TEXT: STEVEN S. LONG
  THE TABLETS
  OF DESTINY
  
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
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  Pulp Hero © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  The Tablets Of Destiny © 2006 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Danger International, Western Hero 
  © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
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  Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102.
  Printed in the Canada. First printing April 2006
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO-HPA18
  http://www.herogames.com
  Author: Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Steven S. Long 
  (well, OK, using tools and templates devel-
  oped by Andy Mathews, and with some sug-
  gestions by Andy Mathews...)
  Illustrations:  Steven S. Long using Campaign 
  Cartographer 2 Pro from ProFantasy Soft ware 
  (try it! It’s great!)
  Everything Else:  Stev... you get the picture
  TABLE OF
  CONTENTS
  Background 
   
  4
  Adventure Summary 
  4
  Part One:  A Visitor From
       Berlin  
   
  4
  Part Two:  The Sands Of
       Iraq 
   
   
  5
  Part Three:  The Halls
       Of Marduk 
   
  8
  Zu 
   
   
  9
  A Hero Plus Adventure for
  10¢
  30 x
  THE TABLETS
  OF DESTINY
  
  YOUR SECRET LEAGUE OF HEROES
  ENCODED MESSAGE!
  Attention Secret League Of Heroes 
  members! Here’s your secret message for 
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  decoder ring to read it!
  24-1-8-8-14-18-17-24-15, 15-8-20-1-8-14 
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  17-18-24-5-14 3 9-3-17 17-3-9-8-4 10-3-
  15-18-9. 12-7-1 14-5-8 1-18-24-5-14 3-
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  5-8 20-3-17 24-8-14 25-7-11 2-5-3-14-8-
  26-8-1 16-3-16-8-1-15 25-7-11 17-8-8-4.
  
  W
  hen a Nazi archaeological expedition in 
  the Near East requests a hero’s help with a 
  mysterious matter, the heroes ﬁ nd them-
  selves plunged into a race against the Th ird Reich 
  to ﬁ nd the Caves Of Marduk, avoid deadly traps, 
  and recover one of the most powerful relics ever 
  created — the fabled Tables Of Destiny!
  Th e Tablets Of Destiny is a Pulp Hero adventure 
  designed for characters built on a total of 150 Charac-
  ter Points or less. Th e optimal number of PCs is four 
  to six, but you can scale it up or down based on the 
  number of opponents you pit against the heroes in 
  various encounters.
  BACKGROUND
  Th e Babylonians and Assyrians, who ruled 
  Mesopotamia from around 2000 BC until 539 BC, 
  told a myth about Zu (or Anzu), the god of birds. Zu, 
  a minor god, was jealous of Marduk, Ishtar, and the 
  other gods. He decided to gain superiority over them 
  by stealing the Tablets of Destiny from Enlil, king 
  of the gods. Th ese Tablets are the symbol of ruler-
  ship among the Babylonian gods, and whoever owns 
  them possesses great power. Zu waited until Enlil was 
  bathing, then stole the Tablets and ﬂ ew away to his 
  mountain home. Th e gods, dismayed, held a coun-
  cil to determine who would get them back. One by 
  one, each deity declined the diﬃ  cult task, but ﬁ nally 
  Marduk, god of wisdom and light, agreed to undertake 
  the mission. Marduk was successful, and he crushed 
  Zu’s head and destroyed him.
  However, the myth’s ending is more symbolic 
  than correct. Marduk didn’t literally “crush” Zu’s head 
  — he only did so ﬁ guratively. Rather than risk another 
  theft  of the Tablets, Marduk hid them in a deep cave. 
  Th en he stripped Zu of his intellect and his godhood, 
  making him naught but a terrible monster, and left  
  him in the cave to guard the Tablets. To further pro-
  tect the Tablets, Marduk set three traps to catch the 
  unwary who dared to enter the cave.
  Recently, a Nazi archaeological expedition in 
  Mesopotamia unearthed a broken clay tablet written 
  by Yasmakh-Adad, court wizard of Shalmaneser III 
  (858-824 BC). It tells that Marduk hid the Tablets of 
  Destiny in “the Caves Of Marduk,” but then ends at 
  the break. Th e Nazis, well aware of the power the Tab-
  lets could bring them, are looking for a complete copy. 
  Besides continuing their dig, they’re kidnapping (or 
  blackmailing) prominent Assyriologists and forcing 
  the scholars to help them; those whom they cannot 
  intimidate into working for them are killed.
  ADVENTURE
  SUMMARY
  One of the heroes who’s known for his archaeo-
  logical work or expertise on Assyro-Babylonian lan-
  guages and culture is approached by a scientist from 
  the Berlin Museum of Antiquities. Th e Th ird Reich 
  wants to hire the PC to work on Near Eastern dig, but 
  won’t say much about it unless the hero agrees. If the 
  hero agrees, he’s given travel instructions to get to the 
  dig in Iraq (and of course his friends follow along to 
  ﬁ nd out what the Nazis are so interested in); if not, 
  the heroes are later attacked by Nazi stooges and, 
  motivated by revenge and a desire to ﬁ nd out what the 
  Germans are up to, head for Iraq.
  Aft er arriving in Baghdad, the heroes either (a) 
  follow the instructions given by the Germans, and/or 
  (b) contact old friends in the city to learn what there 
  is to know about the Nazi expedition. Either way, 
  they eventually ﬁ nd themselves at (or spying on) an 
  archaeological dig outside Nineveh, a little north of 
  the town of Mosul. Th ey eventually ﬁ nd out that the 
  Nazis are looking for a cuneiform tablet that may very 
  well reveal the ﬁ nal resting-place of the fabled Tablets 
  Of Destiny. By hook or by crook they get the informa-
  tion ﬁ rst and head for the Caves Of Marduk with the 
  Nazis hot on their heels. Once they get there they still 
  have to survive three deadly traps!... and ﬁ ght a terri-
  fying monster from the dawn of time!... and defeat the 
  Nazis!... before they can claim victory and the Tablets.
  PART ONE:
  A VISITOR FROM 
  BERLIN
  While the PCs are relaxing at home, or in some 
  distant foreign hotel aft er their latest adventure, a 
  German in a black suit comes to call on one of them 
  — the PC with the greatest knowledge of Assyro-Bab-
  ylonian civilization, language, and myth. (If none of 
  the PCs are even remotely suitable, you can substitute 
  a friendly NPC who seeks their advice and opinions 
  on the matter.) He identiﬁ es himself as Steﬀ en Diet-
  rich, an Assistant Curator from the Berlin Museum 
  of Antiquities. None of the heroes has ever heard of 
  him (unless you feel their KSs or the like indicate they 
  should have — he’s telling the truth about his job and 
  employer).
  Dietrich asks if the hero would be willing to work 
  for the Th ird Reich on an important archaeological 
  dig “in the Near East, for which your expertise makes 
  HERO PLUS 
  ADVENTURES
  Th e Tablets Of Destiny 
  is one of Hero Games’s 
  Hero Plus Adventures, a 
  series of short, no-frills, 
  inexpensive adventures 
  in PDF format. Hero 
  Plus Adventures are 
  designed to provide 
  roughly one game 
  session’s worth of enter-
  tainment, though they 
  include suggestions 
  on how to lengthen or 
  expand the scenario 
  if you want to. Th ey’re 
  written with simplicity 
  and ease of use in mind 
  so you can run them 
  with a minimum of 
  preparation.
  PRINTING
  Th e general statement 
  on the credits page not-
  withstanding, DOJ, Inc. 
  grants each purchaser of 
  Th e Tablets Of Destiny 
  permission to make one 
  (1) printed copy of this 
  adventure.
  THE TABLETS 
  OF DESTINY
  4  The Tablets Of Destiny
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  5 
  Hero Plus Adventure #18
  you uniquely suited.” He refuses to say more until 
  such time as the PC agrees to take the job; nor will he 
  even make the oﬀ er, much less talk about details, with 
  anyone other than the PC he came to see (unless that 
  PC absolutely insists on including the other heroes in 
  the conversation).
  At this point, the action can go one of two ways.
  THE HERO AGREES
  Th ere’s a chance the hero agrees to work for Nazi 
  Germany. Typically no true Pulp hero would have 
  anything to do with the Nazis, but your players may 
  decide the best way to ﬁ nd out what the Germans are 
  up to is for the hero to join the expedition while pre-
  tending to side with the Nazis.
  When the hero agrees, Dr. Dietrich expresses his 
  pleasure. He explains that the dig is in Nineveh, on the 
  outskirts of Mosul, Iraq. He will reveal more about the 
  speciﬁ c objects sought, and why the PC’s expertise is 
  so vital, when the hero reaches the dig. He provides 
  one (and only one) plane ticket to Baghdad, along 
  with instructions to contact Wilhelm Mersmann, a 
  German importer/exporter who’s assisting the expedi-
  tion, once the hero arrives. Mersmann will arange for 
  the rest of the hero’s travel. If necessary he makes it 
  quite clear that Germany’s oﬀ er does not extend to the 
  other heroes, and that they will not be allowed on the 
  dig site. (Despite this, it’s assumed the other PCs will 
  ﬁ nd a way to tag along, or to get to the dig on their 
  own. Aft er all, they’re heroes!)
  Once in Baghdad, the heroes may want to get in 
  touch with old friends to ﬁ nd out anything they can 
  about the Nazis’ activities (see below). Eventually, the 
  PC working for the Nazis has to contact Mersmann, a 
  middle-aged and generally aﬀ able trader. He provides 
  a train ticket to Kalat, a town just south of Mosul 
  where the railroad ends (there’s only one railway, and 
  only one train per day; the only other (slower) ways 
  from Baghdad to Mosul are via the Tigris River or a 
  long, dusty, uncomfortable car ride.
  In Kalat a  Dr. Rudolf Grüber, who’s in town with 
  a truck to pick up supplies, meets the PC at the train 
  station to give him a ride out to the dig site. At the dig 
  site Dr. Dietrich reveals what’s going on (see below).
  THE HERO REFUSES
  If the hero refuses (politely or impolitely) to 
  work with Nazis, Dr. Dietrich graciously expresses his 
  regrets and leave. He returns to Iraq... but not before 
  putting plans in motion to get what he wants anyway!
  Later that evening, enemies attack the PC, 
  intending to kidnap him (if possible) or kill him (if 
  not), and of course to kill anyone else who gets in their 
  way. Depending on where the PCs are, the enemies 
  could be Bundists armed with tommy guns, local 
  hirelings wielding blades and pistols, or anything else 
  you think is appropriate. Th e key is to stage the attack 
  in a picturesque location so it’s a fun, dangerous, 
  slam-bang battle that gives the heroes a hard time but 
  allows them to win.
  If the PCs leave any of their enemies alive, they 
  know nothing except that the PC who spoke with Dr. 
  Dietrich (who they do not know by name) was to be 
  kidnapped if possible and smuggled to Iraq via a cargo 
  ﬂ ight.
  Now it’s personal! Time to ﬁ nd a way to get to 
  Baghdad and stop those Nazi scum. Whatever they’re 
  up to, it can’t be good!
  PART TWO:
  THE SANDS OF IRAQ
  Once the PCs make it to Iraq, things begin to 
  progress.
  FRIENDS AND ALLIES
  Before they head north to Mosul, the heroes 
  might want to make contact with people they know 
  who may have information about the Nazi expedition. 
  Or, they may need friends’ help to travel through Iraq 
  as easily and safely as possible. You should use what-
  ever friends are appropriate for your group (they may 
  alread have Contacts there, for example), but here are 
  two you might consider:
  Ismail
  In Baghdad lives a friend of the PC who was 
  approached by Dr. Dietrich — an old man named 
  Ismail who for years has been a part of archaeological 
  digs throughout Mesopotamia and is something of an 
  expert on them. He rarely goes into the ﬁ eld anymore, 
  but if the Nazis are working a serious dig in the region 
  they’d at least have consulted with him, if not tried to 
  hire him.
  Ismail was indeed consulted. He says the Nazis 
  are searching for some ancient Assyrian tablets, 
  but weren’t entirely forthcoming on why they’re so 
  important. Th e dig is motivated, apparently, by a ﬁ nd 
  of another table last year that contained tantalizing 
  information of some sort. He’s not clear where that 
  tablet is now, but the Nazis have a rubbing of it that 
  they showed him. Ismail remembers little of what he 
  saw, but he recalls that
  —the tablet was allegedly written by Yasmakh-
  Adad (a PC who makes an appropriate KS has 
  heard of him — he was the court wizard of 
  Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC))
  —the tablet mentioned the “Caves Of Marduk” 
  and purportedly gave directions to them, but 
  the directions are incomplete (neither the 
  PCs nor Ismail have heard of these Caves, but 
  clearly they sound important)
  Th e Nazis apparently intend to ﬁ nd the rest of the 
  tablet or some other sources of information that gives 
  full, accurate directions to the Caves Of Marduk. Th at 
  means the heroes have a goal:  get the directions before 
  the Nazis do and beat them to the Caves Of Marduk!
  Reginald Whitby
  Reginald Whitby is a diplomat at the British 
  Embassy. If he’s a friend of the PCs, he can tell them 
  that the only German archaeological expedition 
  currently authorized in Iraq is north of Mosul, at 
  Nineveh. He can also arrange travel documents for 
  them, and assist them in other small but important 
  ways.
  
  TO MOSUL
  Aside from the archaeologist PC who’s working 
  with the Nazis and follows their travel arrangements 
  (see above), all other PCs have to make their own way 
  to Mosul. Th ere are several ways to get there from 
  Baghdad:
  —Private plane (either their own, or one they 
  charter). Th is requires special government 
  permission (easily obtained with Reginals 
  Whitby’s help).
  —Train. A train runs daily from Baghdad to 
  Kalat, just south of Mosul. Th is is the fastest 
  and most comfortable way to get there other 
  than a plane.
  —the Tigris River. Th is is slow (especially if 
  the heroes sail rather than use a motorized 
  watercraft ) but fairly cheap.
  —Car. Th e road trip from Baghdad to Mosul 
  is slow, dusty, hot, bumpy, and generally mis-
  erable, but it’s one way to get there.
  If you want to liven the scenario up a bit at this 
  point, perhaps a group of Kurdish brigands or a band 
  of river pirates attack the heroes’ method of transport. 
  Depending on how the PCs handle the situation, their 
  attackers may even become erstwhile allies who can 
  help them later against the Nazis.
  Once the heroes make it safely to Mosul, they 
  must be very careful — it’s not a large city (60,000 
  people), and their presence may attract notice and 
  arouse the attention of the Nazis. A German who’s in 
  town to obtain supplies or enjoy a little rest and relax-
  ation might spot them, or a sneaky informer might try 
  to get word to the Germans about “Englishmen” who 
  are in town as a way of currying favor or earning some 
  money.
  THE DIG
  Th e accompanying map shows the Nazi expedi-
  tion’s camp, which is a couple of miles outside Mosul 
  on the outskirts of the ruins of Nineveh. Th e two large 
  tents on the northern side of the map are for cleaning, 
  processing, and studying artifacts recovered by the 
  dig’s archaeologists. If the PCs want to get a look at the 
  incomplete tablet the Nazis already recovered (of which 
  they showed a rubbing to Ismail), they can ﬁ nd it here.
  Th e two medium-sized tents to the east are where 
  the Assyriologists the Nazis have kidnapped or black-
  mailed into helping them stay. Two Nazi soldiers stand 
  guard over these tents when the scientists are in them.
  Th e three medium-sized tents south of the 
  main bonﬁ re are barracks tents for the Nazi soldiers 
  assigned to the dig.
  Th e small tents to the west are for the Nazi 
  archaeologists. If a PC archaeologist has agreed to 
  work with the Th ird Reich, he’ll get one of these tents.
  Th e two medium-sized tents near the smaller 
  campﬁ re are for Major Eichenwald and for Dr. Diet-
  rich and his daughter Wiltrud.
  THE NAZIS
  Th e military leader of the Nazi expedition is 
  Major Baron Hermann Eichenwald (see Pulp Hero, 
  page 395). He’s a ruthless SS soldier who won’t hesitate 
  to “dispose” of the PCs if he feels they’re a threat. He 
  commands the soldiers in the camp with grim eﬃ  -
  ciency.
  Th e academic leader of the expedition is Dr. Stef-
  fen Dietrich, whom the PCs have already met. In the 
  ﬁ eld he dresses much less formally, but he still leads 
  the scientists and workers with a certain amount of 
  grace and punctilio.
  Wiltrud Dietrich
  With Dr. Dietrich is his daughter Wiltrud, a 
  lovely young woman of 22. She’s not just there for 
  “fun” — she’s a learned Assyriologist in her own right 
  and is doing serious work assisting her father. Despite 
  the fact that she looks like she could have stepped 
  right oﬀ  an Aryan recruiting poster, with her blonde 
  hair tied back in a braided ponytail and her deep blue 
  eyes, she’s no Nazi. In fact she despises her father’s 
  Nazi ideals and could be persuaded to help the PCs 
  keep the Nazis from obtaining the Tablets Of Destiny, 
  if they’re dashing and handsome enough and promise 
  not to hurt her father. At the very least, she can explain 
  exactly what the Nazis are looking for and what’s 
  going on.
  If one of the PCs is working for the Nazis, Wil-
  trud gives him the cold shoulder. It will take some 
  serious Persuasion rolls and good deeds to convince 
  her he’s not sympathetic to the Nazis.
  THE ROUTINE
  Th e camp comes to life before dawn. Breakfast 
  is made and eaten. Nazi soldiers keep a wary eye on 
  the kidnapped/blackmailed Assyriologists. As the sun 
  rises, the archaeologists and diggers head out to the 
  actual dig site under the leadership of Dr. Dietrich. 
  Sometimes Wiltrud goes with them, sometimes she 
  stays behind to study or process artifacts the team has 
  already found. At least two archaeologists work in the 
  acquisitions tents each day.
  At noon the archaeologists and diggers return for 
  lunch. Aft er eating they return to the ﬁ eld; sometimes 
  the ones who worked in the acquisitions tent go into 
  the ﬁ eld and two others stay to work in the tents.
  As the sun begins to set, the expedition calls a 
  halt to work for the day. Everyone returns to camp 
  for dinner. Aft er dinner there may be conversation, or 
  storytelling, or a little impromptu harmonica music 
  or singing, but as oft en as not people drift  oﬀ  to their 
  tents to read and go to sleep early — it’s a grueling life. 
  Soldiers keep the reluctant Assyriologists under watch 
  at all times.
  WORDS WRITTEN IN CLAY
  At this point it’s up to the heroes to keep watch 
  on the camp somehow and gather information about 
  what’s going on. If one of the heroes is in the camp 
  working for the Nazis, he already knows what the Ger-
  mans are up to; it’s just a matter of somehow commu-
  nicating that information to the other heroes without 
  Eichmann or the other Nazis learning what he’s doing.
  Dramatically, the best way for the heroes to learn 
  6  The Tablets Of Destiny
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  7 
  Hero Plus Adventure #18
  To dig area
  (about 100
  feet, or 15")
  Rocky ridge
  Watch
  tower
  Watch
  tower
  
  the lay of the land is to sneak into camp one day and 
  make friends with Wiltrud Dietrich. She may take a little 
  persuading, but once they convince her of their bona 
  ﬁ des, she’ll gladly help keep the Tablets out of Nazi hands.
  Th e New Tablet
  A day or three aft er the heroes start watching the 
  camp, the Nazis ﬁ nd a large cuneiform tablet which 
  tells the story of Zu and has complete directions to 
  the Caves Of Marduk. Dietrich begins translating it, a 
  process that will take at least two days. Th e PCs must 
  learn what’s on the tablet, either by spying on Dietrich, 
  stealing it and translating it on their own, or sneaking 
  in and taking a rubbing that they can translate. Being 
  the heroes of the story, they may be able to translate a 
  little more quickly than Dietrich can.
  Th e new Yasmakh-Adad tablet provides a 
  more truthful ending for the myth of Zu; it tells that 
  Marduk hid the Tablets Of Destiny, including the 
  approximate location of the Caves Of Marduk in the 
  Zagros Mountains. However, Zu’s continued existence 
  as a guardian of the Tablets is not mentioned. Yas-
  makh-Adad’s full account goes on to relate that:
  lord Marduk set also three cunning snares to 
  further protect the sacred Tablets. He who would 
  gain the Tablets for himself must be strong, devout, 
  cautious, and clever. For the ﬁ rst, heed the wisdom of 
  Urshanabi. For the second, let Shamash guide thee. 
  For the third, walk as would the victims of Lamashtu. 
  Th en must he face the greatest peril of all.
  LAST ONE THERE IS A ROTTEN EGG
  Th e scenario now becomes a race to the Cave Of 
  Marduk. Th e trip takes about two days by car, camel, 
  or horse, and four days on foot over the rough and 
  rocky ground of northern Iraq.
  For best dramatic impact, one way or another the 
  Nazis should ﬁ nd out about the PCs. Soon Eichen-
  wald, Dietrich, and a squad of Nazi troops are hot on 
  their heels, and the PCs should know it (from seeing 
  plumes of dust in the distance behind them and such).
  Feel free to complicate matters to add dramatic 
  tension. Maybe the heroes run into a group of Kurdish 
  bandits; if they can make friends, the bandits might 
  delay the Nazis for them. Or perhaps they have a 
  chance to set up an ambush — is it worth the risk to 
  try to eliminate the Nazi competition, or should they 
  rely on speed? What if the PCs’ car breaks down?
  PART THREE:
  THE HALLS OF 
  MARDUK
  Aft er a few tense moments (and possibly a ﬁ ght 
  or two), the PCs make it to the Cave one step ahead of 
  the Nazis. It’s an old, dry natural cave, with one tunnel 
  leading down into the darkness. If the PCs didn’t bring 
  a light source, they must lose some precious time 
  making some crude torches.
  If anything delays the PCs, the Nazis arrive just 
  as they enter the Cave and use force to prevent them 
  from going down the tunnel. If the PCs retreat into 
  the Cave, only Eichenwald and a few crack troops are 
  brave enough to follow them. If the PCs ﬁ ght and lose, 
  the Nazis get to enter the tunnel and go aft er the Tab-
  lets ﬁ rst (aft er interrogating the PCs). If the PCs ﬁ ght 
  and win (unlikely, but possible, since they’re badly 
  outnumbered), they can proceed onward unmolested. 
  If the PCs make it into the Caves well before the Nazis 
  arrive, they may run into the Germans coming in as 
  they’re leaving... or waiting to ambush them when 
  they emerge back into the sunlight.
  Aft er entering the Caves Of Marduk, the heroes 
  encounter, and must defeat or avoid, the three traps 
  mentioned in Yasmakh-Adad’s tablet.
  THE WATERS OF URSHANABI
  Th e tunnel twists and turns downward for about 
  75 feet, opening onto a circular chamber about 20” in 
  diameter that’s lit by a dim unnatural light. Filling the 
  center of the room is a dark lake; there’s a lip of about one 
  foot between the cavern wall and the water’s edge. On 
  the other side of the lake the tunnel continues onward. 
  Chunks of stone litter the beach near either tunnel. Th ere 
  are only two ways across:  swim or creep around the edge.
  Th is is the ﬁ rst trap; the PCs must use “the wisdom 
  of Urshanabi” to pass successfully. Urshanabi is the fer-
  ryman of Uta-napishtim, the Babylonian Noah from Th e 
  Epic Of Gilgamesh. Urshanabi helps Gilgamesh cross the 
  deadly waters of the Abyss by advising him to cut many 
  boat-poles and use each pole only once so he doesn’t 
  touch the water (which will kill him). In short, the advice 
  is:  don’t touch the water. Marduk ﬁ lled this lake with 
  water from the Abyss; it causes 3d6 Killing Damage per 
  Segment with no defense if touched, 6d6 if drunk.
  Th e ledge around the lake is rigged to collapse at 
  the halfway point, dumping intruders into the water. Two 
  characters may make Breakfall rolls, or DEX Rolls at -3, 
  to avoid falling in by leaping onto a safe part of the ledge; 
  any more than that are doomed to fall in when the trap 
  is sprung. Detecting this trap requires a Security Systems 
  roll at -3; disarming it requires another such roll.
  Since the PCs don’t have a boat, they have to ﬁ nd 
  another way to follow Urshanabi’s advice. Th e best way 
  is to use the rocks on the beach. Th e lake is actually very 
  shallow, and if enough rocks are thrown in, the heroes can 
  make a series of stepping-stones so they can cross without 
  touching the water. Each character crossing this way has 
  to succeed with a Breakfall roll at +1, or a DEX Roll at -1, 
  to cross safely; failure indicates a character falls in.
  THE PROCESSIONAL OF THE GODS
  Th e tunnel beyond soon straightens out and 
  begins to show signs of carving and decoration. Aft er 
  a while it opens into a great hall 15” long and 4” wide 
  whose walls are carved with scenes of the Babylonian 
  gods:  Enlil, Ea, Anu, Ishtar, Marduk, Ninurta, Nergal, 
  and many others. Prominent among them is Shamash, 
  god of the sun, giving oﬀ  rays of light and holding a 
  great sword (which points toward the far end of the 
  hall). At the end of the hall the tunnel narrows once 
  more and ends in a set of elaborately-carved wooden 
  doors (which are fakes). Several other hallways lead 
  oﬀ  from the room in various directions.
  Th is is the second of Marduk’s traps. If the PCs 
  go the way Shamash points, they’ll be trapped when an 
  enormous stone block falls down behind them, sealing 
  oﬀ  the passage... and then the wall begins to move, slowly 
  8  The Tablets Of Destiny
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  9 
  Hero Plus Adventure #18
  To surface
  (about 75
  feet)
  Further into
  the Halls
  Cavern is about
  20" in diameter
  The Waters of
  Urshanabi
  
  10  The Tablets Of Destiny
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Back to the
  Urshanabi
  room (about
  50 feet and
  upward)
  SHAMASH
  ENKI
  MARDUK
  KI
  NANNA
  God of
  Justice
  and the
  Sun
  God of
  Water
  and the
  Earth
  God of
  the winds;
  main god
  of Babylon
  Goddess of
  the Earth
  God of
  the Moon
  Goddess
  of Love
  and War
  ISHTAR
  Goddess
  of the
  Dead
  ERESHKIGAL
  Goddess
  of
  Creation
  NINLIL
  God
  of
  Heaven
  AN
  God of
  the Air
  and
  Storms
  ENLIL
  Processional is
  15" long and 4"
  wide
  Processional
  of the Gods
  Corridor
  continues
  onward...
  Corridor
  continues
  onward...
  Corridor
  continues
  onward...
  Corridor
  continues
  onward...
  
  11 
  Hero Plus Adventure #18
  Back to the
  Processional
  room (about
  75 feet and
  steeply upward)
  Large rock
  covered with
  cuneiform
  inscriptions
  Exit is well
  above floor
  of chamber
  The Lair of Lamashtu
  
   
  but inexorably, toward the back wall of the corridor! (If 
  the heroes examine the corridor before going all the way 
  to the end, ﬁ nding the trap requires a Security Systems 
  Roll at -4.) Th e wall has STR 40, so opposing it will be 
  tough — and just stopping it from moving would only be 
  a temporary solution. Th e PCs have to ﬁ nd another way 
  to jam the wall and make it reverse course; you should 
  make the players think quickly to ﬁ nd the answer. Don’t 
  make it impossible, though — it isn’t much fun for any-
  body if the PCs are crushed to death. If the players insist 
  on making Skill rolls to get out of the dilemma, ﬁ nding a 
  way to stop the trap requires a Security Systems roll at -4 
  (ﬁ nding the trap in advance before it activates requires a 
  Security Systems roll at -6).
  All the other hallways leading oﬀ  from the Pro-
  cessional are fakes — they end in traps like the one 
  described above.
  Yasmakh-Adad’s clue doesn’t mean to go in the 
  direction Shamash indicates, but rather to literally follow 
  him:  the carving of Shamash conceals a secret door. If 
  the PCs can ﬁ nd the catch (this requires a Concealment 
  roll at -2), that section of wall shift s backwards, allowing 
  Shamash to “guide” them into a new tunnel.
  THE LAIR OF LAMASHTU
  Th e new tunnel continues downward for many feet, 
  then levels and widens into a sort of gallery that’s 10” 
  long and 4” wide. Th e walls of this gallery are carven with 
  depictions of many horrible Babylonian demons. Most 
  prominent among them is Lamashtu, a demoness who 
  steals newborn babies.
  AS SOON AS YOU DESCRIBE LAMASHTU, 
  BEGIN TO TIME THE PLAYERS. THEY HAVE 
  EXACTLY TEN SECONDS OF REAL TIME TO 
  FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO:  “WALK LIKE THE 
  VICTIMS OF LAMASHTU,” I.E., GET ON THEIR 
  HANDS AND KNEES AND CRAWL LIKE BABIES.
   Any PC still standing aft er ten seconds gets hit by 
  one of several enormous spiked bars that swing down 
  from the ceiling (2d6 Killing Damage, Does Knockback). 
  Th e only ways a standing PC can avoid the bars is to 
  make an Acrobatics or Dive For Cover roll at -5.
  Now the PCs are almost at their goal. Aft er several 
  dozen more feet of tunnel, they come to a large stone 
  covered with Babylonian magical symbols of warding 
  and protection. If they can move the stone (it weighs 
  about 3,000 kg), they can enter...
   THE CHAMBER OF DESTINY
  In the Chamber of Destiny (a perfectly circular 
  room with a 6” radius, not shown on the map), the Tablets 
  of Destiny sit on a 3” tall pedestal near the wall opposite 
  the door. Th e PCs now have to overcome a danger worse 
  than all of the traps combined — Zu himself! Marduk has 
  reduced him to a monstrous bird-man, with terrible claws 
  and a screech that can shatter stone. See the accompany-
  ing character sheet for Zu’s game information, but adjust 
  it as necessary — make him tough enough to give the PCs 
  a good ﬁ ght, one they’ll remember for the rest of their 
  careers.
  Once the PCs defeat Zu, the Tablets are theirs. Th e 
  Tablets contain enormous power, though they can’t tele-
  port the heroes out or kill all the Nazis with just a thought. 
  But any PC who was injured or killed by the mad half-
  god is healed to full life and health if someone touches 
  him with the Tablets. Now all the PCs have to do is escape 
  with the Tablets without being captured by the Nazis... 
  perhaps by using the Tablets to, say, make all the Germans 
  fall asleep.
  Aft er the Tablets are taken out of the Cave Of 
  Marduk, their power soon fades and they crumble to dust. 
  Th ey and their power can no longer survive in a world 
  where the gods of Babylon are as dead and buried as the 
  cities where they were once worshipped.
  ZU
  Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
  25 
  STR 
  20 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [5]
  20 
  DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
  20 
  CON 
  20 
  13-
  20 
  BODY 20 
  13-
  5  
  INT 
  -5 
  10- 
  PER Roll 10-
  10 
  EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
  25 
  PRE 
  20 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
  6  
  COM 
  -2 
  10-
  10 
  PD 
  7 
   
  Total:  10 PD (6 rPD)
  10 
  ED 
  8 
   
  Total:  10 ED (6 rED)
  5  
  SPD 
  30 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
  10 
  REC 
  2
  40 
  END 
  0
  50 
  STUN 17 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  167
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  10”/20”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  15 
  Talons:  HKA 1d6 (1 ½d6 with STR) 
  1
  5 
  Beak:  HKA 1 point (½d6 with STR) 
  1
  100 
  Screech:  Hearing Group Flash 10d6,
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (6” Radius; +1¼) plus
  Energy Blast 4d6, NND (defense is
  Hearing Group Flash Defense or being
  deaf/deafened; +1), Area Of Eﬀ ect (4” 
  Radius; +1); Linked (-½) 
  12
  6 
  Zu’s Divine Form:  Damage Resistance
  (6 PD/6 ED) 
  0
  120 
  Zu’s Divine Form:  Physical and Energy
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75% 
  0
  17 
  Wings:  Flight 10”, Reduced Endurance
  (½ END; +¼); Restrainable (-½) 
  1
  8 
  Zu’s Eyes:  +4 PER with Sight Group 
  0
  2 
  Zu’s Eyes:  Increased Arc Of Perception
  (240 Degrees) for Normal Sight 
  0
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 HTH
  2 
  +1 with Flight
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  288
  Total Cost:  455 
  75+ Disadvantages
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Violently Hates 
  Everyone And Everything (Very Common, 
  Total)
  355 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  335
  12  The Tablets Of Destiny
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero Games/5th Edition/Pulp Hero - Tablets of Destiny.pdf