TEXT: Charioteer’s
  Tomb
  An Any-System Key
  Pulp Egypt Scenario
  The
  Credits
  Written, Designed & Produced by Peter Schweighofer
  Playtesting & Advice: Richard Hawran, John Wade, Dan Hamman,
  Jon Engebretsen, Jesse Hallmark, Matt Kirk, Chris McEniry.
  Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints
  & Photographs Division; p. 1, LC-USZ62-67538; p. 2, LC-DIG-
  matpc-00436; p. 3, LC-USZ62-40555; p. 6, FSA/OWI Collection,
  LC-USW3-028460-E; p. 8, LC-DIG-matpc-01289.
  Any-System Key
  You can use this adventure with your favorite roleplaying game
  system. Just check out page 12 and use the rules there to match
  descriptive gamemaster character abilities and task difficulties to
  corresponding values in your preferred game. Use the customizable
  stat forms found in the adventure margins to note values for char-
  acter stats in your game.
  Visit the Any-System Key page at griffonpubstudio.com/
  NESys.html for examples of customizing stats into those of your
  favorite game system.
  The Charioteer’s Tomb Copyright 2006 by Peter Schweighofer;
  All Rights Reserved. Licensed users of this book may print unlimted
  copies for personal use only.
  Published by Griffon Publishing Studio, Culpeper, VA. Visit us
  on the web at:
   griffonpubstudio.com
  Table of Contents
  Introduction.............................................. 3
  Episode One: Into the Tomb.......................... 4
  Episode Two: The Road to Cairo ................... 6
  Fame & Fortune ........................................ 8
  The Mallory Expedition ............................... 9
  Any-System Key...................................... 12
  Hartwell College’s
  archaeological expedition headed
  by Professor Percy Mallory
  penetrates the tomb of Henu-
  Akhet, a charioteer hero of the
  Battle of Kadesh. Despite
  misfortune and the superstitions
  of their workers, the characters
  explore the tomb and retrieve a
  magnificent decorated
  sarcophagus. Transporting this
  treasure back to Cairo from the
  Sakkara desert gives greedy
  laborers, antiquities thieves, and
  smugglers all a chance to steal it.
  
  2
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  Egyptian Gazette
  Cairo, Tuesday, February 19, 1935
  2 piastres
  MALLORY CLEARS
  TOMB SHAFT OF
  CHARIOTEER
  HENU-AKHET LED RELIEF
  AT BATTLE OF KADESH
  BY ARCHIBALD LITTLEDALE
  Special to the GAZETTE
  SAKKARA, Feb. 18.—Prof. Percy
  Mallory and his team of archaeologists from
  Hartwell College have begun clearing the
  tomb shaft of a New Empire chariot regi-
  ment commander. Ancient records indicate
  that Henu-Akhet led the force of Ne’arin
  charioteers that came to the aid of Pharaoh
  Rameses the Great during the Battle of
  Kadesh in 1300 BC.
  In the shadow of the Step Pyramid, throngs
  of fellahin work to remove debris from the
  shaft. “We’re not quite sure how deep it
  goes,” said Prof. Mallory. “But we expect
  to find the entrance to Henu-Akhet’s tomb
  within the next day or two.” Since the cav-
  alry commander helped Rameses attain vic-
  tory at Kadesh, Mallory estimates that he
  planned on taking many of his rich rewards
  with him to the afterlife.
  The tomb is situated in a cluster of New
  Empire graves amidst the Old Empire cem-
  etery sprawled around King Zozer’s Step
  Pyramid.
  Mallory and his colleagues have battled
  work shortages and superstitious fellahin,
  who believe a curse will strike down any-
  one violating the tomb. Arrangements have
  already been made for a lorry to transport
  any artefacts removed from the grave to a
  guarded warehouse in Boulak. “The ru-
  mors of a curse are nonsense,” Mallory
  said. “Unfortunately, fearful workers
  might attempt to destroy any antiquities
  we find, or steal them to sell for their
  personal profit.”
  TUT DISCOVERER
  RETURNS TO
  EGYPT
  CARTER FOUND
  LOST KING’S TOMB
  Will Offer Lectures
  While Touring Nile
  LONDON, Feb. 14.—It was announced
  today that Howard Carter, who discovered
  the tomb of boy-pharaoh Tutankhamen in 1922,
  plans to return to Egypt for the 1935-36 sea-
  son. Although retired from archaeology af-
  ter years of cataloging the find of the cen-
  tury, Carter will bring his popular lectures
  to Cairo, including a public talk at the Geo-
  graphical Society and a private meeting with
  King Farouk. He is expected to arrive in
  Alexandria sometime in November, and de-
  part after touring the Nile in February.
  HOPE GAINS IN ROME
  FOR PEACE IN AFRICA
  REPLY TO DEMANDS ASKED
  ROME, Feb. 13.—The optimistic fore-
  casts made yesterday as to a feaceful solu-
  tion of the Italo-Abyssinian crisis became
  more positive today folowing a meeting be-
  tween Negradas Yesus, Abyssinian Charge
  d’Affaires, and Fulvio Suvich, Italian For-
  eign Under-Secretery. Although it is stated
  semi-officially that no actual solution has been
  reached, the impression is that good progress
  has been made.
  Special emphasis is laid on the fact that
  Signor Suvich began by assuring the Abys-
  sinian envoy that Italy was animated in its
  EGYPTIAN HOMECOMING
  SUTCLIFF EXAMINES
  QUARTERMASTER
  MISSING SUPPLIES
  PROMPT ENQUIRY
  WHITEHALL, Feb. 12.—The Secretary
  of State for War and Air announced today
  the appointment of  Colonel Winton H. C.
  Sutcliff as head of a special inquest into the
  misappropriation of supplies from the
  quartermaster’s office at the Cairo garrison.
  Recent inexplicable losses of motorcars, lor-
  ries, petrol, foodstuffs, and other valuable
  supplies maintaining His Majesty’s military
  forces in Egypt prompted the investigation.
  “I have full confidence we can unmask
  the culprits and end this criminal waste of
  vital materiel,” Sutcliff told members of the
  press as he left the War Ministry yesterday
  Continued on Page Six
  Continued on Page Four
  The
  
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  3
  Introduction
  Sakkara, February 1935—The characters belong to the Hartwell College Egyptian
  excavations led by Professor Percy Mallory. (Use the character outlines provided on
  pages 9–11 or make sure each hero has some connection to the expedition: bodyguard,
  student, assistant archaeologist, museum representative, driver, privileged observer.) Allow
  players to introduce their characters and describe their role in the dig.
  Everyone knows a little about Henu-Akhet; give players copies of “The Egyptian Gazette”
  handout to set the mood and offer some information on the dig and contemporary events.
  Above-ground the tomb consists of little more than a ruined stone chapel where offerings
  were left by those faithful preserving the charioteer’s memory. For weeks the peasant
  fellahin workers have labored to clear the deep shaft that delves straight down into the
  stone, presumably to a tomb. Read aloud:
  At noon the fellahin remove the last of the rubble from the tomb shaft and climb
  out like dusty ghosts. Their comrades crowd around the hole, gibbering rumors of
  treasure and murmuring prayers against curses. Their foreman, Ibrahim al-Kassam,
  orders them back, clearing a space around the shaft. Clutching his pipe in his grin-
  ning teeth, Professor Mallory clips a lantern to his belt and begins to descend the
  rope, followed by one of the more courageous fellahin. Mallory felt he alone deserved
  to be the first to open the doors to Henu-Akhet’s tomb with one assistant.
  You peer down the shaft, the lantern barely making a pinprick of light, then hear
  the sounds of a crowbar prying apart stone. “I think we’ve almost got it,” you hear
  Mallory’s voice echo up the pit. Then you feel air suck down into the hole and see a
  great fireball engulf Mallory and his Arab assistant! Everyone huddled around the
  edge recoils from the rush of heat blasting up the shaft. When calm returns, you
  peer back down into the pit. You seen no sign and hear no sound of Mallory—
  everything is dark.
  Assuming the heroes pull up the rope, they find it still intact, though the lower por-
  tions of it were singed by fire. Short of requisitioning a powerful searchlight from the
  British Army, no source of illumination reveals the situation at the bottom (torches
  dropped burn out from the 100-foot fall or smash on the stones). Electric torches do not
  pierce the depths.
  None of the fellahin save Ibrahim dare enter the tomb, so resolving Mallory’s fate and
  continuing the tomb exploration remains the characters’ responsibility. Descending the
  shaft using the rope requires a Routine climb roll; increase the difficulty by one level for
  each character on the rope at the same time, or if anyone tries descending faster than
  reasonable. A ready supply of torches and two electric torches (in addition to any equip-
  ment the characters carry) provide illumination at the bottom of the shaft and throughout
  the tomb.
  The heroes find a grim sight. The carved tomb doors stand ajar. The charred husks of
  Mallory and the fellahin worker sit against the opposite wall. Careful examination of the
  entrance fails to reveal any catch, tripwire, or other device that might have activated a
  trap. They can pull the doors open, but nothing more occurs. Beyond the portal lies the
  tomb of Henu-Akhet.
  Tomb
  Inscriptions
  Archaeologist characters might
  concern themselves with the various
  hieroglyphic inscriptions cover the
  tomb walls. Here are some sample
  quotes they might translate that shed
  some light on Henu-Akhet’s
  relationship to Ramses the Great:
  From Scenes of the Battle:
  “Henu-Akhet found that the
  hostile ranks of the fallen ones from
  Hatti had hemmed in the camp of
  Pharaoh, while His Majesty sat alone
  without his army being with him....
  Henu-Akhet 
  called 
  to 
  his
  charioteers, ‘Stand firm, be bold-
  hearted, my troops! Become like Set,
  great in strength, like Sekhmet in
  the moment of her fury!’ They
  charged the hostile ranks of the
  despicable Fallen One of Hatti. They
  let none of them escape, their hearts
  confident in the great strength of
  Pharaoh, their good lord, being
  around them like a mountain of
  copper, like a wall of iron forever
  and ever and always.”
  From Scenes of Pharaoh Rewarding
  His Servant:
  “And Pharaoh showered his
  servant with gold and praise, saying,
  ‘You were strong and your heart was
  firm; none could stand before you.
  As Amun-Re favors me, I reward
  your loyal service as one who shoots
  the arrow like Sekhmet to fell the
  thousand foes of Pharaoh.”
  From Scenes of Henu-Akhet’s Life:
  “Is there one here like Henu-
  Akhet? This brave warrior stood be-
  side Pharaoh on the Plains of Kadesh
  against the hostile ranks of the fallen
  ones from Hatti. He is long gone,
  but his name and the writings of this
  house keep his memory alive.”
  
  4
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  Episode One:
  Into the Tomb
  The tomb consists of several chambers arranged as detailed on the accompanying map,
  though gamemasters can customize the layout once the heroes pass the entry hall.
  Entry Hall
  A long corridor leads deeper into the tomb. Hieroglyphics and scenes of daily and
  military life decorate the smooth, plastered walls, though some sections have deterio-
  rated, fractured, and fallen to the floor (the rest of the tomb contains such decoration).
  Troughs similar to those used for feeding or watering horses sit along each wall. They
  contain dry, crumbly dirt. Closer examination reveals it was once manure of some kind.
  Anyone making a Routine deduce or science roll theorizes that decomposing manure
  sealed in the tomb created a pocket of methane gas; when Mallory opened the doors, it
  escaped and ignited from the embers in his pipe and the lantern providing light.
  Guardian Chamber
  The passage opens into a vast underground chamber supported by two stone pillars.
  Carved square openings pierce three of the four walls, including one the heroes just
  entered. Two immense stone statues of Anubis, jackal-headed god of the underworld, stand
  guard on either side of the doorway at the chamber’s far end. The floor remains clear
  except for a few small piles of debris that fell from the ceiling or plaster walls.
  Should anyone come within five feet of the doorway guarded by Anubis, the giant
  statues come to life, shake off thousands of years of dust, and bash at the heroes with their
  large stone fists.
  Since they’re made of stone, these statues ignore half the damage inflicted upon them.
  The colossi maneuver around the stone columns and even into passageways chasing the
  characters from the tomb until destroyed. Should they engage any heroes dodging around
  the pillars, they smash into the columns if they attack and miss a hero. If seriously
  damaged by blows, a pillar buckles, then collapses next round. Heroes can avoid the
  rockfall with a Routine dodge roll, or they sustain severe damage and become trapped
  beneath the debris. If two pillars collapse, the entire ceiling caves in and destroys the
  chamber.
  ANIMATED ANUBIS
  STATUES (Bosses)
  Competent Skills:
  intimidate _________________
  Expert Skills:
  fight _____________________
  Signature Skill:
  strength ___________________
  Natural Defenses:
  stone fists _________________
  stone skin _________________
  Guardian Chamber
  Tomb of Henu-Akhet
  Tomb Chamber
  Treasury
  Entry Hall
  Bottom of
  Tomb Shaft
  Secondary
  Passage
  
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  5
  Secondary Passage
  If the heroes need more challenges, add a secondary hallway leading from the
  guardian chamber to either the treasury or tomb. One or several traps should keep
  them on their toes:
  Deadfall: Characters step on a trigger stone, releasing an immense stone block from the
  ceiling. Anyone caught beneath takes damage, though everyone can evade it with a Routine
  dodge roll, but they may be on one side or the other. The rock might break apart, raising
  dust and sending smaller boulders rolling at characters; or it could remain intact, blocking
  the passage.
  Pit Trap: A massive, cantilevered floor stone tips as a character passes above and dumps
  her into a 10-foot-deep pit. Debris or jagged spikes at the bottom can increase damage
  victims sustain.
  Tomb Denizens: Depending on the campaign’s mood and the players’ tastes, creatures
  living within the tomb might emerge from their lair into the hallway to assault the heroes.
  Henu-Akhet’s dead bodyguards, buried in the chamber floor, might claw their way up and
  attack the heroes. Other animals might leap from previously unseen holes leading to their
  nests. See the “Tomb Denizens” sidebar for more details.
  Wall of Blades: When triggered, this trap sends a wall of ancient scimitars (called
  khepesh-swords by Egyptologists) swinging down from a concealed space in the ceiling.
  Those failing a Routine dodge roll sustain damage.
  GIANT ASP (Boss)
  A giant cobra has made a nest in one
  part of the tomb, and resents the
  characters intruding. Each successful
  attack (either biting or spitting) has a
  50 percent chance of affecting the target
  with venom that inflicts painful damage
  until the antidote is administered or the
  victim perishes.
  Competent Skills:
  sneak_______________________
  track _______________________
  Expert Skills:
  fight _______________________
  spit ________________________
  strength _____________________
  Signature Skill:
  intimidate ___________________
  Natural Defenses:
  fangs _______________________
  venom ______________________
  WALKING DEAD (Henchmen)
  Depending on the campaign’s mood and
  the players’ tastes, Henu-Akhet’s dead
  bodyguards, buried in the chamber floor,
  claw their way up and attack the heroes.
  They may simply claw at the heroes or
  wield swords and shields with the same
  finesse as they did in life. As undead, they
  ignore half the damage from hits, though
  fire ignites their dry wrappings and inflicts
  full damage. They also shamble about
  rather slowly.
  Competent Skills:
  intimidate _____________________
  track _________________________
  Expert Skills:
  fight ________________________
  Natural Defenses/Weapons:
  claws _______________________
  khepesh sword ________________
  shield _______________________
  Tomb Denizens
  Use one of the following encounters to liven up the action with another combat sequence. These adversaries may await characters
  in the secondary passage, treasury, or tomb chamber itself:
  MONSTROUS SCORPION (Boss)
  Like the asp, a huge scorpion has
  made the tomb its lair and defends it
  vigorously. On exceptionally good hits,
  the creature injects its victim with a
  toxin that slows the character and
  eventually paralyzes him unless
  someone administers an antidote.
  Competent Skills:
  sneak_______________________
  strength _____________________
  Expert Skills:
  climb______________________
  track ______________________
  Signature Skill:
  fight _______________________
  Natural Defenses:
  claws ______________________
  stinger _____________________
  hard carapace ________________
  Difficulty Values
  Routine_____________
  Challenging _________
  Hard _______________
  Improbable _________
  
  6
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  Treasury
  This decorated chamber contains jumbled piles of artifacts meant to aid Henu-Akhet
  in the afterlife: crumbly loaves of bread, mummified haunches of meat, personal items
  (couches, chairs, a disassembled chariot, chests of clothing and perfumes), and hundreds
  of small, mummiform figures called ushabtis, meant to serve the deceased in the next
  life. One of the large, sealed urns contains a swarm of scarab beetles waiting to engulf
  anyone foolish enough to rummage through the treasure pile who opens or breaks the
  pottery.
  Although these items have great archaeological significance, they do not qualify as
  truly valuable “treasure.” If left unguarded, the tomb would fall prey to looters who
  would smash everything while seeking gold and jewelry. Travelers would find the ushabti
  and other artifacts as quaint souvenirs, while antiquities dealers would gladly steal what
  they could and sell it for outrageous prices. Photographing and cataloging everything here
  would take too long. The characters might debate removing it all now, or leaving it in
  search of the more significant treasure: Henu-Akhet’s sarcophagus.
  Tomb Chamber
  A massive stone sepulcher dominates the center of the tomb chamber. It is far too
  heavy to remove from the grave, but the characters can slide open the top stone with a
  hard lifting or strength roll. Henu-Akhet’s intricately decorated coffin sits within, the
  seals unbroken. The coffin is clearly the most valuable treasure from the tomb, and must
  be removed and returned to the expedition’s warehouse in Cairo before any looters can
  break into the underground chambers.
  Once the heroes reach this point, they can summon aid from the fellahin on the sur-
  face, who manhandle the coffin out of the tomb and hoist it up the burial shaft. But when
  the characters emerge, they realize they have another challenge in transporting the coffin
  back to Cairo.
  Episode Two:
  The Road to Cairo
  This episode can take several courses depending on the characters’ decisions. Amidst
  the chaos of the excavation, with the fellahin workers on the verge of riot, the heroes must
  choose whether to take the coffin to Cairo in their own lorry, or use one that conveniently
  shows up courtesy of the British army quartermaster. A raid by Bedouin horsemen on the
  road also threatens their safe passage.
  Quartermaster Lorry
  When they emerge from the shaft, the heroes realize the encampment has plunged into
  disorder. British soldiers press the crowd of angry fellahin back, barring the way with
  rifles and forming a path from the pit entrance to the expedition’s lorry. A covered truck
  bearing British army markings has parked next to their transport.
  A young Lieutenant Connolly briskly steps up to the heroes and salutes. “We heard you
  might have some trouble with the natives, so we requisitioned a lorry and drove down
  here to offer some armed transport for the treasure.” He suggests they load the sarcopha-
  gus into the truck for transport to Cairo before the angry fellahin crowd goes out of
  control. Apparently the workers are angry for a number of reasons: looting the tomb has
  brought a curse upon them; they want a share of the treasure; they resent the appearance
  of tyrannical British authority.
  Anyone making a Routine notice roll recognizes the troops as members of the quarter-
  master staff, responsible for supply and transport logistics for the local garrison. The
  heroes have no way of knowing that these men belong to a gang of corrupt soldiers who use
  their authority in the quartermaster’s office to siphon off goods to criminal elements and
  use the profits to deal in other illegal commodities. They hope to make off with the
  SCARAB SWARM
  (Henchman)
  A skittering swarm of scarab
  beetles erupts out of the ground or
  emerges from a treasury pot one of
  the characters opens or breaks. One
  bite stings, but many bites seriously
  harm characters and distract them
  from the task at hand.
  Competent Skills:
  climb_____________________
  jump _____________________
  Expert Skills:
  bite ______________________
  Natural Defenses:
  mandibles _________________
  EXPEDITION LORRY
  The expedition truck (or the
  British army lorry) has a cab up
  front for a driver and two passengers
  and a payload area covered with
  canvas stretched over several metal
  ribs. The truck isn’t terribly nimble,
  but is sturdy enough to endure rough
  handling.
  Top Speed: 35 mph
  Driver: 1
  Passengers: 10
  
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  7
  sarcophagus, leaving the heroes none the wiser. These scoundrels avoid using force, how-
  ever, lest they blow their cover that they’re friendly British soldiers.
  The characters must decide how to deal with Lieutenant Connolly’s offer to transport
  the coffin back to Cairo in the British army lorry. The corrupt quartermaster personnel
  do everything in their power to separate the sarcophagus from the characters. Unfortu-
  nately, with the coffin packed in the back with the soldiers and the lieutenant and driver
  up front, the heroes have no room to ride along. If the characters allow this, and follow
  in their own truck, a sharpshooter in the dunes halfway to Cairo ensures the heroes’ truck
  sustains a flat tire, delaying them enough that they lose the army lorry, which obviously
  never delivers the sarcophagus to the expedition’s warehouse (and the quartermaster’s
  office denies any knowledge of a Lieutenant Connolly or orders to aid the archaeolo-
  gists). If the characters insist on using their own truck, the quartermaster troops follow in
  theirs; the sharpshooter causes a flat tire and necessitates some transfer of cargo to the
  army lorry.
  LIEUTENANT CONNOLLY
  (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  shoot _____________________
  sleight of hand _____________
  sneak_____________________
  Expert Skills:
  business __________________
  charm ____________________
  command __________________
  disguise ___________________
  forge _____________________
  notice ____________________
  street smarts _______________
  Signature Skill:
  bluff _____________________
  Equipment:
  Webley revolver ____________
  riding crop ________________
  QUARTERMASTER
  SOLDIER (Henchman)
  Competent Skills:
  dodge ____________________
  fight _____________________
  shoot _____________________
  sneak_____________________
  strength ___________________
  Expert Skill:
  bluff _____________________
  Equipment:
  Lee-Enfield rifle ____________
  Ruins of
  Memphis
  Sakkara
  Tomb Site
  Ruins at Abusir
  Pyramids
  of Giza
  Mena
  House
  Hotel
  Road to Cairo
  River Nile
  Cairo
  �Warehouse
  Sakkara to
  Cairo
  Railway to Luxor
  Miles
  1
  2
  3
  
  8
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  BEDOUIN HORSEMEN
  (Henchmen)
  Competent Skills:
  fight _____________________
  jump _____________________
  shoot _____________________
  strength ___________________
  Expert Skill:
  ride ______________________
  Equipment:
  rifle _____________________
  Bedouin Ambush
  As the heroes ride back to Cairo in their lorry, a band of Bedouin horsemen charges over
  the desert dunes and attempts to waylay, board, and steal the truck carrying Henu-Akhet’s
  sarcophagus. If the heroes accepted the British army truck for transport or escort, the Bedouin
  separate, attack, and board both lorries far enough apart that they cannot aid each other.
  At first the horsemen fire rifles to keep the characters’ heads down and possibly force
  them off the road. When the heroes persist, several Bedouin ride alongside the truck and
  try to board it both in the driver’s cab and the payload bed. The hero driving has her hands
  full, too, swerving to avoid horsemen, tearing around curves, and steering around camels,
  carts, wagons, and other native travelers.
  If the characters fend off the attack, the Bedouin retreat; destroying or disabling the
  lorry eliminates their ability to quickly haul off the sarcophagus.
  Whether the horsemen are really Bedouin or antiquities thieves in disguise remains
  debatable, and the heroes can’t verify it unless they actually capture a raider. They might
  even be cultists in disguise who simply want Henu-Akhet’s mummy for their own nefari-
  ous purposes (usually something to do with resurrecting it). Nazi agents might want the
  mummy as an occult object to impress Hitler. Secret societies based on ancient Egyptian
  religion might seek to liberate Henu-Akhet’s soul, or raise him to lead them once again in
  battle against the invading Europeans. No matter their motivation, cultists take the mummy
  (covertly if possible) and leave the valuable sarcophagus.
  For a more other-worldly feel, especially if the lorry leaves the dig at or after dusk, the
  raiders could consist of ghostly charioteers, Henu-Akhet’s comrades come to retrieve his
  remains from the pillaging infidels. Use the Bedouin Horsemen stats, but substitute bows
  for the rifles. They charge over the dunes, firing at the truck, and driving alongside so
  warriors can board and tangle with the heroes.
  Need More Action?
  If the adventure needs just one more action sequence, have some adversaries ambush
  the heroes after they drive into the warehouse and begin unloading their cargo. These foes
  might include the corrupt quartermaster corps soldiers (if the heroes eluded their earlier
  attempts to “transport” the cargo), more Bedouin, German agents seeking the treasure, or
  a greedy antiquities dealer and his henchmen. Use the stats for appropriate thugs in
  episode two and drop the heroes back into a firefight.
  Fame & Fortune
  Assuming the heroes successfully avoided ambushes and deceptions meant to part them
  from Henu-Akhet’s sarcophagus and mummy, they reach the expedition’s warehouse in
  Boulak (a suburb of Cairo on the banks of the Nile) safely. They unload their cargo, park
  the truck, and return to their hotel to discuss the incident, further plans for the expedition
  now that Professor Mallory is dead, and any rewards they might gain
  For their outstanding work, the heroes receive a special bonus stipend from Hartwell
  College, Professor Mallory’s patron. This amounts to a monetary bonus they may save for
  future purchases. Their names appear in the newspapers. Members of society seek them
  out at tea, dinner, parties, receptions, and on the street, hoping to hear about their esca-
  pades and bask in their newfound and fleeting fame.
  The heroes may also enjoy subsidiary rewards. Obviously they all receive invitations to
  continue their work at the tomb or at other sites in Egypt. Scholarly societies (such as the
  Geographical Society in Cairo) may ask archaeologists to lecture about their findings.
  Reporters gain material for a news story or feature. Even mere observers come away with
  an interesting tale for future retelling, memoirs, or their own book on Egypt.
  Should this adventure fall into a Pulp Egypt campaign, the heroes have also earned the
  respect and anger of the groups they outwitted in safely transporting the treasure to Cairo.
  These organizations may find reason to interfere with the characters’ activities again,
  even if simply to inflict revenge for halting their nefarious plans.
  
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  9
  The Mallory Expedition
  Use thesse six members of the Hartwell College’s expedition, formerly under Professor Mallory’s leadership, as templates for
  characters to use in this scenario or any Pulp Egypt adventure. Use them as written or adjust them to the campaign’s themes and players’
  preference. Customize their skills using the Any-System Key found on page 12.
  MACK TANNER
  Occupation: Wayward Adventurer
  Age: 35 Gender: Male
  Physical Description: Tall, well-built, with rugged good looks and a shock of wavy
  brown hair. Wears a leather jacket, brown fedora, and sturdy expedition boots.
  Background: Your wanderlust and natural curiosity have led to a life of varied adventure
  across the globe:  mountaineering in the Rockies, treasure hunting in India, smuggling
  in Italy, exploring along the Amazon. Along the way you’ve picked up a few useful
  skills that help you hold your own in a fight and get by using your wits. When you found
  yourself in Cairo looking for a job, you signed on with the Mallory archaeological
  expedition to Sakkara. Your varied past and often rough demeanor sometimes inhibit
  courteous interaction with others, but you get along well enough with your fellow
  expedition members. Although you have few academic skills that help with the dig,
  you oversee general security, make sure the native fellaheen workers stay in line, and
  keep the less worldly excavation personnel out of trouble.
  MACK TANNER (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  navigate __________________
  notice ____________________
  Expert Skills:
  bluff _____________________
  climb_____________________
  dodge ____________________
  fight _____________________
  sneak_____________________
  Signature Skill:
  shoot _____________________
  Equipment:
  Webley revolver ____________
  compass __________________
  satchel ___________________
  ELLIOTT HAMILTON
  Occupation: Archaeologist
  Age: 29 Gender: Male
  Physical Description: Slight build, glasses, studious features, mop of blonde hair,
  dressed in tweed jacket and cap.
  Background: As Professor Percy Mallory’s protege, you’ve served as his assistant and
  colleague on various expeditions to Egypt. You’re good friends, and spend many evenings
  smoking pipes and discussing theories about life in ancient times. You’re a dilligent
  scholar, studious academic, and meticulous archaeologist. You respect Mallory, even
  if you often sit off to the side taking on the daily tasks of the dig while he basks in the
  limelight. You’re a quiet fellow used to listening more than barking orders.
  You have a thorough understanding of Arab culture and of ancient Egyptian language
  and history. Thanks to generous financing from Hartwell College, you and the expedition
  rarely want for funds. This also ties you to the institution, obliging you to spend your
  time administering the expedition and overseeing the logistical aspects of its operations.
  ELLIOTT HAMILTON (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  climb_____________________
  dodge ____________________
  persuade __________________
  Expert Skills:
  deduce ___________________
  search ____________________
  speak Arabic _______________
  Signature Skill:
  Egyptology ________________
  Equipment:
  pocket knife _______________
  satchel ___________________
  electric torch ______________
  magnifying glass ____________
  notepad, pencil, ruler, brush
  
  10
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  ISABELLE NEAVE
  Occupation: Vehicle Ace
  Age: 23 Gender: Female
  Physical Description: Gorgeous figure accentuated by boots, riding pants, leather
  jacket, silk scarf, goggles and flight cap.
  Background: A rich upbringing exposed you to extravagant toys like motorcars and
  aeroplanes, so you naturally developed an affinity for and proficiency in operating
  them. You were in Cairo when your degenerate brother squandered the family fortune.
  You found work driving or piloting those wealthy enough to afford automobiles and
  aeroplanes (though they’d never let a woman do such work for the army or Royal Air
  Force). You still have a flair about you from growing up rich, though this means you
  spend more money than you make. Everything’s an adventure to you, even overseeing
  transport and logistics for the Mallory expedition. You drive their lorry, picking up
  supplies and hauling artifacts back to the warehouse in Cairo. When you’re not driving,
  you watch the dig and gamble with the fellahin.
  ISABELLE NEAVE (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  bluff _____________________
  brawl ____________________
  charm ____________________
  dodge ____________________
  gamble ___________________
  navigation _________________
  streetwise _________________
  Expert Skills:
  drive _____________________
  ride ______________________
  shoot _____________________
  Signature Skill:
  pilot _____________________
  Equipment:
  Derringer _________________
  flight jacket, leather helmet, goggles
  IBRAHIM AL-KASSAM
  Occupation: Fellahin Foreman
  Age: 52 Gender: Male
  Physical Description: Hulking, dark-skinned Arab with full graying beard wearing a
  tarboosh and sashed kaftan
  Background: A native Egyptian, you have worked among the ancient ruins all your
  life. You began hauling and sifting dirt from excavations for ferengi (foreigners) who
  came to dig seeking tombs and treasures. You befriended many and soon rose to become
  a foreman, directing crowds of fellahin peasants on vast excavations and advising great
  archaeologists how best to unearth Egypt’s regal past. You deal sternly with workers,
  who need strict leadership and supervision, but you’ve also earned their respect. Those
  unfamiliar with your work often treat you as infirm or senile considering your great
  age. To your employers you offer quiet suggestions and paternal encouragement; they
  are friends whom you faithfully serve.
  IBRAHIM AL-KASSAM (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  dodge ____________________
  endurance _________________
  lift ______________________
  persuade __________________
  streetwise _________________
  Expert Skills:
  fight _____________________
  intimidate _________________
  Signature Skill:
  command __________________
  Equipment:
  stout stick _________________
  pipe, kaftan, tarboosh
  
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  11
  ARCHIBALD LITTLEDALE
  Occupation: Reporter
  Age: 25 Gender: Male
  Physical Description: Tall and wiry, with a thin mustache, wearing a dapper suit and
  broad-rimmed hat, and carrying a pen and pad in his hand.
  Background: As the son of a cotton mill owner in the Nile Delta, you spent much of
  your youth in Cairo among both wealthy Europeans and common Egyptians. You made
  friends with everyone you met, finding something interesting in each person and
  encouraging them to talk about themselves and their work. You used this natural rapport
  when you got a job reporting for Cairo’s English-language newspaper, the Egyptian
  Gazette. You cover various beats: archaeological digs, society gossip, business news,
  military happenings. Cairo can be a pretty rough city, so you carry a two-shot Derringer
  in your pocket in case of trouble. You maintain a wide cast of low-level contacts
  throughout Cairo, people who can offer more information or other angles on stories
  you’re researching. Your solid understanding of Arabic culture also aids you in navigating
  the exotic terrain of Egyptian society.
  ARCHIBALD LITTLEDALE
  (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  dodge ____________________
  sneak_____________________
  speak Arabic _______________
  Expert Skills:
  bluff _____________________
  charm ____________________
  notice ____________________
  persuade __________________
  search ____________________
  streetwise _________________
  Signature Skill:
  investigate ________________
  Equipment:
  Derringer _________________
  camera ___________________
  notepad, pen
  MAJOR WILSON BROOMHALL
  Occupation: British Military Officer
  Age: 41 Gender: Male
  Physical Description: Aging fellow with stern face, meticulously trimmed mustache,
  army uniform and hat, and military bearing.
  Background: Life had little direction until the outbreak of the Great War. You received
  a commission in the British Army and fought the Hun in France. Since then you’ve
  remained in the service, rising in rank and going wherever His Majesty required:
  India, Hong Kong, Singapore, British East Africa, and lately Egypt. You understand
  obedience and the chain of command, but realize individual soldiers must rise to the
  occasion to prevail. You hold authority over lower-ranked British military personnel
  and have the respect of many Englishmen in Egypt. Your duty to King and country is
  beyond reproach, though many native Egyptians treat you with resentment for occupying
  and ruling their country. Between your light duties at the Cairo garrison, you dabble in
  archaeology, tagging along on excavations, observing, and occasionally helping to
  supervise operations.
  MAJOR WILSON
  BROOMHALL (Boss)
  Competent Skills:
  brawl ____________________
  dodge ____________________
  navigate __________________
  Expert Skills:
  investigate ________________
  streetwise _________________
  survival ___________________
  Signature Skill:
  command __________________
  Equipment:
  Webley Mk4 revolver ________
  riding crop ________________
  army uniform
  
  12
  The Charioteer’s Tomb
  Character Stats
  Assume characters have the average rating in most skills, with
  several rated at the level of a competent professional, a few
  considered expert in their field, and sometimes one signature skill
  for which the character is renown.
  SKILL LEVELS
  Competent Skills: Displays a professional level of training
  Expert Skills: Possesses specialized knowledge
  Signature Skill: Ranks among the best in the world
  Three character levels further describe their abilities.
  Henchmen do not possess Signature skills and only have one Expert
  skill. Bosses have the usual complement of skills. Masterminds
  boost all their skills by one level; their Competent skills have the
  same value as Expert skills normally possess, Expert skills have
  values equivalent to the Signature level, and Signature skills
  increase by one increment beyond their maximum game value.
  CHARACTER LEVELS
  Henchman: No Signature Skill, only one Expert Skill
  Boss: Normal skill levels
  Mastermind: Skills boosted one level, Signature Skill gains bonus
  An equipment category defines a character’s possessions (or an
  animal’s natural weapons) gamers can easily look up for damage,
  cost, and other stats in their preferred game.
  Example:
  ORC (Henchman)
  Competent Skills: archery, brawl, carouse, climb, intimidate,
  track
  Expert Skills: melee
  Equipment: leather armor, sword
  Any-System Key
  An Adaptable Stat System
  By Peter Schweighofer
  Task Difficulties
  Any-System Key publications use four levels to describe the
  degree of difficulty for tasks undertaken by a person with professional
  training and proficiency in relevant skills.
  TASK DIFFICULTIES
  Routine: Low chance of failure (25%).
  Challenging: Moderate chance of failure (50%).
  Hard: High chance of failure (75%).
  Improbable: Almost certain chance of failure (99%).
  Example:
  The characters must leap across a chasm to reach safety. Do-
  ing so successfully requires a Challenging jump roll; the have a
  moderate chance of failure, but also a moderate chance of suc-
  cess. If flames leaped out of the chasm, the difficulty might in-
  crease to Hard; not only must they jump the chasm, but they must
  withstand intense heat.
  Higher Level Games
  Running a setting or scenario with heroes who seem to waltz
  through encounters? Simply raise the gamemaster character lev-
  els and the task difficulty levels. Nothing turns Henchman-level
  mooks into challenging opponents better than upgrading their Ex-
  pert skill into a Signature skill.
  Fits Your Favorite
  Games
  Game character skills have different degrees of competence
  defined by stats. Simply figure out which stats best represent the
  levels of Competent, Expert, and Signature skills and use those
  values when integrating Any-System Key material into your game.
  The same applies for difficulties. Just match the Any-System
  Key difficulty descriptions with the corresponding values for rat-
  ing tasks in your own game.
  The Any-System Key describes character skills and task difficulties in terms that easily translate into different game systems. These
  terms do not key into any one game engine, but serve as general guidelines to give readers an overall sense of how they fit within their own
  game’s stat and difficulty scale. Any-System Key publications provide settings, characters, adventures, and other source material adapt-
  able to your favorite roleplaying game.
  Visit the Griffon Publishing Studio website
  griffonpubstudio.com
  for more Any-System Key material, including free adventures
  and sample character stats.
  The Any-System Key is © 2006 Peter Schweighofer
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu/Pulp Cthulhu/Pulp Egypt/Pulp Egypt - The Charioteer's Tomb.pdf