TEXT: 1 
   
  HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS 
  By Scott Casper (after Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson) 
  Illustrations by Ben Thompson (Masked Marvel), Will Eisner (Yarko), Lou Fine (Flame), Jack Cole 
  (Claw), George Tuska (Zanzibar),  
  Copyright 2009 (as if written in 1974) 
  Special thanks to the following playtesters, who have made H&H a dream realized:  Tyler Casper, 
  Megan Griffin, Gerry Weinberger, Jeremy Best, Ronny Serio, Ned Martell, Matthew Kay-Conway, 
  David Nishball, and Eric Medders.  Also thanks to Jon Glade for finding the artwork.  
   
  Book Three:  The Underworld & Metropolis Adventures 
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  Hideouts & Hoodlums is a modification of the SWORDS & WIZARDRY:  White Box Edition rules, with swords and sorcery 
  elements expunged and replaced with elements of the Golden Age of the superhero genre, circa 1939.  Unlike Books I and II, 
  Book III includes material from the SWORDS & WIZARDRY core rules that are not found in the White Box edition.  Swords & 
  Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are the trademarks of Matthew J. Finch and this author is not affiliated with Matthew 
  J. Finch, Marv Breig, or Mythmere Games™.  DICK TRACY and TERRY AND THE PIRATES are the trademark of Tribune 
  Media Services; SUPERMAN, CRIMSON AVENGER, SANDMAN, and BAT-MAN are the trademark of DC Comics; ANGEL, 
  HUMAN TORCH, and SUB-MARINER are the trademark of Marvel Comics.  All other trademarks belong to their respective 
  holders. 
   
  With thanks to the people who made Superman and Dungeons & Dragons, for all those who swiped 
  from them.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  Table of Contents 
  A Warning and Advice · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  3 
  Preparing an Underworld Campaign · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  4 
  Sample Underworld Level:  Reuter Mansion· · · · · · · · · 
  5 
  Stocking the Underworld · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  8 
  Mobsters · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
   
  10 
  Trophies · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
   
  13 
  Exploring the Underworld· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  15 
  Searching the Underworld· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  15 
  Example of the Editor Moderating a Hideout Expedition· 17 
  The Metropolis · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  18 
  Stocking the Metropolis· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  19 
  Supporting Cast Members· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  20 
  Plot Hook Characters· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  22 
  Non-Heroes Affecting Combat· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  22 
  Preparing a Metropolis Setting· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  24 
  Sample Metropolis:  Duluth· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  26 
  Exploring the Metropolis · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·  
  27 
  Between Adventures· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  28 
  Special Combats · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 
  30 
  Bibliography· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·    
  32 
  Appendix A:  Directory of Golden Age Heroes· · · · · · ·  
  31 
  Appendix B:  Comic Book Plots from 1939· · · · · ·  · · · · · 35 
   
   
   
  A WARNING AND ADVICE:  More than with the first two books, this book in particular is exclusively 
  useful for those taking up the role of Editor for their gaming groups.   
  The following advice from the Swords & Wizardry rules are useful to anyone planning to run a 
  Hideouts & Hoodlums campaign: 
    In general, running a game of SW is a lot easier than in most role-playing games, simply because 
  there aren‟t many rules – and your discretion overrides them anyway.  Most situations are handled by 
  your common sense decisions about what would happen next. If you know that a bunch of zombies 
  are around the corner, and the players decide not to go around that corner, it‟s up to you whether it 
  makes sense for the zombies to come out and attack, or whether their orders are simply to stay where 
  they are. If a player decides that his character jumps through a wall of fire, and there are several 
  bottles of flammable oil in his backpack, it‟s up to you to decide whether the bottles explode or whether 
  they‟re sealed well enough to survive a couple of seconds in the wall of fire.  This means that you 
  have to make up a lot on the spot. If you‟re not a good storyteller, and you‟re not up to doing a lot of 
  creative thinking on the fly, you might do better with a game that provides more rules and more 
  guidance for every little situation that might arise. But if you‟re a good storyteller, creative and fair, 
  Swords & Wizardry‟s small, spartan rule-set frees up your creativity to create a fantasy role-playing 
  experience completely different from the type of game that depends on a multitude of rules.   
    Swords & Wizardry also frees up your creativity in terms of customizing the game. You can add 
  house rules wherever you want to without accidentally messing up something else buried in the rules 
  of a more complex game. If your campaign needs a special set of rules for Asian spellcasting, plug 
  them in as a replacement for the normal Magic-User character class. If you want to use critical hits 
  
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  and fumbles in the game, add „em in. You won‟t break anything, because there‟s not much to break.   
    Basically, the “adventure” is just the setting for the game, usually a map and your notes about certain 
  locations on the map. As the players tell you where their characters go and what they do, you‟re 
  referring to the map and your notes to describe what happens as a result. Don‟t try to plan for all 
  contingencies – it‟s guaranteed that the players will do something unexpected during the adventure, 
  and you‟ll just have to run with it, thinking on your feet and making up new things as you go. Just as 
  you challenge the players with the adventure, they‟ll challenge you to keep up with their collective 
  creativity.   
    A campaign is the world beyond the adventure, the cities and forests and coastlines and countries of 
  the comic book world. The players will almost certainly want their characters to explore wildernesses, 
  visit cities, and do all sorts of things in the comic book world. At the beginning of the game, you might 
  want to sketch out the map of a single town (the starting point) and some of the area around the town 
  or find an old map of a real town to work from.  Include the location of the first adventure, perhaps a 
  dark forest, perhaps a road that leads to the larger city beyond your campaign area. As the players 
  move the characters around from adventure to adventure, you can expand the little map bit by bit into 
  a whole comic book world, with continents, countries, and states. If you want to take a shortcut, you 
  might want to set your entire campaign in a fictional world already created by the author of one of your 
  favorite comic books. Some of these already have maps, and the author has already created the 
  details and the feel of the world for you. The world of Superman’s Metropolis by Siegel and Shuster, 
  the undersea kingdom of the Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett, and the Human Torch’s New York City by 
  Carl Burgos are popular fictional settings for the game. There are also many campaign worlds created 
  specifically for comic book gaming. 
  PREPARING AN UNDERWORLD CAMPAIGN:  Mobsters belong to structured, hierarchical 
  organizations dedicated to profit through crime.  Not all mobs are linked to the same organizational 
  structure, though some are.  Despite how independent they are of each other, all mobs depend on 
  hideouts to hide and safeguard their operations.  These hideouts have existed for decades or, in some 
  cases, even centuries.  Vice and evil have corrupted their very structures until these hideouts have 
  become part of an underworld in an almost mythical sense.  The Heroes who descend into this chaotic 
  world will find animals grow larger and fiercer here, and both the undead and other monstrous 
  creatures are real.  Doors will resist opening and close of their own accord.  Black magic exists and 
  mad science abounds. 
  The first section of this book deals with running a crime-fighting campaign with a focus on this 
  underworld.  The Heroes will spend much of their time moving from hideout to hideout, rooting out 
  mobsters and other enemies, and collecting trophies from their victories. 
  One of the tasks of the Editor is to have material prepared ahead of time for game play (even though 
  some Editors will enjoy winging it without notes, it would still be a good idea to at least have some 
  clear ideas in your head first).  For a campaign focused on exploring hideouts, an early step for any 
  Editor should be to map out these hideouts.  Mapping and stocking these hideouts will likely be your 
  most time-consuming, and creatively challenging, part of being the Editor.  The hideouts can be small 
  and simple or huge and complex, but they should match the preferred style of playing of you and the 
  other players.   
  Large hideouts can be sprawling, multi-level lairs with multiple ways – ladders, stairs, shafts, slanting 
  passages, chutes, teleporters -- for moving between levels.  Because players can sometimes find 
  these things faster than you intend them to, it is a good idea to have at least three levels of the hideout 
  mapped out, at least crudely, before game play begins.  There is no limit to how many levels a hideout 
  can have or how large each level can be.  Things like structural integrity, ventilation, and the likelihood 
  
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  of flooding – like all science in comic books – can be ignored if it does not fit the story.  However, 
  unless you are feeling ambitious, it would be a good idea to keep most hideouts in the range of two to 
  six levels deep. 
  In laying out your hideouts, keep in mind that vertical travel is significant in two regards.  In one 
  respect, this means rewarding the players for heading to deeper levels of the hideouts with greater 
  challenges and richer rewards.  That there should be multiple means of reaching other levels has 
  already been touched on and a short list of means of egress listed.  In another respect, this means 
  giving the Heroes the chance to move vertically, using their special abilities, powers, or magic spells.  
  This can involve high-ceilinged chambers with room for flying, balconies (from one level overlooking 
  another level or sub-level) which can be leaped to or from, and so on.   
   
  “Reuter Mansion”, as an extreme example, has at least six levels of hideout, plus sub-levels that 
  branch off from the main hideout, and new additions constantly being made to the hideout.  These 
  levels contain such things as pagan temples, scientific laboratories, a subterranean river, a medieval 
  dungeon, a Civil War “museum” with undead soldiers, a zoo of alien lifeforms, a conference room for 
  master villains, and more. 
  A sample level is shown below in order to aid the prospective Editor in designing his own game.  Only 
  the bold part of the map below is detailed. 
  Sample Underworld Level:  Reuter Mansion 
  1.  The corridors are paved in rough concrete.  Every so often is an empty fixture for a light bulb, 
  suggesting that the walls are wired for electricity behind the concrete.  The south hallway has a 
  wheelbarrow with two bags of cement mix and a trowel in it.  Of the four wedge-shaped rooms, the two 
  on the left are filled with cobwebs.  The northeast room is the only one with a light fixture.   
   
  The southeast room has a C-shaped depression in it 20 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and 3 ft. deep, with 
  steps down in one corner and inches of rotten matter on the floor of the depression.  Crawling through 
  that matter are 4 giant (small) centipedes (HD ¼; hp 2 (x3), 1; AC 9 [10]; Atk 1 poisonous bite (0); 
  Save/ML 19; Move 65; HDE/XP 2/80; Special Save at +4 or fall unconscious for 1d3 hours).  The lever 
  that opens the secret door is buried under the rotten matter, though the door can still be wrecked 
  without finding the lever.   
   
  On the other side of the door is a chest holding 1,000 pennies in it. 
  2.  The maze of short passages are mostly empty, though some have lengths of chain and manacles 
  
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  attached to the walls, and one has some bones in it.  The southernmost passage next to the locked 
  door has two vamps (HD 1-1; hp 2, 1; AC 9 [10]; Atk 1 slap (0); Save/ML 19; Move 60; HDE/XP 1/40; 
  Special Seduction requires save or stunned for 1d4 turns, slap stuns for 1 turn) chained to the wall.   
   
   
  Map Note:  dots represent placement of light fixtures. 
  Imogene and Lizzie were molls for Lars Erikson's mob until they spurned Mbooboo the voodoo witch 
  doctor and were left here by him.  If rescued, they try to seduce Heroes into finding Mbooboo and 
  killing him, but would rather flee than be of any real help to the Heroes.  Opening the secret door north 
  of the locked door also, simultaneously, unlocks the locked door. 
  3.  This room is a crypt.  If the room is entered, 4 zombies (HD 1+1; hp 7 (x2), 6 (x2); AC 8 [11]; Atk 1 
  mace (1d6); Save/ML 17/1; Move 30; HDE/XP 1/40; Special Immune to sleep and charm) rise from 
  their coffins.  The coffins also hold a total of 2,000 dimes, 100 dollar coins(all coins dated 1910 or 
  earlier), and a Potion of Poison. 
  4.  This room was once a chapel, but the pews have been smashed and the altar and a statue of 
  Jesus behind it are tipped over.  If the altar and statue are restored, this room will be a safe resting 
  place from wandering monsters.  There is a light switch by the door and an empty socket on the right 
  wall. 
  
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  5.  Light can be seen coming from inside this room, as the bottom half of this room's door is missing.  
  There is a light switch inside the door and a single wall socket on the north wall with a floor lamp 
  plugged into it.  The floor is covered in rugs.  There are also 10 bunk beds inside, 5 footlockers, and 
  the remains of some other broken furniture.  There are 7 brigands (4:  HD 1; hp 4, 3 (x2), 2; AC 9 [10], 
  Atk 1 bolt-action rifle (1d6); Save/ML 18; Move 60; HDE/XP 1/40; Special None.  2:  HD 1; hp 5, 4; AC 
  7 [12]; Atk 1 semi-automatic rifle (1d6); Save/ML 18; Move 60; HDE/XP 1/40; Special None.  1:  HD 1; 
  hp 6; AC 5 [14]; Atk 1 machine pistol (1d6); Save/ML 18; Move 60; HDE/XP 1/40; Special None) here.  
   
  These local rogues have been promised an induction into Lars Erikson's mob, but are fearful of 
  the hideouts, particularly the giant rats nesting in the room across from theirs. Only 1d4-1 bandits will 
  be sleeping if surprised, with the rest on alert and watching the door for more rats (which ate half the 
  door!).  The footlockers hold spare clothes, boxes of bullets, canned food and beer (enough for 25 
  meals) and $70 in 5 wallets.  In one corner is a box half-full of bananas (meant for the gorilla at room 
  6). 
  6.  Anyone passing it will notice the 1 ft. wide slit in the left wall of the corridor as they pass it and a 4 
  in 6 chance of them catching some glimpse of movement in a room on the other side.  There is some 
  rotting matter at the base of the slit that can be identified as a rotten banana.  The cave at the end of 
  the tunnel is lined with straw and houses an ape (HD 3+1; hp 13; AC 8 [11]; Atk 1 rend (1d6); Save/ML 
  16; Move 60; HDE/XP 3/120; Special None) on a 30 ft. chain.  The straw should conceal the length of 
  the chain, so Heroes will not know how close it is safe to get to the ape (specifically a gorilla). 
  7.  The stairs leading down to the next level are rigged to collapse into a chute (2 in 6 chance of being 
  triggered per Hero using them).  The false door before the staircase is a failsafe for the trap; holding 
  the door open keeps the trap from going off.  Examining the door and the wall by it reveal small metal 
  hooks close to their bottoms meant for tying the door open. 
  8.  This former barracks is a shambles, torn down and scattered about, with bones and feces littered 
  over everything.  It is the home to 7 giant rats (HD ½; hp 3, 2 (x4), 1 (x2); AC 7 [12]; Atk 1 bite (1d3); 
  Save/ML 19; Move 60; HDE/XP <1/20; Special 5% are diseased).  Loud noises like gunshots cause 
  the rats to make morale checks.  There is a complete human skeleton in their nest, clutching an 
  aluminum tube holding a spell scroll (Detect Magic).  There is a light switch by the door and an empty 
  socket on the west wall.   
  9.  This is a gradually downward sloping corridor that leads down to the next level. 
  10.  The two doors here are metal and lined with lead and the floor of the 10 ft. x 10 ft. room is also 
  covered in metal.  This room can be lit by neon tubing above the translucent ceiling tiles, controlled by 
  the wall switch in the next room.  This is a teleportation room controlled by the levers in the next room.  
  The next room has a wall switch, a single overhead bulb, and one lever in each side wall.   
    
  If the lever on the right wall (as facing from the door) is up (and it is up when first found), the room 
  connects to the inside of an old shack in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  If the right lever is pulled 
  down, the room connects to the inside of a sunken ship on the bottom of Lake Superior (the average 
  Hero will require 10 turns to swim to the surface and run out of air in 2 turns without some kind of aid 
  or ability to swim underwater).  If the left lever (as facing from the door) is down (and is when first 
  found), then the teleportation effect is from the other location to the room.  If the left lever is up, then 
  the teleportation effect is from the room to the other location.   
    
  The levers can be wrecked as guns, while the teleport apparatus concealed behind each wall must 
  be wrecked as a car. 
  
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  11.  This hallway ends in a large television screen through which the Heroes can see a black-and-
  white image of whatever location the teleport room at 5e is set to (if encountered before the settings in 
  room 10 have been messed with, the television shows the two closed doors in the teleport room.  The 
  television feed is provided by remote sensors, as opposed to cameras in those locations.  The 
  television screen can be wrecked like a generator, being made of bullet-resistant glass. 
  12.   This room is full of cobwebs and a wooden set of stairs can be seen leading up the back wall.  
  The room is also home to 1 giant (large) spider (HD 2+2; hp 9; AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 poisonous bite 
  (1d6+poison); Save/ML 16; Move 60; HDE/XP 5/240; Special Poison (save or die)).  If the webs are 
  burned away before entering, the spider takes 1d6 points of damage, but comes out into the corridor 
  to attack if still alive. If the Heroes walk into the webs, they will find the webbing stronger and stickier 
  than it appeared and they will be held fast before they reach the stairs, unless the webbing is wrecked 
  (as if a door). 
   
  The stairs lead up to a one-way trapdoor back to the upper level. 
  13.  This room contains a huge, rectangular block of roughly-hewn stone that stands almost as tall as 
  the ceiling.  The alcove off the south end of the room ends at a lever that is sticking straight out.  The 
  lever can be moved in four directions.  If pulled up, the lever causes the block of stone to be moved to 
  block the north exit.  If pulled left, the block blocks the east exit.  If pulled down, the block blocks the 
  south exit.  If pulled right, the block blocks the west exit.  Pulling the lever back to the center position 
  stops the block's movement, but breaking the lever (wrecked as if a gun) ends control over the block's 
  movement but does not stop its movement.  It takes 2 turns for the block to finish moving and the 
  grinding noise is quite loud (alerting the men at rooms 5, 15, and 16).    
  14.  Behind this door, instead of a shifting block, is a shifting room and corridor.  Normally, the secret 
  door opens onto a one-way passage to room 15, but when the block in room 13 is blocking its or north 
  exit, the secret door opens on a 20 ft. x 20 ft. room.  This room has a light switch, plugged in desk 
  lamp, desk, a 20-year old pay ledger for a “construction” company, and a locked footlocker containing 
  a sack of 310 dimes and a briefcase holding $600 in 3 stacks of 10 $20 bills. 
  15.  This is a storage area.  There is a crate marked cartridges, another marked kerosene, a third 
  marked light bulbs, and a fourth marked guns that only has 5 guns in it, one of them an Automatic 
  Pistol+1.  There are two metal dollies in the room, each capable of holding three crates.  The shorter 
  alcove to the west contains four crates of salted meat, two barrels of beer, two barrels of water, and 
  two dozen bottles of Coca-Cola.  The contents of the longer alcove are left up to the Editor to decide. 
    
  There is a locked hatch on the floor in the center of the room.  Under the hatch is a wheel.  
  Turning the wheel causes the whole room to spin in the opposite direction the wheel is turned.  The 
  room spins slowly, so that one man can turn the room 5 ft. per turn and two men can turn the room 10 
  ft. per turn.  As soon as the room has been turned at least 5 ft., the door leading east cannot be 
  opened into the room any longer and the alcoves can be sealed off.  So long as the room is not 
  sealed, there is a 3 in 6 chance per turn of 1d6 cowardly hoodlums (HD 1-1; AC 9 [10]; Atk 50% 1 
  revolver (1d6) or 50% 1 blackjack (1d6); Save/ML 19/20; HDE/XP >1/20; Special Save to avoid 
  attacking hoodlums) coming to the room via the east door to fetch supplies. 
  16a.  The short hallway south of room 16 is always guarded by 1 thug (HD 2; hp 9; AC 5 [14]; Atk 1 
  semi-automatic pistol (1d6) or 1 spiked brass knuckles (1d6); Save/ML 17/15; Move 60; HDE/XP 2/80; 
  Special None).  The thug's room only has a chair, a small table, a desk lamp, an empty Coca-Cola 
  bottle, and 2 books of illustrated erotic literature to keep him company.  His wallet holds $25.  The 
  thug is wearing a bulletproof vest and is of Chaotic Alignment.   
  
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  16.  Combat with the thug alerts the main room's occupant, Mbooboo the Witch Doctor (M-U 3; hp 8; 
  AC 8 [11]; Atk 1 dagger (1d6); Save/ML 13/16; Move 60; HDE/XP 4/120; Special Spells (Charm 
  Person, Hold Portal, Phantasmal Forces)).  Mbooboo wears a Ring of Protection +1.  His furnishings 
  include a bedroll, a collection of animal skulls on a shelf, and a wardrobe holding four changes of 
  clothing.  At the back of the wardrobe is a sack containing $100, a passport from Haiti giving his real 
  name as Henry Cutler, and two vials of blood.  If given time, Mbooboo summons the four zombies 
  (HD 1+1; hp 6 (x2), 5 (x2); AC 8 [11]; Atk 1 club (1d6); Save/ML 17/1; Move 30; HDE/XP 1/40; Special 
  Immune to sleep and charm) from the adjoining secret room to defend him and, if his morale fails, 
  uses that secret room to try and escape.           
  STOCKING THE UNDERWORLD 
  This section deals with traps, mobsters, and trophies. 
  Traps:  Besides those already indicated on the 
  sample level, there are any number of ways to 
  trick or trap the Heroes, inside or outside of a 
  hideout.  Any preplanned event that causes or 
  threatens harm is a trap.  Most traps do damage, 
  just as combat does, and is subject to all the same 
  game mechanics.  There should usually be a 
  chance to avoid a trap, such as making a saving 
  throw to avoid falling through a pit trap or rolling to 
  hit for a tripwire-triggered crossbow.  Generally, a 
  trap should do no more damage than 1d6 per level 
  of the hideout (or average level of the Heroes, if 
  not in a hideout).   
  The traps detailed through the rest of this section are specific examples taken from Terry and the 
  Pirates, Dick Tracy, the adventures of Superman in Action Comics, of the Human Torch in Marvel 
  Mystery Comics, and of “The Bat-Man” in Detective Comics, all between 1933 and 1939.  These 
  traps, then, would be appropriate for a range of campaigns, from high adventure in exotic locales to 
  urban crime drama to macabre tales of suspense.   
  Damage from most traps is generally nonlethal, just like combat (though it is up to the Editor to make 
  sure the traps appear to be lethal).  The following are some examples of nonlethal traps:   
   A slide drops you into a pool full of alligators (a kindly Editor gives Heroes a chance to have fed 
  the alligators earlier). 
   When you walk through a doorway, a bucket of pitch falls on your head, you step into a rope 
  snare, and it hoists you up off your feet. 
   Pipes in a hallway spray gasoline on you, and then a mobster emerges from a door with a lit 
  torch. 
   A bowl of “walnuts” are actually disguised knockout gas bombs. 
   The wooden shack you are in is set on fire and was rigged to collapse once it started burning. 
   A damsel in distress on the side of the road claims to need a ride.  In your car, she smashes 
  her fake heel and fills the car with knockout gas. 
   A door frame wired with electricity that paralyzes the first person walking through it. 
   A portcullis lowers on either side of you, trapping you in a room where a giant ape is 
  descending a rope into the room with you. 
  
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   A magical, silver net appears out of nowhere and drags you to the ground. 
   You fall into a wolf den. 
   You find yourself in a garden where the flowers all have human faces (probably due to a 
  hallucinogenic gas).  You go a little nutty and only after a saving throw can you collect your wits 
  and escape. 
   A trap door opens on a pit with water at the bottom (a kindly Editor puts a pipe sticking out from 
  the wall to grab). 
   A stuck door that opens over a water tank; the first person to bash it open falls in (because the 
  tank stays uncovered, the risk of drowning is slight). 
  Guns:  It is worth noting that guns, unless incorporated into a deathtrap, can never do lethal damage.  
  Heroes are always getting just grazed or winged by bullets, or take one in the arm, but after a few 
  weeks in a sling is as good as new.  Plus, Heroes have their special saving throw against guns.  
  However, mobsters should not generally be aware of how useless their guns are against Heroes 
  (perhaps an arch-foe could save against plot to realize this).   
  Already in Book 2 was introduced the concept of lethal poison from animal bites.  There are some 
  things that are too lethal to merely render a Hero unconscious and they are the following:  drowning, 
  falling, and poison, and the supernatural.  Only in these four conditions can a trap be accidental and 
  lethal.    
  Drowning:  It is recommended that all Heroes be able to swim unless encumbered by more than 100 
  lbs.  Unless aided by magic or powers, Heroes should be able to hold their breath for 1d3 minutes 
  before losing consciousness.  In 10 rounds after losing consciousness, if still underwater, those 
  Heroes will die.    
  Falling:  Heroes can fall 10 ft. per level of the Hero and still take nonlethal damage.  Any fall past that 
  distance will do lethal damage.  Falling does 1d6 damage per 10 ft. fallen. 
  Poison:  With poisoned animals, Book 2 gave random ranges for poison onset times.  Those ranges 
  are good guidelines, but the Editor is encouraged to fudge the onset time so there is at least a chance 
  of the Hero being cured.  For example, if the normal onset range is 1d6 hours, but the Hero is 8 hours 
  from the nearest hospital, it is advisable to make the onset range 1d8+1 hours instead. 
  Supernatural:  Heroes take nonlethal damage from any spell of a spell level he would be able to cast 
  if he was a Magic-User of the same level.  For example, a 3rd level Fighter would take nonlethal 
  damage from a Phantasmal Force spell, but would take lethal damage from a Fireball spell.  Some 
  magical effects, such as the energy drain of some forms of undead, can always kill. 
  Deathtraps:  A deathtrap is a special type of trap.  If a Hero is rendered unconscious, surrenders, or is 
  otherwise powerless and at the mercy of a mobster, the mobster will choose to place the Hero in a 
  deathtrap rather than kill him outright.  Often the deathtrap will incorporate one or more conditions that 
  can cause death accidentally, though in a deathtrap any damage can be lethal damage.  Taking the 
  first example above, fighting alligators after sliding into a pit of them will usually lead to no more than 
  unconsciousness; but if the Hero's hands are tied and he is pushed down into the alligator pit (usually 
  after the obligatory monologue where the villain's plans are revealed), then he could die in the combat 
  there.  
  The following are some example of deathtraps: 
   A mobster offers you a case supposedly containing evidence.  The case actually holds 
  compressed poison gas that can blind the opener and, if opened in a room 15 ft. x 15 ft. or 
  
  11 
   
  smaller, can poison everyone in the room. 
   You have been sealed inside an empty metal tank that has a blowtorch trained on it, doing slow 
  and steady heat damage to you (a kindly Editor might have the torch weaken the soldering on 
  the tank before you lose consciousness). 
   Walls slam down in the tunnel before and behind you.  Water starts to flood the opening you 
  are in.  A mobster opens a trapdoor high above you to gloat. 
   A mobster (feigning politeness) pours you poisoned tea and asks you nicely to drink it. 
   Your arms are chained and hanging from a rafter overhead.  Water starts pouring into the room 
  from a hole in the wall.  A lantern spills flaming oil on top of the rising water (a kindly Editor 
  hides a crowbar within reach). 
   You are strapped to the floor and a glass gas chamber descends from the ceiling over you.  
  Poison gas is pumped into the gas chamber (the gas-jet can be stopped with a handkerchief, 
  but a tougher Editor could make the glass bulletproof). 
   You fall through a sliding door and into a net trap, which in turn slowly descends into a 
  poisonous snake pit. 
   You are tied up and left in a house where an incendiary bomb is set to go off in five minutes. 
   You are tied to the outer edge of a giant spinning wheel that, when it gets up to full speed, will 
  dash you against the far wall. 
   The doors to the room slam shut and lock and mustard gas pours into the room from a pipe. 
   You are tied in a sack and dumped off a pier to drown underwater. 
  Traps and Non-Human Heroes:  It is worth noting how many deathtraps above are water-based 
  drowning traps and that all mermen Heroes are immune to them.  If mermen start becoming a 
  preferred character race because of too many water-based traps, then the Editor should shake things 
  up by replacing water with something else – maybe the Heroes fall in a vat of wine instead of water, or 
  the room fills up with sand instead of water (smothering would work the same as drowning).   
  Androids are already particularly vulnerable to traps, since water, nitrogen, and lack of oxygen all 
  remove most of their race-based abilities.   
  If aliens, inherently more powerful than the other races, are riding roughshod over one's campaign, the 
  Editor is within his rights to introduce an “Achilles' heel” specific to that alien race.  Perhaps exposure 
  to a specific element weakens the alien, or something else at the Editor's discretion.    
  Mobsters:  In general, there should be more uninhabited rooms in a hideout than inhabited, with a 
  good ratio being 2:1.  A mob will need lots of storage space for their ill-gotten goods and Heroes 
  invading a hideout will need places to rest between battles.  It is a good idea to plan the location of the 
  most important mobsters and leave their underlings to random placement.  For random placement, 
  use the tables below.  The number of mobsters is best determined by the level of the hideout, the level 
  of the Heroes, and the available space in a particular room.  Also see the hierarchical mobster table 
  from Book II for guidelines on number of mobsters. 
    Most adventures are designed so the players can choose how risky they want to get. The classic 
  hideout adventure gives the players the choice of whether to “go for it” in a lower, more dangerous 
  level or to be cautious and adventure in areas that aren‟t so risky (but have fewer trophies). I suggest 
  that ANY adventure ought to give the players some choice about how fast they‟re going to go into the 
  riskier areas. It doesn‟t matter whether you‟re running a metropolis adventure or a classic hideout – 
  giving the players decisions is part of the fun for them.  When you design metropolis areas, try to have 
  some areas that are more dangerous and some that are less – and figure out a way to let the players 
  know where these are. It‟s obvious in a hideout that the lower levels are riskier and richer; in a 
  metropolis adventure, you‟ve got to work a little harder to communicate the risk levels to the players, 
  but it‟s worth it. 
   
  
  12 
   
    At each “Level,” whether it‟s how deep into a hideout or how far into a city they‟ve gone, the players 
  ought to know they‟re moving into an area where there‟s a somewhat predictable level of risk and 
  reward. The first thing to keep in mind is that a mobster’s challenge level isn‟t the same as the “level” 
  on which it‟s found: challenge level is really about calculating experience points. The table below gives 
  you an idea of what might be found in a particular “level” of a hideout or city. The table is NOT a rule; 
  it‟s a guideline. Use your judgment.  Level One has the lowest level of risk, and the lowest level of 
  trophies. Players are never guaranteed that every encounter is “beatable” at a particular level, though. 
  Survival depends on knowing when to run and when to get tricky; assuming that every encounter is 
  designed to “fit” the party‟s combat capabilities is a sure way to die. 
    Table 1: Mobster Level Generation (Levels 1–5) 
  Die 
  Level 1 
  Level 2 
  Level 3 
  Level 4 
  Level 5 
  1 
  1d12 HDE <1 
  2d12 HDE <1 
  4d12 HDE <1 
  5d20 HDE <1 
  Roll again 
  2 
  1d10 HDE <1 
  2d10 HDE <1 
  4d10 HDE <1 
  5d10 HDE <1 
  5d20 HDE <1 
  3 
  1d8 HDE 1 
  1d12 HDE 1 
  3d8 HDE 1  
  4d12 HDE 1 
  5d10 HDE 1 
  4 
  1d4 HDE 2 
  1d8 HDE 2 
  2d6 HDE 2  
  3d8 HDE 2  
  4d12 HDE 2  
  5 
  1 HDE 3  
  1d4 HDE 3 
  1d8 HDE 3  
  2d6 HDE 3  
  3d8 HDE 3  
  6 
  1 HDE 4  
  1 HDE 4  
  1d4 HDE 4  
  1d8 HDE 4  
  2d6 HDE 4  
  7 
  – 
  1 HDE 5  
  1 HDE 5  
  1d4 HDE 5  
  1d8 HDE 5  
  8 
  – 
  Roll again 
  1 HDE 6  
  1 HDE 6 
  1d2 HDE 6  
  9 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  1 HDE 7  
  1 HDE 7  
  10 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  Roll again 
  Roll again 
   
    Table 2: Mobster Level Generation (Levels 6–10) 
  Die 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Level 9 
  Level 10 
  1 
  5d20 HDE 1 
  5d20 HDE 2 
  5d20 HDE 3 
  5d20 HDE 4 
  5d30 HDE 5 
  2 
  5d10 HDE 2 
  5d10 HDE 3 
  5d10 HDE 4 
  5d10 HDE 5 
  5d10 HDE 6 
  3 
  4d12 HDE 3 
  4d12 HDE 4  
  4d12 HDE 5 
  4d12 HDE 6  
  4d12 HDE 7  
  4 
  3d8 HDE 4  
  3d8 HDE 5  
  3d8 HDE 6  
  3d8 HDE 7  
  3d8 HDE 8  
  5 
  2d6 HDE 5  
  2d6 HDE 6  
  2d6 HDE 7  
  2d6 HDE 8  
  2d6 HDE 9  
  6 
  1d8 HDE 6  
  1d8 HDE 7  
  1d8 HDE 8  
  1d8 HDE 9  
  1d8 HDE 10  
  7 
  1d4 HDE 7  
  1d4 HDE 8  
  1d4 HDE 9  
  1d4 HDE 10  
  1d4 HDE 11  
  8 
  1 HDE 8  
  1 HDE 9 
  1 HDE 10 
  1 HDE 11 
  1 HDE 12+  
  Wandering Mobsters:  At the end of every turn, the Editor can roll 1d6 to see if a “wandering 
  mobster” is encountered.  This random encounter could be “floating reinforcements” wandering the 
  hideout or, in a smaller mob, taken directly from the mob’s roster of planned encounters.  The 
  “wandering mobster” may not be a crook at all, but animals or other creatures simply detecting the 
  Heroes’ presence and investigating.  There is generally a 1 in 6 chance of attracting a wandering 
  mobster, though this could be increased to 2 in 6 in a highly-populated area of the hideout, or as low 
  as 1 in 8 for an almost-deserted area of the hideout.   
  To determine the direction the wandering mobster came from, assign randomly, unless circumstances 
  strongly suggest one direction over others. 
  Rather than always being completely random, it can be a good idea to have random charts pre-
  prepared for the hideout expedition, such as the following:    
   
  
  13 
   
  Sample Mobster Level Tables: 
  Table 3:  Level <1 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
   
   
   
   
   
  1 
  Half-Pints 
  2 
  Cowardly Hoodlums 
  3 
  Giant Rats 
  4 
  Giant Vampire Bats 
  5 
  Creeper Vines 
  6 
  Roll Again 
  Table 4:  Level 1 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
   
   
  1 
  Vamps 
  2 
  Corrupt Politicians 
  3 
  Bandits 
  4 
  Mediums 
  5 
  Crooked Beat Cops 
  6 
  Slick Hoodlums 
  7 
  Drunken Hoodlums 
  8 
  Brigands 
  Table 5:  Level 2 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
  1 
  Thugs 
  2 
  Crooked Detectives 
  3 
  Magicians 
  4 
  Giant (small) Spiders 
  5 
  Bad Men 
  6 
  Giant Centipedes 
  7 
  Dervishes 
  8 
  Yellow Peril Hoodlums 
   
  Table 6:  Level 3 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
  1 
  Cavemen 
  2 
  Crooked Sergeants 
  3 
  Sages 
  4 
  Apes 
  5 
  Evil Great Men 
  6 
  Master Criminals 
  7 
  Mermen 
  8 
  Iron Robots 
  
  14 
   
  Table 7:  Level 4 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
  1 
  Ogres 
  2 
  Evil Extraordinary Men 
  3 
  Crooked Lieutenants 
  4 
  Alligators 
  5 
  Warlocks 
  6 
  Aliens 
  7 
  Giant (medium) Centipedes 
  8 
  Lions 
  Table 8:  Level 5 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
  1 
  Werewolves 
  2 
  Crooked Captains 
  3 
  Spellbinders 
  4 
  Evil Remarkable Men 
  5 
  Centaurs 
  6 
  Fu Manchus 
  7 
  Genghis Khans 
  8 
  Grey Oozes 
  Table 9:  Level 6 Mobsters 
  Roll  
  Mobsters 
  1 
  Giant (large) Centipedes 
  2 
  Crooked Majors 
  3 
  Sorcerers 
  4 
  Evil Fantastic Men 
  5 
  Gargoyles 
  6 
  (medium) Magma Monsters 
  Trophies:  As with mobsters, it is a good idea to plan out the locations of the best trophies and leave 
  just the lesser ones to random placement.  There are basically three types of trophies – ones being 
  used by mobsters, ones being used for traps, and ones that are concealed.   
  The same trophy could be any of those three.  For example, a mobster with a gas gun would likely 
  make use of it in combat, but he might also rig it to fill a room with gas when the doors shut, or he 
  might feel the gas gun is valuable enough to keep in a safe.   
  Note how many trap examples, listed previously, made use of some sort of item that, if the trap does 
  not use up the item, could be collected afterwards as a trophy.   
  There is no end to the variety of places one could use to hide trophies, from a false book to a secret 
  room.  In the case of exceptionally valuable trophies, it is a good idea to combine a trap with the 
  trophy's hiding place.  In the example of a chute leading to an alligator pit, the chute might be 
  protecting a trophy in a sack hanging from the ceiling right over the cover of the chute.     
  Whether the trophies should be magical or hi-tech should depend on the theme of each section of the 
  hideout (like the “witchdoctor” section in the above hideout sample).  Likewise, the presence of 
  modern currency should be kept to a minimum in magic areas, replaced by valuable gems and 
  jewelry.  In general, there should be about a 45% chance of finding a trophy in an inhabited room and 
  a 20% chance of finding one in an uninhabited room. 
  When the trophy is money, the most common forms of currency found should be pennies, dimes, and 
  
  15 
   
  dollars.  The Editor may be as inventive as possible with alternatives, stocking hideouts with bank 
  promissory notes, insurance policies, property deeds, savings bonds, and the like.   
  See Book II for details on how to assign trophy values based on Hit Dice Equivalence.   
  Keeping It Fresh:  As a hideout's mobsters are captured and shipped off to the local authorities, the 
  hideout is increasingly in danger of becoming empty and, thus, boring.  The players will quickly pick up 
  on ways to circumvent whole levels they believe to be cleared out, such as by careful mapping 
  hideouts.  Though players should not be discouraged from going as deep into a multi-level hideout as 
  their Heroes are ready for, it is still a good idea to make periodic alterations to the already-explored 
  levels, such as the following: 
   All it takes is one well-stocked bricklayer to block off whole sections of the hideout, or reroute 
  Heroes around paths they are too accustomed to taking through the hideout already, 
   A mysteriously left-open secret door in a place the Heroes had never searched before is a 
  good way to introduce some new rooms, or even a whole previously unseen sub-level, to a 
  hideout, or  
   The mob recruits!  Or a rival mob moves in.  Or some weird creatures from a subterranean 
  realm move in after digging their way into the hideout from underneath.  In other words, the 
  Editor is discouraged from leaving an empty hideout empty for too long – as long as the 
  players are still interested in exploring it. 
  EXPLORING THE UNDERWORLD 
  Movement in the Hideout:  In combat turns of 1 minute, Heroes can move 60 ft. per turn (or 120 ft. 
  running, as per the modifiers in Book I).  When Heroes are in exploration turns of 10 minutes -- taking 
  the time to search, map, etc. -- a turn's worth of movement is still 60 ft. (all assuming a 60 ft. base 
  movement rate).  If charging, pursuing, fleeing, or simply speeding through the hideout without caring 
  where they are going, Heroes can move up to three times this speed.   
  Searching in the Hideout:  The lower movement rate allows a normal chance of uncovering anything 
  concealed (but not secret) passed within a 5 ft. radius, but searching a larger room or even a wide 
  hallway may take longer.  The following mechanics are recommended for dealing with searching:    
    Listening at Doors: Listening at a door has a 1 in 6 chance of success for humans; non-human 
  characters most likely have better hearing than humans and can hear noises with a 2 in 6 chance of 
  success.  NOTE:  Unless the noise is particularly loud, it should not be audible at all unless the Hero is 
  within 80 ft. of the noise (40 ft. through a door).  The Editor should judge accordingly, with moaning, 
  clanking, shuffling, or muttering sounds being those that might be heard, while screams and gunshots 
  should definitely be heard without the need to roll.  Note that aliens will have a 2 in 6 chance to hear 
  noises at levels 2-3, and a 3 in 6 chance at levels 4+.   
   
    Opening doors: Stuck doors (and many doors in an ancient dungeon may be stuck closed) have only 
  a 2 in 6 chance of opening on the first try. Smashing through a door with (up to 3) characters gives 
  each character a normal chance of success, but they will spill into the room and should automatically 
  lose initiative if there are mobsters within.  NOTE:  Superheroes open stuck doors by wrecking things.  
  Mobsters “native” to the hideout are familiar with the ways of opening all its doors and do not need to 
  roll to open them.  Most doors (if they were not destroyed by wrecking) will close on their own after 1 
  turn of being left open.  Doors can be wedged open, but there is still a 2 in 6 chance of them closing. 
   
    Secret Doors: Secret doors are not spotted by chance while passing by; they must be searched for. 
  
  16 
   
  Searching for a secret door takes a turn (10 minutes of game time) for a 10 ft segment of wall (or, 
  optionally, a 10 ft. cube). Humans have a 2 in 6 chance to find a secret door while searching. 
   
    Traps and Pits: Anyone passing over or through the trigger for a trap has a 2 in 6 chance to spring 
  the trap. It is suggested (but not required) that for traps involving a mechanical trigger (such as a 
  pressure plate), that an android has a 1 in 6 chance to notice the features of a trap before passing 
  over/through it, as long as he is moving at a careful speed; and that he has a 3 in 6 chance to notice 
  features of a trap when he is searching (one turn per ten-foot square of wall or floor). Identifying the 
  features of a trap does not tell the android how to disarm the trap (although in some cases the 
  disarming mechanism might be obvious once the trap‟s visible features are identified).  NOTE:  Heroes 
  increase their chance of setting off a trap to 4 in 6 by moving faster than normal speed. 
  Concealed doors/items can be found on a 2 in 6 chance if the Heroes are moving at exploration speed 
  within 5 ft. of the concealed thing.  This chance rises to 3 in 6 if the Heroes know exactly what they are 
  looking for (such as being told there is a concealed door in the room), or 4 in 6 if 2 or more turns are 
  spent searching.   
  Most hideouts will be equipped with some source of illumination – whether it be torches in sconces or 
  electric lights.  However, most of the hideout should still be dark when encountered by the Heroes – 
  torches unlit or the light switches are not conveniently nearby.  Heroes will likely have to rely on 
  carrying their own light source to guarantee they can always see where they are going.  They may be 
  seeing by anything from single matches (5 ft. radius) to kerosene lamps (40 ft. radius), but their most 
  likely means of “hi-tech” illumination is the flashlight (80 ft. long ray, up to 10 ft. wide).  Note that the 
  widespread use of electric lights or other bright lights in a hideout means everyone will see everyone 
  else at line of sight.  Also note below how the presence of light negates the chance of gaining surprise. 
  Surprise Conditions in Hideouts:  the Editor determines if one side gets a free initiative phase 
  before the first initiative roll. This is either through common sense (Heroes or mobsters are not alert), 
  or it can be a range of probability (e.g., a particular ambush has only a 50% chance of succeeding 
  when the victims are alert and watchful).  Conditions such as bright light, excessive noise, or divination 
  magic can negate surprise.  In most situations, there will be a 2 in 6 chance of surprise on both sides.  
  If one party is surprised, the other parties gain a free turn of action (even if that action is to run away).     
   
  Anyone who is surprised and 1 HD or less has a 1 in 4 chance of dropping some item in hand.  This 
  chance becomes 1 in 6 at 2 HD, 1 in 8 at 3 HD, and disappears for anyone with more than 3 HD. 
  Time in Hideouts:  Melee turns, when combat is occurring, are only 1 minute long.  Exploration turns, 
  when there is danger nearby, but no imminent threat of combat, are 10 minutes long.  The Editor and 
  
  17 
   
  players may wish to refer to melee turns as rounds to distinguish them exploration turns, but they 
  follow the same rules.  A power or spell activated during exploration turns has the same number of 
  turns left to its duration if a switch is made to combat turns. 
  There will likely be times when Heroes will hole up in a relatively safe area of the hideout with the 
  intent of doing nothing but resting and/or healing.  These rest-turns last 4 hours, equal to the amount 
  of time it takes to regain 1 hp through rest.  There has to be some degree of safety and not just the 
  perception of safety on the part of the Heroes.  Resting in a locked room constitutes spending rest 
  turns.  Resting in an empty room just because it is currently empty means the Heroes are still moving 
  in exploration turns. 
  Avoiding Mobsters:  Mobsters will automatically attack and pursue any Heroes encountered under 
  most circumstances.  Mobsters who have already failed a morale check are an obvious exception.  
  Outnumbered mobsters are also less likely to pursue combat; if outnumbered 2 to 1, there is only a 3 
  in 6 chance the mobsters will still wish to fight.  Mobsters avoiding Heroes will always choose to 
  retreat first, surrendering only as a last resort. 
  For Heroes, avoiding mobsters once they are within melee range can be difficult, as the two parties 
  can still attack each other as long as they remain within 10 ft. of each other.  If the Heroes are fleeing 
  and have faster movement rates than the mobsters pursuing, then the mobsters will break pursuit as 
  soon as the Heroes are 40 ft. or more ahead of them.  If this is not possible, then the Heroes will have 
  to move out of line of sight with the mobsters as much as possible.  Every time the Heroes round a 
  corner or go through a door, there is generally a 3 in 6 chance of the mobsters pursuing them stopping 
  (1 in 6 if they go through a secret door).   
  Superheroes have the option of wrecking things behind them, creating debris that will slow or halt 
  pursuit.  The chance of halting pursuit is determined by the level of wrecking done as follows:  a 1 in 6 
  chance of wrecking doors halting pursuit, a 2 in 6 chance of wrecking machines halting pursuit, a 3 in 
  6 chance of wrecking generators halting pursuit, and so on.  Even if not halted, pursuers will move at 
  half their movement rate on any turn they have to move through wrecked debris (though the 
  Superhero moves half his movement rate too while wrecking). 
  There are other methods for halting pursuit.  Burning oil will deter most mobsters.  There are spells 
  that are specifically useful for halting pursuit.  Dropping treasure has a 1% chance of deterring pursuit 
  per dollar amount of dropped treasure.  Dropping food has a 90% chance of halting animals, a 50% 
  chance of stopping other creatures, and a 10% chance of distracting really hungry intelligent 
  mobsters.  Neither dropping treasure nor food will halt the undead, though dropping holy relics 
  (crosses, holy water, etc.) has a 50% chance of working. 
  EXAMPLE OF THE EDITOR MODERATING A HIDEOUT EXPEDITION 
  (From “Reuter Mansion”, chapter 2, at 
  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4668538/1/Hideouts_&_Hoodlums_Reuter_Mansion)  
   
  The front porch sagged and groaned loudly as it was stepped on, as if announcing their presence.  
  Zanzibar, still looking unworried, flicked his cigarette against the wall of the house.  The front door was 
  not locked, nor did it even seem to be closed tight.  Sheena swung the door open to reveal the 
  wrecked interior.  Rooms were stocked with more debris than furnishings, though some contained 
  sheet-covered chairs and cabinets that, upon inspection, looked like they could be valuable antiques.  
  Most of the inside walls had their wallpaper torn down and holes torn through the walls themselves.  
  The hardwood floors creaked and groaned savagely under every footstep, but the whole house 
  seemed to be silent and still except for the presence of the seven fresh intruders.         
  
  18 
   
   
  [The Editor has described the flavor text, probably from prepared notes, and then gives the players 
  time to call their intended actions and roleplay.] 
   
  Sheena drew her knife and The Arrow cocked an arrow in his bow.  The others, all unarmed, simply 
  stayed alert. 
   
  “Let's try the kitchen,” Wonder Man suggested.  “That seems a likely place to find a way down.” 
   
  The kitchen's slate countertops had been torn off the cabinets and the potbelly stove in the corner had 
  been knocked over, its chimney hanging loose from the ceiling.  There was a narrow set of stairs from 
  the larder leading down to a small cellar, but as hard as they searched that cellar, they could find no 
  secret entrance to a larger underground hideout. 
   
  [The Editor has either consulted notes on the kitchen or made up the details on the fly.  There is no 
  secret entrance from the cellar, but the Editor does not have to tell the players this.  He can let them 
  keep rolling for secret door detection all day, if they so wish.] 
   
  “Could these rumors have been simply untrue?” Sheena asked. 
   
  “I don't believe it,” The Arrow said.  “We've got to search the whole house.” 
   
  The search of the house never went beyond the ground floor, as the coat room turned out to have a 
  concealed staircase at the back.  The wooden steps descended past brick walls to a cement platform.  
  Below that, cement steps took them past cement walls that held back the earth and clay outside.  They 
  were descending deep now, deep enough that Wonder Man and Amazing-Man had to stop and 
  produce flashlights from their backpacks.  Twin beams of light flicked into existence and fought back 
  the darkness from the advancing adventurers.  Cobwebs hung in the corners and the slime trails of 
  slugs crisscrossed the cement floor.  Tiny centipedes skittered out of reach of their feet.  The 
  atmosphere was faux-medieval, like a recreation of a castle dungeon, until Amazing-Man's light beam 
  landed on a light fixture, missing its light bulb, mounted high on the right wall.  It was a reminder that, 
  despite the primitive look of their surroundings, the hideout was wired for electricity and was more 
  modern, more dangerous than any medieval castle dungeon could have been. 
   
  [Finding the concealed staircase was either the result of dice rolls for searching or, since the finding of 
  it is crucial to the whole adventure, the Editor could have given it to them as a freebie.  The Editor has 
  modified his prepared flavor text to incorporate intentions from the players, such as which Heroes are 
  turning on their flashlights.] 
   
  “Has anyone ever seen centipedes this size before?” The Wizard asked quietly. 
   
  “In Africa,” Sheena whispered back, “but I did not think your continent grew them at this size. 
   
  There were side passages ahead, but they led nowhere except back to where the main passage led.  
  The main passage led to a wedge-shaped room filled with cobwebs and, through a door on the far 
  side, to a second, identically shaped room that formed a half-circle with the other.  This room was 
  more free of cobwebs and had a C-shaped, narrow pit in the floor.  The pit was long, but not deep; its 
  original purpose was unclear, but now it was partially filled with some kind of stinking, decayed matter.  
  And crawling through that matter... 
   
  [This last paragraph would have taken up much more game time than it took to describe it.  At each 
  side passage, the Editor would have paused to wait for the players to announce which direction they 
  wished to go.  The Heroes would have found the doors to be stuck and had to bash or wreck them.  
  
  19 
   
  The players would have declared their intent to either search the rooms (which seems not to have 
  happened here) or which direction to move in on.] 
   
  “How about this size?” Wonder Man asked as he gazed at the 18-inch long centipede crawling over 
  the top of the decayed matter. 
   
  Some of the others leaned over the shallow pit and looked in with differing degrees of revulsion as 
  another centipede of about the same size crawled out of the rot.   
   
  “Seen any that big in Africa?” Shock Gibson asked Sheena. 
   
  Sheena just turned up her nose and looked away. 
   
  “I doubt anyone has seen centipedes this size outside the Amazon,” Amazing-Man said, still training 
  his flashlight on the pit.   
   
  [Neither the Heroes nor the centipedes has surprise.  Rather, the Editor has simply chosen that the 
  centipedes do not attack unless disturbed.  The players have revealed by implication that they would 
  rather roleplay about the encounter than prepare for combat.] 
   
  “Yeah, looking at bugs is fascinating,” Wonder Man said louder and with obvious sarcasm.  Everyone 
  looked around and found Wonder Man standing by the curved outer wall of the room.  “How about we 
  examine this door-shaped crack in the wall instead?”  He shone his flashlight all around the crack for 
  the others to observe as they came over, ignoring the pit. 
  [Wonder Man’s player has finally decided to search a room.  The player rolled well enough to find the 
  secret door.] 
  THE METROPOLIS:  Usually far from the remote lairs that hide the entrances to the underworld, the 
  metropolis is the center for urban life for at least tens of thousands of people (technically, 50,000+, or 
  double that amount counting suburbs, though a looser definition will be used throughout this work).  
  The routine, everyday lives of all those bustling, productive citizens are not easily maintained, for there 
  are many forces looking to corrupt or destroy those lives.  Organized crime lurks in the night, the 
  strange man on the docks might be a master criminal waiting for some exotic cargo from the Orient, 
  and who knows what might be crawling out of the sewers into the back alleys. 
  It is up to each Editor to decide if the campaign metropolis will be a real life city, like Cleveland or New 
  York City, or a fictional metropolis.  There are advantages to both; real cities have a wealth of historical 
  information and maps that can be useful for recreating the city in the era in which your campaign is 
  set, yet a fictional metropolis gives you more freedom to design everything from the ground up without 
  worrying about historical authenticity.   
  While it would be wonderfully handy to have an accurate map of the metropolis, circa 1939, the Editor 
  is not expected to procure such a document.  A crude map could be hand-drawn, showing major 
  roads, large geographic features, and the location of 10-100 encounter areas.  This approach can 
  work equally well with real life cities as with fictional metropolises, so long as the Editor and his 
  players are not too stuck on historical accuracy.  Conversely, even the Editor and players intent on 
  creating their own metropolis would be well-served to examine a real life city and use it as at least a 
  loose model for their design.   
   
  
  20 
   
  STOCKING THE METROPOLIS 
  While the hideout will be primarily stocked with mobsters – that is, antagonists for the Heroes to defeat 
  – the metropolis will have to be stocked with a wider variety of characters.  The metropolis will have its 
  share of mobsters too, but it is also the primary source of supporting cast members and plot hook 
  characters.   
   
  Mobsters:  Stocking the metropolis with mobsters is not unlike stocking the underworld.  The following 
  lists of metropolises, and their populations circa 1939, are arranged into “levels” similar to the levels of 
  a hideout.  A “level 1” city would be a small city, say with a population around 14,560,  with small risks 
  for novice Heroes – refer to level 1 on the Mobster Level Generation tables from the previous section 
  to find what Hit Dice Equivalent of mobsters might be found lurking in that city.  The expectation is that 
  the Heroes will move on to bigger and more important cities as they progress.  So a “level 2” city, with 
  a population around 29,120, would generate encounters from level 2 on that same table.  A “level 3” 
  metropolis would be any metropolis with a population around 58, 240.  Doubling population at each 
  level and comparing against the 1940 Census yields the following tables:  
  Table 10:  Level 4 Metropolises 
  Roll 
  Place 
   
   
      Population  
  1 
  Fort Wayne, Ind. 
  118,410 
  2 
  Camden, NJ. 
  117,536 
  3 
  Erie, Pa. 
  116,955 
  4 
  Fall River, Mass. 
  115,428  
  5 
  Wichita, Kans. 
  114,966  
  6 
  Wilmington, Del. 
  112,504 
  Table 11:  Level 5 Metropolises 
  Roll 
  Place 
   
   
        Population 
  1 
  San Antonio, Tex. 
  253,854  
  2 
  Providence, R.I. 
  253,504   
  3 
  Akron, Ohio 
  244,791 
  4 
  Omaha, Nebr. 
  223,844  
  5 
  Dayton, Ohio 
  210,718  
  6 
  Syracuse, N.Y. 
  205,967 
   
  
  21 
   
  Table 12:  Level 6 Metropolises 
  Roll 
  Place 
   
   
       Population 
  1 
  Buffalo, N.Y. 
  575,901 
  2 
  New Orleans, La. 
  494,537  
  3 
  Minneapolis, Minn. 
  492,370 
  4 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 
  455,610  
  5 
  Newark, N.J. 
  429,760  
  6 
  Kansas City, Mo. 
  399,178  
  Table 13:  Level 7 Metropolises 
  Roll 
  Place 
   
   
       Population 
  1 
  Cleveland, Ohio 
  878,336 
  2 
  Baltimore, Md. 
  859,100 
  3 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  816,048 
  4 
  Boston, Mass. 
  770,816 
  Table 14:  Level 8 Metropolises 
  Roll 
  Place 
   
   
       Population 
  1 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  1,931,334 
  2 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  1,623,452 
  3 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  1,504,277 
  Further extrapolating from these tables, the only level 9 metropolis would be Chicago (pop. 
  3,396,808), while New York City (pop. 7,454,995) would be the only level 10 metropolis.  Of course, 
  the Editor is free to move cities to any level at his discretion and fictional metropolises are entirely at 
  his discretion.  For the most part, mobsters in the metropolis are wandering encounters.  If 
  encountered in their lair, that would be a hideout and needs to be handled accordingly.    
  Supporting Cast Members:  Stocking the metropolis with supporting cast members will most often be 
  location-based decision-making.  If the Editor has done any research or other preparation on the 
  metropolis in advance, he should have a good idea as to what types of businesses and services are 
  provided there.  For example, if the city has a hospital, both the Editor and the players should have a 
  good idea where to find a doctor to add to the supporting cast.  When winging details, though, the 
  Editor may wish to consult a random table of supporting cast characters, such as the following one.  
  Note that, under the special characteristic column, is only a suggestion for how each supporting cast 
  character could be useful.  The Editor is encouraged to be creative and, perhaps more importantly, 
  keep the usefulness of supporting cast characters in a roleplaying context, without assigning them 
  game mechanic modifiers. 
  Table 15:  Supporting Cast Characters 
  Roll 
  Role 
   
   
  Special Characteristic   
  1 
  Actor 
  Can imitate the Hero to protect his secret identity 
  2 
  Animal trainer 
  Can prepare an animal sidekick for the Hero 
  3 
  Architect 
  Might be able to show the Hero blueprints of buildings 
  4 
  Athlete 
  Has the speed and stamina to keep up with Heroes 
  5 
  Banker 
  Can make loans to Heroes 
  6 
  Boat captain 
  He's got his own boat! 
  7 
  Circus performer 
  Make surprisingly good sidekicks 
  8 
  Clerk 
  Knows the inside workings of his company  
  
  22 
   
  9 
  Coach 
  Can tell if any games are fixed 
  10 
  Commissioner 
  May take Heroes to crime scenes with him 
  11 
  Copy boy 
  Will do anything for his pal 
  12 
  Cowboy 
  Good at roughing it 
  13 
  Driver 
  Knows the fastest routes around town 
  14 
  Editor 
  Will hire people just for giving him scoops on Heroes 
  15 
  Farmer 
  Has good food and can raise people with good values 
  16 
  Fireman 
  Knows where the hottest spots in town are 
  17 
  Hobo 
  Knows safe places to hide 
  18 
  Judge 
  May give away the particulars of an ongoing trial 
  19 
  Librarian 
  Will do mundane research  
  20 
  Mechanic  
  May be able to fix the Hero's hi-tech trophies 
  21 
  Mercenary 
  Can fight beside or for the Hero, for a fee 
  22 
  Military surplus seller 
  Good resource for flak jackets and automatic rifles 
  23 
  Occultist 
  Can do magical research and identify magic items 
  24 
  Pharmacist 
  Can identify hi-tech pills 
  25 
  Photographer  
  Can take photos as evidence for the Heroes 
  26 
  Physician 
  Helps heal Heroes faster 
  27 
  Police detective  
  May show crime scene evidence to the Hero 
  28 
  Private investigator 
  May gather clues for the Hero 
  29 
  Reporter 
  Can help make sure the Hero gets good press coverage 
  30 
  Romantic interest  
  Pretty obvious 
  31 
  Salesman 
  Can speak persuasively for the Hero 
  32 
  Science professor 
  Can identify hi-tech items 
  33 
  Shopkeeper 
  Will sell to the Hero for cost 
  34 
  Switchboard operator 
  Can let the Hero listen in on phone calls 
  35 
  Warden 
  Can tell the Heroes when their foes escape from jail 
  36-50 Re-roll 
   
  Obtaining Supporting Cast Characters:  As outlined in Book I, supporting cast characters will follow 
  any Hero that they take a shine to, and that is determined by random rolls.  But sometimes the Hero 
  may need the aid of a supporting cast character in a hurry and cannot wait for good rolls.  For a one-
  time emergency, a supporting cast character can be hired for $1d6x10.  If the situation is illegal or 
  unethical and the supporting cast character needs to be bribed, then the amount goes up to 
  $1d6x100.   
  Plot Hook Characters:  Lastly, the metropolis must be stocked with plot hook characters.  Literally, 
  these characters only have a one-time function of hooking the Heroes into a plot.  If the Editor wishes 
  to run an open campaign, wherein the players always have a range of scenario options, then it would 
  be best to have plot hook characters encountered by random chance, like mobsters.  Should the 
  Editor wish to set up a specific story, though, he may wish to take a more active hand in selecting and 
  limiting the appearance of plot hook characters in the game.   
  
  23 
   
  The following table consists (for rolls 1-15) of specific examples of plot hook characters from Action 
  Comics and Superman stories, while the rest of the table (16-20) come from an appreciation of 
  Dashiel Hammet.  Where the adventure goes after the initial plot hook is entirely up to the creativity of 
  the Editor. 
  Table 16:  Plot Hook Characters 
  Roll 
  Character  
  1 
  A reporter is overheard repeating a tip about a wife-beating in progress that was just phoned in. 
  2 
  A damsel is in distress at a road-house from a mobster who won't stop flirting with her. 
  3 
  An old miner has just recovered at the hospital from a mine collapse caused by unsafe conditions there. 
  4 
  An old circus owner pretends his circus is fine, but cannot conceal his despair at dismal sales. 
  5 
  An old mother is begging for help to law officers about the juvenile delinquents her son has fallen in with. 
  6 
  Coming across an escaped con by chance, he tells of cruel conditions at the jail and the corrupt warden. 
  7 
  A man commits suicide, still clutching in his hand stock shares for a bogus oil well. 
  8 
  A colleague of the Hero is hit by a car that speeds away. 
  9 
  A cab driver complains about the protection racket hassling him. 
  10 
  A city inspector is in danger of being hit by a subway train while investigating the construction company 
  that built the tunnel. 
  11 
  The manager of a home for delinquent boys confesses he needs to raise $2 million to keep his doors 
  open. 
  12 
  A disgraced businessman is about to commit suicide because of the gambling den that ruined him. 
  13 
  A civic official mistakes the Hero for one of the extortionists who want $10,000 from him. 
  14 
  A runaway child complains about the crooked superintendent at his orphanage. 
  15 
  A crying wife confesses that her husband has fallen in with smugglers who hang out in a bar. 
  16 
  Hero's alter ego is invited to an appointment with a possible employer but the employer ends up attacked 
  or killed before the meeting. 
  17 
  A gentleman gambler bets the Hero or alter ego that he cannot complete a difficult task. 
  18 
  A delivery boy is overheard explaining why he could not deliver his cargo and it sounds suspicious. 
  19 
  While at Western Union, the alter ego overhears a puzzling telegram dictated. Or...knowing Morse code, 
  the Hero overhears the private and cryptic content of a message. 
  20 
  A family friend or distant relative comes to town seeking help from the Hero's alter ego. 
  Non-Heroes Affecting Combat 
  Historically, different types of characters have been associated with Heroes, some helping or hindering 
  him in combat situations. 
   
  Romantic Interest:  This lady is pretty and normally intelligent, although curiously unable to recognize 
  her boyfriend even when disguised.  The romantic interest is also a liability in combat.  Mobsters see a 
  boost to their morale if they have the romantic interest in jeopardy.  All villains involved in placing the 
  romantic interest in danger check for morale as if one rank higher, and a boss must miss two morale 
  checks instead of just one (or take the lesser result). 
   
  And yet, the romantic interest has a knack for getting into trouble, even when told not to.  If the 
  romantic interest is not in jeopardy at the start of the scenario, she will try to place herself in jeopardy 
  every turn unless a 6 is rolled on an “obedience die.” 
   
  
  24 
   
  Antagonistic Foil:  In some crowds of mobsters, there’s bound to be one guy the Hero particularly 
  doesn’t like.  Maybe this guy hit on his romantic interest before, swaggers about thinking he’s so 
  tough, or is just the kind that makes a good man sick.  As long as no innocents are in danger, the Hero 
  will have to deal with that one guy before anyone else (unless he makes a save against plot).  The 
  Hero can knock the guy out or humiliate him in some way.  This latter element cannot necessarily be 
  handled by a game mechanic.  The act could be holding a car menacingly over the foil’s head, tearing 
  off his pants, or dunking him in a barrel of tar.  Generally, if all the players involved feel the act chosen 
  is humiliating enough, then the deed is done. 
   
  Femme Fatale:  She may be a dangerous spy, but no male Hero can harm her unless she harms him 
  first without making a saving throw against plot.  Femme fatales can still be forced to make morale 
  saves, even when they cannot be harmed.  Most femme fatales are also Fighters. 
   
  Stool Pigeon:  Mercenary by nature, the stool pigeon is a villain of questionable loyalty.  In addition to 
  lower morale, the stool pigeon must be checked at the beginning of each turn for his loyalties, as 
  follows: 
  Table 17:  Stool Pigeon Loyalty 
  Die Score 
  Result 
  1 
  Stand still and do nothing 
  2 
  Flee from the combat (as if routed) 
  3 
  Join the opposing side (help the Hero!) 
  4-6 
  Carry out orders normally for the next 1-3 turns 
   
  Gang Lieutenant:  Any villains within 60 ft. of a gang lieutenant can be rallied out of a route by the 
  lieutenant, unless the lieutenant has already been routed.  If the lieutenant is then captured or 
  incapacitated, all villains under him must make a morale save. 
   
  Gang Leader:  If a gang leader fights with a unit of mobsters, he adds 1 to each die roll made by 
  those mobsters so long as they are within 120 ft. of him.  Any mobsters who miss a morale save flee 
  automatically, but rally to within 30 ft. of the gang leader, if possible.  If the gang leader is forced to flee 
  outside a range of 120 ft. from his gang, is captured, or incapacitated, all mobsters under him must 
  make morale saves and at a penalty of 2 from the die.   
   
  The gang leader is always the last figure to be hit, regardless if by missile fire or in melee.  Stool 
  pigeons gain no morale bonus from the presence of a gang leader. 
   
  Investigator:  Police officers, private detectives, and journalists are all after the Hero’s true identity.  
  Luckily, none of them can recognize his face or even think to check for his fingerprints – normally.  
  Every turn an investigator is present, roll 1d20 for an “investigation check.”  If the result is a 20, the 
  investigator realizes the true identity of the Hero.  The Hero has one chance to try and force a morale 
  check on the investigator so he does not use this information.  However, if the investigator is also the 
  romantic interest, the Hero is powerless to interrupt her efforts.   
  Redeemable Villain:  He may be a politician or a businessman, but he isn’t all bad.  Every time that 
  the Hero shows him the error of his ways in an ironic way (trapping him in a coal mine he hasn’t made 
  safe or fighting in a way he sold munitions to, for instance), roll 1d20.  On a score of 15 or better, the 
  mobster shifts Alignment towards Lawful one rank for 1d6 hours.  If the mobster is converted to Lawful 
  three times in a row, the change is permanent.  Street urchins are also automatically redeemable 
  villains. 
   
  PREPARING A METROPOLIS SETTING  
  Important Encounter Areas for the Metropolis:  The following locations or types of locations will be 
  
  25 
   
  useful to have prepared for most urban campaigns, particularly if the Editor does not wish to use 
  random encounters for meeting supporting cast characters.   
   
  City Hall:  There is a 1 in 6 chance per turn of encountering 1d4 corrupt politicians at city hall (this can 
  include lobbyists).   
  Hospital:  Heroes will heal twice as fast as normal rest if under the care of a physician in a hospital. 
  Governor’s Estate:  While not necessarily located in one’s home metropolis, the state’s governor’s 
  estate should not be far enough away that the Heroes cannot reach it for a pardon before an innocent 
  person is scheduled to be executed.  Expect armed butlers and locked steel doors. 
  Mine:  There is a 1 in 6 chance of the mine collapsing and 1d4 miners needing rescuing whenever a 
  Hero is within 1 turn’s journey of the mine.  The mine’s owner simply needs to learn to value human 
  life more in order to reform and improve conditions at the mine.  In areas without mining, a stone 
  quarry could be substituted without much difficulty. 
  Newspaper Office:  In the newspaper’s “morgue”, there is a 5 in 6 chance per turn of identifying any 
  local figure from his photograph.  There is a 3 in 6 chance per turn spent in a newspaper office of 
  overhearing a tip being phoned in that could be a plot hook for a side adventure.  There is a 3 in 6 
  chance of meeting a tough, but honest editor who will hire anyone who turns in an exclusive story 
  about Heroes to him.  There is a 2 in 6 chance of meeting a pretty “sob story” writer who tends to 
  crush on strong, rugged men and hates weak, spineless cowards.  There is a 1 in 6 chance of meeting 
  a copyboy who will do favors for Heroes, but will expect to be treated as a friend in return. 
  Nightclub:  There is a 3 in 6 chance of 1d6 cowardly hoodlums hanging out in a nightclub per turn.  
  There is a 1 in 6 chance of the nightclub being crooked and having one or more higher-ranking 
  hoodlums present. 
  Power Plant: At night there is a 1 in 6 chance of a mad scientist attacking the plant for key 
  components for a device or to steal large quantities of power. If the power plant is a hydroelectric plant 
  then there is also a 1 in 6 chance of a villain plotting to sabotage the dam for extortion purposes. 
  During the day there is a 1 in 6 chance of the plant having a serious accident if the hero is within 1 turn 
  distance of the plant. 
  University:  May be a college in a smaller metropolis.  There is a 3 in 6 chance per day (1 in 6 per 
  turn at night) of finding a science professor who can identify hi-tech items.  There is a 1 in 6 chance 
  per turn of finding a crooked coach meeting with 1d4 cowardly hoodlums (or said hoodlums being on 
  the team). 
  
  26 
   
  Wealthy Estate:  There is a 4 in 6 chance per turn of the owner having something especially valuable 
  to him in a secret place, like a wallsafe.  There is a 1 in 6 chance per day of a party going on at the 
  estate.  There will be 1d4 retired beat cops guarding the estate during a party, but they will only be 
  there to guard valuables if the owner is expecting a specific thief. 
  Sample Metropolis:  Duluth     
  With a total population, as of 1940, of 101,065, Duluth would be a level 4 metropolis.  While not the 
  safest place for novice Heroes to get their start, Duluth has quite a few characteristics that make it a 
  good candidate for basing a campaign around.  As a busy port, exotic characters could arrive in Duluth 
  from anywhere.  Strong with industry, Duluth could have been an ample target for prewar saboteurs.  It 
  is reachable by land, sea, and air, but is still in a relatively isolated location (especially circa 1939).  It 
  is in a “borderland”, if you will – an underdeveloped wilderness between Canada and the United 
  States' bigger cities where all sorts of evil people and things could be lurking.  Within a short drive is a 
  state park, a national forest, a glacial park, and a bit further off is an Indian reservation and another 
  country, offering a variety of settings for scenarios.  Even Duluth's famously harsh winters could add 
  challenge to scenarios.    
  Researching a real world city is not hard at all – the following information is paraphrased from 
  Wikipedia, with information past 1939 excised:  
  Duluth is Minnesota's fourth largest city and the seat of St. Louis County.  It is a port in northeastern 
  Minnesota, bordering Lake Superior and the city of Superior, Wisconsin, with which it shares the 
  distinction of being called “the twin ports”.  Ships on Lake Superior can reach it all the way from the 
  Atlantic Ocean and commonly carry coal, iron ore, and grain.  Duluth is also an industrial city, with a 
  cement plant, nail mill, wire mills, and shipbuilding yards.  The shipbuilding yards are based along the 
  St. Louis River, in the neighborhood called Riverside. 
  Ethnically, Duluth has a very large Finnish population, even sporting a Finnish-language newspaper 
  and the Work People's College, a trade school for Finnish socialists, but is also home to immigrants 
  from all over Europe and as far as Russia.    
  Geographically, Duluth is one big hill, starting at the bottom, the six mile-long Park Point sandbar 
  (elevation 600 ft.) jutting out from the lakeshore, and ending at Williamson-Johnson Municipal Airport 
  where it sits on the far side of the downtown area (elevation 1,427 ft.).  Duluth's steeply-angled 
  downtown streets are reminiscent of San Francisco.  Down in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, the canal 
  leading into the harbor is spanned by the Aerial Lift Bridge.       
  Educationally, Duluth offers the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth Business University, and Work 
  People's College for higher education.  Central High School overlooks the harbor.  For news, the city 
  turns to the Duluth News Tribune and the Duluth Budgeteer News. 
  Climatically, Duluth has long, harsh winters and mild summers.  During the winter, temperatures of 
  below zero Fahrenheit and a foot or more of snow are not uncommon.     
  By road, Duluth can be reached by U.S. Highway 53, which stretches from LaCross, Wisconsin to 
  International Falls, Minnesota; by U.S. Highway 2, which runs from Michigan all the way out to 
  Washington State; and by State Highway 23, which runs from Duluth to South Dakota.  Non-highway 
  roads follow Lake Superior's North Shore into Superior National Forest and Gooseberry Falls State 
  Park.  Greyhound buses run daily between Duluth and the Twin Cities, plus Wisconsin and Michigan.     
  Major commodities shipped through Duluth's port include grain, limestone, cement powder, rock salt, 
  clay, and industrial machinery.  The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway transports mainly 
  
  27 
   
  taconite.  Duluth is served by six other rail lines, including the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Union 
  Pacific Railroad.    
  The most prominent religions are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth; the Episcopal Church, 
  Diocese of Duluth; Endion Methodist Church; Bethesda Lutheran Church and the First Lutheran 
  Church; and Temple Israel. 
  Duluth gets electric power from Duluth-based Minnesota Power.  Minnesota Power primarily uses 
  western coal to generate electricity, but also has a four small hydro-electric facilities named Little Falls, 
  the Pillager, Sylvan, and Blanchard stations. 
  The neighborhoods of Duluth are Central, Eastern, “Above the Hill”, West, West of West Duluth, and 
  Lincoln Park (“West End”).   
  The Glensheen Estate is over seven acres of private property on Lake Superior, with a 38-room 
  mansion on it belonging to the wealthy Congdon family.  Darling’s Observatory is a private observatory 
  on West 3rd St. 
  The following is a hand-drawn map based on an actual 1940 Duluth map:     
   
  EXPLORING THE METROPOLIS  
  Time in the Metropolis:  Typically, time spent in the metropolis is time spent between adventures.  
  During this downtime, the Editor is encouraged to use urban turns of 4-8 hours to track time.  During 
  each urban turn, there should be a 1 in 6 chance of meeting a random mobster, a potential supporting 
  cast member, or a plot hook character (rolling separately for each).  The length of the urban turn 
  should be longer if the Hero is engaged in mundane activities and shorter is the Hero is actively 
  patrolling.  Further, the Editor may set up one section of the metropolis to be the “bad part of town” 
  with one or more hideouts in it.  While the Hero is in the bad part of town, the Editor may wish to move 
  time forward in exploration turns of 10 minutes, like inside a hideout.  Of course, at any time combat 
  breaks out in the metropolis, time should slow down to melee turns of 1 minute.     
  Evasion in the Metropolis:  In most cases, it will be mobsters who failed morale checks doing the 
  evasion.  The two most likely occasions when Heroes will be trying to evade pursuit in the metropolis 
  
  28 
   
  is when a) they need to retreat from mobsters they cannot handle, or b) to avoid a confrontation with 
  the law.  Mobsters will pursue Heroes so long as they have motivation to do so.  If it is not clear if they 
  would be so motivated, then the Editor can leave it to a 3 in 6 chance.  The chance of law 
  enforcement officials pursuing Heroes is based on the Heroes' Alignment (see Alignment and the 
  Metropolis).   
  Table 18:  Evasion 
  Number of  
  Number of 
  Chance 
  Evaders  
  Pursuers 
  of Success 
  1-2 
  Same or less 
  80% 
  1-2 
  More 
  60% 
  3-5 
  Same or less 
  60% 
  3-5 
  More 
  40% 
  6-9 
  Same or less 
  40% 
  6-9 
  More 
  25% 
  10+ 
  Same or less 
  25% 
  10+ 
  More 
  15% 
  Chance of success is doubled if the evaders have surprise and halved if the pursuers have surprise, if 
  applicable in either case.  The relative movement rates of the evaders and pursuers matter as well.  If 
  the evaders are faster, their chance of evasion increases by 25%.  If the pursuers are faster, the 
  chance of evasion decreases by 25%.  Also see the Avoiding Mobsters section above for tricks to slow 
  or halt pursuit, which are equally applicable in the metropolis in most situations. 
  Alignment and the Metropolis:  The role of the Hero in the metropolis is less clear-cut than in the 
  hideout, with the Hero’s Alignment more important in determining that role.  Lawful Heroes are 
  generally more progressive, proactively looking to alleviate social ills while weeding crime and vice 
  from the metropolis.  Neutral Heroes are more interested in maintaining the status quo of the 
  metropolis, preventing crimes, vice, and social ills only when they become intolerable to the majority.  
  Chaotic Heroes are motivated by personal factors, being generally uninterested in a greater good.    
  At the same time, Alignment has an inversely freeing effect in terms of how the authorities will feel 
  about the Heroes.  Chaotic Heroes have the most personal freedom to act, but suffer a -2 penalty to 
  encounter reactions from authority figures (the police, for instance, can never be friendly with the 
  Chaotic Hero) and have a 4 in 6 chance of being pursued if the Heroes try evasion.  Neutral Heroes 
  suffer a -1 penalty to encounter reactions from figures of authority and have a 2 in 6 chance of being 
  pursued if the Heroes try evasion.  Lawful Heroes, despite the fact that they are committing illegal 
  vigilantism and likely concealing their true identities, tend to be okay with the people in charge and 
  suffer no such penalty.  Should they still chose to evade law enforcement officials, there is only a 1 in 
  6 chance of pursuit. 
  These reaction modifiers exist regardless of personal knowledge of the Hero or how long the Hero has 
  been active and publicly known, but are manifestations of how the Alignment of the Heroes affects the 
  mood of the campaign.  The Law is naturally antagonistic to Chaotic Heroes, just as it respects Lawful 
  Heroes.  
  BETWEEN ADVENTURES 
  Downtime 
  Provided the Editor has players who do not thirst continually for the thrill of battle, there should be 
  
  29 
   
  ample game time left between adventures for Heroes to do other things.  Healing may be a high 
  priority, with stays in a hospital likely (given the faster healing rate there).  Magic-Users will likely 
  desire to do magical research.  Heroes of any class may are likely to have new money to spend.  The 
  Editor must take care to coordinate this downtime so that no one is stuck waiting too long while waiting 
  for busier Heroes to finish their downtime activities.  It might be preferable to schedule separate play 
  time for the busier Heroes. 
   
  Mood 
  If the mood of the story has not already been established and the Editor and players cannot reach a consensus, 
  roll a die and the result indicates the prevailing conditions – the Editor may check again at the start of each 
  scenario.  If a published scenario is being enacted, the Editor may use visual clues to determine mood, with 
  panels free of heavy inking and lit with bright colors signifying a light mood, and heavy use of shadows and dark 
  colors representing a dark mood.   
  Table 19:  Mood 
  Die 
     Light (1-2) 
  Average (3-4)   Dark (5-6) 
  1-4 
  Light 
  Average 
  Dark 
  5-6 
  Very light 
  Average 
  Very dark   
   
        Very light mood means good guys always add 1 to each die roll, villains always subtract 1 to each die roll, 
  and no character ever dies under any circumstance. 
        Light mood means any character reaching 0 hp is rendered unconscious for 4 hours, or recovers 1 hp after 2 
  hours with a successful saving throw against plot.  Any death that can be explained away, will be.   
        Average mood is described by the rest of the rules in this book. 
        Dark mood means that both Neutral and Chaotic characters are allowed to kill sentient beings without loss of 
  xp, but any character reaching 0 hp must save against plot or die. 
        Very dark mood means that anyone can kill anyone without penalty, but everyone dies at 0 hp. 
   
  Travel 
  The most important part of any downtime between adventures may be reaching the next one.  If the 
  next adventure location is known, then travel is a simple arrangement of traveling from point A to point 
  B.  In a more open campaign with no set adventure path, the Heroes may have to move on to new and 
  bigger metropolises in search of adventures.  Or perhaps an ongoing plot requires the Heroes to move 
  from point A to a point B beyond the metropolis.  Whenever time will be an issue, use the following as 
  travel-time guidelines when traveling by car (or along roads at similar speeds, using other means).  
  Numbers are rounded off, being estimates of 1940 travel times (not all sums add up neatly, taking 
  alternate routes into consideration). 
  Table 18:  Land Distances between U.S. Cities  
  City 
   
   
   
  Miles 
   
   
  City  
  
  30 
   
  Chicago, Ill. 
  1,070 
  New York City, N.Y. 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  2,810 
  New York City, N.Y. 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  2,140 
  Chicago, Ill. 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  650 
  New York City, N.Y. 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  300 
  Chicago, Ill. 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  2,410 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  120  
  New York City, N.Y. 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  890 
  Chicago, Ill. 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  2,390 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  710 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  Boston, Mass. 
  220 
  New York City, N.Y. 
  Boston, Mass. 
  990 
  Chicago, Ill. 
  Boston, Mass. 
  2,980 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  Boston, Mass. 
  820 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  Boston, Mass. 
  310 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  980 
  New York City, N.Y. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  310 
  Chicago, Ill. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  1,830 
  Los Angeles, Calif. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  560 
  Detroit, Mich. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  1,010 
  Philadelphia, Pa. 
  St. Louis, Mo. 
  1,170 
  Boston, Mass. 
  SPECIAL COMBATS 
  Underwater Combat:  Given the penchant of mobsters to use water in their traps (not to mention the 
  practical necessity of building hideouts near water 
  sources), it is likely that Heroes will eventually find 
  themselves both underwater and in combat.  The 
  following are guidelines for refereeing combat in said 
  condition: 
  Movement in Water:  For most land-dwellers, movement 
  rate is one-fourth land-based movement when swimming, 
  rounded up.  So, a Hero with a 120 ft. movement rate 
  can swim 30 ft. per turn, but an alien with a 150 ft. 
  movement rate can swim 40 ft. per turn.  Some mobsters 
  have better movement rates because they are better 
  adapted for swimming (see Book II for rates of speed).   
  Current:  Only an issue in larger bodies of water like rivers or lakes, current can aid or hinder 
  swimmers, depending on if the strength and direction of the current is for or against their intended 
  direction.  If mapped out, the direction of the current may be obvious, but if it is not, the Editor may 
  choose to roll on the following table (assuming a northern hemisphere orientation): 
   
   
  
  31 
   
  Table 19:  Current Direction 
  Roll 
  Result 
  1 
  North  
  2 
  Northwest 
  3 
  Northeast  
  4-5 
  West 
  6-7 
  East 
  8-10 
  Southwest 
  11-13 
  Southeast 
  14-17 South  
  18-20 No current or undertow (whichever is more likely) 
  Movement is modified by current based on the strength of the current, as follows: 
  Table 20:  Strength of Current 
  Roll 
  Result 
  2-3 
  Calm (no modifier) 
  4-8 
  Light (+/- 5 ft.) 
  9-11 
  Moderate (+/- 10 ft.) 
  12 
  Strong (+/- 20 ft.) 
  Capsizing:  Superheroes can capsize vessels in water as if wrecking things at one level higher.  
  Mermen superheroes can capsize vessels as if two levels higher or, if not superheroes, can still 
  capsize vessels as if a superhero wrecking things at half the merman's level (rounded down). 
  Towing/Pushing:  Heroes can move, pushing or pulling, up to twice their full encumbrance in water, 
  but at the one-fourth speed penalty described earlier.  A Hero can tow or push a combatant by making 
  an attack and (if successful) a damage roll, with each pip of damage equaling 10 ft. of space moved 
  against the target's will.   
  Vehicular Combat 
  All attacks made at or from a transport are penalized by speed as follows: 
   240 ft. and up, -1 to hit 
   480 ft. and up, -2 to hit 
   960 ft. and up, -3 to hit 
   1,920 ft. and up, -4 to hit 
   3,840 ft. and up, -5 to hit 
  Each hit on a transport in motion has a 1 in 6 chance of causing a wreck.  Passengers will usually 
  have a cover bonus to Armor Class, in addition to speed-related penalties to be attacked. 
   
  Further, each transport can be used as a ramming weapon.  Damage is based on speed, dividing 
  movement rate by 60 to find the number of six-sided dice to roll for damage.  Thus, a jeep traveling at 
  maximum speed of 600 ft. does 10 six-sided dice of damage (save against missiles for half-damage 
  allowed).  However, for each die of damage, there is that chance in 6 of the vehicle being wrecked (a 
  jeep at max. speed is automatically wrecked, while at half max. speed has a 5 in 6 chance of being 
  wrecked).  Further, each occupant will take half-damage (halved again with a save against missiles).  
  A successful save means the occupant jumped clear and took the half-damage from tumbling.  If the 
  occupant has the option of jumping into water, then a successful save means no damage was taken. 
  
  32 
   
  BIBLIOGRAPHY 
  Benton, Mike.  Superhero Comics of the Golden Age:  the Illustrated History.  Dallas, Tex.:  Taylor 
  Publishing Co., 1992. 
  Finch, Matthew J.  and Marv Breig.  “Swords & Wizardry White Box.”  Web site, as of Oct. 26, 2009.  
  http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm (source material) 
  Goulart, Ron.  Over 50 Years of American Comic Books.  Lincolnwood, Ill.:  Publications International 
  Ltd., 1991. 
  Grand Comic-Book Database.  Web site, as of Nov. 9, 2009.  http://www.comics.org/ (Appendix A) 
  Gygax, Gary.  Dungeons & Dragons:  Vol. 3, Underworld and Wilderness Adventures.  Lake Geneva, 
  Wis.:  TSR, 1977, 1974.   (inspiration) 
  Kooiman, Michael.  CosmicTeams!  Web site, as of Nov. 13, 2009.  
  http://www.mykey3000.com/cosmicteams/ (Appendix A) 
   Love, Ed.  Mystery Men & Mystery Women Encyclopedia.  Web site, as of Oct. 26, 2009.  
  http://www.geocities.com/cash_gorman/Heroes/mysterymen.htm (Appendix A) 
  Minnesota Digital Library.  Minnesota Reflections.  Internet site, as of Oct. 26, 2009.    
  http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=249&REC
  =5  (Minnesota map) 
  Nevins, Jess.  The Golden Age Heroes Directory.  Internet site, as of Oct. 26, 2009.  
  http://ratmmjess.tripod.com/gold/page.html (Appendix A) 
  U.S. Census Bureau.  Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places:  1940.  Web site, as of Oct. 26, 
  2009.  http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab17.txt  (city 
  populations)  
  Voiles, Mike.  Mike’s Amazing World of DC Comics.  Internet site, as of Dec. 6, 2009.  
  http://www.dcindexes.com/ (Appendix B) 
   Wikipedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duluth,_Minnesota (Duluth information) 
  Appendix A:  Index of Golden Age Heroes 
  The following are all characters that were published in comic books by the end of 1939, arranged by 
  which character class to which they would belong.  Included is their publication history (as 
  comprehensive as possible) up through that cover date.  Fighters are limited, due to their sheer 
  numbers and (often) interchangeability, to only contemporary (non-historical or futuristic) adventurers, 
  aviators, explorers, reporters, seamen, and two-fisted detectives with more than two published 
  appearances (unless otherwise significant).  With a little research, any one of these heroes would 
  make a good model for a player's Hero (or even a supporting cast member).  Characters in bold type 
  are not, or are likely not, public domain characters. 
  Fighters 
  
  33 
   
  Abdul the Arab (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Air Ace “Speed” Bolton (Crackajack Funnies #8-18) 
  American Ace (Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #2) 
  Angel (Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #2) 
  Arrow (Funny Pages #21-32) 
  Baird, “Rocky” (Funny Picture Stories #1, 7; Keen Detective Stories v1 #8, 11, v2 #1) 
  Bannon, Biff (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Bat-Man (Detective Comics #27-34) 
  Beatty the Ace of the Service, Tom (The Funnies #35-38; The Comics #1-5) 
  Black Ace (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Brady, “Wing” (More Fun #1-9, 11-50) 
  Bradley, “Slam” (Detective Comics #1-34, New York World’s Fair #1) 
  Brailey of the Tropics, Joe (Amazing Mystery Funnies #3; Funny Picture Stories #1-3, 7; v3 #1) 
  Bronson, Biff (More Fun Comics #43-50) 
  Captain Cook of Scotland Yard (Feature Funnies #13, 18-20; Feature Comics #21, 22; Smash Comics 
  #1-5) 
  Captain Danny/Denny Scott (Mystery Men Comics #1-5) 
  Captain Desmo (New Adventure #26-31, Adventure Comics #32-45) 
  Captain Douglas Stewart (New Adventure #14-25) 
  Captain Forsyth, Spy Hunter (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #3, 6-11) 
  Captain Grim (New Fun #3-6, More Fun #7-19, New Book of Comics #2) 
  Captain Tim (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #3-5) 
  Carter, Chic (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Carter, “Smoke” (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Carson, “Clip”(Action Comics #14-19) 
  Carson, Steve (New Comics #2-11) 
  Carver, “Cotton” (Adventure Comics #35-37, 39, 41-45) 
  Clock (Funny Pages #6-11, Funny Picture Stories #1-2, Keen Detective Funnies #8-9, Feature 
  Funnies #3-20, Feature Comics #21-27) 
  Cockerhill, Ken (New Comics #6-10) 
  Colby, Bob (Amazing Mystery Funnies v1 #3; Funny Picture Stories v1 #3, 6, 7; Keen Detective 
  Funnies v2 #1) 
  Conrad, Steve (New Comics #5-10) 
  Cosmo (Detective Comics #1-20, 22-34) 
  Crimson Avenger (Detective Comics #20-34) 
  D-13 (Mystery Men Comics #1-5) 
  DA Steve Malone (Detective Comics #18, 19, 21, 26, 34) 
  Daring, Dale (New Comics #4-11) 
  Darrel the Flying Fox, Rex (More Fun Comics #37, 38, 40-50)   
  Dawson the Sea Scout, Tom (Amazing Mystery Funnies v1 #1, v2 #2; Funny Picture Stories v1 #4, 5, 
  7) 
  Denton the Scientific Detective, Dean (Keen Detective Funnies v1 #6, 11; v2 #3, 6, 9-12) 
  Detective Sergeant Carey of the Chinatown Squad (New Adventure #14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26-28; 
  More Fun #35-50) 
  Dixon, Don (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #8-12) 
  Dolan, Red (Funny Picture Stories v1 #1, 3; Keen Detective Funnies v1 #9) 
  Dr. Doom, International Spy (The Comics #3-5) 
  Finn the Daredevil, Barry (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #4-6, 8-12) 
  Flynn, Gabby (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #6, 7, 9, 10) 
  Frost the Sea Scout, Jerry (Funny Pages #8-11) 
  G-Man Jim (The Comics #2-5) 
  G-Man X-32, Tom Traylor/Ed Tracer (Crackajack Funnies #1-18) 
  
  34 
   
  Gale, Jim (New Comics #1-11) 
  Hammond, Ken (Jumbo Comics #1-10) 
  Hardluck Harry (New Comics #9-11) 
  Hardy, Brad (More Fun Comics #3-6, 8-31) 
  Hardy, Chuck (Amazing-Man Comics #5-8) 
  Harrigan, “Hop” (All-American Comics #1-9) 
  Hawkes, Gary (More Fun Comics #36-46) 
  Hunt, Thurston (Keen Detective Funnies v1 #11, v2 #1, 8) 
  Hunter, Tod (New Adventure #27-38) 
  Inspector Bancroft (Mystery Men Comics #-1-5) 
  Inspector Dan Dennis (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #6, 7, 9, 11, 12) 
  Inspector Dayton (Jumbo Comics #1-10) 
  Ka-Zar (Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #2) 
  Kent, Dick (Amazing Mystery Funnies v1 #1; Funny Picture Stories v1 #1-3, 5, 6) 
  Law, Johnnie (More Fun Comics #21-25, 28-44) 
  Law the Scientective, John (Smash Comics #3-5) 
  Logan, “Red” (More Fun Comics #31-37, 39, 40) 
  Lt. Bob Neal (More Fun Comics #36-50) 
  Lt. Don Kerry (New Adventure #28-45) 
  Lt. Drake (Mystery Men Comics #1-5) 
  Magginis of the Mounties (New Comics #4-10) 
  Major Ramsay (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #7-11) 
  Marlin, Spike (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Martin, “Bulldog” (More Fun Comics #47-50) 
  Masked Marvel (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #7-17) 
  Masked Pilot (Popular Comics #40-46) 
  McCann, Marty (More Fun Comics #23-25, 28) 
  Merritt, Bob (More Fun Comics #5-25, 27-30) 
  Miniature Man/Super-Midget/Minimidget (Amazing-Man Comics #5-8) 
  Morgan, “Pep” (More Fun Comics #12-29, Action Comics #1-19) 
  Mr. America (Action Comics #1-19) 
  Nelson, Bruce (Detective Comics #1-34) 
  O’Day, Patty (Wonder Comics #1-2, Wonderworld #3) 
  O’Leary the Radio Newshawk, “Spark” (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #10, 11, 12) 
  O’Neil, Barry (More Fun #1-29, 35) 
  Parrish, Ted (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Red, White, and Blue (All-American Comics #1-9) 
  Regan the Spy, Bart/Burt (The Comics #2; Detective Comics #1-34) 
  Robinson, Richard G. “Gang-Buster”/”Mob-Buster” (Wonder Comics #1-2, Wonderworld #3) 
  Sandman (Adventure Comics #40-44, New York World's Fair Comics #1) 
  Sandor (New Comics #5-11) 
  Sandra of the Secret Service (More Fun #1-35) 
  Saunders, “Speed” (Detective Comics #1, 3-34) 
  Savage, “Spot” (All-American Comics #1-6) 
  Scanlan, “Scoop” (Action Comics #1-13) 
  Sgt. O’Malley of the Red Coat Patrol (More Fun Comics #39-42, 45-50) 
  Sheena (Jumbo Comics #1-10) 
  Sky Ranger (The Funnies #35-37) 
  Strong, “Socko”  (Adventure Comics #40-45) 
  Spinner (Amazing Mystery Funnies v #3; Funny Pages #7, Funny Picture Stories #1; Keen Detective 
  Funnies v1 #8) 
  Steel, Spenser (Jumbo Comics #1-10) 
  
  35 
   
  Steele, Larry (Detective Comics #5-26, 29-33)  
  Stevens, Bob (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #4-9) 
  Stevens, “Spark” (Wonder Comics #1-2, Wonderworld #3) 
  Stone, Jimmy (All-American Comics #2-9) 
  Terrance, Anthony Jack (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Turner, “Wing” (Mystery Men #1-5) 
  Veep, Philpot (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Walker, “Wing” (New Comics #1-3) 
  Wendall, “Wings” (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Wiley of West Point (All-American Comics #1-9) 
  ZX-5 (Jumbo Comics #1-10) 
  Magic-Users 
  Blazing Scarab (Champion Comics #2) 
  Dr. Occult/Dr. Mystic (The Comics #1; More Fun Comics #96-31)  
  Magician from Mars (Amazing-Man Comics #7, 8) 
  Nadir, Master of Magic (New Adventure #17-30) 
  Yarko the Great (Wonder Comics #2) 
  Zanzibar the Magician (Mystery Men Comics #1-5) 
  Zatara (Action Comics #1-19) 
  Superheroes 
  Amazing-Man (Amazing-Man Comics #5-8) 
  Blue Beetle (Mystery Men Comics #1-5, Blue Beetle #1) 
  Bob Phantom (Blue Ribbon Comics #2) 
  Eye (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #16-17) 
  Fantom of the Fair (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #7-12) 
  Flame (Wonderworld Comics #3-8) 
  Green Mask (Mystery Men Comics #1-5) 
  Hooded Justice/Invisible Justice/Invisible Hood (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Hugh Hazard and His Iron Man/Bozo the Robot (Smash Comics #1-5) 
  Human Torch (Marvel Comics #2, Marvel Mystery Comics #2) 
  Iron Skull (Amazing-Man Comics #5-8) 
  Martan the Marvel Man (Popular Comics #46-?) 
  Mighty Man (Amazing-Man Comics #5-8) 
  Samson (Fantastic Comics #1) 
  Shark (Amazing-Man Comics #6-8) 
  Shock Gibson (Speed Comics #1-3) 
  Speed Centaur (Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #8-12) 
  Stardust the Super Wizard (Fantastic Comics #1) 
  Sub-Mariner (Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #2) 
  Superman (Action Comics #1-19, Superman #1-3, New York World's Fair Comics #1) 
  TNT Todd, Ace G-Man (Keen Detective Funnies v2 #3, 7, 8) 
  Wonder Man (Wonder Comics #1) 
  Wizard (Top-Notch Comics #1) 
   
  Appendix B:  Comic Book Plots from 1939 
  The comic books of the time are filled with plots for H&H adventures.  The following summarizes just 
  some of the output of one company from the year 1939: 
   
  The Heroes are presented with the option of either using a gang of half-pints to catch the fence they 
  work for, reform the wayward boys, or both (Action Comics #8). 
  
  36 
   
   
  A mad scientist captures someone a Hero knows, planning to transfer his/her mind into the body of a 
  gorilla (Action Comics #8-9). 
   
  The Heroes are in a foreign country when they witness a young member of royalty kidnapped by a rebel 
  group.  The Heroes must not only rescue the boy or girl, but must help put down the rebel’s larger plans 
  against the government (Action Comics #8). 
   
  Zombies are killing mobsters.  The zombies can be trailed back to a mad scientist using the zombies in a 
  bid to take over the local mobs (Detective Comics #23). 
   
  A scientist from the far future shows up in a time machine and invites the Heroes back to the future.  
  Once there, incarcerated crooks contact the Heroes and ask for help in escaping.  Whether the Heroes 
  agree or not, they are arrested for conspiring to aid in the escape plan.  The future judicial system 
  involves gladiatorial combat to prove one’s innocence.  Once exonerated, the Heroes are returned to 
  their own time (Detective Comics #23-24). 
   
  The local police decide to crack down on the Heroes’ vigilantism and enlist a “famous” gangbuster to 
  come in and arrest them.  This officer then offers a big reward for any information about the Heroes, 
  meaning the Heroes will have to be extra careful, lay low for awhile, or confront the gangbuster directly 
  (Action Comics #9).  
   
  A master criminal has misidentified a Hero as one of his own lieutenants, who the Hero greatly 
  resembles.  The Hero is hence given an opportunity to go under cover in the master criminal’s gang 
  (Action Comics #9). 
   
  What would have been a normal case of busting racketeers is complicated when the racketeers are 
  observed meeting with a corrupt city official (Detective Comics #24). 
   
  The Heroes capture an escapee from a chain gang, but learn from him that the superintendent of the 
  chain gang is corrupt (Action Comics #10). 
   
  The Heroes are in a waterfront bar when a press gang attacks them and attempts to shanghai them onto 
  their ship (Action Comics #10). 
   
  The Heroes are challenged by an explorer’s club to find a lost treasure.  The treasure is guarded by a 
  djinn that issues three challenges before it can relinquish the treasure it guards (Action Comics #10). 
   
  After a string of cargo plane accidents, the Heroes receive a tip that the company that lost its cargo was 
  already facing bankruptcy (Detective Comics #25). 
   
  When the Heroes are on a college campus for other reasons, the college registrar tries to kill them, 
  mistakenly thinking they are investigating his embezzlement from the college (Detective Comics #25). 
   
  Hopefully the Heroes are somewhere near a plane, because a skydiver’s parachute has snagged on 
  another plane and needs to be rescued in the next few minutes (All-American Comics #1). 
   
  A man commits suicide because two crooked stock brokers sold him worthless stock in an oil well scam 
  (Action Comics #11). 
   
  The Heroes are asked by an explorer to accompany him to an island kingdom.  There, the locals 
  become convinced that one of the Heroes was prophesized to come and marry their princess.  The 
  locals try to force the Hero to complete the challenges of fire, water, and sword to prove himself worthy 
  of the princess (Action Comics #11). 
   
  Government agents ask the Heroes to sail on an ocean liner with secret plans to deliver them.  On 
  board, the Heroes encounter a “ghost” (some form of undead) being controlled by a magician who is 
  also a spy, trying to use the ghost to scare everyone away from the plans so she can take them (Action 
  Comics #11). 
   
  Artists ask/hire the Heroes to pose for a portrait, but it turns out that the artists are cultists who put the 
  Heroes in a deathtrap so they can paint the Heroes’ dying expressions (Detective Comics #26). 
   
  A gang of jewel thieves is masquerading as the Heroes in order to frame them for their crimes (Detective 
  Comics #26). 
  
  37 
   
   
  While on board a plane bound for some destination, the pilot takes sick and the Heroes need to land the 
  plane (All-American Comics #2). 
   
  A man being struck by a reckless driver might prompt the Heroes to do something about reckless driving 
  in their home community (Action Comics #12). 
   
  Whether the Heroes went to the above island kingdom and met the princess or not, the high priest of 
  their people has connected the Hero with the prophecy and, not wanting the marriage to ever take place, 
  tries to kill the Hero (Action Comics #12). 
   
  A professor has invented a portal to another dimension and invites the Heroes to see what is on the 
  other side.  The human-like natives of the other dimension are at war and the Heroes are mistaken for 
  spies (Action Comics #12). 
   
  The Heroes are asked to help with a murder investigation.  A board member to a chemical company is 
  dead, his son is the chief suspect, but swears he is innocent (Detective Comics #27). 
   
  A nightclub owner is murdered.  The Heroes know gambling took place at the nightclub and that unlucky 
  gamblers should be the chief suspects (Detective Comics #27). 
   
  The Heroes are driving along when an escaped felon hits/almost hits them with his car while in a car 
  chase with a G-Man on his tail.  The G-Man looks like he could use some help (Detective Comics #27). 
   
  A friend of the Heroes is offered a job doing stunt piloting in a movie, having exaggerated his talent to 
  the producers.  The Heroes have to tag along to keep their friend safe in the air, while also dealing with a 
  prima donna actress who takes offense at their presence (All-American Comics #3). 
   
  While at the World’s Fair, one of the Heroes recognizes a known felon in the crowd.  The felon is up to 
  no good and desperate not to be identified (New York World’s Fair Comics).      
   
  Mobsters slip a note into the clothes/costume of one of the Heroes and other mobsters try to retrieve the 
  note.  The note is a treasure map to where money is buried on the site of the World’s Fair (New York 
  World’s Fair Comics). 
   
  The Heroes have the plans for a ray-gun in their possession and are supposed to turn the plans over to 
  a government agent at the World’s Fair.  After the exchange, the Heroes learn that the agent was an 
  imposter and have to track him down, as well as whoever leaked the information to the imposter (New 
  York World’s Fair Comics). 
   
  The Heroes are given a valuable necklace and asked to deliver it to the World’s Fair.  A rich collector has 
  hired multiple assassins to kill the Heroes so he can have the necklace before it goes on display (New 
  York World’s Fair Comics). 
   
  The Heroes witness racketeers harassing a cabbie for protection money.  The leader of the racketeers is 
  just a figurehead and the whole scam is a money-making scheme engineered by a master criminal who 
  tries to help the leader escape (Action Comics #13). 
   
  The Heroes befriend a retired colonel who tells them that a killer has been threatening him.  The killer 
  strikes at the colonel’s house, but kills the colonel’s friend instead.  The colonel’s servant appears to be 
  the killer, but a more diligent search of the house reveals that the colonel has framed his servant and is 
  the real killer himself (Action Comics #13). 
   
  The Heroes receive a request for help from a family being harassed by a real witch.  The witch was hired 
  by someone who wants to scare off the family so he can buy their land (Action Comics #13). 
   
  The Heroes just stumble across a jewel robbery in progress (Detective Comics #28). 
   
  The owner of a stolen ruby is suspected of involvement by the police, but turns to the Heroes to help 
  prove her innocence.  Thugs attack the Heroes and kidnap the owner, but she actually had the attack 
  staged to make her look innocent and had hidden the ruby for its insurance money all along (Detective 
  Comics #28). 
   
  One of the Heroes is summoned to the reading of a will and is named as the inheritor of a house 
  provided he can stay in it overnight.  Attempts are made to kill the Hero (and any other Heroes 
  accompanying him), all perpetrated by the dead man’s son.  Further, searching the house reveals 
  
  38 
   
  evidence that the son had killed his father (Detective Comics #28). 
   
  Someone the Heroes know was making a mail flight delivery when his plane was downed in a storm.  
  The Heroes have to rescue him from a mountaintop, but their friend is delirious and, mistaking them for 
  thieves, attacks them (All-American Comics #4). 
   
  While investigating a subway tunnel collapse, the Heroes meet an inspector who clues them in to a 
  crooked construction company.  The construction company is a front for a master criminal who tries to 
  help the company’s figurehead leader escape before the master criminal can be implicated (Action 
  Comics #14). 
   
  A woman claiming that spies are after her contacts the Heroes.  When the Heroes arrive, they find the 
  woman in the care of a doctor who says the woman made everything up.  The doctor is a spy, however, 
  and the woman is his prisoner (Action Comics #14). 
   
  An old man with a treasure map asks/hires the Heroes to go to South America and find the Fountain of 
  Youth for him.  The fountain is protected by weird guardians.  Upon investigating the ruins around the 
  fountain, the Heroes learn of the fountain’s curse – that anyone desiring its water will die as soon as the 
  water is obtained (Action Comics #14). 
   
  A mad scientist trying to start up an extortion racket fears the Heroes will interfere, so he invites them to 
  stop him as part of an ambush for them (Detective Comics #29). 
   
  The Heroes are asked to swap money for a kidnapped victim.  The victim remembers hearing noises 
  that will help the Heroes track the kidnappers back to a farmhouse by railroad tracks (Detective Comics 
  #29). 
   
  A damsel in distress sends the Heroes a request for help from Hawaii.  The woman and her uncle, a 
  local dignitary, are abducted just before the Heroes arrive.  The kidnapper is a foreign agent looking to 
  create chaos and uprisings in Hawaii (Detective Comics #29). 
   
  A wealthy actress is kidnapped from her own estate.  If the Heroes investigate, they discover the 
  kidnapper is still on the premises, hiding the actress in a secret room (Adventure Comics #40). 
   
  The Heroes are helping to fight a forest fire when they spot signs of someone being in a house in the 
  fire’s path.  The people in the house are really robbers who created the fire to cover their crime (All-
  American Comics #5). 
   
  An organization that helps disadvantaged boys contacts the Heroes, telling them they need to raise $2 
  million in two weeks to keep the organization going (Action Comics #15). 
   
  The President of a diamond mining company in South America hires the Heroes to find the smugglers 
  who stole a prized diamond from the mines (Action Comics #15). 
   
  Ocean levels are rising to dangerous levels, threatening to flood the coasts.  The cause is an ultra-mad 
  scientist with an enormous heat ray, melting the polar ice caps to blackmail the world (Action Comics 
  #15). 
   
  If the Heroes investigate a mysterious death, they discover that the dead man’s widow has a fortune in 
  jewels in her possession.  The killers are still after the jewels (Detective Comics #30). 
   
  A woman tries to steal the Hero’s car.  The woman is an escapee from an insane asylum, but insists she 
  is a sane heiress being held prisoner until she signs over her fortune.  She is telling the truth and most of 
  the people working at the asylum are in on the scheme (Detective Comics #30). 
   
  The Heroes receive a tip from a reporter that she is on the trail of narcotics dealers.  The Heroes 
  observe her boarding a boat that is manned by the mobsters she was after (Adventure Comics #41). 
   
  A girl who had indirectly helped the Heroes before requests a tour of the Heroes’ HQ.  Right after the 
  tour (or right after the Heroes refuse it), the girl is kidnapped (All-American Comics #6). 
   
  The Heroes have a chance to save a man trying to commit suicide.  The man had gambled away all his 
  money and asks the Heroes to bring the crooked gambling den owners to justice (Action Comics #16). 
   
  The U.S. State Dept. asks the Heroes to go to France and help the French authorities track down a spy 
  
  39 
   
  ring.  A French officer gives the Heroes false plans and leaves it up to the Heroes how to let the spies 
  acquire the plans from them.  However, if the Heroes investigate the French officer, they find that he has 
  given them real plans and is in league with the spies (Action Comics #16). 
   
  The Heroes are abducted by faster-than-light tractor beams and brought to Saturn.  The people of 
  Saturn plan to invade Earth, but first subject the Heroes to combat to test Earth’s ability to defend itself.  
  The Saturnites need Earth’s water.  If the Heroes try to solve their problem peacefully, they discover that 
  the Saturnites never invented irrigation (Action Comics #16). 
   
  A supporting cast member of one of the Heroes is seen trying to kill someone.  The cast member 
  appears to be in a hypnotic trance.  The cast member’s doctor recommends a cruise, but the doctor 
  appears to be hypnotized too.  The cruise is a trap set up by cultists who want to sacrifice the cast 
  member after making him/her kill someone else (Detective Comics #31). 
   
  The Heroes visit a zoo and see a visitor being abusive to the animals.  The man turns up dead the next 
  day.  More guests begin dying at the zoo.  The killer is the zookeeper, who has become paranoid that 
  everyone is out to get his animals (Detective Comics #31). 
   
  Former Navy pilots are being murdered.  If the Heroes investigate, they learn that the pilots were all 
  friends, with one friend left alive in the group and an enemy with a grudge against the group after him.  
  The remaining pilot is a commercial pilot now and his old enemy attacks his plane in mid-air (Adventure 
  Comics #42). 
   
  The Heroes have a chance to save an ex-championship boxer from suicide.  The boxer was forced to 
  throw a match by a crooked promoter.  The boxer’s manager was in on it (Superman #2). 
   
  A scientist who had invented a new chemical weapon is found dead and his plans stolen.  Mobsters took 
  the plans and can be tracked by plane all the way to a small Carpathian country at war with its neighbor.  
  The country’s army now has the plans in its possession (Superman #2). 
   
  Five deaths have occurred because of accidents around a skyscraper under construction.  If the Heroes 
  investigate, they find saboteurs in the skyscraper.  The saboteurs were hired by a rival construction 
  company (Superman #2). 
   
  A big time mobster comes to the Heroes’ hometown and thinks their reputation is phony.  To prove he is 
  tougher than the Heroes, he challenges them to a series of duels where the loser has to leave town 
  (Superman #2). 
   
  A dam is about to give way right above a popular fishing spot.  If the Heroes cannot fix the dam, they will 
  have to find all the fishermen on the river and evacuate them before it’s too late (All-American Comics 
  #7). 
   
  A SOS from a sinking steamship is intercepted by the Heroes.  The ship and its crew and passengers 
  need saving, but more sinister is that the ship was sabotaged by mobsters trying to extort money from 
  the ship’s owner for a master criminal (Action Comics #17). 
   
  The Heroes are requested by the government of Turkey to come uncover a sabotage plot threatening 
  the Turkish navy out of Istanbul.  The chief saboteur is using hypnotism to make others work for him and 
  he tries to capture the Heroes and use hypnotism on them too (Action Comics #17-18).   
   
  The Heroes are on a cruise ship bound for Europe when the ship is attacked by African soldiers.  The 
  soldiers come from a secret city, the queen of which needs women from the ship for a magical ceremony 
  that will transfer their youth to her (Action Comics #17). 
   
  The Heroes have tracked cultists down to a castle in Hungary.  The Heroes can find one of the cultists 
  using a carriage to and from the neighboring town, but the cultist turns out to be a werewolf (or a 
  vampire if the Heroes are high enough in level).  The cultist leads the Heroes into a trap and the Heroes 
  are left to be eaten by wolves.  The leader of the cult is also either a werewolf or vampire (Detective 
  Comics #32). 
   
  One of the Heroes inadvertently injures the rich owner of a chain of hotels.  The hotel owner promises to 
  forgive the Hero if the Heroes will solve a haunting at one of his hotels.  The hotel is filled with seemingly 
  supernatural occurrences, but all of them can be explained away upon investigation (like ghostly wails 
  coming from a concealed speaker).  The Heroes find a secret lab in the hotel and it appears that a mad 
  
  40 
   
  scientist is responsible for the “haunting”, but the scientist turns out to be the rich man and the whole 
  affair was engineered as an elaborate practical joke (Detective Comics #32). 
   
  Landing on an island in the South Seas (either on vacation or en route to somewhere else), the Heroes 
  observe savages attacking the more civilized locals.  The savages come from a neighboring island 
  where a white man has incited them to violence in order to control the area’s pearl beds (Adventure 
  Comics #43). 
   
  Bold smugglers have been shooting down cargo planes.  The Heroes can use themselves as bait for the 
  smugglers by piloting their own cargo plane on the same route (All-American Comics #8). 
   
  A Senator meeting with the Heroes mistakenly believes they are the people blackmailing him.  Once his 
  secret is revealed, the senator asks the Heroes to help him recover embarrassing, but faked, photos of 
  him.  One of the blackmailers comes around for money and the blackmailers are revealed to be the staff 
  of a sleazy local newspaper (Action Comics #18). 
   
  The Heroes are asked to go on an expedition to find Atlantis.  Their map leads to an underground cavern 
  that is the beginning of a long route out to Atlantis under the ocean.  This secret route is guarded by a 
  lone Atlantean elder who can tell them much of Atlantis’ history.  The elder also guards a room full of 
  gold.  If the Heroes do not go for the gold themselves, then the sailors who accompanied the Heroes 
  hear of the room of gold and try to steal it.  Any attempt to steal the gold summons a giant octopus to the 
  room (Action Comics #18). 
   
  A Napoleon-type mobster is attacking the city with a death-ray mounted in a dirigible as his opening 
  salvo in a bid to take over the city.  If the Heroes can get around the smokescreen the dirigible uses to 
  mask its escape, they can track it back to its secret, well-defended hanger (Detective Comics #33). 
   
  A legal guardian asks the Heroes to guard a diamond until the would-be heiress due to inherit comes of 
  age for her inheritance.  Mobsters are after the diamond.  The guardian was in league with the mobsters, 
  but betrays them by giving the diamond to the Heroes so the heiress will not be harmed (Detective 
  Comics #33). 
   
  A childhood friend of one of the Heroes breaks into his house.  Although easily mistaken for a burglar, 
  the friend is actually trying to find a place to hide from someone who is after him.  A policeman shows up 
  to arrest the friend, but the policeman is actually a killer in disguise.  The killer wants the friend dead so 
  he can have the friend’s oil stocks.  If the killer escapes, he can be tracked down to a warehouse by the 
  train tracks (Detective Comics #33). 
   
  The Heroes learn of, or spot while in flight to somewhere else, a ship stuck in the Arctic ice.  Several of 
  the passengers aboard the trapped vessel are sick and need hospitalization (All-American Comics #9). 
   
  An ultra-mad scientist has unleashed a plague on the city.  When a scientist is close to perfecting an 
  antidote, the scientist is kidnapped.  The ultra-mad scientist makes it easy for the Heroes to track the 
  kidnappers, as he wants to brainwash the Heroes into delivering the plague serum for him (Action 
  Comics #19). 
   
  A famous actor asks the Heroes to go to Sudan and rescue his missing son.  There, the Heroes learn 
  that towns are being attacked by zombies.  The zombies are being created by savages using a drug to 
  turn people into zombies.  The son, if found, has already learned the secret that salt can counter the 
  drug (Action Comics #19). 
   
  The Heroes are attacked by intelligent gorillas.  A scientist they know recognizes the work of a mad 
  scientist who had been working on transplanting human brains into gorillas.  The mad scientist is now in 
  Mexico where he has been building a fortress and stocking it with human-gorilla slaves (Action Comics 
  #19). 
   
  In France, the Heroes meet a woman whose brother has had his face removed by a duke who is also a 
  mad scientist.  The duke did this because the woman refused to marry him.  The duke has a hideout in 
  the sewers (Detective Comics #34). 
   
  The Heroes are on a ship, perhaps bound for the South Seas, when the ship is sunk by a Japanese 
  submarine.  The Heroes best bet to save the passengers is to take the fight to the submarine.  Working 
  aboard the submarine is an American mobster, the ex-partner of an old enemy of the Heroes (Detective 
  
  41 
   
  Comics #34). 
   
  The Heroes overhear that a night club singer plans to have herself kidnapped.  If the kidnapping attempt 
  is foiled, the Heroes can learn that the singer’s husband was in on it and the pair of them were hoping to 
  collect insurance money (Adventure Comics #45). 
   
  For more Hideouts & Hoodlums, see http://sites.google.com/site/hideoutsandhoodlums/ 
   
   
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  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document Copyright 2000-
  2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David 
  Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary 
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