
Gravesend Beach.

Wolverton
This is the neighborhood that most people
think of when they think of Bedlam.
Impoverished, dangerous, predominantly
African-American, Wolverton is wracked with
street crime and has a serious problem with Within sight of the towers of Downtown you
drug-dealing gangs. It sits between the can find the troubled neighborhood called
mean streets of Hardwick Park and the Hardwick Park. Mostly small drab apartment
meaner streets of the Country Club. The buildings and little shopfronts, it clusters
ruined factories of Industrial Drive hem around Lucius Hardwick Memorial Park,
Wolverton in on the East. Bedlam’s largest and most dangerous public
The people who live here aren’t as space.
badly off as the folks in the Country Club. Formerly an Italian and Polish
Property values are low, but that means that neighborhood, it has slowly become the
most residents own their own homes. home of most of Bedlam’s Hispanic
Wolverton consists of one-story houses on residents. There are just a few bitter
small lots, with occasional commercial strips holdouts from the old neighborhood here
here and there—most of them no more than and there, yearning angrily for the days
one street wide. There are few apartment when the Mafia ran Hardwick Park.

12
 Most of the people who live here Stark Hill
came from El Salvador, but some are from
Puerto Rico, Honduras and Mexico. It’s a
tight-knit community, for the most part,
but it has a serious gang problem.
Smaller than Wolverton, in some
ways it’s a better place to live and in other
ways it’s worse. More of its businesses
are still functioning, and almost all of
them are locally owned. There are lots of
little streetcorner bodegas and resale
shops here, and numerous pupusa stands.
Not many of the storefronts are boarded
up and empty. But it has other problems.
Almost everyone here rents their home,
and a few rich Anglo landlords from Stone
Ridge own most of the neighborhood.
They have grown even richer by cutting
corners and letting their buildings fall
apart. Since many of the folks who live
here are either illegal aliens or don’t trust
Once Bedlam’s toughest neighborhood,
the American legal system or both,
Stark Hill has now long since been
complaints are rare no matter how bad surpassed by places like Wolverton and
conditions get. Hardwick Park. A mixed Irish, Italian and
For the most part the people in Polish community, it sprawls over the hills
Hardwick Park work hard and try to stay behind downtown, a maze of twisting
out of trouble, but organized crime has narrow streets where it’s hard to find your
gained a deep foothold in the way around unless you’ve lived here all your
neighborhood. life. Someone keeps taking down the street
A Honduran gang called the Mara signs, which makes it even harder.
has reportedly grown very strong here, Stark Hill is full of cheap bungalows,
pushing out all the other street toughs ancient rowhouses, pizza joints and corner
and establishing a firm hold on the local bars. A working-class place, it has always
drug trade. They say the Mara is no been the kind of drab, dreary neighborhood
simple youth gang, but a national network that ambitious kids try to escape. Now that
with chapters all over the Western hard times have come to Bedlam, it’s gotten
Hemisphere. They are said to practice worse. Most of Stark Hill’s residents are
weird and bloody occult rites that over fifty. The few young people who stay
resemble a kind of tainted Santeria and to in town could wind up as dock workers or
bartenders or running errands for the Mafia.
execute their rivals in human sacrifices.
There aren’t a lot of other options. An
No one knows if any of this is true (a
atmosphere of shabby decay hangs over the
Streetwise roll at a -4 reveals that it’s half
whole neighborhood, many of the shops
true—the Mara do have other chapters have closed. Yet there is almost no street
scattered around the country in a kind of crime here, no muggings or burglaries or
loose federation and they do like to scare stick-ups. For this is the stronghold of the
people by claiming to practice the occult.)

13
Bedlam Mafia. Many eyes watch the street. Downtown Bedlam
Outsiders are instantly noticed and quickly
made to feel unwelcome. Local residents
know better than to report things to the
cops, who in any case are likely to owe
more loyalty to the Scarpia family than to
the Municipal Council. Their grip may be
weakening elsewhere, but in Stark Hill the
Mafia still controls absolutely everything.
It used to be that Stark Hill was
divided into an Irish and a smaller Italian
neighborhood, separated by an invisible line.
But once Hardwick Park became a Hispanic
neighborhood, most of its Polish and Italian
residents fled to Stark Hill, and jumbled
things up considerably. Now the only Bedlam has an impressive skyline for a town
important consideration for being accepted its size. It has more than ten skyscrapers
in Stark Hill is being white. Black and over thirty stories high, and a whole cluster
Hispanic families have tried to move into the of lesser towers in the 20-30 story range. If
neighborhood more than once, but they you saw Bedlam from a distance, at night,
always get driven out. In fact, the reason you would have no idea that it was in so
the Mob has always held such a powerful much trouble. At least until you looked a
clutch on Stark Hill is that they keep non- little closer, and saw the amputated stump
whites out of the neighborhood, so people of the Gorman Tower looming unlit over
regard them as the lesser of two evils. downtown.
There is a lot of casual prejudice here—and Bedlam built most of its skyscrapers
some of it isn’t so casual. A black person early, back in the first part of the twentieth
who gets lost and wanders into Stark Hill century. A redevelopment push in the
may find themselves in serious danger. 1980s added some strange looking
“Dapper Donny” Scarpia, Bedlam’s postmodern buildings to its art-nouveau
most powerful Mafiosi, still lives in Stark Hill. skyline. Presently its architecture is a
Unlike a lot of Mob overlords he has never peculiar mix of crumbling gothic stone
felt the urge to move to the suburbs. facades and cold, weird asymmetrical steel
Supposedly he hangs out with the same and glass designs. Either one would be
buddies at the same arcade (it doesn’t really charming and strange by itself. The
have a name—the sign above the door just combination looks odd and ugly.
says “Arcade”) playing the same pinball At street level downtown is a mess.
games as he did when he was a teenaged Bedlam suffered through some bad riots in
streetcorner thug. Some people wonder the late 1960s and parts of the central city
why he clings to this dying world, but in fact still haven’t recovered all these years later.
it gives him a huge advantage over his There were massive redevelopment efforts
competitors, the Gorganzua family. in the 80s and 90s, but they failed midway
Dapper Donny knows everything through. Many of the older buildings are in
that happens on his streets, stays intimately poor repair, their baroque facades stained
in touch with his supporters and so gets and crumbling. There aren’t enough renters
much more loyalty out of them. People for all the office space, so large parts of the
serve him out of fear, but a lot of them love bigger buildings sit vacant. Then there is
him too. And love, as he says, is a the Gorman Tower. This ugly monstrosity
commodity you can’t buy, steal, or beat out was only half-built before they abandoned
of anybody.

14
it, yet at forty stories high it is still the tallest A lot of people have moved away
building in Bedlam. For years it has marred and a lot of local businesses have closed,
the downtown skyline, jagged and while a handful of investors have grown
incomplete. The city doesn’t have the funds very rich. The shipping terminal has also
to demolish it and there is no way to do enriched the Mafia, which is deeply involved
bring it down safely in any case. So it hulks in every aspect of the facility, and
there, deserted except for the rats and strengthened their grip on the city. Even
derelicts. Bedlam’s wealthy families have suffered
(see the section on “The Country Club”.)
Rook Island Shipping Terminal The pollution from the big ships isn’t as bad
The heart of what remains of Bedlam’s as it used to be, now that the Terminal is
economy, freighters from around the world failing.
dock at the Rook Island Terminal, taking Tours of the island are not regularly
advantage of Bedlam’s low taxes and loose available to the public. However, there is a
safety regulations. Once freight is unloaded small (and rather shabby) Naval Museum
at Rook Island, it travels to the mainland located at the north end of the island, in the
either on trucks, across the Terminal and last of the Naval Station’s old brick
Greely Bridges, or by boat, into Bedlam buildings. Open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Harbor or the smaller dock facility at Greely on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it
Point. receives few visitors.
Ten years ago Rook Island was a
quiet, wooded place. An old 19th century Bedlam Harbor
naval station stood here, though the Navy
didn’t use it for much anymore. It was a
local tourist attraction, with its huge trees
and picturesque old brick buildings.
Then the Navy ceased operations on
the island altogether, and turned it over to
the Bedlam City Government. The Municipal
Council arranged to bring a new shipping
terminal to the island and with it new
prosperity for Bedlam. The deal was
approved behind closed doors, the public
was shut out and so the Rook Island
Shipping Terminal got built without a lot of After the Rook Island Shipping Terminal
oversight or controls. Almost all the island’s opened, Bedlam Harbor flourished for a
trees were cut down and all but one of its while. The Scarpia crime family flourished
beautiful old buildings were bulldozed. with it. They already had their claws deep
There are still a few tiny strips of trees and in the harbor and controlled what little trade
marsh up at the North end of the island, but came through it. When Rook Island opened
they’re dying. Most of Rook Island is a for business, they had a sudden windfall.
concrete maze of giant cranes, derricks and Then they blew it. Greedy and
warehouse facilities. Even the largest cargo disorganized, the Scarpias stole too much,
ships can dock here, which ironically has took too big a cut, roughed up people
done the city more economic harm than unnecessarily and gave Bedlam a bad
good. reputation among shipping companies and
Rook Island is much too close to a freighter captains alike.
populated shore for giant freighters to dock They have now officially killed the
there safely. These huge vessels give off goose that laid the golden egg. Few ships
clouds of pollution that have made whole come to Rook Island anymore, and the
neighborhoods undesirable places to live. warehouses at Bedlam Harbor sit half empty
Their thunderous horns can be heard at any most of the time. The smaller facility across
time of the day or night, deafeningly loud. the river at Greely Point gets most of the

15
trade that still comes through Rook Island, elderly and some of their beautiful old
which causes the Scarpias no end of houses are starting to fall into disrepair.
exasperation, since it’s controlled by The hill is steeper on the north
Bedlam’s other mafia family, the slope, and just where it's at its steepest
Gorganzuas. point, between Lurman and Moon, is
Bedlam Harbor is a scary place at Bedlam’s oldest Italian neighborhood. It’s a
night. The streets are deserted, there is small place, just a few blocks wide, where
nowhere to eat or have a cup of coffee, the tall, narrow row-houses pile up the steep
dead warehouses loom on either side of the hillside, seemingly on top of one another.
darkened street, unlit and silent. This is the stronghold of the Gorganzua
crime family. It isn’t as scary and desperate
Greely Point looking as Stark Hill, but you can see that
The smaller port across the river from it’s old and poor. Just as in Stark Hill, there
Bedlam Harbor, when the local Mafiosi were is almost no street crime in this part of
dividing up turf, Greely Point was the booby Greely Point and outsiders don’t feel
prize. The big and powerful Scarpia family welcome here. Sailors from the ships
took Bedlam Harbor and threw Greely Point docked at Rook Island know better than to
to the smaller, weaker Gorganzuas. But walk into any of the little neighborhood bars
because the Gorganzuas were less around Lurman Avenue.
organized and less thorough than the
Scarpias, they weren’t able to lock Greely The Meadows
Point down as tightly as the Scarpias An unincorporated zone out near the airport,
controlled Bedlam Harbor. In the long run the Meadows is the only one of Bedlam’s
this worked to their advantage. Freighter neighborhoods that seems to be growing,
captains didn’t experience as many rather than shrinking. The airport’s relative
shakedowns at Greely Point and the harbor success has spawned a host of other
officials weren’t as crooked, so they came to businesses—warehouses, machine shops,
prefer it to Bedlam Harbor or Rook Island. building suppliers and so forth, and this has
Both ports are in a state of decay, but in turn brought in workers, who need
Bedlam Harbor has decayed a lot faster and restaurants to eat at, gas stations to fill up
worse. There is still money to be made at their cars and places to live. Poorly zoned
Greely Point—a little of it anyway. and loosely controlled, the whole area has
The commercial and warehousing sprung up at random, outside the city’s
district behind the docks goes up a steep jurisdiction.
hill. People joke that you need four-wheel Not very heavily built-up, the
drive here when it snows. Meadows looks like sprawl, which it is—all
Most of the construction on this side strip malls and gas stations with lots of
of the river is shabbier and more recent empty space in between. Almost no
than it is in Bedlam proper. There are no buildings here are more than two stories
skyscrapers. Everything looks tall and tall. All the streets are named for letters or
narrow, hunched together on the hill as if numbers. There is a vague plan to name
scared of falling off. them after presidents or famous people at
There aren’t a lot of residential some point, but no one has gotten around
neighborhoods in Greely Point, but some to it yet.
people do live here. Up on top of the hill For the most part this is still a
(past Moon Avenue) there are some big old commercial district. Only a few actual
19th century homes, mostly subdivided onto residents have moved in, most of them in
apartments. And over on the south slope of apartments above storefronts. But as the
the hill is one of Bedlam’s last wealthy population of the Meadows grows, so will its
neighborhoods, where huge oaks and elms problems. Local police services are provided
tower over fine old houses around Griswold by the county sheriff’s office—the Bedlam
Street. Most of the remaining residents are police occasionally come over here, but not
often. Nor does the overworked Bedlam

16
Fire Department make a priority out of homeowner fees. Instead of local
calls from the Meadows. It is unclear at ordinances, it has rules, enforced rigidly
the moment where children from the by the homeowner’s association. No
Meadows are supposed to go to school. deviation from their standards of clean,
The Meadows also falls into a gray tidy lawns and blandly right-wing politics
area in terms of its relations with are allowed. The wrong political bumper
organized crime. It’s a boomtown with a sticker earns you a fine. Wearing the
slow police response time, which makes it wrong kind of clothes earns you a bigger
a prime target for Bedlam’s Mafia families. one. If you have a problem with the way
But it didn’t exist when they last drew up your trash gets picked up or a security
the boundaries of their turf, so it doesn’t guard who intimidated your spouse for no
officially belong to either of them. The reason, you don’t have anyone to
Gorganzua family got a head start here, complain to but the Association, and
but the Scarpias are rapidly moving in. whether your complaint gets heard
This causes confusion and resentment on depends on how well-connected you are.
the part of local business owners—people Stone Ridge has roughly three
don’t know who to pay their protection types of houses. Huge and ugly, gigantic
money to. So far the two families have and ugly and enormous and ugly.
avoided directly confronting each other, Officially there are six different “styles” of
but it’s unclear how long this can last. house available, but they all look more or
less the same.
Stone Ridge There are no sidewalks—here
There are still rich people in Bedlam—or people get in their cars to drive to the
at least right outside of it. The wealthy community shopping center a block away.
gated community of Stone Ridge offers Built quickly and cheaply, the immense
exclusive living for what remains of the houses are prone to electrical faults and a
city’s moneyed class. It’s beyond the host of other problems. Most of the
jurisdiction of the city government, so residents came from the neighborhood
they have been able to hire their own around Bedlam’s country club (see “the
utility contractors, their own garbage Country Club”) and didn’t have much time
collection service and of course their own to be choosy.
private security firm. Many of Bedlam’s wealthiest and
Surrounded by an eight-foot stone most prominent citizens live here,
wall with broken glass covering the upper including Channel 13’s anchorman,
two feet, guarded by hulking armed Obediah Brick and (it is rumored) “Young
guards night and day, Stone Ridge is Junior” Gorganzua, head of the Gorganzua
effectively its own separate community— crime family. No one ever sees Young
run at a profit. Stone Ridge has its own Junior around the neighborhood, but then
tennis club, shopping plaza and detention again, no one has a clear idea of what he
center. You could grow up there without looks like, either.
ever having to leave it at all.
Instead of taxes, everyone pays

17
Here is a brief and far from comprehensive
list of locations in Bedlam. We hope it’s
detailed enough to give your PCs a feel for
the city, but loose enough to give you plenty
of room to add your own locales.

City Hall
Bedlam City Hall is presently closed for
renovations, and has been for five years.
Cost overruns and a corruption scandal
halted the refurbishment and then the city’s
ongoing fiscal crisis kept them from starting
construction up again. The city fathers have
spent a lot of time reassuring the public that
City Hall will reopen soon, better than ever.
But then, for the last year or so, they have
gradually stopped talking about it.
Home to rats, winos and the
occasional temporary crack den, the huge,
decaying old building with its classical
façade was recently featured on the news, The trains may not run on time in Bedlam,
when it was discovered that one wing had but they do still run. Unlike a lot of
become infested by venomous snakes. medium-sized American cities, Bedlam still
When they have to hold private has a functioning passenger train station.
meetings, the City Council either use one of Perhaps “functioning” is too kind a term.
the conference rooms at the County Built back in the city’s glory days at
Courthouse, or gather in one of their private the turn of the twentieth century, Bedlam
residences. They tend to hold public Station is a graffiti-scarred hulk of a building
meetings in school auditoriums. where the intercom never works right, the
floors are never clean, the employees are
Bedlam City Train Station notoriously surly and drugs and other illegal
commodities can be purchased in the
restrooms.
Big for a city this size, the station
building itself is magnificent, with a high
arched ceiling, crumbling Art Nouveau
statues and a giant skylight in the middle of
the main hall. A little sun still dimly filters
through the layers of grime on the skylight.

Bedlam Bus Terminal

Serving both Trailways and Greyhound, the
Bedlam Terminal is where folks come when
they can’t afford any other way to get out of
town. The terminal has been officially under
construction for years, but the last
contractor defaulted on the project and after

18
that the city ran out of money. They’ve Gorman with an offer to build his new
been trying intermittently to find another corporate headquarters in Bedlam. This is
contractor, but no one wants to do it for the the city where he grew up, he felt some
amount of money they can afford to offer. sentimental attachment to his hometown,
In the meantime, the ticketing office and and the package of incentives they offered
waiting rooms are housed in a large trailer, him looked very generous. Building
located under a freeway overpass. regulations were circumvented, five or six
There are fans set up in the corners office buildings were acquired through
of the waiting room, but it still gets stiflingly eminent domain and then bulldozed, and
hot in summer. It’s also too small. People work began on the Gorman Tower.
who can’t find a seat inside sit around the It was planned as an eighty-story
dusty parking lot, waiting for their buses to monolith, with a shopping mall and state-of-
arrive. Some sit on the steps, some lean on the-art meeting center on its lower floors.
the rails, some just flop down in the dirt. But at around the time the frame of the
Two years ago someone threw an building reached the fortieth floor, Dick
air conditioner off the overpass and it Gorman quarreled with the city authorities
punched a three-foot-wide hole in the and decided to locate his headquarters
waiting room ceiling. The hole is still there, elsewhere. Work was suspended and the
covered by a sheet of plywood. legal battles began.
The restrooms are housed in a The City of Bedlam’s underfunded
separate, smaller trailer across the lot. Yet and disorganized attorneys were no match
for some reason the waiting room smells like for Dick Gorman’s lawyers. The city’s
a busy latrine. The actual bathrooms smell attorneys showed up late for court dates,
like nothing of this earth. failed to file papers on time and generally
The ticket agents sit in a hastily bungled their case so badly that not only did
constructed bulletproof glass cube at one the judge (and later the appellate court)
end of the terminal. They often leave the rule that Mr. Gorman didn’t have to pay for
door of their cube open, since it tends to get demolishing the structure, but that the city
unbearably hot inside. had to cover all his court costs. They have
Drug dealers sell crack in the been quietly paying it off in installments
bathrooms, and underage boys sometimes ever since. In the meantime, they have a
sell other services there as well. Yet the huge, dangerous eyesore in the middle of
Bedlam Terminal isn’t as crime-ridden or downtown. The city has boarded up its
dangerous as the bus stations in big cities entrances, which has not kept out the
like New York and Chicago. There are no derelicts and rats. They have posted
dark corners for muggers to hide in and no warning signs around it, which does not
one here has anything worth stealing, which stop little pieces of the building from falling
keeps violent theft at a minimum. There off and puncturing roofs blocks away.
aren’t even very many panhandling vagrants There was some talk of reopening
around, since no one here has any spare the case, but Dick Gorman’s commercial
change. empire collapsed in 2002 and there doesn’t
seem to be much point in suing him any
The Gorman Tower more. A court injunction keeps the city
Forty stories high and only half complete, government from blowing the building up,
the Gorman Tower is an eyesore on the but in fact they don’t have the money to
Bedlam skyline that no one seems to know have such a huge structure demolished,
how to get rid of. Its history is a sad lesson anyway.
in how this city works (or fails to.) More and more pieces seem to fall
In the late 1990s, Bedlam off each year—and they’re getting bigger.
Redevelopment Commission approached an How long will it be until the whole thing
eccentric internet tycoon named Dick comes down?

19
Bedlam International Airport superhero group—Justice Xtreme. Its
One of the few really vibrant parts of official name is the “Citadel Xtreme” but
Bedlam, the airport is beginning to outgrow people think that sounds stupid, so they just
its current facilities, but there are as of yet call it the Citadel, when they can be
no funds available to expand it. Meanwhile, persuaded to speak about it at all.
a whole neighborhood is growing up around Ten years ago Bedlam’s
it and taking part in its economic success Redevelopment Commission managed to
(see “The Meadows” on Page 16.) talk a nationally recognized superhero team
Bedlam has tried and tried to attract into relocating here. “Justice Xtreme” was
at least one national airline to its busy little having some troubles just then, although no
airport, but no one has taken them up on it. one realized quite how bad their troubles
For now it mostly serves cargo planes, were. They had a new team leader (Mister
although two state airlines run irregular Extreme), a brand-new lineup of heroes and
flights off its runways. Facilities for they needed a new base of operations.
passengers are fairly primitive. There are The deal Bedlam offered them was
no jetways here—passengers walk out onto generous. The city paid for everything and
the runway to board the aircraft. Nor is promised them the cooperation of local law-
there anywhere to eat or buy a newspaper enforcement. But there was a condition.
inside the terminal. Just rows of dusty The Redevelopment Commission wanted to
vending machines full of snacks that haven’t change the team’s name to “Maximum
been replaced in a while. Yet Bedlam’s low Xtreme.”
taxes and loose regulations make this an Mr. Extreme didn’t like the new
ideal cargo transshipment point, even name, because he hadn’t thought it up
though the Mafia takes a bite of everything himself. He also didn’t like the statue they
moving through the facility. city built outside the main entry hall. A
Initially the Mob ignored the airport. generic statue of a superhero soaring into
When they divided up the city’s turf, the sky, he felt it didn’t look enough like
Bedlam’s organized crime groups paid little him.
attention to it—they were much more Despite these warning signs that all
focused on the docks and the Rook Island was not right with Justice Xtreme and its
Shipping Terminal. leader, construction continued and Mister
And so it became Gorganzua turf. Extreme continued to audition new team
But since the Meadows aren’t officially members at the city’s expense. He seems
anyone’s territory, the bigger, meaner not to have wanted to pick anyone who
Scarpia Family has been hijacking cargo might overshadow him. The results of this
once it leaves the facility. This is the single policy became disastrously apparent when
thing most likely to provoke a mob war in Justice Xtreme faced its first battle in
Bedlam. It’s a war the Gorganzuas probably Bedlam. The newly reconstituted team
couldn’t win—unless they were to cheat and failed so disastrously and so publicly that no
bring in hired superhuman talent from out of one could ever look at them the same way
town… again. See Page 283 for a full account of
the terrible events that happened that day.
The Citadel The police asked the surviving team
People don’t like to talk about the Citadel. members not to return to Bedlam for their
It covers most of a block downtown, with a own protection. Everyone sued everyone,
wide stretch of dirt and concrete out front the whole mess is still tangled up in appeals
that was supposed to be a public park. Still and the headquarters sits half built and
only half-constructed, this was going to be unoccupied, ten years later.
the headquarters of Bedlam’s one and only

20
 People in Bedlam still feel so hostile Lucius Hardwick Memorial Park
to Justice Xtreme that the city has had the
statue encased in a concrete block to
prevent it from being defaced any further.
Only its feet stick out.

The Wolverton Community Center

This small building is called a beacon of
hope for the neighborhood, by everyone
who doesn’t know better. A huge banner
above the door says “Aspire”, which is the
center’s motto. It hosts drug treatment
programs, public meetings, midnight
basketball and a dozen other programs to
help keep kids off the street and on track.
The center is run by Ellwood “Big
Daddy” Grimes and his protégé, Justice “Big
Daddy Junior” Jackson. They both have
checkered pasts. Justice was a talented but Would you like to get mugged in the middle
angry student who got sent to prison for of the afternoon? Then visit Lucius
threatening a teacher. Big Daddy was a Hardwick Memorial Park, where feuding
former drug dealer who experienced an crack gangs make every stroll an adventure.
epiphany in prison and took Justice under Named after one of Bedlam’s oldest
his wing. He helped the boy survive and the and meanest city fathers, this beautiful old
two of them determined that when they got park was his gift to Bedlam—or at least to
out they would dedicate their lives to the other rich people who lived in his
keeping other kids from the same fate. neighborhood. Rumor has it that mean old
Both became heavily involved in the Mr. Hardwick hated his sons so much that
Community Center and now the two of them when he died, he willed all his money into
run it. They are smart, charming, articulate the construction and landscaping of this
guys who hold forth at great length about park (his sons had to go out and make their
how the Community Center serves the youth own huge fortunes.) It does look
of Wolverton. Big Daddy Junior is actually a expensive, with arcaded stone walks and
poet, and intends to be the next Langston decorative arches, caked now with many
Hughes if he can’t become the next Andrew layers of graffiti. A scowling, long-jawed
Young. Anyone who makes a Streetwise roll statue of Lucius Hardwick stands in the
at a -2 will find that the Community Center park’s very center, glaring with disapproval
is an excellent place to buy drugs, get an at the state his legacy has fallen into.
illegal loan or put out a contract on The Honduran street gang called
somebody’s life. Rock Johnson, one of the Mara controls all the open-air drug sales
Wolverton’s two reigning crime lords, has in Hardwick Park, but there is friction among
effectively made the Community Center his the different crews who operate there, and
own. When Big Daddy and Big Daddy Junior it has turned violent in the past. Worse, the
tell their inspirational story, they somehow fact that crack is available in the park means
neglect to mention the fact that they sell that desperate addicts are always skulking
kids dope or sometimes execute them when around, looking for ordinary folks to rob so
they can’t pay. that they can go buy another hit. But all of

21
these things happen in the south end of the Episcopal Church. Despite being ordained,
park. What few people outside the Father Dennis has no congregation and little
neighborhood know is that the north end of formal contact with the Episcopal hierarchy.
Hardwick Park has been declared off-limits He seems to have no political
to drug traffic and armed confrontations. agenda, no desire to make a name for
The Mara want there to be a place where himself. His reputation is quietly growing
local families can go to enjoy a little inside the city, but he does nothing to
sunshine and fresh air, so the park’s promote it. Running the network and
northern end is kept rigorously safe. All the counseling his young charges takes up all
playground equipment and basketball courts his time, from the moment he rises to the
are located up there, and on any nice day moment he goes to sleep. He has no social
you can see kids playing with their parents or private life left over.
and scary looking gangbangers taking the
day off to shoot a few hoops and relax. The Smirlock Building
There are always a few thugs looming Bedlam experienced two big waves of
around in their gang colors, but they aren’t downtown construction—one at the turn of
here to hurt anybody—they’re here to make the 20th Century and one in the 1980s.
sure nobody gets hurt. This is not as nice This means that it almost completely missed
as it sounds. The safe end of the park is the Art Deco movement. Bedlam’s only real
small and crowded, and the Mara don’t example of an Art Deco Skyscraper is the
extend their protection to anyone who isn’t Smirlock Building, constructed in the early
of Honduran decent. If you are, for 1930s. It was commissioned by the
example, African-American and you want to celebrated banker Norton M. Smirlock, who
spend time in the park, you are out of luck. was so stolid and unimaginative in his other
affairs that no one could understand then or
The Celestial Spirit Fellowship now how he could have dreamed up a work
A glimmer of light in the darkness that is of such visionary grandeur. This thirty story
Bedlam, Father Dennis’ youth shelter offers tower is a unique example of the Art Deco
a helping hand to any lost or runaway child style, strange and asymmetrical in its
who seeks it. proportions. It’s hard to discern its outline
There is one central headquarters properly from a distance—people keep
on Ash Street, with a half dozen other safe misjudging its height and even its position
houses scattered around the city. Each on the Bedlam skyline. Inside it’s even
physical location can house between ten and odder, with slanting ceilings and strangely
twenty children. Father Dennis also knows shaped halls.
a whole network of good, caring families It was intended to house the
around Bedlam who can take in a child in Smirlock Bank and provide luxury
need. The PCs may be aware that he has apartments in the upper floors. Yet every
quietly used his network of contacts to help major business that has moved into the
parahuman children—even to hide them if building has failed and it never caught on as
they are being threatened by some powerful a place to live—it’s too sterile and too weird
foe. and people who spend much time there
The Fellowship never has enough tend to develop mysterious headaches.
money, they are always short on beds and As an odd footnote to its history,
Father Dennis is forever robbing his own more people have disappeared inside the
meager income to help out someone or Smirlock Building than in any other structure
other. in Bedlam. There have been no less than
Ostensibly a church, the shelter is six mysterious disappearances within the
nondenominational and doesn’t try to building, including Norton M. Smirlock
impose any one set of spiritual beliefs on its himself.
young charges. Father Dennis himself is an The Bedlam City Paper recently ran
Episcopalian priest, but the Celestial Spirit a humorous article on the Smirlock Building,
Fellowship is completely independent of the

22
in which they published old photographs of Ellmore Place
its exterior and interior over the years. Both Officially there aren’t any public housing
the inside and the outside of the building have projects in Bedlam. Instead of building cheap
come to look progressively stranger and more housing for the city’s poor, they issue “Section
elaborate as the years have passed, yet there 8” housing vouchers which the destitute can
has never been any reconstruction or use to buy decent housing for themselves
remodeling project. In 1936 it looked almost anywhere in the city. The problem is that the
normal. Now it looks like it was jointly only buildings that accept Section 8 Housing
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and H.P. vouchers are all run-down apartments on
Lovecraft. Ellmore Place, on the boundary between
Hardwick Park and Wolverton. This effectively
Industrial Drive crams the poorest citizens of Bedlam into low-
There are light industrial districts in Greely rise tenement slums that aren’t much different
Point and out near the airport, but nearly all of from the public housing projects elsewhere.
Bedlam’s large factories are located on These six blocks of misery act as a kind of
Industrial Drive, a grim, six-lane thoroughfare buffer zone between the African-American
that marks the western boundary of gangs of Wolverton and the Hispanic gangs in
Wolverton. Hardwick Park.
Bedlam’s factories nearly all stand
derelict and deserted. Giant trucks no longer Shady Meadows
roar down Industrial Drive at all hours of the
night and the smokestacks no longer belch
filth into the air, but this is still a dangerous
place. Many of the dead factories have
become drug dens or meeting places for the
underworld. Others turn into illegal nightclubs
once the sun goes down. One of Wolverton’s
most prominent gangsters, a gentleman
known as “The Rock” (see Page 230) makes a
good part of his income from these illicit clubs
and he is said to live full time in one of them—
no one knows quite where. They also take Section 8 Housing vouchers in
Even now that most of the trucks are Shady Meadows, a giant mobile home park
gone, it is still incredibly dangerous to cross outside Bedlam’s city limits. However, most
Industrial Drive. It doesn’t have nearly people from the city prefer not to move there.
enough stoplights and people drive very fast It’s a dangerous place, full of bikers and meth
down its six pockmarked lanes. labs. More violent and prone to mayhem than
Bedlam’s inner city, this is where the county
Corporation Yard and state dump the worst of their hard-luck
Bedlam’s Department of Transportation has cases.
long since been sold off to subcontractors with It’s hard to get to Shady Meadows
dubious connections to the city government. from the city—you have to follow Shady Lane
Corporation Yard, the Department’s old out from the Country Club into the wooded
headquarters, out near the end of Industrial areas to the south of town. If you follow
Drive, is vacant and silent. This was a grand Shady Lane into town, you’ll find yourself in
old building—it looks as though it has come the Country Club or Ash Street, and neither
straight off of some 1930s poster for the WPA. neighborhood has much to tempt visitors.
The police still use it to store and maintain They don’t have any businesses that folks from
their helicopters, but otherwise it’s completely the trailer camps would like to patronize, and
deserted. The Department’s tractors, they’re both dismal, run-down neighborhoods
snowplows and dump trucks sit abandoned that are no fun to visit. As a result, people
under tarps. The offices are locked, with from Shady Meadows don’t go into the city
chains across the door. much at all, and do most of their shopping and
What perfect place for a superhero hellraising in small towns and bars out in the
battle! If only some villain would come and countryside.
take up residence here…

23
1780 widely separate parts of town. The city’s
Bedlam is founded by the semi-literate first master villain arguably turns up this
explorer, evangelist and opium fiend year. He is a masked copperhead (a
Zebediah Scarlett. He hopes to lead a group supporter of the Southern cause in the Civil
of like-minded religious maniacs into the War) who calls himself the Phantom
woods to found a perfect Christian republic Emperor and claims to lead a “Phantom
where he can fondle as many underage girls Empire” that stretches nationwide. He
as possible, far from the world’s unforgiving certainly seems to control an army of armed
gaze. He calls the town “Bedlam” because anti-abolitionist fanatics in Bedlam.
he’s confused the name with “Bethlehem.”
Within three years, Scarlett is murdered by 1863
his friend and confidante Rule Hardwick, The Phantom Emperor is killed by a mob of
who subsequently hogs both the opium and enraged citizens. Oddly, Lucius Hardwick,
the girls for himself. Scarlett’s vengeful the town’s richest man and most prominent
ghost plagues the community for a while, banker, vanishes forever on the very day
until offered up a sacrifice of girls and the Phantom Emperor meets his doom.
opium. It is rumored that he still demands
this tithe today, once every few years. 1900-1910
The prospering city undergoes a massive
Note: If Bedlam is anywhere but the East period of construction, embracing the new
Coast, move this date up to 1830. “skyscrapers” before almost any American
town of its size. Bedlam soon has an
1810 impressive skyline.
Bedlam is now a thriving center of trade,
thanks to its position at the mouth of an 1905
estuary. Rule Hardwick has long since been G. Morgan Stark, one of Bedlam’s wealthiest
murdered by his son, Measure, who has landowners, brings in large numbers of
subsequently steered the community away Italian and Polish immigrants to work in his
from religious lunacy and toward making toy factory. He does this in direct
lots of money (though the girls and opium competition with his arch-rival Langhorne
continue to be a major benefit of Greely, who has already started bringing in
leadership.) The presence of large numbers Italians to slave away in his
of pliable, opium-dependant girls has proved slaughterhouses. In his efforts to outpace
a boon to Measure’s money-making efforts. Greely, Stark expands his factories too fast
and many gruesome accidents happen in
Note: If Bedlam is anywhere but the East the toy-works.
Coast, move this date up to 1850. Stark settles most of the new
arrivals near the city’s old Irish community,
1860 a safe distance away from decent folk. The
A large metropolis (whichever one is the neighborhood comes to be known as “Stark
dominant setting for your campaign) is Hill.”
growing rapidly near Bedlam, which shares As soon as large numbers of
in its expanding wealth. The Hardwick, immigrants start arriving, the Phantom
Greely and Stark families remain Bedlam’s Empire suddenly undergoes a resurgence
most prosperous citizens. They hate one and a new Phantom Emperor is crowned. In
another viciously and build mansions in response to their bloody incursions, the folks

24
on Stark Hill organize armed resistance 1921
groups, and the first stirrings of the Bedlam Dr. Harwood Crawley founds the Crawley
Mafia begin. Lunatic Asylum on the deserted grounds of
the Bedlam Girls’ Academy. Over the next
1910 eighty years it will be home to many of
Lucius Hardwick Jr. is stabbed to death by a Bedlam’s most famous maniacs and crazed
Sicilian immigrant named Joe Igglioni. A supermen.
large wave of anti-Italian sentiment To this day, some mystics wonder
follows—yet the Phantom Empire fails to about the wisdom of founding an asylum on
capitalize on it. They seem to be a spot so thoroughly tainted by dark and
undergoing some kind of crisis in their sinister forces from beyond. But of course
leadership. no one listens to them.
Dr. Crawley himself commits suicide
1917 within just a few years, but his legacy
Large numbers of African-Americans from carries on to this day.
the South arrive in Bedlam to fill the factory
jobs left open by the First World War. The 1930-1939
Phantom Empire grows in strength as local Bedlam is weathering the Great Depression
residents respond to the newcomers with better than many small cities, but crime and
fear and resentment. poverty remain a problem. The dominant
mafia families in town are now the
1919 Gorganzuas and the Igglionis, although the
Some people whisper that this is the year dynamic young Scarpia Family is rising fast.
Zebediah Scarlett came back angry and in But the field is wide open and lots
force. No one is quite sure how the city of colorful gangsters rise and fall during the
fathers manage to drive him off (or appease thirties. Hook-Hand O’Grady, No-Nose
him.) However, conspiracy theorists will Muldoon, “The Queer Fellow” and many
later note that Bedlam’s most exclusive girl’s others vie for a chunk of the action.
school closes that year in the wake of some Bedlam’s number one police detective,
terrible nameless tragedy. Some of the Sammy “Snap-Brim” Hammer and his Flying
surviving girls found a weird mystical order Squad manage to put a handful in jail and a
called “The Sisterhood of the Screaming dozen or so in the morgue, but never
Stars.” Their goal is revenge and they intend manage to take down the Bedlam Mob
to have it by one day gaining the means to itself.
destroy Bedlam and the men who rule it.
1940
1920-1933 Lucius Hardwick III dies, leaves the
Prohibition leads to the growth of huge beautifully landscaped Lucius Hardwick
organized crime networks throughout the Memorial Park to the city, with a covenant
country, including in Bedlam. The Phantom stating that no colored people are ever to be
Empire reaches its zenith in 1922, effectively allowed inside.
controlling local politics until 1925, when the
newly strengthened Mafia wrests control of 1942
the underworld away from the Irish gangs Bedlam is menaced by a crazed cabal of
and the Phantom Emperor suddenly has to Bundist Nazi sympathizers called “Der
deal with them as equals. Now that no one Bluttbanner.” “Snap-Brim” Hammer breaks
leads armed raids into Stark Hill anymore, them up with the help of a mysterious
the Phantom Empire loses its appeal for its masked vigilante called the Scorpion. While
rank-and-file members and over the next Snap-Brim claims that the Bluttbanner
ten years the organization slowly melts contained many old members of the
away. Phantom Empire, he is never able to prove
it.

25
1943 Bedlam’s downward spiral accelerates.
Sammy “Snap-Brim” Hammer forced into
retirement. 1970
Since the cops can’t be trusted to protect
1943-1950 Wolverton, a champion middleweight boxer
The Scorpion is seen more and more in named Clayton Stone decides to become the
Bedlam and crime really does seem to be neighborhood’s defender. He never wears a
abating. By 1950 the city is at its economic costume or adopts an alias, but people start
zenith. calling him “Black Anvil” all the same.
Stone’s older brother Lincoln Stone becomes
1951 a rising force in Wolverton’s organized
The Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars rackets at around this same time. Over the
finally discovers the mystical power that it next few years, the brothers will have
has been seeking. They begin a plan that numerous confrontations, ending in tragedy
will take fifty years to complete. in the 1980s.

1960 1972
Bedlam’s economic heyday draws to a close. A major parahuman scandal comes out—the
A period of stagnation begins. youthful counterculture superhero team
called “The Now” are sent to prison on
1963 charges of corruption, drug abuse,
The Scorpion suddenly disappears. inappropriate relations with minors and most
shockingly, human sacrifice. Despite the
1966-1973 fact that the whole thing was a frame-up,
Bedlam police and city leaders grow this puts the final nail in the counter-
paranoid about “hippies” and do everything culture’s coffin.
in their power to keep them out of town.
Four different student activists and black 1973
community leaders die in police custody Clayton Stone kills Leo Gorganzua Jr. After
under suspicious circumstances during this a brief internal struggle, Don Leo’s son
period. “Young Junior” emerges as the new head of
the family. Clayton Stone leaves town and
1967 his older brother agrees to give half his
After an unnamed incident, long term operation over to the Scarpia family in
enmity begins between the Bedlam Mafia exchange for protection from the
and the Chicago Outfit. Fortunately for Gorganzuas. The Scarpias are now the
Bedlam’s three major crime families, they biggest of the city’s crime families.
are under the aegis of the New York
Commission, which forbids Chicago from 1975
wiping them out. Yet relations with Chicago Mob war bloodies the streets of Wolverton.
never really improve and Bedlam’s mobsters A rising young hooligan named Rock
are never welcome there again. Johnson tries to take over the rackets with
the backing of the Igglioni family. After a
1968 brief but bloody period of warfare, the Rock
Race riots erupt in nearly every major city and the Stone decide to share Wolverton
around the US. The National Guard is called between them. They still do, to this very
into Bedlam and for three weeks there are day.
tanks on the city’s streets. The Bedlam
police and the guard behave quite badly in December 1977-January 1978
the African-American neighborhood of A masked fiend who calls himself
Wolverton and local people remember their “Capricorn” begins stalking and slaughtering
brutality to this day. Big sections of people in Bedlam. The city is on the edge
downtown are damaged in the riots and of a hysterical panic. Everyone is talking

26
about Capricorn. They say he has killer—he performs all the same mutilations
superhuman powers. on the bodies, including the ones the police
Capricorn taunts the police and the never made public. He kills ten people this
press with numerous messages, some in time, to make up for the one he missed in
code, inviting them to figure out the pattern 1981.
to his killings, and stop him. No one does.
He kills nine people in hideous ways and 1986-1989
then vanishes. Nobody ever cracks the The crack boom hits Bedlam, hard. Chaos
code. and violence erupt on the city streets and
downtown businesses start relocating
1980 elsewhere.
A vigilante called the Blue Shield appears in Mystics claim that there is a
the Stark Hill neighborhood. He will later barefoot man who walks the streets of
change his name to the Shield of Justice, Bedlam, helping people. He somehow
and then to the Hammer of Justice (despite embodies the city’s soul. He can hear his
having never carried either a hammer or a town’s misery and listens to the things she
shield.) Over the next thirty years, he whispers on her reeking asphalt breath.
wages a brutal, zero-tolerance, one-man They call him the Ratcatcher. He has been
war on crime. He never strays very far out an alcoholic ever since some time in the late
of Stark Hill, and he spends nearly as much sixties, but now he’s grown addicted to
time keeping black people out of the crack.
neighborhood as he does fighting actual Somewhere the remaining members
street crime. Despite being a two-fisted of the Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars are
crusader of justice, he never does anything cackling.
about the Bedlam Mafia, even though he
lives and works in their biggest stronghold, December 1986-January, 1987
Stark Hill. Capricorn returns. He delivers more
messages, and a reporter notices that he
December, 1980-January, 1981 seems to be drawing some kind of weird
Capricorn is back. He claims that he’s going occult diagram on the city, marking its
to kill another nine people, and that he’s corners with mutilated bodies. Following
going to go on doing it every three years this pattern, the police figure out where he
“until my work is done.” is likely to strike next, and they catch him
But then they catch him. Capricorn red-handed, in the midst of a murder.
has claimed eight victims, when the police Controversy rages for years over whether
apprehend Wilbur Coote, an unemployed they let him kill an innocent person so as to
man from Hardwick Park, and the murders be able to catch him in the act.
stop. Coote maintains his innocence, but a Capricorn fights the officers who
huge amount of circumstantial evidence apprehend him so vigorously that afterwards
links him to the crimes. they speculate that he really may have
Three years later the killings start superhuman powers. In fact they are only
again, right on schedule. able to subdue him with the help of the
vigilante known as the Blue Shield.
1983 Once he is captured, Capricorn
Donny Scarpia is now the de-facto leader of never says another word. He has no ID and
the Scarpia family, running all their his fingerprints aren’t in any national
operations on the ground in Stark Hill and database. To this day he sits in the Crawley
controlling access to his ailing father. Asylum, staring blankly at the walls, his
identity unknown.
December 1983-January, 1984 Three years later there is a brief
Capricorn returns. His voice sounds the panic as the end of December draws nigh.
same as it always has and his messages are But the murders have stopped for good.
in the same handwriting. It’s not a copycat

27
1988-1999 which will end years later with the opening
The Bedlam Redevelopment Commission of the much-hated Endler Library downtown
brings new hope to the ailing city. Over the (see Page 35 for more information on this
next eleven years, they will attract a lot of infamous local landmark.)
new business and build a lot of weird, ugly
postmodern skyscrapers downtown, before 1993-1995
their efforts finally fail. The Igglioni crime family has long controlled
the neighborhood around Hardwick Park.
1989 They rule the streets largely because they’ve
Clayton Stone is back in town. He insists always managed to keep black people from
that he is retired, but people in Wolverton moving into the neighborhood and local
give Black Anvil a hero’s welcome anyway. residents see them as the lesser of two
Then someone shoots him in the head. evils. However, over this period of time
Lincoln Stone is prosecuted for the Hardwick Park rapidly turns Hispanic, and
crime. He insists that he is innocent, but is the Igglionis are so focused on terrorizing
sent away to prison for life. He continues to African-Americans that they fail to spot this
run his half of Wolverton from behind bars. trend until it’s too late to stop. By 1995
their power base is rapidly eroding.
1990
Zelma Goltz takes over as the head of the 1995
Redevelopment Commission. Her intentions The Scarpia Family decides not to wait for
are good, but her judgment is poor and over the Igglionis to fall. In a single night they
the next ten years she commits Bedlam to kill all their leaders. No fool, “Dapper
some very dubious projects, wasting the Donny” Scarpia offers full membership to
city’s dwindling resources on silly, grandiose the Igglioni soldiers, most of whom accept
schemes. Among them are the gigantic and the deal. The Scarpias are now vastly more
defective Endler Library, a disastrous powerful than their sole remaining rival, the
attempt to bring the world’s largest mall to Gorganzuas. At a sit-down meeting, the
town and perhaps worst of all, Bedlam’s one two families re-divide their turf based on the
and only superhero group, “Justice Xtreme,” new balance of power. “Young Junior”
which collapses on its very first mission. doesn’t like this, but he has no choice.

1991 1996
Jamaican Posses start moving into the Lucius Hardwick IV retreats into his mansion
southern part of Wolverton. Incredibly near the park that bears his father’s name
violent and audacious, it looks at first as and never leaves it again. Is he still alive in
though they will disrupt the whole order of there today? No one knows.
the Bedlam underworld. But this doesn’t
happen. The posses are way too 1997
flamboyant and draw far too much attention In desperation, the Redevelopment
to themselves. The Shield of Justice gives Commission entices a Canadian firm to build
them his special attention, as do the Bedlam one of the largest malls in North America
Police and the Mafia. Within ten years there under downtown Bedlam. The city itself
are just a few scattered remnants left. By pays for almost everything, gambling on the
2008 there is only one small posse in hope that the ultra-mall (called the “Liberty
Bedlam, the “Invincible Ya-Ya,” and it’s a Shoppes”) will bring new jobs and tourists
shadow of its former might. to their ailing city. This does not work.
Within three years the mall is a dangerous
1992 crime-ridden hell-pit and most of its stores
Rogue architect Anton Endler wins the have closed.
competition to design Bedlam’s new public
library. So begins a torturous, nigh endless
process of cost overruns and catastrophes,

28
1998 Ten Years Ago
A huge and unsavory scandal erupts at The fumes and noise from the Rook Island
Bedlam’s office of Child Protective Services. Shipping Terminal have killed the Country
It seems that two of the Deputy heads of Club and turned Scarlett Hill into a
the agency have been operating a black- wasteland. Most of the former residents
market baby ring, selling children off to the have crammed themselves into the gated
highest bidder. Arrests are made, careers community of Stone Ridge outside of town,
are ruined and the agency lapses into a despite its high prices, ugly homes and
state of disarray from which it never fully restrictive rules. Others have left town.
recovers.
Five Years Ago
1999 The Rook Island Shipping Terminal is falling
Zelma Goltz manages to get a second-string into decline—the Scarpias have taken too
superhero team called “Justice Xtreme” to big a bite of the trade coming through the
relocate to Bedlam. The city spends most of terminal and freighter captains are starting
its remaining reserves on building them a to avoid it. The Bedlam airport and the
headquarters, the “Citadel Xtreme” docks at Greely Point are doing a little
downtown. better. Both are Gorganzua turf and the
The team has lost most of its Scarpias start to show signs of resentment.
original members and its new leader, “Mister
Extreme” has some personality problems Two Years Ago
that make it hard for him to be effective. The Honduran cult called the Mara pushes
Despite signs that the group is in disarray, all the other Hispanic gangs out of Hardwick
Justice Xtreme recruits some new members Park and begins to move in on the rackets in
and sets out to clean up Bedlam. The Wolverton. A coalition of most of
results are an utter and absolute debacle. Wolverton’s gangs manages to hold them at
For a complete account of what went bay, under the leadership of “Tiny Z.”
wrong, see Page 283. The Citadel Xtreme
has been deserted ever since. Mister Last Year
Extreme, his former teammates and the city Tiny Z dies in a spectacular, public and
are all still suing one another well into the blatantly unnatural incident—devoured by
next century. rats from the inside out. Or maybe it was
But not Zelma Goltz. While the bugs. Some guys who were there say it was
team was getting established, she was bugs. His hair-trigger little brother, “Eentsy
already preparing to go pursue her lifelong Z” assumes leadership of the coalition at the
dream of working on a kibbutz. She never tender age of thirteen. Young in years, he’s
returns to the United States. Close friends old in blood and may have already killed as
say that she had been losing interest in the many as six people.
Redevelopment Commission for some time.
Right Now
Fifteen Years Ago The Scarpias and the Gorganzuas stare
A group of Bedlam’s wealthiest families puts menacingly at each other across the river.
the finishing touches on their new country Which family will try to seize the Meadows
club, in the heart of the town’s oldest, first? The specter of an impending gang war
richest neighborhood, previously known as looms over Wolverton and Hardwick Park.
Scarlett Hill. Everyone fears the Jigsaw Man, the Mara’s
At the same time, the Rook Island mysterious leader. They say he has magic
Naval Station is decommissioned and a powers. Eentsy Z laughs and says he’s got
group of investors promises to turn it into a powers of his own. Strange rumors drift
brand-new shipping terminal, ready to bring down out of the ruined Country Club. They
prosperity back to Bedlam. say someone has taken up residence there.
Someone big and bad.

29
Space doesn’t allow us to be totally Courthouse or in whatever other meeting
comprehensive here—and in any case your space is handy.
PCs are unlikely to be spending much time Unable to pay for city services with
down at the Department of Public Works. Bedlam’s declining tax base, they have had
This is meant as a brief and simple guide in to sell more and more of its departments off
case your PCs ask you any questions about, to contractors, some of them dubious.
for example, the Mayor’s Office, the City There are often savage debates over which
Council, the Police Department, etc. We contractor gets awarded a particular city
have a much more thorough description of service, since some of the councilmen have
Bedlam’s police and criminal justice system different mob connections from the others.
in the next chapter. At the moment, the reigning powers
on the Council are Big Andy Czernik and the
The Mayor’s Office Reverend Willie Boggs. Both men hate each
Bedlam has not had a mayor for some time. other furiously, and they have managed to
The post is in any case largely ceremonial divide the council between them.
and carries no actual authority. Bedlam is Big Andy is a florid, red-haired giant
run by a hired City Manager. who still wears a pompadour, decades after
A large aerospace firm that prefers it has gone out of fashion. Hugely corrupt,
not to be named provides city management he is deeply involved with the Scarpia crime
for a fee and Bedlam is one of the largest in family, and is said to play golf with “Dapper
the country to use their services. They do Donny” Scarpia every weekend (this is not
not publicize the manager’s name or the true—Dapper Donny has nothing but
location of his office, nor does he make contempt for a rich, whitebread game like
public appearances. However, he is widely golf—in fact they play pinball.) A
known to be Wilfred Krebbs, a gray, balding consummate machine politician, Big Andy
little man with thick glasses who speaks in a gets things done for his constituents, within
droning monotone and cares little for Bedlam’s limited resources, and they love
Bedlam’s future. His job, as he sees it, is to him for it. There’s a lot of vote fraud in his
get the city’s administrative work done, not ward, but it’s not necessary.
to clean up its corruption or fix its other Reverend Boggs speaks up for the
problems. Eventually, if all the paperwork city’s African-American community. He’s
gets filled out on time, his bosses will assign personally quite corrupt, easy to bribe and
him to some other, better job. too tightly entangled with some shady
For what it’s worth, the City Council boxing promoters, but he’s not a tool of the
is presently trying to hire a new high-profile Mob and he seems sincere in his efforts to
celebrity mayor—preferably a professional improve life for his constituents.
wrestler or an actor with a reputation for Other notables on the Council
being tough. Perhaps a superhero might fit include Righteous Townsend, an ambitious
the bill? Perhaps a Player Character? young politician who is trying to unseat
Willie Boggs’ hold on the city’s African-
Municipal Council American neighborhoods, Ron Cordell, a
The Bedlam Municipal Council has 8 violent-tempered, white-haired ranter who
members—one from each of the city’s 6 sticks up for the Gorganzua crime family’s
wards, and 2 “At Large” members elected by interests, and Mollie Schwartz, a rich
the city as a whole. The Council is housewife from Stone Ridge who has held
supposed to meet at City Hall, but the an At-Large seat for many years, and carries
building has been under renovation for five on a tireless crusade against corruption and
years, so they either convene at the County mismanagement. So far, Mrs. Schwartz’

30
efforts have gone exactly nowhere. Big a seat on this commission, but so far neither
Andy lovingly refers to her as “the one has managed to break through.
Conscience of the Council” and seems to like
her. As well he should. There is nothing The Parade Commission
better for a man in his position than a This large commission handles planning and
completely ineffectual crusader. It sets the logistics for all of Bedlam’s big public
right example. festivals, parades, etc. They also fund local
block parties and neighborhood events, and
City Commissions a lot of this money tends to disappear in
In addition to the Municipal Council, there sneaky ways.
are numerous commissions that oversee Righteous Townsend got his start
various elements of Bedlam’s governance. on the Parade Commission. He never
Some have the authority to make policy cleaned up its corruption, but he did
decisions, others are mere advisory bodies. manage to politicize it, and to use its
Most are comprised of a combination of meetings to talk about social inequity in
Council members and prominent local Bedlam. After Righteous became an at-
citizens (business leaders, community large Municipal Councilman, the Reverend
activists and so forth.) A spot on one of the Willie Boggs managed to get him forced off.
Commissions is often the first step on the He left with barely a struggle, already
path to becoming a Municipal Councilman— focused on bigger things.
in fact that’s how Righteous Townsend got
his start. Here are some of the most The Redevelopment Commission
prominent commissions. One of the most famous, high-profile
Commissions in the city’s history, these days
The Commission on Water, Sewage they have been reduced to a skeleton,
and Safety without any staff, a budget or a regular
Big Andy Czernik sits on this Commission, meeting place. Their mission is to bring
along with Councilman Ron Cordell, Bedlam up out of poverty and obscurity,
representatives from Bedlam’s water board restoring it to its former greatness. Through
and the major utility contractors. Officially the late 1980s and all of the 1990s, they
their mission is to ensure the safety and were led by a hired consultant named Zelma
quality of Bedlam’s utilities and sanitation Goltz, who spent the city’s remaining funds
services. And they do in fact keep them on a series of disastrous, grandiose and
safe—fro outside scrutiny. They also do a ridiculous schemes. By 1998 she had
very thorough job of making sure that only dragged the Commission to its knees and
contractors with connections to Big Andy or nearly taken the city with it. But in her
Ron Cordell’s political machines are assigned defense, the other Commissioners did no
any work. Councilman Cordell constantly better. Bedlam’s problems called for genius,
complains that his guys always get the short not well-intentioned mediocrity.
end of the stick in these negotiations. Among the Redevelopment
Commission’s projects over the years:
The Commission on Economic Growth Spending a gigantic amount of money
This powerful commission includes the creating a new slogan, logo and mascot for
heads of most of Bedlam’s remaining Bedlam (“The Steel City”) only to discover
industries. Big Andy sits on this commission that another city already had the rights to
as well, along with Mollie Schwartz. It’s the the name. (they hastily renamed Bedlam
main forum through which Bedlam’s rich “The City of Now” and came up with a much
people make their wishes known. Big Andy more cheaply designed logo—see Page 8 for
usually gives them what they want, and in the details)
exchange they don’t mess with his grip on Attracting maverick billionaire Dick
Stark Hill. But sometimes the balance of Gorman to construct his corporate
power is uneasy. Ron Cordell and the headquarters in Bedlam, a project that failed
Reverend Willie Boggs keep campaigning for halfway through and left Bedlam with the

31
gigantic, half-constructed stump of the to be in terms of resources and influence.
Gorman Tower defacing its skyline, (see She has put a lot of her own money into
Page 19.) keeping them going, hiring staff, providing
Getting a Canadian firm to build the her house as a meeting space, etc.
world’s third-largest mall under Bedlam’s
streets (within a few years most of its stores Bedlam Police Force
closed and the place became a crime-ridden
danger zone—see Page 154.)
Getting a world-renowned (if
insane) architect to build their new public
library, without having upgraded any of its
services (see Page 35.)
And perhaps most disastrous of all,
getting the troubled superhero group
“Justice Xtreme” to relocate to Bedlam, with
results that were so awful no one even
wants to talk about it.
These days Zelma Goltz lives on a
kibbutz and is unavailable for comment, but
people who knew her well, including
Municipal Councilor Mollie Schwartz, say that
her heart wasn’t really in it for the last few
years.

The Commission on Human Rights

This is one of Bedlam’s newest city
Commissions, charged with stamping out
discrimination and preventing human rights We’re going to describe the Bedlam Police in
abuses. Bedlam’s leaders love to point to much greater detail in the next chapter.
the Commission whenever anyone accuses The following is really just an overview.
the city government of racism, it gets a lot No one has gotten around to
of play on local news and everyone seems privatizing the Bedlam City Police yet and
happy that Bedlam is making such important they’re very proud of the fact. To help keep
progress toward equality and social justice. their treasured independence, they ran off
What they don’t publicize is the fact every police chief the city tried to hire for
that the Commission is a purely advisory them. They haven’t had a chief in years and
body, with no actual power. Nor do they the six Precinct Captains run their sectors
point out that its tiny budget and limited like their own individual little kingdoms.
staff make it impossible for the Commission They pretty much answer to no one and you
to keep up with all the work it gets can imagine the level of professionalism that
assigned, let alone investigate complaints this encourages. Some of the Precinct
about abuse. Captains are crooked. Some are brutal.
Mollie Schwartz and Willie Boggs Some are crooked and brutal. Some are
both sit on the Commission, as do numerous crooked, brutal and incompetent.
neighborhood leaders and local activists. The same could be said of Bedlam’s
Councilman Righteous Townsend is eager to Patrol Officers and detectives. Not all of
get on, but Willie Boggs keeps blocking him. them are prone to taking bribes, extorting
Reverend Boggs senses that Townsend money from local businesses or using
would use the position as a platform to excessive force. But the ones who aren’t
defame him. He’s right. are almost all willing to ignore vicious and
Mollie Schwartz is strongly corrupt behavior on the part of their fellow
dedicated to the Commission, even though officers. Guys who feel differently about it
she knows they aren’t yet where they need don’t last long.

32
 Their gear is outdated and their parking meters and fines goes straight into
uniforms look old. Their cars are battered- their coffers. The city barely gets any.
up old hulks. Too many of their Patrol While none of this is secret, it isn’t
Officers have to drive their beats alone, exactly public knowledge either. Both the
without partners, thanks to staffing city government and the Parking Authority
shortages. This not only puts their lives in are aware that the public might find the
danger, but also encourages corruption and arrangement objectionable, so they’ve done
brutality, since there is no one around to their best to keep it out of the papers. Only
watch them. tiny left-wing rags like the Bedlam City
The pride of Bedlam’s police force Paper have reported on the Parking
(if it has any pride) is their anti-parahuman Authority, and while their readers are
unit, the Special Assault Squad. Short on indignant, no one listens to them.
equipment but long on expertise and While the city government tries to
determination, they have managed to take keep the Parking Authority out of the news,
down quite a few supervillains without any recent events have been drawing too much
help from the capes. They also have a attention. When they took over the city’s
reputation for shooting first and asking old parking records, the Authority began
questions later, and they don’t show much computerizing them. They have finally
concern for innocent bystanders. You can finished entering them into a master
find out more about the Special Assault database, and have begun to make use of
Squad on pages 63-67. it, issuing citations and fines for unpaid
Because Bedlam only pays its Patrol parking tickets that the city had long since
Officers $25,000 a year, many of them take stopped chasing. Some of them are as
second jobs as security guards and many as thirty years old.
bouncers, further complicating their The citizens of Bedlam are not
relationship with the community. There was pleased about getting harassed for decades-
a serious incident last year when a couple of old parking tickets and they are complaining
bouncers at an illegal nightclub beat a to the City Council in record numbers. The
patron to death, and then produced their Council has in turn approached the
badges and arrested all the witnesses. Authority, asking them to ease up before
the whole thing becomes a major
Bedlam Parking Authority embarrassment, but the authority’s parent
In a city where so much is dirty and run- company doesn’t care if it embarrasses the
down, Bedlam’s parking meters are city or not—they have a signed contract and
surprisingly new and clean. Graffiti- that’s that. It hasn’t occurred to them that
resistant, amazingly hard to vandalize, they in a place like Bedlam, frustrated people
are served by a fleet of fast, efficient meter might start smashing parking meters,
maids in crisp new uniforms who ride beating up meter maids and vandalizing the
soundless electric carts. They are ruthless Authority’s corporate offices. This hasn’t
in their pursuit of parking scofflaws. A happened—yet.
parking ticket is one of the few things that Costumed crusaders who would like
neither Councilman Big Andy Czernik nor the to bring the Parking Authority’s dubious
Bedlam Mafia can fix for you. practices to light might find an unlikely ally.
Few people realize that the meter The Scarpia crime family would dearly love
maids don’t actually work for the Bedlam to get a taste of the money that parking
Police Department. In fact they don’t work tickets generate. As of yet they haven’t
for the city at all—the Parking Authority is a figured out how, but anything that hurts the
for-profit, wholly owned subsidiary of the Authority or weakens its position is a good
giant aerospace company which runs the thing, in the Mob’s eyes.
City Manager’s office. As you might
imagine, they have a very favorable contract The Coroner’s Office
with the city. Almost all of the money from The office of the Coroner is a county, rather
than a municipal position. They do not work

33
well with Bedlam’s police, largely because farmed out to a call center in Bombay) is
administrative issues make it hard for them notoriously poor. Complaints are
to cooperate—there are too many particularly hard for them to address, since
ambiguous, gray areas in the regulations most of the city’s contractors have long-
about how County and City officials are term contracts that indemnify them.
supposed to coordinate their efforts. City government is quick to point
The coroner’s office runs the out that most of the problems people have
morgue, which is why it’s the County encountered with DPW aren’t with the main
Morgue instead of the City Morgue. contractors, but with subcontractors who
Sanitary Conditions at the underfunded they have had to hire in a rush when they
morgue got really bad two years ago, and are overworked. Since a lot of these
they developed such a chronic problem with subcontractors have ties to the Mafia, it’s
losing or misidentifying corpses, that the relatively easy to get problems resolved if
State authorities intervened and prosecuted you talk to a city councilman with the right
them. The state won, and when the mob connections—Big Andy Czernik, for
Coroner’s Office could not pay the fine, they example. One result of this is that
assigned them a probation officer. neighborhoods like Wolverton and Hardwick
Fortunately, he was an old friend of Park experience much worse service than,
Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik and he for example, Stark Hill, since their
reports to the state that everything is fine at councilmen aren’t as well connected.
the County Coroner’s Office, when in fact
nothing has changed. Department of Public Health
The County Coroner is presently Like the Department of Public Works, the
Wallace Hoople, an ancient, doddering Department of Public Health has been
political appointee without much medical farmed out completely to a private
skill, who many in the press accuse of being contractor. This was partly a union-busting
senile. The Coroner’s Office has a small and partly a cost-saving measure. The
Crime Lab of its own, with a reputation for contractor is a small consulting firm based in
losing and mishandling evidence. To be fair, Northern Virginia called CH2M Services, but
they’re severely understaffed and have a lot their employees don’t identify themselves as
of inexperienced personnel. If you acquire a contractors—they just call themselves
good reputation here, you usually move on Health Inspectors. Most people aren’t
to a better city before too long, so they aware that the Department has been sold.
have way too much turn-over. This is one It’s not a secret but the city certainly doesn’t
of the few institutions in the city that go out of its way to publicize the fact.
doesn’t have a problem with corruption— It used to be that the city’s Health
just incompetence. Inspectors were prone to taking payoffs and
to shaking restaurants down for protection
Department of Public Works money—planting rats and filth in their
The Bedlam Department of Public Works is kitchens and demanding bribes not to shut
chiefly in the business of producing t-shirts. them down. They still do things like this all
Under the guidance of the City Manager, the time but now CH2M Services
they have farmed out virtually all their aggressively sues anyone who tries to make
services to private contractors, some of a public fuss about it. This has greatly
them responsible professionals and some of improved the Department’s image, for you
them very dubious indeed. The city don’t hear about any scandals or abuses in
produces green t-shirts that say “Bedlam the press anymore.
Department of Public Works” for the various
contractors to wear. Municipal Office of Sanitation
The Department has offices in one In many cities Sanitation is a subdivision of
of the skyscrapers on Davis Avenue, and a the Department of Public Works. In Bedlam
toll-free line that people can call for service, it’s a division of the Department of Public
but their customer service (which has been Health. It was moved under Public Health in

34
the early 1990s, in an effort to free the paychecks. Nor does anyone know how
Office of mob influence. This worked for a many of their employees are real and how
little while. Then the Municipal Council many are on the books in order to funnel
privatized Sanitation and the Mafia put its money to crooked politicians or organized
claws right back in. crime.
It used to be that in order to get a It’s not quite fair to say that the
job with the Office of Sanitation you had to Department of Education is one of the few
go see the Scarpia or the Gorganzua crime branches of the city government that hasn’t
families (or the now-defunct Igglioni been privatized. Troubled by under-
Family.) Now you need to see them in performance for many years, plagued with a
order to get a job with the contractor— central office that siphoned off far too much
Waste Resources Inc. Waste Resources has money to shadowy unknown parties,
its own fleet of garbage trucks, many of Bedlam’s schools underwent a major round
which are getting old and breaking down. of reforms ten years ago. At Councilman
The city has put a lot of money into buying “Big Andy” Czernik’s urging, the entire
them new trucks, but quite a bit of it seems system was scheduled to be sold off to
to have disappeared. private contractors. His arch-rival, the
Waste Resources’ trucks and Reverend Willie Boggs (also a city
uniforms are a distinctive yellow and black Councilman), objected vociferously. The
color that has given them the nickname Department of Education was part of his turf
“garbage wasps.” They officially offer and one of the major sources of kickbacks
recycling service to anyone who requests it, for his supporters.
but they don’t yet have a recycling plant to After endless debate, the two men
take it to. Astute observers have noticed reached a compromise. The schools
the garbage wasps dumping materials from themselves would largely be privatized, but
recycling bins straight into the back of their the central administrative office is still a part
garbage trucks. When questioned about the of the city government, and has not
issue, Waste Resources says that they hope changed its ways.
to have a functional recycling plant soon, Big Andy is a man of his word. Now
that the Municipal Council has already that he has cut a deal with Willie Boggs he
allocated the money to build them one, and will not break it. Nothing is going to change
that in the meantime they want to get at the Department of Education any time
people used to the idea of separating out soon—Big Andy will see to that. Everyone is
their recyclables. This has been their official happy with this deal, except perhaps for the
answer for years. No one seems to know teachers, parents and students (Big Andy’s
what happened to the money that the city own kids go to Catholic school.)
gave them to build the new recycling center. For a more in-depth account of how
You might expect this state of Bedlam’s schools function under the new
affairs to cause public outrage, but in fact system, along with a list of individual
few people are even aware of it. The last schools and some NPCs to go with them,
time a reporter did a story on the city’s see Pages 125-140.
recycling situation, the Scarpia family had a
talk with her about it, and she soon moved Bedlam Public Library
to another city. People who see the Endler Library for the
first time immediately assume it’s Bedlam’s
Department of Education City Jail. Then they wonder why it’s up on
No one is sure precisely how many people stilts.
work for the Bedlam City School District. In the late 1980s, the
They have never computerized their payroll Redevelopment Commission decided that
records and they aggressively resist all Bedlam needed a new public library. The
attempts to do so. It’s unclear how many of Main Branch had for years been housed in a
their workers actually show up for work on rented warehouse space, awaiting the funds
daily basis and how many just collect to refurbish the old Greely Library on

35
Grunwald St. The Commission had the old neighborhood at the top of the hill. The
library torn down and launched a nationwide Wolverton Branch occupies a converted fast
architecture contest to find a design for the food restaurant and the Liberty Shoppes
new building. The contest was won by a Mall has a small branch of its own.
brilliant and slightly mad neo-modernist The Library system has recently
named Anton Endler. His design wasn’t the been reorganized and reformed, under the
prettiest or the most practical, but he was watchful gaze of Bertha Stumpf, a burly,
the most prestigious architect to respond one-eyed, battle-scarred old veteran of the
(despite some critics accusing him of senility Wolverton Branch. She has decided to raise
and growing megalomania), so he won the funds by turning overdue library fines over
prize. to collection agencies—some of them prone
He produced a crazed masterpiece to very heavy tactics indeed. This has
of the Neo-Brutalist school. It’s a fanciful, caused some friction with the public.
gruesome battleship of a building, perched
on stilts. The roof leaks and is so strangely Department of Transportation
shaped that it’s impossible to clean, the This used to be the department in charge of
administrative areas are cramped, maintaining roads, street-cleaning and
uncomfortable and plagued with walls that snow-plowing. The city manager sold all
don’t meet at right angles. But Anton these functions off to various
Endler was more than satisfied. subcontractors, and Corporation Yard,
The project did however cost vastly where the department’s motor pool was
more money than Endler had estimated. based, sits dark and silent. The Bedlam
The huge cost overruns and years of delays Police Department still uses its facilities to
may have been the thing that finally crippled service their helicopters, but no one ever
the Redevelopment Commission. Some goes inside the main building anymore.
people would say that this was a good Nobody is quite sure what happened to all
thing. the equipment that was stored at the Yard.
The interior of the Endler Library
has beautiful reading rooms, grand meeting Office of Tax Assessment
spaces, and not very many books. The Located in a temporary office space on the
Redevelopment Commission didn’t allocate 13th floor of a downtown skyscraper (until
any money toward buying more printed City Hall eventually gets repaired), the Tax
materials. During the day it is largely Assessment Office is one of the last sections
populated by derelicts and crack fiends. of the Bedlam City Government to avoid
Drugs are sold in its bathrooms, which is being privatized. This is odd. It’s exactly
also where the winos go for a little quick the sort of purely administrative office that
romance. could be easily farmed out. There would be
The stacks contain a sad collection no public outcry if property tax assessments
of dusty paperbacks and tattered old were carried out by someone else. Yet the
textbooks. People sometimes get mugged Czernik machine, which normally pushes
back among the shelves. The security hard for outsourcing city services, always
guards are mostly off-duty Bedlam cops. fights to keep the office from being
They have a tough time keeping order in the privatized. In fact the city pays an
restrooms, and don’t have enough time left exorbitant rent on their office space—and
over to patrol the stacks. the building doesn’t even belong to one of
The one really valuable resource in Big Andy’s cronies! What is going on here?
the Library (if crack and anonymous loving Some observers wonder if something
don’t interest you) is the Lucius Hardwick important to Big Andy and his political
Collection, where books and rare documents organization is happening behind the closed
concerning Bedlam’s history are kept. doors of the Tax Assessor’s Office.
There are three branch libraries. The office itself is relatively small,
The Greely Point Branch is located in a with a staff of thirty or so employees
converted row-house in the old Italian working out of a single office suite. It’s a

36
very nice suite and they have better fact that they simply didn't have the kids.
creature comforts than most city office Where had the children gone? At her trial,
workers. Their official job is to determine Darlene Wicker claimed that she only
the value of buildings and other property in participated in the scam to save the children
Bedlam, and determine how much property from Bedlam's foster care system, and that
tax the owners owe. The actual on-site only good and deserving parents who
property-tax assessments are performed by couldn't go through the state's torturous
a contractor (JX Services) and the office adoption process ever actually received
seems a little top-heavy with managers and babies. But in fact the Russian Mob bought
other political appointees, most of them some, a cult called the Hand of the Bloody
connected to Big Andy’s political machine. Moon bought some, others were sold to
They are neither swift nor efficient, Mafia associates whose criminal records
but not especially corrupt. If you want to prevented them from adopting children.
use a bribe to reduce your property taxes, It's impossible to ask Hedda Scharff
you should pay it to the assessor JX Services why she did it or where the kids went. She
sends around to look at your property, not checked into Our Lady of Sorrow Hospital
to the office staff downtown. (see Page 113) for a biopsy and died on the
The current head of the office is operating table before she could be indicted.
Operations Supervisor Gladys Tork, a However much contempt we might
ferocious, inarticulate lady from Stark Hill feel for Darlene Wicker, it is true that
who is rumored to have Attention Deficit Bedlam's foster care system was a mess.
Disorder. Her sister is married to Big Andy There weren't enough case workers or
Czernik’s little brother. foster parents, so kids were always getting
shuttled around between homes, never
Child Protective Services getting a chance to stay anywhere for long.
This agency never really recovered from a A lot of foster parents were taking on ten or
bad scandal that came to light ten years twelve kids at once, keeping the stipend
ago. A judge named Hedda Scharff used to they got for each one, feeding them the
sell babies on the open market with the help minimum required to survive and working
of some high-ranking officials in the Bedlam them like slaves until they turned eighteen.
Department of Child Protective Services. Between the scandal and the
For two decades, her chief confederates, department’s other problems, no one raised
Darlene Wicker and Maisy Landrum (both much objection when the whole thing got
Deputy Chiefs of BCPS) would alert Judge privatized five years ago. A Human Assets
Wicker to any young mothers with Management company called ThetaCare
questionable backgrounds. Judge Scharff now oversees the operation. They farm the
would then declare the mother unfit, and social work out to various small firms and
have the baby turned over to Wicker and contractors, but the actual Asset
Landrum. They would place the child in Management (by which they mean feeding
care of the Happy Hands Company, an and sheltering orphans) is handled by the
orphanage/day-care provider that all three Happy Hands Company.
conspirators had heavily invested in. Happy They may be under new
Hands would then turn the infant over to management, but there are a lot of familiar
whoever Wicker and Landrum suggested faces at Happy Hands. Most of the foster
(anyone who wanted a baby and could pay parents they enlist are the very same people
the going rate to their Mafia contacts) but who served under the old Bedlam
continue drawing state funds to support the Department of Child Protective Services.
child. And that's not all. Darlene Wicker got
After twenty years of this scam, stabbed to death her first week in prison,
there were a lot of phantom children on but Maisy Landrum cut a deal with the DA's
Happy Hands' books. So many that by the office and served just two years probation.
time the state police started taking an These days, she's a Senior Executive Vice
interest, it was impossible to conceal the President at Happy Hands.

37
Adventure Seed burned down. Perhaps as many as twenty-
One winter morning a naked child comes five percent of the fire hydrants don’t work.
running down the street. Sobbing, filth- They have seven working ambulances for a
caked, stumbling over piles of dirty snow. city that needs at least thirty. Chronically
He runs right into a PC, looks in their face short on personnel, they have undermanned
and says “please!” Just before the cops shifts, obsolete equipment and a history of
come around the corner. trying to hide their inadequacies with
“Hey!” they yell. Stop that bureaucratic tricks. They also have a bad
goddamn kid!” reputation for refusing to promote black and
How much the PCs are going to Hispanic firefighters and for taking much too
learn about this situation depends on what long to respond to emergencies in inner city
they do. These are officers from the juvie neighborhoods.
squad. The boy is trying to run away from The current fire chief is Lucy
his foster home—a hell-pit run by Myron and Szmuda, who the City Council brought in
Elvira Cain. They keep their charges locked from York, Pennsylvania, where she made a
in cages, feed them the absolute minimum name for herself getting their troubled fire
and make them spend all day assembling department in order. A skinny, scowling
ugly stuffed dolls, which proudly bear the little woman of about fifty, she has a gravely
“Made in the USA” label. voice and a harsh demeanor.
It’s going to be difficult to prove any Not that her toughness has done
of these allegations against the Cains. her much good on this job. The department
They’re very well connected to the Czernik resents her for being a woman and for being
machine and no one wants to investigate an outsider. They have begun a steady
them. PCs who mess with them may soon campaign of harassment to force her out.
find the local authorities turning hostile, and Not a day goes by without Chief Szmuda
if they lean on them hard, they may beg the getting another death threat or being the
Mafia to hire a supervillain to get the PCs off victim of some ugly prank. This weighs on
their case. her. She is starting to lose sleep, to get
Perhaps the ideal solution to this irrational and paranoid, to scream at her
problem would be to secretly break the kids staff over trivial matters. She’s thinking
out and turn them over to Father Dennis of about leaving soon.
the Celestial Spirit Fellowship. He has
quietly dealt with matters like this before
(see Page 358.) Of course, PCs who have a
problem with breaking the law may have
some scruples to wrestle with.

Bedlam Fire Department

More and more neighborhoods in Bedlam
are coming to rely on volunteer fire
brigades, since the city’s fire department is
in such bad shape. Unfortunately, the
volunteers aren’t adequate to the job either.
The gated community of Stone Ridge has
actually gone so far as to hire its own
private contractor to provide fire and
emergency services.
The Bedlam Fire department is
supposed to have eight fire houses manned
around the clock. In fact they have five—
they had six, but one of them recently

38
 Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Strength d4, Vigor d4
Here we have stats and background Skills: Notice d10, Knowledge (Civic
information for some of Bedlam’s movers Administration) d10, Knowledge (Early Radio
and shakers, including the City Manager and Memorobilia) d10
the most powerful members Municipal Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
Council. District Attorney Cord Killingsworth Toughness: 4
is also pretty powerful, but we have him Hindrances: Cautious
listed separately, under the DA’s Office. Edges: Arcane Background (City Manager,
runs the whole town), Connections
City Manager Wilfred Krebbs Gear: Bulletproof Briefcase (Toughness 12)
Background: The most powerful man in
Bedlam wasn’t elected by anyone. He’s
Wilfred Krebbs, and he’s the city’s Account
Manager. He plays something like the role
of a mayor, overseeing Bedlam’s daily
functions, making sure the trash gets picked
up and the streets get policed. For the most
part that means seeing that the sub-
contractors who oversee these functions get
paid on time.
Krebbs doesn’t work for the City of
Bedlam, he works for a giant aerospace
company which it might be better not to
name (but see Page 141.) They provide city
management services for a fee, and send
someone like Krebbs in to do the actual
management. They run somewhere
between three and eight small cities around
the country, and they are looking to expand
into bigger markets. They don’t like
drawing attention to this program, since it
makes people uneasy to know that their city
government has been privatized.
It’s not fair to say that Krebbs’ first
loyalty is to his company. In fact it’s to
himself. He sees Bedlam as a difficult
assignment that he might be able to
leverage into a position as one of his firm’s
Vice Presidents if he does it well.
Unfortunately, his definition of doing it well
doesn’t involve making any kind of changes
or improvements to the city. In fact his
bosses would hate it if any major scandals
or corruption came to light on his watch—
this rocks the boat and draws attention to
their involvement in city governance.
Instead he wants to master the nigh-
impossible task of making sure that the city
gets through the day with all its paperwork
filled out.
Krebbs works in a small unmarked
office on the 30th floor of the Grunewald

39
building downtown. A gray, joyless, tightly- Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
wound little man, he speaks in a robotic Toughness: 5
monotone and never raises his voice. He is Edges: Charismatic, Connections, Inspire,
unmarried and has an enormous collection Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and
of early radio memorabilia at his condo in a Taunt)
larger city near Bedlam. He is one of the Background: One of the two most
few people who commutes into town each powerful elected leaders in the city, Big
day. Andy Czernik shares Bedlam with the
More or less totally devoid of Reverend Willie Boggs, but he has the
feeling, apart from ambition and a desire to bigger share. About half the Municipal
show off how much he knows about early Council owes fealty to him, but it’s the
radio, he’s not the right kind of guy to beg stronger half.
for sympathy. Messy emotions like that A red-faced, red-cheeked, red-
make him uncomfortable. You can tell what headed giant of a man, Big Andy has a deep
kind of person Krebbs is by looking at the loud booming voice and a kind of aggressive
walls of his office. They have no friendliness that scares his allies and his
decorations at all. enemies alike. He’s a natural born bully and
No one has the heart to tell him that has been one all his life. He’s also really
he has devoted his life to a doomed cause. smart and tries to keep his bullying under
Unmarried guys never make VP. control, tries not to intimidate people unless
there’s something to gain by it—but
Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik sometimes he just can’t resist.
A lifelong resident of Stark Hill, he
draws his support from the old
neighborhood and he looks out for its
interests above all else. Except possibly for
the Mafia’s interests. In his youth, Big Andy
ran with the mob-affiliated street gang
called the Coronets, and some people say
he became close pals with Bedlam’s leading
mobster, Donny Scarpia, back when they
were both juvenile delinquents.
Whether or not Big Andy is in fact
the pawn of the Mafia, he certainly spends a
lot of time hanging out with Donny and the
old crowd. In a way Andy, like Donny, is
still a teenaged hood, and he still wears his
hair in a big, sweeping pompadour to show
his respect for his origins. It looks like the
crest of a rooster, people say.
Always grinning and jolly, unless
he’s bellowing threats and insults at the top
of his lungs, Andy is never any less than
three times bigger than life—so they say.
He’s also more crooked than Lucifer himself.
Great at playing machine politics, Big Andy
gets things done for his constituents. A lot
of them are bad things.
Wild Card
Despite being both a product of and
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
a central player in the politics of Stark Hill,
Strength d8, Vigor d6
he is not himself a racist. He certainly does
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate d8,
his part to keep non-whites out of Stark Hill
Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Notice d6,
and to steal as much as possible of the city’s
Persuasion d10+2, Taunt d6+2

40
resources away from them, but he does needs.
not adhere to any stupid ideas about A charming old scoundrel with an
racial superiority. He would never eye for the ladies, Willie Boggs is devoted
underestimate the intelligence of an to getting Wolverton its fair share by
enemy like Willie Boggs and he would be whatever methods are required. If that
willing to work with anyone to get his means playing machine politics and
goals accomplished. funneling graft back into the community
Most of Big Andy’s considerable to give people the jobs and money they
wealth is in his wife’s name or the names need, then so be it. Bedlam is hopelessly
of his brothers and sisters (he’s the oldest crooked anyway, so why not steal a piece
child of ten.) of the action for the folks who need it
He lives in a Stark Hill bungalow most, before somebody else steals it first?
with so many extensions and additions He knows better than to confront
that the extra add-ons are bigger than the the Rock or the Stone, Wolverton’s two
original house. He is, he likes to say, lord leading crime lords, but he absolutely
and master in his home, and all nine of his refuses to take money from either one of
own kids are deathly afraid of him. They them, much to their disgust. Neither one
are an amazing collection of neurotics and has ever taken any corrective action
failures (mostly due to their dad’s against him, because he’s popular and
constant bullying) and a source of endless does well by Wolverton.
disappointment to him. Andy reportedly Oddly, while he won’t directly
gets a little crazy when any young man accept money from the mob, and rails in
tries to date one of his three shy, fat, every sermon against the “thug life” and
nervous daughters. the gangs, he does take money and gifts
from some shady boxing promoters who
Councilman Willie Boggs are almost certainly associated with the
Wild Card Scarpia crime family.
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit In person, Willie is a charmer.
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6 He’s also a great public speaker, although
Skills: Intimidate d6, Knowledge he uses an odd kind of rhyming slang that
(Bedlam) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d10, he seems to have made up himself.
Taunt d8 Cheerfully cynical and obscene in private,
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; he’s also amazingly generous and spends
Toughness: 5 a lot of time trying to help people.
Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (always tries to He lives in one of Wolverton’s
help his neighborhood) biggest houses, asprawl with recent
Edges: Inspire, Natural Leader additions. His property is surrounded by a
Background: The Reverend Willie Boggs spiked wrought iron fence and he has
has been the leading voice of Bedlam’s armed bodyguards on the premises 24
African-American community for decades. hours a day.
He’s the minister of the Good News His wife Dot plays a major role in
Thunderous Hammer Church of God in administering his church. She is as grim
Christ—the largest church in Wolverton. and humorless as he is pleasant and
But he ministers to his community’s cordial.
political needs as much as to its spiritual

41
Councilman Ron Cordell Councilman Righteous Townsend
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d6, Vigor d4
Skills: Intimidate d6, Knowledge (Bedlam)
d6, Persuasion d8, Taunt d8
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
Toughness: 3
Edges: Strong-Willed
Hindrances: Loyal, Mean, Quirk (bad
temper)
Background: The councilman from Greely
Point, Mr. Cordell brings excitement and
unpredictability to any meeting. Constantly
bitter, surly and sullen, he always looks as
though he has just been crying. Sometimes
he explodes over trivial things and he has
twice physically assaulted witnesses giving
testimony before the council. He even tried
to rough up Big Andy once, but thought
better of it and scampered back to his chair
before Mr. Czernik could lay hands on him. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Big Andy still chuckles about it. Strength d8, Vigor d6
A whiner, a grumbler and a fatalist, Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidate d6+2,
Ron’s attitude might be best summed up by Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Notice d6,
his favorite phrase “it’s always us that gets Persuasion d10, Streetwise d8
it.” Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
He’s a little confused and sometimes Toughness: 5
gets angry with people who are actually Edges: Charismatic, Strong-Willed (+2 to
agreeing with him, because he has resist Intimidate and Taunt)
misunderstood what they have said. Who Hindrances: Vow (to clean up Bedlam)
does he mean by “us” when he say that it’s Background: Righteous Townsend is the
“always us that gets it”? Surely not Greely absolute opposite of the Reverend Willie
Point, which is doing better than most parts Boggs. A tall and handsome man, with
of Bedlam. The general feeling is that he premature gray at his temples, he is utterly
means the Gorganzua Crime family, which incorruptible and all but totally humorless.
doesn’t get nearly as much graft as its At his core he’s ambitious and cold. Always
bigger, fiercer neighbors the Scarpias do. polite, he’s always formal and a little stiff,
It’s kind of an open secret that Ron is the too. But he’s an amazing public orator, with
Gorganzuas’ boy. tremendous energy and a deep, booming
He spends so much of his time on voice.
the council wrangling over the arcane details He is desperate to clean up
of one or another construction contract Wolverton and Bedlam itself, because he
(hunting for the Gorganzuas’ share) that thinks it will help advance his own political
he’s nearly blind to the real crises facing career. If he thought he could get away
Bedlam. with being a crook, he would, but other
Ron lives in the small Italian crooks already have that angle sewed up
neighborhood on Lurman Avenue with his tight, so he has opted to be a crusader
ailing wife, Mona. Their kids are in college instead. He’s focusing his efforts on
and none of them are likely to come back to undercutting the Boggs machine, right now,
Bedlam any time soon. He’s alienated them for not only is Willie Boggs his most
all pretty thoroughly. A short, plump old guy immediate rival, but he’s a lot safer to
with thinning white hair, he has big bushy tangle with than, for example, Big Andy
eyebrows and a permanent miserable scowl. Czernik.

42
 Righteous never seems to sleep. service and the Stone Ridge Garden Club,
He’s constantly in motion, making deals no one knows where she finds the energy
with preachers who view Willie Boggs as a to do it all (in fact she has a prescription
rival, listening to constituents who have for amphetamines.) An old, dear friend of
been shafted by the Boggs machine. He’s Zelma Goltz, she claims that the former
not the best guy to talk to if you want to head of Bedlam’s Redevelopment
get a pothole fixed, but he’s the right guy Commission isn’t a bad person or a flake.
to tell if you’ve heard that a particular city She just had a difficult job to do. Then
contractor is giving kickbacks to Willie again, Mollie was also a dear friend of Dr.
Boggs. Melvin “The Mad Dentist” Flickinger before
Unmarried, Righteous Townsend is his crimes were discovered. In fact he
considered one of the city’s most eligible was her dentist, though he never once
bachelors, because no one has realized harmed her. This is all typical of Mollie.
that he’s gay (his long-term boyfriend is She truly, genuinely cares about people,
Buddy Dean, the managing editor of the but she’s not very good at understanding
Bedlam Informer.) them.
He lives in Wolverton, in a Although she’s a crusading
converted bungalow with a huge finished reformer and impossible to corrupt, “Big
basement that he uses for a meeting Andy” Czernik claims to like and respect
space with community leaders. He her. “The conscience of the Council” he
absolutely will not take a bribe and he calls her. It’s really valuable to have a
absolutely will not bend the rules for you. token reformer in the City Government,
His mom raised him to be hard, he says. and even better to have one who has no
Because life is hard. hope of ever getting anything
accomplished.
Councilor Mollie Schwartz Mollie lives in Stone Ridge with her
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit husband, a semi-retired partner at the law
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6 firm of Spengler, Gibbons and Pugh (see
Skills: Guts d8, Knowledge (Civics) d8, Page 156.) Their kids have all grown up
Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, Persuade d8+2 and moved to better places. Now Bedlam
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; is Molly’s child.
Toughness: 5
Edges: Charismatic, Connections (Bedlam District Attorney Cord Killingsworth
City Government, Community Groups), Bedlam’s DA is a tall, stern, handsome
Rich man with a hook for a hand. Grim and
Hindrances: Stubborn, Heroic sober, he seldom smiles. He’s on a
Background: Mollie Schwartz is the personal crusade against superhumans
nicest person in Bedlam politics, and who break the law. And also
perhaps the least effective. She’s superhumans who don’t. While he isn’t
relentlessly cheerful, even in the face of corrupt himself, he has little interest in
total disaster, sweet and optimistic no rooting out the corruption all around him.
matter what. About three years ago she He’s much more focused on putting capes
got mugged, and gently told the mugger behind bars and on getting enough major
he ought to wear a scarf on such a cold cases prosecuted that he can move on to
night. He later got caught for a more higher office and get the Hell away from
serious crime and she still visits him in Bedlam. We have his stat block and
prison. complete background information for him
Constantly active in community on Page 92.

43
Bishop Sloat School for Boys, he implemented a program
of corporal punishment more rigorous than
anything seen since the 1950s. Two of the
boys he personally attended to died while
receiving discipline, and this might have
caused the Holy Mother Church some
difficulties if their parents had been less
devout, so Monsignor Sloat was hastily
promoted to Bishop and placed in an
administrative position. He finds it deeply
frustrating not to be able to have direct
contact with the faithful any more, and now
that he’s become Bedlam’s chief
administrator he feels more remote from the
flock than ever. It weighs heavily upon him.
All he ever wanted to do was minister to the
faithful and crush wickedness from the
hearts of boys. Why must he busy himself
with endless piles of paperwork and dismal
Planning Committee meetings?
He was always grim, terse and
short-tempered. These days his gruffness
has grown far worse. His weekly radio
sermons sound as if he is delivering them
from the grave—and his deep, scratchy
voice doesn’t help.
Recently Sloat has become aware of
the actual, literal existence of the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit supernatural and this knowledge obsesses
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d6 him. He’s determined to do everything in
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate d8, his considerable power to stamp out every
Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, Knowledge hint of this blasphemous taint from Bedlam.
(Catholic Church) d8, Knowledge He has been in touch with a gang of
(Supernatural) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion ruthless fanatics called the Opus Ombra
d10+2 (see Page 204) and if the GM wants, he may
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; be helping them to establish a chapter
Toughness: 5 house in Bedlam. Sloat will annihilate this
Edges: Charismatic, Connections, Inspire, city’s wickedness if it kills him—or anyone
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and else.
Taunt) He’s also deeply entangled with the
Hindrances: Vow (to wipe out the Mafia. He knows they do questionable
supernatural), Quirk (intolerant and self- things, but they donate a lot of money and
absorbed), Quirk (hates wicked little boys) (more importantly) they keep the blacks out
Background: Cardinal Scarpetti is the of Stark Hill. A staunch ally of the Czernik
nominal head of the Church in Bedlam. machine, at least in theory, these days he’s
However, until his current legal difficulties often too distracted or depressed to give
are resolved he can’t leave the precincts of them his full support.
the Vatican City. In his absence Bedlam’s Bishop Sloat is aware that
faithful are overseen by Bishop Lemuel sometimes bad children tempt priests into
Sloat. touching them in inappropriate ways
Bishop Sloat is what they call a no- (although he has never felt tempted in this
nonsense priest. During his tenure as the way himself—hurting children appeals to
headmaster of Our Lady of the Five Wounds him far more than caressing them.) He has

44
worked hard to root out this problem. Now Edges: Connections (Bedlam City
whenever a family comes forward with that Government), Frenzy, Strong Willed, Tough
kind of accusation, the Church immediately as Nails
sues them and threatens to have their Hindrances: One Eye, Stubborn
children taken away by the courts. Then Background: A battle-scarred veteran of
they have the family socially ostracized by the Wolverton Branch Library, she lost an
their neighbors. If they persist in their eye in an encounter with a patron, and she
wickedness, the Bishop may have his Mafia still managed to subdue him and perform a
contacts start calling them up and making Citizens’ Arrest. Bertha does not bother to
threats in the middle of the night. This new cover her missing eye with a patch. If it
program of getting tough with Holy Mother bothers people, that’s their problem, not
Church’s enemies has been so successful hers.
that other dioceses around the country are She has always felt that people
starting to take note, and may soon try to should pay more for overdue books and with
imitate Sloat’s success. the library’s new computer system in place
she at last has the means to track down the
Chief Librarian Bertha Stumpf scoundrels and make them all pay. She has
implemented a policy of turning overdue
fines over to collection agencies, some of
them Mafia-affiliated firms that are prone to
using heavy-handed tactics. And with her
records computerized at last, she can track
down violators who may have committed
their offenses ten or even twenty years ago.
As the loudest and most aggressive
department head in the city, she has a
surprising amount of pull with the Municipal
Council, although she never seems to use
her influence to actually buy any new books.
She has grown far more concerned with
spending her money on punishing bad
readers than on rewarding good ones. After
all, for a good reader, reading is its own
reward.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Bertha lives by herself in a bad part
Strength d8, Vigor d8 of town, just off Ash Street. The love of her
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate d8 life, a teacher named Netta Torkleson, has
+2, Knowledge (Administration) d10, recently left her. Bertha is heartbroken and
Knowledge (Library Science) d10, now pours her whole life into her work. So
Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Notice d10 let library scofflaws beware.
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
Toughness: 7

45
As in every city, criminal justice in Bedlam is heavy leather topcoats. They use handheld
divided into three parts. The police, who radios rather than shoulder-mounted units.
investigate crimes, the courts, who Bedlam’s cops are known for their
prosecute them and the correctional uncompromising attitude toward crime—
authorities who attempt to punish them. they will not rest until they have had a taste
We’ll start here with an in-depth look at of the action. Notoriously corrupt and quick
Bedlam’s police force, then move on to the to resort to force, they have low morale and
courts and prisons. tend not to feel as though anyone in power
is looking after them. This promotes both
The Bedlam City Police Force bribery and brutality, as well as a kind of
The Bedlam Police are one of the few insular “code of silence” that makes them
divisions of the city government that hasn’t more willing to cover up one another’s
been privatized. They are fiercely proud of transgressions.
this status, and wary of outsiders being
brought in to manage them—fearful that How to Bribe a Bedlam Cop
this is the first sign that the City is planning As with everything, there are procedures
to sell the Department off. The City Council and etiquette to follow in successfully
recently brought in a famous police chief bribing a Bedlam police officer. You don’t
from Inglewood, California, named Duke want to get it wrong and offend them—that
Manning. The department made his job hell may result in their demanding a higher
until he left and the position remains open. bribe.
In the absence of a chief, the force The first step is to see if this
technically answers to its Acting Executive policeman seems likely to accept a bribe.
Officer, an overworked bureaucrat named Some Bedlam cops will make this easy—
Lester Dunwoody, but in fact the Precinct they’ll shake you down for one whether you
Captains pretty much run things like their have committed a crime or not. For the
own personal fiefdoms. others, you should tentatively ask them if
Officially Bedlam has a force of there is a fine for the offense you’re being
thirteen hundred officers, organized into six charged with, and if you could “take care of
precincts. The sad truth is that many of it right here.”
these positions are “currently unfilled” for Of course some Bedlam cops are
lack of funds, and two of the precinct clean. By certain estimates it might be as
houses are officially under construction (one high as 15% of the force. But even if a
of them still has a fast food restaurant particular cop doesn’t take bribes, he or she
operating on the site where it is supposed to is unlikely to be offended by the offer and
be.) very unlikely to report it. They know that
In fact Bedlam can muster a force this is how things are done and that it’s not
of about nine hundred officers. Their a good idea to be seen making trouble
equipment is old—none of the cars have about it. If they don’t want to accept a
computer terminals, so officers are forever bribe, they usually just won’t respond to the
having to call the dispatcher to look up suggestion. If you don’t seem to get it,
license plates and so forth, jamming their they’ll say “no, thanks.” Only a few crazy
crowded radio bandwidth. crusading zealots will try to arrest you for
Because their uniforms haven’t been attempting to bribe them, and they tend not
updated in a while, they have a distinctly to last long on the force.
retro look, with hexagonal black hats and Once a cop has indicated that it
would be acceptable to “take care of it right

46
here” you should ask how much the fine Patrol Services
might be. They’ll probably quote you a First Precinct (Downtown and part of
vague figure (“might be as much as…”.) Hardwick Park)
You are entitled to haggle unless the crime Second Precinct (Stark Hill)
is serious. If the cop indicates that they Third Precinct (Wolverton and part of
don’t want to haggle “no, I already told you Hardwick Park)
how much it could be”) then stop trying to Fourth Precinct (Ash St. and the Country
haggle before they raise the price on you. Club)
Once they have agreed to a price, Fifth Precinct (Greely Point)
hand them your identification with the Sub-Station One (aka “Precinct 5½”)
money folded underneath. Dispatch Center
If you aren’t “connected” to the Highway Patrol
Bedlam Mob or city government, a cop Traffic Control
probably won’t accept a bribe to let you off Special Operations
the hook for a violent felony, but most other Aviation Detail
crimes are negotiable. K-9 Detail
Thirty dollars usually fixes a moving Mounted Detail
violation, twenty lets you off the hook for Harbor Patrol Unit
vagrancy. Fifty will get you out of a DUI Tactical Operations (SWAT)
where no one was hurt. Downgrading a Special Assault Squad
domestic dispute to a warning is about $200 Community Relations Bureau
unless the cop really hates wifebeaters. Neighborhood Police Program
While crimes like murder and bank
robbery aren’t negotiable (unless arranged Detectives Bureau
in advance with the powers that be) a Investigative Resources
fleeing suspect might be able to get a cop to Crime Statistics Unit
look the other way for $500 or so. Police Laboratory
Photographic Unit
Bedlam City Police Radio Channels Hostage Negotiation Unit
1: Precinct One Bomb Squad
2: Precinct Two Homicide Squad
3: Precinct Three Robbery Squad
4: Precinct Four and Five (they share a Auto Crime Unit
channel between them) Burglary Squad
5: Records Division (used to call in license- Organized Crime Squad
plate and identity lookups, this channel sees Vice Squad
a lot of traffic and is often hard to get Narcotics Squad
through on) Computer Crime Squad
6: Tactical Operations (SWAT) Channel Juvenile Crime Squad
7: Tactical Operations Two (used mostly, Special Victims Liaison Unit
but not exclusively, by the Special Assault Gang Task Force
Squad) Anti-Graffiti Vandalism Unit
8: Car-to-Car (this channel is much too close Administrative Services
to some of the CB stations truckers use, and Office of the Chief of Police
if you are anywhere near the freeway, it can Fiscal Affairs and Human Resources
pick up a lot of interference) Records Division
9-10: Unassigned as of yet Public Affairs
Internal Affairs
Structure of the Bedlam PD
The Bedlam Police are organized into the Training Bureau
following divisions and subdivisions (we’ll
describe each one in detail later on.)

47
Ranks of the Bedlam Police likely to encounter, so we’re going to go
Police Chief over it in a lot of detail.
Executive Officer The Patrol Officers are organized
Captain into five precincts, plus one smaller
Lieutenant “Substation.” Highway Patrol, Traffic
Sergeant Control, Dispatch and the Special Operations
Patrol Officer Division (including SWAT, the Special
Note: “Detective” is not a rank—see the Assault Group and a few oddball units like
section on the Detectives Bureau below. the mounted police and K-9 officers) are
also part of Patrol Services, but are separate
Explanation of Ranks from the precincts and are based in Police
Technically, the head of the entire force is Headquarters downtown.
the Chief of Police. Alas, there is no such As mentioned above, they don’t
person. As mentioned above, the force have shoulder-mounted radios and their
drove off the last Chief the Council tried to squad cars don’t have computers. They rely
impose on them and they don’t yet have a on belt-mounted walkie-talkies and their car
new one. radios to communicate with one another
The Executive Officer is the head of and the Dispatch Center. If they want to
Administrative Services, and is widely run a car’s plates or check a suspect for
considered to be the Chief’s second-in- outstanding warrants, they have to call it in.
command, charged with making sure that all As a result, their radio channels are often
police operations run smoothly. jammed with traffic.
Each of the five precincts is headed Each precinct house is led by a
up by a Captain, as is each Detective Squad, Captain, and is supposed to have three
and most of the other individual units (the Lieutenants (two of the five precincts have
Bomb Squad, the Special Assault Squad, the only one Lieutenant each.) Patrolmen are
Harbor Patrol, etc.) divided up into three eight-hour shifts, each
A Lieutenant acts as Watch led by a Watch Commander (normally a
Commander for each of the three shifts at Lieutenant, but some watches are
each precinct. Lieutenants also head up commanded by Sergeants if no Lieutenant is
some of the smaller units—the head of K9 is available.) Every shift is supposed to
a Lieutenant, for example, as is the head of comprise 20 officers, although they tend to
the Anti-Graffiti Vandalism Unit. be a little shorthanded. A Sergeant acts as
Sergeants directly supervise the the immediate supervisor of between ten
individual Patrol Units. Typically a Patrol and twelve patrol officers, reporting to the
Unit consists of two officers in a squad car Watch Commander on their performance.
(all too often there is only one patrol officer During the day, officers can patrol
available.) Each sergeant will usually alone, but at night they always ride in pairs.
oversee five or six units. Sergeants do At least in theory. In practice they often
sometimes go on patrol themselves, but have to drive alone, due to personnel
their main responsibilities are to manage the shortages.
Patrol Officers and oversee booking (hence We’ll start our detailed breakdown
the term “Desk Sergeant”.) of Patrol Services with a description of each
of the five precincts, as well as police
Patrol Services headquarters, then move on to stats and
These are the uniformed officers who patrol background information for a generic
Bedlam’s streets. Low on equipment, Bedlam Patrol Officer, a police car, and a
manpower and morale, they struggle to “paddy wagon” used to transport criminals.
carry on in the face of the near certainty Then we’ll have stats and background
that they’ll be privatized in a few years. material for individual patrol officers and
This is the biggest division of the Bedlam then for some of the ranking command
Police Force, and the one the PCs are most personnel who oversee them.

48
We’ll follow this by describing each of the The First Precinct is in the same building as
smaller branches of Patrol Services (Special a lot of the police administration services,
Operations, Dispatch, Traffic Control, etc) and its officers hassle the administrative
with stats for generic officers and write-ups staff into giving them the biggest share of
for some individual ones. We’ll include stat the Department’s limited resources. Their
blocks for special vehicles and equipment equipment gets replaced quicker, their
(police helicopters, for example) where paperwork gets processed faster and so
necessary. forth.
This is a fairly corrupt precinct. The
The Five Precincts same people have been running it for more
Without a Chief, the individual Captains run than ten years and they have had time to
their precincts the way they please. This get deeply entrenched, to build big networks
varies a lot with the individual Captain. of graft and forge lasting relationships with
Some are lazy, some run a tight ship. Some crooked politicians. It’s also the most
are decent, some are outrageously bad. efficient and probably the most competent
Here is a brief guide to Police Headquarters precinct, since officers compete with one
and to each of Bedlam’s five precincts. another to get a chance to work here.
Captain Norris “Sharkey” Muldoon
Police Headquarters runs the First Precinct with an iron hand.
This scarred-up old behemoth of a building Sharkey’s a stern disciplinarian with a
has served as Police Headquarters since the reputation for doing his job well. He’s also
late 19th Century. Made of smog-stained amazingly crooked—they say that he can
brick, it looks grim and imposing. hear a five-dollar bill hit the ground a block
Administrative Services, the Police away.
Laboratory, Special Operations, the A fearsome-looking guy with a black
Detective Bureau, Dispatch and the First beard and a constant scowl, he wears
Precinct are based in this building. The sunglasses indoors and always seems to be
department’s motor pool is located here as chewing something.
well, in a lot out back, surrounded by rusty
concertina wire. The Second Precinct
Headquarters has more holding cells Based in Stark Hill, this precinct has the
than any of the other precinct houses, but least turnover and the best morale in the
they’re still overcrowded. The Department Department. Most of the officers who work
doesn’t make this public, but a couple of here are actually locals and know the
trailers parked in the motor pool lot are neighborhood well. They treat its Mafia
being used as extra holding cells. They’re overlords with deference and respect, never
not exactly escape-proof. asking for more than their own traditional
It’s an open secret that the piece of the action. Cliquish and clubby,
department’s anti-parahuman unit, the they resist being transferred out of the
Special Assault Squad, is based in this precinct and make outsiders feel
building. Their temporary containment unwelcome.
facility for parahuman prisoners is not here, As you might imagine, this is the
however. Its location is a much more most crooked precinct in the city. It may or
closely guarded secret. may not be the most brutal, depending on
There is always a police helicopter how you look at it. The officers who work
stationed on the top of the building, ready here are certainly rough on any Hispanics or
to respond to emergencies. It’s usually kept African-Americans who wind up in their
half-fueled-up, for budgetary reasons. clutches. In fact more than one non-white
suspect has died in their custody. But if a
The First Precinct suspect is from the neighborhood, they are
Based in Police Headquarters downtown, lax and congenial—sometimes a little too
this is the largest precinct. It covers the lax.
downtown area and part of Hardwick Park.

49
 Captain Willy Grogan is a friendly, The Fourth Precinct
easygoing boss, and very popular with his Captain Titus Bloch runs the Fourth Precinct.
men. A beefy old Irish guy with a white He’s an older guy with a grey brushcut and
moustache, he doesn’t like to work hard and a very square looking head. A few years
doesn’t really bother to keep his boys in line. back, Captain Bloch got taken hostage by a
He’s not a crook, but has no interest in Supervillain called Damocles Faust, and he
cleaning up his Precinct—or in running it. was never quite the same afterwards. Blank
The real power behind Captain and stiff, he sometimes tries to talk to
Grogan is his First Watch Commander, furniture, says “lunch” instead of “Squad
Sergeant “Big Chuck” O’Ryan. The force’s Car” or discharges his sidearm at invisible
most decorated veteran and its biggest, enemies. His lieutenants are trying to cover
strongest officer, Big Chuck is a legend for him.
among his fellow officers. You can find out Bloch is completely clean these days
more about him under his individual listing and cannot be bribed. If you bring him
on Page 55. evidence of a crime that’s been committed
in his department then he will try to ferret
The Third Precinct out the culprits. But he is so hopelessly odd
The Third Precinct squats on Wolverton like that he’s fairly ineffective as an ally. Worse,
an invading army. Few of the officers who he still has a mind-control implant in his
work here are Hispanic or African-American head and anything you tell him will
and almost none are from the neighborhood immediately get back to the supervillain
itself. Despite the efforts of the Community underground. The control unit for the
Police Program, they have done little in the implant in his head has been sold many
past sixty years to gain the residents’ times and could turn up in the hands of any
confidence. This drastically increases the villain the GM likes.
hold that gangs and organized crime have In the meantime, Bloch’s precinct
on the neighborhood, since local people runs itself. It’s fairly crooked, but its major
don’t trust the cops and turn elsewhere for problem is its lax discipline. With the
help. Captain too addled to really notice whether
Part of Hardwick Park is in the Third his men are doing their job, slothfulness and
Precinct and part of it is in the First. This under-performance run rampant here. They
has created turf conflicts and confusion. aren’t especially brutal, by and large, having
The Third Precinct also covers Bedlam mostly given up the war on crime.
Harbor, as best it can. Perhaps that’s for the best. Their
While there are patrolmen in the turf covers the Country Club, the skid row
Third Precinct who shake down criminals down around Ash Street and Gravesend
and small business owners for money, they Beach. Not exactly fertile ground for the
aren’t entangled with the local crime scene seed of law and order to flourish in.
the way the Second Precinct is. No one
here likes or trusts them enough. The Fifth Precinct
But things may be about to change. As noted above, we leave the Fifth Precinct
The new Captain, Moses Runyon, is eager to entirely in the GM’s hands, to staff with
update the way the Third Precinct operates. whatever NPCs he or she would like. It
He grew up in Wolverton and he’s an old covers Greely Point.
friend of Rock Johnson, one of the
neighborhood’s reigning crime lords. With a The Sub-Station
little work, Runyon hopes to soon have a Sometimes called “Precinct 5.5”, the small
relationship like the one the Second Precinct police substation at the Liberty Shoppes Mall
has with the community in Stark Hill. is effectively its own independent entity.
The Detective Bureau’s Gang Task They patrol the giant mall on foot and drive
Force is based in the Third Precinct and this around it in their squad cars, but they don’t
might complicate the new Captain’s plans. claim to have it completely secure. They

50
venture into the Food Court only in groups How Does Graft Work?
of three or more. In precincts that have organized networks of
Captain Ed Dunker was assigned to dirty cops, the individual patrol officers (or
lead this unit after a bad nervous detectives, if it’s a crooked Detective Squad)
breakdown. He’s pretty much recovered, all pool the money they collect in bribes and
although he’s still awfully paranoid and “protection” each week. They call this fund
always carries his sidearm around the “Pad” and it gets divided back up among
unholstered. all the officers who participate, according to
His men like working the mall. Not their rank.
only are there plenty of gang members to A rookie gets one share. A Patrol
shake down, but plenty of small shops to Officer gets two. A Sergeant gets three, a
extort protection money from, too—all in Lieutenant gets four, a Watch Commander
one convenient location. Morale is high. (usually a Lieutenant) gets five and a
They like their crazy Captain, like the way Captain gets six.
he screams at civilians and sticks his gun in Some precincts have pads that go
kids’ faces over nothing, his endless angry all the way up to the Captain and involve
rants about freemasons and the CIA. Few nearly every officer who works there. Some
of them would want to be transferred don’t.
anywhere else. They frown on guys who keep bribe
money for themselves instead of
A Crime Scene: Who’s in Charge? contributing it to the pad, though they
Technically a Sergeant is required to secure tolerate if it doesn’t get out of hand. But
the scene of a major incident. In practice, holding back protection money can get you
there aren’t enough Sergeants to go around reported to Internal Affairs for taking bribes.
and this often doesn’t happen. Until the
Sergeant or the detectives arrive, the first Bedlam Patrol Officer
officer at the scene is responsible for Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
securing it and for directing other Strength d8, Vigor d6
emergency response personnel. Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8,
If federal law enforcement Investigate d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
personnel present themselves at a crime Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
scene, the local cops are instructed to Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
cooperate with them. If they state that they Toughness: 5
are investigating this incident as a federal Edges: Quick-Draw
crime, then they take charge. Usually this Gear: Tonfa (d8+1), Pistol (Range
means that the patrol officer, Sergeant or 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
detective in charge of the scene remains Rate of Fire 1)
responsible for securing the site, but takes Background: Bedlam’s police are
direction from the feds. sometimes called “the finest”, but people
Rarely, the feds will take over the mean it in an ironic kind of way. Two recent
entire scene, order the local cops away and corruption scandals have left them with an
bring in their own forensics people. This unsavory reputation.
only happens if something really major is The city claims to have thirteen-
going on. hundred patrol officers on the force, but in
fact there are only nine-hundred or so. A
typical beat cop patrols in a battered up old
Crown Victoria squad car, either with or
without a partner as the precinct’s budget
allows. Officially everyone has a partner
and the Department would never send an
officer out unprotected and alone. But this
is blatantly untrue.

51
 Quite a few of Bedlam’s finest can He will not chase a suspect under any
be bribed, but contrary to popular belief not circumstances.
all of them shake people down for For the most part he limits his police
protection money or run errands for work to yelling angrily out the squad car
organized crime. Their cruisers are old and window at people to “stop that!” or “get
worn-down looking, with no computers and outta there!” Sullen and surly, constantly
dented fenders. They have to call stuffing his face, Blick is pretty depressed
suspicious license plate numbers in to the and the 300 plus pounds he’s lugging
dispatcher to have them looked up—they around with him doesn’t do much to
can’t do it themselves from the car. improve his energy level.
Patrolmen carry Glock 9 millimeter Blick is willing to take a bribe but
handguns and sometimes non-standard doesn’t have it in him to shake down
weapons that they’ve bought themselves. businesses or extort money out of anyone.
Too often they have notches carved in their No one has ever asked him to carry out any
nightsticks. What this means, you don’t errands for the Mob, nor are they likely to
want to know. ask.
They don’t all hold the same views While he’s always in a bad mood,
about superheroes and costumed vigilantes, he’d never beat up a suspect in his charge—
which means that a Bedlam police officer that would be too much work. Not a very
may help, hinder, or attempt to arrest a strict cop, he’s always letting people off with
Player Character at the GM’s whim. warnings, even for surprisingly serious
crimes, because he doesn’t want to go to all
Individual Patrol Officers the trouble of apprehending them. His
You can place any of these patrolmen in any squad car is such a mess that he has
of the five precincts. You can even partner difficulty finding partners and often patrols
some of them together if you like (although alone at night. This suits him fine.
Les Savage and Randall Blick would make a Sometimes he pulls over into a parking lot
very odd couple indeed.) and sleeps through his shift.

Patrol Officer Randall Blick Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8,
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, Investigate d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
Investigate d4, Notice d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
Stealth d4, Streetwise d4 Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Charisma: +0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Toughness: 6 Edges: Connections (police force, Stark Hill
Hindrances: Habit (compulsive Eater, street gangs), Quick-Draw
Obese, Quirk (astonishingly lazy). Hindrances: Loyal, Mean
Gear: Tonfa (d8+1), Pistol (Range Gear: Tonfa (d6+1), Pistol (Range
12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
Rate of Fire 1) Rate of Fire 1)
Background: The moment most people
see Officer Blick out of uniform, they Background: Officer Ferrante has worked
immediately assume he must work in tech every detail available to a policewoman,
support. His huge girth and ratty, unkempt from dispatcher to plainclothes decoy. She
beard give it away. But in fact he’s a cop, likes being a patrol officer the best. A
known throughout his precinct as the laziest former gang girl from Stark Hill, she still has
officer in his shift, and the fattest. “Property of the Dukes” tattooed on her
Blick is famous for never getting out forearm. She proudly displays her gang
of his squad car. If you do make him get tattoos and still feels a lot of loyalty to the
out of the car, he’ll be pretty mad about it. Dukes—many of whom became cops.

52
 She is intensely devoted to the force Patrol Officer Lance Stroessner
and will do anything, including planting Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
evidence and lying under oath, to protect Strength d8, Vigor d6
her fellow officers. She would probably be Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8,
willing to go to jail for them. She likes Investigate d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
roughing suspects up (although she’s never Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
killed one)—it reminds her of the days when Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
the Dukes would rumble with the Viscounts. Toughness: 5
In fact she’s always looking for a chance to Hindrances: Quirk (looking for a man with
cause someone a little harm. a leash).
A short, curvy woman in her late Edges: Quick-Draw
thirties, she used to have big hair but now Gear: Tonfa (d8+1), Pistol (Range
police regulations force her to pull it back in 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
a ponytail. It’s getting gray, so she dyes it Rate of Fire 1),
black. She usually has an unpleasant smile. Background: A big, silly, fun-loving kid at
Officer Ferrante is more than willing to take heart, Officer Stroessner never completely
a bribe and enjoys coercing them out of outgrew being a juvenile delinquent, even
shopkeepers. She is very insensitive to rape now that he’s in his thirties. He still likes to
victims, perhaps because of what she had to make homemade bombs and blow them up
go through during her own gang initiation, in vacant lots. He rousts teenagers having
and has been disciplined for this. parties and drinks their alcohol once he’s
If there is one thing Officer Ferrante confiscated it. He chews gum with his
really hates, it’s people who think they are mouth open, grinning like a big sleazy dog.
smarter or better than she is. She is always Speaking of dogs, when he gets
on the lookout for someone who might fit really bored, he likes to shoot strays. He
this description and is ready to cause them nearly got in serious trouble doing that a
extra grief. couple of years ago. He was driving by
While Ferrante drinks a bit, she’s himself, at night, and he felt really bored, so
not a lush. She likes to use cocaine while he spotted a stray dog, rolled down his
she’s partying, but she’s no addict. window and shot it. Then a guy holding a
Ferrante is aware that some of the leash walked out from behind a tree. Lance
stuff she has done is pretty bad, but feels took off as fast as he could, but he’s not
that her regular trips to the confessional completely sure the guy didn’t get his
booth have shriven her of any sin, so what number. He tells this story often and it
does she have to worry about? never fails to get a laugh from his fellow
She has only ever dated other cops cops. But he worries about it, too.
or gang members, with the exception of the Lance has devoted considerable
man she married. Her husband, Artie, is a effort to tracking down the guy with the
big, friendly guy from Stark Hill who has leash, to make sure he doesn’t make some
been in love with her since high school. He kind of a thing about this. Once he finds
works in the Greely Olde Tymme Toy that little creep, he’ll give him the kind of
Factory and spends a lot of time taking care scare a guy never forgets. Last year he
of their five kids (two of his own and three thought he found the guy and he truly put
from previous relationships.) the fear of God and Lance in him. But later
Unfortunately for Artie, Theresa still he found out it couldn’t have been the right
likes to party with her fellow cops and is guy. The jerk he leaned on had only just
constantly unfaithful to him, right under his moved to Bedlam—he didn’t live here when
nose. He doesn’t know how to cope with Lance shot the dog. Some of the guys rib
it—her cop friends scare him half to death him about that one, but he bears it with
and they bully him terribly. This is really good humor.
starting to wear on him, but what can he Lance looks like a cop. Not a fat
do? moustache-wearing cop, but a crew-cut
wearing, bodybuilding cop. He wears thick

53
horn-rimmed glasses that look really odd on him feel all that great. Nothing seems to
his heavy-boned brutal features. Except for satisfy his anger. He has begun to drink
his glasses, he resembles an action figure. more and more when he’s off-duty.
Lance is between girlfriends, He Divorced, his ex-wife took both his
lives by himself in a shabby apartment on kids away and he’s only allowed to see them
the outskirts of the Meadows. with a social worker supervising the contact.
He doesn’t remember hitting them (although
Patrol Officer Lester “Les” Savage they sure seem to remember it themselves),
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, and this frightens him.
Strength d6, Vigor d6 He’s a skinny, wiry African-American
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, guy with deep scowl lines in his forehead.
Investigate d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6, His hair and his moustache have gone
Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 prematurely white.
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5 Ranking Officers
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (hates crime, On the following pages we have stats and
hates criminals, hates this town). background information on a few Sergeants,
Edges: Frenzy Lieutenants, etc. for you to use as needed.
Gear: Tonfa (d6+1), Pistol (Range “Big Chuck” O’Ryan works at the Second
12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Precinct, but you can place the others
Rate of Fire 1), anywhere.
Background: The corruption Les sees all
around him disgusts him deeply. So does Sergeant Roscoe Cleetus Jackson
the city itself. But nothing disgusts him as Wild Card
much as crime. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
He grew up in Wolverton and saw d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
all kinds of bad things happen to his Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Healer d6,
neighborhood. His dad was a cop, who Investigate d8+2, Knowledge (Bedlam) d8,
could never stand the level of corruption in Knowledge (Law) d6, Knowledge
the Bedlam PD and refused to participate in (Philosophy) d6, Notice d8, Persuade d8,
it. The other cops hated his dad and made Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6+2
life tough for him any way they could. This Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
in turn made him drink. He was not a good Toughness: 5
guy when drunk, and Les still has the scars Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heroic
to prove it. Edges: Investigator, Steady Nerves
These days Les follows in his Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
father’s footsteps. He knows he can’t do Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1)
anything about the crooked stuff going on in
the Department, so he tries to ignore it. He Background: A mild-mannered African-
takes his anger out on suspects, and American guy in his fifties, Roscoe has held
potential suspects and guys whose faces he a lot of positions in the Bedlam Police Force.
just doesn’t like. He hands out beatings like Since joining up as a patrolman fifteen years
Christmas fruitcake, and the guys at the ago he has at times risen all the way to the
precinct house are starting to think he’s a rank of Lieutenant and he’s worked as a
bit of a fruitcake himself. detective in Homicide and Theft. But
Nothing makes Les feel as great as despite being a quiet, respectful, hard-
nabbing a couple of teenagers who are working man he never won the trust of the
probably up to no good and watching them higher-ups and has always been busted
get more and more scared as he screams at back to the ranks. He’s recently been
them in the back seat of his patrol car. promoted back to Sergeant after spending
Except for the moment when he starts two years as a lowly patrolman.
hitting them with his nightstick. Not that It’s not that people think Roscoe is a
either one of these things actually makes snitch. He has never, to anyone’s

54
knowledge, reported on any of the crooked (Criminal Underworld) d10, Notice d8,
stuff he sees going on around him. But he Persuade d8, Shooting d8, Streetwise d8,
quietly refuses to take part in any of it. He Swim d6, Taunt d10+2, Throwing d8
won’t take a bribe, he’s gentle with Charisma: +0 Pace: 6; Parry: 9;
suspects, won’t plant evidence or perjure Toughness: 9 (1)
himself in court—who could ever trust a guy Edges: Block, Combat Reflexes,
like that? Connections (crooked caps and Mafiosi),
One of his old bosses tried Improved Frenzy, Level-Headed, Quick-
transferring him to Internal Affairs, just to Draw, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
see if he was the kind of rat who would take Intimidation or Taunt), Sweep, Tough as
an assignment like that, but he quietly Nails
refused. They kicked him out of the Gear: Tonfa (d12+1), 9mm Pistol (Range
Homicide Squad anyway, just to be safe. 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
Other cops sometimes ask Roscoe Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof Vest (2 armor,
why he won’t take graft or rough-up resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns,
suspects. He smiles and says that he only protects his chest), Tactical Helmet (4
became a cop to help people. Everyone has armor, only protects his head), spare gun
a good laugh over this joke, but then they 2d6 damage—but he never fires it. See
walk away wondering what his real angle is. below).
In fact he doesn’t know himself.
Every day he wonders why he stays in Background: Bedlam’s number one hero
Bedlam and tries to help a city that doesn’t cop, Big Chuck is something of a legend.
seem to want to be helped. But he Unquestionably the largest, strongest man
supposes somebody has to. on the Bedlam Police Force, he has made
Roscoe is divorced, his kids live in more arrests than anyone else and has
another state and he never gets to see risked his life countless times in the line of
them. He lives in an apartment on the edge fire. This is the guy Crazy Sherry Stavros
of the Country Club. It’s pretty depressing, (see Page 78) fears and respects. He has
so he spends most of his spare time worked as a detective before, but he’s
unofficially looking up leads on cases and always gone back to being a patrolman. It’s
trying to help people out as best he can. more satisfying, he says. That’s where the
Honest, good-natured and smart, he real contact with the public happens.
seems like a natural ally for costumed Immensely popular within the
vigilantes looking to clean up Bedlam But in department, he’s a Stark Hill cop of the old
fact he mistrusts superheroes. He’s from school. He may be a hero, but he’s not too
South Carolina, originally, and masked big to take a little graft now and again or
vigilantes remind him far too much of the shake down a shopkeeper for a little folding
Klan. It will take a lot of effort for a Player money, just like the regular guys do. He
Character to win him over. In fact, he’s knows the Mafia keeps Stark Hill white and
more likely to become the PCs’ nemesis than he figures that’s a good thing, so he’s
their ally. If he discovers that they have prepared to tolerate them and he knows to
done something illegal (and most of a stay out of their way. He also knows that
vigilante’s activities are illegal) he will mistakes sometimes get made in the line of
doggedly pursue them, tirelessly working to fire, so sometimes you have to plant a little
bring them to justice. evidence just to make sure the story comes
out straight. He always carries a clean gun
Sergeant Charles “Big Chuck” O’Ryan on his person in case he accidentally shoots
Wild Card an unarmed civilian. Once he plants it on
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, their corpse, he’s off the hook. He has his
Strength d12, Vigor d10 ethics, as he says, and would never do that
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d10, Guts d10, to a white person. Unless someone
Healing d6, Intimidation d10+2, Investigate important asked him to.
d6, Knowledge (Stark Hill) d8, Knowledge

55
 Big Chuck realizes that cops don’t other way, he will at once attempt to have
make a lot of money and he understands them killed.
that sometimes a guy has to boost a little
dope from the evidence room or help the Lieutenant Morton Dilley
mob kill a stoolie to help make ends meet. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
He wouldn’t hold it against any of his Strength d6, Vigor d6
brother cops—God knows he’s done enough Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Healing d6,
stuff like that himself. Investigate d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
There are rumors within the Bedlam Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
Police that Big Chuck is the Scarpia Crime Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
family’s liaison to a crew of crooked cops Toughness: 5
within the Second Precinct—guys who sell Hindrances: Cautious, Quirk (always
dope, burglarize suspects’ homes and carry nervous), Yellow.
out contract killings for the mob. No one Edges: Dodge
says this very loud, however, since people Gear: Tonfa (d6+1), Pistol (Range
who cross Big Chuck usually wind up dead. 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
A lifelong resident of Stark Hill, Big Rate of Fire 1),
Chuck lives with his two brothers in the
same brownstone where they all grew up. Background: Constantly terrified, Mort
His brothers, Mack and Pat, are both cops, Dilley is always sure he’s about to get killed.
as was their father, their grandfather and all He’s seen the things that happen in Bedlam
their uncles. and they give him nightmares every time he
Presently single, Big Chuck’s ex-wife goes to bed.
was murdered during a break-in while she Lieutenant Dilley has wide, watery
was in the process of divorcing him. Guys eyes and disheveled gray hair. He is
around the station house whisper that two constantly fidgeting. Dilley was hired from
of his girlfriends died the same way. They rural Wisconsin and isn’t used to big-city
don’t whisper it very loud, though. police work. It has been an eye-opening
A great-big red-cheeked Irishman, experience. He has no idea that most cities
Chuck has a square face, a thick neck, a aren’t this corrupt and violent. Mort isn’t
graying moustache and a lot of scars. There interested in getting a piece of the action for
are deep laugh lines around his eyes, and himself, but he would never dream of
he smiles a lot. reporting any of the crooked cops around
Friendly, charismatic and violent, him to Internal Affairs. Nor is he likely to
Big Chuck likes superheroes, particularly if cooperate with the PCs.
they beat up a lot of black people or talk He has begun to drink a lot, but it
about being “tough on crime” (which he hasn’t affected his work yet. He’s a sad,
thinks means the same thing.) He openly maudlin drunk, not a belligerent one.
admires the vigilante called the “Hammer of If he is cornered, he may lose his
Justice” and he would be more than willing cool and do something unethical, but he’d
to work with the PCs, provided they don’t never break the rules otherwise—that might
say anything that offends him. Saying bad cause trouble, and trouble is one thing that
things about cops offends him, as does he doesn’t need any more of.
saying good things about minorities. And Dilley was supposed to bring his
you don’t have to annoy Big Chuck very wife and kids out to Bedlam a year ago,
much to wind up dead in an alley. when he first took the job, but he can’t
He would make a powerful ally bring himself to do it. They still live with his
within the department, but he will expect mother-in-law and his wife is on the verge
favors from the PCs in return. Some of of divorcing him. He wishes he could
these favors are sure to be illegal and some explain his reluctance to relocate the family,
of them are likely to be serious felonies. If but he doesn’t want to burden his wife with
they ever refuse, or ever cross him in any the knowledge of the terrible things he has
seen.

56
Captain Norris “Sharkey” Muldoon 2 Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
protects his chest)

Background: Sharkey Muldoon is

completely crooked, but it’s an honest
kind of crooked. He’s the Captain of the
First Precinct, Bedlam’s largest, and one
of its most corrupt (the Second Precinct
and the Substation inside the Liberty
Shoppes Mall are arguably worse.)
Sharkey’s a stern disciplinarian who wants
his men to look as professional as
possible. He takes his responsibilities
seriously. The “pad” of illegal graft is
always fairly divided on his watch, stoolies
are always given a warning the first time
they snitch and a beating the second
time. He only has chronic snitches killed.
Sharkey regularly negotiates squabbles
between his officers over this or that piece
of the action and he always does so fairly,
without stealing it all for himself. If
someone buys him, he stays bought. If
someone makes a deal with him, he keeps
it. There are plenty of brutal racists in his
precinct but he himself has no objection
to working with non-whites. Nor does he
have a problem with the capes. PCs will
find him completely open to becoming
Wild Card their ally. They’ll have to pay him, or do
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit questionable favors for him, but once they
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 fulfill their end of the bargain he’ll uphold
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d8, Guts d10, his. If someone else offers him more
Healing d6, Intimidation d10+2, money to betray them, he’ll do it without
Investigate d6, Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, a flicker of hesitation, but it’s nothing
Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d10, personal. Just business.
Notice d8, Persuade d8, Shooting d8, A scary guy, Sharkey looks like the
Streetwise d8, Swim d6, Taunt d10+2, very picture of a bad cop with his beard
Throwing d8 and his muscles and his sunglasses.
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (1) Constantly chewing gum with his mouth
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Command, open, he never takes his shades off, even
Connections (crooked cops), Hold the indoors. He speaks in a low, threatening
Line, Inspire, Improved Level-Headed, monotone when he isn’t shouting at
Nerves of Steel, No Mercy, Quick-Draw, people. When he smiles, it’s a cruel smile.
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Intimidation or Sharkey lives in Stone Ridge with
Taunt), Tough as Nails his third wife, four of their five kids, and
Gear: Brass Knuckles (d8+1 damage), seven of his grandchildren. A lot of his
Tonfa (d8+1), .44 Pistol (Range 12/24/48, pay goes out the door as alimony and
Damage 2d6+1, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of child support, but he collects enough graft
Fire 1), Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists to make up for it.

57
Squad Car bother to deny it. They work in the same
Acc/Top Speed: 20/40; Toughness: 13 building as the First Precinct and they have
(3); Crew: 1+5 to live with these guys. If they started
Features: Police Radio, rear doors that treating the other precincts better, they’d
don’t open from the inside. get hassled about it all the time.
Description: About half of Bedlam’s Patrol
Officers drive 2001 Crown Victorias. The Highway Patrol
rest make do with 1995 Chevrolet Caprices The Bedlam City Police have a small
(that was the last year Chevy offered the Highway Patrol Unit. They are charged with
police package.) The Caprices often have enforcing the rules of the road on Bedlam's
small mechanical problems, like broken air freeways. Normally this is a function of the
conditioning or a window that won’t roll State Police, but they are presently at
down. As of yet, Bedlam’s squad cars still loggerheads with the city and refuse to
don’t have computer terminals, so cops patrol in Bedlam, so the local Police
have to call dispatch every time they need a Department has filled the gap. Apparently
license plate or driver’s license checked. the state got tired of the fact that they
encounter more crime and lose more
Paddy Wagon officers on the freeways that surround
Acc/Top Speed: 20/40; Toughness: 14 Bedlam than they do anywhere else. They
(3); Crew: 1+8 also don’t care for the lack of cooperation
Features: Police Radio they get from the local authorities. “Lack of
cooperation” may be putting it mildly.
Description: The SWAT teams ride around
There have actually been armed
in big old vans of various makes and
confrontations between State Troopers and
models, with metal sheeting riveted to the
Bedlam cops.
inside for armor plating and bars across the
Some of Bedlam’s Highway Patrol
windshield. Cops also use these vehicles to
cops operate in two-man motorcycle teams
transport prisoners, especially if they have
while others are assigned to squad cars.
to apprehend a lot of them at once. There
Motorcycles are more maneuverable in tight
is a funny story about how the Third
traffic than automobiles and ideal for
Precinct bought a van from a church in
running down vehicular offenders. Yet most
Hardwick Park, fixed it up and armor-plated
of the officers assigned to the unit would
it, only to discover a few months later that
rather work in cars, which offer them a little
there was a bag of heroin hidden inside one
more protection.
of the seats.
For this is actually one of the most
dangerous assignments in all of police work.
Dispatch Center
A huge number of arrests are made a result
Based in Police Headquarters, the Dispatch
of routine traffic stops. A perp with a felony
Center handles all radio and telephone
warrant will break some traffic law or get
communications between officers in the
caught with expired license plates, the
field, the precinct houses, headquarters and
highway patrol officer who stops them will
the public. They answer 911 calls and
run their ID through the system and
coordinate police response. As mentioned
discover that they're wanted for a serious
above, the radio channels that the Bedlam
crime. In fact, because Bedlam's Detective
Police use are constantly overloaded with
Division is less-than-stellar, the majority of
traffic—mostly because officers don’t have
felony busts in the city get made this way.
computers in their cars and have to call
Criminals know this, and they know
Dispatch every time they need information
that the easiest (if not the safest) method to
on a suspect or a license plate.
evade getting caught is to shoot the
The dispatchers get accused of
Highway Patrol officer who has pulled you
favoring the First Precinct over all the
over, so Highway Patrol has the highest rate
others, responding to them faster and
of injuries and fatalities in the Department.
allocating more time to assist them. This is
It's a thankless job, writing tickets on the
perfectly true and the dispatchers don’t

58
scorching hot asphalt or in three feet of Airborne Detail
dirty snow, risking your life to admonish The Bedlam Police have five Bell UH-1 Huey
drivers about broken tail-lights. Helicopters at their disposal. At least
As a result, the very worst and the officially. In fact they have the fuel and
very best Bedlam patrol officers tend to pull motor oil required to keep about three of
this detail. Stubbornly honest cops who them in active service at any one time.
annoy their crooked superiors and vicious, They store them at the Dept. of
trigger-happy drunks both wind up working Transportation’s old Corporation Yard out on
Highway Patrol as a punishment. It's hard Industrial Drive, but that’s an inconvenient
to tell which one has pulled you over until place to patrol the whole city from, so they
it's too late, so look out! always keep one on the helipad at Police
Headquarters downtown. For budgetary
Traffic Control reasons, it’s fuel tank is kept half full.
One of the least glamorous branches of They use the helicopters for search-
police work, these officers direct traffic and and-rescue, and also to give officers on the
occasionally hand out tickets. Other cops ground support when they are pursuing
often mock Traffic Control officers as not suspects. Each helicopter is equipped with a
being real cops. And in fact quite a few of PA system, a giant spotlight and a blade on
them are actually “Auxiliary Police”, hired the nose to cut through telephone wires.
through one or another big temp agency, The choppers are durable, but old (built in
with no real arrest powers. For this reason, the early 1960s) and each one has some
if a traffic control officer encounters a peculiar quirks.
dangerous situation, they are supposed to Helicopter pilots are all sworn
call for backup rather than intervene personnel with arrest powers. Technically
themselves. This is not a high-status they are a part of Patrol Services, although
assignment. their hiring track is separate. Most of them
The official reason why the are former military pilots. Unlike some
Department uses so many Auxiliary Police branches of Special Operations, they don’t
for Traffic Control is that they don’t have have a reputation for being reckless. On the
enough officers. That’s partly true, but the contrary, they don’t want to risk their
real reason is that a lot of traffic cops get hit irreplaceable machines, so they are perhaps
by cars and it was starting to raise their a little too cautious with them. This causes
insurance rates. Temps, of course, aren’t some resentment from the rest of the force.
insured by the Department.
Bedlam Police Helicopter
Special Operations Acc/Top Speed: 20/50; Climb: 20;
A division of Patrol Services, overseen by Toughness: 13 (2); Crew: 2
Captain Rafe Blarski, Special Operations
includes all kinds of non-traditional police K-9
units. Tactical Operations, the Special The Bedlam Police have eight K-9 units,
Assault Squad, the Airborne Detail, Mounted each one staffed by a single officer and their
Police, K-9 Units and the Harbor Patrol all dog. Officers are all volunteers and they
fall under Captain Blarsky’s authority. own the dogs themselves. The city
Blarsky himself has ambitions of running for reimburses them for their expenses and
DA (although he’s pretty untelegenic, upkeep. K-9 Officers are not Sworn
resembling a bad-tempered walrus), and he Personnel, do not have arrest powers and
is reportedly very anxious about the can use their dogs only under the
reputation of the units under his command. supervision of actual police officers (unless
Does this make him quick to cover things up they’re doing search-and-rescue work.)
when they go wrong? We wouldn’t care to There have been some irregularities
guess. in the unit—cases where dogs behaved

59
more aggressively toward suspects than Harbor Patrol Boat
they should have. It looks as though the Acc/Top Speed: 20/60;
Department should check the volunteers’ Toughness: 10 (2 pts Heavy Armor)
backgrounds and credentials a little more Crew: 2+10
carefully. But they claim not to have the
funds to do this. Anyway they don’t have Mounted Police Unit
enough K-9 Units as it is. If you look at the police web site, you will
Strangely, while there are eight K-9 see that the Department has a small staff of
units listed in the city budget, there only mounted officers and police horses, which
seem to be four volunteers presently. So they mostly use for ceremonial occasions.
where are the extra reimbursement checks You will learn such interesting facts as that
going? the horses are all named after policemen
who have fallen in the line of duty, and that
Police Dog the motorcycle police are also a part of this
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit unit.
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 The problem is, none of this is true.
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d10 The web site is actually describing the
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4 Mounted Police program that the
Hindrances: Disabled (color blind, has no Department intends to implement, once
hands) they have enough funds and can locate
Special Abilities some suitable stables. As of yet they have
• Bite: Str+d4. not found a good stable or been able to
• Fleet Footed: Dogs roll a d10 when acquire any horses, but they continue to
running instead of a d6. spend money on searching for a facility. Or
• Go for the Throat: Dogs instinctively go something. The force strongly and
for an opponent’s soft spots. With a raise categorically denies that any of those funds
on its attack roll, it hits the target’s most are being stolen or used as political graft—
weakly-armored location. let alone getting diverted to organized
• Size -1 crime. Perish the thought.

Harbor Patrol Unit SWAT

Bedlam’s small fleet of patrol boats is Bedlam’s Special Weapons and Tactics Unit
charged with keeping order on the waters of (known simply as “Tactical” to anyone inside
the estuary, the river and the harbor. For the Department) has suffered a recent
the most part they serve as traffic cops, scandal. Last year, a filing clerk’s accidental
helping to guide smaller vessels around the discovery in the police archives set federal
giant container ships as they come in to the prosecutors on the trail of a burglary ring
Rook Island Shipping Terminal, and operating inside the tactical squad. Officers
enforcing laws against reckless boating. were looting crime scenes for valuables.
They do also patrol for crime along the There were indictments, firings.
shore and across the water, but it’s hard to Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik stood up for
catch anyone with their slow and clumsy the cops and made angry speeches. In the
boats, so it’s a relaxed, easy beat. end about fifteen officers lost their jobs. To
Harbor Patrol is beyond any doubt everyone’s relief, it never came out that
the cleanest section of the Patrol Services some of the guys on the squad had been
Division. But this isn’t because it’s manned carrying out contract killings for the Scarpia
by the best officers. There’s really no way crime family, as well.
for them to shake people down for bribes Reorganized under Captain Duke
and they have few opportunities to get Braddock, the new Tactical Operations
brutal with suspects. The lack of “action” Squad is now one of the cleanest divisions
has left them a disgruntled bunch. of the Bedlam PD and never gets accused of

60
anything worse than using excessive force. Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d4,
They get accused of that a lot, however. Intimidation d6, Investigation d4, Notice d6,
Captain Braddock has an unofficial policy of Shooting d6, Streetwise d4
not bothering to take any suspects into Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
custody unless it’s absolutely necessary. Toughness: 6 (2/4)
Normally, they just shoot the perp and go Edges: Combat Reflexes
home. His team is full of trigger-happy Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
adrenaline junkies and they’ve caused a Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
surprising number of civilian casualties over protects his chest), Tactical Helmet (4
the past two years. They are known for armor, only protects his head), Billy Club
going in with guns blazing and no proper (Damage: d6+1), Light MG (Range
plan, shooting at anything that moves. But 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP 2, Three
at least they don’t steal anything they find round burst)
at the scene. And if one of their stray
bullets winds up in a child or a pregnant Captain Duke Braddock
mother three blocks away, they can always Wild Card
blame it on the bad guys. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
There are four separate rapid- Strength d10, Vigor d10
response teams in Tactical Operations, each Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d4,
led by a Lieutenant. D-Squad has the Intimidation d10+2, Notice d6, Shooting
highest concentration of twitchy d10, Streetwise d4, Taunt d6+2
psychopaths, and they’re Captain Braddock’s Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
favorite. He often leads them on raids Toughness: 8 (2/4)
himself. Edges: Charismatic, Combat Reflexes,
Command, Dead Shot, Inspire, Strong-
SWAT Team Member Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and
Intimidation), Tough as Nails
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Heartless
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
protects his chest), Tactical Helmet (4
armor, only protects his head), Billy Club
(Damage: d6+1), Light MG (Range
24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP 2, Three
round burst)

Background: Captain Braddock always

seems to be amused by something. It
might be the way a perp thrashes and
screams with a .30 caliber bullet in his guts.
It might be the look in a rookie’s eyes when
he realizes that he’s bagged his first civilian.
It might be the way a junkie streetwalker’s
voice cracks when she realizes that Duke’s
going to pay her with a beating. Life is full
of things to amuse him. He loves his job,
loves the life he’s living and he’s sure it
won’t last long, so he’s determined to get as
much fun in as he can.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Braddock likes violence, likes
Strength d8, Vigor d6 suffering (his own included—it makes him
feel alive) and has a habit of putting
cigarettes out on his arms and chest when

61
he needs to prove a point. He doesn’t much Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d4,
care for people, but he does like the noises Intimidation d4, Investigation d4, Notice d6,
that they make when you hurt them. While Shooting d6, Streetwise d4
he is absolutely and totally brave, he would Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
sacrifice any one of his men’s lives for his Toughness: 6 (2/4)
own. If he dies, the fun stops. Hindrances: Death Wish
He’s not interested in taking bribes Edges: Combat Reflexes
or stealing money. He’d be delighted if he Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
found any of his men doing it, because then Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
he’d get to hurt them. Trying to pay him off protects his chest), Tactical Helmet (4
makes you look vulnerable and this is not a armor, only protects his head), Billy Club
guy you want to look vulnerable in front of. (Damage: d6+1), Light MG (Range
He’s no racist, but he might use racist 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP 2, Three
epithets on someone if he thinks it would round burst)
hurt them. Background: Erwin Moody wants to die.
Braddock has carefully stocked D He’s felt this way more or less since his
Squad with adrenaline freaks and Junior year of high school. He was a point
psychopaths like himself and greatly enjoys guard, on the varsity basketball team, they
leading them into combat. He doesn’t much were playing against their biggest rivals for
bother to take suspects alive unless he the quarter-finals, when he realized that
absolutely has to. nothing had ever felt like anything to him,
The Captain lives alone in an so he lay down on the court and stared at
apartment in Stark Hill. His neighbors never the floor, as the crowd’s cheers turned to
see him because he’s always out and his cries of indignation, and then to curses and
place barely even has any furniture. threats. He waited until he was eighteen to
drop out and join the Army.
Officer Erwin Moody He thought he might find peace in
the blood and dust of Iraq, but in fact no
matter what kind of horror and misery he
saw there, it all just felt like nothing to him.
When he got home, he joined a small rural
Sheriff’s department where they didn’t
require a degree in criminal justice and then
he transferred to the Bedlam Police. When
they saw his impressive history of combat
experience, they quickly agreed to his
request to be placed in a tactical unit. After
watching Moody on the job, they decided
that D Squad was the right place for him.
Erwin approaches his work with the
same absolute lack of fear that he
demonstrated as a soldier. He wants very
badly for someone to kill him, so he always
volunteers to be the first through the door
and never retreats until he’s ordered to. His
sergeant has figured out that he’s suicidal,
but figures that’s a good thing. Somebody
has to be the first through the door. And
Moody’s bravery sets a good example for
the other guys in D Squad. While he isn’t
exactly a straight-arrow, Moody isn’t
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, particularly brutal, either. Hurting other
Strength d6, Vigor d6

62
people gives him no special thrill. He wants Nor do they always do such a good job of
them to hurt him. Or better yet, kill him. distinguishing between heroes and villains.
Officer Moody got married while he Most people just call them “Assault
was on base in Germany, but it didn’t work. Squad.” The guys on the squad like it, so
He says he’s separated, by which he means they’ve adopted the name themselves.
that he walked away from his wife when he While the exact location of their
found that she didn’t make him feel headquarters is supposed to be secret, most
anything. He sends her checks, but no people guess that like Special Weapons and
letters. Tactics, Assault Squad is based in the First
He’s willing to go out drinking with Precinct downtown. However, no one is
the guys from the squad, but he’s quiet on sure where they keep captured super-beings
these occasions and haunts the edges of the before they turn them over to the correc-
room, unable to feel much but a desire to tions system. It isn’t Police Headquarters,
get back to work and die. that much is clear.

Police Sharpshooter Bedlam Police Special Assault Squad

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d8,
Shooting d10, Stealth d6
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Edges: Marksman, No Mercy, Steady
Hands, Trademark Weapon (Sniper Rifle)
Gear: Body Armor (+2/+4 vs. bullets),
Sniper Rifle (2d10 Damage AP 3, 48/96/192
10 Shots, RoF 1), Scope (+2 to hit targets at
Medium range or farther)
Background: The Bedlam Police don’t have
enough snipers, and try their best to hang
onto the ones they have by giving them the
best pay and benefits the city can afford to
offer. This has made some of their
sharpshooters get dangerously careless, Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
since it’s so hard to get fired, even if you Strength d6, Vigor d8
accidentally hurt a civilian. Skills: Drive d8, Fighting d8, Guts d6,
Because the department regards Intimidation d6, Investigation d4,
sharpshooters as a precious asset, Tactical Knowledge (Tactics) d6, Notice d8, Shooting
Operations is under instructions to keep d8, Streetwise d6
their snipers as safe as they can. Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 7 (1)
Special Assault Squad Edges: Combat Reflexes
The pride of Bedlam’s police force, if it can Hindrances: Loyal
be said to have any pride, is the Special Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor),
Assault Squad—a tactical anti-parahuman Tactical Helmet (+4, Heavy Armor), Light
unit which, despite having little money and MG (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3,
aging equipment, has managed to rack up AP 2, Three round burst), three grenades
some impressive victories against (Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d6, Medium
superhuman crime. They also have a high burst template).
attrition rate, and this has given them itchy Background: A badly underfunded unit,
trigger fingers. They may have a good constantly short on the equipment and
record of bringing in supervillains, but they resources they need to fight superpowered
aren’t that great at bringing them in alive. crime, they nonetheless have some of the

63
highest morale among Bedlam’s police. strychnine and speak in tongues. Among
They also have relatively little corruption their stranger ideas, they think superheroes
within their ranks—which does not mean are a sign of the end times—an abomination
that they are totally clean. It’s not that must be cleansed from the Earth.
surprising that morale is so good. Despite Stokes knows better than to say this aloud,
their lack of funding, they have an excellent but the belief informs every policy decision
record of killing supervillains, and a fair-to- he makes.
medium record of capturing them alive. His faith requires him to proselytize
They are separate from the city’s SWAT and his men find this habit annoying. He
teams, better trained, better equipped and has made no converts and his constant
less casual about the safety of innocent hectoring about the need to cleanse your
bystanders (though there have still been life of pornography, cigarettes and television
one or two unfortunate incidents.) has endeared him even less. There’s no
The members of the Special Assault denying that he’s a skillful tactician or a
Squad have fought enough superbeings and fearless combatant. But he’s so irritating
taken enough casualties doing it that they that they can’t stand to be around him.
regard anyone in a costume with suspicion, Stokes is aware that his men hate him, but
whether they’re a hero or a villain. While he is convinced that Jesus will magically
the GM may decide to have them cooperate help him turn the situation around. When
with the PCs, they are more likely to this fails to happen, he will start to get
interfere with or even attack them. crazier.
While they may hinder or even Captain Stokes lives in the Stone
come into direct conflict with the heroes, the Ridge gated community with his wife, her
GM should remember that the members of two sisters and their ten kids. Polygamy is
the Bedlam Police Special Assault Squad are also one of the church’s tenets, but they
innocent bystanders attempting to protect don’t share this fact with outsiders. All
the city and its denizens. If the PC’s start female members of his family are required
endangering the lives of Bedlam’s Finest, to wear kerchiefs over their heads when
their reputation will suffer. they go out in public, as the Law of God
demands.
Captain Elvis Aaron Stokes A clean-living man, he is
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, scrupulously honest and tithes a large part
Strength d6, Vigor d8 of his income to charity. But he doesn’t feel
Skills: Drive d8, Fighting d8, Guts d8, overly concerned about minimizing civilian
Intimidation d6, Investigation d4, casualties—if it’s God’s will that someone die
Knowledge (Tactics) d8, Notice d8, Shooting in the crossfire, who is he to question it?
d8, Streetwise d4 Anyway if they weren’t members of the
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Church of the All-Devouring Redeemer then
Toughness: 7 (1) they were probably wicked sinners.
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Take the Hit
Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (member of a Sergeant Vinnie “the Weasel” Angiotti
weird cult) Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor), d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Tactical Helmet (+4, Heavy Armor), Light Skills: Drive d8, Fighting d8, Guts d6,
MG (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, Intimidation d6, Investigation d4,
AP 2, Three round burst), three grenades Knowledge (Tactics) d6, Notice d8, Shooting
(Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d6, Medium d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8
burst template). Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Background: Captain Stokes is a member Toughness: 7 (1)
of a small strange sect called the Church of Edges: Combat Reflexes, Dodge
the All-Devouring Redeemer. Based in rural Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (always
Alabama, they have all kinds of peculiar looking out for his own survival)
beliefs. They handle snakes and drink

64
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor), fifteen notches in his riot stick—more than
Tactical Helmet (+4, Heavy Armor), Light he has teeth in his mouth. He sleeps with
MG (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, his stick in his arms and sometimes late at
AP 2, Three round burst), three grenades night he fingers the notches and he smiles.
(Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d6, Medium He’s not very good at remembering stuff,
burst template). but he remembers every one of the fifteen
Background: Vinnie the Weasel is a small, skulls he’s cracked. Each one was different,
suspicious man, quick as a snake and sharp each one was special.
as a knife. He has an inadequate A gigantic man with a stubbly
moustache, wiry muscles and darting, shaved head, prognathus brows and
ferrety eyes. unbelievably chapped lips that he’s always
Since Captain Stokes isn’t a very sucking, Bud is really too fat to be allowed
effective leader, Vinnie has stepped into the on the Assault Squad, but his monstrous
gap. He’s one of the most skilled men on strength makes up for it and anyway it’s
the Assault Squad and the other guys look useless to ask him to lose weight. He won’t
up to him. He’s chiefly skilled at avoiding understand you. In fact you’re lucky if he
getting hurt himself—his combat feats are understands you when you tell him to run
almost all defensive and he’s strongly averse that way and hit those people.
to taking personal risks. But this actually Bud is only really happy when he’s
makes himself look like superman to the beating on somebody. He doesn’t have a
other guys. He’s forever making it out of girlfriend, so he beats on suspects, mostly,
situations that look impossible to survive. and on prostitutes who haven’t learned to
The guy clearly knows how to stay alive and avoid him yet. It’s hard to tell his age by
that’s what the average Assault Squad looking at him. His stubble is largely gray
member wants most to do. and he’s probably past thirty-five, but he
Vinnie the Weasel lives in Stark Hill could be as young as twenty-eight or as old
with his weaselly little wife and his weaselly as fifty. He lives by himself in a reeking
little furry-eyebrowed daughters. He’s studio apartment over a nail salon. Nobody
devoted to his girls and he’s teaching them has yet figured out that he can’t read.
all his crafty, furtive wisdom.
Beefing up the Special Assault Squad
Bud Garman As written, the Special Assault Squad are
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, fairly typical “Super-Agents” and might or
Strength d10, Vigor d8 might not be up to giving a Player Character
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Intimidation a serious challenge. Any PC with a lot of
d8, Knowledge (Tactics) d6, Notice d8, Impervious Toughness, for example, may be
Shooting d8, Streetwise d6 able to just wade through their ranks as
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; though they barely existed. With this in
Toughness: 8 (1) mind, you can give the Special Assault
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Frenzy, Tough as Squad limited access to some heavier
Nails equipment.
Hindrances: Clueless, Illiterate Not every member of the team will
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor), be equipped with an anti-tank weapon or a
Tactical Helmet (+4, Heavy Armor), Light grenade launcher. These weapons are
MG (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, carefully guarded and brought out on
AP 2, Three round burst), three grenades special occasions—the Squad doesn’t have
(Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d6, Medium enough of them and doesn’t want to risk
burst template). losing them.
Background: Bud the Blockhead has

65
Penetrator Bullets this counts as a Heavy Weapon.
If the Assault Squad knows it’s going up A Blockstopper has two grips, one
against a target with super-tough skin, under the barrel and one where the stock
they may issue a clip or two of these should be. Amazingly enough, it isn’t
Teflon-jacketed bullets, with spent meant to be fired from the shoulder.
uranium cores. They don’t have very Which is, we concede, just nuts. As you
many of them in the arsenal and don’t might imagine, it requires a lot of strength
give out more than two clips per squad at to keep it from twisting out of your grasp
a time. Available in multiple different when it’s on full auto, so most guys use it
calibers, Penetrator bullets do the normal strictly in single-shot mode.
2d6 or 2d8 Damage, and can used on
autofire, but they have 4 levels of Armor LAW Rocket
Piercing and count as a Heavy Weapon. Range: 24/48/96 Damage: 4d8+2, area
Some people claim that they also cause effect (use the Medium Burst Template)
Gulf War Syndrome, and that they are Armor Piercing: 3 Toughness: 5
prone to jam on full autofire, so use them Features: Snapfire, Heavy Weapon
judiciously. Description: Light anti-tank weapons are
easy to carry and use. Some of the anti-
Remington Blockstopper tank rockets in Assault Squad’s arsenal
explode on impact in a huge fireball and
do burst-radius damage. Others carry
shaped charges made specifically to
punch through heavily armored targets
(Armor-Piercing 8.)

SK-7 Grenade-Launcher
Range: 24/48/96
Toughness: 10
Damage: Variable (see below)
Background: This multishot grenade
Range: 12/24/48 Damage: 2d10+2
launcher works like a giant revolver, with
Rate of Fire: 3 Weight: 10 Shots: 30
grenades in separate rotating chambers.
Minimum Strength to Use: d8 in
You can fire it almost as fast as a
autofire mode, d6 in single-shot mode
conventional handgun. The Assault Squad
Armor Piercing: 7 (counts as a Heavy
usually keeps their launchers loaded with
Weapon) Toughness: 8
the following rounds (and of course it
Features: Autofire (3 round bust)
counts as a Heavy Weapon):
Description: This ugly weapon was
designed specially for use super-tough 2 Conventional Anti-Personnel Concussion
targets. It’s a fully automatic shotgun Grenades (4d8 Damage, Medium Burst
that fires armor-piercing sabot slugs. Template)
These needle-sharp flechettes are tipped 3 Anti-Tank Shaped-Charge Grenades
with Teflon to ensure better penetration (3d8 Damage; 7 Armor Piercing)
and are built around a thin sliver of 1 Vibronic Scrambler Grenade (Stun,
superheavy spent uranium. The Elemental Trick: Sound, Medium Burst
ammunition is actually more expensive Template)
than the gun. Naturally,

66
SLAM Powersuit The Scrambler

Toughness: 4 (But its carrying case is

Toughness 12)
Damage: Negate superpowers 8 (Doesn’t
work on technologically-based
superpowers like battlesuits, guns, etc.;
uses the large burst template, centered on
the device)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit Description: If and only if you really
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 want to give Assault Squad an edge, you
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d8, can claim that they recovered a few of
Repair d8, Shooting d6, Streetwise d4 these weird wonder-science weapons
Charisma: 0; Pace:6; Parry: 5; from the personal effects of a supervillain.
Toughness: 9(4) They don’t know how they work. A
Hindrances: Pick 3 or 4 scrambler is a bulky device that weighs
Edges: Arcane Background (Super nearly sixty pounds. They normally carry
Powers), Power Points, Mechanical Genius it inside a locked steel case (Toughness
Gear: Armored Power Suit (see below) 12) about the size and shape of a World
Super Powers: (All powers in Power War II field radio. A panel on the back of
Armor, a Device) the case opens to let the operator flip the
• Armor: Armor +3, Heavy Armor toggle switch and turn it on. This takes
• Attack, Ranged: 3d6 Damage, counts only a single action. No one knows
as a Heavy Weapon) exactly how many of these devices Assault
• Broadcast: Extra Range Squad has, but there can’t be a lot of
• Force Control: Level 4 (Str d12+1), them—they guard each one like the
Force Field (+4 Toughness) Crown Jewels.
• Super Attributes: Strength +1 step.
Vigor +1 step. Community Relations Bureau
Intended to put a human face on the
Background: If you want the Assault department and help the citizens of
Squad to be able to go hand-to hand with Bedlam trust their police force,
your PCs, you can give them a few of Community Relations officers work with
these army surplus battlesuits. They local neighborhood watch groups and
won’t make the pilot the equal of a community leaders to help make
superhero in combat, but at least it will neighborhoods safer. They send officers
give them a chance. into the schools to talk in front of

67
classrooms, work with youth groups, host crime (for example if a narcotics case
Midnight Basketball programs and give turns up evidence of a homicide, the
public safety lectures. Homicide Squad is supposed to take over
They have met with an the case.) In practice, there aren’t
unexpected level of success in Wolverton, enough detectives and they seldom want
where more than one Community Services to have new cases handed off to them, so
Officer has gotten too tightly entangled the detective who first got assigned to a
with the gangs. There was nearly a case is likely to be the one who winds up
serious scandal last year when it came out closing it, regardless of what they discover
that Officer Jane Klebbins was hanging along the way. An average Bedlam
out with (and having sex with) underage detective has about forty cases at any one
members of Eentsy Z’s crew. Fortunately time. It can get worse than that. Faced
the press never found out that she was with this kind of workload, they have to
hiding stolen cash and drugs for them, carefully pick and choose which cases to
too. invest their time and energy into.
Most of the Squads operate out of
Neighborhood Police Program Police Headquarters, but the Gang Task
A subdivision of Community Relations, Force is based in the Third Precinct and
these officers act as liaisons to networks the Organized Crime Squad is based in the
of civilian “Neighborhood Police”, urging Second Precinct. You may notice that
them to report any suspicious activity on unlike a lot of metropolitan police
the part of their neighbors. Could your departments, the Bedlam PD has no
neighbor be one of the Neighborhood “Major Case Squad.” Instead they
Police? You’ll never know until the cops assemble task forces to deal with high-
show up at your door. profile cases on an ad-hoc basis.
A detective makes about $35,000
Detectives Bureau per year. That’s a lot better than a Patrol
These are the men and women assigned Officer, which means that less of them
to investigate crimes. They are divided have to moonlight as security guards and
into a number of “Squads,” by the type of bouncers. This also seems to make them
crimes they are supposed to investigate. less prone to corruption, to taking bribes
In Bedlam (as in most cities) and shaking people down, although that
“Detective” is an assignment rather than a might also be because they have less daily
rank. The bulk of them have worked their contact with the public.
way up through Bedlam’s Patrol Services Detectives have dress uniforms,
division. They can be reassigned to Patrol which they are expected to wear on
Services and find themselves driving a ceremonial occasions, but they normally
beat or directing traffic if they don’t work dress in “office casual” clothes on the job.
out. Some wear suits and ties, but most prefer
Detective work is a prestigious polo shirts and chinos. Detectives who
assignment, so most of the men and have been assigned to work undercover
women who wind up working for the can dress however the situation demands.
Bureau have already proved themselves We’ll start this section by talking a
and gained some kind of higher rank. little about each of the individual squads.
Most Detectives are Sergeants. Some are Then we’ll move on to a generic set of
Lieutenants and the leader of each squad stats for a typical Bedlam Detective, and
is a Captain. then stats and descriptions for some
Technically, the squads are individual detectives, including the
supposed to yield to one another if an infamous, controversial “hero cop” Sherry
investigation turn up some other class of Stavros, aka Crazy Sherry.

68
Investigative Resources Photographic Unit
While they are officially a part of the These folks are assigned to take crime-
Detectives Bureau, the staff who work for scene photos, mug shots and to maintain
the Investigative Services Division aren’t the department’s photographic archives.
actual sworn personnel and don’t make The last job keeps them especially busy,
arrests. The sole exception to this rule is since the archives are scattered between
the Hostage Negotiation Unit, which Police Headquarters and the precincts,
draws most of its personnel from other and aren’t always very well organized.
squads on a part-time basis. Most smaller police departments
use independent contractors to take crime
Crime Statistics Unit scene photos, but in Bedlam the cops
Purely responsible for producing and resist all efforts at privatizing the
analyzing data on crime in the city, this department, so actual department
unit reports to the Detective Squads as employees get the job.
needed, but it also makes reports directly
to the Municipal Council, the Commission Hostage Negotiation Unit
on Quality of Life and the City Manager’s There isn’t a lot of need for full-time
office. Their stated function is to help city negotiators, so everyone in this unit is a
officials understand how best to allocate part-time volunteer. Each negotiator
resources. In fact, they more see their works for some other unit (usually a
job as covering up how bad crime is in detective squad, but sometimes they’re
Bedlam and how ineffective the city patrol officers) and remains on-call
government has been at suppressing it. twenty-four hours a day in case they are
needed. Hostage negotiators are carefully
Police Laboratory trained in how to speak with hostage-
These are the forensic technicians who takers, how to talk them down and win
collect and analyze evidence for the their trust. They have to take a lengthy
department. In theory, anyway. In fact series of courses and then pass a
the city doesn’t have a crime lab, so the certification test.
technicians have to send all their samples There is presently a shortage of
out to private labs, as the funds become negotiators, so the department has issued
available. Because they are underfunded, “temporary certifications” to a number of
there is always a backlog, and they have officers who haven’t yet completed the
found some fairly creative ways to store program. In fact, some of them just need
evidence while waiting for the chance to the extra money that comes from being a
have it analyzed. They have a pair of hostage negotiator and have no training
small refrigerators in their office suite to at all. Normally the Precinct Captains
hold body fluid samples (and their won’t call up a negotiator whose
lunches.) Other stuff gets crammed into credentials they know are fraudulent, but
closets or left to molder in basement they don’t always know who’s for real and
storage rooms or even in leaky old public who isn’t
storage units. You can use the generic detective
Because they are understaffed, stat block for a “hostage negotiator” who
their administrative procedures are also doesn’t really have the training. For a
less-than stellar and this fact, combined real, authentic negotiator, use the stats
with the bewildering number of labs they below. We’ve also included stats and
outsource work to, has led to some background material for a couple of
embarrassing mix-ups in test results. individual members of the squad in case
you need them.

69
Generic Hostage Negotiator Now he’s got a mortgage he can’t cover
(authentic) and a crappy, poorly made house where
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit things are always falling apart and racking
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 up the bills and he’s not sure how the hell
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Investigate he’s supposed to pay for it all. He’s never
d6, Knowledge (Psychology) d8, Notice been good at shaking people down and
d8, Persuade d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, there’s not enough graft in the world to
Streetwise d6 plug the giant black hole that is his house.
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Plus, his neighbors look down on
Toughness: 5 (2/4) him for being a working guy, so his wife
Edges: Charisma needs lots of new stuff to win them over
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage and show then she’s got class.
2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Ray doesn’t know anything at all
Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor- about hostage negotiation—he just
Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only protects bought some temporary credentials
his chest) because he needed the extra money.
He’s too preoccupied by his financial
Detective Sergeant Raymond troubles to feel scared of getting found
Monchek out. But if he ever gets called up for an
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit actual hostage situation he will suddenly
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 discover what a huge mistake he’s made.
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Investigate He will try to improvise, but he has no
d4, Knowledge (home furnishings) d6, idea what to say to a hostage-taker, and
Notice d4, Persuade d4, Shooting d6, anyway his mind may be mostly occupied
Stealth d6, Streetwise d4 by worrying about some new problem
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; with his house. His wife may very well
Toughness: 5 (2/4) call him while he’s on the job to complain
Edges: Quick-Draw about the new water heater leaking or
Hindrances: Quirk (Constantly distracted some other household disaster. He’ll
and henpecked), Quirk (knows he’s a actually put the hostage-taker on hold
phony, gets terrified when he’s actually while he talks to her.
called upon to do any hostage
negotiation.) Detective Sergeant Gianni Igglioni
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor- Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate d8
Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only protects +2, Investigate d6, Knowledge
his chest) (Psychology) d8, Notice d8, Persuade d10,
Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8,
Background: Ray Monchek just can’t Taunt d8+2
seem to make ends meet. He puts in lots Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
of extra hours as a security guard for Toughness: 5 (2/4)
Garvin and Torsberg (see page 162), he’s Edges: Charismatic, Strong-Willed (+2 to
paid the bribe to get Hostage Negotiator resist Intimidation or Taunt)
credentials and still the bills keep piling Hindrances: Heartless
up. If only his wife had been content to Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage
live in Stark Hill—but no, she had to have 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1),
a place in Stone Ridge. It’s not safe in the Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-
city, she said. Her mother kept asking Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only protects
when they were gonna move, she said. his chest)

70
Background: Amazingly smooth, poised, wearing part of a bomb suit, a bulletproof
charming and manipulative, everyone in his vest, or possibly some improvised armor
squad thinks Igglioni talked his wife into they’ve thrown together themselves (phone
killing herself, but they say it with respect books and duct tape can be made to serve,
and awe. He may or may not have talked sometimes.) In a real emergency they
three different hostage-takers into doing the might manage to talk some other
same thing. municipality into loaning them extra gear,
He’s easily the best negotiator on but they will be in serious trouble if it gets
the Bedlam force. A bit of a scoundrel, damaged.
cheerfully crooked, Igglioni’s impossible not
to like, and he is greatly beloved by his Homicide Squad
brother officers, even though they all know The Homicide Squad is responsible for
not to trust him. investigating suspicious deaths. This is a
People sometimes wonder about his prestigious unit, but it had suffered some
last name. Is he a surviving member of the problems in recent years.
extinct Igglioni family that used to dominate They have experienced a sudden
organized crime in Hardwick Park? He’s not improvement in the number of cases they
offended when people ask him about this. successfully solve, thanks largely to the
It’s got to be a coincidence, he explains. efforts of detective Parnell Slope and his
And if you think about it for a second, he clique within the squad (for more
says, you’ll see why. If he really were one information about Detective Slope and his
of those Igglionis, he would have changed friends, see Page 76.)
his name or gone into hiding, right? And Captain Stibbs commands the
anyway those guys are all gone. A bigger Homicide Squad, but he’s a newcomer, just
family wiped them out. And it’s not like hired from Florida, and he is still finding his
anybody could have just talked his way out way around his new assignment.
of a situation like that, right? So it’s got to
be a coincidence. Robbery Squad
Presently staying with friends, he This is the largest squad and it’s where most
hasn’t had a stable place to live since his detectives get their start. They investigate
wife died. He always seems to be hold-ups and muggings, for the most part.
somebody’s house-guest. They have a lot of turnover, since everyone
It’s easy to bribe Igglioni, but you is eager to prove themselves and move up
might not want to. He drives a very good to other positions. As a result, robbery
bargain. detectives tend to be inexperienced rookies
or burnt-out old failures. Captain Headly
Bomb Squad Grimes falls firmly into the latter category.
Although most of the ordnance technicians An incoherent drunk, he probably should
who actually dismantle bombs work for the have been forcibly retired ten years ago, but
Fire Department, they are under the his men cover for his lapses and his odd
auspices of the police. A Lieutenant behavior because he lets them get away
oversees and directs them at the scene— with all kinds of stuff.
without, of course, having to come into
direct contact with a bomb. Auto Crime Unit
The Fire Department is even more This subdivision of the Robbery Squad has
underfunded than the Police and their gear just one Detective assigned to it at present.
is in bad shape. The bomb squad has no He’s neither a green rookie nor a drunken
remote control robots and not enough bomb old washout. His name is Monty Coulter
suits. So all too often technicians must go (see his description on Page 77) and stolen
in and dismantle explosive devices with cars are his absolute passion. He’s been
inadequate protection. You might see one such a success that Captain Grimes has

71
been looking hard for guys to partner with Vice Squad
him. So far, no one meets Coulter’s
standards.

Burglary Squad
While they are supposed to investigate
every burglary in the city, this is an
impossible task that they don’t even try to
keep up with. Unless a really large amount
of money got stolen or the victim has
excellent connections with the city
government, detectives don’t even respond
to break-ins. This Squad is kind of a career
dead-end. It’s where detectives who didn’t
make Homicide or Vice wind up. As a result,
morale is very low here.
Their leadership doesn’t help.
Captain Daisy Milk is determined to whip her
squad into shape and then use the victory to
get transferred out of here. It’s really tough
for women to get leadership roles in the
Bedlam Police and she hates being shunted
into Burglary. In order to show her bosses
that she doesn’t belong here, Captain Milk Like the Organized Crime Squad, this is a
has decided to make the squad into a crack great place to make money. And it can
unit—the envy of the force. have other fringe benefits as well. These
A cruel, petty disciplinarian, she are the detectives assigned to stamp out
intrudes on her detectives’ personal lives, prostitution and illegal gambling. For some
insults people and jerks them around over reason they have failed to do this.
tiny stuff. How she expects this to make The network of crooked cops that
things get better is unclear. She does everyone in the Department calls “the
appear to get a real thrill out of it, though. O’Ryan Boys” has its claws sunk deep into
Vice. But even the worst detectives on this
Organized Crime Squad squad are forced to do some actual police
Based in the Second Precinct, in Stark Hill, work now and again. Lots of people try
this squad is assigned to prevent and their hand at prostitution and not all of them
investigate organized crime. And to are connected to the mob. Arresting them
infiltrate groups of peace activists, Quakers, is the easiest way to eliminate the
Unitarians, etc. Not all of their detectives competition. And sometimes pimps commit
are completely crooked or in the pay of the high-profile murders or steal money from
Scarpia Crime family. The ones who aren’t their bosses or otherwise need to be
get assigned to disrupting peace marches removed from the scene.
and provoking fights between marchers and Some of the messiest, nastiest
the cops. Organized Crime is a coveted crimes you are ever likely to see come to
assignment, because you can make a lot of the attention of the Vice Squad. It’s no
money here. But they’re picky about who wonder that so many of the guys feel
they will accept. For the most part, they entitled to take a little extra.
only want guys they know to be…reliable. Not that Captain Grizzard has that
Anyone else who gets assigned here will excuse. The head of Vice is one of those
soon find themselves sitting in a church strange people who isn’t bothered by even
basement trying to talk a bunch of old the worst degradation, or the least flicker of
hippies and soccer moms into bombing conscience. He also wears a cowboy hat
something. indoors, and muttonchop sideburns. As

72
crooked as he is arrogant, he loves flaunting to traditional police work, knocking on
his ill-gotten wealth and wears a lot of doors, interviewing potential witnesses and
diamonds and gold jewelry. He never so forth. None of the four detectives on the
smokes cigars that cost less than a meal at squad are crooked, but they are all savvy
a really good steakhouse, he boasts. All this enough to know better than to try to bust
looks even less appealing on such a short, any of the big credit-card fraud rings that
hairy man. organized crime runs. They’re more
concerned with arresting teenagers who
Narcotics Squad steal grandma’s Discover card and buy
This squad is assigned to prosecuting drug- online porno with it.
related crimes. Their superiors don’t want
them messing around with the people at the Fraud Squad
top of the organized crime ladder, so they Reorganized after a quiet but ugly scandal
mostly set up undercover stings, buying last year, the Fraud Squad doesn’t presently
drugs from minor dealers, or selling pot to have any detectives assigned to it. The
high-school kids and then dragging them off Department assures us that they will have it
to jail. They have proved to be a very staffed and running soon. In the meantime,
useful tool for some parties in organized their duties have been assigned to other
crime. If a dealer is misbehaving and you detectives—mostly in the Robbery Squad. A
don’t want to go to the trouble and expense little investigation will reveal that even
of having them killed, throw them to the though this phantom squad has no
narcotics squad. detectives, they are still requisitioning a lot
Large amounts of cash are of equipment and training hours. Where is
sometimes present in drug deals and this all that money going?
can be tempting for the underpaid
detectives who bust them. For this reason, Juvenile Crime Squad
corruption seems to be more deeply These detectives have been specially trained
ingrained in Narcotics than anywhere else in conducting juvenile line-ups, in speaking
but the Organized Crime Squad. with parents and guardians and in all the
difficult work involved in dealing with
Missing Persons Squad minors. They are Bedlam’s de facto truant
Charged with investigating disappearances officers. They also spend a lot of time
and unidentified corpses, this squad has the arresting the boyfriends of underaged girls
lowest morale in the department. (usually as a result of a complaint from the
Detectives assigned to this detail have little girl’s family.) The Juvie Squad frequently
opportunity to break major cases and less to works with Child Protective Services, the
collect graft. A punishment assignment, it is Special Victims Liaison Unit and sometimes
staffed by guys who couldn’t make it on the Vice.
Burglary Squad. They became entangled in an
The head of Missing Persons is unsavory scandal a few years ago, when it
Captain Terry Kaenner. He’s a bit of a came to light that some officers on the
missing person himself, and seldom bothers squad were helping crooked CPS officials
to show up for work any more, spending run a child-theft/slavery ring, taking kids
most of his time at home, drunk. away from their parents and then selling
them on the open market. People were
Computer Crime Squad fired and the squad was reorganized. They
This small unit mostly investigates credit still have a bad reputation for treating young
card fraud and identity theft. While they do suspects brutally.
spend a certain amount of time behind their
computers, their equipment isn’t really Special Victims Liaison Unit
sophisticated enough to track hackers, This new unit was once a subdivision of the
spammers and bot-herders across the Vice Squad. They investigate sexual abuse
depths of cyberspace, so they stick largely and domestic violence. In addition to the

73
detectives on the team, they have a group graffiti and arrest chronic taggers. They
of “Liaison Facilitators”—female officers who have made about as much progress on both
are specially trained in interviewing rape fronts as you might imagine. Because it’s
victims. A lot of the Facilitators come from hard to bust graffiti artists, and boring to
District Patrol and are here to make a few direct clean-up crews, members of the unit
extra bucks. Some of them are surprisingly spend a lot of time conducting stakeouts of
brusque and unsympathetic with the victims likely-looking walls. Frequently, they use
they are supposed to be helping. the time they are supposed to be spending
Lieutenant Harvey Gluk is the Squad on stakeout to go work second jobs as
leader, but he spends most of his time security guards.
working domestic violence cases and doesn’t
pay as much attention to running the squad Bedlam Police Detective
as he should. He’s the only detective on the
Bedlam force who really enjoys working on
domestic violence and other detectives are
constantly dumping these cases on his desk.
For more on Detective Gluk and his private
obsessions, see his individual description on
Page 76.

Gang Task Force

Technically, the Gang Task Force is
supposed to be a joint operation with the
State Police, the County Sheriff’s Office and
the Department of Justice. But the Sheriff
and the State Troopers refuse to work with
the Bedlam Police, who in turn won’t
cooperate with the Department of Justice.
This has left them with less resources than
they would like.
Right now, their major priority is
keeping the Honduran gang called the Mara
in check. The Mara are scary, get headlines
and are expanding their turf rapidly. Clearly
they need to be the Task Force’s major Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
focus. If they can’t be stopped, they can at Strength d6, Vigor d6
least be contained, or taught to keep a Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8,
lower profile. It’s going to be tough to work Investigate d4, Knowledge (Bedlam) d6,
on the Mara without any information from Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6,
the state authorities or the Department of Streetwise d6
Justice, since they’re a national gang. Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
There isn’t a lot of organized, Toughness: 5 (2/4)
entrenched corruption in the Gang Task Edges: Quick-Draw
Force, although some individual detectives Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
are dirty—shaking down gang members for Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof
money and drugs or getting involved in their Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4
crimes. armor vs. guns, only protects his chest)

Anti-Graffiti Vandalism Unit Captain Norville Stibbs

A sub-unit of the Gang Task Force, these Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
lucky detectives are assigned to clean up Strength d8, Vigor d8

74
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
Investigate d6, Knowledge (police work) d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof
Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4
Streetwise d6 armor vs. guns, only protects his chest)
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 6 (2/4) Background: Bronfeld is a desperate loser
Edges: Dodge, Quick-Draw and it’s clear to everyone that he’s on his
Hindrances: Quirk (trying hard to look like way down. But he could still manage to do
he knows what he’s doing) some damage along the way. He barely
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, even bothers to work cases any more,
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof spending most of his time drinking in places
Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4 like “Classy Live Nude Girls” (see the listing
armor vs. guns, only protects his chest) for this unsavory joint on Page 193) and
trying to score crack. He will gladly run any
Background: The new head of Bedlam’s dirty, sordid errand the Mafia might ask of
Homicide Squad is still settling into the job. him, but he’s almost sure to do it badly and
A big, tall guy with bulging muscles and an screw it up.
Abraham Lincoln beard, he fancies himself a Addicted to gambling, he owes huge
swinger and spends a lot of time off-duty debts to various bookies and loan sharks.
trying to pick up women in bars. They’re talking about taking one of his
Not terribly bright or mature for his thumbs soon. Eager to win his money back
age (thirty-eight) he feels unprepared to run on just one more bet, he may accept foolish
such a big, important department and he and dangerous wagers.
doesn’t know half of what’s going on around At one point he was a coward, but
him. He’s used to seeing cops take graft now he’s far too desperate to have much
and he wouldn’t mind a taste of it himself, fear of physical danger. He needs money
but he would be shocked if he discovered and needs dope and he’ll do whatever is
the depth of the corruption he’s surrounded required to get them. A devout Catholic, he
by. For now, he’s so eager to be liked that used to feel a lot of guilt over his behavior,
he’s willing to overlook all sorts of minor but he’s past that. Nothing is beyond him
misbehavior from his men. Presently single, presently.
he has been married four times and a lot of He has a secret vice, apart from his
his paycheck goes to alimony and child public ones. He likes to hang around behind
support. shopping centers and attack young men
He likes to dress entirely in black, with long hair. He doesn’t know why he
and often wears a gold chain. He thinks his gets such a thrill out of it—he’s always
beard makes him hip, but in combination hated guys with long hair, but the delight he
with his long face and North Florida hick gets from shoving them around is out of all
accent it makes him look more like a farmer. proportion to the hatred he feels.
It’s possible for a PC to buy off
Detective Lieutenant Marsh Bronfeld Bromfeld—he’s very easy to bribe. But he’s
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, an incompetant hireling, he won’t stay
Strength d8, Vigor d6 bought and once he’s in your circle of
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidate d8, acquaintances he’ll keep asking you for
Investigate d4, Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, bigger and bigger favors. Never let him
Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, extort a bribe from you, or he’ll constantly
Streetwise d6 come back looking for more.
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Detective Bronfeld lives with his
Toughness: 5 (2/4) wife, mother-in-law and his two elementary
Edges: Frenzy school aged kids in a bungalow in Stark Hill.
Hindrances: Habit (alchoholic dope fiend), He yells at his kids a lot, particularly when
Habit (compulsive gambler), Habit (beats up he’s on crack, and he got into a drunken
young men with long hair), Mean brawl at a recent PTA meeting.

75
 He looks like a sack of old clothes, violence. It’s all a bluff. He’d never dream
fat disheveled and covered in stubble. The of actually hurting them.
very picture of a bad cop. It’s up to the GM Does he care more about the
as to whether he ever dances around naked victims or more about closing cases? That’s
and screams abuse at phantasmal visions of hard to say. He’s a guarded, quiet kind of
Jesus. guy who doesn’t talk much about his
motives. Local battered womens’ shelters
Lieutenant Harvey Gluk regard him as a vital resource, but they
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, have some reservations about him, too.
Strength d6, Vigor d6 A sour, driven, grey-haired hound-
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, dog of a man, Gluk never seems to smile.
Intimidate d8, Investigate d8+2, Knowledge He has a wife and two kids up in Stone
(Bedlam) d6, Knowledge (Psychology) d8, Ridge, but he never talks about them and
Notice d10+2, Persuasion d8, Shooting d6, he must not go home to see them very
Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 much—he’s always working.
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5 (2/4) Detective Lieutenant Parnell Slope
Edges: Investigator, Quick-Draw Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Hindrances: Quirk (close-mouthed, Strength d6, Vigor d6
intimate with no one) Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
Intimidate d8, Investigate d4, Knowledge
Background: Most detectives hate to work (Bedlam) d6, Knowledge (Police
domestic violence cases. They’re ugly, hard Department), Notice d6, Shooting d6,
to close, thankless and they make you Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
enemies. And frankly, some detectives think Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Domestic Violence isn’t really such a serious Toughness: 5 (2/4)
crime—who hasn’t wanted to belt the old Edges: Combat Reflexes, Connections
lady when she gets out of line? Detective (Bedlam DA’s office), Quick-Draw
Gluk (he insists that it’s pronounced Hindrances: Enemy (“Fido” Turwood),
“Glook”) has stepped into the niche this Heartless, Mean, Quirk (will do whatever it
leaves open and made it his specialty. takes to make it to the DA’s office)
Before the Squad was established, other Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
detectives gave him all their domestic Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof
violence cases anyway, so he was the logical Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4
choice to head the Squad. armor vs. guns, only protects his chest)
At the moment, he’s a one-man
team. Gluk does all the investigative work, Background: A cruel, corrupt and
assisted by a team of five policewomen who incompetent cop, Slope nonetheless gets
have been trained in counseling and talking results. He intends to be an Assistant DA
to victims. Gluk himself is desperately one of these days, and he knows that you
overworked, and as a result he’s sometimes get there by solving lots of high-profile
brusque with the women he helps. He cases and sending lots of perps to death
wants results, and he’s very impatient with row. It's all about the kills, he says. And
women who won’t testify against their the fastest way to rack them up is by taking
abusers, so he often applies verbal and on more cases than you can reasonably
sometimes physical intimidation to get them handle, then beating as many confessions
to fill out complaints. He’s only subtly out of innocent people as you can. Not all
threatening. He certainly doesn’t hit them. of them will be willing to sign confessions,
It’s more in his tone of voice and his body even with a gun to their heads, but enough
language. But a woman who has been will be to ensure a steady stream of kills.
beaten is usually very sensitive to these He's sent eight people to the death chamber
kinds of cues and knows that they imply so far and the folks downtown really are

76
starting to notice his good work. terrorizing witnesses. Gorch does whatever
For the most part Slope doesn't Slope tells him without hesitation, no matter
investigate the deaths of single, unmarried how illegal or immoral it might be. But he
folks if he can help it—he wants to have a isn't particularly loyal. He sees Detective
spouse he can terrorize into confessing. He Slope as his ticket to the top, not as his
also doesn’t much like investigating dead friend. If his own skin is on the line or
white people, since it bothers his conscience someone else makes him a better deal, he
if he sends a fellow white man off to his will cheerfully betray Slope and think
doom. nothing of it. Gorch is African-American
He used to write the confessions up himself, but Slope's racism doesn't get on
himself, composing them aloud while the his nerves.
perp blubbered and bled all over the A party animal, Gorch looks like he's
interrogation room table. Now he's found in a good mood more or less all the time,
that this takes too long, so he has a bunch even when he's threatening or torturing
of them pre-written, and he’s always looking someone. He approaches life with a
for a perp who might fit them. cheerful, laid-back outlook, taking each day
Slope is not above collecting a little as it comes and trying to have as much fun
protection money from local businesses or as possible. He does like hitting people, but
turning over a suspect to the Mafia if they he gets enough of it on the job and doesn't
request it (and he certainly knows better beat up his girlfriend or get in bar fights.
than to hassle any "made guys"), but he's While Gorch has no objection to
not willing to take a direct bribe—unless it's lifting a few bucks from a murder victim's
a really big one. wallet or to collecting a little graft for
Detective Slope, he doesn't regularly take
Detective Sergeant Wilbur Gorch payoffs himself. Offer him a big enough
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, bribe and he might get interested, but he
Strength d10, Vigor d10 probably won't shake you down for one.
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, Single, Gorch has a regular girlfriend
Intimidate d10, Investigate d4, Notice d6, and he lives at her place, but he's no more
Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, loyal to her than he is to Detective Slope
Taunt d8 and he cheats on her every time a chance
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; presents itself.
Toughness: 5 (2/4)
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Mighty Blow, No Detective Sergeant Monty Coulter
Mercy, Quick-Draw Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
Hindrances: Heartless Strength d8, Vigor d6
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof Intimidate d8, Investigate d8, Knowledge
Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4 (Auto Theft) d10 +2, Knowledge (Bedlam)
armor vs. guns, only protects his chest) d6, Knowledge (organized car-thief rings)
d8+2, Notice d8, Repair d10+2, Shooting
Background: A violent fireplug of a guy, d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
Gorch is the shortest man ever to have Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
received a football scholarship at the Toughness: 5 (2/4)
University of Pennsylvania. He's only five Edges: Mr. Fix-it, Scholar
foot three, but he can bench-press four Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (obsessed with
hundred pounds and he's built like a finding stolen cars)
Sherman tank. Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
Not an especially skilled Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Bulletproof
investigator, he made detective after doing Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-Piercing, 4
some dirty work for Parnell Slope, and he armor vs. guns, only protects his chest),
remains Slope's bully-boy-in-chief, always repair kit.
ready to lend a hand in interrogations and

77
Background: A short, plump, musclebound Coulter’s girlfriend currently has a
man with a mullet, a moustache and restraining order out against him. Normally
sideburns, most people know at once that quiet, he has trouble controlling his temper
he must be either a cop or an auto when drunk.
mechanic. In fact he’s both. He’s not a
very good speaker—words come to him with Detective Lieutenant Sharon “Crazy
difficulty, but he’s not dumb. Sherry” Stavros
Detective Coulter is Bedlam’s
leading expert on stolen cars. He has made
it his hobby and his passion. Everyone else
on the Robbery Squad defers to his
expertise. In fact they’ve given him his own
task force, consisting of himself and a
couple of well-connected timewasters who
don’t do any work.
There are huge numbers of stolen
cars on the streets of Bedlam. The
underworld uses them as currency, criminals
use them for transportation and too many
ordinary people are willing to buy them
because they have no other way to afford a
vehicle.
Coulter can spot the telltale marks
of a jimmy on a car door from half a block
away. He knows which little mom-and-pop
car lots illegally sell dealer tags and can
recognize them instantly. He knows which
automotive shops sell stolen parts and
which crime networks control them. He
knows seemingly everything there is to
know about cars, how to fix them and how
to steal them.
He generates way too much work
for the DA’s office to keep up with, so most
of the people he arrests go unpunished. But
that’s okay. He makes a whole lot of money Wild Card
shaking down car thieves when he catches Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit
them. This makes both his superiors and d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
the other guys on the Squad very happy— Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d10, Guts d10,
he’s the pad’s biggest earner and that’s why Intimidate d8+2, Notice d6, Shooting d12,
they gave him his own task force. Stealth d6, Taunt d10+2, Throwing d10
Scrupulously honest about his crookedness, Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
he always turns his whole take over to the Toughness: 5
pad and never keeps anything back for Hindrances: Habit (crank-fiend), Mean,
himself. Quirk (hates superhumans)
If the PCs would like to get his Edges: Arcane Background (superpowers),
expertise on stolen cars, they couldn’t ask Attractive, Charismatic, Combat Reflexes,
for anyone better. But they shouldn’t Dead Shot, Improved Dodge, First Strike,
expect him to give up his crooked ways. Improved Frenzy, Improved Level-Headed,
He’s very proud of being the squad’s most Marksman, Nerves of Steel, No Mercy,
valuable player and he would never want to Quick, Quick-Draw, Strong-Willed (+2 to
fail his department by giving up resist the effects of Intimidation or Taunt)
shakedowns.

78
Gear: Brass Knuckles (d6+2+ 2d6), Pistol shot the kid in the back as he ran away and
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1+2d6, demanded that he return her boyfriend’s
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), May or wallet. The kid groaned that he had already
may not be equipped with Penetrator Bullets dropped it, so Sherry shot him in the back
(which turn her pistol into a Heavy Weapon) again and angrily told the bystanders not to
Powers: Attack, Melee +2d6 damage, call 911. “Let him die!” she said (someone
(adds to whatever melee attack she is called anyway and the kid didn’t die.) She
making—this represents her nigh- then made some unfortunate remarks about
superhuman skill as a combatant), Attack, African-Americans, which got into the
Ranged (any ranged attack she makes does newspapers. Sherry was high on crystal
an extra 2d6 damage, up to a maximum of meth at the time the incident occurred,
5d6—this represents her nigh-superhuman which didn’t help matters.
marksmanship). Although she is on suspension,
Sherry still has a lot of friends in the
Background: Every police force seems to department who respect her skills and
have one detective who is more talented admire her attitude. She is particularly well-
than all the others. Bedlam’s best cop is, liked within the Bedlam Police Special
unfortunately, Detective Lieutenant Sharon Assault Squad, since so many of them share
Stavros. Controversial inside and out of the her attitude about superhumans. Although
department, she is a phenomenally skilled it’s illegal, Sherry has been informally riding
combatant but has an unstable, hotheaded with them on patrol, and may well
personality. Sherry has a problem with encounter the Player Characters if they run
alcohol and a problem with crystal meth and afoul of the squad. Sherry will be very quick
a problem with all the men in her life. She to resort to violence. Frankly she’d sooner
takes insane risks in combat, and people take a cape’s life than not.
whisper behind her back that she was
indirectly responsible for the deaths of her Detective Lieutenant Johnny Valentine
last four partners. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
She gets into fistfights in bars, on Strength d8, Vigor d8
public transit and sometimes in the waiting Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
room of her psychiatrist’s office. If she Investigate d8, Knowledge (Bedlam) d6,
wins, she taunts her opponent and kicks Knowledge (Psychology) d8, Notice d8,
them while they are down. If she starts to Persuade d10, Shooting d6, Stealth d6,
lose, she produces her badge and arrests Streetwise d10
them. Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Sherry’s second partner was killed Toughness: 5 (2/4)
by a supervillain, and from that moment Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections
forward she has hated all parahumans, good (the DA’s office and the Bedlam Police)
and bad, with the same lunatic fury that she Hindrances: Quirk (see Page 369—but only
normally reserves for her five ex-husbands if you’re the GM)
(there were six but one got shot in the back
of the head while walking home with his Background: A tall, handsome, disting-
new wife—no perpetrator was ever found.) uished African-American guy in his mid-
Any PC who works the streets of thirties, Detective Valentine is seldom seen
Bedlam has heard of Crazy Sherry and her around the precinct house, for he spends
bad reputation with a Streetwise roll, or most of his time undercover. Charming and
some appropriate Knowledge skill (“Bedlam funny, he has an impressive list of academic
Police Department,” for example). credentials and juries love him. The
She was suspended after an ugly Department knows this and they keep him
incident in which a young hooligan tried to very busy testifying in cases. He has a PhD
mug her new boyfriend. Sherry was off- in psychology and another one in criminal
duty, but had a gun on her person and justice and he displays a keen insight into
chased the assailant off with it. Then she

79
the workings of the human mind when he’s moved to a small brick building across the
on the witness stand. street.
Friendly to nearly everyone, Administrative Services staff don’t
Valentine may or may not know the PCs, but have police ranks (unless they work for
if he does then he is more than willing to Internal Affairs) and instead have position
work with them or share what he knows titles like “Filing Clerk” “Administrative
about a given case. He has no beef with Assistant,” etc.
superheroes, or seemingly with anyone. In Lester Dunwoody is the current
his undercover work he has spent time Executive Officer who heads up
around some very dangerous people, but Administrative Services. He’s the highest
doesn’t seem to bear them any malice, even ranking authority in the Bedlam Police.
when he’s testifying against them. However, he isn’t “sworn personnel,”
Because he spends so much of his doesn’t wear a uniform and doesn’t see
time doing undercover work, Detective himself as anything like a police chief.
Valentine is difficult to get in touch with. He Frankly he’s busy enough trying to keep his
just shows up, smiling and helpful, as if out administrative offices functioning to spend
of nowhere. He has never been known to any time trying to run the rest of the police
take a bribe, but he has been known to force. Anyway it’s not his job.
bend the rules for people in trouble. It’s
unclear how much he’s gotten his feet dirty Generic Administrative Worker
in the course of his undercover work, but he Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
does not seem to be in the pay of the Mob. Strength d6, Vigor d6
Despite being kind of a mysterious Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge
guy, his home life is extremely normal. (administrative procedures) d8, Knowledge
Johnny Valentine lives with his wife and (Bedlam Police) d6, Notice d6
three daughters in a bungalow in Wolverton. Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
His oldest girl is in high school, the twins are Toughness: 5
in fifth grade. It may seem dangerous for Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (Lazy)
someone who has arrested or given
testimony against so many local criminals to Executive Officer Lester Dunwoody
live in the same neighborhood, but he Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d4,
seems unconcerned. Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Knowledge
Administrative Services (administrative procedures) d8, Knowledge
The folks who process payroll, keep records, (Bedlam Police) d10, Notice d6, Shooting d6
procure supplies and so forth are not for the Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
most part “Sworn Personnel.” They don’t Toughness: 5
have badges, don’t have police powers, Edges: Connections (Bedlam City
aren’t trained in law-enforcement and don’t Government)
have the power to make arrests. The Hindrances: Dependant (wife), Loyal,
exception to this rule is the Internal Affairs Quirk (trying hard to do his best at an
division, which is staffed by police impossible job)
detectives.
Apart from Internal Affairs and the Background: Overworked, disheveled and
Records division, cops can’t get transferred constantly anxious, Dunwoody is a capable
into Administrative Services or vice-versa. administrator but he’s barely able to keep
They are two entirely separate entities. up with the work in front of him, let alone
Administrative Services is based in change anything. He focuses on keeping his
the grim-looking, battered-up old Police administrative offices going with the limited
Headquarters downtown. Most of the purely resources available—which is often quite a
administrative functions (payroll and human challenge. It leaves him absolutely no time
resources, for example) have actually been or strength left over. He works hard and
sincerely cares about what he’s doing. But

80
he’s so focused on the work in front of him
that he’s nearly blind to the force’s larger Fiscal Affairs and Human Resources
problems. And frankly, he’s afraid of This is the largest division within
standing up to guys like Big Chuck O’Ryan Administrative Services and the one that
and Sharkey Muldoon. Big Chuck already Executive Officer Dunwoody spends the
mocks him and bullies him whenever he most time overseeing. They do everything
gets a chance—what’s he going to do if from managing the department’s budget to
Dunwoody starts cutting into his action? overseeing vehicle maintenance, to
Plus, Dunwoody’s own past isn’t processing payroll.
completely clean. When he was a district Dunwoody manages to keep
patrol officer he took money from the corruption out of the Payroll and Human
station house’s pad of graft, just like all the Resources areas. No one is actually stealing
other guys. He did it because he wanted to money or sending paychecks to nonexistent
fit in and didn’t want any trouble. As soon officers. But it’s impossible for him to keep
as he had enough seniority, he stopped them entirely clean. If some crooked cop
taking the money. But he knows it would wants a favor from Human Resources (for
be easy to blackmail him if he were ever to example, access to someone’s personnel
start rocking the boat. file) he’s probably going to get it.
Dunwoody always looks like he’s on
the verge of bursting into tears. And his job Records Division
is enough to make a grown man cry. He Records are kept in the basement of Police
has to somehow make sure that a Headquarters. It’s a dark, dank place where
department as crooked and chaotic as the lights are on timers and only illuminate
Bedlam’s gets supplied with everything from one little section of the room at a time.
bullets to paperclips to health insurance. To Water drips from the ceiling in
his credit, he mostly manages to get this places. Many of the records have been
done. damaged by moisture and the staff try all
He deeply loves his ugly old wife kind of ingenious ways to keep the rest of
Hattie, and regrets that he has so little time them dry.
to spend with her. They were never able to Because the basement is
have kids and he’s all Hattie’s got, apart overflowing with records, a lot of the older
from her five Shi Tzu dogs. This is about to boxes have been shipped off to a rented
get worse. Any moment now Hattie will warehouse in the Meadows, where the very
discover that she has cancer and lowliest clerks try to tend them.
Dunwoody’s life is going to get a lot more Most of the staff who keep the
miserable. Will he neglect his work, or Department’s records are just administrative
neglect his dying wife? Which path leads to workers, but some are actual police officers
a deeper pit in Hell? who have been reassigned here. In neither
case do they have police powers while they
Office of the Chief of Police are on the job. Nor do they wear uniforms.
The position of Police Chief may be vacant, Being assigned to Records is a
but the office certainly is not. His five dead-end career track, whether you are and
personal assistants and their own small administrative worker or a cop. Because it’s
administrative staff continue to draw a punishment assignment, some of the best
paychecks and continue to show up for and some of the worst cops wind up here.
work—although there isn’t a lot for them to Some of the filing clerks are willing
do without a boss. All twelve of them are to steal or alter records at the behest of the
from Wolverton and have connections to the Mob or other crooked cops in the
Reverend Willie Boggs’ political machine, so Department. But some are totally clean. In
Lester Dunwoody’s efforts to have them fact one was responsible for the last major
suspended have gone nowhere. He wishes police scandal coming to light. So, if a filing
he were brave enough to really take a stand clerk suddenly dies under suspicious
about this. circumstances, a Player Character might

81
want to take an interest in which files they Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge
were working on. (acting) d8, Knowledge (the press) d8,
Notice d4, Persuasion d8,
Public Affairs Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
The Chief Public Affairs Officer is responsible Toughness: 5
for making statements to the press, Edges: Attractive, Connections (Bedlam City
appearing on TV and attending public Government)
events. There are two Assistant Public Hindrances: Quirk (desperate for attention
Affairs Officers who attend events when the and approval)
Chief Officer can’t make it or doesn’t wish to Background: Brooke is from Iowa and has
go (although one of these positions is held minor jobs in the entertainment
currently vacant.) industry all around the Midwest. Mostly
The Chief Public Affairs Officer is she’s done human interest fluff for local
presently Brooke Pringle, a former weather newscasts, but once she got to be the host
girl and local TV personality from Dubuque, of a cable feature on Bigfoot. She has even
Iowa. She is known for her wide-eyed, appeared in two direct-to-video movies that
vacant, Stepford Wife grin. Although she is you may have seen late at night on
not “Sworn Personnel” and has no powers of Cinemax. Now that Brooke is in her thirties
arrest, she wears a custom designed she’s no longer young enough to be a cute,
uniform for the cameras. giggly weather girl, so she became Chief
Public Affairs Officer for the Bedlam Police.
Chief Public Affairs Officer Brooke While she’s a stiff, wooden actress,
Pringle she has taken to the job with enthusiasm,
and it shows. She looks horribly insincere,
but in fact she feels really strongly about her
work and sometimes gets a little too carried
away with it. Off-duty, she talks a lot about
how difficult it is to be a cop despite the fact
that she isn’t one and never has been.
Divorced, she lives in the Stone
Ridge gated community. Rumors link her
romantically to famed local newscaster
Obediah Brick.

Internal Affairs
This small unit is staffed by a mixture of
administrative personnel and detectives. It
has just six investigators at present, three of
them Detectives and three of them
Administrative Services staff. They are
charged with investigating wrongdoing
within the department.
Whenever a police car gets into a
fender bender or an officer’s weapon gets
discharged, Internal Affairs reviews the
incident. At least in theory. In fact they are
so swamped with incident reports that most
of them get by without more than a cursory
glance.
There is some question as to
whether they should get to review
complaints against officers from the public.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
Internal Affairs itself opposes having to do
Strength d4, Vigor d6

82
this, since they are already drowning in Federal Law Enforcement in Bedlam
paperwork. But no one else wants the job Not very many federal police agencies
either, so at present complaint reports just maintain field offices in Bedlam, despite the
pile up in Records, unreviewed by anyone. high level of crime here. It’s too small, and
Internal Affairs sees its job as the bigger city nearby almost certainly has
protecting the Police Department from field offices for most of the major agencies
lawsuits, by making sure no one does (FBI, DEA, ATF, etc.) already. When a US
anything that could cause litigation. They attorney or an ATF tactical team show up in
do investigate crimes committed by police Bedlam, they have flown or driven in from
personnel, but they spend more of their the outside.
time making sure that no one in the

Department leaks any of its dirty laundry to Federal Bureau of Investigation

the press. Contrary to popular belief, they The FBI has just under sixty field offices
are not presently running any undercover around the country. None of them are
operations inside the rest of the force, nor located in Bedlam. Nonetheless, they do
are they looking to take down any particular quietly rent office space here, since so many
cop. of their agents from the nearest field office
Because they are an administrative wind up spending time in town. Their office
section, they are not supposed to arrest suite is located just off downtown. It’s a
anyone. If they decide that a police officer modest, unassuming set of rooms adjacent
needs to be arrested for a crime, they to the US Attorney’s office. No plaque on
contact the officer’s superior or the the wall identifies them as FBI. The sign on
appropriate detective squad. This has the door says “DOJ” (for Dept. of Justice.)
caused problems in the past, when crooked But the presence of so many large men with
officers have been tipped-off by their friends brush-cut hairdos and the lack of any
and turned fugitive. In a couple of cases, paintings or other ornamentation on the
officers with outstanding arrest warrants walls may give it away (no FBI office is
have continued to serve, because no one permitted to put any art on its walls, nor are
wanted to arrest them. agents allowed to have any personal items
One of the three Internal Affairs on their desks.)
detectives is crooked, and reports directly to Sometimes the Bureau will establish
Sergeant “Big Chuck” O’Ryan, who leads a smaller offices (called “Resident Agencies”)
ring of dirty cops (see “the O’Ryan Boys” on in locations that don’t need a full-fledged
Page 246.) But which one is it? Whoever it Field Office, but that’s not really what the
is, you can expect any important information Bedlam Office is. Instead it’s just an
that Internal Affairs receives to be in the extension of the Field Office in the bigger
hands of the Scarpia crime family within 24 city next door. As such, it doesn’t have a
hours. “Special Agent in Charge.” Instead they
assign various “Acting SACs” as needed.
Training Bureau This is usually Special Agent Enzio Falcone
Bedlam doesn’t have a full-time police (he prefers to be called Rick), a beefy giant
academy. Instead they offer courses on with a gray brush-cut, a thick Chicago
Criminal Justice in every fall session of accent and a growing waistline. He has
Bedlam Community College, with more seniority than any of the other agents
supplementary courses at Police and he knows Bedlam better than they do,
Headquarters in the summer. Most so he’s almost always ASAC. Rick is deeply
instructors are real active-duty police familiar with the Mafia and its workings.
officers who need the extra pay that comes Some people in the Bureau whisper that
with teaching courses. A few are retired he’s maybe a little too familiar.
officers trying to supplement their pensions. If the FBI takes a suspect into

83
custody, they won’t hold them in the local Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
office and instead will transport them to the Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
nearest field office for interrogation. They protects his chest), Pistol (Range
don’t have a proper interrogation room 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
here. There are rumors that the Bureau Rate of Fire 1), Two Extra Clips, FBI
also maintains a safe house somewhere in Laptop (Toughness 10)
the Country Club, and that they occasionally Background: Special Agent Falcone is
carry out debriefings and field the primary contact for both of the
interrogations there. No one knows if this stooges inside the Gorganzua
is true. organization, so he works out of the
The FBI’s main reason to keep a Bedlam office most of the time. He’s an
presence in Bedlam is to monitor expert on the Mafia and knows them
organized intimately. Sometimes people wonder
crime. They have as yet been unable to aloud if he is perhaps on terms with the
infiltrate the Scarpia family, but they have Mob that might be described as slightly
two informants inside the Gorganzua too intimate. Remarks like that don’t
family, both of whom may need to enter phase him. If somebody says this to his
the Witness Protection Program before face, he points out that if that were true,
long. it would be the Chicago Outfit he was too
close to, and they’re the traditional
Generic FBI Agent enemies of the Bedlam Mob.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Drug Enforcement Administration
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate The “A” doesn’t stand for “Agency” as
d6, Investigate d8, Notice d6, Shooting many people mistakenly believe, but
d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 instead for “Administration” (we know, it
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; doesn’t make sense to us either—Nixon
Toughness: 7 thought it up.)
Hindrances: Loyal (to the Agency) The DEA has less agents but more
Edges: Combat Reflexes Field Offices (nearly 240) than the FBI.
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 They don’t advertise their presence, but
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only they have a field office in the Meadows,
protects his chest), Pistol (Range right across from Bedlam proper. They
12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, are located in a big, wide, ugly two-story
Rate of Fire 1), Two Extra Clips, FBI building with an enclosed parking lot and
Laptop (Toughness 10) no sign on the door.
The local office operates with a lot
Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge Enzio of autonomy—the Agent in Charge has
“Rick” Falcone gone a little crazy and no longer trusts
Wild Card anyone, including his superiors. He files
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit reports and claims to take orders, but half
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d6 of what he writes is fabricated and he
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate operates effectively free of oversight.
d6, Investigate d8, Notice d6, Persuasion There are fifteen agents in the
d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8 office, all of them intensely loyal to AiC
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Willard Gurley. After some bitter
Toughness: 7 experiences, they have learned not to
Hindrances: Loyal (to the Agency—and trust local law enforcement and seldom if
perhaps other parties as well) ever cooperate with them.
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Connections, The Bedlam office runs deep
Take the Hit, Tough as Nails undercover operations, for the most part.

84
They’ve been playing extremely fast and Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
loose with the rules, getting in much too Toughness: 5
deep and breaking all sorts of laws. They Hindrances: Dependant (wife and kids),
have bought, sold and used drugs. They Habit (coke addict), Paranoid, Vengeful,
have undertaken criminal errands up to and Vow (to wipe crime out of Bedlam)
including murder in order to infiltrate gangs. Edges: Charismatic, Command, Hold the
AiC Gurley is malignly obsessed with Line, Inspire, Frenzy, Quick, Quick-Draw
bringing down the Mara from the inside, and Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
his loyal troops have actually been willing to Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
help wipe out some of the Mara’s enemies in protects his chest), Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
exchange for being brought closer into their Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire
world. 1)
This is not the only operation they
currently have in play. Whenever the PCs Background: Willard Gurley has always
encounter a gang of drug-dealers, whether been wound too tight. Angry, paranoid and
it‘s in Wolverton, the Country Club, the vengeful, he has a reputation as something
Shady Meadows mobile home park or even between a tireless crusader and a
Stone Ridge, there is always a small chance dangerous fanatic. That’s why his superiors
that one or more members of the gang is sent him to Bedlam. They wanted to keep
actually an infiltrator from the local office of him busy in a place where he couldn’t do
the DEA. The only criminal organization much harm to the DEA’s reputation (after
they aren’t presently investigating is the all, no one cares if Bedlam gets shot up a
Bedlam Mafia, since that’s the FBI’s turf and little worse.) But the city has driven him
the two offices don’t get along. Gurley around the bend. After a few encounters
himself is getting increasingly paranoid and with crooked Bedlam cops he has decided
fanatical, and he’s been taking far too much that no one but the men in his unit can be
speed. trusted—even his superiors in DC are
suspect. He files false reports on his
Generic DEA Agent activities and refuses to cooperate in any
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, way with the local authorities.
Strength d6, Vigor d6 He’s also grown extremely trigger-
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, happy. He shot one of his own men for
Intimidate d6, Investigate d6, Notice d6, disloyalty about six months ago, and is
Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 convinced that he was manipulated into
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; doing it by the Mob. There are probably
Toughness: 5 other traitors in the group, he’s decided.
Hindrances: Loyal (to AIC Gurley) Who knows what they might get him to do
Edges: Combat Reflexes next? His speed addiction has been getting
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 worse, too, and he seldom sleeps for more
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only than a few hours at a time.
protects his chest), Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Gurley is a small but athletic
Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire African-American man with a furrowed brow
1) or Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48, and bloodshot eyes. He’s a sharp dresser,
Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40). favoring colorful silk shirts and expensive
sport jackets. He wears his shirt open,
Willard Gurley revealing his thin gold chain—a gift from his
Wild Card wife. She lives in the Maryland suburbs of
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Washington, DC with his son and daughter.
Strength d6, Vigor d6 He hasn’t spoken to them in months. He
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d8, Guts d8, keeps calling, but as soon as he hears their
Intimidate d6, Notice d6, Shooting d8, voices on the phone he can’t bear to speak
Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 to them and he quickly hangs up.

85
The UNICORN Conspiracy theorists talk about a secret
government agency with an unknown
budget, vast resources and virtually no
oversight from anyone. The feds swallow
nervously when you ask them about these
rumors, for they have all heard them too.
It’s impossible to say whether such
a thing exists, somewhere outside the law,
in the shadowy world of secret budgets and
classified locations. Both conspiracy
theorists and actual government wonks have
taken to calling this mysterious, unseen
shadow agency “the UNICORN,” for it is a
mythic beast, seldom glimpsed, whose very
existence is in doubt. Out of a sense of
pride, the men and women who actually
work for the UNICORN have started calling it
that, too.
UNICORN isn’t a single monolithic
entity. Since it’s an “off-the-books” agency,
not even its own personnel know precisely
how large it is or how many government
agencies it has its tendrils in. It has no
official name, but UNICORN will do for now.
Not exactly an espionage
organization, they are mostly concerned
with creating, monitoring and neutralizing
parahumans. Part super-soldier crèche, part
commando squad, part secret detention
program, they build superhumans, use them
in covert operations overseas, and when
necessary, they make them disappear. A
large part of their work is done under the
auspices of the Department of Defense, but
they routinely ignore the Third Amendment
provisions about operating on American soil.
If the GM likes, there have been two
public scandals involving the UNICORN. In
the 1970s, Senator Frank Church uncovered
the CIA’s secret mind-control and
parahuman research program, MK Ultra (this
really happened in our world, too.) The
Church Committee hearings revealed all
kinds of irresponsible, illegal and unethical
experiments that MK Ultra’s doctors were
performing on American and Canadian
citizens, with no legal authorization
whatsoever. Repulsive Nazi doctor stuff,
often with little scientific basis. They gave
LSD and lobotomies to unsuspecting people,
performed sick medical experiments on
prisoners and on graduate students and on
random people snatched off the street.

86
 It appears that former CIA Director Project SHIRAZ, Project OUTLOOK
Allen Dulles thought the Chinese had UNLIMITED, Project DAMOCLES—who
developed a secret brainwashing technique knows what sinister things may be lurking
which could destroy and rebuild the human under these opaque titles? Their operatives
personality (this wasn’t true) and that it was are officially assigned to one or another
critical for America to close the secret military unit (PDI, the Pentagon
“brainwashing gap,” that desperate Defense Force, the National Reconnaissance
measures were called for (still part of our Office) and may not know they work for the
own history, every bit of it—read the Church UNICORN. Sometimes the different Projects
Committee’s findings if you feel skeptical.) may fight one another, unaware that they’re
These hearings led to the CIA working toward a single goal.
publicly apologizing, turning many of its A lot of their agents have
records over to public scrutiny, firing a lot of superhuman powers. Perhaps as many as
its personnel and reorganizing itself. But in one in four of them will have some minor
the game world where Bedlam is set, we’re abilities (invisibility, mind-reading, etc).
going to assume that a lot of MK Ultra’s They have access to much tougher agents
weirder projects escaped the Church as well, but not very many of them. At least
Committee’s notice and were hastily a few of their battlesuits, psychics and
reassigned to the Pentagon. Most of their cyborgs are in the same power range as
programs on creating and neutralizing Player Character superheroes. A few may
superhumans, for example, never saw the be even tougher. They sometimes hire
light of day and vanished into the superhuman agents from military/security
Department of Defense, where they became contractors like Executive Solutions or
the nucleus of the UNICORN. Corporate Consultations to supplement their
If you like, there may have been a superhuman muscle. They almost always
second scandal much more recently, within recruit military or intelligence personnel—
the past ten years, where the existence of the organization seems to have little to no
the UNICORN was publicly revealed after a reach inside the federal law-enforcement
botched mission in the Middle East resulted agencies (FBI, DEA, the Federal Marshals,
in a lot of civilian casualties. A second set of etc.) Yet they are not officially a military
Senate hearings questioned whether or not outfit and seem to be very careful about not
the UNICORN really existed, whether allowing any of their personnel to salute, call
anyone knew how big they had grown, how their superiors “sir” or refer to themselves
many secret bases they operated, how by their military rank.
many different super-soldier programs they Some observers will tell you that the
might be running. Supposedly the most frightening thing about the UNICORN
Department of Defense came clean, cut the is actually how disorganized it appears to
program drastically and curtailed its growing be. It’s possible that it’s become so secret
power—but nobody knows if that’s true. and so compartmentalized that not even its
How can you say for sure how big an leaders are fully aware of its scope or of
organization with a secret budget really is? what all of its branches are doing. It’s
Or how much power they still have? If this frightening enough to think of it as a
second set of hearings took place in your shadow government, but worse to think of it
game world, than the name “UNICORN” is as a pilotless juggernaut, crashing endlessly
common knowledge, but everyone thinks it forward with no one at the helm.
isn’t really the organization’s name, that the Newer operatives often ask what
term “UNICORN” was thought up by the acronym UNICORN stands for. They are
conspiracy theorists and encouraged by the told that this is strictly need-to-know
gullible media. information which they aren’t cleared for.
Researchers who study the But in fact it probably isn’t an acronym at all
UNICORN say that it seems to be organized and doesn’t stand for anything.
into a number of separate “Projects” that all Does the UNICORN have operatives
have bland, military sounding code names. in Bedlam? No one knows.

87
Agent of the UNICORN mind-wipe program is strictly voluntary, but
most agents opt to use it. Once you’ve
worked for the UNICORN, you’d probably
prefer not to remember some of the things
you’ve done.

PFPA Psychic Agent

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,

Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6,
Intimidation d8, Investigation d6,
Knoweledge (Government Secrets) d6,
Notice d6, Persuade d6, Shooting d8,
Streetwise d4, Stealth d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 6 (1 point of Heavy Armor)
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Quick-Draw
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor),
Stiletto (Damage: d6+1), Souped-up pistol
(Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d6+1, ROF 3,
Wild Card
AP 2), Hidden Communicator.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Background: Typically, the UNICORN’s
Skills: Fighting d4, Intimidate d8+2,
best agents won’t know their own names.
Knowledge (Government Secrets) d6,
They’ve mostly come out of secret
Knowledge (Psi) d8, Notice d8, Stealth d6,
commando units, but some have followed
Taunt d10
much stranger career paths. Many are on
Charisma: +1, Pace: 6, Parry: 4,
loan from a variety of other secret agencies.
Toughness: 4
Quite a few are former agents for one or
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
another of America’s enemies. There is a
Charismatic, Danger Sense, Mentalist
brainwashing firm in northern Virginia that
Hindrances: Habit (addicted to psi-drugs),
selectively edits the memories of their
Loyal, Quirk (has done terrible things,
operatives, so that they can’t betray
sometimes wakes up crying just thinking
compromising secrets under interrogation.
about them)
Some even carry on double lives, with jobs
Super Powers:
and families outside the world of espionage,
• Awareness: Danger Sense
only reverting to their agent personality
when activated by a code phrase. The

88
• Attack, Ranged: Range 12/24/48, Gear: Machine-Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
Damage 2d6. (Mind Blast) Damage 2d6+1, Rate of Fire 3, Autofire,
• Deflection: -4 to incoming ranged Armor Piercing 2, Three round burst)
attacks.
• Illusion (4): 16” cubed, Targeted Background: Not all of the Pentagon’s
• Mind Control: Mind Wipe efforts to create super-soldiers ended in
• Mind Reading: Mind Rider failure. These cybernetically enhanced
•Telepathy agents aren’t as tough as actual
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, superheroes, but they are far stronger and
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1) more durable than men made out of mere
Background: The Pentagon Force flesh and bone.
Protection Agency is officially a civilian Dept. There are some drawbacks to the
of Defense group assigned to protecting the process. The cybernetic implants cause
grounds of the Pentagon itself. Their them tremendous discomfort and shorten
budget is completely “Black” for security their lifespan unpredictably. Some guys go
reasons. No one is allowed to know how psychotic from the pain, if they don’t take
much money they are spending or what it’s enough medication to control it or their
for. As a result, it’s a convenient cover for nervous system just happens to be wired
the UNICORN to spend as much money as it the wrong way. Others suddenly go into
likes on whatever it likes. For the most part, shock and drop dead for no apparent
it uses PFPA to house its superhuman reason. How long you stay in the program
agents. They don’t manufacture cyborgs and how long they keep the implants in you
and psychics—that’s all handled by various is therefore something of a calculated risk.
secret research projects, scattered through With constant monitoring, most guys
the system. Instead, they pay them, and manage to serve for six or seven years
organize them into strike teams. without shaving more than twenty off their
Some of their psi agents are relative life expectancy.
weaklings, but if they think they’re going up As you might expect, the program
against actual superbeings (the PCs, for attracts some very driven guys. Some of
example) they’ll send one of the really them are willing to endure the pain of
heavy hitters—like the agent listed here. service out of patriotic fervor, some do it in
order to show that they are the best, some
PFPA Cyborg are looking for adventure and a few really
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, dig pain.
Strength d12+1, Vigor d10 Most of them are recruited from
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, military intelligence, but they find a few in
Notice d4+2, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, commando units as well. It’s hard to tell
Throwing d6 what branch of the armed forces they come
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; from since they don’t wear uniforms—
Toughness: 9 instead they dress a lot like Secret Service
Hindrances: Habit (constantly takes bodyguards, with conservative suits and
painkillers in order to function), Loyal, sunglasses. Most of them are in their
Terminally Ill thirties, but some are a little older. They
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), are almost always quiet and professional,
Power Points and seldom speak.
Super Powers: Despite the fact that they wear
• Attack, Melee: +2d6 civilian clothes, they are all military service
• Darkvision personnel, with ranks. While they are
• Leaping 3: (8 inches Vertical, 16 inches attached to the Pentagon Force Protection
Horizontal) Agency their ranks are merely provisional—
• Heightened Senses whether they are captains, lieutenants or
• Toughness +2 humble NCOs in the mainstream armed
• Wall Walker forces, while they serve under PFPA they
are all just “Agents.”

89
Powered-Armor Agent inadequate radiation shielding that leaves
most operators sterile in a few months and
gives nearly all of them cancer within ten
years. Yet despite this and other draw-
backs, there is never any shortage of
volunteers.
It’s possible that the UNICORN
might have some much tougher super-suits
on the shelf somewhere, waiting for a
super-being to piss them off badly enough
to activate them.

Researcher for the UNICORN

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit

d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d8,
Repair d8, Shooting d6, Streetwise d4
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 9 (3 points of Heavy Armor)
Hindrances: Loyal
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
Power Points
Gear: Armored Power Suit (see below)
Super Powers: (All powers in Power
Armor, a Device)
• Armor: Armor +3, Heavy Armor.
• Broadcast: Extra Range
• Darkvision
• Force Control (13): Super-Attributes
Level 4 (Str d12+1), Force Field (+4
Toughness)
Background: They don’t call them in very
often, but when they need the extra muscle
the UNICORN can produce a seemingly
unlimited number of goons in powered
armor. This is way too indiscreet for most
missions, so if you ever even see these
guys, you know their bosses must be feeling
desperate. These agents aren’t as tough as
a typical armored superhero, but they can
throw them at a target in waves if they have Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
to. d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
The suits themselves are prone to a Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Healing d8,
host of technical problems, including Knowledge (pick two or three fields) d10+2,
Notice d6, Repair d8+2,

90
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; (called US Attorneys) who serve under the
Toughness: 4 Attorney General and are appointed by the
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science), President. Federal courts and prosecutors
Gadgeteer, Mechanical Genius, Mister Fix-It, only prosecute federal crimes.
Scholar There is no federal courthouse in
Hindrances: Cautious, Loyal, Quirk (Crazy, Bedlam—it isn’t big enough. Federal cases
has no concience or feels tormented by the are heard in the nearby metropolis that
awful things they have to do in the service Bedlam sits in the shadow of.
of their country—pick one)
Super Powers: Inventor The District Attorney’s Office
In Bedlam, the DA is an elected position,
Background: The UNICORN draws its rather than an appointed one. Yet the
researchers from all quarters of the Mad current DA, Cord Killingsworth, was not
Science community. Some are former CIA elected—at least at first.
associates from Third World countries, who DA Monkowski got removed by the
used to perform medical experiments on the state authorities for corruption, wire-fraud
behalf of America’s interests until Amnesty and deviancy and the Governor appointed
International and the war crimes tribunals Killingsworth as his temporary replacement.
got too close. Some are former super- That’s illegal, but the city didn’t have the
criminals who managed to cut a deal. Some resources to litigate, and anyway
were recruited from Soviet death-labs after Killingsworth was efficient, capable and
Communism fell and the risk of prosecution popular. He won an election last year, and
grew too great for them to stay in Russia. A the issue of his legitimacy has gone away.
few may be actual Nazi researchers, still DA Killingsworth seems to be on a
alive and toiling away in the pursuit of mission to clean up Bedlam and he’s willing
science after all these years. But the to cut corners to do it. He does not take
majority of them are just brilliant kids, bribes to go easy on organized crime, but he
recruited straight out of college with the doesn’t stop his Assistant DAs from doing it.
promise of exciting work in the service of Nor does he tell them to break the law,
their country. Some of these bright young plant evidence, intimidate witnesses or
things go mad after they see the kind of perjure themselves. There is an unspoken
stuff that they will have to do for the understanding that they are supposed to
UNICORN, some defect or have to be increase the conviction rate, and they do
executed, but most learn to cope, or even to what is required to ensure that this
enjoy the work. happens. The boss ignores evidence of
wrongdoing. Or perhaps he throws a bad
The Court System Assistant DA to the wolves if it becomes
There are basically three types of courts. impossible to sweep things under the rug.
Municipal courts handle smaller matters like Right now, the two fastest rising
traffic violations, small claims and stars in the DA’s office are Ronnie
sometimes minor crimes like disorderly Hagstrom, who has been doing most of the
conduct. They are overseen by judges and really shady stuff and Kim Casteel, who
don’t require juries. Trial courts handle never breaks any rules, and seems to get by
serious crimes and serious lawsuits. purely on her good looks, boundless energy
Criminal cases are heard by juries, civil and talent. Neither one seems to be on the
cases (lawsuits) are decided in trial courts, take, but neither one seems anxious to
by juries or by judges. Appellate courts meddle with the Mafia, either. Casteel in
review the decisions of lower courts. particular is always eager to give mob
Federal trial and appellate courts defendants a good deal. It’s almost as if
are a separate system from local and state they had something on her…
courts. The feds have their own prosecutors

91
DA Cord Killingsworth and get a few witnesses to lie in order to
Wild Card get convictions. He knows that’s how it’s
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, done. In fact that’s why Eat ‘em Up Jack
Strength d8, Vigor d6 went berserk in the courtroom and ripped
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, off his arm—he realized that he’d been set
Intimidation d8+2, Investigation d4, up. However, Killingsworth thinks it’s
Knowledge (Law) d8, Knowledge (Bedlam) beneath his dignity to do dirty stuff himself,
d8, Notice d6, Persuade d6, Streetwise d4 so he relies on his Assistant DAs to do it for
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; him.
Toughness: 5 The Mafia doesn’t worry him as
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections much as the capes. And it’s hard to get
(Bedlam City Government), Strong-Willed convictions against them in Bedlam—it can
(+2 to to resist Intimidate or Taunt) be hazardous to your health, too!
Hindrances: One Arm, Vow (get revenge Killingsworth is beyond caring whether he
on all superhumans everywhere) lives or dies, but if he gets killed he can’t
continue his crusade and all those
Background: They call him “the Hook” parahuman @#$%s will go unpunished for
because of his prosthetic left arm. He has what they did to his arm. The Hook’s wife
some ugly scars on that side of his body, as divorced him years ago, and while people
well. He jokes that he got them trying to think of him as an eligible bachelor, he is
scratch himself with his hook. That’s about interested in only the most casual kind of
as close to being funny as he gets. Grim, affair. His wife says she left him because he
driven, all-but humorless, he never smiles. had become so crazy and morose after he
Handsome, in a hawk-nosed, dark-haired, lost his arm, but he’s sure she just couldn’t
brooding kind of way, he has some scars on stand the sight of his hideous, crippled
the left side of his face but they just add to body. He has always disliked handicapped
his rugged appeal. people for being so contemptibly weak, but
He’s on a lonely crusade for justice. now he hates them so much he can barely
Ten years ago, while he was still an stand to look at them.
Assistant County Prosecutor, a supervillain His daughter keeps trying to call
called “Eat ‘em Up Jack” tore off his arm and him—she’s nine and she desperately misses
Killingsworth has been obsessed with her dad. But she has Cerebral Palsy and
vengeance ever since. Eat ‘em Up Jack died she disgusts him, so he won’t take her calls.
in prison two years after the incident, so He’s thinking about having a restraining
instead the Hook is going to have his order taken out against her.
revenge on all superhumans and mask-
wearing bastards everywhere. He does Generic Assistant DA
what he can to hurt them from his position Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
as DA, but he has much grander ambitions. Strength d6, Vigor d6
He intends to get to a higher office, where Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d4, Guts d6,
he can accomplish a lot more. Possibly as Intimidation d6, Investigation d4,
high as State Attorney General or even Knowledge (Law) d6, Knowledge (Bedlam)
Governor. To get there, he’s going to have d6, Notice d6, Persuade d6, Streetwise d4,
to do something about crime in Bedlam. Taunt d6
Increasing his conviction rate is his key to Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
higher office. And he’ll do whatever it takes Toughness: 5
to bring those numbers up. He’s aware that Edges: Connections (Bedlam City
this means convicting people who may be Government)
innocent. But no one is innocent, he feels, Background: Most of the Assistant DAs are
especially if they’re from Wolverton or loyal to Killingsworth and willing to bend a
Hardwick Park. few rules for him. Only a few are willing to
Back when he was an Assistant bend as many rules as Ronnie Hagstrom
County Prosecutor, he had to plant evidence (see below.)

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Assistant DA Wally Slocomb Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Toughness: 5
Strength d6, Vigor d4 Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d4, Guts d6, (Bedlam City Government), Strong-Willed
Knowledge (Law) d4, Knowledge (Bedlam) (+2 to to resist Intimidate or Taunt)
d4, Notice d6, Persuade d6, Streetwise d4 Hindrances: Heartless, Mean, Quirk
Charisma: -2; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; (Ruthless bully, will do whatever is required
Toughness: 5 to advance his career)
Edges: Connections (Bedlam City Gear: Big Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage
Government) 2d6+1, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 10)
Hindrances: Obese, Quirk (Lazy, cowardly,
avoids work, fear and pain equally), Ugly, Background: A rising young guy in the
Yellow DA’s office, Ronnie Hagstrom has the good
Background: DA Killingsworth has tried to looks and charm for higher office and he
keep councilman “Big Andy” Czernik’s knows it.
people out of his department. He’s afraid A grinning blonde bully, both in and
they’ll steal money or do something out of the courtroom, he’s headed for the
flagrantly corrupt and get the state or top by whatever means prove necessary.
federal authorities breathing down The way to get there, he thinks, is to kill as
everyone’s neck. That’s how Monkowski got many non-white defendants as possible, so
removed. But he hasn’t been able to he’s racking and stacking ‘em, sending as
completely keep them out. many guys to the death chamber as he can.
Wally Slocomb acts as Big Andy’s Whether or not any of them are guilty is
eyes and ears within the department. isn’t really his chief concern. Nor, he
Fortunately, he’s too lazy and incompetent suspects, will it be a problem for the folks
to do much harm, and too untrustworthy for whose votes he wants. Black and brown
the Scarpias to call on him for any really faces on death row are what they like to
important favors. see. To speed the process along, he has
Slocomb is a big fat drunken mess gotten involved with Detective Parnell Slope
with a patchy attempt at a beard. He often (see his individual description on Page 76)
shows up late or calls in sick. He throws who has been torturing up a steady stream
away his money at the dog track and while of dubious convictions for him. This is a
he’d be happy to supplement his income whole lot easier than going to all the trouble
with a bribe or two, he lacks the energy of coercing witnesses and planting fake
required to extort one from anybody. Nor evidence himself—although he still does.
does he have the force of personality It’s too much fun to resist. The look on
required to intimidate a slug, or the brains some poor guy’s face when he realizes that
required to do a good job of planting he’s been set up, that he’s actually going to
evidence. He always looks baffled and die for no good reason, it’s priceless, a thing
nervous, as if at any second somebody of beauty. Hagstrom gets along great with
might find out that he has no idea what’s Detective Slope and his crew. Once he gets
going on around him. elected District Attorney, he’s sure to make
Slope an Assistant DA to follow in his
Assistant DA Ronnie Hagstrom footsteps.
Wild Card Hagstrom fancies himself a pretty
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, tough guy, and he is. He lifts weights
Strength d8, Vigor d6 constantly, boxes at a private health club
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, three nights a week and most importantly,
Intimidation d8+2, Investigation d4, has the stone-cold psychopathic viciousness
Knowledge (Law) d6, Knowledge (Bedlam) that most actual criminals yearn for. He
d8, Notice d6, Persuade d6, Shooting d8, always goes armed—not because he expects
Streetwise d4, Taunt d8+2 trouble, but because he might like to start
some.

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Assistant District Attorney Kim Casteel odd and fake. When she isn’t at work, she
devotes time to six or seven volunteer
organizations, takes courses, participates in
ballroom dancing competitions and runs
marathons.
She is not presently involved with
anyone, although she goes on casual dates
all the time—sometimes as many as three in
one night. None of her dates ever gets
more than a kiss on the cheek, but that’s
okay by most of them. Despite being
conventionally beautiful, there is something
about her that turns most guys off.
Something hard to define.
People are starting to whisper
behind her back that she’s a robot—
probably one of “Master-Bot’s” failed
creations (you can find out more about this
annoying arch-villain on Page 348.) She
must have bought some fake ID from the
Mafia and moved to Bedlam, where people
don’t ask very many questions. After all,
Wild Card she never prosecutes any cases against
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit organized crime, as if they had something
d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 on her.
Skills: Fighting d10, Knowledge (Law) d8, If this is true, then the city could be
Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, Notice d4, in a lot of trouble. Should it be proved in
Persuade d10, Shooting d4, Stealth d8 court that she has no actual law degree—
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; that she isn’t even human, it would allow all
Toughness: 8 the dozens of cases she’s worked on to get
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Sweep appealed. And the mess gets even bigger if
Hindrances: Disability (Color Blind, no she turns out to have been influenced by
Sense of Smell), Quirk (Trying much too organized crime. For now her boss is
hard to be human), Quirk (Doesn’t know covering for her. Meanwhile the rumors are
how to repair herself), Quirk (never sleeps) spreading.
Special Abilities
• Armor +1: (Heavy Armor) Adventure Seed: Bride of Master-Bot
• Construct: +2 to recover from being Someone spots the infamous supervillain
Shaken. Called shots do no extra damage. known as Code Name: Wifebeater at Bub’s
Does not suffer from disease or poison. restaurant in downtown Bedlam, talking
• Fearless with some of the Sicilian guys who hang out
Background: Assistant DA Casteel works there late at night. This is one of the places
harder than anyone else in the department. where Donny Scarpia hangs out. Has the
A little too hard, people say. They are Scarpia Family hired a supervillain? If so,
starting to notice the tireless, dogged way then why?
she pursues cases, her flawless memory for Not long thereafter, the Player
facts, the number of hours she puts in and Characters hear that a document forger
wonder out loud if she ever finds time to named Willy Ying has disappeared. He lived
sleep. And not as a joke. over a crummy Chinese restaurant in the
Kim is a little too pretty to be an Meadows called “Good Chinese” (more
Assistant DA, really—she looks more like an commonly known “Bad Chinese”.) One or
actress hired to play one on TV. Always two witnesses swear they saw Code Name:
carefully formal, she smiles a lot, but it looks Wifebeater lurking around Good Chinese.

94
Then one of the witnesses vanishes and the Wifebeater suddenly pops up out of
rest abruptly clam up. nowhere and advances on them. Then he
And then the robot attacks begin. gets a phone call. “Really?” he says into his
Dozens of Model 111 robots (Master-Bot’s cell phone. “So it’s off? I am still getting
primary servitor-model) begin showing up in paid, I assure you!” Then he waves
public places, smashing stuff and goodbye to the PCs and to Ms. Casteel and
demanding that Master-Bot’s wife come walks away.
home. Master-Bot has a wife? What was really going on here?
The PCs will have several chances to The Scarpia Borgatta found out that Master-
tangle with the robots in public. During one Bot was back in town before anyone else
such incident, the robots show up outside knew about it. They hastily decided to
the offices of the District Attorney, yelling eliminate both Kim Casteel herself and the
that “stupid bad-life humans are am all forger who prepared her fake documents. If
return Master-Bot’s bride to us!” it comes out that she was (as they suspect)
Code-Name: Wifebeater arrives at a robot, and that she was going easy on
the scene and is caught completely mob defendants, it would direct far too
unawares. A three-way battle ensues and much attention to the family. Willy Ying did
the PCs capture Wifebeater (if they can’t do a lot of good work for them over the years,
it by themselves, then he gets injured by a but it was time for him to go. Killing a
robot and it slows him down enough for robotic Assistant DA posed some unknown
them to catch up with him.) He won’t say challenges, so Dapper Donny reluctantly
anything about what he was doing there. consented to hire a supervillain.
Once they have a high-profile When Wifebeater confronted Kim
defendant like Wifebeater, the Bedlam after the attack, he planned to finish her off,
criminal justice system moves with but since Master-Bot wasn’t actually after
uncharacteristic haste. Wifebeater is to be Kim there was no longer any risk of
arraigned the next day. Assistant District exposure and no reason to kill her. It’s a
Attorney Kim Casteel is assigned to the shame they can’t bring Willie Ying back from
case. As his captors, the PCs are called to the dead, but life goes on.
testify.
Wifebeater represents himself, Judges of Note
giggling and cutting up and carrying on in Not a comprehensive list by any means,
the courtroom. Just as the court is about to here are some of the judges that Player
get down to business, robots swarm the Characters might find themselves in front of.
building. Master-Bot has come in person
and he’s brought a whole bunch of big Judge Howard Leeth
tough com-bots with him. A huge battle Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
erupts throughout the building. Wifebeater Strength d6, Vigor d4
may or may not get loose. Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Investigation
Then, as Master-Bot himself strides d4, Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Knowledge
into the courthouse, one of the (Law) d8, Notice d6, Streetwise d6
stenographers meekly steps forward and Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
says that she’ll go back with him. All she Toughness: 4
ever wanted was to see what the world was Hindrances: Quirk (deeply depressed)
like. She pulls off her fake skin, revealing
gleaming metal underneath. (this is Steel Background: The city is eating him alive—
Selina—see Page 349.) Oddly, her voice he can barely stand it anymore. Judge
sounds exactly like Kim Casteel’s. Leeth has tried to retire three times. He's
Wifebeater’s case is declared a always been turned down, so he staggers
mistrial. The two robots leave together, on. He's a mournful, disheveled looking
Selina hanging her head sadly. man in middle age, with a thick untidy mop
If the PCs talk to Kim Casteel about of gray hair that he doesn't bother to comb,
this incident afterwards, Code Name stubble on his cheeks, a long, horsy face

95
and sunken, bloodshot eyes. Everything Czernik. He doesn't know the law very well,
about him seems to slump. He moves and will often dismiss precedents cited by
slowly, as though in pain, and never, ever the defense with the words "I ain't heard of
smiles. that ruling, and even if I did I wouldn't go
Weary, exhausted and depressed, by it."
he hears most cases with his head propped Prosecutors love him, because he
in his hands. When he gets really unhappy, takes their side. The press loves him
he puts his face down flat. because he's a loudmouth and sometimes
There are actually some advantages inflicts weird and humiliating punishments
to drawing Judge Leeth. He's too tired of on defendants. The Mafia loves him
life to be intimidated or take a bribe. In fact because he does whatever they tell him to.
that's why the city is killing him. A more Judge Krummel still lives in Stark
callous man would be able to take the Hill, in the same row-house where he grew
things he has to see in stride. Instead he up, and is fond of saying so. He has a
complained about it so much to his wife that second home in Florida, and spends as
she killed herself. His kids hold him much of his time there as he can.
responsible and want nothing more to do
with him. Judge Miriam Burdett
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d4,
Judge Barry Krummel Strength d4, Vigor d4
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge
Strength d8, Vigor d6 (Bedlam) d4, Knowledge (Law) d6, Notice
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, d4 (-2 to notice via auditory senses)
Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, Knowledge (Law) Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 4;
d4, Notice d4, Shooting d6, Taunt d8 Toughness: 4
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Edges: Rich
Toughness: 5 (2/4) Hindrances: Clueless, Elderly, Hard of
Edges: Connections (Bedlam City Hearing, Quirk (sometimes acts weird and
Government) unpredictable)
Hindrances: Quirk (bigot), Stubborn Background: The oldest jurist in the state,
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 Judge Burdett hasn't been quite right for
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only years. Her husband and son look after her
protects his chest) at their huge house in Stone Ridge. Mr.
Burdett has no useful source of income,
Background: They call him "Barry the while their son is a Star Trek watching
Hammer." He's a tough old guy from Stark slacker, so it's imperative that they keep her
Hill who looks like he played football in on the bench.
college and seems to comb his hair with The city needs her too, since they
buttered toast. His face is battered, lined don't have nearly enough judges and the
and constantly red with fury, but you can court calendar is already packed far over
see he was once handsome. capacity. Everyone tries to cover for her
A famously outspoken jurist, he lapses and odd behavior on the bench. The
claims to be "tough on crime", by which he clerks of the court do their best to keep
means tough on people from Wolverton. really important, high-profile cases away
Barry the Hammer is famous for his no- from her, but sometimes they get
holds barred approach to cleaning up the overloaded and there's no one else.
streets. So long as the perpetrators aren't She can run a courtroom
white or rich or cops or connected to the competently enough. But her short-term
Bedlam Mafia, he gives them the maximum memory sometimes fails her and at times
penalty the law allows. He's also known for she will blurt out non-sequiturs or do
making outrageously racist remarks to the something unaccountably strange. She's
press, and for his close personal friendship particularly prone to random outbursts of
with Municipal Councilman "Big Andy" swearing.

96
 Judge Burdett is a tiny, hunched at a private high school in Pennsylvania and
woman with thinning white hair and a Ida is already on the rampage at Yale, the
seemingly endless collection of huge, little Dickens.
outrageous hats.
The Probation Department
Judge Alton Pfeffner III Bedlam’s probation officers are responsible
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, for making sure that parolees and people on
Strength d6, Vigor d6 probation meet the terms of their release,
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d4, Knowledge that they show up for court dates,
(Bedlam) d4, Knowledge (High Society) d8, community service and any mandatory
Knowledge (Fine Wines) d8, Knowledge therapy (drug rehab, for example, or anger
(Law) d4, Notice d4, Shooting d6 management counseling.) Probation officers
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; answer directly to the DA’s office, rather
Toughness: 5 than to the Bedlam Police.
Edges: Connections (Bedlam Society), Rich Badly understaffed, they don’t have
Hindrances: Quirk (not paying much enough time to give most of their cases
attention to what’s happening in his anything more than cursory attention.
courtroom) Unless of course your probation officer
decides that they don’t like you, or gets
Background: He never wanted to be a pressure from above to come down hard on
judge, but he didn't know what else to do you, or decides to shake you down for
with his time, apart from whiling it away in a bribes. In fact shakedowns are rare, since
deck chair on a yacht. He hates the law, the job is so notoriously thankless that most
hates everything to do with it. All of his really crooked officers seek other, easier
brothers and cousins became partners at work. Instead this tends to be the realm of
major firms in New York, or sat on the unambitious timewasters, failures and
federal bench judging the legality of drunks, as well as the occasional crusader
corporate mergers, never having to dirty out to do some good.
themselves by hearing sordid criminal cases. As official officers of the court,
But here he is, past fifty and still stuck in a probation officers can make arrests. Some,
dead-end job as a Bedlam city judge. He but not all of them choose to carry
prefers to hear civil cases, but even these handcuffs and sidearms.
are boring and ugly and he pays little
attention. Tall, thin, handsome and tanned, The Office of the Public Defender
with elegant white hair and a fatherly smile, A small, underfunded and frequently
he always looks as though he has just come misunderstood section of the criminal justice
in off the tennis court and he usually has. system, the Public Defender’s office is
He's notoriously inattentive, frequently supposed to ensure that every defendant in
getting details wrong or mishearing things the court system gets competent
people say. His command of the law is representation, whether they can afford a
weak, but he will listen and nod wisely while lawyer or not. If you opt to have “an
lawyers present him with complicated attorney appointed by the court” they will
arguments, his mind a thousand miles away. send you one of the overworked drudges
He drinks too much and likes from the Public Defender’s office.
cocaine, although he isn't an addict. He's The head of the office is the “Public
nowhere near so wild as he was back at Defender” herself, Tawanda Johnson. The
Yale—he's pretty sure he did something Public Defender is a largely ceremonial
unforgivable at one of those frat parties, post—they don’t actually work cases. That
something that could haunt him. He can't falls to the dozen or so Assistant Public
quite remember what it was. Defenders. This is actually a good thing.
Judge Pfeffner lives in Stone Ridge PD Johnson is a political appointee, and
with his wife Lillian. They have two while she has strong roots as a community
daughters. Alberta is presently raising hell activist in Wolverton, and great connections

97
with the Reverend Willy Boggs’ political Unfortunately, this is raising his
machine, she isn’t a terribly competent profile and making the Bedlam Police Force
attorney. In fact there are conflicting take notice. Last year he got an unjustly
reports as to whether or not she has ever accused kid off of a high-profile murder rap,
actually passed the bar exam (the fact that then got the detective who framed the kid
she has legally changed her name to fired—and then went on to find the real
“Attorney Tawanda Johnson” encourages killer himself! This will not do. Poor Fido
this kind of speculation.) may have a fatal accident if he keeps doing
“Attorney” Johnson is good-hearted stuff like that. But the stress of the job and
but inarticulate, and sometimes seems to his personal habits may kill him first.
have difficulty understanding the things
people say to her. She’s an inspiringly NPCs for the Office of the Public
passionate public speaker, even if her Defender
remarks sometimes make no sense. It’s an Here’s a handful of Public Defenders, in case
open secret that she’s being treated for you need them. PDs are a mixed lot. Some
bipolar disorder. are good, some are bad. Some practice this
Kindhearted though Ms. Johnson is, kind of law because they love it, others
you probably wouldn’t want her to represent because they can’t find decent work.
you in court. Too many of the Assistant PDs
aren’t much better. In fact the city has Generic Public Defender
been sued more than once by defendants Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
whose court-appointed lawyers showed up Strength d6, Vigor d6
drunk, slept through hearings, or simply Skills: Drive d6, Guts d4, Intimidation d4,
failed to appear. There are judges who Investigation d4, Knowledge (Law) d6,
would dearly like to put some of the least Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, Notice d6,
competent PDs in jail for negligence and Persuade d6, Streetwise d4, Taunt d6
contempt of court, but there’s already a Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
critical shortage of them. Some are Toughness: 5
ambitious young law school graduates who
want to make a difference in the Background: This is a typical specimen of
community, some are burnt-out, drunken the breed—neither one of the good ones or
failures who can’t find other work and a few one of the bad ones. They are probably
are competent attorneys who lack the pretty young and this is likely to be one of
charisma to make good trial lawyers. And their first jobs after passing the bar.
then there’s Fido.
Larry “Fido” Turwood is a great fat Larry “Fido” Turwood
ruin of a man with a scruffy beard and an Wild Card
irritating, nasal voice. He smokes constantly Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
and drinks too much in his off-hours. His d10, Strength d4, Vigor d4
clothes are rumpled and frayed, his Skills: Guts d10, Intimidation d6+2,
expression is meek. And he’s an incredible, Investigation d8+2, Knowledge (Law) d8,
amazing trial lawyer. Fiercely committed to Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Knowledge (Music)
protecting innocent people, he’s quite d8, Notice d8+2, Persuade d8, Streetwise
annoying and easy to underestimate. He’s d6+2, Taunt d8+2
also a cunning, fearless, ruthless debater. Charisma: +0; Pace: 5; Parry: 0;
He has an uncanny ability to provoke people Toughness: 5
who have something to hide into exploding Edges: Alertness, Charismatic, Investigator,
at him and revealing too much. His record Level-Headed, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
is far from perfect and he has seen too Intimidate and Taunt)
many innocent people get shafted by the Hindrances: Code of Honor, Habit (chain-
system, but he wins a surprising number of smokes), Habit (drinks too much when off-
cases. duty), Heroic, Obese, Ugly

98
Background: He looks like a mess. Fido Edges: Attractive, Connections (Bedlam City
Turwood weighs close to three hundred Court System)
pounds, has deep lines in his faces and a Hindrances: Quirk (full of herself), Quirk
graying beard. He smokes and he smells (dislikes minorities)
like it. His dress shirts are rumpled and his
tie has coffee stains. His eyes are deeply Background: Just a few years out of law
sunken on either side of his shapeless nose school, Mitzi took her current job because it
and never look as though he’s slept well. was the only thing available that would give
He’s also cursed with a braying, nasal voice. her actual courtroom experience. She has
But a sharp mind and a fearless soul already started to tire of it.
lurk behind his shabby exterior. He’s Thoughtless and shallow, she
completely dedicated to the cause of justice doesn’t have much sympathy for her clients.
and he fights with every ounce of his Early on she represented a couple of
considerable strength for it. Yet he’s also a defendants who were guilty of some awful
humble, unassuming guy who never boasts crimes, so now she assumes out of hand
about his accomplishments. While there are that all her clients are guilty and deserve
a number of people in the justice system he whatever punishment the court throws at
deeply hates (Assistant DA Ronnie Hagstrom them. Anyway the details of her cases are
and Detective Parnell Slope are particularly often icky and gross so she tries not to pay
high on his list) he doesn’t make pompous very careful attention. She’s a also afraid of
speeches at them or throw tirades when non-whites, although she wouldn’t ever
they run into each other—he limits himself admit this to herself, and always speaks to
to a few dry witticisms. her black and Hispanic clients in a slow,
You wouldn’t know it from his condescending tone of voice.
cheerful demeanor and his deadpan wit, but “Fido” Turwood gently pokes fun at
he finds this life incredibly stressful. He her for her lack of empathy, and she
smokes three packs of cigarettes a day and despises him for it. She also thinks he’s
drinks more than ten cups of coffee. In his physically attracted to her (he is) and this
off hours he sucks down bourbon and makes her loathe him all the more.
brushes up on casework. Divorced, he’s She’s a moderately pretty blonde,
pretty lonely and hopelessly lusts after every with short hair and a square, plain face.
cute girl in the office. Her hairdo and pantsuits are always up to
It might surprise people to know date. Her favorite retort is “what-ever.”
that he sings with a chorus, and that he has Mitzi is already looking for a job as a
a superb tenor voice, nothing like the reedy paralegal, or a document reviewer.
whine he speaks with. But he doesn’t get Anything that will take her out of the
enough opportunities to sing, his job Bedlam Public Defender’s office and away
consumes him so completely. from that creepy Fido guy.
His cigarettes and his drinking and
his weight may kill him soon, but it’s Corrections
possible that if he keeps winning cases Once the police and the courts have
something else will kill him first. (hopefully) done their work, the corrections
system takes over. There are three types of
Mitzi Fickerling correctional institutions. Jails hold people
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, who are awaiting trial or who are serving
Strength d4, Vigor d6 sentences for minor, municipal violations
Skills: Drive d6, Guts d4, Intimidation d6, (unpaid traffic tickets, for example.) Prisons
Investigation d4, Knowledge (Law) d6, hold inmates who have been convicted of
Notice d4, Persuade d6, Streetwise d4, state or federal offenses. Then there is the
Taunt d6 strange, vague world of institutions that
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 0; house prisoners with no legal rights—mental
Toughness: 5 institutions and juvenile detention facilities,
for example.

99
 We’ll cover all three in order, Because of all the rumors of abuse
starting with Bedlam’s City Jail. at the City Jail, it is now official jail policy
that any time guards enter an inmate’s cell
Bedlam City Jail they must carry a camcorder and tape the
A bulky old brick building that resembles a entire encounter, to make sure no one does
19th century factory, Bedlam’s jail is anything that could get the city sued. So
showing its age. Its wiring is ancient and whenever they want to give an inmate a
faulty, its walls are crumbling, its security beating, the guards note in the log that the
systems are hopelessly outdated. The camera isn’t working today.
guards don’t carry guns, because the jail There are security cameras all over
can’t afford them. Instead they rely on their the jail, but they seldom have a guard to
truncheons and their physical strength. spare for monitor duty, so all kinds of bad
They carry huge old walkie-talkies covered stuff happens right in front of the cameras
with duct tape that often don’t work. and never gets reported or even noticed.
This is where people who have The guards rarely even bother to turn the
broken municipal statutes get sent to serve security cameras off before they clobber
their time. If you get convicted of driving someone.
drunk or too many traffic tickets or a There is no computer database for
domestic assault, you will probably serve keeping track of prisoners at the City Jail.
your time at the City Jail. It’s also where Instead records are filed on numbered slips
suspects wait for their trials. There is of paper in a huge bank of wooden drawers
currently a backlog of untried cases at the that resembles a card catalogue. This slows
courthouse. Therefore, Bedlam’s down their administrative procedures
overcrowded City Jail sometimes has to hold considerably. Some detainees have missed
suspects for more than two years before their trial dates or release dates because the
their day in court. The authorities are trying jail couldn’t find them in time.
to solve the problem by putting lots of Perhaps as many as half the guards
suspects under house arrest, but there is at the jail are willing to take bribes. A few
presently a shortage of body beepers (and a shake down prisoners or their families for
lot of the ones they have don’t work protection money. Not many of them have
properly) so too many young men continue very good connections, so the dope they
to languish in the city jail for years at a can supply you with is pretty inferior, as are
time, without ever having been convicted of the cigarettes and booze. It’s hard for an
anything. inmate here to get much special treatment
A typical cell at the jail holds six no matter how much they pay for it, since
inmates, has Toughness 15 walls and a door there are so few amenities to go around.
made of Toughness 12 bars. Some of the Most mob guys can’t wait until they get out
doors (about one in twenty) are prone to of the Bedlam jail and into state prison,
jamming open or shut. where life can be a lot better for a Mafiosi
This is meant to be a 3,000 bed with favors and money to spend.
facility, but it currently houses about 5,000 Officially, the guards in the Bedlam
inmates and pretrial detainees. The ratio of Jail work for the County Sheriff’s
guards to prisoners is about 1/15. That’s department, rather than the city. But the
downright dismal, and it’s no surprise that Sheriff’s Department knows how crooked
it’s hard for them to keep order. Many they are and keeps them on a totally
guards resort to making inmates fear them separate career track from the other
as a way of exerting control. The best way deputies, to prevent the corruption from
to do this is to beat someone for no reason. spreading.
Clobber them senseless in front of their There is no superhuman
cellmates when they haven’t done anything containment unit in the Bedlam City Jail.
and everyone in that cell will treat you This is not where the Special Assault Squad
differently. takes captured superhumans to await trial.

100
Where do they take them? No one seems These privileges unofficially include being
to know. allowed to kill people.

Bald Knob Penitentiary Juvenile Hall

Down Route 5, past the Bedlam Airport (off Not quite every kid’s worst nightmare (that
the left edge of the map on Page 10) are would be Rainbow Acres Therapy Center),
two exits marked simply “Authorized Traffic it's close enough. This is where young
Only: Shoot-to-Kill Rule Enforced.” These offenders go if they aren't tried as adults.
exits lead to the former state prison at Bald No matter what your crime, the state has to
Knob (the big, bare, stony hill the prison release you on your eighteenth birthday.
stands on.) Sometimes, through incompetence or
These days the facility is privately malice, a kid's paperwork get lost or delayed
run by a big firm called Incarceration and they wind up staying much longer. The
International. They also run prisons in oldest resident is twenty-three.
Kazakhstan. Every parent with a kid in Juvenile
Bald Knob is a medium-security Hall complains that the facility is too far out
facility, but it has a maximum security wing, of town. Located west of Bedlam on Route
a supermax facility in the basement and a 2, it's hard to visit if you don't have a car.
special ultramax unit designed specifically to Juvenile Hall looks like a run-down
hold supervillains. Sometimes parahuman elementary school, except for the concertina
prisoners have been mysteriously wire around the playground. Few of the
transferred out of the ultramax wing and buildings are taller than one story. They
into federal custody. No one seems to know have dormitory-style facilities for 1,500 boys
exactly where they go. There are rumors and 600 girls. These are not separate cells,
that the feds may run a secret facility but big open barracks with rows upon rows
further upstate. of triple-decker bunk beds. Sometimes
Bald Knob is what they call a rough terrible things happen here after lights-out.
joint. Incarceration International has been Or during the middle of the day, for that
maximizing its profits by cutting services. matter.
Their medical facilities are completely Seven out of ten kids in Juvie are
inadequate, their law library is dangerously black. You might think that would mean
out of date, the food is bad and that Eentsy Z's coalition would rule the
overcrowding is getting steadily worse. roost, but in fact a lot of their mortal
Then there are the guards. A lot of them enemies, the A’s, are confined here too.
are locals from the nearby town of Bald That divides the black population enough
Knob, but the ones assigned to the highest that the Mara have a significant amount of
security wings are from Kazakhstan and live power too and no one gang really rules
in staff dormitories on site. Brutality is Juvie. The guards are about evenly divided.
common and corruption is rife among the Some owe their loyalties to the A's, some to
staff. Particularly the Kazaks, who also the Mara and some to the "Last of the Last"
don’t seem to speak English. (as Eentsy Z's boys are sometimes called.)
As a result of all these factors, There is an organized black market
prisoners have come close to rioting on among the guards as well. Too many of
several occasions. The Administration has them took this job because they like to
coped with this by making deals with the inflict beatings and...other things on young
prison gang-leaders. The Mara are strong boys. Small pretty boys are currency among
here, but the two prison warlords the a certain segment of the staff. They're
administration deals with most are former careful not to mess with anyone affiliated
Bedlam racketeer Lincoln Stone and Scarpia with the major gangs, however. Or to
family underboss “Joey Sideburns” Medrano. interfere with them as they go about their
So now both the Mob and Lincoln Stone’s business. You might think that wouldn’t
associates get all kinds of special privileges. leave them with a lot of boys to choose
from, but in fact there is always a never-

101
ending supply of frightened kids with no dorm rooms open directly off of the
gang affiliations who got sent here for balconies. They’ve all been converted to
shoplifting or curfew violation or because padded cells now. The wings of the main
their parents wanted to teach them a building are slowly falling apart. No one is
lesson. A boy will indeed learn many officially allowed down there. The ceilings
lessons here. keep caving in and spilling boxes of old
The current Chief Facilitator records everywhere.
(warden) at Juvenile Hall is Gary Spicer. A In 1920, Dr. Harwood Crawley
huge, fat, choleric man, he will proudly tell founded a private psychiatric hospital on the
you that he used to be a gang kid himself grounds of the Bedlam Girl’s Academy.
(he ran with the Stark Hill Viscounts), before Within five years he became the first
a career in corrections turned his life director of the asylum to take his own life.
around. That’s true. In fact he did time in Three others have since done the same.
this very same Juvenile Hall, where he These days the State Hospital is run
picked up his lifelong taste for what he still by a public-private partnership.
calls “lights-out delights.” The man takes a Unfortunately, the Bedlam City Government
lot of satisfaction in his job. For him, is one of the partners and they manage to
Juvenile Hall is a veritable palace of siphon off a lot of the hospital’s resources.
pleasure. As a result the facility suffers from chronic
underfunding and its grounds are a mess.
The Crawley Asylum They have a lot of administrative problems,
Officially named the Harwood Crawley State too—not the least of which is that no one
Hospital for the Criminally Insane, everyone wants to work here for very long. Even if
in Bedlam just calls it the Crawley Asylum. you don’t count the dismal working
It has been in operation since 1921. Many a conditions and dangerously dilapidated
madman’s tears have watered its cold brick infrastructure, something about this place
walls. Many prayers have echoed oppresses people. Or makes them
unanswered down its bleak corridors. dangerously obsessed with it. A surprising
Based on a fifty acre lot in the forest number of the staff have themselves
west of Bedlam (down Greely Road), the developed mental illnesses while working
Hospital is comprised of a dozen or so brick here.
buildings that have all seen better days. The patients are an unusual group.
Perhaps as many as six of them have No one is much interested in serial killers
become structurally unsound and either lie anymore. The psychiatric community feels
vacant or are stuffed with old broken it has learned about all it can from these
furniture and boxes of medical records, monsters and no longer bothers to study
slowing soaking up the rain from the leaking them very much. For the most part they get
roof. sent straight to death row for execution,
This used to be a girl’s school, but rather than to a mental hospital, even if
then it abruptly closed, back in 1919 (see they are obviously insane. They can’t be
the Bedlam Timeline, on Page 25.) It was rehabilitated, so why bother keeping them
organized around sororities with an alive? But in Bedlam a lot of psycho-killers
“international” theme. There is a faux got sentenced to indefinite psychiatric care
Greek temple where the girls of “Greek before the current fad of executing them
House” once lived, a sad little windmill with took hold. Many of them are still around.
its vanes missing, a green pagoda (perhaps Wilfred Skutch, the infamous Stark
the only pagoda you’ve ever seen with a Hill Strangler, is here. So is Harlan Wayne
screen door) and other ersatz international Fuchs, the “Cannibal Killer.” So is “Johnny
buildings. Smooth” Mulligan, who used to kill
The central structure was once the prostitutes by injecting them with bleach.
school’s administrative center and senior So is Capricorn, Bedlam’s most notorious
dormitory. It has a huge atrium/ballroom and mysterious serial killer, whose real
with three tiers of balconies above it. The name remains unknown. The hospital is

102
also home to Doctor Melvin “The Mad away from them.
Dentist” Flickinger, who never actually killed Among the patients in the
any of his patients, but did some Alzheimer’s ward is Sammy “Snap-Brim”
unbelievably disgusting things to their Hammer (see Pages 25 and 26.) Once the
mouths. There are other maniacs in scourge of the underworld, now he seldom
residence, less famous but equally horrible. even knows his own name. His family has
And there are worse monsters here. long since forgotten him.
If an insane superhuman gets committed, The current head of the Crawley
this is where they get sent, by default. Over Asylum is Ramona Blackmore, an unusually
the years the hospital has developed a young psychiatrist to be given the job. At
cocktail of medications that will, if sixteen, Dr. Blackmore was the youngest
administered regularly, suppress psychic pre-med graduate in the history of Stanford.
abilities, and will also hold in check many She had her MD by the age of 19, although
powers based on other, stranger no one was willing to let her practice. She
phenomena (magic, the ability to had a PhD at 25 and she’s only thirty-two
manipulate cosmic forces, and so forth.) now.
There are radical side effects to the She has been trying to reorganize
“Crawley Cocktail”, which vary from patient the hospital, without much success. People
to patient, but tend to include uncontrollable close to her say that she may be starting to
shaking and dry mouth. get seriously depressed, and that she has
Seymour “Sparky” Sanders, the been spending too much time in therapy
pyromaniac supervillain known as Doctor sessions with some of the more delusional
Scorch, has responded so well to the patients. She has said something about a
treatment, and has been such a helpful and common theme to their madness.
cooperative patient in general, that he has Something to do with the occult.
been granted exercise and library privileges. That shouldn’t surprise mystically
Few other supervillains have been as inclined PCs. Any Player Characters who
successful. Many haven’t left their cells in can sense unnatural forces will know that
years. the grounds of the Crawley Asylum are
Sometimes there is no way to really awash in nightmarish otherworldly forces.
incapacitate a supercriminal’s powers. In a Something very big and very bad happened
case like that, they keep them doped up on here about a hundred years ago, and the
so much heavy sedation that they lie in bed whole place is haunted by fiendish
all day like vegetables. Officially, all of the presences from beyond. Some are ghosts,
really dangerous prisoners are kept in the some are worse things, drawn from the far
padded cells in the main atrium, but in fact side by the loathly aura that the hospital
the hospital is too overcrowded and too emanates. Every once in a while these
disorganized for that to really be true. sinister entities teach one or another inmate
While the Crawley Asylum is how to conjure up horrors.
supposed to be for violent cases, there Mystical heroes and occult
aren’t enough beds in the psych wards at investigators have found themselves walking
any of the Bedlam’s three hospitals. So the halls of the Crawley asylum more than
there are always a few patients in Crawley once in the past fifty years to stanch some
who have suffered garden-variety nervous new wound in the side of reality. Previous
breakdowns or senile dementia. The staff chief administrators have had arrangements
house non-violent patients in the with one or another paranormal hero, but
outbuildings and try to keep the maniacs Ramona Blackmore doesn’t yet.

103
Doctor Ramona Blackmore, PhD any of them to be more than “friends with
privileges.” She didn’t have time for
anything else. While she has a superb
command of psychological and psychiatric
theory, people are largely something she
appreciates in the abstract, like a
complicated Sudoku puzzle.
Yet she isn’t exactly cold or ruthless.
She seems poised, distant and detached,
but she genuinely wants to help her
patients, and she’s gotten ahead by working
really hard, not screwing people over. She
wants to help her patients because it’s her
job and because it’s a challenge and
because it’s the ethical thing to do—not
because she feels some kind of emotional
connection to them (or anyone.)
Dr. Blackmore isn’t doing very well
right now. It’s not so much that she feels
depressed by the hellish conditions at the
Crawley Asylum. In fact she regards fixing
the Asylum’s problems as an interesting
problem to solve. But she’s totally unused
to having so much spare time on her hands.
She’s taken to wandering around the halls
aimlessly, talking to patients who’ve been
regarded as incurable for decades, and in
her perambulations she thinks she may have
stumbled across something. A deep, dark
mystery surrounds the asylum, she has
grown convinced of it. There is a pattern to
the terrible events that have haunted this
place—a reason for the miasma of dread
that hangs over its walls. She has been
Wild Card interviewing its most disturbed and
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit dangerous residents, compiling accounts of
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6 their delusions, and she thinks she is on the
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Healing d6, verge of seeing the truth take shape.
Knowledge (Psychology) d12+2, Knowledge This obsession has begun to eat her
(Medicine) d8+2, Notice d6, Persuasion d10 up from the inside, and some part of her
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; can see that and watches in helpless
Toughness: 4 detachment. Where precisely this will lead
Edges: Attractive, Scholar her is up to the GM. It could take her down
Hindrances: Quirk (getting ever more the path of heroism or villainy or madness
strange and spacy) or suicide. She could become a paranormal
investigator or a sorceress or the mindless
Background: Dr. Blackmore has always pawn of some monstrous thing from beyond
pushed herself hard. A child prodigy, she the void. Or she could just go insane.
spent her whole life years ahead of Dr. Blackmore has been neglecting
everyone around her, always keeping busy, her regular duties and falling behind on her
always moving forward. She had boyfriends work, for the very first time in her life. That
in college, but never got close enough for can’t be a good sign.

104
Rainbow Acres Therapy Center They’re never quite the same when they
Back in the 1980s, medical service come back.
providers figured out a wonderful new As minors and mental patients,
way to make money. It costs a lot less to the kids at Rainbow Acres have no
treat kids who don’t really have any constitutional rights at all. The faculty can
mental illnesses. And a minor’s parents literally do anything they want to them in
can have them committed to psychiatric the name of therapy. It’s all just a
care for any reason or none. So a whole question of whether or not the parents
range of new “treatment centers” sprung will make a fuss and the insurance will
up around the country, specializing in care pay for it.
for “behavior disordered” teens. If your Therapy centers like these have
teenager gives you too much lip, or you always attracted a particular type of
just want them out of the way for a while, employee. The kind of doctor who is
you can pack them off to a psychiatric blessed with a certain ethical flexibility,
care facility and let your insurance plan and enjoys working with kids in a no-
baby-sit them for as long as you like. holds-barred, hands-on therapeutic
Because most of the facilities that environment. With so few of these
specialized in this kind of “care” were run centers left around the country,
by fairly unprincipled people (no one with therapists, nurses and orderlies who
any professional ethics would participate prefer this kind of work have flocked to
in such a scheme), the living conditions Rainbow Acres.
they offered for kids were pretty poor. The business offices are located in
And they were prone to giving teenagers one of the skyscrapers downtown. This is
brutal forms of “therapy” as punishments. where parents drop off and pick up their
Medication with horrible side-effects, kids. The location of the actual treatment
hydrotherapy, even shock treatment in facility is not made public. There have
some cases. It’s a lucky thing that pre- been too many escape attempts and
frontal lobotomies were no longer rescue attempts for them to want anyone
commonplace by the 1980s, or they would to know precisely where the campus is.
have surely have used that technique as But every teenager in Bedlam knows that
well. it’s in the woods on Bramwell Road, east
Unfortunately, the authors of this of town. Or maybe in one of the buildings
new trend in therapy hadn’t counted on on Industrial Drive. Or it’s part of the
one important factor. Kids grow up. And “Liberty Shoppes” mall.
when they grow up, they can sue you. In Kids who have spent time in the
the early ‘90s a blistering wave of lawsuits facility say that the staff transport you
and scandals spooked the investors and there in mini-vans that you can’t see out
the whole “Behavior Disorder Clinic” of. The treatment center has no windows
movement collapsed. Everywhere but and it all appears to be located in a single
Bedlam. large building. The only place you ever
Rainbow Acres is one of the last of glimpse the sky is a small exercise
these hospitals in operation. This is the courtyard surrounded by plastic plants.
place kids fear worse than Juvenile Hall. Everything inside the center is painted in
Every teenager in Stone Ridge knows warm, Crayola primary colors. Or it was
someone who knows someone who got back in the 1980s, before it started
sent to Rainbow Acres for mouthing off to getting smeared with vomit, excrement,
their parents one too many times. etc.

105
 The current head of the d8, Knowledge (Medicine) d6, Notice d6,
psychiatric faculty at Rainbow Acres is Persuasion d8, Taunt d8
Doctor Byron Shreve. He answers to a Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
chief administrator and a board, but Dr. Toughness: 5
Shreve is effectively in charge of all on- Hindrances: Quirk (sadist, careful not to
the-ground operations at Rainbow Acres get caught)
(although he often defers to his Head
Nurse, Norman “Butch” Dinkle, on matters Background: Doctor Shreve would never
of security—Dinkle scares him half to do anything inappropriate to a patient.
death.) Dr. Shreve is forbidden from He has driven two of them to suicide, and
working with children in the state of has permanently damaged the minds of
Oklahoma, but Bedlam’s state doesn’t many others, but he has never broken the
have a reciprocity arrangement with rules. He has never struck a patient,
Oklahoma, so he can practice freely here. never touched one inappropriately—never
He doesn’t molest his patients—at least in come into physical contact with one at all,
the conventional sense. He does however in fact. Any violence he cares to inflict on
enjoy breaking them just a little too much. them is done by nurses and it’s all done
Parents come visit their kids at the for the good of their health.
downtown office. One of the minivans While he does get a kick out of
drives the patients there to meet them. torturing uppity kids with hydrotherapy,
The ride is sometimes short and shock treatment and medications that
sometimes long. There’s no predicting it. have brutal side-effects, he much prefers
Why did Rainbow Acres manage to to hurt them without anyone ever laying a
stay in business when so many other finger on them. It’s more of a challenge.
behavioral therapy centers failed? It’s a Most of all he loves to psychologically
simple question of economics. Most of abuse them in therapy, winning their trust
them collapsed because lawsuits made and then cutting them down, getting into
them a poor investment risk, but in their secret thoughts and offering his
Bedlam investors could count on being merciless commentary. Of course this is
able to pay off the judges. All they had to much more effective when they know he
do was to bring Municipal Councilman “Big holds their fate in his hands. It also
Andy” Czernik in on the scheme. He’s makes them desperate to get on his good
always felt that kids need to learn more side, despite the fact that he doesn’t have
respect, anyway. one.
This wouldn’t be an effective
NPCs for Rainbow Acres strategy with really disturbed people—
Just in case the PCs ever try to break they’d lose control of themselves and
anyone out of Rainbow Acres, here are attack him. But with a captive population
some stats for Doctor Byron Shreve, Butch of sane, vulnerable teenagers, he’s able to
Dinkle and a generic orderly/nurse/guard. do quite a bit of damage. He knows that
there are other members of the staff who
Wild Card aren’t as careful about the rules, and tries
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit not to know anything about their
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 activities, so that none of it can ever be
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Healing d6, connected to him.
Intimidate d8, Knowledge (Psychology) Dr. Shreve is divorced—his wife

106
was also a therapist, but she was actually two with a magnifying loop. Yet despite
cruel enough that it frightened him, so he his social maladroitness and his nerdy
feigned an affair and got her to cut him hobby, he’s a beer-drinking member of
loose. He won custody of his daughter, the Coronets’ street gang from Stark Hill.
who is now in high school. He hasn’t spent much time hanging out
A devoted, kind father, he gets his with them for a while, but he lets any
aggressions out at work and doesn’t bring member of the Coronets who gets sent to
them home with him. Despite his doting Rainbow Acres treat the other kids pretty
attentions, his daughter has tried to much however they please.
commit suicide three times. Her mother He’s not very clean for a guy with
had a harder time leaving work at the OCD, and his glasses are always smeary
office and she messed the kid up good with thumbprints and speckled with
and proper. dandruff.

Norman “Butch” Dinkle Generic Nurse/Orderly

Wild Card Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8 Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Healing d6,
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Healing d6, Intimidate d8, Knowledge (Nursing) d8,
Knowledge (Nursing) d8, Knowledge Notice d6, Stealth d6
(Stamp Collecting) d8, Notice d6 Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 6
Toughness: 7 Gear: Short Club (d10+1 damage), Taser
Edges: Block, Brawny, Mighty Blow (Range 5/10/na, Damage 2d6 nonlethal)
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (hates kids,
loves order) Background: A typical nurse at Rainbow
Gear: Short Club (d10+1 damage), Taser Acres is a short-tempered guy from
(Range 5/10/na, Damage 2d6 nonlethal) Wolverton who couldn’t get a job at the
Background: A big fat male nurse with City Jail and has no patience at all for
huge muscles, acne and thick aviator kids. But there are others who have
glasses, Butch Dinkle rarely makes any made their whole careers out of working
facial expression at all. He doesn’t talk in facilities like Rainbow Acres and greatly
much, either, except to quietly tell people enjoy the opportunity to interact with kids
to do things. Sometimes he speaks too in an environment free of consequences.
softly for you to understand, which is Some have moved hundreds of miles
good. He really prefers it when kids don’t across the country to Bedlam, in order to
do what he says, because then he gets to find work in one of the very last such
hit them. He particularly likes to grapple institutions in the US. Doctor Shreve
kids and twist their limbs into painful knows this, so he tries hard to to find out
positions. Especially if they’re pretty girls. anything that could implicate him.
Butch has more than a trace of
obsessive-compulsive disorder and he
doesn’t like having his routines disrupted,
even though it allows him to hit people.
He collects stamps, and can often be seen
at his station, going over a new stamp or

107
The Bedlam Fire Department has just seven Bedlam Fireman
working ambulances, with equipment that
hasn’t been updated in years. This puts a
lot of pressure on the paramedics who work
for Bedlam’s three hospitals, each of which
maintains its own small ambulance fleet.
There have been arguments between
dispatchers over which ambulance should
pick up a given patient. People have died
while waiting for the dispatchers sort out
their disputes.
Below, we have some information
on the Bedlam Fire Department, followed by
hospitals and then Animal Rescue.

Bedlam’s Fire Department doesn’t have

enough manpower or ambulances and the
number of non-working fire hydrants in the
city may be as high as one in four. On
paper they have eight fire stations
(supplemented by a few volunteer
companies) but in fact two of them have
“temporarily” closed for lack of funds, and
one has burned down. For some reason the
City Fire Department is often unwelcome in
Stark Hill, where the locals prefer to rely on
their own two volunteer companies. This
may be because they have started hiring Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
non-whites. Yet the department also gets Strength d6, Vigor d8
accused of taking longer to respond to calls Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Healing d6,
from Wolverton and Hardwick Park than the Investigation d4, Knowledge (fire) d6,
rest of the city. Notice d6,
People had high hopes that the new Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Fire Chief, Lucy Szmuda, would be able to Toughness: 6
change things, but instead she’s had to Edges: Dodge
spend all her energy fighting to keep her Gear: Topcoat (2 armor vs. flame), Helmet
job, and may be about to give up soon. (3 armor, only protects head), Axe (d6+2
She’s really tough, but everyone has a limit. damage)
Below we have some sample
firemen and a paramedic, as well as a Background: While there are a number of
couple of generic templates. volunteer companies scattered throughout
the city, actual Bedlam firemen are a
vanishing breed. We have included stats

108
and background information for a few he likes. Giving orders is more his thing.
individual firefighters the PCs might at some Hopefully he’ll make sergeant soon and be
point encounter. able to spend less of his time risking his
neck and more of his time telling other
Firefighter Pete Kistler people what to do.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, He’s presently single, to his
Strength d6, Vigor d8 amazement. He understood that chicks dig
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Healing d6, firefighters—so where are all his chicks? It’s
Intimidate d6, Investigation d4, Knowledge not fair.
(fire) d6, Notice d6, Taunt d6
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Firefighter Travis Hickel
Toughness: 6 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8,
Edges: Dodge Strength d10, Vigor d8
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (loves to jerk Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Healing d4,
people aroud), Stubborn, Vengeful Knowledge (fire) d4, Notice d6
Gear: Topcoat (2 armor vs. flame), Helmet Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
(3 armor, only protects head), Axe (d6+2 Toughness: 6
damage) Edges: Dodge, Frenzy, Mighty Blow
Hindrances: Quirk (has an unhealthy
Background: A fat guy with sideburns, fascination with fire and with breaking stuff)
everyone who sees him assumes that he Gear: Topcoat (2 armor vs. flame), Helmet
must be heavily into Star Trek. But in fact (3 armor, only protects head), Axe (d10+2
he’s into power. damage)
He got a bachelor’s degree in Fire
Science in college, and was a certified Background: A gigantic, immature,
firefighter for years before he could actually overgrown kid, Travis has never wanted to
find a job in the field. He worked in a series be anything but a fireman his whole life.
of convenience stores in the meantime, Firemen get to chop down doors and smash
burning up with anger over how unfair it windows and order people around and break
was. A firefighter should command respect stuff. Plus, there’s nothing quite so great as
and obedience but here he was taking fire. He’s been making homemade
people’s crap like a regular slob. Now that explosives since he was ten and fascinated
he’s a real firefighter, he intends to make with fire for as long as he can remember.
the most of the power it gives him, and pay He gets very excited at the prospect of
everyone back for all the disrespect they getting to chop down doors, break windows
gave him as a clerk. or otherwise cause property damage and
While Pete has only been on the he’ll do it on any flimsy pretext. He also
team for a few years, he loves to order new likes pushing civilians around and giving
firemen around, bullying them and telling them orders, although he’s not as good at
them that they’re doing everything all thinking that stuff up as Pete Kistler.
wrong. On the job, he loves giving civilians A huge man with a big grin, he’s
the same kind of treatment, yelling at them totally fearless around fire and will
for minor safety infractions, making up sometimes linger too long in situations
imaginary regulations that he can harangue where a saner guy would have left. This
them about breaking. The other guys at the might make him a hero some day, but it’s
firehouse think this is funny and encourage more likely to make him a corpse.
it, although they also think Pete’s a fool. Travis lives with his long-term
He’s kind of chicken about actual girlfriend Ashley DeMarco in Stark Hill, with
physical danger. Fighting fires isn’t the part their three kids. He’s an indulgent dad

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when he’s home (which isn’t often) and his Arson Investigators
kids adore him. The most understaffed section of the Fire
Department is, unfortunately, the Arson
Daryl Sweet Investigation Unit. These men and women
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, are tasked with investigating suspicious fires
Strength d6, Vigor d8 and determining their causes. In many
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d8, Guts d10, other cities, these investigators are called
Healing d6, Intimidate d6, Knowledge “Fire Marshals”, but in Bedlam they’re
(Medicine) d6, Notice d6, Taunt d8, “Arson Investigators.” With a mystery
Streetwise d6, Throwing d6 arsonist (“Torchy the Firebug”, see Page
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; 267) terrorizing the city, they have their
Toughness: 6 hands full.
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Quick Bedlam’s Arson Investigators are
Hindrances: Habit (addicted to “sworn” law-enforcement officers with the
amphetamines), Quirk (aggressive power to make arrests (although they
troublemaker who cares about nothing) normally arrest people only for arson or fire-
Gear: Medical Kit, Ambulance, Switchblade safety violations.) They carry guns. Most
(1d6+1 Damage) rose through the ranks of the Fire
Department, but a few are police detectives
Background: Daryl is what they call a live who completed the necessary coursework
wire. A paramedic, he probably should have and took the Arson Investigator Exam.
been eased into some kind of administrative While they do have dress uniforms they
position or fired years ago, but there aren’t normally wear plain clothes on the job.
enough ambulance drivers and he’s better We have stats below for both a
than nothing—usually. A twitchy, grinning generic Arson Investigator and for three
speed freak, he’s prone to picking fights individual investigators the PCs might
with patients and destroying property for no encounter.
reason. He carries a little plastic devil’s
head in his pocket, and hangs it from the Generic Arson Investigator
rearview mirror of whichever ambulance Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
he’s driving. He says awful, insensitive Strength d6, Vigor d6
things in front of patients and loves to tell Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Investigation
“hilarious” anecdotes about the unspeakable d6, Knowledge (fire) d8, Notice d6,
stuff he’s seen on the job, relishing the way Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
people squirm. Toughness: 5
Sometimes he shakes patients down Edges: Dodge
for money or offers to sell them drugs Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
(usually injections of morphine or other Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Topcoat (2
painkillers) while they’re lying on the gurney armor vs. flame), Helmet (3 armor, only
in pain, but it’s not a regular thing with him. protects head). Seldom wears full protective
He just does it if he’s feeling particularly gear while making investigations.
diabolical.
Funny and charming in a Background: Despite the high case-load,
loudmouthed, outrageous kind of way, he morale tends to be higher here than in the
likes superheroes and would be glad to be rest of the Bedlam Fire Department,
the Player Characters’ pal, although it’s although their repeated failure to catch the
questionable whether they’d want him as a city’s most prolific arsonist (see “Torchy the
friend. Burly and thick-necked, he has a Firebug” on Page 267) weighs heavily on
goatee, close-cropped hair and a tattoo of a some of them.
lightning bolt on his neck. A big ugly scar
runs through his left eyebrow.

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Lyle Smedberg stability, making him drink more and
Wild Card sometimes say odd, disconnected things.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Smedberg is a friend of Doctor
Strength d4, Vigor d6 Scorch—one of the few people who gets
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Investigation along with and understands this peculiar,
d8+2, Knowledge (fire) d10, Notice d8+2 dangerous man (you can find out all about
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Doctor Scorch on Page 295.) Sometimes he
Toughness: 5 visits him in jail or the psychiatric hospital.
Edges: Investigator, Tough as Nails Scorch is worried about Smedberg, who as
Hindrances: Stubborn, Ugly, Quirk (drones he says “isn’t doing so well.” If a lunatic like
on tediously about fire all the time), Quirk Doctor Scorch thinks Smedberg’s going
(dangerously obsessed with catching Torchy crazy, how nuts can he be?
the Firebug)
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Hawley “Hal” Blevins
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Topcoat (2 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
armor vs. flame), Helmet (3 armor, only Strength d8, Vigor d6
protects head). Seldom wears full protective Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
gear while making investigations. Investigation d4, Knowledge (fire) d6,
Notice d6, Streetwise d6
Background: One look at him and you’ll Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
know he hates fire. A skinny, stoop- Toughness: 5
shouldered man of indeterminate age with a Edges: Connections (shady parties in the
shock of bright red hair, Smedberg’s back Bedlam City Government), Dodge
and arms are covered with ropy burn scars. Hindrances: Quirk (bigot)
His face isn’t as bad, but it’s been marked Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
by the flames, too. One eye is half-buried Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Topcoat (2
under knotted pink scar tissue. The worst armor vs. flame), Helmet (3 armor, only
scars are actually on his legs, where they protects head). Seldom wears full protective
took the skin grafts to rebuild his face and gear while making investigations.
back, but no one ever sees them. He wears
long pants even in summer. Background: A big, red-cheeked, beer-
Smedburg is a capable investigator bellied guy from Stark Hill, Blevins is loud,
but also a tedious droning nerd who never talkative and prone to using racist epithets.
seems to think about anything but fire He’s very suspicious of anyone whose skin is
safety and model trains. He had a wife at darker than his own and quick to accuse
one point, but she left him long ago. He them of setting fires. As far as he’s
could probably push for custody of their concerned, if a black guy isn’t guilty of arson
daughters but he has never bothered. In he’s probably guilty of something else and
fact he seldom remembers his visitation taking another one off the street can’t be a
days. bad thing.
People sometimes wonder if he’s In any case he investigates, he’s
autistic. Not only is he completely obsessed less concerned with finding the culprit than
with arson and toy trains, he also has no figuring out how to pin the crime on
sense of his own safety and frequently gets somebody from an ethnic group he doesn’t
way too close to the flames. Off duty he like. It amazes many people that he can get
drinks and tinkers with his Lionel train away with openly hating black people in a
layout. modern work environment. When people
In recent years he has become ask him about it he laughs and says that
fixated on one day catching Torchy the yeah, he’s the last of a breed all right. In
Firebug (see Page 267.) His failure to fact he keeps his job because he’s in thick
apprehend Bedlam’s most prolific arsonist with the Czernik machine. Willing to take
has been undermining his tenuous mental bribes, if the Mafia needs a fire investigator

111
to come confirm that something they burned she’s gotten away with setting fires for
wasn’t arson, they ask for Blevins. longer. She’s also been more careful. A
He lives in a big house in Stone reckless love of flame has cost her two
Ridge that he can’t afford, with his wife and marriages and the custody of her kids. She
five loud delinquent sons who all want to doesn’t intend to have to uproot her whole
grow up to be firemen. With his white life again any time soon.
beard, florid complexion and big belly he The strange thing is, she isn’t
resembles a malign Santa Claus. Torchy the Firebug. She has used his
prolific arson spree to conceal and cover up
Becky Lee Mumford her own crimes, but she doesn’t waste much
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, time wondering who he (or she) might be.
Strength d4, Vigor d6 Becky Lee is too busy struggling with and
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Investigation trying to conceal her own vice to care much
d8, Knowledge (fire) d8, Notice d8, Repair about anything else.
d6, Stealth d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
Toughness: 5
Edges: Dodge
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Topcoat (2
armor vs. flame), Helmet (3 armor, only
protects head). Seldom wears full protective Bedlam has three hospitals—a bad one, a
gear while making investigations. mediocre one and a good one. There is also
a free health clinic in Wolverton and another
Background: One of the few female Arson one in Hardwick Park. Details on each of
Investigators in the state, Becky Lee is a these facilities can be found below.
special favorite of Chief Szmuda, and puts
up with endless crap from her colleagues for Bedlam General Hospital
it. Quiet and watchful, she always seems Sometimes referred to by people from
guarded. Partly this is because she’s often better neighborhoods as “Downtown
the target of abuse, partly it’s because she’s General”, this is Bedlam’s oldest, largest
embarrassed by her thick Georgia accent, hospital, and its most troubled.
but it’s mostly because she’s a pyromaniac, Located just off Industrial Drive,
and is constantly afraid that she’s about to near the old warehouses and abandoned
get caught. factories, it has stood for more than a
A firebug from an early age, Becky hundred years, and its age shows. Made of
Lee grew up in a family of small-town smoke-weathered brown bricks, it looks like
firefighters in north Georgia. She has an institution out of a Dickens novel.
struggled with the impulse to set fires all her Gloomy and gothic, many of its windows are
life, and suspects that her father and broken and the rest are covered with iron
brothers may have, too. She was the only gridwork.
girl in the family who went into firefighting It’s a big facility, with 600 beds, but
and the only one to go to college. She was it’s still so crowded that they have patients
their favorite child, until she lost control of sleeping on gurneys in the hall. A lot of
her impulses one too many times and had to local people from Wolverton and Hardwick
leave town under a cloud of suspicion. Park are unable to afford physicians and
In Atlanta she trained as an have to use Bedlam General’s emergency
investigator and she has since put that room to treat most of their health-care
training to good use in evading capture. needs, so the waiting time in Triage is
Still, she has left every job she’s ever had in astonishingly long.
just a few years, either under suspicion or Understaffed, underfunded and
afraid that she was about to be. Here in depressing, Bedlam General does not attract
Bedlam things are a little more slipshod, so the highest caliber of health care worker.

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Their computer system was last updated the way most people imagine Soviet
some time in the late 1980s and it’s prone hospitals must have looked. Its windows
to baffling outages. Since they don’t have are high and narrow, like gun-slits, with
enough staff, administrative mistakes get massive concrete slabs between them.
made and some of them can have ugly A privately run Catholic hospital,
consequences for the patients. Bedlam Our Lady of Sorrow is fairly large, with 195
General has been cited many times by both beds, but it’s always crowded. It offers
the City and State Authorities for unsafe mediocre care (getting a post here has more
working conditions, sanitary violations and to do with your connections than it does
so forth, but if they fine the hospital or shut your skills) but a great many people in Stark
it down, that will only make things worse for Hill are fiercely devoted to it and refuse to
the people it serves. What’s more, they be treated anywhere else.
might start flooding the other two hospitals. They have a fairly large ambulance
Bedlam General has a fleet of six fleet (8 working vehicles) for a hospital of
ambulances, four of which are presently in this size, yet they are very stingy about
working order. People say their sirens have responding to emergency calls. They don’t
distinctive “whoop-whoop” sound, probably like admitting patients who aren’t from Stark
because they haven’t bought any new ones Hill and they don’t like responding to
in years. emergency calls from Wolverton and
Please note that Bedlam General Hardwick Park. In fact they have a bad
Hospital has been infiltrated by both the reputation for turning away black and
Mara and Eentsy Z’s coalition. More than Hispanic patients, or giving them
one nurse or administrator is either an substandard care and then rushing them out
active gang member themselves, or the wife the door as quick as possible. Most folks
or girlfriend of one. If a patient gets from Wolverton remember that back in the
admitted who is of interest to either gang, 1960s, if a black woman gave birth in Our
they will know about it in 1-20 hours (the Lady of Sorrow she would sometimes get
GM can either decide or roll at random.) sterilized, as a kind of joke. Most people
Neither the Scarpia nor the from Wolverton prefer not to seek treatment
Gorganzua family have any agents here, but here unless they absolutely have to.
both the Mara and Eentsy Z owe the The Mafia has completely infiltrated
Scarpias fealty, so assume any such Our Lady of Sorrow. Mob guys get special,
information gets back to them within 2-40 no-questions asked treatment here, and
hours. It can happen much faster if they they get to bypass the lines in the
have been told to be on the lookout for a emergency room. Both the Scarpias and the
patient. While there are security guards Gorganzuas use Our Lady of Sorrow—this is
who might be willing to look the other way part of the peace accord between them.
during a mob hit, no one has ever actually But only the Scarpias get to use it to launder
carried out an assassination here, yet. money.
If a patient who either crime family
Our Lady of Sorrow is interested in gets admitted to Our Lady of
Bedlam’s smallest hospital and its second Sorrow, they will know about it in 1-5 hours
oldest, Our Lady of Sorrow was built by a (or less if it’s someone the admitting nurses
group of Catholic Working Men’s have been told to look out for.) While the
associations back during the 1920s. It is security staff at Our Lady of Sorrow would
located at the base of Stark Hill and surely turn a blind eye if the Mafia needed
primarily serves that community. Heavily to perform a hit there, they’ve never had to.
remodeled during the 1960s, it’s an ugly, The Mob has more than one doctor on staff
brick-shaped pile of glass and steel, all fly- who is willing to kill patients for them, either
specked windows and harsh, squat with lethal injections or by medical
rectangles. It was rebuilt to withstand riots “mistake.” In cases where Dapper Donny
in a style known at the time as “Neo- Scarpia wants to set an example, a patient
Brutalist” and bears some resemblance to might get accidentally scheduled for some

113
unnecessary surgery and die of complica- peculiar field, although he dismisses all such
tions. claims with a fatherly wave of his hand. A
Our Lady of Sorrow has won two lot of people wonder why a neurologist of
awards for being the hospital with the his stature is working in Bedlam instead of
lowest rate of malpractice suits in the state. at the Mayo Clinic—or for that matter why
The awards are proudly on display in the he isn’t teaching medicine at an Ivy League
lobby. People have considered suing them school. He says that this is where he feels
on occasion, but most have hastily he can do the most good.
reconsidered after a visit from the hospital’s PCs may be relieved to know that
backers. the hospital has now resolved its security
problems. For some weeks, a disturbed
Beth-El Hospital woman named Eleana Morgenstern kept
Bedlam’s second largest and arguably its appearing at the admissions desk, raving
best hospital isn’t located inside the city that the hospital had stolen her son, Josiah.
limits. Beth-El is a large private hospital There is no record of any such child having
with 455 beds, located off Melman Road ever been admitted to Beth-El, of course,
near the Stone Ridge community. and eventually the police managed to
It primarily serves Stone Ridge, apprehend her. She has not returned and is
since it’s too far away from the city proper no doubt under psychiatric care. Let us
for its ambulances to reach very many hope that she gets the help she needs.
emergency calls before the crews from Our Oddly, there was a similar incident two
Lady of Sorrow or Bedlam General Hospital years ago.
get there. It’s also difficult for residents of Perhaps emotionally disturbed
the city’s poorer neighborhoods to get to people have been attracted to the story of
Beth-El on their own, since many of them Captain Gladius, a superhuman who was
lack cars, and the Bedlam City bus system said to have checked into Beth-El after a
doesn’t go there. In any case they don’t battle downtown with an unidentified group
treat uninsured patients. As a result, the of parahuman criminals. He never checked
hospital is quiet and not overly crowded. out, which caused some confusion, until it
Many of its beds go empty. They have the was discovered that the rumors were false
state’s second best trauma center and a and he had never checked into Beth-El in
superb radiological facility. Many of their the first place. He has since dropped out of
patients are elderly and they have a state-of the public view and so is unavailable to
the-art facility in a separate building that comment on the matter.
specializes in gerontological medicine. It
has a fleet of eight ambulances, all of which The Wolverton Free Clinic
are in better shape than the ones used by Based in a converted bungalow, the free
the Fire Department and the other hospitals. clinic offers medical services to anyone.
The Chief of Staff is also the They don’t have enough supplies or
Chairman of the hospital’s board. Dr. Elliot equipment and they’re not very good at
Glazier has fought long and hard to keep dealing with trauma and injuries, but they
Beth El from getting bought out by one or do provide fairly solid basic care.
another of the giant health-management Most of the doctors and nurses who
firms. He is very proud of its independence. put in volunteer hours at the free clinic work
A small, trim man with a white goatee, he’s at Bedlam General, which is not known for
a neurologist by trade but has dedicated the quality of its staff, and most of them are
much of his career to studying the curious really tired after working long shifts at the
physiology of parahumans. The hospital, so it’s usually better to pay a
mechanisms by which superpowers work are doctor if you can. Yet the Free Clinic is a
barely understood by conventional science. whole lot better than nothing.
Dr. Glazier confesses to being fascinated by The local hoodlums regard the Clinic
this mystery. He’s widely regarded as one as a valuable community asset, and have
of the country’s leading experts in this declared it neutral territory, where anyone

114
can seek treatment without being Toughness: 5
harassed by gang members. All rivalries Edges: Attractive, Connections (the Mara)
and vendettas are to be put aside the Hindrances: Habit (compulsive partier)
moment you walk through the clinic’s Heartless, Quirk (seeks out liaisons with
doors. For the most part, this criminals)
arrangement works. There have been Gear: Medical kit, stethescope
one or two fights in the clinic, but not
many. Background: The daughter of a
conservative, hardworking Chinese family,
The Hardwick Park Free Clinic Suzie has always had a fatal weakness for
This small free clinic operates out of a bad boys. She was utterly forbidden to
storefront on Blaed Drive. It provides associate with the opposite sex, so from
basic medical care for anyone who needs Junior High School onward she would set
it—provided that they don’t owe the up fake study sessions with her girlfriends,
gangs any money. The Mara completely and whichever bunch of Wolverton gang-
dominate the clinic and effectively control bangers she was partying with would
its operations. They don’t steal its deposit her on her doorstep at dawn, too
supplies and seldom intimidate any of the drunk to stand. She would crawl up the
doctors or nurses who work here, but they steps to her room on all fours and tell her
strictly control access. To get care at the parents that her allergies were acting up
clinic, you have to be in good standing again. Amazingly enough they never
with the gang, No one who owes them suspected a thing. And somehow she
money or drugs is admitted, nor are managed to get all her homework done.
people who don’t pay them for protection. Suzie became a doctor, just as her
As you might imagine, not a lot of parents wanted. No one who went to
doctors or nurses enjoy working under medical school with her understands how
conditions where they may be asked to someone who partied so hard managed to
stop treating a patient to go patch up a get all her work done on time, but she
wounded gang member, or where scary did. In fact she excelled. And her
guys with tattoos hulk around the amazing ability to do without sleep for
premises giving them orders. Doctors long periods of time served her well as an
come and go here, but most of them are intern.
doing court-ordered community service, or These days she works at Bedlam
have been assigned here as punishment General, but with her level of talent and
for screwing up at Bedlam General drive she’ll surely get a better assignment
Hospital. None stay longer than they soon. In the meantime she puts in as
have to, with the exception of Dr. Susan many hours as she can at the Hardwick
Yang, who has always liked gang guys Park Free clinic, where she has become
and who has become the Mara’s personal the personal physician and sometime
physician and occasional moll. girlfriend to the Mara.
Dr. Yang knows right from wrong
Suzie Yang, MD in an abstract kind of way, but she’d do
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit anything at all for her gang friends. This
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 including denying a patient treatment or
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Healing d8, giving them a lethal injection (they
Investigation d6, Knowledge (Popular haven’t asked her to do that last thing,
Culture) d8, Knowledge (Medicine) d8, yet.) She knows it’s wrong, she says,
Notice d6, Persuade d6, Streetwise d6, smiling winsomely, but these guys, they’re
Taunt d8 just so hot. Can you really blame her?
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;

115
 Both are abysmal. They got kicked out of
the national organization for
misappropriating funds. From the filthy,
More than one local agency is in charge of crusted cages and starving animals you can
animal rescue. There is no municipal dog see where the money got siphoned away
pound any more, and a patchwork of city from.
agencies, nonprofits and private companies Because they don’t have enough
house strays and deal with animal-related room, turnover on animals is high. They say
problems. One look at the number of strays they give an animal two weeks before they
wandering Bedlam’s streets, hungry and euthanize it, but that’s usually a lie.
vicious, and you can see that the current
system isn’t working. Read on to find out Class D Licensed Animal Collectors
how and why it has failed. Anyone who cares to pay for a license can
get certified as one of Bedlam’s Class D
Bedlam Animal Control Service collectors. These stalwart men and women
Until recently, Bedlam’s animal control patrol Bedlam’s streets looking for stray
services were handled by the police. Budget animals that they can sell to medical
cuts forced them to drop the whole division, research companies, or (sometimes) eat
which the city promptly sold off to a themselves. A surprising number of them
subcontractor. Animal Control officers still are actually off-duty cops taking on a little
wear the same bright yellow vests, but they extra work to make ends meet.
aren’t allowed to carry weapons and they Actually, the animal doesn’t always
can’t make arrests. Like meter maids, they have to be a stray. No board reviews the
can issue tickets and citations, but they collectors’ certification—there’s no
spend most of their time telling owners to administrative process for revoking a license
keep their dogs quiet or checking the tags and no agency to review complaints about
on stray animals. Most of them are them. Anyway swiping a pet is a
minimum wage workers without a lot of misdemeanor and usually gets punished
skills, since they are cheaper to hire. with a fine, if it comes to trial at all. So
Because they don’t have the keep Tabby and Fido out of the front yard,
capacity, equipment or training to do much unless you’re there to protect them, or
rescue work, Bedlam has seen a number of there’s no telling where they might end up!
tiny private contractors who specialize in
animal removal emerge. Most of these are Kindness Animal Shelter
little mom-and-pop outfits, consisting of one A while back, a bunch of Class D Licensed
guy with a pickup truck and some traps. A Animal Collectors decided to get all
lot of them are pretty dubious, and none of legitimate and respectable. So they
them have a reputation for being gentle founded Kindness Animal Shelter, and
with the animals they “rescue.” started soliciting for donations. A lot of local
If the animal control officers businesses pitched in, unaware of what kind
encounter a situation where they need of shelter this was going to be, and United
someone to physically remove an animal, Way has provided them with some funds as
they call one of the contractors. well.
They don’t publicize the location of
The ASPCA their facility (it’s an old metalworking shop
Bedlam’s chapter of the American Society on Industrial Drive, and every inch of it is
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has full of tiny metal shards that can easily
been kicked out of the national organization, lodge in your skin) but they do have an 800
and aren’t legally allowed to use the name number you can call to report a stray
any more. That’s why they always refer to animal. Fortunately, the animals in their
themselves as “ASPCA of Bedlam.” care never spend long in their tiny, unsafe
They operate two shelters, one on cages. Unfortunately, that’s because they
Stavros Avenue and one on Voight Street. go straight to the labs.

116
 Officers for Kindness Shelter wear in his van claiming to be an Animal Control
brown uniforms and often try to pass Officer.
themselves off as official city personnel. A burly, square-jawed guy, he looks
They’re not above lifting the occasional pet like a cop and few people question him. He
from somebody’s yard. does his job the way he’s always done it,
rescuing animals, threatening cruel or
Stone Ridge Animal Shelter negligent pet owners with arrest, writing
This small but exceptionally well-funded citations (he still has a pad of them) and
animal shelter is located in the Stone Ridge generally doing all the stuff the new, fake
gated community, just outside of Bedlam. “Animal Control” officers won’t do.
At-large City Council member Molly Schwartz He’s superb at his job and loves
is one of their board members and their animals. Easily moved to tears, he often
largest contributors. weeps over hurt or neglected pets, which
They never euthanize any animals looks pretty weird on such a big, tough guy.
brought to them, and instead care for them His old partner, a short, pretty
in their cages until a good owner can be woman named Vera Cuvier, often rides with
found for them. Of course, they don’t have him on his lonely patrols. She has kept her
very many cages, and when they are full (as old uniform, too, although she no longer
they nearly always are) they send new wears her gun. She’s not crazy, but she is
arrivals straight to ASPCA of Bedlam or to hopelessly in love with John (though she’s
Kindness Animal Shelter. too shy to tell him) and wants to see if she
can somehow help him before he completely
Office of the Dogcatcher self-destructs.
Since the late 19th century, this elected Lately her teenage brother,
officer was supposed to oversee Bedlam’s Brendan, and his friends have started
dog pound. However, since the 1960s the helping them, and the whole group has
Bedlam Police have taken care of Animal started calling itself the “Rescue Rangers.”
Control. Yet the Office of the Dogcatcher They have created their own makeshift
still exists, unconnected to anything. animal shelter in a deserted mansion near
The Bedlam City Government the old Bedlam Country Club, though John
doesn’t publicize the fact that the himself seldom spends much time there.
Dogcatcher isn’t part of Animal Control, and He’s always on the move and sleeps in his
every election a new dogcatcher gets the van.
job. Normally they then cede their position Every one of the Rescue Rangers
to some well-connected city official, who knows this situation can’t last. It’s just a
collects the extra paychecks without having matter of time before John gets caught and
to do any work. send to prison for impersonating a police
It’s impossible to find the Office of officer and they can’t carry on his crusade
the Dogcatcher in the Bedlam Phone Book, without his incredible skills.
and the city government switchboard Privately John doesn’t think going to
(located in Bangalore, India) doesn’t have a prison will be much of a problem. He’ll
listing for them. Because of course, there is never let them take him alive. But there’s
no physical office at all. no time to think about that. The work goes
on and there’s no one else to do it.
John Otter and his Rescue Rangers Brendan has recently got the crazy
When the Bedlam Police stopped handling idea of running John Otter for dogcatcher in
Animal Control, Officer John Otter went a the next election, and if John lives long
little crazy. He kept his uniform and his enough to do it, this could upend
credentials and he still drives around Bedlam everything.

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 they kept most of their old equipment and
corporate culture intact. They have only a
few markets left, scattered around the
country in places like Bedlam, where the
Bedlam’s power, water, gas and local authorities weren’t strong enough or
telecommunications services all come rich enough to replace them with a more
from private providers rather than the city up-to-date utility. Although they are no
itself. They vary in quality, as the longer a giant multinational they still
following overview shows. behave like one. The services they offer
are limited and expensive. No special
Electricity deals, no free weekends or unlimited
Bedlam gets its electricity from Universal long-distance packages. They have three
Power and Light, a big national company rates—one for peak hours, one for off-
from another part of the country which hours and one for Sunday. And that is all.
has little penetration in this state, apart Customer Service is unfriendly, remote
from Bedlam itself. The Universe, as and slow to respond. They do not offer
people call it, got the job recently—they internet and their cell-phone service is
seem to be somehow affiliated with the designed to keep other companies from
aerospace firm than runs so many of being able to get a connection. You
Bedlam’s services. They don’t have a would think that they’d cause so much
local generating station and instead trade dissatisfaction that other companies would
electricity with other markets around the have long-since pushed them out of the
country. People call their management market, but in fact their forty-year
style prone to excessive risk-taking and contract with Bedlam’s city government
Bedlam has paid the price for it in periodic gives them a total monopoly and is
blackouts, the worst of which lasted six completely iron-clad. All payphones in
days. Their customer service has been Bedlam bear the ugly yellow-and-black
outsourced to Bangalore, India and is logo of Conglomerated Communications.
notoriously unresponsive. They do not Their motto is “Conglomerated
keep a local office in Bedlam. Communications Connecting People” and
they print it on everything with huge initial
Telephones caps that make it look like “CCCP” at a
Bedlam has the unusual distinction of distance. And it does in fact provide the
having all of its original copper wiring. kind of service that reminds a lot of
There are no fiber-optic lines at all in the people of the old Soviet Union.
central part of the city. This makes both
phone service tinny and the internet slow. Ultranow
Two telephone companies serve This small, struggling telecommunications
Bedlam, a big clunky one and a little company offers all the services and extras
scrappy one. that Conglomerated Communications
can’t—and at a really low price. They’re
Conglomerated Communications able to give you wireless internet bundled
Bedlam’s official telephone service together with three hundred channels of
provider is the last vestigial stump of the cable TV and free long-distance on
giant octopus that was once Ma Bell. weekday afternoons. They can do this
Spun off during the breakup of AT&T, because they contract out just about

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everything to other providers and rent “I Don’t Care” Long Distance
time on other companies’ equipment. If you make a long distance call from a
They have a small office downtown and a Bedlam payphone, the CC operator is
smaller one in the Liberty Shoppes Mall, required by law to ask you what provider
but no actual telephone equipment at you would like. Anyone who answers “I
either one. They are purely a service don’t care,” or “I don’t know” or
provider on paper, buying and selling time “anybody” is in for a surprise. All three of
on other companies’ hardware. This those names are owned by an
scattershot approach, combined with CC’s entrepreneur named Frankie Scalvino, and
hostile attitude and constant efforts to he charges three times the going rate for
shortchange Ultranow have made their long distance.
service pretty unreliable. They are prone Frankie operates his three phone
to inexplicable outages and weird signal companies out of his home office in Stark
distortion. Hill. Anyone who has a complaint about
Ultranow farms out its repair his business practices can come discuss it
service to independent contractors who with him at his favorite arcade, where
make house calls when it pleases them. they will find him playing pinball with local
They only get paid for the visits they mob overlord “Dapper” Donny Scarpia.
complete, so they tend to forget about
service calls from customers who live well Water
outside their established routes. If they Bedlam’s water tastes funny. That
don’t make enough visits in a day they doesn’t surprise people who know its
won’t make enough money to survive, so history. Bedlam’s infrastructure is old, but
if they get five calls in one neighborhood its water system is the oldest part of all.
and one call from somebody over in the Large portions of it were built more than a
next neighborhood, they’ll do the distant century ago.
one last if at all. A few years ago it came out in the
Ultranow runs loud, flashy, poorly press that Bedlam’s water treatment plant
made commercials on local television and had failed two quality tests in a row.
is clearly pitching their services to Bacteria counts and algae were both
Bedlam’s minority community. They have unacceptably high and the city was now in
also tried guerilla advertising campaigns real trouble with the state authorities.
of questionable legality. They pay graffiti Councilman Andy Czernik’s office
artists to put their logo on buildings. They expressed indignation at the leak and the
hire homeless people to tag public councilman personally launched an
telephones with stickers that list an 800 investigation into how the information
number you can call to use their super- could have gotten out to the press. After
cheap long distance service. There were a lot of time and money, the results were
rumors that they had paid gang members inconclusive—although a number of
to go around Wolverton at night and workers at the water treatment plant were
smash residents’ satellite dishes (then it fired, just to be safe.
came to light that this false rumor was The city’s Water Department went
being spread by Conglomerated into federal receivership shortly
Communications.) People in Bedlam look thereafter, with a court-appointed
forward to seeing what Ultranow will try guardian to make sure the quality of the
next. supply improved. Just in the nick of time,
before a major political disaster could

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erupt, the city manager sold the water The Sewers of Bedlam
department to a company called Zed-Com.
Since Zed-Com wasn’t under indictment and
the city Water Department no longer
existed, the court-appointed overseers no
longer had access to the city’s water-quality
tests.
In any case things have improved a
lot under Zed-Com’s management. They
are a private entity, so they don’t have to
share their records with anyone and they
aggressively sue anybody who leaks inside
information about them to the press. In one Bedlam’s sewers are huge and old, built in
case they even managed to have a the grandiose style of ages past. Oversized
whistlebower prosecuted. and hard to fix, they were largely
Only a few people know that in the constructed at the dawn of the twentieth
meantime, despite hefty pay-offs to state century, and have been heavily modified
officials they have continued to fail their and expanded ever since. The city
safety tests, with unacceptable levels of authorities have completely lost track of
e. coli and fecal bacteria in nearly every where they all lead. At the moment not
sample. To cope with this crisis, they are even the Department of Public Works claims
considering spinning off the division that to have a complete and accurate chart. The
runs Bedlam’s Water Department and storm sewers (which do not connect to the
disassociating themselves from it. It’s an wastewater sewers—at least in theory) are
expensive solution, but not as expensive as particularly large and especially full of
having to fight all the lawsuits they are sure unmapped sections.
to suffer otherwise—and nowhere near as For a hundred years people have
costly as actually fixing the problem. told urban legends that the city fathers built
People sometimes joke that the a network of tunnels beneath the sewers
reason no supervillain has ever tried to downtown, in order to move freight
contaminate the city’s water supply is that between the buildings on miniature rail cars.
there’s nothing they could do to make it any They say the Phantom Empire used this
worse. That is a joke, right? warren of passageways for more sinister
purposes as well. This maze of tunnels may
Gas extend as far south as Ash Street and as far
The Bedlam Gas Company is a public-private north as Stark Hill. But no one knows for
partnership, based on Industrial Drive. The sure whether or not it even exists.
customers actually buy shares in the There are rumors that a crazed
company and run it like a giant co-op. This DPW official named Llewellyn Philbrick spent
arrangement has lasted for more than most of the 1980s exploring the Bedlam
eighty years, and although Bedlam Gas sewers and constructing a complete map,
doesn’t have enough money or enough and that the map itself is somewhere in
service technicians, it’s actually worked Bedlam’s deserted City Hall. No one has
pretty well. They don’t cut the gas off if ever taken the trouble to look for the lost
you’re freezing and they don’t let big map and find out if it exists. Nor does
landlords demand special treatment at anyone seem to known what became of
everyone else’s expense. Philbrick. More than one supervillain has
The Mob has long been frustrated taken advantage of the generous size of
by its inability to scam any money out of the Bedlam’s sewers and set up shop down
Bedlam Gas Company and they have tried to there in the darkness. This makes the city
run it out of business more than once. “Big authorities even less willing to fully explore
Andy” Czernik may be gearing up for them. Some of the previous occupants may
another attempt to crush them. have left booby traps, or worse things.

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 10PM. It costs $5 to ride into the big city
nearby but only $2.50 to ride from one
Bedlam station to the next. A few people
use it to commute to work across town, but
for the most part the trains pull out of the
stations half-empty.
There are three ways of getting around There is no special police detail
Bedlam without your own car—by train, by assigned to watch the trains. Cops only
bus and by cab. None of these options are come down to the stations if they are called.
safe or pleasant. But then neither is driving As a result, the platforms can be dangerous
in Bedlam. Or walking, come to think of it. at night, full of panhandlers, con men and
drug dealers. Apart from the ticket sellers in
The “Bedlam Subway” their fly-specked bulletproof booths, there is
usually no representative of authority
present on the trains or platforms.
Recently, a few “urban pioneers”
(mostly young bohemians who can’t afford
the rent in the big city nearby) have actually
started moving into the neighborhood
around the Terminal Drive station and a
little enclave of hipsters has formed there,
just like the Redevelopment Commission
predicted ten years ago. So far there aren’t
enough of them to have much impact on the
local economy.

The Bus
Bedlam doesn’t exactly have a Bedlam’s city buses are big, green and old.
subway—it’s not big enough or rich enough People call riding the bus “taking the Green
to support one. But your PCs will still want Limousine.” They have small windows that
to fight villains in subway tunnels and don’t open very far and only a few of the
rendezvous with seedy contacts on newer models have air conditioning. Bus
underground train platforms. So we’ve routes in Bedlam are listed by numbers from
come up with a compromise solution. one to 13, followed by a decimal point and
A commuter line runs from the then a second number indicating the sub-
Bedlam train station to a much larger city route they follow. So for example the buses
nearby. In a spasm of optimism, the that travel down Ellmore Place (the
Redevelopment Commission decided in the unofficial dividing line between Wolverton
1990s that Bedlam could become a hip new and Hardwick Park), are the 4.1, the 4.5 and
bedroom community for young the 4.7
professionals. After all, the hip crowd is The Bedlam Transit Authority used
always looking for new neighborhoods to to be a division of the city government, but
discover and gentrify—why not Bedlam? it went into receivership and got sold off to
There are, alas, a great many answers to a contractor. It still has the same name and
that last question, and despite the new most people aren’t aware that it’s been
commuter rail line, the yuppies never came. privatized. That’s a good thing, because a
The train runs beneath Bedlam’s lot of the subcontractors who provide
streets like a subway It makes three stops services like vehicle maintenance are friends
inside Bedlam, one on Slaughter Road, one and business associates of Big Andy Czernik.
on Terminal Drive and of course one in the The current owner of the BTA is
Bedlam Train Station (the line goes no Allied Holdings, a financial services company
further.) which absorbed the remains of Consolidated
Trains run every thirty minutes at Transit Services when some unwise
rush hour and then every 60 minutes until

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investments made them vulnerable to new and don’t know their way around the city
takeovers. Allied Holdings has tried to very well. The inexperienced guys don’t get
increase the profitability of the BTA by experienced—they leave, to be replaced with
reducing the quality of its service—although other inexperienced guys.
it’s hard to see how its quality could be Because both of Bedlam’s biggest cab
reduced any further. They are heavily companies are unpopular, many people are
subsidized by the city and state, but that’s just willing to trust the independent gypsy cabbies
more money to be siphoned off the top. who ply Bedlam’s streets illegally. Buyer
BTA contracts out personnel beware. Some of these independent, part
management to a firm called People First, time operators are good honest guys trying to
which subcontracts to a local Bedlam agency make a living, but some of them are crooked
called Human Needs, which is partly owned by and will try to trick or intimidate an unwary
the Scarpia crime family. This means that to customer into paying an exorbitant rate. Since
get a job as a bus driver or a dispatcher, you most unlicensed cabs don’t have meters,
will need a family connection to either the always get the driver to agree to a price up
Scarpias or the Czernik machine. As a result a front.
lot of drivers live in Stark Hill and they have a
bad reputation for being rude to African- Red Apple Cab
American passengers, making culturally “Rotten Apples” some people call them. Or
insensitive remarks and so forth. “red lemons.” Their ads proclaim that this is
As a concession to the Reverend Willie Bedlam’s only locally owned cab company.
Boggs, Big Andy has arranged for more But that’s not true. In fact it was bought out
African-American drivers to get hired. years ago by a holding company owned by a
Texas millionaire, who pays little attention to
Bedlam City Bus it, provided that it continues to make a profit.
Acc/Top Speed: 5/30; Toughness: It does this by paying its drivers as little as it
Body 14 (2); Windows 2; Crew: 1+40 or more can. It provides the cars, which the drivers
(depending on how bad rush hour is and how rent for a share of their take, it provides
late the bus has arrived at its stop) uniforms, and charges the drivers to wear
Description: Built like a tank, with a diesel them and takes back their meager pay in a
engine and solid steel body, these old dozen other little ways as well.
warhorses are battered and rusty but Few drivers can make a living working
incredibly durable. Many are missing lights or for Red Apple, but there are always more
have windows that have cracked or else suckers willing to give it a try (mostly recent
jammed open or shut. The seats are barely- immigrants.) As a result, their drivers are
padded steel benches and only one bus in seldom experienced, often don’t speak English
three is handicapped-accessible. and don’t know the city very well. Red Apple
pays the absolute minimum to maintain its
Cab Companies aging fleet of vehicles, so they are smelly and
The life of a Bedlam cabbie is tough. It’s hard in poor repair.
to make enough money to stay afloat, unless
you’re one of those guys who can live in his Yellow Cab
cab and take fares 24 hours a day, catching Despite what you’d expect, Yellow Cab really is
sleep in naps (you’d be surprised how many a locally owned company. In fact there are
cabbies really do this.) This is also one of the dozens of different Yellow Cab companies in
most dangerous ways to make a living in cities all over the US, all independent of one
America—more cabbies die by violence than another. Bedlam has one of the smaller ones.
any other occupation apart from police It’s actually a collective, owned and operated
officers. Many cabbies carry firearms and by its drivers, who pay a share to join and who
most of the veterans have at least a tire jack own their own vehicles.
or a pair of needle-nosed pliers close at hand. They used to have the best drivers in
Because the life of a Bedlam cabby is Bedlam, but as it’s gotten harder and harder
so rough, people tend not to stick with it. It’s for a cabbie to make a living here, a lot of
the kind of job a new immigrant can get, but their older guys have drifted away, to be
after they’ve tried it for a while most of them replaced by newcomers who don’t stay long.
give it up. This is why so many cabbies are There is a real camaraderie among

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the long-term drivers, which has an ugly Classy Productions Limousine Service
undertone. If one of them rips off a
passenger or beats up an irritating fare, the
others will all cover for them. They also
have a bad reputation for getting tough with
other cabbies and throwing them off their
“turf,” chasing them away from places like
the train station and the downtown cab-
stands. Now that they have fallen on bad
economic times, people say they may have
taken to doing errands for and borrowing
money from the Mafia.
Yellow Cab shares a dispatcher with
Red Apple. Even though it’s a different
phone number, the same bored voice will
answer and say “taxicab service” when you
call.

Regency Crown Cab

A small cab company, based in the
Meadows. All twelve of their drivers are
members of Nigel Garwood’s immediate
family. A scowling, short tempered
Jamaican, Nigel feels that only fools let
themselves get taken advantage of, so
every fare he cheats must be a fool. He and
his brothers and sons and nephews drive
cabs without meters and charge whatever
they think the passenger can pay.
Because they work in the Meadows,
an unincorporated zone that is technically
beyond the city’s limits, they don’t have
Bedlam cab licenses, so no one can revoke
them. Bribes to the local cops have kept
them from getting arrested so far. But it’s
just a matter of time before Nigel gets in
real trouble. Because Regency Crown is
located in the Meadows, they can get This limo service is based downtown. They
anywhere in that neighborhood faster than supply everything from old Lincoln town cars
any other cab company. to stretch Hummers. Their drivers all seem
They often listen in on the to be big older guys with sunglasses, who
dispatcher that Yellow Cab and Red Apple don’t talk much and are good at looming
use, and swipe fares out from under Red ominously.
Apple drivers (Nigel has decided not to mess Run by the Bedlam Mafia (Donny
with Yellow Cab after they beat up two of Scarpia’s mom owns the business on paper)
his nephews and started leaving death they are an excellent way to launder money,
threats on his voice-mail.) If you call for a transport drugs or hide unwanted corpses.
Red Apple and a Regency Crown shows up, Not all of their drivers are willing to
make sure to bargain with the driver in
advance.

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participate in illegal errands for the mob. barbed wire and pieces of bone are
In fact many of them don’t embedded in the walls.
know that this is who they work for, but Getting out is trickier than it looks.
enough do to keep things running The seat belts won’t open once you put
smoothly. them on. The doors open only from the
The owner never appears in outside and the door handles are booby-
person at the lot. It’s managed by a trapped, injuring anyone who tries to
short, fat nervous man with sunken eyes leave the hellish cab before they reach
named Reggie Russo, who always seems their destination.
to say everything twice. “Reggie the Echo” The destination itself varies.
they call him. He’s not a killer or a “made Sometimes it takes passengers to some
guy” but he’s capable of homicide if he evil dimension where demons gnaw their
gets scared enough. flesh. Sometimes it drives them around
endlessly, battering them against the
The Death-Cab walls of its interior until they slowly die.
For more than a hundred years, there Sometimes the cab takes passengers
have been tales of a monstrous, ghostly where they want to go, at terrifying
cab that stalks the streets of Bedlam, speed, and then its doors flop open as it
hungry for blood and meat. At the turn of goes around a curve, dumping them at
the 20th century, it was supposed to be a their destination at eighty miles an hour,
sinister black carriage driven by a faceless to splatter like eggs on the sidewalk.
man with a cloven hoof. Ever since the The driver can’t be seen clearly
1940s it has taken the form of a battered through the grimy partition (although
up old “checker” cab with its license plate passengers can hear his horrible voice
obscured by grime. Once you get inside, clearly enough.) He is known only as
most people want to get back out “Mac.” Most people think he’s the devil.
immediately. There is an evil smell and Rumor says that Lucius Hardwick
the remains of previous passengers are once went for a ride in the Death-Cab. It
strewn around the interior. Razor blades, politely dropped him off at his destination
and the driver refused to be paid.

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Not counting Juvenile Hall, Bedlam’s public they have been able to greatly increase the
educational system oversees eighteen school system’s profitability. They aren’t as
elementary schools, three middle schools fussy about making sure that teachers have
and six high schools. There are also twelve all the correct certifications so they can
private schools, eight of them parochial. afford to pay them a lot less. They have
Of the eighteen K-5 schools that the also learned that big advertising firms will
Bedlam Department of Education oversees, pay a lot of money to let you put ads in
two are presently under renovation and school cafeterias, in classrooms, inside
have been for so many years that no one textbooks and so forth. Kids are very
expects them to reopen. School 115 in impressionable, and the product loyalties
Hardwick Park busses its students to spare you teach them at an early age will stay
classrooms in Grissom High School. School with them for life. It’s incredibly valuable to
113 is in the Country Club, and the few be able to catch them between the ages of
remaining kids in that district have been five and eighteen, and plenty of ad agencies
scattered through other Elementary Schools will pay extra for the privilege.
throughout the system. But of course all that money goes
Bedlam’s public schools were once straight back to the parent company in the
known only by three-digit code numbers. Persian Gulf. To actually run the schools
Elementary schools all start with “1”, Middle themselves, they depend largely on funds
Schools with “2” and high schools with Zero. from big sporting goods manufacturers, who
Over the years most, but not all of them, regard urban schools as farms for the
have been renamed after famous athletes who sell their products to the
Bedlamites or US Presidents. public. How much money they give you
It may be a misnomer to call them depends on how prominent your teams are
“Public Schools.” Bedlam passed a charter and how many award-winning athletes you
school law which allows the actual on-the- produce, so as a result, a talented jock can
ground management of the schools to be get away with nearly anything in a Bedlam
handled by for-profit companies. None of school. Teachers can be replaced and the
them are run by the city anymore. The school won’t lose a dime. But if they get a
state authorities claim that this is illegal, reputation as a school that’s unfriendly to
that Bedlam has no authority to pass such a star athletes, their funding takes a nosedive.
law and they have successfully prosecuted Nor are they much interested in
them for it. The municipal government stamping out their gang problem—or for
ignores this and continues to run its school that matter admitting that it exists. In Stark
system its own way (ignore this last part if Hill, Grissom High has actually turned
you decide to place Bedlam in the state of security duty over to the street gang called
Michigan—the one place in the United States the Coronets, because they keep order and
were it’s actually legal to farm schools out to don’t charge for their services.
for-profit entities.) In most of Bedlam’s schools,
Bedlam’s service provider is security is provided either by G and T (you
American International Educators (people can find out all about this firm on Page 162)
sometimes jocularly call them “AIEEE!”.) or by the Bedlam Police, which assigns
They’re a division of a Dubai-based patrol officers to the schools as a
corporation called American International punishment if they screw up too many times
Corrections, which mostly runs prisons. on the job.
They have broken the back of Bedlam’s Here is a brief list of Bedlam’s
once-mighty teachers’ union and as a result schools, with a little information about each
one.

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 other room by a teacher, so staff, faculty
Public High Schools and students alike have found numerous
There are six public high schools in Bedlam. ways of subverting the system.
They vary a lot in quality. All of them but Most of the kids at Pemberton live
Pemberton High are underfunded and in Stone Ridge, but it’s also a magnet
plagued by violence. school, and some are talented students who
have been bussed in from the city.
High School 019 If you go to Pemberton, it means
Located in Greely Point, on top of the hill your family couldn’t quite afford Walgrove
overlooking the docks, this is one of Prep, or that you didn’t meet their
Bedlam’s oldest schools. It’s made of brown admissions standards. But the social
bricks and while it isn’t very large, it’s half- hierarchy is still extremely rigid and
deserted. Not many teenagers live in Greely extremely ruthless here. They are
Point and most of them attend Catholic particularly dependent on their sports teams
School. to bring in money, so jocks can get away
They don’t have enough kids to get with anything at Pemberton. This school is
a really decent football team (the pool of the least violent in Bedlam, but it has the
students who are interested is just too highest suicide rate.
small) so they bus teenage athletes in from You can still buy drugs at
Wolverton. These are just about the only Pemberton, despite all the draconian
black kids in the school. They are all security.
enrolled in the “Vocational Tech” program,
which means that they attend separate Double Zero High
classes, on a different schedule from the In fact this is High School 005, the oldest
other students. They arrive and leave at school in Bedlam. But everybody calls it
different hours, they eat their lunch at other Double Zero. Even the staff and faculty
times and they never come into contact with have taken to calling it that.
the white kids. This, of course, is racial Located on North Ellmore Drive, it’s
segregation, and it’s completely illegal. But on the border between the Hispanic
so far no one has said a word to the federal neighborhood of Hardwick Park and the
authorities about it. African-American neighborhood of
Wolverton. That’s why kids sometimes call
Austin Pemberton High it “Ground Zero.”
Small, new and clean, Pemberton is a two- It’s a huge, ugly building, four
story building that looks like it belongs in an blocks long and four stories high, that
office park. All shiny blue windows and seems to have grown at random, with
gleaming metal fixtures, it is impossible to extensions in different styles sprawling
get to on foot. The school is right across down the street. Not as bad as Bleeker or
Wulfe Drive from the Stone Ridge gated Herzog, an uneasy truce seems to be
community and no sidewalks lead there. holding here between the Hispanic and
Students who don’t have cars take the bus— African-American kids. This also helps keep
and endure a lot of teasing for it. drug-dealing down (and the violence that
This is a strictly regulated campus. goes with it), since no one group dominates
Students have to swipe their ID cards to the school. But there have been incidents,
open all doors both inside and out of the some of them bloody. And if the gang
building—which may cause a serious warfare between Wolverton and Hardwick
tragedy the first time there is a fire. The Park heats up, kids could start getting killed
school’s central computer knows every here every week.
student’s schedule and only opens
classroom doors that they are supposed to Helmut Herzog High
be in. This creates awful problems when Smaller than Bleeker or Double Zero, Herzog
students change classes, or switch High is the worst-funded school in Bedlam.
extracurricular activities, or get sent to some It’s a shabby little three-story building with a

126
lot of broken windows. It serves all the down the hall. It’s a rowdier place than its
students in Hardwick Park who don’t go to arch-rival, Herzog. Wolverton’s gangs aren’t
Double Zero. The overwhelming majority of as well organized as the Mara, and they
them are Hispanic—mostly Mexican, don’t control the administration or the
Salvadoran or Honduran. security guards. This is a good thing, but
Like most inner-city schools, Herzog they also get into occasional rumbles with
isn’t as dangerous as people like to think. one another in the halls (although this has
It’s important to remember that most really died down a bit since Eentsy Z built his
bad kids skip school. The majority of coalition of street gangs) No one has died
students at Herzog just want to socialize in a gang-related incident on school
with their friends, make passable grades property since 1996, and they’ve never
and get through the day, just like all high actually had a teacher get killed.
school students everywhere. Only a few are A great deal is wrong at Bleeker,
actual gang members or troublemakers. But but their football team, the Wolverton
it’s still a tough school. There are fights Wolverines, dominates the city’s high-school
here every week, and back in 2002 a circuit.
teacher was actually killed by a student.
The mood at Herzog is more subdued than Thaddeus Grissom High
it is at Bleeker, its big rival in Wolverton. Grissom High is the toughest school in
The Mara have a strong presence here and Bedlam. It’s located in Stark Hill, on the
the school authorities are afraid to tangle street that bears its name, but most of its
with them. students are bussed in from Wolverton and
Teachers and administrators are Hardwick Park. This is the school they send
perfectly safe from the Mara, so long as you to if you get expelled from Bleeker or
they don’t interfere with their drug sales and Herzog. It is a rigorously closed campus,
show gang members the proper respect. with security guards and student hall
Most play along, and so things actually run monitors posted at every exit, metal
pretty smoothly. In a weird way the Mara detectors and drug-sniffing dogs. Most of
keep order—they don’t want the police to the doors are chained shut in defiance of
get called to the school and that keeps most the fire codes. Many of the windows have
fights between students from getting out of bars and nearly all have the glass broken
hand. out.
Security is officially provided by The Principal of Grissom is “Dandy”
G&T, and there are a few cops on duty in Joe Slorkin, who is controversial for his
the school as well, but security is kind of a idiosyncratic approach to discipline and
joke here. Neither the policemen nor the security. He has implemented such severe
guards (most of whom are also off-duty measures that even the higher-ups at
cops) will interfere with the Mara. The ones American International Educators are
who aren’t being bribed still know enough to starting to worry about him. He says that to
look the other way. run a school this tough, you need to take
some pretty tough measures.
Langdon Bleeker High Among his more controversial
Most students in Wolverton attend Bleeker. innovations, he has created a student
It’s a huge old concrete battleship of a security group to patrol the halls and
building that dates to the 1950s. The school enforce classroom discipline. Slorkin points
looks like a giant grey slab. Built to out that this is more effective than
withstand riots, its windows resemble gun conventional policing. His kids know their
slits. Four stories high and four blocks long, peers better than any of his G&T security
it has yet to be filled to capacity. guards and they can spot problems that the
This is a tough school, but as guards cannot. It’s true that most members
mentioned above, that doesn’t mean that of his team are part of the Stark Hill street
teachers live in fear of their students or that gang called the Coronets, but that’s because
you take your life in your hands walking they’re the best kids for the job. They’re

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tough and savvy and they know exactly how evacuation will be a nightmare, and then a
to spot drug dealers. tragedy.
Kids whisper that Slorkin is a
hypocrite—he’s the biggest drug dealer in Sewell Blottman Junior High
the school, and he’s in tight with the Mob. Named after one of Bedlam’s most
His crazy security measures are there to prominent bankers and, ironically, its most
keep rival gangs and other dealers out. ardent foes of integration. Mr. Blottman
That can’t be true, can it? would no doubt flip his wig if he saw his
school today. Located in Hardwick Park,
Public Middle Schools near the edge of downtown, it serves kids
Bedlam has three public middle schools. from Stark Hill all the way down to Ellmore
Randall Burkhardt M.S. serves Stone Ridge, Place. Unlike Helmut Herzog High School,
Sewell Blottman M.S. serves Stark Hill and the Mara have little influence over anything
Hardwick Park, while Carmichael Stokely at Blottman. Because kids from Stark Hill
M.S. serves Wolverton. Officially kids from get bussed there, the Mafia have issued
Greely Point are supposed to attend Stokely, standing orders that the school is off-limits
but in fact their elementary schools run to any of Hardwick Park’s gangs. Over the
through 8th grade (even though this is past few years this arrangement has slipped
against state law) and they only send their a little. It’s impossible to completely keep
worst students over the river. the Mara out, but they have learned that so
long as they only hassle Hispanic kids, and
Randall Burkhardt Middle School don’t interfere with any of the Stark Hill
Named after the only Bedlam native ever to gangs’ drug sales, the Scarpias won’t do
become the Undersecretary of the Treasury anything about it.
(during the Coolidge Administration), this The school itself is an overcrowded
junior high school serves the 6th, 7th and 8th hulk of a building, constructed over a long
grade students who live in Stone Ridge. period of time, with additions in various ugly
Officially it also covers the forested area styles tacked onto to its grim Victorian
down Wulfe Road, although few people live central wing. It looks a little like a 19th
there. A few impoverished rural kids seem century slaughterhouse, with a light
to attend every year, and swiftly find industrial construction facility, a warehouse
themselves tormented beyond all endurance and a garage somehow growing out of its
by their classmates. Randall Burkhardt is sides.
actually in the same building as Pennington There aren’t enough faculty,
High School, across Wulfe Road from Stone custodial staff or security guards here, and
Ridge. However, its students enter the there are far too many students. Kids are
building through separate doors, use packed in forty-five to a class, and there
different classrooms and have passing may be more teacher layoffs next year. One
periods at different times than the high whole wing of Blottman has been
school students, so they never encounter temporarily shut down for structural
one another. instability and no one is sure how or when
The middle school operates under they’ll get the money to repair it.
the same elaborate, dysfunctional security
protocols as the high school, although the Carmichael Stokely Junior High
students and faculty have key cards that One of the Redevelopment Commission’s
open different doors at different hours. It last projects, Carmichael Stokely was meant
also has its own completely separate (and to be a school unlike any other, which would
totally redundant) administrative staff and dominate the landscape and show
its own custodial workers. The two Wolverton how much the city cares about
administrations don’t communicate very well educating its youngsters. Instead of a
and they don’t share a coordinated disaster conventional three or four story building
plan. If there is ever a fire or another covering a block or two, they opted for a
serious emergency in the building, narrow, eight-story tower, looming down

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from the hillside near the edge of the Elementary Schools
Country Club. In order to look properly Of the eighteen public elementary schools in
imposing, the school was constructed in the Bedlam, sixteen are partly functioning and
Brutalist style, and is often mistakes for a two are more or less permanently closed for
prison (which actually makes AIE renovations that never seem to happen.
administrators more comfortable working Here are the ones that are still operating.
here.) Space doesn’t allow us to go into nearly as
The facility was grandiose, with its much detail for each one as we have for the
own greenhouse and an indoor Olympic- high schools and middle schools, but then
sized swimming pool. Escalators connected again the PCs aren’t as likely to visit them,
the floors, since students and faculty since fewer crimes are committed there.
couldn’t be expected to walk up and down
eight flights of steps all day. Best of all, Darius Mortlake Elementary
Stokely didn’t cost the city a dime. It was Not actually located on Mortlake Avenue,
the outright gift of a giant software despite the name. This is the biggest
company that was anxious to improve its elementary school in Greely Point. Like
image. Greely Point’s only high school, it doesn’t
Unfortunately, a building like have enough students, even though it keeps
Stokely Junior High takes an enormous them through the eighth grade. The
amount of maintenance, and the city just building itself is a huge old brick cavern
didn’t have to money to keep it up. Within that’s impossible to heat.
a year all the escalators had failed and the Technically it’s against the law for
pool had drained into the pump room them to teach 7th and 8th graders here
underneath. When pipes burst in the winter rather than sending them to a middle
cold, the water leaks down two or three school, but Councilman Ron Cordell (see
floors at least, damaging all the rooms in its Page 42) has done a great job of keeping
path. There are four freight elevators at the the city authorities off their backs.
corners of the building, but no more than
one or two of them seems to work at any Thurgood Marshall Elementary
given time, and of course no one but The smallest and newest of Wolverton’s
disabled students and maintenance staff are elementary schools, Marshall was built with
allowed to ride in them. No one has used a federal grant back in the 1990s and it’s in
the greenhouse for anything but storing old better shape than the other schools in the
building materials in years, and the pool has neighborhood. It was intended to be a
lain, dark shuttered and empty, since the magnet school for gifted kids at first, but
year after Stokely opened. there were too many ordinary kids crammed
The donors wanted the school to into overcrowded classrooms elsewhere. So
have a scuba team, and hundreds of now they run a separate gifted program
thousands of dollars worth of aqualungs, inside the school, while teaching regular K-5
rebreathers and other gear lies abandoned classes in most of their other classrooms.
in the rooms off the pool. The vigilante Unfortunately, a disgruntled school
Nocturne has a temporary lair in one of administrator named Henrietta Diggs is irate
those rooms, and camps out here about over the way Marshall is “misusing” the
once every two weeks. grant and she’s been raising hell with the
Rod Anger, Bedlam’s favorite right- Federal Department of Education about it.
wing radio talk show host, loves to point to Soon their grant may get pulled thanks to
Stokely and its problems as proof that the her efforts, and the school will swiftly go
residents of Wolverton can’t be trusted with downhill.
anything nice, and that government
intervention never helps anyone. Of course, Woodrow Wilson Elementary
it was in fact a private company that Located in Wolverton, this school has the
conceived the project, but he usually doesn’t best peewee football team in the city. In
mention that part. fact they’re a little too good. There are

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rumors that the school authorities have actively blocking it It’s as overcrowded as
been “red-shirting” promising athletes— Ellwood Holmes and has many of the same
holding them back a year or two in order to problems.
make them bigger and stronger. Some of
their players may be twelve or thirteen and Marion Darkwater Elementary
weigh as much as 150 pounds. While it’s named after the same Bedlam
real-estate tycoon, Darkwater Elementary
Lincoln Darger Elementary isn’t anywhere near Darkwater Street. In
Just off downtown on the edge of Hardwick fact it’s on Mortlake, in the southern part of
Park, this small school is where most of the Wolverton, which causes a lot of confusion
kids from the Meadows and the apartments when people from outside the neighborhood
around Terminal Drive get bussed. It also go looking for it.
has a lot of kids from Hardwick Park and a Overcrowded, but not quite as bad
serious shortage of Spanish-speaking as Holmes, this is where most of the
teachers. children from Bedlam’s small Jamaican
While it’s no worse than many of community attend classes. There is a lot of
Bedlam’s public schools, Darger is presently friction between the Caribbean kids and the
infamous, for this is the place where a students for some reason.
teacher named Ashley Gutreau had an This is Eentsy Z’s old elementary
inappropriate affair with one of her sixth- school, and it’s locally infamous as the place
grade students, and where the principal where he killed his first human being, at the
tried to cover the incident up rather than age of six, in a dispute over the rules of
report it. A cloud still hangs over Darger, freeze-tag. Students will tell you that you
while Miss Gutreau languishes in prison. can still see the blood on the ground where
it happened, but of course you can’t.
Ellwood Holmes Elementary
Wolverton’s largest elementary school, Lucius Hardwick Elementary
located on Ellmore Avenue near “Double This school is actually located in Wolverton,
Zero” High. It has absorbed many of the rather than Hardwick Park. Built by the
students from the closed School 119 and it’s Lucius Hardwick foundation, it reflects Mr.
packed to capacity. They bus kids here Hardwick’s personal feelings about
from all across the neighborhood and it’s education. Built specifically to resemble a
often standing room only on the busses prison and remind children to fear their
once they fill up, in direct violation of the teachers, this grey cement block has tiny
safety standards. A lot of kids from windows and bare concrete walls. This
Hardwick Park go here too, but there are actually makes it harder to keep order, since
almost no Spanish-Speaking teachers, which the building is hellishly hot in the spring and
causes constant trouble. fall thanks to its foolhardy design, and this
There are a lot of discipline makes students restless. Its high narrow
problems at Holmes. Average class size is hallways are not suited to the school’s
now up to fifty and there’s just no good way overcrowded passing periods and make it
for the school’s limited staff and faculty to even harder for teachers and security to
keep order. maintain control. It has wound up being a
school where teachers fear their students,
Elementary 118 rather than the other way around.
Hardwick Park’s biggest elementary school,
there have been efforts to rename it after Horatio Hoggard Elementary
one or another community leader, but Located just to the south of Lucius Hardwick
Hardwick Park doesn’t have enough pull on Memorial Park, this school was built in the
the Municipal Council to get it changed. late 60s and it shows unmistakably in its
There are also rumors that certain forces on architecture. The principal and
the Council don’t like the idea of a school administrators have somehow gained the ire
with a Spanish name., and have been of the gang called the Mara, although no

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one is exactly sure how. Very ominous edge of the city’s oldest Italian
graffiti has begun to appear on the walls neighborhood. It’s a tall, narrow, building,
and someone has been leaving crucified made of weathered bricks.
dogs on the front steps. Where this might Kids say there is something wrong
lead, no one knows at Weybright. The place is haunted.
Seriously haunted. Two teachers and three
Langhorne Greely Elementary students have gone insane and attempted to
Most kids in Stark Hill attend Catholic commit suicide there in the past five years.
school. For those whose families can’t
afford it, there are also a couple of Anthony Martucci Elementary
underfunded public elementary schools, This was Stark Hill’s original public school,
although it’s regarded as a real social stigma and it was once beautiful—a grand brick
to go there. Because they don’t have structure in the art nouveau style with
enough students, a lot of their classroom wedding cake curlicues all over the walls. It
space sits empty. This has made it very even has ivy growing on one side.
easy for the mob to strike crooked deals Inside it’s not as nice. The Mafia
with the school’s contractors, stealing steals every dime it can from the school’s
materials and selling them off elsewhere. budget and its facilities are falling apart.
The Reverend Willie Boggs has been trying The Municipal Council likes to hold public
hard to get the school to let Wolverton bus photo-ops on the front steps, because it
them some of their excess kids, but looks a lot like City Hall, but is in much
Councilman “Big Andy“ Czernik has always better shape.
blocked him, saying that “this is how it
starts.” Calvin Coolidge Elementary
We presume he means letting any Wolverton’s oldest and most run-down
black people into the neighborhood, even elementary school. Its facilities are in worse
for a hew hours a day, would somehow shape than any other school in the system
weaken the barriers against them. Most and nearly half of it has had to be shut
residents of Stark Hill agree. down thanks to black mold and collapsing
ceilings. Many classes are held in the
Elementary 114 parking lot in trailers, which the school calls
There are safer places to locate a school “modular classrooms.” The trailers are very
than the north end of Industrial Drive. The hot in summer and very cold in winter and
six lanes of traffic roaring past are they smell bad.
dangerous enough for the school busses, let Some community activists have
alone the students. At least there’s no actually been calling for Coolidge to get torn
longer very much pollution from the dying down. But then where would all the kids
factories. go?
Sometimes objects fly off the back
of passing trucks and bounce into the Roland Woodworth Elementary
playground, so the kids are no longer This school serves the children of Stone
allowed to go outside for recess. Last year Ridge. It’s a gleaming, shiny new cube of
a car came crashing into the second story of bulletproof glass, located on Wulfe Road
the building and it’s still stuck there now. directly across from the Stone Ridge gated
No one seems to know how to remove it or community. It is of course impossible for
what to do about it. Some people say it’s students to walk to and from school, but
made the building structurally unsound, but most Stone Ridge parents think that’s a
all the local schools are so overcrowded that good thing and will keep their kids out of
it wouldn’t make sense to shut 114 down. trouble. Nowhere is there more advertising
in the Bedlam public schools than at
Dorothea Weybright Elementary Woodworth, since these are the kids who
This is Greely Point’s second elementary will grow up to have disposable income.
school, located on Moon Avenue on the

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Elementary 105 piling far more work on its students at a far
On Storch Avenue, near Ash Street, sits younger age than most experts think is safe
Bedlam’s smallest elementary school. It or healthy, in order to help them get ahead.
serves the needs of the few remaining kids It’s the only elementary school in Bedlam
from the Country Club, as well as those who where students commit suicide on a regular
are unlucky enough to live on or around Ash basis.
Street. It’s also where about half of the Of course, the very richest families
children from the giant trailer park called can pay for the “Accelerated Program,” an
Shady Meadows attend school—the other alternative “free-school” within the school
half go to rural schools run by the county. where students get to learn at their own
This mix of impoverished inner-city kids and pace, lounging around and taking endless
trailer trash has led to an explosive breaks, fiddling with projects when it suits
atmosphere. The city authorities aren’t fully them.
aware of the fact, but this is the school with
the worst discipline problem in the city. Walgrove Prep
More fights happen on the playground here This exclusive private school is down Wulfe
than at any school in Wolverton or Hardwick Road from the Stone Ridge gated
Park. Frequently brawls spread out across community, just off the edge of the map.
the whole yard and become impossible to The campus looks old, with brown brick
break up without calling in the police. buildings covered in ivy. But in fact
It also has the worst record of parents Walgrove is new—it was constructed within
physically intimidating or assaulting teachers the past ten years, after Stone Ridge
(these incidents usually happen when opened. Its brick facades cover walls made
teachers attempt to discipline children of hastily-poured concrete and the ivy is
whose parents are members of Shady constantly tended by the groundskeeping
Meadows’ dominant biker gang) staff. Walgrove costs a lot of money but
their admissions standards aren’t very high
Private and Parochial Schools and the faculty aren’t very distinguished. A
But of course not every kid in Bedlam has to lot of them have PhDs, but most of them
attend its failing public schools. For the are here because even with a PhD they can’t
lucky few whose parents can afford it, there find jobs at the University level.
are alternatives. See below for some of Getting admitted to Walgrove is all
them. The GM should feel free to invent about your personal interview, which in turn
more. is all about finding out which family you
come from. Once you are admitted, the
Hugo Grimm Friends’ School faculty’s job is to bend over backwards to
The Quakers were once a despised minority give you as many A’s as possible so that you
in Bedlam and their children were forbidden can get into an Ivy League school on the
to attend the town’s schools. They were basis of your inflated GPA.
allowed to build a school of their own, a Walgrove is officially a boarding
safe distance away from town, on what is school, although most of its students have
now Krangle Street in Greely Point. It is their own cars and live so close by that they
now the best and most coveted private go home almost every night and use the
elementary school in Bedlam, teaching only dorms mostly to party in. There is a small
the children of its richest citizens. Everyone unhappy group of scholarship students from
in Stone Ridge hopes to get their all around the country who do not have that
kindergartener into Hugo Grimm. privilege. They are here to give the school
It’s a beautiful red-brick building some academic standing and its students
surrounded by tasteful landscaping and some low-class nerds to persecute. These
huge elm trees. Inside, the best-paid kids live in the dorms full-time, so jocks
teachers in the city watch over tiny classes. always know where to find them when it’s
It’s a bit of an academic pressure-cooker, time to beat someone up and destroy their
stuff.

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Our Lady of the Five Wounds Textbooks and lab supplies are in
The largest educational institution in Stark particularly short supply, and students often
Hill, this parochial school offers instruction have to share a book.
for Kindergarten through the 12th grade,
although not all in one building. There are Abundant Tabernacle Christian
in fact three separate campuses, one for Academy
Kindergarten through sixth grade, one for This Pentecostal “True Love Christian
seventh and eighth grade and one for high School” instructs children in the One Way,
school students. All three have the same along with reading and basic math. They
archaic, faux-gothic look, with lots of ornate proudly teach their students only “the Truth
fake stonework made out of cement and of Christian-Based Science” as opposed to
rusty cast-iron fences with spikes on the actual science. Nor do they teach children
top. the corrupting and satanic “irrational”
Our Lady of the Five Wounds is not numbers, like Pi and its demonic ilk.
very progressive as far as Catholic schools Quadratic equations, which have also been
go. Bishop Sloat (see page 44) was once shown by Revealed Interpretation of the
the headmaster here, and he implemented Law to be satanic in origin, are never taught
the most severe system of corporal here either.
punishment in decades. He used to Abundant Tabernacle has more than
implement a lot of the physical discipline one campus. Their main facility is located in
himself, and after two boys died while he the Meadows, in a large, tacky white
ministered to their disciplinary needs, he building shaped something like a tent or a
was hastily promoted to a position where he postmodern church, covered with windows.
would have no direct contact with students They also operate smaller, store-front
and parishioners. But his legacy lives on. schools in strip malls in Wolverton, Hardwick
In a lot of schools, physical Park and Stark Hill. They also have a
punishment is confined to a single room, branch in the Liberty Shoppes Mall that’s
administered with a paddle under strict exclusively for 7th and 8th graders.
guidelines. While they certainly have There are rumors that some of their
paddles at Our lady of the Five Wounds, the older students have formed a more radical
monks and nuns who teach there don’t feel clique within the school, and have been
confined to use them, and are free to get talking about taking Direct Action against
students’ attention by slapping them, or the unrighteous, perhaps with pipe bombs.
twisting their ears, or picking them up by More than one teacher sympathizes with
their hair (if they’re small and light enough) their aims and may be encouraging them.
etc. Sometimes they hit kids for breaking Nor is it clear whether or not they are just
the rules and sometimes they do it to make talking tough, or whether they actually have
sure they’re listening, or to emphasize a the means to put these plans into action. If
point, or for no reason at all. rival cliques of adolescents start getting
There is some question of whether blown up by pipe bombs, we’ll know for
or not the disciplinary procedures at Our sure.
Lady of the Five Wounds are strictly legal.
But Municipal Councilman “Big Andy” Notable people within the Bedlam
Czernik has done a good job of shielding School System
them from official inquiries—he doesn’t see Some are the stat-blocks and background
why today’s kids shouldn’t have to go material on the next few pages are meant
through all the suffering he went through for teachers, while some are for
himself back in school. administrators. Apart from Principal Joe
While all three campuses of Our Slorkin, none of them are tied specifically to
Lady of the Five Wounds are better funded any one school—you can spread them round
than the Bedlam Public schools, they are still wherever you need them for your stories.
in a state of decay, with a declining number
of students and crumbling facilities.

133
Principal Headly Dingman Hindrances: Habit (Alchoholic), Obese,
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Quirk (has completely given up)
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate d8, Background: Stultz has totally given up on
Knowledge (educational theory) d4, his school, his job and anything else apart
Knowledge (school administration) d8, from punching the clock. He is seldom seen
Notice d4, Shooting d6 in the corridors of his school and some kids
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; are starting to wonder if he even exists. For
Toughness: 5 the most part he stays barricaded in his
Hindrances: Clueless, Mean, Paranoid, office, wasting time at his desk, playing
Quirk (hates and fears kids) Minesweeper on his laptop (the office
Edges: Frenzy doesn’t have a PC) and waiting until the bell
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 rings. He leaves almost all the day-to-day
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only details of running the school in the hands of
protects his torso), Helmet (3 armor, only his assistants and they aren’t doing it very
protects his head), Baseball Bat (d4+2 well. He has also taken to drinking during
damage) the day.
Those few students and faculty who
Background: Headly Dingman has gone a have seen Mr. Stultz report him to be a
little nuts. The stress of his job and his great fat orca of a man with dangling jowls,
constant fears for his own personal security and a lot of stubble on his cheeks. His voice
have made him a paranoid loon. He is thick, met and indistinct. He dresses with
communicates with students through a the absolute minimum level of formality he
bullhorn and routinely wears riot gear at can get away with—jeans and a dress shirt
public assemblies. He never goes anywhere with no tie. Frankly, if he could come to
without an armed escort of security guards. work in a bathrobe, he would.
Constantly convinced that students are
mocking him and plotting against him Principal Nellie Rittle
behind his back, he sometimes holds Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit
impromptu “security Sweeps”, raiding d10, Strength d4, Vigor d4
lockers and classrooms at random, Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate d8,
terrorizing any kids unlucky enough to get in Knowledge (educational theory) d6,
his path. He’s also getting unstable, hearing Knowledge (school administration) d8,
voices and developing weird rituals and Notice d8, Taunt d8, Stealth d6
delusions. Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
All his craziness has left him a less- Toughness: 4
than capable administrator, and a lot of the Hindrances: Big Mouth, Quirk (sadist,
school’s problems are growing out of control loves to hurt kids emotionally), Vengeful
under his nose.
Dingman is a completely bald man Background: A spindly little loudmouth
with huge bug-eyed glasses and deep lines bully, Rittle claims to be a tough, take-no-
in his face. He often seems to be looking prisoners, “zero tolerance” principal. But
past you, rather than at you as he speaks. that’s really kind of a joke. She is good at
pushing kids around and devising bizarre
Principal Hermann Stultz punishments for them, but she knows better
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, than to ever actually mess with any gang
Strength d6, Vigor d4 members and carefully avoids noticing any
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge of the real criminal activity going on in her
(educational theory) d6, Knowledge (school school.
administration) d6, Notice d4 It’s just a job to her. She privately
Charisma: +0; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; feels that she has no hope of changing
Toughness: 5 anything, so why bother trying? But it’s a lot
of fun to shove kids around and it makes

134
her popular with the parents. Anyway she Principal Joe Slorkin
has to do something to fill her day. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
A genuine sadist, she gets a d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
particular thrill out of verbally abusing pretty Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d10,
girls. It’s even better if they look shy and Intimidation d8+2, Knowledge (Bedlam
vulnerable. Underworld) d8, Notice d8, Shooting d10,
A tiny woman with hunched Stealth d6, Streetwise d10, Taunt d8+2
shoulders, she might have been pretty Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
fifteen years ago but her personality has Toughness: 6 (2/4)
begun to inscribe itself indelibly on her face. Edges: Combat Reflexes, Connections
She never raises her voice, and speaks in a (Bedlam Mafia), Level Headed, No Mercy,
quiet, menacing purr. Rock and Roll, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
Intimidation or Taunt)
Principal Lloyd Poke Hindrances: Mean
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
Strength d10, Vigor d8 Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Knowledge protects his chest), Great Big Pistol (Range
(educational theory) d4, Knowledge (school 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, Armor-Piercing
administration) d4, Knowledge (football) d8, 2, Rate of Fire 1), Assault Rifle (Range
Notice d6, Throwing d8 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP 2, Three
Charisma: +2; Pace: 8; Parry: 5; round burst)
Toughness: 5
Edges: Attractive, Fleet-Footed, Inspire Background: Grissom High is the toughest
school in Bedlam. It takes a tough guy to
Background: Poke has a couple of secrets run it, or so Joe Slorkin will happily tell you.
that he’d like to conceal. First, he doesn’t He has made all kinds of reforms, intended
actually have a degree in education—he’s to tighten security and stamp out crime.
just a football coach who was willing to go Grissom’s security services, for example, are
along with crushing the teachers’ union, and provided by Garvin and Torsberg Ltd, but
that’s the only reason he got this job. He’s they don’t have enough officers to patrol the
not up to it, and has no training as either a halls, they don’t speak the kids’ lingo and
teacher or an administrator. He does know they aren’t present in classrooms. So
a lot about coaching football and the teams Principal Slorkin has created a student
have done well under him. But in other security group made up of kids he can trust
regards his school is falling apart. His other (all of them members of the Coronets street
secret is a little more serious. gang and its affiliates) to help keep order in
A huge, muscular guy, he has ways that the regular security guards
always been attractive to teenage girls. And cannot. They use this power to harass more
he’s weak and foolish enough to take or less anyone they want, all with the
advantage of the fact. To tell you the truth, principal’s help and encouragement.
he’s been going through them like popcorn, They have also helped him bring the
ever since he took this job. The Mob has school’s drug problem under control. The
found out about his problem, and they are Coronets sell all the drugs in his school and
blackmailing him with it. As long as he runs he takes a piece of the action. Anyone
his school, drugs will be sold there without caught selling drugs who isn’t one of his
any interference from his office. boys will get sent to Juvenile Hall and very
For his part, Poke is so scared about swiftly get killed there.
his inadequacy as a manager to worry much This is making him really rich and
about his other situation. He’s a big, getting him a lot of respect from the Scarpia
impressive looking African-American guy Crime family. He’s not Sicilian, so he can
with a moustache. He always dresses never be a Made Guy, but he’s a valued
impeccably, with an expensive suit and associate and they would take it ill if
carefully dimpled tie. Girls swoon over him. anything bad were to happen to him.

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 Slorkin is a short, fat, violent man child epoch) d8, Notice d6, Stealth d4,
with huge furry eyebrows and sunken red- Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
rimmed eyes. He dresses in hideous Toughness: 4 (3)
brown polyester suits and has offensive Hindrances: Curious, Overconfident
body odor. The Scarpias call him “Dandy Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
Joe”, but it’s ironic (much like “Dapper” Charismatic, Inspire, Soul Drain
Donny Scarpia) He usually goes around Powers: Armor 3 (special version, only
the school flanked by two of his largest protects her from magical attacks),
hall monitors. Detect/Conceal Arcana, Dispel
Amazingly for a high school Background: It’s hard to believe, but
principal, he is openly racist, and wants to Miss Wylde actually commutes into
make sure his Coronets keep their boots Bedlam every morning on the train from
on the black kids’ necks. Slorkin has a the larger metropolis nearby, in order to
bad temper and is prone to striking people work at an inner city school. She does
who annoy him, but he keeps it under this because she feels it’s the right thing
control at school. He also has a cruel to do.
sense of humor and likes to make ugly Wispy and willowy, with a soft,
jokes at the expense of his black and diffident voice and long grey hair, you can
Hispanic students. He never does this guess instantly that she’s former flower
around grown-ups, however. child, even before you see her peasant
Seen as a rising power within the skirt and her hippie jewelry. She has
mob, he has somehow gained the enmity recently separated from her long-term
of “Little Junior” Gorganzua, Young boyfriend and has thrown herself deeper
Junior’s wastrel son. Little Junior seems into her work. She’s determined to make
to think that some of Slorkin’s Coronets a difference. Julie wants to be involved in
showed him disrespect, but he might just her students’ lives and she sometimes
feel jealous of him as a rising star. If gets a little too involved. Many of her
Pookie (see Page 249 for more about this students have wound up sleeping on her
biker warlord) tires of working for crazy couch when they couldn’t safely go home
Little Junior, he will probably try to switch and she has done even riskier things. Not
over to Dandy Joe Slorkin’s bunch, and once has she ever slept with a student,
may find himself appointed Assistant but she has smoked dope with them on
Principal of Grissom High. occasion and by the standards of the
It’s important to remember that Bedlam school system, that’s nearly as
most people don’t know Principal Slorkin is bad. She’s also been teaching Marxism in
a crook, and neither do most of the her class, but no one in the administration
students at Grissom. To the world he’s pays any attention to this.
just a tough guy with a tough job to do. It’s only a matter of time before
her recklessness gets her into serious
Julie Wylde trouble, either with the gangs or with the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit law. Or with worse things. Julie is a
d6, Strength d4, Vigor d4 practicing witch, although not a very
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, powerful one. If one of her students gets
Knowledge (Arcane Secrets) d6, in trouble with sinister unseen forces, she
Knowledge (English Literature) d8, will try to help them. Julie knows just
Knowledge (popular culture of the flower enough about magic to get them both in
really serious danger.

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Euclid D. Farnham Background: Mr. Farnham teaches science
at one of Bedlam’s inner-city schools. It
could be a high school or a junior high or
just possibly a grade school (although this
would be harder to fit.)
The other science teachers on the
faculty resent and are perplexed by him.
With his PhD and multiple engineering
degrees, he could be making real money in
the private sector. What is he doing
teaching science in Bedlam? It’s almost like
he enjoys teaching underprivileged kids—
but that’s so crazy no one wants to believe
it. At any rate he’s clearly not one of them,
so they avoid him. He doesn’t seem to care.
Wildly enthusiastic, with a crazy
mop of hair that hangs in his eyes, he’s the
very picture of the mad scientist. Farnham
is not actually that great a teacher—he talks
too fast and seldom spends enough time on
review, but he’s certainly a memorable
instructor and he really does get kids
interested in science.
A real live gadgeteer, his theories
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
were too startling for the mainstream
d6, Strength d4, Vigor d4
research community, most of whom
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8,
dismissed him as a crackpot. That’s why
Knowledge (Electronics) d10, Knowledge
he’s a public school teacher instead. And a
(Engineering) d10, Knowledge (Weird
lot of his theories really are confused bunk.
Pseudo-science) d12, Lockpicking d6, Notice
He seems to have dabbled in nearly every
d6+2 (only gets bonus when he’s wearing
crackpot pseudo-science theory out there,
his goggles), Repair d10, Stealth d4,
from cryptozoology to Orgonne therapy to
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6/ Fly 6; Parry: 4;
the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky.
Toughness: 4
Euclid Farnham seems to be one of
Hindrances: Curious, Overconfident
those gadgeteers who can make weird
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science),
machines with the power of his mind, rather
Gadgeteer, Jack-of-All-Trades, Mechanical
than a bona-fide scientific genius. He leads
Genius, McGyver
the school’s Science Club and many of his
Super Powers:
best students are members. All of them are
• Inventor
smart inner-city youngsters who love Mr.
(All powers below are Devices)
Farnham—or at least love the incredible
• Force Field: +3, Partial
things that he’s shown them (Farnham
• Broadcast: More Range, Manipulation
himself is kind of a wild-eyed enigma and
• Darkvision
sometimes a little scary.) They have started
• Flight: Same Speed as Pace
calling themselves the League of Science
• Healing
and they may be about to get into deep,
• Heightened Senses: Eagle Eyes
bad trouble.
• Interface: Code Breaker
Euclid Farnham has already taken
• Stun: Beaker or flask full of weird
them on an incredible voyage to the insides
exploding liquid, uses Medium Burst
of their minds and one into another
Template
dimension, and he nearly lost a few of them
• Speak Languages
both times. He’s much too absent-minded
•And even more! There’s no telling what
and focused on his loony theories to really
kind of device he might have handy.

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care very much about his students, and he’s Edges: Frenzy, Take the Hit
totally irresponsible. Hindrances: Dependant (daughter), Vow
Right now the League of Science is (to avenge her abuse and death)
building a rocketship out of junk, down at Gear: Baseball Bat (Damage: d8+2), Lots of
an old salvage yard on Industrial Drive. pistols (Most of them are Range 12/24/48,
This ridiculous contraption will really work, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 1, Rate of Fire
so long as Mr. Farnham is there to watch it 1), Shotgun Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6,
launch, and it will be capable of inter- Armor-Piercing 1, Rate of Fire 1), Mac 11
planetary (and possibly even interstellar) Submachine Gun (Range 24/48/96, Damage
flight. This adventure could put them in a 2d6+1, RoF 4, Shots 40)
truly amazing amount of danger, but it’s
nothing compared to what might happen if Background: Mr. Matusik is a bluff, hearty
they form a detective agency and start using Driver’s Ed. teacher. He used to coach
forensic science to solve local crimes in wrestling, but his back got too bad for it, so
Wolverton. Their teacher isn’t nearly brave now he teaches kids how to drive. Loud
or capable enough to protect them against and enthusiastic, he can be a little
the likes of Eentsy Z or the Jigsaw Man. overbearing but he’s never cruel.
And there’s all kinds of other trouble He’s a big guy, with hands like
they could get them into. If a dimensional knotted tree roots and a floridly red face.
rift gets opened in a classroom or a school Divorced, he collects guns in his off-hours
robotics project falls in love with a and he drinks too much. He has an uneasy
cheerleader or a bunch of students get truce with his shy, bookish teenaged
shrunk down to microscopic size, you can be daughter, Marissa. They inhabit the same
sure that Euclid D. Farnham is mixed up in it house but have little to do with each other.
somewhere. He’s also filling his students’ This is about to change.
heads with useless rubbish that isn’t real Marissa is going to come home one
science. night sobbing. Some jocks caught her in
the halls and threatened to do things to her,
Reggie Matusik soon. Reggie attempts to have them
brought up for discipline, but finds that
under the current regime, the school isn’t
willing to do anything about the problem.
Each day the same crowd of boys taunts
Marissa with her impending fate, and no one
does a thing. Then one night, she doesn’t
come home until dawn. They got her. She
commits suicide the next day.
Sensing that Reggie might be
feeling a little raw about this, the boys who
assaulted his daughter start taunting him
about it. So he decides to teach them a
lesson in Driver’s Ed. The GM can let this
play out in one of two ways.

The Driver’s Ed Teacher

Wild Card After drinking and crying all night, Reggie
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Matusik comes into school with some guns
Strength d8, Vigor d8 from his collection and holds the whole
Skills: Drive d8, Fighting d6, Guts d4, place hostage. He’s sobbing and talking
Intimidation d4, Investigation d4, incoherently and he isn’t completely sure
Knowledge (sports) d8, Knowledge (guns) what he wants. It’s revenge, though. He’s
d6, Shooting d8 pretty sure of that. He’s going to try to get
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; all the athletes who attacked his daughter
Toughness: 6

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into the Driver’s Education simulator room, • Invulnerable: The Driver’s Ed Teacher
along with the principal and any other can only be harmed by his Weaknesses. He
administrators he has a grudge against. If can be Shaken but never Wounded by
he can get them down there, he will force anything else.
them into the simulators, tape them in place • Undead: +2 Toughness. +2 to recover
with duct tape and play the simulation with from being Shaken. Called shots do no
them, shouting out questions about what extra damage
they ought to do in this or that driving Hindrances:
situation. If they get a question wrong, he •Vow: to avenge his daughter’s death.
shoots them or hits them with a • Weakness (Automobile Accidents):
sledgehammer or sets them on fire. Unlike most forms of physical damage,
By now a SWAT team has getting hit by a car will wound or kill the
assembled in front of the building. If they Driver’s Ed Teacher normally
storm the place everyone is likely to die, • Weakness (Sunlight): Mr. Matusik will
including innocent kids who may get caught begin to crumble if any part of his skin is
in the crossfire. If a superhero wants to go exposed to direct sunlight. After that he
into the building and negotiate with the suffers 2d10 damage per round until he
crazed driver’s ed instructor, the cops will turns to dust. Armor does not protect him
give them a few minutes. against this effect.

The Driver’s Ed Teacher II: In-Car

Reggie drinks himself to death the night
before he was planning to go postal at the
school. But he comes back from the dead a
few weeks later, just a little decayed and There are two colleges in the vicinity of
thirsty for revenge. He will steal one of the Bedlam. A two-year community college and
school’s drivers’ ed training cars, weld a a four-year private school. Both are
bunch of fishhooks and razor blades to the troubled, but they have very different
body, make some lethal modifications to the problems. See below.
interior and go hunting jocks. He will run
some of them over, but others he will take Bedlam Community College
on terrifying rides with him, quizzing them BCC has three campuses. One is located
on driving safety and then either killing downtown, on the third through the eighth
them in the car or dumping them at high floors of a skyscraper. There is also a very
speed when they get a question wrong. small campus in Greely Point, near Griswold
Street. It consists of a single small
Driver’s Ed Teacher Double Feature nondescript brick building, shaped like a
Or feel free to combine the two plots. If concrete block. BCC’s auto and diesel
Reggie gets killed during Scenario One, have program is located in a big garage in the
him come back from the grave for Scenario Meadows.
Two. Their automotive program is pretty
good. The rest of their departments are
Reggie Matusik, Undead Driver’s Ed maybe not so great. Particularly in the area
Teacher from Hell of Liberal Arts.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Publicly funded school buses pick
Strength d10, Vigor d8 students up from three locations in Stark Hill
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice and one location on Ellmore Place, on the
d6, Shooting d8 boundary between Wolverton and Hardwick
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 Park. The young people who go to Bedlam
Special Abilities CC are a pretty rough crowd, apart from the
• Fear 2 Drama and Communications students. The
• Fearless: immune to Fear and seats on the buses are all slashed up and
Intimidation. covered with gang graffiti. Members of Irish

139
and Italian gangs from Stark Hill regularly country lane behind the college. It’s not a
come into contact with their traditional good place to find yourself on a Saturday
enemies from Wolverton and Hardwick Park night if you don’t belong to one of the
on campus, so brawls are common and fraternal orders.
sometimes bloody. Belchner’s football team is
Meanwhile the Drama and surprisingly good, but that’s because they
Communications Departments continue to bring in talented inner-city athletes and
function in a whole separate world up on house them separately from the other kids.
the eighth floor of the downtown campus. Even though they aren’t comprised of
They have recently started offering courses mainstream students, Belchner’s teams
in TV production and the local PBS station is inspire fanatical loyalty among the frats.
produced in their facilities. Whenever the team wins its homecoming
There is a small bohemian crowd of game, the frats raid the student dormitories,
theater students who hang around near the drag underclassmen’s belongings out onto
college downtown. They are just starting to the quad and set them on fire. The
discover the Circle Perk Coffee Shop (see administration regards this tradition with a
page 191.) nod and a wink. Boys will be boys, after all,
and when they are men, they will be able to
Belchner College write big checks for the school’s
Down Krangle Road from Bedlam (to the endowment.
west, if you’re using the map the way it’s The one real problem with life at
printed instead of turning it on its side) you Belchner, according to most students, is the
can find America’s least prestigious private lack of any nightlife in the area. The school
college. It’s a small, red brick campus with is off in the forest and the nearest town is
ivy on its dignified-looking old buildings and Bedlam. More and more students have
beer cans strewn everywhere. A lot of the started exploring Bedlam as an
beautiful leaded glass windows have been entertainment option. For now they seldom
smashed out by successive generations of venture further than the Meadows, but a
students. It’s not uncommon to see heavy few of the more adventurous have taken to
19th century furniture lying on the quad, haunting the illegal nightclubs on Industrial
soaking up the rain. Drive. They often feel uncomfortable there,
Belchner has been serving America’s but the steady supply of teenage girls from
rich and troubled youth for more than a Stone Ridge keeps them coming back.
hundred years. A private institution, its Groups of hellraising Belchner frat-
tuition is as high as Amherst or Princeton, boys are becoming a more and more
but its admission standards are more like common sight in Bedlam. They frequently
Bedlam Community College. This makes it go armed and they always travel in big
the place of last refuge for privileged groups. This has already started to cause
students who have managed to get serious friction with some of the locals, who
themselves kicked out of Dartmouth, are frequently armed themselves.
Georgetown, Tufts, etc. It has the singular The campus cops have standing
distinction of always being rated dead last in orders to retrieve Belchner students who get
US News and World Reports’ annual list of into trouble in the city before the Bedlam
private colleges and universities. And to be police have a chance to. So long as the kids
fair, its focus on academics isn’t as strong as confine their antics to the Meadows, this is
it might be. Fortunately for athletes and easy. Police response time there is slow
less-motivated students in need of a degree, and it’s not within Bedlam’s city limits.
they offer majors in fields like Hotel Getting them out of trouble on Industrial
Management, in addition to more traditional Drive is a lot trickier. If students get taken
curricula. in by the campus cops, they’re sure to get a
Social life at Belchner revolves stern talking-to from the Dean. In the
around its venerable fraternities and custody of the Bedlam Police, who knows?
sororities. A small Greek Row spills down a

140
Despite what you may have heard, business ahead, Stuckey often remarked. He made
is not dead in Bedlam. Here is a guide to his destiny with his own two hands.
some of the City of Now’s biggest Wolfram had left all kinds of
employers. Please note that this list is not incredible designs and engineering marvels
comprehensive. There is room for more, behind him, and once Mr. Stuckey had the
depending on what your campaign needs. FBI confiscate the plans from his old
Perhaps Toxicorp (see Page 181), the business partner’s widow, he was set for the
world’s largest manufacturer of poisons, has next forty years. He became the confidante
a chemical plant out on Industrial Drive. of kings and presidents—an essential man.
Perhaps some sinister corporation from your A lot of American corporate executives were
own campaign has opened a Bedlam office. sent to prison for doing business with the
Nazis during World War Two, but there was
Wolfram Aerospace never any question of doing that to Mort
(name suggested by John McMullen) Stuckey.
We keep making reference in this book to “a Yet while his name was known and
large aerospace firm” which runs a lot of feared in the corridors of power, Stuckey
Bedlam’s government institutions at a profit. and Wolfram Aerospace came to avoid the
They are Wilfred Krebbs’ employer (you can public eye. Other captains of industry
find out more about Bedlam’s City Manager enjoyed being in the limelight, but Stuckey
on Page 39) and they own all of Bedlam’s always felt more at home in the shadows.
parking meters, among other things. We And so not many people today know his
intended to leave the firm’s identity open for name, or for that matter the name of his
the GM. Every campaign world seems to company. They’re as big as Lockheed or
have at least one vast and sinister Boeing, but no more better known than, for
corporation with evil plans and a bottomless example, the Carlyle Group.
lust for power. Choose whichever you like. This suits a company whose best
But if you don’t actually have one prepared, work has always been on secret projects.
here’s Wolfram Aerospace to use as a Max Wolfram’s chief innovations were in jet
placeholder. None of our future publications engines—he was decades ahead of anyone
will tie them into the background of Bedlam else. So they built high-altitude spy planes
in such a way as to make it hard to replace and super-fast fighter-craft and the missiles
them with your own Big Awful Company— that could shoot them down. Their best
we promise. money-makers weren’t declassified for
Wolfram Aerospace has been in decades after the Air Force had retired
operation since the 1930s. They are huge, them. When the age of spy satellites
but quiet and low-key. In all their years of dawned they were at the very forefront.
existence, they have never run a television They also researched anti-parahuman
commercial. The company was founded by measures and got entangled with some of
Max Wolfram, maverick inventor and the government’s most secret agencies in an
aviator, though he soon lost control of the effort to secure live test subjects for this
firm to his more aggressive and business- work. They were one of the first
savvy partner, Mort Stuckey. Although commercial manufacturers of armored
Wolfram himself died in poverty and battlesuits, although they’ve never managed
despair, Stuckey kept the name. He also to make them as effective as the designs
kept alive the image of the lone inventor, that some superheroes have developed, or
and often spoke fondly of his late friend’s cost-effective enough to equip an entire
gumption and pioneer spirit. Max Wolfram army with them. They have a special permit
didn’t need no union or no New Deal to get from the federal government to equip their
own security staff with powered-armor,

141
although each of their suits is so expensive Humanity, Inc.
and requires so much maintenance that it’s These days, one of Bedlam’s biggest
isn’t practical to have more than a few of employers is a temp firm. Humanity Inc.
them active at a time. It’s less well known employs huge numbers of day-laborers at
that a number of their suits have been countless sites all over Bedlam. They’ve
prone to lethal malfunctions or that the been instrumental at undermining the
average lifespan of their pilots is something longshoreman’s union down at Bedlam
like five years. Harbor, although the Gorganzua crime
Artificial intelligence was one of family has largely kept them out of Greely
their other major areas of research, Point. If you see a bunch of wretches
although they don’t talk about what toiling outside at some miserable unskilled
successes they might have achieved here. job (picking up scraps and broken pieces of
They also acquired one of the country’s metal on a construction site, for example)
leading pioneers in cybernetics (Body- then they probably work for Humanity. If
Hammer LLC) and through them they have you see them doing it without proper safety
built the Pentagon Protection Force’s small gear, then you know it for sure. Humanity
staff of cybernetic bodyguards (see Page has always kept its profits high by keeping
89.) This project has not been without its its costs low. It’s cheaper to bribe safety
challenges. Few of their cyborgs can endure inspectors, for example, than it is to buy
the pain and neurological damage that the your men work gloves and goggles. And
process causes for more than a few years. should a worker lose a finger or an eye,
There have been incidents. The only really there are plenty more guys to fill his boots.
successful test subject cost something like Humanity’s local offices are
six billion dollars to build, and that’s not downtown, but the facility where men wait
exactly cost-effective. to be sent out on jobs is a giant Quonset
In 1974 President Nixon was forced hut by a broken-down factory on Industrial
to resign and this so enraged Mort Stuckey Drive. Not really constructed for human
that he died of a heart attack. But his spirit habitation, it’s very cold in winter, very hot
still guides the company—and perhaps his in summer and there’s nowhere to sit down.
brain as well. His head was placed in They also have a pickup location in
cryogenic suspension upon his death, and Hardwick Park, behind the burnt-out ruins of
there are rumors that it still presides over a Wunder-Chuk restaurant. Large numbers
meetings of the board. of undocumented Hispanic workers stand
The current CEO of Wolfram does patiently around the lot in the pre-dawn
not advertise his name in the press. No one chill, waiting for trucks to pull up and
is quite sure who it could be. Their home foremen to start yelling for “guys who want
offices are in Delaware, but their to work today.”
construction and testing facilities are mostly It’s better than the other places you
located in Nevada, New Mexico, Kazakhstan can wait for day labor—Humanity doesn’t
and (it is rumored) Antarctica. Possibly on pay much, but at least you know for sure
the floor of the Pacific Ocean, as well. They that they really will pay you at the end of
don’t have an office in Bedlam. the day. And they never ask uncomfortable
City management is strictly a questions about your immigration status or
sideline for Wolfram Aerospace. Player your criminal record.
Characters who attempt to tamper with their Because it’s a valuable resource, the
affairs will soon find that not only do they gang called the Mara control access to the
have a small army of power-armored thugs, pickup point in Hardwick Park. You have to
but the capacity to hire a seemingly pay them a fee to wait there, and you have
unlimited number of supervillains. Wolfram to be in good standing with the gang (no
also has an enormous amount of clout with members of your family can owe the Mara
some of the Federal Government’s scariest money or have shown them disrespect.)
agencies. Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik
doesn’t like Humanity. The dockworkers’

142
union has been good to him and to his Bedlam is already seeing the results
supporters, and the giant temp firm has of Reliable Mortgage’s generosity.
undercut them pretty badly. Unable to get Wolverton is suddenly awash in
Big Andy’s patronage, they have become foreclosures. They sell sucker loans to
political allies of the Reverend Willie Boggs desperate people, often showing the client
and his political machine. The local chapter forged documents that offer different rates
of the Dockworkers’ union was largely made than what they’ll really be getting. A few
up of guys from Stark Hill and Greely Point, months into the deal they jack the rates
who always discouraged African-Americans through the roof, the client loses their house
from joining, so Boggs feels no loyalty to and they sell it to the next sucker. Or to
them. some stupid yuppie in another state who
Humanity is owned by a group of thinks he’s going to make a killing in the
investors in Sweden called the Karsten- real-estate market.
Borghelm Group. They have branches all Of course a lot of people are also
over the United States, Eastern Europe and desperate to move out of the city and into
South Africa. So far as anyone knows no Stone Ridge. And here Reliable is happy to
actual company executive has ever set foot help you too. They’ll sell you a big ugly
in Bedlam. house you can’t afford and when they dial
up the rates and take it away from you,
Reliable Mortgage there’s always another poor bastard
One of the nation’s largest mortgage standing in line for it.
brokers has come to Bedlam, offering A lot of people know by now that
incredible deals at low-low rates that can’t refinancing through Reliable is a sure way to
possibly last! You’d think that Bedlam lose your home, but then again, a lot of
wouldn’t have such a vibrant housing people are totally desperate for cash. If
market, but that hardly even matters to the your kids are hungry and it’s thirty-five
good folks at Reliable Mortgage. Most of degrees inside your house because you can’t
their local clients are in fact refinancing their pay the heating bill, you might be willing to
homes to pay off other debts—or just to entertain dubious options.
stay alive through another Bedlam winter. Big Andy Czernik’s political machine
And that’s no problem. Second mortgages, has figured out what Reliable Mortgage is up
third mortgages, seemingly anyone can get to, and they approve. Frankly anything that
a variable-rate loan approved through hurts Wolverton is okay in their book. Big
Reliable Mortgage, as if by magic. Andy’s Mafia associates have had a quiet
For some reason their shiny new word with Reliable’s Stark Hill office, which
downtown offices kept getting vandalized, now offers its services to them as a money
so now they keep their administrative staff laundering scheme, refinancing mortgages
and management carefully separate from on properties owned by Mafiosi at incredible
the brokers who actually deal with clients. rates that never go up. They’ve also been
Management works on the upper floor of a putting a few little old Italian grandmas out
downtown skyscraper, while the brokers of their houses, but so long as the money
work in store-front offices elsewhere. remains good, the Mob is prepared to
There’s one in Hardwick Park, one in Stark accept it.
Hill, one in the Stone Ridge Community
Center, one in the Meadows, one in a small The Greely Olde Tymme Toy Factory
office building in Greely Point and one in the This is the last of the really big factories still
Liberty Shoppes mall. There was one in in operation on Industrial Drive, and one of
Wolverton, but somebody burned it down. Bedlam’s major employers. There aren’t a
After a few unfortunate incidents with lot of toy factories left in the United States
former clients, they have hired huge that can compete with cheap imports from
looming security guards from Garvin and the Far East. But the Greely Olde Tymme
Torsberg (see Page 162) to protect their Toy Factory staggers on, clinging to a small
brokers on the job. niche market and its heavy government

143
subsidies. It’s been in operation for more firm of Drago and Grubb, Ltd. to do the dirty
than a hundred years. work for them. And the work is often
Here they make old fashioned toys surprisingly dirty. Link Drago and Harry
(teddy bears, rocking horses, wooden Grubb do their best to keep expenses down
soldiers, etc) the same way they have by shortchanging the aging buildings on
always made them. And with the same maintenance, heat, security and other
safety standards! But perhaps that’s unfair. amenities. They need the extra money to
While the toy-works have been plagued with pay off the building inspectors, after all. In
unpleasant accidents in recent years, it’s the past, when residents complained to city
nowhere near as unsafe as a typical 19th authorities, Link Drago hired bullyboys to
century factory. But it isn’t anywhere near intimidate them. Some tenants tired of
as safe as a 21st century factory, either. complaining to the government, and took
And even back when the Greely family their complaints to the Jigsaw Man instead.
owned the factory itself, it was always a Mr. Drago is no stranger to violence,
notoriously unsafe place to work. No one as his multiple felony convictions and a few
knows how many of its laborers have been ex-girlfriends can attest. But the Mara give
maimed or mutilated in the toy-machines him pause, so with Mr. Grubb’s cooperation
over the years. he has arranged to pay them to do his
Presently owned by a holding intimidation work form now on. They cost a
company called 4QM0M Associates, the little more, but the new arrangement seems
factory manages to evade the watchful gaze to have fixed the problem, and he can
of the safety inspectors every year, mostly always take the extra cost out of next
because it’s one of the few American toy winter’s bills by heating the buildings a little
factories left. Bribes to the local officials less.
keep them at bay, but even the feds are Harry Grubb is a good deal fatter
reluctant to come down too hard on them and less physical then lean, stringy, hollow-
and put so many people out of work. eyed Mr. Drago. He takes care of the
After four rounds of layoffs, the financial end of things, and knows some
remaining workers at the Greely Olde truly amazing ways to squirrel away cash.
Tymme Toy Factory are desperate to keep The Penningtons and Smirlocks prefer not to
their jobs and never seem to report unsafe know the details of how either business
practices. In fact, more than one potential partner handles their affairs, though they’re
whistleblower has suffered fatal “accidents” certainly happy to take the money they
on the job at the hands of their co-workers. bring in.
Of course, now that there are barely enough If a member of Bedlam’s rich old
of them left to run the machines, shifts are families were to need help with a seriously
longer and mishaps are more common. illegal matter, they might ask Link Drago for
4QM0M Associates is based in assistance. He would be the very man for
Dubai, but may soon get acquired by a far the job.
more ruthless Australian firm called Blue The offices of Drago and Grubb are
Kangaroo, which may decide to squeeze the just off downtown, in a shabby three-story
factory for its government subsidies by brick building that dates from the 19th
laying off even more workers and lowering century. Here Mr. Drago and Mr. Grubb
safety standards still further—then keeping preside over five office workers,
the money this saves for themselves. coordinating the activities of a few dozen
contractors who actually perform
Drago and Grubb maintenance and fix things (or don’t.)
Most of the apartment buildings in Hardwick Contractors are seldom invited onto the
Park are owned by either the Pennington premises in person. By an odd coincidence,
family (see Page 148) or the Smirlocks (see the FBI occupies the space right above
Page 148.) Neither one prefers to play any them, a fact which causes Mr. Drago and
direct role in how these properties are Mr. Grubb absolutely no concern at all.
managed, so they have both employed the

144
Link Drago doesn’t let his vengefulness and cruelty get
in the way of making good business
decisions. But sometimes he just can’t help
himself. He’s only human, he shamefacedly
admits. But he’s being too hard on himself
when he says that—he’s only just barely
human.

Happy Hands Daycare

“When mom goes off to work, whose hands
does she trust enough to leave her children
in? Happy Hands!”
Or so say the commercials.
Actually, it’s more like “whose hands are
available” than “whose hands do you trust.”
Bedlam doesn’t have nearly enough day
care providers, and Happy Hands has
rushed in to fill the gap. They operate more
than twenty daycare centers around
Bedlam, some big and some small. In fact
they expanded so rapidly into this market
that they haven’t bought or built any
facilities themselves. Instead they license
Wild Card local providers to put the Happy Hands logo
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, on their own centers. Some Happy Hands
Strength d8, Vigor d8 daycare facilities are in strip malls, others
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d8, are in private homes, or in rented school
Intimidation d8, Knowledge (building classrooms. Some are big, some are small
maintanence) d6, Notice d8+2, Repair d6, but all of them are overcrowded. Most of
Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Stealth d8 them are actually run by tiny little
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; organizations. Typically it’s one family, or
Toughness: 6 even one person. They pay a franchise fee
Edges: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, to Happy Hands and in exchange they get to
Connections (the Mara), Nerves of Steel, buy supplies from the parent company at
Take the Hit discount rates and more importantly, to
Hindrances: Heartless piggyback on their ubiquitous advertising.
Gear: Lead Pipe (d8+2) Their public-relations work is
nothing short of first rate. They’ve actually
Background: What does Mr. Drago do for managed to make most people forget that in
a living? This and that, he says. He 1998 they were involved in a black-market
supposes he could say that he does baby scandal. They falsified records to help
whatever is required. Quiet unless he needs a ring of crooked child welfare officials take
to intimidate somebody, he’s always looking infants away from their mothers and sell
for an angle. You’re perfectly safe around them to the highest bidder. Of course in
Drago, until you have something he wants those days they were primarily a foster-care
or you let your gueard down for a minute. provider rather than a day-care franchise.
If you ever let him get the advantage of And they are now under completely different
you, he’ll take it, no matter who you are. management. Or almost completely
He would certainly betray his current bosses different (see Page 37.)
if he could see some long-term advantage to They have done such a good job
be gained by it, but he’s unlikely to ever see cultivating local editorial boards and
an advantage that would outweigh the politicians that you never even hear about
costs. Vindictive by nature, he usually the scandal on the news anymore. If a

145
reporter did ask them about it, they would For the truth is that he no longer
explain that they have no connection with owns a controlling share of Snacktastic. He
the old management. Then they would sold out years ago to the only man who
contact the reporter’s editor and ask that might be older, richer and meaner than
the story not be run. Some of the older himself. This would be Alois Brunner, the
executives may still have Mafia contacts that Nazi supervillain known as the Black Eagle
they could get in touch with, too. (see Page 314.) Brunner is the head of a
While Happy Hands is making a lot worldwide cabal of doddering old ex-Nazis,
of money in Bedlam, they have expanded a called Der Oktopus, and they make a lot of
little too fast, and they’re having trouble money off their candy company. They’d be
keeping track of all their new service quite annoyed if anyone were to start
providers. As a result, they make only the meddling with it, and they might hire
vaguest effort to check their credentials or supervillains to deal with the situation.
their criminal records. There just isn’t Der Oktopus doesn’t directly
enough staff time to do it (without interfere with the way the factory is run.
impacting revenue.) Some of their providers None of the people who work there or
have happier hands than others. manage it have any idea who is really
writing their paychecks. Upper-level
Snacktastic Candy Company management is aware that a Swiss holding
They make the most snacktacular candy in company called Amalgamated Associates
Bedlam, according to their ads. We suppose own the majority stock, but they assume it’s
that’s probably true. They are the creators a front for Lucius Hardwick, set up to avoid
of such beloved local treats as Goober Balls, paying taxes.
Chock-O-Splat and Liquid Yum. Nonetheless, if you need a location
Snacktastic runs one of the few for some secret old Nazi wonder-weapon,
factories left on Industrial Drive and they left over from the war, feel free to bury it
are a major source of employment for under the Snacktastic Candy Company. And
Bedlam. This has made health inspectors if Der Oktopus decides they want a hidden
less-than anxious to probe too carefully into base in the US, staffed with gun-toting
their sanitary practices. But candy doesn’t mercenaries in colorful costumes, this is
have to be sanitary in order to be probably where they’ll put it.
snacktacular, does it? Few of their dubious
treats have managed to achieve much Der Blitzenschlagger (a Secret Nazi
market penetration in the US, but there are Wonder-Weapon)
places in the less savory parts of the Third
World where they do a brisk export
business.
But alas, their squalid working
conditions and unpleasant candy are the
least of their awful secrets.
Everyone knows that Snacktastic is
Weight: 150 pounds
owned by Bedlam’s richest, oldest man—
Toughness: 8
Lucius Hardwick IV. It used to be the
Effect: 5d6 Ranged Attack (Elemental Trick:
Hardwick Candy Company. Mr. Hardwick
Electrical)
has long since retreated into his mansion
Known Drawbacks: This cranky weapon is
and hasn’t left it or spoken to anyone but
hard to repair. Anyone trying to fix it
his lawyers since the ‘90s. Do you think he
suffers a -2 penalty to their Repair roll. It’s
could be brewing up incredible new recipes
also prone to shorting out and killing its
for candy, alone in his mansion at night?
operator whenever that would be
We don’t either.
dramatically appropriate.

146
Snacktacular Nazi Assassins working for. While many of these guys
are thoroughgoing Nazis, that’s only
because a whole lot of European thugs

and mercenaries are ultra-right-wing racial

supremacists. It’s just a coincidence that
they happen to be working for the Black
Eagle. Few of them have any loyalty to
any particular employer, but most of them
are intensely loyal to their own warrior
code—which demands that they never
betray their boss, whoever it might be this
week.

Bedlam’s three great families, the Starks,

the Greelys and the Hardwicks have all
lapsed into decay. The Starks are extinct.
The Greelys have fallen on hard times and
seldom return to Bedlam. Lucius
Hardwick IV is the last surviving scion of
his family and he hasn’t left his mansion
or spoken to anyone in years. The demise
of the Country Club hurt Bedlam’s old
money families badly and they’ve never
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit really recovered. But there is still Society
d6, in Bedlam, even if it’s not as vibrant as
Strength d8, Vigor d6 once it was. Here is a brief guide to some
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d4, of Bedlam’s most prominent families.
Intimidation d4, Notice d6, Shooting d8, We’ve left the GM plenty of room to add
Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Tracking d6 more.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 6 (1) Hoggard
Edges: Combat Reflexes Long regarded as new-money parvenus
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor, all by Bedlam’s oldest families, the Hoggards
over), Tactical Helmet (+4, Heavy Armor), were western cattle barons, originally.
Big Knife (Damage: d8+1), Nightvision Then they made money from railroads.
Visor (enables them to see in total Until about 1930 they were too rich to
darkness), Submachine Gun with silencer ignore but too vulgar to embrace. Then
(Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP they married into the Stark family and
2, Three round burst) gained Society’s grudging acceptance.
These days they have fallen on hard
Background: Killers for hire, most of times, due to unwise investments by the
them don’t know or care who they are last heir, Horatio Hoggard III. He bought
heavily into the Country Club and these

147
days survives largely by collecting fees for big mansion in a walled off area at the
the defunct club from its former members. gated community’s north end. His wife,
Dahlia, is the leading society hostess in
Lurman Bedlam and one of the founding members
Cousins of the Greelys, the Lurmans are of the Stone Ridge Garden Club.
about all that’s left of the Greely line in Blake Pennington Jr. and his
Bedlam itself. They never moved into younger brothers are known to be
Stone Ridge, largely because they didn’t worthless, thrill-seeking drunks and often
live on Scarlett Hill and so didn’t lose pal around with younger members of the
anything when the fiasco at Rook Island Pfeffner family. They get up to all sorts of
devastated the neighborhood. The hijinx.
Lurmans have always lived in the tall,
narrow old houses above Greely Point, Smirlock
they have always been doctors and they Bankers who have gone into the real
have always been more than a little estate market, the Smirlocks own an even
strange. People say the current family bigger piece of downtown than the
head, B. Hugo Lurman, is mentally Penningtons. This includes the peculiar
retarded from inbreeding. Other people architectural monstrosity known as the
say that’s pernicious rubbish—he’s just Smirlock Building at Blaed Avenue and
crazy. Rohrbach Street. (see Page 22.) The
Smirlocks were the prime beneficiaries of
the death of Scarlett Hill and the largest
Pffefner
investors in the Stone Ridge Gated
The Pfeffners made their fortune in
Community. They grew so much richer
butchery and meat-packing, but for five
that now they barely have to do anything
generations they’ve been idlers, playboys
at all. The Smirlocks are in fact too
and violent troublemakers. A lot of them
wealthy to reside in Stark Hill and instead
are alumni of Belchner College (see Page
live on their own country estate, down
140) and they give heavily to support it.
some wooded lane or other outside of
They live in Stone Ridge and it looks as
Bedlam.
though they may finally be just a
generation or two of bad financial
Hardwick
decisions away from exhausting the family
An anomaly, they are the richest and most
fortune.
distinguished family remaining in Bedlam,
but play no role in the social life of its
Pennington
upper crust. There is only one Hardwick
The Penningtons own most of the
left and he is never seen in Society.
apartments in Hardwick Park and a lot of
Lucius Hardwick IV retreated into his
the skyscrapers downtown. They are the
mansion when the neighborhood around
surviving remnant of the Stark family—
him turned Hispanic, and he hasn’t come
cousins by marriage.
out since. No one is sure whether or not
Blake Pennington Sr. made a
he’s actually alive in there, although his
tremendous amount of money from the
lawyers still do a good job of looking after
collapse of Scarlett Hill and the founding
his business interests.
of Stone Ridge. He lives in an especially

148
 Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Outsider, Poor
Background: Here are some stats for a
At the other end of Bedlam’s social hierarchy generic street person. The homeless on the
from the Smirlocks and Penningtons are the streets of Bedlam are a motley bunch.
denizens of Ash Street. In fact you can use Some of them have mental problems and
the NPCs in this section for anywhere in some are just down on their luck. Some
Bedlam. There are certainly homeless have recently lost their homes and others
people downtown, and many of them have been on the streets for years. We
congregate near the Bus Station, but Ash have some individual personalities and stats
Street is the city’s skid row and there are listed below, in case you need something
more derelicts sleeping on the sidewalk here more specific than a generic template for an
than in any other part of Bedlam. Partly encounter with the PCs. They are here
that’s because it’s where a lot of the city’s strictly as a resource in case the GM needs
remaining social services, shelters and soup them.
kitchens can be found, but it’s also because
the area has a lot of abandoned buildings. Morris Fridley
Sometimes vicious packs of Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
teenagers come down to Ash Street and Strength d6, Vigor d6
hurt the poor lost folks who live here. But Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge
not so much lately. There are rumors that (Roofing) d8, Notice d6, Repair d6,
something strange has been happening on Streetwise d6
Ash Street, that something has been scaring Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
the frat boys and gang kids away. No one Toughness: 5
seems to know what it is, but the street Hindrances: Code of Honor, Poor
people have begun to whisper the name Background: A battered-up old African-
“the Nowhere Men” in fear and awe. See American gent who wears an army jacket,
Page 285. Morris Fridley has had hard luck all his life.
He’s fifty, but looks older. His thin arms are
Generic Homeless Person covered with muscles and his big hands are
covered with scars from a life spent working
construction. Not very articulate and a little
withdrawn, he always seems to think long
and carefully before he speaks.
He was a roofer in Maine, but he
lost his job and came home to Bedlam,
where there weren’t any jobs at all. Now he
lives in a shelter and collects aluminum cans
for money, while he tries to figure out some
way to get back on his feet. His options all
look grim. Not only aren’t there enough
jobs, but his third grade reading level and
missing front teeth make it hard for him to
compete for the few spots available.
No fool, Morris has applied for food
stamps (he uses a post office box for his
address), but he still needs money for
laundry, new underwear, deodorant and so
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, forth, so he swallows his pride and hunts for
Strength d4, Vigor d6 cans, begging a little to supplement it. It’s
Skills: Fighting d6, Knowledge (Bedlam) d6, humiliating, but he reminds himself that if
Notice d6, Streetwise d6 he looks like a smelly unshaven wretch then

149
his odds of getting a new job sink even Martha had nowhere to go but her
lower. mother’s apartment in Bedlam. The old lady
Never a raging alcoholic, he drinks immediately began trying to make her feel
when he gets depressed and he’s been unwelcome enough to leave. She kept
doing too much of it lately. pestering her daughter to get help from the
Morris is fundamentally honest and VA for her problems. In fact the VA
would always try to help someone in wouldn’t help her since she didn’t have a
trouble. If he found your wallet, he would psychiatric discharge, but at her mother’s
return it to you without touching any of urging she kept going to see them, getting
money inside (although he would feel turned away time and again. Finally she
tempted.) stopped going and her mom used it as an
excuse to kick her out on the street. If
Sergeant Martha Blaylock anyone asks her to help her child, she will
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, sullenly mutter that she did all she could for
Strength d4, Vigor d6 Martha and that the girl ought to get herself
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge to the VA.
(Military Administration) d6, Knowledge These days Martha is bitter and
(Secret Military Procedures and Protocols) angry, but not very good at explaining why.
d6, Shooting d4 She isn’t dangerous or cruel, but she’s prone
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; to outbursts of yelling when she gets vexed
Toughness: 5 and sometimes she scares people away. If
Hindrances: Outsider, Poor, Quirk (crazy) you can catch her in one of her lucid periods
Gear: Plastic bags, the clothes she is she can actually be rather sweet.
sleeping in, thick glasses, military ID card.
Background: A middle-aged African- Layton “Cappy” Jones
American lady with thick glasses, she has Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
struggled with her mental health all her life. Strength d6, Vigor d6
Odd and twitchy, she sometimes seems not Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
to hear you correctly when you speak, and Notice d6, Persuade d6, Stealth d6,
often blurts out strange things. Streetwise d8
She’s a ten-year veteran of the Air Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Force, people are surprised to hear. Martha Toughness: 5
worked in military administration for her Edges: Charismatic
entire career, managing paperwork and Hindrances: Heartless, Outsider, Poor
processing requisitions. She never felt up to Background: Cappy Jones is the kind of
the job, always felt overwhelmed by it and guy who gives homeless people a bad
never quite felt that she knew what she was name. A panhandler and con man, you can
doing. When she’s manic, she’s extremely see him cadging for spare change or day
focused and can work really hard. When labor at intersections all over the city with
she gets depressed, she becomes totally his dog, Snuff. Sometimes he claims to be a
unable to cope. And she’s always kind of veteran, sometimes he claims to have been
disturbed, peculiar and prone to blurting out released from prison with nowhere to go—
inappropriate things. whatever he thinks will generate sympathy.
Martha did well enough during a His dog, a little yellow droopy-eared mutt, is
prolonged manic period that she got great for getting sympathy.
promoted to Sergeant and put in charge of He treats the dog decently, since
a whole administrative team. She was Snuff is an important part of his act, but
completely unprepared to be a manager and that’s about the best you can say for Cappy.
went spiraling off the rails into a major He lives in his car—a beat-up old Ford
depression. This in turn led her to start Torino that he parks near wherever he sets
drinking and getting into fights with her up shop for the day. When the weather
colleagues. Shortly thereafter, she received gets bad or there is a big football game, he
a dishonorable discharge.

150
moves in briefly with his aunt, who has a a target and she knows it. Sometimes she
plasma screen TV. collects cans, sometimes she panhandles.
Cappy spends the money suckers But most of the time she’s too weary and
give him on crack and on gas for the car. If depressed to do either and instead sits in
someone offers him work for the day, he’s the public library and reads. There are
not above taking it, but he’s also not above times when the shelter fills up before she
stealing from them the moment their back is can reach it and she has to spend the night
turned. He also knows some shabby tricks sleeping outdoors. She fears these nights,
to con cashiers out of a few dollars, which and with good reason.
he uses when he needs crack and can’t wait How did a forty-one-year-old
for panhandling to get him enough funds. divorced woman with two years of college
He would commit more serious crimes if he wind up homeless? It was easier than you
thought he could get away with them, but might think. Wanda was always prone to
he’s cunning and savvy enough to know that depression, from early childhood. It messed
he probably couldn’t. Cheerfully free of up her college career and got her fired from
conscience, he could easily murder office jobs. It destroyed her marriage and
someone, but would never do that unless he got her husband custody of her two
was sure there wouldn’t be any daughters. There have been periods of her
consequences. life where she simply becomes unable to
It’s impossible to tell from looking at function and sits there, doing nothing but
Cappy whether he’s Anglo, Hispanic or reading paperbacks and feeling miserable.
African-American, his skin is so deeply Whenever things grew so bad that she got
sunburnt and so covered with grime. He kicked out of her apartment, she always
takes showers when he can, and doesn’t moved in with her mom until she got her
smell as bad as some homeless guys, but head together. Now her mom is dead.
you can still tell that he’s been living Not long after her mother’s demise
outdoors just by getting a whiff of him. Wanda went through another of her black
Smart, streetwise, reasonably brave, patches, lost her job as a receptionist,
he makes a good ally so long as you never couldn’t pay her rent and got thrown out on
show him any weaknesses that he could the street. She tried to take care of her cat,
exploit. He’s even sort of charming, in a but he wasn’t used to being outdoors and
cynical kind of way. got run over within a few days, which of
course made her even more unhappy.
Wanda Daucher Now Wanda is truly stuck. She has
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d4, no job and can’t get another one, since no
Strength d4, Vigor d6 one would hire somebody with no address.
Skills: Guts d4, Knowledge (Romance She has thought about going to her ex-
Novels) d6, Knowledge (History) d6, husband or some old friends for help, but
Streetwise d4 can’t bear for anyone to see her this way.
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; It’s been a year and half now and she’s
Toughness: 5 coming out of her funk, although she still
Hindrances: Outsider, Pacifist (Major), cries a lot for no reason.
Poor, Quirk (deeply depressed) Gentle and kind, Wanda does not
Gear: Rolling bag full of clothes, paper cup. have the same anger or self-absorption that
Background: Constantly afraid of the plagues many chronically depressed people.
violence she sees around her, constantly She cares about others and tries to help
feeling vulnerable and exposed, Wanda anyone in trouble. Not physically brave, she
would sit around the Women’s Shelter all avoids confrontations but doesn’t panic if
day if they let her. And with good reason. she’s faced with a bad situation.
Homeless women get victimized a lot, and Wanda’s voice is low and rueful.
the Bedlam City Police don’t worry much While she does have a sense of humor
about protecting them. Even a shapeless, about herself and her situation, she always
gray-haired lady in her forties like Wanda is

151
looks as though she’s been crying recently in an angry drunken rant. He’s pretty
(and she has.) entertaining when he gets worked up.

Howard Haggerty Yolanda Washington

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4,
Strength d6, Vigor d6 Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Knowledge Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate d6,
(Bad Poetry) d6, Streetwise d4, Taunt d6+2 Notice d4, Streetwise d4
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Charismatic Edges: Berzerk, Frenzy
Hindrances: Delusional, Habit (alchoholic), Hindrances: Delusions, Mean, Outsider,
Outsider, Poor, Quirk (crazed streetcorner Poor
ranter), Stubborn Gear: Knife (d4+2 damage), trash bag full
Gear: Knife (Str+2 damage), blanket roll, of junk
filthy bandana Background: An African-American woman
Background: At some point Howard whose age is impossible to judge, Yolanda is
Haggerty stopped being fashionably poor a reasonably functional schizophrenic. She
and became actually poor. He somehow understands the world around her most of
slipped over the line between being a the time, although she is inarticulate and
colorful bohemian who drank too much and prone to sudden outbursts of cursing. She
sometimes slept in the street, to a homeless looks haggard, careworn, angry and
drunk with nowhere else to sleep. depressed, with an eerie psychotic stare.
An undergraduate student for eight No one on the street has ever seen her
years, it took him a long time and a lot of smile.
stupid drunken antics to completely alienate Too weird, explosive and confused
his family and get kicked out of every school to hold a job, she lived with her father in
they sent him to. A stoner and a party Wolverton until she was well into her
animal, he always had to be the center of thirties. She had violent quarrels with other
attention, always had to be the wildest and members of her family and once stabbed
most outrageous guy in the group. If he her aunt in the arm in a dispute over a
had been just a little smarter or a little more disposable packet of ketchup. Her father
talented the professors and college was always there for her, however, despite
administrators might have been willing to having no money and mental problems of
tolerate his bad behavior, but he was only his own. Then one night they got into an
slightly better than average. Howard argument over some trivial thing, and she
thought he was the new Chuck Bukowski, stabbed him to death in his sleep.
but in fact he’s just another drunken poseur. Yolanda was confined to psychiatric
He’s been living on the streets full time for care, and then released when the Crawley
about a year now, after his last group of Asylum got too crowded. The DA’s office
friends finally threw him off their couch. has made some desultory efforts toward
Approaching a nervous breakdown, he’s still having her sent up on criminal charges (she
trying to comprehend what has happened to did after all commit a bloody premeditated
him. murder) but her obvious craziness has
Howard looks like a scrawny little discouraged them from pursuing the matter.
deadhead with a long beard and a dirty tie- Anyway they don’t have enough resources
dyed shirt. His skin is wrinkled and his to prosecute any number of far more
beard is prematurely streaked with gray— pressing cases.
you would never guess that he’s only Bouncing between institutions and
twenty-eight. He’s belligerent and the street, Yolanda became more savage
mischievous when drunk, but shy and sad and depressed. Her aunt (the same one she
when sober. Sometimes he stands on had stabbed) briefly took her into her large,
streetcorners and reads his mediocre poetry crowded home, but she fought with some of

152
the other relatives living there and set the Barely anyone seems to be in
place on fire while they slept. Miraculously, charge here. The fish are eating one
no one was killed, but this did alienate another in the pet section’s uncleaned
Yolanda’s family and make it impossible for tanks. Gang tags mark the shelves here
her to get any more help from them. and there. People have gotten mugged in
Unbeknownst to the authorities, she has the endless canned goods aisles.
killed twice more, stabbing other homeless
people in explosive fits of rage over small The Shambliss Street Market
things. Held every other Wednesday on Shambliss
Yolanda has no room in her Street, in Hardwick Park, this impromptu
damaged heart for anyone’s sorrow but her market sprawls along for a block or two,
own. She is incapable of feeling the covering the sidewalks and spilling out onto
slightest empathy for anybody—her own the asphalt. Sometimes it centers on one
pain is too great and it blots everything else block, sometimes on another, according to
out. Yet she has a weirdly sentimental side, where the vendors happen to set up.
and will try to look after lost animals until It’s like a combination flea market
she gets frustrated, loses her temper and and food market. The richest vendors have
kills them. little portable stalls, but there are plenty
The other street people in the who pile their stuff on rickety card tables or
vicinity know that Yolanda is dangerous and just spread it out on a blanket. It’s
may warn the PCs about her. bewildering, chaotic, full of loud noises and
pungent smells.
You can find just about anything
legal here, sold or resold for cheap,
including some of the freshest fish to be had
Just because Bedlam is in a state of
outside of the Omega Diner (see Page 197.)
economic collapse doesn’t mean it’s not a
If you know who to ask, nearly anything
fun place to go shopping. Here is your
illegal can also be found here, under the
guide to some of the most popular places
tables. In fact this is one of the best places
left to shop in the City of Now.
to buy “clean” guns in the city. The locals
do tend to cast a suspicious eye on
Food World
outsiders and the Mara is everywhere, so
This chain of discount supermarkets has a
keep your wits about you and shop with
location in the Meadows, and a bigger one
care!
just outside of town on Route 2. With its
everyday low-low prices and monopolistic
Colossal Guns
business practices it has managed to
Out on Slaughter Road, directly across the
squeeze most of the little mom-and-pop
street from Bedlam’s biggest liquor store, is
grocery stores out of Bedlam—largely by
the largest firearms retailer in three states.
threatening suppliers who do business with
It’s as big as a small department store, with
them.
every kind of firearm you could possibly
Yet neither of their two locations
want—and more! Their savings are always
makes enough money to stay in good
colossal, as their cheaply produced
economic shape. Without enough revenue,
commercials say, because they accept job-
they haven’t hired enough staff, and too
lots of discontinued and slightly irregular
many of the folks they do manage to
guns—though they don’t mention this fact in
employ leave as soon as they can, because
their commercials.
it’s such an awful place to work. The chain
Very proud of their status as a
has recently diversified into toys, pets,
Bedlam institution, their logo is a snarling
automotive technology and housewares,
gorilla (who strongly resembles Gorgah)
making the giant stores even harder for the
wearing bandoliers and firing two
employees to keep track of.
submachine guns into the air. In fact they
have a giant fiberglass statue of their

153
lovable mascot looming over their parking gigantic fifty-screen megaplex theater, an
lot ice rink, its own police substation and a day-
Owner Harry Plutzer is a licensed care facility that watches your kids while you
dealer and collector of fully automatic shop. An on-site apartment complex allows
weapons, supplying a small clientele of residents to never leave the mall at all, even
movie producers, police departments and to go home and sleep.
hobbyists around the country. Does he ever Intended as a shopping destination
sell them to anyone else? He gets very for the bigger metropolis nearby to Bedlam,
indignant when he hears people suggest it was conceived of as an outlet mall,
such a thing. The mob would kill him if they initially, but most of its discount anchor
thought he was competing with them for the stores failed within the first year. Its
illegal gun trade. amusement park shut down shortly
Harry has staffed his shop with as thereafter. The carnival rides are still there,
many pretty, enthusiastic young women as but Funland is closed and silent (and
he can find. He dresses them up in identical perhaps waiting for some deranged clown
sunglasses, vests and baseball hats that with an army of circus freaks to move in.)
bear the logo of Colossal Guns. They are The day care center (run by the Happy
instructed to grin and be perky, though their Hands Corporation) closed over some
smiles look a little stiff and frayed by the irregularities and lawsuits from parents.
end of their shift. Now huge sections of the Liberty
The very same bus that takes you to Shoppes are deserted and dark. More than
the Courthouse stops at Colossal Guns, so three quarters of the stores are vacant.
recently released defendants can stop by on They turn the lights way down in places, to
their way back into town and stock up on save on electricity. It still has a flea market,
firearms in preparation for their next a huge Goodwill store, a few dollar stores,
indictment. Perhaps if they hurry they can resale shops and an enormous food court.
also pick up some liquor across the street in A few kiosks in the middle of the hallways
time to catch the next bus. sell tattoos, piercings, drug paraphernalia
and smoothies. The megaplex is also still
Liberty Shoppes partly in service, although most people don’t
One of the Redevelopment Commission’s like to go there—it’s become a dangerous
most popular ideas was to lure a designer of place. But then a lot of Liberty Shoppes has
giant malls to Bedlam, and let them create become a bad neighborhood. Gang kids
an arch-uber-mall like few seen outside of roam the lower floors and get into huge
Canada. In order to attract them to brawls on the ice rink. The police only
Bedlam, a number of tax incentives were venture into the food court in groups of
provided, as well as construction subsidies. three or more. Winos, derelicts and crack
The city actually lost money on the deal, but fiends stumble around the benches and
hoped to recoup it in terms of jobs and urinate where they like.
economic growth. A firm called Iron Talon Security is
And so Bedlam gave birth to the in charge of keeping the mall safe. They’re
gargantuan mall called the Liberty Shoppes. the same firm that provides security for the
Most of the complex is underground. gated community at Stone Ridge (and a lot
Initially the Redevelopment Commission of unspecified services for the US
wanted to bulldoze a good-sized chunk of government in Afghanistan and Iraq.) They
Wolverton to make way for Liberty, but the send their worst, least-competent guys
Reverend Willie Boggs managed to lead a here. Iron Talon does not get along with
successful campaign to have that stopped. the police in the Liberty Shoppes Substation
The designers selected an alternate site and and they are presently feuding over a
built down instead of up. Liberty Shoppes confrontation that turned violent. The cops
goes down five stories into the ground and here are mostly interested in shaking down
has its own stop on the commuter rail the remaining businesses for protection
service. It contains an amusement park, a money and the gangs for bribes. They

154
make little effort to keep order, particularly these items for three hundred miles in any
down on the lower levels. direction. Budget-conscious clergy from all
Iron Talon is more unpredictable. A across the state come here.
lot of their guys have post-traumatic stress The Jigsaw Man shops here, as does
disorder and are prone to overreacting when the supervillain known as “Th’ Pope.” In
provoked. Sometimes they raid areas like fact, the Bedlam Police are concerned that
the food court and the megaplex, beating the Pope may secretly own Papal Discount
on kids for no discernible reason and Warehouse. He may even have a lair buried
dragging some of them off to the Detention underneath it. This could cause
Center under Funland. considerable trouble if the Mara come in
Most of the apartment units were looking for crucifixes to immerse in dog’s
turned over for use as employee dorms. A blood, and get into a brawl with the staff
lot of illegal immigrants live there, crammed when they refuse to sell them a baptismal
in ten or twelve to an apartment. So do a font.
few rich people, who pay Iron Talon extra
for additional protection. People say that Fat Planet Comics
Wolverton crime lord Rock Johnson may be On the shabby edge of Ash Street,
one of them. surrounded by failed porno shops, stands
The Liberty Shoppes are no single Bedlam’s one and only comic book store.
gang’s territory. You are as likely to Proprietor Selwyn Krump has enjoyed his
encounter Italian hoods from Stark Hill as total monopoly for more than twenty years.
you are to run into black gangs from He’s a short, thick, furry-eyebrowed man
Wolverton or the Mara or packs of with perpetual five o’ clock shadow and
troublemaking rich kids from Stone Ridge. deep-set, calculating eyes. Krump is
Perhaps the mall will fail altogether notorious for charging whatever the market
soon, but for the moment it’s a massive tax will bear for his comics, so don’t look too
write-off for its parent corporation and the enthusiastic when you want to buy
city subsidies keep coming in. something or he’ll jack up the price.
But first you have to find it. Over
Papal Discount Warehouse the years, Fat Planet Comics has grown
“Attention all priests, ministers and stuffed to bursting. The shelves creak
reverends of the faith—get yourself down to under the weight of comics, church tables
Crazy Father Orloff’s Papal Discount piled high with boxes fill the middle of the
Warehouse, where the savings are out of shop—you actually have to turn sideways to
this world! We have baptismal fonts, altar get through the narrow spaces that this
cloths, clerical collars of every style and size, leaves. Nothing is in any particular order
and yes, even monstrances! And at prices and the boxed comics on the bottom layers
so low, the Holy Spirit Himself doesn’t know are getting crushed. Some areas of the
how we do it! What’s our secret? Volume! store are nearly inaccessible and look as
Volume! Volume! We pass the savings on to though Krump himself may not have seen
you! Baptismal fonts available only to them in months. Still, you can find some
certified members of the clergy and are not remarkable stuff at Fat Planet if you’re
to be used in a manner inconsistent with willing to dig for it. Just don’t let Krump see
their proper function.” you smile. And bring cash. He doesn’t take
Located in a strip mall in the checks or credit cards.
Meadows, this store is much larger than it Rumor has it that Delbert Graves,
appears to be from the outside. It’s huge, the Warlord of Shady Meadows’ dominant
and it really does have enormous quantities biker gang, likes comic books and can
of mass-produced religious paraphernalia. sometimes be found shopping at Fat Planet.
They are in fact the biggest supplier of

155
 Spengler, Gibbons and Pugh
represent a very narrow slice of the city’s
interests. They are no friends of Big Andy
Czernik or the Bedlam Mafia. They do not
have any allegiance to Wolfram Aerospace
(or whatever company plays that role in
your game.) They serve Bedlam’s old
Crime fighters tend to spend a lot of time in money. Except for Lucius Hardwick, who
court. Whether they are trying to have a has a whole law firm of his own to serve his
villain sent to jail, defending themselves needs (see “Dransfield. Stavely and Spalt”.)
against false charges or suing a rival for
infringing on their trademark costume, Glickman, Smerznak and Feagles
superheroes regularly wind up in front of a “Have you suffered an injustice? Call
judge. And the kinds of battles they wage Glickman, Smerznak and Feagles and get
there are very different from the ones they justice in your pocket and back on your
fight in the street. A good lawyer can be as side!”
difficult and as dedicated a nemesis for a Everyone in Bedlam has heard this
hero as any masked arch-villain. ad, during the doldrums of mid-afternoon
This is not meant to be an TV. The largest independent contingency
absolutely comprehensive list of every law firm in Bedlam, they do most of their
prominent lawyer in Bedlam. Rather, it’s work for no money up front, apart from a
resource for the GM and PCs—a list of $200 consulting fee. Instead they take a
different lawyers that the GM can produce percentage of whatever damages the client
to face down a PC in court, or who they gets awarded. Unlike most struggling law
might hire to protect their own interests. offices, they don’t handle bankruptcy or
probate or all the other little services that
Law Firms lawyers pay their bills with. Instead they’re
Firms have personalities and histories of all about lawsuits, and in particular, all
their own, distinct from the individual about getting settlements. They’ll take on
lawyers who work for them. Here are a few any case, no matter how improbable. It
of Bedlam’s most notable. costs them nothing but time if they lose,
and many companies are willing to buy
Spengler, Gibbons and Pugh them off with a settlement rather than pay
This venerable law firm has its headquarters their own (rather more highly-paid) lawyers’
in a beautiful old brick mansion on top of fees. This means that their clients are
Greely Point. There are three senior usually getting a good deal less money than
partners and about a dozen junior partners, they’re entitled to, even before the firm
with a staff of twenty paralegals of so. The takes a cut, since they’re always angling on
firm represents most of Bedlam’s wealthiest getting the quickest settlement they can.
families. They are not seeking new clients. They employ nearly two dozen
They are small for a firm that lawyers, most of them young ambitious
represents so many powerful interests, but members of Herschel Glickman’s family.
then again Bedlam isn’t a very large city. Glickman’s kids and nieces and nephews are
For the most part they do transactional law, all eager, talkative, snaggle-toothed young
preparing contracts and setting up business people with poor posture, and they all look
deals, but they litigate when they have to weirdly alike—male or female. Because they
and on occasion they even find themselves only make money when they win
defending one or another of their wealthy settlements, quite a few of them take on
clients from criminal prosecution. They are outside work. Nearly any one could be
particularly good at this last task, since so persuaded to defend you in a criminal trial,
many of the judges and prosecutors they although their skills would probably not be
face would love to one day be asked to join up to it.
the firm.

156
 The firm’s offices are located Dransfield, Stavely and Spalt
downtown on the 13th floor of a A small, old and extremely wealthy firm,
skyscraper that has seen better days, and Dransfield, Stavely and Spalt has been
are far too cramped for the number of serving the needs of the Hardwick family
lawyers working there. You can hear old for more than a hundred years. These
man Glickman yelling at his progeny from days the firm is the only visible evidence
his back office while everyone bustles that any trace of the Hardwicks still exists.
around in an atmosphere of barely The firm quietly tends the affairs
controlled chaos. Sid Smerznak and of Lucius Hardwick. They never state
Irving Feagles have the good sense to directly whether their client is still alive.
avoid the office altogether and spend They haven’t litigated against anyone on
most of their time playing golf. Mr. Hardwick’s behalf in years, but they
would if need be. The firm has offices in
Cromlich, Dooven, Dooven and Dahl a beautiful old three-story building
This firm provides secure legal services for downtown, but none of the partners ever
a select clientele. Yet they’re no snooty seems to be in.
bunch of snobs, they’re quick to say. H. Symington Dransfield typically
Regular guys like Donny Scarpia and handles the old man’s business
“Dracula Jack” Gagliano feel completely arrangements. A superb transactional
comfortable using them. attorney, he’s not as good a trial lawyer
Mr. Cromlich, Mr. Dooven and Mr. as Ervin Spalt, who is rarely seen, save on
Dooven (who weren’t related, oddly those few occasions when one of them
enough) are all deceased. Mob lawyers has to go before a judge.
are prone to a host of ailments—cranial H. S. Dransfield is old, slumped,
lead poisoning, Concrete Overshoes and covered with liver spots. He speaks
Syndrome and other related health in a choking whisper and never shows any
problems. And many vanish altogether—a sign of emotion. Leman Stavely is a
strange phenomenon thought to be dapper, charming old gentleman with a
related to Concrete Overshoes Syndrome. moustache and a bow tie. Always
But Norman Dahl carries on, despite superbly dressed, he mostly
having lost both his thumbs in separate communicates with people over the
accidents. He heads up a staff of about phone, but will sometimes unexpectedly
ten hungry young lawyers, eager to make appear instead of Mr. Dransfield. Ervin
their mark on the city. Despite his Spalt is a big, handsome, aggressive
anxious demeanor Mr. Dahl must inspire a young man with a Brooks Brothers’ suit
lot of loyalty in his junior partners for and a mean smile. He’s a diabolically
none of them ever seem to leave the firm. effective trial lawyer and superb at
They keep their main offices in a threatening people.
large and respectable-looking downtown All three partners go everywhere
skyscraper, with really superb security accompanied by two or three paralegals.
arrangements. But they maintain a The paralegals are big, silent young frat-
second office in Stark Hill, in an old boys who appear to be fresh out of Ivy
converted row-house, where many of League law school. The paralegals never
their oldest and most trusted clients come speak, but sometimes lean forward and
to see them. whisper comments in one of the partners’

157
ears. For some reason all of the paralegals Frankie Baranzanno
who follow Mr. Spalt around are attractive
young women in sober-looking pantsuits.
Most people in Bedlam haven’t
heard of Dransfield, Stavely and Spalt, since
they keep a low profile and don’t advertise
their services. Among Bedlam’s wealthy
families, there is a rumor that the firm
serves only Mr. Hardwick and doesn’t accept
other clients. That isn’t true. In fact quite a
few of the reigning old-money families have
hired them for one or another matter that
they didn’t feel comfortable entrusting to
Spengler, Gibbons and Pugh. They have
always handled these affairs with their usual
discretion.

Layton Spengler
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d4
Skills: Guts d10, Intimidation d10+2,
Knowledge (Law) d10, Knowledge (Bedlam)
d10, Knowledge (Arts and Culture) d8,
Notice d8+2, Persuade d10, Streetwise Wild Card
d6+2, Taunt d8+2 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 0; Strength d8, Vigor d8
Toughness: 5 Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidation
Edges: Alertness, Charismatic, Connections d8+2, Knowledge (Law) d8, Knowledge
(Court System and Government), Filthy (Bedlam) d8, Knowledge (Mafia Lore) d8,
Rich, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate Notice d8, Persuade d8, Shooting d8,
and Taunt) Streetwise d10, Taunt d8+2
Hindrances: Elderly, Loyal Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 6
Background: Head of the firm of Spengler, Edges: Block, Combat Reflexes,
Gibbons and Pugh, he represents the Connections (Bedlam Mafia), Frenzy, Rich,
interests of Bedlam’s wealthiest families, as Quick-Draw, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
his own family has done for generations. Intimidate and Taunt)
He has been a federal judge and a State Hindrances: Heartless, Loyal
Deputy Attorney General. Now he has Gear: Body Armor (1 pt of Heavy Armor,
returned to private practice, where he tends only porotects hid torso), Silenced Pistol
the affairs of Bedlam’s declining moneyed (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-
class. His connections in the local courts are Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), Brass Knuckles
second to none, but he really excels as a (d8+2 Damage), Stiletto (d8+1 Damage)
trial lawyer, particularly when it comes to
bullying witnesses without losing the jury’s Background: This battle-scarred old mob
sympathy. Most of the local judges are a lawyer has been one of Young Junior
little in awe of him—he’s leading the life Gorganzua’s closest confidantes for decades.
they hope to one day. He has become an actual, official “made
Dr. Spengler (he’s a Professor of guy” in exchange for all the services he has
Law) is known jocularly by his colleagues as rendered the Gorganzua crime family and he
“the Prince of Darkness.” It suits him. is the closest thing they have to a

158
Consiglieri. Barranzanno has personally alive. Kramm is eager to get a big case, and
executed traitors within the family on at isn’t aware that he wouldn’t be up to it.
least three occasions, although he hasn’t Charming and funny, in a wild, crazy
had to actually kill anyone for years. He kind of way, he’s pretty persuasive and
never goes anywhere without a pistol or his seems to know no fear. Great at
favorite weapon, a pocket-knife. While he’s remembering names and dates, he’ll send
short, he’s formidable, both physically and you birthday cards years after he
professionally. His voice is deep and represented you.
commanding, his manner threatening and
forceful. Mel Lutz
He has represented mob clients at
many trials, but these days spends most of
his time working on the family’s crooked
business arrangements. If the Gorganzuas
send him in person to defend someone,
that’s a sure sign that it’s someone
important.

Wally Kramm
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d10, Knowledge
(Law) d8, Knowledge (Bedlam City Courts)
d8, Notice d8, Persuade d8, Streetwise
d4, Taunt d6+2
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 6
Edges: Block, Connections (at the Bedlam
Courthouse), Dodge, Strong-Willed (+2 to
resist Intimidate and Taunt)
Hindrances: Stubborn
Background: This frizzy-haired, balding
trial lawyer spends most of his time down at
the courthouse, cruising the endless lines at
the Municipal Courts for clients. He wears a
rumpled suit, a polyester tie and running
shoes. His moustache, clothes and hairdo
make him look like a sleazy ambulance Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
chaser, but that’s not quite what he is. Strength d6, Vigor d6
Not an especially gifted lawyer, Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d4,
Kramm has devoted himself to learning the Intimidate d4, Knowledge (Law) d6,
inns and outs of the courthouse like no one Knowledge (Bedlam City) d6, Notice d6,
else. He’s the personal friend of seemingly Persuade d8, Shooting d4, Streetwise d4,
every clerk, receptionist and security officer. Taunt d6
He knows all the little rules, he knows who Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
will bend them and how much. He has the Toughness: 5
skills to shuttle his cases through the system Edges: Connections (at the Bedlam
faster than anyone. If you need a small Courthouse)
matter quickly resolved, you can’t do better. Hindrances: Quirk (desperate to ingratiate
But you might not want him to represent himself with the Mob)
you in a criminal case or a big civil action.
The sharks who prowl those courtrooms in Background: This young lawyer hopes to
their thousand-dollar suits would eat him join the firm of Cromlich, Dooven, Dooven

159
and Dahl soon. Until then, he’s trying to of the things his clients do. It’s like he
make a name for himself as a criminal thinks he’s living in a movie. He also
defense attorney for lesser associates of seems absolutely determined not to be a
the Scarpia Crime Family. He’s available wimpy Jewish nerd. To be tough by
for all sorts of legal work. Setting up new association. He dresses like a mob
companies, guiding you through the lawyer, in suits he can’t afford and he’s
loopholes in the tax-laws, but he really starting to affect an accent. He’s also
excels at defense work. He doesn’t have growing a goatee, for some reason.
the right personality or a very strong
command of criminal law. But he does Orville Sudley
have the right kind of connections in Stark Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit
Hill and on the Bedlam Police Force. d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
This is all by design, rather than Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge
chance. Ever since childhood he’s loved (Law) d4, Knowledge (Music) d8, Notice
gangsters and wanted to be one. From d4, Persuade d8, Streetwise d4
his adolescence through college he Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
affected all the trappings of hip-hop Toughness: 5
culture, but when he actually tried Edges: Charismatic
hanging around with real gangstas, he Hindrances: Overconfident, Quirk (weak-
found that he would never be welcome willed unreliable idiot)
among them no matter how hard he tried Background: A pudgy young man with a
to imitate the way they talked. So he beard and a mullet, Orville toils at many
shifted his focus during law school and different jobs. He's trying to promote
moved to Bedlam, where he actively himself as a country-western singer
cultivated the Czernik political machine (download his clips from MySpace and
and sought out wiseguy clients. It took you'll see why he hasn't been more of a
three years to win their trust. success), he handles skip tracing and debt
In the end he actually had to get collection on a contract basis. He tends
himself arrested and go to jail (for unpaid bar and sells pot.
parking tickets) in order to introduce Always smiling, always full of wild
himself to the people he wanted to meet. money-making schemes, he is
It was absolutely worth it. Lawyers are pretentious, self-absorbed and hopelessly
like gold in the joint. He loved the way unreliable. But he talks a good game,
everyone treated him with respect there, smiles a lot and never lacks for clients.
and he finally made the connections he He is desperate to get a high-profile
needed. He hasn’t yet won the defendant—a supervillain or a serial-killer
confidence of the Scarpias themselves but with a good gimmick so that he can sell
he’s represented their associates in all the book and movie rights. Then his
kinds of matters. If Luca “Stabbo the career as a country music star can really
Clown” Stegnetti needs a lawyer on short take off, he figures. Orville has no
notice, he’ll probably ask for Mel. concept of his own ineptitude and will
A strange, arrogant young guy, take on cases that are far beyond his
Mel doesn’t seem to grasp the seriousness abilities.

160
Marla Zarinovsky head of the Bedlam Police’s Special
Wild Card Victims Liaison Unit and she has some
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit reservations about him. Still, he’s a
d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6 valuable resource and she frequently goes
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d10, to him for help. She has also met Larry
Investigation d6+2, Knowledge (Law) “Fido” Turwood, but he made a bad first
d10+2, Knowledge (Bedlam City Courts) impression on her and she doesn’t think
d10+2, Knowledge (Neopagan Lore) d6, much of him.
Knowledge (Psychology) d8, Notice d8+2, While she is Jewish, if you look
Persuade d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6+2 close you can see that the star around her
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; neck has five points instead of six. She’s
Toughness: 6 a practicing neopagan, but she claims not
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background to be a fundamentalist about it—it’s more
(Magic), Charismatic, Strong-Willed (+2 to something she turns to for spiritual
resist Intimidate and Taunt) comfort than anything else. She doesn’t
Hindrances: Heroic, Stubborn expect the Goddess to save anyone who
Powers: Armor 4 (special version, only can’t save themselves—that’s Marla’s job.
protects her from magical attacks), A native of Brooklyn, she has a
Detect/Conceal Arcana, Dispel fairly strong New York accent and a very
Brooklynese kind of wry amusement at
Background: One of Bedlam’s finest the world and its follies. She dresses like
lawyers has never passed the bar. She’s a New York Wiccan, in lots of black with
the legal advocate for one of Bedlam’s flowing peasant skirts. She wears her hair
women’s shelters, and she knows far long and straight.
more about how the law applies to Divorced, Marla lives with her
domestic violence than any of the boyfriend in the tiny struggling bohemian
Assistant D.A.s or States’ Attorneys that enclave near the Terminal Drive train
she works with. So she coaches them and station, but she’s never home. Everyone
tells them what to do, effectively is surprised to learn that she isn’t gay and
practicing law without a license. She does that she doesn’t have a cat. She herself
this because somebody has to. While she would be surprised to learn that the
does have a law degree, her primary field defensive wards she has cast really work,
is psychology and she’s never had the and are genuinely protecting her from
time or the inclination to study for the magical attacks.
state bar. There’s far too much work to
do.
Funny, perceptive and fearless,
she can tell you stories that will make
your blood run cold about he things she
has seen on the job. Yet it hasn’t broken
her or burnt her out—just made her more
determined to help people. She knows
Detective Harvey Gluk (see page 76) the

161
In a city where there aren’t enough doormen for nightclubs and bars. That
policemen, private security firms flourish. includes the illegal nightclubs out on
This list covers the major players, but Industrial Drive (but probably not Club
there are sure to some smaller companies Death—see Page 195.)
around, as well. G and T acts more as a referral
service than an employer. They don’t
Maximum Safeguard offer benefits—although if one of their
This is the largest security firm in Bedlam. employees gets arrested they will send
They provide guards for banks, legal counsel to assist them. Nor do they
apartments, supermarkets and for nearly offer any training or perform background
all of the downtown office buildings. checks. After all, the Bedlam police have
Maximum’s advertising materials claim already done that.
that all of their personnel are ex-special This is a wonderfully lucrative
forces or SWAT team personnel. In fact business, requiring almost no overhead.
most of them are recent immigrants who They don’t even pay for their employees’
don’t speak English very well and have uniforms. Nor do they need to advertise
already tried Bedlam’s other menial jobs very widely.
(cab driver, street vendor, gas station It will surprise no one to learn that
attendant, etc.) A lot of them work Larry Garvin is married to one of the
second jobs and spend their shifts half- Reverend Willie Boggs’ sisters or that Otis
awake. Torsberg is the former head of Bedlam’s
Maximum Safeguard is a national police union. They are wired in tightly to
firm that operates under various names the Bedlam political machine, or at least
around the country. They have a the part of it that Councilman Boggs
corporate office in downtown Bedlam and oversees.
a recruiting and training office in the Their downtown office is in one of
Meadows. They give their staff nearly two the shinier, newer buildings, but it’s small
whole weeks of training before putting and has just a few staff on duty (neither
them in the field. Garvin nor Torsberg ever bothers to visit.)
Typically, a guard’s biggest worry The operation only needs a very few
on the job is that someone might figure people to run smoothly.
out that they don’t speak English and
have only the vaguest understanding of Iron Talon International
what is going on around them. This firm helps provide paramilitary
services to a wide range of government
Garvin and Torsberg Limited (G & T) agencies. They guard nuclear power
This firm can provide you with off-duty plants for the Department of Energy,
Bedlam police officers for any security guard embassies for the State
need, short-term or long. They are Department, and provide a lot of
largely used by Bedlam’s entertainment unnamed services for the armed forces in
community, providing bouncers and places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

162
 They hire ex-military guys and Iron Talon Security Consultant
offer them good salaries and benefits,
along with a chance to continue living the
life of a professional soldier. They recruit
former Special Forces and Navy SEALS as
much as possible. When a member of
one of the elite units screws up and gets
kicked out of the armed forces, they can
always find a home at Iron Talon, no
questions asked. They do not comment
on allegations that they have provided
minions for numerous supervillains as
well.
In Bedlam, Iron Talon
International provides security services for
the Stone Ridge gated community, and
the huge underground Liberty Shoppes
Mall.
Guarding a gated community full
of spoiled rich people is not a dream
assignment for most of these guys. Iron
Talon tends to place guys in Stone Ridge
who have suffered too much battle fatigue
or who have committed deeds that could
embarrass the company if they remained
on duty in Iraq. Liberty Shoppes is an
actual punishment assignment, reserved
for guys with chronic discipline or drug
problems.
Iron Talon personnel are immune
to prosecution in Iraq and some have
difficulty adjusting to the rules and
strictures they have to operate under in
the States. Fortunately, they don’t have Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
to abide by all the same restrictions as, d6,
for example, cops. Strength d8, Vigor d6
They don’t have the power to Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d8,
arrest anyone, so anybody they take into Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
custody hasn’t technically been arrested, Streetwise d4
just “detained.” This means they don’t Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
have any Miranda rights, like a phone call Toughness: 7 (2 armor, see “Gear”)
or a lawyer. Nor is there really a limit to Edges: Combat Reflexes
how long they can hold you. They aren’t Hindrances: Quirk (On edge. Not used
a government agency, so their records to working in an environment where there
aren’t subject to Freedom of Information are consequences for misbehavior).
Access requests and they don’t have to Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
tell your lawyer or your family whether or Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
not they are holding you. protects the torso), 9mm pistol (Range
They tend to use this power 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 1,
judiciously, which is to say, they don’t use Rate of Fire 1)
it on anyone important or well-connected.

163
 rare, since it’s tough for a single person to
keep up with all the administrative work.

International Investigations Inc. (or

“Triple-Eye”)

Yes, that’s actually their name. This is

one of the largest detective agencies in
the country, with more than 90 offices
nationwide. Their logo is three eyes and
their motto is “Always Watching.”
They claim in their ads to offer
“qualified professionals for every aspect of
investigation—former government
operatives and intelligence personnel to
handle all your security and investigations
There are a number of different private
needs.” The truth is that they’re more like
investigation firms in Bedlam. Some are
a franchise than a single giant agency,
tiny one-man operations, others are large,
and the quality of the various offices that
with a dozen people or more on staff.
use the Triple-Eye name varies wildly.
Some are reasonably honest, others are
The Bedlam office is pretty good.
crooks who can be hired to perform any
Their ads may be terminally sleazy, but
kind of dirty deed. The GM should feel
the agency looks professional. They rent
free to add more to the list below. A city
office space in a skyscraper downtown,
this size could easily support more private
with six full-time “Investigator Associates”
investigation firms—Gary, Indiana has
(all of them former Bedlam cops) working
twenty-eight.
cases, a research staff of four, and three
administrative assistants. Everyone wears
Big Firms
a tie. Bland watercolors hang on the wall.
Firms with more than one or two licensed
It looks like an insurance office or a real
detectives on staff. We have independent
estate brokerage.
investigators (including firms with just a
The Investigator Associates are
couple of PI’s and some other researchers
efficient and handle just about any aspect
and administrative staff) listed in the next
of investigations work competently.
section. Despite what you see in old
Unfortunately, they are a wholly owned
movies, actual one-man operations are
subsidiary of the Scarpia crime family,

164
which is also their biggest client. If any of Gianni “the Gorilla” Gavrillo
their detectives finds out anything that
might interest the Scarpias, they will
immediately pass the information along.
The current head of the Bedlam
office of Triple-Eye is Gianni Gavrillo
(known to his associates as “Gavrillo the
Gorilla”.) He’s a great big linebacker of a
man, with an expensive Italian suit, a
diamond earring, a ponytail and a
constant self-satisfied smirk. He’s young
for the job, about thirty, but his career as
a Bedlam police detective was attracting
too much attention from Internal Affairs,
so his real bosses moved him here. He
hasn’t been running the agency for very
long and while he’s a capable investigator
he doesn’t yet quite have the hang of
office management.
Triple-Eye’s home office in
Anaheim, California, has no idea that the
Bedlam branch has become the tool of the Wild Card
Mafia. Then again, they also wouldn’t Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
care. d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d8, Guts d10,
Generic Investigator Associate Intimidate d8, Investigate d4, Knowledge
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit (Criminal Underworld) d8, Notice d6,
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Shooting d6, Streetwise d6
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Intimidate d6, Investigate d8, Knowledge Toughness: 8
(Bedlam) d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice d6, Hindrances: Heartless, Loyal
Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Edges: Brawny, Connections (Bedlam
Streetwise d6 Mafia), Nerves of Steel, Take the Hit,
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Improved Tough as Nails
Toughness: 6 Gear: Baseball Bat (d10+1 Damage),
Hindrances: Heartless 10mm Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage
Edges: Connections (underworld), 2d6+1, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1),
Gear: Flashlight (d6+1 Damage), .38 Sawed-Off Shotgun (Range 5/10/20,
Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Damage 3d6, Rate of Fire 1 or 2),
Armor-Piercing 1, Rate of Fire 1)
Background: A typical investigator for American Investigators
Triple-Eye may or may not know that the Despite the clunky name, this is a solid,
Mob is their boss. However, the kind of competent firm. Their one real weakness
private eye who would wind up working is in electronic surveillance. They don’t
for them wouldn’t care one way or the have a
other. Anyone with more ethics would
already have gone looking for a different
job.

165
lot of bugs or spy gear. d8, Persuasion d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6,
Based in Wolverton, they share a Streetwise d6
three story building with two dentists and a Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
mortgage broker. This is a family business, Toughness: 5
run since the 1970s by the Joneses. There Hindrances: Loyal
are three generations of women working Edges: Connections (in Wolverton)
there. All eight of their staff (six detectives Gear: Flashlight (d6+1 Damage)
and two support personnel—both of whom Background: In fact the Jones girls vary a
are itching to become investigators) are bit in their strengths and abilities. But
female and all eight are African-American. here’s a typical one.
Each of them is Jackie Jones’ daughter,
granddaughter or niece. They range in age Jackie Jones
from eighteen to fifty-eight.
Jackie herself is still in great shape
for a woman who is nearly sixty and she still
takes on casework. All of the ladies of the
agency share her eerie calm. Always polite,
never upset, they face confrontations with a
smooth blank smile that’s a lot scarier than
an icy stare could be. The agency claims to
handle only investigative work. They don’t
get physical with anybody, they don’t do
muscle-work and they don’t break the law.
Once, back in the 1970s, Jackie took
a more dangerous approach to life, and was
forever getting caught up in crazy, violent
adventures. She’d do anything, take any
risk to help someone in trouble. But since
then, something has died in her. Or
perhaps she has just grown up. Now she
risks nothing for no-one.
Her middle daughter, Latisha, is the
hothead of the group (although she looks as
outwardly serene as any of them) and could Wild Card
easily be enticed into doing something more Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
dangerous than her mom would approve of, d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
if she thought it was in a worthy cause. Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d10,
It is rumored that Jackie knows local Healing d6, Investigate d8+2, Knowledge
crimelord Lincoln Stone personally and may (Law) d6, Knowledge (Wolverton) d10,
have dated him. This is actually true, but Lockpicking d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d8,
she owes nothing to the mob and wouldn’t Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Streetwise d10+2
do them any favors if they asked. She has Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
visited “the Stone” in prison, but only to Toughness: 6
reminisce about old times. These days she Hindrances: Code of Honor
treats him with the same polite detachment Edges: Combat Reflexes, Connections (in
she uses with everyone. Wolverton), Investigator, Improved Level-
Headed, Nerves of Steel, Strong-Willed,
Generic “Jones Girl” Tough as Nails
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Gear: Flashlight (d6+1 Damage),
Strength d6, Vigor d6 Lightweight Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 1, Rate of Fire
Healing d6, Investigate d8, Knowledge 1), Shotgun (Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6,
(Law) d6, Knowledge (Wolverton) d8, Notice Rate of Fire 1)

166
Latisha Jones If Latisha manages to get herself in
trouble, her mom will do everything in her
power to help her.

Tamika Jones
Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
Investigate d4, Knowledge (Law) d4,
Knowledge (Wolverton) d6, Notice d8,
Persuasion d8, Shooting d4, Stealth d6,
Streetwise d6
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Curious, Heroic, Quirk (eager
for adventure), Young
Edges: Attractive, Dodge
Gear: Flashlight (d6+1 Damage),
Background: Jackie’s granddaughter
Tamika is officially just the office’s part-time
receptionist until she graduates from high
school. But she’s aching to get in the game
herself. She’s learned a lot about the
Wild Card business of investigation (although not as
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit much as she thinks) and she’s convinced
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 that she’s ready to be a full-fledged
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, detective now.
Investigate d6, Knowledge (Law) d4, If the PCs bring a case to American
Knowledge (Wolverton) d8, Lockpicking d6, Investigators that is too dangerous or too
Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Riding d10, irresponsible for them to handle, Tamika
Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6 may well try to take the job on herself,
Charisma: +2; Pace: 8; Parry: 8; hoping to prove to her grandma that she’s
Toughness: 5 ready to be a Jones Girl. She won’t tell the
Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal, Quirk (wants to Player Characters that she doesn’t have the
be a hero like her mom) firm’s permission or a PI license. She’s good
Edges: Ace, Attractive, Block, Fleet-Footed, friends with her aunt Latisha and if the PCs
Quick, Quick-Draw have something really dangerous in mind,
Gear: Flashlight (d6+1 Damage), Shotgun she might talk Latisha into coming along
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6, Rate of Fire with her on the adventure.
1), Motorcycle
Background: Most of the Jones girls would Independent Investigators
be unwilling to use violence or directly face None of these little firms may have more
danger on behalf of a client. For Latisha, than one or two PIs on staff. PI Rod’s
Jackie’s youngest daughter, it would depend operation is relatively large, with three or
on the client. She loves helping people, four support staff. Pete Lord and Curtis
wishes her mom still believed in it, and is Spaulding both work alone. Spaulding
eager to have adventures. She hasn’t yet doesn’t even have an office. There is room
had any, but the PCs might just bring her for a lot more of these little guys in a town
the case that makes her a hero. Or a the size of Bedlam. They’re just meant as
corpse. examples.

167
PI Rod Rodney Starvik, Private Eye
“Have you been the victim of a fraudulent Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
lawsuit? Have you been the target of d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
identity theft? Do you need someone on Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Healing
your side? Get PI Rod, the name you can d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, Investigate
trust to back you up. Process Serving! d8, Knowledge (Law Enforcement) d8,
Marital Infidelity! Surveillance! Knowledge (Bedlam City) d6, Notice d8,
Background Checks! Malpractice! Get PI Persuasion d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d6,
Rod on the case!” So says Rodney Streetwise d6
Starvik’s website. Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Look more carefully and you can Toughness: 5 (1)
see that PIRod.com is really a free site Hindrances: Big Mouth, Quirk (Pushy.
hosted by Yahoo. Located over a strip Too brash for his own good)
mall in the Meadows, the offices of PI Edges: Charismatic, Connections (in law
Rod, Investigator, sprawl over a good- enforcement)
sized part of the building. He employs Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
about six people. A team of three Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
paralegals for research, an administrative protects the torso), 9mm Pistol (Range
assistant and a junior investigator named 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2,
Ralph Brimley who has just graduated 7 shots, Rate of Fire 1)
from college, and wants to have a little
adventure before he settles down and Lord Associates, Investigative
gets a real job. Rod also employs a Services
hulking ex-cop named Rufus, who serves Pete Lord (his original name was Pietro
in an unspecified capacity (intimidation Franconi) has always been looking for an
and thuggery.) angle. He’s been a lawyer, a part-time
Rodney himself is surprisingly tabloid journalist, a collection agent and
professional, given his sleazy advertising occasionally a criminal. He’s always done
material and low-rent address. He’s a okay. But now he’s forty-six and still
former FBI agent, with ten years looking for his big score.
experience as a police detective prior to He rents space in the law offices
working for the bureau. A short but of a big successful downtown firm, to
powerfully built guy, he wears tasteful make it look as though he’s somehow
suits and speaks standard English. He’s associated with them. He wears a trim
overbearing company, talking too loud grey beard and a Brooks Brothers’ suit to
and too much, constantly boasting about look fatherly and respectable. He wears
his law enforcement credentials and trying tinted glasses to look threatening.
to push clients into ordering extra Mr. Lord is not a member of the
services. He’s also wildly irresponsible, Bedlam mob, but he does know them and
prone to taking crazy risks and not above he certainly wouldn’t turn them down if
breaking the law if he’s paid well enough. they offered him work. Nor would he turn
Mostly he does process-server down the good guys. He can be hired for
work, delivering court notices to people any job, honest, dishonest or evil, in
who are trying to avoid them, but he loves either his capacity as a lawyer or as an
taking on the occasional dangerous, investigator. He would love to have the
exciting job. While he isn’t the most chance to blackmail a really rich client, or
ethical guy in the world, he does not work to sell information about a client to parties
for the Mafia and wants no entanglement who might need it—including organized
with them or their world. But he might be crime.
tempted to spy on them, for the money He’s a competent investigator and
and for the thrill. a good defense attorney, although he’s

168
better at legal maneuvering behind the Background: A scrawny old guy in his
scenes than he is in the courtroom—juries seventies, Mr. Spaulding is a man who has
just don’t trust him, somehow. Perhaps learned the value of patience. He has
it’s the way he never takes off his tinted held a PI’s license ever since the early
lenses. Quietly menacing, he’s always 1960s. A quiet old bachelor without any
guarded, picking his words carefully. No close friends, he has nowhere to go at the
one ever sees his eyes behind his tinted end of the day and nothing better to do
glasses, but you can feel them watching. than work cases. Not that he minds. He’s
long since learned to take life as it comes.
Pete Lord Spaulding is superb at surveillance
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit work. He looks like any frail old man you
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 might see doddering around in a too-big
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, suit and a porkpie hat. No one ever
Intimidate d8, Investigate d8, Knowledge suspects him of being a detective. He still
(Law) d6, Knowledge (Bedlam City) d8, drives a car (it’s a huge old 1985 Chrysler
Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, LeBaron) and he does a lot of stakeout
Stealth d6, Streetwise d8 from his vehicle, with the radio switched
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; to “Easy Listening” to keep him company.
Toughness: 5 (1) He doesn’t carry a gun. In case of
Hindrances: Greedy, Heartless trouble, he has a flashlight. But trouble
Edges: Connections (Bedlam government never seems to come his way. He avoids
and underworld) cases that require him to confront anyone
Gear Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 and sticks to the stuff he’s good at—
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only watching people and finding out what
protects the torso), Snub-Nosed Pistol they’re up to.
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Armor- While he knows how to do skip
Piercing 2, 7 shots, Rate of Fire 1) tracing and has a police contact he can
bribe to run license plate checks, the finer
Curtis Spaulding points of modern electronic surveillance
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit are beyond him. He’s a legwork guy.
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d4 It’s hard to tempt or threaten Mr.
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, Spaulding, since he no longer cares about
Investigate d8, Knowledge (Bedlam City) much of anything.
d8, Notice d10, Persuasion d8, Stealth d8, Mr. Spaulding can’t afford an
Streetwise d6 office and sets up all of his business by
Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 5; phone. When he has to meet a client in
Toughness: 5 (1) person he does it in his car. Despite
Hindrances: Elderly looking like somebody’s grandfather, he’s
Edges: Level-Headed, Strong-Willed (+2 totally unshockable. You can use any kind
to resist Intimidate or Taunt) of language you like around him, although
Gear: Flashlight (d4+1 damage), Big old- he never seems to curse himself.
model Chysler.

169
Bedlam is too small for a major-league lawsuits and federal prosecutions just as
sports franchise. But they have a troubled they were starting to build a reputation.
minor league hockey team (the Bedlam The Lunatics tried to join the
Lunatics) and a fairly successful minor International League and the American
league baseball team (the Bedlam Maniacs) League, but while they were in negotiations,
and both have ambitions of becoming feeder Dutch got indicted on federal extortion
teams for bigger franchises. charges (unrelated to his activities in the
Bedlam’s baseball team, the Lightning League) and he decided for the
Maniacs, have recently generated national good of the team to sever his association
attention by hiring former major league with them. They have decided to sit out this
pitcher “Spanky” Trombino, who is upcoming season but they say that in a
sometimes known as the bad boy of couple of years they’ll be back—crazier than
baseball. They say that he was too hard for ever.
even a major league coach to control, so it
remains to be seen how good a job the The Maniacs
Maniacs can do of keeping him out of Bedlam’s newest sports team has attracted
trouble. controversy since long before its founding.
Back in 1914, Bedlam was the original home
The Lunatics of a baseball team called the Bedlamites,
When the Lightning League formed in 2003, who moved to another city, changed their
the rush was on for businesses to buy or name and became incredibly famous and
start their own hockey teams. A lot of successful. For a long time there has been
investors were willing to be lured by the a “bring back the Bedlamites” movement in
idea of summer hockey and the money was Bedlam, although they have never had any
flowing like crazy. It was, as they say, real hope of getting it accomplished. When
raining suckers. Municipal Councilman Big Andy Czernik
Local Bedlam impresario Dutch announced plans to bring minor league
Angelo quickly bought a team and set about baseball to Bedlam, not only did it seem to
finding them a venue. The best he could do people like the kind of wasteful project the
was to buy them time at the Belchner Redevelopment Commission used to try, but
College skating rink, but it’s hard to make it also offended the fans who hoped against
people drive that far out of town and there hope for the Bedlamites to one day return.
are problems with parking, so he kept the The Reverend Willie Boggs loudly
team on tour most of the time. opposed building a baseball park and Big
Dutch didn’t focus much on winning Andy found himself in the single toughest
games—he couldn’t afford the kind of fight of his political career. He won, but the
players who’d do that for him. Instead he contest weakened him.
focused his efforts on getting the most They say that a lot of the Mob’s
savage, brutal players he could find. Guys money went into building Maniac Park, out
other teams didn’t want because they spent on Slaughter Road, and that a lot of their
too much time in the penalty box. If he enemies are buried in its foundations.
couldn’t have the best team in the Lightning The Maniacs are owned by Sports
League, he could at least have the most Ventures International, a large chain based
controversial. Endorsements are all about somewhere in New Jersey. They don’t
how much face time you get on TV. And micromanage the team or the baseball park,
you can get there by other routes than which is run by local contractors from Stark
winning games. Their motto is “Blood on Hill.
the Ice at Every Game!” Unfortunately, the The Maniacs have been reasonably
Lightning League collapsed in a tangle of successful in their first two seasons, but

170
their big coup came this year, when they d8+2), Light MG (Range 24/48/96, Damage
hired disgraced major league pitcher 2d8, ROF 3, AP 2, Three round burst)
“Spanky” Trombino, the self-proclaimed Background: As you can see from the
“Bad Boy of Baseball.” Trombino has always equipment list above, Spanky has been
been a great headline getter, known at least doing some shopping. He’s talked Harry
as much for his outrageous behavior as for Plutzer, owner of Colossal Guns (see Page
his pitching. He has been in prison twice for 153) into selling him some very dangerous
vicious assaults, but he shows no sign of and illegal weapons. Spanky says he
changing his behavior. The team swears doesn’t want them for any “sicko reasons,”
that he tests drug free. He openly laughs at he just likes shooting stuff with them.
this and asks what they would do if he Player Characters who try to arrest him, for
didn’t? Fire him? example.
Spanky has bought one of the
biggest houses in the Stone Ridge gated An Adventure with the Bedlam
community, which has been the scene of Maniacs: Take Me Out to the Madhouse
some very wild parties. There are rumors It’s a warm spring day at Maniac Park, and
that an elephant was in some way violated Spanky Trombino is up to pitch. It’s the
at one of them. It remains to be seen if his middle of the eighth inning. The score is
new team can bring him to heel before he tied at three to three. The other team has
gets himself sent back to prison. Until he men on first and second base and they’re
does, the stands at Maniac Park are packed only halfway through the batting lineup.
for the first time in three years. Can Spanky save the day?
The Maniacs’ mascot, Marvin the Suddenly, a voice screams out from
Maniac (a loony wearing a straightjacket) behind the bleachers “Your hour has come,
has been awarded the prize for the most Trombino!”
annoying mascot in the league for two years The fans all gasp and stare, as an
running. He has also raised concerns from enraged animal trainer rides an elephant
mental health care advocates, as has the onto the field. The beast appears to be
fans’ signature cheer, the “Maniac Chop.” wearing some kind of gigantic hernia truss.
As of yet they have achieved little traction, Tears pour down the trainer’s face as he
Marvin the Maniac still capers gleefully on screams “We’re gonna crush you, big man,
the sidelines of every game and they still for what you did to Peanut! Yer eyes have
pass out cardboard meat-cleavers to the gazed in wonder at their last dawn!”
fans for the Maniac Chop. The vengeance-crazed duo charge
the pitcher’s mound. To the crowd’s
Lawrence “Spanky” Trombino amazement, Spanky not only holds his
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit ground, but starts taunting the elephant
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d10 trainer. Can the PCs get down to the field in
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d8, time to prevent a tragedy without revealing
Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shooting d10, their secret identities?
Streetwise d6, Throwing d12 Things go very wrong if they don’t.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Spanky waits until the elephant is close and
Toughness: 7 (1) then throws a fastball straight into its
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Marksman, No hernia. Poor Peanut lets out a trumpet of
Mercy, Rich, Rock and Roll, Steady Hands, pure agony and stumbles, throwing her
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist being trainer to the ground, where Spanky begins
Intimidated or Taunted) to kick the crap out of him. If the PCs don’t
Hindrances: Big Mouth, Heartless, intervene, he’s likely to beat the guy to
Overconfident, Quirk (has to indulge every death, while the crowd laughs and cheers
violent whim that pops into his head) and does the Maniac Chop. Spanky may
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2 even figure out some way to kill the
Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only elephant. And if he goes back to jail,
protects his chest), Baseball Bat (Damage: Bedlam’s morale might not recover.

171
 still exists as a weekly supplement inside the
Informer. Mostly an editorial page, the
Beacon contains little but angry rants
against the Informer’s editorial policies.
They no longer have any actual staff or
offices, so they can’t really do much else.
The Informer’s staff has also been
We have envisioned Bedlam as a smaller reduced. They get all their national and
city in the shadow of a nearby metropolis. international news from the main office in
If that is the role you want it to play in your New York, and they no longer employ full-
campaign, then assume that Bedlam gets time reporters. Everyone who writes a local
most of its television from its giant neighbor. story or a column for them is a stringer—an
The same is true for newspapers and radio independent contractor who gets paid by
stations. There are local papers and radio the piece.
stations, but they have a hard time The Informer used to be known for
competing with the bigger market next its trashy, lurid, gossipy style of reporting,
door. but it has become much tamer in recent
years and much less critical of the city
authorities. They still favor shocking
headlines and gruesome crime stories, but
they no longer rail against local politicians or
do exposes on the city’s failing services.
There are two local newspapers in Bedlam The Informer’s political position is
but both are owned by distant media vaguely right-wing, pro-war and anti-
conglomerates and both are struggling for affirmative action. They like Councilman Big
readership in a market dominated by the Andy Czernik a lot and always support his
city’s larger neighbor. As a result, one has a policies. A typical subscriber to the Bedlam
small circulation and the other has a tiny Informer is an older white male from a
one. working class background who lives in Stark
Hill or Greely Point and admires the Mafia.
It’s published in a tabloid format (naturally)
and features at least four pages of color
photos per issue. Often these are gruesome
Until recently, there were two daily papers
crime-scene pictures, although for some
and a weekly in Bedlam. The Informer used
reason they seldom report on Mob hits.
to be the smaller and trashier of the two
The Informer’s Managing Editor is
daily newspapers, but the owners of the
Buddy Dean, a smooth, handsome, insincere
Bedlam Beacon made some poor business
man who never yells at reporters or keeps
decisions and got absorbed by a huge
his promises to them. He looks at himself in
national media giant. The Informer tried to
the mirror a lot, when he thinks no one is
make a selling point out of the fact that it
watching.
was the only locally owned news outlet in
Their most prominent reporter is
the city, but within a few years it sold out to
currently Rona Romita, a loudmouthed hack
the same conglomerate. The distant
who is famous for aggressively pestering the
corporate headquarters in New York decided
relatives of people who have died in tragic
that two papers were too many for one
accidents. A skinny, leathery woman with
small market, so they decided to publish
expensive hair and cold little eyes, she
them both under the Informer’s byline.
admits to being thirty-five but is in fact a
Because of some contractual obligations
decade older.
they had to the Beacon’s former owners, it

172
Buddy Dean Informer lots of attention. But not if it
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit would annoy his advertisers.
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Buddy’s personal life is something of
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate d6, a mystery. No one ever seems to see him
Knowledge (business of publishing) d8, outside the office and no one is precisely
Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Notice d8, sure where he lives.
Persuasion d10, Taunt d8
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Rona Romita
Toughness: 5
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections,
Dodge
Hindrances: Quirk (Untrustworthy,
insincere and utterly devoid of professional
ethics)

Background: Buddy Dean is not your

friend. Older reporters always give this
warning to the new guys. It’s amazing how
many of them are fooled anyway. Buddy is
a charmer, friendly and warm. He’s vulgar if
he thinks you want him to be and refined if
he senses that’s what would put you at
ease. He always agrees with everything you
say. If you pitch him a story idea that he
doesn’t like, he’ll nod and tell you how great Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
it is and then he’ll forget to publish it. The Strength d4, Vigor d6
only way you can ever figure out what he’s Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d10, Intimidate
thinking is through his actions. And his d6+2, Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Knowledge
actions reveal him to be a pretty ruthless (the press) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8,
guy. Stealth d6, Taunt d8+2
Buddy will print exactly what he Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
thinks will make money, and does his best Toughness: 5
to play his writers off against one another in Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections,
pointless rivalries so that they won’t get Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and
organized and demand a bigger share of the Taunt)
take. He screws the printers out of every Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (will do anything
nickel he can, he outsources every job he to get the story)
can justify sending overseas.
The Informer runs whatever stories Background: It’s tough being a plucky star
Buddy thinks will make his advertisers reporter in a market as downscale as
happy. Because he’s aware that circulation Bedlam. There’s only one newspaper,
isn’t where you make your real money. You unless you count the “alternative” weekly
make the important revenue from rag, and they already have too many
advertising, and you do that by telling stringers competing for their limited amount
people what their bosses want them to of newsprint.
hear. It almost doesn’t matter if your Rona is constantly toiling away at
readers like or agree with anything you have articles for national magazines, on every
to say. They’re only paying you a dollar subject from art history to video games, but
each, while the people who employ them she scores most consistently with the
are paying you way more for advertising Bedlam Informer. In order to survive, let
space. alone prosper, she has to write whatever
He would love to be able to break a will sell. It doesn’t matter if it’s true. It
big national story that would get the doesn’t matter if it hurts people. It doesn’t

173
matter if it expresses a point of view that cartoons from the home office in Chicago.
Rona herself disagrees with (although to be In fact that’s where they do layout and print
fair, she doesn’t really have much point of it, too. If you have a story or photos to
view.) The only factor is “will someone buy submit, you send it to their PO box and a
this?” And this philosophy has guided her remailing agent sends it straight to Chicago.
into becoming the closest thing Bedlam has The City Paper employs no full-time
to a star reporter. reporters. All the lead stories are written by
She has absolutely no objection to stringers. In most cities these would be
using her good looks to promote her work, largely enthusiastic young amateurs, but in
or to help her get a good interview. While Bedlam a lot of professional journalists use
her willingness to do things other reporters the City Paper as an outlet for stories that
won’t do has led her pretty far, she knows the Informer would never publish. As a
that time is running out for her. She’s result, it is feistier and more controversial
already in her mid forties and her looks than most members of the “City Paper”
won’t last forever. She needs a big national franchise. It’s a genuine muckraking
story and she needs it now. To this end, journal, exposing crime and corruption in
she is going to try to get way too close to as every corner of this unhappy little burg.
many supervillain battles as she can, taking Because the paper is produced in
crazy risks in order to get the stories that no Chicago, it’s impossible for the local mob
one else is able to. families to lean on the publisher—the
If she encounters the PCs she will Chicago outfit is unfriendly to both of
see them as a potential means to an end, Bedlam’s Mafia families and won’t let them
and won’t mind trading them information for operate on its turf. They can harass
access. But she won’t date them—Rona has individual reporters, but a lot of them write
been linked romantically to a number of under pseudonyms or anonymous bylines.
prominent Bedlam bachelors, but she Anyway no one actually reads the City Paper
prefers to keep the name of her actual long- apart from a few bitter students with too
time boyfriend a secret. many facial piercings. Even they tend to
She’ll keep any deal she makes with skip over the feature articles and go straight
the PCs for exactly as long as it seems to “Zippy the Pinhead.”
worthwhile. It’s nearly as difficult to make It’s kind of a shame that all of this
an enemy out of Rona as it is to make her a brave reportage goes unheard by the public
reliable ally. She will do or say whatever is at large. PCs may or may not know that the
expedient and has no time for grudges or local left-wing record-shop rag is in fact a
for sentimental attachments. great source of inside information.
Rona starves and vomits to keep
herself dangerously skinny, and it’s made
her skin get loose and sag. She has already
had some plastic surgery to correct this, but Most of Bedlam’s television comes from the
the results look weird and unnatural when bigger city nearby. They have no big
you see her in person. Some people say her network affiliates at all. But they do
cold little eyes look as though they were nonetheless have three locally produced
painted onto her head. But that’s not the channels and an unusually active and
plastic surgery. interesting Public Access cable station.
There is a scrappy little UHF channel, a VHF
station that buys most of its programming
through syndication and a struggling PBS
Part of a Chicago-based chain of channel that is forever begging for money.
“alternative” weekly newspapers, the Their call signs depend on whether you
Bedlam City Paper is the Informer’s only decide to locate Bedlam on the East Coast,
competitor. Distributed largely through or somewhere West of the Mississippi.
record stores and coffee shops, the City We’ve included two sets of call letters for
Paper is free, supported entirely by each station.
advertising. It gets its columns and its

174
Channel 13 (WERD or KRUT) and rents space from Channel 13 when it’s
Bedlam’s own VHF station, part of the new available. They broadcast off-brand music
“Your Power Network” which a failing movie videos for much of the day, along with
studio called “Power Pictures” is funding in a whatever cheesy kung-fu movies they can
last-gasp effort to diversify itself. “Your find for cheap. They have a small but
Power Network” has about fifteen affiliates devoted following of kids who love bad
nationwide, and produces or buys some of Shaw Brothers films from the 1970s.
the worst sitcoms ever made. They will However, their one real claim to fame is the
probably go under in a couple of years, in Saturday Afternoon Blood Feast. Hosted by
which case Channel 13 will go back to the curvaceous Count Skankula (a former
buying all its syndicated programming itself. stripper named Glenda Dumbrowski) it
In the meantime, they have access to the features some of the most disgusting low-
network’s four or five hours of daily budget horror movies you can see on
programming and fill the rest of the air-time broadcast television—barely edited down at
with infomercials and “classic” episodes of all. But the real attraction is the lurid and
1970s game shows. They actually have a cheesy Count Skankula herself, who has
studio space just off downtown and produce gotten carried away and let the audience
their own local news program. Their news glimpse her surgically augmented assets
team is pathetically small and incompetent, more than once. As Count Skankula herself
with a reputation for putting cheerful, often says (in her bad fake “Transylvanian”
positive spin on any hideous new disaster. accent): “Thank goodness no one is actually
In a risky effort to win over more watching this crap.”
viewers, they have recently hired a famous
anchorman named Obediah Brick, whose Channel 64 (WKLM or KLAM)
violent temper and bottomless appetite for Bedlam just barely still has a public
drugs have made him untouchable by any of television station. Supported largely by one
the major networks. A huge, athletic, angry or two major donors and produced by
man with a bristling moustache, he holds students for college credit, Channel 64
Bedlam in open contempt and seldom exists in a constant state of fiscal crisis.
ventures out of his brand-new mansion in They show big blocks of local advertising
Stone Ridge to do anything but go to work between programs and they run paid
or (it is rumored) score dope. He doesn’t infomercials for much of the day. And their
even party locally—he goes to the bigger pledge drive never seems to end.
city nearby to get his kicks. Channel 64 does in fact have a
Channel 13 News is also the home studio with a few small and shabby sets (the
of legendary local sportscaster Barry Bulger. landlord of their building is one of the two
One of Bedlam’s most beloved celebrities, anonymous local donors who keeps the
Barry is a fat, white-haired old ruin with a station alive) and they produce some of the
grotesquely misshapen nose. He’s worst children’s’ educational programs in the
completely and blatantly senile, but they country. Mostly they do music shows, since
keep him on the air despite his weird that costs less money than science or
behavior and rambling, pointless reading—but of course they can’t afford the
commentary. He’s a local hero, after all, rights to any decent songs. They have just
and no one can bear to tell him that it’s time enough resources to do one set of episodes
to quit. per week, so they repeat each block of
educational programming five times. This
Channel 23 (WHUT or KRAK) would surely drive you mad if you watched
Not as big or as well-funded as channel 13, it every day. Fortunately, no one ever
Channel 23 doesn’t have a studio of its own, watches it at all.

175
 stories that changed the world. He was one
of the first newscasters to tell America that
Saddam Hussein had the atomic bomb, that
New Orleans had been successfully
evacuated by FEMA and that American
Obediah Brick troops were being welcomed as liberators by
the grateful Iraqis. He isn’t so much
concerned with whether or not these stories
were true as with the effect they had. He
was Obediah Brick and the world felt his
stamp.
Confront him with questions about
how many of his world-shaking stories were
gravely in error and he’ll shrug and say that
he just reads what’s on the teleprompter.
Persist and he’ll physically attack you.
Seemingly fearless, he has survived
broadcasting assignments in a lot of the
world’s most dangerous places and he has a
very high opinion of his own manly prowess.
He has gotten into public brawls on a
number of occasions and seems to
particularly hate nosy members of the press
taking his picture in public. This strikes
some people as ironic. He’s big and strong,
constantly works out and practices boxing,
but he’s no match for an average PC. Still if
you beat him up, he could pretty much
ensure that you get bad press coverage for
a long time.
He claims to work hard and play
hard—and it’s certainly true that he plays
hard. After his cocaine addiction and violent
rages made him a pariah in the world of
network news, he was forced to look for
jobs in markets like Bedlam. They made
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d4,
him a far more generous offer than they
Strength d8, Vigor d8
could really afford. In fact he makes about
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidate
as much now as he did when he worked for
d6+2, Knowledge (current events) d4,
the networks. He actually has far more
Knowledge (broadcasting) d8, Notice d6,
power here than he did when he was a part
Persuasion d8, Taunt d10+2
of the national press. To keep him at the
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
station, they would let him broadcast any
Toughness: 6
story he wants. He never uses this
Edges: Attractive, Block, Charismatic,
privilege, however and seems content to go
Connections, Level-Headed, Rich, Strong-
on reading the teleprompter forever.
Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and Taunt)
Brick has no bias for or against
Hindrances: Habit (addicted to cocaine),
superheroes, unless his producer tells him
Overconfident
to. In fact he feels the same way about
most things. He is pretty well devoid of
Background: Obediah Brick was made for
opinions on any of the most important
finer things than Bedlam and his scorn
topics of the day, (apart of course from his
shows. He was a serious journalist with a
national reputation and he worked on

176
own greatness) but if he’s told to act as look at his nose, but find they can’t look
though he has an opinion, he will. away.
People who have worked for Barry doesn’t have very good
Obediah Brick report that he is a demanding control of himself anymore and sometimes
boss, prone to throwing tantrums over small tries to kiss visiting female celebrities too
details and to hitting assistants. But it’s long and too hard. He also wets his pants
worth it to have a celebrity of his stature in when he gets really excited, but that’s
Bedlam, everyone hastily agrees. actually become part of his persona. “It’s
Brick has become the friend of going! It’s going! I wet my pants!”
fellow “bad boy” celebrity Spanky Trombino
(see Page 171), who arrived in Bedlam
under similar circumstances. They both
party pretty hard, and when they’re
together, anyone who gets in their way had Radio is doing better than television in this
better watch out. market. There are no major network
affiliates on Bedlam’s airwaves (apart from
Barry Bulger NPR), but plenty of little independent
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d4, stations. Because there is a bigger city
Strength d6, Vigor d6 within FM radio range it’s hard for Bedlam’s
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Knowledge local FM stations to compete. But this has
(sports history) d10, Knowledge (Bedlam’s just led to a richer wealth of short-range AM
history) d8, Notice d4 (-2 to notice sounds) channels. There are also a couple of pirate
Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; stations that the local authorities don’t seem
Toughness: 5 to be able to shut down. More on them
Edges: Charismatic, Rich later.
Hindrances: Bad Eyes, Clueless, Elderly,
Habit (gets fresh with female guests), Habit
(wets pants)

Background: This deeply confused but WFVR or KFVR 98.7 (“The Fever”)
rather sweet old man has been Bedlam’s Middle-American bar rock, served tepid. If
most beloved sportscaster for decades and you want to hear Journey, Kansas, or
he’s not giving it up now that he’s Foreigner, this is the station for you. And
hopelessly senile. Nor is the city letting him may God have mercy on your soul.
give it up. They need their celebrities
desperately. WFFL or KHUD 101.3 (“Radio 101”)
Baseball was always Barry’s favorite Top-Forty pop station that also features
game, and when a minor league team came Bedlam’s most popular call-in advice
to Bedlam (the “Maniacs”, see Page 170) it program: Doctor Freak. The good Doctor is
brought him back to life. He had been an angry, judgmental “Professor of Christian
slipping into depression and it showed on Studies” who berates and belittles most of
the air, but now he’s as lively and as wild as her callers. Her signature line is: “you sick
ever. He can’t keep track of the plays and freak!”
he often blurts out bizarre nonsense or calls
things so completely wrong that he seems WULF or KBST 102.5 (“The Beast”)
to be watching a different game entirely, “Hard rock” station that sometimes plays
but his enthusiasm is still infectious. heavy metal. Home of Bedlam’s two most
Anyway most Bedlamites are glad just to popular local DJs: shock-jock Dave “The
have him around. Filthy Beast” Odnarski and “Vampire” Steve
He’s a puffy old man with round Kravitz with the Late-Late-Late Show.
cheeks, a wild mop of vividly white hair and
a bulbous, cracked, misshapen red WTRD or KRPP 103.8
monstrosity of a nose. People don’t want to Adult contemporary for all your easy
listening needs, soothing those worktime

177
cares away with the gentle sounds of Michael show just to hear what mixed-up non-sequitur
Bolton and Kenny G. he’ll blurt out next. Few people are aware that
it’s an act—he’s really Dave Odnarski.
WUMP or KLUD 104.6
Bedlam’s most popular hip-hop and R&B WEZL or KRDD 1210
Station. An ever-increasing amount of their Another Christian station. This one largely
time is given over to crunk, much to the runs talk shows and sermons. They sometimes
distaste of some older residents of Wolverton. broadcast Ross Bewley’s show here.

WFLP or KFLP 107.3 WHCK or KRNK 1300

Christian rock station. Plays blander music (“Your Lucky 13”)
than AM 790 and isn’t as successful. It’s a Another R&B and hip-hop station. This one
wholly owned subsidiary of the Abundant has almost entirely switched over to crunk.
Tabernacle Ministries (see Page 208) and their Late-Night DJ Leonora X seems to work coded
pastor, Ross Bewley, does a three-hour show messages to Wolverton’s gangbangers into her
every weekend and an hour each weekday. commentary, functioning as a kind of
The best-funded radio station in Bedlam, it has underground communications network for the
a gigantic transmitter and comes in clear as a gangs. No one seems to know who she really
bell a hundred miles away. is and the station’s management isn’t telling.
Some people whisper that local
gangster Lincoln Stone secretly owns Your
Lucky 13. “The Stone” has been in prison for
years, but they say he still controls half the
vice in Wolverton. For more on the Stone, see
WKLM or KLAM 880
the section on organized crime in Bedlam
Bedlam’s NPR affiliate is on AM, much to their
(Page 232)
chagrin. The sister station to TV’s Channel 64,
they are just as strapped for cash and just as
WANK or KNUT 1320
slim on local programming. AM 880 is
All talk-radio all the time. Features Rod Anger,
produced by students at Bedlam Community
Bedlam’s most popular right-wing radio talk-
College and it shows. Officially the one local
show host. Mr. Anger raves for three solid
classical station, it mostly plays NPR talk and
hours a day about how anti-war activists
news shows.
should be executed as traitors and black
people shouldn’t be allowed to sit on juries
WADD or KRMY 790
and even more hateful things. His crude
Christian rock station. This one plays louder,
impersonations of Jews and Asians have
harsher music than FM 107.3 and gets more
gotten him in trouble many times, but he
listeners. People joke that AM 790 plays music
maintains a rabid local following nonetheless.
for skate punks with the crucifixion tattooed
on their chests. That’s certainly who they are
WLHS or KLHS 1390
aiming for.
Spanish language station. Popular in Hardwick
Park, it plays a lot of Honduran folk music in
WXLX or KVGR 1066
addition to Latin pop hits and older stuff like
Easy listening for older listeners. The last
sambas and mambos. Dave Odnarski works
station in the Bedlam area to play Mitch Miller
here too, under the name “Manny Ibarra.”
and his Orchestra.
WDRK or KNRD 1460
WZRD or KLIP 1110
Bedlam Community College’s other radio
“Classic Rock” station. Officially it plays “all
station. This one is intended for students on
the hits of the fifties, sixties, seventies,
campus, and it has a very weak, fuzzy signal.
eighties and nineties” but in fact it mostly runs
Even though most students at BCCC are into
acid-addled late 60s psychedelia, including
the kind of generic rock they play on “the
stuff from all kinds of obscure Bay Area bands
Fever,” AM 1460 is the closest thing Bedlam
like Moby Grape and The Liquid Sofa-Bed.
has to an “alternative rock” station, playing
Late-night DJ Captain Plantastic is so fuddled
songs by depressed European bands with
and out of it that many people tune in to his
enormous hair.

178
 surface, the loneliness is starting to eat at him.
Sometimes he looks at his wrinkled, pudgy
face in the mirror and he starts crying,
although he’s not sure why.
He sometimes likes superheroes and
sometimes he doesn’t. When he does, he can
be a useful ally and sway public attention in
Dave “the Filthy Beast” Odnarski their favor. When he doesn’t, he’ll mock and
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d4, taunt them on the air until he gets distracted
Strength d6, Vigor d6 by something else and loses interest.
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate d8+2,
Knowledge (music) d10, Knowledge (radio) d8, Rod Anger
Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Taunt d10+2 Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d4,
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Strength d6, Vigor d4
Toughness: 5 Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate d8+2,
Edges: Charismatic, Connections, Strong- Knowledge (drama) d8, Knowledge (current
Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and Taunt) events) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Taunt
Hindrances: Habit (can’t resist being d10+2
obnoxious on the air) Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 4;
Toughness: 5
Background: He’s the Filthy Beast on Your Edges: Charismatic, Connections, Strong-
Morning Zoo and he’s half a dozen other radio Willed (+2 to resist Persuasion and Taunt)
personalities as well. In a small market like Hindrances: Obese, Quirk (living a lie as hard
Bedlam one radio show isn’t enough to keep as he can)
you alive without a day-job, so Dave Odnarski
takes whatever opportunities he can find. Background: Bedlam’s most prominent and
One day he’ll tape a few weeks worth influential gay man is not Righteous
of one show under one name and the next day Townsend, it’s Rod Anger, the city’s number-
he’ll tape a few weeks of another show under one right-wing talk-radio host. For three hours
another name. He’s psychedelic groove a day he spews out his hate-filled rants. He
master Captain Plantastic. He’s Latin Salsa says that welfare mothers should be sterilized,
Master Manny Ibarra. He’s even “Vampire that African-Americans shouldn’t be allowed to
Steve” Kravitz, despite the weird hours this sit on juries, that global warming is a plot
forces him to keep. dreamed up by certain people in Hollywood to
The life suits him. All he’s ever keep us tied to Israel, and even more noxious
wanted is to be a Rock-and-Roll DJ. Silly and things. It all has a frenzied stream-of-
shallow, he has a lot of opinions that he hasn’t consciousness quality about it, because the
thought through and that he blurts out on the thing that really concerns him most is the need
air. Sometimes this gets him into trouble but to fill a three-hour show with something.
more often it gets him listeners. Rod doesn’t really believe any of it
He’s not exactly venal or ambitious— (although he is afraid of black people) and
he isn’t making a lot of money and he seems sees himself as an entertainer. He has a
uninterested in rising beyond his status as a whole bunch of different jobs around Bedlam,
local radio personality in a crummy market. toiling away in community theater, doing
But he will ruthlessly attempt to crush anyone summer stock work when it’s available and
who starts to horn in on his tiny niche of the teaching courses in drama at Bedlam
world. Community College. Rod Anger isn’t the only
In person he’s loud, manic and kind of radio character he’s ever created, but he’s the
obnoxious. Shorter and fatter than everyone only one who ever brought him much
expects, he wears cowboy boots and a graying recognition and the show is the main thing
ponytail and he thinks of himself as a hipster. that lets him pay his bills.
You won’t know why they call him “the Filthy A great plump goober of a man, he’s
Beast” until you see him eat. His table six foot five and weighs nearly 350 pounds,
manners are a little…undeveloped. but he’s too soft and blubbery to look
Dave hasn’t had a girlfriend in a while, dangerous. He wears glasses and a bow tie
and while it doesn’t show much on the and has a beautiful high tenor voice. Meet

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him when he’s out of character and you will he hates Stone Ridge, the private school he
instantly know he’s a professor of drama. attends, his parents and the rest of the
He does a lot of damage in his radio world more or less equally. He calls his
persona, but he tries not to let it bother station “The Pro-Social Values Hour.”
him. It’s just a role he plays, and he’s just Stone Ridge has a very rigid set of
giving people what they want to hear. It’s policies about what kind of music is allowed
no more wrong to play a character like Rod inside its boundaries. Captain Violent has a
Anger on the radio than it is to play a villain huge contraband collection of unauthorized
like Iago or Captain Hook on stage. Or so songs and most of his listeners are Stone
he tells himself. Ridge teenagers who can’t hear this music
Presently single, his long-term any other way. In between songs, he
boyfriend died of HIV complications two complains about life, jocks, his parents and
years ago, sending him on a series of angry urges his listeners to “smash stuff and hurt
on-air rants about how the gay community things.”
is destroying the country and how everyone The Stone Ridge Homeowners’
with the virus should be rounded up and put Association is desperate to track down
in isolation camps and every other horrible, Captain Violent and punish him. They seem
vicious homophobic thing he could think of. positively obsessed with it and respond to
It was very cathartic, and really helped him questions about Captain Violent from the
work out his grief. It may or may not have press with irrational, histrionic fury. They
inspired a group of high school kids from may get some unexpected and extremely
Stark Hill to beat a gay man to death in the unwanted help. There is a supervillain
park, a week later. Perhaps the timing was named “Captain Violent” (see Page 332) and
a coincidence—he tries not to think about it. he isn’t pleased about some kid stealing his
Not nearly as many people know name.
him as Trent Fetherton, drama critic and White Apocalypse gets much less
occasional reviewer for Channel 13 News, attention from the authorities that Captain
but this is the closest character he plays on Violent, but you could argue that he’s far
the air to his real personality. Smug, silly, more dangerous. He broadcasts from
opinionated and full of himself, but not evil somewhere in the sprawling, crime-ridden
or crazed with hatred. He somehow warren of mobile home parks at Shady
manages to see himself as Trent, Meadows. He’s the voice of Bedlam’s
unsuccessful drama critic and man about skinhead community, and he seems to have
town, rather than as Rod Anger. It helps much better equipment than Captain
that Trent Fetherton is his real name. Violent—you can hear him all over Bedlam.
It’s unclear which of Shady Meadows’ biker
gangs or skinhead groups supports White
Apocalypse. He may in fact be independent
from any of them.
Unlicensed stations come and go. Normally Nine-Pound Balls is very different
they have a short range and are broadcast from either of them. Weird for its own sake,
out of some malcontent’s basement until the he broadcasts surreal, Dadaist rants from
cops or the FCC shut them down. The somewhere near the Bedlam Community
penalties for being a pirate broadcaster College campus, and may be a student. A
aren’t very severe, but they confiscate your typical Nine-Pound Balls program would
hardware, and most radio pirates can’t consist of a lengthy diatribe (“Rental Cars
afford to replace their gear. are the Devil’s Tuna!”) followed by an
Right now there are three illegal “interview” with a sock puppet, followed by
broadcasters in Bedlam: Captain Violent, the first few seconds of a George Michael
White Apocalypse and Nine-Pound Balls. song repeated over and over for an hour.
Captain Violent is a teenaged loner Nine-Pound Balls is getting quite a following,
who broadcasts from his parents’ home in even though his range is so short, and he
Stone Ridge. A classic angry young twerp, may soon be contemplating a podcast.

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 be inaccurate. The hall of gems and
minerals proudly holds the world’s second-
Bedlam has at least four galleries and largest cubic zirconium. The display on
museums, as well as a zoo. There may be Early Man still lists Zinjanthropus and only
more little art galleries at the GM’s recently got rid of Piltdown Man.
discretion. We’ll start with the biggest— They have a lot of interactive
the Bedlam Museum. It’s also the oldest. displays meant to show how machines
work, almost all of which seem to be
The Bedlam Museum broken. That’s certainly a good
This huge old Art Nouveau wedding cake introduction to the way things work in
of a building looks like it was constructed Bedlam!
for a turn-of-the-century World’s Fair. Its These days the Museum is run by
bricks were once a cheery red and it has a board of local philanthropists. Because
brightly colored mosaics on its walls. It the last curator objected to the kinds of
would look downright jaunty if it weren’t exhibits they were bringing into the
covered in so many years worth of grime. museum, they have appointed one of their
Most of the building was once own members to the position.
Bedlam’s post office, although additions Grace Gibbling isn’t a scientist or a
and extra wings have grown out of it at curator by profession, but she knows a lot
random over the years. Formerly the about marketing and has the right
Stark Museum of Power and Industry, its contacts with the corporate foundations.
grand halls were once filled with hulking The museum’s staff hate Chief Curator
19th century machines—steam pumps and Gibbling, both for not being an academic
industrial drills and dynamite layers and a and for her condescending, insincere
locomotive or two. There are still a lot of attitude. She sounds like a parody of an
these corroded old hulks taking up space obnoxious marketing executive when she
in the display halls, for they are much too speaks, even in private.
heavy to haul away. Because the museum’s own
When a city commission took the holdings are so meager, Gibbling accepts
museum over from the ailing Stark any traveling exhibitions she can get
Foundation, they expanded it into an art ahold of, no matter how dubious their
gallery and a museum of natural history educational content, and she has
as well. Science displays can be found in aggressively sought out corporate
the wings and additions, art galleries are sponsorships of every type imaginable.
upstairs. Toxicorp, the world’s largest
One whole wing of the museum manufacturer of pesticides and other
has had to be closed for structural poisons, has sponsored their “Hall of
instability. They use it to store broken Chemicals” which explains all the
furniture and boxes of old papers. wonderful things the good people at
The display areas are crowded, Toxicorp are doing to make a brighter
dusty and old. None of the museum’s future for everyone. Firestone has funded
collections are very good. Old mislabeled the Pavilion of Tires and the National
dinosaurs stand in poses long known to Toast Council has generously donated the
Hall of Toast. Kids say that if you look

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carefully, you can find the one remaining wrong place for somebody with her
bakelite handset in the Hall of Toast that problem. It’s full of science nerds—the
still works, and if you listen carefully after very people who rouse her predatory
you press the big red button, you can still instincts the most. For a while her
hear the faint, scratchy tape-recorded bullying actually worked, for it motivated
voice say “Toast is… our friend.” people to avoid her wrath by working
The museum is open Mondays harder. But as the months have gone by
through Fridays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 it’s become increasingly clear to many of
PM. Admission is $15.95 for adults, $7.95 her staff that here is no way to satisfy
for kids. her, no “right answer” which would stop
her from picking on you.
NPCS for the Bedlam Museum In her off-hours Grace attends
Dozens of people work in the museum. illegal bare-knuckled fighting events,
Here are a few of the most prominent. dates successful young professionals like
herself and cruelly trains her neurotic little
Chief Curator Grace Gibbling Chihuahua. She’s also fond of the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit nightclubs on Industrial Drive, even
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 though at age 29 she’s older than most of
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d10, Intimidate the patrons.
d8+2, Knowledge (business) d8, You can tell whenever the Chief
Knowledge (foundation grant-making Curator’s mother calls her at work. Grace
process) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, normally sounds cheerful, even when
Taunt d8+2 she’s tormenting her staff. But when her
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; mother gets her on the phone her voice
Toughness: 5 instantly turns into a furious hissing snarl.
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic,
Connections, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Dr. Seymour Stoppleman, PhD
Persuasion and Taunt) Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (world’s worst d4, Strength d4, Vigor d4
boss) Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Knowledge
(archeology) d10+2, Knowledge (ancient
Background: There are some people civilizations) d12+2, Notice d6
who despite having good administrative Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
skills really shouldn’t be placed in Toughness: 5
management positions. Grace Gibbling is Edges: Scholar
a talented publicist and she’s great at Hindrances: Cautious, Elderly, Quirk
making the kinds or corporate and (shy, easily bullied)
foundation contacts that a museum needs
to survive. However, she finds it so Background: The Curator of Archaeology
exciting to be able to hurt people that she at the Bedlam Museum, he is the most
can’t resist abusing her authority. Some senior member of the research staff and
part of her knows it’s counter-productive, answers directly to the Chief Curator. A
but she would actually rather mess with plump, meek, grandfatherly old man with
her underlings than get good work out of a shy smile, he is easily cowed by bullies
them. and the curator has sensed this. She’s
And a museum is precisely the been tormenting him about being a geek

182
and a nerd, cutting him down and sniping Lost Pharaoh, whose name was stricken
at him whenever a chance presents itself. from every record of the third dynasty for
No one has done this to him since college his unthinkable crimes. No man could kill
and he doesn’t know how to react. He’s him, so they mummified him alive.
become her toady, desperate to please For decades he has haunted the
her, going along with her mockery in the dreams of every curator who has run the
hopes that it’s all a game. This never museum, making helpful comments and
worked in college and it won’t work now. suggestions. He has been a guest in
It just makes her more prone to pick on many different museums over the past
him. hundred and fifty years and he knows a
Stoppleman is a very competent great deal about how they are run. Ptah
archeologist and knows a great deal about Narthu-Tep is a crotchety old creature
ancient Egypt. He can even read hiero- who phrases most of his suggestions as
glyphics. He should be the perfect person threats, but with a little effort most of the
for the PCs to go to for help if they find curators have been able to get along with
out about the impending crisis with the him and put his ideas to work.
mummy of Ptah Narthu-Tep, but he’s so Unfortunately, Grace Gibbling, the
completely under Grace’s thumb that he new curator, has been ignoring his advice.
could never risk defying her. Just thinking When he grew frustrated and started
about her makes him wince. He never making ominous remarks about a curse of
realized that he could both feel physically a thousand scorpions, she had him moved
attracted to someone and fear and loathe to the unused wing, facing a blank wall.
them at the same time. She has grown amused by his feeble
On any topic but Ptah Narthu-Tep, efforts to send her nightmares and has
he is incredibly helpful, especially if one of begun taunting him, threatening to do
the PCs is an attractive young woman. terrible things to his helpless, inert body.
He’s the best archeologist in Bedlam and In a fury, he sends dreams to a
he knows all kinds of incredible things mystically inclined PC and begs them for
about ancient civilizations, including some help against this awful woman. If they
cultures that most people don’t know ever don’t do something soon, he’s going to
existed (Atlantis and Lemuria, for start invading the dreams of everyone in
example, if they exist in your campaign.) the city, clouding their slumber with
Dr. Stoppleman lives alone in a horrors.
rundown apartment building on Rydell Grace doesn’t want a truce. She
Street in Greely Point. His apartment is enjoys pushing the old monster around
cluttered with books and he has too many and scaring him. Anyway she can’t quite
cats. He keeps intending to go down to remember where in the dead wing she
the adult book store and help himself to had him relocated, so it’s going to be hard
some naughty videos but he always for her to have him moved back to his
chickens out. display case. But if she gets him mad
enough, everyone will discover that he
An Adventure in the Bedlam Museum really is capable of moving under his own
For more than fifty years, the mummy of power when he gets sufficiently angry. In
Ptah Narthu-Tep has sat, miscataloged in fact, he’s still spry enough to go on a
a dusty side hall of the Bedlam Museum, deadly rampage. The Curse of a
dreaming darkly. He was the legendary Thousand Scorpions is real, too.

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Ptah Narthu-Tep, the Evil Mummy These days his ambitions are
smaller. He wants a useful job, he wants
people to listen to him and show him a little
respect. For the past few decades he was
as near contentment as he had ever been in
his long and wretched existence.
He has had a lot of time to develop
the nightmares he uses to communicate
with the living and they are elaborate and
baroque. Hot desert sands, black pyramids
beneath a bloody moon, leering animal-
headed gods and waves of scorpions all
feature prominently.
If he throws a tantrum and starts
lurching around, he’ll attack anything and
anyone on his way to his intended target—
curator Gibbling and the board who
appointed her.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, If he starts flooding Bedlam with
Strength d12, Vigor d10 nightmares instead, then in every terrifying
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Knowledge dream he sends, he’ll demand that the
(Arcane Lore) d8, Knowledge (Museum curator speak with him—it’s like a grassroots
Administration) d10, Notice d6, Spellcasting e-mail campaign, with a twist.
d12 Cross, crotchety and difficult to get
Charisma: -4; Pace: 5; Parry: 6; along with, prone to calling everyone fools
Toughness: 9 and threatening them with curses, he will
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Distinctive listen to reason if you show him respect.
Appearance, Elderly, Mean, Quirk (wants to
be listened to), Stubborn, Ugly, Vengeful The Lurman Gallery
Edges: Arcane Background (Evil Mummy), By appointment only, one can view the
Power Points private art collection of the late Doctor
Super Powers: Phminster Lurman—the wealthy Bedlamite
• Ageless (2): Very Old who Lurman Avenue is named after. In his
• Awareness (2): Requires Activation later years Doctor Lurman took little interest
• Fear (3) in running his medical supply business and
• Speak Language devoted himself almost exclusively to
• Super-Sorcery: Level 3 collecting pornography.
• Telepathy: Broadcast (can reach every He accumulated a truly remarkable
mind in Bedlam) set of oil paintings, statues, woodcuts and
• True Regeneration: Rolls to recover from watercolors. It’s one of the most
wounds every round outstanding collections of its kind. But his
• Undead tastes grew darker as his hobby deepened.
The outer layers of the Lurman Gallery are
Background: Very old and very evil, he’s startling to some viewers, but the inner
used to having minions carry out his every rooms are more than most visitors can bear.
command. But they don’t anymore. In fact Here you find works by madmen and artists
they haven’t for a long, long time. This has of the outré, many with no overtly
made him feel lonely and useless. He used pornographic themes. It seems that Doctor
to have ambitions of ruling the world and Lurman had found a more refined definition
calling down unclean gods from beyond time of obscenity by then.
and space to ravage the cosmos in the The paintings of the infamous
name of darkness. But none of it ever Richard Upton Pickman can be found here,
happened. as can the prison artwork of “Cannibal Killer”

184
Harlan Wayne Fuchs. Worse, the gallery Mr. Stark nearly bit the waxed tips
holds many strange and horrifying statues off his moustache with rage. He chased
by the enigmatic sculptor known only as Phipps around the house, intent on giving
“Lucifer Chicken 1.” Many of his him a horsewhipping. While Miss Quigley
nightmarish abstract forms seem to move as laughed hysterically, Stark pursued the artist
you walk around them. No one has ever into the Serpent Room, lashing at him with
been able to explain precisely how Lucifer a buggy whip. But the perspective in the
Chicken 1 achieved this effect, or why his room had grown distorted and wrong and
formless statues are so disturbing. There he flailed about blindly, unable to judge the
are many other works by less famous yet distance between himself and his quarry.
equally distressing artists. But the gallery’s Miss Quigley said that she heard him
crowning glory is the Serpent Room. bellowing with fury for some time, his voice
The story of the Serpent Room growing fainter and fainter, lost in the
continues to appall and fascinate the public, depths of the Serpent Room. This
all these years after the events themselves. continued, off and on, for a day or so, until
Most visitors are amazed to learn that it is his voice faded entirely away. No trace of
real. C. Morgan Stark or Forrest Howling Phipps
Just before the First World War, the was ever seen again. They were the first to
story goes, G. Morgan Stark, the toy vanish in that room’s odd nooks and
magnate, commissioned an artist named crannies, but not the last.
Forrest Howling Phipps to paint an image of After his disappearance, Stark’s
a serpent on one wall of his private study. business empire fell prey to his arch-rival,
Mr. Stark considered the serpent his Langhorne Greely, who took over his toy
personal motif, and was eager to show off factory and made it his own (in fact it’s still
the room, recently refurbished with leather the Greely Olde Tymme Toy Factory today.)
walls and elegant fittings, to his new He took Miss Quigley, too.
mistress, Leonora Quigley. The Serpent Room is hard to find
Phipps had a reputation as one of your way around. Some weird trick of
the most troublesome and difficult of the perspective makes its walls seem to bend at
“New Artists.” A fiend for the occult and for unnatural angles and it’s easy to lose track
Picasso and for drugs, he was precisely the of where the door is. There are strange
sort of dangerous young scoundrel whose little nooks around the room that people
work would make an impression on a jaded sometimes discover by mistake and have
modern girl like Miss Quigley. Phipps took difficulty getting out of. Sometimes they
the commission, and Stark took Miss Quigley open on deeper, stranger alcoves, some of
on a tour of Europe while the artist went to them surprisingly large. On four or five
work. occasions someone has wandered in too far
When Mr. Stark returned, he found and never come out again.
that Phipps had apparently gone mad. The Dr. Lurman bought the Serpent
house was full of freeloading Bohemian Room when the Stark mansion came up for
scum, three of the servants were pregnant sale and he had the whole thing transported
and the artist himself had descended into a in its entirety to his own house. He seems
shambling morphine stupor and the room— to have spent hours in there, enjoying other
it was indescribable. Instead of painting a works from his collections, with no obvious
single coiled serpent over the fireplace, he ill effects.
had slathered paint all across the leather After his death, Dr. Lurman’s
walls and ceiling, serpents coiling, writhing, foundation opened one wing of his house on
lashing over every surface in a lunatic frenzy Griswold Street (in Greely Point) as a public
of scales. You could not tell where one left gallery. They don’t advertise and you have
off and the next began. And it gave the to make an appointment with the docent to
bizarre impression that it moved when you be admitted, but discerning aficionados find
weren’t looking at it. there way there all the same. There is no
charge for admission and they are very

185
accommodating about setting up visits at For some reason venomous snakes
unusual hours. keep disappearing from the Zoo’s reptile
house. Zoo officials are quick to scoff at the
The Bedlam Zoo suggestion that a gang of crooked
Bedlam isn’t large enough or rich enough to herpetologists is selling them off to drug
have a very big zoo, or a very good one. dealers as pets.
Yet it is becoming famous nonetheless. For
Bedlam’s zoo has the distinction of having NPCs for the Zoo
the highest rate of unexplained animal More people work at the zoo than we can
deaths in the country. But perhaps this is provide you with individual stats and
unfair. When you look at the zoo’s backgrounds for. Here are a few who are
miserable little concrete cages and bare iron likely to get involved in adventures, along
bars, it hardly seems inexplicable that so with a stat block for a generic zookeeper.
many of their animals die.
The Zoo’s Director, Professor Perkin Generic Zookeeper
Fowler, is not a very eloquent man, but he Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
speaks passionately about conditions at his Strength d6, Vigor d6
zoo, saying “any animal lucky enough to live Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Knowledge
in our zoo with the three meals a day that (zoology) d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
they get is, you know, he’s a lucky Throwing d4
#@%&in’ animal is what he is, gettin’ to Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5;
sleep inside and like that.” Toughness: 5
Located between Ash Street and the Hindrances: Quirk (Loves animals. Or
Country Club, it is a popular daytime haunt alternatively, hates animals—this is the
for winos, junkies and elementary school Bedlam Zoo, after all)
tours. The Zoo’s hours are rather limited, Edges: Dodge
partly for budgetary reasons but also to help Gear: Net, Dartgun (1d12 damage, doesn’t
keep homeless people from sleeping there. do lethal damage unless you make a called
It’s open from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, shot)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s
open from noon to four on Saturday. Dr. Skarman Slether
The zoo’s major attraction is a huge Wild Card
state-of-the-art penguin house, built with a Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
grant from Amalgamated Munitions. Strength d4, Vigor d10
Unfortunately, the grant money ran out Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge
before they were able to acquire very many (Zoology) d8+2, Knowledge (Herpetology)
penguins and their colony seems to be dying d12+2,Notice d8, Shooting d4, Throwing d4
off. Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 6;
Locals will tell you to skip the Toughness: 8
penguins. The real reason people go to the Hindrances: All Thumbs, Quirk (obsessed
zoo is to see Gorgah—a gigantic old nine- with snakes)
hundred pound gorilla who has turned a Edges: Beast Bond, Block, Danger Sense,
little psychotic with rage and boredom over Dodge, Scholar, Tough as Nails
the years. They call him the Lady-Killer, Gear: Snake stick, venom collection vials.
because he’s beaten his last three mates to Powers: Immunity to poison
death (which is considerably more abnormal
for a gorilla than, for example, a human Background: Head of the Bedlam Zoo’s
being.) herpetology department, old Doc Slether
Whole generations of Bedlamites has been bitten by more venomous snakes
have made a sport out of taunting Gorgah than any other human being alive. He’s lost
into a frenzy of rage. He hasn’t ripped his track of the number of times he’s been
way out of his cage and torn any of them envenomated, but it’s more than two
limb-from-limb, yet. hundred. He’s developed such an incredible

186
resistance to snake venom that he was Adventure Seeds for Gorgah the Lady-
actually able to survive the bite of the Western Killer
Taipan snake back in 1987—the only time
anyone has ever lived through it. His fingers 1) A crazed inventor runs amok with his new
are stiff, knobby lumps of scar tissue that shrink-ray at the zoo, certain that this
barely look human any more, but he’s demonstration will prove to the world that he
surprisingly deft and nimble with them. The isn’t crazy and that his theories were right all
venom has affected his metabolism in other along. But the ray malfunctions and hits
ways, too. He feels not the faintest trace of Gorgah, making him fifty feet tall. Fun and
arthritis, despite his age. He looks like a hijinks ensue. Perhaps the ray’s effects are
disheveled, poorly preserved sixty-year-old, reversible and perhaps they are not. If not,
but in fact he’s eighty-seven. He joined the the PCs have a brand-new recurrent
zoo staff during World War Two. supervillain to fight.
The constant exposure to snake
venom may have affected his brain, too. His 2) A gang from Hardwick Park gets into an
behavior is odd and unemotional. He speaks argument with the staff at the reptile house—
in a whispering monotone. it’s something to do with buying venomous
While he is certainly creepy, there’s snakes. When they fail to get satisfaction, the
no better expert on venomous snakes, should gang goes on a tear across the zoo, roughing
the PCs want to talk to one. He particularly up keepers and frightening patrons. As they
understands the effects of their venom, since pass in front of Gorgah’s cage, the gorilla’s
he’s experienced nearly every type of it. keeper attempts to remonstrate with them and
Never married, he is completely devoted to his they decide to make an example out of him.
snakes, and to his vast collection of They force the old man to his knees and begin
pornography. He hasn’t been selling off either to administer a beating. The PCs witness this
one to any drug dealers, although we’re not incident and no doubt try to intervene.
sure we can say the same for all his staff. Then, to everyone’s shock, Gorgah rips his
way out of his cage and attacks the gang
Gorgah members. They gun him down and run away,
Wild Card (or perhaps the Player Characters apprehend
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8 (animal), them.) Dying, the giant ape reaches out to his
Spirit d10, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12 wounded keeper, and gently clasps his hand.
Skills: Guts d10, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Then he tries to wrench his arm off. For
Notice d4, Throwing d4 Gorgah long ago decided that no one would
Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 11 kill his hated keeper but Gorgah himself.
Edges: Berzerk, Brawny, Improved Frenzy
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (hates everything, 3) A group of sixth-grade girls from Stark Hill
can’t control his rage), Vengeful decide they don’t like their classmate, Theresa
Special Abilities Bucco. She’s too pretty and too much of a
• Size +2 goody-two-shoes and she won’t go with them
to shoplift or help them beat up nerds and she
Background: Gorgah slumps in his cage and never gets anything less than an “A.” So on a
dreams of violence. His fur is grizzled with field trip to the zoo, they tip her into Gorgah’s
white, his face is scarred, his features lined enclosure and start trying to taunt the Lady-
from a lifetime of hopeless rage and grief. Killer into one of his rages. This creates a
Huge and hideously strong even for a gorilla, delicate situation. Theresa’s leg is broken and
he has grown old and insane and very tired of she can’t flee. Gorgah doesn’t actually want to
life. He has one secret desire. One single hurt her—he thinks she’s little and cute. But
faint, mad hope that keeps him from beating he can feel the anger coming over him as the
his head into the wall of his cage until he dies. other girls taunt him and he knows he can
But it’s too awful to relate here. If the GM only contain his rage for so long. If a Player
were to peek into the section at the end of this Character goes into his enclosure, he will
book entitled “horrible secrets” (on Page 367) attack them, but it’s because he wants them to
they might learn something unexpected about render him unconscious. If they kill him, they
the miserable old monster. will become very unpopular in Bedlam. He’s
everyone’s favorite animal at the zoo.

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Professor Perkin Fowler Another Adventure at the Zoo
Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate
d8+2, Knowledge (Zoology) d4, Knowledge
(Public Relations) d4, Notice d6, Shooting
d8, Taunt d8+2, Throwing d4
Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (Sadistic bully
who enjoys hurting animals and humiliating
people), Stubborn, Vengeful
Edges: Connections, Dodge, Nerves of
Steel, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist the effects
of Intimidate or Taunt)
Gear: Big Pistol (2d6+1)

Background: Vulgar, cruel and inarticulate,

Dr. Fowler may not know much about
zoology or public relations, but he is great at
raising funds from local businesses (a failing
zoo is a wonderful tax shelter and an
excellent way to keep certain kinds of
income off the books) and he has superb
connections with some scary people in
Africa who do semi-legal animal collecting. Annoyed at his refusal to sell them any of
His staff fears and hates him for his his snakes, the Mara break in on Doctor
violent temper and threatening attitude. Slether late one evening and make their
The animals hate him for the very same displeasure known. They break some of the
reason. He isn’t above taunting them for most evil-looking snakes they can find out of
laughs. He finds the sight of monkeys their cases and force them to bite him, one
trying frantically to brush hot cigar ashes after the other.
out of their fur to be particularly hilarious, To their amazement, he’s incredibly
so he’s always flicking his cigars at them. resistant to the venom, so they break out
Dr. Fowler is presently banned from even more snakes and pump even more
zoo property by a court order (he was venom into him. In the end it takes the bite
making death threats against some of his of more than thirty of the world’s deadliest
employees) but the case is under appeal reptiles to make his heart stop beating.
and he continues to raise funds for the zoo But then a funny thing happens.
in the meantime. After the Mara leave, and the police and
ambulance arrive, Doc Slether’s heart begins

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to slowly beat once more. He has guinea pigs and even a tame deer for kids
survived. to pet.
But while he is resting in the Various local businesses give what
hospital, he starts to change. Soon his funds they can to keep the zoo in
wrinkled skin grows scaly and his teeth operation, and when they can’t cover it,
turn into fangs. He has been transfigured the gang leader named Eentsy Z quietly
in some weird way by all the venom in his covers the shortfall. His only happy
system into something more than memories of childhood were all at the
human—and less. He vanishes from the Wolverton Petting Zoo.
hospital, and the last images of him on Luella Johnson is the volunteer
the security monitors look very strange who puts in the most hours at the zoo. A
indeed. fat, seemingly ageless woman with a high
He now has the power to exert squeaky voice and a gentle smile, she is
mental control over snakes and soon nearly as beloved as the zoo itself, and
captains of the Mara are dying horrible inextricably associated with it.
deaths, bitten by their own pets. But he
is not interested in revenge. That thought An Adventure at the Wolverton
is far from his cold reptilian mind. Petting Zoo
Instead, he wants to liberate these snakes It could cause troubles for the zoo if it
from their owners, who have been came out that they were taking money
mistreating them. from the gangs. But right now they have
The PCs may well get into a bigger problems. The Mara have begun
running battle with him as he moves sneaking over in the middle of the night
around Hardwick Park collecting snakes. and killing the animals. This may seem
The Mara’s mortal enemies in Wolverton like sick, crazy behavior, but in fact it’s a
may get wind of what is going on and totally calculated move. They are doing
may actually send gang members over this to disrupt morale and to make Eentsy
into Hardwick Park to try and stop the PCs Z look weak.
from interfering with Doc Slether’s Luella Johnson has a heart attack
rampage. If the PCs fail to stop him, or if when she walks in one morning and finds
they make peace with him, Dr. Slether will the guinea pigs dead, their heads
make his way back to the zoo, arranged in a circle on the floor with
accompanied by his scaly little friends, insulting messages scrawled in Spanish all
and try to resume his old job there. He around them. No one knows if Miss Luella
can’t speak anymore, but he’s a more will live or die herself.
competent herpetologist than ever, and The next night the Mara torture
even Director Fowler is afraid to fire him. the myna bird to death, tape-record its
The Jigsaw Man swears revenge. dying agonies, and post them on You-
Tube.
The Wolverton Petting Zoo The zoo has always tried hard to
Ask even the most hardened Wolverton avoid getting entangled with any of the
street thug about the Petting Zoo on neighborhood’s criminal enterprises, and
Darkwater Street and they will probably when Eentsy Z offers to protect them, he
crack a wistful smile. This small, is angrily rebuffed. He has killed people
privately-run institution has been the for showing him far less disrespect. Yet
favorite refuge of three generations of to everyone’s surprise he doesn’t harm
Bedlam’s children. The tiny zoo is funded any of the zoo’s staff. Instead he posts
entirely by donations, on a small scrap of guards at the zoo, and Miss Louella’s
land in the middle of the city. It has room in Bedlam General Hospital (he has
rabbits, a couple of goats, a myna bird, correctly surmised that the Mara will also
consider her a target.) His arch-rival,

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Chunk-Style of the gang called the A’s,
does the very same thing and this causes
some friction when multiple groups of
armed and dangerous youths show up in
the middle of the night to protect the
same targets.
The conflict over the Petting Zoo
could lead to serious warfare between the
Mara and Eentsy Z’s coalition. It’s a war
that Eentsy Z would probably lose, but for
once he feels too emotional to care. He
may however have the presence of mind
to ask the PCs for help. Even if he
doesn’t, they may find out about the
situation on the news—and what group of
Player Characters wouldn’t try to
intervene?

The Naval Museum

When the Rook Island Naval Station got You can have a pretty good time in
converted into the new shipping terminal, Bedlam after dark, if you’re not too
the developers promised Bedlam that they choosy. Here’s a guide to the city’s
would preserve the beautiful old 19th nightlife.
century buildings and keep the site’s
“historic character” intact. This was Maxx
almost a total lie. But not completely. Down on the edge of the Meadows is
They left one building standing and they Bedlam’s last heavy metal nightclub.
put a small museum in it. Located in a huge blank rectangle of a
Located at the north end of Rook building, Maxx still books acts like Poison,
Island, the shabby little Naval Museum Anthrax and WASP.
has some plaques and models showing Former angry young men with
Rook Island as it used to be. There is grey in their mullets come from more than
also a display on the history of Bedlam, a hundred miles around to find the one
which no one has bothered to edit the place where everybody still rocks out the
embarrassing parts out of. All the really way you’re supposed to. It’s also one of
sordid stuff from the 18th and 19th century the few spots you can go to hear guys
section of the “Timeline” on Page 24 can complain that Grunge and that Seattle
be found here. $#!+ are messing everything up—all
Kept open only as part of a these years after Grunge has petered out
contractual obligation (and so that the city to nothing.
can put phantom employees on its books More than one supervillain who
and spirit their wages away to unknown never outgrew the ‘80s has shown up at
parties), sometimes days go by without Maxx. The crowd usually welcomes them
the museum getting a single visitor. It’s like celebrities and so far there haven’t
officially open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM been any ugly incidents.
on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The bored interns from the Bedlam An Adventure at Maxx
Historical Society are always shocked to Skid Row is playing at Maxx and every
see a visitor. Sebastian Bach fan from here to Scranton is

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lining up around the block. The supervillain aren’t fans of his, and they’ll actually invite
known as #@%&face has been sighted him up on stage with them.
twice in the Meadows prior to the event, Totally shocked by all the attention,
and PCs who do a little research on him #@%&face will decide that Skid Row is
(with a Streetwise or Investigation roll) can awesome after all, and he’ll behave himself
learn that while he is certainly a metalhead, for the rest of the concert, dancing with the
he hates Skid Row and thinks they stole crowd and basking in the attention. If the
Poison’s sound. PCs try to apprehend him, they’ll have a riot
If the PCs go poking around the on their hands. If only there were some
Meadows at the sites where he was spotted way to lure him outside…
(he bought some cigarettes at a gas station
and picked up a burger at Wunder-Chuk) The Circle Perk
they’ll find a piece of crudely painted graffiti In the late nineties, someone had the
on a wall behind Wunder-Chuk’s. It reads brilliant idea of marketing a chain of
“JSB Will Die Die Die!” “independent urban hipster” coffee shops.
Maxx’s owners are out of town, and One brand-identity challenge immediately
the club’s manager will not want to shut the presented itself. How do you market a
venue down—he doesn’t have the authority chain to people who hate the corporate
to do that without word from the owners, world?
who can’t be reached. The band is in They came up with the Circle Perk,
transit, running late and can’t be contacted a coffee shop with a late 1970s punk-rock
in time to warn them away. In fact they’ll theme. Pictures of Johnny Rotten and Joe
arrive at the gig just barely in time to go on, Strummer hang on the walls. Razor blades
and they won’t want to cancel their and safety pins decorate the bar. No
appearance at the last second on the PCs’ syringes though—that would be going too
unsupported word. Nor will the local far. The booths are upholstered in a
authorities want to intervene. In fact, leopard-print pattern. The wait-staff are
because this is the Meadows, there’s some encouraged to take the studs out of their
dispute as to who the local authorities even lips and noses and temporarily replace them
are. with safety pins. Their heavily sugared
The PCs are going to have to watch coffee drinks have names like “Boring
the crowd or watch the door—and watching Rubbish” and come in sizes like “Too Big”
the door might not do any good, since and “Sod Off.”
#@%&face can walk through walls. Most punk songs from the period
Almost midway through the show, a are too unseemly for their PA system, so
Player Character glimpses #@%&face in the instead they play music by New Wave bands
middle of the crowd, glaring at the stage. from a few years later (Bow Wow Wow is a
It’s tough to keep track of his movements perennial favorite, as are Adam Ant and Billy
through the jam-packed room and tougher Idol) and any songs by the Ramones that
still to get through the crowd to confront don’t involve hitting anyone with a bat or
him. He seems to be working his way up to sniffing glue.
the stage. The audience is packed in tight, Down near the Terminal Drive train
hundreds of potential hostages are all station, there is a small, struggling colony of
around. urban pioneers. This is the first wave of
At some point word will spread gentrification. The bohemians who move
through the crowd that #@%&face is here into bad neighborhoods for the low rent and
(particularly if the PCs shout out a warning make it hip enough for yuppies to come
or try to confront him.) The moment the squeeze them out. They have had a lot
crowd realizes that he’s in the club, they more difficulty getting established in Bedlam
give him a hero’s welcome, cheering wildly than in some other places, but they have
and shielding him with their bodies from the become deeply rooted enough to make the
PCs. The band loves him too—just because local Circle Perk into their own neighborhood
he’s no fan of theirs doesn’t mean they coffee house. They hold poetry slams every

191
week and some of their own favorite bands Security tends to be provided by off-
have started to play there. duty Bedlam Police Officers. It pays much
If you would like to be snubbed on better than being a cop.
a Saturday night by people who think they A typical club has a bar (sometimes
are cooler than you, there’s nowhere better hastily improvised), some slot machines, a
than the Terminal Drive Circle Perk. space for a DJ or live band, one or more
dance floors, depending on how the space is
Club Nowhere, Club Nothing, Club laid out, and a few tables for people to sit
Nada, No Such Club, etc… and talk. If they have more than one
dancing area, then at least some of the
dance floors will have mini-bars of their
own. Invitations to some rooms are harder
to get than others. While you can probably
buy drugs and other illegal stuff anywhere in
the club, in the back rooms these things are
much more freely and openly available.
Wolverton’s underworld overlord
Rock Johnson (“the Rock”) owns most of
these enterprises and rumor has it that he
lives in one of them.

The Airport Inn

There is life beyond Branson, Missouri.
Bedlam’s Airport Inn looks like an odd place
for a music scene. Directly adjacent to the
Bedlam International Airport, this ten story
beige obelisk looks exactly like every other
mid-level airport hotel on earth. You could
spend an entire visit there without ever
going outside and without any way of
knowing whether you were in Bedlam or
Dubuque or Hong Kong.
Tacky, cheesy, boozed-out former
Out on Industrial Drive, you can find illegal singing stars who have long since had to
nightclubs in the run-down old factories and leave Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, North
warehouses. These places operate without Vegas, Elko, the Indian casinos and Branson
liquor licenses or regular visits from the Missouri sometimes find themselves with no
Health Inspector. They do not cut patrons options left but Bedlam’s Airport Inn. Its
off at three drinks and they don’t close their lounge has become the last refuge for
doors at 2:00 AM like most of Bedlam’s bars. musical acts that are unwelcome anywhere
Nor do they check ID at the door. None of else on earth. A surprising number of one-
them have names, so people informally call hit wonders you thought you’d forgotten
them things like “Club Nothing” or “The have come to live in one or another of the
Nowhere Lounge.” No sign identifies a No- hotel’s hospitality suites and perform there
Such Club from the outside. Nor will they on weekday afternoons.
admit just anyone. Friends bring friends Unfortunately, rich young frat-boys
who they know can be trusted—which from Belchner College have discovered the
makes it a real status symbol for a teenager Airport Inn and have started to haunt the
to get admitted. Cliques jealously guard lounge, heckling the performers, hassling
their access to the clubs, carefully doling the guests and getting fresh with the
introductions out as favors. waitresses.

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Classy All-Nude Girls become the favorite haunt of the man-
Aficionados of classy all-nude girls should be monster known as Geech.
sure to check out this club in the Meadows. Geech is a jolly, silly, gigantic
Not that it’s actually classy in any mountain of muscles with the mind of a
conventional sense of the word. Nor could child. We have some stats and an
very many of the wrinkled, sagging drunks illustration for him on the next page. His
prancing around on the stage still mother took a lot of terrible drugs, his
reasonably be called “girls.” But they are father was her brother and her cousin, but
certainly nude, and the fact remains that all this seems inadequate to explain him.
despite its sticky floors, $10 watered beer He’s much stronger than a human being is
and the grime on the performers’ feet this is supposed to be, and somewhat larger (7’9”
unquestionably the nicest strip club in or so.) He could probably beat Gorgah in a
Bedlam. wrestling match. But not at an IQ test.
From the outside, Classy All-Nude He’s mild and gentle. The worst
Girls looks a lot like an abandoned Stuckeys you could say about him is that he’s
with its windows painted over. Inside, it’s completely obsessed with the Allman
not quite as pleasant. Brothers (he has an encyclopedic knowledge
Please ignore the gentlemen from of every gig they have ever played.) At
the Gorganzua crime family who sometimes least until he drinks. Once he gets
gather in one of the booths to count money inebriated, Geech becomes a terrifying
and mutter grimly to one another. They monster, insisting that everyone discuss the
really won’t like it if you look at them. Allman Brothers with him, violently
disagreeing with everything they say about
The Chinch Bug the band, growing more and more savage
To the West of Bedlam, on Highway 2, is a and vehement until he explodes in a
desolate-looking truckstop where non- destructive rage. No one has yet died as a
truckers feel instantly unwelcome. If you go result of one of his rampages, but that’s an
behind it, an unmarked trail leads up to an absolute miracle.
even less friendly place—the redneck bar Nobody knows what to do about it.
and grill known as the Chinch Bug. The owner has tried poisoning him and he’s
Part of the Chinch Bug is a double- been shot twice and it’s never had much
wide trailer, the rest is a kind of crude effect. People have talked about killing him
wooden extension built on the back. The in his sleep, but no one knows where he
remains of another, burnt-out trailer sit next sleeps.
door. Appliances and rusted-out car chassis Geech doesn’t show up every night,
litter the “parking lot” (a wide patch of bare so he hasn’t quite chased everybody away
dirt.) yet. And there are always a few truckers
People who find their way to the who haven’t heard of Geech and still come
Chinch Bug usually wonder why there aren’t stumbling into the Chinch Bug unawares.
more Harley Davidsons parked outside. The But business is on the brink of collapse—
truth is that bikers are afraid to go into the even Delbert Graves and the Brotherhood
place. Motorcycle Club have begun to fear and
It was always dangerous—a spot for avoid the joint.
mean, drunken farm hands to meet their Geech has taken to muttering darkly
crystal meth dealers and hold impromptu in his cups that people had better keep
Klan meetings. The owner kept underage showing up regular to talk about the Allman
girls in the back and some of them were Brothers with him, or he’ll go hunt them
chained to their beds. But now it has down in their homes.

193
Geech video monitors. Supervillains sometimes
congregate there.
Rumors about Club Death circulate
in whispers throughout Bedlam’s high
schools. Every kid in Stone Ridge is
aching to get in—it would be the ultimate
social coup.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Those who know where to go and who to
ask (make a Streetwise roll at a +2) will
find that Bedlam has a whole lot of secret
underground Santa-Claus-themed leather
bars. Hidden in warehouses or over rows
of dead shops, these bars have names like
“The North Pole” or “Kris Kringle’s Hidey
Hole.” They’re the kinds of places you
can go to see big dudes dressed like
Santa whip guys dressed up as reindeer
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit and bellow “now dash away, dash away,
d10, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12 dash away all!” Joints where you can get
Skills: Guts d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation a tattoo of a burning tannenbaum on your
d8, Notice d4, Throwing d4 face at the bar and the jukebox always
Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 11 seems to be playing “It’s a Holly Jolly
Edges: Berzerk, Brawny, Improved Christmas.”
Frenzy, Take the Hit The discering visitor to Bedlam will
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Clueless, Habit swiftly learn that if you know just who to
(Vicious drunk), Quirk (Obsessed with the ask and how to talk to them (“Hey man, I
Allman Brothers) want to learn the true meaning of X-Mas!”
Powers: ), it’s always the Most Wonderful Time of
• Size +2: Monster the Year!

Club Death The Shadwell Drive Gentleman’s Club

Wolverton’s other kingpin, Lincoln Stone On Shadwell Drive in Bedlam’s worst and
(“the Stone”) is rumored to own an illegal most polluted neighborhood, a guy named
nightclub that’s much worse than any of Jimmy Hoover has put his rusted-out van
the Rock’s joints. A place called “Club up on blocks and taped a sign to the
Skull” or “Club Death” where the craps windshield that says “Shadwell Drive
tables are out in the open and drug Gentleman’s Club—Serious Drinkers
menus are posted over the bar and snuff Wanted.” A case of warm beer and a lot
films play continuously on of empties sit in the back. Membership is
by invitation only.

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Some of Bedlam’s most notable eateries are Not quite fast food and not quite
listed here, in order from best to worst. The fine dining, it occupies a Fuddruckers kind of
GM is of course free to invent more. We place on the restaurant ladder. The
don’t have nearly enough room to list every host/greeter dresses like an arch-villain and
last place to eat in Bedlam. In any city this the wait staff and busboys dress like
size there are sure to be dozens. henchmen. In fact they call them
“Masterminds” and “Mooks” instead of
Ruth Christopher’s Chop House greeters and waiters.
(name suggested by John Polojac) The staff are instructed to talk like
A major national chain of high-end dining cackling villains (“and for the next stage of
facilities, the Chop House looks as clean, my fiendish plan, would you care for a
bland and generic as an airport Hilton—and diabolical item from our depraved dessert
it has nearly as much charm. menu?”) but most of them are too
Not technically located in Bedlam embarrassed by this to really put much
itself, the Stone Ridge gated community to effort into it.
the north of town has one of these Pneumatic supervillain robots like
establishments in its Community Center, evil versions of the ones in a Chuck-E-
surrounded by an acre or so of perfect, Cheese line the walls and sometimes utter
rolling green lawn. They reserve the right threats and soliloquies at the diners. Not
to refuse service to anyone, and they much though—they often break down and
rigorously exercise that right. are expensive to fix, so most of the time
If you are lucky enough to get to they are switched off.
eat there (reservations are often booked With three locations in Bedlam, Dr.
months in advance) you might well find Ghastly’s is desperately overextended and
yourself sitting next to such local celebrities will probably close soon. Always half-
as news anchor Obediah Brick, City empty, each location is ridiculously huge—
Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik or even they seem to have expected to make most
crime lord Leo “Young Junior” Gorganzua of their money through banquet rentals, but
himself. If you do, be sure to be prepared this isn’t working out either.
to pay $200 and up for your meal, and to For low employee morale and
watch yourself around any temperamental dysfunctional robots are the least of their
local celebrities you might find yourself worries. There are a lot of people who have
seated next to. Cameras are definitely a no- lost friends and relatives in supervillain
no at the Chop House, as Obediah Brick has attacks and they don’t like Dr. Ghastly’s at
taught more than one would-be amateur all. While there haven’t been any organized
paparazzi. protests, people regularly make ugly scenes
or vandalize the property. Worse, actual
Doctor Ghastly’s supervillains sometimes take umbrage at the
A supervillain theme restaurant where you way they are portrayed at Dr. Ghastly’s.
can get an Evil-Burger topped with Sinister There have been three supervillain attacks
Sauce (their name for salad dressing) on these restaurants in the past year alone
served to you by a bored, embarrassed and one of them was bloody—six people
teenager in a rayon costume. died. There are increasing calls to shut the

195
chain down as a public menace. For now, Wunder-Chuk dining experience. You
the city government continues to place your order with a grinning robotic
subsidize Dr. Ghastly’s with leftover woodchuck, which grimaces with
money from the Redevelopment “attitude” as you tell it what you want to
Commission. eat and try to understand what your
server is saying through the tinny
Wunder-Chuk speaker. A lot of the drive-thru robots
This second-string fast-food restaurant have been vandalized and some are
has all but failed completely in most of missing eyes or heads.
America. Just occasionally you can find a The staff on the other end of the
dreary-looking holdout in a tired, intercom may have more attitude than
forgotten strip mall on the edge of some Wally Woodchuck himself. It used to be
little town. People just didn’t want to buy that high-school kids worked at Wunder-
“Chukburgers” and “Groundhog Shakes” Chuk, but they cost too much and made
from staff dressed up in furry vests and too many demands, so a lot of the
hats with ears. Poor Wally Woodchuck, restaurant’s employees now come from an
the franchise’s leering, sunglasses- innovative prison work-release program,
wearing biker rodent failed to inspire or from mandatory drug rehab.
love—despite his mid 1990s makeover
into a woodchuck with “attitude.” An Adventure at Wunder-Chuk
Yet the franchise is alive and well A safecracker named Arlo Gump leaves a
in Bedlam, which boasts no less than message for a PC. Meet him at the
fourteen Wunder-Chuks. Interestingly, Wunder-Chuk on Moorcambe Drive. He
the franchise is owned by the same folks wants to sell out the supervillain who calls
who own Pizza-Bucket, an equally himself #@%&face. He offers few
unsuccessful national chain, and most of details, but in fact he worked with
the Wunder-Chuks in Bedlam’s poorer #@%&face on a job and earned his
neighborhoods are also Pizza Buckets, enmity over some pointless little thing.
allowing you to order items from either Gump’s in fear of his life now and he
menu and drastically increasing the odd of wants to get #@%&face before
getting your order confused. #@%&face gets him.
Bedlam’s residents have never When the PCs arrive, early in the
really taken the concept of pizza served in morning, Gump is sitting in a corner
a cardboard bucket to heart, but no one booth, away from the windows. He tells
else has, either. To be fair, it’s more a the PCs to get him a cup of coffee, with
glutinous mass of fried dough and three sugars. And a Doublechukburger.
congealing melted cheese than it is a He can’t talk business without a
pizza, anyway. Teenagers love them, Doublechukburger. But a loud, angry,
because they’re fun to throw at people, red-faced businessman is ahead of them
and can do a surprising amount of in line, yelling at somebody named Stan
damage when they’re really hot. In fact on his cell phone. A big, gawky, scared-
so many people have taken to calling looking teenager waits to take his order.
Pizza Buckets “Teenage Napalm” that this “Number four super value-chuk meal!” he
is usually the name you order them by snaps at the kid.
(“hey man, gimmie some napalm.”) The kid looks as if he wants to cry.
The drive-through is the most “Sir, that comes with a complimentary
memorable and innovative part of the side, and… and a drink. Wh-what side

196
would you like, sir?” #@%&face comes smashing through the
The business guy keeps yelling at window with murder on his mind.
Stan.
“Sir?” the kid asks timorously “Sir, Bub’s
um, I’m sorry but the computer won’t let This little diner doesn’t look like much—
ring you up until I know what side you just a cracked-up glass door in the side of
want, so…” an ugly concrete building. There isn’t
“Hang on, Stan.” The business- even a sign. A piece of paper taped over
guy wheels on the kid “Can’t you see I’m the door has the word “Bub’s” on it. Yet
talking on the phone?!” He screams in a the food here is legendary. “Wherever you
pop-eyed rage. Tears start to leak down go, whatever the food is like” people say
the kid’s cheeks as the business guy “it can’t possibly be as bad as Bub’s.”
shouts. “Your supervisor! Here! Now!!!” Look through the window behind
Laughter, whoops and cheers the unclean counter and you can see the
erupt throughout the restaurant. manic depressive, stoop-shouldered short
“Man, you tell that dork!” somebody yells order cook smoking a cigarette as he
in admiration. prepares your food.
“Now that’s what I’m talking There are two waitresses with a
about!” Someone else shouts. single hideous beehive hairdo among
A short, fat, African-American lady them. Big Zelda is silent and evil, while
(the supervisor) makes a placating Little Zelda is loud and evil. Big Zelda is
gesture to the angry customer, then takes as huge as an orca, while Little Zelda is as
the kid over to one side and starts talking tiny as a viper. Neither one will serve you
to him, angrily and quietly as tears roll fast or get your order right.
down his face. Because there aren’t enough
“But if I lose my job they’ll send places to eat downtown, a lot of office
me back to juvie,” he moans. She throws workers have to resort to taking lunch at
her hands up as if to ask whether or not Bub’s, grumbling about it for the rest of
that’s her problem. the afternoon.
“Hey!” the business-guy yells Late at night, scary guys with gold
“Number four super value chuk-meal! chains and scars come in and hog the only
Chop-chop!” booth, muttering in Sicilian. Sometimes
The kid hangs his head and looks they like to harass people they think don’t
at his feet, the ridiculous furry ears on his belong there. One of them is Dapper
hat bobbing as he cries. Then he grabs a Donny Scarpia himself.
cutting knife from somebody’s station,
vaults over the counter and seizes the The Omega Diner
business-guy. “I’m not going back to Despite conventional wisdom, the food at
juvie!” He screams “They’ll do stuff to the Omega Diner is actually worse than
me!” He holds the knife up to his Bub’s. Their unofficial motto is “Omega,
hostage’s throat. the last place you’d want to eat.” All of
The business-guy spots the the letters in their sign have been
nearest PC “Hey, super-f@&&*+!” He smashed out by vandals, except for the
yells at them “You’re getting me out of Omega.
this without a scratch, or you are in Run by immigrants from
serious #@%&in’ trouble!” Chechnya, none of whom speak much
Arlo Gump wants no part of this. English, it serves a bizarre mixture of fried
He stands up and walks for the door, spaghetti dishes, meatball subs, burgers,
shooting the PCs a look of baffled strange Chechen entrees and milkshakes,
contempt. And at that very moment, often with generous extra portions of hair.

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 The owners don’t seem to have open a restaurant based on the aesthetics
quite figured out US cuisine, but since of absolute cruelty, with food too
most of the food comes from rusty cans, it advanced for anyone to ever understand,
almost doesn’t matter. Not that most even Philmo himself. And for the final
people come here to eat, anyway. The touch of utter degradation, he would open
jittery crack-fiends and nervous, twitchy- it in Bedlam. Thus was born Scabies.
eyed gang members sitting on the Philmo’s revenge upon the universe was
slashed-up stools and uncomfortable now complete.
chairs (or sometimes lying on the floor) Located on the penthouse floor of
are here to buy and sell drugs, not to one of the downtown skyscrapers, it has
relish the dubious, hairy milkshakes. two bars, and a number of different
Any sort of behavior is acceptable “Affliction Zones” (dining areas) each
in the Omega Diner. Patrons can do devoted to a different theme (Psoriasis,
anything they like to one another or the works of Franz Kafka, “Echolalia” and
themselves. The staff never intervenes others less easily understood.) The décor
and never reports anything to the police. varies from Zone to Zone (each holds
They may not know how. Yet they are about five weirdly-shaped asymmetrical
themselves quick to anger and swiftly tables and a random assortment of
resort to violence if they think a customer painful, evil-looking chairs.) But it’s
is insulting them. always disturbing, incomprehensible and
Sometimes it’s impossible to tell above all, unclean.
what has set them off or what obscure Plates may be triangular, or
taboo you’ve accidentally violated until amoeba-shaped, or the food may be
they start shouting and stabbing you. served on antique mirrors, or just splatted
Don’t order the fish. While the down on the table with no plate at all (but
staff behind the counter barely speak only if Philmo really likes you.)
English, if you ask any one of them for There is no menu. The Maitre D’
fish he will scowl, lean forward and grunt decides what dish you deserve. The
“you want the fresh fish, eh?” Whatever waiters are all either disdainful or
you reply he will shake his head, grin awkwardly, fawningly obsequious and
unpleasantly and say “no, you are want inappropriate (which is an ironic form of
the fresher fish I think.” It doesn’t matter disdain.) Large, burly men with beards,
what you say next. He will chuckle, deep they all dress like Japanese schoolgirls,
and ugly and then say “no, no, you are complete with pigtails. Screeching atonal
want the freshest fish of all!” and music mixed in with the sounds of
produce a smelly bucket full of live, wounded animals completes your dining
wriggling eels from under the counter. pleasure.
“Which fish you want?” he will ask, Philmo’s strange travesty of a
gesturing at the squirming, writhing restaurant has been every bit as
creatures. successful as you might guess and the
entire place is half-deserted even on
Scabies Saturday night. Yet investors continue to
What is such a “difficult” nouvelle cuisine throw money at it. Weirdly, they’re right.
restaurant doing in Bedlam? It’s a long In about six months a reality TV
story. show based around Philmo’s bastard
Maverick restauranteur Philmo (he stepchild of a project (called “Philmo’s
has only one name, like Cher, or God, he Bastard Stepchild”) is going to take off.
explains) had grown tired of New York, LA Celebrities will start coming to Bedlam
and Dubai. In an attack of ennui he from all across the globe and the “New
pioneered the concept of the “New Hatred” will spread around the world
Hatred” and announced that he would like…scabies.

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Nearly dead now, Bedlam’s music scene was don’t need to book local acts when they can
once thriving. In the 1920s this was one of still get WASP and the Scorpions.
the best places outside of Mississippi to hear Meanwhile, the Sons of Sewage
the Blues, although it has been unfairly soldier on. The members of the band own a
overlooked by many music historians. group house up in the Country Club and
During Prohibition it had a huge number of they play shows in their backyard for who-
speakeasies and its own distinctive style of ever wants to pay ten bucks for a place to
Jazz (best exemplified in the “Bedlam Rag” sit. Everyone still asks for their biggest hit:
that so many artists have since performed.) “I’m a Punk-Rock Mutha#@%&ah!!”
The Blues actually outlasted jazz in
Bedlam, and the tiny but revered Club Del Rock Hard and the Mighty Ones
Morocco continued to attract aging Bedlam’s most commercially successful band
bluesmen well into the 1950s. Howlin’ Wolf actually plays none of its own music. They
and Robert Johnson both played the Del strictly do covers, and although their range
Morocco. Now the club stands empty and is wide, it’s all firmly in the middle-of-the
boarded-up under a freeway overpass. No road. They can play a loose, flabby bar-rock
one but a few ancient folks in Wolverton rendition of everything from Louie Louie to
even seems to remember Bedlam’s blues Wooly Bully to 99 Red Balloons. But their
scene, yet no one ever writes any graffiti on real passion is for guitar-pop bands of the
the Del Morocco’s walls and no bums ever late seventies and early eighties. Foreigner,
sleep there. Journey, Styx, Loverboy and others too
Punk came late to Bedlam, and it awful to name.
was a peculiar species of the breed. While They’re the hardest working band in
for the most part the movement had already Bedlam, playing every last bar mitzvah,
metamorphosed into Hardcore by 1983, in wedding, corporate retreat and outdoor
Bedlam bands like the Vomit Comet and the festival they can find. As a result, turnover
Sons of Sewage were playing music that is high among band members and Rock
sounded like London punk from the late Hard himself (aka Vern Stazinsky) is quick to
1970s. And unlike anywhere else but fire his players at the first sign that they’re
Washington, DC, a lot of these bands were burning out or starting to overshadow him.
black.
When hip-hop swept over Bedlam DJ Supermax
like a juggernaut, a lot of its black punk acts Unlike a lot of gangster rappers, Supermax
got caught up in it, which led to a harsher, is a genuine street thug. He has actually
uglier, more humorous and less funk- lived the life he’s singing about. But he’s
influenced kind of sound which Bedlam is never been that great at expressing it. His
still known for today. The music you would lyrics are all stale clichés and his rhymes are
go to hear at one of the illegal clubs out on uninspired. There’s nothing about his work
Industrial Drive is usually a lot like trip-hop, that seems especially authentic or for that
slow and heavy (but danceable), with an matter any different from any other low-end
ugly, fuzzy, undercurrent of growling noises rapper. He doesn’t even have a good
and with rap lyrics shouted over the beat. It gimmick.
often uses electric guitars, with the Still, he was the closest thing
distortion turned way, way up. Bedlam had to a hip-hop star until about ten
There was a vigorous Heavy Metal years ago, when he got sent to prison for
scene in Bedlam in the ‘80s but it’s as dead aggravated manslaughter.
as the Del Morocco now. There is still one Now that he’s out, his raps aren’t
good venue left for hair metal bands—Maxx, just uninspired, they’re also ten years out of
out on the edge of the Meadows, but they date. And he refuses to get with the times,

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stubbornly insisting that he’s doing it the Thudhammur
right way and that all that Wu-Tang $#!+ is
messing everybody’s mind up. With no
national labels interested in his act, he
performs at block parties and local clubs and
sells his own CDs on the street. People buy
them, but mostly out of sympathy and
nostalgia.
His career as a gangster is more or
less over, too. The guys from his old set
have died or moved on, and Eentsy Z
doesn’t like him, so these days he earns his
living by pushing a mop.

Whispers from Uranus

Somewhere on beyond Emo lies a
depressed, big-haired, languid land where
Uranus softly whispers. You know as soon
as you look at them that at least one band
member believes himself to be the
reincarnation of some drug-addicted French
poet or other. You can hear their wispy,
elfin noodlings at the Circle Perk on
Terminal Drive. In fact it’s the only gig they
ever seem to be able to get. The manager Bedlam’s newest heavy metal act is an
apparently likes them, and may be dating authentic garage band, put together by a
their lead singer, a languid young beanpole teenage stoner named Jordan Glickstein.
named Rimbaud Dulac (his real name is Jordan is a Junior at Pennington High and
Mike Czenarik.) he founded the band so that he’d have an
Whispers from Uranus may be extracurricular activity on his college
about to hit it big. The word is that applications that would make him stand out.
Rimbaud may have briefly dated a producer But now that he’s gotten into the whole
with national connections and the band may business of arranging gigs and scheduling
be on its way out of Bedlam. the band’s activities, it totally consumes him
and he’s Thudhammur all the way.
Lou Ragusa Through chutzpah and determi-
Once a crooner who opened for the likes of nation he’s landed them gigs all over the
Mel Torme and Bobby Vinton, Lou Ragusa city, and a few of them pay more than tips.
was a minor member of the Rat Pack and He’s actually managed to alarm Rock Hard
was once allowed to hold Frank Sinatra’s and the Mighty Ones into threatening them
coat, while the Chairman of the Board took and telling them to stay away from bar
a leak on somebody’s car. mitzvahs—the bar mitzvahs in this town
Lou’s drug problem ended his career belong to Rock Hard.
in Vegas, Tahoe and eventually the Indian But despite Jordan’s tireless efforts
casinos, so these days he sings afternoon to promote his band there’s one small
shows at the Bedlam Airport Inn. Watresses problem with Thudhammur that he’s never
know to beware his roving hands and not to been able to fix—they suck. They stink so
mention his hideous toupee. badly, in fact, that almost no one would
Lou’s voice was always a little ever invite them back for a second gig.
fragile, and fifty years of total, absolute Perhaps more rehearsals would help, but
dissipation have left it a fractured, scraping then again, their absolute lack of talent
wreck, but his remaining fans don’t care. might still be an insurmountable barrier. At
the moment they have a bigger problem to

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worry about. Jordan lives in Stone Ridge being buddies than playing music, anyhow.
and heavy metal music is strictly against the They all live in a group-house near Terminal
gated community’s rules. The neighborhood Drive and pool their food stamps and the
watch knows that someone on Jordan’s money parents send from home.
block has been playing heavy metal and Special Love
they’re trying to track down where the noise John Love is an obnoxious Christian stage-
is coming from. If they finger Jordan, his parent who home schools his ten mentally-
parents may be in a lot of trouble. challenged kids in the trailer park at Shady
Meadows. His wife is a worn-out wreck and
The <@~+s lacks the strength to oppose him on
anything, so when he got it into his head
that the family should become a band, she
raised only the feeblest concerns. So for
the past two years he has hectored and
browbeaten his ten little angels through
countless auditions and endless rehearsals
at home. They show up for every last talent
show and public festival in Bedlam.
A perfectionist, a control freak and a
manic depressive, John Love is difficult for
most people to be around for very long.
Once a venue gives in to his pressuring and
books him, John inevitably starts making all
kind of nitpicking demands and gets crazy if
they aren’t met. He also doesn’t want any
non-Christians to come into contact with his
kids, even briefly, and there are a whole
host of weird biblical taboos that he insists
on observing.
When all twelve members of the
family play at once, the result is a kind of
nervous, up-tempo pop sound, a bit like a
/
really messed-up Partridge Family. They’re
Best known for the song “Sniff my <@~+,”
surprisingly competent musicians—much
this group of angry young ladies is
better than Thudhammur or the <@~+s.
determined to make post-punk safe for
However, ten instruments is way too many
grrrls, by screaming loud and throwing stuff
for any group to sound less than completely
at the audience. Their line-up changes a
irritating. Don’t try telling that to John Love.
lot, people drift in and out, so their sound
Don’t ask him why all ten of his children
changes, too. But it’s always loud, shrill and
have mental disabilities, either.
poorly tuned. The <@~+s don’t care much
about their musicianship anyway. They
The Sons of Sewage
really just like to act outrageous and piss off
Bedlam’s oldest punk band has given up on
the audience. They’ll do anything at all to
traditional success altogether. They no
provoke the crowd—it’s just not a good
night if it doesn’t end in violence. They longer have a label and produce their own
never seem to rehearse and they often audio cassettes when they feel like it
shown up late and drunk. (they’ve never gotten into making CDs.)
They used to play the Terminal The only venue they play is their back yard
Drive Circle Perk, but got kicked out for in the smogged-out neighborhood called the
being obscene and getting into fist-fights Country Club. You have to find out by word
with the patrons. They aren’t sure where of mouth when they’re going to play, but
they’re going to play next, but the band has they still get huge crowds in their back yard
always been more about hanging out and at every concert. People drink and make

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noise and beat on cars and the party goes of its own, but these days they stay in
on for as long as it lasts. business by issuing occasional CDs of older
They haven’t updated their look or material. They used to be run by Mo Bosley
play list much in all the years they’ve been and his partner/girlfriend Staci Staples.
doing this and they still sound a lot like punk Then Staci got a law degree, broke up with
in its earliest phase. Somewhere between Mo and started working evictions cases for
the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, with the giant apartment management firm of
maybe a bit of Iggy Pop. They wear their Drago and Grubb. For a long time $#!+-
hair spiked and are clad in an assortment of #@%& Records had a storefront office on
hideous, tattered-up suits in eye-scorching Ash Street, but then Torchy the Firebug
colors. Some people compare them to burned it down (see Page 267 to learn more
Green Day, which never fails to elicit a snarl about Bedlam’s most prolific arsonist.)
from lead singer Johnny Vomit. These days the label operates out of
A lot of people are surprised to Mo Bosley’s basement in Wolverton. He
learn that the Sons of Sewage are an would dearly love to sign a new band.
African-American band, but in Bedlam that Scumbag Records doesn’t even have
wasn’t so weird, at least in the early ‘80s. a basement. It still exists mostly on paper
Johnny Vomit must be past fifty now, but he and in the mind of its impresario, a
says he’ll keep playing punk rock ‘til he dies. disreputable would-be music producer and
full-time criminal named Chuck Roast. He’s
Frisco Willie and the Railroad Choo- got a lot of money saved up from various
Choo Fun Club evil schemes and he’s looking for legitimacy.
Who told Frisco Willie that he could sing? A rap act might be the very thing for his
This strange, skinny old guy thinks he’s the new label, but the African-American guys in
next Pete Seeger, bound for greatness in Wolverton all hate him and there aren’t any
the folk music scene. He dresses like an white rappers around who seem interested.
engineer and howls out classic railroad He says he’s got some incredible new
songs in a reedy, tone-deaf voice. He’s project lined up, but he won’t say what it is.
incapable of staying on key or carrying a Meanwhile, he’s been hiring homeless
tune. people to put posters up all over town
Some people say he’s astonishingly advertising Scumbag records, and he calls
bad. Others say he’s flat-out Ed Wood crazy every radio show he can to promote it on
awful. But through dogged and delusional the air.
persistence, he has managed to land gig
after gig on Bedlam’s local public television, A Local Music Personality: Gravy the
teaching a whole generation of school Freak
children how to sing wildly off key. These Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
days he has a whole band of equally Strength d6, Vigor d6
deluded and talentless performers backing Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
him up—although he might have done just Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Knowledge
as well recruiting actual hobos for his (Bedlam’s Music Scene) d12, Notice d6,
Railroad Choo-Choo Fun Club. At least they Streetwise d6
might have done a better job playing the Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
harmonica. Toughness: 5
Edges: Charismatic, Dodge
Local Labels Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (acts like a
Bedlam has two tiny, struggling record lunatic), Quirk (obsessed with the Sons of
labels, $#!+-#@%& Records and Scumbag Sewage)
Records. $#!+-#@%& has represented
Bedlam’s tiny punk community for decades, Background: This stringy, wild-eyed
off and on. They signed a couple of sludge- lunatic dresses up in a purple and green suit
metal acts back when Bedlam had a scene and sells bootleg tapes on streetcorners in

202
Wolverton. Quite a showman, he holds The Calabria Workingmen’s Benevolent
forth loudly and at great length about his Association
wares, making up rhymes and non-stop This small fraternal lodge and social club
nutty jokes as he hawks his tapes. He has its headquarters on Lurman Avenue in
records all the best stuff that the DJs in the the Greely Point neighborhood. Most
illegal nightclubs out on Industrial Drive put members of this invitation-only social club
together. But his real passion is the Sons of seem to be small businessmen from Greely
Sewage. Gravy the Freak has taped every Point’s Italian neighborhood.
last backyard performance they have ever The lodge itself is a high, narrow
put on, and he carries copies of the whole building, detached from the row houses
collection around with him. around it. Made of weathered brown bricks,
Under his raving-mad demeanor it’s clearly of 19th century construction and
he’s a gentle soul and looks out for the kids resembles a small church or Masonic
on his regular streetcorners. If a child is in temple. Unassuming though it looks, a
trouble he asks after them and lets their great many of its members have gone on to
parents know. He’s also older than people prominent positions in Bedlam’s business
think. He looks and sounds like a badly- community—you’d be surprised if you ever
preserved, leathery twenty-eight year old got a look at their membership rolls as to
who has spent too much time outside. But how many well-known Bedlamites are
in fact he’s forty. members. But of course they don’t make
their rolls public.
No sign advertises the building’s
function, but everyone seems to know what
it is. Older residents take off their hats as
they walk past the club, out of respect.

The Shadwell Drive Gentleman’s Club

A number of social clubs cater to the See Page 194 to learn all about Bedlam’s
interests of Bedlam’s more discerning most exclusive social club. Few are ever
citizens. Here are a few of the most well asked to join.
known.

The Country Club

People are often surprised to learn that
Bedlam’s Country Club still exists. The For the discriminating Bedlamite, the city
clubhouse and the putting greens are long has always offered a few social clubs that
since abandoned and dead, but the club don’t advertise their existence to the public.
itself is still around on paper. Most of the Here are some of the most prominent.
members live in Stone Ridge. Horatio
Hoggard III, the club’s Acting President, Saturday Night Shots
claims that while their activities are on This adventurous group of students
hiatus, they’ll find a new space eventually. communicates online and via text
In the meantime he continues to collect the messaging. Most of them are members of
club’s outrageously large membership fees. frats and sororities at Belchner College (see
Most members are so afraid of being cut out Page 140 for a description of this illustrious
of their social set that they continue to pay academic institution) but some are high
him. But at the same time club morale has school seniors who live in the Stone Ridge
sunk so low that members seldom even gated community. To join Saturday Night
mention the group’s existence. Shots, you have to be invited, and to be

203
invited, you have to be rich, white and hooded troublemakers they hire
willing to take risks. They organize professionals when violence is required. But
impromptu social gatherings and parties at mostly they would exert influence behind
local bars and nightclubs. The illegal clubs the scenes.
out on Industrial Drive are becoming their But this begs the question—what is
favorite hangout. their real agenda? It can’t have been
If you read the messages they post kicking the Irish out of Stark Hill. They
on their online forum or their text logs, you failed to do that, and if this were their sole
will find that they largely consist of boasts purpose then they would have faded away
about drunken savagery, comparisons of by now. It’s not acquiring wealth and
expensive toys that mummy and daddy power. Their leaders were already some of
bought them and torrents of racial invective. the richest and most powerful men in the
They do not like or feel comfortable around city. Could it be something far more
the “Faceless Hordes” of non-white kids they sinister?
party with in the clubs, but they are thrilled
by getting to dance next to such awful Opus Ombra
people and perhaps stab them or have
casual sex with them.
A hint of violence is always lurking
just under the surface of Saturday Night
Shots. This club could easily turn to
entertainments like bum-fights or setting
homeless people on fire or vicious brawls
with the gangs. If they get around to
committing any serious crimes, they will all
back one another’s alibis and hire formidable
lawyers.

The Phantom Empire

Does the Phantom Empire still exist in some

form or another? Sammy “Snap Brim” Any pious weakling can follow God’s laws on
Hammer thought it did as late as the 1930s, Earth in hopes of eternal bliss. But only the
and that Lucius Hardwick remained its strong can do the Lord’s work with nothing
Emperor. If some vestige of the Empire still but an eternity of darkness for their reward.
survives today, then it has gone deep How noble it is to be damned in the service
underground. Instead of an organized of God. How true it is that Judas was the
militia of thugs, determined to chase greatest of the Lord’s disciples, for only he
Catholic immigrants out of Stark Hill, it was blessed with a chance to do God’s will,
would be a network of powerful old men, knowing that Hell awaited him for it. So say
working behind the scenes and guiding the tenets of the Opus Ombra. They do
Bedlam’s affairs from the shadows. If they God’s work in the shadows, they claim.
are real, then instead of having legions of They undertake the work that the blessed

204
cannot. Excommunication was a small price Unction over them. They will not attack a
to pay compared to the infinite sorrows that human being on holy ground—which makes
await them on the other side of the grave, it possible to meet and negotiate with them
and they have embraced it gladly. in Churches.
Opus Ombra is either a secret, A typical cell of the Opus Ombra will have
fanatical subdivision of the Catholic between ten and twelve members. The
organization called the “Doctrine of the individual cell members tend to be pretty
Faith” (the branch of the Church that was in tough—Wild Cards up to the Veteran level.
former years called the Holy Inquisition) or Some times, if they expect a target to be
else they are a fanatical cult founded in the especially tough, they will bring in their
1850s by a mad monk called “Brother superhuman agents. Most cell members
Belphigor.” It’s unclear to anyone which spend their time as house guests in one or
they really are (and we’re leaving the truth another believer’s home. They have a
of the matter up to the GM.) network of these safe houses that stretches
They have, however, managed to around the globe. In some major cities
master what they call the “Ars Ombra” (Rome, for example) they have actual
pretty thoroughly. More than half of their monasteries where they train and meditate
agents can use at least some magic and and keep their volumes of arcane lore. This
they have a few sorcerers in their arsenal is the kind of “Chapter House” that Bishop
who are strong enough to fight superheroes Sloat (see Page 44) hopes to help them
on equal terms. found in Bedlam.
They are dedicated to stamping out Whether the organization is a giant
every trace of the supernatural from the international conspiracy with ties to the
world and they make no distinction between Vatican, or an isolated gang of lunatics with
benign and sinister forces. It’s all against a hundred or so members we leave up to
God’s law. So are the forces that they use the GM.
themselves, and they fully expect to spend
eternity in Hell for using them. Brother of the Opus Ombra
Opinion is divided within the Order Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
about superhumans. Some of them have Strength d6, Vigor d6
powers that clearly come from Satan, Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d10,
everyone agrees on this. And it’s clear that Intimidation d8, Investigation d6,
they all need to be killed, just to make sure Knowledge (Arcane Lore) d6, Knowledge
that the satanic ones are exterminated with (Theology) d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice d8,
the rest of them. But there are two schools Shooting d8, Spellcasting d8, Streetwise d4
of thought about how urgent the problem is. Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Either superheroes need to become a major Toughness: 6 (1)
priority or they can wait their turn with the Edges: Arcane Background (the Occult),
rest of the witches, heretics and Champion, Combat Reflexes, Soul Drain
abominations. Hindrances: Heartless, Vow (Fanatically
Opus Ombra has no compunctions determined to eliminate magic from the
about accidentally killing civilians, or world)
murdering innocent people who’ve they’ve Powers:
mistaken for witches, vampires, etc. If • Awareness
these innocents are good, then they will go • Detect/Conceal Arcana
to Heaven. If they are bad (or if they are • Dispel
not practicing Catholics) they will go to Hell, • Immunity to Magical Attacks: Takes half
where they belong. Either way God’s will is damage from direct magical attack
done. For the same reason, they have no • Negation 4
problem with murdering witnesses to their Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor),
crimes. Yet there are certain things they Silver Dagger (Damage: d6+d4) Heavy
won’t do. They will not kill a human being Target Pistol (Range 24/48/96, Damage
without administering the Rite of Extreme 2d6, ROF 1, AP 2)

205
Background: This is a typical Brother, but Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars
there are some with much stranger abilities.
In addition to this basic-model sorcerer they
have a few telepaths (replace Dispel with
and Immunity with Telepathy and Mind
Control 6), and pyromancers (replace
magical powers with a 3d6 Ranged Attack
and the Elemetnal Trick “Fire”) and others.

Pater Ombra
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d12, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d10,
Intimidation d8, Investigation d6,
Knowledge (Arcane Lore) d10, Knowledge
(Theology) d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice d8,
Shooting d8, Spellcasting d12, Streetwise d4
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 6 (1)
Edges: Arcane Background (Superpowers),
Champion, Combat Reflexes, Soul Drain This was once Bedlam’s most exclusive
Hindrances: Heartless, Vow (Fanatically sorority, open only by invitation to girls from
determined to eliminate magic from the Bedlam’s very best families. They seem to
world) have been founded in the wake of whatever
Powers: nameless tragedy forced the Bedlam Girls’
• Awareness Academy to close. That puts the date of
• Detect/Conceal Arcana their founding at 1919 or 1920. People in
• Dispel Society were still whispering uneasily about
• Super-Sorcery: Level 3 the group as late as the mid 1930s. Do they
Gear: Body Armor (+1, Heavy Armor), still exist, all these years later? There are
Silver Dagger (Damage: d6+d4) Heavy conspiracy theorists who think so, and they
Target Pistol (Range 24/48/96, Damage have all kinds of crazy ideas about what the
2d6, ROF 1, AP 2) girls may have been up to.
The legend goes that some of the
Background: If they need to call on them, girls who survived the incident at the
the Order has a tiny handful of really Academy blamed their fathers and all of
powerful sorcerers. Informally known as Bedlam’s wealthy families for what had
Pater Ombra (father of shadows), each is as occurred there. They decided to take their
tough as a superhero. At least one of them revenge. Did they ever find the means to
is actually a woman. Every Pater Ombra achieve it? No one knows. But some
uses a greek letter as a code-name (Pater people point ominously to what became of
Alpha, Pater Epsilon, etc.) Supposedly, no the Bedlam Country Club and to the rich
one in the Order knows their real names, families who used to live in the big houses
but in a group this close-knit that seems on Scarlett Hill, and wonder, is the
unlikely. Sisterhood cackling in triumph out there
somewhere?

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 more forbidding than the rectory. Not many
people actually attend Mass at the
Cathedral—it largely serves the old Italian
neighborhood in Greely Point, and that
community is slowly dying off. Sloat himself
gives communion here, to the half-empty
nave.
There are persistent rumors that the
cathedral is the home of a grisly apparition
called the Bleeding Nun, but this is untrue.
Last year Bishop Sloat trapped and
destroyed the poor unhappy creature.

St. Anthony’s, St. Fabian’s, St.

Perpetua’s and St. Casimir’s
These four churches serve the spiritual
needs of Stark Hill. One large church could
probably work more efficiently than four
half-empty ones, but from time immemorial,
the Irish attend St. Anthony’s, the Italians
attend St. Fabian’s, the Poles attend St.
Casimir’s and the Croats attend St.
Perpetua’s. People from the wrong ethnic
group will swiftly be made to feel
uncomfortable if they show up at the wrong
A town like Bedlam needs a lot of religion— church. Stark Hill’s Catholics have learned
for the same reason that it needs a lot of to live next to one another, but it only goes
alcohol. Here’s your guide to some of its so far.
major churches. This is not a totally
comprehensive list. We’ve left plenty of St. Athol’s Basilica
room for other religious groups of the GM’s The fifth church in Stark Hill serves the
own design. neighborhood’s small Serbian community.
Despite its grand name, this is a tiny
Bedlam Cathedral Orthodox church, with a congregation of no
Located on Voight Street in Greely Point, more than two hundred people. Yet folks in
Bedlam Cathedral glowers down the hill at Stark Hill are forever grumbling about it,
the harbor. It’s old and in poor repair. The and about the Serbs. They just aren’t
Catholic Church is still pretty strong in Catholic and there’s no way around it. Who
Bedlam, but like all of its institutions they knows what evil stuff they get up to in that
are slipping into decline. Part of the transept church of theirs? They call it “Saint
has been closed off for structural instability, @$$#0!&’s” when they think the Serbs
so they use it to store old furniture. Because aren’t listening.
the cathedral was expanded and remodeled Father Radovan , who oversees St.
so many times in the 19th and early 20th Athol’s, is a violent-tempered old drunk who
centuries, there is some confusion over just has devoted himself to proving that the
how many rooms it has and there is no Serbian war atrocities in Bosnia never
completely reliable map of its lower floors. happened. But he is, his flock agrees,
The offices of the diocese are based better than no priest at all.
in the cathedral’s rectory, behind the main
building. It’s a high, narrow, forbidding St. Romuald’s
structure—a fitting lair for Bishop Lemuel Located on the verge between Hardwick
Sloat. From here Sloat runs the Church’s Park and downtown Bedlam, this Catholic
affairs in Bedlam. He’s a lot scarier and church is run by the huge and ferocious

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Father Miguel Zalamanca. Father Miguel is offers more singing and less shouting and
very tough in the confessional and seems rolling in the aisles. Less tolerance and
determined to root sin out of his flock. He’s brotherhood and more blood-and-thunder.
scared of the Mara, though and desperate to They’re the second largest church in
keep his church free of their influence, so Wolverton, and their minister, Cleveland
he’s careful never to speak out against the Wallace, is Willy Boggs’ rival. He has allied
gang in any of his sermons, and turns a his political fortunes with Righteous
deaf ear if any of his parishioners complain Townsend, which puts Mr. Townsend in an
about them. He doesn’t want his church to odd predicament.
end up like Our Lady of Xichumel. Anyway Reverend Wallace hates Reverend
it’s much easier to bully kids and little old Boggs because he tolerates gay people in
ladies than angry young men with guns. his congregation. A loud homophobe,
Reverend Wallace has dedicated himself to
Our Lady of Xichumel stamping homosexuality out of Bedlam’s
This beautiful, ornate church has become a black community. It’s the cornerstone of his
wholly owned subsidiary of the Mara and its ministry and the thing he talks about most
priest is one of their captains. His name is in his sermons. But Righteous Townsend is
Alfredo Guzman, but everybody calls him himself gay. He’s not exactly closeted—he
“Father Chuey.” You can find out a lot more just doesn’t talk about his orientation one
about him on Page 240. He uses his church way or the other. Councilman Townsend is
to host the Mara’s sinister rites and to store normally pretty ruthless, but his allegiance
stolen goods. In his sermons he tells his with Cleveland Wallace has begun to trouble
parishioners to pay their protection money him.
on time and not to squeal on the gangs. If
they confess to snitching, he sometimes Abundant Tabernacle Ministry
shoots them right there in the confessional. Part of a national franchise, Abundant
The church itself is falling apart from Tabernacle claims to be no denomination
neglect. but “Christian.” They answer to a distant
mega-church in Florida, but the local
The Good News Thunderous Hammer franchisee, the Reverend Ross Bewley, has a
Church of God in Christ lot of independence and can run his
The largest church in Wolverton is also one churches more or less the way he pleases.
of the neighborhood’s strongest institutions. Reverend Bewley is a plump, self-satisfied
They sponsor countless community little man with a weirdly effeminate manner.
programs and feed large numbers of people He also uses far too much hair cream.
through their food bank. The Reverend Instead of a single big church, they
Willy Boggs is their minister and he has have lots of little storefront operations
used this position to become a municipal scattered all over Bedlam, run by assistant
councilman and one of the most powerful pastors. Reverend Bewley visits them from
men in Bedlam (see Page 41.) time to time, but his biggest ministry is on
They have a giant worship center at the radio and on local television. He
the intersection of Larchmont Avenue and broadcasts a three-hour show every Sunday
Mortlake Drive, and smaller offices scattered on Channel 13 and does one-hour programs
around the city. The building looked shiny every other day of the week.
and new when it was built in 1975, but it’s He makes a lot of money from
starting to get a little dingy now. They have donations but even more comes from the
added lots of additions over the years, Abundant Tabernacle School (see Page 133)
spoiling its clean lines. and bible camps. They have just opened a
Christian Therapy Center to cure
True Word Baptist Church homosexual teenagers of their unclean
Baptists look down on the Church of God in impulses and this is bringing in a lot of
Christ and its ilk. For Wolverton’s stuffier revenue, too. Reverend Bewley takes a
residents, the True Word Baptist Church particular interest in this new project and

208
spends a lot of time offering patients his Someone has been attacking and
personal guidance and counsel. The main vandalizing Temple Beth-Israel. No one is
church in Florida sucks most of the sure who it could be, but the graffiti has
donations out of Bedlam, but there’s still been getting increasingly threatening and
enough left over for some youth outreach ominous. Perhaps they’ll have to move to
programs and for the Reverend to live in the Meadows soon.
one of the biggest mansions in Stone Ridge.
Bewley’s devoted wife, Dot, appears The Church of the All-Devouring
with him on stage and ministers to the Redeemer
faithful herself. She is as huge and
statuesque as her husband is tiny, and her
gigantic hair makes her look even bigger.
No matter how many times Reverend
Bewley gets arrested for soliciting male
prostitutes, she stands by his side and so
does his congregation. It’s happened three
times so far, for the Devil surely wishes to
crush the righteous Reverend Bewley with
his infernal lies. But the rock of his faith
stays firm. Every member of the
congregation knows better than to believe
these things could be true.
The Reverend Earl Hubbs, the
church’s distant leader, is a little annoyed by
Reverend Bewley’s indiscretions but he
sympathizes—Reverend Hubbs himself
knows only too well the Devil’s mischievous
tricks. Anyway Bewley is one of his best
money makers, so he’s not about to pull the
franchise out from under him.
There is a more radical group of
young Christian warriors within Abundant
Tabernacle, who have been talking about This strange backwoods cult is little-known
taking Direct Action against the unrighteous. in Bedlam, but it does have a few local
However, they have yet to successfully build adherents, most notably the head of the
any pipe bombs, so their crusade has not Special Assault Squad, Captain Elvis Aaron
yet gotten under way. Stokes. As its central tenet, they believe
that the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist is
Temple Beth-Israel blasphemous, for it posits that Man is fit to
A small synagogue with an elderly eat the flesh of Christ. Surely it is more
congregation, it’s still the largest Jewish fitting for Christ to dine on the flesh of men.
house of worship in Bedlam. Despite its They practice polygamy and force
name, this is actually a conservative their women to cover their hair outside and
synagogue (usually it’s only Reform enforce a host of other biblical rules. They
synagogues that use the term “temple”). It also kill unbelievers who have learned the
used to be located in a beautiful old building secrets of their faith. If any member of the
in Stark Hill, but it burned down too many church thinks they have met a heathen who
times, so the congregation has relocated to knows too much, they will notify the cult’s
an ugly brick structure just off Bedlam leaders back in Alabama. The elders will
Harbor. Despite the congregation’s efforts then send a member of their hardcore inner
to decorate the building, it still looks like a cadre up to assassinate the unclean one—
warehouse. usually by drowning them.

209
 firm is under our protection—don’t steal
from them”.)
The only exceptions to this rule are
the desperate, drug addled street gangs of
the Country Club. No one has bothered to
take them over or bring them under their
wing—why go to the trouble? This means
that you might actually be able to hide out
from the Mob in the Country Club, even
though you still wouldn’t exactly be safe
there.
Bedlam has two Mafia families, the
While organized crime won’t play a role in Scarpias and the Gorganzuas. There used
every adventure, PCs who are based in to be three, but when Hardwick Park turned
Bedlam should probably have some vague into a Hispanic neighborhood, the Igglionis
idea of how it works. This will make the lost their power base and in their weakened
setting feel more three-dimensional and state they became easy prey for the
alive. But of course not everyone in Bedlam Scarpias, who killed their leaders and
knows precisely how the Mob operates. absorbed their soldiers. Both of the
Make the following information available to remaining families owe their loyalty to the
them only if they ask for it, and make a big bosses in New York City, but are allowed
Streetwise roll. We have a section on Page to run things in Bedlam without much
213 about how much you have to beat the interference. They are not on good terms
roll by in order to get each individual piece with the “Chicago Outfit” or most of the
of information. other gangs of the Midwest, for reasons that
This chapter gives you a broad are buried in the shadowy secret reaches of
overview. We break things down in much Mob history.
greater detail in the next section, but read The Scarpias are bigger and more
the overview first to keep it from getting dangerous than the Gorganzuas, but aren’t
confusing. as wealthy. They are based in the working
Here is the most basic and class neighborhood of Stark Hill, and have
important fact to remember about organized incorporated the local Irish and Polish gangs
crime in Bedlam. There are many criminal into their structure. They control “Big Andy”
gangs here, large and small, but they all Czernik, the most powerful City Councilman
exist at the sufferance of the Mafia. The and take a bite of any and all trade that
shadowy Honduran gang called the Mara, comes in through Bedlam Harbor.
the streetcorner gangstas in Wolverton, all Unfortunately, the smaller harbor across the
owe fealty to Don Scarpia or Don river at Greely Point is becoming more
Gorganzua. profitable, and it’s under the control of the
The Mob doesn’t micro-manage the smaller Gorganzua family. The Scarpias
other gangs or tell them what to do—the would have long since crushed the
Mara are free to go to war with Eentsy Z if Gorganzuas and taken it over, but the big
they want to. But they take a cut of guys in New York have ordered them not to.
everyone’s income and they reserve the The current head of the Scarpia
right to issue them an occasional order crime family is “Dapper Donny” Scarpia, a
(usually something like “find and kill such- slovenly fat man with a ragged beard who
and-such a person” or “this construction dresses in stained tracksuits and frayed old
athletic clothes. Some mafia dons wear

210
thousand dollar Italian suits. But the most Gorganzuas run the harbor facilities at
expensive item of clothing Dapper Donny Greely Point, which are turning out to be a
owns is his nylon windbreaker jacket. It’s lot more profitable than Bedlam Harbor
charitable to call the thing growing on his itself. This has yet to make Dapper Donny
face a beard—it’s more like a collection of come wipe them out, but only because the
long stringy hairs that sprout from his big guys in New York have told him not to.
cheeks and chin in random clumps. He’s The Gorganzuas haven’t integrated
arguably the most powerful man in Bedlam, the Irish or Eastern European gangs into
but he looks like an aging street thug— their structure as well as the Scarpias.
which of course he is. Almost every one of their soldiers and
Dapper Donny rose through the “button men” are directly related to Leo or
ranks and he is still a little unpolished. To his daughter’s late husband, Rocco “The
be less polite about it, he is vulgar, coarse, Stick” Mazzarello. No one quite knows what
ugly and rude. He hates art and culture and happened to the skinny, shifty eyed, furtive
unlike many high-ranking Mafiosi he thinks little Stick, but everyone in the family thinks
opera is just so much noise. He still lives Tiny Tina beat him to death in one of her
with his mom in a run down bungalow in rages.
Stark Hill. All of this makes him incredibly Both families collect protection
popular with his men—he’s still one of the money and demand occasional favors from
guys, still in touch with the neighborhood, the street gangs in Hardwick Park and
doesn’t put on airs. Wolverton. These gangs have reached an
Dapper Donny loves pinball, and interesting stage in their development.
ancient video games like Asteroids and The Hispanic street gangs of
Lunar Lander (he has a whole philosophy of Hardwick Park have in recent years been
life based around Lunar Lander, which he united under the banner of a large
would be happy to share with anyone who Honduran group called the Mara. They have
asks.) No one is quite sure where his base a deeply sinister reputation. Everyone says
of operations is, but it’s widely suspected to the Mara are a national or even an
be an arcade in Stark Hill (the place has no international network, that they practice
name—the sign out front just says “Arcade”) black magic and drink the blood of their
where he plays pinball with the same crowd enemies. They are led by a shadowy figure
of parking lot thugs he’s been hanging out called the Jigsaw Man, whose body is
with since the 1960s. supposed to be covered with scars and who
The Gorganzuas keep a much lower studies the entrails of his rivals in order to
profile. Don Leopardo “Young Junior” divine the future.
Gorganzua lives in the exclusive gated This is partly true. Founded in
community of Stone Ridge, in a huge and Honduras, the Mara do have chapters
tasteless mansion. He never makes public scattered around ten or twelve cities in the
appearances and few people outside the US and Central America. They do have
Mob know what he actually looks like (he’s a contacts in the federal prison system who
skinny old man with a bitter look in his eye.) can do favors for them on the inside. But
He seldom leaves his house and leaves most they are far from an organized international
of his business arrangements to his network like the Mafia or the Triads. They
daughter, a 400 pound rhinoceros of a are a loosely organized federation of street
woman called “Tiny” Tina. gangs, held together by kinship and national
While Tiny Tina has a terrible identity. Not all of the chapters get along
temper, the crime family she runs tries to with one another and there are plenty of
kill as few people as possible and to operate cities where they have no presence at all.
as quietly as they can. They don’t interfere The chapter in Bedlam is about the biggest
with any of the Scarpias’ operations and and most powerful one in the network.
they don’t try to steal their turf. By and Their reputation for black magic has
large, they control the East side of the river been greatly exaggerated as well. The Mara
and the Scarpias control the West side. The do practice a kind of Honduran Santeria,

211
and their initiation rituals have a distinctly The Mara are expansionist by
religious/occult flavor. They relish their nature, and they do push against the gangs
scary reputation and try to play it up at of Wolverton from time to time, but they
every opportunity, talking about curses and don’t have the manpower or the community
black magic and human sacrifices in order to support required to run all of Wolverton’s
terrify their rivals. The Jigsaw Man has rackets in addition to their own, so they are
actually killed some of his rivals in ritualistic unlikely to launch an all-out assault on
human sacrifices, but he didn’t do it to Eentsy Z’s domain. The result is an uneasy,
appease any dark gods—he did it because never-ending stalemate with occasional
they were his enemies and he wanted to kill eruptions of violence. This state of affairs
them in as frightening a way as possible. suits Eentsy Z just fine.
Ultimately, the Mara are an organized crime Of course the youth gangs have
family with occult trappings, not a fanatical always been a training ground and talent
blood-drinking cult. pool for higher-level organized crime. While
Unless the GM decides otherwise. Eentsy Z may run most of the street level
Perhaps in your game world the Jigsaw Man drug-dealers in Wolverton, the high-end
really does have magical powers, or rackets (sports betting, prostitution, loan-
suddenly stumbles across a demonic sharking, illegal nightclubs and so forth) are
summoning that really works. The Mara run my two gentlemen named Rock Johnson
could make an interesting foe for a team of and Lincoln Stone. “The Rock and the
occult investigators. If you do use them Stone” as people call them, have quietly
that way, then you should also try to beef divided up Wolverton’s rackets between
up their arch-rivals—the African-American them for twenty years and more, with little
gangs of Wolverton. friction. Both of them pay a substantial cut
It used to be that the youth gangs of their profits to the Scarpia family.
in Wolverton went by the names of sports The Rock is a huge bald man with
teams, and showed their gang allegiance by deeply pitted skin who dresses as flashy as
wearing baseball hats and jackets with their possible and acts like a jovial grandfather
teams’ names on them. There are still a few when he isn’t having people killed. He lives
of these independent groups left (the “Os” over one of the illegal nightclubs he runs in
and the “A’s” and the “Ravens”) but most of a burnt-out factory on Industrial Drive.
the gangs have recently been united into a The Stone is a scowling, white-
confederation against the growing threat of bearded patriarch who is presently serving
the big Honduran gang called the Mara. two consecutive life sentences in state
The group that untied them is an prison, and runs his whole organization from
astonishingly savage pack of junior high- his cell. He’s as ferocious and threatening
school aged kids, under the leadership of a as the Rock is laid-back and cordial, but in
fifteen-year-old psychopath called “Eentsy fact they’re equally ruthless.
Z.” (younger brother of the late “Little Z”.) Both the Rock and the Stone are
Everyone is impressed by Eentsy Z’s inspired disturbed by how much power and prestige
brutality and wicked sense of humor. A guy Eentsy Z is accumulating, but they aren’t
that scary might be the very thing to fend sure what to do about it (the Scarpias don’t
off the Jigsaw Man. care, since he pays them his tithes like
Which brings us to the reason why everyone else.) Anyway he helps keep the
open warfare has never erupted between Mara at bay, and that has to be a good
the Mara and the Z. Eentsy Z knows that thing.
the moment the Mara get destroyed, the Too many of Bedlam’s cops owe
confederation he has put together will fall their loyalty to Dapper Donny or Leo
apart. He likes having power and doesn’t Gorganzua. But in addition to merely
want it to come to an end. Outright war crooked cops, there are at least two full-
with the Jigsaw Man has only two possible fledged criminal “crews” operating inside the
outcomes. Either Eentsy Z loses, or he Bedlam Police Department. They steal dope
wins, in which case he also loses. from the evidence room and sell it on the

212
street, they transport contraband in their others to name. It is also a notorious
squad cars, they run prostitutes and perform recruiting ground for supervillain henchmen.
the occasional contract killing. These are
independent groups—not officially a part of How Much Should a PC Know About
either of Bedlam’s Mafia families, but they Organized Crime in Bedlam?
owe fealty to either the Scarpias or the Of course, it’s up to you as to how
Gorganzuas and pay them a cut of their much information you want to give your
proceeds, just like all the other gangs in PCs. The following is intended as a helpful
Bedlam. guide—depart from it however you like.
The giant mobile home complex at Any cop or vigilante will know that
Shady Meadows is a wild card in Bedlam’s the Mob has an unhealthy amount of
underworlds politics. Most of the people influence over Bedlam and its politics and
who live there are impoverished Anglos. that there are large, well-organized
Biker gangs and crank labs are deeply dangerous gangs in Wolverton and Hardwick
entrenched in Shady Meadows. No single Park. Assume even the most naïve PC
faction dominates the place, which is prone knows that much.
to late night gun battles and general A Streetwise or Investigation roll at
mayhem. It’s much less quiet than Stark a -2 will reveal that Stark Hill and Greely
Hill or Wolverton. The police are in Shady Point are controlled by the Mafia and that
Meadows almost every night. they exert far too much influence over the
Dapper Donny wants the situation shipping operations at Bedlam Harbor. It
calmed down—it attracts far too much will also reveal that a Hispanic gang called
attention. It has been so tough to control the Mara has taken over Hardwick Park and
that he is in the process of making a gift of is uniting the gangs of Wolverton into a big
the turf to the Gorganzua Family. The shift coalition to resist them. It will also reveal
is causing even more chaos. that biker gangs run Shady Meadows and
While no single group completely that you can buy crank there.
dominates Shady Meadows, the biker gang A Streetwise or or Investigation roll
known as the Brotherhood seems to be the at a -4 will reveal all of the information
strongest force right now. They are one listed in the section “Organized Crime in
small chapter of a national network, but Bedlam” on pages 210 to 214, minus the
here in Bedlam they pay the Mafia a cut of following: It won’t tell you that there is
all their proceeds. more than one Mafia family in Bedlam, or
The Warlord of the Shady Meadows anything about either family’s internal
chapter is Delbert Wayne Graves. Everyone politics. It won’t tell you that Lincoln Stone
just calls him Graves. He’s a skinny little is still running his organization from behind
maniac with a drooping handlebar bars. Instead it will suggest that someone
moustache, who never takes off his else is running his organization in his name
reflective sunglasses. He doesn’t actually until he gets out. Perhaps most important
live in the trailer park—no one is sure where of all, it won’t tell you that Dapper Donny is
he sleeps, but it’s probably one or another the head of a mafia family. Instead he’ll
farmhouse off in the woods. Graves is a appear to be the street-level guy who runs
scary guy, who talks little and has no really their operations in Stark Hill for somebody
close friends, but he’s reasonable in his else.
dealings with other criminals and won’t try A Streetwise or Investigation roll at
to rip off or wipe out groups that he knows a -6 reveals all the information listed in the
to be tougher than his own. section “Organized Crime in Bedlam” on
For some reason Shady Meadows pages 210 to 214. It will still take individual
produces a lot of weird little gangs of crank Streetwise or Investigation rolls to get each
fiends who all dress up in costume around piece of information listed under the
various oddball themes. It has seen gangs expanded section “Organized Crime in More
of mimes, gangs of faux beatniks, a gang Depth” on pages 215-266.The penalty can
that dressed like Santa Claus and too many be up to a -4 or so.

213
The PCs may not immediately come into reputation to turning the city authorities
conflict with the Mafia, even though they against them to having them killed. They
have a hand in so many of the things that would really prefer to fight superheroes by
are wrong with Bedlam. Most superheroes proxy, sending other superhumans to fight
spend a lot of their time focused on them, rather than watching their own
supervillains rather than organized crime. cousins and nephews get mowed down by
But it’s almost inevitable that the Player the capes. There is a long list of villains in
Characters will eventually shut down some the back of this book that they could hire,
criminal enterprise or other that the Scarpias one at a time or all at once, to start hitting
or the Gorganzuas are making money from. and harassing the Player Characters at every
When they do, the Mob’s response depends opportunity. To make it sinister and scary,
on the GM’s needs. You can have them the Mafia itself should remain a vague force
react swiftly and violently. Or they could in the background, striking from the
respond in some intermediate kind of way. shadows, insidious and hard to come to
They might try blackmailing the PCs into grips with.
leaving Bedlam, or have crooked cops frame If they do find themselves in a
them for a crime, or send one of their own direct conflict to the death with a superhero
superpowered allies around to warn the PCs team, one of the first things either Dapper
not to meddle in the Mob’s affairs, etc. Or Donny or Young Junior would do is to make
they might remain eerily silent, for now. themselves scarce. While Donny likes to run
If you aren’t ready to have the PCs his organization as directly as possible, there
face hordes of gun-toting goombahs, then is absolutely no reason why he couldn’t
there are all kinds of reasons why the Mafia continue to lead the group from anywhere in
might not come after them immediately. the United States. And Young Junior’s
The Capo who is making money from the organization has been on automatic pilot for
scam the PCs shut down might have bigger years. In the event of an all-out war with a
problems to worry about, or get killed over super-team, they will both become
some other matter before he has a chance maddeningly hard to find.
to react. The Mob might feel that the The Player Characters should not be
potential losses from a dust-up with a allowed to just walk up to the Don and kill
superhero team don’t equal the loss from him. That would break the atmosphere and
having one operation shut down. spoil the fun. Finding the head of the
However, either eventually or right Family should be difficult. And if they do kill
away, the Mob will probably decide to have a Don, or put him in prison, another one is
something done about the PCs. Their going to take over.
response could range from attacking their

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Here are more detailed breakdowns of the career as an Associate of a mob family, with
different factions in Bedlam’s criminal your own independent gang of crooks,
underworld. We’ll start with the biggest. without ever having to become a full-
fledged member.
Actual made men (“sgarrista” is the
term they use for “made men” or “wiseguys”
when no non-Sicilians are around) operate
in crews of ten to twenty. Each sgarrista
pays his captain (“caporegime”) a fixed
amount every month to remain a member in
good standing of the crew. Typically it’s five
thousand dollars. He can get that money
anyway he likes. Borrow it, steal it, run a
Some guys will tell you that “MAFIA” is legitimate business, mug old ladies—the
actually an acronym. It stands for “Morte only thing that matters is that each month
Alla Francia Italia Anela.” In English that the money is there. Each Capo, in turn, has
would be something like “Death to the to pay the head of the Borgatta (the “Don”)
French Cry the Italians” Like most a fixed amount each month. Usually it’s
organized groups of bandits, they originated twenty thousand dollars. Money always
as guerilla fighters—in this case to kick flows up, never down.
Napoleon out of Sicily. It has been a long, At the top of the pyramid sits the
long time since that goal was achieved, and Don, who almost never engages in any kind
yet the Mafia soldiers tirelessly on. of illegal activity himself. He doesn’t have
Both the Scarpia and Gorganzua to, with ten or so captains each paying him
families are very traditional Mafia twenty-thousand dollars a month!
organizations, and stick to the old ways The Don’s three closest advisors are
more closely than some. You absolutely normally the “capo bastone”, his most
need to be 100% Sicilian to gain prominent captain and second-in-command
membership to either one as a “made guy”, (sometimes called the “underboss”), his
although both have plenty of Associates and “contabile” or accountant, and his
“Button Men” working for them who aren’t “consigliere”, an older, retired mobster who
of Sicilian descent. acts as his advisor.
Both families (they call them Sometimes the real boss is officially
“Borgattas” in private) are organized the the organization’s capo bastone or
same way. It’s a lot like a franchise, or a consigliere. Mafiosi have tried all kinds of
multi-level marketing scheme. ways to conceal the chain of command. But
At the bottom of the pyramid are in Bedlam both Dons are who and what they
the Associates and “Button Men.” They call appear to be. Neither one really has an
them the “Piciotto” in private. These guys active consigliere. The Scarpia consigliere is
are connected to the Borgatta and operate Paulie Gambone, who has been hospitalized
with its limited protection, in exchange for for years and is nearly a vegetable, while
giving them a share of any money they the Gorganzuas haven’t gotten around to
make. Button Men are usually trying to appointing one—their Don is already the
work their way up the ladder and become oldest man in the organization.
“made men”—actual official members of the The rules of the Mafia are simple.
Borgatta. But many Associates have no Don’t steal from your boss. The penalty is
such ambitions. You can have a successful death. Don’t mess with a Made Man in any

215
way unless you yourself are a sgarrista. The Wifebeater (Dapper Donny is more resistant
penalty is death. Don’t fail to pay your to the idea of having super-guards, but in a
monthly dues. The penalty is death. Don’t crisis he might break down and hire one,
talk to the cops or betray the organization’s too.)
secrets. The penalty is death. Don’t There are plenty of other villains for
disobey or contradict your captain in any hire who either family might be able to get
way, even if you know what he is saying to in touch with. Feel free to use any from
be false or ill-informed. The penalty is your campaign or from Plain Brown Wrapper
death. Obey all orders, under penalty of— Games’ published collections of supervillains
well, you know. (the Bad Guys, More Bad Guys, 13 Shades
Why is the penalty for everything of Darkness, Another 13 Shades of
death? Because everyone in the Darkness, etc.) Just remember, they won’t
organization is a thief and no one can, by hire would-be world conquerors or villains
definition, be trusted. The only way of with strong affiliations to other organized
ensuring obedience is to immediately kill crime networks (the Russian mob, secret
anyone who starts to disobey. At least in martial arts brotherhoods, the Phantom
theory. In fact guys constantly disobey, Empire, etc.) Nor will they want to deal
screw up, and rip each other off anyway. with anyone who doesn’t have a proven
So a lot of them have to be killed. An older track record of working with the Mafia.
Mafiosi will typically have murdered as many
people as a really successful serial killer. The Scarpia Borgatta
The Scarpias are reigning power in
Superhuman Resources Available to Bedlam’s. If a nickel falls on their side of
the Bedlam Mob the river, they hear it. They are a large, old,
Apart from their two tame vigilantes, the aggressive family, which has been operating
Bedlam Mafia doesn’t have supervillains in in Bedlam since the early 20th century.
its ranks. Nor does either Dapper Donny or They have more than three hundred soldiers
Young Junior have superhuman bodyguards. presently, many of them former members of
It’s not safe having those guys around you. the defunct Igglioni Borgatta, which the
However, in any situation where Scarpias wiped out in 1995. They take a cut
superhumans, good or bad, started tearing out of the earnings of every organized crime
up their business and making life tough for group on their side of the river, from the
either family, they would immediately hire Mara to the Rock and the Stone to the biker
out-of-town super-muscle to deal with the gang called the Brotherhood. Only the
problem. “Invincible Ya-Ya Posse” and the tiny,
While both families sometimes hire fragmented gangs in the Country Club don’t
supervillains on a short-term basis, Donny owe them fealty, and that’s only because
Scarpia is more resistant to the idea than they don’t have anything that the Scarpias
Leo Gorganzua and less prone to calling in want.
the capes. Even though people inside the No one seems to be able to touch
family regard Young Junior as an old-time them on their home turf in Stark Hill. They
traditionalist, he is surprisingly quick to call have the whole neighborhood completely in
in super-guys if he thinks they’d be right for their grip and they appear to be able to
a job. As the leader of Bedlam’s underdog commit crimes with total impunity there.
crime family he has to make the most of Everyone within the family agrees
what advantages he can find, and that they owe their current success in large
supervillains are a great force multiplier. part to the responsible leadership of their
If they need the right kind of job current boss “Dapper Donny” Scarpia. A
done, they might call for Captain Condor or workaholic and something of a
the Brain-Raper or even Smashface. If micromanager, he takes a much more
Young Junior finds himself in serious need “hands on” approach to the family than a lot
of a superhuman bodyguard or two, he of Mafia Dons, and has never left the old
might hire $#!+face or Code Name: neighborhood in Stark Hill to move to the

216
suburbs. His Underboss, “Joey Sideburns” continue indefinitely.
Medrano, is in prison, so Donny has more Meanwhile, their smaller rivals, the
contact with the street-level troops than Gorganzuas, are actually making more
most Mafia chieftains. money than ever from their relatively limited
Although he commands a lot of turf. Partly this is because they’ve been
loyalty from his men, Donny sometimes taking better care of it and partly because
worries about the former Igglioni soldiers in they got lucky enough to have Bedlam’s
his organization. He’s split them up into small airport on their side of the river, and
different crews and he’s been slowly it’s actually bringing new wealth into the
weeding out the ones he thinks might not city. The Scarpias are starting to take note,
be loyal, but he has been trying to conduct and to wonder if it’s time to renegotiate
this purge slowly and carefully to avoid a their agreement with the Gorganzuas—or
rebellion. just wipe them out. They have been
Much quicker to resort to violence instructed by the old Mafia overlords on the
than the Gorganzuas, the Scarpias are not New York Commission not to start any new
supposed to kill civilians, reporters or cops wars in Bedlam. But Donny is a resourceful
who aren’t crooked, but it’s hard to enforce guy, and he may yet think of a way around
this rule all the time. With other criminals it.
(or with anyone else foolish enough to get
involved with them) they have no scruples, The Murder Machine
mutilating or murdering anybody who shows The Scarpia family has set up a “Murder
them any resistance. Their empire was Machine” out near the Bedlam Airport. This
founded on blood and death and no one is a small warehouse where a specially
who does business with them is ever chosen crew kills people and dismembers
allowed to forget it. their bodies as cleanly as possible, leaving
But it’s not completely true to say that all no evidence behind.
their power comes from terror and murder. Hidden away behind a barbed wire
A lot of it comes from racism, too. They fence and a grungy little parking lot, the
draw their strength from the way they one-story warehouse is small and has no
dominate the Stark Hill neighborhood. And name. It looks like it could be a light
people in Stark Hill allow the Scarpias to lord industrial space or a storage building. Or it
it over the neighborhood because they keep could be deserted.
out black families. The interior looks like a run-down
The Scarpias’ Consigliere is Paulie office with some mismatched furniture for
Gambone, but he’s been in a coma for so the guys to sit around on and a TV set.
long that the family soldiers have taken to There is nothing on the walls and the floor is
calling him “Paulie the Corpse.” Donny concrete, covered with plastic sheeting. At
never got along with Paulie but he isn’t the back is a steel door. None of their
eager to find a replacement either. He visitors have ever come out from behind it
doesn’t like sharing authority with anyone. alive.
For many years, most of the To save on bullets and limit the
Scarpias’ business and legal affairs have forensic evidence, they normally kill victims
been handled by the firm of Cromlich, with a taser, a set of plastic hand-ties and a
Dooven, Dooven and Dahl. They treat their dry-cleaner’s bag. The procedure is simple.
attorneys pretty roughly and few die of The “meat” is escorted or dragged through
natural causes. the steel door into the long narrow corridor
Although they’re the strongest on the far side. Once they are in the
criminal network left in Bedlam, even the corridor, whoever is standing behind them
Scarpias are beginning to suffer from the stuns them with the taser, cuffs their hands
city’s economic decline. There just isn’t very behind them with the tie and slips the bag
much left to steal. They’re still strong and over their head.
dangerous now, but their revenues are If the meat takes too long to “cook”
down every year, and this trend can’t then they tase the victim again and use a

217
hammer to tap an icepick into the base of “Dapper Donny” Scarpia
his skull. Once the meat is cooked, they roll
it onto a dolly and take it to the room at the
end of the hall, which contains two
bathtubs, some cans of industrial solvent
and a lot of tools, used for removing teeth,
fingers and other identifying marks. Once
the meat has been processed, a tub full of
industrial solvent dissolves them further and
whatever is left of the remains gets packed
up in a plastic bag and shipped out to
wherever the Scarpias want it buried.
It takes a while to process someone
in the machine, and it’s not really practical
to use it if for really large-scale executions—
there’s only so much meat they can handle
in a given amount of time. But if a single
person needs to disappear, the Murder
Machine is the Scarpia Borgatta’s best way
of doing it. The machine has only been in
operation for a few years, but it has already
processed a whole lot of meat.

The Graveyard
Back in the mid 1990s, the Scarpias
annihilated their arch-rivals, the Igglioni
family. They killed all their leaders and
loyalists in a single night. And of course
Wild Card
that’s far too much meat for the Murder
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Machine to be able to handle in one gulp.
Strength d8, Vigor d8
They’ve carried out other mass executions
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate
since, although nothing on that scale.
d10+2, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld)
Where has all that meat gone?
d12, Knowledge (Bedlam) d10, Notice d10
The answer is one of the Scarpia
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Borgatta’s mostly closely guarded secrets.
Toughness: 6
We have a suggestion for the GM on Page
Edges: Charismatic, Command, Combat
381, but it’s not the only possibility. They
Reflexes, Connections (Criminal Underworld,
may even have more than one graveyard.
major), Filthy Rich, Followers, Inspire,
Donny keeps meaning to dig his
Leader, Level Headed, Natural Leader,
graveyard(s) up and run the meat through
Strong Will, Trademark Weapon
the Murder Machine, but other stuff keeps
(pocketknife)
getting in the way and anyhow there’s
Hindrances: Heartless
always a backlog of meat to be processed.
Gear: Pocketknife (does d8+3 in Donny’s
expert hands. Would only do Strength+1
Important Members of the Scarpia
for anybody else), Windbreaker jacket, half
Borgatta
a roll of quarters.
On the following pages we have stats and
Background: People who know Dapper
background information for some of the
Donny say that there are only six topics of
most prominent members of the family. It’s
conversation that interest him: Money.
far from a complete list, so feel free to add
Power. How to get more money. How to
more. There are at least ten Captains
get more power. Who might be trying to
serving under Dapper Donny and we’ve only
take money or power away from him. And
detailed two of them.
Pinball.

218
 That’s a pretty accurate contempt for high culture.
description, except that he doesn’t really By staying a part of his community
talk much about pinball. Donny has and having daily contact with his street-
worked long and hard to become Bedlam’s level troops, he has become immensely
criminal overlord and he’s working hard to popular. His vulgar crudity helps him
hang on to it. He puts in a lot of hours here, too. He knows everything that’s
running his various scams and business happening in his turf, he lives the same
concerns, and he has no time to think or way his guys do and he’s still one of them.
worry about anything else. As a result, he Local people can come to him directly with
doesn’t look or sound much like the their concerns and he knows at once what
gangsters you see in the movies. He they are talking about. He sees, hears
makes no effort to be funny and never and knows everything that is happening in
seems to tell a joke. He doesn’t have Stark Hill.
time to watch TV and he doesn’t know Like a lot of Mafia chieftains, he
anything about what’s on it. He doesn’t keeps himself carefully isolated from his
get any pop-culture references you might money. He’s officially unemployed. All of
make and he’s not interested in them. his holdings are in his mom’s name, or his
Occasionally you might hear him make little sister’s name, or the name of one or
some general observation about life, and another of his cousins. Donny hasn’t
he has a whole philosophy based on the signed a check in years. He has no Social
game Lunar Lander that he’d be happy to Security number.
share if he’s in a good mood, but for the Paranoid about security, he never
most part he’s strictly business. His guys speaks on the phone, under any
say he’s a workaholic, but they say it with circumstances. The feds have had his
admiration. mom’s line tapped for years, but all they
He plays a lot of pinball and ever hear is her gossiping with her friends
ancient video games (Space Invaders, and complaining about her infirmities. He
Asteroids and above all Lunar Lander) to does all his business in person, either in
blow off steam, but he does it while he’s the arcade or in his car or in some sleazy
conducting business and he’s thinking diner or other. Most of all he likes to take
about business the whole time. walks with his underlings and talk
Constantly guarded, watchful and business while they’re strolling around.
calculating, his deeply sunken eyes bore A very smart psychopath, Donny is
right into you as he speaks. totally ruthless but completely reasonable.
Donny hangs around the same If you can show him why it would be to
arcade with the same crowd of hoods as his advantage to cooperate with you, he
he did when he was a teenager. will listen. He’ll be willing to work with
Uninterested in the finer things money you until the exact moment when it
can buy, he still dresses in jeans and his makes more sense to screw you over.
old windbreaker jacket, when he isn’t He looks like a slob. His hair is a
lounging around the house in a track suit. wooly, tangled mass of curls that comes
He lives with his mom in her row-house. almost to his shoulders. Overweight and
While he could easily afford a mansion cursed with a receding chin, he barely
and thousand dollar suits, he has never shows any detectable jaw line. He has a
seen any good reason to buy them. sort of thin, straggly beard but most of it
Unlike a lot of Mafiosi, he doesn’t bristles out of his neck. Despite fifty years
particularly like Sinatra or Tony Bennett or of constant effort, he has failed to grow a
for that matter opera. Music leaves him convincing moustache. His eyes lurk in
unmoved. So does art. Extremely crude deep pits to either side of his beaky nose,
in his personal habits, he has nothing but watchful and calculating.

219
Dandy Joe Slorkin Gear: Two large knives (Str +1, Range
3/6/12).

Background: One of Donny’s favorite

assassins, Luca Stegnetti isn’t yet a “made
guy” but he’ll be one soon at the rate he’s
going. He’s also the Scarpias’ court jester, a
crazy, funny, fast-talking lunatic who’s
constantly mugging for attention and saying
outrageous stuff. And stabbing people. In
fact his penchant for stabbing people is
actually what’s holding him back from
becoming a full-fledged member of the
organization. He’s perhaps a little too eager
to get stabby.
Nobody knows it yet, but Luca is in
fact a superhuman. The stat block above
describes him before he discovers his
powers. For a much more detailed
background entry on Stabbo the Clown, look
under his description in the section on
Supervillains, (Page 293.) There’s a picture,
too.

One of Donny’s best money-makers isn’t a “Dracula Jack” Gagliano

Made Guy at all. He’s an Associate who Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
happens to run the toughest high school in d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Bedlam. Dandy Joe controls all the drug Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate
trade and other criminal activity at Grissom d8+2, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld)
High, while maintaining the illusion that he’s d10, Knowledge (Bedlam City) d8, Notice
a tough-as-nails, law-and-order principal. d14, Shooting d8
The press loves him and his “take no Charisma: -1; Pace: 6; Parry:4;
prisoners” approach to school discipline. For Toughness: 4
a detailed description of Dandy Joe, along Edges: Connections (Criminal Underworld,
with a stat block, see Page 135 under the major), Rich, Strong Willed (+2 to resist
entry on Bedlam’s schools. Intimidate and Taunt)
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean
Luca Stegnetti, aka “Stabbo the Gear: Sawed-Off Shotgun (3d6 damage)
Clown” Background: One of Dapper Donny’s most
Wild Card feared Captains, Dracula Jack oversees the
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit “Murder Machine” which the Scarpias use to
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6 make people disappear. No one outside
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, Dapper Donne’s inner circle is exactly sure
Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d8 where this kill-center is located. They
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; murder and dismember people there and
Toughness: 6 dispose of their remains in tiny pieces (see
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (misogynist), Page 217.) The whole process has been
Quirk (has little self-control) turned into an assembly line and they can
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Improved First convert a living man into an unrecognizable
Strike, Fleet-Footed, Frenzy, Mighty Blow, pile of meat in less than three hours.
Improved Nerves of Steel, Quick, Quick- Overseeing an operation of this
Draw, Tough as Nails, Two Fisted. nature requires a special type of guy, and
that’s Dracula Jack. He pitches in with the

220
actual work, eating pizza while he cuts Yet having him killed for it would have been
corpses apart. Sometimes he sleeps in the an even more serious breach of protocol.
kill-room, surrounded by processed human Wiping out the Igglionis was the
parts. These things don’t bother him at all— best move Donny ever made and it
hence his name. cemented his position as the most powerful
He’s an angry, skinny old man with Mafiosi in Bedlam. Paulie became sullen
thick white hair that he combs straight back, and withdrawn after that, and still kept
a widow’s peak and bulging hyperthyroid insisting that it had been the wrong thing to
eyes that don’t point in the same direction. do. Then he had a stroke. And then
It’s weird talking to him and watching those another one.
froggy eyes fail to look at you. Always At present Paulie resides in the very
snarling, sneering or scowling, he’s a little best room at Our Lady of Sorrow Hospital in
out of it and a little crazy. Sometimes he Stark Hill. Dapper Donny pretends that the
seems not to have understood what you old man still talks to him sometimes and
have said to him. He has been known to that he still takes his advice. In fact Paulie
take mortal offense over tiny things. While hasn’t spoken a word in years. Donny
he is prone to having his bodyguards chop makes sure he gets the best possible care,
body parts off of people who offend him, he for he isn’t eager to appoint a new
kills them just as often. His habit of flying Consigliore. They’re more trouble than
off the handle and murdering people causes they’re worth.
Dapper Donny some concern. The Word has leaked out about the old
Gaglianos are an important part of his man’s condition. Now everyone calls him
network and he can’t offend them by having “Paulie the Corpse” or “Paulie the
their pop killed, so he has put Jack in a Vegetable” whenever they think Donny isn’t
position where the old maniac can murder listening.
as many people as he wants. Maybe that’ll
help him get it out of his system. So far Jack Giuseppe Medrano, aka “Joey
shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, Sideburns”
he’s getting crazier. Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Paul Gambone, aka “Paulie the Corpse” Strength d8, Vigor d8
aka “Paulie the Vegetable” Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate d10,
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d12,
Strength d4, Vigor d4 Knowledge (Bedlam) d10, Notice d10
Skills: none Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Edges: Connections Toughness: 6
Hindrances: Disability (Major—can’t talk, Edges: Charismatic, Command, Combat
move or think anymore), Elderly, Stubborn, Reflexes, Connections (Criminal Underworld,
Terminally Ill, Vengeful major), Filthy Rich, Followers, Inspire, Level
Gear: Automatic Bed, Life Support Machine, Headed, Natural Leader
Feeding Tube Hindrances: Heartless
Background: For along time the biggest Gear: Shank (d8+1 Damage), little black
thorn in Dapper Donny Scarpia’s side was notebook
his father’s lifelong friend Paulie Gambone. Background: The Scarpia Underboss, and
Paulie was the old man’s mentor and his Dapper Donny’s second in command. He’s
Consigliore. He advised old Mr. Scarpia on been in prison for a while, which
nearly everything and everyone expected complicates his position in the family. He
Donny to take his advice, too. And nothing can’t run things the way an Underboss is
Donny ever did was good enough for him. supposed to from behind bars, but he’s too
Paulie strongly opposed going to valuable for Donny to demote him or pick
war with the Igglioni family in 1995 and somebody else.
made his views known to the rest of the No one would ever dare tell Joey
organization—a serious breach of protocol. Sideburns that his haircut is out of fashion.

221
But in fact, his look hasn’t changed since have to operate with a lot more discretion.
1978, when he first became a full-fledged They never assassinate anyone unless they
Mafioso. He’s been way too focused on feel they have to, and then never without
being a gangster to pay much attention to the approval of the Don. Of course it’s easy
men’s fashion since then. He still wears the to get his approval—he no longer cares very
enormous sideburns that he grew back in much about the family or its business.
the disco era, and they look especially silly As Don Leo grows more distant and
on his round, wide face. But no one is remote from the family’s affairs, up in his
brave enough to tell him this, and anyway mansion in Stone Ridge, his daughter,
he probably doesn’t care. “Tiny” Tina Gorganzua has come to be the
People say he’s a workaholic, a one- leading power in the family. This is pretty
man crime wave, constantly orchestrating a unusual for the Mob. Power really should
dozen or so schemes at once. When he got devolve on Leo’s son, but he’s a weak,
sent to Bald Knob Penitentiary for thirty unstable, trigger-happy lunatic and can’t be
years without parole, some of the guys trusted, so Tina has had to fill the role,
thought it would finally give Joey time to assisted by the family’s redoubtable lawyer,
relax, but in fact he works harder than ever. Frankie Baranzanno.
He’s got a whole prison to run now. Tina has an awful temper and has
The Bedlam Mafia’s man inside the broken the rule about unauthorized
state prison system, he’s truly a power to be assassinations more than once. Still, the
reckoned with in the joint and he can get family has managed to keep a low profile in
more or less anything he wants. The only spite of her explosive rages and her older
prison overlord who equals his power is brother’s crazy antics.
Lincoln Stone, and he works with Joey most The Gorganzuas control organized
of the time, rather than wasting all the crime on the west side of the river (if you
energy required to oppose him. are using the map of Bedlam right side up.)
Joey has no conscience, no scruples They don’t have much competition in Greely
and no time to waste as he tirelessly plugs Point, where they’ve been entrenched for
away at his job. He’s abrupt, impatient, and many generations. The small Italian
prone to interrupting people, but seldom neighborhood around Lurman Avenue is
gets mad. When he’s angry, it’s a cold kind their main base of support. Like Stark Hill,
of angry. the neighborhood is in decay. Nearly all of
If the PCs remove Donny Scarpia the street gangs they used to recruit new
from power, Joey Sideburns will take the members from have vanished and it’s
whole operation over, and he’s actually safer unclear where their next generation of
from them in prison than Donny was in soldiers supposed to come from.
Stark Hill. The wide-open, sprawling
Joey has a wife back in Bedlam and neighborhood called the Meadows is a major
three sons, but he was never home even source of their revenue, but they have never
before he went to prison and he isn’t very precisely worked out whether they or the
close to any of them. They don’t bother to Scarpias own it, and their rivals from across
visit him at Bald Knob, and he doesn’t mind. the river are starting to move in. This
In fact he wouldn’t have time to see them causes them a lot of concern. If war erupts,
even if they wanted to visit. they’ll lose—they just don’t have enough
soldiers. They’ve also been deriving a lot of
The Gorganzua Borgatta income through smuggling and theft at
Much quieter, more cautious and low-key Bedlam’s airport, and while they’ve been
than the Scarpias, you could almost forget trying to conceal how much money this is
that the Gorganzuas’ fortune is built on really making them, it’s only a matter of
blood and bones. But not for long. time before the Scarpias find out and decide
They don’t have nearly the same to take it away.
amount of influence with Bedlam’s police Both families have been instructed
and civic authorities as the Scarpias, so they by the New York Commission to divide their

222
turf equitably and not to war with each leadership (apart from Frankie Baranzanno,
other, But the Commission itself is growing the family lawyer, who we have described
weaker these days and it’s harder for it to on Page 158) but there’s a lot of extra room
enforce its edicts. Even though they are for you to fill in.
making a lot of money, morale in the family
is fairly low. Everybody’s getting older, Don Leo “Young Junior” Gorganzua
everybody expects the Scarpias to come kill
them all, everybody worries about Leo’s son
“Little Junior” and the heat he’s sure to
bring down on them. But no one knows
what to do.
When the Gorganzuas do have to
kill somebody, they always make sure to
make them vanish completely—they don’t
leave mutilated bodies around to send a
message. They have an ingenious method
for disposing of unwanted bodies. See
below.

Tranquil Repose
When Young Junior says “it’s your funeral”
he really means it. The Gorganzuas own a
big funeral parlor in Greely Point called
“Tranquil Repose,” which has more
crematory ovens in its basement then you’d
expect for a place this size. They dispose of
corpses here, although they don’t have the
capacity to do more than a few at a time.
Only on special occasions does
anyone go into the flames alive. When
someone has annoyed the leadership Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
enough, the Gorganzuas may actually hold a Strength d4, Vigor d4
mock funeral for the doomed man, who lies Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate
gagged and sobbing in his casket while d8+2, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld)
people laugh and drink and tell jokes. d12, Knowledge (Bedlam) d8, Notice d10,
Sometimes they get up and make speeches Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry:4;
about what a bum the dead guy was and Toughness: 4
how much he deserved to die. Sometimes, Edges: Connections (Criminal Underworld,
for laughs, they bring the victim’s wife and major), Filthy Rich, Strong Willed
kids in to say goodbye to him. Har-har! Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (depressed and
Young Junior never turns up at argumentative, minor)
these events himself, but he’s proud of Equipment: Enormous Pistol (Range
them. Dapper Donny would never let his 12/24/48, Damage 2d8, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots
guys have fun like that, he’s quick to point 10), big ugly house, giant mountain of cash.
out. It’s all work work work with that guy. Background: His grandfather’s name was
Leopardo and so was his father’s. That
Important Members of the Gorganzua makes him “Young Junior” even though Old
Borgatta Junior has been dead for decades. His fat
As with the Scarpias, we want to give you and useless son Leo is “Little Junior.”
plenty of room to add your own Mafiosi, so Young Junior is a man with a lot of
we’ve barely detailed any of the Captains regrets. There’s all kinds of stuff he could
who serve under Young Junior. The listings have stolen, all kinds of big scores he could
on the following pages detail the family’s have made, but his family didn’t have the

223
manpower or firepower to do it. His biggest into a fight. This makes his underlings even
rivals, the Igglioni Family, collapsed and fell more anxious to deal with Tiny Tina rather
into disarray and he was unable to capitalize than the boss himself, despite her uncertain
on it. The Scarpias muscled him out of it, temper. It seems odd to a lot of people that
just like they always seem to muscle him a man with no conscience should have so
out of everything. These days the many regrets.
smuggling operations at Greely Point and
the Bedlam Airport are doing a lot better “Tiny” Tina Gorganzua
than anyone expected, but Young Junior is
sure the Scarpias will take that away from
him, too. What can he do? There are more
of them.
These days he’s rather spend his
time watching the History Channel than
running the family anyway. All that
gangster stuff’s a load of crap—but then so
is everything else.
Cranky, vicious, mean and old,
Young Junior is still a scoundrel, through-
and-through, and still personally dangerous.
He never goes anywhere unarmed and he
has a violent temper. Over the years he has
killed more than twenty people and he
thinks nothing of it at all. Not only is he still
a killer, but he’s also still a thief. Being a
criminal and a rascal is in his nature. If he
can see a way to get out of paying a fifty- Wild Card
cent parking meter, he’ll do it. He still Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
shoplifts whenever he gets the chance and Strength d10, Vigor d8
he never dines in a restaurant unless he’s Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Knowledge
using a stolen credit card. The food just (Criminal Underworld) d10, Knowledge
tastes better to him if it’s stolen. (Bedlam) d6, Notice d6
For the most part he stays in his Charisma: -3; Pace: 5; Parry:4;
giant, ugly house in the gated Stone Ridge Toughness: 7
community and spends little time on the Edges: Connections (Criminal Underworld,
streets of his old neighborhood in Greely major), Frenzy, Rich
Point. People think he does this to stay Hindrances: Mean, Obese, Quirk (nervous,
aloof and mysterious, but in fact he does it violent temper, minor)
because he no longer cares very much Background: In most mafia families, it
about what happens to the neighborhood, would be unthinkable for a woman to inherit
He lets Tiny Tina run the family, for the the role of Don. But Tiny Tina’s brother
most part, but she still answers to him “Little Junior” is such an absolutely useless
whenever he feels like exerting himself. clown that she has had to step into the role
Unlike Dapper Donny, Leo takes a of heiress and de-facto Underboss.
keen interest in the world around him and A nervous woman, she copes with
loves documentaries on history—particularly her many anxieties by shouting, throwing
the history of World War Two. tantrums and stuffing her face. She’s a
Cantankerous and aggressive, he sloppy eater with the table manners of a
loves to pick arguments with people and is rampaging Hun, and always seems to have
capable of turning almost any conversation food on her face and on her expensive,

224
tasteless clothes. Everything about her is Leo “Little Junior” Gorganzua
grandiose and immense. She has “big
hair” like few people have seen since the
1990s. She wears screamingly bright
colors and she talks very loud, with great
sweeping gestures that make her outsized
jewelry clank and jangle. She likes guys a
lot, the smaller and more waif-like the
better. But she has been without a
regular boyfriend for a while. The love of
her life was a skinny, buck-toothed
chinless little guy named Rocco “The
Stick” Mazzarello, but he disappeared a
couple of years ago. Everybody always
assumed that he was either dating her to
get closer to her dad, or that she was
somehow blackmailing him into being her
boyfriend. They whisper behind her back
that she must have killed him in one of
her temper tantrums. Maybe she figured
out that he wasn’t really into her?
While she does have a violent
temper, Tina tries hard not to kill anybody
Wild Card
unless it really has to be done. The
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
Gorganzuas have survived by being low-
d8,
key and killing as few people as possible,
Strength d10, Vigor d8
and she understands this policy. Still, she
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Knowledge
has lost control and made mistakes on
(Criminal Underworld) d8, Knowledge
occasion. But not like the kind of
(Bedlam) d6, Streetwise d8
mistakes her useless brother Leo has
Charisma: -3; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
made.
Toughness: 6
She is a good tactician, if not a
Edges: Connections (Criminal
great one, and she’s determined to make
Underworld, major), Frenzy, Rich
a success out of the family business,
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Quirk
enfeebled though the Gorganzuas are
(has no self-control, minor), Yellow
these days. She lives in the old Italian
Background: A constant screw-up, weak
neighborhood in Greely Point, on Moon
and unstable, if Little Junior weren’t Don
Avenue. She also spends a lot of time at
Leopardo’s son he would have long since
her father’s house in the Stone Ridge
been buried in an unmarked grave. Not
gated community, learning the old man’s
that he isn’t violent. In fact when he’s
secrets and taking down his instructions.
depressed he’s downright bloodthirsty.
They say that Tiny Tina can
But that’s part of the problem. He’s
smother a man to death in the folds of her
totally unpredictable and badly out of
flesh, and that she has done this on
control.
occasion to henchmen who have failed
In person he’s a big fat middle-
her. She neither confirms nor denies this
aged guy with an untidy mop of curly hair
rumor. She does however get really mad
that never behaves no matter what he
if anyone mentions it in front of her.

225
does to it. He always seems to be
sweating and his skin looks shiny and wet.
He cries and laughs really easily,
sometimes at once.
Little Junior sometimes picks fights
with people for no reason and kills or
maims them. He also gives people
outlandish gifts for no reason. He’ll
decide that someone is his best buddy,
chum around with them constantly, taking This federation of African-American gangs
their advice and imitating their doesn’t really have a name. The gangs
mannerisms, making an absolute themselves are all named after sports
overbearing pest of himself, then he’ll teams, and wear the teams’ hats and
suddenly weary of their company and insignia as their gang colors. Eentsy Z
have them beaten up or worse. Right himself is a Devil Ray.
now, outlaw biker Bruno “Pookie” Mordella The way in which you wear your
is in the process of becoming his new best colors also provides coded information
pal. about you. If for example your cap-brim
A chronic and compulsive gambler, is turned to the left, it means that they
Little Junior makes stupid bets, plays are here unofficially, on their own
cards badly and then tries to cover his business. If the cap is turned to the right,
losses by killing the guys he owes money it means they are here on official gang
to. He’s also really jealous, and he’ll get business.
fixated on other peoples’ success and try Most street gangs in Wolverton
to do them harm. are really coalitions. It’s a feudal
Right now one of the Scarpia arrangement. Each gang will be
Family’s associates, “Dandy Joe” Slorkin, comprised of a number of different “sets”
is the object of his jealous hatred. Little of small groups of friends, that all owe
Junior doesn’t think it’s fair that somebody fealty (in theory) to a single Warlord or
who isn’t even Sicilian should have risen President. So for example, Eentsy Z’s old
so far so fast, while he, who should have gang, the Devil-Rays, is made up of
everything by right, gets sidelined by his smaller groups like the Stone Killah Devil
pop. He’s positively obsessed with Dandy Rays, the Notorious Mortlake Devil Rays,
Joe and looking hard for a way to hurt Lucifer’s Own Devil Rays, the Larchmont
him. Avenue Devil Rays and others.
Wile he is technically a “Made A gang member’s first loyalty is
Guy” it’s only because he’s the boss’ son often to their set, not their President. The
and none of the other capos give him any individual sets aren’t necessarily all
respect. Little Junior actually has a fairly located in one area—often they’re spread
large crew, but they’re all either ambitious around and interpenetrate other gangs’
climbers who are trying to get closer to territories. The sets in a gang don’t
the Boss through his son, or hopeless, always get along with one another, either.
useless losers like Little Junior himself. So And sometimes a whole set will switch its
they’re either fundamentally disloyal, or affiliation to another gang (in fact that’s
can’t be trusted to go across the street by how the infamous nation-wide gang called
themselves without screwing it up.

226
the Bloods got founded, when some Eentsy Z
renegade sets of the Crips in Compton
broke away and made common cause
with their enemies.)
Eentsy Z’s group is therefore really
a coalition of coalitions. They’re big. He
can call on more than thirty sets and has
well over three-hundred troops. Most of
the individual sets are loyal to the
common cause (the Mara are pretty scary)
but it’s hard for Eentsy Z to bring force
rapidly to bear on a target when he has to
talk to all the individual presidents and
have them each call up their individual
sets. The Mara are way better organized,
and while they may have less guys, they
can call more of them up quickly and
direct them at a single target.
While their habit of wearing
sports-team clothes as a means of gang
identification used to throw off the cops
and school authorities, they’ve long since
cracked the code, so these days they
don’t wear their colors as openly. The
only certain way to identify a member’s
gang and set is by their tattoos. While
the coalition doesn’t really have an official Wild Card
name or a specific tag, some members Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
have taken to writing a stylized “Z” or the d10, Strength d4, Vigor d8
number 26 in strategic spots to warn the Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate
Mara away from their turf. Some of them d8+2, Knowledge (Bedlam Underground)
(especially Eentsy Z’s own Devil Rays) d8, Notice d8+2, Shooting d8, Stealth d8,
have taken to calling the coalition “the Streetwise d8, Taunt d6+2, Throwing d6
Last of the Last” because Z is the last Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
letter of the alphabet. Toughness: 5
They hate the letter “M” and will Edges: Alertness, Charismatic, Command,
always replace it with either a 3 (an M Improved Dodge, First Strike, Hold the
turned on its side) or a “W” (an M turned Line, Level-Headed, Natural Leader,
upside down.) While they have no official Quick, Strong Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate
and Taunt)
hand-sign, some members have taken to
Hindrances: Mean, Enemy (Chunk-
signaling by drawing a “Z” in the air with
Style), Enemy (the Jigsaw Man), Youth
one finger.

227
Gear: Sword (1d8+1d4 Damage unless he Eentsy-Z’s Soldiers
has heated it up in his flamethrower, in Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
which case it does 1d8+1d6), Flamethrower Strength d6, Vigor d6
(Damage 2d10, uses the Cone Template. Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
The user makes a shooting roll at a +2 Notice d6, Shooting d6, Throwing d6
bonus. Then anyone standing in the Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
template must try to beat that roll with an Toughness: 5
Agility roll or get scorched) Edges: —
Hindrances: —
Background: By the time he was in fifth Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
grade, Eentsy Z had killed more people that RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7)
either of his older brothers. By now he has
personally executed at least twelve and
possibly a lot more. He likes to kill people
for trivial reasons (stepping on his perfect There are still at least three independent
white tennis shoes, cutting him off in traffic, street gangs who have for one reason or
interrupting him while talking on the phone) another refused to join Eentsy Z’s coalition.
but only because it makes him look crazy They are the “A”s, the “O”s, and the
and dangerous. He’s not the kill-crazed secretive Ravens. Like all of Wolverton’s
homicidal psychopath he pretends to be. In gangs, they are named after sports teams
fact he’s totally in control of himself. and they wear the caps and sometimes the
Human life doesn’t mean a thing to him, one jerseys of those teams to identify
way or another, so he doesn’t really take themselves.
any pleasure in killing people. He only does In order for the GM to have a gang
it if he thinks he can gain some advantage of his or her own to detail, we aren’t going
by it. Of course “looking scary and tough” is to provide any information about the Os,
an advantage, so no one around him is ever apart from the fact that they are less
exactly safe. numerous than the Ravens or the As. We’re
He has somehow managed to also going to leave the size of the three
construct an improvised, short-range gangs a little less than totally precise, so
flamethrower out of a blowtorch, and that the GM can have them able to provide
constantly wears it on his back. He also however much cannon fodder seems
carries a faux-Japanese sword that he drastically appropriate for a scene.
boosted from a martial arts shop when he
was six. He lugs the sword around partly
for sentimental reasons—it’s the first thing
he ever saw in a shop window and wanted
badly enough to steal. But he also carries it
because people are scared to death of the
weapon. Sometimes he heats it up with his The third largest criminal group in
flamethrower and does terrible things to Wolverton, bigger than any single gang in
people with the glowing hot blade. Eentsy Z’s coalition. They hate the Mara,
It would be a mistake to say that he who impinge directly on their territory up by
loves setting guys on fire with his Ellmore Avenue and they are aggressive in
flamethrower. In fact he more sort of loves keeping them out of their turf. Their leader,
how afraid everyone gets when they see Chunk-Style, is charismatic, resourceful and
him do it. People will do all kinds of stuff to a solid tactician. They seem like ideal allies
avoid having him use the flamethrower on for the coalition. But Eentsy Z killed Chunk-
them. And it’s very important to have a way Style’s younger brother in a playground
to make people fear him more than the dispute over a game of freeze-tag, and
Mara.

228
Chunk-Style has sworn revenge. This was Chunk-Style
Eentsy Z’s first kill and Chunk-Style has Wild Card
waited nine years for the boy to get old Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
enough to pay for his crime. He’s not about Strength d6, Vigor d8
to give up his vengeance now. Charisma: 0; Pace: 7; Parry: 6;
While the As are more than willing Toughness: 7
to fight the Mara, they’re badly Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Notice d8+2,
outnumbered and suffer from a shortage of Shooting d10, Streetwise d10, Throwing d6
firearms. Eentsy Z has been using his Edges: Alert, Command, Fleet-Footed,
influence with the Rock to choke off the A’s Improved Dodge, Hold the Line, Rock and
supply of guns, in hopes of forcing them to Roll
join him. Hindrances: Obese, Vow (to avenge his
The As have about six loyal “sets” little brother’s death, no matter what the
(the Ellmore A’s, the Insane Killah A’s, the cost to himself or anyone else)
Larchmont A’s, the Skull Mafia A’s, the Trey Gear: Mac 10 Machine Pistol (Range
Bleeker A’s, and the South Ellmore A’s) who 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, RoF 4, Shots
Chunk-Style can always count on, and 40), really expensive (but now outdated)
another two who are less reliable (the cell phone
“Original A’s” and the Playa’ Dog A’s.) This Background: Everyone is shocked at what
gives him maybe a hundred troops, plus a a great dancer Chunk-Style is. He’s
lot of hangers-on who like the A’s parties incredibly light on his feet for such a
but wouldn’t take a bullet for them. massive guy, and an elusive target in
Because they hate Eentsy Z’s group, combat. He’s also extremely cautious, and
the A’s never use the letter Z, and will try to very good at sensing danger. This trait
replace any word that contains a “Z” with continues to keep him alive.
one that rhymes with it. Their usual symbol Chunk-Style never looks scared. He
is an “A” or the number 1. Their hand- scowls a lot and does a good job of looking
signal is either the index finger touching the like a threat (his massive bulk helps) but he
pinky (this looks a little like an “A”) or one keeps his many anxieties on the inside.
index finger upraised. This last gesture He still weeps for his little brother,
makes Eentsy Z call them “nosepickers”, and and even though some part of him knows
the insult hurts, so they don’t use it as much it’s foolish, he’ll do anything, make any
anymore. sacrifice, to bring down Eentsy Z. His troops
Because Eentsy Z’s coalition is haven’t figured this out yet, which is a good
starting to be known as the “Last of the thing for him. If they do, they’re sure to
Last”, the A’s sometimes refer to themselves start wondering if they’re really willing to be
as the “First of the First.” sacrificed for his personal crusade.
The A’s have three primary safe
houses, all of them single-family bungalows
that look no different from the homes
around them. Chunk-Style lives out of the
back of his SUV—an older model Cadillac
Escalade with badly scratched-up doors. He The Ravens (or the Darkwater Ravens”)
calls it his “mobile command center” and he were formed as a kind of mutual defense
seldom gets out of it, conducting all his society for kids who felt pressured to join
business while in motion. other gangs (especially the A’s, who had a
Someone has been trying to kill number of sets on Darkwater Street.) A
Chunk-Style over the past few months. He’s gang for kids who didn’t want to join any
been shot at six times in public places, gangs, they had no leaders at first. They
always from a distance. No shooter has accepted boys and girls alike and banded
ever been caught. Is the Mara trying to do together to repel outsiders, but were
away with him? Is it Eentsy Z? Is it uninterested in grabbing turf or selling dope.
someone else?

229
 Then Lawanda Corby showed up.
She was Melvin Hampton’s girlfriend. No
one knew precisely what school she went
to or who her parents were, but she was
beautiful and fascinating. She seldom
spoke and sometimes said strange things
that made no sense, or that made people
run screaming for no obvious reason. For decades, the serious rackets in
Someone murdered Melvin last Wolverton have been divided up between
year and Lawanda grew deeply morose. Rock Johnson and Lincoln Stone. The
Most of the remaining gang members street gangs used to be recruiting pools
were completely obsessed with her by for them, the same way the gangs of
then, and her single-minded pursuit of Stark Hill feed the Mafia’s hunger for new
Melvin’s killers has only made them more talent.
fanatically dedicated to her now. They also used to rely heavily on them for
These days the Ravens are a sort manpower and muscle. They supplied the
of personality cult surrounding Lawanda gangs with drugs and guns and (most
Corby. They are both more and less important of all) the promise of upward
organized than the other gangs. All one mobility, and in exchange the kids did
giant set, they all act in concert, but they favors for them. These favors included
don’t have any official rules or any grand acts of violence, and it was cheaper to let
plan of action, apart from avenging Melvin the kids kill their enemies for nothing than
and worshipping Lawanda. Relatively it was to hire full-time thugs. Perhaps
small, they don’t have a lot of weapons, they came to rely on the gangs just a little
but they do have fanatical devotion to too much.
their cause and to one another. These Now that Eentsy Z has united so
kids would strap on suicide bombs for many of Wolverton’s gangs under one
Lawanda if she asked them. She may ask banner, he has gained a lot more
soon. bargaining power, although he doesn’t
Eentsy Z didn’t pressure the seem to realize it yet. And to the
Ravens very hard to get them to join up. amazement of Wolverton’s aging criminal
They’ve always stuck to themselves–that’s overlords, he has so many troops that
what they’re all about. And anyway he they might not actually be able to take
doesn’t trust Lawanda. him, if they had to.
The Ravens use the team colors, Both Rock Johnson and Lincoln Stone
purple and black. Their hand-signal looks have crews of their own, made up of
like fingers walking, pointed down (sort of battle-scarred older guys with names like
like a capitol “R”) but they seldom use it, Red Deuce and Minnesota Jones, but they
since most members know one another by don’t have a huge amount of manpower.
sight. Their tags include a raven or a They take a cut of the profits from pimps
stylized “23”, and a five pointed star with and fences and in that sense their circle of
a moon over it. 23 is of course the influence is pretty wide. However, it’s all
number of the letter “R.” It also has de-centralized, and their inner cadre of
some interesting meanings in the Cabala. enforcers isn’t very large. Each of them

230
has maybe sixty guys at most—though all Connections, Followers, Inspire, Sweep,
of them are tough old veterans. Wealth
Neither the Rock nor the Stone Hindrances: Heartless
knows quite what to do about this Gear: Concealed body armor (2 points of
situation, so for now they do nothing and Heavy Armor, which does not cover his
hope Eentsy Z takes a while to figure out head), Cane (1d10+1d8 Damage), Pistol
his own strength. Or that the Mara keep (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1,
him busy. Shots 8)
Below we have stat blocks and
background material for Rock Johnson, Background: They call him the Rock,
Lincoln Stone and some of the most and he does in fact resemble a rock, all
prominent members of their respective hairless and pitted and huge. His skin
crews. looks as though it would scrape and gash
you if you brushed up against him, like
Rock Johnson the skin of a shark. This too is an apt
comparison.
A grinning, easygoing, jovial giant
of a man—everyone is always totally
shocked when he kills them. Friendly,
congenial and polite without fail, he
always, always smiles. He’ll smile when
he kills you, he’ll smile if you defeat him,
and he’ll ask if you’d like another slice of
cornbread. As he likes to say, he’s
everybody’s friend, but friendship only
runs so deep.
A cheerful liar, he never keeps his
word and he betrays his allies the moment
it’s to his advantage. He holds no
grudges and he keeps no promises.
Everything is all just business to him.
Beat him with style and he’ll actually be
amused, rather than vengeful.
No one really knows where the
Wild Card Rock lives. If he wants to talk to you, he’ll
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit have you sent for, but he’ll always meet
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8 you at one of his businesses. A nightclub
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate or a pool hall or a chop shop or a
d6, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d10, warehouse full of stolen goods. They say
Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Shooting d6, he lives over one of the illegal nightclubs
Streetwise d10, Taunt d8, Throwing d6 that he runs, but these places change
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; location so frequently that this doesn’t
Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor) really narrow it down too much.
Edges: Charismatic, Command,

231
Lincoln Stone life behind bars for a crime he swears he did
not commit—his brother’s murder. And to
be truthful, family is very important to him.
It’s perhaps the one thing he believes in.
The Stone is loyal, in a way that the
Rock is not. If he gives his word, he will
keep it no matter what the cost to himself or
anyone else. This is not always a good
thing. When he gives his word, he’s usually
swearing revenge on someone. His grudges
run long and deep. If you were his brother
or his friend he’d defend you to the death,
but his brother is dead and the Stone is
nobody’s friend.
Despite having been incarcerated in
Bald Knob Penitentiary for years, he has no
difficulty running his organization from
behind bars and he still knows everything
that happens in Wolverton. Not that people
come visit him very much. Everybody
knows where to find the Stone, he says, but
nobody wants to. Not his four ex-wives, not
Wild Card
his seven kids and none of his sixteen
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
grandchildren. Only Jackie Jones (see Page
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
166) seems to be able to tolerate his
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Intimidate
company. If you meet him, you’ll see why.
d10+2, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld)
d10, Notice d8, Shooting d6, Streetwise d10,
Johnny DeWinters
Taunt d8+2, Throwing d6
Wild Card
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 8;
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d8,
Toughness: 7
Strength d12, Vigor d8
Edges: Block, Command, Connections,
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Intimidate d8,
Followers, Frenzy, Hard to Kill, Hold the
Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d8, Notice
Line, Improved Nerves of Steel, Strong-
d6, Shooting d4, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6
Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate and Taunt),
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 8;
Tough as Nails, Wealth
Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor)
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heartless,
Edges: Block, Brawny, Connections, Dodge,
Mean
Improved Frenzy, First Strike, Hard to Kill,
Gear: Homemade knife (1d8+1d4 Damage)
Harder to Kill, Mighty Blow, Sweep
Hindrances: Heartless, Mean
Background: They call him the Stone and
Gear: Concealed body armor (2 Heavy
he does in fact resemble a stone, all gray
Armor, only covers his torso), Brass
and cold and hard. He is old now, but he
knuckles (1d12+1d6 Damage)
hasn’t exactly mellowed with the years.
With his huge muscles, long white
Background: Former heavyweight boxing
beard and glaring eyes, he looks like an Old
champion turned mob enforcer, he prefers
Testament prophet, or perhaps like a
to be called “the baddest mother#@%&er in
wrathful God. He has scowled so long and
the universe.” In a universe without
so hard at the world that his brows are
superheroes, that might actually be true.
crinkled in a permanent frown. He probably
He’s Lincoln Stone’s most visible presence in
couldn’t stop scowling if he wanted to, but
the neighborhood, regulating rackets and
he never wants to.
collecting on debts. They send DeWinters
Despite all the terrible things that he
when they need to scare the crap out of
has done, he was condemned to live out his

232
someone and he does this without having to No Mercy
try very hard. Hindrances: Heartless
His reputation alone is enough to do Powers: Fearless
that. He killed three men in the ring, and Gear: Concealed body armor (2 points of
the third one he bit to death when it Heavy Armor, which does not cover his
became clear that he would lose the fight. head), Straight Razor (2d6 Damage),
He did some time for that last one and in Silenced Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage
the joint he hooked up with Lincoln Stone. 2d6, RoF 1, Shots 8)
Now that he’s back outside DeWinters can’t
get a job in the world of boxing, but finds to Background: One of Rock Johnson’s chief
his surprise that he prefers being a thug lieutenants, everyone calls him “Six Degrees
even more. It’s way more fun to hit people Kelvin” because he seems to know every
who can’t fight back. last person in Wolverton—and because he’s
He’s a gigantic bald guy, as big as a so cold. “DeWinters is cold” they say, “but
football player, with a shaved head, a not like Six Degrees Kelvin.” He’s the guy
goatee, sunglasses and a gold hoop earring. Rock Johnson sends to deal directly with the
He wears a thousand dollar handmade gangs, so a certain cool is required of him.
leather coat with the emblem of the Chicago They’re all a little in awe of his quiet
Bulls on the back. He speaks with a lisp, menace.
and sometimes stutters. Beware him when He’s a tall, dark-skinned man, built
he starts stuttering. It means he’s losing his like a basketball player, with close cropped
temper. hair and a faint, distant smile. He dresses
DeWinters is totally cold-blooded, elegantly, with a long black overcoat and
capable of any crime, but he’s also Armani suits. For some reason he wears
impulsive, prone to take offense over tiny spats. Every time you see him he seems to
things and to fits of open-handed be wearing a different pair of designer
generosity. If he sees a group of kids sitting sunglasses. Underneath, his eyes are a
on the curb in front of an arcade, he might startling blue. No one knows where he
scream at them to get the hell out of his lives—like the Rock himself, he comes and
way, or he might dig a bunch of quarters goes.
from his pocket and tell them to go play Immune to fear, compassion or
video games. If an old lady tells him that guilt, he has a wicked, low-key sense of
the landlord is going to throw her out on the humor and always seems faintly amused.
street, he might go beat the landlord up, or His voice is deep, but quiet and he picks his
he might give her the rent money on the words carefully. Some people say Kelvin
spot, or he might throw her out on the lives by his own personal code of honor.
street himself, through the nearest window. That’s not true, not even remotely, but he is
extremely reasonable, and he never takes
Kelvin Jones insults personally—a dead man can say
Wild Card whatever he pleases.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit It is said that Kelvin Jones has some
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8 kind of serious beef with Detective Johnny
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Intimidate Valentine (see Page 79) but if that’s true he
d8+2, Knowledge (Wolverton) d10, gives no visible sign of it. A patient man, he
Lockpicking d6, Notice d8+2, Persuasion is always prepared to wait for revenge.
d10, Shooting d8, Streetwise d10, Stealth They also say that he’s Jackie Jones’ ex-
d8, Taunt d8+2, Throwing d6 husband and the father of at least one of
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; her daughters. She denies this and says the
Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor) name is a coincidence. A lot of folks are
Edges: Alertness, Charismatic, Combat named Jones, she says. When asked about
Reflexes, Connections, Level Headed, it, Kelvin just smiles.
Improved Dodge, Improved Nerves of Steel,

233
Elwood “Big Daddy” Grimes drugs, as does Eentsy Z. “Six Degrees”
Wild Card Kelvin appears from time to time. Cops
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, from the local precinct also come by to give
Strength d8, Vigor d8 talks and to get to know the kids and Big
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, Daddy is strengthening his ties to them as
Intimidate d8, Knowledge (Criminal well.
Underworld) d8, Lockpicking d6, Notice d6, An interesting kind of hypocrite, he
Persuasion d10, Shooting d6, Streetwise d8, won’t stop his patter about striving, aspiring
Stealth d8, Taunt d6, Throwing d6 and uplifting himself even while he’s selling
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; drugs or having somebody killed. His
Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor) strongest ally is a brilliant young hooligan he
Edges: Charismatic, Combat Reflexes, recruited in prison, named Justice Jackson.
Connections, Level Headed, Nerves of Steel Justice is his acolyte, his prodigy, the son he
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (loudmouth never had (well, actually he has four sons,
hypocrite) but they hate him and never come to visit.)
Gear: Concealed body armor (2 points of Justice is incredibly loyal to Big
Heavy Armor, which does not cover his Daddy, but it doesn’t go both ways. He’d
head), Knife (1d8+1d4 Damage), Pistol cheerfully sacrifice his prodigy if it gained
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1, him a moment’s advantage, but for now the
Shots 6) boy is far too useful.

Background: Big Daddy has the voice of a Justice Jackson, aka Justice Grimes,
preacher, the eyes of a martyr and the soul aka Big Daddy Junior
of a hungry python. Stringy, ropy and long,
everything he says sounds like a scriptural
quotation, as spoken by an eloquent
barracuda. He speaks long and passionately
about the need to keep kids off the street,
to give them a chance to aspire, to pick the
path of the righteous. Then he beckons
them into the Wolverton Community Center,
where he sells them drugs and stolen guns
and sometimes executes them. Under his
stern moral guidance, the Community
Center has flourished, offering midnight
basketball, self-improvement courses and
heroin to those who attend. And sometimes
death, but only if they owe Big Daddy
money.
“Aspire,” says the sign over the
door. He’s fond of pointing to it, for it’s his
favorite word. And he does indeed have
aspirations. He will explain to anyone who
listens that he knows the temptations of the
street. He dealt drugs and did unrighteous
things once. He still does, of course, but he
usually leaves that part out.
His aspirations have carried him a
long way, from low-level street dealer to
Wild Card
one of Rock Johnson’s most important
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
henchmen, entrusted with the Community
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Center itself. Lincoln Stone’s men often
Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d8, Guts d6,
stop by to chat, or to pick up shipments of
Intimidate d6, Knowledge (Criminal

234
Underworld) d6, Knowledge (Poetry) d6, His prison mentor was Elwood “Big
Notice d8+2, Persuasion d6, Shooting d8, Daddy” Grimes, and the two of them were
Streetwise d8, Stealth d8, Taunt d8, released at around the same date. Justice’s
Throwing d6 father wanted nothing more to do with him,
Charisma: +4; Pace: 8; Parry: 5; so Elwood became his dad. He’s totally
Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor) dedicated to the man and often gives his
Edges: Alertness, Attractive, Charismatic, last name as “Grimes.” The two of them
Connections, Fleet-Footed, Improved run the Wolverton Community Center as
Dodge, Quick their own personal fiefdom under the distant
Hindrances: Loyal, Stubborn, Youth but watchful eye of Lincoln Stone.
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, Handsome, dark-skinned and small
RoF 1, Shots 6) for his age, Justice isn’t bulky but he’s wiry
and as quick as a snake. He often speaks in
Background: A lot of kids dream of getting rhyme.
out of Wolverton by becoming athletes or Justice’s experiences have made
criminals. Justice Jackson actually tried him bitter, angry, and increased his sense of
poetry instead. This worked even less well narcissism. He’s an eloquent speaker, but
than you’d expect. don’t let it fool you. He’s boiling with rage
A talented fifteen-year-old writer, behind his smile. The fact that he can’t
the darling of every English teacher he ever seem to write poetry anymore just makes it
had, Justice dreamed of becoming the next worse.
Langston Hughes. Although he was big and Justice has never committed an act
strong enough to be an athlete, he avoided of violence against a woman or a child, but
team sports as carefully as he avoided the that’s mostly because Big Daddy has never
gangs, focusing all his efforts on writing. asked him to. He’d do anything at all for his
The results were promising, if overwrought. surrogate father and he’d rationalize it
The kind of stuff a talented adolescent afterwards, but he’d find harming an
would be expected to write. His poems innocent to be pretty distasteful. He would
were largely polemics about how tough never take a hostage to save his own life or
things were in Wolverton—gangster rap with freedom, but he might do it to save Big
a more complicated rhyme scheme. Daddy.
He submitted a bunch of them in
person to his school’s literary magazine. As Coffin and Toombs (both share the same
he handed them to the editor, he stat block)
impulsively said “you better be careful, Wild Card
there’s a bomb in there.” Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
He meant that his poetry was d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
explosive, but the cops didn’t care. And he Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidate
was unlucky enough to draw Judge Barry d6+2, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d6,
Krummel, aka “Barry the Hammer” (you can Lockpicking d8, Notice d8+2, Shooting d10,
find out more about him on Page 96.) Tried Streetwise d8, Stealth d10, Throwing d6
as an adult for making a bomb threat, he Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
was not allowed to tell the jury that he had Toughness: 8 (2 Heavy Armor)
meant the word “bomb” purely as a Edges: Combat Reflexes, Dead Shot,
metaphor. Judge Krummel held that the Improved Level Headed, Improved Nerves
only thing at issue was whether or not of Steel, Marksman, No Mercy, Quick, Quick-
Justice had uttered the offending words. Draw, Steady Hands, Strong-Willed (+2 to
Sent to Bald Knob Penitentiary, Justice resist Intimidate and Taunt), Trademark
endured a lot of horror and misery over the Weapon (light-caliber pistol)
next two years. He joined Lincoln Stone’s Hindrances: Heartless
prison gang purely for survival and soon Gear: Concealed body armor (2 points of
learned how to defend himself. Heavy Armor, which does not cover his

235
head), Silenced Pistol (Range 12/24/48, his “ignorant countrified ways” but in fact
Damage 2d6-1, RoF 1, Shots 8) Toombs is the deep thinker of the two. He
reads Plato and Thomas Paine and has a
Background: Leroy Coffin and Wallace poster of Martin Luther King on his wall.
“Silky” Toombs are getting old, but they’re Coffin, on the other hand, takes no interest
still Wolverton’s premier hit men. They in anything but shooting pool, playing with
normally work as a pair, but they take on his grandkids and killing people.
independent work as well. Both will Both men love pool and are
freelance out to either the Rock or the diabolically good at it. That’s usually where
Stone, but they won’t kill members of either you’ll find them if you need them for a job.
one’s inner circle without explicit permission Shooting pool and talking quietly in some
from both of them. It could cause hard smoky little basement dive. Their aim never
feelings if they knocked over a man’s fails.
drinking buddies without asking him first.
Everybody in the neighborhood has
heard of these guys, but no one seems to
know what they look like. That’s by design,
as Toombs would say. They are both
careful, cautious men who know that in their
profession staying a shadow is an important
part of staying alive. They strike from
behind, in the dark, when you aren’t
expecting it. Usually even the target never
sees them. And unless they’ve been asked
to send a message, they either disappear
the mark or they make it look like a robbery.
They take particular pride in their ability to
stage accidents, but neither the Rock nor
the Stone likes their enemies to die in fake
accidents. They want their fellow denizens
of the underworld to know it’s a murder and
heed the warning. While this is
disappointing, both Coffin and Toombs take
it all in stride, as they do most of life’s
disappointments.
They aren’t related, but they look Everyone fears the Mara. But while they
almost identical, and they have the same work really hard to keep up their sinister
stats. Skinny older guys with shaved heads, reputation, a lot of it is just for show. They
black leather jackets and fedoras, an don’t always, for example, cut the heads off
indefinable air of menace surrounds them their enemies’ children, but they have done
both. Their faces look quiet, watchful, it enough times to make everyone think
guarded and blank. People tend to fall they might.
silent when either one of them walks into a Like the gangs of Wolverton, the
room, without being sure why. Mara are organized into “sets” or smaller
Their personalities and backgrounds gangs. Unlike the sets that comprise
are actually rather different. Leroy Coffin is Wolverton’s gangs, these are not semi-
from Chicago, where he has a wife, six kids autonomous groups. Every last member
and ten grandchildren. He lives a double owes personal loyalty directly to the Jigsaw
life, and tells his family that he works as a Man and the Mara as a whole, not to their
tramp electrician when he isn’t around. individual set. When the Mara need to
Silky is from the deep woods of attack a target, every team’s leader gets a
Georgia. A lifelong bachelor, he lives alone page on their beeper and they immediately
with his books. Coffin likes to poke fun at

236
mobilize as one force. Most gang leaders and two fingers on the other, then cross one
only dream of being able to do that. hand over the other, with the two fingers in
The Latin Aces have been absorbed front. They also sometimes use the Seven
by the Mara and they have been allowed to of Spades as a symbol, or the letter X (for
keep their gang colors, but they are being Xango) or a bloody-mouthed angel they call
allowed to live on probation, and they obey “Madre de Sangre”, who seems to be their
the Jigsaw Man as completely as any of the version of the Virgin Mary.
other sets. Yet the individual sets inside the Whether or not the Jigsaw Man has
Aces do still get into fights with one another actual superhuman powers depends on how
over old grudges and drug turf. That’s a big big a threat you would like to make him,
part of what makes Lucius Hardwick and on how prominent you want the war
Memorial Park so dangerous. between the gangs of Wolverton and
Associate members of the gang are Hardwick Park to be. With this in mind,
knows as Xangadors, team leaders are we’ve given you two different versions of
called Brujo Boys or Witch-Boys. Their the Jigsaw Man—one with powers and one
leader’s official title is the Bababruja, or the without.
Rey des Brujas, but everyone just calls him For a “big finish” ending, the Jigsaw
“the Jigsaw Man” or “Him.” No one knows Man might wind up calling down the power
his name. There are no photographs of of Xango, transforming himself into a living
him. They say his face does not come out god just in time for the Player Characters to
in pictures. kick down his door and fight him. We’ve
Unlike Voodoo, Macumba or given you stats for the living incarnation of
Candomble, the version of Santeria that the Xango, just in case. Please remember that
Mara practice is more influenced by Central Xango is too strong for a human body to
American Indian beliefs than by African contain for very long, and anyone who
tribal religions, although they have gathered undergoes the transformation is on a suicide
in bits and pieces from all kinds of different run. To give the Jigsaw Man henchmen
occult traditions. They sacrifice blood and who measure up, assume that the vast
booze and pain to the Santos (sometimes majority of his troops are just gang kids, but
they call them Orishas or Nomnos) and hold give him an inner circle of Witch-Boys who
rituals at certain phases of the moon. are more formidable. We’ve included two
Chief among their Santos is Xango, versions of his core group, with two sets of
lord of fire and steel. He is the Santo de stats. One has magic powers, one does not.
Guerro who offers victory in war and Even if the Mara have access to real
protection from bullets. magic, it’s probably better for dramatic
The Mara’s gang symbols are also purposes if their powers are limited to
the symbols of their religion. A black casting elaborate rituals, or to techniques
rooster, a crucified dog, the cross with the that don’t have visible effects. So, for
letter “M” superimposed, the number seven. example, they might have a ritual that
Their most common symbol is three sticks grants them some points of Protection from
bound together in a shape like an asterisk. bullets, but it wouldn’t make them glow or
No one outside the group knows what this make bullets visibly change course to avoid
means. Their members frequently have the them. Instead of having the ability to shoot
images of saints tattooed across their lightning bolts or breathe flame, they should
bodies, along with the number seven and/or whisper prayers over their guns that make
crucified dogs. Sometimes they call their them do more damage. The Jigsaw Man
inner cadre the “Sangre Seven.” himself might have the ability to make his
Their hand-sign is made with seven enemies fall down and die just by looking at
fingers. Hold up five fingers on one hand them, but even this is pushing it a little.

237
Generic Chollo Gear: Machete (d6+2 Damage), Pistol
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1, AP
2, Shots 7)

Background: To become a member of

the Jigsaw Man’s inner circle, you have to
prove yourself many times in combat.
Each of the Brujo Boys is a veteran of
countless fights. They claim to be
fanatically loyal to the Jigsaw Man, but it
would be more accurate to describe them
as being really scared of him.

Brujo Boy (With Magic Powers)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate
d8, Knowledge (secret rites of the Mara)
d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d8,
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit Throwing d6
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate Toughness: 7 (2 points of Heavy Armor)
d6, Knowledge (secret rites of the Mara) Edges: Improved Frenzy
d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Hindrances: Heartless, Loyal (to the
Throwing d6 Mara), Quirk (deathly afraid of the Jigsaw
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Man), Vengeful
Toughness: 5 Powers:
Edges: — • Armor (2): Heavy Armor, requires
Hindrances: Loyal (to the Mara) Activation
Gear: Machete (d6+2 Damage), Pistol • Detect/Conceal Arcana
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1, AP • Dispel
2, Shots 7) • Immunity: Takes only half damage
from bullets
Brujo Boy (Low-Powered Version) Gear: Machete (d6+2 Damage), Pistol
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1, AP
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 2, Shots 7), Cell-Phone
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate Background: Despite being more
d8, Knowledge (secret rites of the Mara) powerful, these Brujo Boys are even more
d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d8, afraid of the Jigsaw Man than his
Throwing d6 mundane henchmen, since they have a
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; better understanding of what he can do to
Toughness: 5 them. They normally use their “Artificer”
Edges: Improved Frenzy feat to make magical potions and
Hindrances: Heartless, Loyal (to the powders, which is why they have the skill
Mara), Vengeful “Craft (Chemical.)”

238
The Jigsaw Man (Without Gear: Machete (d6+2 Damage), Uzi (Range
Superpowers) 12/24/48, Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40),
Cell Phone

Background: The GM has some choices to

make with the Jigsaw Man. He is either a
charlatan with no real magic powers, or an
actual sorcerer. We’ve provided you with
two sets of stats for him, so you can have it
either way.
Whichever he is, the Jigsaw Man’s
background remains much the same. And
even if he doesn’t have magical powers, he’s
plenty scary enough.
Born, like the Mara, in the steaming
jungles of Honduras, he’s a member of a
little-known ethnicity called the Garifuna.
They’re partly the descendants of African
slaves from the Caribbean and partly
descended from the last vestiges of the
Caribbean’s indigenous population. They
live deep in the swamp along Honduras’ wild
northern coast and have little contact with
The Jigsaw Man (With Powers)
the world. They’ve handed down some
Wild Card
strange traditions from Africa, mixed in with
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
some stranger ones from their Indian
Strength d10, Vigor d10
ancestors.
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidate
The Jigsaw Man is light-skinned for
d8, Knowledge (secret rites of the Mara)
a Garifuna but very dark for a Honduran.
d10, Notice d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d8,
People used to have difficulty determining
Survival d6, Streetwise d8, Throwing d6
his ethnicity, even before he picked up all
Charisma: +0 Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
the disfiguring facial scars. He didn’t get his
Toughness: 7 (2 points of Heavy Armor)
scars in a single episode. They accumulated
Edges: Charismatic, Command,
over time, in fights and accidents and
Connections, Fervor, Improved Frenzy, Hold
sacrifices to his weird dark gods.
the Line, Improved Nerves of Steel, Take
His name, should anyone ever learn
the Hit
it, is Ysidro Azul. He hasn’t used it in years.
Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance,
The Jigsaw Man tells himself that he
Enemy (Eentsie Z and the Last of the Last),
isn’t really a torture-crazed psychopath. He
Heartless, Mean, Vengeful
does terrible things to his enemies and their
Powers:
families because it makes people fear him,
• Armor (2): Heavy Armor, requires
and fear is strength. He’s fooling himself.
Activation
In fact he revels in carnage and horror. The
• Awareness
only thing that keeps him from stalking
• Detect/Conceal Arcana
people at random or going berserk in public
• Danger Sense
is that he already gets enough savagery to
• Dispel
slake his blood thirst on the job.
• Heightened Senses
Being feared, being respected and
• Mind Reading
being a successful gangster are actually
• Immunity: Takes only half damage from
more important to him than his own life, as
bullets
anyone who comes up against him in a fight
• Smite: +1d6 to attacks, can make an
will swiftly learn. If he found a way to go
attack into a Heavy Weapon
out in a blaze of glory, he would pick it over

239
being taken alive. A lot of gangsters say Hindrances: Heartless
that about themselves, but he actually Edges: Ambidextrous, Connections, Dodge,
means it. Marksman, No Mercy, Quick, Quick-Draw,
For some reason he takes giving his Two Fisted.
word really seriously. If he makes a Gear: Two Pistols (Range 12/24/48,
promise he will keep it. For this reason, he Damage 2d6, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire
never makes them. 1), Body Armor (2 Heavy Armor, only
protects his torso), Clerical Robes
Xango
Wild Card Background: Our Lady of Xichumel is one
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, of Hardwick Park’s biggest churches. It’s in
Strength d12+1, Vigor d12 pretty poor repair, but it’s popular with
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Notice d6, young people. This is largely because of its
Throwing d8 hip young priest, Father Alfredo Guzman.
Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Everyone calls him “Father Chuey.”
Toughness: 14 (2 Heavy Armor) He’s an important member of the
Hindrances: Clueless, Distinctive Mara and uses his church to store drugs and
Appearance, Mean, Terminally Ill (has less stolen goods for them. The little old ladies
than half an hour to live), Ugly of the neighborhood are bewildered to hear
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), him say that they must be good and pay the
Brawny, Hard to Kill, Mighty Blow, Power Mara their protection money on time, or he
Points, Take the Hit! won’t give them Holy Communion and they’ll
Super Powers: go to Hell. But they obey him anyway. He’s
• Attack: Melee +3d6, Armor Piercing 4, their priest, after all.
Knockback 1d10 A grinning, tattooed psychopath
• Fearless (2) with a ponytail and a lot of gold teeth, he
• Growth (1): Size +1, Monster has something like the status of a Brujo Boy
• Super Attributes (6): (Super Strength) within the organization, although he has no
• Toughness: +5, 2 Heavy Armor, Hardy official rank. When he gives orders,
Background: If you want a big finish to a everyone knows to obey him.
long campaign against the Mara, perhaps Popular with young boys because
the Jigsaw Man transforms himself into the he’s lenient about handing out penance, you
living incarnation of the great god Xango (or can tell him almost anything in the
at least his own twisted version of it) just as confessional booth without shocking him.
the Player Characters kick down his door. But if you confess to snitching on the Mara,
He won’t live long like this—blood is already he may just execute you right there on the
pouring out of his mouth, ears and eyes. spot, without even leaving the booth.
And no man can bear the power of Xango He’s a little forgetful about doctrinal
for more than thirty minutes or so. But he’ll matters, particularly when he’s stoned, and
survive long enough to give the PCs one hell his answers to most religious questions are
of a fight. often hilariously slapdash. Frankly he has
more urgent things to worry about than the
“Father Chuey” nature of the Trinity or the Doctrine of
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Miraculous Transfiguration.
Strength d6, Vigor d6 Sometimes he holds midnight
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, services for private gatherings. These
Knowledge (Theology) d4, Notice d6, services are usually sit-down meetings for
Persuade d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, the Mara, complete with weird and unsavory
Streetwise d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d8 rites. Everyone in the neighborhood knows
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; to stay far away from Our Lady of Xichumel
Toughness: 7 (counting 2 Heavy Armor on on these nights.
his torso)

240
 Primarily a Mexican and Puerto Rican Gang,
they used to be the second largest group in
The Mara have Hardwick Park clamped Hardwick Park. They made common cause
down pretty tightly. The Jigsaw Man has with the Mara against the Reyes, back when
much tighter control over his turf than, for the Jigsaw Man was still a rising power. He
example, Eentsy Z. But there are two other executed most of their leaders anyway and
gangs that share Hardwick Park with him. put the rest in mortal fear of him.
The Latin Aces, who are effectively his They fit right into his system of
vassals, and the tiny, crazy girl-gang called captains, but he lets them wear their old
Los Furies, which is completely independent, gang colors. This helps keep Mexican and
and which he is about to crush. Puerto Rican kids from going out and
There may also be a few scattered forming their own new gangs to oppose
remnants of the neighborhood’s older gangs him. They can join the Latin Aces instead
like the Reyes and the Chosen Few, nursing and have his support instead of his enmity.
their wounds and plotting revenge. They Most of the older members of the
probably won’t survive long enough to get gang are pretty subdued these days.
it. The Jigsaw Man is committed to They’ve all seen the Mara do unspeakable
eliminating every last trace of resistance to things to guys who opposed them—and to
his grip on the neighborhood. Just because their families. They have been allowed to
he has his rivals on their knees doesn’t live on probation and they are frequently
mean that he’s forgotten about them or that reminded of this fact. Going to them for
he’s going to let them live. protection from the Mara will not work. In
fact they are frantically eager to show their
loyalty to their new boss.
Unable to take their frustrations out
on the Mara, the individual sets in the Aces
have begun to turn on one another over old
feuds and turf. The Jigsaw Man doesn’t
care, and may be encouraging this pointless
self-destructive warfare.
Their symbol is an Ace of Spades
with two crossed daggers plunging through
it. Their colors are black and red.
Sometimes they tag street corners with an
“A” superimposed over an “X.” These days
they always put a squiggly little “M” on top,
like a crown. This signifies their subjugation
by the Mara. Their hand-signal is an upright
palm with crossed fingers in front of it (this
sort of resembles a spade with crossed
daggers) or an upraised thumb, with the
fingers extended perpendicular to the wrist.
This looks sort of like an axe (“AX”.)
Every night, each of the surviving
three captains of the Aces has to call a
certain number, and whisper “thank you”
into the silence. They all live haunted by
the knowledge that the Mara are probably
going to kill them off anyway.

241
 outside the sisterhood. Their purpose is
to protect one another and the rest of
their gender. At first revenge on the Mara
was not one of their objectives—even
Dead-Girl didn’t want to do anything that
would give the Jigsaw Man an excuse to
wipe them out. But now their sisters have
been turning up with their heads cut off
and it’s clear that the Mara intend to kill
them all anyway, just because they set a
bad example. So they’ve decided—what
the hell, they may as well go on the
offensive and die fighting.
The Furies have always had a
Most of the Latin girl-gangs in Hardwick cash-flow problem. They sometimes
Park are adjuncts to male gangs. They assault men who have abused women and
have never had any real independence. take their money, they have held up a few
The girls hide stolen goods, help cut small businesses owned by men who they
drugs, shoplift food for the gang and put believe are abusers but they don’t have a
out for any member who tells them to. steady supply of drugs or weapons to sell,
They don’t have any power of their own at Some of them work minimum wage day
all. But when credit card fraud became a jobs and they try to steal as much food as
major source of income for the Mara their they need. Still, if the Mara don’t execute
girls started to gain a little more power them all, the lack of funds and
and respect. Here was a major criminal ammunition will surely cripple them before
enterprise they could really participate in. long. Without telling Dead-Girl Zamora, a
It was only a matter of time small group of the girls are about to start
before they started to assert themselves, robbing banks to provide more funds. But
and the resulting backlash was brutal. even this won’t work out right. The
Quite a few girls died or got beaten up in average take from a bank robbery is only
the purges that followed. One of them, about two-thousand dollars.
Lupe “Dead-Girl” Zamora, lived through a At present, the Furies control
near fatal stabbing and decided to take three safe houses, scattered around
revenge on the men who had injured her. Hardwick Park. They have about twenty
These days, Dead-Girl Zamora leads a dependants—women who have come to
breakaway faction of “Eightball Chicks” them for protection—some of them have
who call themselves Los Furies. brought their kids. That’s a lot of mouths
They are pledged to defending to feed.
their sisters and any other woman who Dead-Girl’s best friend, Mouse, has
comes to them for help. Anyone who the keys to a small warehouse space in
joins must renounce all ties to men, to Greely Point, and the gang may relocate
their families, to God and to anyone over there if things get really desperate.

242
Generic Member of Los Furies Dead-Girl

Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
Notice d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal (to her gang-
sisters), Quirk (doesn’t trust men).
Edges: Charismatic, Command, Leader,
Quick-Draw
Gear: Huge Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
Damage 2d8, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 10)
Background: Small but noisy, Dead-Girl is
intensely charismatic in a fast-talking, jittery
kind of way. She’s eighteen, but she has
lived pretty rough since she was twelve and
looks a lot older. These days she dyes her
hair pink and her skin is unusually pale.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Most people don’t know she’s Hispanic until
Strength d4, Vigor d6 they hear her speak.
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6, Dead-Girl has a teenager’s sense of
Shooting d6, Streetwise d6 outraged justice and is constantly trying to
Edges: Frenzy help people. Often this gets her into
Hindrances: Loyal (to their Sisters in the trouble. She does not trust men and does
Gang) not like Anglos very much.
Gear: Knife (Str+1) or Club (Str +1) or just She’s Salvadoran by birth. Her
possibly a Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage father still lives and works in Hardwick Park.
2d6, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7) He’s an unreliable booze-hound and wants
Background: Somewhere between thirteen nothing more to do with his crazy,
and twenty years old, she’s likely to have troublesome little girl. Her mother died of
seen a lot more horror and death than you alcoholism some years ago, but she was a
would ever expect from such a young girl. sweet woman even when drunk and Dead-
Feverishly loyal to the gang, they are always Girl spent a lot of her time caring for her.
trying to outdo one another and they can Dead-Girl took up with a gang called
become extremely dangerous when in a the Latin Aces before they got absorbed into
group. Morale is very high among rank-and- the Mara. She was always too smart and
file members of the gang, despite their outspoken for them and got hit a lot. When
impending doom. some of the girls started asserting

243
themselves more last year, the Mara Girl’s bed in the hospital every day. Mouse
decided to make an example out of her. got kicked off the basketball team and lost
She hides her facial scars under her hair but her chance at an athletic scholarship by
her emotional ones are a lot more difficult to spending all her time with Dead-Girl in the
conceal. hospital and missing practice. She doesn’t
really care that she threw away her one
Mouse ticket out of Hardwick Park for Dead-Girl. In
fact she feels terrible for having wanted to
leave. She abandoned Dead-Girl when she
most needed support—or that’s the way it
seems to Mouse. Maybe she can make up
for it by dying with her.
Mouse stands just over six feet tall
and looks like an athlete. She’s pretty, but
looks intimidating. She seldom speaks,
except to whisper in Dead-Girl’s ear.

Lucia “One-Eye” Cortez

Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d6,
Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Wild Card
Toughness: 7
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6,
Hindrances: Loyal (to her gang-sisters),
Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Quirk (quiet and shy), Take the Hit.
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Inmtimidate
Edges: Tough as Nails
d6+2, Notice d6, Shooting d8, Streetwise
Gear: Big Knife (d8+1 damage), Pistol
d6, Taunt d6+2
(Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d8, RoF 1, AP
Edges: Dodge, Strong Willed, Trademark
2, Shots 10)
Weapon (pump-action shotgun)
Hindrances: One eye, Vengeful
Background: A big, strong, quiet girl,
Gear: Shotgun (3d6 damage)
Mouse has been Dead-Girl’s protector since
Background: As the Mara put their
kindergarten. She has always been
cigarettes out on her eyeball, Lucia Cortez
fascinated by and in awe of her hyperactive
stopped trusting men for good. She had
little friend. An athlete, Mouse avoided the
been one of a group of girls who ran credit
gangs and drifted apart from Dead-Girl
card scams for the Jigsaw Man and who had
when she vanished into that world.
started to assert their independence a little
Then Dead-Girl turned up mutilated
more. She wasn’t really a ringleader, but
and dying on her doorstep. Mouse knew a
she had an exceptional head for numbers,
lot about first aid and helped her as much
so the Mara assumed that she must have
as she could. Then she sat beside Dead-

244
been one of the ones causing all the trouble were the Half Moons, the Coronets, the
and they made a special example out of her. West Viscounts, the Overlord Viscounts and
After they beat her up, they used the Dukes. Now, as Stark Hill decays and
her left eye as an ashtray, sliced off her their numbers dwindle, they have
mom’s head and left. It wasn’t long before reorganized into three gangs, the Coronets,
she decided to take revenge on all men the Viscounts and the Dukes.
everywhere. She has joined Los Furies in The Half Moons committed some
order to get her chance. crime so terrible that they were disbanded
One of the gang’s most enthusiastic and wiped out, never to be spoken of again,
combatants, she is always the first to while the Overlord Viscounts slipped into
suggest going on the attack and she always such decay that their remaining members
leads the charge. She’s also their best got absorbed by the Coronets.
accountant and has been made club Their whole rationale for existing is
treasurer. She sometimes takes to keep black kids out of the neighborhood,
unnecessary risks and she always goes out but in recent years as Bedlam’s Hispanic
of her way to hurt men. Dead-Girl likes her, population has grown they have grown
but is a little afraid of her. Mouse thinks more and more hostile to the Spanish gangs
she’s trouble. of Hardwick Park.
For her part, One-Eye Cortez envies The exact size of each gang
the close relationship between Mouse and fluctuates, but the Viscounts are always the
Dead-Girl and subtly tries to undermine it— biggest, about twice the size of the Coronets
so far without success. She is at the center and three times as large as the Dukes. All
of the group of girls who have decided to go these gangs are decades old—their new
rob banks, for she knows and worries more tags overlap older, fading versions of the
about the group’s financial difficulties than same graffiti that may have adorned the
anyone. same crumbling walls since the 1950s.
It would be pretty dumb for her to Stark Hill’s gangs have long, proud
participate in bank robberies herself. She and elaborate rituals for initiations,
looks way too distinctive. One-Eye has a expulsions and for conducting official club
black eyepatch and wears her hair long and business. All three are structured much the
straight. She likes to dress up as a same way. A President oversees everything,
revolutionary and often wears camouflage and is officially the leader, but is often a
or long black overcoats with red turtlenecks. figurehead for the Secretary of War, who is
She is never seen without her black cap. in charge of all matters pertaining to the
She carries a shotgun, although that’s not club’s defense. There is also usually a
such a good weapon for somebody with Treasurer who is in charge of the club’s
almost no peripheral vision to have. finances. Answering directly to the
One Eye has two little sisters in the President and the Secretary of War are the
foster care system somewhere. She hopes various Block Captains, each of whom has a
they’ll be safe from the Mara there. If the group of boys under their direct control.
Jigsaw Man finds them, he will most The individual Block Captains
certainly try to use them against her. sometimes grow strong enough to have
gang-names and colors of their own, which
they wear on top of their main gang colors.
So, for example, the Skulls are a subdivision
The venerable “youth clubs” of Stark Hill of the Dukes. They wear black satin
have been running street level rackets for windbreaker jackets with red trim and a gold
fifty years and more. They are and have crown on the back, just like all members of
always been the primary recruiting ground the Dukes, but they also wear pins or
for the Bedlam Mob. bandannas or sometimes t-shirts with skulls
It used to be that there were five on them.
gangs, arranged in a loose confederation Initiation into one of these gangs
against the black gangs of Wolverton. They involves an all-night ritual in which the

245
initiate is blindfolded, made to answer a lot Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
of cryptic sounding questions, and then Knowledge (Stark Hill) d8, Notice d6,
pummeled to a bloody pulp by everyone Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6
present. After their ceremonial beating, Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
they are given their new club jacket. Toughness: 5
The Scarpia crime family recruits Edges: —
soldiers from their ranks—particularly Hindrances: —
Dapper Donny’s old gang the Coronets, but Gear: Switchblade (Str+1 Damage) or Tire
they stay aloof from gang affairs. They Iron (Str+2 Damage).
sometimes ask individual members for
favors, and since everyone knows that doing
favors for Dapper Donny is the right way to
become a Made Guy, most are eager to
comply. After a young man has proved
himself on a few missions, then they may
check his background to make sure he is
completely Sicilian and that there is no stain
on his family history, and if what they find
looks good, they’ll bring him on board as a
“Button Man” and give him a chance to earn
his way into the family itself.
You do not have to be Sicilian to
join one of Stark Hill’s youth gangs. Just
white and Catholic. While only Sicilian kids
have been asked to formally join the Mafia, While quite a few Bedlam cops are dirty,
plenty of Polish, Irish and Czech guys go on willing to break the law or run errands for
to become mob associates—among them the Mafia on an ad-hoc basis, there are two
City Councilman Big Andy Czernik. actual criminal “crews” within the Bedlam
Stark Hill’s Youth Clubs do not City Police, who make a full-time living out
usually carry heavy firearms, but they all of crime. They transport dope and other
have arsenals that they can draw on if they contraband in their squad cars, help fence
have to. Their usual weapons are the stolen goods, steal valuables from the
switchblade knife and the baseball bat, but homes of crime victims, and carry out
if they need to face down (for example) the contract murders for whoever can pay them.
Mara, they will break out the Uzis and AK- They are in effect fully functioning
47s. “associate” crews of the Bedlam Mafia.
Each of the three gangs has its own The first crew is based out of the
Girls’ Auxiliary—comprised of girlfriends and Second Precinct (which includes the Stark
camp followers who hide stolen goods, Hill neighborhood) and is run by hero cop
shoplift and serve the troops in other ways. “Big Chuck” O’Ryan and his brothers, Pat
You can usually identify a Stark Hill gang girl and Mack.
by her brightly colored silk scarf. Only the We’re going to leave the second
really bold ones wear actual gang jackets—it crew completely undefined, so that the GM
can make you a target for cops and rival can have one in reserve if every member of
gangs. These girl-gangs are completely the first crew gets put away. They might be
under the thumb of their male counterparts loyal to the Scarpias or the Gorganzuas,
and have no real independence. they might be based in any one of the
precincts, or scattered throughout the
Generic Stark Hill Gang Member system. Whoever they are, the O’Ryan Boys
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, don’t know them.
Strength d6, Vigor d6

246
 There are roughly twenty members individual members rob banks. They
of the O’Ryan Boys’ crew. All of them are occasionally extort protection money from
Irish, Polish or Italian. No Hispanics or the other residents of the Shady Meadows
African-Americans are ever allowed to join Mobile Home Park, but not in an organized
as full-time partners. Most of them are way. Anyway most folks in the giant trailer
former members of the Viscounts street park don’t have much money to take.
gang in Stark Hill. They run any number of On occasion the Brotherhood tears
illegal operations, from prostitution to into Bedlam and causes some havoc, but
smuggling to murder, but their main they never range north of the Country Club
function is as enforcers for the Scarpia or Ash Street. The Scarpia crime family
Crime family, and as the family’s eyes and sometimes asks them for favors or squeezes
ears within the Bedlam Police. a little money out of them, but mostly
They have contacts in every division leaves them to run their own affairs.
of the Police Department, as well as With just a hundred members or so,
corrections, the sheriff’s office and the state the Brotherhood isn’t big enough to be
police. These contacts are willing to provide organized into a lot of separate crews.
them with information or to look the other Instead they are a single unit, under their
way, but they usually can’t be called on to current Warlord, Delbert Graves, a quiet,
commit serious crimes themselves. The calculating, cold-hearted little man whom
core members of the crew, on the other everyone fears. His bodyguards, Fifi and
hand, are up for anything. Pookie, are his chief lieutenants and enforce
About half of them are patrolmen the Brotherhood’s elaborate code. A lot of
and half are detectives—including one of the their rank-and-file members are bad-
detectives in Internal Affairs. At least five of tempered, ill-disciplined drunks; Graves
their hardcore members are part of the inspires enough respect and fear to keep
SWAT tactical team and all of them can get them in line, so long as he is around.
their hands on heavy military hardware if While their numbers are relatively
they have to. They do not, as of yet, have small, they are linked into a much larger
any core members in the Special Operations nationwide network of meth dealers, biker
Squad, but they would love to expand their gangs and white supremacists. With a few
influence there. They have exceptionally days’ notice, Graves could call in more than
good relations with Stark Hill’s masked a hundred extra troops. Give him a week
vigilante, the Hammer of Justice. and he can bring in supervillains.
People in Shady Meadows don’t like
the Brotherhood and tolerate them mostly
out of fear. It is of course a violent,
unpredictable place and there is no
guarantee that the Graves and his gang will
They say that only one percent of the bikers
be welcome there forever. For the moment
in America are actual criminals. So outlaw
they are the best organized and most
gangs like the Brotherhood proudly call
numerous group of criminals in the trailer
themselves “One-Percenters.” The Brothers
park, so no one else is challenging them. If
themselves are more like half-percenters—
outsiders turn up in Shady Meadows,
even for outlaw bikers they are unusually
looking for trouble with Graves, no one but
savage and violent.
his own men will bother to warn him.
It is one of the Brotherhood’s many
rules that members of the club cannot have
The Chop Shop
straight jobs. They must support
Graves has recently bought a small, run-
themselves entirely through crime. Mostly
down garage and repair shop near Ash
they do this by selling and manufacturing
Street. He intends to use it to dismantle
crank, but they also mug people who stray
stolen cars, but he’s been using it to
onto their turf, carry out contract killings (at
dismantle people instead. The power isn’t
four-hundred dollars per murder, their rates
on yet and none of the equipment still
are extremely reasonable) and sometimes

247
works, but he has a bathtub and some gas- Gear: Huge Knife (d6+1 Damage)
powered chainsaws in the back and he’s •Motorcycle chain (d6+2 Damage).
trying to find a cheap acid that will liquefy • “Broom-handled” Mauser Automatic Pistol
human flesh (so far with no success). The (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, RoF 1,
Chop Shop isn’t anywhere near as efficient AP 3, Shots 10
as the Scarpia crime family’s “Murder •Shotgun (Range 12/24/48, 3d6 Damage)
Machine” and if he has any neighbors they •Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48,
would already be complaining about the Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40)
noise and stink. Graves hasn’t figured out •Fragmentation Grenades (3d6 damage,
what to do with the bodies one he’s taken Medium Burst Radius)
them apart and they’re slowly piling up in Background: A cold, hard, savage little
there. man, Graves is as devoid of human mercy
But while Graves admits that the as an arctic winter night. But his complete
Chop Shop isn’t perfect, yet, it is within lack of sentimentality makes him a
walking distance of Fat Planet Comics and reasonable boss. He doesn’t let grudges or
he greatly appreciates the convenience. enmity contaminate his thinking. He might
keep his word and he might not—it’s all a
Generic Cycle Brother question of what he thinks would work best.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Or at least that’s the impression he
Strength d6, Vigor d6 tries to give. People who have watched him
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, carefully say his coldness is a sham. He’s
Intimidate d6, Notice d6, Ride d8, Shooting actually petty, vindictive and vengeful—but
d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6 pretends to be emotionless. Which is true?
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; It’s hard to tell. If his scary blankness is a
Toughness: 5 façade, it’s one he never lets down.
Edges: — A small, skinny guy with a
Hindrances: — handlebar mustache and ropy, prison-
Gear: All have knives (Str+1 Damage) and hardened muscles on his arms, Graves
motorcycle chains (Str+2 Damage). They never seems to take off his sunglasses. If
could also be equipped with: he did, there would be little difference. His
• Pistols (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, eyes are just as empty as the black lenses
RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7 he wears over them.
•Shotguns (Range 12/24/48, 3d6 Damage) Graves seldom speaks, and when he
•Submachine Guns (Range 12/24/48, does his voice is a quiet purr. Even when
Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40). he’s hurt or defeated, he doesn’t show much
And of course each one rides a Harley emotion. He’s a totally implacable foe if he
Davidson motorcycle. thinks you have something he wants. While
he knows a lot of repulsive things that can
Delbert Graves be done to the human body with the right
Wild Card set of tools, he never tortures anyone unless
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, it’s to make a point. He doesn’t trust the
Strength d6, Vigor d8 things people say under torture, so he
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, doesn’t bother to use it to get information.
Intimidate d10, Notice d6, Ride d10, Graves became Warlord of the
Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Brotherhood by moving swiftly and
Throwing d6 aggressively to kill off any competitors. He
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; knows this approach works, so he’s very
Toughness: 6 quick to kill anyone he even suspects of
Edges: Command, Connections, Dodge, plotting against him before they have a
First Strike, Hold the Line, Nerves of Steel, chance to usurp him. He doesn’t think it’s a
Quick good idea to leave the families of his
Hindrances: Heartless, Mean, Vengeful enemies alive, since they’re sure to want
revenge. Nor does he think it’s a good idea

248
to leave witnesses, and he’ll go to Gear: Motorcycle chain (d6+2 Damage),
extraordinary lengths to eliminate them. Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48, Damage
Not much of a gloater, he doesn’t 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40), Fragmentation
really care whether his enemies know he was Grenades (3d6 damage, Medium Burst
the one who screwed them over, or why he Radius), Harley Davidson motorcycle
did it. They’re just obstacles to be
eliminated—it’s nothing personal to him. Or so Background: Bruno Mordella, better known
he says. to his associates as “Pookie” has been an
Graves has no regular “old lady” and outlaw biker for twenty years. He’s a gigantic
serves his needs with one-night stands. He bald brute who relishes the way his
spends a surprising amount of time off appearance makes the squares flinch. Graves’
prowling around on his own, and has a lot of looming bodyguard, he’s even quieter than
secret caches of weapons and dope scattered Graves himself.
around the countryside. No one knows where Pookie looks like a dumb slob but he’s
he sleeps. Not even his hulking bodyguards, not. In fact he’s a cunning, calculating guy
Fifi and Pookie. who would love to expand his power within
the Brotherhood. While he is willing to commit
Pookie any horrible crime that Graves might ask him
to, he would not hesitate to betray the boss if
he thought he could gain some advantage by
it.
Pookie has killed on numerous
occasions but he never does it in anger. He
kills if he’s told to or if he sees something to
be gained by it. Like most “One-Percenters”
he treats women very badly, but only because
it’s expected of him. He has murdered women
for insulting a fellow member of the
Brotherhood or complaining too much, but
never because he felt personally riled with
them.
For the most part the Brotherhood
and the Bedlam Mafia stay out of each others’
way. But Pookie is Sicilian by birth and he has
begun to spend time with Young Junior
Gorganzua’s unstable, loser son “Little Junior.”
While Pookie knows that Little Junior is an
unreliable flake, this might be his ticket into
the Mafia. He could even wind up a “Made
Guy.”
Graves is aware of Pookie’s shifting
loyalties but isn’t sure what to do about it
except to start training a new bodyguard. He
isn’t about to tangle with a Mafia chieftain’s
Wild Card son over one guy. Anyway who knows, Pookie
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, might turn out to be a valuable contact if he
Strength d12, Vigor d10 does become a Mafiosi.
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, For his own part, Pookie is already
Intimidate d10, Notice d8, Repair d8, Ride d8, starting to get disillusioned with Little Junior
Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, and is looking to establish some kind of
Throwing d6 connection with his arch-rival, Dandy Joe
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Slorkin. He doesn’t yet realize just how upset
Toughness: 7 that would make Little Junior, or that it might
Edges: Connections, Improved Nerves of provoke an actual mob war like no one has
Steel, Take the Hit, Tough as Nails seen in Bedlam since the Igglionis met their
Hindrances: Heartless, Ugly doom back in 1995.

249
Fifi is amused by how eager he is to prove
himself.
Fifi is not completely devoid of
conscience, and he’s afraid it shows. He’s
looking for an opportunity to do something
really despicable for Graves, in order to
prove himself. If he gets the chance, he’ll
smother his remorse and throw himself into
it as hard as he can.
He used to drink a lot, but he tries
really hard to stay straight around Graves
and is never inebriated when he’s on duty.
Always laughing and joking, he’s good at
intimidation, but it’s a jovial kind of bullying,
very different from Pookie’s silent glare.
Fifi grew up in the biker culture and
knows no other life. He has two old ladies,
Montana Sue and Bobbi the Retard.
Between the two of them he has five kids,
(the oldest is eight years old) who all adore
him.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6,

Strength d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6,
Intimidate d10, Notice d6, Repair d6, Ride
d8, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 7 No single large gang dominates the Country
Edges: Tough as Nails Club, although there is a fairly good-sized
Hindrances: Dependants (two wives and Jamaican Posse on the neighborhood’s
five kids), Quirk (trying hard to impress northern edge (see “the Invincible Ya-Ya
Graves) Posse” on Page 259.) For the most part the
Gear: Big Knife (d10+d6 Damage), Country Club’s gangs are tiny little groups of
Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48, Damage criminals who form around a single
2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40), Harley Davidson charismatic leader for mutual protection and
motorcycle to get drugs. They tend not to have names
and to only number ten or so members
Background: Huge, tough and eager to each. Yet these can be some of the most
please, Curtis Wayne “Fifi” Choate is a dangerous criminal organizations in Bedlam.
capable bodyguard and tries hard to do his Twitchy and violent, they have no loyalty or
best. He’s an impulsive, emotional guy and allegiance to anybody and very little reason
he knows it, so he’s trying very hard to stay not to kill anyone. Some are full of trigger-
calm and do a good job around Graves. Fifi happy psychopaths, others are more
isn’t nearly as smart as Pookie and he talks cautious. None are trustworthy.
a lot more. But Graves appreciates how
hard he tries to be a good bodyguard and

250
 claims to be able to trace its origins back to
the Ming Dynasty. They have sometimes
been freedom fighters but more often they
have been smugglers, gangsters and
Bedlam doesn’t have a Chinatown, in the
assassins. They are steeped in tradition,
traditional sense of the word. There is no
have an elaborate honor code (most of
Dragon’s Gate, no colorful district with
which boils down to “obey orders and don’t
shops covered in plaster dragons and neon.
snitch”), and lots of cryptic, half-mystical
Neither the triads nor their American
ceremonies and rituals. Their soldiers all
counterparts in the tongs maintain a big
practice a strange offshoot of White Crane
presence here. However, their influence is
Kung-Fu called the “Iron Wind of Heaven”
felt in Bedlam nonetheless. Two separate
and they prefer to carry out assassinations
organizations, the Iron Wind Society and the
with traditional weapons like swords and
Yip-Wing Tong, have arrangements with the
axes.
Scarpia crime family to smuggle illegal
Eager to look threatening and to get
immigrants, drugs and fake documents
respect from American gangsters, the Iron
through the Rook Island Shipping Terminal.
Wind Brotherhood dress with ostentatious
There is a cluster of apartment
bad taste. You can recognize them by their
buildings over in the Meadows, where the
brightly colored open-necked silk shirts,
Yip-Wings keep the illegal immigrants until
flashy jewelry, gold teeth with diamonds
they can find jobs for them elsewhere.
embedded in them, shaved heads (or long
Conditions there are pretty bad—people
flowing hair) and acres of tattoos. And by
sleep as many as twenty to an apartment.
all their scars, of course. They look
The Iron Wind Society keeps their human
dangerous, even when they aren’t holding
cargo in even worse conditions, in a set of
any martial arts weapons or AK-47s.
prefab housing units on a storage lot near
They rotate the leaders they send to
Bedlam Harbor. The units haven’t been
Bedlam. Most of them are younger
hooked up to the power grid or the water
lieutenants from the Chinese mainland,
mains. The Scarpias get a cut of both
eager to make a name for themselves.
operations, and don’t interfere with them
For the past year, the operation in
much.
Bedlam has been run by a muscle-bound oaf
Neither group maintains much of a
named Charlie Chong, who never wears a
presence in Bedlam. The Iron Wind Society
shirt and never goes anywhere without his
may keep as few as ten soldiers watching
cowboy hat. He’s not a very good record-
over the operation at any one time, and the
keeper and may well be on his way to
Yip-Wings have no more than fifteen. Both
getting replaced. See stats and background
groups have been good and respectful
information on Mr. Chong below.
guests and have gone out of their way to
Despite their pretensions, the
avoid trouble with the locals.
Society is a pack of ruthless thugs like any
If a superhero (a PC, for example)
organized crime family. They import people
were to start breaking up their operations
to America under unsafe conditions, treat
and causing them grief, they would both ask
them like slaves, brutalize any who complain
the Scarpias for permission to bring in more
and murder anyone who stands in their way
soldiers and perhaps some superhuman
without a flicker of remorse. And while they
talent to hunt them down. The Scarpias
may talk about the noble traditions of their
would probably approve.
sword-brotherhood, the Iron Wind of
We have some background
Heaven is a mediocre style and the Society
information and some sample NPCs for both
is mostly interested in making money.
of these triads listed below.
Chinese law enforcement officials
can immediately recognize the stylized
characters that members of the Brotherhood
Based in the big cities of the southern have tattooed above their hearts. Anyone
Chinese coast, this Cantonese secret society

251
else must make a Streetwise or Knowledge rages. And he can be terrifying when
(Asian Organized Crime) roll at a -4. enraged. On one occasion he actually tore a
rival limb from limb. While he’s a klutz with
Brother of the Iron Wind guns, he doesn’t let it bother him. He
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, actually prefers to kill people with his bare
Strength d6, Vigor d6 hands.
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d6, He won’t explain why he never
Shooting d6, Throwing d6 wears a shirt, and anyone who criticizes or
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; damages his cowboy hat will drive him into
Toughness: 5 a foaming frenzy of rage. Unless they’re a
Edges: -- cute kid or an animal.
Hindrances: Quirk (Unwilling to lose face, Some people say Charlie’s not smart
even if the alternative is death) enough to lead a cell, but his men seem to
Gear: Axe (2d6 Damage) or Submachine like him enough to make up for his
Gun (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6-1, RoF shortcomings as a planner. He will never
4, Shots 40), expensive but fake Rolex betray or testify against any member of his
watch. crew, no matter what he’s threatened with.
They probably don’t feel the same way
Charlie Chong about him, but he doesn’t care. It’s the um,
Wild Card what do you call it? The principle of the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, thing.
Strength d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d8, Notice d4,
Shooting d4, Throwing d6
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
Toughness: 7 A Chinese-American organization, based in
Edges: Improved Frenzy, Mighty Blow, the US, the Yip Wing Tong is a street gang
Take the Hit, Tough as Nails that has chapters in half a dozen cities.
Hindrances: Mean, Quirk (constantly While they have strong contacts with the
looking for any sign of disrespect to his Triads overseas, they don’t have any actual
honor or his hat) chapters outside the States. Human
Gear: Axe (1d10+1d6 Damage), cowboy trafficking is a sideline to them—they mostly
hat. deal in drugs, prostitution and extortion
schemes. But it’s a profitable sideline
Background: Charlie Chong loves hitting nonetheless and they would be willing to
people. He’s always smacking his expend a lot of resources to keep their
subordinates around. When he’s happy, he operation in Bedlam going.
play-fights and wrestles with them, when They’ve been around in one form
he’s mad he shoves and backhands them. or another since the 1970s but they’ve only
He’s an emotional guy and he’s not a very come to prominence within the past ten
good talker, so he speaks with his fists. Not years. They are known in the underworld as
that he ever roughs any of his men up young, brash, ambitious and prone to
seriously. He has had to execute one or two unpredictable fits of violence (although they
of his guys, but he doesn’t want them to have behaved themselves very well in
hate him. In fact he really enjoys being Bedlam so far.) While some members wear
liked and he’s as generous as he is violent. loud Hawaiian shirts with gold chains and
While he’s brutal with his enemies earrings, the group in Bedlam dress
and with anyone he thinks is trying to make conservatively, in expensive suits with (real)
him look like a fool, he has a deep Rolex watches and $500 Ray-Ban
sentimental streak. Foolishly loyal to his sunglasses. BMWs and Mercedes’ are their
friends, he also has a weak spot for animals favorite vehicles. They favor drive-by
and for cute kids. Anyone who harms either shootings as their method of assassination.
one in front of him will suffer one of his They love guns. A typical gang lair is

252
bristling with automatic weapons. They are Gear: Two .45 pistols (2d6 damage Range
known in the underworld for using far more 12/24/48)
ammunition than they have to—never one Background: Jimmy Yip is a poet and a
bullet when fifty will do the job. A site they philosopher, he has convinced himself. He
have attacked will be positively riddled with reads condensed versions of the Taoist
holes. Their soldiers typically fire pistols in classics and silly paperbacks on feng-shui.
each hand. He makes pretentious, muddled-up remarks
Yet so far there have been no about the nature of fate and life every time
crazed gunfights in Bedlam. They know to he kills somebody. He has no idea what
keep a low profile here, and the local leader, he’s talking about, and his philosophical
Jimmy Yip, holds his men tightly in check. observations frequently make no sense, but
Older than most of his troops (who his boys still think it’s amazingly cool. Or
all seem to between eighteen and twenty- maybe they’re just afraid to tell him how
five) Jimmy Yip has been overseeing the goofy and lame it looks. Jimmy isn’t like
Bedlam operation for more than five years. Justice Jackson—a real orator with a sinister
He likes Bedlam and has moved into Stone agenda lurking under it. His attempts to be
Ridge, where everybody thinks he owns a deep are downright incoherent. For
chain of dry-cleaning stores (and in fact he example, Justice might try to explain some
does.) awful thing he’s done with a specious but
The Yip-Wings hold official business moving lecture about the way fate works.
meetings in the back of a huge tacky In the same situation, Jimmy would say
Chinese buffet called “Good Heaven Palace” something like “yeah, well the harmonies of
on C Street in the Meadows, about a block earth and sky all align on the guy who
from the apartment complex they control. attains the perfection of the achievement of
will. You know?”
Soldier of the Yip-Wing Tong Don’t ask about his poetry. It’s so
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, bad you won’t be able to stop laughing and
Strength d6, Vigor d6 he’ll shoot you for it.
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, Despite his pompous delusions,
Knowledge (Hong Kong) d6, Notice d6, Jimmy is a vicious, shallow thug. He lacks
Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 the depth to understand how bad it is to
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; brutalize and murder people, and he always
Toughness: 5 has a kind of flat, scary blankness that his
Hindrances: Heartless boys also think is really cool, and that they
Edges: Quick-Draw try to imitate. It’s really hard to tell if he’s
Gear: Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48, mad until he shoots you. In fact he’s not
Damage 2d6, RoF 4, Shots 40), real Rolex very good at knowing what he’s feeling
watch. himself. Many of his worst and most
shocking episodes of violence have come as
Jimmy Yip a total surprise to him. While he has
Wild Card behaved himself as a guest of the Bedlam
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Mafia, and hasn’t lashed out at any civilians,
Strength d6, Vigor d6 that’s mostly because everyone has treated
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, him with respect so far.
Knowledge (Hong Kong) d6, Notice d6, There really isn’t anyone he isn’t
Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6 willing to kill. He’s never actually murdered
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; an elderly person or a child, but that’s
Toughness: 5 because he’s never yet had a reason to. He
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (Pretentious will most certainly torture captives for
lout who thinks he’s a philosopher). information, although he probably won’t do
Edges: Ambidextrous, Dodge, Quick, Quick- it for thrills.
Draw, Two Fisted. His bad taste doesn’t extend to
men’s fashion. He’s an elegant dresser and

253
seems to have a different Brooks Brothers’ traditional, “World of Thieves” organization,
suit for every occasion. On this subject he’s complete with tattoos. If they are even a
far from inarticulate, and the reason his men single gang. It’s possible that more than
dress like young investment bankers is that one group has done business with the
he’s taught them how. Bedlam Mob under that name.
Unlike the Triads, the Vorovskoy
Bratva maintain no long-term presence in
Bedlam. They only show up when they
The Russian Mob doesn’t have much of a have business to transact. They are not as
foothold in Bedlam, but they do sometimes good guests as the Triads or the Yakuza.
smuggle goods in through Bedlam Harbor or While they will usually ask permission before
the Airport (with the approval and they undertake an operation in Bedlam, they
cooperation of the Bedlam Mafia.) There don’t always, and this has caused friction
are a lot of different gangs of Russian with Bedlam’s ruling Mafia families. Nor do
hoodlums. The group that Bedlam’s Mafia the Vorovskoy Bratva always behave
families are most used to dealing with is themselves on the Mob’s turf. They don’t
called the “Vorovskoy Bratva.” However, take insults or disrespect from civilians or
since that just means “Brotherhood of cops and there have been a few ugly
Thieves”, it’s not likely to be their real name. incidents. For now, their money is still
Since the fall of Communism, there good, but their relationship with Bedlam’s
have been two major divisions of Russian criminal overlords could rapidly sour.
organized crime. First, there is the old,
traditional “Thieves World”, which goes back Russian Mobster
to the Czarist days. This underground Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
network has elaborate rituals and codes of Strength d6, Vigor d6
behavior. Members of these gangs have a Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
whole coded system of tattoos that identify Notice d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6,
the gangster’s status, accomplishments and Throwing d6
history, with very specific and precise Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
meanings. Their honor-code of behavior is Toughness: 5
elaborate and unyielding, and revolves more Edges: Combat Reflexes
than anything else around a policy of total Hindrances: Heartless
non-cooperation with the authorities, or with Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 armor, resists 2
society’s laws. A thief may not work, for Armor-Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only
example. He must steal. protects his chest), Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
The Thieves’ World was persecuted Damage 2d6, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7), Knife
by the communist authorities. By the (d6+d4 Damage)
Brezhnev era it mainly existed in the Soviets’
vast prison system. When the Red Star Background: A typical “Thief-in-Law” will
finally set, and the Soviet Union fell apart, have short hair, a lot of tattoos and will
the Thieves’ World was beset by new dress with expensive ostentation. Their
troubles. For now the cops had turned to favorite cars are Mercedes. A lot of them
crime. Most of the new criminal have changed their names to blend in better
organizations that rose in the new Russia with American society and a surprising
were run by former intelligence and police number don’t have Russian accents. They
personnel, in coordination with crooked have an alarming policy of never leaving
government officials. Now that the witnesses and of wiping out a victim’s entire
authorities were competing with them for family to prevent their kids from growing up
their share of the action, a lot of the to take revenge. They do not have a good
traditional thieves fled the country, looking system worked out yet for disposing of
for better pickings elsewhere. corpses while they are in Bedlam, so they
The “Vorovskoy Bratva” are tend to just let their victims lie where they
mysterious, but they appear to be a fall.

254
The Red Queen Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 5
Edges: Alertness, Attractive, Charismatic,
Command, Connections, Improved Dodge,
Level Headed, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist the
effects of Intimidate or Taunt), Trademark
Weapon (straight razor)
Hindrances: Heartless
Gear: Small Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage
2d6, RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7), Straight razor
(d6+d4 Damage)

Background: The leader of the largest

faction of the Vorovskoy Bratva is the
notorious “Red Queen.” She got this name
back in Brooklyn because of her Russian
ancestry, and although the Bratva are as
fiercely anti-Communist as anyone in the
“World of Thieves” she likes having a
nickname and has embraced it. She wears red
dresses, red makeup, red lipstick, etc.
Female leaders are rare in the Russian
Mob, but not unknown, especially at the lower
levels. She has managed to hold a good-sized
gang together through her personal
magnetism, good business sense and
astonishing ruthlessness. The fact that she
can’t physically beat up her goons only
occasionally becomes a problem—if any of her
lads looks as though he’s going to make an
issue out of it, she immediately has him killed.
The Red Queen started out, like most
of the Russian Mob’s women, in forgery and
credit card theft. But she’s also
a talented sneak-thief, shoplifter and con
artist. She’s the daughter of a Brooklyn mob
accountant everyone called “Uncle Bob” and
she inherited his amazing talent for numbers,
which made her extremely valuable to Uncle
Bob’s crew. He got killed ten years ago and
she rallied the remnants of his crew around
her, slowly killing and replacing the
troublesome or ambitious ones. Her control
over them isn’t as complete as she would
like—sometimes they act up and cause trouble
despite her best efforts to keep them in line.
But sometimes you have to let the boys blow
off a little steam.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, She has a Russian accent when she
Strength d6, Vigor d6 wants to act threatening but it vanishes when
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d8+2, she needs to pull off a con. Enchanting when
Knowledge (Business) d8, Knowledge she needs to be, she is cold and blank when
(underworld) d10, Lockpicking d8, Notice she’s surrounded by her boys. Her looks are
d10+2, Persuasion d8, Shooting d8, Stealth starting to fade now and there is a little gray
d8, Streetwise d10, Taunt d8 +2 in her hair. She knows that her beauty is one

255
of her big assets and she may be planning two as well. Whenever the Yakuza carry out
to retire before she starts to lose her grip. an operation in Bedlam, they will be acutely
People think of her as extremely conscious of how exposed they are, how far
callous, but not sadistic. That’s not true at from home and short on allies, and they will
all. In fact she’s astonishingly cruel, has try to operate as discreetly and quietly as
gleefully watched dozens of acts of terrifying possible. This means that the GM should
violence that would leave a normal person’s portray them as a mysterious, silent foe that
mind scarred forever. But she is so strikes from behind when you are at your
pragmatic and levelheaded that she never weakest and then vanishes.
lets it get out of control, never makes a rash We have stats below for a typical
move or takes an unwise risk. She loves to Yakuza gunman, as well as for one of the
kill children best of all, because they’re so Shinobi they might employ. Only seldom
disgustingly weak and puny. But she would will the PCs encounter any of them in
never kill one without a good excuse. That Bedlam.
would be unprofessional.
The Red Queen has two Typical Yakuza
weaknesses. One is Russian folk dancing, to Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
which she is completely addicted, and which Strength d6, Vigor d6
she’s willing to expose herself to Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
considerable risk in order to attend. She Notice d6, Shooting d6, Throwing d6
also has a daughter, living in foster care in Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Philadelphia, who she sometimes visits Toughness: 5
secretly. Sometimes she wonders if it would Edges: Nerves of Steel
be exciting to kill her little girl. But then the Hindrances: Loyal
strange thought crosses her mind that she Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
would have to kill herself afterwards. Her RoF 1, AP 2, Shots 7), Big and Extremely
daughter is the closest thing on Earth to Sharp Knife (Damage 1d6+1d4)
someone she actually loves. Background: The gumi make a huge fetish
out of being tough, and they each seem to
affect a different style to show how
fearsome and sinister they are. No two look
quite alike but most are still instantly
recognizable as Japanese gangsters. They
There is no Japanese neighborhood in are forever trying to gain face in one
Bedlam and no local Yakuza gang to prey on anothers’ eyes by displaying their physical
it. Japan’s crime lords don’t have any bravery and stoicism. This makes them look
business interests in town and maintain no a little crazy to most other gangsters. Any
long-term presence here. If, however, one of these guys might slice off his own
someone they are pursuing were to flee to finger to make a point.
Bedlam, they would send gunsels or possibly The Yakuza love to threaten people
even Shinobi after them. If this happens, and throw their weight around. But they’re
they will first contact the Scarpias, to ask pretty careful not to actually kill civilians
their permission to operate on their turf. unless they really have to. Japanese cops
They might or might not think to ask their don’t really care so much what the Gumi do
rivals, the Gorganzuas, and if they don’t, to one another. But if they start killing
Tiny Tina might get annoyed at the lack of ordinary people, that’s another matter
respect. If she does, the Gorganzua family entirely. However, this doesn’t mean your
may leak it to the PCs that the Yakuza is in average person is exactly safe around them.
town. Gumi are even more touchy than the Triads
If the PCs interfere with the Yakuza about their honor. If you insult one, he’ll
while they are hunting a target in Bedlam, really have no choice but to try and avenge
they will first ask the Scarpias’ permission to the slight, even if he knows it isn’t a good
retaliate and then bring in hordes of Ninja idea to attack you.
and perhaps a full-fledged supervillain or

256
Shinobi Damage, Range 3/6/12)
Background: Of course there’s no such
thing as ninjas. But just try telling that to
these guys. The kind of Shinobi who the
Yakuza can hire to put the hurt on Player
Characters is usually a gifted athlete who
has watched too many movies and has a
really bad case of ADD. They tend to be
wildly enthusiastic about their work, eager
to throw their lives away in combat or take
crazy risks. And they’re always competing
with one another as to who can be the most
suicidally brave. That’s why they have a
bad habit of taking turns to attack Player
Characters instead of rushing them from all
sides, and why they’ll keep attacking even
after they’ve seen a PC take out twelve or
so of their buddies.

With the American Mafia in decline, people

wonder who will rise to claim their place at
the top of the criminal pyramid. Unless the
current trend reverses, it will probably be
the Narcotrafficantes. Mexico’s drug cartels
are rapidly becoming the biggest and best
organized in the world. They’re also
unusually ruthless and prone to violence—
about as vicious as the dreaded Medellin
drug cartel was back in the 1980s. There is
no criminal enterprise they won’t engage in
and there are seemingly no lengths they
won’t go to for profit or revenge.
They don’t keep a very high profile
in Bedlam. The Mara owe them fealty in a
distant, disconnected kind of way and the
biker gang called the Brotherhood handles
certain types of crime for them, but they
have no direct presence in Bedlam. If they
ever do decide to move in on the Bedlam
Mafia, the results are sure to be bloody.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, If the cartels ever needed to exert
Strength d6, Vigor d6 themselves in Bedlam, they would probably
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, use the Mara as their tool and they probably
Notice d6, Stealth d10, Throwing d8 wouldn’t ask the Mafia for permission. This
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; could cause friction, but is unlikely to lead to
Toughness: 5 an all-out war unless the cartels try to get
Hindrances: Loyal, Stubborn, Vengeful. the Mara to do something directly contrary
Edges: Acrobat, Dodge, Frenzy to the Mafia’s interests (steal something
Gear: Weird Ninja Weapons (Kusari Gami, they want to steal, kill a Made Guy, etc.)
Sai Daggers, Shuiken, etc, all do 2d6

257
 Baby Love
Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6,
Shooting d8
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Ellmore Place divides Wolverton from Toughness: 5
Hardwick Park, so the people unfortunate Edges: Command, Frenzy, Quick
enough to live there are caught between the Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Quirk (Crazy,
Mara and Eentsy Z. It serves as a buffer violent, acts like a baby), Quirk (Never
between the two warring factions, a no- wears clothes)
man’s land where neither one is welcome. Gear: Shotgun (3d6 damage)
There are officially no public Background: Marcus Dewayne Coolidge
housing projects in Bedlam. If you’re on has always been a little odd. In school
public aid, they issue you a Housing Voucher people used to ask him if he was autistic,
(called a “Section 8”) that you to spend on but after he bit a finger or two off his
rent wherever you like. Unfortunately, the classmates they stopped. These days he
only place in Bedlam where they accept the insists on being treated like an infant,
vouchers are the run-down, wretched lounging nude inside his building in a huge
apartments on Ellmore Place. pile of silk sheets, reliving himself wherever
The apartments are a six-block strip he feels like it, clutching a double-barreled
of concentrated misery, dominated by no shotgun like a security blanket.
single criminal faction. The lower three Unpredictable, crazy and violent, no
blocks are controlled by a maniac who calls one is safe on his turf. A fussy eater, he
himself Baby Love, who has knocked out the lives only on foot loops, chocolate milk and
walls of one entire building, turning it into ice cream. Anyone who offers him some
his own personal fortress. For some reason other kind of food is sure to provoke a
he refuses to wear clothes, and acts like a vicious outburst.
baby. He was able to pull himself together
There are smaller, scattered gangs during his teens, and assembled a gang that
as well, none of which have names. Even was tough enough to wrest control of the
Baby Love has no more than sixty troops at Ellmore Place Apartments away from the
his disposal. But his reputation for being Jamaican Posses that dominated it. He
crazy and unpredictable keeps both the recruited drug addicts, prostitutes and drag
Mara and their rivals at bay. Eentsy Z queens from around the neighborhood, gave
secretly gives Baby Love guns, drugs and them dope and guns and turned them loose
ammunition to help keep the buffer zone on the posses. They took a lot of losses but
intact. fought with crazy determination and the
There is a small enclave of Jamaicans all left for the Country Club,
Southeast Asian Immigrants in the Ellmore which seemed safer.
Place Apartments. They occupy three or Local residents actually liked Baby
four buildings up on the northernmost block. Love at first, figuring that anybody had to
No one is sure what country these folks be better than the Rastafarians. But his
come from (in fact it’s Laos) or how they mental health has been slipping since then,
came to be here. They were Stone Age and his popularity has declined as well. For
farmers one generation ago and have now he is the closest thing Ellmore Place
brought many peculiar customs and had to a leader, but one of his gang could
traditions over from their native land. Local get sick of him and grease him at any
residents have learned not to tangle with moment. Hence the shotgun. For now he
them. Guys who try to mug or intimidate lounges naked among his gun-toting drag
them tend to disappear. queens, wallowing in his own filth and ruling

258
the Ellmore Place apartments like a mad place like the United States. The posses
god. attracted too much attention to flourish. By
1998 they were mostly dead or in jail.
The Love Patrol Now there is only one large posse
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, left in Bedlam—the Invincible Ya-Ya
Strength d6, Vigor d6 Massive. They’re an uneasy coalition of the
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6, two largest surviving Jamaican gangs, and
Shooting d6, Throwing d6 they have no more than seventy members
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; in total. Their turf is largely on the north
Toughness: 5 side of Scarlett Hill, in the neighborhood
Edges: Frenzy everyone calls the Country Club, but it
Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance, Poor, extends into Wolverton’s small Caribbean
Quirk (unstable, trigger-happy and neighborhood. Eentsy Z probably has
histrionic) enough men to wipe them out but he
Gear: Submachine Gun (Range 12/24/48, doesn’t bother. The Posse stick largely to
Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots 40), pills, really themselves and he’s got bigger enemies.
outrageous outfit. Like all the authentic Jamaican
Background: Here are some stats for posses in the Untied states (as opposed to
Baby Love’s inner cadre—the Love Patrol. A gun-toting wanna-be’s in dreadlocks) the
pack of crazy, drugged-out gun-toting drag Invincible Ya-Ya Massive are an offshoot of
queens, they’re nearly as unpredictable as a neighborhood militia in Kingston. These
Baby Love himself. No one is completely groups are the enforcement wings of
safe around them. If the Mafia ever sent an Jamaica’s two dominant political parties, the
envoy to negotiate with them, they might Labor Party and the People’s National Party.
kill him on a crazy whim, regardless of the The local militias provide protection and
terrible consequences that would surely services for the people who live in their
follow. respective neighborhoods—at least in
It’s hard to tell if they’re getting theory. They’re in constant need of more
tired enough of Baby Love’s antics to kill money and ammunition and they have
him. Nor is it clear who, if anybody, would opened chapters in the US and Great Britain
emerge as a leader in his wake. And there’s to funnel more resources back to the main
the shotgun to consider. organizations in Jamaica. But the Invincible
Ya-Ya Massive are having some difficulties
with the leadership back home and they’ve
been effectively stranded in Bedlam with no
support and little contact for years.
They are the only large organized
crime group in Bedlam that owes nothing to
the Mafia, directly or indirectly, and might
Everyone used to fear the Jamaican posses be willing to defy them
the way they now fear the Mara. For a Like all traditional posses, they have
while in the early 1990s the rastas seemed a three-tiered organizational structure. The
to be the rising criminal force in Bedlam. leaders at the top never touch or even see
Their brash style, savage propensity for the illegal drugs and other contraband that
violence and absolute disregard for law- the guys at street-level sell. They maintain
enforcement made them something truly their power strictly by organizing things and
new. These were guys who would attack by killing anyone who doesn’t pay them
police stations with automatic weapons in their cut. The soldiers directly underneath
broad daylight. But their star faded fast. them never actually sell or transport illegal
They had learned their trade on the streets merchandise themselves, they just manage
of Kingston, and the techniques that work in the kids who do. Often they manage them
a third-world country like Jamaica don’t brutally. Posse members are very touchy
work nearly as well in a more organized about honor and reputation and they lash

259
out at anybody they think is showing d8, Notice d6, Persuade d8 +2, Shooting
them disrespect d6, Streetwise d8
Ludlow Crichton and Neville Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Soames are the posse’s two Generals at Toughness: 7 (2)
the moment, operating in an uneasy Edges: Charismatic, Combat Reflexes,
alliance. Crichton dresses in a faux Command, Inspire, Tough as Nails
military uniform and lounges around one Gear: Body Armor (+2, Heavy Armor),
of the Country Club’s deserted mansions, Machete (Damage: d6+1), Light MG
with his bodyguards and sycophants. (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, ROF 3, AP
Soames stays constantly on the move, 2, Three
conducting all his business by payphone. round burst)
Neville “the Devil” Soames is the Background: The General knows how to
crazier, younger and more violent of the put on a show. Even now that his posse
two, but General Crichton has a more has been reduced to eighty men or so,
imposing personality. He’s also bigger, perhaps half of whom he can fully trust,
stronger and a better shot than Neville the he always looks dignified and in
Devil. For the moment they are working command. He lives in one of the deserted
together. How long this can last is mansions up on Scarlett Hill, near the
anybody’s guess. gates of the Country Club., surrounded by
Neville Soames and his group used armed bodyguards, hired girlfriends and
to haunt the Ellmore Place Apartments, faded grandeur.
but they tangled with the strange, insular He’s constantly giving orders,
group of Southeast Asian immigrants who making decisions, looking at maps,
live there and had to flee. He never talks listening to aides. The whole thing looks
about the incident or explains what so crisp and efficient that you would never
happened. That’s because he doesn’t suspect how much his power has faded
know. His men just started disappearing. and how little he still controls. A big, tall,
dignified looking man with a deep voice
“General” Ludlow Crichton and a commanding presence, he looks the
role. In fact he’s a lot more selfish and
irresponsible than he seems, but he’s
superb at projecting wise, dignified
authority. He always looks stern and
commanding and he rarely favors his
subordinates with a smile.
A first-generation Jamaican
immigrant from the Trenchtown
neighborhood of Kingston, he was born to
command. His family have been the
right-wing Labor Party’s political bullyboys
for generations and he grew up around
the family’s generals. He learned at an
early age to lead men, although he was so
willful and unreliable that the family sent
him away to America.
He has six sons and three
Wild Card
daughters by his various girlfriends and he
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
loves playing the role of a magnanimous
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8
father, even though he’d never lift a finger
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidation
to help care for them. While he isn’t a
d8+2, Knowledge (Bedlam Underworld)

260
very religious man, he’s a practicing grandeur as General Crichton, so instead
Rastafarian and the walls of his mansion he projects craziness.
are hung with gaudy oil paintings of Haile Like his fellow general, he never
Selassie, Marcus Garvey and other major actually handles any contraband material
figures in black history. He despises Bob himself. That’s all done by intermediaries.
Marley and won’t have any of his music Instead he shoots people, often enough to
played in his presence, for Marley was make sure everyone is sufficiently scared
associated with the Peoples’ National to give him a share of their earnings. He’s
Party, who Crichton regards as his mortal known for mutilating himself in order to
enemies. show people how little he fears pain,
walking on broken glass or gouging his
Neville “the Devil” Soames arm with a knife while laughing
Wild Card hysterically.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit Neville knows that his
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 arrangement with Crichton can’t last
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate forever and he’s naturally kind of
d10, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) d6, paranoid, so he tries never to sleep in the
Notice d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, same place twice. He’ll crash out in an
Streetwise d8, Taunt d8 alley like a derelict or on a friend’s couch
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; or a rooftop. He does not carry a cell
Toughness: 5 phone or a beeper and conducts business
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Quirk through a series of payphones where
(tries to act as scary and crazy as subordinates take and leave messages for
possible). him.
Edges: Ambidextrous, Combat Reflexes, He seems not to care whether he
Improved Nerves of Steel, Rock and Roll, lives or dies, but in fact this is just an act.
Two Fisted. He’s actually pretty cautious and intends
Gear: Twin Submachine Guns (Range to sell his life dearly when his enemies
12/24/48, Damage 2d6-1, RoF 4, Shots finally come for him.
40),
Background: A grinning, ratty little guy Generic Yardie
with wild eyes and a submachine gun in Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
each hand, Neville Soames is always d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
eager to burnish his reputation for being Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6,
crazy. He’s co-general with Ludlow Shooting d6, Streetwise d6
Crichton, but it’s an uneasy partnership. Edges: —
His maniacal laugh is as chilling as Stabbo Hindrances: —
the Clown’s. Gear: Machete (d6+1), Assault rifle
Yet he’s not as crazy as he looks. Neville (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d8-1, RoF 4,
the Devil would never have lived this long Shots 40), Large knife (Str +1, Range
if his lunacy weren’t at least in part an 3/6/12), 1 extra magazine of 30 bullets.
act. He knows how to make people fear Background: The Invincible Ya-Ya
him and understands its value. With his started out as a British gang, and they
high-pitched voice and slump-shouldered, brought the slang name “Yardie” with
scrawny build he’d never be able to them from the UK. Morale is low among
project the same kind of dignified the troops, but they keep fighting for the
cause. What else can they do?

261
 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Drive d8, Fighting d6, Guts d6,
Notice d6, Repair d6, Shooting d6,
Streetwise d6
A network of crank-dealing truckers Edges: —
who sometimes dabble in pimping, loan- Hindrances: Habit (takes amphetamines)
sharking and contract murder. No one is Equipment: Tire Iron (Melee Weapon, d6
sure precisely how many members of +1 Damage), Revolver (Ranged Weapon,
Thunder Road there are, since they’re 2d6 Damage), Mack Truck
constantly on the move. Their network can
transport drugs and other contraband from
one side of the country to the other faster
than nearly anyone else, and there’s no
better way to dispose of a hot weapon than
to turn it over to them. They can have it
buried in a forest in Oregon or a farmer’s
field in Texas within eighteen hours.
They can be tricky to deal with.
Violent, unpredictable and sometimes
irrational, most members take way too
much speed. They seem to recognize one
another by all wearing “CAT” caps and by
playing or humming the song “The Ballad of
Thunder Road” (not the Bruce
Springsteen song, but the Robert Mitchum
tune from the 1950s.)
Out of all of Bedlam’s criminal
gangs, only the Brotherhood have regular
contact with Thunder Road. There’s a truck
stop east of town on Route 2 where you can
sometimes find them. It’s kind of a scary
place, but of course the Brotherhood are
scary guys themselves.

Sample Member of Thunder Road

It's dull in Stone Ridge. There isn't even

much challenge in rising to the top of the
teen social ladder—your dad's position
pretty much takes care of that. So a group
of Stone Ridge's most prominent "mean
girls" have decided to make life more
interesting. They have formed a gang. At
first they weren't sure how to do it—what
rules it should have and what kind of codes
and symbols it should use. The closest any
of them had ever been to really bad kids

262
was buying coke and hanging around the she's going away to college, but she doesn't
illegal nightclubs on Industrial Drive. But they intend to go any farther than Belchner (see
all listened to enough hip-hop and had seen Page 140) and she'll run things from a
enough movies to figure most of it out. The distance. In her absence her Lieutenant,
details they left to Jane. Missy Pfeffner probably won't be able to keep
Jane Tharp is a bright, shy girl who the same kind of hold over the group.
most of the ruling clique ignored. She was There are presently about thirty active
pretty enough to be one of them but lacked members of the Murder Club. Their colors are
the force of personality. Madison Nylander, purple, gold and a particularly rich shade of
the gang's founder, was having a hard time red, which only the Slaughter Girl (the club
coming up with a name, a hand-sign, a list of president) is allowed to wear. They use a
rules and so forth. It was a lot more work stylized version of the rose and crossed
than she had thought. Madison knew Jane daggers as a tag, but they put it in strange
from AP English and Calculus, knew she had a places (the insides of pencil sharpeners, for
flair for the dramatic and a powerful creative example) where no one would ordinarily notice
mind, and asked her to design a gang. it.
Jane knew it was wrong, knew Once the girls make their first kill, and
Madison was up to no good, but she was realize how easy it is, they are going to get a
flattered, too. Not conceited about her looks, lot more dangerous. Things may start rapidly
she was fatally vain about her mind. spinning out of control.
The result was the Murder Club.
Thanks to Jane, they have an elaborate The Murder Club—an Alternate Version
initiation ritual, with oaths and ordeals and For an extra twist, what if Jane Tharp struck
crimes (you have to kill the pet of someone first? In this version of the Murder Club, Jane
you know and drink its blood at your realized that Madison was about to denounce
ceremony) a secret tattoo you aren't allowed her to the group, so she denounced Madison
to show anyone but fellow gang members (a first. No one wanted to believe that the
rose with crossed daggers) a series of ranks Slaughter Girl herself could have told anyone
and a code of honor. the club’s secrets, so she forged a bunch of
The penalty for revealing the Murder text messages to Madison’s therapist that
Club’s secrets is to die slowly. Jane would “proved” it. The messages also said all kinds
never have betrayed them, but Madison didn't of cruel and snarky things about her fellow
want to let her in the club, so she has accused club members.
Jane of snitching, and the girl is presently Poor Madison swiftly went from being
marked for death. She will be their first actual the Slaughter Girl to the Slaughtered Girl.
kill. Beaten and stabbed to death by unknown
So far the Murder Club has been assailants, she got a huge funeral at which
terrorizing teachers they don't like and many of the girls who killed her wept very
students they disapprove of. The Stone Ridge convincingly. She was the gang’s first kill, but
authorities refuse to acknowledge the gang's hardly their last. They’ve murdered six people
existence and the one teacher who tried to so far and they’re getting more and more
make a public fuss about it got fired. Having casual about it.
the girls arrested will be even more difficult. In this version, Jane is officially the
Madison has managed to get some of the Iron gang’s Madame Librarian and treasurer, but in
Talon security staff on her side by promising fact she runs everything. Madison’s little sister
them underage girls to party with (she Jenny is officially Slaughter Girl, but she’s
wouldn't sacrifice any actual members of the terrified of Jane. For her part, Jane has tried
club that way, but there are always pledges not to be evil—but it’s just so tempting. She
and wanna-be's who'd do anything for a shot always claimed not to want to be one of the
at admission.) Anyway most of the members popular girls, but now she’s their queen and
are from much too important families. she finds it intoxicating. Everyone who ever
Madison has been trying to expand picked on her is going to pay, pay, pay. Then
the club's ties to gangs in the city and score she’ll go to Princeton and forget all about this.
them a reliable coke connection. Next year

263
The Slaughter Girl: Madison Nylander The Slaughter Girl: Jane Tharp

Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Wild Card
Strength d4, Vigor d8 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6,
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Strength d4, Vigor d6
Toughness: 6 Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidate 1d6+2, Knowledge (Mathematics) 1d8,
1d8+2, Knowledge (Kid Culture) 1d10, Notice Knowledge (Physical Science) 1d8, Notice d6,
d6, Persuade d8+4, Shooting d6 Persuade d6, Stealth d6
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 6 Toughness: 6
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Frenzy, Edges: Attractive, Jack of All Trades
Strong-Willed Hindrances: Cautious
Hindrances: Heartless Background: Much smarter and more
Background: Blank-eyed and scary, cautious than Madison, Jane is trying hard
beautiful and cruel, nothing is beyond this little not to let her grades slip while she deals
girl. Fortunately, she doesn’t have much with the distraction of running a gang.
imagination and hasn’t yet realized that her College will be her chance to get out and
behavior has no limits. Otherwise the people away from all this. She does not want to
around her would have started dying long ago. blow it.
She’s the kind of girl who would want to start Jane is smart enough to know that
a gang of murderous criminals but then she’s got a tiger by the tail. If she tries to
wouldn’t want to do the work of thinking up a leave the group now, or doesn’t feed the
name for them. beast that she’s created with enough blood,
Her grades are mediocre—she’s in she will die painfully. Or at least that’s what
advanced classes but gets Bs. Her father is a she tells herself. Deep down Jane is far
big mean aggressive guy who gets in the face
more cruel than she would ever admit and
of any teacher who gives her a C, so she slides
some awful part of her is really enjoying
by. Although she’s a legacy at Dartmouth,
this. She rationalizes that since she needs
she’ll probably wind up going to Belchner
College instead. In fact it’s tailor-made for
to send the girls out to harass people, the
people they go after might as well be the ones
students like her, who have money but no
she hates.
ambition to do or learn much of anything.

264
 Z have access to this hardware without a
good explanation. Perhaps they asked the
mob to loan them a suit, or they stole one
from a warehouse down at Bedlam Harbor.

If you want Bedlam’s organized crime Typical DOOM Suit Pilot

problem to be at the center of your
campaign, you may need to make the
opposition a little tougher. The Mafia can of
course hire as many supervillains as they
want, but Dapper Donny Scarpia, Eentsy Z
and the rest are still a little flimsy to be
recurring nemeses for a group of PCs.
While Bedlam would be an interesting place
for a low-powered campaign, you’ll also
need options for beefing up the mob. Here
are a few, to be used only if you need them.
If you plan on using any of them, make sure
to mention them early on in the campaign,
so that your players don’t feel like you’re
pulling this stuff on them out of nowhere.

DOOM
A large aerospace company that we
probably shouldn’t name once came up with Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit
a novel way to test their new battlesuits d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
under actual urban warfare condition. They Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d8,
shipped them through a troubled part of Repair d8, Shooting d6
West Africa and allowed one of the local Charisma: 0; Pace: 6/Fly 12; Parry: 4;
warlords to steal them. Soon the suits had Toughness: 8 (3)
fallen into the hands of his enemies as well, Hindrances: Size +1
and before long they were available on the Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
international black market. You can buy Power Points
one almost anywhere in the world now. Any Gear: Armored Power Suit (see below)
large organized crime network will have a Super Powers: (All powers in Power
few in it’s arsenal in the same way that Armor, a Device)
every group of prohibition-era gangsters had • Armor (4): Armor +3, Heavy Armor.
a Tommy gun or two. • Broadcast (1)
Most of the suits have the numbers • Force Control (13): Level 4 (Str d12+1),
300D printed down one leg, and when you Flight (2x Pace), Force Field (+2 Toughness)
look down at your leg the numbers look a • Super Attributes (1): Strength +1 step.
lot like the word “DOOM”, so that’s what Vigor +1 step.
people call them. They are dangerous to
wear. Inexperienced operators can easily The Regulus Effect
break their own limbs just walking around in Over the years, the UNICORN has developed
a DOOM suit, and there isn’t enough internal quite a number of dangerous, unstable
radiation shielding. The average lifespan of techniques for creating superhumans.
a pilot is about three years. But it’s a sure Formula X, Induced Brain Lesion Therapy,
way to prove yourself if you want to become the University of Minnesota Protocol—but
a Made Guy. this one they discarded as too irresponsible
It’s probably stretching things a little to ever use. If you like, it may have fallen
to let the Mara or the Brotherhood or Eentsy into the hands of the Mafia, or even be

265
within the reach of street gangs like the and expensive to make, and only a few
Mara or the Last of the Last. designer drug experts can brew it up.
There is a drug called Mnemodrine Someone like Rock Johnson or Eentsy Z
6, intended to stop visual hallucinations, could probably get their hands on a dose or
that has some interesting side effects if you two if they needed it badly enough, but they
use it on people with certain kinds of wouldn’t pass it out to their troops like hard
chemical imbalances in their system. candy.
Someone with Attention Deficit Disorder will
develop superhuman levels of coordination if The Crawley Cocktail
you give them enough, and if you lock them Researchers at the Crawley Asylum (see
in a sensory deprivation tank for a week or Page 102) have come up with a combination
so, the ones who don’t go into convulsions of drugs that will suppress superhuman
and die will develop full-blown superpowers powers if it’s administered on a regular
(usually psychic or energy projection basis. What if there were also a quick-
abilities—but sometimes super-speed.) acting version that you could inject into a
The catch is that the Regulus Effect superhuman to knock their powers out for a
burns out your nervous system. First the while? Call it Negation 5 (all powers.) Make
subject goes blind and then they die. If you it work for 2d6 hours.
use Mnemodrine 6 to soup up your reaction Really devious GMs might even
time, it cuts your lifespan to about a year. come up with a version that can be taken
You’ll probably go blind in eight months. If orally and slipped into a drink. This is
you undergo the full-blown treatment, you something that a street gang wouldn’t have
will only live for a few days—possibly hours. regular access to. They’d have to buy it
The UNICORN had some kind of trick that from a crooked orderly at the Crawley State
enabled them to keep test subjects alive for Hospital for the Criminally Insane and they
longer. Some of their “volunteers” lived as wouldn’t have a big supply. But whenever
long as five years. No one outside of the the GM needs them to be able to knock out
federal government knows how they did a Player Character’s superhuman abilities,
that. you can rationalize their having a dose.
Mnemodrine 6 is almost ridiculously
easy to make. It’s actually less difficult to The Hand of the Madre Sangre
synthesize in a basement lab than meth or Toughness: 2 Size: No bigger than a
PCP. The only reason why the country isn’t withered-up mummified hand, -2 to hit
awash in jittery mayfly supermen is that the Powers: Negation (anyone within the Large
details of the technique aren’t widely known, Burst Template must make an Opposed
and an improperly prepared version will just Spirit Check vs. 1d10 or have three levels of
screw up the subject’s eyesight or kill them. each of their powers negated for 2d6
There are always suicidal idiots willing to try rounds)
it, but most of them wind up with white
canes or pine overcoats pretty quick. If you want the Mara to have an equalizer
Unbeknownst to your average suicidal idiot, against your PCs, you could let them
a few street chemists have the technique discover the Mano Madre Sangre. This
down, and Eentsy Z or the Brotherhood or, mummified hand has a candle made of
who knows, maybe Los Furies could find a human fat on each finger, and it suppresses
reliable source. There are of course other superhuman abilities in whoever its light
ways of beefing up the Mara, but their shines on. This will of course also neutralize
fanatical determination would also make any powers that the Jigsaw Man and his
them good candidates for using the Regulus Brujo Boys have themselves, but they are
Effect. likely to rely on them less than the PCs.
As a variation on the theme, And they could also give it to a flunky with a
perhaps Mnemodrine 6 is actually difficult suicide bomb.

266
Supervillains and gangsters aside, Bedlam A lot of people have already forgotten
is presently home to at least three truly bout him and most would be surprised to
spectacular criminals, none of whom have hear that his crime spree has gone on
ever been caught. These are the guys unabated.
who drive the Bedlam City detectives The cops put together a task force
nuts. The guys who they just can’t seem to catch him last year. They failed and
to catch. Would a Player Character the
superhero deign to help chase down task force is “being reorganized” (meaning
Bedlam’s most wanted? Any PC who does that it has temporarily disbanded.)
succeed in apprehending one of them will
instantly achieve local fame. A Missing Clue
Any PC who tries investigating the Mr.
Mr. Nobody Nobody case has a chance of finding one
One of the most prolific burglars in the salient fact that the Task Force
city’s history, Mr. Nobody has committed overlooked. Anyone who makes an
an astonishing number of break-ins over Investigate roll at a -2 penalty will realize
the past three years. The police don’t like that all of the buildings Mr. Nobody has
to talk about him, or about their failure to robbed used a company called Maximum
catch him, but little details have slipped Safeguard as their security provider. That
out. might be significant, but then again
It seems astonishing that he could Maximum Safeguard is the largest security
have committed more than two hundred company in Bedlam.
and fifty successful burglaries in just three If a Player thinks to ask what
years. But the police really do seem to security companies each building used,
consider him a suspect in that many then you don’t need to make them roll.
breaking-and-entering cases. He only hits Just tell them.
downtown office buildings and he has a
technique for beating alarm systems that Torchy the Firebug
is totally unique, and that instantly
identifies the crime as his work. The cops
won’t say what it is. There has been a lot
of speculation that he might be
superhuman.
Cops started calling him “Mr.
Nobody” because they couldn’t catch him
and the moment the press heard the
name, it was too cool not to use. There
was a flurry of media activity around Mr. Bedlam’s number-one arsonist has been
Nobody last year (the cool name helped killing people and destroying their homes
them sell the story) but they lost interest for more than ten years. He is
after no one caught him or turned him in.

267
responsible for an amazing amount of and block them from exiting. Yet it looks
death and destruction—worse than as though he does not know his victims
anything any supervillain has ever done to and has no personal grudge against them.
the city. Yet he has never been There are rumors that he may be a
apprehended and continues his reign of pyrokinetic, or some other kind of
terror today. superhuman, possibly the product of a
He haunts the city’s poorest horrible secret experiment. The police
neighborhoods, setting fires in Wolverton won’t confirm or deny any of this.
and the Country Club. Only seldom does All of these factors seem to point
he venture further afield. He sets fires to toward Seymour Sanders, the insane
private homes, with an incendiary device pyromaniac supervillain who calls himself
placed on the front or rear porch. He “Doctor Scorch.” (see his description and
doesn’t seem to like apartment buildings stats on Page 295) The problem is,
or stores as much, but he has set a few of Doctor Scorch has been locked up in a
them on fire. There seems to be little mental institution for most of the past
pattern to his victims, although most of fifteen years and he simply, physically,
them are poor and black. could not have committed these crimes.
Torchy always seems to strike in Could he?
the pre-dawn hours and he always uses
the same kind of incendiary device (the The Cannon
authorities won’t say what kind he uses.) Bedlam’s most successful master criminal
Whatever his MO, it’s simple, quick and it hasn’t even alerted the police to his
leaves him plenty of time to get away. presence. Therefore no one is even
He doesn’t send taunting letters to looking for him, at least in this city. For
the authorities and he doesn’t seem to more about the Cannon and the ancient
stick around to gloat over his crimes. He’s form of crime he has mastered, see the
clearly angry and sadistic—he always “Horrible Secrets” section on Page 377.
places his devices where they trap people But only if you’re the GM!

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The Bus to Nowhere Lucius Hardwick IV
There are consistent stories that black buses
with tinted windows and no license plates
pick people up on streetcorners downtown
in the dead of night. Who drives them?
Where do they go? People talk about the
buses working for aliens, secret cults, or a
hidden base buried in mountain somewhere What is mean old Mr. Hardwick doing,
outside of town, where an evil doctor locked up in his huge, crumbling mansion
performs depraved experiments on living for all these years? No one seems to know.
human test subjects. None of this can In fact no one seems to know if he’s even
possibly be true, can it? still alive in there. All his affairs are handled
by the small but powerful law firm of
The Ghost Fleet Dransfield, Stavely and Spalt (see Page 157)
They say that back around the turn of the and they answer no questions about Mr.
20th century, a huge freighter called the Hardwick himself. But everyone knows that
Agamemnon sank in the river outside of he hasn’t left his house since 1996, and that
Bedlam Harbor. It was only one of a series he was ancient even then. How old would
of vessels that foundered and sank in these he be now? Ninety-five? A hundred? Older?
waters—there used to be mysterious Some people in Bedlam’s business
whirlpools and sudden squalls that pulled community say that he must still be alive—
down boats with disturbing regularity. his legal team vigorously defends his
No one is precisely sure where the financial empire and they’ll ruin anyone who
wreck of the Agamemnon lies, or for that tries to intrude on his turf. Other people
matter whether or not there was ever such point out that this doesn’t really mean
a vessel. However, it is said that on certain anything.
dark nights you can see the lost ships The mansion itself is surrounded by
glowing faintly through the black water. a twelve-foot wall and a lot of tangled-up
Some people say that you can see the old oak trees—all that’s visible from the
Agamemnon and its sister ships moving street is its sagging roof. Sometimes, late
back and forth down there. at night, a light can be seen burning in one
This is, of course, sheer demented of the uppermost attic windows, but there is
lunacy. We think. But there have been never any sound. What this might mean, no
multiple attempts to salvage cargo from the one can say.
ghost fleet—two of them by well-known
supervillains who seemed to think there was Berth 13
something pretty valuable to be recovered. Down at the Bedlam docks, there is a ship
The river is murky, old and deep. that never seems to weigh anchor. A big
Who knows what may be dreaming down old freighter, it sits moored in its berth,
there in the dark? never leaving. No one comes aboard or
leaves.

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 The harbor authorities discourage In the oldest versions of the tale,
people from asking about Berth 13 and the the death-cab is a horse-drawn hackney,
ship that rests there. And the rumors about elegant and expensive looking, but
it vary according to who you ask. Some spattered with mud and grime. These days
people say it’s Berth 13, some say it’s Berth they say it's a beat up old "checker", with a
119 or 127. Sometimes they say that no license plate that's impossible to read under
other ships ever dock anywhere near it. all the dirt. But everyone agrees that you
Other guys leave that part out. Supposedly never see the cabby’s face. They call him
there are never any lights on board. Unless "Mack." For more on the evil cab, see
sometimes there are mysterious lights in the Pages 124 and 382.
middle of the night.
Worse Things Than the Jigsaw Man
The Club Del Morocco There are whispers that up on the ruined
The Club Del Morocco sits moldering streets of the Country Club, the dead have
beneath a freeway overpass on the outskirts begun to walk. The Jigsaw Man is said to
of Wolverton. It’s an ugly little concrete box be alarmed by this development, which is
of a building, not much bigger than a pretty shocking, since he isn’t afraid of
bungalow, wrapped in fading, tattered anything.
posters from its long-vanished heyday. The
place looks so meager that you would never Your Tax Dollars at Work
guess blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf and People on the street say they’ve seen
Robert Johnson played here many times. hulking men in suits and sunglasses
Until you look more carefully at the posters prowling Bedlam’s dark alleys. Guys who
flapping by the door. can punch through walls and lift cars over
No one has ever vandalized this their heads. Who do they work for? What
place. No winos have ever tried to peel the do they want? No one knows. A beautiful
boards off the door and sleep inside. You woman in an expensive Italian suit
have to do quite a bit of asking around to sometimes appears with them.
find out why. That’s because no one is
exactly sure. The place just makes them Doctor Death
uneasy. If you are a psychic and you live in Bedlam,
If you mange to find a psychotic then at some point over the last thirty years
bum (any crazed derelict will do—they just you have almost certainly woken up
have to be crazy enough) they will tell you screaming the name: “Doctor Death.”
that the Del Morocco is haunted. Haunted Nearly every sensitive in town has had at
bad. Guys have died or gone insane least one dream they can’t quite recall about
messing around with the thing that lives in Doctor Death. They wake, sweating and
there. If you ask them what it is, they will terrified, certain that someone was
cackle toothlessly and ask you how much murdered last night, murdered cruelly and
you know about the history of the Blues. foully and that Doctor Death casts his
shadow over the city once again. But there
Mack the Hack is no such person. No supervillain by that
There have been legends in Bedlam for name has ever terrorized Bedlam, and a
more than a century about an evil cab. quick scan of the morning newspaper never
Supposedly this sinister hack prowls the shows any sign of any mysterious murders
streets looking for people who are truly, having been committed. No masked fiend is
supremely happy. Then it entices them on a rampage (or if some masked fiend is
inside, and takes them on a ride to hell. presently on a rampage, it’s no one named
Some say the cab deposits them on the Doctor Death.)
devil's doorstep or abducts them to Mars. You wake from the dream
Some say the cabbie is a maniac who feasts convinced that Doctor Death is among the
on their living flesh. Some say the truth is worst arch-criminals the world has ever
worse than either. seen. He has killed and killed and killed like

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no one else ever has—you’re sure of it. But going to be vital to getting the tone of your
then why has no one ever heard of him? campaign right. Consider, if the PCs
These dreams are rare. You may immediately run out and take down Dapper
not even have the experience more than Donny and the Gorganzua crime family,
once. But if a Player Character ever tries throw Big Andy Czernik in jail and put good,
mapping out the times and occasions when honest politicians in office to replace the
people have dreamed of Doctor Death, they Czernik machine, it’s going to change the
will find that the highest concentration is nature of the setting, and then it won’t be
actually in the Stone Ridge gated Bedlam anymore. If on the other hand the
community. But that makes even less GM constantly fouls their efforts to improve
sense. It’s the quietest neighborhood in things, railroading plot developments and
Bedlam. Nothing ever happens there. exercising “GM fiat” to keep the campaign’s
major villains from ever getting permanently
defeated, it’s going to aggravate your
players. There are a number of different
ways you can tackle this dilemma.
First, remember that crime is like a
hydra. Cut off its head and it grows two
more. It is possible to take down, for
example, Dapper Donny and Young Junior,
but other Mafiosi inside the Scarpia and
Gorganzua crime families will immediately
take their place (or the New York
Commission will send in new guys in to take
over for them.) Perhaps it’s possible for a
vigilante to completely wreck either family,
but the moment the Bedlam Mafia gets
brought to its knees, the Russian Mob
moves in, or the Mara suddenly take over
the city’s rackets. Eliminate the Rock and
the Stone, and their rackets get taken over
by Eentsy Z. Kill off Graves and the
Brotherhood and some other pack of skuzzy
meth-heads takes over Shady Meadows.
This approach makes a depressing
amount of sense. Bedlam’s real problems
are economic. So long as its poverty
persists and there aren’t enough legitimate
ways to make a living, organized crime will
flourish. Whether or not it completely
dominates the city’s affairs is a question of
how well the PCs do at keeping it out.
We really intended Bedlam to be an adjunct The same is true for political
to your main campaign—a place your PCs corruption. If Big Andy goes to jail, either
can go to have grim “Iron Age” adventures another pawn of the Bedlam Mafia takes his
for a change of pace. However, there is no place, or a different bunch of crooks
reason why you can’t make Bedlam the (possibly the Rock and the Stone) use this
center of your campaign. If you do, you are opportunity to put one of their own guys in
going to have to make an important decision position.
before the game starts: how much are the Ideally, Player Characters should be
PCs going to be allowed to change Bedlam? able to change Bedlam for the better. But it
How big an impact can they ultimately have should be difficult, slow and full of setbacks.
on the city’s corruption and crime? This is Sort of like the kind of progress Batman

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makes in “Year One” or his most recent Arrow, and they’re both as four-color as can
movies. be. If a player shows up in Bedlam with a
Of course, some PCs actually won’t smiling, do-gooder, boy-scout farmboy who
try to change things. They’ll be content to can leap tall buildings in a single bound, it
solve the most recent crime and chase the will create an interesting frisson. So let
latest supervillain out of town. Or they may them do it.
actually like crime and sleaze, relishing the From the early 1970s onwards, all of
way the city gives them a never-ending Captain America’s best, most memorable
stream of jerks to bash in the chops. If this stories have revolved around immersing him
is the way they want to play it, let them. It in the ugliness and ambiguity of the real
effectively lets you off the hook. world (or something more like the real world
It also makes your life easier if PCs than the Golden Age comics of the 1940s.)
focus on cleaning up one part of town— You could make the same argument about
making life better on Ash Street or breaking Green Lantern. So, bring on your mystics,
the Mara’s grip on Hardwick Park or even your super-soldiers, your living atomic
clearing out the Country Club. Then they bombs, thunder gods and royalty from lost
can have the satisfaction of making the Atlantis. Let them get their feet dirty, for a
world a better place without disrupting the change.
overall backdrop of crime and misery too
badly. A Smaller Pond Means Bigger Fish
One interesting effect of setting a campaign
To Kill or Not to Kill? in a small city is that the PCs are magnified
Is it okay for superheroes to kill people? in importance. The reason why we don’t
Damned if I know. I do know, however, have huge long lists of local heroes for
that in a setting like Bedlam the subject is Bedlam is that the PCs are probably going to
sure to come up and you are sure to get be its dominant super-team. The fate of the
into some bitter fights over it if you’re not city rests in their hands. Most of the major
careful. Something about an ugly setting national law-enforcement agencies and
brings this question out in players. It also super-teams have already written this town
encourages some of them to play badly and off as hopeless. If the PCs let Bedlam
brutally. To keep your gaming session from down, no one is going to save it.
degenerating into hours of impassioned
quarreling, you will probably need to set the Getting a Team Together
ground rules up front. The rules can be “no Because this setting resembles the comics of
killing” or they can be “killing has serious the eighties and nineties, you are likely to
legal consequences and the GM will feel free get a superhero team full of dark shadowy
to impose them on you”, they can be “only avengers of the night, and/or cynical bounty
kill if all else has failed” or they can even be hunters with “X-Treme attitude” (whatever
“your characters disagree abut whether or that means.) Characters like that tend to be
not it’s okay to kill people, so roleplay some loners in the comics, but in a role-playing
arguments about it whenever the issue game the protagonists have to operate as a
comes up.” But let the players know up team. Not only is it trickier to run a team
front what your policy is or you are asking full of lone wolves, it’s especially hard to get
for trouble. them to form a group during the course of
play.
What Kind of Characters Work for a Perhaps your gaming group is so
Bedlam Campaign? trustworthy that you know they’ll put aside
Any kind of characters. Rid yourself of the their temptation to glower menacingly at
notion that all characters in an “Iron Age” one another instead of working together.
setting have to be ex-special-forces mercs But if they aren’t, you’re going to need some
with automatic rifles and needle tracks on extra glue to hold them together. There are
their arms. Batman works perfectly well in two approaches you might try.
this kind of setting and so does Green

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 The easy way is to announce that although he’s abandoned it he left a lot of
they are a team before play begins. Just his crime-fighting equipment on board. The
assert it and ask them to build characters ship is held by a dummy corporation and it
who are part of a group, ask them how they can sit at its dock indefinitely without
work together, what team tactics they’ve anyone ever looking inside. Nocturne’ s
developed and so forth. Maybe start them computers and other gear are state-of-the-
thinking about all kicking in a few points to art for 1969. But even though they’re
build a headquarters. You could also bring hopelessly outdated they do still work and
them altogether with some big dramatic the PCs could upgrade them.
event that forces them to cooperate,
although this can backfire if you don’t Liberty Shoppes Mall
handle it right. To really hedge your bets, Bedlam’s giant underground mall has room
try something like this. A big menace to spare, and it’s in desperate need of a
(either an out-of-town supervillain who is superhero or two to clean it up. PCs could
about to move in on Bedlam or some local open a storefront “Heroes for Hire”
threat like the Jigsaw Man or the Mafia) operation or a secret base in a deserted
decides to eliminate all of Bedlam’s masked store or just lurk the mall’s dark areas,
protectors at once, in order to get them out sleeping where they feel like it.
of the way before some major crime. Each Neither the gangs nor the trigger-
of the PCs receives a mysterious message happy security guards from Iron Talon
luring them all to the same place, (role-play Consultations will be happy to see them,
this as quickly as possible, or better yet start especially if there are already secret things
with them already assembled at the buried in the mall (see page 105) but the
rendezvous) where a whole squad of Bedlam Police won’t care. The small police
assassins attack them from every side, substation in the mall has enough problems
forcing them to all fight together and giving of its own to worry about.
them a reason to continue working as a
team (who is trying to kill us all? Why?) City Hall
You could make this plot the seed Infested by rats and winos, Bedlam’s City
of their first adventure, but it may work Hall has been deserted for more than five
better if you keep the villain behind the years. It’s a solidly-built old structure, with
scenes for a few sessions, letting the group an imposing gothic creepiness about it.
get involved in other plot-threads along the Player Characters who aren’t too choosy
way. could easily make a home here, away from
prying eyes. There is no electricity or heat
Possible Locations for Your Team’s in the building, but due to an oversight on
Headquarters the part of Conglomerated Communications,
There a few ready-made places where a the phone jacks still work.
group of Player Characters might set up
shop. Don’t let the list below confine you— The Country Club
these are just suggestions. Places we Even less choosy Player Characters might
designed with this purpose in mind set up shop in the Bedlam Country Club. Its
facilities and putting greens have fallen into
Berth 13 a state of total neglect, but no one is likely
There is a ship that has sat in its berth on to bother you up there. It should be easy
the Bedlam docks for years. On Page 381 for technologically savvy Player Characters
we have a number of options for what the to tap into the city’s power and phone grids
ship really is and who really owns it. In one from this location. We really meant the club
version, this ship (the Andromeda) was to be the lair for whatever major villain you
formerly used as a secret base by the would like to have come rolling into town,
vigilante who calls himself Nocturne, and but it’s hard to tell some Player Characters,
from the villains, anyway.

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The Citadel Xtreme See the crime statistics listed above,
Some years ago, the City of Bedlam tried to under the section “Crime in Bedlam: How
lure a national superhero team into making Bad is It?”
their home here (you can find out all about As you can see, the odds of just
this on Pages 20, 29 and 283.) It ended stumbling over a crime in progress while
very badly, and the team’s headquarters you’re skulking around at random are
was never more than half-constructed. A actually pretty low. How does Batman
group of enterprising PCs could make it their manage to find so many of them?
own. A lot of its rooms are unfinished, and Presumably, he’s staking out spots where he
a lot of its systems don’t work, but with a knows criminals have been operating—an
few repair checks and a little money, the alley where a particular gang mugs people
Player Characters could have a viable on a regular basis, a streetcorner where the
headquarters. local market has been robbed twice in the
They would probably want to past week, a parking lot where crackheads
conceal the fact that they are living here to come every night to meet their dealers.
avoid legal difficulties. And there may be PCs who take this route should have
worse problems with the location. The a much higher chance of witnessing an
Bedlam Police may be using the site to store actual crime. To simulate this in game
captive superhuman criminals and the terms, let PCs make Knowledge (Bedlam),
leader of Justice Xtreme is vindictive enough Streetwise and Investigation skill rolls. If
to take action against the PCs if they squat they make all three, they can learn where a
on his turf. See Page 297. crime is likely to be committed some time
within the next couple of days. Then if they
What Will a Hero Find on Patrol? stake out that particular spot, assume there
is a ½ chance each night of the crime going
down there.
The crime itself could be whatever
the GM wants to throw at them. There
could be a purse-snatcher working this
block, or a mugger who has made this
particular alley his stalking ground, or a
pusher who uses this corner to make deals,
or etc.
The PCs should have the chance to
accept or reject a given lead. Why bother
chasing down some kid dealing pot when
Dr. Frightful is back in town?
Of course, when you stake out a
likely-looking spot there is a chance you
might get spotted yourself, but your typical
Shadowy Avenger of the Night has such a
huge Stealth rating that it’s barely worth
worrying about.
If you decide to stalk Bedlam’s dingy
PCs who listen in on police radio
rooftops and alleyways, how much crime will
broadcasts can try a completely different
you encounter in a given night? Of course
approach, and try to beat the cops to their
the short answer is “whatever the GM
emergency calls. In a town like Bedlam,
wants.” If the GM would like you to stumble
with its notoriously slow police response
across a lead on a big case, or to run afoul
time, this option can work pretty well. The
of someone who is going to be a recurrent
GM should decide when and if the cops
enemy, it’s going to happen. But GM fiat
interrupt a PC vigilante at the scene, and
aside, what can you expect to find?
how they react.

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 If you’d like a system to help
determine the odds of the cops showing
up, consider that the police response time
downtown is about 10 minutes, while it’s
a speedy 5 minutes in Stark Hill (if people
even bother to call the police), a sluggish
15 minutes in Greely Point, Gravesend Now it’s time to say a few words about
Beach and Ash Street (and also at Bedlam the grand plot arc we’re going to be
Harbor), a wretched 25 minutes in developing in future materials for the
Hardwick Park, Wolverton and the “Bedlam City” setting. There isn’t one.
Meadows, and an abysmal 30 minutes in We swear. We will not get all White Wolf
Shady Meadows and the Country Club. It on you and start changing the campaign
seems unlikely that the PCs would try setting just as you’re getting used to it.
staking out the quiet streets of Stone This is your setting now, not ours. You
Ridge, but if they do, they’ll find that paid for it (or at least I hope you did) and
police response time there is astonishingly we’re not going to introduce some new
quick. A security team will arrive in 1-5 back-story that makes the book you
minutes. Stone Ridge’s hired thugs are bought obsolete.
much quicker to open fire on anything There may be a few awful secrets
that looks weird or threatening (a guy in a (in other words, “back-story elements”)
costume, for example) than actual cops lurking in the shadows of Bedlam (see the
would be. chapter “Horrible Secrets” on Pages 356-
Bear in mind that there’s always a 389) but they are all modular—you can
small chance that a patrol car might use them or discard them at your
already be in the vicinity when somebody convenience. Nothing we’re going to
calls 911, and surprise the PCs in half the publish later will require you to include
listed response time or less. The odds of any of them. We’d rather sell you
this happening are about one in four. products because you know we do good
You should also note that cops work then lure you into buying a whole
are much quicker to respond to reports of line because you “have to.”
violent crimes in progress than anything
else (halve the expected response time.)
How the cops react if they
interrupt a PC at a crime scene depends
on too many variables to simulate with a
game mechanic. It depends on the cop,
on the PC’s reputation, but most of all, on
what precisely is happening at the crime
scene when the cops arrive and on how
they interpret it. As a rule, most Bedlam
cops resent vigilantes (apart from the
Hammer of Justice, who is known as a
stand-up guy) but aren’t anxious to risk
their lives trying to apprehend known
superhumans without backup.

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Bedlam has three different masked Real Name: No longer remembers it
vigilantes (and it may be about to get a himself
fourth—see “Blacktop” on Page 299.) No Wild Card
one is sure if any of them have Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit
superpowers. It was also briefly home to a d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10
genuine superhero team, back in the 1990s, Skills: Climbing d8, Driving d10, Fighting
with the unfortunate name of “Justice d10, Guts d8, Healing d6, Intimidation
Xtreme” (we’re sorry—it was the Iron Age.) d8+2, Investigation d8+2, Knowledge
We have stats and background material for (Government Secrets) d8, Lockpicking d10,
each of Bedlam’s vigilantes, and a write-up Repair d8, Notice d10+2, Stealth d12,
on the short, sad history of Justice Xtreme. Streetwise d8+2, Swimming d8, Tracking d8
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9 (2 Heavy
Armor)
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background
(Super Powers), Combat Awareness,
Combat Reflexes, Connections, Fleet-
Footed, Improved Dodge, Investigator,
Improved Sweep, Quick, Strong-Willed (+2
to resist Intimidate and Taunt)
Hindrances: Heroic, Quirk (Talks little,
works alone), Stubborn
Gear: Armored Costume (2 Heavy Armor),
Gas Mask, Handcuffs (Toughness 12),
Nightvision Goggles (gives him Darkvision
while he wears them), 3 Stun Gas Grenades
(Stun, uses Medium Burst Template),
Super Powers:
• Melee Attack: Str+2d6
• Lair: Average Condition, Command Center,
Garage, Specialty (Crime) Lab, Secure Access,
Well-Hidden, Workshop
• Vehicle: The Delta Interceptor—see
below

Background: Nocturne says that he views

himself as a big dog who has turned savage
on his master. That’s a pretty apt
description. He’s one of the last surviving
products of the CIA’s infamous Project MK
Ultra—their mind control and parahuman
research division.
Over the course of the fifties and
“If you look out your window and don’t
sixties, MK Ultra produced a number of
see anyone, it means I’m there.”
parahuman assassins for the CIA, as well as
a lot of messy failures. Nocturne is a bit of

276
both. He was one of the last and best him. Within a few months he had found
metahuman soldiers they managed to create. and destroyed the files showing the locations
Nocturne uses more of his brain than an of a number of CIA safe-houses and illegal
ordinary human being, and his muscles surveillance posts around the country. He
respond more strongly to his nerve impulses. has used them as temporary bases ever since.
He’s faster, stronger and more nimble than Then he set about locating all the
any Olympic athlete and he’s sections of MK Ultra that the Church
been superbly trained. He also has a Committee never found out about, and
profound natural talent with building putting them permanently out of business
gadgets, and has constructed a lot of his himself (Note to the GM: At your discretion,
own spy gear, often years ahead of its time he may have missed some of them, or have
(or at least years ahead of the early 1970s, been unable to dismantle some of them, in
when he learned his skills.) case the CIA still runs mind-control
He doesn’t remember his life before experiments in your campaign.)
the program, although he suspects that he In the course of this work he found
was a soldier, and that he probably served out about some unsavory ties between
at least briefly in Laos with some kind of some former US intelligence personnel and
commando unit. He’s certain that he was a the international drug trade, and began a
naïve patriot and that he had no idea of the campaign to break these operations up, too.
full scope of the CIA’s clandestine activities, He had some successes and some failures
or else he wouldn’t have been so shocked at here—he didn’t manage to predict or put a
some of the assignments they sent him on. stop to the Iran-Contra operation, for
Early in his career, he was sent to example.
defeat and capture a team of counterculture His work fighting the drug cartels
superheroes called “The Now.” This felt gave him a reputation as a costumed
very wrong to him. The Now weren’t vigilante, although he has always tried to
Communists or Soviet infiltrators, just kids stay out of the public eye. The PCs may
on a mission to fight crime and supernatural very well have heard of him (it’s the GM’s
evil. He beat them anyway, and then call) but if they have, they still don’t know
helped discredit them and get them all sent much about him. He keeps a very low
to prison on false charges. profile and tries to make sure that his
He felt really troubled and confused existence is more of a rumor than an
about this mission and hoped to lose himself established fact. There are no official
in his work so that he wouldn’t have to think photos of him.
about it. The next job they sent him on was He doesn’t have a regular secret
even worse. identity. If he appears out of his costume
He was supposed to find and using an assumed name, it’s always a
eliminate a new Soviet psychic asset in East temporary ploy and he’s always wearing a
Berlin. She turned out to be an eight-year- disguise.
old girl. Orders were orders. He did his Nocturne carries around a big load
very best to kill her, and even though he of post-traumatic-stress disorder, which
failed, he still bears that brand upon his makes it very difficult for him to get close to
soul. anyone. He likes people, wants to help
Six weeks after returning to the US them, but he’s too paranoid to ever let his
in disgrace, Nocturne took everything he guard down around them. As a result, he
knew about Project MK-Ultra to Senator has no friends at all, and lives completely
Frank Church, who launched a Senate apart from human society.
investigating committee that exposed some These days he’s beginning to
of the program’s secrets and got the whole reassess his life and to wonder what comes
thing shut down. Nocturne slipped into a next. He’s past the age of fifty, and
deep depression afterwards, and then although he doesn’t feel his body slowing
suddenly went AWOL, taking his special down, it’s just a matter of time. Less and
combat vehicle, the Delta Interceptor, with less of his secret bases are still in operation,

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and their facilities (particularly their
computer systems) are getting hopelessly
obsolete. Even his beloved Delta
Interceptor is starting to show signs of age.
Instead of healing, his psychological
problems actually seem to be getting worse
with age—he’s more paranoid than ever,
and he has noticed a tendency to get
dangerously obsessive about certain dead-
end conspiracy theories (particularly the
Kennedy assassination.) He feels that he
needs to make some kind of change in his
life, but he doesn’t know what or how.
For the moment, Nocturne makes
his lair in an old base hidden under the
parking garage of the Bedlam City Train
Station. It’s a little cramped and it’s none Acc/Top Speed: 30/60; Toughness: 14
too clean, but he doesn’t need much in the (5 Heavy Armor); Crew: 1+5
way of creature comforts. Offensive Powers: Cannon (3d6 Damage,
There are people in the upper Heavy Weapon)
echelons of military intelligence who know Defensive Powers: 5 Heavy Armor,
Immunity to Gas or Suffocation (applies to
all about Nocturne and his “secret” bases.
anyone inside)
They let him live because he’s useful for
shutting down illegal projects that are run Other Powers: Can be operated by remote
by rival agencies. He’s the perfect deniable control
asset—an agent who doesn’t even know
he’s an agent. Paranoid he may be, but Background: Nearly a character in its own
poor Nocturne isn’t nearly paranoid enough. right, the Delta Interceptor is getting old,
but it’s still pretty dangerous, just like
Combat Tactics: Nocturne likes to Nocturne himself. While its gadgets and
observe a prospective target for a while communications gear may be totally out of
from a distance, assessing their strengths date, its engineering is solid and Nocturne
and weaknesses. He doesn’t like to go up takes very good care of it.
against anyone without a plan. But if he The Delta Interceptor has been his
doesn’t have time, he’ll forgo all that and sole companion on countless adventures
strike whichever opponent looks strongest and it feels like an extension of his own
first. body to him. He’s not very sentimental
A close-in fighter, Nocturne’s first about his possessions, but if his car ever
move in any combat is to close the gap gets destroyed, he will be distracted for a
between himself and the target. He jumps moment, staring at its remains in mute
around constantly as he fights and tries to regret.
avoid getting into combat in settings where
he can’t perform a lot of acrobatic
maneuvers. A big construction site would
be his ideal place to stage a battle. He
hates to kill people, but he knows he’s
capable of it if he absolutely has to.
He’s not as levelheaded in a fight as
he would like to be—even after all these
years he still gets impulsive when he gets
mad.

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 Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
Skills: Climbing d8, Driving d6, Fighting
d12, Guts d12, Healing d6, Intimidation
d10+2, Investigation d6, Knowledge
(Bedlam’s Secrets) d8, Knowledge (Stark
Hill) d10, Lockpicking d8, Repair d6,
Notice d8, Stealth d10, Streetwise d10,
Swimming d8, Taunt d8+2, Throwing d10,
Tracking d8
Charisma +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
Toughness: 9 (2 Heavy Armor)
Edges: Alertness, Block, Combat
Awareness, Charismatic, Combat Reflexes,
Connections, Improved First Strike, Hard
to Kill, Improved Frenzy, Improved Level-
Headed, Improved Nerves of Steel, Mighty
Blow, No Mercy, Improved Sweep, Quick,
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate and
Taunt), Take the Hit
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (Will never
rat on a cop or the mob), Stubborn,
- Vengeful
“What kind of sewer do we live in, Gear: Armored Costume (2 Heavy
where Crime walks free, but Justice Armor), Billy Club (1d6+1d12+2), Badge-
must go masked? Take last night. I Shaped Throwing Blades (1d6+1d12),
saw some pretty suspicious looking Throwing Handcuffs (Toughness 12),
characters hanging around behind Nightvision Goggles (gives him Darkvision
your shop—good thing I was there to while he wears them), Minibinoculars, 5
scare ‘em off. A place like this could Smokebombs (Obscure, Medium Burst
get broken into real easy. Know Radius)
what I’m saying?”

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Background: Originally known as the competitors and keeping their streets free
Blue Shield, and then later the Shield of of petty crime. He gives them a share of
Justice, he has never actually carried a the protection money he collects from
shield, but then again he’s never carried a frightened business owners and
hammer either. Everyone is much too occasionally he rubs someone out for
afraid of him to ask why. them.
He’s a one-man protection racket, He sees no contradiction in any of
who cloaks his crimes in the cape of this. The Mafia maintains order and helps
justice. Most people aren’t aware that he keep the blacks out of the neighborhood.
extorts money from the folks he The Hammer of Justice devotes a fair
“protects.” Bedlam’s other superheroes amount of his own efforts toward chasing
aren’t aware of the depth of his out black families when they try to move
corruption, since they rarely come into in, but he can’t be everywhere at once.
contact with him. In his secret identity he is Officer
The city’s oldest and most Charles “Big Chuck” O’Ryan, a highly
respected crime-fighter, he restricts his decorated cop with a reputation for
regular patrols to Stark Hill. A rough, bravery. A bluff, friendly giant of a man,
tough, take-no-prisoners kind of vigilante, he has an unsavory history of brutalizing
he attracts a certain amount of black and Hispanic suspects in his
controversy for his uncompromising custody. Just about everyone on the
attitude to crime. He has no tolerance for force knows or suspects that Big Chuck is
criminal behavior, he’s unimpressed by dirty. But he’s so charming and
arguments about rehabilitation and bad personable that they all like him anyway.
childhoods. He’s not afraid to torture or He used to collect protection
terrorize information out of a suspect. In money from his squad car. Then the Mob
fact he’s not afraid to beat a confession told him this was attracting too much
out of them, if that’s the only way to get attention, so now he has to put on a mask
one. When you become a criminal, you and do it by night. This annoys him. His
step outside the rules and he can do what father was a cop and he did things the old
he likes to you. Unless of course you’re a fashioned way. His grandfather was a cop
Made Guy. The Hammer of Justice has and he did things the old-fashioned way.
worked hand-in-glove with the Scarpia It was good enough for them—why isn’t it
Crime Family for decades. He does good enough for him? Has the world
enforcement work for them when they gone crazy?
ask, coming down hard on their

280
 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Climbing d6, Drive d6, Fighting d8,
Guts d10, Intimidation d8, Knowledge
(Greely Point) d8, Knowledge
(Underworld) d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice
d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
Toughness: 7
Edges: Block, Combat Reflexes, Dodge,
Frenzy, Nerves of Steel, Quick, Take the
Hit
Hindrances: Habit (addicted to angel
dust and crank), Heartless, Quirk (abuses
women), Quirk (will put the beat-down on
anyone who fails to show him respect),
Vengeful, Vow (of loyalty to the Mafia)
Gear: Brass Knuckles (d10+d4),
Bulletproof vest (2 armor, resists 2 Armor-
Piercing, 4 armor vs. guns, only protects
his chest)

Background: A lesser-known counterpart

to the Hammer of Justice, the Midnight
Shadow patrols Greely Point, and never
ventures across the river. He’s even more
mysterious than the Hammer of Justice,
but we do know a few things about him
for sure. He focuses his efforts on
protecting the old residential
neighborhoods at the top of the Hill, up
around Moon Avenue and Lurman. That’s
a mob neighborhood, but he never seems
to crack down on organized crime. Local
businesses seem to pay him for his
“Geez! Stop bleeding all over the services.
place. It’s embarrassing.” In fact, just like a smaller-scale,
lower-key version of the Hammer of
Real Name: Varies (different people Justice, he’s a one-man protection racket,
wear the suit at different times) but these shaking people down for cash and running
days it’s most often Dino Spagnolli errands for the Mafia. He’s much less
Wild Card (when it’s Dino wearing the directly confrontational than the Hammer
suit) of Justice, however. Usually his mere

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appearance is enough to frighten people Bedlam’s vigilantes may be working for
into paying up or to scare non-whites out the mob, you can use him to draw
of the neighborhood. If he does need to attention away from the Hammer of
get tough with someone, he relies on Justice. Or in a scenario where all of
stealth and hits them from behind, or Bedlam’s superheroes show up at once for
leaves a sinister warning on their pillow some important job, and one of the group
while they sleep. This is a wise policy on betrays the others, it can help to have
his part. He doesn’t have any actual more than one NPC hero in the room as
powers, and barely any special training. potential suspects.
Unlike the Hammer of Justice, the The Midnight Shadow has a
Midnight Shadow isn’t a single person, reputation for being shadowy and
he’s a bunch of guys from the Gorganzua secretive, and you should play this up. If
crime family, and a mask. Different guys anyone but Dino Spagnolli is wearing the
wear the outfit at different times. Anyone suit, the Midnight Shadow will avoid
can do it, so long as they have the right coming to grips with the PCs, appearing
build. Lately, however, one of the guys and vanishing mysteriously. Where the
has taken to wearing it more than the Hammer of Justice confronts rival
others. superheroes, the Midnight Shadow evades
Dino Spagnolli is a crazy, them. He also has the uncanny ability to
weightlifting, wifebeating dope fiend. survive his own death (they wash the
He’s desperate for respect above all else, costume and give it to somebody else.)
and he feels like he gets it when he wears To encounter him, you have to go
the suit, so he volunteers for it as much to Greely Point. Even Dino knows better
as possible. The other guys think this is than to cross the river into Scarpia
silly and a little weird, but not eccentric territory. He has no desire to encounter
enough to have him killed over it, yet. the Hammer of Justice in a cranky mood.
Whenever he dons the suit, Dino makes Because he can’t stand up to even
sure to get wasted on his own special a single Player Character in a fight, you
blend of PCP and crystal meth, which should try to delay the final battle as long
actually does give him a significant edge as possible, building the tension like crazy
in combat. He is also a big, strong guy before they finally lay their hands on him
with some combat experience in Iraq. and discover that he’s just some jerk in a
He’s still not up to fighting a full-fledged funny costume.
superhero, although he may be crazy If the PCs ever manage to take
enough to try. down the Hammer of Justice, the Midnight
Shadow will suddenly expand his range
Using the Midnight Shadow in your across the river, and they’ll have a whole
Campaign: The Midnight Shadow works new crooked vigilante nipping at their
best as a kind of red herring. If the PCs heels—one with a very different style and
start to suspect that one or more of very different secrets.

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 not terribly bright, he knew a lot more about
marketing and getting corporate
sponsorships than he did about being a
hero. Only new recruit Suicide Lad and the
mysterious Doctor Oculus stuck by him.
He was actively engaged in
recruiting new members when the team
relocated to Bedlam. Almost immediately
Bedlam’s home-grown superhero “Lord of
the Blacktop” (Blacktop for short) joined up
and began to quarrel with Mr. Extreme. A
poor kid from the Section Eight housing on
Ellmore Place, Blacktop was everything Mr.
Extreme wanted to be—urban, streetwise, a
real ghetto kid who knew how real ghetto
kids actually talked. Mister Extreme
despised and feared him at once.
The Redevelopment Commission
wanted to change the team’s name to
“Maximum Extreme” but Mr. Extreme
thought that sounded stupid (mostly
because he hadn’t thought it up himself.)
This caused a lot of needless friction.
Things got worse when new recruit “Kid
Infinity” said he liked the new name, and
Suicide Lad agreed with him.
At the public expense, Bedlam built
the team a crime-fighting headquarters
downtown, (the “Citadel Xtreme”) with a
In 1998, the Redevelopment Commission gigantic statue in front. It’s still there,
tried their final scheme to bring the city out deserted and caked with insulting graffiti.
of impoverishment and obscurity. They The statue has been encased in cement to
attempted to lure a nationally recognized protect it from vandals. Only its feet
superhero team to Bedlam. After many protrude from under the ugly concrete
failures and false starts, they managed to block.
find a team that was in the process of That statue nearly caused the
reorganizing itself after some losses and team’s demise—Mr. Extreme didn’t like it,
some bitter infighting. Formerly the “Street thought it was too generic, and although he
Saviors”, they had just adopted the new never said so, would almost certainly have
name “Justice Xtreme” after their new team preferred a statue of himself. This was
leader, “Mister Extreme.” A nineties kind of nearly the last straw for the city
name for a nineties kind of team, he felt government. It might have been better for
(although in fact he called it a “new-jack everyone involved if the team had failed
team for a new-jack world”, which sort of right then. Instead, Smashface (see his
tells you all you need to know about poor description on Page 344) came lumbering
silly Mister Extreme.) into town. Justice Xtreme mobilized to fight
The team had reached an unstable him. This was to be their first major battle.
point in its history. Most of the original And their last.
lineup was gone. This left Mister Extreme Mr. Extreme refused to leave the
the leader by default (you can find his stats Citadel. He was still feuding with the city
and background on Page 297.) Some about the statue and didn’t want to do
people would contend that he was not equal anything that might prejudice the lawsuit he
to the job. Shortsighted, self-centered and was planning against them. But he did run

283
interference for his inexperienced group stay out of town for their own protection.
from inside their base, alerting the media Their headquarters sat incomplete, the city’s
and coordinating his team of publicists to funds were withdrawn, a hastily written
make sure the fight got the absolute court order banned Mister Extreme from
maximum amount of coverage. Bedlam and the head of the Redevelopment
As the battle was joined, Smashface Commission moved to Israel to pursue her
knocked Suicide Lad to the ground. Kid lifelong dream of working on a Kibbutz.
Infinity happened to be standing closer than Months later, a young man hanged
any of his other teammates, so he stepped himself outside the gates of the Citadel
forward, prepared to engage Smashface, Extreme. The body has never been
and froze. He lost his nerve—couldn’t make identified, and the dead boy’s identity
himself intervene. And Smashface killed his remains a mystery to this very day. But no
teammate right in front of him. Suicide one ever saw Kid Infinity again. Blacktop
Lad’s last words were “Help me, Kid vanished too, consumed with self-loathing
Infinity!” and shame. He had gotten into the
Mister Extreme had done a good job superhero game to help the folks society
of alerting the press. Half a dozen TV crews ignored, and wound up killing them instead.
filmed the whole incident. Things actually Mister Extreme will tell you that his
went downhill from there. Smashface team still exists, that he is recruiting a band
strolled deeper into the city, the rest of the of Extreme new heroes for an Extreme new
team made desultory attacks on him from century (although his search is on
time to time but failed to have any temporary hiatus while he tries to get more
discernable effect on him at all. funds and pursues other projects) and that
Blacktop managed to provoke they’ll soon be back, bigger and badder and
Smashface into toppling an abandoned more extreme than ever. But of course no
building on himself. But all this did was to one listens to him any more.
kill a homeless family that had
(unbeknownst to Blacktop) been living there The Street Saviors, Bedlam’s Other
and end his own crimefighting career. Superhero Team
Smashface killed eight more civilians Not very many people know that Bedlam
and twelve policemen before he got bored almost had a second superhero team. After
and walked back out of town. Justice Xtreme collapsed, the vigilante
This was bad, but to make matters known as the Hammer of Justice took some
worse, within a day, local news acquired of the surviving team members under his
footage of Mister Extreme telling one of his wing and offered to train them. He insisted
contacts at the Redevelopment Commission that they weren’t a team and that he wasn’t
that now that Suicide Lad was dead and Kid really their leader—he was just showing
Infinity was in disgrace, he was pleased to them how to survive. The Hammer of
say there was no longer any support for Justice works alone.
changing the team’s name. This callous They agreed, hoping to be able to
behavior did not endear him any further to resurrect the Street Saviors after they had
the public. learned how to function as a unit and had
Convinced that one of his really become ready to take on the
teammates had leaked the story to challenge. But the group was plagued with
embarrass him, Mister Extreme fired bad luck. The Hammer of Justice kept
everyone and announced that he was leading them into ambushes and deadly
building a new team from scratch. The situations and more of them kept dying. It
Redevelopment Commission refused to was almost like he was trying to get them
accept this, so he sued them. Meanwhile, killed. The two surviving team members left
public outrage against Mr. Extreme, Justice town in a hurry, never to return, and the
Xtreme and the Redevelopment Commission Scarpia Crime family congratulated the
reached such a fever pitch that the Bedlam Hammer of Justice for having done such a
police warned every member of the team to good job of keeping the capes away from
Bedlam.

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The villains in this section are all native to the tabloids are starting to take an interest,
Bedlam (or are intimately linked to its which might prove to be unwise…
history—like Mister Twisted) , but none of The Nowhere Men are a collection
them are critical to the setting. The of misfits and outcasts who live in the
Ratcatcher, Capricorn and the Scarlet Man tunnels underneath Bedlam. They steal
all play roles in Bedlam’s secret history, but food to survive and occasionally come to
since you don’t actually have to use that blows with gangs who prey on homeless
back-story, you don’t need to include them people. Setting derelicts on fire used to be
if you don’t feel like it. a popular way for the city’s youth to spend
We have one team for you (the their evenings, but it isn’t any more.
Nowhere Men) and a handful of Out of the three Nowhere Men, only
independent villains. As we’ve said the one called Grim Diddle is actually
elsewhere, Bedlam isn’t really big enough to dangerous, and even he isn't precisely evil—
support a huge supervillain community of its just muddled and insane.
own. Most of the super-threats that turn up The one called the Ratcatcher is a
here come stealing and murdering their way sort of urban shaman who lives in
into town from somewhere else. communion with the city and can feel
disturbances in the flow of its systems.
Some time last year he detected a pair of
strange presences, lost and hungry,
wandering through the tunnels beneath the
streets. He was curious about these
strangers, and had the city lead them to his
lair. They were a weird but friendly
Membership: Woodchuck Man (A woodchuck-man and an insane old derelict
scrofulous, lice-ridden and unsavory human whose skin glowed blue in the dark. The
woodchuck, who prowls the city’s alleys late three of them banded together for mutual
at night, looking for food), The Ratcatcher support and they have been looking after
(arch-wino and urban shaman, he one another ever since.
communes with the pavement and knows all Once they started getting in fights
the secrets of the rat, the pigeon and the with gang-kids, the Ratcatcher came up with
roach), Grim Diddle (a hapless, insane old the idea of painting their name on their turf,
derelict who moans instead of speaking, and to show that certain locations were under
who has been cursed with the ability to their protection. That way they wouldn’t
drain the life force out of others.) have to get in fights all the time—the kids
Background: They say that something would know to avoid Ash Street and leave
haunts skid row. Even the gang kids won’t the homeless people there alone. This
go there after dark in groups of less than policy has worked, although it has also led
ten. Bums whisper to one another that to rumors and urban legends about the
something has claimed the territory for its “Nowhere Men” and may lead superheroes
own, and although none of them will say the to come investigate them.
name, they all know where to find the fresh Bedlam's homeless population
graffiti that reads “The Nowhere Men.” Now doesn't know much about them, apart from
the name, although they are certainly aware

285
that someone has been keeping the gangs a tiny bell next to his ear and wake him if
off their case. Most of the city's derelicts anyone approaches them while they sleep.
would be willing to aid and shelter the The Ratcatcher can detect intruders with his
Nowhere Men in a crisis, particularly the powers, but he’s often too drunk to do it.
Ratcatcher, who has long been a semi-
mythical folk hero to the wretches on Ash Organization: The Nowhere Men can
Street. barely be said to have any organization at
We don't know quite where Grim all. They don't exactly have a leader, since
Diddle and Woodchuck Man came from— each of them has personal limitations that
neither one of them can speak articulately. prevent them from playing that role. Grim
When the Ratcatcher found them Diddle is too crazy, the Ratcatcher is too
Woodchuck Man was already trying to care drunk and Woodchuck Man can't speak. In
for Grim Diddle on his own. For the GM's any case they don't really seem to need a
convenience we're going to leave it leader. They just share their meager
undetermined. Perhaps they both broke out resources and give one another support.
of the same bio-warfare lab or perhaps The Ratcatcher watches over Grim
Woodchuck Man just found Grim Diddle Diddle while Woodchuck Man is off stealing
lying in an alley somewhere and decided food and Woodchuck Man watches over
that he needed help. them both when the Ratcatcher is too drunk
to be of much use. They like one another
Threat Level: Scary though they can seem, and they get along very well—even Grim
the Nowhere Men aren’t much of a threat to Diddle seems comforted by the presence of
anything. They want to be left alone, and the other two.
to keep any more bums from getting burned
alive. This seems to be the limit of their Tactics: If they are trying to fend off a
ambition. They aren’t even particularly group of young toughs who are intent on
interested in hurting the gangs—they just setting winos on fire, the Nowhere Men will
don’t want them to set anyone else on fire. try to act as frightening as possible when
Grim Diddle can be a menace if left to his they attack, while at the same time
own devices, but they try to keep that from roughing the kids up as little as they can.
happening as much as possible. Still, there The Ratcatcher’s ability to control rats,
are occasions when Woodchuck Man is out roaches and pigeons works well here, as
scavenging for food and the Ratcatcher is does Woodchuck’s Man’s foul smell and
too drunk to keep Grim Diddle from floating fearsome appearance.
off on his own, moaning and muttering and If they are about to scare off some
spreading fear as he goes. kids, then the Ratcatcher will summon up a
swarm of roaches, rats or pigeons, make
Base of Operations: The Nowhere Men them spell out some kind of threatening
live in the storm sewers under Bedlam, near message, and then once everyone is already
Ash Street. Seldom do they sleep in the freaked out by the sight, Woodchuck Man
same place twice. They don't need much and/or Grim Diddle will suddenly pop up and
space, just enough for the three of them to look scary. This is the only strategy they
lie down. The Ratcatcher is inhumanly have. It has always worked, every time
gifted at finding them one good niche or they use it, the kids all run away. The
other in which to hide. Nowhere Men have no idea what they would
Wherever they have set up their do if they tried it and the kids didn’t run—
lair, it looks much the same—a pile of they’d probably get scared and flee the
flattened out boxes with old clothes heaped scene themselves.
on top of them to provide a sleeping space, In any actual brawl they will all fight
with empty bottles of inexpensive wine as individuals, with no coordination
scattered all around. whatever, but they’re much more likely to
Woodchuck Man will probably have panic and try to get out of there.
set up a web of threads nearby, which ring

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Using The Nowhere Men in Your The homeless folks who inhabit the area
Campaign after dark aren’t willing to say much about
The Nowhere Men are a mystery to be the Nowhere Men, but they are willing to
solved as much as an enemy to fight. point out the graffiti which the Ratcatcher
Even though they aren’t that leaves to mark their turf. As soon as the
tough, the GM can make them plenty PCs see the graffiti, the Nowhere Men
scary by keeping them mysterious. notice them and strange stuff starts to
Adventures that involve the Nowhere Men happen. Rats and crows seem to watch
should have lots of dark, dingy alleys, them. Swarms of roaches cross their
hissing steam grates, figures glimpsed for path. Perhaps they catch a brief glimpse
an instant on rooftops, roaches and rats of Woodchuck Man watching them from a
scuttling around in a weird and unnatural rooftop, or hear Grim Diddle moaning and
way (the Ratcatcher loves to scare people muttering in the storm sewers beneath
off by having his little friends spell out them.
“Stay Away” or “The Nowhere Men.”) Then, while they are out patrolling
Everything should happen at night. for signs of the Nowhere Men, the PCs
Once the Players have solved the come across a bunch of cruel rich
mystery of who and what the Nowhere teenagers from Stone Ridge (under a
Men are, they will then have to resolve bridge or in a vacant lot or possibly even
the more difficult question of what to do in the tunnels under the street, if the PCs
about them. They really don't mean have gone there), who are nervously
anyone any harm, yet they have to steal trying to work themselves up to doing
to stay alive. something—the PCs can’t quite see what
It's not going to be possible to it is. They are whispering about the
reintegrate Woodchuck Man into normal Nowhere Men, and why nobody does
human society, especially if sinister forces “this” anymore, but it’s all too unclear to
are ready to drag him off to a secret lab make out. There’s a lot of nervous
the moment he resurfaces. Grim Diddle's giggling.
chances look almost as bleak, and Then a swarm of roaches erupts
Woodchuck Man won’t let anyone take across a facing wall, the rustle of pigeon
him away. wings is heard from everywhere and rats
If the PCs decide to let them begin to scuttle across the edges of the
continue their shadowy existence, the scene. Before everyone’s horrified eyes,
Nowhere Men won’t hold a grudge even if the swarming roaches form the words
the PCs beat them up. “Get Out!” and the rats all squeak at
The Ratcatcher is a wonderful once. Then, Woodchuck Man leaps out
source of information when he’s sober, into plain view, waving his arms and
and could make an excellent part-time chittering freakishly, while Grim Diddle
ally. appears on the other side, glowing and
moaning and floating through the air.
An Adventure With the Nowhere The teenagers scream and run. If the PCs
Men: Guardians of Nowhere choose this moment to intervene the
The PCs are drawn to Ash Street by the Nowhere Men panic and run for it too,
reports of mysterious happenings there. except for poor Grim Diddle.
Or perhaps they have a midnight As soon as the PCs enter the fray,
encounter with Woodchuck Man, stealing they can see that the teenagers were
some edibles from a shuttered fast-food about to set an unconscious bag lady on
restaurant, and the strange creature flees fire. How they deal with this situation is
to Ash Street. up to them.

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 Background: A scabby, filthy, lice-ridden
woodchuck-man, who roams the city at
night, looking for things to eat. His hygiene
is appalling, his habits are gross and
uncivilized, he knows nothing of humanity's
laws. Yet he is also friendly and cheerful,
happy and good natured. He can't speak
and only understands a few words of
English, but if approached the right way he's
more likely to offer the PCs some of his
meager food than he is to attack them.
Woodchuck Man is extremely loyal
to the other Nowhere Men, particularly Grim
Diddle, who he senses is unwell and needs
protection. He's better equipped to
scavenge for food than they are and spends
more time away from their lair. He is likely
to be the first team member the PCs
encounter, as he is the one who commits
the most crimes (theft, breaking and
entering, skulking around looking like a
giant woodchuck, etc.)
If confronted while stealing food his
first impulse will be to drop everything and
run away. He'll fight if cornered, or if he
“Squeak! Chee-chee!” (gestures has some item he's unwilling to drop.
inquisitively at a PC’s wristwatch) Not a particularly sophisticated
"Eep-squeak?” tactician, he will always be more interested
in escape than in hurting anybody. He
Real Name: Unknown (may not even have won’t attack non-combatants and he
one) certainly won’t take hostages.
Wild Card Woodchuck Man may present a
Race: Some kind of woodchuck-man moral dilemma for heroes who capture him.
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit He’s a lawbreaker, but he’s not malign.
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d12 Prison clearly isn’t the right place for him
Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d8, Guts d8, and removing him from the urban
Notice d10+4, Stealth d10, Tracking d8+2 environment isn’t really a viable way to help
Charisma -2, Pace: 8; Parry: 7; him. He knows nothing but the city and the
Toughness: 8 sewers. If some well-meaning superhero
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background released him into the wild he would be
(Super Powers), Block, Improved Dodge, terrified and all but incapable of coping.
Fleet-Footed, Integrating him into human society is going
Hindrances: All-Thumbs, Clueless, Curious, to be a slow and difficult process. Perhaps
Distinctive Appearance (looks like a filthy the best option is actually to leave him
great woodchuck), Heroic, Loyal alone, but supply him with enough food so
Gear: Ratty overcoat, hat. that he doesn’t have to steal.
Super Powers: Contrary to what you might expect, he fears
• Burrowing and hates the fast food restaurant “Wunder-
• Melee Attack: Str+1d6 Chuk” and feels deeply distrustful of Wally
• Heightened Senses: Tracking Woodchuck, their mascot.
• Tru Regeneration: rolls to recover from Woodchuck Man bears the scars of
injury once per round. many surgical procedures under his fur, but
although he’s clearly escaped from some

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kind of illegal lab somewhere, he can’t with them. He has actually seen the
really explain how or where. Nowhere Men once before, and has some
The GM should feel free to use idea where to find them. He also has
him to lead the PCs to whichever mad some bored, violent young friends from
scientist or secret gene-warfare lab seems Saturday Night Shots who would be
appropriate to the campaign. This will willing to help him hunt for the necklace,
help to link adventures together, and to and maybe do the Nowhere Men some
move the Player Characters from the harm just for old time’s sake. Meanwhile
Nowhere Men to more powerful Chad and his influential family pester the
opponents. authorities and the press about having the
monster caught and the necklace
Two Adventures With Woodchuck recovered.
Man The Player Characters should
enter this situation unsure of what is
1) Somebody Stop That Woodchuck! really going on. Then, as Chad, the police
One night at around 2:00 AM, Woodchuck and perhaps an angry mob are about to
Man finds a woman lying on a street get into a confrontation with poor puzzled
corner near Terminal Drive. She is dying Woodchuck Man, the victim wakes up and
from the injuries her fiancé gave her while tells everyone what really happened. But
explaining his concerns about the state of is there still time to prevent a lethal
their relationship. conflict?
Woodchuck Man can tell that she
is sick, so he brings her to a place where 2) Woodchuck Man to the Rescue
he can see lots of other humans (the A new Wunder-Chuk restaurant is opening
coffee shop called the Circle Perk, on up on Storch Avenue, near Ash Street.
Terminal Drive—see Page 191) and leaves Their Grand Opening Ceremony runs on
her there. She has a wonderful shiny into the evening, and the light and noise
thing around her neck, which he keeps, attracts the attention of Woodchuck Man.
unaware that it’s a diamond necklace. He He watches the festivities from the
also doesn’t realize that at least twenty shadows across the street, keeeping a
people saw him stooped over her form, safe distance—he fears and loathes their
and that one of them took his picture. mascot, Wally Woodchuck, and doesn’t
Soon the city is in an uproar, panic want to come anywhere near its lair.
is in the air and everyone is talking about Then, disaster strikes. Some poor
the monster. His victim languishes in a shlub in a Wally Woodchuck costume
coma, unable to tell the story of the comes out of the restaurant, waves to the
attack, but her injuries speak for crowd, and leans down to say hello to a
themselves. little girl. She cringes and bursts into
Her fiancé, Chad Armitage, is tears, and Woodchuck Man completely
distraught and wracked with remorse at misunderstands the situation. Thinking
having lost the necklace. It belonged to that the other woodchuck intends to harm
his grandmother and it’s supposed to be the girl, he overcomes his fears, races
given to the woman who will become his across the street, snatches her up and
wife—it’s a family tradition. He’s resuces her, running off down the
desperate to have it back. sidewalk with the shrieking girl slung over
By an odd coincidence he’s a his shoulder.
member of the underground network of Can the PCs catch up with
cruel young rich people called “Saturday Woodchuck Man before the cops or an
Night Shots” (see Page 203), and he used angry mob does?
to set bums on fire down on Ash Street

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 Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d12, Knowledge
(Bedlam) d12+2, Notice d12+4, Repair
d6, Persuade d10, Streetwise d12,
Tracking d10
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
Toughness: 8
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background
(Super-Powers), Charismatic, Hard to Kill,
Harder to Kill, Improved Level-Headed
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Habit
(addicted to alcohol and crack), Outsider,
Pacifist (minor), Poor
Powers:
Animal Control: Swarm of rats, roaches
or pidgeons, Summoning, Telepathic Link
Awareness: Danger Sense
Super-Attribute (4): Vigor enhanced
from d4 all the way up to d12
Jinx
Mind Control: Only works on native-born
residents of Bedlam
Obscure: Medium Burst Template, cloud
of bugs or pidgeons
Telepathy: Only works on native-born
residents of Bedlam
Note: None of the Ratcatcher’s powers
work outside the Bedlam city limits,
“Well sit yerself down young feller. including his enhanced vigor. Nor does he
The city told me you’d come— have the Edges “Hard to Kill” or “Harder
whispered it to me on her reeking to Kill” once he leaves the city. Out there
asphalt breath. I know you’re here he’s just a muddled old alcoholic with a
to kill me, but yer still a guest until Vigor of d4 and a Toughness of 4.
you do, so pull up one a them
cushions an’ let's us talk a while.” Background: A grinning, filth-smeared
wino who wears a motley assortment of
Real Name: Jacob "Jake" Bukowski mismatched clothing. He looks a bit like a
Wild Card clown with his comical assemblage of
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit clothes, and his five-o-clock shadow and
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d12 constant smile reinforce this effect. The

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Ratcatcher communes with the city's living a kind of arch-derelict and he doesn’t
heart and knows its hidden ways. He can want to neglect his duties as the city’s
speak the language of the pavement and secret confessor. If he isn't there to listen
learn who walks or drives upon her. He is to the city's awful hidden agonies, who
friend to the pigeon, the rat and the will be?
roach. He speaks their secret tongues
and can see through their eyes.
He doesn’t much care for violence,
but he will reluctantly protect his two
comrades if he must, smiling and uttering
strange drunken/wise pronouncements
about the city all the while. He’s not a
sadistic man, and would never take
hostages or endanger innocents. While
he can call upon swarms of vermin to
protect himself and his compatriots, the
Ratcatcher only does this as a last
resort—he's afraid of getting his little
friends hurt.
While he is usually drunk and
often incoherent, he knows an enormous
amount about the city and will gladly
share his knowledge with anyone who
cares to ask. He's almost always happy
and has a kind of jovial Zen-like calm,
having found Enlightenment in the bottom
of a wine bottle. Rats and roaches crawl
across him constantly and he treats them
like his children. Is he the living
incarnation of the city's spirit? That's hard
to say—he didn't just appear out of
nowhere, he has a birth certificate and
parents and a former life. If he is some
kind of living urban deity then he became
one, rather than being born that way. If
the Player Characters approach the
Ratcatcher as a friend rather than an
enemy, they’ll find him to be an incredibly
useful source of information, when he’s
coherent enough to talk. Befriending him
is easy. Helping him get off the streets is
difficult. He prefers to live in the tunnels
and he wants to remain a drunk. In fact
his powers and his role as an urban
shaman are both dependant on his being

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 Instead of speaking, he moans. His
skin is pale and glows faintly in the dark. His
eyes do not look human.
Woodchuck Man and the Ratcatcher
tend to him, try to calm him through his
nightmares and see that he is fed. They are
amazingly patient and understanding with him,
and somehow he senses their affection, and
knows not to use his powers on them. Yet
from time to time he escapes their care and
wanders off to attack people at random.
Grim Diddle has been cursed with the
ability to suck the lifeforce out of anyone he
comes near. Constantly cold, he craves the
warmth of others and when he isn't curled up
in a heap or rocking back and forth muttering
to himself, he roves aimlessly around seeking
warmth to drain. His companions try hard to
keep him from wandering off and drawing
attention to himself, but Woodchuck Man is
often gone and the Ratcatcher is frequently
too drunk to know what's going on.
Although he won’t attack his
caregivers, no one else is safe from him.
When he comes floating down the street at
midnight, glowing a ghostly blue and
mumbling insane nonsense, look out! He isn’t
so much merciless as he is unaware of the
“Unnnh! Maaaaa! Whether up through harm that he does—perhaps incapable of
my skins of flaming heart burning understanding. In combat, he really doesn’t
burning so cold over the sky—Lutes! use any tactics at all. He directly approaches
Lobsters! Nuuuuuuuuh!” his chosen target, but can get distracted if
some other warm body gets in the way. If
Real Name: Unknown (does not remember it hurt, he retreats. If cornered, he lashes out.
himself) He won’t take hostages or threaten non-
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, combatants—that’s far beyond his mental
Strength d8, Vigor d12+2 capabilities. No one but the other Nowhere
Skills:, Fighting d6, Guts d4, Intimidation Men can reason with him, even via telepathy,
d4, Notice d4 but he’d respond well to Emotion Control.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 5/ Fly 10; Parry: 5; No one really knows where he came
Toughness: 9 from or how he got his powers. The other
Edges: Hard to kill, Harder to Kill Nowhere Men have no idea, and if anyone
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Clueless, ever manages to cure his shattered mind,
Delusional, Elderly, Illiterate they’ll find huge gaps in his memory that
Powers: effectively obscure it.
• Darkvision Like Woodchuck Man, Grim Diddle can
• Flight (4) moves at 2x Pace be used as a bridge to the monster-making
mad scientist or secret government laboratory
• Lower Stat (per the core rulebook, requires a
of your choice. Once the PCs have subdued
Touch Attack, lowers the stat by one step)
and studied him, they can follow the clues (his
• Paralysis
surgical scars, the place where Woodchuck
Background: A lost, tormented street
Man and the Ratcatcher found him) back to
psychotic, incapable of taking care of himself.
the master villain (or sinister conspiracy)
Grim Diddle doesn't even have what it takes to
responsible.
survive as a bum.

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 • Speed (12): Supersonic (-8), Pummel
• Super Attributes (2): (Hyper-Agile)
Gear: Big Knife (d8+d6 damage; 4pts
Armor Piercing and counts as a Heavy
Weapon when wielded at hypersonic speed)

Background: A supervillain in the making,

Luca Stegnetti hasn’t yet figured out that he
has superpowers. In fact he’s a speedster,
and he’s going to discover this fact when-
ever it would be least convenient for the
PCs.
Luca isn’t a Made Guy yet, but he’s
on his way. A crazy, wild-eyed speed freak,
he’s already picked up the nickname
“Stabbo the Clown” among the Scarpias and
their associates long before he discovers his
abilities. They call him that for his crazy
sense of humor, his demented laugh and his
hair-trigger capacity for violence. He loves
to stab people and he does it at the drop of
a hat. In fact, he’s so stab-happy that it’s
actually holding his career back. Dapper
Donny is a cautious guy and he wants to
make sure Luca can hold it together before
he lets him in the family. For now, Luca is
something like the Scarpias’ wacky mascot,
always hanging around Donny’s favorite
arcade and making people laugh with his
nutty antics.
“I’m a one-man stab-tacular circus of Unlike most of the Scarpias’
blood! Ha-ha-ha-huh-ha-heh!” associates, Luca was never a member of the
Coronets, the Viscounts or any of the other
Real Name: Luca Stegnetti Stark Hill street gangs. Instead he was a
Wild Card loner and a misfit and a nut. His mom was
Attributes: Agility d12+1, Smarts d6, Spirit a useless, violent drunk and their house was
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8 a filthy pit of squalor and everyone teased
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d8, Intimidate d8, him about both these things. After getting
Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, picked on from kindergarten through the
Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, Taunt d8 eighth grade, he reinvented himself in high
Charisma: +2; Pace: Supersonic; Parry: school, trying to be the craziest and the
6; Toughness: 5 wildest and the funniest kid around. At first
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (misogynist, he got beat up regularly, but by his junior
will always attack any woman in a group of year most of the gang kids thought of him
opponents first and hardest), Stubborn, as a hilarious diversion. Now he’s twenty-
Wanted five and he’s hanging around with their
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), fathers and uncles.
Charismatic, Improved First Strike, Mighty A couple of stints in juvie and some
Blow, Quick, Sweep failed relationships with girls have left Luca
Super Powers: with a huge pile of anger under his giddy
• Ranged Attack: Throwing bits of debris charm. His meth addiction makes this
at hypersonic speed; Range 8/16/32; 2d6 worse. Over the years he has found that
Damage, Autofire there are women who will put up with him,

293
but they’re all passive lumps. None of Using Stabbo the Clown in Your
them are the funny, charming girls he Campaign: At first, Luca is the kind of
craves. This and his hatred of his mother minor villain Player Characters love to
have made him a dangerous guy for hate and love to beat up. He’s annoying,
women to be around. Any girl foolish scary and vile all at once, if you play him
enough to succumb to his giddy charm right. But the first time the Player
will get beaten on, a lot. In fact his Characters get in a fight with him, he’ll
current girl, Marie Tucci, has suffered so discover that he has superpowers and
many savage beatings that her face is become a vastly greater menace. What
barely recognizable as human anymore. happens next depends on how the PCs
He teases her about this, calling her “the react and on how you want to use him.
Elephant Girl” and he doesn’t let her go He’ll love his new powers, start
out in public any more. He learned from wearing clown makeup and embrace the
his mom how to terrorize someone name “Stabbo the Clown.” Then
smaller and weaker than you into depending on the circumstances, he’ll
obedience and it seems unlikely that Marie either go on a rampage, lie low and wait
will escape him before she dies. He hasn’t for a chance to strike back at the PCs, or
actually killed any of his girlfriends before, become a fast-rising power in the Bedlam
but once he does, it’ll become irresistible mob. Dapper Donny doesn’t want anyone
to do it again and again. in the family who would draw unwanted
In person, Luca resembles a attention or who might eclipse his own
homicidal Jim Carrey, flailing around and stature, so he will put off making Stabbo
acting out and trying to get attention. an actual “Made Guy” for as long as he
He’s actually pretty funny. Constantly can. He certainly won’t help Luca if he’s
flirting with any attractive girls he sees, running around on a public rampage,
Luca doesn’t know when to stop harassing making headlines and getting superheroes
them. His flirting always has an involved. He may even want the PCs to
aggressive, mean undertone. He’s forever put his former mascot away—although he
grabbing women and trying to force them won’t want him to get a chance to testify.
to dance with him. An unnerving If Stabbo has to work outside Dapper
opponent, he doesn’t seem to care Donny’s organization, he’ll soon assemble
whether he wins or loses a fight. The his own crew and start trying to carve out
harder you beat him, the louder he as big a piece of the underworld for
laughs. himself as he can. He’ll surely lose in the
He may abuse women, but he long run if he starts a war with the
hates people who hurt children and he Scarpias—they can afford to hire an
may actually go kill an abusive parent or unlimited number of supervillains to bring
two once he gets his superpowers. While him down, but he’s certain to do a lot of
he is capable of any crime at all against damage along the way.
adults, Stabbo claims to have a soft spot Stabbo works best if the PCs
for kids and animals. He can’t bring encounter him several times in different
himself to kill either one, he says. But the sessions, and get to watch him grow and
very first time he has to kill a child or an mature as a villain. At first he’s a
animal, he’ll memorably unpleasant mook, then he’s a
discover that this isn’t true, and that in rampaging supervillain, then he’s a crime
fact it doesn’t bother him at all. What a lord and possibly even a worthy arch-
relief! nemesis.

294
 Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers)
Super Powers:
• Attack, Ranged (12/24/48): Damage 4d6,
Area Effect (Large Burst Template), Elemental
Trick: Fire
•Deflection: (-5 to incoming attacks),
Elemental Trick: Fire
•Energy Control (fire): Large Burst
Template, Elemental Trick: Fire

Background: He's not really a doctor, he's

quick to say, just a creepy little pyromaniac
with a bad case of attention deficit disorder. It
is unusual to find a pyromaniac who has this
much of a sense of humor about himself, but
then again it's also unusual to find one who
can set fires with his mind.
Doctor Scorch is a pyrokinetic—which
perfectly suits his personality and hobbies.
Unlike many people with his ability, he isn't
immune to the effects of his own powers and
is covered with small burn scars from various
accidents.
Not exactly a career criminal, in that
he makes no money from his crimes, Doctor
Scorch burns things purely for the sheer
twisted joy of it. His favorite targets include
odd or eccentric looking historic buildings, big
tacky fiberglass statues used to advertise stuff,
and anything that looks like it would be really
tough to burn. He’s grown adept at seeing
what a particular structure would look like on
fire, and he’s become quite a connoisseur.
Most pyromaniacs set fires to hurt and
dominate people, but Doctor Scorch just likes
watching things burn. He actually tries hard to
keep bystanders from getting harmed by his
obsession. While he is excited by all the
screams and running around that a fire
produces, he gets no thrill from burning
people. Alas, the nature of his obsession
makes it difficult for him to keep from hurting
innocents, and despite his best efforts he has
"The world is on fire, the air's full of caused more than one death over the years.
screams and the Doctor is in!" If an orphanage is unlucky enough to be
situated in a really beautiful old building, look
Real Name: Seymour "Sparky" Sanders out!
Wild Card He’s aware of how bad his
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, compulsions are, and that it would be better
Strength d6, Vigor d6 for everyone if he were locked up again. Yet
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, he honestly can’t control the urge to burn
Notice d6, Shooting d8, things. Nor can he really suppress the urge to
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; be free, since he can’t burn things when he’s
Toughness: 5 in custody. It is lucky for him that his powers
Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance, Habit are easy to suppress. Otherwise they would
(Compulsive Pyromaniac) have lobotomized or killed him long ago. As

295
it is, a simple combination of anti-hallucination 267 for more information on his career)
drugs keeps his powers in check, although it committed some of his worst crimes while the
also gives him the shakes and messes up his Doctor was behind bars. Anyway his MO is
fine motor coordination. By now he has spent completely different. Seymour has some good
about two thirds of his life institutionalized. insights into what motivates “Torchy”, which
They made the mistake of releasing him only he’d be happy to share if anyone wants to ask.
once, but he does have a disturbing tendency He doesn’t like Torchy. The guy strikes him as
to get loose during the periodic mass prison very, very cruel—something that Dr. Scorch
breaks that super-prisons and mental asylums has always tried not to be.
seem oddly prone to.
Rueful and self-deprecating, he is Using Doctor Scorch in Your Campaign:
clearly ashamed of the stuff he does. When Doctor Scorch is a good recurrent opponent
confronted, he’ll greet the PCs by name and for less experienced superteams. The nature
say something like “Gee, I’m kind of glad you of his powers and his habit of putting lots of
guys are here. I sure screwed up this time.” innocent lives at risk makes him capable of
His attention deficit disorder is clearly holding off a much bigger group of heroes that
visible. Manic and excitable, he can never his character sheet would indicate. A Doctor
keep still, his hands and eyes are always Scorch plot-arc is usually pretty simple.
moving and he makes big wide gestures as he Escape, rampage, get locked up, repeat as
speaks. A chronic fidget, instead of doodling needed. Things can suddenly get a lot more
or biting his nails, he sets things on fire. He complicated if Sparky Sanders ever remembers
wears a costume, not only because he needs who he really is. In fact he’s the living
as much protection from the heat as he can incarnation of the trickster-fire-god. The thing
get, but because he finds it really exciting. the ancient Norse called “Loki.” He has a
While he does want to be stopped, he mother and a father here on earth, he was
won’t go down without a fight. Doctor Scorch born, rather than falling from the sky, but he’s
prefers not to hurt his opponents too badly, so Loki all the same.
instead of attacking them directly he will try to If some other reincarnated Norse god
undermine whatever they are standing on, ever recognizes him (and it’s not certain they
drop burning trees on top of them and so will—that’s entirely up to the GM) then Sparky
forth. He is as adept at figuring out how a fire will suddenly become one of the toughest
will behave as any fireman, and can launch superhumans on earth, with roughly the same
indirect attacks with great precision. He won’t powers but jumped up to a vastly higher level,
take hostages, but if cornered he’s not above and he will get a whole lot more ambitious. If
setting a nearby building or vehicle on fire so the GM wants, Loki may be interested in things
that the PCs will have to leave him and go like ruling the world or blowing it up, but he’s
rescue whoever is inside. more likely to want revenge on any other
Doctor Scorch has threatened Bedlam surviving Norse deities.
on many occasions. These days he’s locked His personality won’t change,
up in the Crawley State Hospital for the although he’ll get both craftier and more self-
Criminally Insane (see Page 102) and isn’t confident. He likes to burn things even more,
trying actively to break out. In fact he wants but he’s better at keeping the impulse under
to stay confined and he wants to get better. control.
But he’s not very good at controlling himself, If you would like to use this plot
and if he had an opportunity to escape, he’d thread, but the god Loki already plays another
probably take it, even though he would know role in your campaign, then Doctor Scorch is
that it’s the wrong thing to do. An unknown his son. He can still undergo a sudden leap in
firebug has plagued Bedlam for fifteen years, power and change in objectives once he
causing untold damage and mayhem. It’s not figures this out, as above.
Doctor Scorch. “Torchy the Firebug” (see Page

296
 brave, blessed with an innate sense of
fairness and justice, they may take up the
cape even if they don’t have any special
powers. Mister Extreme was never that
kind of guy. His superhuman abilities
haven’t really made a hero out of him,
despite his best efforts. Not terribly
bright, easily distracted by fads and
fashions, he’s much too shallow to keep
from being petty. Driven to seek success,
and cursed with an enormous ego, he’s
incredibly jealous and vain. The only
thing that has kept him from realizing that
he’d make a better villain than a hero is
his lack of imagination.
He speaks in a kind of fake skate-
punk slang that he’s picked up from
commercials and Saturday morning
cartoons, and which was already out of
date when he started using it in the
“Is that extreme enough for ya—I nineties. He particularly overuses the
mean twisted enough for ya?” word “extreme” and heroes who have
worked with him say it makes him
Wild Card embarrassing to be around.
Real Name: Dick Reed He’s the son of the late “Mister
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit Amazing” whose exploits thrilled the world
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 in the 1960s, and he grew up in the
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, superhero community. He was admitted
Knowledge (Marketing) d6, Notice d6, to the “Street Saviors” partly because of
Persuade d4, Stealth d4, Taunt d6 his father’s reputation and partly because
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; he had inherited enough money to be one
Toughness: 9 of its major sponsors. When half the
Hindrances: Mean, Stubborn, Quirk team resigned all at once he was the
(Resents any hero who succeeds where closest thing they had left to a leader and
he has failed), Vengeful became their de-facto chief. The first
Edges: Arcane Background (Super thing he did was change their name to
Powers), Hard to Kill, Rich “Justice Xtreme”, after himself.
Super Powers: Mister Extreme was not up to the
• Altered Form: (Rubbery Skin), More challenge of leading the group. The only
Elastic (x2), Fall Proof mission he had the chance to organize
• Ensnare (6): Stronger was a sickening disaster, and caused the
Background: Some people are born to team’s final dissolution in a flurry of
be superheroes. Selfless, noble and lawsuits (see Pages 283-284.) As

297
mentioned on those pages, his team’s not there is some kind of link. They may
half-completed headquarters still stands in also notice that Mr. Twisted and Mr.
downtown Bedlam. It’s possible that the Extreme have the same powers, although
PCs may try to move into it. If they do, Mr. Twisted uses them in much grosser
Mr. Extreme is going to go berserk—but it and more offensive ways.
may not even take that much to make him For his part, Mr. Twisted is really
their enemy. starting to enjoy being a crazy villain,
In the years since Justice Xtreme cackling maniacally and doing disgusting
fell apart, he has sulked on his father’s things with his stretching powers. Why
estate, bitterly nursing his anger. You had he never thought of this before?
would never know he’s brooding if you
spoke to him. He remains as outwardly Using Mr. Twisted in Your Campaign:
cheery, upbeat and enthusiastic as ever. You can use Mr. Twisted as a largely off-
He says that Justice Xtreme will be back screen nuisance, hassling the PCs at a
soon, with an extreme new lineup of distance and defaming them in the press.
extreme new heroes for an extreme new Or he can turn into an active threat,
world. In the meantime he’s pursuing haranguing and mocking them in public,
other projects. If you ask him what those playing grotesque stunts on them and
other projects are his mood darkens. The popping up whenever it would be least
truth is that no one wants to work with convenient. His pranks may stay harmless
him anymore, his father’s business empire but annoying, or they may get steadily
is slowly falling apart and his life has gone more dangerous and irresponsible,
completely to hell. depending on the direction the GM wants
If he sees some other team start to take the character. If they keep
to clean up Bedlam, when he failed, it’s defeating him he may become meaner
going to drive him into a crazy jealous and crazier and graduate to actually trying
rage. If they move into his old to cause them harm, or even to stalking
headquarters it may unhinge him their loved ones.
completely. He’ll start by suing them, and It’s hard to damage him and it’s
trying to get court injunctions against hard to keep him confined. But the best
them. If this seems not to be working, or way for the PCs to neutralize him might
if the public reacts negatively, then he actually be to try and discover why he
may snap and try a more direct form of hates them so much, and possibly win him
action. He’ll modify his costume (see the over. They will have to proceed with care
illustration,) take the name “Mister if they try this. For if he ever mistakenly
Twisted” and become their supervillain thinks they’ve discovered his true identity,
nemesis, using every opportunity to screw and are about to reveal it to the world, he
them up. may abruptly become suicidal, or
Mister Twisted won’t directly homicidal.
challenge them to a fight, but he’ll play As a variation on the theme, you
vicious pranks on them, set booby traps can have him assemble a group of villains
for them, throw pies and dead animals at who have all been defeated or humiliated
them when they make public appearances by the Player Characters, and call it his
and generally try to make them look “League of Twisted.” The sole purpose of
absurd. this twisted league is to take vengeance
He will never admit that he’s really on the PCs. He’ll initially want to do it by
Mister Extreme and the PCs shouldn’t be publicly humiliating them, but if some of
aware of it at first. If they manage to lock the other guys want to take revenge by,
him up, Mr. Extreme will of course for example, eating the PCs’ children, then
disappear and stop suing them, which he’ll get swept up in the moment and go
may get them curious about whether or along with it.

298
 Footed, Improved Dodge, Investigator,
McGyver, Mechanical Genius, Mr. Fix-It,
Quick, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
Intimidate and Taunt)
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heroic,
Mean, Quirk (never admits to being
wrong), Quirk (can’t swim), Stubborn
Gear: Armored Costume (2 Heavy
Armor), Gas Mask, Handcuffs (Toughness
12), Nightvision Goggles (gives him
Darkvision while he wears them), Stun-
Spray (2d6 nonlethal damage, Range 5,
ineffective past that range), 3 Smoke
Bombs (Obscure, uses the Medium Burst
Template), 5 Sonic Stun Grenades (Stun,
uses Medium Burst Template), Radio
Com-Link (Can monitor police channels
and intercept cell-phone communications),
Super Powers:
• Awareness: Danger Sense
• Inventor
• Swinging: Device

Background: Ten years ago, the “Lord of

the Blacktop” was a rising local hero,
looking to do his part to make Bedlam a
better place for ordinary folks. Then his
whole life came crashing down.
He’s from the public housing
“The thing about criminals is, they’re ghetto called Ellmore Place—the city’s
morons. But then so is everybody worst neighborhood apart from the
else.” Country Club, and he grew up dirt poor.
There was no single moment or violent
Real Name: Terrance Martinez trauma that pushed him into becoming a
Wild Card masked vigilante. It just seemed to him
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d10, Spirit that the cops and the superheroes alike
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8 ignored the problems of folks like his
Skills: Climbing d8, Driving d10, Fighting family and friends on Ellmore, so he set
d10, Guts d8, Healing d6, Intimidation out to see if he could make a difference
d8+2, Investigation d8+2, Knowledge himself.
(Bedlam) d8, Lockpicking d8, Repair He was a bona-fide kid genius,
d10+2, Notice d10+2, Stealth d10, and a talented athlete as well, but it’s still
Streetwise d8+2 hard to explain how he was able to cobble
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6/ 12 Swinging; together the incredible devices he used to
Parry: 8; Toughness: 9 (2 Heavy Armor) fight crime. Some people have suggested
Edges: Alertness, Block, Combat that he is in fact a mutant or a psychic
Awareness, Combat Reflexes, Fleet- with the ability to mentally manipulate

299
machines. He may even be a sort of vigilante for the next ten years. See Page
urban elemental like the Ratcatcher. We 283 for the awful details. In brief, a
simply don’t know (so it’s up to the GM.) homeless family died because of a
We do know that he met with spectacular decision that Blacktop made.
success, despite his limited resources. His The very next year he considered
old costume was just a hooded sweatshirt coming out of retirement. He had heard
with a black mask underneath and at first that the Hammer of Justice had quietly
his gadgets seemed to be made from recruited some former members of Justice
household objects and junkyard scraps. Xtreme and was leading them on
Although the mask completely nighttime patrols. He had also gone back
covered Blacktop’s face, The Hammer of to calling them the “Street Saviors,” which
Justice immediately figured out that he was a much less embarrassing name than
was African-American, and the old bigot “Justice Xtreme.” But it soon became
tried to run him out of Bedlam. This clear to Blacktop that the Hammer of
embittered Blacktop, but he was too Justice had not experienced a change of
stubborn to run away. His big break came heart about his racism. Worse, while
just a few months later. Mister Extreme Blacktop couldn’t prove anything, it looked
was recruiting a whole new superhero to him as though the Hammer of Justice
team from the remnants of the Street was actually trying to get his
Saviors. Blacktop joined up and at once inexperienced new students killed. And in
began feuding with Mr. Extreme. fact within two years every member of
Blacktop may have been young, this new version of the Street Saviors was
but he was pretty streetwise, and it was dead or had left town. Most people aren’t
clear to him that the team leader was a even aware that the team ever existed in
poseur and a fool. Plus, Mister Extreme that form.
kept trying to talk to Blacktop in faux hip- Blacktop toiled away at low-paying
hop slang that was so awful and jobs for ten years and tried to find a new
embarrassing it made him physically direction for his life. He got a degree in
cringe. Just to annoy the boss, Blacktop Social Work from Bedlam Community
announced that he liked the name College, but he was too angry and
“Maximum Extreme.” judgmental to be any good at that job.
He was actually preparing to He also got married, but he was no better
challenge Mister Extreme for leadership of at being a husband than he was at being
the team when their first mission a social worker and that soon ended, too.
unexpectedly fell into their laps. The At one of his crummy jobs he actually
supervillain known as Smashface had worked next to Torchy the Firebug,
come walking into Bedlam and was Bedlam’s most notorious arsonist, without
crushing everything in his path (for no ever realizing it (if Torchy is ever caught
particular reason—he just felt like and his identity is at last revealed,
crushing some stuff.) Blacktop is going to be pretty angry.)
Mister Extreme was sulking in Finally, in desperation, he has
their new headquarters so Blacktop decided to go back to doing the one thing
wound up trying to lead the fledgling he was good at—fighting crime. He has
team against Smashface. The results worked for two years to put together a
were such a horrendous disaster that sleek new costume and some gadgets,
Blacktop turned his back on being a and at last he thinks he may be ready.

300
He’s a lot meaner and more self-righteous compared to his own massive level of
than he was in the old days, and he’s intellect, and some of them (like Mister
going to view any other superheroes Extreme) have been dangerous fools,
working on his turf as a threat. In fact, whose moronic advice will get you killed.
the moment the PCs turn up in Bedlam As a result, Blacktop can never admit that
he’s going to try to chase them away. he’s wrong about anything or that
anything is his fault (except for the
Using Blacktop in Your Campaign: tragedy that destroyed Justice Xtreme—
Blacktop hasn’t come out of retirement that he’s still stricken with guilt over to
yet. It’s up to the GM as to when this very day.) Once he thinks you’re an
precisely he will feel ready to put his mask unreasonable idiot, that he’s in the right
back on. Seeing the Player Characters and you’re in the wrong, he’s totally
stomping around Bedlam might very well implacable and he’ll never let up about
be enough to provoke him to return. He’s it—in fact he hasn’t spoken to his own
fated to be the PCs’ deadly rival and mother in years because of some
perhaps their nemesis. argument he couldn’t back down from.
He may come off as a big jerk, but And he’s so aggressive, prickly and easy
he isn’t evil the way, for example, the to offend that you’re almost sure to get on
Hammer of Justice is evil. Yet he is his bad side.
probably going to come into conflict with But this is not the only way fate is
the Player Characters. He is so desperate conspiring to make him your PCs’
to redeem himself and so intolerant of any opponent. As soon as Blacktop comes out
competition for “his” town that he’ll of retirement, both the Hammer of Justice
actually try to physically intimidate the and Mister Twisted (the former Mister
PCs into leaving. You might think these Extreme—see Page 297) will try to turn
are bad lessons that he learned from the the authorities against him. Mister
Hammer of Justice—that he actually Twisted will actually get so jealous and
thinks it’s the way masked vigilantes are angry that he’ll impersonate Blacktop and
supposed to operate. But in fact Blacktop frame him for a crime. And if the PCs try
is much too smart to have ever been to bring Blacktop in, or even just to
taken in by that psychopath’s line of crap. question him about the crime, he will
He’s really just being a bastard. refuse to cooperate and things will almost
It’s tough to have a civil certainly turn violent.
conversation with Blacktop. He’s used to Rod Anger, Bedlam’s favorite
being the smartest person in the room, right-wing radio talk show host, will get
used to being surrounded by idiots and into the act as well, calling loudly for
used to being the only person who Blacktop’s arrest and trying hard to turn
understands what is going on. This public opinion against him. This plus the
makes him automatically discount anyone Hammer of Justice’s efforts to have
who disagrees with him as a fool. It Blacktop declared an outlaw will probably
actually makes sense for him to take this result in Ellmore Place’s protector getting
attitude. Most of the people who have hunted by the authorities and likely the
disagreed with him really have been fools, Player Characters, too.

301
 Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
Fast Healer, Improved First Strike, Fleet-
Footed, Improved Frenzy, Hard to Kill,
Harder to Kill, Strong-Willed (2 points of
resistance to Intimidate and Taunt)
Gear: Armored costume (+1 Toughness),
.357 magnum pistol (2d6+1 Damage)
Super Powers:
• Attack, Melee (5): Device, Str+2d6+4
(big magical kitchen knife), Focus
•Fear: Scary (-2 to his Charisma)
•Fearless
•Intangibility: Special version that does
not protect him from attack—it only lets him
walk through walls.
• True Regeneration (10)

Background: In the seventies and eighties,

Bedlam was intermittently terrorized by a
masked serial killer who taunted the police
and the press with letters and phone calls.
He challenged them to figure out where he
would strike next, and sent them elaborate
coded messages with weird occult
overtones. No one is really sure why he
called himself “Capricorn”, and his code has
never been broken.
Every three years Capricorn
returned, always between the months of
December and January, ready to kill another
nine people. In 1981 the Bedlam Police
caught a suspect named Wilbur Coote, and
the murders stopped. Coote always
maintained his innocence and there were no
eyewitnesses, but a huge amount of
circumstantial evidence linked him to the
crime. Then in 1984 the killings continued.
Capricorn’s new letters were in the same
handwriting as the old ones, and he
“Good Evening Bedlam. This is
performed the same strange and senseless
Capricorn. I’ve been gone, but now
mutilations on his victims—including things
I’m back, and I have all kinds of new
that no detective had ever told the press.
stuff to show you.”
Wilbur Coote was released, although he was
murdered shortly thereafter by the father of
Wild Card
one of Capricorn’s victims.
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
In 1987 a reporter figured out the
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d12+1
pattern to Capricorn’s killings. He was
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d8, Intimidate d8,
drawing some kind of huge diagram across
Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d8,
Bedlam, marking each vertex with a corpse.
Streetwise d6
Acting on this information, the police
Charisma: -2; Pace: 8; Parry: 8;
managed to capture him at the scene of his
Toughness: 8 (1)
next crime. To this day there is controversy
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Gimmick,
as to whether or not they let him kill
Servitor, Stubborn, Wanted

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another victim so as to be able to catch him fingerprints don’t match anything in any
in the act. Capricorn fought vigorously, and Police database. Neither does his DNA.
it was only with the help of the Vigilante There was no ID on his body and no one
known as the Blue Shield (now known as has ever come forward to identify him.
the Hammer of Justice) that they were able He’s a white male, about five feet,
subdue him. His costume was very ten inches tall, weighs 160 pounds and has
elaborate—real supervillain stuff, and its shoulder-length brown hair. More than this
gaudy look proved instrumental in his we do not know. For now, Capricorn resides
apprehension. He was much easier to spot in the Crawley Asylum, where he does not
in that outfit than he ever would have been participate in his therapy and barely
in his street clothes. responds to stimulus at all.
Capricorn never said anything after As you may have guessed, the
being taken into custody. No one has ever murders are about to begin again.
been able to figure out who he is. His

303
Using Capricorn in Your Campaign: There are two ways to re-
introduce Capricorn to Bedlam. Either the
nameless man in the Crawley Asylum
suddenly escapes, or someone completely
different takes up the mask. In either
case, it’s clearly Capricorn. It’s his voice,
his handwriting and he’s performing the
same ritual mutilations on the corpses—
including the ones the cops never
released to the public. But how can that
be?
If Capricorn is back and there is
blood on the moon, it will mean that the
Player Characters are just one or two
steps away from learning some very deep
dark secrets about Bedlam (see the
section on Capricorn in the “Horrible
Secrets” chapter on Page 388.) You may
or may not allow them to uncover those
secrets. It’s largely up to the GM. Either
Capricorn has left no trail leading back to
the forces he really serves or else he has.
Capricorn is only scary if the Player
Characters have already heard about his
reign of terror before they have a chance
to encounter him. For that reason he
probably shouldn’t be the first villain they
ever fight. They should have heard at
least vaguely about his baffling and
heinous crimes, in addition to the rumor
that he had superpowers.
Feel free to hold some things
back—they’ll almost certainly start looking
through old newspaper and police files as
soon as the first bodies turn up, so it’s
good to have a few facts in reserve for
them to discover.
There is an old tradition in the
comics that Capricorn fits into neatly.
He’s the villain who commits crimes and
leaves baffling clues as to where he will
strike next, taunting the PCs to stop him,
like the Riddler, the Clock King, Two-Face,
etc. Can our heroes crack his fiendish
code and catch up with him before he kills
again?

304
 Background: Some cities, like some
superheroes, get really spectacular arch-
enemies. Fiends with diabolical schemes
and cunning plans and a lust for conquest.
Poor old Bedlam has to make do with the
Scarlet Man.
Zebediah Scarlett founded the city
of Bedlam. Reverend Scarlett led an
obscure sect of fanatics, back in the late
18th century (or the 19th, depending on
where Bedlam is located—see the Timeline
on Page 24.) He took his followers into the
wilderness where he could control them
better and where the world’s prying eyes
would not peer too closely at his business.
His vices of choice included underage girls,
opium and sinister occult rites. He indulged
all three quite freely in the settlement he
founded, until he was betrayed and
murdered by his chief henchman, Rule
Hardwick. He thirsts for revenge—but not
very hard. He thirsts for girls and opium a
“Gnaah! Girls! Dope! Gimmie!” whole lot harder.
From time to time his unclean spirit
Real Name: Zebediah Scarlett appears to the city fathers in their dreams
Wild Card and threatens to lay waste to Bedlam. Then
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, they do their best to placate him. If he did
Strength d6, Vigor d6 ever attempt to destroy the city, he’d get
Skills: Guts d12, Intimidate d10, Knowledge bored and distracted and give up halfway
(Arcane Lore) d8, Notice d6, Taunt d8, through—but of course Bedlam’s leading
Stealth d8, Spellcasting d12, Throwing d6 citizens don’t know that. For the past few
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 decades they have been trying to keep him
Hindrances: Clueless, Illiterate, Quirk (has from coming back, using one occult
no self-control, cares for nothing but girls, technique after another—some of them very
opium, and revenge) shameful indeed. (See “Capricorn” on Page
Gear: Thrown objects (d6+d4) 388.)
Powers and Special Abilities By now Lucius Hardwick and his old-
• Awareness money associates have figured out that the
• Ethereal: Not a material being, he can Scarlet Man probably doesn’t have the
only be harmed by magical attacks. power to annihilate Bedlam, but he certainly
• Illusions 2: Can create illusions up to 4” has the power to kill all of them, so they will
cubed in volume continue to do whatever it takes to appease
• Invisibility him or ward him off. Keeping him at bay
• Fear -2: causes a Guts checks at -2 turned out to be a better plan than
when he lets himself be seen. appeasement. The last time they paid him
• Super-Sorcery: Level 2 off, the surviving girls formed the Sisterhood
• Telepathy: Broadcast, can reach of the Screaming Stars and caused Bedlam
everyone in Bedlam at once no end of woe. Any time the GM chooses,
• Telekinesis: Strength 1d10 Mr. Hardwick’s efforts to keep the Scarlet
• Teleport: 12” Man out of Bedlam may fail.

305
 Not very smart, Zebediah Scarlett plumbing the depths of Bedlam’s secret
never did learn how to read and he’s history. When they learn what the
easily distracted or fooled. While the GM Phantom Empire was really up to, what
can present him as a looming threat, he Lucius Hardwick and his cabal of creepy
isn’t anything like the equal of his old coots have been trying to ward off,
reputation. they should feel alarmed. But then when
actually meet the Scarlet Man, they’ll find
that he’s only a moderately powerful
Using the Scarlet Man in Your villain. He’s also really lazy, and kind of
Campaign an idiot.
While he’s certainly capable of
commiting unthinkable atrocities, he’s not
very good at thinking them up. It won’t,
for example, occur to him to try and find a
Player Character’s loved ones and hold
them hostage. And if it did, it would
sound like too much work. Nor will he
think of taking hostages, or of threatening
to kill one random person every hour if his
demands are not met or any other such
stuff. Instead of launching complicated
schemes and cunning plans, he’ll just
show up, demand girls, drugs and
perhaps alchohol and try to scare you into
giving them to him. If he ever discovers
game shows or crack he will immediately
become addicted to them, and somewhat
easier to deal with (since he’ll be more
interested in watching the Game Show
Network and smoking crack than in taking
his revenge on anybody.)
It’s impossible to make an ally out
of the Scarlet Man. He’s too selfish to
grasp the concept. Nor would anyone
who gets to know him want him as their
friend. He always works alone.
Lucius Hardwick really should have
called in the superheroes to deal with this
problem long ago. But to do so would
have been unthinkable—airing his family’s
private matters in front of some vulgar
A looming threat with a twist. The Player person in a cape! Just imagine! Far more
Characters shouldn’t even know about the acceptable to have Capricorn stalk
Scarlet Man’s existence until they start helpless victims in the night.

306
“Yer gettin’ a lump of fist in yer Super Powers:
Christmas stocking, ya bum.” • Melee Attack: +3d6 Damage, Armor
Piercing 4, Knockback 1d10
Real Name: Jack Grady • Fearless
Wild Card • Growth: Size +1, Monster
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, • Leaping: Vertical 32 inches, Horizontal 64
Strength d12+6, Vigor d10 inches.
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidate • Super Attributes (6): (Super Strength)
d8, Notice d6, Throwing d8 • Toughness (8): +2, Hardy
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Background: The house at 665 Turpin
Toughness: 15 Lane is falling apart. Boards cover most of
Hindrances: Dependant (Daughter), its windows. A tall, badly constructed fence
Distinctive Appearance, Stubborn, Quirk slumps and sags around the property. The
(Devoted Father), Quirk (just wants to be trees are all dead. The house, the dead
left alone) gray lawn and the remains of the fence are
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), all covered with signs. GO AWAY! NO
Brawny, Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill, Nerves TRESPASSING! STAY OFF LAWN! VICIOUS
of Steel, Power Points, Take the Hit!

307
DOGS LOOSE ON PROPERTY! His only other contact with humanity is the
TRESPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED! Shadwell Drive Gentleman’s Club (see Page
If there were any neighborhood 194) where he goes to drink at night with
kids, they would stay far away. But this is his new buddy, Jimmy Hoover.
the Country Club, and more than half the An old time Irish thug, Jack speaks
houses on this block are completely in gravely 1940s slang (“shaddup ya bum!”)
deserted. There don’t seem to be any dogs and curses a lot. He always tried to be a
on the property, but sometimes at night you stand-up guy, not to kill innocent bystanders
can hear something growling. For this is the if he could help it, not to let his team down
lair of Eat ‘em Up Jack, a former supervillain or show up drunk for a job.
who is now just trying to be left alone. He’s If he got into a fight these days he’d
not ready to be around people yet. try even harder not to cause any
It’s pretty dangerous for him to hide unnecessary harm. Unless the guy he’s
out in Bedlam. Some years ago a young clobbering is a wifebeater. Jack truly
County Prosecutor named Cord Killingsworth despises guys who beat on women—it
set Jack up for a vicious murder. This reminds him too much of his pop.
gravely offended him. He supposed it was He’s pretty powerful—one of the
okay if society wanted to punish him for few guys who might be able to take
crimes he’d actually committed, but it wasn’t Smashface in a fight. If some crisis gravely
fair to send him up for something like that— threatens Bedlam, or worse, threatens Moira
something he never would have done. In a or Jimmy, he’ll come roaring out of
rage, he tore Killingsworth’s arm off right retirement to save them. But even if he
there in the courtroom. Killingsworth has gets to save the whole city, DA Killingsworth
wanted him dead ever since. will relentlessly attempt to have him sent to
These days Killingsworth is Bedlam’s death row.
District Attorney and his hatred for Eat ‘em Jack still has the costume the feds
Up Jack has turned outwards toward all gave him and he thinks its pretty swell, even
superhumans (see Page 92.) though it’s really just a sarong and a utility
While Jack was on death row, he belt. He uses the pockets on the utility belt
was approached by people who claimed to to store his smokes. If he has to give up his
work for the government. They offered to life or his freedom doing something heroic,
fake his death, and spirit him out of prison, he might just put the costume on one last
if he would go kill Osama bin Laden for time.
them. Jack agreed, so they arranged for
him to be declared dead and then dropped Using Eat-‘em-up Jack in Your
into Afghanistan. Campaign: This character is meant to be a
It soon became clear that there was rabbit you can pull out of a hat when the
no way to find his target, let alone kill him. occasion requires it. He’s a fairly
Jack was sure his new bosses would execute sympathetic villain and he’s as likely to try
him whether he accomplished the mission or to help the PCs as he is to work against
not, so he walked away. He’d wanted to them, particularly if the city is being
quit being a supervillain for years, anyhow. menaced by some huge looming threat.
Now he finally had a chance. He walked Ideally the PCs should feel at least a little
into China and managed to hide on a conflicted about bringing him in. After all,
freighter bound for the states. By a weird he just wants to be left alone and only takes
twist of fate, he wound up in Bedlam, where action to protect the people he cares about
his daughter Moira lives. (or his privacy.)
These days she’s nearly his only link To help build him up as a foe, let
with the outside world. She buys him the PCs find out about his past and his
groceries and batteries and talks to him connection to the DA before they ever have
through the door. Right now he’s resting, a chance to meet him.
trying to get his head together, trying to
avoid opening all of his old mental scars.

308
 • Ranged Attack: 5d6 Damage, 8 Armor
Piercing, Uses Cone Template
• Awareness (2)
• Damage Field: Every adjacent foe takes
2d6 damage just for being near her.
• Darkvision
• Decay: Rapid Decay, Strong (all Vigor
rolls to resist are at a -2)
• Environmental Protection
• Fear (5): Anyone she uses this power on
must make a Guts roll at a -5 penalty or flee
in terror
• Fearless
• Infection: Anyone who touches her with
their bare skin must make a Vigor roll at -2
or die instantly. She cannot turn this power
off or decide to spare a victim.
• Intangibility
• Obscure: Uses the Large Burst Template
• Super Sorcery (9): Level 3
• Teleport: 60”
• Toughness 7: 7 Pts Heavy Armor

Background: She has come to blot out the

stars and drown the world in silence. Where
she walks, she leaves emptiness. The
Queen of Skulls is a world-devouring
nightmare-villain of the first rank. She does
not want to rule the earth, or be
acknowledged as its greatest inhabitant.
She cares nothing for worship or for insults
or for anything else, apart from oblivion.
You can yell all the pithy quips you like at
her. She won’t react at all. Fortunately she
doesn’t exist quite yet, but she may appear
“Fear not. Your cares are at an end.” in Bedlam soon.
If the GM likes, the Sisterhood of
Real Name: To be determined the Screaming Stars may be plotting to
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit bring the Queen of Skulls into our universe
d12+2, Strength d6, Vigor d12+2 so that she can destroy Zebediah Scarlett
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge and the city he founded. Whether she also
(Arcane Lore) d8, Notice d6, Spellcasting destroys the world is really none of their
d12 concern.
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; If you are using this plot-thread
Toughness: 16 (7 pts. Heavy Armor) then the most important question is, who is
Hindrances: Servitor, Vow (make one up), she? The Sisterhood arranged for her to be
Heartless, All Thumbs reincarnated some years ago, but she
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), doesn’t yet know who she is. She thinks
Attractive, Improved Level-Headed, she’s a mortal, and if someone doesn’t
Mentalist, Power Points, remind her of the truth, she may live and
Super Powers: die as one. At the GM’s option, the Queen
• Ageless (2): Very Old of Skulls could be Lawanda Corby, or Dr.
Ramona Blackmore, or Madison Nylander or

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Jane Tharp or the “Red Queen”, or Yolanda you like to see what I really look like?” The
Washington or even Naked Man (he correct answer is “NO!”
suddenly realizes that he’s not supposed to
Using the Queen of Skulls in Your
be the Man in Nothing—he’s supposed to be
Campaign: There are two ways to use the
a man in a dress!) Pick whichever one
looming threat of the Queen of Skulls. You
seems most dramatically appropriate, and
can have the PCs try to foil the efforts of the
don’t tell your PCs.
Sisterhood to bring her into the world, or
The circumstances that could trigger
you can have them try to stop her from
her transformation vary according to who
destroying Bedlam once she has already
you pick. Dr. Stone might figure it out in
appeared.
the course of her researches at the Crawley
You probably only want to use this
Asylum. Jane Tharp might try to kill herself
villain on your PCs once they already know a
when the police come to break up the
bit about Bedlam’s secret history. They
Murder Club, only to rise, reborn.
should at least have a chance to figure out
One particularly dramatic way to do
what they’re dealing with, what she wants
it is to have her visit the Serpent Room at
and how they might stop her. Please
the Lurman Gallery. Whoever she is, she
remember as well, the Queen of Skulls
will get weirdly excited and happy as she
doesn’t even have to exist in your game
wanders through the gallery’s collection of
world. She’s here only if you decide to use
heinous obscenities, and when she comes at
that plot thread.
last to the Serpent Room, she will vanish in
its depths. It the PCs go searching for her,
An Adventure With the Queen of
she will suddenly reappear with a very
Skulls: Doom Comes to Bedlam
peculiar smile on her lips. “I remember,”
Once she appears in Bedlam, the Queen’s
she says “I finally remember who I am.”
first objective is to find the Ratcactcher,
And the Queen of Skulls is born.
Bedlam’s living soul, and kill him. To do this
Her personality is much like you
she will recruit a gang of henchmen, up in
would expect for a Goddess of Night and
the Country Club. If Doc Zombie or some
Death. She is not particularly cruel. Pain is
other necromancer has already set up shop
much too active an emotion for her to feel
there, they will hastily get out of town
anything but disgust for it. Incapable of
(perhaps Doc Zombie broadcasts one last
lying or deceiving anyone, she has no sense
commercial, announcing his Going Out of
of humor and often doesn’t respond to the
Business Sale—everything must go!) She
things people say to her. Her only motive is
will then take over whatever organization
the destruction of Bedlam and she won’t do
they had, which probably includes Bedlam’s
anything which doesn’t serve that end. She
only surviving Jamaican posse. They will
holds eerily still when she has no reason to
scour the streets for the Ratcatcher, who
move.
may in turn come to the PCs for help.
The Queen speaks only when she
If the Ratcatcher dies, the Queen of
wants something, or to express her absolute
Skulls will then go on a big rampage in the
distaste for everyone and everything. Life is
middle of the city, killing everyone and
repugnant to her and she reacts to intense
everything in her path. If she gets as far as
displays of it (love, panic, convulsions, etc.)
devastating Wolverton, the Ghosts of the
by wincing in dismay. That’s the only
Del Morocco will rise to fight her, but they
emotion you ever see her express. While
will lose. For silence trumps even the Blues.
she finds intense feelings unpleasant, you
If the Player Characters can stop
can’t use it to ward her off—that just gets
her, well and good. If not, they can try
her attention, and not in a good way.
summoning the ghost of Zebediah Scarlett
If someone asks her why such a
and feeding him to her. She will be
solemn and dolorous entity dresses like
appeased by this, and go back to wherever
she’s going to Mardi Gras, let alone wears
she came from. She might even leave her
black lipstick and nail polish, she replies
host behind.
“This is the way you imagined me. Would

310
Bedlam doesn’t have a really large supervillain
population. It’s not big enough and there isn’t Real Name: Dr. John deBlanche
enough here to steal. There are a few local Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8,
villains, like the Nowhere Men, but for the Strength d8, Vigor d6
most part super-criminals tend to leave town Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Knowledge
once they get successful enough to move (Arcane Lore) d8, Notice d6, Spellcasting d12
away (just like everybody else.) However, the Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
general lawlessness and crooked police force Toughness: 5
do attract outside supercriminals from time to Hindrances: All Thumbs, Clueless, Heartless,
time. On the following pages we have a list of Servitor
villains who might show up in Bedlam for a big Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
score or try to take over the local scene. Sort Charismatic, Dodge, Hard to Kill, Power Points,
of like Gotham City on the old 1960s Batman Take the Hit, Tough as Nails
program, where a new colorful villain would Super Powers:
roll into town each week with a gang of • Awareness (2): Danger Sense
henchmen and a heap of terrible puns. “Holy • Fear (3)
$#!+ on a pogo stick, &*%$-Man! The @$$ •Improved Jinx: Foes suffer a Mishap on a 1
Meister is back in town!” or 2
The villains listed below vary in power • Lair: Ruined Country Club. Pathetic Condition,
from chronic losers to arch-fiends. Some have Personal Quarters (for twenty or so), Specialty
appeared before in other publications from Library (Voodoo)
Plain Brown Wrapper Games and some are • Minions: (Seemingly limitless hordes of
completely new. But none of them are tied zombies, plus forty or so Rastafarian
closely to any specific game setting or gangsters)
“universe,” except of course for this one. • Puppet: This power functions as per the
core rulebook
•Zombie: This power functions as per the
core rulebook
Gear: Knife Consecrated to a Thousand Gods
of Darkness (does Strength +2d8 damage,
counts as a Heavy Weapon)
Background: The “creepy rumor” about the
dead walking the streets of the Country Club is
really meant to let you place your own
necromancer up there. However, if you don’t
have one you’d already like to use, here’s Doc
Zombie to fill the gap. He showed up in the
Country Club quite recently, drawn by
Bedlam’s pain. Something worse than a mere
murderer, he brings the dead howling back
from beyond the void and bends them to his
will.
PCs who work with ghosts on a
regular basis will find that every haunt in
Bedlam fears whatever it is that has moved
into the Country Club, though none of them
know its name. But most of the living do. As
soon as he slithered into town from parts
unknown, Doc Zombie started running ads on
local television.
Cheaply made and widely ridiculed,
they show Doc Zombie sitting in a finished

311
basement, surrounded by trashy, touristy As soon as the commercials start to
looking voodoo paraphernalia and what play in regular rotation, Doc Zombie will
appears to be a giant skull-shaped bong. “Doc seize control of about half of Bedlam’s one
Zombie has the power!” He solemnly remaining Jamaican posse (see Page 259.)
intones “The power of the juju, the power of Then he’ll start killing the other half and
the snake, the lion, the worm. All life am turning them into the living dead.
bow to Doc Zombie. All fall on bended knee His objectives are rather less
before the Macumba Man!” shadowy and mysterious than his
There is a poorly-made video effect reputation. He wants money, power and
resembling thunder and lightning. Then a respect. His objective in coming to Bedlam
man and a woman (both wear dreadlocks) is to take over its underworld, and he’ll try
turn toward the screen, hold up wads of all sorts of schemes to do it. He owes fealty
money and say “Thank you, Doc Zombie!” to no particular faction and fears neither the
A grandmother bursts out of a very Jigsaw Man nor the Mafia. Once he gets
fake-looking grave, surrounded by her firmly rooted in the Country Club Doc
grinning relatives. “Thank you, Doc Zombie can become a fixture on Bedlam’s
Zombie!” they all say, and hold up big crime scene for a long while. Or he can
handfuls of cash. suddenly pull up stakes and leave town, for
A man dressed like an evil chicken no apparent reason.
appears above a baby’s cradle and crows.
Doc Zombie steps into the shot and holds up Using Doc Zombie in Your Campaign:
his hand. “Enough!” he cries, and the He can be a short-term villain who appears
chicken utters a feeble hiss and tries to just long enough to go on a rampage or he
cover its face with its wings. A full-grown can be a lasting foe. Vengeful, he will
man in a baby bonnet rises from the cradle certainly want to make life Hell for any
holding fistfuls of cash, “Thank you Doc superheroes who foil his plans.
Zombie!” he says. He’s one of those master villains
Then a whirling occult design who goes everywhere surrounded by hordes
appears on the screen with a lurid flashing of henchmen, but he’s also pretty
skull in the middle. “I’ve got something for formidable on his own. No crime is beyond
you!” a voice cries. him, no scheme is too dastardly or too
Is this an advertisement? A boast? improbable or too insane. He actually has
A threat? It’s all so weird and so terrible judgment and isn’t really very bright,
incompetently made that it’s impossible to despite his impressive command of arcane
tell for sure. Other commercials follow, but lore.
they are just as incomprehensible. Some He always speaks in a slow, creepy
people report feeling nauseated by his monotone and he never shows any emotion
commercials, but this might just be because behind his sunglasses. You can undercut
they are nauseatingly bad. this for humorous effect by having the PCs
Soon Doc Zombie starts renting come across him while he is doing some
billboard space, and puts up giant posters of totally normal thing like brushing his teeth
his face with the words “Doc Zombie Get or picking up his dry-cleaning or standing in
You All” in red. People who check the web line at the DMV. He mostly kills other
address on the billboards find that his criminals, but he’ll gladly make an exception
MySpace page is infrequently updated and in your case if you trifle with him or stand in
makes no sense. You could say the same his way.
about his blog.

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An Adventure With Doc Zombie: members of the Scarpia family are being
Deadfellas dragged out of their cars, yanked away
from their tables at sleazy restaurants and
strip clubs, and eaten alive.
Why should the Player Characters
care? First, because innocent people are
getting caught in the crossfire and second
because the Scarpias are sure to try to
bring in some supernatural muscle of their
own, unleashing God-knows-what on
Bedlam.
In fact they ask their contacts in
the Catholic church to ask for help, and
the Church puts them in touch with the
maniacs who run the Opus Ombra. (you
can find out more about these unbalanced
monster hunters on Page 204.)

In his effort to take over the Bedlam

Underworld, Doc Zombie hits on a plan so
fiendish it actually makes him giggle (and
normally nothing is capable of making him
crack even the faintest smile.)
He manages to locate a secret
Mob graveyard where the Scarpias have
been burying their enemies, and he brings
the Igglioni Family back to life. Living
corpses with gold chains and thousand
dollar suits start rising from the dead,
eager for a little of their favorite Sicilian
pastime—Vendetta.
The resurrected Igglionis are only
semi-intelligent, but they remember how
to talk and some of them can aim guns
and drive cars and all of them know
where to find the Scarpias. Soon terror
stalks the streets of Stark Hill. Known

313
 has advised the Syrian intelligence services
for the past fifty years. Alois Brunner was
Adolph Eichmann’s second-in-command—
the man given direct oversight of
implementing the Final Solution. He
pursued these duties with zeal, and unlike
Eichmann, he never claimed to have been
“just following orders.” When Paris Match
interviewed him in 1995, they asked him if
he had any regrets. He replied: “not having
killed more Jews.” For him the Holocaust
was both a duty and a joy, a place where
his personal inclinations meshed perfectly
with his job.
After the war he spent a little time
in Paraguay, a little time in Spain, but as
soon as the state of Israel came into being,
he moved to Syria, which suddenly had
need of his talents. These days he lives in a
penthouse suite at the Hotel Ambassador,
the finest address in Damascus. That’s sort
of a relative term. In fact the hotel has
seen better days and looks a lot like the VIP
lounge of a 1960s airport. But he cares little
for luxuries in any case.
Herr Brunner is remarkably fit for a
man in his nineties and has yet to retire.
“The dust of burning nations makes a
He’s slim and white-haired and has an
splendid sunset.”
eyepatch (courtesy of the Mossad, which
nearly managed to repay him for his past
Real Name: Alois Brunner
kindness in the seventies), and he walks
Wild Card
with a cane. He dresses impeccably—he’s
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit
the sort of older European gent who turns
d10, Strength d4-1, Vigor d4-1
up for breakfast in a suit and tie.
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate
While Brunner still freelances as a
d8+2, Knowledge (Evil Secrets) d8,
part-time consultant for the Syrians, he
Knowledge (Secret Nazi Underground) d10,
spends most of his efforts running a
Knowledge (Fine Wines) d8, Notice d6,
worldwide mutual support network for
Shooting d6, Taunt d8+2
former members of the Third Reich.
Charisma: -3; Pace: 3; Parry: 4;
Originally called “Der Spinner” (the Spider)
Toughness: 5
these days it more often goes by the name
Hindrances: Elderly, Enemy (the Mossad),
of Oktopus. His code name within the
Heartless, Lame, Mean, One Eye, Quirk
organization is the Black Eagle. Oktopus
(racist, can’t work with people he considers
has resources all over the world.
his natural inferiors).
If there is already a secret
Edges: Command, Fervor, Followers, Hold
underground Nazi cabal in your game world,
the Line, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
then they are separate from it, but they
Intimidation or Taunt)
know them and can sometimes get help
Gear: Bulletproof Vest (2 Heavy Armor, only
from them. The Oktopus are not interested
covers his chest), Luger Pistol (2d6+1
in world domination, or restoring the Third
Damage), Cane (1d4 damage)
Reich to power, although if an opportunity
Background: Contrary to popular belief,
to actually do either of those things came
the chief architect of the Holocaust is alive
within their reach they would certainly give
and well and living in Damascus, where he

314
it a try. For the most part, they care them threatening, boastful postcards if he
about staying alive and maintaining their fails. While he is an evil, spiteful old man,
wealth in a hostile world. and has no objection at all to murdering
Oktopus does not have a lot of his enemies’ children, spouses, etcetera,
contacts in the neo-Nazi movement. They he loves a good opponent and will say so
actually find skinheads scary and weird. in his letters.
They do however know where to hire If the PCs ever encounter him in
some of the world’s best assassins and person, it should be at the end of a long,
they will meet any challenge to their dramatic series of adventures. They
existence with lethal force. They also should already know him well from his
know where a lot of old Nazi wonder- letters, and be itching to give him the
weapons are buried, and if anyone gets comeuppance he deserves. As an added
too close to uncovering one they will act twist, perhaps he dies just as they are
to snuff out the intruder. And there is one about to confront him. Or perhaps he has
in Bedlam. had his head transferred onto a cyborg
Doctor Gertrund Harder (see Page body and gives them a fight they weren’t
357) was a pediatrician who conducted expecting! Here’s a sample cyborg body,
some truly obscene experiments on in case you decide to go that route.
children at Buchenwald concentration
camp, and she learned some incredible The Iron Eagle
secrets in the course of her researches. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
She lives in Stone Ridge—by an odd d6, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
coincidence her house is directly across Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidate
the street from Young Junior Gorganzua’s. d8+2, Knowledge (Evil Secrets) d8,
Hale and hearty in her 100th year Knowledge (Secret Nazi Underground)
of life, she is one of the leading lights of d10, Knowledge (Fine Wines) d8, Notice
the Stone Ridge Garden Club. She still d6, Shooting d6, Taunt d8+2, Throwing
practices pediatric medicine, at Beth El, d6
although I doubt you’d want her as your Charisma:-4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
own child’s doctor. Dr. Harder knows the Toughness: 11
location of a prototype weapon she took Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance,
with her to America, and could have it Enemy (the Mossad), Heartless, Lame,
operational in less than twelve hours. Mean, One Eye, Quirk (racist, can’t work
What and where this weapon might be, with people he considers his inferiors).
we leave up to the GM. She is still in Edges: Arcane Background (Super
regular contact with Oktopus and anyone Powers), Brawny, Power Points, Strong-
who threatens her comfortable suburban Willed (+2 to resist Intimidation or
existence is in grave jeopardy. Taunt), Take the Hit!
Super Powers:
Using the Black Eagle in Your • Attack, Melee (4): +2d6
Campaign: Brunner is a long-range • Construct: +2 to recover from being
villain. Tucked safely away in Syria, he’ll Shaken; does not suffer from Wound
play deadly chess games with the PCs penalties, immune to disease and poison.
from halfway around the globe, but unless • Fearless (2)
a miraculous youth formula or a world- • Growth (1): Size +1, Monster
destroying weapon is at stake, he’ll never • Heightened Senses (1)
leave Syria to fight them directly. His • Super Attributes (5): (Super strength)
usual method is to throw assassins and • Toughness (7): +2, Hardy
supervillains at his foes, and then to send

315
 • Flight: 3x Pace
• Super Attributes: Agility +1 step.
Background: People might take Condor
Man a lot more seriously if his costume
didn’t look so much like a chicken. Then
again, perhaps not.
He’s experimented with using the
name “Night Raven,” but most of the time
he’s Captain Condor. Widely thought of
as a joke by superheroes and villains
alike, he’s struggled hard to find work as a
costumed criminal and even harder to find
respect. His high-strung, foolhardy, self-
important personality doesn’t help.
Captain Condor’s origin story has
changed a lot over time. He used to claim
that he was bitten by a radioactive
condor. Then when people made fun of
“I’m not a chicken, damnit! I’m a that story he said he was an ornithologist
condor!” whose jealous colleagues refused to
accept his radical theories about the Red-
Real Name: “Rhode Island” Red Pullette
Breasted Piping Plover, so he turned to a
Wild Card
life of crime. These days he says that he
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit
is the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Lockpicking d4, warrior-priest, who worshipped the condor
Notice d4, Repair d6, Shooting d4, god. This actually makes even less sense
Streetwise d6 than the one about the radioactive condor
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6/Fly 18; Parry: 6; but he stubbornly sticks to it.
Toughness: 9 (3pts Heavy Armor) His personality is about what you’d
Hindrances: Big Mouth, Gloater, Quirk expect from a muscle-bound thug who
(touchy about his ridiculous-looking dresses up like a chicken (no, wait, I
costume), Stubborn mean a condor—or is it a raven?) When
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), he’s not wearing the suit you can see that
Block, Gimmick (has to put on his suit to get he has a mullet and a big gap between his
his powers), Improved Dodge, Power Points front teeth. He dresses with expensive
Gear: Armored Power Suit (see below) bad taste. $500 silk shirts in garish
Super Powers: (All powers in Power colors, heavy gold chains, etc. His spiky
Armor, a Device) mullet somehow makes him look even
• Armor: 3pts of Heavy Armor more like a chicken, as do his weak chin,
• Melee Attack: +1d6 to Strength Damage skinny neck and beaky nose.
(wing-strike)

316
He loves being a villain and tries to rant scared or lashing out in a fit of drunken
like one, but whenever he comes up with depression.
some pompous long-winded speech his
lack of education shows. He doesn’t really Using Captain Condor in Your
know enough about birds to Campaign: Mainly intended as a hireling
have ever been an ornithologist, nor does with a touch of comic relief, Captain
he know enough about Egypt to have Condor might try robbing a bank or a
lived there in another incarnation. It jewelry store on his own, but he’s more
seems likely that he in fact acquired his likely to hire on with a master villain and
incredible suit by stealing it. But that do their evil bidding—or try to as best he
begs the question of who would build a can. He has no intentions of blackmailing
flying suit that looks like a chicken in the the country with a nuclear bomb or taking
first place. over the world. In fact, if he learned that
Stubborn, bull-headed and his boss were about to do something that
foolishly determined, he has read a lot of bad, he would seriously consider betraying
self-help books and believes everything them to the PCs.
they say about not letting obstacles stand Ideal for those hard-to-reach
in your way. He will keep fighting after a places, you can also enlist Captain Condor
battle is lost, he will refuse to flee when in any “ad hoc” teams you might need to
his team retreats. A bit like a rooster, throw together to fight your PCs or to
actually. Yet his courage sometimes attempt some really big crime. His idea of
abruptly fails him. He routinely gets a big crime would be knocking over an
himself into trouble with his big mouth armored truck, not replacing the President
and then has to run for his life. of Sweden with a robot duplicate,
He’s not casually murderous. In although frankly he’d be no less likely to
fact he’s prone to sudden, impulsive, screw up either job.
sentimental acts of kindness. But if he Captain Condor would be glad to
gets frustrated or scared he’s capable of be a Player Character’s arch-nemesis if
any stupid, vicious atrocity. If he kills a somebody puts that thought into his head.
hostage or an innocent bystander, he’ll If it’s a really well-known PC he’ll be
feel really bad about it until he gets incredibly proud and grateful to be their
distracted by something else. greatest foe, and he’s sure to call them up
A manic depressive, he lapses into all the time and try to keep them on the
long periods of gloom between jobs. But phone for way too long, getting
when he’s working on a heist he’s sentimental over all the times they’ve
cheerful, wildly enthusiastic and fun to be fought, all the incredible adventures
around (so say a number of his ex- they’ve shared (on opposite sides) etc.
girlfriends.) Hitting girls is against his He’s actually more unpleasant to be
“Condor Code.” He absolutely won’t hit around when he’s trying to be your buddy
women unless he’s really mad or really than when he’s trying to kill you.

317
“I makes a scruddly chuddly Edges: Arcane Background (Super
experiment on you, I makes it real Powers), Berzerk, Brawny, Frenzy, Power
tasty-like.” Points, Take the Hit!
Super Powers:
Real Name: Doctor Tetsuo Fearington • Attack, Melee: +2d6 Damage
Blood, Jr. (but see below) • Growth: Size +1, Monster
• Heightened Senses
Wild Card • Super Attributes (5): (Super
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit strength)
d6, Strength • Toughness: +2, Hardy
d12+1, Vigor d10 •Lair: Pathetic Condition, Personal Quarters
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate (1 occupant), Research Lab, Well-Hidden
d8, Notice d6+2, Stealth d8, Throwing d6 Gear: Long Cruel Hollow Needles, which
Charisma:-4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; he inserts under his fingernails to drain
Toughness: 11 your fluids off into himself (eew!), Rusty
Hindrances: Clueless, Delusional (Crazed Surgical Tools (which do anywhere from
irrational weirdo who thinks he's a master Strength +1 Damage for a Scalpel to
criminal), Distinctive Appearance, Habit Strength +6 Damage for a rotating
(draining the body fluids of superhumans surgical saw.
into his own flesh), Heartless, Ugly, Background: He doesn’t really have a
Wanted name. Father called him “Frightful” or

318
“My First and Worst Mistake” and kept make experiments and build laboratories
him chained up in a little room behind the and things. For a while he carried Father
laboratory. He would peek under the around with him to see if he could find a
crack of the door and watch Father make way to fix him, but then Father fell apart
experiments, and hear the lovely screams and his pieces got lost.
and smell the lovely smells. He kept Now Doctor Frightful grabs guys
breaking his chain and trying to get out of with powers and makes experiments on
his little room, which made Father angry them whenever he can. Sometimes they
and afraid and meant he had to have hurt him and he has to run away and
many beatings and shocks from the awful make a new laboratory, but they’ve never
hurt-stick. He did not like that stick, but caught him.
he loved Father.
Sometimes when people had been Using Doctor Frightful in Your
bad, Father would put them in Frightful’s Campaign: A brute who thinks he’s a
little room and he would play with them master villain, Doctor Frightful is tragic,
and make experiments on them himself. horrible and macabre. He stalks and
One day bad men in capes with snatches unsuspecting superbeings, both
terrible powers came to hurt Father. hero and villain alike, and subjects them
Frightful snapped his chain and came out to disgusting, pointless and fatal surgical
of his room and did things to them. The procedures until they die, get rescued or
laboratory was ruined, but Frightful and break loose.
Father escaped and built new labs in The authorities completely
many places, mostly in the tunnels under misunderstand what Doctor Frightful is.
the city, far from the cruel light of the Feel free to feed your players the
sun. Someday Frightful will climb up following “official story” before they come
there and crush that sun, when he isn’t so to grips with him.
afraid of it. Doctor Frightful is widely
After he helped Father with the supposed to be a neurosurgeon of British-
men in capes, he didn’t have to stay in his Japanese ancestry named Doctor Tetsuo
room much anymore and he helped Fearington Blood. Doctor Blood grew up
Father with his experiments and to catch and attended medical school in Tokyo. He
new test subjects and fight off bad men in received his MD some time around 1935.
capes. It was best of all to do He would be at least ninety years old by
experiments on bad men in capes, Father now.
told him, so they could find out why they Despite all the prejudice he
had powers. Also it was the most fun. endured over his European heritage and
Frightful did his best to help, but occidental appearance, Doctor Blood was
he was clumsy and got mad sometimes ruthless, determined and smart enough to
and forgot how easy Father’s parts could get assigned to a secret Japanese medical
break. After a while Father got to be facility in Manchuria, where he
really scared of him and this made participated in some of the most cruel and
Frightful even more mad. depraved experiments ever performed on
Father stopped talking or doing human beings. Their hapless patients
experiments and after that he got broken appeared on official records as “logs” so
so bad that Frightful couldn’t figure out the doctors jokingly called their facility
how to fix him. So Frightful decided that “the Sawmill.” Not one log ever passed
he would have to be the Doctor now and out of the Sawmill alive—a record of

319
absolute evil that even the Nazi death- rogue elements of the US intelligence
doctors never quite achieved. community may still come to seek the
To this date Doctor Blood is the Doctor’s expertise and be willing to
only physician to ever have been bargain with him, despite the fact that
prosecuted for these crimes. The others he’s effectively nothing but a psychotic,
went on to prominent positions in medical unpredictable torture-killer. He’s perfectly
schools or became the heads of willing to tell the PCs the truth about
pharmaceutical firms or otherwise himself if they fall into his clutches.
prospered. Some of them are still While he’s crazy and incapable of
enjoying a comfortable old age in the dealing with the world, he did participate
Tokyo suburbs as we speak. in a lot of Doctor Blood’s experimental
Doctor Blood’s ancestry made him work, and at the GM’s discretion he may
a scapegoat, however, and he was called still know a few techniques by rote, or still
to account for his crimes before an have a supply of a miracle serum (or
American military tribunal. Instead he some such substance) that actually does
vanished, taking his secrets with him (or have an effect on parahuman abilities.
perhaps was spirited away by Doctor Frightful also has a secret
unscrupulous elements within the War vice. He likes to drain the juices from
Department, depending on how paranoid parahumans directly into his own tissue,
a campaign you are running.) with a set of hollow needles that he
Whatever happened, in 1961 he inserts under his own fingernails. He
somehow turned up inside the United claims that this gives him their powers,
States, carrying on his dreadful but of course it doesn’t. Instead it gives
experiments in a secret lab beneath the him sick thrills and the occasional STD.
streets of your campaign’s home city! Some people think this habit is his least
Over the next ten years he fought appealing trait, others say it’s not that
superheroes from time to time, and killed easy to choose one.
or lobotomized a few. He also made Doctor Frightful is too addled to
some breakthroughs in the understanding really serve as anyone’s nemesis, but if
of parahuman neurophysiology, although somebody hurts him he will remember it
the details remain unclear. and if he encounters them again he will
For a while he vanished try to punish them for it. Although he’s
altogether, and when he turned up again not a long-term enemy, he does have a
in the early 1970s he seemed to have bad way of getting obsessed with one or
undergone some kind of horrible another parahuman, stalking them
transformation (although in fact he had relentlessly until he finds a chance to
been replaced by his hulking, freakish lab snatch them.
assistant.) He wanted to be called His “laboratories” are generally
“Doctor Frightful” now, presumably located underground (or sometimes in an
because of his hideous appearance, and abandoned building if he can’t find a
he was worse than ever. suitable location beneath the streets.)
The GM should remember that no None of them look like the kind of place
one knows the true story, so sinister you’d want to have surgery.
organizations, the Mob and possibly even

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 loudspeaker that you can use to listen to the
brain’s thoughts. At least so the story goes.
The truth of the matter is that while
that really is Der Fuhrer’s brain, preserved in
some kind of cloudy, vile-looking fluid, it’s
been dead for more than sixty years. In
fact it was dead when it was placed in the
tank. Yet one or another scoundrel keeps
passing it off as a living, thinking being,
broadcasting their own commands out of its
loudspeaker and duping fools. Quite a few
Nazis old and new have been tricked into
giving up their money and in some cases
their lives in the service of Hitler’s long-dead
brain.
When you look at the fake life-
support contraption hooked up to the tank
you may feel a pang of doubt. The thing
looks extremely shabby and ramshackle.
But when the speaker crackles to life and a
voice with a harsh Austrian accent starts
bellowing out of it, most true-believers are
prepared to put their doubts aside, fall to
their knees and worship it.

Using Hitler’s Brain in Your Campaign:

More of a stage-prop than a villain in its own
right, the Brain can cause minor wars
“Glug! Glug! One blood demands one between Nazi villains eager to possess it, or
Reich! Gurgle!” it can turn up in the hands of a con artist
who needs to recruit some fanatical
Toughness: 3 (Tank)/ 8 (Support followers. Or both. You can take a minor
Machinery)/ 1 (Hoses) menace and turn him into a big one by
Edges: Followers putting the brain in his hands and letting
Stats, Skills, Hindrances, Pace etc: n/a him use it to recruit a huge army of lunatics.
(see below) If the Black Eagle (see Page 314)
ever learns that the brain is out there, he’ll
Background: The rumors are true. When stop at nothing to retrieve it, although it’s
the Soviets found Hitler’s corpse, his brain unclear whether he really thinks the brain is
was already missing. That’s why Stalin kept alive or just wants to use it to increase his
having the body exhumed and re-examined. legitimacy.
He wanted to see if there was some way to The best way for the PCs to destroy
figure out what had happened to Hitler’s the brain’s effectiveness isn’t to smash the
Brain. thing, it’s to reveal that it’s a fraud. They
Either Martin Bormann or the Nazi could even try to use it for their own
supervillain of your choice smuggled the purposes, if they’re unscrupulous enough.
brain out of Berlin in a hastily-assembled For example, what if they were to use the
tank of nutrient fluid. One villain or another brain to “prove” to the neo-Nazi community
has gotten their hands on it since then. The that Hitler’s spirit repents his former anti-
damn thing turns up like a bad penny, Semitism, and has returned from the
wherever megalomaniacal evil is found. beyond with a message of peace, tolerance
At some point in the mid forties, and love for all mankind?
someone outfitted the tank with a

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 Flight: 24”
Infection: Causes Fatigue in anyone who fails
their Vigor roll
Toughness: 2 Pts Heavy Armor

God-Boy’s Stats
“No, baby, you’re not bad! What you did
to that kitten—that’s not you. Now just
put the little girl down and let’s talk.”
Wild Card
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit d10,
Strength d12, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice
d6, Persuade d8, Repair d6, Swimming d6
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6/ Fly 24; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 9 (4 pts Heavy Armor)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
Charismatic, Improved Dodge, Frenzy, Power
Points.
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Distinctive
Appearance, Heroic, Loyal, Vow (protect
Wanda from herself), Wanted
Powers:
Melee Attack: +2d6 Damage, 3 Armor
Piercing, Counts as a Heavy Weapon, Device
(Flaming Sword)
Darkvision
Environmental Protection: Per the core
rulebook
Hell-Girl’s Stats Flight: 24”
Toughness: 3 Pts Heavy Armor
“I’m no good for you! I’m bad! I mean Background: Two young superhuman kids on
just look what I did to that little girl’s the run, they might come crashing into Bedlam
kitten!” in a pile of wreckage and dysfunctional
Wild Card hormones at any minute, if the cops don’t gun
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, them down on the highway first. Neither one
Strength d6, Vigor d10 is sure where their powers come from. They
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, got them in a car accident, back in Indiana.
Intimidate d8, Notice d6, Swimming d6, Taunt Wanda talked her boyfriend Wayne into
d8 dropping acid and playing chicken with a
Charisma: +0; Pace: 6/ Fly 24; Parry: 6; mysterious black car that had been terrorizing
Toughness: 9 (2 pts Heavy Armor) kids along the back roads and farm lanes. You
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), would have had to have been under the
Attractive, Improved Frenzy, Power Points. influence of some pretty heavy drugs to want
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Quirk (goes to go anywhere near that car, let alone
out of her way to be as evil as possible), antagonize it. No one knew who the driver
Wanted was—some kids swore it must be Death.
Powers: Even back then Wanda knew she was
Melee Attack: +2d6 Damage, 3 Armor rotten and that she didn’t deserve Wayne.
Piercing, Counts as a Heavy Weapon She tried to talk him into charging the mystery
Awareness: Danger Sense car in order to prove that she was too bad for
Darkvision him, that he couldn’t really love her.
Environmental Protection: Per the core They both closed their eyes at the last
rulebook second before the impact. When they opened

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them, the mystery car was gone, never to the boy about it and asked him why he
return to that part of Indiana. They noticed wouldn’t go save the poor drowning dog.
their superhuman powers almost immediately. Didn’t he really love his dog? Was he letting
Wanda’s eyes didn’t look human anymore, and the dog die because he didn’t love him
they glowed. Wayne had wings. Neither one enough? Then Wanda threw the boy in after
of them is sure where their costumes came the dog, to “help” them both.
from, but they’ve been wearing them pretty Wayne arrived and saved both the
much ever since. For the past few months dog and the boy, despite Wanda’s efforts to
they have both been wondering if they really fight him off. Then he grabbed Wanda, who
died in the car crash. If anything that has was sobbing that she was bad and that he
happened to them since has been real. But it couldn’t possibly love her, and held her and
is. comforted her. This wasn’t really her, he said.
Wayne seems to have become some She isn’t bad. He promises.
kind of angel, and Wanda, well…she seems to They get in terrible fights and he has
have joined the other team. But of course she to wrestle her down to keep her from going on
was always kind of demonic, constantly trying another maniacal killing spree. Sometimes he
to get Wayne into trouble and lead him astray, wins these battles and sometimes she does.
to prove to him that she was no good. Wayne will protect Wanda to the death,
Not long after the incident with the although he can’t bring himself to actually kill
black car, Wanda burned Wayne’s house down anyone and would be utterly horrified if he
to show him that she was too bad to love. His caused someone’s death by accident. If
grandmother died in the blaze and he knew Wanda saw Wayne in serious danger, she’d
that he was going to have to take Wanda on probably run away, weeping that she isn’t
the road to keep her safe from the police. He worthy to die for him.
was only half-right. The cops think he did it. True love is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
In fact they have blamed him for nearly all
Wanda’s subsequent crimes and think he may Using Hell-Girl and God-Boy in Your
be holding her hostage. Campaign: Rampaging villains with a twist,
Hell-Girl and God-Boy have cut a you can use Hell-Girl and God-Boy as a one-
jagged arc across the country ever since the shot villainous duo who appear, briefly disrupt
night Wayne’s house burned down. They can life in Bedlam and then get gunned down or
both fly, but they need a car to carry their dragged off to prison. Or they can show up
stuff, so they’ve been stealing them. Wayne several times in a row, possibly seeking
always makes some feeble effort to pay for the revenge on a Player Character for things that
food and vehicles they have stolen, or at least happened in previous encounters.
to do something nice for the people they’ve They aren’t hirelings and they don’t
ripped-off. have any grand master plan. Instead they are
Wanda on the other hand tries to hurt driven by their own strange, dysfunctional
everyone they come into contact with. After relationship. Because that’s the most
she has committed some heinous deed she’ll interesting thing about them, the PCs should
sob in Wayne’s arms, crying that she’s bad, get a chance to figure out what makes them
she’s evil, that he can’t really love her, that tick. They should hear about Hell-Girl and
she doesn’t deserve him, while he comforts God-Boy before they ever meet them. They
her and tells her that she’s good and tries to should come across the aftermath of at least
think of some way to make amends for her one awful thing Hell-Girl tried to do and hear
latest awful crime. He cares a lot about confusing reports from eyewitnesses about
people, hates hurting them, hates stealing how God-Boy stopped her and then helped her
from them, but he loves Wanda and he’s to escape, telling her over and over again that
desperate to save her from herself. she isn’t evil, that this isn’t really her.
Here’s an example that illustrates how If one of them gets killed or
the dynamic between them works. Wanda imprisoned, the other will surely try to rescue
once met a little boy with a puppy, standing or avenge them (although for very different
on a pier. She talked to the boy for a while, reasons.) It goes without saying that God-Boy
found out that he couldn’t swim and then isn’t nearly as ruthless a long-term foe as Hell-
kicked his puppy into the water. She teased Girl.

323
 Note on Thor’s Powers: Thor’s hammer is
the source of all his powers, but since it
teleports instantly back to his hand if it’s
taken away from him, it doesn’t count as a
“Device.”
Background: He’s Thor, son of Odin, god
of thunder. He insists on it.
An electrician by trade, Delton
Voeltz worked at nuclear power plants
around the country, leading an itinerant,
aimless life, until he realized that he was
Thor.
He’s not actually the first person to
come across the Thunder Hammer, and
whoever picks it up seems to get afflicted by
the same delusion. He’s the latest in a long
line, but he seems to have a particularly bad
case.
The Thunder Hammer first turned
up in the hands of the Allies during World
War Two. It seems strange to some people
that it wasn’t a German weapon, but in fact
it seems to have been smuggled out of
Norway while the Nazis were invading. It
looks a lot like a stage prop and doesn’t
much resemble any artifact from the age of
the Vikings. But it certainly works, although
“Bow, mortals, before the unthinkable not for everyone who picks it up. Some-
cosmic might of Thor… Stop laughing! times it kills its wielder with a massive jolt of
You stop laughing right the #@%& electricity. Sometimes it does nothing. But
now!” sometimes the person who lifts the hammer
becomes imbued with superhuman powers
Wild Card and decides that he’s Thor. Every one of
Real Name: Delton Voeltz the hammer’s wielders has suffered from
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, the same delusional pattern, which is oddly
Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 at variance with the actual Norse Eddas in
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Fighting some small details.
d10, Guts d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, The first was British Captain Rex
Swimming d6 Lockhardt, who used the hammer in a raid
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; against German forces in Norway in 1941.
Toughness: 13 The raid was a disaster, Lockhardt treated
Edges: Arcane Background (Super the lives of his own men with casual
Powers), Power Points disregard and many of them died. When he
Hindrances: Paranoia, Mean, Stubborn, returned to Britain he demanded to be
Vengeful (Major) treated as a god, and started killing anyone
Super Powers: who refused. He was taken into custody by
• Attack, Melee: Damage Str+5+3d6, British Military Police while he slept, and
Focus, Knockback 1d10”, (Magic Hammer) within a few years of being kept separate
• Attack, Ranged (15): Damage 3d6, from the hammer, returned to sanity. A
(Electrical) (Magic Hammer), Elemental Trick broken man, he drank himself to death in
• Super Attribute: Strength +4 steps, the fifties.
Vigor +2 steps. (Super Strength) The hammer disappeared from
• Toughness: +6 British custody before the war’s end, and

324
next turned up in the United States in the guy for the god of thunder. His voice is
mid sixties, where a West Coast cult leader high and tends to squeak when he gets
named Thurgood Sparks somehow came excited. He speaks in a fussy, precise way,
into possession of it. An African-American, and never uses any contractions. He always
he christened himself “Black Thor”, and set refers to himself in the third person (as in
about building a network of worshippers— “Thor wills it”)
most of them young hippie girls. People
mistook him for a superhero for a while, but Using Thor in Your Campaign: If the
his casually murderous attitude toward his Norse Gods already exist in your campaign
followers and anyone else who didn’t and this version of Thor doesn’t fit the
instantly obey him soon revealed the truth. pattern, you can still use him. The “real”
He was the toughest version yet, Thor may laugh at his pretensions or regard
and the one who retained the most of his them as a deadly insult. But he works even
original personality. It took a coalition of better if the PCs don’t know if he’s for real
Bay Area heroes to bring him down, and he or not.
took his own life rather than face capture. Thor doesn’t really want to take
The hammer disappeared again. It over the world or destroy it. He wants
remained lost until last year when Delton people to acknowledge that he’s Thor. It
Voeltz somehow acquired it. would also be nice if they worshipped him
Touchy, high-strung and extremely as a god.
aggressive, Thor wants you to believe that If he shows up in Bedlam, he’s
he’s really a god, but there’s no way to either on a pointless rampage, killing
convince him that you do. If you say you anyone who doesn’t fall down and worship
don’t, he’ll become hostile. If you say you him—and also anyone who does (he can see
do, he won’t believe you, and he’ll become they don’t really mean it.) He may try to
even more hostile. There is no way to avoid challenge the most powerful superheroes in
the topic and no way to satisfy him. the vicinity to come acknowledge his
He treats people like slaves and greatness and then try to beat them into
expects instant obedience. He kills anyone admitting that he’s Thor. If they claim to
who shows him the slightest disrespect. He already believe that he’s Thor, he’ll accuse
also kills people for things like not obeying them of lying and attack them anyway. He
him fast enough, or looking like they resent might also attack the Crawley Asylum (see
obeying him. Fussy, fastidious and Page 102) and try to kill Doctor Scorch,
obsessively tidy, Thor is also extremely vain convinced that the Doctor is his evil brother
about his appearance. Getting mud on his Loki.
costume or his perfect boots is a sure way If Dr. Scorch and Thor ever meet
to provoke him into a homicidal rage. face to face, the Doctor will suddenly
He’s familiar with Norse mythology, remember that he really is Loki (see Page
but the version he knows doesn’t quite 296.) But of course that doesn’t mean that
correspond to the tales in the Eddas. Some Thor is really Thor.
observers think he may have learned it from There are always a few sad pathetic
a children’s book instead. Yet if you read cultists who follow Thor around, despite
his mind, he genuinely has memories of what unsafe company he is. He kills them
fighting the Frost Giant Thrymn, defeating for all sorts of trivial reasons. Perhaps the
the Midgard Serpent and all the other PCs could be drawn into a conflict with Thor
legendary deeds of Thor. when the worried parent of one of his
The first thing most people notice followers contacts them?
about Thor is that he’s a surprisingly little

325
"Go on, beg me to stop—that would Repair d8, Notice d10+2, Stealth d12,
make this perfect!" Streetwise d8+2, Swimming d8, Tracking d8
Charisma: +0 Pace: 8; Parry: 8;
Real Name: Willy Zeiss; although his real Toughness: 9 (2 Heavy Armor)
name isn’t known to anyone (including Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background
himself) and no one who remembers him as (Super Powers), Block, Charismatic, Combat
Willy Zeiss is still alive. Reflexes, Connections, Fleet-Footed,
Improved Dodge, Improved Sweep, Quick,
Wild Card Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate and
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit Taunt)
d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10 Hindrances: Big Mouth, Heartless, Mean,
Skills: Climbing d8, Driving d10, Fighting Quirk (tries to act as evil and terrifying as
d10, Guts d8, Healing d6, Intimidation possible)
d8+2, Investigation d8+2, Knowledge Gear: Armored Costume (2 Heavy Armor),
(Government Secrets) d8, Lockpicking d10, Super Powers:

326
• Melee Attack: Str+2d6 saw combat in Africa on a number of
• Device: Shield, allows him to make occasions. It was as good as he had
Spirit rolls to resist attack at d10 instead always hoped.
of a d8 He either left the Legion to pursue
his dream of being a freelance killer, or
Background: He doesn’t actually have a else he got kicked out for being a
wife to beat, he quickly assures anyone loudmouth and for bullying new recruits.
who asks. But he has worse habits. He’s Sometimes he tells the story one way,
dedicated his whole life to the art of sometimes he tells it another.
vicious atrocity and he’s proven himself to After he left, Wifebeater came to
have a rare talent for it, time and again. the United States, where all the best
A self-made supervillain, Code muscle jobs could be found. He hired on
Name: Wifebeater always dreamed of with a big, scary security firm that has
being a thug for hire and he's had to contracts to provide bodyguards for the
struggle long and hard to become one. State Department, covert operations
He’s an amazingly competent solider, squads for the Department of Defense
disciplined, talented and determined, but and hired thugs for dubious parties
the supervillain underground is full of worldwide. In this capacity he served on
other guys who can shoot like Olympic the personal staff of a number of master
marksmen and kick Navy SEALS to death villains, and proved his worth to them as a
with their hands tied behind their back. tough, determined hireling with a
It’s his brilliant sadism that makes him refreshingly complete lack of scruples.
stand out from the rest. His German accent and
All of his hard work and tireless threatening appearance always served
self-promotion have finally paid off. From him well here. Within a few years he had
the smoke-filled back rooms of Tokyo to enough contacts in the supervillain world
the sordid alleys of New York, the whole to go out on his own as an independent
criminal underworld knows that if you consultant. He hired an ad firm to design
want a really dirty job done fast, call Code him a costume, bought some illegal
Name: Wifebeater. wonder-weapons and got some very
No one is precisely sure of his expensive tissue implants taken from
origins. He speaks English, Spanish and captured superheroes. On the advice of
French with a German accent. People an arch-villain called the Hammer of
who have heard him speak German say Doom, he selected the most hostile and
that he sounds like an upper-middle-class offensive code name he could think of, to
person from Brandenburg. He talks a lot make himself more memorable. He is
about himself, so anyone who spends now in the process of building a client list
much time around him will learn that he and a good investment portfolio for his
was a skinhead, that he beat a Turkish nascent business.
immigrant to death and had to go into He can be hired for any job, no
hiding, that he joined the French Foreign matter how dirty. In fact, he's trying to
Legion in order to hide out, and that they carve out a niche for himself as the guy
recognized and cultivated his phenomenal you can go to for jobs no one else will do.
talent for violence. He served two tours To help reduce his vulnerability
in their elite paratrooper regiment and and make himself immune to blackmail,

327
 he systematically hunted down give him a reputation for being unreliable.
and killed his whole family, as well as He often chats with his victims
every childhood pal, former girlfriend, about his own private affairs—the stocks
elementary school teacher, etc. that he he’s thinking of investing in, the
could find. Then he hired a psychic he difficulties of finding office space in New
had once done some work for to erase all York, the way a canker sore inside his
his early memories. Now there is no one mouth bothers him. He never drops any
who could ever be used as a hostage information that you could use to
against him, no one who knows his inconvenience his employer, but he’s
secrets (including himself), no human weirdly open about everything else. He’s
being left alive that he ever felt any also a busybody, constantly asking
sentimental attachment to. He can't teammates and enemies alike about their
reveal his own name under torture personal lives and offering them scary,
because he doesn't know what it is. He useless, bad advice (“You look like life has
boasts about these things to prospective got you all grumpy and frowny-face. You
clients and to anyone else around him, in should find a woman and stab her. That
the hope that it will give him a will turn your frown upside-down, yeah?”)
competitive edge.
Absolutely loyal, but not entirely Using Code-Name Wifebeater in Your
fearless, he would never reveal an Campaign: A hireling who can turn up
employer’s secrets for money but he’s not for any kind of job, his gimmick makes
sure he wouldn’t if his life were at stake. him stand out from the crowd (or at least
To keep himself from blabbing under we hope it does). He’s really, really evil.
torture, he has purchased an expensive So evil that it’s often funny, if you play it
set of mental blocks (form the same the right way. To let your PCs experience
psychic who erased his memory) that how outrageously unpleasant he is, let
prevent him from ever betraying a client. him talk to them while they fight, or call
It is important that everyone know this, them on a payphone to chat while they’re
friend and foe alike, so he tells anyone trying to track him down. It’s probably
who will listen. easier to let him offend them with his
He is manic, hateful, cruel and remarks than it is to let them see him
never seems to stop talking. This is partly commit some unthinkable atrocity—letting
a pose, intended to make him stand out him throw a baby carriage into traffic will
against the competition. There is no such just upset your players. Then again, if
thing as bad publicity, he is keenly some villain or organized crime figure
aware—especially in his occupation. wants an unspeakable deed committed,
Anyway he’s a bullying blabbermouth by he’s the guy they’ll call.
nature so he may as well try to make it Strictly a villain for hire, he doesn’t
work to his advantage. normally go around robbing banks and
Code Name: Wifebeater speaks jewelry stores on his own. Nor will he run
very good English, although his French is amok in public, unless that’s part of the
even better. In any of these three job. If you encounter Wifebeater, he’s
languages, he is adept at coming up with sure to be on a mission for somebody,
inventive taunts and threats. Cheerfully pursuing some objective with ferocious
violent, devoid of mercy and honor, he’s determination. The objective itself could
capable of any vicious atrocity, but he be almost anything. While he likes dirty
won’t go crazy on civilians or cause jobs best, he’ll take on any assignment
wanton damage without a good reason. he’s given. Anybody from the Invincible
He may look totally out of control, but it’s Ya-Ya Posse to Wolfram Aerospace might
an act. He’d never do anything that might hire him.

328
 • Fearless
• Intangibility: Special version that does
not protect him from attack—it only lets
him walk through walls.
• True Regeneration (10)

Background: We don’t know where it

comes from or why. People have
suggested that it might be the vengeful
ghost of a cop who was killed by his
crooked partners or perhaps the living
embodiment of our collective fears about
the police. But all we know for sure is
that it is malignant, that it wants our
blood and souls. Nobody is quite sure
who came up with the name “Officer
Friendly” to describe it, but the name
somehow fits.
Officer Friendly wears a police
uniform that doesn’t quite look like the
ones the Bedlam cops wear. Nor does his
patrol cruiser have the right emblem on
“Are you sure you’re not guilty of the side, and it’s hard to say what model
something, sir? Think carefully.” of car it might be. His badge bears the
number 0 and the image of a skull. He
Real Name: Unknown wears what appears to be a white
stocking over his head, with a smile
Wild Card crudely painted on. No one has seen
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit what his face looks like underneath.
d8, Strength d1d12, Vigor d12+1 He doesn’t seek out confrontations
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidate with superheroes. Instead he pulls over
d8+2, Notice d8+2, Shooting d6, Stealth ordinary citizens, late at night, asks them
d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt d8+2 to step out of their cars, subjects them to
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; cruel and humiliating abuse, and then
Toughness: 8 (1) executes them with either his nightstick or
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Stubborn his gun.
Edges: Arcane Background (Super He always behaves as though his
Powers), Alertness, Fast Healer, Improved victims have committed some kind of
First Strike, Improved Frenzy, Hard to Kill, crime, and he is punishing them for it.
Harder to Kill, Strong-Willed (2 points of But none of them have. In fact he seems
resistance to Intimidate and Taunt) to specifically select people who haven’t
Gear: 9mm pistol (2d6+1 Damage), done anything. He’s amazingly cruel, and
Handcuffs (Toughness 12), Squad Car often plays sadistic tricks on his victims,
(see below) offering to let them go if they confess to
Super Powers: something or perform some gruesome act
• Attack, Melee (5): Device, 1d12+1d6 of self-abasement. He never actually lets
(billy club), Focus them go, of course. If you agree to make
• Environmental Protection: (per the a confession you can never guess what it
Core Rulebook) is he wants you to admit to (because
• Fear: Scary (-2 to his Charisma) there is no right answer). If you consent
to do some horrible thing to yourself in

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the hopes that he’ll let you go, he’ll act and you’ll find that he doesn’t remember
disgusted and beat you harder. where he came from or where he goes
He can talk, but he rarely says when he disappears. He remembers lots
anything apart from threats, commands or of driving and committing many horrible
cop clichés (“Step out of the car, please.” crimes and that’s about it. Like his
“Freeze! Hands on your head.” “Do you dialogue, his inner monologue is all a
know how fast you were going, sir?”) He string of ominous clichés.
never takes hostages—he doesn’t
understand the concept, because he Using Officer Friendly in Your
doesn’t grasp the idea that one human Campaign: The nice thing about this
being might want to prevent another from villain is that you have absolute control
coming to harm. He has no objection to over where and when the PCs encounter
killing innocent bystanders, but he makes him. They may not even have heard of
no particular effort to eliminate witnesses him before one of his victims comes
to his crimes. While he doesn’t get running to them for help, or they
fixated on revenge, he will sometimes get encounter him at random.
very focused on killing a particular victim, He works best if you give him a
and he will pursue them relentlessly for long, slow, ominous build-up before the
days, weeks, or however long it takes to fight. You can have the PCs stumble
catch them. This could of course give a across the aftermath of one of his crimes
Player Character a chance to stop him, or you can give Precognitive PCs visions of
when someone he’s stalking comes to him drawing closer to Bedlam. If one of
them for help. the PCs is a psychic investigator they can
Officer Friendly seems to have few track him and play cat-and-mouse with
interests, apart from murdering and him for a while before a big climactic
torturing people. He doesn’t commit encounter. His motives are simple. He
robberies or blackmail cities with death wants to hurt people. But you can easily
rays. This makes him hard to catch, since come up with enough variations on his
no one knows where he’ll strike next. In MO to keep him from getting repetitive.
fact few people even know that he exists. There are a lot of bad things we fear cops
The tabloids have published rumors about might do to us, after all.
him for years and urban legends about If the PCs ever unmask him,
him circulate by word of mouth, but not they’ll find out that he has no face, just a
many superheroes are aware that he is smooth blank expanse of skin. If
real. captured, he sits silently and passively,
PCs who try to figure out what he refusing to respond to anything until he
is are in for a puzzle. He’s not a robot, gets a chance to escape.
he’s made out of flesh, but he doesn’t
have a heartbeat or a pulse. If you try to Officer Friendly’s Squad Car
run DNA tests on him, they come back Acc/Top Speed: 20/60; Toughness: 17
“anomalous” or else the samples (5 Heavy Armor)
disappear from storage. Crew: 1+5
If you read Officer Friendly’s mind Notes: Amphibious (Acc/Top Speed:
you can tell what he intends to do next in 3/15); Heavy Armor, Intangibility (Applies
combat or whether or not he’s going to try to anyone in the vehicle), Teleportation
to escape or other things that relate to (More Range—up to 60”), Wall-Walking
the present moment. You cannot, (the car can drive straight up or down a
however, use telepathy to learn the wall, or along the ceiling)
secrets of his origins. Probe his memory

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 (aka Stupid and Violent)

Teenaged psychopaths turned supervillain, grudge against the PCs. Because they don’t
Captain Violent and Doctor Stupid would like have a long-term agenda of their own, you
to be feared and respected as professional can set whatever temporary agenda works
criminals. However, they spend as much best
time causing random havoc and misery as They’re weak enough that most PC
they do committing crimes for gain. They groups can probably beat them, but tough
might rob a bank, but they are just as likely enough that they won’t drop on the first
to set an orphanage full of retarded children round. This lets them fight dirty and take
on fire. hostages and generally make things
Captain Violent is the dominant exciting, but the PCs will almost certainly
partner. He thought up their names, he have the satisfaction of beating them silly by
plans their crimes and directs their actions. the end of the scene. And they’re so
Back in school Doctor Stupid was the bully despicable that beating them should be very
who picked on Captain Violent. Now it’s the satisfying indeed.
other way around.
They don’t yet have a stable base of Adventure Seed: Captain Violent and
operations or a lot of contacts in the the World Vengeance League
underworld, but they are looking hard for At a certain point, Captain Violent may take
both (in between acts of pointless mayhem.) it into his head to start a supervillain team.
They would love to hire out to some bigger If he gets a lot of money through some
villain or underworld organization, but heist or other, he’ll try to hire $#!+face,
Captain Violent hates authority so much and #@%&face, Captain Condor, and the Brain-
has such a hard time taking anything Raper to join his new team, which he’ll call
seriously that he probably wouldn’t do a the “World Vengeance League.”
good job as a henchman. Doctor Stupid They’ll try to find some kind of
follows his lead. headquarters in Bedlam. Possibly the
Captain Violent is still a minor, but Country Club or the Citadel Xtreme, or the
that almost doesn’t matter. The crimes Gorman Building, and begin a bloody and
these two have committed are so heinous incompetent crime wave. Except for
that any court in the country would try them #@%&face, who will be desperate to get
both as adults. along with everybody, they won’t make a
good team or a good bunch of roommates
Using Stupid and Violent in Your and they’ll fight one another as much as the
Campaign: Rampaging psychos with no heroes.
particular ambitions, Stupid and Violent are Then Captain Violent will get the
extremely flexible antagonists. You can use idea to start filming life around their
them as hirelings, or as random forces of headquarters, and posting it on the web as
evil who decide to tear up Bedlam for no a reality TV show. And then unscrupulous
reason, or even as recurrent villains with a network executives get in touch…

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 Skills: Guts d8, Intimidate d8+2, Taunt
d10+2
Charisma: -4; Pace: 6/ Fly 12; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 10
Edges: Power Surge, Strong-Willed (2
resistance to Intimidate and Taunt rolls),
Sweep
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Quirk
(Constantly tries to be as evil as possible)
Super Powers:
• Fearless (2)
• Heightened Senses (1)
• Super Attributes (5): (Super strength)
• Toughness (7): +2, Hardy
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6
• Attack, Ranged (15): Damage 3d6,
Rapid Fire (RoF 3)
Background: As far as Captain Violent is
concerned, there’s no such thing as
collateral damage. It’s all good! In fact,
the more civilian casualties he can cause,
the more misery he can spread around,
the better he likes it. As he says, it’s just
not a good day if he can’t screw it up for
somebody. Perhaps later he’ll calm down,
but right now he’s still reveling in his
powers and in all the destruction and hurt
he can cause with them.
He’s actually a lot more dangerous
with his partner around, because he’s
anxious to impress him with his savagery.
On his own, he isn’t nearly so bad.
Nobody is safe from him while Doctor
“Something about your face just Stupid is there.
makes me want to slap the $#!+ out Articulate, sarcastic and cruel, you
of it. I know you must get that a can tell that he’s a psychopathic kid from
lot…” the suburbs the moment he speaks. He
suffered a lot of teasing and bullying
Wild Card about being an Asian nerd during Junior
Real Name: Victor Rhee High and High School. Victor was on the

332
verge of going messily postal when an superpowers so that he’d have an arch-
angel with fifty eyes and a hundred wings nemesis to fight. His prayers were
appeared to him in a dream, and offered answered.
him something better. Victor went looking for his old
The angel said Victor had been enemy a couple of days later and found
chosen for his greatness of spirit to that Charlie had grown so big he feared to
become one of the world’s mightiest leave his house. They fought and neither
heroes, protector of the innocent and one could beat the other. In the course
defender of the downtrodden—if he felt of the battle, Charlie’s abusive alcoholic
worthy. He agreed to give it a try, and stepfather got killed, and Charlie thought
the angel led him on a series of five that was pretty great. So they became
mighty challenges to test the strength and pals.
purity of his soul. Each of the five The angel appears to Victor nearly
challenges was marked with a letter, and all the time now, even when he’s awake,
the letter was always “V.” begging him to stop his vicious rampage.
V for Valor, the angel explained. V Lately it has begun to sound more tired
for Vigilance. V for Vigor. V for Veracity. and mournful and depressed, although he
And lastly, V for Virtue. He passed every still has a lot of fun teasing it.
challenge and woke up with the power of Captain Violent would like to be a
a minor god. The costume was waiting. well-known supervillain. He supposes that
He put it on and gleefully started means hiring out his services to organized
committing crimes. crime and pulling off spectacular robberies
He didn’t want superheroes to and making lots of money. But he’s just
come pound the crap out of him, so he as interested in savage, pointless acts of
made sure to sneak over into the next destruction. Ruining famous works of art,
town, where no one knew him, before destroying public landmarks, blowing up
engaging in acts of twisted mayhem. He children’s petting zoos—that kind of thing.
vandalized a children’s mural, burned And the more people it hurts, the better.
down an art museum, roasted a seeing- A couple of things might bring him
eye dog or two and killed an old lady’s pet to Bedlam. The Mafia or some other
parrot. crime network might make the mistake of
It wasn’t long before the angel hiring him. Or he might get wind of the
came back and demanded to know what fact that a pirate broadcaster in Stone
he was doing, why he was abusing his Ridge is using the name “Captain Violent”
power so terribly. Victor disagreed, and take umbrage. Or Stupid and Violent
saying that he felt he was using his might just show up looking for kicks, since
powers correctly. His actions were the Bedlam is such a notoriously dangerous
deeds of a hero, he explained, and it place.
gratified him to know that the angel had His parents have figured out that
chosen so wisely. he’s Captain Violent and they are still
The angel asked him who his looking for him, convinced that he must
worst enemy might be. He thought for a have gone insane from his powers or even
moment, and then explained that this been demonically possessed. If he gets
would be Charlie Platz, the bully who had caught, they will find the best lawyer they
tormented him since preschool. He hoped can for him.
the angel would go give Charlie

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 Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance,
Heartless, Mean, Quirk (trying way too hard
to be tough)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
Brawny, Power Points, Take the Hit!
Super Powers:
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6
• Growth (1): Size +1, Monster
Leaping (4) Vertical Distance 16 inches,
Horizontal Distance 32 inches.
• Super Attributes (5): (Super strength)
• Toughness (7): +2, Hardy
Background: Charlie Platz was always
sullen and big. The popular kids all avoided
him, so every day he'd find some poor little
nerd who no one wanted to hang out with,
act like his friend, push him around all
afternoon and then kick the crap out of him.
This didn't give him much pleasure, truth be
told, but it was the only thing that kept him
sane.
His drunken stepdad Luther was
always on his case, always trying to be his
buddy and trying to beat him silly at the
same time. Charlie loved Luther, he hated
him, he wanted to be him, he wanted to kill
him, but most of all he feared him. Victor
“Will you look at that? I can’t believe I Rhee was one of his favorite targets. The
actually tore a goddamn baby in half. I look of fear and hatred in his eyes was
SAID LOOK AT IT!!!” irresistible. But in high school Victor started
wearing a long black trenchcoat and talking
Real Name: Charlie Platz about guns all the time, so Charlie eased up
Wild Card on him.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, And then, one night after Luther
Strength had kept Charlie up late, beating on him and
d12+1, Vigor d10 buddying up to him and forcing him to
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d8, watch the same episode of "The Virginian"
Knowledge (Pop Culture) d6, Notice d4, over and over again, an angel appeared in
Throwing d8 Charlie's room. It was beautiful and
Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; terrifying and sad. And it had fifty eyes.
Toughness: 11 The angel said that time was running out

334
and the powers of evil were loose in the in a twisted kind of way. And all the
world. Would he accept the mantle of the property damage has been pretty cool. But
Earth's protector and fight the forces of that angel keeps showing up, begging him
darkness? to stop Victor, and this is really starting to
He hoped this included Luther, so wear on him.
he eagerly agreed. The angel explained Charlie is capable of nearly any
that there had been a terrible mistake, that atrocity, but only if Victor is looking. He's
a wicked person had been given great an ill-tempered sullen thug at the best of
power and that it would be Charlie's times, but he's no maniac. He just has to
job to fight them. To his surprise, the angel act like onein front of Victor. He actually
told him that his new nemesis was Victor tore a goddamn baby in half! He still can’t
Rhee. The angel then took him on a cosmic believe he did that.
voyage where he was to take five tests of
his purity and will. He failed the first two An Adventure with Doctor Stupid: Only
tests miserably, so the angel curtailed that Losers Take the Bus
part of the process and told him that time For laughs, Doctor Stupid tries to knock a
was too short and he could have the power schoolbus off the freeway overpass by
anyway. Industrial Drive. But the joke’s on him. He
When he woke up, the costume was isn’t nearly heavy enough to stop a
waiting. And he was eight feet tall. He careening schoolbus and he goes over the
couldn't leave the house like this, so he hid side with it. Captain Violent gets a good
in his room and tried to figure out what to chuckle out of this and then he flies away.
do, while Luther beat on his mom When the PCs arrive at the scene,
downstairs. the bus is lodged vertically in an old
Then Captain Violent tore the roof chemical warehouse, with its rear end
off. They fought and fought. Luther didn't sticking out of the roof. The kids are still
understand what was going on and died alive, but some of them are hurt pretty
while trying to protect Charlie, who was badly. Doctor Stupid is trapped under the
both horrified and elated. front end of the bus. He’s more than strong
It grew clear to Charlie over the enough to lift a schoolbus full of children,
course of the fight that he was going to but he’s at an awkward angle and can’t get
lose, that Victor was just slightly stronger leverage. If the PCs try to lift the bus out of
than he was. So he hit on a desperate ploy the roof, he will chuckle evilly and ask the
to befriend him. "Cool," he said, PCs if they think it’s a good idea to set him
looking down at his stepdad's body. "You loose. How many kids do they think he
wanna see what it's like to screw a corpse?" could kill before they could stop him?
Victor didn't, but this did get him laughing Clearly the right way to evacuate the kids is
and Charlie knew at that moment that he to carry them out through the bus’ rear
was going to live. window. But while the PCs are trying to do
The last few months have been a this, the chemical warehouse starts to burn.
nightmare. Captain Violent leads him Can they get the kids to safety without
around, acting like a maniac, doing all kinds accidently letting Doctor Stupid loose before
of sick $#!+ and Charlie has to pretend like barrels of toxic compounds start exploding
he's into it. It's just the way things were all around them?
with Luther, only worse. Fortunately, And just to add a little spice to the
Charlie has spent his whole life learning how proceedings, while the PCs are in the
to survive situations like this. And he has to process of evacuating the kids, Captain
admit, Victor can be a lot of fun sometimes, Violent comes back and attacks them.

335
 Deflection: -8 to hit him with ranged
attacks. Requies Activation.
Environmental Protection
Flight: Moves at the same rate he walks
Force Control 1d10: Force Field, Medium
Burst Template
Obscure: Space seems to ripple, distort
and flow around him, uses the Large Burst
Template
Telekinesis: d12 Strength
Teleport: 60”
Gear: Empty Briefcase, Earpiece (picks up
secret channels used only by the UNICORN),
Sunglasses
Background: Formerly one of the
UNICORN’s most dreaded superhuman
agents, (you can find out all about this
sinister government conspiracy on Page 86),
John Friend got a little weird on a recent
mission and he has dedicated his life to a
whole new endeavor.
He worked for a division of the
UNICORN that conspiracy theorists have
come to call the “Men in Black.” Roving
agents in suits and ties who investigate and
stamp out unauthorized paranormal
“Clothes are Un-American.” weirdness. He doesn’t really remember his
original name—John Friend is the latest in a
Wild Card long string of aliases. He was an ideal
Real Name: John Friend (although this agent, utterly lacking in remorse,
may in fact be an alias, it’s still the name he imagination or innovative thought. Then
thinks of as his own) they sent him to investigate the matter of
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Moonbase Zero.
Strength d8, Vigor d6 A joint project between NASA’s
Skills: Drive d6, Fighting d8, Guts d6, secret X Division and an agency that doesn’t
Investigation d6, Knowledge (Government have a name, Moonbase Zero was an
Secrets) d10, Notice d8, Persuade d12, attempt to simulate conditions on a lunar
Shooting d8, Streetwise d4, Stealth d6 installation as realistically as possible. They
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6/ Flying 6; Parry: constructed an entire base inside a giant
5; Toughness: 6 (1) aircraft hanger in the Nevada desert.
Edges: Charismatic, Combat Reflexes, They didn’t tell the astronauts that it
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist the effects of wasn’t real. A few researchers and agents
Intimidate and Taunt) were embedded in Moonbase Zero’s crew,
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Delusional, but they had all undergone extensive post-
Distinctive Appearance, Enemy (the hypnotic suggestion to submerge their real
UNICORN), Pacifist (Will never cause lethal identities and themselves didn’t know it was
harm and will never use his “Decay” power a simulation. The self-contained moonbase
on a living target), Vow (to make everyone module performed well for a year and a
take off their clothes), Quirk (won’t wear half. Then it came under attack by aliens.
clothes) The crew claimed to have made
Powers: contact with an even older, even more secret
Awareness base (they called it Moonbase Minus One),
Decay: Rapid Decay 2 where the scientific staff had accidentally

336
woken up some terrible thing that had lain lonely nudist crusade.
sleeping under the lunar surface for eons. Nocturne (See page 276 for more
Moonbase Minus One had already fallen and information on this lonely vigilante) actually
Moonbase Zero was now under assault. knows John Friend from the old days, and
This was of course, so utterly although he always disliked him, he’ll
impossible that Division X called for the Men in sympathize with him now and may well try to
Black. To avoid breaking the simulation, they help him. If he knows the PCs and they have
sent John Friend and his team into the hanger a gadgeteer or mystic on their team, he may
in spacesuits, after putting them through an attempt to enlist their help. He hopes to cure
extremely realistic simulated spacecraft ride. his old colleague’s madness, then learn his
So realistic that he began to doubt the cover secrets and perhaps enlist him as an ally.
story, and to wonder if Moonbase Zero was in
fact real. It was his first original thought, Using Naked Man in Your Campaign: If he
ever, and it deeply troubled him. comes to Bedlam, you can play John Friend as
They were warned not to remove a lunatic on a ridiculous crusade to make
their spacesuits if they ever ventured out onto people take their clothes off, or a tragic figure
the fake lunar surface, for fear of who they have to rescue from ruthless
compromising the experiment. government assassins or both. If he shows up
Despite their best efforts, the Men in completely mad then he’ll start yelling at
Black lost the battle for Moonbase Zero. John people in public to undress, that their clothes
had to take ever-increasing doses of psi- are a trap and that he will set them free. He’s
enhancing drugs in order to fend off the alien a strong enough psychic to make them do it,
invaders, and the combination of a semi-lethal too, which can lead to all sorts of comic
overdose and making contact with the vast silliness. He won’t hurt anyone, except for the
and utterly inhuman minds of the invaders agents who are chasing him, and his powers
made him snap. are such that he doesn’t even have to hurt
He staggered out the airlock onto the them very badly.
lunar surface, and used his rapidly-escalating When he uses his “Obscure” effect
powers to make it bloom, bloom with flowers, reality seems to warp and flow and distort
through they shriveled in the vacuum and around him, making it impossible to aim at
radiation as fast as he could make them anything or judge distances. Blindsight still
sprout. Then he ripped off his spacesuit, and works against it, though.
the clothes he wore underneath, and standing After the PCs have subdued him,
there in the Sea of Tranquility with the Earth sinister Men in Black will ask them to turn him
overhead he screamed into the airless void over. Here too, you can play the scene as
that he was now the Man in Nothing! Then he comic (“We’re from the Department of
smashed through the side of the hanger and Inexplicable Phenomena. This phenomenon is
out into the mercilessly bright Nevada completely inexplicable, so it falls under our
sunshine. The experiment was proclaimed a jurisdiction”) or genuinely ominous.
success, and the hunt for the Man in If Naked Man’s captors refuse to give
Nothing began. him up, the agents will withdraw, for now, but
Now John Friend wanders the world, whoever interferes with the UNICORN’s affairs
holding his briefcase in one hand, clad only in will themselves become a target. Whether or
his earpiece and his sunglasses. He divides his not Nocturne gets involved, this could be the
time between battling his former bosses and campaign’s’ bridge to adventures that involve
running away from them. In his crazier shadowy government conspiracies and weird
periods, he screams at people that their minds intrigue. Or not, just as you prefer.
are a trap, that reality is a trap, and that most Perhaps the agents who come after
of all their clothes are a trap, defining them the PCs tell them that John Friend’s story
the way his black suit defined him. Take it off! about having been a Man in Black is a
Take it all off! He might well come to Bedlam delusion, and he’s really a used car salesman
in the course of his wanderings, trying to from Tucson who developed telepathic powers
evade his pursuers and convert people to his and flipped out. Maybe that’s even the truth.

337
 • Heightened Senses (1)
• Super Attributes (5): (Super strength)
• Toughness (7): +2, Hardy

Background: $#!+face will never lead a

normal life, he’s come to realize. He’s
hideous, and everything he tries to hold, he
breaks. Nor has he ever been able to find a
good way to kill himself. This makes him
really depressed. It also makes him drink.
That’s where he got his supervillain name, in
fact, from his constant drunkenness. He’s
not exactly an alcoholic—he’s not dependant
on the booze itself. He just needs
something to shut out his misery, and he
can’t inject heroin through his super-tough
skin. It takes a whole lot of alcohol or
formaldehyde or turpentine or window
cleaner to fuzz him out to where he can deal
with things, so he always seems to be
nipping away at a bottle of something or
other. Or a barrel. Or a vat.
$#!+face would never have chosen
this life. He escaped from some kind of
secret government lab a few years ago and
he accidentally maimed a guard in the
process. After that he was stuck. He had
no ID, no means of supporting himself. If
he had made his way home to Flint,
Michigan, he supposed his family would
have hidden him, but he didn’t want to
“It don’t matter if you lock me up for
burden them like that—they had enough
ten #@%&in’ years or one #@%&in’
problems of their own. So he stole, because
day. It all feels th’ same to me.”
he had to eat, and tried to keep anyone
from getting hurt in the process. Inevitably
Real Name: Charlie Brown (although
superheroes came to beat him up and he
everyone assumes this is an alias, it’s his
fought them as hard as he could, desperate
actual name)
not to be sent back to the lab and dissected.
He was only just barely able to stay ahead
Wild Card
of the law and figured there might be safety
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
in numbers, so he hooked up with
Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
whichever criminal masterminds would hire
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d4,
him. He had way too much conscience to
Throwing d8
be able to work for any of them for long,
Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;
until he signed on with Th’ Pope.
Toughness: 10
Now $#!+face is His Holiness’
Hindrances: Clueless, Habit: (Booze-
comically drunken and depressed hench-
Hound), Distinctive Appearance, Ugly
thug. He spends much of his time lying on
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers),
the floor in a stupor with a bottle or a keg in
Brawny, Power Points, Take the Hit!
his hand and has to slowly stir himself
Super Powers:
whenever the Pope asks him to do anything.
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6

338
He’s sort of like Paul Schaeffer to the Pope’s rubbing alcohol. Then it’s a gallon of brake
David Letterman, feeding him straight lines fluid. Then… well, God knows. He’ll
and responding to all his rhetorical questions probably be drinking from a drum of
with “gee, I dunno.” He’s grown very fond formaldehyde at some point.
of his ridiculous boss and will fight very hard He would be happy to try being a
to keep the old man out of jail. He normally hero instead of a villain, if it doesn’t mean
tries not to kill people, or to use his full abandoning Th’ Pope. But of course that
strength on anyone who can’t take it, but if isn’t ever going to work. He’s wanted for
he sees Th’ Pope killed or injured he may go multiple felonies, the feds would like to have
berserk. him back on a table in a lab and no judge in
Amazingly obscene, $#!+face can the country is going to give him amnesty.
stick swear-words in the middle of any
sentence, no matter how benign. It’s An Adventure With $#!+face: Drinking
almost like he isn’t aware he’s doing it. Buddy
He’s much kinder and much smarter $#!+face robs a bank. He seems to have
than anyone expects. He’s better at playing acquired a sidekick—a big fat unshaven guy
chess than the Pope himself, for example, in a stained white dress shirt who looks very
and he will sometimes interject with some drunk. $#!+face calls him “Pal.”
ludicrously obscene but very cogent Less than an hour later, they rob
observation, in between taking sips from a another bank, although by this time their
bottle. Try something like this: “No, the both so inebriated that they drop a lot of the
contract language is #@%&in’ simple. money on their way out. Where will they
Look, it says the party of the first part strike next? And what the hell is going on
agrees to pay the party of the second part if here, anyway?
the conditions in clause #@%&in’ three are In fact $#!+face new drinking
met, not unless they’re #@%&in’ met. buddy is Marvin Slobowski, an unsuccessful
That’s what clause mother#@%&in’ fifty businessman from Stark Hill. They met in
says.” an alley behind a bar that they had both
Sometimes he writes poetry, but been asked to leave and they’ve been on a
he’s shy about showing it to anyone. binge together ever since.
Poor Marvin owes a lot of money to
Using $#!+face in Your Campaign: A a loan shark, who is going to take one of his
sympathetic, hapless villain who’s been kids if he doesn’t pay. $#!+face wants to
screwed by fate, $#!+face won’t strike to help, but he knows better than to just go
kill and he won’t pursue revenge—he beat up the loan shark. If he does that, the
doesn’t have the energy and anyway he Scarpias will surely have Marvin killed and
doesn’t resent you for beating on him. In they may get his kid, too, just to make a
fact, he kind of thinks he deserves to get point. So instead Marvin and $#!+face
beat on. If you get the drop on him or hold robbed a bank. Unfortunately, they didn’t
his beloved boss hostage, he’ll put his hands get nearly enough money to pay off the
up, sigh and say, “Yeah, yeah, okay. You debt, so they’re going to rob as many banks
#@%&in’ got me.” as it takes, unless they get killed or pass out
You can play him as tragic or comic, in a drunken stupor first.
but he works best if he’s both. To help $#!+face is very protective of
make him funny, each time the PCs see him Marvin and will fight hard to keep him alive
he should be drinking from a larger and out of jail. If he has to surrender to the
container of even more potent stuff. Start PCs, $#!+face will beg them to save his
out with a flask of gin. When next they see buddy’s kid. But that of course is another
him it’s a fifth of vodka. Then it’s a quart of adventure.

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“Wanna see something #@%&ed-up?” shtick. Someday he’s gonna kick that guy’s
@$$.
Real Name: Brandon Weiner He would love to be a mercenary
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit villain, to take on jobs for scary guys in
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 castles and corporate boardrooms—maybe
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidate d6, even help some cackling arch-villain take
Notice d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, over the world. But it's not going to happen
Streetwise d4 any time soon. For now he's just a slob on
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6/ Fly 6; Parry: 5; a rampage.
Toughness: 5 It's the story of his whole career.
Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance, Mean, #@%&face was sixteen when his life went
Quirk (obsessed with hair metal bands from careening off its rails. He was over at his
the eighties), Vengeful friend’s Pilar’s house, helping her watch her
Edges: Improved Dodge, Quick little stepbrother. While he stayed
Powers: downstairs, drank her dad's beer and played
• Darkvision Maximum Killer on Nintendo, Pilar got bored
• Environmental Protection: (per the and tried showing her little brother some
Core Rulebook) new Kung-Fu moves she had thought up.
• Flight (1): Moves at the same rate as he Brandon could hear them wrestling upstairs,
walks. could hear that they were getting too
• Immunity: to Disease and Poison carried away, but he didn't think much of it.
• Intangibility: Phazer He was drunk and wrapped up in his game
• Paralyze and anyway those two fought and wrestled
• Stun all the time. Then he heard Pilar start
Gear: Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage screaming.
2d6+1, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of Fire 1), He stumbled upstairs, but it was too
late. Pilar's little stepbrother wasn’t
Background: The only villain out there breathing. They called 911 and they tried to
with a ruder name than $#!+face, revive the kid with CPR (not that either one
#@%&face hates $#!+face for stealing his of them really knew how) but he was dead.

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 The cops didn’t believe that Brandon letters. He has misspelled the word
had been downstairs. They were sure he “Awesome.” And that about sums him up.
must have helped Pilar kill her stepbrother. He supports himself through theft,
When one of them asked Brandon how he because he has no other way to do it, and
could have done such a thing, he dreams of finding some way to make the big
misunderstood her—he thought she meant time. While he enjoys making threats and
“how could you have sat there playing video acting tough, he feels bad about killing people
games while Pilar killed her brother upstairs?” and he would never harm a child. He still has
But in fact she meant “how could you have nightmares about what happened to Pilar’s
beaten a child to death?” little brother. But all those years in solitary
He answered "I dunno. I was drunk." have made him very, very angry. He kills
Those words doomed him. domestic pets whenever he sees them and
Both teenagers were charged with the he’s prone to attacks of savage rage. Civilians
crime, and to help save herself, Pilar testified and bystanders have died when he’s lost
that Brandon had done most of the beating. control of himself. He’s presently wanted for
He was tried as an adult and got forty-eight something like a dozen murders, all of them
years. Then a routine test revealed that he people he lashed out at in a fury.
was a parahuman, and he briefly became a As life continues to frustrate him, he
celebrity—a vicious young supervillain who had gets madder and madder and he’s slowly
beaten a child to death for thrills. losing the ability to keep his rage in check.
In fact Brandon had no idea until the While he’d never admit it, he feels anguish
moment the test results came back that he over every last person he has ever killed and
had the potential to develop superpowers. he’s starting to contemplate committing
Confined to a solitary cell in a secret facility “suicide by superhero.”
somewhere, he raged and wept and plotted
revenge on the whole world. Years later, they Using #@%&face in Your Campaign: A
offered him a deal. If he would participate in loser villain who will hire out to anyone, he has
a dangerous, illegal set of tests to unlock his terrible judgment and can get involved in all
superpowers, they would put him on a black kinds of stupid, ill-advised capers. If an
ops team and let him have exciting adventures obviously crazy villain makes a foolhardy bid to
all around the world. That sounded okay to take over the world, or destroy it, #@%&face
him. is the henchman for the job. He’s so
After a lot of pain and horror, he desperate for respect and comradeship that
became the thing he is now. A weird, ghostly, he’ll ignore how insane or how unspeakably
inhuman creature that walks through walls and evil his current boss is, or how unlikely the
drains the life out of stuff. plan is to succeed.
He screwed his first mission up really He’s also a good villain to have come
badly, and rather than go back to base and wandering into town alone, committing
face god-knows what kind of punishment, he pointless crimes and tangling up with
ran away. It was the year 2002. He had been superheroes. Or he can show up at the
in prison for more than ten years. nightclub called Maxx to catch one of his
These days he dresses like heavy favorite hair-metal bands from the eighties
metal album cover art, and uses the name (see Page 190), not particularly looking for
#@%&face. He never really outgrew his Guns trouble. Or he can go berserk in public in the
n’ Roses phase and he finds newer music hopes that the PCs will come kill him.
weird and scary. It absolutely drives him nuts Normally he tries to avoid hurting
when people mock his favorite bands. civilians, but if he gets frustrated or depressed
Strangely for a guy who looks so odd, he he’ll lash out at whoever is closest with lethal
claims to hate weirdness. By “weirdness” he force. Vindictive by nature, he’ll try to hunt
means anything that isn’t Metal. And by down anyone who has beaten, frustrated or
Metal, he means Metal as of 1989 or so. humiliated him, but he’s an inept hunter and
In a lot of ways he’s still a teenage won’t plan any kind of elaborate revenge. It
stoner. He never really had a chance to grow might or might not occur to him to strike at
up. Across his upper back, he has the words their loved ones, depending on how angry he’s
feeling.
tattooed in elaborate gothic

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 Super Powers:
• Attack, Melee +5d6, Armor Piercing 6,
Knockback 1d10
• Fearless (2)
• Leaping (5): Vertical 32 inches, Horizontal
64 inches.
• Toughness (11): 9 Heavy Armor, Hardy

Background: Not long ago, Smashface saw

a nature documentary on lions. He was
fascinated by the way a male lion will chase
off a rival, assume leadership of the pride,
and kill every cub that is not his own. His
new wives may howl with grief, but they
dare not interfere. It was amazing to
watch—he'd been doing the same thing for
years. Now he knew why he always killed
the children of any woman he dated. He
had thought it was to show his mastery of
her, but in fact it was because he had the
heart of a lion. His chest swelled with pride.
Now whenever he throws a new girlfriend's
children out the window, or drowns them in
the tub or crushes them in their beds, he
always explains to her about the lions and
how this act ennobles him—shows that he is
truly a king.
“Guess what color car drives past next, He has about fifty kids of his own
and I’ll let one member of your family now, he figures. He would have more but a
live.” lot of women aren't strong enough to
survive the force of his love. He supposes
Real Name: Leonard Low-Horn that's good and proper, too. Only the
Wild Card strong should be allowed to bear his noble
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit seed.
d10, Strength d12+8, Vigor d12+2 Usually by the time his kids are
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidate starting to speak in complete sentences,
d8, Notice d6, Survival d6, Stealth d6, he's already moving on for one reason or
Throwing d6 another, so he hasn't had much of a chance
Charisma:-2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; to get involved in their lives. But he does
Toughness: 18 (9 Heavy Armor) make sure that all of his boys are named
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Quirk Leonard, after him. So are all the girls. He
(Kills anyone who trifles with him in even won't allow anything else.
the slightest way. Also kills lots of people Smashface doesn't remember his
who don’t), Vengeful own childhood very well, although he's sure
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), it must have been awful since every time he
Brawny, Combat Reflexes, Frenzy, Hard to tries to think about it he gets so
Kill, Harder to Kill, Improved Nerves of overwhelmed with anger that he starts to
Steel, Mighty Blow, Power Points, Sweep, cry. He does know that he discovered his
Take the Hit! powers in reform school on an Indian

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reservation and set about testing their limits or plays any other kind of role in their care.
after he broke out. His powers were strong. For more than forty years he has
None of the superheroes who faced him lived this wandering existence and he seems
were able to stand against him. For a while pretty contented by it. He’s surprisingly
he sought them out, one after another, calm and soft-spoken, in the way that so
looking for the toughest ones, to see if he many absolute psychopaths are. He talks a
could beat them. But then he got bored. lot, but the only topic that interests him is
These days he walks around and himself. It has never occurred to him to
does as he pleases. He kills most of the wonder whether or not he is an evil person.
people he encounters, unless he doesn't If someone asks him about it, he will reply
happen to feel like it. When policemen try that God must want him to do the things he
to stop him he kills them, too. does, or else God wouldn’t have let it
While he does not really need happen. If God wants him to do these
money for anything, he enjoys having it, so things, then they must be good.
he's willing to take on jobs for organized A strangely honorable opponent, he
crime, and he keeps a few post-office boxes won’t strike from ambush, won’t take
where they can get in touch with him. If hostages, won’t hit an opponent who is
the Bedlam mob gets desperate enough to down. That would be unworthy of him.
hire Smashface, they will try hard to isolate Then again, he’s never been beaten in a
themselves from him. He's prone to killing fight, and we suspect he wouldn’t like it at
people for whims or for reasons that make all.
no sense and that includes his employers. Should this ever happen, he’ll
One of his previous clients paid him become obsessed with the person who beat
by hiring a designer to produce a really him and start killing all their enemies at the
sleek looking costume for him to wear. first convenience. He does this because
Smashface liked it so much that he killed the they are unworthy to be the foes of his foe.
designer, to make sure that she never made There should be room for no one in their
one as cool for anybody else. While he has roster of enemies but him.
never been seriously injured in a fight, he
doesn’t like being struck in the eyes, mouth Using Smashface in Your Campaign:
or nipples—it’s irritating, so his costume Here he is, our signature character. The
covers his face more or less completely, and guy from the front of the book.
armor-plates his upper chest. Before the PCs face Smashface, you
You might think that the world’s should let them have a fair warning about
mightiest heroes would have banded what they’re up against. Give him as much
together to defeat Smashface long ago. But dramatic buildup as you can, he deserves it.
the fact that he kills most of the people he Let them find out what happened the last
runs into means that he isn’t very widely time he came to Bedlam, let them figure out
known, and the authorities are not aware of what no one seems to have grasped about
just how dangerous he is. him (he’s one of the most dangerous men
It’s also hard to find him. He walks ever to walk the earth) before they actually
around at random, stealing cars when he come across him. He’s so utterly loathsome
feels like it, so it’s difficult to track his that the more the PCs learn about him the
whereabouts. Sometimes he sees a girl he more they’ll want to defeat him, and this too
likes and moves in with her for a while helps build dramatic tension.
(whether she wants him to or not) Because he’s both a rampaging
sometimes for two or three years at a time. villain and a hireling, you have complete
He lavishes gifts on his girls, stealing and freedom to spring him on the PCs whenever
taking on jobs for other criminals as you like, without them having to go looking
required and he is very gentle with his own for him. If they do go seek him out, you
children—though he never changes a diaper have an excuse to make him hard to find.

343
 reeking incense smoke which counts as an
Obscure in the Medium Burst Radius), large
hat (usually full of food and/or
pornography), pad of blank papal
indulgences.

Background: We’ll let him explain his

origins in his own words. He looks and
sounds a lot like an unshaven Sidney
Greenstreet in pontifical robes, so imagine
Mr. Greenstreet’s deep, rumbling voice.
“I come to you a former sinner, of
the least lunchitudinous sort. For I was, in
my youth, prey to the most popish sort of
papacies.
I was a two-fisted pope. ‘Kiss my
ring, punk!’ was my motto. I put rocket
engines and machine-guns on the
Popemobile. I was infallible. And yet I was,
alas, not a success at my chosen trade.
Indeed, so poor a pope I made that they
have since expunged all records of my
name, and would have excommunicated me,
had I not excommunicated them first*.
It was not my crapulence or my
obesity, my unshaved whiskers or my
unlikely sexual practices that brought me to
this end. The Council of Cardinals did not
“Kiss my ring, punk!” object to my slobbering perversities or to
my habit of paying for meals in restaurants
Real Name: His Holiness, Pope Innocent X with blank papal indulgences (‘Here kid,
Wild Card have a get-out-of-Hell-free card. Fill in
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, whatever sin you want.’) No one cared
Strength d4, Vigor d8 what those stains on my surplice were, or
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Intimidate d8, where I might have stuck that monstrance.
Knowledge (Weird Secrets) d8, Knowledge But I acquired a cruel mistress. One that
(Catholicism) d8, Knowledge (Loathesome has ruined many a man.
Secret Vices) d8, Notice d8, Persuade d8, Flintstones push-ups. The ‘Yabba-
Shooting d6, Taunt d10 Dabba-Doo Orange’ flavor. Not a pretty
Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; name, is it? But do not look away. For its
Toughness: 5 cruel seductions might yet claim you too.
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Gloater, Habit So no matter how appalling you find my
(unspeakable vices), Obese, Pacifist (can’t tale, stop and think, ‘But that might have
kill, wouldn’t let an innocent come to harm). been me, if I were Pope, and a monstrous
Edges: Charismatic, Command, Fervor, shambling deviate.’
Followers, Hold the Line, Inspire Since no one but a foul degenerate
Powers: Lair (Average Quality, Well-Hidden) Pope would ever want to eat Yabba-Dabba-
Gear: Bulletproof Vestments (2 Heavy Doo Orange Flavor Push-ups, I was forever
Armor, does not cover his head), Staff stealing vast sums from the Papal Bank to
(1d4+1d6 Damage, contains a hidden radio
that can pick up most police bands, can give *
off a 2d6 nonlethal electric shock with a A hasty field-excommunication—it left me
range of 5/10/20, or emit a cloud of foul, the Church's only member. In retrospect, I
might have reconsidered.

344
keep the brand afloat. This too, was not else who strikes him as an uptight
enough to doom me. For many Popes moralistic prig. He seems to have a
had loaned far greater sums to men with particular grudge against Bedlam’s chief
mirrored sunglasses and foreign accents. ecclesiastical officer, Bishop Sloat, for
And I was, after all, infallible. some unknown reason.
Soon the Swiss Guard adjusted to Th’ Pope is a dreadful ham and a
the sight of His Holiness emerging from a bit of a sentimental old fool. No one has
heap of empty push-ups and the lowest ever been seriously hurt in one of his
sort of porno, blessing all and sundry in a capers and he’d feel terrible about it if
slurry bloodshot stupor. The Cardinals they did. He loves to make jokes about
grew accustomed to hearing his Eminence his supposed Infallibility or other points of
cry ‘I worship #@%&! My prayers are Catholic dogma. He also likes to write
filthy dreams!’ at random intervals. papal indulgences absolving people for
It was when I had the Shroud of their sins (in fact he carries a pad of them
Turin dry-cleaned that I wore out their around with him) and he sometimes tries
patience. I did it in a Yabba-Dabba to pay for things with them.
frenzy, all giddy from my vice. ‘What is No one knows who he really is or
this filthy thing?!’ I bellowed. ‘Have it where he comes from. He resolutely
cleaned, by #@%&!’ sticks to his ridiculous story (an
They begged, they pleaded, but I embittered Pope turns to a life of crime)
was in the grip of Yabba-Dabba-Doo. ‘By and never breaks character. At least one
all the crimes and bugg'ries in God's part of his story is true. He really does
infinite design, it shall be cleaned!’ I cried love those nauseating “Yabba-Dabba-Doo
‘Are any of you infallible? No? Then by Orange” flavored Flintstones’ push-ups
Satan's hairy balls it laundered shall be!’ and there’s always a big pile of empties
And it was. And so I fell. From around him.
the pinnacle of popery to the nadir of A genuine pervert, he has been
nothingness. Til I found the solace that seen at some of Bedlam’s Santa Claus
there is in lunch. For Lo! The true God oriented leather bars (see Page 194 to
cares not where you have stuffed your find out more about the true meaning of
rosary beads, nor what he can smell on Christmas.) Yet he only does kinky things
your breath. God only cares for lunch. I with his fellow grown-ups and would
once was lost, but now am found. 'Twas never harm a child. Which is more than
lunch that made me free. we can say for some members of the
And if you doubt any part of my Church hierarchy.
ghastly tale, check for yourself and see if If he’s too weak for your
the name of Innocent X has not been campaign, try partnering him with the
expunged from all the records of the drunken, depressive Powerhouse who
Popes so thoroughly that no trace of him calls himself $#!+face, who can act as His
can be found. For this proves that it is all Holiness’ bodyguard. If they are partners,
true.” then Th’ Pope is very fond of $#!+face
Th’ Pope periodically shows up and willing to take a lot of risks to get him
with a gang of crackheads dressed like out of prison. If the two of them need to
altar boys or nuns or cardinals or saints go somewhere fast, Th’ Pope will cry
(complete with cheesy fake halos) and “Quickly $#!+face! To the Popemobile!”
tries to steal things. Religious artifacts And he’ll jump onto his giant henchman’s
mostly, but sometimes money. He also shoulders. Off down the street they’ll go,
loves to play absurd and harmless (if with Th’ Pope riding piggyback as
disgusting) pranks on officials of the $#!+face takes another long pull of
Roman Catholic Church and on anyone booze.

345
Using Th’ Pope in Your Campaign: In Sister Sin (Th’ Pope’s Hench-Person
a weird kind of way, he’s a classic Silver Extraordinaire)
Age villain—a colorful mastermind with a
shtick, who turns up with a gang of
absurdly costumed henchmen and tries to
rob something. Like most of those
villains, he has no real superpowers of his
own and is actually kind of fragile if
superheroes start beating on him. To
prevent them from killing him, keep him
funny and sympathetic and don’t let him
harm any bystanders.
He’s forever trying to steal sacred
relics and to embarrass officials of the
Roman Catholic Church. But he has no
master plan to conquer the world or
proclaim himself Supreme Pontiff. If he
wants to snatch the Hand of St. Asquniox
the Flayed from the Bedlam City Museum,
it’s not to summon any dark and terrible
forces from beyond. He wants to defile it,
or put it in his collection or boil it down
and drink the broth. If it turns out the Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
Hand is cursed, or will grant you three d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
wishes or summon things up from other Skills: Climb d6, Fighting d12, Guts d8,
dimensions he’ll regard this as a mere Knowledge (Theology) d6, Notice d6,
nuisance. Shooting d6, Stealth d8
Charisma: +2; Pace: 8; Parry: 8;
Minions of th’ Pope (Cardinal or Altar Toughness: 7(2)
Boy or Dubious Nun) Hindrances: Code of Honor, Habit
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit (shameful secret vices few people even
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 know exist), Loyal, One Eye, Stubborn,
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d6, Vow (to uphold the one true Pope)
Stealth d6, Throwing d8 Edges: Ambidextrous, Arcane Background
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; (Super Powers), Attractive, Dodge, Fast
Toughness: 5 Healer, First Strike, Fleet-Footed, Sweep,
Hindrances: Loyal, Quirk (crazed Two Fisted
deviate). Gear: Armored costume (Heavy Armor
Edges: Take the Hit +2), Rosary, Leather Wimple
Gear: Club or religious artifact or big Super Powers:
floppy rubber sex toy (Melee Weapon, • Attack, Melee (5): Device, d8+2d6 (Twin
Strength+1 Damage), Holy Water, Rosary Daggers), Focus

Background: Geez, what kind of player Background: Once she was one of Opus
character would sock a nun in the jaw, Ombra’s most feared assassins (you can
anyway? I guess it’s the kind who would find out more about this insane cult on
go adventuring in Bedlam. Page 204). She did things for them in the

346
name of God that would damn a thousand she comes off as totally ferocious,
saints to hell. But she never found the laughing and snarling and spouting
work fulfilling, was never able to inventively blasphemous one-liners in
completely muffle her conscience in order combat.
to do her duty. She understood that Opus Opus Ombra has refused to send anyone
Ombra had been excommunicated, so her after her—they’re so horrified by what she
actions cast no stain on Holy Mother has become that they’ve stricken her
Church and that it was her duty to burn in name from their records altogether and
Hell so that others might be saved. And try their best not even to think of her.
yet some small voice within her whispered
“no.” Then they sent her after “Th’ Using Sister Sin in Your Campaign:
Pope.” Her primary function is to give the GM a
Her instructions were to kill him as convenient way to beef up Th’ Pope. Her
painfully as possible. But instead of schtick works well with his and her
murderling him, she became ensnared by personality makes her a good minion.
his extraordinary personal magnetism. She’s jealous of $#!+face and the amount
They talked all night, and then he of attention Th’ Pope gives him, so she
managed to entice her into visiting one of doesn’t work well with him.
Bedlam’s Santa-Claus-Themed leather You can of course use her on her
bars with him. After just a little etaste of own if you’d rather. She doesn’t go
that scene, she at once became the around robbing banks or trying to
Pope’s most dedicated minion. blackmail cities with thermonuclear
She has updated her look a bit, to weapons, but she does despise hypocrites
reflect her new love of blasphemy and enough that she might take a swipe at a
kink, and is seen by th’ Pope’s side public figure or two.
whenever she isn’t completely Alternately, the PCs could get
preoccupied with sampling depraved vices caught in the crossfire between Sister Sin
few people even know exist. She has a and some other villain. A fairly
passionate (and entirely platonic) bond sympathetic antagonist, she wants to
with her new boss, but he knows better protect th’ Pope, humiliate puritanical
than to try to keep her around all the idiots and have a good time. She does
time, so she comes and goes. While she not crave money, power, or revenge.
enjoys giving and receiving pain a great Hurt her beloved boss or subject her to
deal, she has sworn off killing people some brutal, humiliating punishment and
entirely. she might start contemplating getting
An imposing figure, she’s six foot even with you. And if she develops a
four in her bare feet and wears huge crush on a hero (probably a really pure
platform shoes. and innocent one) she won’t know how to
Sister Sin was recruited by the deal with it, and may menace them in
Opus Ombra straight out of Carmelite public to get their attention.
convent and she’s still a little naïve about She won’t kill, won’t endanger
certain things—she has no idea how to innocents and won’t abandon th’ Pope.
make, for example, a dishwasher or a cell She would only torture an opponent if she
phone work and she tends to trust people were really mad at them, or sensed that
a little too readily. Yet they were secretly into it.

347
 joke?” it says. But anyone can see this isn’t
true and that taunts really get it riled. It is
in fact insufferably prideful, touchy and
petty—easily hurt and easily moved to
murderous rage. It insists that it has no
heart in its chest, but it wears its heart on
its sleeve. It will take tremendous risks to
get revenge on someone for some trivial or
unintended slight, all the while rationalizing
its anger and claiming to lack any human
feelings. Its voice really does sound
inhuman and emotionless. But its actions
speak much louder. Pointing out that it
behaves like a spoiled brat is sure to
"That haircut not am correspond to provoke its murderous wrath.
criteria for normalcy. Change it or die, Master-Bot is officially bent on ruling
puny human." the world but never seems to make much
progress toward that goal. It’s constantly
Wild Card getting distracted by petty quibbles and
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit pointless vendettas. Prudish and small-
d8, Strength d12 Vigor d12+2 minded, it is scandalized by anything that
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Intimidation smacks of weirdness and mistrusts non-
d8, Knowledge (Robots) d10, Notice d6, whites. It wastes a lot of its time following
Shooting d8, and getting indignant over celebrity
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; scandals, which it claims are evidence of
Toughness: 13 “How stupid am all Mankind are being.” For
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), long periods of time it disappears from the
Extra Power Points, Hard to Kill, Harder to scene. It claims to have been working on
Kill “mighty plans your stupid mind am not
Hindrances: Code of Honor, comprehend.” But it seems more likely that
Distinctive Appearance, Gloater, Heartless, it just gets really depressed and sits around
Mean, Stubborn, Quirk (petty, takes minor unable to do much of anything.
slights way too seriously), Quirk (Fears and Sleek and imposing, Master-Bot
dislikes “weirdness,” nonwhites), Vengeful speaks in a garbled, fractured mass of
Super Powers: sentence fragments and non-sequiturs (“All
• Armor: Armor +4, Heavy Armor, of you of humanity am stupid, stupid bad-
• Attack, Ranged: Range 12/24/48, life for to die!”)
Damage 4d6, AP 4, Knockback 1d4”, It doesn’t know who built it. In fact
Medium Burst Template, it claims rather loftily to have built itself, for
• Attack, Melee: Damage 3d6, AP 5, no mere puny human could have created its
Knockback 1d6”, astounding magnificence.
• Broadcast (1) If Master-Bot shows up in Bedlam, it
• Construct: +2 to recover from being will claim to have some kind of plan to
Shaken; does not suffer from Wound conquer the world (or to cleanse it of “that
penalties, immune to disease and poison. disease which am called life and like that”)
• Darkvision but in fact it’s here to get revenge on
• Lair someone, probably for something stupid and
• Minions: Loads and loads of robots! trivial.
• Super Attribute: Vigor +2 steps As you might expect, it places no
Background: It claims to have no emotions value on human life and will maim, brutalize
and says it doesn’t care when people make or kill nearly anyone—especially if they have
rude jokes about its name. “Why it am for a funny haircut or “look gay” to it. But it
to bother us when stupid humans make won’t take hostages or break its word.

348
 Sometimes it keeps captive heroes Steel Selina
alive for much longer than is really safe. It’s
hard to say why it does this, but people
have speculated that it gets really lonely and
wants someone to talk to.

Master-Bot has manufactured a lot of

different constructs with a lot of different
specialized functions. Here are some of the
ones you are most likely to encounter.

Model One-One-One

Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d4,

Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d4, Shooting d4,
Stealth 1d4
Pace: 10; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4
Hindrances: Clueless, Disability (Color
Blind, no Sense of Smell) Loyal, Small
Special Abilities
Wild Card
•Broadcast (1)
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
• Construct: +2 to recover
d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10
from being Shaken. Called shots do no
Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d4, Persuade
extra damage. Does not suffer from disease
d10, Shooting d4, Stealth d8
or poison.
Charisma: +4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
• Fearless
Toughness: 8
Background: Master-Bot’s basic minion
Edges: Attractive, Charismatic
model. Clumsy, foolish and incompetent on
Hindrances: Clueless, Disability (Color
their own, they need a lot of instructions on
Blind, no Sense of Smell)
the battlefield, and Master-Bot has always
Special Abilities
been terrible at real-time strategy games,
• Armor +1
despite all the hours it has wasted playing
•Broadcast (1)
them. It keeps meaning to have the Model
• Construct: +2 to recover from being
One-One-One upgraded, but never gets
Shaken. Called shots do no extra damage.
around to it. On the plus side, they are very
Does not suffer from disease or poison.
cheap to manufacture and you can make a
• Fearless
lot of them quickly.

349
Background: Master-Bot did not actually Destructor-Bot
design this infiltration-unit. It came
across the plans that a 1930s era villain
called the Hooded Terror had drawn up.
The plans looked very art-deco and
Master-Bot was captivated by the elegant
design. He has built three of them, so far.
Two have run away from him. Steel
Selina is thinking about it.
Rather than letting them go about
their business of infiltrating human society
and gathering intelligence, Master-Bot
always wants to keep them around the
lair, gazing at them rapturously and
making awkward attempts at
conversation. It’s boring, it makes them
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit
unhappy and it vaguely creeps them out.
d4, Strength d12+1, Vigor d8
For now, Steel Selina puts up with
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d4, Shooting
Master-Bot, because she sees no
d6
alternative. But the moment she gets a
Pace: 10; Parry: 5; Toughness: 10
human disguise and is sent on an
Edges: Mighty Blow
assignment, she’s going to run away,
Hindrances: Clueless, Disability (Color
move to a big city and try to get a job.
Blind, no Sense of Smell) Loyal
Can a single female robot make it
Special Abilities
on her own as a plucky career gal in the
• Armor +4
big city? How will her roomates cope with
•Broadcast (1)
her constant cleaning and the fact that
• Construct: +2 to recover
she never needs to sleep? Will there be a
from being Shaken. Called shots do no
wacky neighbor? She certainly expects
extra damage. Does not suffer from
there to be one. Virtually everything she
disease
knows about human society she has
or poison.
learned from watching “classic” sitcoms
• Fearless
(Master-Bot finds more recent TV
Background: These are Master-Bot’s
comedies too weird and confusing for her
favorites. His combat robots come in
to be allowed to watch them).
many different versions, some on legs and
some on treads, but these Destructor-Bots
completely match the criteria for
awesome, as far as Master-Bot is
concerned. As a result, it’s reluctant to
use them because they might get all shot
up. They’re also expensive and difficult to
replace. If Master-Bot decides to bring
them out, it’s a sure sign of desperation.

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“Dig th’ righteous power of my atomic Hindrances: Pacifist (won’t kill or
disco ray! Outa-sight!” intentionally allow anyone to come to
serious harm), Quirk (doesn’t care about
Wild Card anything but making people dance)
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit Gear: Atomic Disco Ray (see below).
d10, Strength d10, Vigor d8 Super Powers:
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Fighting • Fearless
d10, Guts d6, Notice d4 • Mind Control Device (Atomic Disco Ray.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 11; Doesn’t work the same way as this power
Toughness: 6 usually does. Anyone struck by the ray has
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), to make an opposed Spirit check vs. a d12,
Fleet-Footed, Followers (disco pirates), or spend the rest of the encounter dancing.
Improved Dodge, Quick, Power Points. There is no specific time limit—no particular
number of rounds or minutes until the ray

351
wears off. It just lasts until the end of the be that Doctor Boogie would show up
scene. Characters who are dancing can every few years with a new group of
direct their own movement at a Pace of 3, henchmen, and give everyone in the area
but can’t do anything else. They can’t dance fever, ranting and cackling like an
attack or make skill rolls or activate any out-of-control DJ as passers-by unwillingly
superpowers). got their freak on. He particularly liked to
• Deflection: -3 to incoming ranged show up in crowded public places full of
attacks, people who weren’t having any fun. The
• Parry: -3 to incoming melee attacks Department of Motor Vehicles, the Post
• Teleport: More Range, 60” Office on Tax Day, and so forth. It was of
course illegal for him to force people to
Background: From the deepest darkest shake their booties, and sometimes it was
depths of the Disco Dimension comes… a serious nuisance, but it was never
Doctor Boogie! Checking in from the actually dangerous.
weird year 197X on our lifeless, gray, He never seemed to have the
nigh-disco-free reality, he’s here to teach same group of henchmen twice. Once it
us all how to get funky. was his “Legion of Groovy”, once it was
Or so he says. Who and what the “Roller Boogie Armada.” He didn’t
Doctor Boogie really is remains a mystery. start committing serious crimes until he
He can appear out of nowhere with a hooked up with the Disco Pirates.
whole crew of henchmen, but is he really Unlike Doctor Boogie himself, we
coming to us from the “Disco Dimension?” know exactly where the Disco Pirates
Could there truly be an “actual factual came from, and it wasn’t the deepest
universe where the seventies never darkest depths of the Disco Dimension.
ended—‘cause time there is different-like, In fact it was the deepest, darkest depths
you dig?” And while he does speak a of Bedlam. They were one of the weird
version of late 1970s hipster slang, he little costumed gangs that turn up in the
sometimes gets little details wrong. But Shady Meadows Mobile Home Park.
maybe it’s because he’s from a parallel Outrageously gay and completely addicted
universe. He is capable of making people to crystal meth, they had pulled a number
dance against their will—sometimes huge of flamboyant daylight robberies before
crowds of people. And in order to compel they ever encountered Doctor Boogie.
them to dance, he really does have to zap They look like, well… like a bunch of disco
them with a big, silly-looking beam pirates. Each one dresses a little
weapon that he lugs around with him. differently, but they all find ways to
But could that thing really be an “Atomic incorporate both themes into their
Disco Ray” the way he claims? It looks costumes.
like a cheaply-made stage prop for some As soon as they became his
Sid and Marty Kroft show. And the noise henchmen, the doctor changed his MO.
it makes resembles a poorly-produced Now he appears out of nowhere in a swirl
sound effect. of crazy lights and sounds, accompanied
Doctor Boogie is always by a dozen or so of his leering, scurvy
accompanied by music. Sometimes these crew. Then, as he zaps people with his
are recognizable dance hits from the Atomic Disco Ray and commands them to
seventies (for some reason he never plays boogie down, the pirates run amok and
“The Hustle”) but sometimes they’re other steal stuff. Sometimes they hit antique
songs in the same style, which no one in stores, sometimes they hit museums or
our dimension has ever heard before. banks or expensive furniture boutiques.
He first appeared in 1992, long Sometimes they attack grocery stores and
after the seventies were over. It used to make off with food.

352
 Some time within the past two You can play Doctor Boogie and
years, Doctor Boogie has acquired a flying his disco-crazed crew as classic villains in
pirate ship for his crew. It’s all decked the Silver Age mode (can Our Heroes
out in eye-searing colors and has an chase them off before they finish looting
immense mirrored ball hanging from its another Ikea?) without ever worrying
bow. The figurehead resembles Gary about who and what they really are. Or
Glitter. Sometimes they appear with their you can use them as a baffling enigma.
ship and sometimes they don’t. It can Who and what the hell is Doctor Boogie,
move without anyone steering it, and it really? Unless the GM wants the PCs to
would try to come to their rescue if they find out, they will probably never even
got in serious trouble. come close to the truth.
No member of the crew has ever
been captured, but if they ever are, they Doctor Boogie’s Disco Pirates
will claim not to know who the Doctor Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
really is or if any of what he says about d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
himself is true. When they vanish into Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Knowledge
thin air aboard their flying pirate ship, (disco) d8, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Taunt
they find themselves in some weird d8, Throwing d6
otherspace full of music and swirling color, Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
where they party like mad until they get Toughness: 5
bored or run out of food again. Time and Edges: Dodge
perception seem to be strangely distorted Hindrances: Habit (addicted to crank)
there, and none of them are ever sure Gear: Cutlass (2d6 Damage) or Ray Pistol
how long they’ve been away. Then again, (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6 Nonlethal,
they are also taking a lot of drugs. RoF 1, AP 4, Shots 10)

Using Doctor Boogie in Your Disco Pirate Ship

Campaign: A completely light-hearted Acc/Top Speed: 50/200; Climb: 40;
villain, he isn’t interested in hurting Toughness: 18 (4)
anyone—he just wants to make them Crew: 1/150
dance. He takes defeat cheerfully and he Weapons: Stun (Elemental Trick: Light;
holds no grudges. Revenge isn’t mellow, The giant mirrored ball hanging from the
so he’s not into that scene. Even his disco bow of the ship can blaze brighter than a
pirates aren’t looking for blood. They thousand disco suns), Stun (Elemental
might tease and hassle the people they Trick: Sound; The cannons on board the
rob or even rough them up slightly if they pirate ship don’t actually launch any shot,
look “square” or say something insulting. but they do make an incredibly loud
They certainly won’t kill them—at least not noise)
on purpose. If one of the pirates gets into Notes: Amphibious (Acc/Top Speed:
a blind panic he might take a hostage, but 5/25); Heavy Armor
he wouldn’t actually harm them. The
doctor himself would never even go that
far.

353
 rapist” sounds too much like “therapist”,
and therapists are the one thing he fears.
As a teenager he was imprisoned in the
Rainbow Acres Retreat—a kid-prison that
masquerades as a psychiatric treatment
center (you can find out more about it on
Page 105.) He was guilty of crimes like
sassing his teachers and staying out late,
so his parents had him committed.
He misbehaved and acted up at
Rainbow Acres, which is not a wise idea.
They gave him lots of therapy, battering
and twisting his mind with drugs that had
horrendous, painful and humiliating side
effects.
Dr. Myra Hluger, who was at that
time the facility’s chief physician, didn’t so
much want to control him or even to
“Gonna rape yer brains! Rape ‘em punish him. It was more that he had
good an’ sloooow.” been unfortunate enough to catch her
attention. He was particularly defiant,
Real Name: Dylan Gerber and looked especially comical staggering
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit around drooling and spasming from the
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 drugs, so she loaded him up as heavily as
Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d8, Stealth d6, she could get away with. And perhaps
Taunt d10 just a little bit more.
Charisma: 0, Pace: 6, Parry: 4, Quite by accident, she hit the right
Toughness: 5 combination of drugs, intimidation and
Edges: Arcane Background (Super trauma to unlock his superhuman powers.
Powers), Danger Sense She later perfected this process and went
Hindrances: Bad Luck, Phobia (deathly on to use it to become rich and respected.
afraid of psychotherapists), Quirk But she didn’t have time to study Dylan,
(emotionally unstable idiot with no who broke out of Rainbow Acres and went
attention span or self-control) on a cross-country rampage. He has
Super Powers: calmed down a bit since then, but he’s still
• Attack, Ranged: Range 12/24/48, dangerous to be around.
Damage 2d6, Medium burst template). Constantly manic and twitchy, he
(Mind Blast) talks non-stop and his hands always seem
• Deflection: -4 to incoming ranged to be in motion. He had Attention Deficit
attacks. Disorder even before he got his powers
• Illusion (4): 16” cubed, Targeted and it’s gotten a lot worse. He’s a loud
• Mind Control: Mind Wipe combatant, forever taunting his foes with
• Mind Reading: Mind Rider hilarious, long-winded, nonsensical rants
•Telepathy about how badly he’s going to beat them
Background: We suppose the name up. But any scary-looking opponent sends
really should be “the brain-rapist”, but he him into a panic the moment they call his
fears and hates the term “rapist.” “The bluff. He’s great at provoking trouble for

354
no reason, and even better at running Using the Brain-Raper in Your
away once it starts. Campaign: Supervillains and organized
At the first sight of anyone who crime have discovered a safe way to hire
looks like a doctor, or worse, a the Brain-Raper, and they sometimes use
psychotherapist, he goes into a shrieking his services. A dedicated internet troll, he
frenzy of fear and flees. If confronted by hangs around discussion boards, making
a hero whose code-name starts with stupid and disruptive comments
“Doctor” he will cautiously ask them if everywhere from tabletop RPG discussion
they’re a doctor of psychiatry. If they say groups to sewing-club lists to academic
yes, he screams and runs. forums on Noam Chomsky. You can
Crude and ugly in his behavior contact him by responding to one of his
toward women, he doesn’t know how to posts with a private message, and while
talk to girls and they make him nervous, he doesn’t need or use money, he enjoys
so he throws stuff at them and threatens going on missions and he’ll take whatever
them. But when he says he’s going to job he’s offered.
“rape yer brain” he doesn’t mean anything Hopelessly irresponsible, he can’t
sexual by it. In fact he’s scared of sex be trusted to tie his own shoes without
and wants nothing to do with it. He getting distracted, so mostly he gets hired
means that he’s going to take control of to perform very simple tasks. “Create a
your mind or send you ugly, frightening diversion” is a typical Brain-Raper
visions. assignment.
These days the Brain-Raper You can use him as a very low-
wanders around without much purpose or rent hireling, or he can come blundering
plan. He lives in hotels, mostly, ordering into Bedlam on a rampage, with no
the staff to give him food and spa particular plan in mind, or he can return
treatments. Afterwards he wipes out their to take his revenge against Rainbow
memories of his having stayed there, and Acres. It will be tough for him to achieve
sometimes leaves them with weird this last objective. He can’t remember
compulsions. He steals whatever clothes where the facility is located and anyway, if
he likes (he likes white tuxedos a lot) and he did find it his crippling fear of
wears a turban to cover the scars on his therapists would make it hard for him to
head where he once tried to cut out part attack.
of his brain (it didn’t work.) While he has Sometimes he comes up with a
never actually killed anybody it’s because grand master plan of his own, but his
he has never needed to. If cornered he’s schemes never work or even make any
as vicious as a rat, capable of any deadly, sense.
crazy, desperate act. Surround him on a Plagued by headaches that always
street corner and he’ll order pedestrians seem to be getting worse, the Brain-Raper
to throw their kids into traffic, just to slow has begun to suspect that he’s slowly
you down. And if he’s sure that he’s dying. He’s right.
about to get captured, he’ll try to hurt as
many people as he can before you can
stop him.

355
 (for the GM Only)

It’s all so much worse than you think! But The Bedlam Train Station
isn’t it always? In this section we have all Locker #147 contains a dusty submachine
the secrets too terrible to tell your players— gun and $10,000 in hundred-dollar bills,
things so awful that only the GM can be none of them newer than 1970. Whoever
trusted with the knowledge. These are all left it there, all those years ago, they’re
strictly optional. Because your PCs will probably not coming back.
never read this section (in an ideal world, There is even stranger stuff in the
anyway) you have more leeway with these train station. The UNICORN used to use this
“facts” than you do with the rest of the place for message drops and to store
book. So use them, ignore them or distort emergency caches of weapons and
them as it suits you. Sometimes we’ll even equipment. Remodeling has destroyed all
present you with multiple versions of the but one of them over the years. There is
same awful secret. Because one just isn’t still a hidden compartment on the wall
awful enough. behind where the Information Desk now
Each section here purports to tell stands (spotting it takes a Notice roll at a -
the “real truth” about something from the 6—it’s been painted over many times),
rest of the book, so look up the page which contains a rusted-out blaster carbine,
reference at the beginning of the entry and placed there in 1968. The gun no longer
read the public information about that thing, works, but has a cool retro look—like
character or organization first, then skip something Jim Sternanko would have
back here to learn the rest of the story. drawn.

Denizens of Ash Street: Sergeant The Smirlock Building

Martha Blaylock Norton M. Smirlock’s daughter, Elvira
Martha Blaylock doesn’t know it, but she did Smirlock, exerted her influence over her
a lot of administrative work for the sinister father to have a troubled young architect
and secretive branch of the government that named Myron Mordwell design his new bank
conspiracy theorists call the UNICORN (for building. As a founding member of the
more information on this shadowy Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars, Elvira
conspiracy, see Page 86.) She still knows a may not have had her father’s best interests
lot of their procedures by heart. It you at heart—or those of Bedlam.
wanted to talk your way into some secret Mordwell’s loathing for humanity
base that the UNICORN operates, and you was equaled only by his hatred for the
convinced Martha to help you, she could entire natural world. How he longed for the
probably help you bluff your way inside, if happy day when it would all be paved over
she keeps her wits together for long with concrete and reduced to a realm of
enough. She even still has her old uniform, perfect angles, where machines could thrum
tucked into her Air Force duffel bag. in endless, pointless rows for eternity!

356
Under Miss Smirlock’s influence, the down without wrecking a good-sized chunk
Sisterhood was able to coax young Mister of the city?
Mordwell from neurosis into full-blown
lunacy. Then at last he was in the right Secrets of Stone Ridge: Doktor
frame of mind to begin. With their occult Gertrund Harder
advice and the right combination of genius Gertrund Harder was one of the Nazis’ least
and madness festering in his brain, he ethical scientists. A clinical psychiatrist by
created a building that would act as a lens training, she rose to prominence performing
for malignant geomantical energies, twisting all sorts of radical new brain surgeries on
and warping the flow of the city’s energies prisoners and “genetic undesirables”
in a kind of horrible anti-feng-shui. He (children, for the most part.) Then she put
succeeded. what she had learned to work as a weapons
The Smirlock Building has worn a designer, building numerous devices that
thin spot in the fabric of reality, where bad relied on disrupting the human psyche. By
things sometimes seep through from 1944, the Nazi elite grew desperate enough
outside. The building is almost alive and to let her try using them, but Germany
very nearly sentient—though its collapsed before she could move any of
consciousness is so profoundly alien that it them beyond the prototype phase. Most of
would be hard for a human being to her best work she did for the Americans
communicate with. As time has passed the after the war.
building has grown and changed to better She’s still alive, amazingly enough,
suit its role as a focus for weird energies—it watched over by US Marshals as a guest of
used to be just twenty-five stories tall and the Witness Protection Program. She lives
now it’s thirty! Every now and then it eats in a huge ugly house in Stone Ridge,
somebody, or transports them to some surrounded by cuckoo clocks, ornamental
dismal alien dimension. beer steins and all kinds of other faux
Mordwell was its first victim—he Bavarian folderol. By an odd coincidence,
threw himself off the roof the moment the “Young Junior” Gorganzua lives just across
skyscraper was complete. But his the street.
notebooks are still tucked in some quiet spot Rosy-cheeked, hale and hearty at
inside the building and they might reveal the age of one hundred, Doctor Harder uses
quite a bit about the Sisterhood of the the alias “Joy Lavish” and still leads an
Screaming Stars. active life. A pediatrician, she divides her
What role the Smirlock Building time between her private practice and ruling
plays in the Sisterhood’s plans remains the Stone Ridge Garden Club with an iron hand.
GM’s choice. It depends a lot on what those Despite her age, Doctor Lavish still
plans are and on whether or not then sees patients every day, though she seldom
Sisterhood is still around to execute them. gets the chance to hurt any of the little
If you like, the building can be a critical darlings very much. She looks sweet and
focusing point for their efforts to bring the grandmotherly and always calls everyone
Queen of Skulls into the world (see Page “Dear.” Her eyes twinkle and her thick
309) or it can be the place where they German accent only adds to her charm. Yet
perform their sinister rites. If they are still beneath her merry smile and cheerful
around, then quite a few of them live there demeanor she is as devoid of mercy as a
and it has become something like their cat, and just as unable to tolerate boredom.
headquarters. It could even be that the She’s desperate to escape her knick-knack
building is itself is the fruition of their cluttered townhouse and Bedlam, and she’ll
plans—that this is the thing which has been cheerfully help anyone who comes to her
corrupting Bedlam and sapping its strength with an evil scheme.
for all these years. If that’s the case, then it It may be confusing for your players
may be a hard opponent for the Player to have to treat a sweet little old German
Characters to fight. How do you battle a lady like a supervillain. To emphasize the
skyscraper? And how would you knock it kind of person Gertrund Harder really is, the

357
GM might want to let the PCs’ overhear the network spreads invisibly across the
following reminiscence: “Little Ari was such country, although he only has the resources
a clown, such a sweet little scamp of a Jew- to help a dozen or so children a year. He's
child. He made all of us at the clinic laugh particularly good at placing parahuman
with his jokes and his winning ways. Until it kids—children who have developed or may
was his turn, you know, to be dissected.” develop superhuman powers.
Or something of the sort—she has a lot of How he manages to get paperwork
happy memories like that from her days in for his kids remains a mystery to everyone
the service of the Reich. in his network, but the papers he provides
It might be ill-advised to tangle with are always unimpeachably solid. None of
her. Not only do the Federal Marshals have them realize that he is working with the
her under their protection, but she is a vigilante known as Nocturne. Which
member of the ex-Nazi cabal called Der explains where he gets the papers and why
Oktopus, and a personal friend of its leader, they're so good.
the Black Eagle (see Page 314.) She also Nocturne used to work for the
knows the location of at least one of her old UNICORN and has the capacity to get
wonder-weapons from the forties and airtight identity papers for anyone. He
believes she could have it functioning again keeps his involvement in this project very
within twelve hours. We leave the details of quiet, just as he does all of his activities. It
this fiendish device to the GM. It might not probably wouldn't surprise anyone who
even still work. knows him to learn that he was the one who
alerted the state authorities to the black-
Gertrund Harder market baby ring operating out of the
Wild Card Department of Child Protective Services, or
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit that he had to blackmail and physically
d10, Strength d4, Vigor d4 intimidate someone from the Governor's
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d6, Healing d8, office to get it done.
Intimidate d8+2, Knowledge (Medicine)
d10+2, Knowledge (Physiology) 1d10+2, “Big Chuck” O’Ryan
Notice d8, Repair d8, Taunt d8+2 The stat block listed under his entry is a
Charisma: +2; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; total lie. In fact, Big Chuck is the vigilante
Toughness: 4 known as the Hammer of Justice, and uses
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science), those stats instead (see Page 279.) He’s
Charismatic, Command, Strong-Willed (+2 just as crooked and vicious in his costumed
to resist being Intimidated or Taunted), identity. He’s also gauche enough to spend
Gadgeteer, Scholar a lot of time in his civilian identity talking
Hindrances: Elderly, Heartless, Quirk about how great he thinks the Hammer of
(Immoral, depraved monster and sweet little Justice is.
old lady at the same time) The Bedlam Mob suspects that Big
Super Powers: Inventor Chuck and the Hammer are one and the
same. But they don’t really care, so long as
Father Dennis and the Celestial Spirit they both share a cut of the proceeds and
Fellowship follow orders.
Father Dennis has never trusted the Bedlam
Department of Child Protective Services. He Where Does Assault Squad Keep
trusts them even less now that they're Captured Superhumans?
managed by Happy Hands (see Pages 37 This is one of the city’s most closely
and 145.) Because he feels that someone guarded secrets. To keep your PCs
ought to do something about this situation, guessing, we’re going to give you multiple
Dennis has quietly been running his own, options here. Use just one, or use all three,
separate foster care network, getting or use one and then have them resort to
orphaned children into the hands of parents another option as a backup plan, if the
who will love and take care of them. His Player Characters bust up their main facility.

358
1: Corporation Yard No one really knows where Mr.
After Bedlam’s Department of Public Works Extreme got this technology—although it
got privatized, their huge old facility at seems likely that he just inherited it when
Corporation Yard was mothballed (see Page he took over the team. Whether or not it’s
23.) It’s still there, down at the end of his, he wants it back. Right now the owner-
Industrial Drive. The main building was ship of the holding cells is tied up in litiga-
constructed in the 1930s and it has a kind of tion and the City of Bedlam isn’t technically
grandiose Art Deco look to it. Officially the allowed to send anyone within a hundred
police still keep helicopters here (see Page and fifty feet of them. Assault Squad gets
59) but in fact they have another, far more around the court order by ignoring it, and
secret use for the Yard. In the basement of not telling anyone. If the ownership of the
the main building are a group of about fifteen power-suppression units is ever
twenty suspended-animation tubes, which resolved, they may find themselves in an
the city recovered from the effects of a awkward position, particularly if the cells get
defeated supervillain called Damocles Faust. repossessed with live supervillains inside.
No one is precisely sure how they function If the Player Characters themselves
(in fact three of the tubes don’t work quite intend to take up residence in the Citadel, it
right, and can badly injure anyone confined might make for an interesting plot compli-
there) but they know how to activate them. cation when they encounter a team from the
Assault Squad keeps supervillains with really Assault Squad trying to hide a captured
dangerous innate powers locked up inside supervillain in their basement. Perhaps they
until it’s time for them to stand trial. Then could actually work out a way to share the
they shoot them up with sedatives, load facility, and perhaps cooperate in other
them into a waiting helicopter and hope for ways as well. At the very least, it would
the best. Faust also left them some power- give the PCs something they could blackmail
suppression manacles which they can use to the Bedlam Police Department with. And
immobilize prisoners in transit, but these are what superhero couldn’t use a little extra
prone to sudden inexplicable failures, so leverage with the cops?
they prefer to rely on sedatives when they
can. If you have decided to use the 3: Berth 13
“Crawley Cocktail” option outlined on Page There is a mysterious ship in Bedlam Harbor
266 to give the authorities more power that never seems to leave its dock. As
when dealing with superhumans, then they noted on Page 381, the Assault Squad may
will definitely use it as well. be using it to hold superhuman prisoners.
As that section explains, the Bedlam
2: The Citadel
police lack the resources to build and staff
The headquarters of the defunct superhero
such a facility. In fact the government
group “Justice Xtreme” sits half-completed
agency called the UNICORN has been using
downtown. See Page 283 for the
it to store supervillains in suspended ani-
unfortunate history of the team. Mr.
mation capsules since the sixties. They let
Extreme wanted to build a supervillain
the Assault Squad use it, too—it’s easier that
holding facility in his headquarters and he
way for both of them. The UNICORN may
had it about half-finished when the team
have forgotten about a few of the villains in
collapsed in violence and lawsuits. There
their charge, down on the lower decks.
are fifteen cells in the basement that are
Obviously, you shouldn’t use this
designed to negate the powers of various
option if you already plan on using the
different types of superhumans. Cells made
“Berth 13” rumor for something else.
of super-tough alloys to defeat ultra-strong
villains. Psi-proof cells and flame-proof cells
Other Options: The containment facility
and all kinds of other such technology.
could be located under the Liberty Shoppes
Most of them still work, and the Assault
Mall. This would certainly explain why the
Squad holds superhumans here until they’re
Bedlam city government tries so hard to
ready to stand trial.
keep the mall open, and why they’ve hired

359
such a heavy security contractor (see page he hasn’t been quicker to act against the
163.) Gorganzua Family, despite having a couple
If the UNICORN (see Page 86) has a of really prize informants on the inside. He
secret base near Bedlam, the Assault Squad wants to find a way to neutralize the
may not even need to have a containment evidence, but he’s not sure how. He also
facility of its own. In this case, they may doesn’t know how much the Scarpia family
just turn all their superhuman captives over might have (in fact they don’t have any
to representatives of that sinister, shadowy physical evidence at all, though they
organization. This may in fact be what the certainly remember Operation Salami.)
black busses (see Page 269) are carrying.
It could also be that Assault Squad Rainbow Acres Treatment Center
has struck a devil’s bargain with some arch- The GM has three separate options for the
villain (possibly Master-Bot, if you want to secret location of Bedlam’s juvenile
choose one from this book.) In this case, psychiatric care facility.
they would have an agreement where the
villain holds onto any superhumans they 1) It’s located on the upper floors of
capture. In exchange, the Bedlam Police the same skyscraper where the business
won’t interfere with the master-villain’s offices are located. The vans just drive the
plans kids around for a while to disorient them,
then head straight back into the parking
Operation Salami garage.
Back in 1942, as America was entering the
Second World War, the federal government 2) Rainbow Acres is located in a single
struck a deal with the Bedlam Mafia. They large, unmarked building on a back road
offered the Mob immunity from prosecution near the Chinch Bug Bar and Grill. It looks
in exchange for keeping Nazi spies and like an office building. No fence or wall
saboteurs out of Bedlam Harbor. They also surrounds the facility, since the kids inside
wanted the Mafia to prevent any strikes or never even get close to a door. Despite
other union activity that might slow down what kids who’ve been imprisoned thre will
work (in fact strike-busting was the most tell you, there are plenty of windows on the
important part of the deal—no one seriously building. The patients are kept deeper
expected a lot of spies or Bundists to show inside and never get to see them.
up in Bedlam.)
This deal worked pretty well. But it 3) The treatment center used to be
didn’t end on VE Day. In fact, the FBI located in the woods near the Chinch Bug,
continued to have contact with the Bedlam but they found an irresistible new lease in
Mafia all through the 1950s, intermittently some of the unused space on the lowest
using their help to crush pinkos and labor level of the Liberty Shoppes mall.
agitators. Eventually the last of the FBI
agents assigned to “Operation Salami” Things at Rainbow Acres are slightly
retired and the unauthorized contacts worse than they appear to be. Butch Dinkle
ceased. However, the Gorganzua crime is still an active member of the street gang
family still has enough evidence stashed called the Viscounts, and he makes sure that
away to implicate the feds. If the federal his fellow gang members get special
government ever comes down hard on treatment while they’re inside, and that
them, they’ll release it and cause a scandal. they can treat the other kids however
It won’t help that the FBI used the insulting, they like. He also runs the hospital’s
culturally insensitive name “Operation underground drug traffic. But the hospital
Salami.” has an even shadier connection.
Rick Falcone, the Acting Special Shreve’s predecessor, Dr. Myra
Agent in Charge of Bedlam’s FBI office (you Hluger, took an interest in psychiatric
can find out more about Rick on Page 84), research. She also figured out a way to
knows all about Operation Salami. It’s why make insurance pay for some very

360
expensive experimental drugs that the they don’t like. Officially the job title is
pharmaceutical companies wanted tested. “School Janitor.” They never stay long
She tinkered with this new combination of once they find out what kind of school
drugs and that. It caused some they’ve been assigned to. The present
interesting reactions. It also activated janitor (and holder of the keys) is Clevon
one young patient’s latent psychic powers. Jackson, a middle-aged alcoholic who has
There was an ugly incident (see the no objections to working here, for he
“Brain-Raper” on Page 354.) cares about nothing at all. If you can
Shortly thereafter, the UNICORN locate him, he’ll gladly show you around
got in touch (to find out more about this E113, unless he’s feeling ornery.
shadowy government agency, see Page Whether or not any of the
86.) They wanted to propose a deal. Any monstrous toxic glop kept here has the
kids who suddenly manifest superpowers power to create giant mutant cockroaches
at Rainbow Acres will immediately get (or worse things—like Pre-Pubescent
turned over to the UNICORN for study. In Kung-Fu Geckos!) it could certainly cause
exchange, they will offer their assistance a dandy political scandal. The kind that
in catching and containing any such could make the mob start killing people.
threats.
This arrangement has worked Adventure Seed at ES 113
well. Dr. Hluger was enticed to come Here’s a scenario you can run right after
work for the UNICORN in some unnamed the PCs talk with Clevon Jackson and find
capacity as a researcher, although she out about the barrels in the basement of
gave it up within a couple of years to School 113. Clevon talks to the PCs as
accept a much more highly-paid position they walk down Shadwell Drive after
as a Vice President at a pharmaceutical leaving the school, holding forth about
company. various subjects in an angry drunken slur
(he’s actually pretty funny when he gets
Elementary 113 on a rant, so play this up.) They walk
They say that unscrupulous people in the past Jimmy Hoover’s rusted out van,
state government may have been hiding which sits up on blocks by the curb.
toxic waste in urban settings. Whether or Jimmy has taped a sign on one window
not that’s true, someone has been hiding that says “Shadwell Drive Gentlemen’s
it in the Country Club. Club, Serious Drinkers Wanted”
Public School 113 has been closed “Hey Clevon!” Jimmy yells out the
for years, its doors chained shut, its window “You got to get with the club!”
windows boarded over. Tattered yellow “#@%& you!” Clevon replies, just
signs read: “No Trespassing. Chemical he does every day.
Hazard.” The signs are right. The “Haw!” a gravely voice chuckles
school’s basement is filled with rusting oil from further back in the van “that Clevon!
drums of toxic waste. Trucks no longer Wotta bum!”
arrive to drop off the unmarked barrels, As they reach the end of the
so it would be hard to investigate just who block, Clevon turns to go back to work.
has been storing them here. Whoever But as he walks up the street, a big black
they were, they almost certainly did it Cadillac pulls up next to him and a couple
with the connivance of corrupt local of heavies from the Scarpia family leap
authorities. out and seize him.
Only one person has the keys to “You got a big mouth!” the one
the locked chains across the doors. It’s with the mullet snarls. The one with the
not a member of the city government. shaved head and the goatee adds “Yeah!”
The state welfare office hands out
work assignments here to punish clients

361
 The old man has no fear of death house much (it’s just off Ash Street.)
and he laughs and cusses and struggles Fordyce is determined to show everyone
with them as they force him into the car. that the bridge isn’t safe—to throw it right
It should be no trouble at all for in the faces of all the jerks who mocked
the PCs to run the car down and beat up him. And all the guys in high school who
the mooks inside. But once they do, all picked on him as a math nerd, too. Soon,
hell is going to break lose in the Country the city will feel the wrath of—Dr.
Club. When word reaches Dapper Donny Vengeance!
that Clevon Jackson has talked to the
capes, and that they’ve found the drums, Adventure Seed: Hour of Vengeance
he’s going to hire every supervillain he Ralph Fordyce decides that his hour has
can get ahold of and then leave town finally come. They laughed, they mocked,
while they go after Clevon and the PCs. but now he’ll show them all!
But if these hired super-thugs come close First, to get everyone’s attention,
to hurting or hassling Jimmy Hoover, he sets a bomb off in front of the
they’ll have a much worse enemy on their boarded-up City Hall. On the wall behind
hands—see Page 307. where the bomb goes off, he has written
If Eat-‘em-Up Jack himself gets the words “ARE YOU SAFE?” in gigantic
involved, the Scarpias will hire Smashface letters. He has signed his name, “Doctor
to deal with him, and then try hard to stay Vengeance” at the bottom.
out of the way. And if a major villain like Then he calls local radio DJ
Doc Zombie (see Page 311) has already “Vampire Steve” Kravitz on the air and
taken up residence in the neighborhood, says “This is Doctor Vengeance. Are you
he won’t be pleased by all the commotion safe?” There is an explosion in the
on his doorstep, and will take action of his background. He has just set off a bomb
own. at the base of the Gorman Tower.
Over the next three days he will
Greely Bridge set off more bombs ant more public
A lot of the money that’s officially gone to locations, and leave clues at the scene for
maintaining the bridge has vanished into any Player Character who wants to try
the pockets of Big Andy Czernik’s family tracking him down. Unfortunately, like
and the Bedlam Mob. As a result, the most really obsessed people, he’s terribly
whole bridge has become dangerously self-absorbed and the clues than he
unsound. There are a number of people leaves are almost indecipherable to
in the city’s upper echelons who know anyone but himself.
that there may be a problem with the His voice, if the PCs hear it,
bridge—the state authorities have doesn’t sound like a typical mad scientist.
complained about it more than once. He sounds fairly young, and talks like a
However, their response to the problem working-class guy. While the PCs are
has been to bribe the inspectors and puzzling over his clues, he calls them and
intimidate the press into ignoring it. This angrily asks why they haven’t figured out
has worked pretty well so far, but it’s not his clues yet. It’s the bridge, he explains,
going to keep working if the bridge comes the Greely Bridge. He’s there right now
tumbling down. and he needs them to come stop him
There is an additional before a lot of people die.
complication. A former inspector named The Player Characters and the
Ralph Fordyce got hounded out of his news crews arrive just in time to witness a
career for talking too loudly about the serious crisis. Doctor Vengeance has
bridge. These days he doesn’t leave his spent the past few weeks putting bombs

362
all along the bridge’s structural supports. Doctor Vengeance
He’s strapped a bomb to himself as well,
and he’s down under the bridge right
now, threatening to blow it up. The
SWAT teams are having a very hard time
getting into a position where they can
target him, and anyway they’re afraid that
if they shoot him it will set off the bomb
and trigger a collapse.
A Repair or Investigate roll reveals
that his bombs are placed at strategic
weak points in the bridge’s structure—and
there seem to be a lot of them. Way too
many, in fact. This bridge is in seriously
bad shape!
He’s demanding to speak with the
PCs and with local reporter Rona Romita
(see her description on Page 173.) The Doctor Vengeance
authorities don’t want to allow this, but Wild Card
you know the PCs will try to do it anyway. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Ms. Romita wants to go with them Strength d8, Vigor d6
and will offer them a deal. If they bring Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidate
her up under the bridge when they d6+2, Knowledge (Engineering) d8, Notice
confront Doctor Vengeance, she’ll give d6, Repair d10, Taunt d6+2
them favorable press coverage whenever Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
she can. Toughness: 5 (1 armor)
When they confront Doctor Hindrances: Gloater, Mean, Quirk
Vengeance, he will tell them his whole (obsessive-compulsive), Vengeful
story, in perhaps more detail than they Edges: Mister Fix-it, Strong Will (-2 to all
efforts to Intimidate or Taunt)
want to hear (he’s kind of obsessive-
Gear: Armored Costume (1 Armor), Repair
compulsive.) He wants to blow the bridge
Kit, Detonators, Gobs of Explosives, Huge
up this way, he says, after it’s been
Backpack-Mounted Bomb (4d6 damage,
cleared of traffic, so that it doesn’t Large Burst Template)
collapse and take a lot of innocent people
with it. But he doesn’t want it to be The Serpent Room
known as the suicidal act of a madman, There are number of ways that a GM can
either. People have to know, to use the Serpent Room. You can make it a
understand why he did it. mysterious portal to weird and loathsome
The Player Characters will have dimensions, for which no explanation is ever
some difficult choices to make. If the found. Unpleasant things can come slither-
story does actually come out, the PCs will ing out of it. Supervillains can try to hijack
have made powerful enemies downtown. it and use its power for sinister plans of
It will also have gained them a temporary their own. Player Characters can use it to
and unreliable ally in the person of Rona sneak in through Hell’s back door.
Romita. If they manage to take Doctor Alternatively, you can present it as
Vengeance into custody, he won’t live an active menace that the PCs have to shut
long in the hands of the Bedlam City down before it contaminates the world or
police. lets some obscenity from beyond get in and

363
start conquering things. If that’s the case, A Horrible Thing From Beyond
you’re going to need more of a back-story.
We have one below, presented courtesy of
John Polojac.
While most people enter the
Serpent Room through the Lurman Gallery,
there are a few other entrances and exits.
If you wander around its nooks and ante-
chambers long enough, you can find a por-
tal that leads into an upstairs closet in a
deserted house in the Country Club. Ano-
ther one leads to the thirtieth floor of the
Smirlock Building downtown (see Page 356.)
Another one leads to a shed in Lucius
Hardwick’s back yard. Another leads out of
a locker in the Bedlam Train Station (it’s
easy to unlock from the inside.) Another
leads to the forlorn little pagoda on the
grounds of the Crawley Asylum (see Page
102)—although this portal is seldom open.
And for some reason, there is also an
opening leading to and from the most
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6,
cluttered-up and inaccessible corner of Fat
Strength d12+2, Vigor d12+1
Planet Comics (See Page 155.)
Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d6, Swimming
Brave and savvy Player Characters
d10
may come to use the Serpent Room as a
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9
kind of secret highway, linking different
Special Abilities:
areas of Bedlam together when they need to
•Ageless (Very Old).
get across town fast. But be warned—
• Claws/Teeth: Str+2, Heavy Weapon.
portals that lead to all sorts of unsavory di-
• Darkvision: Suffers no darkness
mensions are buried further back in the
penalties.
Serpent Room’s recesses, and every time
• Fearless: Immune to Fear and
you venture into its depths there’s a chance
Intimidation.
you’ll meet with some horrible thing that has
• Frenzy: May make an additional attack at
come shuffling in from the beyond.
-2 to Fighting rolls.
Here are some stats for the room, if
Intangibility: Can’t attack while Intangible,
you need them, but don’t regard these as
but can only be hurt by magical attacks
fixed in stone.
while in this state
• True Regeneration: May make a
Toughness: 18
Natural Healing roll once per round.
Attributes: Smarts d10, Spirit d12
• Size +1: The Thing is bigger than a
Skills: Intimidate d8, Notice d8
normal human being
Powers:
Hindrances: Alien Form, Disabled (no
• Teleport (Others) hands), Habit (eats sentient life), Quirk (acts
• Illusions (32" Cubed, Targeted) like a Loathly abomination from beyond
infinity), Ugly

364
A Back-Story and Adventure Seed great lashing tail. He became, in fact, the
(Suggested by John Polojac) very creature that Phipps had seen in his
Forrest Howling Phipps lay slumped in an vision.
opium daze, sprawled across one of G. Through the winding turns Phipps
Morgan Stark’s most expensive divans and ran, slipping and stumbling as the
the back of a girl whose name he could not implacable monster gained ground. Why
recall. He tried to remember if opium was did it wear a smoking jacket? There was no
all he had taken—had there been something time to wonder. The thing was upon him.
else? Something more exotic? Then the It seized him in its scaly paws. It ripped, it
vision slammed into his brain with the force rent, it hissed with fury. The agony was
of a thunderbolt. astonishing…
A terrible ophidian monster pursued The Serpent Room dreams uneasily.
him, through an endless maze that folded It doesn’t like the anomaly in its guts—the
back in on itself at impossible angles. The time-loop lurking at its core. If the Player
beast was a reptile that walked like a man. Characters get inside, they may be able to
A horror of scales and fangs. Yet its ghastly break the loop, going back in time to the
slitted eyes gleamed with a malice that was moment when it first started and saving
something worse than a mere predator’s Forrest Howling Phipps. The room itself
lust to devour. It hated him. Why would it may provide them with a passage back in
hate him? time to do this, and send them visions that
Through the winding turns Phipps explain what it needs.
ran, slipping and stumbling as the However, to go back they will first
implacable monster gained ground. Why have to get past G. Morgan Stark. These
did it wear a smoking jacket? There was no days he calls himself the Serpent King, and
time to wonder. The thing was upon him. he has no desire to be edited out of reality,
It seized him in its scaly paws. It ripped, it or turned back into a mere mortal with a
rent, it hissed with fury. The agony was bald patch and a bad back. Long years in
astonishing—wasn’t he supposed to wake the Serpent Room have made him terribly
before he died in a dream? And wake he formidable, and he will do his best to stop
did, to find his hair turned partly white and the PCs. And of course they’ll have to fight
the girl beneath him screaming. him again once they go into the past and try
He had seen the moment of his to keep Phipps out of his scaly clutches
death. In a panic, he set to work, building a (although he won’t be as tough here.)
room where the thing couldn’t find him— Meddling PCs ought to be warned,
with niches and corners and hiding places If they break the time loop without finding
outside of space and time itself. He had to some way to send Phipps the vision that
take more and more of that other drug made him create the Serpent Room in the
(what was it called? The Black Lotus?) to first place, they run the risk of editing it out
do it, had to make terrible deals with the of history altogether, and it will vanish with
Chinaman who supplied his needs, but at them inside. No one will remember that it
long last the Serpent Room was finally ever existed. If this happens they will need
complete. to be rescued, or to enter one of the other
But so was his doom. G. Morgan dimensions accessible through the room and
Stark returned from abroad to find his trust find their way home from there. Of course,
violated and his house a mess. In a blind most of them are the kinds of places that
fury he pursued Forrest Howling Phipps into you’d like even less than the Serpent Room
the depths of the Serpent Room, lashing at itself.
him with a buggy whip. And as he There is also a risk that the Serpent
blundered through the room’s weird deeps, King might rouse himself from his self-
its power and his anger began to distort satisfied reptilian torpor and start taking an
him, warp him into something less than interest in the world beyond his room, once
human—and more. He grew scales and the PCs get his attention.
fangs and monstrous rippling muscles and a

365
The Serpent King (Now) d8, Notice d4, Stealth d6, Throwing d8
Charisma:-6; Pace: 8; Parry: 6;
Toughness: 11
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Clueless,
Distinctive Appearance, Mean, Heartless
Edges: Arcane Background (Super
Powers), Fleet-Footed, Power Points, Take
the Hit!
Super Powers:
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6
• Darkvision
• Growth (1): Size +1, Monster
• Heightened Senses (1)
• Super Attributes: (Super strength)
• Toughness (7): +2, Hardy

A Different Back-Story
No one in Society likes to discuss the
details of Doctor Phminster Lurman’s
death. The truth of the matter is that he
simply disappeared one day, while sitting
The Serpent King (Now) in the Serpent Room. Some years later he
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit was declared dead, but to his family’s
d6, Strength d12, Vigor d10 dismay, his foundation inherited all his
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate money and used it to preserve his
d8, Notice d4, Stealth d6, Throwing d8 shameful museum. His descendants
Charisma:-6; Pace: 8; Parry: 6; actually had to suffer the indignity of
Toughness: 11 making their own fortunes, and while they
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Clueless, did, they don’t like to talk about why.
Distinctive Appearance, Mean, Heartless Very few people in Bedlam know the real
Edges: Arcane Background (Super story.
Powers), Fleet-Footed, Power Points, Take This is as he likes it. Doctor
the Hit! Lurman sits deep in the Serpent Room, his
Super Powers: own death suspended as he floats outside
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6 of time. He can see the whole world up
• Darkvision here, from the killing fields of Burma to
• Growth (1): Size +1, Monster the blood-soaked wastes of Darfur to the
• Heightened Senses (1) secret graves of Argentina to the glorious
• Jinx city of Bedlam. Mankind killing and killing
• Super Attributes: (Super strength) in a frenzy of wild mad joy, back to the
• Super Sorcery: Level 3 dawn of time. It’s all so beautiful—it’s a
• Teleport: Teleport Others whole new level of pornography. But
• Toughness (7): +2, Hardy even this is beginning to lose its kick.
He’s starting to wonder if he should start
The Serpent King (Then) opening doors to even more entertaining
Wild Card dimensions and let the things that live
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit there come scampering through into our
d6, Strength d12, Vigor d10 own reality.
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate

366
Doctor Lurman To complicate matters further, the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit little boy is City Councilman Andy Czernik.
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d4 Traumatized by the sight of Gorgah bashing
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Knowledge his mate to death, he has always avoided
(Arcane Lore) d8, Notice d10, Spellcasting the zoo since that day. But if for some
d12 reason he had to attend a political event or
Charisma: +0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5; fundraiser at the zoo, Gorgah might come
Toughness: 5 face-to-face with his nemesis at last. In the
Hindrances: Elderly, Heartless, Quirk meant time, there are plenty of other plots
(depraved voyeur with no plans beyond the you can use Gorgah for.
present moment)
Edges: Tough, Telepathy, Arcane The Office of Tax Assessment
Background (Super Powers), Power Points, Journalists who track Bedlam’s corruption
Super Powers: tend to assume that this office is a dumping
• Ageless (1) ground for incompetent friends and relatives
• Awareness (2): Requires Activation of the Czernik Machine. A place where any
• Darkvision lazy idiot or ne’er-do-well can draw a
• Deflection: -5 to hit with Ranged Attacks paycheck in exchange for their family’s
• Jinx (2) loyalty. But in fact something far more
• Super Sorcery: Level 3 sinister is going on here. The office’s
• Teleport: Teleport Others Operation Manger, Ginny Pusey (Gladys
Tork’s second-in-command) has been
Gorgah the Lady-Killer approving fraudulent tax-refund checks to
This psychotic 900 pound gorilla has been shell businesses that are owned on paper by
one of the Bedlam Zoo’s biggest attractions her relatives. The money then gets
for years. People love to taunt him, for he transferred out of those accounts into the
goes into spectacular rages. Old, bitter and hands of dubious parties across the city.
dangerously disturbed, he’s much more Over the past ten years they have stolen
aggressive than any normal gorilla. He’s close to thirty million dollars. It’s the single
also much larger, weighing in at a largest crooked deal the city has going and
spectacular 900 pounds. the Bedlam Mafia’s largest single source of
Filled with hatred for the entire funds.
world, only one dim hope keeps him alive. The scam itself is surprisingly sim-
A long time ago, a little boy teased Gorgah ple. One of Ginny Pusey’s assistants,
into such a violent rage that he threw a Roberta Starkey or Dolly Boyle (both of
tantrum and beat his mate to death. She whom are her cousins) sets up a fake com-
was his first love, his only love, the only pany in the name of one of their relatives.
thing in the entire hateful universe that he Then they issue a tax refund check directly
didn’t want to smash. And he killed her. He to the fake company’s account. One or the
was never quite sane after that. For other of them walks it down to the bank in
decades, he has waited to see that little boy person and deposits it, so there is no record
again, but he has never come. When and if of a wire transfer. Then they pull the
he does, Gorgah has plans for him. He’s money out of the dummy corporation’s
aware that the boy must be an adult by account and send it wherever the Czernik
now, but he’s sure he’d recognize him (and Machine and the Scarpia crime family need
he’s right.) When next they meet, Gorgah it sent.
plans to yank the boy’s wife or child through The phony corporations are ex-
the bars, and then pull them apart as slowly tremely flimsy. They haven’t bothered to
and horribly as he can. Then perhaps he’ll register or incorporate any of them. Nor
give in to the impulse he has felt for so long have they written up any tax paperwork for
and beat himself to death against the walls them (tax returns, etc.) They just issue the
of his cage. checks. Any detailed search of their offices
by someone looking for documentation on

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the phony companies will quickly reveal that in the years since. He got her the job as the
there isn’t any. In fact one suspicious bank head of this office. She’s far too addled and
manager or even a teller could upset the out-of-it to follow what’s really going on.
whole scheme. She’s prone to outbursts of anger and
Amazingly, in ten years only one weeping as well as sloppy, overly generous
bank manager has ever questioned the attacks of sentimentality. No one in the
transactions, and Dolly Boyle swiftly intimi- office likes her at all, which will make it
dated her into backing down. If someone easier to make her the scapegoat when the
does start asking awkward questions, and scam finally gets revealed. Big Andy will
doesn’t get shouted into submission on the feel bad about having her sent off to prison,
spot, their life will be in danger. but then again he already feels a lot of
Only Ginny Pusey, her family, a regret about having done far worse things
network of ten or so other office workers to her as a teenager, and he survived that,
and the highest-ranking members of the too.
Czernik machine know about this scheme. She lives in a big, untidy house in
If a PC manages to expose it, Andy Czernik the Stone Ridge gated community with her
will suffer a serious blow. mother, who takes care of her when she’s
Ginny Pusey has never signed any too crazy to go in to work.
of the checks herself, but she’s coordinating
the whole scheme right under Gladys Tork’s Ginny Pusey
nose. Poor Ms. Tork is far too lost in her Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
own emotional problems to pay much Strength d4, Vigor d6
attention to what’s happening in the office Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d10, Intimidation
around her. This will make her a good d8+2, Knowledge (City Proceedures) d10,
scapegoat if the scam ever gets exposed Knowledge (Finance) d8, Knowledge (Law)
and the forces that rule Bedlam need to d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Shooting d6,
throw someone to the wolves. Streetwise d6,Taunt d6+2, Throwing d6
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 4;
Gladys Tork Toughness: 5
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Edges: Connections, Rich, Strong Will (+2
Strength d6, Vigor d6 to resist the effects of Intimidation or Taunt)
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d4, Notice d4, Hindrances: Heartless, Mean, Vengeful
Streetwise d6, Throwing d6 Gear: Huge Pistol (Range 12/24/48,
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Damage 2d6+1, Armor-Piercing 2, Rate of
Toughness: 5 Fire 1), License for huge pistol, inexpensive
Edges: Connections, Frenzy, Rich cell phone, oversized purse to carry huge
Hindrances: Clueless, Habit (drinking pistol , license and cell phone in.
problem), Quirk (wild mood swings, cries Background: Virginia “Ginny” Pusey has
often, sometimes hits people) taken crap about her name all her life, and it
Gear: Big ugly house, big ugly SUV, big has made her a sour, vindictive person. She
ugly jewelry knew Gladys Tork in high school, but didn’t
Background: A long time ago, back in high hang out with the same crowd. Ginny was a
school, Gladys Tork got bullied into be- social outcast because of her awful name
coming a kind of “girlfriend at large” for the and never got to hang out with ther popular
Stark Hill street gang called the Coronets. kids (of course, Gladys wound up being a
She still bears a lot of physical and emo- little too popular, but Ginny still resents her
tional scars from the years she spent with for it.)
them—perhaps a little brain damage, too. Small, sharp-featured and beady-
Sometimes she’s not completely coherent eyed, she affects a completely false and
and is unsure what’s going on around her. exaggerated friendliness which puts most
City Councilman “Big Andy” Czernik people off. If vexed or thwarted, she keeps
was a member of the Coronets in those days her horrible death-rictus smile in place and
and he’s always tried to look out for Gladys begins to plot revenge. She’s capable of

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murder, although she has never done it, him to help put criminals away, they are
yet. Once her back is to the wall, who all going to be back on the street at once.
knows? At the DA’s office they are only
She presently lives with her hus- half aware of Johnny’s problem with lying.
band and sons in the old neighborhood in They know he’ll say anything they tell him
Stark Hill. Her spouse and boys are to on the witness stand, true or not. But
scared to death of her. they aren’t aware that his academic
credentials are fake, and this could
Detective Johnny Valentine unexpectedly jeopardize everything. If
It would be easy for the PCs to come to some reporter or defense attorney thinks
rely on friendly, helpful Detective to probe too deeply into his background,
Valentine. That would be a grave they may expose him before the DA has
mistake. If you examine his court time for a cover-up, and send the whole
records, a disturbing pattern emerges house of cards tumbling down. Frankly,
almost immediately. Valentine is so good it’s amazing that no one has already.
at giving testimony, so persuasive and Telepathic PCs may catch on to
poised on the witness stand, that the city Johnny pretty quick. Anyone else might
keeps him in court constantly. He barely try visiting him at home. His wife is a tall
has time for any detective work. In fact, beautiful woman who is as vain and
considering just how many cases he given selfish and shallow as Johnny himself. His
evidence in and how little time he spends oldest daughter, Lenore, is much the
on the street, he can’t possibly have been same. But the twins, Chauntel and
involved in all the cases where he’s giving Chauntay, regard their dad with total eye-
testimony. rolling contempt and will gladly tell
For as the Bedlam Police have anyone who visits about how he’s always
discovered, Johnny Valentine is a chronic, telling stories.
pathological liar. He’ll say anything about
anyone they tell him to, and say it convin- The DA’s Office
cingly. He has no PhD, has completed Assistant DA Ronnie Hagstrom has a
none of the advanced coursework in Law sinister secret lurking in his past. In
and Criminal Justice that he claims. His college, he and his fraternity brothers got
false testimony has sent a great many so drunk they gang-raped some nerdy guy
innocent people to prison—and a great who was walking home late. The nerd
many guilty ones, too. killed himself shortly thereafter, so
If you get to know Johnny, you’ll Hagstrom doesn’t have to worry about
find that he’s a big silly kid at heart, eager him talking. But the possibility that one of
for attention and desperate to please, the other frat boys might have an attack
constantly making up stories and of conscience still worries him. For that
anecdotes as they occur to him. He likes reason, he keeps careful track of his
superheroes a lot and would love to college buddies. If one of them gets
attach himself to one, helping them crack really depressed he might just send
cases, testifying for them in court, going Detective Slope around to kill them. And
on adventures with them if he can. He’s that could set off a scandal that would
too shallow to experience a lot of fear and make the Kim Casteel matter look trivial.
he can talk his way into or out of nearly
anything. But you still wouldn’t want him Dave “The Filthy Beast” Odnarski
on your side. Johnny can’t keep his lies Unbeknownst to himself, Dave Odnarski is
up forever. Eventually he’s going to get one of the most powerful psychics ever to
caught and every case where he’s ever walk the face of the earth. He’s strong
testified will get called into question. This enough to warp reality completely, and
means that if the PCs have ever relied on he’s so terrified of this fact that he has

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buried it in his unconscious. He will unknitted itself and he became Dave the
never, ever use the power willingly. In Filthy Beast with Your Morning Zoo.
fact he doesn’t know how, doesn’t even Or not. The GM can reject this if
remember that he has it. But sometimes it would complicate the back-story of their
it leaks out, and creates things from the game world too much.
deep recesses of his brain. Do the PCs have any chance of
This power to unconsciously re- finding out about Dave? This too is up to
edit reality is a total plot device. You the GM. It can be inconvenient for your
couldn’t convincingly simulate it in game PCs to have an omnipotent ally. If they
terms—for one thing it has no limits. have powers like Telepathy, Mind-Control
Dave can build whole new universes with or the ability to transform other characters
his mind. In fact he may have built this they may decide to forcibly remove his
one. He created the angel with fifty eyes mental blocks and put him in touch with
that came to Captain Violent and Doctor his true self. If they are cunning enough
Stupid and granted them their powers to do this, and you don’t want to have to
(see Pages 332-335.) He created Doctor deal with the consequences, then the
Boogie (see Pages 351 and 389.) He moment Dave is remade he remakes
made Master-Bot (see Page 348.) Unless himself again. Either he undoes
of course you decide that someone else everything, goes back to being plain old
did. If he were ever to die, all of his Dave and the PCs remember nothing
creations would vanish or lose their (although their Players certainly will) or he
powers. turns into a glowing humanoid shape, too
His creations seem totally real, bright to look at directly, cries “I see
because they are. He has re-edited reality Everything! I Am Everything! I Am… the
to include them. Nor does he read Infinite Man!” And vanishes forever,
positive for superpowers himself. He has transcending this feeble little reality and
edited them out of the world. He can’t becoming something utterly beyond it.
even use them to defend himself. If the If the GM wants the PCs to
GM wants, Dave might unconsciously stumble over Dave’s true nature, here is a
summon up some weird thing from his clue they might find. If they travel back
unconscious to protect him if he were in in time to before 1992, Dave doesn’t exist.
mortal danger, but then again he might His birth and tax records appear, fully
not. And he’s entirely mortal, these days. formed and completely real, in February
If he dies, he dies, and he takes all his of 1992.
creations with him.
He’s edited his own life pretty The Calabria Workingmen’s
thoroughly, but in what other ways has he Benevolent Association
changed reality? If the GM likes the idea, This social club has done a lot of good for
perhaps the world we know is a second Bedlam’s Italian-Americans over the years.
draft. Perhaps Dave Odnarski actually As the name implies, they limit their
tried to use his powers, had all kinds of membership to Calabrians—Sicilians are
adventures, made terrible mistakes and not welcome in their ranks and neither are
thoroughly goofed-up the world. northern Italians. Yet they have worked
Desperate to undo the damage and guilty to benefit the whole community and not
about the awful things he had done, he just their own members.
frantically wished he had never discovered The club is exactly what it claims
his powers, that he had instead become to be, and isn’t a front for anything. They
some carefree nobody, of no consequence have assiduously kept the Mafia out of
to anyone, powerless and happy. And so their ranks, for fear that they would loot
it was. Every change he made to reality the Association’s finances. For their part,
most of Bedlam’s Mafisosi respect the

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Association and the good work it’s done then the monster may arrive any day now.
on behalf of the whole community and In either case, the members of the
they leave it alone. Sisterhood are all long dead.
Alternatively, there may be a few left,
Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars doddering on into their nineties, or they
may have continued to recruit new
members from the daughters of Bedlam’s
most distinguished families, looking for
smart, responsible girls who hate the city
of Bedlam with the right level of maniacal
passion.
If the Sisterhood are still around
then it might be possible to foil their plot.
If they’re slowly killing the city with some
kind of sinister rituals then you could stop
them. This shouldn’t be difficult. None of
A long, long time ago, a terrible thing them have any superhuman powers apart
happened to the students at the Bedlam from the feat “ritualist” and a lot of
Ladies’ Academy and the school closed for Arcane Lore. If they are gearing up for a
good. The girls who survived determined big single incantation that will doom
to have their revenge. It took them Bedlam all in one fell swoop, then they’re
thirty-two years, and a lot of terrible probably contemplating some kind of
bargains, but by 1951 they had at last group suicide to consecrate the ritual—
found the occult power to accomplish it. saving the life of even one of them may
The exact nature of their plan is be enough to ruin the whole thing.
up to the GM, as is the sisterhood’s Really diabolical GMs may decide
current status. The girls of their school to mislead the PCs into thinking that the
were offered up as a sacrifice to the ghost Sisterhood is still an active organization,
of Zebediah Scarlett, Bedlam’s dubious still scheming to bring about Bedlam’s
founder, in exchange for not destroying downfall. Let the PCs learn that they plan
the city. In fact he wouldn’t and couldn’t to consecrate the ritual with some kind of
have destroyed the city itself (see Page mass suicide, but then let them discover
305) but he might have wreaked havoc on that it already happened, decades ago.
Bedlam’s oldest and most distinguished If they are all dead and the plot is
families, so they gave up their daughters underway, then there may be little the
to appease him. The remaining girls Player Characters can do to stop it. But if
decided to avenge themselves and their the plan was to conjure up a city-
departed sisters by either summoning a devouring entity, then at least the PCs
whopping great monster to devour may be able to defeat it once it arrives.
Bedlam, or conjuring up some kind of We have provided you with an example of
slow, creeping malaise to rot the city out the kind of monster the Sisterhood might
from the inside. In either case this was a have tried to invoke. We have called her
long-term plan, and the original members “The Queen of Skulls” and you can find
of the Sisterhood didn’t expect to live to her description and stat block on Page
see it come to fruition. 309.
If the plan was to slowly poison If you decide to use the Queen of
Bedlam with some kind of supernatural Skulls, then she is already alive and living
corruption, then it may actually have been in Bedlam—she just isn’t a supervillain
happening since 1951. If the plan was to yet. We have a number of different
summon a city-destroying monstrosity, options for who the Queen of Skulls could
turn out to be. You don’t have to pick one

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until it’s dramatically appropriate. The The PCs subsequently discover
important thing to remember is that she that the school has not actually been torn
doesn’t yet have any idea who or what down in the years since it closed. In fact,
she really is, and is trying to live her life it’s become the Harwood Crawley State
normally, without a hint of the terrible Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where
things yet to come all kinds of weird and terrible things have
The adventure seeds below are been happening for the past seventy
not consistent with each other. In each years or so.
one the GM has made completely different Meanwhile the Crawley’s Asylum’s
choices about what the Sisterhood is troubled, brilliant young Director, Ramona
planning and how the PCs might stop Blackmore (see Page 104) has been
them. I hope they illustrate the range of getting more and more obsessed with her
possible options. hospital’s mysterious past. She thinks
she’s on the verge of uncovering some
An Adventure With the Sisterhood of huge and terrible mystery here—and she’s
the Screaming Stars: Bedlam is more right than she knows. If the PCs
Dead, Long Live the Queen don’t come to her looking for help, she
Over the course of other adventures, the comes to them. She’s been getting thin
Player Characters come to learn a little of and strange, neglecting her duties and
Bedlam’s awful secret history. As they spending time talking to incurable
find out more and more about the maniacs, but she’s still coherent enough
Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars and its to help them. Together, the PCs and
terrible plans for the city, a girl starts Doctor Blackmore go over the Asylum’s
appearing to them and offering them architectural records and find a secret
clues. She appears to be about fourteen, room under the old library. This matches
or maybe just a little younger. Strange, the description Eudora gave them of the
sober and grave, she never smiles. She place where the ritual will be performed.
says her name is Eudora, if anyone asks. It has to be performed in an octagonal
Eudora sometimes appears room.
without warning and gives the PCs some As soon as they go looking for the
critical bit of information that will help secret chamber, all hell breaks loose in
them out of a jam. Sometimes she the Asylum. The power goes out and the
appears in person and sometimes she patients go berserk, screaming and
turns up in their dreams. She also starts battering themselves against the walls of
telling them things about the Sisterhood. their cells. Some of them get loose and
They are planning a huge and terrible go rampaging down the halls. One of
ritual to bring something called the Queen them is Capricorn, Bedlam’s most
of Skulls into the world. Eudora is notorious serial killer (see Pages 302 and
terrified. She’s a member, recruited by 388.) He hasn’t said a word or responded
her older sister Alberta, but even though to any kind of stimulus since he arrived
she hates Bedlam as much as anyone she here years ago, but he’s certainly spry
finds this plan enormously frightening— enough now. He’ll try very hard to kill Dr.
and not the least because she thinks the Blackmore before the PCs can get her to
sisters are all going to kill themselves at the room.
the ritual’s climax. Eudora doesn’t know Reports come in over the intercom
when or where it will happen, but she that security staff have seen an
thinks it will be on the grounds of the unidentified, unauthorized group of
school. The Queen of Skulls has already women enter the grounds (although this
been born, she says, it’s just a matter of never comes out on videotape.)
waking her up. To add an extra-strange touch,
just before Capricorn attacks you might let

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one of the PCs make a Notice roll. If they something that will reduce his city to rub-
succeed, they have noticed that Dr. ble. Unable to cope with this terrible
Blackmore’s voice sounds a lot like vision, he has lapsed into an alcoholic
Leonora X, the mysterious late-night DJ stupor, and then delirium tremens. As he
on AM 1300 (“Your Lucky Thirteen.”) If suffers and sweats through the sickness
they ask her about this, she frowns and and hallucinations, the city begins to
says “Oh, that.” She explains that she convulse. Power systems flicker errati-
does it as a hobby—she actually records cally, in disturbing patterns. Vermin come
the tapes in her office and mails them into scuttling up from the sewers, making
the station. She just says whatever pops patterns that spell out frantic, incompre-
into her head—it’s like a kind of therapy. hensible messages. Street psychotics
PCs who know Leonora X’s reputation for chant ominous scraps of Shakespeare and
sending coded messages to the gangs Baudelaire.
about current events on the street may After the Player Characters have
find this explanation very strange, but it’s seen a few of these weird signs and
true (unless of course you have decided portents, a deformed pigeon comes to
that somebody else is Leonora X.) In any them. Fluttering crookedly with its
case Capricorn attacks them at this very malformed wings, it tries to lead the PCs
moment, leaving no time to pursue the to the Ratcatcher’s sickbed. The PCs
matter. must overcome Woodchuck Man’s
When the PCs and Dr. Blackmore suspicions (see Page 288), help keep Grim
reach the secret room, Eudora and the Diddle from getting loose (see Page 292),
Sisterhood of the Screaming Stars are and interpret the critical clues that the
waiting for them. The Sisterhood are all Ratcatcher gives them in his raving
dead. Their bones have been gathering delirium.
dust in this room for more than fifty years. Meanwhile, on a rooftop high
They lie sprawled in a circle, holding above the city, the Sisterhood of the
hands. One of them wears the very same Screaming Stars nears the completion of
tortoiseshell barrette as Eudora. their work. It has taken them more than
“You’re late.” Eudora says eighty years to create this moment, and
gravely. “Why didn’t you save me?” Then now within a day they will draw down
she fades away forever. destruction on the city. For the stars have
But the PCs suddenly have other aligned and the rituals have been
things to worry about. performed and the coming of the
“I remember!” Doctor Blackmore Unthinkable One is at hand!
says. It’s the first time they’ve seen her The Unthinkable One kills cities,
smile. Something looks wrong with her but it doesn’t just munch them up like
smile, actually. It’s kind of unnerving. “I Godzilla—it rots them from within, kills
remember who I am!” And the Queen of their soul, invisibly wrecks their economy
Skulls is born. and fragments their populace. Over the
Here let us leave our poor next few years Bedlam will fall to wrack
unfortunate Player Characters. You really and ruin, with the invisible miasma of the
don’t want to see what happens next. Or, Unthinkable One hanging over it all.
if you do, go the adventure “Doom Comes It will begin with the death of the
to Bedlam” on Page 310. Ratcatcher (from alcohol poisoning.) No
arch-derelict will rise to replace him and
Another Adventure: The Stars Are the city’s screams will go unheard,
Screaming unsoothed by drink.
The Ratcatcher (see Page 290 to find out The Sisterhood conducts its rites
more about this living incarnation of on top of a bizarre-looking art deco
Bedlam) sees something coming— skyscraper called the Smirlock Building

373
(see Pages 22 and 356.) It looks like the Wilmer Zaragoza, Jr., a.k.a. “Mister
work of a madman, and it is. Nobody”
The strange, non-Euclidian
designs on the roof serve as a focusing
lens for unwholesome energies, and the
building has been the site of a surprising
number of bizarre deaths and weird
disappearances. In fact anyone who lives
there for any length of time starts to
develop odd compulsions and neurotic
habits, which they practice in secret.
None of the PCs have ever been inside.
All five of the ranking members of
the Sisterhood are wealthy society
doyennes in their eighties or nineties.
Four of them are confined to wheelchairs.
There are about twelve younger
members, ranging in age from seventy to
sixteen—all of them morbid, shy women
from the city’s best families.
When the ritual reaches its climax,
all seventeen cultists will jump off the top
of the building, trusted nurses shoving the
older members’ wheelchairs over the side.
None of them will ever hit the ground, or
ever be seen again.
Breaking up the ritual or
preventing the mass suicide will
permanently foil the Sisterhood’s efforts, Wilmer Zaragoza, Jr., a.k.a. “Mister
and gain the players their enmity. A lot of Nobody”
these ladies have the money and power Wild Card
required to do the Player Characters some Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
serious damage. But a wave of d4, Strength d8, Vigor d6
depression and suicide decimates their Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d6, Guts d4,
ranks not long after the PCs stop them, Knowledge (Construction) d8, Knowledge
limiting their ability to strike back. (Downtown Bedlam) d8, Lockpicking d6,
The Ratcatcher recovers, and the Notice d8+2, Persuade d8, Repair d8,
city lumbers on its way. Shooting d4, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 8; Parry: 5;
Mr. Nobody Toughness: 5
Here he is, the most successful burglar in Hindrances: Cautious, Greedy, Habit
Bedlam’s history. He doesn’t know that (addicted to cocaine), Wanted
he’s the number one thief in the city, nor Edges: Alertness, Fleet-Footed, Jack-of-
does he realize that people call him “Mr. All-Trades
Nobody.” If he found out either one of
these things, he’d be both embarrassed Background: Wilmer Zaragoza always
and proud. wanted to be a construction worker, like

374
his dad. Wilmer Senior was the owner of a wall with his hands.
small but successful building firm. His son It’s all been incredibly easy. Every
loved hanging around on his work-sites and office in the city has a silent alarm on the
doing projects with him around the house. door. But he doesn’t go through the door,
In high school, Wilmer Junior so no alarm ever rings.
started running around with a party crowd Having worked late nights in a lot of
and picked up a coke habit. His erratic office buildings, Wilmer has become
behavior and drug problem pretty well acquainted with quite a few security guards,
alienated his old man. His mom is the only and he’s learned that the ones who work for
person in the family who still talks to him. Maximum Safeguard are almost all trying to
So instead of joining his dad’s company, he hide the fact they don’t speak English. Not
has worked in all-night copy shops ever one of them will challenge somebody who
since he dropped out of community college. looks like an office worker who’s here to put
Every shop he’s ever worked in has been in some late-night overtime. Nor do they
located on the ground floor of one or usually pay much attention to the cameras.
another of the skyscrapers downtown—and On the rare occasions when he has
this fact led him directly into a life of crime. run into people who really are working late,
He enjoys working in a copy shop. it’s always been easy to bluff his way past
Like a lot of coke addicts, he’s a fiend for them. He looks like an office worker. And
order, precision, and organization. He loves he’s got an easy line of banter.
doing really complicated, challenging copy No one has ever come close to
jobs (with tabs, and cross-referencing and catching him. The robbery squad has his
color coded pages and multiple types of fingerprints from a dozen or so crime
report covers and so forth) especially while scenes, but they don’t match anything in
he’s high. any of the national databases. He has never
When he can’t buy coke, he gets been arrested. Wilmer’s friendly grin has
pretty depressed, and his job doesn’t bring served him well in more than one tight spot.
in enough money to support his habit. One Although his apartment is on the edge of
night, he got to thinking about the remodel- Hardwick Park, he’s not really from that
ing that some construction firm was doing community and he only barely speaks
up on the thirtieth floor. He had helped his Spanish.
dad on a lot of jobs like that. The walls they There are coke dealers who actually
were installing up there were probably get annoyed with him for bringing them so
nothing more than big sheets of drywall on much stolen merchandise. But none of
a lath frame. More like the illusion of a wall them have ever figured out than he’s Mr.
than an actual barrier to anything. His dad Nobody. Most dealers have never even
used to hate those cheap jobs and to heard the name—they don’t pay that much
complain that you could rip drywall open attention to the news. Nor does Wilmer
with a claw-head hammer—hell, you could himself.
dig through it with your bare hands. You
might as well make walls out of cardboard. Torchy the Firebug
That night Wilmer went up there, Bedlam’s most prolific arsonist has been on
ripped his way through one of the brand- a rampage for more than ten years, but he’s
new walls and stole a stack of laptops. He’s been setting fires a lot longer. It’s the way
been pulling the same trick every week he lets off stress and within the past decade
since. Sometimes twice a week, or more. his life has become very stressful. Here are
He normally carries a small claw-head ham- his stats and background information. Most
mer in his pocket, or a drywall cutting tool, people would be surprised to learn who he
but sometimes he just burrows through the really is.

375
Raymond Biggs, aka “Torchy” up.
Wild Card For the rest of his life, whenever
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Raymond has felt a lot of pent-up stress he
Strength d6, Vigor d6 has set fires to relieve it. Over the years
Skills: Guts d10, Investigation d4, he’s developed a simple, effective
Knowledge (Setting Fires) d10, Notice d8, technique. He wakes up and goes out
Streetwise d6 around three in the morning. No one is on
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; the street, so no one sees him. He finds a
Toughness: 5 place that has caught his attention during
Hindrances: Quirk (Compulsive firestarter), the day, and sets a plastic bottle full of
Wanted gasoline in front of its exit. The bottle’s
Gear: Bottle of gasoline (1d6 damage, neck is stuffed with a cloth wick, usually
flame) torn from old clothes that he buys at Good-
Background: Sometimes little men can will. Because gasoline itself doesn’t burn
cast a long shadow. Torchy the Firebug has (it’s the vapors that burn) the gas won’t
been terrorizing Bedlam for years, but he’s ignite until the wick melts the plastic bottle
so completely unlike the towering figure of and it spills (letting the vapor out.) This
menace most people imagine that no one built-in timing mechanism lets him get out
has ever once suspected his real identity. of the vicinity before the blaze starts.
People say he must be a supervillain, or a Sometimes he’ll come back to
fireman or a white-supremacist on a hate watch, but only after the fire engines are
crusade to depopulate Wolverton. They’re already at the scene and a crowd has
all wrong. already gathered. He has twice participated
Raymond Biggs is a polite, cheerful, in rescuing people from buildings that he set
middle-aged black man from Wolverton. on fire and found the experience very
Short and rotund, he lives alone and has no exciting.
close friends, but he says hello to his What makes him select a particular
neighbors every day and he remembers all target? It’s the people who live there,
their birthdays and anniversaries. He usually. If he sees a happy family sitting
doesn’t look like an angry guy. In fact he’s down to dinner or sees a guy who looks
almost unnaturally calm. He doesn’t feel interesting and successful or who has an
like an angry guy, either, and doesn’t really intriguing walk, he’ll notice them and start
understand why he does the things that thinking about them. And you don’t want
make him different. That’s because his him to start thinking about you, because he
anger is so deep that he’d be unable to bear sets fires at the places that catch his
its heat if he were to face the flames head- interest.
on. He’s completely unaware of the fact
There is little in his background to that he feels jealousy and rage toward hap-
explain his obsession with fire and death. py families or successful guys with inter-
The youngest child of a huge, sprawling esting walks. In fact he doesn’t grasp why
family, he didn’t get much affection from his it’s so satisfying to set their homes on fire.
harried parents, but wasn’t cruelly abused, Pretty girls set him off, too. And so do cute
either. He was always obsessively clean and kids.
tidy, and prone to strange compulsions. Ray may not understand his own
He set his first fires in his teens, motives for setting stuff on fire, but Doctor
burning down a few places around the Scorch does. Although he’s locked away in
neighborhood where he liked to hang out. the Crawley Asylum, this supervillain would
He had no particular reason for selecting be happy to help the PCs catch Torchy,
those places. He just thought about them a offering his own (eerily accurate) insights
lot, because they were the shops and diners into Torchy’s mind.
where he spent time after school. It never For the past decade and a half,
entered into his thinking that he couldn’t Raymond has worked at the Wunder-Chuck
hang out there anymore if he burned them on Larchmont Avenue in Wolverton. His

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work station is incredibly clean and well- spends a little time in each one, never
organized and all his co-workers like him. sticking around long enough for any
No one there works harder, complains less undercover detectives to get to know his
or understands their system better. But face.
while he takes enormous pride in being a Even the Bedlam Mafia doesn’t
good fry cook, the job is incredibly stressful. know much about him. He pays a share of
Long hours, hellish working conditions, with the money he steals in Bedlam to Rock
a tiny paycheck at the end of it all. And Johnson through a crooked lawyer who
although everyone at his restaurant knows never sees him in person. The Mob knows
he’s a superb cook, no one else thinks fast there's a cannon who visits Bedlam from
food even counts as a real job. His family is time to time, but not his name, face or
especially dismissive about it. These days address.
the stress is so bad that he goes out looking He maintains a house on the
for trouble more than once a week. outskirts of the Meadows—a brand-new
Any PC who can catch him will be bungalow with beautifully painted interior
instantly famous in Bedlam. However, it’s walls and almost no furniture. He bivouacs
going to be very difficult to make any there with his team of five apprentices, who
charges against him stick. Most of the are also his de-facto wives. All of these
evidence of his crimes burns up at the scene ladies are between the ages of thirty and
and there are never any witnesses. That’s fifty, and look carefully nondescript. If one
why the police haven’t caught him yet. To of them gets busted (which almost never
find him the Player Characters will probably happens) he posts bail and all six of them
have to use psychic or magical means, and skip town for a while. Here are some stats
these techniques aren’t usually admissible in for Rufus and his girls.
court. And now of course they will have
caught Raymond’s attention themselves… Rufus Dayne
Wild Card
The Cannon Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
Pickpockets are the neurosurgeons of the d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
underworld. It's nearly impossible for a Skills: Climb d6+2, Fighting d6, Guts d8,
detective to catch a really skilled one in the Intimidate d6, Lockpick d8+2, Notice
act. The crime itself happens in less than a d10+2, Persuade d8, Shooting d6, Stealth
second, concealed, in a crowd. Not every- d10+2, Streetwise d10
one can master the craft, but if you do, Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5;
you're a ghost. Only bad luck can trip you Toughness: 5
up. And if you do get caught, it's highly Hindrances: Cautious
unlikely that a Prosecutor’s office will want Edges: Alertness, Danger Sense, Dodge,
to waste its resources nailing your hide to Followers, Improved Level Headed, Quick,
the wall. Even if they do have some reason Rich, Thief.
to make an example out of you (if for in- Gear: Expensive coat with secret pockets,
stance you accidentally picked the pocket of half a dozen IDs in various names.
someone really important) they can never
justify holding you without bail—you've Background: One of the most skilled
committed a non-violent crime and you professional thieves operating in America
probably don't have any prior convictions. today, Rufus looks totally unremarkable. A
So you pay your bail and you vanish to quiet African-American guy in late middle
some other town. age, he's small and skinny with a long face
A good pickpocket is known to his and a shaven head. He likes to wear white
fellows as a pistol. Rufus Dayne is a suits and fedoras at home and on the town,
cannon. One of the best pickpockets in the but when he's at work he dresses in
country, he makes close to a million dollars whatever clothes would make him blend in
a year and has no criminal record at all. He best.
has homes all around the country and While he seems quiet, watchful and

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a little shy, he actually has kind of a big ego Gear: Coat with secret pockets, fake ID
and loves to taunt the police. If he thinks
there is a police detective who is catching Background: Rufus selects his girls for
on to him, he'll leave town immediately, but brains, dexterity and caution. He picks
he might not be able to resist calling them them carefully, trains them thoroughly and
up from another state to chat about how treats them well. There are, he says, just
close they did or didn’t come to catching two rules in his house. Don’t leave the
him. He once called a reporter who had stove on and don’t do anything stupid
written a story about pickpockets to discuss (which also kind of includes rule #1.)
his trade with her, to explain what she did All five of his apprentices have
and did not get right in the article. He personalities a lot like his own. Thoughtful,
never sounds cocky when he does this—just calculating and slow to anger. None of
friendly and cordial. them from broken homes and none of them
Rufus learned his trade from his show any trace of emotional instability. This
mother, who was a skilled pickpocket and last trait is especially important, since Rufus
sneak-thief in Atlanta. She was a real pistol, isn’t sure he could bring himself to kill a girl
but she never even approached her son's if she started acting unstable and taking
prodigious level of talent. She may have stupid risks.
been a career criminal, but she was a good,
attentive mother and took excellent care of Lucius Hardwick IV
Rufus. Retired now, she lives in a house he
bought for her in North Georgia.
While he's a cautious, patient guy,
averse to taking needless risks, Rufus
worries that he might not be capable of
actually murdering someone to protect his Bedlam’s richest citizen is also one of its
secrets. In his world, this is a serious deepest enigmas. Many years ago he
failing. His mom raised him a little too well, stopped leaving his mansion and he hasn’t
he fears. seen anyone but his lawyers for decades.
He has tried not to father any Perhaps he doesn’t even see them—no one
unwanted kids, since he's too focused on outside the firm’s senior partners knows.
practicing his art to be a good dad, but to There are a number of possibilities for what
his chagrin he has two illegitimate children Mr. Hardwick has been up to all these years,
by different former apprentices and he but they all turn around the same theme.
diligently sends money to support them. Ever since the 19th Century, the
Any cop, vigilante or superhero who Hardwick family has been trying to find
manages to lock up Rufus Dayne will earn a some way to keep Zebediah Scarlett’s
special degree of fear and respect in the vengeful ghost from returning to destroy
criminal underworld. Robbery detectives are them (see the Bedlam Timeline on Page 24
also keenly aware of how hard it is to catch for more information about the shameful
a really good pickpocket, and they will treat role that Reverend Scarlett and the
anyone who can do it with deference. Hardwicks played in the city’s early history.)
He’s come close on a couple of occasions
Rufus Dayne’s Girls and they’ve had to take some pretty drastic
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, measures to prevent it.
Strength d4, Vigor d6 For many years, Lucius Hardwick
Skills: Climb d6+2, Fighting d4, Guts d8, has been trying to find a way to thwart
Intimidate d6, Lockpick d8+2, Notice Scarlett’s return, or placate him if there’s no
d10+2, Persuade d8, Shooting d6, Stealth way to stop him from coming back. Mr.
d8+2, Streetwise d6 Hardwick has a small but powerful network
Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; of supporters among the city’s oldest fami-
Toughness: 5 lies (the Penningtons, the Smirlocks and
Edges: Alertness, Dodge, Thief. others) who he can call upon to help him, or

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to stop other people from interfering in his Lucius Hardwick—Vampire
plans.
It’s up to the GM to decide how
deeply Lucius Hardwick has himself
become enmeshed in the unseen world.
He might be studying the occult himself,
or he may have just farmed the research
out to various scholars around the
country. We have options you can use
below if Mr. Hardwick a sorcerer, a
vampire, or a ghost himself. It’s also
possible that he’s nothing more than a
horrible old man, kept alive by dread and
spite, or that he’s been dead for years and
that his lawyers carry on his work. It may
be that there has only been one Lucius
Hardwick down through the years or he
may in fact be the great-grandson of the
original.
Ironically, Zebediah Scarlett isn’t
even a very powerful ghost. He’s more
than Lucius Hardwick and his country club
cabal would be able to handle, but any
team of mystical superheroes should be
able to bring him down. It has never
occurred to Mr. Hardwick to go to a Lucius Hardwick—Vampire
superhero team for help. There are also Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
plenty of Voodoo practitioners who would d10, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12
have been happy to eliminate his problem, Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10,
but of course they’re all black, and he Intimidation d12, Knowledge (finance) d8,
cannot stand to have nonwhites so much Knowledge (awful secrets of Bedlam) d12,
as mentioned in his presence. Taunt d8+2, Notice d8, Throwing d8
Whatever you decide is the truth Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10
is about Lucius Hardwick, his physical Special Abilities
appearance remains much the same. He’s • Change Form: As an action, Mr.
the only person in Bedlam who looks even Hardwick can change into a wolf or bat
older and even meaner than Young Junior with a Smarts roll at -2. Changing back
Gorganzua. Mr. Hardwick has a thick, into humanoid form requires a Smarts roll.
tangled head of white hair and dresses in • Children of the Night: Has the ability
the dusty remnants of his once expensive to summon and control wolves or rats.
suits. Shrunken and scrawny, he’s about This requires an action and a Smarts roll
two sizes too small for his clothes. His at -2. If he succedes, 1d6 wolves or 1d6
facial expression has been described as swarms of rats arrive in 1d6+2 rounds.
“twenty times meaner than the Devil • Claws: Str +d4.
himself” but perhaps that’s an • Improved Frenzy: Mr. Hardwick can
exaggeration. make two attacks per round without

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penalty. Lucius Hardwick—Sorcerer
• Invulnerability: Can only be harmed Wild Card
by his Weaknesses. He can be Shaken by Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
other attacks, but never Wounded. d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6
• Level Headed: he acts on the best of Skills Guts d12, Intimidate d10+2,
two cards. Knowledge (arcane occult lore) d8,
• Mist: Can turn into mist! This requires Knowledge (finance) d8, Knowledge
an action and a Smarts roll at -2. (awful secrets of Bedlam) d12, Notice d8,
Puppet: As per the power in the core Stealth d6, Taunt d8+2, Spellcasting d12
rulebook Charisma: -2; Pace: 5; Parry: 5;
• Sire: Anyone Mr. Hardwick kills, in any Toughness: 4
way whatsoever, has a 50% chance of Hindrances: All Thumbs, Elderly, Enemy
rising as a vampire themselves in 1d4 (the Scarlet Man), Enemy (Sisterhood of
days. This doesn’t just happen if he kills the Screaming Stars), Greedy, Mean
them by drinking their blood—if he shot Edges: Arcane Background (Super
them or pushed them off a cliff they Powers), Connections (Bedlam City
would still have a 50% chance of coming government, Major), Filthy Rich, Improved
back from the dead thirsty. Nerves of Steel, Power Points, Strong-
• Undead: +2 Toughness. +2 to recover Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate or Taunt),
from being Shaken. Called shots do no Telepathy
extra damage (except to the heart—see Super Powers:
below). No wound penalties. • Ageless (2): Very Old
• Weakness (Sunlight): Catches • Awareness (2): Requires Activation
fire if any part of his skin is exposed to • Fear (3)
direct sunlight. After that he suffers 2d10 • Jinx (2)
damage per round until reduced to dust. • Super Sorcery (6): Level 2
Armor does not protect him against this
effect. Lucius Hardwick—Ghost
• Weakness (Holy Symbol): A Wild Card
character Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
with a holy symbol may keep Mr. d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Hardwick at bay by displaying the symbol Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d12, Intimidate
to him. If he wants to directly attack the d12+2, Knowledge (finance) d8,
victim he must Knowledge (awful secrets of Bedlam) d12,
beat them in an opposed test of Spirits. Notice d12, Taunt d10, Stealth d12+4,
• Weakness (Holy Water): If he’s Taunt d8+2, Throwing d12
sprinkled with holy water he becomes Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Fatigued. If immersed, he combusts as if Hindrances: Enemy (the Scarlet Man),
it were direct sunlight (see above). Enemy (Sisterhood of the Screaming
• Weakness (Invitation Only): Cannot Stars), Greedy, Mean
enter a private dwelling without Powers and Special Abilities
being invited. He may enter public • Ethereal: Mr. Hardwick is not a
domains as they please (but he seldom material being and can only be harmed by
leaves his house in any case). magical attacks.
• Weakness (Stake Through the • Fear -2: causes a Guts checks at -2
Heart): If he is hit with a called shot to when he lets himself be seen.
the heart (-4) he must make a Vigor roll
versus the damage. If successful, he takes
damage normally. If it fails, he
disintegrates into dust.

380
Lucius Hardwick—Mean Old Bastard Hindrances: Quirk (never speaks), Vow (to
Wild Card protect Wolverton)
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit Gear: Musical instrument, out-of-style suit,
d10, Strength d4, Vigor d4 fedora.
Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d12, Intimidate Powers and Special Abilities
d10+2, Knowledge (finance) d8, Knowledge • Ranged Attack: 3d6 Damage; Elemental
(awful secrets of Bedlam) d12, Notice d8, Trick (Sound), uses Cone Template
Stealth d6, Taunt d8+2 • Awareness
Charisma: -2; Pace: 5; Parry: 6; • Darkvision
Toughness: 5 • Ethereal: Not a material being, can only
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Elderly, Enemy be harmed by magical attacks.
(the Scarlet Man), Enemy (Sisterhood of the • Illusions 2: Can create illusions up to 4”
Screaming Stars), Greedy, Mean cubed in volume
Edges: Charismatic, Connections (Bedlam • Invisibility
City government, Major), Filthy Rich, • Fear -2: causes a Guts check at -2.
Improved Nerves of Steel, Strong-Willed (+2 • Fearless
to resist Intimidate or Taunt), Tough as • Flight 12”
Nails • Super-Sorcery: Level 3
Gear: Cane (d4+1 damage), mansion, vast • Telepathy: Broadcast
piles of money. • Teleport: 12”

Club Del Morocco Berth 13

So powerful was the sadness and longing We have four different versions of the
conjured here that the spirits of the Blues “truth” about Berth 13. Use whichever one
still haunt the ruins of the Club Del Morocco. you like.
Should Wolverton ever be in deadly danger,
or the Club itself be threatened with 1) The freighter is the “Sea Witch” and its
destruction, the ghosts of the Del Morocco registration shows that it’s owned by a
will rise and undead bluesmen will stalk the bogus company in the Canary Islands. A
streets, singing songs of dire woe and laying little more work will trace its ownership back
waste to all those who dare threaten their to the Scarpia crime family. They use it as a
home. sort of graveyard. When they need some-
There are six of them, though their one to disappear, and they don’t have time
features change as they walk, so perhaps to put them through the “Murder Machine”
each one embodies many lost bluesmen of (see Page 217) they leave their corpse here.
yore. One wields a guitar. Another has a As the years have gone by, the ship has
horn. One has a harmonica. One plays the grown more crowded. Anyone who mana-
saxophone. One has a giant double-bass ges to expose its contents will be in serious
and one makes music only with his ghostly, danger. Then again, so will the Scarpias. A
howling voice. All of them wear sunglasses whole lot of dead Igglionis and other ene-
and they all share the same stat block—see mies of the family are on board.
below.
2) The ship has no name or registration
Ghost of the Del Morocco marks at all. This is where the Special
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Assault Squad takes superhuman prisoners
Strength d6, Vigor d8 to hold them before trial. The ship is full of
Skills: Guts d12, Intimidate d10, Knowledge suspended animation capsules that can be
(Arcane Lore) d8, Knowledge (the Blues) used to store parahumans indefinitely.
d10, Notice d8, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d8, SAS doesn’t actually have the capa-
Throwing d6 city to build and staff a place like this. In
Pace: 6/ Flying 12; Parry: 5; fact it’s a joint project with the feds—with
Toughness: 6 the UNICORN specifically (you can find out
Edges: Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill more about them on Page 86.) This

381
shadowy agency has been keeping • Darkvision
superhuman prisoners here since the sixties • Fear 2
and they have forgotten about some of the • Fearless
ones on the lower decks. It is possible that True Regeneration: Checks to Recover
some incredibly powerful long-forgotten from damage every round.
villain from the mid-twentieth century may • Undead: +2 Toughness. +2 to recover
suddenly wake up. from being Shaken. Called shots do no
extra damage. No wound penalties.
3) The freighter is the Andromeda. Its Gear: Tire Iron (d6+d12+1 Damage), Evil
ownership has been in dispute for decades. Cab (see below), snap-brim hat.
Since neither of the parties is in business
anymore and the city doesn’t want it (they’d Mack the Hack’s Evil Cab
be liable for vast amounts of back-taxes) the Toughness: 15 (2 Heavy Armor)
Andromeda sits at Berth #300, untouched Offensive Powers: Smite 3d6, Armor-
by anyone. Nocturne, the vigilante, (you Piercing 4 (Note: Smite can affect targets
can find out more about him on Page 276) inside the cab as well as out), Ensnare 10
used it as one of his secret lairs for a while, (Note: this only works on targets inside the
and left some of his crime-fighting equip- evil cab)
ment in it. His equipment is drastically out Defensive Powers: Intangibility (and
of date, but the Andromeda would still make confers the benefit of being Intangibile to
a great secret base for some other super- anyone inside.)
hero—or perhaps the PCs? Movement Powers: Teleport 45” (Note:
for some reason the cab can only teleport
4) There is no Berth 13. The whole thing is when no one is looking at it)
a silly urban myth. However, a group of
would-be teenaged detectives from the Doctor Death
Stone Ridge gated community have started Bedlam’s worst serial killer is not Capricorn,
nosing around the docks looking for it, and or even Torchy the Firebug. It’s Doctor Lyle
they are starting to attract the wrong kind of York, who practices gerontology at Beth El
attention from the Mafia. Hospital.
York is a handsome guy in his late
Mack the Hack fifties, with perfect hair and a brusque,
Here he is, the diabolical phantom cabbie distant manner. A dapper dresser, he is
who haunts Bedlam’s streets by night. seldom seen without his signature bow tie.
Some patients like him and some don’t.
Wild Card He’s a skilled gerontologist, but every last
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit thing he says sounds like a pre-rehearsed
d10, Strength d12+1, Vigor d12+1 speech. And it is. No one sees his real self.
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Intimidate d8, Not his pretty young blonde trophy wife, not
Notice d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt the Asian child they’ve adopted. Not his
d8, Throw d6 colleagues or his dad (his mother is dead.)
Charisma: -2; Pace: 8; Parry: 8; He has killed more than three
Toughness: 10 hundred of his patients over the past thirty
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), years. After he has given each victim their
Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill lethal injection, he has a brief chat with
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Gloater, them and explains what he’s done, how
Weakness (Sunlight: Catches many people he has killed and how unlikely
fire if any part of his skin is exposed to it is that anyone will ever stop him. And in
direct sunlight. After that he suffers 2d10 fact no one has ever suspected a thing. His
damage per round until reduced to dust. patients are old, and old people die.
Armor does not protect him against this It’s hard to tell what motivates him,
effect.) but he’s no mercy killer. If you study his list
Powers: of victims, he appears to select patients who

382
lead healthy, active lives, do important For his part, the Stick really loved
volunteer work and have grandchildren who her too. He’s always dug outsized women
love them. Perhaps he thinks it wouldn’t and they don’t come more outsized, in every
mean anything to take life away from some- respect. He’s starting to miss her terribly
one whose life wasn’t really valuable? Per- and he is toying with the idea of calling her,
haps he wants to cause much harm and even though that would be absolutely
sorrow with each death as he can? against the rules and might get him kicked
It will probably take a telepath or out of Witness Protection. If the Family
some other kind of psychic hero to catch becomes aware that the Stick is alive and
him. A Player Character who talks to the that he betrayed them, Tiny Tina may have
dead might also be able to do it. Periodical- no choice but to have the love of her life
ly, one or another of his victims will haunt killed, after all.
Bedlam briefly and try to alert a psychic or a
medium to the doctor’s evil deeds (see The Triads
“Creepy Rumors and Sinister Forces” on Despite the long and peaceful relationship
Page 270.) But too often they are taken so the Triads have had with the Bedlam Mob,
completely by surprise that they can’t there may be trouble on the horizon. Both
muster enough rage to hang onto the world of the Triads we have mentioned are under
for very long. When your death comes as a the protection of the Scarpias, not the
total, bewildering shock, you usually don’t Gorganzuas, and the Gorganzuas resent
have time to whip up enough anger or des- having them in the Meadows, which they
peration to be a lasting ghost—especially if view as their turf (although in fact it’s no-
it’s painless. body’s turf.) They are too smart to chal-
If York thinks the law is closing in lenge the Scarpias directly. However, they
on him, he’ll try to escape, but it would be are considering a deal to bring in a third
beneath his dignity to put up a struggle. Triad—the Black Lotus Chamber, and let
Once he’s directly confronted he’ll surrender them run a similar operation from the docks
to the PCs without a word and will make no at Greely Point.
effort to defend himself if they pummel him This would be a disaster. The Black
(although his lawyer will certainly have Lotus is a blood-drinking cult, crazy and
something to say about it.) murderous, whose leaders may be vampires
If Doctor Death is ever caught, he or sorcerers or something even worse.
stops speaking and never says a word to They are universally despised by groups like
anyone about his motives, or anything else, the Iron Wind Society (the Yip-Wings have
ever again. never heard of them) and they’ll surely get
into a violent feud with them the moment
Rocco “The Stick” Mazzarello they discover each other. The Black Louts
Tiny Tina did not kill the Stick. In fact he thugs will also throw their weight around,
isn’t dead. He was one of the FBI’s three kill civilians for no reason and generally
informants inside the Gorganzua Family, but misbehave until the Gorganzuas, the Iron
he got tired of being scared all the time and Wind Society, the PCs or all three kick them
asked to go into the Witness Protection out of Bedlam. The hard feelings this may
Program. Tiny Tina is almost certain that cause could also set off a mob war between
this is what really happened to him, but the Gorganzuas and the Scarpias, which
despite his betrayal, she loves him and she could in turn lead to hired supervillains slug-
figures the best way to keep him safe is by ging it out in the streets. Perhaps someone
letting everyone think he’s dead. So she can talk Tiny Tina out of bringing in the
allows the rumors that she killed him to Sons of the Black Lotus before it’s too late.
spread unchecked, and even feeds them a
little. FBI Special Agent Enzio “Rick” The Black Lotus Chamber
Falcone is the only one in Bedlam who Masters of the Seven Forbidden Cruelties,
knows the truth, and he’s not likely to tell. devotees of the Bleeding God, the Black Lot-
us Chamber is feared throughout the South-

383
east Asian underworld. Although most of the far side of the Pacific Rim. They have
their members are of Chinese ancestry and an elite squad of killers called the Sons of
speak Mandarin as their mother tongue, the the Bleeding God and they may have some
Chamber’s primary base of operations is in outright supervillains (probably martial
Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. They are artists or gunslingers) and sorcerers if the
relatively small for an organized crime family GM thinks they really need them.
but they are dangerous for their size. Peo- What lies at the heart of the Black
ple say they sometimes eat their enemies, Lotus Chamber? No one knows for sure
and they certainly drink their blood. Part who leads the cult. There are rumors of
drug cult, part organized crime family, the deathless sorcerers, cannibal pygmies, living
Chamber’s main function is to gather idols from before the Hsu Dynasty, vampires
enough money and power to protect, grow and ghosts. But it could just as well be a
and harvest the evil plant they are all addic- cabal of creepy old degenerates. The truth
ted to—a sinister toxic flower called the is up to the GM.
Black Lotus, which is not only their favorite
vice, but their favorite tool of assassination, Generic Thrall of the Black Lotus
as well. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Each new member is put through a Strength d8, Vigor d6
harrowing initiation, where they are sub- Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidate d6,
jected to the Seven Unspeakable Violations Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d8
and given the Kiss of the Black Lotus—a Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
semi-lethal dose of the drug. About 75% of Toughness: 5
them survive, but most aren’t quite right Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
afterwards. Henceforward they live only to Toughness: 5
kill for the Bleeding God and to experience Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Delusional,
the rapturous, tormented visions that he Mean, Quirk (crazy fanatic, ready to kill or
sends them. die for the Bleeding God).
They all look a little crazy, and tend Edges: Danger Sense, Improved Frenzy,
to dress without much care or attention to Nerves of Steel.
their appearance. Some of them wear jeans Powers:
and windbreaker jackets, or ill-fitting sport May have Invisibility or Fearless or
coats with no shirts underneath, or fine Darkvision or Mind Control
clothes they’ve scavenged from some victim Gear: Staff, sword or axe (d8+d4 damage)
or other. While not all of them are elite
fighters, they are all totally fearless, crazy, The Sons of the Bleeding God
unpredictable and violent. They will keep Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
attacking until they are incapacitated or d10, Strength d8, Vigor d6
dead, even if faced with an obviously superi- Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidate
or foe (a superhero, for example.) d8+2, Notice d6, Stealth d8, Throwing d8
Initially there won’t be very many of Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7;
them in Bedlam—just ten or so, led by the Toughness: 5
bloodthirsty, half-crazed Feng-Chou. But as Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
they start to menace civilians and get into Toughness: 5
brawls with the cops and the Iron Wind Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Delusional,
Brotherhood, they may call for help from Mean, Quirk (Demented fanatic, eager to die
overseas. for the Black Lotus Chamber).
The Black Lotus can induce psychic Edges: Improved Frenzy, Improved Nerves
powers in some individuals, even while it of Steel, Quick, Strong-Willed (+2 to resist
rots their brains in other ways. Perhaps as Intimidate or Taunt), Sweep.
many as one in five members of the cult Powers:
have some minor paranormal ability, But if a • Danger Sense
full-scale war erupts in Bedlam, they will • Fearless
start bringing in more powerful assets from Gear: Staff, sword or axe (d8+d4 damage)

384
Feng-Chou The Narcotrafficantes
Wild Card It’s not actually true that the Mexican cartels
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit have no presence in Bedlam. Unbeknownst
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d6 to the Bedlam Mafia, they have set up an
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidate outpost in the Country Club.
d8+2, Notice d6, Stealth d8, Throwing d8 One of the big old houses up there
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; has become the home of a traveling group
Toughness: 5 of criminals who call themselves the Bloody
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Cross. They’re a white-supremacist
Toughness: 5 skinhead group, with deep ties to prison
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Delusional, gangs across the western United States.
Mean, Quirk (unpredictable violent lunatic). They answer directly to the Mexican Mafia,
Edges: Charismatic, Command, Improved and handle credit card scams and other
Dodge, Improved First Strike, Improved errands for them. It’s hard to see how they
Frenzy, Improved Nerves of Steel, Quick, reconcile their white-supremacist ideology
Strong-Willed (+2 to resist Intimidate or with working for the Mexican cartels, but
Taunt), Take the Hit. they don’t seem to see the contradiction.
Powers: Oddly, most members of the Bloody
• Danger Sense Cross are middle-class kids from Southern
• Fearless California. The gang actually grew out of
Gear: Big Axe (d8+d6 damage) LA’s Hardcore punk scene in the mid 1980s,
as a way for skins to protect one another in
Background: Feng-Chou is a functional juvie.
psychotic. You can see it in his crazy stare. They are not supposed to be here.
There is something deeply unsettling in his If the Bedlam Mob found out about their
gaze. Something unbalanced and presence they would be pretty annoyed.
unfathomable. Something not entirely But of course the Bloody Cross can pull elec-
human. He’s capable of understanding tronic scams from anywhere, and the fact
what’s going on around him most of the that they’re in the middle of a city where
time, but he’s much too crazy to experience they’re not supposed to have a presence
things like empathy or conscience or fear or makes this an ideal hiding spot. Unfortun-
love. He lives for the Bleeding God, he kills ately, a lot of individual members of the
for the Bleeding God and he’ll die for the crew have difficulty staying out of trouble.
Bleeding God. Nothing else in his life was They didn’t become Nazi skinheads because
worth anything, so he threw it all away. they like to obey rules and respect authority.
You’d never guess from the scarred- This could easily attract the wrong kind of
up, staring lunatic in front of you that he attention.
has a PhD in Mathematics and a Master’s in Right now the house on Mulvane
business, or that he was a researcher who Drive is a maze of cables and electronics
became a corporate executive, or that his equipment, with elegant old furniture and
wife (who is also an executive and a dirty mattresses scattered here and there.
scientist) has never stopped looking for him They have spray-painted Nazi symbols all
since the night he walked out of their over the expensive wallpaper and strewn
penthouse apartment in Shanghai and trash here and there.
vanished. This crew only has about twenty
His skill list doesn’t reflect his members, but they’re well-connected and if
prowess in business, tensor calculus or they had to they could call in either a white
classical piano, because his brain is far too supremacist supervillain or one who works
damaged to use them anymore and anyway for the Narcotrafficantes within twenty-four
they no longer interest him. hours. But they’re more likely to flee than
to stand and fight. They have a mis-

385
matched collection of old vans parked out- Chuck Bundy
side, with the peeling emblems of various Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
churches and Christian youth groups d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10
painted on the side. If they have to run Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d6,
for it, they’ll dismantle their electronics, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6
throw their possessions in the vans and all Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5;
leave Bedlam in different directions. Toughness: 8
Women play a special role in the Edges: Hard to Kill, Nerves of Steel,
Bloody Cross. They are treated like Tough as Nails
slaves, but they also do a lot of the gang’s Hindrances: Heartless, Mean, Quirk
trickiest work. They infiltrate banks and (violent crankhead, clobbers anyone he
credit card companies. They buy or steal thinks is questioning his authority),
supplies and deal with the outside world Stubborn
for their tattooed, shaven-headed Gear:
boyfriends. They also participate in Machete (d10+d4 Damage)
combat and sometimes carry out
assassinations for the crew. If the group Background: The current leader of the
has to evacuate the Country Club in a Bloody Cross’ Bedlam Crew, Chuck feels
hurry, all the vans will be driven by uneasy in this role and inadequate to lead.
normal-looking young women. Their As a result, he’s constantly ill-tempered
scary-looking skinhead boyfriends will be and always looking for any challenges to
hiding in the back. his authority. He shouts a lot and he’s
quick to lash out at anybody he thinks is
Soldier of the Bloody Cross showing him disrespect, either inside the
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit group or out.
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 He killed the group’s old leader,
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d6, Hammer-Hand Mike, and took over the
Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6 gang, but he didn’t have a clear idea of
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; hat he’d do next and he’s feeling a little
Toughness: 5 lost. His crank habit hasn’t improved
Edges: — things.
Hindrances: Heartless, Quirk (bigot) Chuck is from Orange County,
Gear: California, the hyperactive screw-up son
Club (d8+d4 Damage), Pistol (Range of a real-estate magnate. His family were
12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1, AP 2, classic nouveau-riche Orange County
Shots 7) millionaires, but Chuck could remember
being poor and never seemed to fit into
Background: It would be a serious their new world. He hung around with
mistake to underestimate the Bloody other violent losers and by the time he
Cross as a bunch of illiterate slobs. In was twenty he was a bona-fide thug. But
fact most of them are smart (if his sense of social unease never left him.
maladjusted) young men who live the He’s a doer, rather than a planner.
criminal life because they choose to. By A huge scary brute who was seemingly
now they’re all hardened killers and far born to do enforcer work. But leading a
more dangerous than you would expect of crew requires you to think before you act.
kids from such comfortable middle-class If he doesn’t learn this quick, Chuck may
backgrounds. shortly

386
be sharing a room with Hammer-Hand Mike How do they make people disap-
in Hell. pear? Most of them don’t know themselves.
One look at Chuck and you’ll know They practice an odd religion that resembles
he could never function in normal society. medieval Chinese Taoism, and some of their
His Nazi tattoos go right up over his face. priests do have a little magic power, but not
He has snakes’ eyes tattooed on his eyelids. enough to obliterate a gang of wild eyed,
gun-toting thugs in a blink of an eye. Some
of them are still pretty skilled jungle
Gom the Unspeakable fighters, and most of their young men prac-
Up at the north end of the public housing on tice an ancient unarmed fighting style that
Ellmore Place, you can find three buildings they call “The Way of the Silent Fist.” But
inhabited by immigrants from Southeast the posses were pretty tough, too, and the
Asia. No one in the neighborhood seems to Way of the Silent Fist doesn’t give the Yao
know much about this small, insular group that much of an edge. The truth, known to
of hill tribesmen. Some people say they’re no more than one or two people in Bedlam,
from Laos, other people aren’t so sure. State is that Gom the Unspeakable protects them.
welfare records list their ethnicity as “Yao”, Most of the people we call the Yao
but that’s not what they call themselves. arrived in Laos and Vietnam some time
Although nobody quite knows who they are, during the Ming dynasty. But the small tribe
everyone around Ellmore Place does know that one day moved to Bedlam had been
that they are not to be trifled with. When there for much longer. And when they first
the Jamaican posses tried to extort money arrived in the one mountain valley where
from the Yao, they retaliated so heavily that they made their home, they found artifacts
the posses actually left that part of Bedlam and relics left by people who had been there
altogether. No one outside of the posses or long ages before. And among them was a
the Yao themselves know what they did to strange little idol made from some greasy,
the Jamaicans, but it was enough to drive greenish stone they had never seen before.
off the most aggressive organized crime It was a fierce idol, and it frightened
group in the city. them, so they gave it to their chief priest so
In fact the surviving members of the that he could protect them from it. They
posses don’t themselves know what the Yao never spoke of the evil little thing among
did to them. They just know that their themselves and soon they forgot about it.
comrades started rapidly disappearing, But every chief priest since then has heard
vanishing from places where no one could the idol call to him in his dreams, begging to
have reached them. Some of the Jamaicans be worshipped, offering to do favors,
decided to leave for a less dangerous part of craving blood. They never used the idol
town, but most decided to go down fighting during their long doomed war with the
the Yao. None of the ones who decided to Marxists, for the priest they had in those
stay were ever seen again. days loathed and feared it and would have
Who are the Yao, really? During the thrown it away, were he not sure that it
secret war that the United States fought in would go out into the world and wreak
Laos in the early seventies, a lot of much wickedness. But he died a few years
mountain tribesmen sided with the U.S. and ago, and the new chief priest, Xong, is not
against the Laotian central government. as resolute. He has called on the idol,
They acted as scouts and commandos and worshipped it in secret and fed it with his
guides. Known collectively as the “Yao” blood. In return, it called forth the demon
they were in fact a diverse collection of known as Gom the Unspeakable, who is not
different tribes and spoke a wide variety of seen, who walks through walls and takes
different languages. After the war was lost, men away to the land of wind and ghosts,
the Americans relocated a lot of these to feast there on their entrails for eternity.
tribesmen to the United States, and a few Xong fears that the little nameless
hundred made it to Bedlam. They keep to idol will ask him for more favors, or come to
themselves and don’t want to be bothered. dominate his soul, but in fact it is content

387
with a little blood and prayer. It’s just a • Heightened Senses (1)
small god and has only small ambitions. A • Intangibility
kindly old white-haired man, Xong is looking • Invisibility
more and more careworn these days and • Super Attributes (5): (Super strength)
spends much of his time worrying about the • Teleport (More Range 3)
idol. But he needn’t. • Toughness (7): +2, Hardy
Oddly, Nocturne knows the Yao.
They like him, they remember him and they Background: A shy and lonely creature,
consider him their friend. He has no con- Gom doesn’t much like being a monster. It
scious memory of the time he spent visiting likes people, likes being around them and
their tiny little mountain valley, since that’s watching what they do. It wishes it could
in the portion of his memory that has been join in all the interesting stuff they seem to
blacked out (along with his childhood and be up to—perhaps become some child’s
his name.) For this reason he finds their imaginary friend or a pretty girl’s secret
company unnerving and avoids them when protector. But it seems to be doomed to a
he can. life of stalking the enemies of the Yao, when
it gets to visit our world at all. The rest of
Gom the Unspeakable the time it skulks around the formless void
where it hails from. Gom doesn’t much like
the void—it’s all black and icky. Sometimes
it lurks in our world longer than it should
have after it’s finished its task.

Capricorn
All these years later, people still flinch at the
name “Capricorn” as though it could cut
them. This masked fiend terrorized the city
for more than a decade. Every three years
he would return and kill another nine peo-
ple, taunting the news and the police the
whole time. People came to hate his bland,
pleasant voice the way they hated cancer,
or death.
There seemed to be no pattern to
who he struck. Young, old, rich, poor, when
the constellation of Capricorn shone in the
cold winter sky, no one was safe from him.
Gom the Unspeakable He claimed there was a logic to his killing,
Wild Card though no one ever managed to completely
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, decipher it. But he was not lying. Here at
Strength last is the truth.
d12+1, Vigor d10 In the murky dawn of Bedlam’s
Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice d4, history, its founder, Zebediah Scarlett, was
Stealth d12, Throwing d8 murdered by his protégé, Rule Hardwick.
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; The city was founded on a crime, and in
Toughness: 11 crime it tried to find salvation.
Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance, Ugly From time to time Zebediah
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Scarlett’s murderous ghost would come
Brawny, Power Points, Take the Hit! slouching up out of Hell with revenge on its
Super Powers: mind (see Page 305.) The city fathers tried
• Attack, Melee (4): +2d6 appeasing it, tried keeping it at bay, and
• Darkvision then they hit on the plan called Capricorn.
• Growth (1): Size +1, Monster

388
Sour old Lucius Hardwick found a way to powerful psychic—one of the strongest in
make Bedlam taste so bad to Reverend human history (see Page 369.) But he’s so
Scarlett that he would avoid it. He hired a afraid of his powers that he has buried them
cabal of magicians called the League of in the deepest darkest depths of his own
Silence to cast an enchantment that would unconscious mind. Dave has conjured
make Bedlam an unappetizing place for its Doctor Boogie into existence and has
founder. But it had to be consecrated in created a whole pocket universe for him to
blood and terror. They took a drifter and inhabit when he’s not out troubling the good
wiped his mind clean. And then they made citizens of Bedlam.
him into the monster called Capricorn. He No one is ever likely to notice the
set out to inscribe the necessary sigils on connection, but Doctor Boogie only ever
the city in screams and gore. appears when Dave is asleep and dreaming
Thirty-six innocent lives were about him. Of course, the fact that he’s a
required. But so was the city’s fear. Every DJ with a completely irregular schedule
three years, when the Constellation Capri- means that the good doctor and his disco
corn shone ascendant in the sky, another pirate crew could appear at any hour of the
nine Bedlamites would have to meet their day or night. He never remembers the
doom. Their names and identities were un- dream when he wakes up.
important. What mattered were the places The Doctor has such a strong psy-
and hours at which they died, and the chic shield because he barely has a mind at
mutilations performed upon their bodies. all. If you do manage to read his mind, you
When the season of the goat came to an will find it to be a colorful place, simple and
end, the killer would wander back to his brightly-hued, like an old set from The
waking life and three years later they would Electric Company. He sincerely believes all
select another man to wear the mask of his silliness. If you search his mind for his
Capricorn. Terror was an essential part of origin, his real name, etc, you’ll find a
the spell, so Capricorn did his best to horrify ridiculous story about how the Goddess of
the city, taunting the public and mocking Funk had a secret love child with the God of
their fear. Groovy and their fantastic, plantastic
The second and fourth Capricorns creation was born dancing in giant platform
both got caught before their work was shoes. “Hey what’s happening mom and
complete. The project might have pop? Can you get down like this?” their
recovered from the first loss, but not from infant asked them. And he proceeded to
the second. In any case the League of par-tay so hip that they named him Doctor
Silence was getting old, losing members and Boogie.
slipping into decline. All those people He really believes this. And he
ultimately died for nothing, and Zebediah remembers it all in vivid color. His mom,
Scarlett may return to Bedlam soon. the Goddess of Funk, smelled a lot like
Or, if the GM wants, Hardwick’s reefer and hair-care products.
lawyers may have found another group of The pirate ship is also one of Dave’s
sorcerers that’s willing to start the project all creations. But it actually formed in response
over. Who knows, next January Bedlam’s to the Disco Pirates’ wishes. They’ve been
streets may once more echo to the sound of exerting their own influence on Doctor
screams. Boogie, making him more like them. And
this in turn has affected Dave’s own mind—
The Terrible Truth About the Diabolical
helped him rediscover his taste for late ‘70s
Doctor Boogie
dance music and made his drug problem
The being who calls himself “Doctor Boogie”
worse. If “The Filthy Beast” were to sud-
isn’t really a person at all. He’s a comic
denly die, the pirate ship would reappear
book character that local Bedlam DJ Dave
with the confused pirates still on board it
“The Filthy Beast” Odnarski drew when he
and then fade away forever, taking Doctor
was a kid.
Boogie with it wherever dead dreams go.
Dave Odnarski is an incredibly

389
We have two adventures for you here. They human henchmen $#!+face is there as well,
showcase very different sides of Bedlam and and they’re all carrying huge, funny-shaped
serve different needs for a campaign. One rubber novelties that they’ve bought at the
is lighthearted and short. The other is store. His nuns all look strangely like former
longer and more serious. They both give strippers and lady bodybuilders in corsets
Player Characters an introduction to Bedlam, and wimples—except for the ones who are
to what it’s like and how it works. obviously transvestites. Battle is joined!
People are beating on one another with
crosses and monstrances and huge floppy
rubber sex toys, guns are going off in every
direction. The Mara aren’t as powerful as
Th’ Pope and his nuns, but there are more
An altercation breaks out at Papal Discount
of them and they’re better armed. They
Warehouse while the PCs happen to be
also have no compunctions at all about
there (or perhaps they get called in to break
taking hostages or using patrons as human
it up.) Some boys from the Mara come
shields. Can Our Heroes stop this
sauntering into the store—they want to buy
blasphemous bash-fest before someone gets
some crucifixes to immerse in dog’s blood
seriously hurt?
and a baptismal font. The staff won’t sell
them a font without ID showing that they’ve
been ordained, and after a brief, tense
standoff they slink back outside.
Soon they return with a sleazy
looking priest who has a lot of tattoos
(“Father Chuey”—see Page 240 for a full
description of the Mara’s favorite minister)
and he tries to buy the font for them. The
staff behind the counter are adamant. They
won’t sell anyone a baptismal font to
anyone but an ordained member of the
clergy, and it’s perfectly clear to them that
the Mara just found somebody in the
parking lot to buy for them.
Father Chuey starts yelling and
making threats, grinning like a wolf the
whole time. He says he knows Monsignor,
that Bishop Sloat is a personal friend and he
drops darker hints still about what might
happen to the store if they don’t sell him the
font.
“I can appeal to a higher power,
you know!” he sneers wickedly.
A deep voice roars out from the
back of the shop: “Higher than Th’ Pope?”
It looks like the rumors are true
(see Page 155.) The supervillain who calls
himself “Th’ Pope” really does own Papal
Discount warehouse, and he’s just returned
from the adult bookstore with his gang of
trashy leather nuns. His gigantic super-

390
GUIDE TO THE MAP OF PAPAL
DISCOUNT WAREHOUSE
The building itself is made of solid reinforced
concrete—Toughness 14. The one internal
wall, between the office and the main sales
area, isn’t nearly as strong. It’s only It’s a long slow day down at the Bedlam
Toughness 9. There are no windows, except in Courthouse, but it’s about to get a whole lot
the office, and it will be pitch black in the sales more interesting. Luca “Stabbo the Clown”
area if the lights go out. Stegnetti is going to have his day in court and
Both the internal and external doors the results will make headlines for weeks. The
are made of steel with tasteless fake wood- PCs are likely to play a pivotal role in these
grain decals on them. They are Toughness 12 events.
and if locked they will require an unmodified
Lockpicking roll to open. Snap off a door to Prologue: Getting the Adventure Started
use as a weapon, and it will do Strength +1d8 While the PCs could get in on the adventure
Damage. after things are underway, it’s probably more
The ceiling is supported by four fun if they’re involved from the beginning. To
square concrete pillars. Each one is do that, you’re going to have to find some way
Toughness 14, and does Strength +2d6 to get them down to the courthouse in time
Damage if you snap it off and use it as a club. for the first act. There are a number of ways
Be warned, though, if more than two of them of doing this. They could be here on some
get destroyed then the roof is going to legal matter of their own (nothing too
collapse on the next round and do 3d6 pressing, or it could overshadow the events of
Damage to anyone caught underneath it. the adventure.)
The counter has glass windows in the They may have heard that a close
front but will still give full Concealment to associate of the Scarpia Crime family is about
anyone who crouches or lies prone behind it. to get indicted, and want to come down to
Made of heavy wood, it’s Toughness 8. Rip it make sure nothing weird happens.
out of the floor and you will find that it comes If they have Precognition or some
in sections. Each section weighs 400 pounds, other such power, they could be guided to the
fully loaded with expensive religious courthouse by a vision (a supervillain will be
paraphernalia, and does Stength +1d8 born here today—they’re sure of it.)
Damage if used as a weapon. If all else fails, perhaps the UNICORN
The big heavy antique cash register has been monitoring Luca Stegnetti and they
on the counter weighs 60 pounds and does know that he’s about to come into his
Strength +1d6 Damage if you clobber superhuman powers. They have decided to
somebody with it. manipulate the PCs into a confrontation with
The giant, overloaded shelves are all him, in hopes of removing him from the
Toughness 7 and weigh about 800 pounds picture before he becomes a major threat. To
each. Each one will do Strength +1d10 this end, they send each of them an
Damage if used as a weapon, but they’re so anonymous message on plain white paper. It
awkwardly shaped and clumsily balanced that says “Bedlam Courthouse, Hearing Room 3,
there is a -2 penalty to hit anything with them. 2:00 PM.” If the PCs won’t even take bait like
If a shelf tips over and falls on top of a this, roll your eyes and let them join the story
character it does 1d10 Damage and may after it’s already in full swing
immobilize them, unless they can lift 800
pounds or more. At the GM’s option, it may be Part 1: Zany Courthouse Frolics
possible to set off a chain reaction of shelves Judge Howard Leeth (see page 95) presides
tipping over onto one another. over the case that Bedlam is going to be
If you use a baptismal font or a big talking about for years. It’s just his bad luck.
heavy cross or a monstrance or some other Disheveled, depressed Judge
piece of merchandise as a weapon, it will do Leeth is hearing cases with his head in his
up to Strength +1d8 Damage. The GM should hands, the way he always does. Bored bailiffs
feel free to improvise. patrol the courtroom, eager to spot someone

391
chewing gum or putting their feet up or any result of a single incident. This looks like it
other tiny violation of the rules. A big family was done to her over the course of months
from Stark Hill is sitting in the observation or years. Her nose has been broken, re-
gallery, making too much noise. A lot of big healed and been broken again so many
hair and gold chains are on display up there. times that it’s just a blob. Most of her teeth
Next on the docket is a domestic are gone and she can’t close her mouth
violence case. Luca Stegnetti’s girlfriend, properly.
Marie Tucci, wants to press charges against Mel Lutz can’t close his mouth
him for hitting her. either. It’s hanging open in total, horrified
At the States’ Attorney’s table sits shock. Judge Leeth puts his face down flat,
Detective Gluk of the Bedlam Police (see and hears the rest of the trial that way.
Page 76) and Marla Zaranovsky (see Page Luca is the only person in the courtroom
161), legal counsel for the women’s shelter who’s still smiling. “Hey, it’s the Elephant
where Marie has been staying. Girl!” he quietly says, and giggles.
Mr. Stegnetti himself is here, sitting That ugly moment should be
with his family in the observation gallery enough to doom him by itself, but he
until his case is called (these are the loud actually manages to make things worse.
guys from Stark Hill.) He’s his usual wacky, Way worse, in fact.
charming self and his whole family has Marie tries to give her statement,
turned out to show him their support. His but her voice is so quiet and mushy that
attorney is rising mob lawyer Mel Lutz (see Judge Leeth is having trouble hearing her.
Page 159) who calls Luca to the stand and Luca rises from his chair and tries to
asks him about the circumstances of the talk to Marie. Judge Leeth doesn’t even
incident in question. bother to tell him he’s out of order, he just
Gesturing wildly and grinning, Luca gestures to the bailiffs. Luca’s still smiling
explains that he was exhausted, that his as they push him toward the courtroom
girlfriend had left their apartment in a terri- door. “Sir, you’re going to have to leave.
ble mess, and when he came home late, to Sir, calm down.”
the house she hadn’t cleaned, she started “I’m calm, I’m calm! It’s cool!” he
screaming at him. It was like she was yel- grins “I just need to—I just want to talk to
ling at him to put him on the defensive, to her.”
keep him from getting annoyed with her They’ve got him halfway to the door
about the huge mess in their living room. when things get freaky. Luca abruptly gives
He knows she’s unstable, he makes allow- up on talking to Marie, spins on his heel and
ances. But it just seemed so unfair. She prepares to march out of the courtroom.
shoved him, he snapped, and he shoved her But first he plants his elbow deep in the one
back. He knew it was wrong when he did it female bailiff’s sternum.
and he knows it was wrong now. But he Now, here we should pause to note
knows he can’t take it back, he says, smiling that being a bailiff is one of the most boring
ruefully. jobs in law-enforcement. The reason so
His family makes sympathetic noises many bailiffs are such total sticklers about
and some of them shout encouragement to the rules is that catching somebody drinking
him. The bailiffs angrily shut them up. It a can of pop may be the most interesting
looks as though Mr. Lutz is going to enter a thing they get to do all day. They live for
guilty plea and ask for six months probation, those rare moments when something
suspended. actually happens, and they’re all grinning as
Marla Zaranovsky says something they pile onto Luca Stegnetti.
quietly to the Assistant State’s Attorney, This might be a good time for the
who gestures. Marie walks into the court- PCs to rise from their chairs and intervene.
room, and everyone abruptly falls silent. If they don’t, three bailiffs tackle Luca just
Her face has been demolished. Many, many as he steps out through the courtroom’s
beatings have reduced her features to an swinging doors. As the doors swing back
inhuman-looking mask. This clearly isn’t the and forth, the Player Characters can see

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little bits of what’s happening outside. Five on the case, yet. For some reason no one in
bailiffs, then six, then seven, are savaging the Police Department is talking about the
Luca at once, kicking and beating him as he possibility of using him as a way to get
laughs and laughs. The PCs don’t see Luca information on the Scarpias. But Acting Special
put a huge overdose of Mnemodrine 6 into his Agent In Charge “Rick” Falcone of the FBI
bloodied mouth. certainly is (you can find out more about him
Then a bailiff comes flying through and Bedlam’s FBI Office on Page 83.) At some
the doors and lands with a thump in the aisle. point in the adventure, he’ll approach the PCs
Through the swinging doors the crowd can see in public and ask them to go easy on Stabbo.
Luca beating the living crap out of all seven of The FBI would like to offer him a deal.
his assailants, his fists and feet flying at Stabbo gets sighted at an arcade in
superhuman speed, bones cracking and blood Stark Hill. It’s the very same arcade where
spraying into the air. He laughs and laughs, mob boss “Dapper Donny” Scarpia hangs out
louder and higher. Stabbo the Clown has just (you can find out more about him on Page
been born. Any PCs with the power to sense 218.) It looks as though Stabbo showed up,
superhuman abilities didn’t pick anything up got into a conversation with some of the aging
from him before, but now he’s blazing like a hoods who hang around the place, went
bonfire with parahuman might. He takes off berserk, smashed out some windows, knocked
running down the hall and out of the court- over some pinball machines and ran away. If
house at twice the speed of sound. the PCs show up at the scene they’ll find that
The PCs may be able to catch him and every last person there claims to have been in
they may not. But either way you should let the toilet when the incident occurred.
them see the dramatic aftermath. Either If a Player Character reads someone’s
outside the building or else right there in the mind, they’ll learn the truth. Stabbo came to
courtroom, Mel Lutz walks up to Marla see Donny, begging him for protection. Donny
Zaranovsky with his hands spread wide. He was noncommittal, but he did give Stabbo
looks like he wants to cry. “I didn’t—I didn’t some money and told him to make himself
know.” He stammers. scarce. Sensing correctly that this meant his
“Get the #@%& away from me.” mafia career was over, Stabbo threw a
Marla says. Startled, Mel makes one more tantrum and left. He actually destroyed his
attempt to speak but she cuts him off and he own favorite pinball machine, Vegas Wet and
slinks away. The Stegnetti family looks very Wild, he felt so unhappy. This is the only
subdued as they shuffle out of the courtroom. thing he’s ever done that he’ll ever feel any
regret about. That was his favorite game
Part 2: The Sad and Lonely Fate of Vegas since he was a kid—how could he have done
Wet and Wild that to it? What’s wrong with him? This
Marla would very much like the PCs’ help. So haunts him in a way that all the people he has
would Detective Gluk. If the PCs tried to brutalized and killed never do.
intervene, or even if they just showed up in
costume, one or both of them will ask for their Part 2.5: Your Government Needs Your
assistance. Stabbo the Clown is out there Help
somewhere. God knows what he’ll try to do If the GM thinks it would be amusing, large
next. To Marie, to the next woman he hooks men from the UNICORN suddenly confront the
up with, to whatever cops try to PCs in the middle of the night. These
apprehend him. He’s an associate of the humorless drones are very different from
Scarpia crime family, and although they may Agent Falcone. Their suits fit better and they
want to wash their hands of him after his wear sunglasses at night (use the stats for the
performance in court today, they probably Pentagon Force Protection cyborgs and send a
won’t want him to get apprehended and they’ll psychic with them if you think they’ll need
use their influence to screw up the one.)
investigation. Zaranovsky and Gluk are right They say they’re from “Your
about all of this. Government.” And your government needs
The Bedlam Police put together a your help. Stabbo the Clown must be taken
special task force to go after Stabbo the alive and he must be turned over to their
Clown. They’re not convinced that he’s really custody, not the police. They explain that he
superhuman, so they don’t put Assault Squad took a huge overdose of an experimental drug

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called Mnemodrine 6 just moments before he Gluk would like the PCs to try and get there
developed his superhuman powers. He’s not first. If they do, Stabbo will give them quite a
the first superhuman to get his powers from fight in the cramped confines of the
that drug. But the thing of it is, in order to apartment. You might want to let the battle
actually develop superpowers, you have to spill over into the novelty store downstairs,
spend about a week in a sensory deprivation since that fits Stabbo’s “theme.” If they catch
tank after you take Mnemodrine 6. And no him, he goes to prison giggling and swearing
one who has done this has ever lived for more revenge. But there are rumors that the FBI is
than twenty-four hours without some going to put him in Witness Protection.
additional treatments (the details of which are
classified, so don’t ask.) Your country needs Part 4: Funland
you and it needs Stabbo the Clown. Don’t If Stabbo gets away, he’ll hole up in Funland,
disappoint America. the closed amusement park at the bottom of
the crime-ridden Liberty Shoppes Mall (see
Part 3: Grandad’s Wacky Joke Emporium Page 154.) By the time the PCs catch up with
Meanwhile, Mel Lutz has an attack of him, he’ll have recruited a teenaged gang of
conscience. He contacts either the PCs or gun-toting misfits and painted them all in
Marla Zaranovsky and tells them how to find clown makeup. His first order of business is to
Mary Conklin, who has been Stabbo’s best find out the secret location of the women’s
friend (and on-again, off-again girlfriend) since shelter where Marie found refuge and to have
childhood. his revenge against every woman there.
If the PCs don’t hit the shabby streets Taking over the underworld comes next.
of Stark Hill, Detective Gluk does. Unless they
find her first, he will locate Mary Conklin. The Aftermath
moment Gluk sees the fading bruises on her Stabbo the Clown goes off to jail or his grave
face he knows that she’s been seeing Stabbo or a bigger criminal career. Donny Scarpia
again. He buys her a hamburger at Wunder- breathes a sigh of relief.
Chuk and they have a long talk. He later calls Two weeks later Detective Gluk
that burger “the best two dollars I ever spent.” manages to secure his first authorized vacation
Mary reveals to the PC (or to Gluk, if in three years. He returns to find his desk
he speaks to her first) that Stabbo has been buried under a giant load of files—more than
staying in her apartment over a novelty shop twenty new cases.
(“Grandad’s Wacky Joke Emporium”.) He’s Judge Leeth decides he’s had enough
feeling really down, she says. His whole family and puts in a fourth request for retirement.
and all his friends have turned against him— They reject it and for a week he hears all his
she’s all he’s got left. He’s started taking this cases with his face down.
whole supervillain thing really seriously and he Marie Tucci meets a big, strong,
has begun painting his face like a clown. He’s gentle young man who works as a janitor in
also really self-conscious about the way his Stark Hill. His face has been disfigured in a
face got all ripped up during the fight at the fire. Within a month they have moved in
courthouse. He made it worse when he together. If a PC asks her, Marie shyly says
punched out all those windows at the arcade that Detective Gluk introduced them.
and he’s always taking little injuries when he Mel Lutz goes on a cruise to “get his
runs at super-speed. He’ll look like the Jigsaw head together.” When he returns, he feels a
Man soon, he complains. He lost one of his lot better, forgets his earlier attack of
front teeth, too, and it really bothers him. conscience and goes back to hustling for the
If Gluk learns this information then mob.
the police Task Force gets wind of it, and There is no vacation for Marla
they’ll send a SWAT team to Mary’s place. She Zaranovsky. She must be near the top of
lives with her ailing mother, and there’s a Stabbo the Clown’s “to-do” list, but she seems
strong chance that this could turn into a unafraid. You can find her any given weekday
hostage situation. Bedlam’s SWAT units aren’t in court.
known for dealing well with hostage crises. The city grinds on its weary way.

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