Choose A Bounty
Something must motivate the players to report to the local monster bounty outpost known as the Underground Twilight. There you will have selected their first/next monster, which you can find in the Underground Twilight Bounties section. Or you may give them the opportunity to select from one or two.
Underground Twilight Bounties
Below is a list of bounties to challenge the players, all of which are very open ended. The GM may select a scenario for the players or present them with a few to choose from. Without giving away any surprises, of course. You will find the Underground Exchange Rate for bounties collected (IE, the monsters killed), below these scenarios.
Levels 1-3
In the Highland Hills neighborhood there are reports of people going to bed and falling into comas. Sam Beiderbecke claims they have video of a monster visiting their teen daughter late at night and stealing her dreams. They fear their daughter will die if the monster keeps coming. When players investigate they will fight a Night Terror.
The Patriot Springs Gas & Electric Company have made several reports of monsters terrorizing underground utility workers at a substation near a school zone, where several children have gone missing. When players investigate they find a nest of Headless Cannibals preparing a feast.
Councilwoman Lydia Murphy claims a child appears to her at night just outside the Central Promenade of Town Square. She has tried to find the child's parents or called for Child Protective Services but by the time assistance arrives she has been found sleeping on a bench. When players investigate they will fight a Vampire Fledgling.
Harold Greenspan at the Regional Airport Authority has reported seeing little green men on the airplanes and all over the airport. He's very stressed and going on very little sleep so he may be hallucinating. When investigating, players will have to fight a nest of Imps.
In the Paristown neighborhood a young mother claims her baby was abducted by a lion-headed woman. Players must act quickly to stop a Baby Momma from eating the abducted baby.
The local media has been reporting that both City Council and the Police are ignoring 'unfounded calls from the public' that the dead are rising from their graves at Cavern Hills Cemetery, the city's oldest and largest cemetery. When players investigate they will find subterranean caverns that lead to a secret base where (possibly) the government has been conducting experiments for a project known as PHAEGUS (Postmortem Hyper Aggressive Eugenio Genetic Ultra Soldier). They must face several Phaegus Zombies to retrieve this information and then face a Horde while trying to escape.
Levels 4-7
Far on the outskirts of town is Baris Organic Farms. Nearby communities report frequent sounds of large dogs or wolves howling at night, and the Baris Family has reported cattle mutilations. Meanwhile, a local church (Gooseberry Creek Baptist), has suddenly closed its doors. When players investigate they find the youngest son of the Baris' is a Wolf Person, having been turned by Pastor Miller.
Chairman Ferguson of the Transit Authority of Patriot Springs is believed to have been abducted by a flying monster, having been lifted directly from his Mustang Convertible one evening when leaving his office. Investigation will reveal a Griffin has taken him to its nest somewhere on Mount Washington to be fed to its young, which are about to hatch.
Officer Perkins of the PSPD has tried to enlist the FBI to investigate the Chief of Police Jacquelyn Morris as being "replaced by an imposter". An investigation will reveal that Chief Morris has been replaced by a Pod Person and is herself about to be sacrificed to their carnivorous plant god.
Randal Cunningham, Chief of Patriot Springs Fire & Rescue, has been sending fire units to "The Caves of Splendor", an abandoned tourist attraction, each night for two weeks on false alarms. He at first believed the calls were hoaxes or else some technical issue at the source. But when a fire unit failed to return after one of these false alarms he reported the crew missing. An investigation at the abandoned attraction will reveal a Hot Mess.
Devon Marcus, a Committee Board Member at Patriot Springs Gas & Electric, has a private collection of "oddities" in his office. He claims that a custodian told him that late one night one of his oddities came to life. The custodian acted quickly and locked the oddity in a broom closet. The next morning the oddity was again lifeless. A second incident followed the next night and again the custodian locked the oddity in the same broom closet. An investigation will have the players fighting a Mummy.
Clyde Fischer, the CEO of the Water Works company, was gifted a small exotic "idol" from the Middle East. It now sits on his desk very prominently. Heavy wind storms have affected the area since he received the gift, and now the historic Water Tower has been damaged. An investigation will reveal a Pazuzu in connection with the idol.
Francesca Boiardi has a grand opening for a new expansion of Jett's Eatery and she wants nothing to go wrong for her very important and high profile celebrity clientele. Recently a contractor was abducted by a monster and dragged down into the sub-basement. No one attempted to follow for a rescue and Francesca ordered the staff to keep their mouths shut about it. An investigation on the night of the grand opening will have the players fighting a Karen from the subterranean cavern below the restaurant to the exclusive new dining room above.
Ingrid Willoughby of the Free Public Library hides a secret in her secret office at the very open to the public library. Just past the darkest section of book cases, standing guard at the head of the stairs leading down into the basement where Ms. Willoughby's secret office is hidden, is the large Babylonian statue of a Lammasu from the ancient Middle East. Its lionine frame is intimidating enough, but its human-like face has frightened more than one or two children. In fact the entire staff avoids it altogether. When questioned about where it comes from no one knows. If Ms. Willoughby knows she isn't saying. When investigating the library at night the Guardian (at the Gates of Babylon) will awaken and fight to prevent the players from going into the basement. If they make it to the basement they will find Ms. Willoughby in her office kneeling before an altar of the goddess Ishtar. She will reveal herself to be an avatar of the goddess with plans to destroy Patriot Springs.
Ishtar Avatar
Injury: 18
CP: 30
EP: 100
Special
Thunderstorm: She conjures a thunderstorm that does Injury: 13 perpetually each round of battle until she is successfully attacked, interrupting her concentration. Once interrupted, she must herself be successful with an attack to conjure the storm again (ie, the player/s must fail their attack roll).
Numerous reports have come in that The Falls of Patriot Springs is haunted by the spirit of an angry environmentalist who is attacking male visitors who toss coins for wishes into the waters. When investigating, players will face a Mermaid From Hell.
Emma Caulfield was abducted nearly a week ago from Poindexter's IT Service after the shop closed and the police have done nothing. So her mother says. The only lead they have is what her mother told them, that Emma was supposed to meet her at the Zoo that Saturday afternoon. The only piece of evidence police found was a diagnostic laptop she used for work near the lion habitat. Also, the zoo's lions have been acting rather strange of late. An investigation will lead the players to Emma being held captive in rather high regard by a few Lion-Men (equal in number to the party).
People have gone missing and returned not quite themselves at Cockburn's Distillery & Firearms Bazaar, only to go missing and not return ever again. When players investigate they are unable to determine who the proprietor is but a few of the vendors think they remember someone by name of Norma Barnaby runnin' the place. She sure was bossy. Had an office somewhere in the back. Players find evidence that Norma was hiding what looks to be a flying saucer and will fight a Thing From Outer Space.
A ghost is haunting the Fix-A-Car Automotive Repairs shop, which has been closed since recent activity has put the lives of the employees at risk. The only contact for the shop is Andrew, who is skeptical. When players arrive they are unable to find Andrew at first. When they do it is made clear to them that Andrew is the ghost. He will become upset and they will be forced to try and fight the ghost. Their weapons will be useless but a successful Intellect roll will reveal they may use salt to capture the ghost in a circle and iron as a weapon.
Ghost
Injury: 18
CP: 30
EP: 325
Special
Unless the ghost is trapped within a circle of salt it may Escape any Attack from iron weapons at will. The ghost can only be injured by iron.
The subdivisions of Lake Green and Emerald Forest have been overrun by Phaegus Zombies. Police have been forced to respond and are overwhelmed. The City Council has retained the services of the Underground Twilight and many monster hunters have already responded. When players join in the fray they will be led to the house of Dr. Thaddeus Crane, a prominent necrologist in the field of necro-science and the Head of the PHAEGUS Project. Dr. Crane's entire family is now undead, but the doctor himself is locked away in a 'safe-room'. In Dr. Crane's office players will find evidence that the Crane family has been experimenting on the dead since January of 1818. When they moved to America in 1910 they changed their name to Crane from Frankenstein. If players can retrieve Dr. Crane from his safe–room they can turn him over to the authorities and expose his identity. They must face groups of Phaegus Zombies in various sizes, including hordes. Yes. That's more than one horde.
Levels 8-10
Crowds have been keeping THE Johnathon busy at the Salon on Main Street. Oh, he was good before. Now he's a genius, they say. "Sally", a secret whistleblower who has worked as an elite fashion consultant there since THE Johnathon opened his fashionable shop, claims she witnessed her boss going into a backroom and asking a "little person" to grant a wish. Details are sketchy, but she has seen this happen more than once in the past two weeks. Everytime it does, she says business increases by 200% and media attention swells. She has had very little sleep and she thinks a little person is being held captive. Investigation reveals a Leprechaun.
A fresh bounty has just come in from a Chandler Chesterfield at Dandy's Handy General Store. He says that an extremely large disfigured man has broken into the store and is rummaging about for God knows what and 9-1-1 (police/emergency services) has ignored his calls for help, which he really needs because the large disfigured man tore his arm off and he’s bleeding out. Please send help. Players will face Frankenstein’s Creature. GM is encouraged to work this into the Phaegus plot.
While on holiday at the beautiful Benjamin Franklin National Park, Mrs. Viola Bernheim mysteriously vanished from the banks of the lake. Witnesses say a grotesque figure sprang out of the lake and grabbed Mrs. Bernheim and then plunged back into the lake with her struggling in its arms. Players will face The Fish Man (From That Famous Lagoon). They will need to rescue Mrs. Bernheim from the Fish Man's lair; a cavern beneath the lake.
In the Marshall neighborhood reports of violent firebombings have been reported, causing property damage to the already dilapidated buildings and taking the lives of at least four people. When players investigate they will find strange egg-like pods in an abandoned warehouse and will face numerous Extraterrestrial Morphers, including a queen.
Oscar down at the 2nd Street Grocers, has reported his 23 year old son as missing and the police have done nothing. The son, "Brandon", has had a troubled history with local gangs. He was once suspected by police of being an enforcer for the 18th Street Gang, and they are not motivated to "solve" his disappearance. Oscar claims he witnessed his son's abduction from his place of business (the 2nd Street Grocers) about closing time, when an invisible force inexplicably picked the young man up, turned him upside down and carried him out of the store. Oscar followed out the back into the alley but never saw his son again. When players investigate they will discover Brandon's body flayed and hanging in a meat locker of a nearby processing plant. They will then face an Extraterrestrial Invisible Predator.
At Saint James Trinitarian Church an entire congregation witnessed a manifestation of evil during mass when demonic chains seemingly appeared out of nowhere and latched onto Fr. Patrick. Amidst the screams of terror the priest was pulled into a 'black mist' and vanished. The Holy See has sent an exorcist from the Vatican to investigate who is requesting 'mercenary' assistance. Players will face Nail Face.
The Museum of Oddities is asking for help with an investigation concerning one of their most popular attractions. A boy doll affectionately called 'Rusty', has been disappearing from its display at night, only to turn up elsewhere in the museum when staff arrives the next morning. They have tried hiring security but each guard has either quit or have themselves gone missing after their shift. Players will face Possessed Doll Boy.
Southern Central Highschool has a problem: 6 of its students have been murdered in their sleep, 3 of them in the school itself. When players investigate they will be led to the house of student Nancy Langencamp, where they will face The Dream Man.
A journalist has gone missing from Camp Glass Lake after he went looking for a sensationalized story about camp counselors abusing children. The only clue he left behind was a text to his producer stating he had found a shed in the middle of the woods. He also sent a blurry image of what might be a severed head. Players will face Camp Slasher.
Way out of town, surrounded by scattered and desolate mountains, sits a dry patch of land that was once vibrant farmland. Now a lonely house sits there occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Deetz, who claim sinkholes have made it impossible for them to leave the house or for anyone to visit and 'sit a spell'. They're concerned they may starve to death. If anyone could help them out of their situation they'd be obliged and in their debt. Players will face Giant Carnivorous Worms.
Oakwood National Park is a lovely place to camp from April - September. People from all over the U.S. visit the park to take in its beauty and marvel at the oldest known oakwood trees on the North American Continent. Legend has it that the North American Great Ape calls these woods home, but that's just silly. Anyway! Naturalists and explorers have recently been threatened by a large bear of some sort, and a few families have threatened to sue for negligence, citing emotional damages caused by the same unidentified bear of unusual size. A small boy was abducted by the bear but later returned to its parents after the child wouldn't stop crying. Players will face Bigfoot.
A family of Chupacabras is claiming they own the land of Miss Deloise about 30 minutes south of the city. Miss Deloise has never heard of a talking Chupacabra, much less a family of them, but her own family of goat farmers has been harassed by the little goat suckers for almost 80 years. Players will face vindictive Chupacabras who have recently learned how to use the internet.
Dracula has recently taken control of City Council and every public office of Patriot Springs, including the police. Everyone seems okay with it, and every woman in the city wants to 'serve' their new lord. Wives have left their husbands, girlfriends have dumped their boyfriends, grandmothers are leaving their assisted living communities, feminists support Dracula for president and lesbians can't explain why they get lost in his eyes. It's chaos! Players will face Dracula at the Mayor's mansion.
Phaegus Zombies are now overrunning the entire city of Patriot Springs and the U.S. Military has been called in. If players can fight their way through the zombies and make it to basecamp at City Hall they will meet General Thom Matthews who will be thankful for their help. They will learn that Dr. Crane was tasked by the government to engineer a new method to fight all the monsters invading from space, extra dimensions, and possibly Hell itself. But the PHAEGUS Project has become uncontrollable and now they must destroy the zombies before the virus can spread any further. Gen. Matthews has an antivirus created by Dr. Crane that can be delivered through the city's water. Players will need to infiltrate the water plant and clear it of zombies before an airstrike carrying nuclear missiles is called in to level the entire city! GM will need to throw several groups of Phaegus Zombies at players, including multiple hordes, and decide if the city of Patriot Springs will be utterly destroyed by a nuclear assault.
Special note: there are no scenarios for Gigantopithecus or King of the Monsters. If GM decides to build any adventure centered on either of these monsters players will not survive. Well, possibly the giant gorilla. But there's no way they'll survive King of the Monsters.
Underground Exchange Rate
Monster Hunters can easily find an outpost in Patriot Springs to either exchange heads (or other evidence of a monster kill) for money. They can also take on a bounty case or in some other way find employment. Depending on the outpost and recent activity the exchange rate may vary. Prices will fluctuate and hunters may haggle.
Head Exchange Rate
Zombie. $100
2-5. $200
6-10. $300
11-15. $500
16-20. $1,000
21-40. $1,500
41-60. $2,000
61-79. $3,000
80-100. $5,000
Over 100. Negotiable
Night Terror. $500
Headless Cannibal. $1,000
Vampire Fledgling. $1,000
Imp. $1,000
Amazon Woman. $500
Flying Ape. $1,000
Baby Momma. $1,000
Werewolf. $2,000
Griffin. $2,000
Pod People. $3,000
Hot Mess. $2,000
Mummy. $2,000
Pazuzu. $5,000
Karen. $1,000
Lammasu. $3,000
Mermaid. $5,000
Lion Man. $2,500
The Thing. $10,000
Leprechaun. $5,000
Dracula. $1M
Frank.Creature. $700,000
Fish Man. $500,000
ET Morpher. $300,000
ET Pred. $500,000
Nail Face. $1M
" Acolyte. $500,000
Doll Boy. $1M
Dream Man. $2M
Camp Slasher. $5M
Giant Worm. $300,000
Bigfoot. $1M
Chupacabra. $500,000
Giant Gorilla. (unknown)
King/Monsters. (are you crazy?)