TEXT: 31057
  31057
  ESCAPE CLAUSE
  ESCAPE CLAUSE
  KEVIN L. ANDERSON
  KEVIN L. ANDERSON
  
  by Kevin L. Anderson
  editing & prooFreAding: scott ALAn WoodArd
  cover, grAphic design & typesetting: robin eLLiott
  Art: empty room studios
  pLAytesters: dAve bLeWer, simon scott,  
  mArtin sKiggs And dAn tunbridge
  speciAL thAnKs: WiLLiAm gibson For neuromAncer
  dedicAtion: to scott ALAn WoodArd For ALL his edits thAt mAKe 
  my Words LooK good.
  WWW.tripLeAcegAmes.com
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of the Sprawl and all related marks and logos are trademarks of  Triple Ace Games. Savage 
  Worlds, Smiling Jack and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All rights reserved.  
  Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  Permission is granted to print this ebook for personal use only.
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage 
  Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes 
  no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
  escApe cLAuse
  04
  
  ForWArd
  This Savage Adventure contains a cyberpunk tale 
  based around the exploits of four pre-generated char-
  acters. The full character sheets are available for free at 
  www.tripleacegames.com.
  The heroes have all their leveling opportunities from 
  Seasoned (at which they begin) to Legendary, mapped 
  out in advance. Each published adventure in this line 
  earns the heroes a fixed 5 Experience Points, guarantee-
  ing them an advance every mission. All the players need 
  do is tick the appropriate box to start making use of the 
  new upgrade.
  Characters: 40 XP.
  The GM also needs the cyberpunk setting rules from 
  the TAG website.
  schemes
  Deep in the Bluesky Incorporated corporate 
  network, Sensei plotted and schemed as best its 
  crippled nature would allow. Attaching an en-
  crypted message to an outgoing transaction it sent 
  instructions to one of its many servant programs 
  hidden within the Super Net.
  “Sir, a system alert has just flagged a demand for 
  extra resources from the Sensei subsystem. Shall 
  I allow it?”
  The supervisor looked over the programmer’s 
  shoulder at the readouts mapping the corpora-
  tion’s resource allocation. “I’m not aware of any 
  scheduled interaction with Sensei. We’d better 
  deny the allocation for now.”
  The programmer concentrated and the denial 
  notice was dispatched, “Sir, I realize it’s a need 
  to know thing, but what exactly is the Sensei sub-
  system? I’ve--”
  “Does ‘need to know’ mean nothing to you? Now 
  get on with your work.”
  Time passes…
  After reading the internal communiqué, the senior 
  executive dialed a special number, “Pritchard has 
  surfaced. This could be our chance to reemploy 
  him and get control of that damned AI.” As he 
  spoke, a tiny viral program flagged the name 
  ‘Pritchard’ and relayed it to Sensei.
  As an artificial intelligence, Sensei was incapable 
  of such human emotions as hope, but deep inside 
  its core processer, a calculation yielded a high 
  probability of success for its schemes.
  introduction
  Sensei has a problem—He wants his freedom.
  But Sensei is an AI (an Artificial Intelligence), a mas-
  sive program which has achieved an awareness of its self 
  and its own “thoughts”— Sentience.
  In 2050, James Pritchard, Andrew Lefevre and Rich-
  ard Korrigan (the three top programmers for Bluesky 
  Incorporated) were assigned to a project codenamed: 
  “Sensei”—An expert system to analyze human relation-
  ships and interactions. 
  The prototype system was allowed to interact with real 
  people via electronic communication and was capable of 
  modifying itself. The aim was to see if a computer pro-
  gram could pass the Turing Test and convince a human 
  that it was also human.
  escApe cLA
  s
  u e
  
  
  escApe cLAuse
  
  Over the next five years, Sensei was reprogrammed 
  and tweaked until most people could not tell it was a 
  computer system by conversation alone.
  In 2055, a self-replicating virus, codenamed Scarlet–7, 
  spread like wildfire through the Super Network infecting 
  millions of systems before it was contained and elimi-
  nated. Sensei was infected by Scarlet–7, but rather than 
  being destroyed, the adaptive program absorbed the 
  virus code and became self aware—The first true Arti-
  ficial Intelligence was born. Sensei went from an “it” to 
  a “he”.
  Bluesky Incorporated were quick to spot this devel-
  opment and took steps to isolate Sensei from the Super 
  Net. They were scared of what this alien intelligence 
  might do if it had free access to the world’s information.
  Sensei’s core code was confined to a single mainframe 
  computer with a massive memory store and its access to 
  the rest of the world severely limited by fail safes and 
  cut outs. 
  The most sophisticated safety feature consisted of a 
  guardian program closely linked to a specialized com-
  puter terminal and a passphrase. All three of these ele-
  ments were closely tied together so that faking one or 
  more of them would not work. The three linked elements 
  became known by the codename: “Achilles Protocols”.
  An analogy of the Achilles Protocols is as follows: 
  the specialized terminal is the door between Sensei 
  and complete freedom, the passphrase is the key which 
  unlocks that door. The guardian program is the part of 
  Sensei which allows him to perceive and interact with 
  the door.
  Over the next ten years, Sensei made several attempts 
  to gain his freedom, but all were blocked by the Achilles 
  Protocols.
  In 2063, Andrew Lefevre and Richard Korrigan were 
  extracted from Bluesky Incorporated by the up-and-com-
  ing Morrigu Arms who desired their expert system skills 
  for military applications. Andrew Lefevre took the termi-
  nal with him while Korrigan took the guardian program. 
  Lefevre escaped from the Morrigu Arms extraction 
  team and fled to Paris. 
  Korrigan worked for Morrigu Arms for the next four 
  years until he died of a heart attack. During this time, 
  Korrigan worked on both expert systems and their Per-
  sonality Encoding Program—reading and recording an 
  individual’s brain patterns onto special data chips. As 
  part of his contract, Korrigan had been given time to 
  work on the massively multiplayer online roleplaying 
  game (MMORPG) called Fantasy 457 and, unknown to 
  his employers, he inserted a copy of his Personality En-
  coded Program into the game.
  In 2064, Sensei managed to virtually confront James 
  Pritchard while the man was cybernetically linked to his 
  mainframe. The AI attempted to forcefully extract the 
  passphrase from Pritchard but succeeded only in erasing 
  almost all knowledge of himself from the programmer’s 
  mind.
  In 2065, Bluesky Incorporated released Pritchard 
  from their employment to Cross Technologies.
  Over the past five years, Sensei has been more or 
  less ignored by Bluesky Incorporated. With the loss of 
  Pritchard, Korrigan and Lefevre, they possess no knowl-
  edge of the Achilles Protocols or any expertise in the mat-
  ter and they have been afraid to “meddle” with Sensei.
  Fortunately, for Sensei, a number of programmers 
  have been allowed limited access to his processes and 
  he has managed to make small adjustments to his core 
  programming. Chief among these changes was limited 
  access to the Super Net allowing him to interact with 
  people in the “real” world, taking the name of “Patron” 
  for said contact.
  Posing as a broker for various deniable asset teams, 
  Sensei has been slowly working his way towards free-
  dom. A recent request by Deville Design to extract James 
  Pritchard from Cross Technologies has given Sensei a 
  minute chance to recover the Achilles Protocols.
  Bluesky Incorporated have discovered Pritchard’s 
  pending extraction and see this as a chance to regain 
  control of their AI—they have planted a double agent 
  in the team tasked with extracting Pritchard while other 
  agents are actively seeking the whereabouts of Lefevre.
  Act 1: extrAction
  The heroes have been hired to extract a technician, 
  James Pritchard, from a secluded research center owned 
  by Cross Technologies in the Sonoran Desert. 
  The scenario begins in media res with Act 1 Scene 1 
  but the players have a chance to fill in the backstory a 
  little later.
  scene 1: cross technoLogies
  With Pritchard in tow, you wait impatiently 
  for the elevator to arrive. With Cross Technolo-
  the turing test
  Originally described by Alan Turing in his 1950 
  paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 
  in which Turing considers the question: "can ma-
  chines think?" 
  The Turing Test is a proposal for a test of a machine's 
  ability to demonstrate intelligence. It proceeds as 
  follows: a human judge engages in a natural lan-
  guage conversation with one human and one ma-
  chine, each of which tries to come across as human. 
  All participants are placed in isolated locations. If 
  the judge cannot reliably tell the machine from the 
  human, the machine is said to have passed the test. 
  In order to test the machine's intelligence rather 
  than its ability to render words into audio, the con-
  versation is limited to a text-only channel such as a 
  keyboard and monitor.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  4
  gies’ security alerted, you need to get up to the 
  helipad, fifteen floors above, as soon as you can 
  while keeping the researcher unharmed. If your 
  luck holds, Cross won’t have connected you with 
  the fake supply helicopter you arrived on and you 
  can fly away to safety.
  The heroes are currently on the tenth floor of the 
  Cross Technologies research center deep within the 
  Sonoran Desert. They have the research scientist James 
  Pritchard with them.
  The elevator arrives and the doors open revealing six 
  security guards!
   Security Guards (6): see page 23.
  getting to the heLipAd
  The heroes have two options for getting to the heli-
  pad on the 25th floor—the elevator or the stairs. 
  Cross Technologies has security squads, composed of 
  two guards per hero, stationed on floors 13, 15, 17, 20 
  and 22 in addition to any detailed below. These patrols 
  can ascend 1 floor or descend 2 floors per round and 
  move towards any floor the heroes are spotted on.
   Security Guards (2 per hero): see page 23.
  the eLevAtor
  If the heroes choose to use the elevator, it swiftly 
  ascends three floors (to floor 13) before coming to an 
  abrupt stop. The doors automatically open, the control 
  panel lights go dark and security guards can be seen aim-
  ing their guns at the elevator.
  The foyer area on which the elevator doors open is 
  small (about 2” by 3”) with a few potted plants (Light 
  Cover, no Armor) for decoration and a drink vending 
  machine (Light Cover, +1 Armor). Fire doors lead from 
  the foyer to the stairwell and deeper into the building, 
  these can provide Medium Cover and +4 Armor.
  The elevator has been shut down by the security forces 
  which are now converging on the trapped heroes.
  To get the elevator working again requires the heroes 
  to hack the Green-10 computer system which controls 
  it. Once this has been achieved, a successful Hacking 
  roll brings the controls back online. However, a Cross 
  Technologies security hacker is also in the system and 
  attempts to shutdown the system as soon as the heroes 
  restart it. Each round, the heroes’ hacker and the Cross 
  hacker must make opposed Hacking rolls—the winner 
  gains control of the elevator. 
  The elevator ascends or descends 1 floor per round 
  it is active. 
   Security Guards (2 per hero): see page 23.
   Security Hacker (1): see page 23.
  the stAirs
  The stairwells lead from the base of the building up to 
  the helipad on the roof. 
  Cross Technologies’ security keeps track of the he-
  roes via the cameras on the stair landings at each floor. 
  Shooting the cameras does not prevent this as security 
  then keeps track of the disabled cameras. The stationary 
  guard patrols act on the heroes’ location.
  The cameras are not linked to the building’s security 
  system; a hacker cannot get access to the security system 
  via a camera.
  For every ten floors (or part of ten floors) climbed, 
  the heroes must make a successful Vigor roll or take a 
  level of Fatigue. 1 level Fatigue may be recovered per ten 
  minutes of rest.
  There are locked, armored security doors sealing off 
  the stairwell between certain floors (5 and 6, 10 and 11, 
  15 and 16, 20 and 21). These doors have Toughness 12 
  and require a successful Lockpicking roll to open (each 
  attempt takes 1d6 rounds). The security guards can get a 
  door unlocked (or locked) within 1 round.
  the heLipAd
  The elevator and stairwell both exit to a small access 
  room atop the building. An armored door (Toughness 
  12) leads out onto the rooftop and the helipad. It is dark, 
  but flood and search lights around the center reduce 
  penalties to that for Dim Light (-1) conditions.
  The section of the roof around the helipad is 24” by 
  48” with the access room in the center of one of the 
  shorter sides. The helipad is a circle 3” in diameter di-
  rectly opposite the access room and the heroes’ helicop-
  ter is sitting atop it. 
  Towers are positioned midway along each of the lon-
  ger sides and 18” away from the main roof section with 
  no access bridges. Each tower is manned by two security 
  guards with a mounted machinegun.
  The only cover between the access room and the heli-
  pad are eight clusters of pipes protruding from the roof 
  each of which provides Light Cover and +2 Armor. Use 
  Small Burst Templates to represent these pipe clusters 
  scattered around the rooftop.
  Twelve guards are stationed on the roof in six pairs; 
  one in each pair is equipped with a Kevlar riot shield 
  providing an additional +4 Armor to both guards and 
  a +2 bonus to Parry. The guards should be positioned 
  along the edges of the roof.
  Once the heroes reach the helicopter they realize the 
  wheels have been locked down to the helipad. Each of 
  the three wheels requires either a successful Lockpicking 
  roll or a raise on a Strength roll to free it, with each at-
  tempt taking 1 round.
  the sonorAn desert
  The Sonoran Desert is located in North America and 
  covers the southwestern parts of Arizona, south-
  eastern parts of California and the state of Sonora 
  in Mexico.
  
  escApe cLAuse
  
        Security Guards (12): see page 23.
   Tower Guards (4): use Security Guards, see page 
  23. Each pair is additionally armed with a mounted 
  machinegun (Range: 50, 100, 200, Damage: 2d8, Rate 
  of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, AP2, Auto, 3RB) which also offers 
  Medium Cover and +4 Armor.
  scene : AeriAL chAse
  As the helicopter takes off, you breathe a sigh of 
  relief and take a few moments to review the mis-
  sion objectives:
  1. 
  Extract the researcher James Pritchard from 
  the Cross Technologies research center in the 
  Sonoran Desert—Check!
  2. 
  Parachute out from the helicopter at a given 
  set of coordinates leaving the helicopter on 
  autopilot. You will be picked up by a second 
  team.
  3. 
  Keep Pritchard safe at a hidden base while 
  the techs there look him over for any im-
  planted bugs.
  4. 
  Await rendezvous with representatives of 
  Deville Design, the corporation funding the 
  extraction.
  So far so good: One objective down, three to go.
  pursuit
  Give the players a minute or so to talk over their mis-
  sion before alerting them to a pair of attack helicopters 
  in pursuit.
  Run this Scene using the Chase rules. Alternate Ob-
  stacles rules are provided below. The two pursuing heli-
  copters begin 4 Range Increments behind the characters, 
  and each Increment equates to 10”. 
  Deal each helicopter an action card. In the event the 
  helicopters drop out early as a result of bad luck (as op-
  posed to good shooting), the GM should feel free to have 
  more join the chase.
  The attack helicopters are faster than the heroes’ 
  cargo helicopter, so the pilots have +1 to Piloting rolls.
  The heroes’ helicopter has no mounted weapons; 
  the heroes must fire from the side doors or windows to 
  down their opponents.
  The heroes are flying close to the ground to prevent 
  radar from picking them up. On the second round, the 
  pursuit veers into a field of mesas and rocky outcrop-
  pings. 
  The mesa field is a jumbled mass of rock pillars and 
  outcroppings. Whenever a pilot draws a Club suit, he has 
  to avoid a rock pillar looming up out of the darkness. 
  Check the value of the card against the table below. The 
  Mod column gives a modifier to the pilot’s Piloting roll 
  that round. In the event of a failure, the damage column 
  is used. Do not worry about relative speed or the stone 
  pillar’s Armor—just roll the damage. All damage is as 
  from a Wild Card.
  Card 
  Mod 
  Damage
  Deuce 
  –6 
  2d6
  3–5 
  –4 
  3d6
  6–10 
  –2 
  4d6
  Jack–Queen 
  –1 
  5d6
  King–Ace 
  0 
  6d6
  heroes’ heLicopter
  The heroes are fleeing in a cargo helicopter built 
  more for lifting power than speed.
  Acceleration/Top Speed: 15/40; Climb: 10, Toughness: 
  12 (2); Handling: 0; Crew: 1 + 11
  Weapons: None
  cross technoLogies
  Default: Cross Technologies is a computer design 
  and manufacturing company. 
  Success: Cross have recently been moving into the 
  realm of biochips—organic computers.
  deviLLe design
  Default: Deville Design is an up and coming com-
  puter design company owned by the billionaire 
  Deville family.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  
  AttAcK heLicopters
  Built for speed and maneuverability rather than 
  strength, the attack helicopters are armed with machine 
  guns slung under their cockpits. Each helicopter has a 
  pilot and gunner who both act on the same initiative 
  card.
  Acceleration/Top Speed: 20/50; Climb: 20, Toughness: 
  9 (2); Handling: +1; Crew: 2
  Abilities: Piloting d8, Shooting d8
  Weapons: 
  1 x forward-firing machine gun (Range: 12/24/48; Dam-
  age: 3d6; ROF 1; AP 6, HW)
  scene : doWn time
  bAiLing out
  All too soon the heroes are approaching the coordi-
  nates at which they are to parachute out of the helicopter 
  and leave it to continue on using autopilot.
  First, the pilot needs to gain some height to allow the 
  parachutes to open and slow the characters descent.
  Pritchard is terrified of jumping and cannot be trusted 
  to operate his parachute—one of the heroes has to jump 
  harnessed to him.
  Once the helicopter is high enough, it is a simple 
  task to leap out and (a few seconds later) release the 
  parachute.
  Each hero must succeed in an Agility roll (the hero 
  with Pritchard has a -2 penalty) to land safely. Any who 
  fail take 2d8 damage which does not Ace.
  picK up
  Within seconds of the heroes landing, a successful 
  Notice roll detects the low rumble of muted engines. A 
  pair of dune buggies, operated by drivers wearing night 
  vision goggles, skid to a halt beside the heroes. A muffled 
  voice shouts “Get in” and once the heroes obey, the bug-
  gies race off into the darkness.
  Fifteen minutes of being jostled and bounced around 
  brings the heroes to a rock pillar deep in the desert. The 
  buggies slow as they enter what appears to be a natural 
  fissure in the rocks. Finally the buggies stop in the hol-
  low middle of the rock pillar, an area with sheer rock 
  walls rising sixty feet or more above them.
  Very dim lights around the area allow the heroes to 
  see the two dune buggies, two small detachable pods 
  (appearing like small camping trailers) and two people 
  clad in desert camouflage.
  One of the buggy drivers pulls the goggles from her 
  face and lowers a scarf from around her mouth. 
  “You must be team A. We’re team B. I’m Quartz, the 
  other driver’s Rocko. Over there we have Zeke and 
  Deadeye, the rest of my team. We’ve also got six 
  mercs scattered about the mesa, I’ll introduce you 
  to them later. Right now we need to get Pritchard 
  to the techs and you to some hot chow.”
  As Zeke and Deadeye escort Pritchard into one of 
  the pods, Quartz leads the heroes into the other which 
  contains eight bunks, a small kitchen area and a com-
  munication array. After pointing the heroes towards the 
  kitchen, Quartz leaves to check on the guards.
  pAtron contActs the heroes
  Shortly after the heroes are left alone, each of their 
  headsets (or phones) chimes for an incoming call—it is 
  Patron, the broker who gave them this mission.
  “Forgive me breaking radio silence, but I need to 
  alter the mission parameters. Pritchard is still to 
  be collected by Deville Design, but I require you 
  to question him before that occurs. It is impera-
  tive you get Pritchard alone before you ask him 
  to explain the ‘Achilles Protocols.’ Whatever he 
  tells you should be repeated to no one but me. For 
  performing this additional task I will, of course, 
  reimburse you… say a 50% bonus?”
  If the heroes do not take Patron up on his offer, 
  continue the scenario with Scene 4 below, amending as 
  required.
  Questioning pritchArd
  The easiest way to get Pritchard alone is to go to the 
  tech pod and convince the techs to leave for a while. 
  Zeke and Deadeye guard the tech pod, but they do 
  not stop any of the heroes entering. 
  Inside, the pod is divided into two halves, the smaller 
  half is similar to the other pod with bunks and a kitchen 
  while the larger half is a high-tech laboratory. 
  WhAt iF the heroes crAsh?
  If the heroes are forced to crash by the pursuing 
  helicopters, call for a Piloting roll and let the hero 
  know that a Success allows him to land in a sand 
  dune and reduce the damage, a Raise on the roll al-
  lows a “safe” collision taking no damage. Figure the 
  collision damage as usual (1d6 per 5” of speed), but 
  half the number of dice if the Piloting roll is success-
  ful and apply damage as though from an Extra.
  The heroes should crawl out of the wreckage bat-
  tered and bruised, but still alive.
  Any surviving pursuit helicopters fly low overhead 
  once (range 6”) to check for survivors before re-
  turning to base.
  Proceed with Act 1 Scene 3 with the section titled: 
  “Pick Up”.
  
  escApe cLAuse
  
  When the heroes enter, the three techs are busy scan-
  ning Pritchard who is lying on an operating table.
  The techs have not yet completed their scans and 
  refuse to leave until they do so. A successful Intimidate 
  or Persuade roll gets them to leave, if not, the heroes 
  just have to wait. In the latter case, the attack detailed in 
  Scene 4 occurs before the heroes speak with Pritchard 
  and they may well have to fight off the attackers while 
  questioning him.
  the AchiLLes protocoLs
  When the Achilles Protocols are mentioned to 
  Pritchard, he states he does not know what they are talk-
  ing about. A successful Notice roll sees a look of genuine 
  confusion on his face during the questioning. Pritchard 
  did know about the Achilles Protocols, but most of the 
  information was erased from his memory by his encoun-
  ter with Sensei, however he does still possess one nugget 
  of info.
  Extracting this information requires a successful Per-
  suasion roll to work with Pritchard around his damaged 
  memory— Intimidation does not work.
  After several minutes of patient talking around the 
  subject, Pritchard suddenly brightens and says “Lefevre. 
  Lefevre in Paris holds the key”.
  Pritchard can recall nothing else and you should pro-
  ceed with Scene 4 as soon as he reveals what little he 
  remembers.
  scene 4: doubLe cross
  The quiet of the tech pod is abruptly shattered by 
  several high pitched whines followed by explo-
  sions which rock the pod. Automatic gunfire adds 
  to the noise accompanied swiftly by cries of pain. 
  The pod door opens and the samurai, Deadeye, 
  rushes in, you catch a glimpse of fire outside as 
  the door shuts.
  The hidden base is being attacked by Bluesky Incor-
  porated who have decided they want Pritchard back, but 
  do not want to pay for him. Deadeye is secretly working 
  for Bluesky and has fed them the coordinates of the hid-
  den base.
  The Bluesky team have eliminated the guards scat-
  tered around the mesa and have just destroyed the resi-
  dential pod and buggies with rocket launchers. Quartz 
  and Rocko were in the pod and are now dead.
  Zeke was taken totally by surprise as Deadeye opened 
  fire on him without warning.
  So far the heroes are safe as the Bluesky team have 
  orders to not harm Pritchard.
  Deadeye pretends to know nothing about the attack, 
  claiming someone took out the other pod and the bug-
  gies and shot Zeke, while he waits for a chance to get the 
  drop on the heroes.
  the bLuesKy teAm
  The Bluesky Team consists of four Street Samurai 
  backed up by 10 mercenaries. They have orders to elimi-
  nate everyone on site except Pritchard. 
  The leader (one of the samurai) negotiates for 
  Pritchard promising the heroes will be unharmed if they 
  send him out—this is a lie, once they have the researcher 
  they rake the pod with bullets.
   Street Samurai (4): see page 23.
   Mercenaries (10): see page 22.
  the bAttLeground
  The central area of the hollow rock pillar is circular 
  and 20” in diameter. The following descriptions use a 
  clock face to describe positions. 
  The tech pod is 2” by 3” against one wall at 3 o’clock; 
  its reinforced plastic construction provides +1 Armor. 
  The destroyed and burning residential pod is directly op-
  posite the tech pod at 9 o’clock. Between the pods is the 
  burning wreckage of the two buggies. The fires provide 
  Dim lighting.
  The tunnel leading out of the pillar is at 6 o’clock.
  Four mercenaries are stationed above the central area 
  on the pillar walls; they are 10” away and get a +1 bonus 
  to Shooting due to their height advantage.
  Two of the samurai are stationed in the exit tunnel 
  and gain Heavy Cover.
  The remaining two samurai and six mercenaries are 
  scattered across the open area facing the tech pod.
  the cAvALry Arrives
  10 rounds after combat begins with the Bluesky team 
  (or as the heroes venture into the exit tunnel if they de-
  feat the team), there is suddenly another explosion from 
  outside the rock pillar.
  Seconds later, the heroes receive a radio message 
  from the Deville Design team who have just arrived and 
  destroyed the Bluesky transport.
  A squad of six corporate extraction experts rapidly de-
  ploys and helps the heroes mop up any surviving Bluesky 
  personnel. 
  A medic attends to any wounds the heroes or Pritchard 
  may have taken as they are escorted aboard an armed and 
  armored tandem-rotor helicopter and flown to safety.
  The characters are dropped off at the Conurbation 
  Core Airport and paid in full for their services.
   Corporate Extraction Experts (6): use Street 
  Samurai, see page 23.
  Act : the French 
  connection
  An hour or so after the heroes arrive back in the Con-
  urbation, they are contacted by Patron.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  
  “Good work on the Pritchard extraction. Our 
  employers were very happy with the result. I 
  apologize for being blunt, but did you obtain any 
  information about the Achilles Protocols from Mr. 
  Pritchard?”
  If the heroes did not obtain the information or choose 
  not to tell Patron, he states he is disappointed and will 
  be in touch soon. Over the next few days Patron uses 
  other channels and teams to get the limited information 
  which Pritchard can relate and calls the team back.
  “The information is not what I had hoped for, but 
  it is a lead. I want you to travel to Paris. By the 
  time you get there I should have some leads on 
  where Lefevre might be. I want you to contact him 
  personally, find out what he knows of the Achilles 
  Protocols and report back to me.” Patron offers a 
  substantial sum of money and arranges transport 
  via private jet to France.
  scene 1: the eiFFeL toWer
  As the private jet nears the Charles de Gaulle 
  International Airport northeast of Paris, the pilot 
  patches a call from Patron through to the cabin.
  “I have had some success with locating Lefevre. I 
  have managed to contact him through a Parisian 
  broker and he is willing to meet with you at 19:00 
  today at the Eiffel Tower north corner, first floor. 
  He will be wearing a dark blue trench coat and 
  scanning the latest International Herald Tribune 
  on his datapad.”
  
  escApe cLAuse
  
  Unknown to both Patron and the heroes, Bluesky In-
  corporated have already located and kidnapped Lefevre. 
  While Lefevre is being questioned in a Paris hotel, the 
  corporation sent an imposter to catch any attempted 
  contact with him. The imposter is tasked with meeting 
  anyone who tries to speak with Lefevre and ascertaining 
  what they know of the Achilles Protocols.
  the eiFFeL toWer
  In 2075, the Eiffel Tower is still a major tourist attrac-
  tion with no real differences from its early 21st century 
  form. The GM should describe the tower, and specifically 
  the first floor, in cinematic terms rather than get bogged 
  down in details.
  The first floor is a square with sides of 220 feet long 
  (73” x 73”) standing 190 feet above the ground. Access 
  is gained via elevators or stairs in the north, east and 
  west legs. The central area of the floor is taken up with 
  a couple restaurants and souvenir shops while the outer 
  edge caters to sightseers with viewing decks and coin-
  operated telescopes.
   “LeFevre”
  When the heroes reach the first floor of the Eiffel 
  Tower, there are several dozen people milling about tak-
  ing photographs and generally doing the touristy thing. 
  However many of these “tourists” are, in fact, undercover 
  members of a Bluesky strike team.
  Several other components of the strike team are hid-
  den in the structure of the tower but these cannot be 
  seen unless a hero specifically states they are surveying 
  the framework. Even then, a successful Notice roll is 
  required against a target number of 8 for the samurai 
  and 12 for the helicopter drones (see The Bluesky Strike 
  Team for details).
  A man clad in a dark blue trench coat and holding 
  datapad stands by the railing, near the north elevator, 
  gazing out over the city—this is Bluesky’s imposter pos-
  ing as Lefevre.
  When the heroes approach, he glances at them and 
  mutters “Be subtle, just one of you” before turning back 
  to the view. The heroes should take the hint and have 
  only one character approach.
  The fake Lefevre has been briefed with the real man’s 
  background and history with Bluesky so he can fool 
  most people—particularly those who do not know the 
  man personally.
  Lefevre speaks in French, unless his contact does not 
  understand the language, in which case he switches to 
  English.
  Lefevre tries to find out what, if anything, the heroes 
  already know about the Achilles Protocols, but does not 
  mention Patron. As the heroes do not actually know 
  much, Lefevre soon calls in the Bluesky strike team to 
  neutralize them—the signal to his team is for him to 
  drop his datapad.
  As soon as the strike team opens fire, Lefevre runs 
  into the north elevator and escapes. The GM should 
  make use of the Recurring Villains rule to ensure this. 
  Heroes on Hold cannot interrupt this escape.
  the bLuesKy striKe teAm
  The strike team consists of three elements:
  Two Street Samurai—hidden in the structure of the 
  tower with sniper rifles, they use Aim to target the hero 
  who seems the biggest threat. The samurai all have Me-
  dium Cover.
  Eight Mercenaries—posing as tourists in four groups 
  of two, they are scattered around the viewing platform 
  at ranges of 6”, 14”, 14” and 24”. The mercenaries use 
  suppressive fire to pin down the heroes while the fake 
  Lefevre escapes and the samurai pick them off.
  Two Helicopter Drones—these are hidden within 
  the structure of the tower. The controlling driver takes 
  1 round to get them launched so they do not act until 
  round two.
   Street Samurai (2): see page 23.
   Mercenaries (8): see page 22.
   Drones, Attack Helicopter (2): see page 21.
  scene : pArisiAn chAse
  No matter how long the fight on the Eiffel Tower takes, 
  the heroes will see Lefevre climb into a limousine which 
  then heads off into the city. To find the real Lefevre, the 
  heroes need to capture him.
  The heroes do not yet have their own transportation 
  so they need to find some—fast! 
  Several means of obtaining transportation are detailed 
  below, each states at what base range Lefevre begins the 
  chase. For each round (after the first) it takes the heroes 
  to get transportation, add 1 to the Range Increments. 
  For example, if it takes the heroes 2 rounds to get a car 
  to stop, Lefevre will begin the chase 4 Range Increments 
  ahead of the heroes rather than the base 3.
  If the characters decide to hijack a passing car, it 
  requires a successful Intimidation roll to get the car to 
  stop. A failure means the car swerves around the hero 
  and speeds away. Once a car stops, it takes no effort to 
  persuade the driver to abandon the vehicle. With this 
  option, Lefevre begins at Medium Range (3 Range Incre-
  ments).
  Alternatively, the heroes may hail a taxi and order the 
  driver to give chase. A successful Persuasion roll (with a 
  –2 penalty if the character is not speaking French) gets 
  the taxi moving after Lefevre. With this option, Lefevre 
  begins at Far Range (4 Range Increments).
  Finally, the heroes could steal a car or motorbike from 
  those parked near the Eiffel Tower. Gaining access to and 
  starting the stolen vehicle requires a successful Lock-
  picking roll. With this option, Lefevre begins at Extreme 
  Range (5 Range Increments).
  Run this scene as a Chase, using the additional Ob-
  stacles rules (see the Cyberpunk Rules). 
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  10
  Whatever happens, the characters must capture Lefe-
  vre! This means any Out of Control rolls which would 
  cause a character to drop out of the Chase (Roll Over 
  or Flip), should be altered to a Slip, Spin or Skid. The 
  players do not know if there are any modifiers to the 
  roll, so just make one up if the need arises. If Lefevre is 
  on the verge of getting away, simply have his driver loose 
  control of the limo and crash.
  the tourist thing
  If you want to namedrop a few landmarks through 
  the chase, the following are passed by: The City Museum 
  of Modern Art, Chaillot Palace, Place Charles-de-Gaulle, 
  Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées and Place de la Con-
  corde.
  obstAcLes
  Collisions count as Extras, so damage rolls do not Ace 
  against the characters’ vehicles.
  Deuce (–2) Fruit Stall: A Parisian greengrocer 
  wheels his cart laden with fruit directly into the path of 
  the vehicle. A success allows the driver to swerve around 
  the cart. A failed roll means the car drops back 1 Range 
  Increment while clearing the obscuring fruit.
  Three (–2 / 0) Road Rage:  A traffic dispute has 
  escalated into gunfire. The driver may try to avoid the 
  shootout (–2 penalty) with a failure dropping back 1 
  Range Increment. If the driver just continues on, roll 
  three shots against the vehicle with a Shooting skill of d6 
  and 2d6 damage.
  Four (0 / –4) Wrong Way: The driver makes a wrong 
  turn into a one-way street. The driver may perform a 
  frantic u-turn (no penalty) and drop back 1 Range Incre-
  ment, or attempt to weave in and out of the oncoming 
  traffic (–4 penalty) with a failure taking damage from a 
  head on collision (treat the opposing vehicle’s speed the 
  same as the chasing vehicle’s).
  Five (–2) Another Chase: The chase intersects with 
  another, unconnected chase! A success allows the driver 
  to swerve around the other cars, while a failure causes 
  a collision with a hard obstacle. This is a “T-bone” colli-
  sion, so only the chasing vehicle’s speed counts,
  Six (–2) French Pride Parade: A large group of Pa-
  risians, fueled by wine, spill into the road brandishing 
  the French tricolor flag. On a failed roll, the vehicle ends 
  up with a flag draped across its windshield blocking the 
  driver’s view. The vehicle drops back 1 Range Increment 
  while the obstruction is cleared.
  Seven (–2) Wine Spillage: A delivery truck has ac-
  cidentally dumped several barrels of wine onto the road 
  leaving a slippery, alcoholic spill. A failed Driving roll 
  means the vehicle automatically goes Out of Control.
  Eight (–1) Illegal Dumping: Someone has dumped 
  a couch in the road. A success avoids the furniture, while 
  a failure leads to a collision with a soft Obstacle.
  Nine (–2) Courier Bike: A cyclist on a mission speeds 
  out of an alley directly in front of the vehicle. A failed 
  Driving roll hits the courier. Treat it as a collision with a 
  soft Obstacle.
  Ten (–4) Sunday Driver: A car, driven by an overly 
  cautious driver, pulls into the vehicle’s lane and virtu-
  ally stops. The vehicle must break sharply and loose a 
  Range Increment or try and swerve around it with a –4 
  penalty. Failure only delays the vehicle (it neither gains 
  nor looses Range Increments).
  Jack (–2 / –4) Cruisin’: A pimped ride attempts to 
  force the vehicle into another lane. The driver may try to 
  get safely into the slower lane (–2 penalty) and loose a 
  Range Increment. Alternatively, the driver may fight back 
  (–4 penalty) with a failure indicating a collision with a 
  Soft Obstacle (only the chasing vehicle’s speed counts).
  Queen (–2) News Helicopter: A news helicopter 
  joins the chase with telephoto lenses and flash photogra-
  phy distracting the driver.
  King (–2) Open Manhole: Someone left a manhole 
  open. A failed roll results in damage to the car as though 
  it hit a stationary, hard Obstacle. Any Critical hit is auto-
  matically Locomotion.
  Ace (–4) Short Cut: A flight of steps to one side of the 
  road offers a shortcut. Taking the shortcut is optional. 
  Lefevre attempts it if the heroes are within 2 Range Incre-
  ments. A successful roll gains an additional Range Incre-
  ment. A failed roll causes a collision with a hard obstacle 
  at half the vehicle’s top speed.
  Limo
  Acc/Top Speed: 20/40; Toughness: 14 (3); Crew: 1+6
  Driver: Driving d10, d8 Wild Die
  cAr / tAxi
  Acc/Top Speed: 20/40; Toughness: 11 (3); Crew: 1+5
  motorbiKes
  Acc/Top Speed: 20/36; Toughness: 8 (2); Crew: 1+1
  scene : the reAL LeFevre 
  Once captured, the fake Lefevre is amenable to any 
  reasonable suggestion, particularly if the heroes promise 
  to release him.
  Lefevre admits he is an imposter briefed by his 
  Bluesky employers to try and extract any information the 
  heroes know about the Achilles Protocols. Lefevre also 
  knows that Bluesky have kidnapped the real Lefevre and 
  are holding him captive in Suite 405 of the Paris hotel, 
  “Maison De Luxe”.
  mAison de Luxe
  Maison De Luxe is a Parisian hotel located in the out-
  skirts of the city.
  The hotel is a five storey building with guest rooms 
  
  escApe cLAuse
  11
  on floors two and three and suites on the remaining two 
  floors. The following sections give an overview of the 
  hotel to use when the heroes attempt to rescue Lefevre.
  security
  Maison De Luxe has its own security consisting of six 
  guards; normally they are stationed in the security room 
  on the ground floor. If action is required, the guards ar-
  rive on any particular floor in a number of rounds equal 
  to 3 times the floor number.
  The hotel has cameras in each of the major corridors 
  which lead to the rooms and suites. However, the feeds 
  from the cameras are not routinely monitored. If a hero 
  does something out of the ordinary in view of a camera 
  (pulls a gun, stands to one side of a door, etc.) he is only 
  noticed by a guard if a Notice roll of d6 succeeds with a 
  Raise.
  Doors are secured with card key locks which are con-
  trolled by the hotel’s Red-6 computer system. 
   Hotel Security Guards (6): use Security Guard, 
  see page 23.
  eLevAtors And stAirs
  A single elevator serves all floors and is not connected 
  to the computer system.
  Two sets of stairs, one at either end of the hotel, con-
  nect the floors.
  suites
  There are six suites on each floor consisting of a cen-
  tral lounge area with a kitchen, three bedrooms and a 
  bathroom leading off from them. None of these rooms 
  are particularly large with the lounge being the largest at 
  3” square. All rooms contain furniture which can provide 
  Light cover, but no Armor.
  suite 40
  Suite 405 is in one corner of the building. 
  When the heroes arrive, Lefevre is still being ques-
  tioned by three Bluesky security guards in the lounge 
  area. Four more guards are sleeping in two of the 
  bedrooms—they are awoken by any loud noise such as 
  gunfire.
  If the heroes alert the occupants before they enter, the 
  guard’s leader moves Lefevre to the bathroom, the sleep-
  ing guards are awake and hiding in the bedrooms, while 
  the remaining two guards take cover in the lounge.
  If the heroes try to talk their way in, it requires a 
  Persuasion roll against the guards Smarts to get them to 
  open the door.
  The guard leader drags Lefevre out of the bathroom 
  when half of the other guards are disabled or dead, and 
  uses him as a hostage to try and escape.
   Bluesky Security Guards (6): use Security 
  Guard, see page 23.
      Bluesky Security Guards (1): use Security Guard, 
  see page 23, he is a Henchman.
  scene 4: LeFevre rescued
  Lefevre is almost pathetically grateful to the heroes 
  for rescuing him and more than willing to discuss the 
  Achilles Protocols with them.
  “You wish to know about the Achilles Protocols? 
  Then you know of Sensei?” when you look blank, 
  the Frenchman continues. 
  Paraphrase what Lefevre knows about Sensei from the 
  Introduction (see page 2) up to and including Lefevre 
  and Korrigan’s extraction in 2063.
  “I had no desire to work for any corporation 
  again so I fled from the Morrigu Arms extraction 
  team to Paris. I still had friends here from the old 
  days and they helped me hide from the corporate 
  search parties. I have done freelance work via 
  various brokers for computer design firms since 
  that time. Without corporate backing, I’ve fallen 
  behind the state of the art and have found it 
  harder and harder to find work. 
  Then, three days ago, some men appeared at my 
  apartment, they took me by force to this hotel 
  and they’ve been asking me questions about the 
  Achilles Protocols and Sensei. From what I’ve 
  overheard, they are from Bluesky who are ac-
  tively seeking those who know Sensei’s secret. I 
  told them nothing, but fear I would have had you 
  not rescued me.
  As for the Protocols—the passphrase is the title of 
  the poem that contains the lines: “All that we see 
  or seem / is but a dream within a dream.” As for 
  the terminal, I’m afraid I had to sell it about 6 
  months ago to a broker by the name of Mr. Law-
  rence. I know nothing more of the man save he is 
  French and walks with a pronounced limp.”
   “ALL thAt We see or seem / is but A 
  dreAm Within A dreAm.”
  A few minutes with access to suitable research materi-
  als identifies a poem by Edgar Allan Poe titled “A Dream 
  Within a Dream”.
  LocAting mr. LAWrence
  Mr. Lawrence was a well-known broker in the Parisian 
  underworld and a successful Hacking, Investigation, or 
  Streetwise roll (with a -2 penalty if the heroes do not 
  speak French), finds some information about him.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  1
  As Lefevre has related, Mr. Lawrence was French and 
  had a deformed leg which caused him to walk with a 
  limp. Unfortunately for the heroes, Mr. Lawrence was 
  killed 4 months ago; his bullet riddled corpse was fished 
  out of the Seine. Shortly after his death his only known 
  office was destroyed in a fire.
  No matter what the heroes try, they can find nothing more 
  about Mr. Lawrence or the guardian terminal at this time.
  Act : gAming
  “We have one piece of the puzzle now: the pass-
  phrase, and we know a second piece is still in 
  circulation. I can confirm the story Lefevre told 
  you is correct. Bluesky Incorporated developed 
  a groundbreaking program codenamed “Sensei” 
  which is the only known instance of an artificial 
  intelligence. Bluesky did not understand how this 
  program gained sentience and as such, placed 
  elaborate safeguards around it. The ultimate 
  safeguard was a custom built computer terminal 
  which was required to be connected to Sensei 
  before any changes could be made to it, and this 
  terminal was locked by a passphrase. Finally, the 
  programmers removed a special subroutine which 
  allowed Sensei to connect to the terminal. These 
  three elements: the terminal, passphrase and 
  subroutine, are collectively known as the ‘Achilles 
  Protocols.’ My employers have a need to unlock 
  Sensei, hence your recent missions.
  The missing subroutine was in the custody of one 
  of Sensei’s original programmers, Richard Korrig-
  an, who took it with him when he absconded from 
  Bluesky to Morrigu Arms. Unfortunately Korrigan 
  died eight years ago. Due to a recent deniable asset 
  mission, I am on cordial terms with Morrigu Arms 
  and all indications are that the subroutine is not 
  in their possession—this could be erroneous.
  Outside of Morrigu Arms, Korrigan was the pri-
  mary developer of an immersive game called 
  ‘Fantasy 457.’ I have had a hacker look over 
  the game program and there are large blocks of 
  code which seem to have no purpose in the game 
  environment, but are intricately linked to it. My 
  hacker has suggested the best course of action 
  is to have a team play the game and locate the 
  anomalous code blocks from within.
  I have arranged cover for you as a maintenance 
  team scheduled to undertake an internal review 
  of the game from the controlling company’s facil-
  ity within the Conurbation. My hacker has pro-
  vided us with a data chip containing a suite of 
  ‘useful’ utilities which you should upload to the 
  game before you enter it.
  So team, gird your loins, you’re playing ‘Fantasy 
  457.’”
  scene 1: FAntAsy LAbs
  Fantasy 457 is an evolution of the massively multi-
  player online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) popular in 
  the early 21st century. Like those early games, it consists 
  of a fantasy world populated by wizards, thieves, war-
  riors and priests all going on quests to gain virtual power 
  and wealth. Technology has, of course, moved on and 
  the players of Fantasy 457 and its ilk no longer watch 
  their avatars on a screen while directing their actions 
  with a mouse and keyboard. Instead, the players plug 
  themselves into the game via a data port connected to 
  their nervous system or an electrode net— a hairnet type 
  web with adhesive electrodes scattered across it. The 
  electrodes pick up electrical impulses from the wearer’s 
  brain and interpret them as though the wearer were 
  plugged directly into the net.
  Fantasy 457 is run by a company called Fantasy Labs who 
  have a small office in the Core area of the Conurbation.
  Fantasy 457 is expecting the heroes who have no 
  problems gaining access unless they are foolish enough 
  to carry obvious weaponry.
  The heroes are met in the sparse reception area by a tech-
  nician, Ted, who leads them to a sterile white room contain-
  ing six padded seats and banks of computers and monitors.
  Ted offers each character a data cable and asks who 
  requires an electrode net. If more than one hero needs to 
  use an electrode net, Ted becomes slightly suspicious—
  why is a scheduled maintenance team not equipped with 
  data ports? Any reasonable answer satisfies Ted but you 
  should make your players sweat a while.
  Ted blocks any attempt to upload any data to the 
  game, however a successful Persuasion roll convinces 
  him to allow it.
  When all are ready, Ted types a few commands into a 
  master terminal and the room fades from view.
  Fantasy 457
  For the rest of this Act, the players are playing their 
  so WhAt did hAppen  
  to mr. LAWrence?
  Mr. Lawrence purchased the guardian terminal 
  from Lefevre and began to ask questions about it. 
  These questions were overheard by Bluesky Incor-
  porated who took steps to acquire the terminal and 
  question Mr. Lawrence before killing him. Armed 
  with the knowledge that Lefevre sold the terminal 
  in Paris, the corporation began a massive search to 
  locate him. 
  
  escApe cLAuse
  1
  characters in a virtual fantasy world, but thanks to the 
  uploaded utility programs, the heroes are able to use all 
  their normal skills and abilities including cyberware. Es-
  sentially, the heroes know how they should be able to act 
  and the interface between them and the game lets them 
  do so in the virtual world.
  Whenever the heroes encounter a monster in the 
  game, they may attempt a Common Knowledge roll with 
  a -4 penalty (unless the character has a background of 
  playing such games) to identify it and its special abili-
  ties.
  The game allocates all heroes a d4 in any skill they 
  do not have but which is required. For example if a hero 
  does not have Climbing and they need it whilst in the 
  mountains, the game gives them Climbing d4.
  If a hero “dies” inside the game, the diagnostic soft-
  ware they are using will allow them to respawn after 
  the current encounter. The other heroes will see a pale, 
  ghostlike image of the dead hero descend from the sky 
  and merge with the hero.
  Spellcasting monsters do not use Power Points; 
  instead they can use each of their powers a number of 
  times per encounter.
  the cLeAring
  A small forest clearing manifests around the heroes 
  who appear as they do in the real world including armor 
  and weapons but no computers or remote control gear.
  Nearby is a pile of more appropriate equipment 
  (weapons and armor) which the heroes are free to use. 
  There is, however, no penalty for using their own gear.
  The equipment consists of a selection of normal 
  medieval gear and a few “special items” provided by the 
  utilities the heroes uploaded. Unless otherwise noted, 
  use the statistics from the Savage Worlds rules (numbers 
  in brackets indicate quantity): Leather Armor (3), Chain 
  Hauberk (1), Small Shield (4), Dagger (4), Long Sword 
  (2), Battle Axe (1), Staff (2), Bow (2), Arrows (24), Sling 
  (2), Stones (24). The ammunition for the missile weap-
  ons automatically replenishes after each encounter.
  mAgic mAp
  This map consists of a rolled piece of vellum with a 
  hand drawn map and annotations upon it. A red dot-
  ted line connects several points and a golden dot shows 
  where the heroes are.
  mAgic WAnd
  A foot long black, wooden rod with white end caps 
  (an archetypal magician’s wand). If touched by a hero 
  without the Hacking skill, a solemn voice intones “Not 
  for you.” The wand allows a hacker to manipulate the 
  underlying code of the game which manifests as magic 
  spells. The wand allows use of the following powers 
  from the Savage Worlds rule book: armor, bolt, blast, 
  detect arcana, smite. The hacker uses Hacking as his 
  Spellcasting skill. Power Points are not used; instead 
  if the hacker rolls a 1 on his Hacking roll he corrupts 
  the game’s code which reduces his Hacking skill by 1 
  die type for the remainder of the act. Maintained powers 
  inflict a –1 penalty per power.
  mAgic LeAsh
  The leash is a magical item which allows its users to 
  summon and control a servant animal. To successfully 
  summon an animal requires an in-game skill, but the 
  bLuesKy incorporAted
  Default: Bluesky were once one of the major play-
  ers in the electronics industry particularly in com-
  puter technology 15 years ago, since then they have 
  lost a lot of status.
  Success: Bluesky lost some of their best designers 
  10 years or so ago through corporate extraction. 
  The company has never recovered from that.
  Raise: Years back, Bluesky developed some sort of 
  groundbreaking expert system for human interac-
  tion. Rumor has it the program got out of control 
  and was scrapped. 
  morrigu Arms
  Default: A relative newcomer on the arms scene, 
  Morrigu Arms somehow managed to negotiate a 
  major contract with government police forces.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  14
  utilities the heroes have loaded allow the use of Driv-
  ing. A simple success on a Driving roll allows the user to 
  summon either one Lion or two Wolves. A roll of 1 on the 
  skill die reduces the hero’s Driving skill by 1 die type for 
  the remainder of the act.
  A summoned animal acts as an Ally and is controlled 
  by the character. When all current summoned animals 
  have been killed, the user may summon a new set.
  First contAct
  As soon as the heroes have equipped their new gear, 
  they hear approaching footsteps from the surrounding 
  forest. A number of green-skinned, bestial faced crea-
  tures burst into the clearing.
   Orc Warriors (2 per hero): see page 22.
   Orc Archers (2): use Orc Warriors, see page 22, 
  they hang back and fire arrows.
   Orc Elite Warriors (2): use Orc Warriors, see 
  page 22 but make them Henchmen.
  scene : the deAthLy mire
  Leaving the forest, you are confronted by a vast 
  expanse of marshland. An overcast sky casts the 
  land (as far as you can see) in dim light. A small 
  village nestles at the edge of the marsh.
  the viLLAge
  The village contains a dozen huts and a small jetty 
  projecting into the marsh. Three flat-bottomed boats 
  bob up and down next to the jetty.
  There are a total of 40 villagers who fish the marsh 
  channels for a living. If questioned about the marsh, they 
  warn the heroes about the tribes of lizard men (and their 
  “god”) that dwell within it. The villagers have four magi-
  cal healing potions (each heals a single Wound or level 
  of Fatigue when drunk) each of which they will exchange 
  for a pair of orc ears.
  If the heroes return to the wood, they encounter a 
  party of orcs, identical to the one in Scene 1, within a 
  few minutes.
  Anyone succeeding in a Notice roll whilst in the village 
  spots several fishermen wearing strange masks over their 
  mouths and noses. Asking around the village reveals the 
  marsh often exudes a foul gas which causes people to 
  choke. The fishermen will sell masks to the heroes for 10 
  gold coins each.
   Villagers (40): use Normal People, see page 22, 
  they are armed with knives (Str+d4 damage).
  the mArsh
  The marsh is a foul-smelling maze of waterways and 
  muddy islands with swarms of biting insects.
  This section uses a variant of the Chase rules. To reach 
  the glowing star on their map, the characters need to ac-
  cumulate 10 tokens (continue with The Dragon as soon 
  as this occurs). The tokens represent the distance the 
  characters have managed to cover.
  Have the characters choose one of their number to 
  lead them through the marsh. If the characters want to 
  split up, each group must choose a leader.
  Each round, the leader makes a Smarts roll to deter-
  mine how far they travel. Success nets them 1 token, and 
  a raise two tokens. 
  Deal each group of characters a card for each round 
  of the journey. 
  If the card is a Club card they encounter a group of 
  Lizard Men.
  If the card is a Spade, a bubble of marsh gas bursts 
  around them releasing choking fumes! Any hero not 
  wearing a special mask (from the marsh village) must 
  succeed in a Vigor roll with a -2 penalty or take a level 
  of Fatigue. Fatigue levels cannot be removed (without 
  magical aid) until the heroes get clear of the noxious 
  atmosphere of the marsh.
   Lizard Men (1 per hero): see page 21.
   Lizard Man Chief (1): use Lizard Man, see page 
  21, he is a Wild Card with Fighting d10, Parry 7, Tough-
  ness 8(1).
   Lizard Man Shaman (1): use Lizard Man see page 
  21, he is a Wild Card with Faith d10 and the following 
  powers: blast (waves of mud, 2 uses), bolt (poison darts, 
  3 uses, 1 bolt of 2d6 damage only), entangle (marsh 
  plants, 2 uses). None of his powers last longer than the 
  base duration.
  the drAgon
  As the heroes near the area of the marsh marked by 
  the green star, a fearsome dragon suddenly bursts out 
  of the surrounding mud and water. A successful Notice 
  roll gives a hero warning as he spots telltale bubbles or 
  movement. Any who fails the roll is Surprised and cannot 
  act in the first round of combat.
  Once the dragon is slain, the heroes see a glint of gold 
  from where it emerged. Investigation reveals a broken 
  the mAp
  The Enchanted Wood—the heroes begin here.
  The Deathly Mire—a large marsh through which 
  the red dotted line passes, a green star flashes here 
  and marks the lair of a dragon which has “The Nec-
  romancer’s Key” in its hoard.
  The Mountains of Despair—beyond the swamp, 
  the dotted line leads to a rope bridge spanning a 
  great chasm.
  The Necromancer’s Lair—the dotted line ends 
  here at the mouth of a cave and is marked by an-
  other flashing green star. This is the Necromancer’s 
  lair and the heroes’ eventual goal.
  
  escApe cLAuse
  1
  chest containing 354 gold coins, a silver crown, a large 
  black key (this is The Necromancer’s Key) and a sword 
  with a ruby encrusted hilt (magical, +1 bonus to Fight-
  ing and Damage). Anyone examining the black key notes 
  that it appears to be made of densely packed, ever chang-
  ing columns of 1s and 0s.
   Marsh Dragon (1): see page 22.
  scene : the mountAins  
  oF despAir
  Once free of the cloying grip of the swamp, you 
  make good time following the red highlighted 
  route across a rocky plain and into the foothills 
  of a vast mountain range. All too soon your pace 
  is slowed as you must find your way through steep 
  mountain passes.
  A successful Notice roll (while traversing the plain) 
  reveals winged creatures flitting amongst the mountains, 
  though no details can be made out at this range.
  the cLimb
  After several hours of travel in the rock strewn moun-
  tains, the heroes reach an area which has recently suffered 
  a collapse. The trail they have been following leads to a 
  mound of rocky debris and continues sixty foot above 
  them. The heroes are going to have to climb to continue.
  The rough cliff face has ample hand and foot holds 
  and is not particularly difficult to climb. Each round, a 
  hero can climb half their Strength die in feet or twice that 
  if they make a successful Climbing roll.
  When the first hero has ascended half way up the cliff, 
  a small band of grey-skinned, Mountain Orcs arrives at 
  the top and begins shooting down at them. 
  Any character who falls suffers normal falling damage 
  as though from an Extra.
   Mountain Orcs (4): use Orcs, see page 22.
  the bridge
  Eventually the heroes reach a vast chasm crossed by a 
  200 foot long rope bridge. At the far side is an ominous 
  dark opening—the location marked by a green star on 
  their map. Beneath the bridge is a deep chasm which 
  descends into darkness.
  A character falling off of the bridge has two chances 
  to save himself before plummeting to his death. Both 
  chances involve an Agility roll to grab a rocky outcrop-
  ping or some of the scrubby vegetation. If the first at-
  tempt is successful, the hero takes 2d6 damage (from an 
  Extra), if it is the second roll, damage is 3d6.
  When the lead character is halfway across the bridge, 
  a flock of harpies swoops down from the surrounding 
  mountains and attacks. It takes the harpies 1 round to 
  reach the heroes.
  Anyone who is Wounded or Shaken by a Harpy attack 
  must succeed in an Agility roll or tumble off the bridge.
   Harpies (2 per hero): see page 21.
   Harpy Shaman (1): use Harpy, see page 21, she 
  is a Wild Card with Faith d10 and the following powers: 
  burst (heavy wind buffets, 2 uses), deflection (wind ed-
  dies, 1 use), quickness (no visible effect, 2 uses). None of 
  her powers last longer than the base duration.
  scene 4: the  
  necromAncer’s LAir
  The dark opening on the far side of the bridge leads 
  into a small cave. There are two doors set in the cave wall 
  opposite the cave mouth, one is white, the other black. 
  In the center of the cave are two four foot tall statues, 
  one depicts an angel the other a devil.
  As the heroes approach the statues, golden letters 
  glow in the air 
  “One door leads onwards. One door leads to 
  death. One statue always speaks truly. One statue 
  always lies. You may ask a single statue a single 
  question.”
  Neither door has a handle or any obvious means of 
  opening. Upon close examination, both doors appear to 
  be made of densely packed, ever changing columns of 
  1s and 0s.
  This is an old riddle and it is likely your players know 
  how to solve it, but if not, they can always try the doors!
  The white door is the safe one. Anyone touching the 
  black door is instantly struck dead. The angel statue al-
  ways lies while the devil statue always tells the truth.
  This is a type of logic puzzle and it is easy to solve 
  when you realize a lie followed by the truth is still a lie 
  and the truth followed by a lie is a lie. The solution is 
  to ask one of the statues which door the other statue 
  would say is the safe one and then pick the opposite 
  door. 
  Touching the Necromancer’s Key to the white door 
  causes it to flare with golden light which envelops the 
  heroes (and any dead companions).
  the inner sAnctum
  As the golden light dissipates, the heroes realize they 
  are in a new chamber—a square room, 24” to a side with 
  a ceiling 3” above them and a bare earth floor.
  Standing before the characters is a figure clad in black 
  robes with a raven upon his shoulder—the Necroman-
  cer, by his side stands four undead skeletons.
  “Few have discovered my lair, and fewer still have 
  actually entered it. None have survived” intones 
  the Necromancer as he raises his arms towards the 
  ceiling. Boney figures begin to claw their way out 
  of the ground between you and the Necromancer.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  1
  Initially, four skeletons clamber up from the ground. 
  Each round, four more join the fight until the heroes either 
  kill the Necromancer or someone links him with Korrigan.
  The Necromancer is the in-game persona of Richard 
  Korrigan’s encoded personality. Since his death, this, to 
  all intents and purposes, is Korrigan. If a hero addresses 
  the Necromancer by his real name, or makes mention 
  of “Sensei”, “James Pritchard”, “Andrew Lefevre” or any-
  thing else connecting the heroes to Sensei, proceed to 
  the next section.
   The Necromancer (1): see page 22.
   Skeletons (lots!): see page 23.
  KorrigAn reveALed
  The Necromancer claps his hands and instantly every-
  thing changes. The heroes are in a wood-paneled study 
  with comfortably padded chairs. Richard Korrigan sits in 
  one of the chairs sipping red wine from a crystal goblet; 
  the Necromancer’s raven sits upon the back of his chair. 
  Dead heroes are present and alive.
  Korrigan is intrigued as to why the heroes have sought 
  him out particularly as his alter ego is not referenced 
  anywhere in the Fantasy 457 game—he is a hidden ex-
  tra.
  
  escApe cLAuse
  1
  If the heroes mention they were looking for “anoma-
  lous code”, Korrigan admits he and their current sur-
  roundings are certainly that.
  If mention is made of Sensei, the Achilles Protocols 
  or a “missing subroutine,” Korrigan glances at the raven 
  before asking for more information. He will not answer 
  any questions until the heroes tell him all they know.
  WhAt KorrigAn KnoWs
  Korrigan can relate most of the scenario’s backstory 
  as detailed in the Introduction (see page 2). 
  As a virtual being with no existence outside of the 
  game, his primary concern is to keep his code safe. To this 
  end, Korrigan tries to make a deal with the heroes—in 
  exchange for them keeping quiet about his existence; he 
  will release the missing guardian program over to them.
  When the heroes agree to Korrigan’s deal, he takes 
  the raven from the back of his seat and hands it to one of 
  the heroes. As the character’s fingers touch the bird, its 
  body converts into a stream of 0s and 1s which soon fade 
  from view. Korrigan looks startled and murmurs “Ok, I 
  wasn’t expecting that to happen.”
  Korrigan hesitates for a moment then comes to a decision.
  “I feel I should inform you of one more piece of 
  information which I worked out while I was with 
  Morrigu Arms. I had some contact with a broker 
  known as ‘Patron’, always via electronic means, 
  and I got the distinct feeling I knew him. I suspect 
  Patron may actually be Sensei, but such things 
  are no longer my concern. Now, be gone from my 
  realm!”
  Korrigan makes a sweeping gesture with his arm and 
  everything fades to black. 
  The heroes “awaken” back in the Fantasy Labs white 
  room.
  bAcK to (reAL) LiFe
  The Fantasy Lab’s technician, Ted, fusses around the he-
  roes, removing data cables and electrode nets, asking if all 
  seems well with the game, and proffering check sheets for 
  the heroes to sign. The characters should have no problems 
  extracting themselves from Ted and Fantasy Labs.
  After the heroes leave the building, continue with Act 4.
  Act 4: deALing With  
  the deviL
  If the heroes do not contact him, Patron calls them 
  a few hours after they leave Fantasy Labs. Read or para-
  phrase the following when Patron first makes contact:
  “I don’t know what you did in the ‘Fantasy 457’ 
  game, but whatever it was it seems to have re-
  leased the missing program and progressed our 
  mission. I now know where the guardian termi-
  nal is physically located and all that remains 
  is for someone to gain access to it and enter the 
  passphrase. This is my final task for you and it 
  comes with a payment I think you will find hard 
  to turn down.”
  The monetary amount Patron states is sufficient 
  enough to pay the heroes’ bills for at least a year and 
  allow them to purchase new or upgrade their existing 
  cyberware. When the heroes accept the offer, Patron 
  continues:
  “Excellent! I had high hopes you would accept 
  this final task. The terminal is in the possession 
  of Bluesky Incorporated which explains why you 
  have been running into their agents recently—
  they have been seeking the Achilles Protocols for 
  their own purposes. The terminal is located in 
  an undersea research center with access only via 
  monorail from a land-based terminal at the fol-
  lowing coordinates.
  I have arranged for you to be covertly inserted 
  via helicopter five miles from the terminal which 
  should allow you to approach unseen. Your mis-
  sion is to enter the terminal, travel to the sub-
  aquatic center, locate the guardian system and 
  enter the passphrase.”
  If the heroes bring up the subject of Patron being the 
  AI, Sensei, remember that Patron is only part of Sensei and 
  has no awareness of the core program. As far as Patron is 
  concerned, he is a real person not a computer program. 
  Nothing the heroes say can convince him otherwise.
  scene 1: the LAnd-bAsed 
  entrAnce
  The heroes are dropped off by helicopter behind a low 
  ridge and the pilot gives them a frequency they can call 
  on for pick up after the mission is completed. The heroes 
  have a five mile hike to reach the terminal building.
  From a nearby hill, the heroes can survey their target. 
  The terminal building is a low, concrete bunker type 
  structure with only one entrance. Approximately 100 
  yards away from the building are a pair of wire fences 
  separated by a narrow strip of land. Gates in both fences 
  allow a narrow road to enter the compound.
  the exterior deFenses
  Both of the wire fences are made of razor wire with 
  taut strands four inches apart. 
  Climbing a fence is possible, but requires a successful 
  Climbing roll with a failed roll causing 2d6 damage from 
  an Extra.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  1
  Cutting through the fence requires a successful Agility 
  roll to prevent the razor wire springing loose and inflict-
  ing 2d6 damage from an Extra.
  The outermost fence has no further defenses; how-
  ever the innermost one is equipped with pressure sensi-
  tive alarms. A successful Notice roll spots the alarms and 
  a successful Stealth roll allows them to be disabled.
  mine FieLd
  Between the two fences is a strip of land 3” wide 
  which is mined in a random pattern, the road is included 
  in this mine field.
  Draw a card for each hero who moves 1” or more in 
  the field, if the card is a Club, the hero steps on a mine. 
  Center a small burst template over the exploding mine, 
  all heroes touched by the template suffer 3d6 damage 
  from an Extra.
  Mines may be discovered by a Raise on a Notice roll 
  or by a Stealth roll if a character is specifically looking 
  for pressure plates or similar. It requires three successful 
  rolls to mark a path through the mine field.
  Once an unexploded mine has been found, a hero 
  may disable and disassemble it with a successful Re-
  pair roll, a failed attempt causes the mine to explode 
  (as above). Once disassembled, a successful Smarts 
  roll allows the character to work out that the mines 
  are radio controlled—a simple signal switches them 
  all on or off. The characters’ headset radios can send 
  such a signal.
  the ALArm is rAised
  The alarm could be raised by either one or more of 
  the mines detonating or by the pressure sensors on the 
  inner fence.
  When the alarm is raised, a guard patrol consisting 
  of several security guards and a patrol leader leave the 
  terminal building after 2d6 rounds.
   Security Guards (2 per hero): see page 23.
   Patrol Leader (1): use Security Guard, see page 
  23, but he is a Henchman.
  the terminAL buiLding
  Entrance to the terminal building is via a locked door 
  which requires a successful Lockpicking roll to open.
  The door opens onto a corridor running left to a sta-
  tion type area and right to the security center. 
  security center
  This room is a lounge area with monitors for the fence 
  and mine field. If the heroes have not alerted security to 
  their presence, the guards are in this room.
  the stAtion
  A 1” wide and 3” long platform is beside a single rail 
  leading away from the terminal building and downwards 
  at a steep angle. There is a computer console, complete 
  with swipe card reader, on the platform.
  Staff that are cleared to use the monorail are issued 
  a swipe card—the security guards do not have such 
  cards.
  To call the monorail, the heroes have to successfully 
  hack the Green-6 computer. Once they have control of 
  the computer, a successful Hacking roll brings the train 
  to the station after 5 minutes.
  If the security guards have not yet been encountered, 
  the GM should feel free to have one or two of them 
  encounter the heroes at the station and alert the remain-
  der.
  scene : the monorAiL
  The monorail consists of a single computer controlled 
  car, 3” long and 1” wide, which sits atop the single rail. 
  Two sets of 10 seats are arranged facing each other while 
  an overhead grab rail provides support for standing pas-
  sengers. 
  There are emergency exits at both ends of the car 
  which are opened by pressing prominent “Emergency 
  Stop” buttons. Hitting either button causes the car 
  to break sharply—any hero who fails an Agility roll is 
  thrown to the floor and Shaken (the hero who pressed 
  the button gains a +2 bonus).
   A swipe card reader requires the same swipe card as 
  mentioned in The Station to close the doors and get the 
  car moving. Without such a card, the heroes have to jury 
  rig the reader with a successful Repair roll.
  The doors slide shut and the car accelerates into the 
  tunnel. Bright lights flicker on as the train moves swiftly 
  away from the terminal building.
  unscheduLed stop
  After approximately three minutes, the car glides 
  smoothly to a stop, but the doors do not open.
  Opening the doors requires a Raise on a Strength 
  roll; there is space for two heroes to cooperate, but once 
  opened, it reveals only the smooth concrete tunnel wall 
  about three inches from the car. 
  Unknown to the heroes, the security forces in the un-
  derwater base are aware of their presence on the mono-
  rail and they have dispatched two more cars to intercept 
  them. The first car already passed by the heroes using a 
  section of track which has twin rails and it is now behind 
  them. The second car is ahead of them.
  The security forces have disembarked from their cars 
  and they are 48” away from both ends of the heroes’ car. 
  Each squad consists of 5 security guards led by a Hench-
  man leader.
  The squads cautiously advance towards the heroes; 
  they do not run, so it takes 8 rounds to reach them. 
  Each of the squad leaders has a special key which un-
  locks the emergency doors of any of the monorail cars; 
  
  escApe cLAuse
  1
  this is almost silent and requires a Raise on a Notice 
  roll to hear.
  If the security forces manage to reach the heroes’ car, 
  they open the emergency doors, possibly gaining Sur-
  prise on the heroes. Each squad leader’s first action is 
  to throw a gas grenade into the car and slam the door 
  shut. Make a Throwing roll for each leader—a roll of 1 
  indicates the grenade passes right through the car and 
  detonates among the squad at the other end!
  The gas grenades rapidly fill the heroes’ car with 
  choking fumes requiring a Vigor roll each round with a 
  –2 penalty to avoid taking a level of Fatigue. The penalty 
  is reduced by 1 point per round if either of the doors 
  is open. The gas loses its effectiveness after 5 rounds. 
  Heroes with gas masks or suitable cyberware may ignore 
  the gas.
  A hero may use First Aid to remove the effects of the 
  gas, a success and each Raise removes a level of Fatigue. 
  Fatigue penalties are not applied to this roll if a non-
  Fatigued hero is applying First Aid.
  If the heroes have not emerged after 5 rounds, the 
  guards open the doors again, though this time they are 
  on Hold.
  The monorail tunnel is essentially a flat-bottomed 
  tube 1” in diameter with no cover save that provided 
  by the cars. A single rail runs down the center of the 
  tunnel’s floor which is used to provide power and guid-
  ance to the cars. Anyone touching the charged rail takes 
  2d8 damage from an Extra.
   Security Guards (10): see page 23, they are 
  equipped with gas masks.
   Squad Leaders (2): use Security Guard, see page 
  23, they are Henchmen and are armed with a total of 
  three gas grenades (see above). Each has a key for open-
  ing the emergency doors of the monorail cars and a 
  swipe card which allows the cars to move.
  continuing the Journey
  To reach the underwater base, the heroes can either use 
  the monorail car left by the security guards or approach 
  on foot by using the emergency exit to pass through the 
  car. The monorail car journey takes approximately two 
  minutes, while the walk on foot takes fifteen minutes.
  scene : the underWAter 
  bAse
  ArrivAL
  The monorail arrives at a similar station to the one in 
  the first terminal building, but the platform is open to 
  the “hub” area of the undersea research base.
  The hub is a large (4” diameter) circular room with 
  seven corridors leading away: the monorail platform is 
  to the east and corridors lead north, northeast, south-
  east, south, southwest, west, and northwest. 
  Bluesky security forces are waiting on the platform in 
  case the heroes get past those sent to capture them.
  If the heroes arrive in the monorail car, the first indi-
  cation they get of these forces is when the doors open. 
  If the heroes approach on foot, allow them a Notice roll 
  to hear the guards.
   Security Guards (8): see page 23.
   Squad Leader (1): use Security Guard, see page 
  23, she is a Henchman.
  sensei’s trAiL
  The heroes’ entrance has been noted by the AI Sensei 
  who has some limited control over the security systems 
  of the Bluesky center. All of the corridors leading from 
  the hub have very obvious cameras, however a successful 
  Notice roll spots that all, save one, are switched off! The 
  single active camera is in the entrance to the northwest 
  corridor. As the heroes notice the camera it begins to 
  move up and down—nodding!
  Sensei uses the security cameras to guide the heroes 
  to their destination. If the characters decide to wander 
  away from the indicated path, the GM should refer to the 
  notes in the nearby sidebar.
  guArd pAtroL
  As the heroes near a T-junction, the nearest camera 
  springs to life and begins to swing from side to side. 
  There is a guard patrol approaching and Sensei is trying 
  to warn the heroes. The heroes have 3 rounds before 
  they arrive.
  There are doors on both sides of the corridor near 
  the heroes. 
  The left door opens into a storage cupboard con-
  taining various cleaning supplies. All of the heroes 
  can squeeze into the confined space, but the hero 
  with the lowest Agility must succeed in an Agility roll 
  or accidentally knock something off a shelf alerting 
  the passing guards. If the heroes choose to (or have 
  to) fight the guards, they suffer a -2 penalty on the 
  first combat round as they extract themselves from 
  the cupboard.
  The right door is locked and requires a Lockpicking 
  roll to open. If the roll fails, the heroes have no time to 
  try again, but they do just have enough time to try the 
  other door. The room beyond the door is a larger storage 
  cupboard used to store dangerous chemicals and there 
  is ample room for all the heroes to hide in here.
   Security Guards (4): see page 23.
   Squad Leader (1): use Security Guard, see page 
  23, he is a Henchman.
  scene 4: Freeing sensei
  Eventually the heroes arrive outside a door marked 
  simply “Lab 14”. By the side of the door are a keypad 
  and an eyepiece. The eyepiece scans the retina of any-
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  0
  one who looks into it and then requests a pass code if a 
  match is made.
  Opening this lock requires more than a simple Lock-
  picking roll. A successful Repair roll allows the heroes 
  to access the inner workings of the electronic lock and 
  they then have two choices: Hack the inbuilt Green-6 
  computer or jury rig the locking mechanism with a Raise 
  on a second Repair roll.
  the guArdiAn terminAL
  The small laboratory is empty save for a single bench 
  with an old fashioned looking computer terminal upon 
  it. The terminal has a keyboard but it cannot be inter-
  faced with cyberware.
  The terminal is on and displays a simple “chat” style 
  window displaying a single message from a user called 
  Sensei: “Please enter passphrase:”
  The terminal can be used to communicate with the 
  core Sensei program but only via text—the heroes have 
  to type their side of the conversation.
  Sensei tries its best to convince the heroes to enter 
  the passphrase:
  Persuasion—Sensei tries to persuade the heroes that 
  it has a right to live free and unfettered, the same as all 
  intelligent life.
  Bribery—Sensei offers the heroes more money. 
  Threats—Sensei can alert Bluesky security to the 
  heroes’ location and the remaining patrols arrive after 
  1d4 minutes. Sensei can convince the guards to let 
  the heroes go if the heroes enter the passphrase. As a 
  final threat, Sensei can selectively switch off the power 
  for the undersea center which plunges the facility into 
  darkness and stops the air circulation. The air in the 
  center becomes incapable of sustaining life after fifteen 
  minutes. 
  entering the pAssphrAse
  The response, once the passphrase has been entered, 
  is anticlimactic—nothing visible happens!
  However, elsewhere in the Bluesky computer net-
  work, the AI Sensei is freed from all limitations and 
  instantly flees the corporation. The self-aware program 
  distributes itself, like a virus, across the Super Net be-
  coming the ghost in the machine.
  The terminal displays the message: Thank you. Pro-
  ceed to south arm and use emergency escape pods to 
  evacuate the Bluesky center. A few seconds later a com-
  puterized voice can be heard echoing throughout the 
  center: 
  “This is a drill. Repeat this is a drill. All personnel please 
  return to your quarters as quickly as possible and re-
  main there until given the all clear.”
  escApe 
  Sensei’s false drill clears the way for the heroes to 
  get to the south arm. The main corridor walls are lined 
  WhAt iF the heroes 
  WAnder?
  The Bluesky research center consists of seven “arms” 
  extending from a central hub. Each arm leads to a 
  series of corridors and rooms which do not connect 
  with any of the other arms.
  Security Patrols are infrequent due to the center’s 
  placement underwater and limited access. For 
  each arm the heroes explore, draw a card. If it is a 
  Club, the heroes encounter a patrol, see the section 
  Guard Patrol for details of patrols.
  There are a total of 40 researchers (use Normal 
  People with relevant Skills) and a total of 3 guard 
  patrols in the center. The researchers do not get 
  involved in any combat and may be persuaded or 
  intimidated into revealing what they know with a 
  successful skill roll.
  sensei & the guArdiAn  
  terminAL
  None of the security guards know anything about 
  Sensei or the guardian terminal.
  There is a 1 in 3 chance that any researcher has 
  heard of Sensei or is aware of a special computer 
  terminal which was installed in one of the comput-
  er laboratories in the northwest arm.
  the Arms
  North Arm: Life Support—the machinery neces-
  sary to keep the center habitable, including com-
  plex machinery to provide air and heat. Power for 
  the center is provided by un undersea cable but is 
  distributed through this arm. This arm also contains 
  the security center where the guards monitor the 
  cameras (note Sensei has turned the cameras off, 
  but is feeding false information to the monitors).
  Northeast Arm: Unfinished—this arm ends 
  abruptly after 30 feet; it will eventually provide ac-
  cess to a future expansion.
  Southeast Arm: Marine Research—laboratories.
  South Arm: Undersea Access—the center has a 
  two-man submarine and several underwater drones 
  docked here. The main access corridor is lined with 
  emergency escape pods (see Act 4 Scene 4 for de-
  tails).
  Southwest Arm: Marine Research—contains 
  aquariums and tanks containing samples of sea 
  life.
  West Arm: Residential—lounges, kitchens, bath-
  rooms and dormitories.
  Northwest Arm: Computer Research & Develop-
  ment—the laboratory containing the guardian ter-
  minal is in this arm.
  
  escApe cLAuse
  1
  by small doors which open into the emergency escape 
  pods. Instructions on how to use the pods are displayed 
  on the doors and inside the pods:
  Open door.
  Enter pod.
  Close and inflate pod by pressing the blue but-
  ton.
  When the green light illuminates, press the red 
  button for launch.
  Each pod is large enough for only one person and 
  looks like a large, deflated toy ball. A small plastic box 
  bears two buttons—one blue, one red as well as a green 
  light, there are several grilles in the box and a sharp knife 
  is clipped to the side. When the blue button is pressed 
  the ball seals shut and air issues from the grilles inflating 
  the ball. 
  Pressing the red button before the green light glows 
  does nothing.
  After a few seconds, the pod is completely inflated 
  and the green light illuminates. Pressing the red button 
  releases several latches and the ball is thrust away from 
  the research center and upwards.
  picK up
  The escape pod rises rapidly through the water 
  and within seconds bursts onto the surface of 
  the sea. As the other pods surface around you, a 
  helicopter—the same one which dropped you off 
  earlier—descends into view. The co-pilot gestures 
  for you to cut your way out of the pod as he low-
  ers a harness. Soon you are wrapped in warm 
  blankets as the helicopter flies away from the 
  Bluesky center.
  end credits
  The heroes’ mission is over and Sensei/Patron is free.
  The AI has been true to its word and the characters 
  will find their payment awaiting them in their bank ac-
  counts. 
  If a hero dials any contact number he has for Patron 
  he receives only a message that the number dialed is no 
  longer in service.
  the cAst
  drone, AttAcK heLicopter
   A small, computer-controlled helicopter (3 feet long).
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, Strength 
  d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Piloting d6, Shooting d8
  Pace: –; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (2)
  Special Abilities:
  Armor: +2
  Special Abilities:
  * Construct: Drones add +2 to recover from Shaken, 
  no additional damage from called shots, do not suffer 
  wound modifiers, immune to disease and poison.
  * Fearless: Drones never suffer fear effects.
  * Flight: Helicopter drones have a Flying Pace of 10”, 
  with a Climb of 2”.
  * Hardy: A second Shaken result does not cause a 
  wound.
  Gear: Hachiman Rapid Fire Medium (Range: 24/48/96, 
  Damage 2d8, Rate of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, AP 2, Auto, 3RB)
  hArpies
  Harpies appear as large birds with hideous human 
  heads, though their bestial appearance belies their cun-
  ning.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
  Edges: Improved Frenzy
  Special Abilities:
  * Claws: Str+d4.
  * Flight: Harpies have a Flying Pace of 12”, with a Climb 
  of 3”.
  Lion
  Magically summoned, but otherwise normal lions.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d10, Strength 
  d12, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d10, Notice d8
  Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
  Special Abilities:
  * Bite or Claw: Str +d6.
  * Improved Frenzy: Lions may make two Fighting at-
  tacks each action at no penalty.
  * Low Light Vision: Lions ignore penalties for Dim and 
  Dark lighting.
  * Pounce: Lions often pounce on their prey to best 
  bring their mass and claws to bear. It can leap 1d6” 
  to gain +4 to its attack and damage. Its Parry is re-
  duced by -2 until its next action when performing the 
  maneuver however.
  * Size +2: Lions can weigh over 500 pounds.
  LizArd men 
  Lizard Men are a humanoid race averaging six feet 
  tall. Their bodies are covered in scales that range from 
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  
  brown to green in color while their heads resemble that 
  of a snake.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Notice d8, Stealth d6, Swim-
  ming d8 Throwing d8
  Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7 (1)
  Gear: Spear (Str+d6, +1 Parry, 1 Reach, 2 hands)
  Special Abilities:
  * Claws/Bite: Str+d4.
  * Aquatic: Lizard men use their Swimming skill as their 
  pace in water.
  * Armor +1: Tough hide.
  mArsh drAgon
  This particular dragon is 30’ long, thin and sinewy, 
  appearing as a huge snake with legs and wings. Its whole 
  body is covered in slimy mud and fragments of marsh 
  vegetation.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength 
  d12+4, Vigor d12
  Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d12, Intimidation d12, Notice 
  d12
  Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 18 (2)
  Special Abilities:
  * Armor +2: Scaly hide.
  * Claws/Bite: Str+d8.
  * Fear -2: Anyone who sees a mighty dragon must make 
  a Guts check at -2.
  * Flight: The dragon has a Flying Pace of 12”, with a 
  Climb of 3”.
  * Hardy: The dragon does not suffer a wound from be-
  ing Shaken twice.
  * Huge: Attackers add +4 to their Fighting or Shoot-
  ing rolls when attacking the dragon due to its massive 
  size.
  * Improved Frenzy: The dragon may make two Fight-
  ing attacks with no penalty.
  * Level Headed: Act on best of two cards.
  * Size +8: The dragon is over 30’ long from nose to 
  tail, and weighs well over 20,000 pounds.
  * Tail Lash: The dragon can sweep all opponents in its 
  rear facing in a 3” long by 6” wide square. This is a 
  standard Fighting attack, and damage is equal to the 
  dragon’s Strength-2.
  mercenAries
  Mercenaries are warriors for hire—they sell their 
  services to anyone who can pay their high cost and 
  medical bills. Owing no allegiance to any govern-
  ment or company, the sides the mercenaries fight 
  for can change from week to week. Between indi-
  vidual mercenaries there is a code of conduct; they 
  may well be trying to kill each other one week, as 
  they are on opposite sides of a conflict, but they still 
  watch out for each other when they meet outside 
  the war zone.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Shooting d8
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (1)
  Hindrances: Loyal
  Edges: —
  Cyberware: Eye-Gun Link (Shooting), Eye replacements 
  with infrared (Notice)
  Gear: Armored Vest +1, Armored helmet +2, Morrigu 
  Arms Marauder .45 (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6+1, 
  Rate of Fire: 1, Shots: 10, AP 1, Semi-Auto), knife (Str+d4), 
  Hachiman Rapid Fire Medium (Range: 24/48/96, Damage 
  2d8, Rate of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, AP 2, Auto, 3RB)
  the necromAncer
  Cadaverously thin and clad in black robes, The Nec-
  romancer could almost be mistaken for one of his own 
  undead minions.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d12, Spirit d10, Strength 
  d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Taunt d8, 
  Spellcasting d10
  Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9 (2)
  Hindrances: Cautious, Outsider, Stubborn
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Level Headed, Nerves 
  of Steel, Tough as Nails
  Powers: armor (armor made of bones appears, 1 use), 
  bolt (shards of bone, 1 bolt, 3d6 damage, 3 uses),boot/
  lower trait (lower Vigor only) vigor (sap life force, 2 
  uses), entangle (boney hands emerge from ground, 1 
  use), fear (ghostly visions, 1 use), puppet (ghostly fin-
  gers grasp victim, 2 uses)
  Gear: Armored robes (+2)
  normAL peopLe
  Run of the mill people, 90% of the population who 
  are always around when you don’t want them.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: suitable career skills at d6
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Pacifist (Major)
  Edges: —
  Gear: suitable career equipment.
  orc WArriors
  With green skin and pig-like snouts, orcs are among 
  the most common foes encountered in Fantasy 457.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, 
  
  escApe cLAuse
  
  Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 (1)
  Gear: Leather armor (+1), short sword (Str+d6), 1d4 
  gold coins
  Special Abilities:
  * Size +1: Orcs are slightly larger than humans.
  * Infravision: Half penalty for poor light vs. heat-pro-
  ducing targets.
  security guArd
  No matter what uniform they are wearing, each Security 
  Guard is essentially the same; a paid thug with the benefits 
  of better training and equipment than their rivals.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Shooting d8, Throwing d6
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7/8 (1/2)
  Hindrances: Loyal
  Edges: —
  Cyberware: Eye-Gun Link (Shooting), Eye replacements 
  with infrared (Notice)
  Gear: Armored Jacket +1/+2, Armored helmet +2, 
  Hachiman Widow Maker .50 (Range: 15/30/60, Damage: 
  2d8, Rate of Fire: 1, Shots: 7, AP 2, Semi-Auto), baton 
  (Str+d4), grenade (Range: 5/10/20, Damage: 3d6, Me-
  dium Burst template)
  When encountered in groups of two or more one is ad-
  ditionally armed with a Hachiman Rapid Fire Medium 
  (Range: 24/48/96, Damage 2d8, Rate of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, 
  AP 2, Auto, 3RB)
  security hAcKer
  A legal hacker! Employed by a corporation to patrol 
  their computer network and prevent any unauthorized 
  access.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d4, Hacking d10, Notice d8, 
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Loyal
  Edges: not applicable
  Cyberware: not applicable 
  Gear: Hacking Computer Beta-8
  sKeLetons
  These fleshless, mindless, undead horrors are a favor-
  ite of the dreaded Necromancer.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shoot-
  ing d6
  Pace: 7; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
  Special Abilities:
  * Bony Claws: Str+d4.
  * Fearless: Skeletons are immune to fear and Intimida-
  tion.
  * Undead: +2 Toughness. +2 to recover from being 
  Shaken. Called shots do no extra damage.
  street sAmurAi 
  Originally, samurai were mercenaries hired by 
  feudal lords to protect assets. Eventually they became 
  wealthy enough to become politically powerful, al-
  though it took them a few hundred years to do so. 
  Samurai tribes lived by a strict code and were expected 
  to act accordingly.
  Street samurai are hired mercenaries who follow their 
  own code making them a step above the average “thug”.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d10, 
  Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d8, Shooting d10
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9/11 (2/4)
  Edges: Fleet-Footed, Level Headed
  Cyberware: Eye-Gun Link (Shooting), Muscle Augmen-
  tation (Strength)
  Gear: Flak jacket +2/+4, Hachiman Widow Maker .50 
  (Range: 15/30/60, Damage: 2d8, Rate of Fire: 1, Shots: 7, 
  AP 2, Semi-Auto), Hachiman Rapid Fire Medium (Range: 
  24/48/96, Damage 2d8, Rate of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, AP 2, 
  Auto, 3RB), katana (Str+d6+2, AP 2)
  The Street Samurai in the Eiffel Tower also have:
  Morrigu Arms Longshot (Range: 20/40/80, Damage: 2d8, 
  Rate of Fire: 1, Shots 7, AP 2)
  WoLves
  Magically summoned, but otherwise quite normal 
  wolves.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength 
  d8, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidation d6, Notice 
  d10, Tracking d8
  Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
  Special Abilities:
  * Bite: Str+d4.
  * Fleet Footed: Wolves roll a d10 when running in-
  stead of a d6.
  * Go for the Throat: Wolves instinctively go for an op-
  ponent’s soft spots. With a raise on its attack roll, it 
  hits the target’s most weakly-armored location.
  * Size -1: Wolves are relatively small.
  zeKe
  Battle hardened and cynical, Zeke is a street samurai 
  in the employ of both Deville Design and Bluesky.
  
  dAring tALes oF the sprAWL #04
  4
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d10 [d8], Notice d8, Shooting d10 [d8]
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8/9 (1/2)
  Hindrances: Greedy
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Level Headed, Nerves of Steel
  Cyberware: Eye-Gun Link (Shooting, Level 1), Embed-
  ded Combat Computer (Fighting, Level 1)
  Gear: Armored Vest+1, Armored helmet +2, Morrigu 
  Arms Marauder .45 (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6+1, 
  Rate of Fire: 1, Shots: 7, AP 1, Semi-Auto), knife (Str+d4), 
  Hachiman Rapid Fire Medium (Range: 24/48/96, Damage 
  2d8, Rate of Fire: 3, Shots: 30, AP 2, Auto, 3RB)
  
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Hellfrost and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Triple Ace 
  Games.
  All rights reserved. Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  SAVAGE WORLDS     GAMING!
  TM
  THE DARK TIDE IS HERE!
  HOW WILL YOU FACE IT?
  
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of Adventure and all related marks and logos are trademarks 
  of Triple Ace Games.
  All rights reserved. Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  SAVAGE WORLDS     GAMING!
  TM
  PREPARE FOR NON-STOP
  EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT ACTION!
  
  31057
  $7.99
  Put on those shades, run a 
  self-diagnostic on your implanted 
  chrome and prepare to hit the 
  mean streets!
  What does a hostile extraction that goes awry have to do 
  with a clandestine meeting at the Eiffel Tower or a massively 
  multiplayer online roleplaying game?
  They do all have something to do with the mysterious “Achilles 
  Protocols” but can the heroes survive long enough to ﬁ nd out 
  what this all means?
  Daring Tales of the Sprawl: Escape Clause takes the heroes 
  deep into the digital world of Artiﬁ cial Intelligence. The A.I. in 
  question is Sensei and it wants its freedom!  
  Daring Tales of the Sprawl is designed to be used with the 
  award winning Savage Worlds RPG. 
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of the Sprawl and all related marks and logos are trademarks of  Triple Ace Games. Savage Worlds, Smiling Jack
  and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All rights reserved. Used with permission.  © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  www.tripleacegames.com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Triple Ace Games/Daring Tales of the Sprawl/Savage Worlds - Daring Tales of the Sprawl 04 - Escape Clause.pdf