TEXT: By
  Charles Rice
  Special Thanks to:
  Jeremy Lee
  Cover Art 
  Jeremy Simmons
  Interior Art
  John Longenbaugh 
  Marcio Fiorito
  Maps
  Charles Rice
  Layout
  Chris Davis
  Editing
  Andy Rau
  Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, 
  published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other 
  countries and are used with permission
  ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the 
  terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.  A copy of this 
  License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
  Visit our Website:
  www.RPGObjects.com
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 2
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  Welcome to Nostradamus Gambit, an adventure for 
  RPGObjects’ Blood and Relics game of modern gothic 
  conspiracy. Nostradamus Gambit takes the PCs on an 
  exciting, globe-trotting journey in search of a series of 
  mysterious artifacts. Their adventures will take them 
  from London, to Cairo, to Las Vegas, trying to acquire 
  items of power before the villains. Nostradamus 
  Gamit was one of two adventures RPGObjects 
  debuted at this year’s Gen Con convention. 
  Adventure 
  Synopsis/
  Outline
  The adventure is basically a scavenger 
  hunt, with the PCs in search of three key items highly 
  sought after by their order, the Knights Templar. The 
  Knights aren’t the only group looking for the items, 
  however—two rival orders, the Teutonic Knights and 
  the followers of Marcus Adrastus, seek them as well. 
  (More information on both of these groups can be 
  found in the Blood and Relics sourcebook). Along the 
  way the PCs will journey from Egypt to Britain and 
  ﬁnally to America, where their adventure will come 
  to an end (one way or another). Ideally the adventure 
  should end with all three items in the PCs’ possession. 
  If this doesn’t happen, this provides the perfect excuse 
  for more adventuring as they attempt to retrieve the 
  items in scenarios of the GM’s design. And even if 
  they do succeed completely, the adventure leaves 
  open several avenues for further adventures: what 
  information in The Orphic Litany is so vital to three 
  secret societies?
  1. The Book
  1. Introduction to the Book
  2. Surprise Attack
  3. The Repository of Alexandria
  4. Flight from Egypt
  2. Recruitment Drive
  1. Top Men
  2. Conspiracy Theories
  3. Kidnap attempt
  3. The Key
  1. Intro the Key
  2. The Cole Museum of Art and Antiquities
  3. Safehouse Assault
  4. The Lens
  1. Assault on East to West Radio
  2. Mummy of Old Egypt
  Adventure
  The Nostradamus Gambit is broken down into four 
  acts. Each act consists of several encounters which are 
  described according to this format: act and encounter 
  number, name, player’s brieﬁng, research and mission 
  information. 
  The player’s brieﬁng is given to them by their 
  patron (in this case the Knights Templar) and lays out 
  for the PCs what their basic objective is. Research 
  is the PCs’ chance to get a leg up by using their 
  brains to discover what they’re facing, or possibly 
  unearth a weakness in the creatures they will be 
  facing. Research lists a DC after a description. This 
  DC can be applied to any skill check the GM deems 
  appropriate ― Computer Use, Gather Information and 
  Research being the most common such skills. Mission 
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  
  Blood & Relics
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  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  information is for the GM and gives him all the 
  information he needs to run the encounter (including 
  stat blocks for any NPCs). 
  Act 1: The Book
  In Act 1, the players are sent to recover a mystical 
  text known as The Orphic Litany―a text which can 
  allegedly serve as a template for the future.
  1.1 Introduction to the Book
  Player’s Brieﬁng: We just got word from our 
  Alexandrian branch of a unique, potentially dangerous 
  book. We’d like you to retrieve it for us. It seems 
  our old friend and pop culture icon Nostradamus 
  wasn’t a seer after all: he was a translator.  A copy 
  of The Orphic Litany, a book several thousand years 
  old, written in Greek and attributed to Orpheus, 
  had somehow made its way into the good doctor’s 
  possession and he was translating it. We think all 
  the works we have of his might be translations or 
  inspirations of the Litany though we’ll need our own 
  translation to be sure. Also remember the good doctor 
  wanted his predictions to be cryptic so they wouldn’t 
  be misused.  
  A black market book dealer in Cairo, Egypt is 
  claiming to have found this book and others. We 
  need you to go negotiate for the Litany and anything 
  else you can convince this dealer to part with. You 
  can ﬁnd Landen at the bazaar in Cairo; we have a 
  plane waiting for you. You’re authorized to pay up 
  to $500,000 for the Litany. Under no circumstances 
  is the book to be allowed to remain in Landen’s 
  possession or be sold to a third party.
  The PCs have access to this money in the form of a 
  wire transfer. They may transfer as much as $500,000 
  from an account to Landis’ account. They may not 
  do anything else with it, like transfer the money 
  to themselves or use any unspent money to buy 
  equipment.  
  Research: The PCs can learn that the book has 
  been the focus of an ancient Orphic cult since the time 
  of Ancient Greece. Like the PCs, 
  this cult is still seeking the book 
  to improve their worship of the 
  “lord of song.” (DC 20) Note that 
  this sketchy information is all the 
  PCs will be able to learn about 
  the Orphic Cult. It was an ancient 
  mystery cult, whose worshippers 
  did not speak of it, dating from a 
  time with no written records. 
  Gregor Landen is a well-
  known ﬁgure on the black 
  market specializing in forbidden 
  and mystical texts. He has a good 
  reputation (as dealers go) for not selling forgeries and 
  always delivering what he promises. (DC 20)
  Mission Information: The encounter sets forth the 
  mission and provides the PCs with their ultimate goal. 
  It should introduce the PCs to their characters, their 
  contact in the Knights Templar, the organization of the 
  knights and the world of Blood and Relics in general. 
  1.2 Surprise Attack (EL 3)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: None. This encounter occurs 
  when the PCs go to visit Landen in Cairo and come 
  upon the ﬁends that attacked him. 
  Research: Although the PCs have no chance to 
  prepare, a Knowledge (arcane lore) skill check (DC 
  20) reveals that the creatures they are ﬁghting are 
  ﬁends of gluttony who are very strong and immune to 
  cold. A character making this skill check also knows 
  that the creatures are very strong physically.
  Mission Information: As the PCs approach 
  Landen’s ofﬁce in downtown Cairo for their 
  appointment, they hear loud rustling noises and 
  occasionally the most disgusting belch they’ve ever 
  heard. These noises are very, very loud, no Listen 
  DC required to notice them. Upon entering the ofﬁce, 
  they see Landen on the ﬂoor critically wounded, with 
  four bloat ﬁends sitting on the ﬂoor nearby eating all 
  of Landen’s books and records (they were ordered to 
  start there to destroy the evidence, but they’re fairly 
  anxious to get to Landen himself). 
  Bloat Fiends CR 3; Large Outsider; HD 5d8+25; HP 
  48; Mas 20; Init -2; Spd 10 ft; Defense 21, touch 7, 
  ﬂatfooted 21 (-1 Size, -2 Dex, +14 natural); BAB +5; 
  Grap +15; Atk +11 melee (1d8+6, slam); Full Atk +11 
  melee (1d8+6, slam); FS 10 ft by 10 ft; Reach 10 ft; 
  SQ darkvision, telepathy, immune to cold, damage 
  reduction 5/+1, instill gluttony, crush, ingestion; AL 
  Gluttony, Dark Power; SV Fort +9, Ref –1, Will +0; 
  AP 2; Rep +0; Str 24, Dex 6, Con 20, Int 12, Wis 8, 
  Cha 8.
  
  Blood & Relics
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  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  Skills: Intimidate +7, Knowledge (history) +6, 
  Knowledge (theology and philosophy) +8, Knowledge 
  (arcane lore) +8.
  Feats: Archaic Weapon Proﬁciency, Enemy (Higher 
  Power), Perdition’s Prayer.
  Aftermath: Assuming the PCs defeat the bloat 
  ﬁends, they have several issues to tend to: stabilizing 
  Landen and searching the remains of his ofﬁce. 
  Stabilizing Landen: Requires a Treat Injury skill 
  check (DC 15). Landen is unconscious and at 0 HP, so 
  if the PCs can restore even a single hit point they can 
  bring him to enough consciousness to talk. If Landen 
  regains consciousness, the PCs can get him to reveal 
  the location of the Repository of Alexandria with a 
  Diplomacy skill check (DC 25). For every $50,000 
  the PCs offer Landen, they gain a +1 
  bonus to this skill check; this check 
  may be made more than once as the 
  PCs make multiple offers. Yes, it 
  may seem ludicrous to haggle over 
  money when you’re helpless and 
  near death―but that’s the kind of 
  guy Landen is (how do you think he 
  wound up almost dead in the ﬁrst 
  place?).
  Searching Landen’s Ofﬁce: On a 
  Search skill check (DC 20), the PCs 
  ﬁnd a partially-eaten map leading 
  out into the desert. It will not get 
  them all the way to the Repository, 
  but it will get them close enough 
  to track a huge creature moving 
  through the desert to retrieve the 
  book. 
  1.3 Repository of 
  Alexandria (EL 7)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: None. This 
  encounter follows the previous one, 
  in which the PCs were sent to buy the manuscript. 
  Now they must race through the desert to an unknown 
  location to ﬁnd it. 
  Research: Although the PCs have no chance to 
  prepare, a Knowledge (arcane lore) or Knowledge 
  (history) skill check (DC 25) allows the PC to recall 
  the legend of a lost repository where a few rare texts 
  were hidden from the barbarians when the Library at 
  Alexandria was destroyed. These texts were saved 
  from destruction, but the monks who hid the texts 
  were killed, causing knowledge of the location to 
  be lost. The location to which the PCs are headed 
  might be that lost Repository―in which case it could 
  contain a treasure trove of priceless manuscripts.  
  Mission Information: This mission can go one of 
  two ways: either the PCs revived Landen and have the 
  location of the Repository, or they have followed a 
  partial map into the desert and will have to make their 
  own way to the Repository. 
  If the PCs need to ﬁnd their own way to the 
  Repository from Landen’s partially eaten map, they 
  must make three successful Navigate or Survival skill 
  checks (DC 20) to ﬁnd the Repository. Each skill 
  check takes one hour of game time, so the fastest trip 
  the PCs can take (assuming they do not get lost even 
  once) takes three hours.
  Finding the Repository: If the PCs take more than 
  six hours to ﬁnd the Repository, they will ﬁnd the 
  library already ransacked, and The Orphic Litany 
  taken. If they arrive in six hours or less, they will 
  come upon the theft in progress and be able to 
  battle the thieves to prevent them from entering the 
  Repository.   
  (4) Cult Grave Robbers (Charismatic Hero 3/
  Grave Robber 2): CR 5; Medium-size humanoid; 
  HD 3d6+3 plus 2d8+2; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +3; Spd 
  30 ft; Defense 15, touch 15, ﬂatfooted 12 (+0 size, 
  +3 Dex, +2 class); BAB +2; Grap +2; Atk +2 melee 
  (1d6+0/19-20, Metal Baton), or +6 ranged (2d6+0, 
  Glock 17); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL 
  avarice; SV Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +0; AP 2; Rep -1; 
  Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 14. 
     Occupation: Criminal (Forgery, Hide) 
     Skills: Bluff +8, Climb +5, Diplomacy +8, 
  Disable Device +6, Disguise +8, Forgery +8, Hide 
  +10, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +7, Knowledge 
  (Streetwise) +7, Knowledge (Theology and 
  Philosophy) +7, Move Silently +8, Search +2 
     Feats: Conviction (Avarice), Dodge, Low Proﬁle, 
  Personal Firearms Proﬁciency, Point Blank Shot, 
  Simple Weapons Proﬁciency 
     Talents (Charismatic Hero): Charm, Favor 
     Talents (Grave Robber): End Justify the Means 
  1/day, Contact, low-level 
     Possessions: Metal Baton, Glock 17
  
  Blood & Relics
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  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  Aftermath: If any of these grave robbers are caught 
  and questioned, they have no idea who hired them. 
  They are “archaeologists” who specialize in obtaining 
  ancient relics and selling them to foreign collectors 
  (bypassing those silly museums and any notions of 
  Egypt’s cultural heritage along the way). They were 
  hired to steal The Orphic Litany and return it to a 
  buyer in Alexandria; that’s all they know about him 
  and all they care to. 
  1.4 Flight from Egypt (EL 7)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: None. The players are either 
  chasing or being chased across the Egyptian desert. 
  Research: None. Attempting to examine 
  the manuscript under these conditions is not 
  recommended, since it is old, brittle and extremely 
  fragile.
  Mission Information: Depending on whether the 
  PCs arrived at the repository in time, they are either 
  chasing the thieves across the desert to retrieve the 
  manuscript or they are being chased by a secondary 
  team sent to stop them. 
  (4) Cult Enforcers (Tough Hero 3/Dark Warrior 
  2): CR 5; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d10+6 plus 
  2d10+4 plus 6; HP 44; Mas 14; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; 
  Defense 17, touch 14, ﬂatfooted 16 (+0 size, +1 Dex, 
  +3 class, +3 equipment); BAB +3; Grap +6; Atk 
  +6 melee (1d8+3/19-20, Longsword), or +4 ranged 
  (1d8+0, Compound Bow); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; 
  SQ ; AL Celestan, Avarice; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will 
  +0; AP 2; Rep +1; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 
  8, Cha 12. 
     Occupation: Military (Drive, Navigate) 
     Skills: Drive +9, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Arcane 
  Lore) +5, Navigate +3, Survival +2 
     Feats: Archaic Weapons Proﬁciency, Armor 
  Proﬁciency (light), Conviction (Dark Power), Power 
  Attack, Profane Ritual, Simple Weapons Proﬁciency, 
  Toughness 
     Talents (Tough Hero): Robust, Damage Reduction 
  1/— 
     Talents (Dark Warrior): Hatred 1/day 
     Possessions: Undercover Vest, Longsword, 
  Compound Bow 
  Aftermath: These dark warriors are junior 
  members of the Cult of Celestan and were told to 
  retrieve the book and kill the grave robbers. They 
  were not told what the book does or why they are 
  retrieving it. 
  Act 2: Recruitment Drive
  Having obtained the Litany and returned it to 
  the Knights Templar in Britain, the PCs are 
  called on again to ﬁnd a way to render the Litany 
  comprehensible. This requires them to recruit experts 
  in cryptography and ancient languages from several 
  universities and museums. In the course of this 
  recruitment drive, the PCs come to the attention of 
  Mal Fulton, roving reporter for “East to West,” a radio 
  show hosted by Al Bannister and dedicated to the 
  search for the truth that is out there. 
  2.1 Top Men
  Player’s Brieﬁng: We’ve got our experts working 
  on deciphering the Orphic Litany but they’ve run into 
  some trouble. While the alphabet (ancient Greek) is 
  well known to them, the text is indecipherable. Worse, 
  it’s indecipherable in a very speciﬁc way: while it’s 
  written using the Greek alphabet, the language is in 
  fact Etruscan, which scholars have never been able to 
  translate. It would be a shame to let such a potentially 
  valuable ﬁnd rot away in a vault somewhere, so we 
  want you to contact a couple of experts in ancient 
  languages. You’ll have to be circumspect; we can’t let 
  them know what they’re actually working on. We’ve 
  got a few Etruscan texts that you’ll take them for 
  translation. If they make any headway, we’ll use those 
  texts as a sort of “Rosetta Manuscript” to translate the 
  litany. Good luck. 
  Research: The PCs ﬁnd three academics that 
  might be able to help them: Saul Kolatch of Bar-
  llan University in Israel, Stewart Henry of Oxford 
  University in England and Giselle Garnier of 
  Université Paris Dauphine in Paris (DC 20).  For the 
  purposes of the adventure it doesn’t really matter 
  in what order the PCs interview the scholars. These 
  interviews are more a backdrop for the second act, 
  providing the PCs with a mission and a reason 
  to interact with characters that will become more 
  important later in the adventure. 
  Mission Information: This mission involves the 
  PCs traveling across Europe and contacting scholars, 
  trying to convince them to aid the PCs’ cause. The 
  PCs are given a line of credit with which to pay the 
  scholars for their time. This mission is strictly role-
  playing and requires the PCs to be charming rather 
  than formidable. 
  Each of the scholars has a piece of information 
  that will prove vital to the PCs’ quest. Therefore, 
  establishing good relations with all three is crucial to 
  the PCs’ chances of success. 
  Saul Kolatch (Smart Ordinary 4): This scholar 
  has a theory that Etruscan was not a real language per 
  se but a code. Etruscan government and society were 
  highly ritualized, and he believes they considered 
  all government documents to be sacred. To keep 
  their “special” relationship with the gods from being 
  violated or stolen by a third party, they encoded all 
  state documents.
  If the PCs establish good relations with Saul he will 
  tell them an American gentleman named Mal Fulton 
  approximately a week ago.  
  Stuart Henry (Smart Ordinary 2/Dedicated 
  Ordinary 2): This scholar has a 13th-century 
  account of a secret society that was able to read any 
  manuscript, even those written in lost languages or in 
  code. They used a mysterious artifact in the shape of a 
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 6
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  cross which, when passed over the manuscript, would 
  render it intelligible. 
  If the PCs establish good relations with Stuart he 
  will tell them an American gentleman named Mal 
  Fulton approximately a 2 days ago. 
  Giselle Garnier (Smart Ordinary 3/Charismatic 
  Ordinary 1): This scholar has heard of the cross as 
  well, though her account is somewhat different: the 
  cross had a rose quartz lens embedded in it. While the 
  cross was passed over the manuscript, the lens was 
  also vital. The text, when read through the lens while 
  the cross was in contact with a manuscript, would 
  become intelligible. 
  Ms. Garnier relates the story of the cross to the 
  PCs, telling them she just told an American gentleman 
  named Mal Fulton the same story earlier that day. 
  He too seemed interested in a means to decipher an 
  ancient text. 
  2.2 Random Attack? (EL 7)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: None. In the process of 
  interviewing one of the scholars, the PCs come across 
  two men being attacked: Mal Fulton and Alejandro 
  Montoya.  
  Research: None, but see below as the PCs might 
  want to hit the books after this encounter. 
  Mission Information: The PCs come across a 
  group of 4 hatemongers attacking two men.
  This encounter introduces two NPCs that will be 
  important later in the adventure’s climax, so it is 
  important that the PCs rescue them. They have an 
  item of importance to the PCs (the lens), but there is 
  no way for the PCs to learn that in this encounter. 
  (4) Hatemongers: CR 3; Medium-size Outsider; HD 
  5d8+10; HP 40; Mas 14; Init +0; Spd 30 ft, .y 30 ft 
  (clumsy); Defense 19, touch 10, ﬂatfooted 19 (+9 
  natural); BAB +5; Grap +8; Atk +8 melee (1d6+3, 
  slam); Full Atk +8 melee (1d6+3, slam); FS 5 ft by 5 
  ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ telepathy, darkvision, instill hate, 
  immune to .re, damage reduction 5/+1, rage; AL 
  Wrathful, Dark Power (most often Marcus Adrastus); 
  SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +4; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 16, 
  Dex 10, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 14.
  Skills: Bluff +6, Diplomacy +10, Forgery +9, 
  Gather Information +10, Intimidate +10, Knowledge 
  (history) +6, Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 
  +6, Knowledge (arcane lore) +6, Sense Motive +8, 
  Speak Ancient Hebrew, Speak Latin, Speak Abyssal, 
  Speak 2 Modern Languages, Read/Write Abyssal, 
  Read/Write Ancient Hebrew, Read/Write Latin, Read/
  Write 2 Modern Languages.
  Feats: Archaic Weapon Proﬁciency, Conviction 
  (Wrathful), Enemy (Higher Power).
  Aftermath: After fending off the creatures, the 
  PCs learn from Montoya that the two men had gone 
  to the Cole Museum of Antiquities and talked to 
  the proprietor Augustus Cole about using a special 
  tool, the Cross of Agricola, to decode an ancient 
  manuscript. He almost tells them what manuscript is 
  before being interrupted by Fulton, who thanks the 
  PCs and then departs with Montoya. 
  After encountering Montoya and Fulton, the PCs 
  might do some research on them. 
  What they ﬁnd is that Montoya was a somewhat 
  eccentric Catholic priest who stumbled upon the nest 
  of secret societies hidden in the organization of the 
  church. Against the orders of the church, he spoke 
  about what he had learned publicly on the East to 
  West radio show, which caused the church to disavow 
  him, paint him as mentally unstable and defrock him. 
  Since then Montoya has been obsessed with proving 
  the validity of his claims. (DC 20)
  Fulton is a roving reporter for the East to West, a 
  radio show specializing in the occult and supernatural 
  hosted by Al Bannister. He is currently on assignment 
  in Europe with Montoya, investigating various 
  conspiracy theories about the Catholic Church. (DC 
  15)
  Act 3: The Key
  The PCs have now learned through their rescue of 
  Montoya that The Orphic Litany is in code and that 
  they need a mysterious key to decipher the text. The 
  PCs must now embark on a quest to ﬁnd out where 
  and what this key is. 
  3.1 Intro the Key 
  Player’s Brieﬁng: So there’s a key needed to 
  decipher the manuscript. Find out as much as you can 
  about it, then we’ll decide on a course of action. 
  Research: The device is the Key of Agricola, an 
  artifact used by mystery religions to encode ancient 
  texts so they could not be read by the uninitiated. If 
  the key is soaked in the blood of the author and then 
  touches the text, the text is rendered indecipherable 
  unless read through a special lens built into the center 
  of the key. (DC 20)
  The key was used throughout the Middle Ages to 
  look for hidden content in texts considered heretical 
  by the church, including alchemical and scientiﬁc 
  works. Because of this, the key was seized by 
  the church, which used it extensively during the 
  Inquisition to prosecute alchemists who attempted to 
  transmit their formulae in coded manuscripts. The key 
  was lost during the Second Crusade, and its location 
  was unknown for several centuries. (DC 20)
  The last known location of the key was the Cole 
  Museum of Art and Antiquities. (DC 20)
  Aftermath: Once the PCs have successfully 
  conducted their research, the Templars suggest that 
  they visit the Cole Museum to see if they can learn 
  anything about the key or its present location. 
  
  Blood & Relics
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  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  3.2 The Cole Museum of Art and 
  Antiquities (EL 9)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: Ok, I’ve spoken to the Templar 
  Elders and they agree that the Cole Museum should 
  be your next stop. From me to you, something about 
  this Augustus Cole character doesn’t add up. The last 
  people who went to him and asked about the key were 
  attacked by ﬁends, so be on your toes. 
  Research: The Cole Museum specializes in rare 
  artifacts from the Middle East. It has a somewhat 
  shady reputation, having been cited in the past for 
  procuring items on the black market. (DC 20)
  Mission Information: If the PCs visit the museum 
  during the day, they are met by Augustus Cole 
  himself, who stays in the ofﬁces of the museum out of 
  direct sunlight. He thanks them for their interest the 
  key but informs them, as he did the previous visitors, 
  that examining the key is strictly forbidden; it is a 
  valuable historical artifact.  
  Should the PCs contact the Templars for guidance, 
  they are told they can use any means short of murder 
  to acquire the key. If the PCs attempt to call or speak 
  to Cole in person a second time, they are told he is 
  unavailable. 
  If the PCs return at night to snoop around (before or 
  after meeting Cole) they will learn the hard way that 
  Cole is a vampire in service to Marcus Adrastus. 
  Augustus Cole (Vampire Smart Hero 7): CR 9; 
  Medium-size Undead; HD 7d12; HP 46; Mas 0; Init 
  +8; Spd 30 ft; Defense 22, touch 16, ﬂatfooted 18 (+0 
  size, +4 Dex, +2 class, +6 natural); BAB +3; Grap 
  +7; Atk +7 melee (1d8+4/19-20, Longsword), or +7 
  ranged (by weapon+0, by weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; 
  Reach 5 ft; SQ blood drain, create spawn, domination 
  (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + cha mod), energy drain, alternate 
  form, children of the night, damage reduction 15/+1, 
  fast healing 5, gaseous form, cold and electricity 
  resistance 20, spider climb, +4 turn resistance, 
  darkvision 60 ft., weaknesses; AL evil, chaos, master, 
  Marcus Adrastus; SV Fort +2, Ref 
  +8, Will +5; AP 4; Rep +3; Str 18, 
  Dex 18, Con 0, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 
  18. 
     Occupation: Military (Hide, Move 
  Silently) 
     Skills: Bluff +12, Computer Use 
  +13, Craft (pharmaceutical) +13, 
  Disable Device +13, Forgery +13, 
  Hide +22, Knowledge (Arcane 
  Lore) +20, Knowledge (History) 
  +13, Knowledge (Theology and 
  Philosophy) +13, Listen +11, Move 
  Silently +22, Read/Write Language 
  +10 (Ancient Greek, Cantonese, 
  Mandarin, Sanskrit, French, Italian, 
  Latin, English, Aramaic, Middle 
  Egyptian), Research +13, Search 
  +11, Sense Motive +9, Speak 
  Language +10 (Ancient Greek, 
  Cantonese, Mandarin, Sanskrit, 
  French, Italian, Latin, English, 
  Aramaic, Middle Egyptian), Spot 
  +11 
     Feats: Alertness, Archaic Weapons 
  Proﬁciency, Armor Proﬁciency 
  (light), Bloodletting, Combat Expertise, Combat 
  Reﬂexes, Dodge, Human Sacriﬁce, Improved Disarm, 
  Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Profane Ritual, Simple Weapons Proﬁciency 
     Talents (Smart Hero): Savant (Knowledge [Arcane 
  Lore]), Exploit Weakness, Plan, Trick 
     Possessions: Longsword 
  Aftermath: Following the battle with Cole (or a 
  successful stealthy reconnaissance of the museum), 
  the PCs ﬁnd an unmarked address in Cole’s desk. 
  Searching local information (Research check DC 
  20) reveals that this location has been rented out to 
  Augustus Cole for storage. 
  1. Security Ofﬁce
  2. Gift Shop
  3. Entrance Hallway with “Worlds of History” 
  banner
  4. Ancient Egypt display (both left and right 
  sides
  5. Ancient Ships of the Viking Seas
  6. Storage
  7. Cole’s Ofﬁce
  8. Private ofﬁces of the Archaeologist in 
  Residence
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 8
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  3.3 Safehouse Assault (EL 7)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: This storage unit of Cole’s looks 
  to be some sort of safe house. The key might be there. 
  Of course now that we know how deeply involved in 
  all this Cole really is, I don’t need to remind you to be 
  careful again, do I?
  Research: Cole has rented the storage facility for 
  ﬁve months (DC 20).
  Mission Information: Getting into the storage 
  facility requires the PCs to break in (DC 20 Disable 
  Device check required to defeat the outside lock). 
  Once inside the storage facility, the PCs must open a 
  locked safe (DC 30 to disable the lock and retrieve the 
  key). Of course, Cole knew the lock alone wouldn’t 
  keep anyone from taking the key if they were 
  prepared, so he also left a little “present” for them in 
  the form of some unfortunate victims of his, turned 
  into twisted and foul creatures through the magics of 
  his order.
  (5) Ghouls (Human Strong Ordinary 1/Tough 
  Ordinary 1): CR 3; Medium-size undead; HD 2d12; 
  hp 13; Mas —; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 14, touch 
  12, ﬂat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural); BAB +1; Grap 
  +4; Atk +4 melee (1d3+3, claw); Full Atk +4 melee 
  (1d3+3, 2 claws) and +2 melee (1d6+1 plus disease, 
  bite) or +3 ranged; FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ 
  create spawn, darkvision 60 ft., disease, scent, undead; 
  AL chaos, evil; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 0; 
  Rep +0; Str 16, Dex 14, Con —, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 
  8.
  Occupation: Blue collar (class skills: Drive, 
  Intimidate)
  Skills: Craft (mechanical) +5, Drive +6, Intimidate 
  +3, Knowledge (popular culture) +2, Knowledge 
  (streetwise) +2, Profession +4, Read/ Write English, 
  Repair +2, Speak English, Swim +4.
  Feats: Brawl, Multiattack, Personal Firearms 
  Proﬁciency, Simple Weapons Proﬁciency.
  Possessions: None 
  Aftermath: The PCs recover the key but realize 
  that the rose quartz lens needed for the device to 
  operate is missing (the PCs realize this immediately 
  if they received this information from Giselle 
  Garnier; otherwise they are told by the Templars 
  after they attempt to use the key to decipher The 
  Orphic Litany. 
  At this point the PCs may be at a dead end for 
  a bit, so it’s time to hit the books again (or in this 
  case the web). When they do, they ﬁnd a report that 
  Fulton and Montoya have returned from Europe 
  with a wondrous device, a lens that decodes any 
  book read through it. Montoya plans to use it 
  on an upcoming special broadcast to read from 
  encoded Catholic manuscripts which he claims will 
  prove his theories about secret societies within the 
  church. 
  Act 4: The Lens
  4.1 Assault on East to West 
  Radio (EL 4)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: Looks like Montoya played 
  us for a sucker this whole time. It’s really against 
  protocol to do something this public, but I want you 
  to ﬁnd Montoya and retrieve this lens. It can’t be 
  allowed to remain in the hands of a nutjob like him. 
  Be as discreet as possible, but get that lens. 
  Research: The East to West radio show broadcasts 
  out of Al Bannister’s house, located just outside of 
  Las Vegas. Montoya is scheduled to appear live from 
  Bannister’s house in two days. The PCs must leave as 
  soon as possible to arrive in time to intercept Montoya 
  before the broadcast. 
  Mission Information: Unfortunately for the PCs, 
  Montoya is extremely paranoid. He’s convinced that 
  members of a secret society or societies are out to get 
  the artifact he carries from him, and to stop him from 
  making his appearance on East to West (somewhat 
  ironic given the PCs’ mission). 
  Consequently he has arrived at Bannister’s house 
  early and Bannister, believing his guest to be in 
  danger, has begun a marathon broadcast building up to 
  Montoya use of the lens. This means it is impossible 
  for the PCs to get to Montoya before the broadcast 
  starts. Whatever they do, it will have to be done while 
  East to West is on the air (at least in some markets). 
  How the PCs handle this is up to them. They could 
  simply attack, which would be broadcast live over the 
  radio. While the private security on hand is likely no 
  match for the PCs, this would be messy and attract a 
  lot of attention, both from the conspiracy community 
  (where the PCs are likely to become legends on a 
  par with the Roswell cover-up) and from the local 
  1. Location of Safe
  2. Location of ghouls hidden in crates
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 9
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  authorities who will see the whole incident as two 
  groups of whackos getting violent.
  Probably the best bet for the PCs would be to block 
  Bannister’s satellite feed (at least temporarily) taking 
  him off the air long enough for them to retrieve the 
  lens. If they manage to accomplish this with minimal 
  violence, the authorities will view the entire scene as 
  an elaborate publicity stunt by Bannister. 
  Disabling the satellite dish Bannister uses to 
  broadcast his show worldwide requires a Disable 
  Device skill check (DC 25). If the PCs cannot disable 
  the device, they can try to cut the power (Disable 
  Device DC 20) or simply destroy the satellite dish by 
  shooting it or blowing it up (25 points of damage will 
  do the trick). 
  While this last method is sure to disable the 
  broadcast, it will draw more attention from the 
  authorities, who will no longer be able to dismiss 
  the attack as a publicity stunt. 
  (4) Bannister Security Guards (Tough Ordinary 
  2): CR 2; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d10+2; HP 
  13; Mas 13; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; Defense 12, touch 
  12, ﬂatfooted 12 (+0 size, +0 Dex, +2 class); BAB 
  +1; Grap +0; Atk +0 melee (1d6+-1, Club), or +1 
  ranged (2d6+0, M-1911); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 
  ft; SQ ; AL none; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +1; AP 
  1; Rep +0; Str 9, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, 
  Cha 8. 
     Occupation: Law Enforcement (Diplomacy, 
  Listen) 
     Skills: Diplomacy +2, Drive +1, Knowledge 
  (Popular Culture) +3, Listen +7, Spot +7 
     Feats: Alertness, Personal Firearms Proﬁciency, 
  Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proﬁciency 
     Talents (Tough Ordinary):  
     Possessions: Club, M-1911 
  4.2 Mummy of Old Egypt (EL 7)
  Player’s Brieﬁng: None. 
  Research: None. This is the big showdown. No 
  books required. 
  Mission Information: As the players are driving 
  through Las Vegas they are attacked by the “Old 
  Egypt” mummy, raised by the priests of the Teutonic 
  Order to retrieve the lens. 
  The mummy allows the PCs’ vehicle to hit its 
  henchman (also on display), which overturns their 
  vehicle and begins combat. The henchman mummy 
  walks out in front of the PCs’ incoming car. Either 
  they swerve to avoid it and crash or just hit it. The 
  henchman will probably survive the impact (but 
  maybe not).  The main mummy then engages the 
  dazed and confused players.
  Main Mummy Charismatic Hero 3: CR 7; Medium-
  size undead; HD 9d12 plus 3 (Toughness feat); hp 
  62; Mas —; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; Defense 18, touch 10, 
  ﬂat-footed 18 (–1 Dex, +1 Class, +8 natural); BAB 
  +4; Grap +7; Atk +7 melee (1d6+4 plus mummy rot, 
  slam); Full Atk +7 melee (1d6+4 plus mummy rot, 
  slam), or +3 ranged; FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; 
  SQ undead, despair, mummy rot, ﬁre vulnerability, 
  resistant to blows, damage reduction 5/+1, darkvision 
  60 ft.; AL evil, law; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +8; AP 
  0; Rep +0; Str 17, Dex 8, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 
  15.
  Skills: Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Hide +8, 
  Knowledge (arcane lore) +4, Knowledge (theology 
  and philosophy) +1, Listen +9, Move Silently +8, 
  Read/Write Egyptian, Speak Egyptian, Spot +9.
  Feats: Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proﬁciency, 
  Henchman, Toughness.
  Talents (Charismatic Hero): Coordinate, 
  Inspiration
  Henchman Mummy Strong Hero 1: CR 5; Medium-
  size undead; HD 7d12 plus 3 (Toughness feat); hp 
  49; Mas —; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; Defense 18, touch 10, 
  ﬂat-footed 18 (–1 Dex, +1 class, +8 natural); BAB 
  +4; Grap +7; Atk +7 melee (1d6+5 plus mummy rot, 
  slam); Full Atk +7 melee (1d6+5 plus mummy rot, 
  slam), or +3 ranged; FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; 
  SQ undead, despair, mummy rot, ﬁre vulnerability, 
  resistant to blows, damage reduction 5/+1, darkvision 
  60 ft.; AL evil, law; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +7; AP 
  0; Rep +0; Str 17, Dex 8, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 
  15.
  Skills: Hide +8, Intimidate +3, Listen +9, Move 
  Silently +8, Read/Write Egyptian, Speak Egyptian, 
  Spot +9.
  Feats: Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proﬁciency, 
  Toughness.
  Talents (Strong Hero): Melee Smash
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 10
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  Aftermath: Although the adventure ends here, the 
  PCs still must get the lens out of the country and 
  reunite it with the key. The knights will then be able 
  to decipher The Orphic Litany. What light can it 
  shed on the nature of the last days? Once the Litany 
  is deciphered, it and the key can serve as a source 
  of future adventures as the knights try to use the 
  information and their enemies make further attempts 
  to wrest the litany and/or the key from their control.
  NPCs
  Al Bannister (Charismatic Hero 3) CR 3; Medium-
  size humanoid; HD 3d6+3; HP 14; Mas 12; Init +0; 
  Spd 30 ft; Defense 11, touch 11, ﬂatfooted 11 (+0 size, 
  +0 Dex, +1 class); BAB +1; Grap +0; Atk +0 melee 
  (by weapon), or +1 ranged (by weapon); FS 5 ft by 
  5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL none; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, 
  Will +2; AP 1; Rep +5; Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 
  14, Wis 13, Cha 15. 
     Occupation: Creative (Bluff, Craft [writing], 
  Knowledge [Arcane Lore]) 
     Skills: Bluff +10, Craft (writing) +8, Diplomacy 
  +8, Disguise +4, Gather Information +8, Knowledge 
  (Arcane Lore) +8, Knowledge (Business) +8, 
  Knowledge (Current Events) +8, Knowledge 
  (Popular Culture) +8, Knowledge (Theology and 
  Philosophy) +8, Perform +8, Profession +2 
     Feats: Banter, Deceptive, Renown, Windfall 
     Talents (Charismatic Hero): Fast-Talk, Dazzle 
     Possessions: Wealth +10
  Background: Al Bannister, host of the late night 
  “East to West” radio show, is a leading “expert” on 
  supernatural and alien phenomena. 
  Dr. Alejandro Montoya (Dedicated Hero 3) CR 
  3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+3; HP 14; 
  Mas 12; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; Defense 12, touch 12, 
  ﬂatfooted 12 (+0 size, +0 Dex, +2 class); BAB +2; 
  Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (by weapon), or +2 ranged 
  (by weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL 
  none; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +4; AP 1; Rep +1; Str 
  8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 13. 
     Occupation: Religious (Knowledge [Arcane 
  Lore], Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy], Sense 
  Motive) 
     Skills: Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +10, Knowledge 
  (Behavioral Sciences) +8, Knowledge (History) +8, 
  Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +10, Listen 
  +8, Sense Motive +8, Treat Injury +8 
     Feats: Educated (Knowledge [Arcane Lore], 
  Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy]), Sacred 
  Ritual, Exorcism 
     Talents (Dedicated Hero): Empathy, Intuition 
     Possessions: Wealth +7
  Background: Montoya is a defrocked Catholic 
  priest turned paranormal investigator. He has a 
  great belief in the supernatural and tends to see a 
  supernatural explanation for anything that deﬁes 
  easy explanation. He was removed from his ofﬁce 
  as a church exorcist after his appearance on the late 
  night radio show “East to West,” where he went 
  on a ranting tirade about secret societies existing 
  unknown even to high-ranking ofﬁcials in the Catholic 
  Church―societies called “the Doctrine” and “Frater 
  Torquemada.” 
  Quote: Your trouble is indeed grave, my son. But I 
  can help you. 
  Mal Fulton (Smart Hero 2): CR 2; Medium-size 
  humanoid; HD 2d6+2; HP 9; Mas 12; Init +0; Spd 30 
  ft; Defense 11, touch 11, ﬂatfooted 11 (+0 size, +0 
  Dex, +1 class); BAB +1; Grap +0; Atk +0 melee (by 
  weapon+-1, by weapon), or +1 ranged (by weapon+0, 
  by weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL UFO 
  Support Groups (UFOSG), Al Bannister, The Truth!; 
  SV Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +4; AP 1; Rep +1; Str 8, Dex 
  10, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 13. 
     Occupation: Investigative (Gather Information, 
  Sense Motive) 
     Skills: Computer Use +7, Craft (writing) +7, 
  Decipher Script +4, Gather Information +6, 
  Investigate +9, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +7, 
  Knowledge (Business) +7, Knowledge (Civics) +7, 
  Knowledge (Current Events) +9, Knowledge (Popular 
  Culture) +11, Research +9, Sense Motive +9 
     Feats: Attentive, Brawl, Educated (Knowledge 
  [Current Events], Knowledge [Popular Culture]), 
  Simple Weapons Proﬁciency, Studious 
     Talents (Smart Hero): Savant (Knowledge 
  [Popular Culture]) 
     Possessions: Wealth +5
  
  Blood & Relics
  Page - 11
  The Nostradamus Gambit 
  Open game license
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based 
  on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, 
  Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
  Nostradamus Gambit 2006, RPGObjects; Author Charles Rice
  open gaming content
  Designation of Product Identity: The following terms are designated as 
  product identity as outline in section 1(a) of the Open Gaming License: 
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  and Vigilance, Blood and Circuits, Blood and Relics, Blood and Dragons, 
  Nostradamus Gambit.
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