Category Archives: GameMaster’s Resource

D6: Numenera Rumours – The Order of Healing

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has six rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.

  1. Abbess Lesana Len is the leader of the Order of Healing and one of the original Aeon Priests who founded the Order. There are occasional rumours that the abbess was involved in the founding of the Order of Healing because they believed it would be far easier to rise to a position of power in a new organisation.
  2. Members of the Order of Healing travel around a lot, as every member must take part in a healing sabbatical which involves travelling to an area in need of healers. This results in members of the Order getting a lot of knowledge, and combined it means the Order as a whole has a great deal of knowledge about what’s going on in the world. It’s rumoured that this information is then used to the Order’s benefit.
  3. Prior Masden Krasnor, a former Aeon Priest, is a member of the Order of Healing who spends most of his time running the organisation, rather than healing people. It’s sometimes said that the prior believes the Order could be run a whole lot more efficiently if it didn’t have all those who need healing getting in the way.
  4. The healing caravan that comprises the Order of Healing’s headquarters travels around all the time, making it hard to find. It’s rumoured that some have tried to trace its travels, only to find out that there are times when the caravan doesn’t seem to have been anywhere, as if it had simply vanished for a period.
  5. The Order of Healing currently lacks a fixed headquarters, with the leadership moving from place to place in a caravan. It’s rumoured that a number of governments have offered the Order a permanent headquarters, but these offers have been refused in the belief that the aim is to bring the Order under the control of those governments making the offers.
  6. The Order of Healing is a recent offshoot of the Order of Truth and there are rumours that not everyone in the latter order is completely happy that the former decided to make its own way in the world. It’s said that those who are most unhappy are surreptitiously attempting to bring the Order of Healing back into the fold.

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D10: The Strange Rumours – Recursions: Atlantis

WorldsThe Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

  1. Agents from Atlantis have apparently been seen on Earth, but unusually these agents haven’t been official ones but ones working on behalf of a group that is opposed to the current leadership of the recursion. Just what they’ve been doing isn’t precisely known, but it’s believed that the agents have been seeking out resources and potential allies.
  2. An Atlantean called Dajmoria has reportedly been sending out agents to meet with the representatives of the more powerful agencies, when it comes to the Strange, of Earth and other recursions, apparently seeking some kind of alliance. It’s said that no-one has outright rejected her advances as yet, even if they aren’t sure what benefit can be gained from them.
  3. Atlanteans almost never use robotic or conjured servitors, even though both are easily possible in the recursion, with ordinary humans filling most of the menial jobs. It’s rumoured that some of Atlantis believe that humans should be replaced with more reliable servitors such as robots, but few seem to agree with this idea.
  4. Darum Tal Alumust is the God-King of Atlantis who takes the form of a tall, golden-skinned man in his very rare public appearances in the recursion. There are rumours, though, that the God-King’s true form is something entirely different from the one he is seen in.
  5. Humans, rather than the Atlanteans of human descent, make up the majority of the inhabitants of Atlantis, as well as the majority of those in more menial positions, though the minority of those possessing the spark. It’s rumoured that some of the humans who possess the spark are attempting to turn their fellows against their overlords.
  6. It’s rumoured that agents of Atlantis have been infiltrating the terrestrial governments and attempting to turn them towards autocracies. This is said to be so that there are only a limited number of people who actually have power, and enabling the Atlanteans to rule the world through them.
  7. It’s said that the Estate is trying to gain information on Darum Tal Alumust, the ruler of Atlantis, though it’s not known if there’s currently any purpose beyond this information gathering than simply the gathering of information itself on a powerful individual who may not have Earth’s best interests at heart.
  8. Many sections of the city of Atlantis delve below the water’s surface, and it’s rumoured that some of them have parts that delve even deeper than that, heading into the ground far below and even into molten realms where lava is used to power strange technologies.
  9. The Estate is trying to determine just what it was that became Atlantis in the distant past, but this is proving difficult to accomplish, given how long ago it was and that there is really only one person, Darum Tal Alumust, who knows just what happened, and Darum is not likely to talk about the matter.
  10. There are rumours that Atlantean technology has recently started surfacing on Earth in strange places, and moreover this technology, which should in theory not work on Earth, has proven to be able to do so. There are concerns about just why and how this is happening.

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D10: Europe Rumours: The Defence Commission II

Europe10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Europe’s Defence Commission. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. A significant task for the European Air Force is to provide air superiority, and it’s rumoured that the EAF has started moving into an area normally more the province of the Army in order to maintain this; namely, ground-based systems intended to strike at enemy aircraft.
  2. EDF General Jürgen Vogel is the commander of the EDF and the longest-serving of the commissioners. He’s disliked by many of the Secretariat, but after the trade commissioner was killed in an anti-terrorist raid after accusing the general of incompetence and suggesting he be removed, they have been reluctant to speak out against him. It’s rumoured, though, that given the general’s habit of leading from the front, some in the Secretariat are considering how he could meet a similar kind of accident during a raid.
  3. It’s rumoured that Interpol has been assigned to look into claims of extensive corruption in the EDF’s Procurement, something that has always been a concern. It’s said that the EDF isn’t cooperating, though, wanting to deal with any potential problems internally, rather than having outsiders do so.
  4. One of the tasks of the EDF Air Force is to work with the ESA, going after smugglers’ deltas whilst within the atmosphere. It’s rumoured that recently the Air Force has suffered some unexpected losses of aircraft whilst doing this. Though there have been no fatalities so far, there’s a concern that some smugglers may have discovered a vulnerability in the fighters sent after them.
  5. Procurement for the EDF can be a complicated process, one that is affected by both political considerations and the fear of getting needed technology from a potential enemy. It’s rumoured that some European companies are being quietly and secretly bought up by foreign nationals in order to affect the supply and procurement chain of the EDF in the event of war.
  6. The European Air Force is rumoured to be looking into developing a new kind of air superiority fighter, and this would be one that has suborbital capabilities too, allowing it to strike into low Earth orbit. It’s said that the ESA is currently fighting with the Air Force about this, given they feel that even suborbital operations fall under their purview.
  7. The European Medical Corps provides medical support to Europe’s military and are often called in when disasters or emergencies happen. It’s rumoured that the EC is considering using the EMC outside of Europe when disasters hit other regions, with the idea of using the EMC’s abilities as useful European propaganda.
  8. The Weapons Design Team in Brussels is the autonomous arm of the EDF that designs new equipment and then module building and final construction is spread around the rest of the EC. It’s rumoured that Interpol has been investigating reports of kickbacks to members of the WDT from companies that have been selected to do construction.
  9. There are rumours that EDF Medical, when it’s on any frontline operation, sometimes takes enemy combatants, especially such as terrorists who won’t be missed, and writes them up as having died in combat, so that they can be shipped back to European corporations to be used as unwilling test subjects for new technologies and medicines.
  10. There is usually at least one EMC trooper with every army unit and on every naval vessel. Some within the EDF believe that the requirements for EMC troopers with the naval units in particular need to be stepped up, as it’s thought that sometimes having only one is inadequate.

D10: Europe Rumours – The Defence Commission II is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.

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D10: Bits of Misinformation to Learn About Elves

Elf Ranger
Some artwork © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Characters may attempt to learn more about types of creatures that they may end up fighting, and there are many sources they might check, but not everything they learn is necessarily true. Here are ten bits of misinformation to learn about elves.

  1. All elves are completely mad, which explains some of their strange behaviour.
  2. Elves are natural liars, and anything they say is not true, being distorted in some way.
  3. Elves are not born; instead, when they get old enough, they sprout a new offspring which grows on them like a plan’s bud.
  4. Elves are not made of flesh and bone like most humanoid beings, but are instead a form of walking tree that disguises itself as a humanoid.
  5. Elves are not truly long-lived, but when they become as old as an elderly human, they suddenly and rapidly die and an identical elf forms from the remains with most of the memories of the former one.
  6. Elves don’t eat, instead feeding on the light of the sun like plants. If kept in the dark, they will die.
  7. Elves don’t live in woods and forests because they like trees, but because they are hiding something they found in them.
  8. Elves may look like beautiful humans, but this is a mask, glamoured over their true form, which is far more predatory.
  9. If an elf loses a limb, it’s able to regrow it.
  10. When a dead elf is buried in the ground, it will make plants grow above it with much more vigour than would normally be the case.

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D10: Numenera Rumours – The Amber Gleaners

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.

  1. Explorer Damin Salus is an Amber Gleaner whose flesh is more machine than living tissue these days, and there are rumours that the sheer amount of technology in the explorer’s body has made them something other than human, more a recording of the human they once were than a living being.
  2. It’s known that the Amber Gleaners have field stations across the Steadfast and into Beyond, though the locations of these stations are known only to the Gleaners themselves. It’s rumoured, though, that recently the Gleaners have suffered losses of supplies at their field stations, suggesting that someone may have compromised their locations.
  3. Kester who is based out of the Amber Lodge in Glavis keeps a roll of members of the Gleaners, and this set of tomes would be useful for those opposed to the group. It’s rumoured that there have been a number of attempts to steal one or more of the tomes containing the roll of members over the years, and that all of these have ended badly for the would-be perpetrators.
  4. One wing of the Amber Lodge in Glavis in Ancuan is used by the Amber Traders and includes a warehouse, though not selling is done from it. It’s said that, even though the warehouse isn’t used for trading, a lot of people are seen coming and going with goods.
  5. Scholar Esmero Savia if the Amber Traders always wears a blank synth faceplate over her face, and there are rumours that this is to hide the fact that Esmero is not always the same person, but different people of similar form who hide their true identity behind the blank plate.
  6. The Amber Gleaners are known to be a loose network that includes scholars, and there are rumours that the network also includes a number of individuals tasked with gaining information and knowledge for these scholars, even if such is in the possession of others who don’t want to give it up. In such cases, less honest means may be used.
  7. The Amber Traders are a trading association that provide financial support for the Amber Gleaners, and it’s rumoured that the Traders are willing to trade in anything, if the price is right and any legal problems can be avoided. It’s said that the attitude of the Traders is that the end definitely justifies the means, and anything the group can do to help the end of the Gleaners is worth doing.
  8. The Collections of the Amber Gleaners are housed in the Amber Lodge and contain many different items. It’s rumoured that some of these are quite dangerous in nature, and that these items are kept locked away after an incident a few years back with someone having uncontrolled access to them.
  9. The headquarters of the Amber Gleaners is in the Amber Lodge in the city of Glavis in Ancuan. It’s rumoured that the Lodge is home to many valuable items as well as a lot of information, and that it’s also home to many defences to stop people from taking them. Some say that many would-be thieves have entered the Amber Lodge and have never been seen again.
  10. Trader Kaina Ty of the Amber Gleaners used to have a relationship with Scholar Esmero Savia, but ended it after the latter suggested that Kaina had attempted to take items from the Collections. It’s rumoured, though, that the cause of the split was even more serious than that.

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D6: The Strange Rumours – Ruk: The Resolution

WorldsThe Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

  1. Efforts by Zal to recruit Earthborn have apparently been stepped up, as the faction wants to hire them to crew the newly built Resolution. This has led to speculation as to why Zal is wanting Earthborn for this job, which is an unusual employment for them.
  2. Melana-shem, a modified Apoptosis-class battle chrysalid, is the captain of the Resolution and by the sounds of it not that popular with either those of Ruk or Earthborn. It’s said that there have been a number of attempts to get her replaced as the ship’s commander, but Zal still considers her the best fit for the job.
  3. Stasis chambers can be found all over the Resolution, though most lack stasis equipment as crew members have stasis rings to use should they need to use a chamber. It’s said that those that have stasis equipment are intended to be used as essentially prisons rather than survival chambers.
  4. The Resolution is known to be powered by antimatter and has a large amount of it onboard. There are rumours that, whilst it has been waiting to start its mission, those onboard the strangecraft have had to deal with a few attempts to steal at least some of the antimatter by factions wanting it for different purposes.
  5. The Resolution is said to have some unusual engines even for a strangecraft, though Zal and its crew seem to have little interest in discussing them outside those who already know. This, perhaps, has made some of the other factions more curious about what the engines are like.
  6. Zal has recently constructed a strangecraft called the Resolution, which is in the process of getting a crew for its first voyage into the Strange. Although this is in and of itself unusual, as Zal has never financed a craft of this side, there are rumours that an even larger strangecraft is under construction at an unknown location.

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D10: Europe Rumours – The Defence Commission

Europe10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Europe’s Defence Commission. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. Heavily armed fast patrol boats are the primary vessels of the EDF Navy, used to intercept shipping and patrol the coasts, and it’s rumoured that recently the navy has been funding development of a new kind of patrol boat, one intended to be even faster and more dangerous than the current ones, using advanced technology that would make them capable of going up against larger craft.
  2. It’s rumoured that the EDF Navy has a number of old ICBM subs stashed away, and there are also rumours about just why the EDF might have such. They range from their traditional role, that of launching missiles, though not necessarily nuclear ones, to carrier subs that have had the missile tubes stripped out and replaced with everything from mini submarines to aircraft to drones to marines.
  3. The Defence Commission is rumoured to be looking into the idea of folding all the EC’s existing national militaries into the banner of the EDF, which is something more than a few member states would be unhappy with if it were to happen. The commission is reputed to believe that having all the militaries permanently working together would make them a more effective fighting force.
  4. The EDF Army’s Covert Operations Units are the elite units of the army, and specialise in undercover missions, where they blend into the populace of the area to which they are assigned. Though they are often used for anti-terrorism operations, there are rumours of black units operating in foreign countries, ready to strike if needs be.
  5. The EDF has three of its own officer training camps, which were opened in 2019. One of these camps is in Turkey, and there are rumours that this camp in particular has been suffering problems with the locals, especially the local fundamentalists who would seem to prefer if the camp was abandoned. It’s rumoured that as a result the EDF is assembling a counter-terror team to strike back.
  6. The EDF Navy has a lot of subs, from old hunter killers to sub freighters to fast patrol subs to old ICBM subs. It’s rumoured that the navy is in the process of developing new assault submarines with similar capabilities to their assault carriers, though smaller and intended to spend most of the time beneath the surface.
  7. The EDF started recruiting their own personnel in 2015, making the standards high so that they only recruited the best. Some of the member nations of the EU have been complaining that the EDF is now siphoning away the best of their own military personnel, both those currently serving and those who might have joined in the future.
  8. The EN’s primary missions are around Europe, which means that they lack the sort of vessels needed for force projection. It’s rumoured that some within the navy are trying to raise funds to build some vessels that could be used to project the EC’s influence to other parts of the world, though most feel this is outside the community’s purview.
  9. The organisation of the EDF means that the force isn’t expected to deal with major invasions, with such being left to the militaries of the EC’s member countries. It’s rumoured, though, that some within the Defence Commission believe that the EDF needs to broaden its role by incorporating more units intended for front-line battle.
  10. There has been a battle between Interpol and the EDF Army over which should be responsible for dealing with terrorism, with the effectiveness of the army’s Covert Operations Units at dealing with terrorism meaning that the army is starting to win the political conflict. It’s rumoured that Interpol has been attempting to recruit its own similar units, and often by poaching personnel from the army’s COUs.

D10: Europe Rumours – The Defence Commission is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.

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D10: Places to Find a Xenomorph Egg

Egg
Image: AN May

Xenomorphs may primarily have all their eggs together where they are laid, but there is always a chance that one could be found elsewhere, often moved by someone wanting to investigate them, where they can lay in wait as a nasty surprise for the finder.

  1. Hidden under a body.
  2. In a morgue drawer with a dead body.
  3. In cryostasis within a cryotube.
  4. Inside a box in a freezer.
  5. Inside a large, sealed sample container.
  6. On a shelf in a storeroom.
  7. Placed in padding inside a shipping crate.
  8. Stowed inside a duffle bag.
  9. Stuck within a cupboard.
  10. Submerged in a pool of water.

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D10: Numenera Rumours – Starter Communities IV

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.

  1. Krem are flying beetles ridden by the inhabitants of Tarshu, and they are smaller, domesticated versions of the wild bugs. It’s rumoured, though, that sometimes the domesticated krem turn on their riders, most often just tipping them off to their deaths when flying.
  2. Skylord Bellen is the current ruler of Tarshu, a former krem jockey who had to retire and who’s proven less than entirely capable at his new job. It’s rumoured that some within the settlement are trying to get Bellen replaced, believing he is unfit to run the place.
  3. Someone has reputedly been tampering with the crystals that keep the floating rocks of Tarshu aloft, and the citizens dearly want to find out who is doing this. It’s probable that when they do, that individual will be summarily executed, possibly by tossing them off the rocks.
  4. Speaker Marto of Stonefoot has been trying to come up with some way of parlaying the valuable resources the village controls into a way of protecting her people and expanding their territory. It’s rumoured that Marto is looking for individuals to venture out beyond Stonefoot’s swamps to see if the resources can be utilised in some way.
  5. Stonefoot is built on a cluster of artificial mounds and it’s rumoured that some of the mounds in the village pre-date its existence, being something stumbled across by the first settlers. It’s thought that perhaps these mounds are a relic from a prior world, and that they may hide secrets within them.
  6. Tarshu is built on floating rocks that straddle a canyon, which makes space in the town at a high premium. Ancient technology keeps the rocks floating and in place and the inhabitants would love to get their hands on similar technology, especially as they are unwilling to tamper with the things that keep their town standing.
  7. The inhabitants of the floating community Tarshu have a somewhat condescending attitude to those they consider to be from the “mainland”, and it’s rumoured that sometimes this condescension is more than that, with those not from the community thrown off the floating rocks on which it is built.
  8. Tribes of yovoki who live in the swamps around Stonefoot are a problem for the villagers, as the yovoki can easily leap to the top of the all surrounding the village. There are also rumours of a great leader arising in the depths of the swamp, one who will unite the yovoki and bring about the end of Stonefoot.
  9. Water in Tarshu comes from a large pipe that directs water from nearby streams across the floating settlement’s main bridge, though households are required to store water in case this is ever cut off. Some of the inhabitants feel that the amount of water stored is insufficient to deal with any serious problem, and that more should be stored.
  10. Within Stonefoot is a large, muddy pit from which a substance similar to apt clay can be harvested. It’s rumoured that sometimes other substances bubble up from the pit, though this happens very rarely and is mostly covered up by those in the know.

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D8: The Strange Rumours – Ruk: Harmonius: The Scar

WorldsThe Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has eight rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

  1. Deep within the Scar are objects known as crucibles, about which little is known other than that they are neither quite machine nor living creature and are not native to Ruk. It’s rumoured that some of the factions have sent, so far unsuccessful, expeditions to find out more about the crucibles, out of a concern that they could be truly dangerous.
  2. In the Scar are some chaotic spar groves that sometimes have what look like All Song umbilical connections. Few have been willing to try to connect to one of these to see what happens, but there are always whispers that some have tried it and, though they may seem the same, they have in truth been cored out and now act as flesh puppets of some disturbing counterpart to the All Song.
  3. Much of what was once the Glistening City in the Scar has crashed down onto the Shadowed City below and now forms a heap of destruction that connects the two. It’s rumoured that this, as well as being inhabited, is also being used as a way of shipping things between the two cities whilst avoiding Myriand.
  4. No-one knows just how the explosion that created the Scar a thousand years ago happened, and even the All Song doesn’t seem to have much information. This has led to speculation that information on the explosion has been deliberately erased, perhaps because that knowledge would allow someone to do something similar.
  5. Silver strands are cords of silvery material occasionally found emerging from the detritus of the Scar, and they contain a liquid that is similar to a nutritious but alcoholic rotting fish puree that the desperate drink. It’s rumoured that consuming too much of this fluid will cause the one imbibing it to start mutating into something else.
  6. Some vat rejects escape their destruction and make their way into the Scar, where they attempt to make a community of their own. Such communities are unstable, though it’s rumoured that one vat reject, somehow different from the others, is trying to weld the communities into a coherent whole.
  7. The black marketers of Shome who operate out of the Shadowed City have largely failed to make any ground in the Scar, and it’s rumoured that some of them want to rectify that situation and, if possible, bring the entire district under their sway. It’s said they are hiring people to help with this.
  8. The Scar in Harmonius is an area of disorganised spar growth, or at least the growth is normally thought to be disorganised. There are rumours, though, that those outsiders who have managed to take note of the spar growth have detected some kind of strange pattern to it.

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