Research Engineering And Crisis Team

Sample Adventure

Requires the use of Savage Worlds by Pinnacle Publishing

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By:
M. Andrew Payne

Table of Contents
Summary Setting Introducing the Players Day One The Anderson House The Old Woods Cast of Characters Luke Anderson Ruth Anderson Aunt Susan Wes Harper Miranda Hobbs Elias Ryan Eugene Sellers Sellers Springer Sheriff Underwood Deputies Resolution Maps Legal Stuff

3 3 4 6 6 6 7 8 8 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 15 18 20

Cover Art:
Based on an illustration by: Bill Bricker

Playtesters:
Jason Bean Andrew Boggs Philip Corbett

Files Included In This Product:

REACT_sample_T20.pdf REACT_sample_OGL.pdf REACT_sample_SW.pdf

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of thisproduct.

e-mail any questions to: customerservice@panikproductions.com

www.panikproductions.com

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Sample Adventure: Perros Chupacabridos

Goat Sucking Dogs is a brief introductory adventure that you can use to launch your R.E.A.C.T. campaign. Intentionally brief, you should be able to get through it in an evening (orpossibly two, if your players like to fight).

Summary
Dog trainer and breeder Eugene Sellers believes that he has developed a new breed of dog, the Sellers Springer . In fact, his kennel houses a pack of deadly mutant beasts with a growing thirst for blood. At night the dogs escape and begin to hunt human prey, beginning with local single mom, Mary Blankenship. As the mutant dogs start carving a trail of chewed up, bloodless corpses, the players will have to find and deal with the killer beasts as well as their unstable trainer. In the process, they interact with a variety of colorful local characters.

Despite being an introductory adventure, any players characters in a R.E.A.C.T. campaign should be advanced to at least Seasoned or Veteran status before begining play.

Setting
This adventure takes place in the outskirts of Bremen, a small rural town (although you can relocate it to any semi-remote region). Originally a farm-town, Bremen has experienced multiple periods of boom and bust resulting in some parts of the town with relatively modern construction while crumbling ruins of hastily-assembled buildings quietly fall to pieces inothers. The town is currently in a state of slow decline after the last period of prosperity, 20 years ago. As the average family size has decreased and more and more people move out to live closer to where they work, its beginning to look like it may not be able to pull out of the current downward spiral. Recently, the town closed down the middle school due to lack of funding. The students of grades 6 to 8 were split up between the grade school and high school. The town may be fading away economically, but remains rich in rumor and folklore. There are countless rumors of ghostly sightings amid the decrepit and abandoned buildings, and legends of carnivorous skunk-apes living in the nearby woods. In a town this small, every family has secrets, some almost obvious, some buried extremely deep. To add some authenticity to your game, you can read your players an actual skunk ape encounterfrom floridaskunkape.com.

Have the players make a skill check using Knowledge (Area Knowledge) to see what they may already know about Bremen. Characters that live in the same state may make a Common Knowledge check instead. Those with a background in business or economics may make a Common Knowledge check to know about the towns economic decline and those who study the occult may know the ghost stories.

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success Bremen has been experiencing an economic recession for the past decade. Recently the middle-school was closed down. The sixth and seventh graders got put back in the elementary building and the eighth graders are in high school now. The players hear one or more of the local ghost stories. The typical story revolves around a vengeful spirit dwelling in one of the abandoned houses where a valuable item such as a gold watch or diamond ring is said to be lost. The ghost chases away any one who comes searching for the valuable. My cousin/sister/uncle has a patch on their shoulder/arm/torso where the ghost touched them. To this day, they cant tan/grow hair/feel temperature on thatspot. 1 raise Despite the recent hard times there hasnt been an increase in crime, mostly due to Sheriff Underwood and his no-nonsense approach to maintaining law and order. It doesnt hurt that he has a half-dozen deputies; most of their salaries are derived from issuing speeding tickets out on the highway. Ol Wes Harper used to have a pet tiger that he kept at his place used to be a farm but ol Wes couldnt make a go of it. How he thought he was going to feed it was a mystery. Doesnt matter because Sheriff Underwood made him get rid of it. 2 raises Dont go out into the Old Woods behind the Anderson place. They say a tribe of skunk apes lives in that wood. My brother/nephew/cousin heard them hooting in the woods and smelled them. Said it was like rotten cabbage. No he didnt see them. There aint no fools in my family. Ran away, right then and didnt stop until e got home.

Introducing the Players

Ideally one of the player characters will have a contact or friend living in or near Bremen with whom they can make an extended visit. Being called on to nurse a sick relative is also a possibility. And if the players are primarily murderous hobos, you can always have their car break down while passing through or they can hit a deer as it bounds across the road an event which can render many small vehicles completely irreparable. Alternately, they could wind up as suspects and asked not to leave town. The best way to clear their names is to find the real killer(s). If the player characters are murderous hobos with no social ties outside the group and have to be compelled to stay in town, theres no shortage of empty houses they could stay in. They can squat (without power of water) in one of the boarded up homes or Sheriff Underwood could arrange for them to rent a recently abandoned one (with power and water) from thebank. While in town they may hear one of the many stories circulating about hauntings (largely false), skunk-apes (completely false), or the recent death of Mary Blankenship (mostly true). Ideally, their curiosity will be sufficiently piqued that theyll want to investigate on their own. If theyre in a hurry to leave, Junior Blankenship can make a tearful request that the players investigate and if necessary, avenge his mommys death. As payment, he offers his entire lifesavings. The players may choose investigate Marys death via internet or peruse newspaper clippings in the local public library. Alternately, the could simply ask around, which is faster in this case. The townsfolk are collectively agog about the murder and feeling chatty.

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If the players try to learn more about the murder, have them make a Streetwise skill check. They found her body in the alleyway between Gilmore street and the old Booker place on the edge of town. Shed been torn up pretty badly. Animals had been picking at the body. [all true] The body had all the clothes torn off it.[true] Something had stabbed it at least a hundred times. [false] Mary had had trouble making ends meet recently. The body had been severely mauled; there were pieces gnawed off but they didnt find any blood on the scene at all. [true] The teeth marks didnt match any local animal [false] so it had tove been a skunk-ape or tiger. The teeth came from some kind of large carnivore, perhaps a wolf. The local authorities cant say for sure because the body was so thoroughly gnawed its hard to find a single set without advanced computer analysis that the township and/or county cant afford. If the players try to learn more about Mary Blankenships personal life, have them make a second Streetwise skill check. 9 years ago, Young Thomas Blankenship passed away suddenly. To this day, Mary is so distraught that she cant even bear to hear his name aloud. Thats why the whole town always calls Tom Junior just Junior Blankenship. Tom Senior died of a heart attack, which was odd for a man so young.[true] He was frightened to death by the ghost of Old Man Kendrick.[false] Mary Blankenship has been seen walking the streets at night [true], prompting several unpleasant rumors about her character and second occupation. [all are false] Mary went to a second job at night. [true] She chose to walk so the sound of her cars defective muffler wouldnt disturb Junior (whom she assumed was asleep). [he was not] She took the alleys to avoid exactly the type of rumors about her character. raise success raise success

The alley where Mary Blankenship was killed is blocked off at both ends by lines of police tape. The miniscule amount of vehicular traffic it usually bears is easily re-routed to neighboring streets. However, the tape drew the attention of every passer by, who easily ducked under it to get a closer look at the chalk outline. The influx of bystanders has since destroyed any remaining physical evidence. Asking around should take up most of the afternoon and is likely to draw the attention of Sheriff Underwood or one of his deputies, giving you plenty of opportunities to introduce them. Neither Underwood or the deputies appreciate outsiders intruding on their investigations and will be generally unfriendly to the characters. They won't arrest the players unless they give them a reason to (i.e. break more than minor traffic laws). By the time the players finish talking to everyone, it should be getting dark out. They'll have to start trying to figure out where they want to spend the night.

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Day One
The first morning that the player characters are in town, the Anderson family dog (an affectionate German shepherd named Billie) is found horribly mutilated on the edge of their property, adjacent to the old woods. With little else to talk about, the town soon brims with speculation as how this is connected to the Blankenship murder. There are no more scheduled events in this adventure. Everything is contingent on how the players behave. If their investigation goes well, theyll quickly find their way to the Sellers Kennel and resolution. If the players are floundering, then the mutant dogs could attack Aunt Susan while shes wandering outside at night in a delirium. Alternately, they could attack the player characters themselves.

The Anderson House

Located on the outskirts of town, the Anderson House is an enormous three-story farmhouse. Originally constructed in the days before electricity when large families were the norm, the house is both drafty in winter and simmering hot in the summer. Large air conditioning units fill several of the downstairs windows and one of the master bedroom windows on the second story. A rusting swing set decorates the back yard, starkly contrasting with the adjacent gleaming satellite dish. The Andersons were one of the early families to settle in Bremen when it was first founded and remain a fixture even today. The Andersons are a moderately prominent family and have a solid reputation in town. Luke Anderson is the current patriarh, along with his wife, Ruth. Also living there are 12-year old Sally Anderson and senile and infirm Aunt Susan. The oldest son Robert Rocky Anderson is away at college. Three years ago, their house was robbed but the perpetrators were never found. Elias Ryan was everyones favorite suspect, although nothing could be proven. Ruth Andersons necklace was found in Ryans residence but Ryan claimed to have bought it in a pawn shop out of town, although he refused to say which one. He eventually did time for having possession of stolen property but the rest of the Andersons missing property was never found. Neither the Andersons nor Elias Ryan were happy with the outcome. Both parties resent the other to thisday.

If the players are skilled trackers (or just lucky), they might just follow the trail all the way to Sellers Kennel and the end of the adventure. This is ne if you want to get the adventure over with in a hurry but if you want to prolong the story or build suspense you can lure them off the trail by having them hear strange noises or see orbs of light coming from a different direction. If necessary, you can even introduce Miranda Hobbs as she stalks the wood in search of game to stuff and mount. As a last resort, she can even take a shot at the players. Unless theyre wearing orange hunters vests, the I thought he was a deer defense will probably hold up in court.

The Old Woods

One of the last vestiges of primeval forest, the old woods are densely packed with trees. Because the tree leaves absorb most of the sunlight, theres very little undergrowth except for lichens and molds that quickly spread to cover any fallen trunks. The woods have a magical feel to them and during especially bright days, the air itself seems to sparkle. This is due to sunlight refracting of off pollen, spores, and other particles, an easily explainable phenomenon that has nonetheless contributed to the myths surrounding the woods as the home of the legendary skunk-ape. The woods themselves have an instability rating of 2, resulting in the occasional random wormhole spontaneously opening and closing. Typically just heat leaks out, creating unexpected cold spots but on rare occasions hikers through the woods have detected a sudden puff of foul-smelling otherworldly atmosphere. If the players spend more than an hour in the woods, one of them will stumble upon the partially devoured carcass of a rabbit or squirrel. It appears to have been thoroughly gnawed as if something tried to wring it like a dishcloth. (The dogs didnt finish eating it because they really only wanted the blood). It they succeed in a Tracking check (or a Notice skill check

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made with a -2 penalty) they can identify a pair of tracks leading away from the carcass. A Knowledge (biology) or Survival skill check identifies the tracks as belonging to some kind of canine, but not any breed the character has seen before. Following the tracks requires a second Survival skill check. The tracks lead to a large tree that has been sprayed repeatedly with foul-smelling urine. A Notice skill check with a -1 penalty reveals that the bark has a slight yellow discoloration where the urine is most concentrated. The tracks loop around the tree repeatedly, making it all but impossible to tease out where the trail leads off to. The characters will need to score a raise on their Tracking skill check to find a trail that leads off in the direction of Sellers Kennels.

Cast of Characters
Junior Blankenship
The 13 year old son of Mary Blankenship, the first victim, Thomas Blankenship Junior is a skinny kid with a scraggly mob of sandy-blonde hair. It hasnt yet dawned on him that since becoming an orphan, his life has changed forever. Subconsciously, he believes that if his mothers killer can be brought to justice then things will somehow go back to normal. Since the murder, hes been staying with neighbors, but a few weeks after his mothers funeral, Child Services will take him out of Bremen and place him in a foster home. Junior will do anything he can to find justice for his mom. Plan A is to hire the player characters to find the killer. Hell offer his entire life savings ($1083.23 in immature savings bonds and $86.23 in cash) as payment. Plan B is to patrol the streets at night himself, looking for clues. This course of action will either get him arrested by Sheriff Underwood or more likely make him the next victim.
If the players are willing to investigate on their own, theres no need to introduce Junior Blankenship.

Luke Anderson
The proverbial big fish in a small pond, Luke Anderson is the current patriarch of the Anderson clan, respected bank manager in a nearby neighboring town, and honored member of town council. A little stuffy and pompous, Luke nonetheless means well. He arranges events for various charities and goes to church every Sunday. Like many well-off individuals, he has no idea that he sometimes comes across as condescending. Likewise, hes blissfully ignorant of the effect his banks policies have on others; it never occurs to him that the bad risks he rejects are someones parents, child or spouse. If asked, Luke initially denies having any enemies, but if given a minute to think about it, names Elias Ryan and WesAnderson. Anderson went to high school with Wes Harper where the two were rivals in baseball and football. (Anderson was the better quarterback, Harper scored more home runs). The two were equally respected until after graduation and Harpers debacle with the tiger. Since then, Harper has resented Andersons success and easy life. It didnt help matters that Andersons bank turned him down for loan afterloan.

None of the Andersons have stats since the players shouldnt need to ght them.

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Ruth Anderson
Luke Andersons high school sweetheart, the two married almost immediately after finishing college. Ruth is an avid proponent of family values who stayed home to raise their children and look after Aunt Susan. She is charming, genteel, and a perfect hostess. Nobody who visits the Anderson house ever leaves without a tall glass of lemonade, cookie, or slice of homemade pie. Although she feigns the affectations of a ditzy housewife straight out of a 1050s-era sitcom, she has a near-genius IQ and a cunning mind. She excels in the art of subtle manipulation and more-or-less controls the town council through various proxies. If the players stay on her good side, they may have a powerful ally. Otherwise, they may find their stay in town becoming increasingly unpleasant. When asked if she has any enemies, she immediately lists Elias Ryan and Miranda Hobbs. Ryan because she believes he robbed her house 3 years ago. Hobbs because she wants the old crone off the street. (Mostly because she considers Hobbs dirty and unpleasant and projects her resentment of Aunt Susan onto her. However, a small part of her genuinely believes the crazy ol bat would be better off in a home somewhere.)

Aunt Susan
Aunt Susan is the Anderson familys white elephant and dark secret all in one. Suffering from senility as well as a half-dozen other maladies, Susan Anderson has been passed around from relative to relative for so long that nobodys really quite sure exactly how theyre related to her. All they know is that she is family and you dont turn away family at least not until you can find an unsuspecting cousin on whom to pawn her off. Susan spends most of the time in a semi-catatonic stupor and must be spoon fed. Shes also fed any number of pills for a variety of other afflictions so at any given time she could be coming up on- or crashing down from- the effects of multiple medicines. This sometimes results in... unpredictable behavior. Aunt Susan is presented here as an aid to the characters. If things are going well, she keeps being a human vegetable. If the players are floundering she may experience a rare quasi-lucid moment where she blurts out a useful clue. Additionally, if too many uneventful nights go by she can always go wandering around outside at night and get attacked by the dogs. The death of a beloved and helpless old lady may just be enough to galvanize the town into action.

The Usual Suspects Wes Harper

Wes Harper also doesnt have stats since hes basically harmless.

The Harpers family have traditionally been farmers and were among the first settlers to move to Bremen after it was founded. Sadly, the most recent few generations havent had much of a knack for the trade and have had to sell off pieces of land to break even. Wes is the latest in a long line of well-intentioned hard luck cases. His father having sold off the bulk of useful farmland to break even, Wes inherited only a few acres of land not enough for a commercially successful farm.

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Wes sold off all the leftover tractors and farm machinery and used the money to start a zoo. The zoo didnt have a license to operate, or much animal diversity mostly llamas and ponies nor did it have many safety features. But it did have a tiger. To this day, Wes wont say how or where he got the tiger from but it was the star attraction of Harpers Zoological Gardens for all of 5 weeks before Sheriff Underwood made Wes shut down and sell off the animals. 10 years later, Wess financial situation has only gotten worse; No one will invest in his crackpot schemes and he has become a cautionary tale. The family is largely supported by young Jared Harper who sends most of his army paychecks home every month. Whenever someones pet goes missing someone inevitably jokes maybe Wes Harpers tiger ate it . If the players cant discover the true killer, its highly likely that an angry mob will descend on the Harper property demanding to search it for tigers. A proud man, Wes will assume that its all some sort of prank designed to further humiliate him. Shotguns will be produced by both sides. From that point, the conclusion can only be tragic.

Miranda Hobbs

Rank: Veteran (40xp)

Attributes: Agilityd8, Smartsd6, Spiritd8, Strengthd4, Vigord6 Skills: Fightingd4, Healingd4+2, Investigationd4, Knowledge(Area Knowledge)d6, Noticed6+2, Psid8, Repaird4, Shootingd8, Stealthd6, Survivald6, Trackingd8 Charisma:-2, Pace:5 , Parry:4, Toughness:5 Hindrances: Elderly, Mean, Poverty Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background(Psychic), Danger Sense, Healer, Marksman, Nerves of Steel, Steady Hands Powers: Far Vision, Mind Reading, Sothon Sight Gear: Double-Barrel Shotgun (12/24/48 1-3d6 bird shot or 2d10 slugs), Taxidermy Kit, Winchester Hunting Rifle (24/48/96 2d8)

Miranda Hobbs is thought by many Bremenites to be a witch. At the age of 62 she lives alone, spends a lot of time tending to her herb garden, never married, and is known to take long walks in the woods at night. She sometimes chuckles to herself, even if theres nobody talking to her. If you catch her just right, you can see that her eyes dont quite line up right, a sure sign of the evil eye. And then, there are the animals. Miranda has a thriving mail-order taxidermy business. Extremely hale and hearty for her age (and isn't that suspicious?), Miranda still hunts and traps the majority of her own pelts, sometimes at night.

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Miranda grew up the poorest kid in a poor town. Often, the only meat on the table came from her fathers hunting in the woods. Because Miranda never fit in with the other children she spent most of her after school time with her father, who, secretly wanting a boy, taught her hunting and the art of taxidermy. Some of her former classmates suspect that he may have physically abused her. She definitely suffered from neglect. When she was 16, her father disappeared mysteriously. Already accustomed to a subsistence lifestyle, Miranda seemed to be barely affected by his absence and managed to graduate high school, despite living by herself for the better part of a year. As an adult, her life is much the same as it was then. Children still taunt her. Adults avoid eye-contact. Deprived of any kind of social outlet, Miranda is highly maladjusted and more than a little crazy. Any one who wrongs her has made an enemy for life. Still, she never forgets a kindness and will go out of her way to repay any character who defends her. (Whether they appreciate the stuffed chipmunk left on their doorstep or not is up to them). Tactics: Miranda relies on her Far Vision power and Danger Sense edge to avoid conflict. Her best defense is simply not being there when her opponents arrive. If combat is unavoidable (and she has advanced warning) shell retreat to cover and attack with her shotgun. If taken by surprise, she stands her ground and blasts away until she either runs out of ammunition or is taken down in the middle of a re-load. If outside the house, shes probably hunting with her Winchester. If inside, her shotgun is usually within arms reach.

Elias Ryan
Rank: Seasoned (35xp) Attributes: Agilityd8, Smartsd4, Spiritd6, Strengthd8, Vigord8 Skills: Drivingd6, Fightingd8, Gamblingd4, Intimidationd6, Lockpickingd8, Noticed6, Repaird6, Shootingd6, Stealthd6, Streetwised4, Swimmingd6, Tauntd4 Charisma:0, Pace:6 , Parry:7, Toughness:6 Hindrances: BigMouth, Clueless, Habit(Chain Smoking) Edges: Block, Brawler, No Mercy Gear: Switchblade (d8 +d4), Ryan has access to Winchester hunting rifles (24/48/96 2d8) but doesnt habitually carry one around as this would violate hisparole.

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Sheriff Underwood always says that hes just doing his job and that arrests are never personal but when it comes to Elias Ryan, he may be lying. A perpetual neerdowell Elias Ryan has spent half of his life as a guest of the state in one form or another. The rest of the time, hes mostly lived in Bremen. His first arrest was at the tender age of 14 for stealing cars. Ever since then, hes had a special hatred for Sheriff Underwood, whos arrested him 5 more times since. Ryans rap sheet includes petty theft, grand theft auto, assault and battery, possession of stolen goods, possession of illicit sutbstances and multiple counts of drunk and disorderly. Hes tried living in other towns, even other states but sooner or later always falls back into his old waysagain. Currently Ryan is out on parole and living with his brother Douglas. He works as a mechanic at the towns only filling station. Tactics: Elias Ryan is a thug and a bully. He talks big if his brother Doug or their friends (usethe same stats, but all are Extras) are around but readily cringes and cowers if alone. He first tries to intimidate or taunt a foe to gain the edge over them, but since hes not very good at either, usually just ends up slugging it out without thought to tactics. He primarily keeps the switchblade as a prop to be more intimidating and only actually uses it in a fight if he becomesdesperate.

Actual Suspects Eugene Sellers

Rank: Seasoned (30xp) 5 Attributes: Agilityd6, Smartsd6, Spiritd4, Strengthd8, Vigord6 Skills: Drivingd6, Fightingd6, Healing d6, Knowledge(Animals)d6, Noticed6, Persuasiond6, Ridingd6, Shootingd6, Streetwised6, Survivald6, Swimmingd6, Throwingd4 Charisma:0, Pace:6 , Parry:7, Toughness:6 Hindrances: BigMouth, Clueless, Habit(Chain Smoking) Edges: Delusional(his dogs are flawless), Greedy(minor), Habit(foul language), Gear: Boot knife (d8+d4), lots and lots of dog food, various canine medications. Sellers has access to 2 Winchster rifles (24/48/96 2d8), one at the kennel, one for home defense.

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The owner and (in his mind) designer of the Sellers Springer breed of dog, Eugene Sellers has had an interesting life, to say the least. Hes tried and failed to make a living at just about anything you can think of and five things you cant. From professional wresting to running Three-Card Monte scams to gambling to rum running (even though alcohol was legal at the time) to selling cars to stealing cars to growing hydroponic cocaine to photography to circus carney the list is endless. His latest, and most successful endeavor has been running a kennel and puppy mill just outside the city limits of Bremen. Although he initially only accepted partial ownership in the kennel as a means of collecting on a gambling debt, he soon found that he genuinely enjoyed taking care of dogs and worked hard to buy the businesses outright. The business has stumbled, partly due to the fluctuating economy, partly because of some questionable business decisions on Sellers part. A coarse and ill-mannered individual, Sellers is nevertheless friendly and engaging, capable of making small talk indefinitely. If you arent offended by foul language, hes really not that bad of a guy to have around. Unlike most puppy mils, Sellers actually makes an effort to make sure his animals are comfortable, somewhat well-socialized, and have the occasional opportunity for exercise. He has several award winning hounds that regularly win prizes in regional dog shows. Alas, the prize money is never enough to meet expenses so the bulk of his income comes from selling puppies to pet store chains. His great hope is that by having a monopoly on a new breed he can focus on selling individual dogs to good homes rather than running a canine factory. Tactics Before Combat: If it looks like a fights going to break out, Eugene turns on the charm with both faucets. He smiles widely and makes grand hand gestures to distract the players while hes either sucker-punching them with the other hand or using it to reach for hisgun. Tactics During Combat: How Eugene fights depends on the circumstances. If there are plenty of witnesses or he can claim self-defense he puts up only token resistance, confident that hell be able to press assault charges later. On the other hand, if his dogs are threatened, he fights savagely, and to the death, to defend them. In single melee combat, hell slash his foe repeatedly until one of them drops. If outnumbered, hell stab the nearest foe and run to get his gun. Once armed, he uses any cover he can find to his advantage and fires only when he can get a clear head shot. Daddy always did say: You shouldnt point at anything you dont mean to kill.

Sellers Springer
The Selllers Springer breed of dog are a unique breed of dog with short, rounded snouts, especially pronounced canine teeth, and a powerful musculature, especially in the hindquarters. They have lustrous, almost glowing, golden-brown coats and bright, intelligent eyes at least as long as they regularly feed on blood. Springers crave blood because of an genetic inability to efficiently store certain minerals. Unless the consume a cup of blood every few days, they develop symptoms resembling mange and eczema. Their lustrous coats fade and fall out in patches while the exposed skin grows gray-ish, thick and scabrous, flaking off in large scale-like chunks. Without hair, Springers bear a striking resemblance to early reports of chupacabras, with scaly, flaking skin, powerful, kangaroo-like legs, and large fangs. Springers behave like normal dogs most of the time, but occasionally act oddly, growling at unseen subjects or refusing to enter certain rooms or vehicles. The breed is especially prone to neurosis.

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Attributes: Agilityd8, Smartsd6(A), Spiritd6, Strengthd8, Vigord8 Skills: Fightingd8, Intimidationd8,Noticed6 Charisma: n/a, Pace: 9 , Parry: 6, Toughness: 7 Special Abilities: Armor: Beneath their fur, Springers have tough scabrous hides, increasing their Toughness by+1. Bite: Str+d4 Fleet Footed: Roll a d10 instead of a d6 when running. Go For The Throat: Springers instinctively go for an opponents soft spots. With a raise on an attack roll, it hits the targets most weakly armored location. Leaping: Springers are exceptionally good at jumping. They can make a standing 2 long jump and can clear 4 with a running start. A successful Strength roll increases either distance by 2 . Low-Light Vision: Springers large eyes allow them to ignore penalties for Dim and Darklighting. Mutant Compulsion: Springers must make a successful Spirit test each day or be compelled to seek out fresh blood. If confronted with a ready source of blood (such as a fresh body) they must make another Spirit test to avoid lapping it up immediately. Tactics Before Combat: The dogs appear to flee when confronted. With their superior speed they can generally outrun anything not in a vehicle. Once out of sight, they circle around to surround their opponents and hide. Despite their advantageous mutations, the dogs are individually weaker than the average player character and lack distance attacks. Consequently, youll need to send 2 dogs per player to attack or ensure that Eugene Sellers is nearby to provide covering fire for his precious beasts. Tactics During Combat: The dogs will use wolf-pack tactics. The lead dog draws the partys attention while the rest charge in from flanking positions and make leap attacks on their prey. Their enhanced speed lets them hide outside the range increments of most handguns while still being able to close the distance and attack in the same round. If half the dogs are wounded, the pack will flee. If pursued, the most heavily wounded dog becomes bait while the others circle around for a second series of flanking charges.

Sheriff Mathew Underwood

In his late 50s Sheriff Underwood is a strict enforcer of by-the-book justice. In part this is due to a lack of creativity on his part but mostly his rigid adherence to procedure stems from an incident he experienced in the army. Two of his squad-mates died and a third was wounded as a result of failing to follow munitions-handling instructions. Underwood witnessed the whole thing and the experience left him with slight hearing loss and a strong desire to follow the rules. Both conditions grew more pronounced over the following thirty years. Underwood believes that the law was established to protect people, even from themselves. His catch-phrase is The laws the law. You dont like it, write your congressman. While he is completely uncompromising in enforcing the law, he is equally uncompromising in treating prisoners and suspects well. He has no tolerance for prejudice or cruelty and while he may personally dislike people who skirt the edges of the law, he ever hassles suspicious people or tries to run them out of town unless theyve definitely done something wrong. (He may follow them around all day in his patrol car, but he doesnt directly threaten or menace.)

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If the player characters are (or claim to be) members of a law-enforcement organization, he extends them every courtesy, sharing police reports, information, and possibly even the load of equipment assuming their story checks out. If he catches them lying to him or they have no legitimate reason to be lurking near crime scenes he is polite but curt. Should the player characters actually commit any crimes while in town, he makes every effort to arrest them. Tactics Before Combat: Sheriff Underwood always tries to diffuse a situation rather than allowing it to escalate but always makes it clear that the law is the law, and for him to back down would be against the law. He is firm but fair and only fires first after issuing plenty of warnings and if theres no other options. Tactics During Combat: The sheriff tries to avoid melee combat, leaving that to his younger deputies; if he enters a fist fight its to end it. Quickly. Against armed humans, the sheriff shoots to wound, hoping to force a surrender and capture his foes alive. Against animals, the sheriff avoids attacking as long as he can and tries to stall for time until Animal Control arrives. However if citizens are in danger or he or his men are bitten, hell put the beast down as quickly and cleanly as possible to avoid suffering.

Rank: Veteran (50xp) Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8 Skills: Drivingd8, Fighting d6, Intimidationd8, Investigation d6, Knowledge(Area Knowledge) d4, Notice d4+2, Persuasiond4, Shooting d8, Streetwise d6, Tracking d6 Charisma: 0, Pace: 6 , Parry: 5, Toughness: 8/10 Hindrances: Code of Honor (Scrupulously follow the letter and spirit of thelaw), Enemy(Elias Ryan), Stubborn Edges: Alertness, Brave, Dodge, Quick Draw, Steady Hands Gear: Handcuffs, Kevlar Vest, Police Cruiser, 2-way Police Band Radio, Smith & Wesson Pistol (12/24/48 2d6+1). Underwood has a Flares, 2 days of Emergency Rations, and a Pump Action Shotgun (12/24/48 1-3d6) in the trunk of his car.

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Deputies
Rank: Novice (Extras) Attributes: Agilityd8, Smartsd6, Spiritd6, Strengthd6, Vigor d8 Skills: Drivingd6, Fightingd6, Intimidation d4, Investigation d4, Knowledge(Area Knowledge)d6, Notice d6, Repair d4, Shooting d6, Streetwised6, Survival d6 Charisma: 0, Pace: 6 , Parry: 4, Toughness: 7/9 Hindrances: Clueless Edges: Extraction Gear: Handcuffs, Kevlar Vest, Police Cruiser, 2-way Police Band Radio, Smith & Wesson Pistol (12/24/48 2d6+1), Taser (2/4/8 2d6 non-lethal)* * Those hit by a taser must make a Vigor roll at -2 (plus any armor worn) or be Shaken before applying damage. If the target rolls a 1 on their Vigor die they may take lethal damage.

Sheriff Underwoods deputies are, for the most part, people who couldnt find any other job. Protect and serve is a noble ideal but a regular paycheck is a lot more appealing. Most enjoy the relative peacefulness of a small town, but on some level, they crave the action and excitement of the big city cops that they see on TV. This occasionally causes them to overreact to situations. Tactics: If a fight breaks out, their first response is almost always to call for backup and use delaying tactics until it arrives. Their primary concern is protecting any civilians and removing them from danger. Subduing opponents is secondary. They favor tasers, and non-lethal weapons in combat since gunfire means more paperwork for them. However, if fired upon, they will reluctantly defend themselves with lethal force.

Resolution
The players should be able to identify the mutant Sellers Springer dogs as the real killers fairly easily. There are several directions in which they could proceed afterward. Primarily, there is the issue of what to do with the dogs. Sheriff Underwood will want the dogs put to sleep in compliance with state law; Any animal who kills a human must be put to death. On the other hand, the research division would dearly love to have live mutants to study. Theyll settle for dead mutants if thats what they can get but Underwood will insist on cremation. Eugene Sellers will be willing to work with the player characters if it means that some of his hounds will live. He is willing to do nearly anything to help the characters sneak a pair of dogs out of town.

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Secondly theres the issue of the dogs themselves and what caused them to mutate in the first place. Are there black stones somewhere on the kennel property? Perhaps trace amounts of black stone powder found their way into the vitamin and mineral supplements Sellers fed them. Is it a concoction he made himself or are other shipments from the same factory mutating dogs all around the country? Then, theres the matter of Miranda Hobbs. Currently, she uses her psychic abilities sparingly, but were she to intensify her efforts, she could potentially raise the local instability of the area around her home to dangerous levels. She is a major contributor to the instability rating of the Old Woods, but the Old Woods is a large place; she cant be the only source. Perhaps theres mineral deposits containing black stones underneath the Old Woods. Maybe the town hides another psychic. Investigating this possibility is a potential jumping off point for yourcampaign. Finally, the urban legends and ghost stories saturating Bremen, may have some basis in fact. Investigating the wealth of local folklore offers countless campaign possibilities.

Not sure what Black Stones or instability is? Its all described in the R.E.A.C.T. Campaign Worldbook, now on sale.

Maps
The following pages contain a sample map of the Old Woods, Sellers Kennel and the Eugene Sellers house.

Dog Run

Puppy Mill Kennels

Springer Kennels

Storage Guest Bedroom Master Bedroom Grooming Quarantine Kennel (for sick or new dogs) Adoption Rooms

Bathroom Living Room Kitchen

Broom Closet

Restrooms

Waiting Room

Dining Room

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