Steampower Publishing Presents

NIGHT OF THE

SANTA CLAWS
A Tale of Terror for
Dead of Night
by
andrew kenrick

OUT NOW IN ALL

GOOD GAME STORES!

Dead of Night

NIGHT OF THE SANTA CLAWS

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
Im telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Premise
Christmas takes a nightmarish twist as a Santa themed killer
comes a calling.

Background
The Santa Claus killer, or just plain Santa Claws, is an urban
legend in Chaddlestone. His murderous exploits a seasonal
tradition of sorts in the hapless town are reported with
glee and frenzy in the tabloids for weeks after. Whoever or
whatever he is, Santa Claws has never been caught and few
of his victims have survived to tell their tales.

Overview
Tis the night before Christmas and the PCs have checked
into Chaddlestone Valley ski resort. As Christmas Eve draws

Dead of Night
on a red-suited visitor pays them a visit, but he does not bear
gifts of joy, but gifts of death! Santa Claws is coming to town,
and he has decided that the guests have been very naughty
indeed, proceeding to murder them one by one.
If the PCs cant stop his killing spree, they may just be able
to escape the resort and ee downhill to the town if they
can somehow escape over the heavy snowfall.
PCs play the guests and staff at the resort, and need not
know each other before the scenario begins. Ideally they
should have some misdemeanour or sin in their past that
Santa Claws has decided to punish them for.

Setting
Chaddlestone Valley ski resort is usually a popular escape at
Christmas but this year the heavy snow has meant few people
can reach it. The resort is high up in the mountains overlooking Chaddlestone, reached only by a narrow mountain road.
There has been heavy snowfall this year good for skiing,
not so good for eeing a murderous Santa.
The resort comprises a large hotel including a restaurant
and bar. At Christmas the hotel is usually full with some 500
people, but this year there are barely 20 guests, all scattered
throughout the labyrinth of corridors and rooms. Many of

Dead of Night
the hotels staff have found themselves stranded away from
the resort, unable to get to work and leaving only a skeleton
crew in charge.
The resort has a couple of ski slopes snaking their way up
the mountain and serviced by a series of ski lifts. Ski hire and
lessons are all provided by the hotel.

Santa Claws
Dressed in a blood-red suit with eyes as black as coal, hair as
white as snow and claws as sharp as needles, the legend has
it that Santa Claws preys on those who have been naughty,
bringing them death and destruction on Christmas Eve.
Nobody is entirely sure who or what Santa Claws is. Some
say he is a mortal serial killer with a grudge to bear against
the holiday season, others say he is a force of nature, an equal
and opposite force to Santa Claus.
Santa Claws comes down the chimney to get to his victims,
his body contorting to t through the tightest of gaps. If the
chimney is not big enough he has no qualms about making
his own entrance by ripping a hole in the roof.
Santa Claws travels about on a sleigh pulled by rabid wolves
and accompanied by insane dwarves armed with their lethal

Dead of Night
toys.

Identify 4/Obscure 4/Whos been naughty, whos been nice 6

Persuade 2/Dissuade 8
Pursue 4/Escape 2/Steady Pace 10/Sleigh of Doom 8
Assault 4/Protect 4/Sharp Claws 8
Survival Points 5
Killer Dwarves
Identify 5/Obscure 5
Persuade 4/Dissuade 6
Pursue 4/Escape 4/Killer Traps 8
Assault 4/Protect 2/Legion 8/Lethal Toys 6
Survival Points 4
Snarling Wolves
Identify 4/Obscure 4/Sniff out Victims 8
Persuade 2/Dissuade 6/Snarl 8
Pursue 4/Escape 4/Snapping at your Heels 8
Assault 4/Protect 2/Fangs and Claws 8/Legion 6
Survival Points 4

Dead of Night
Beginning (Starting Tension 3)
The scenario begins with the PCs driving up into the
mountains on Christmas Eve, either altogether or separately.
The snow is falling heavily and the going is tough make it
clear that its a good job theyre not heading home again until
after Christmas, because another nights snowfall will cut the
mountain road off altogether.
Arriving at the resort the PCs are greeted by a skeleton
crew of staff most of their colleagues remain stuck in
Chaddlestone and only a few of them have made it up to the
resort for the Christmas shift. The PCs will discover that they
are one of only a handful of guests who have managed to get
to the resort. Allow them to explore the hotel and play up
quite how lonely and empty it feels with only a few guests.
Give the PCs an opportunity to meet and greet one another
the resort bar is a suitable place to while the evening away
in front of the re in the great stone replace.

Middle (Tension 5-8)

As the evening dies down and the guests drift away to bed,
Santa Claws pays the resort a visit. Those awake as midnight
approaches will hear the tinkling of sleigh bells outside,
and may even catch a glimpse of Santa on his sleigh! More

Dead of Night
disconcerting are the sounds of snarling from his wolves and
the insane giggling from his dwarves, as well as the smashing
of tiles as he stomps across the rooftop.
Soon after the rst guest is murdered, dismembered
messily in his bed. PCs may be alerted by the guests screams, or
perhaps the scream of another guest discovering the body.
Santa Claws then begins to stalk the guests of the hotel (only
those guests that have been naughty, not nice), crashing
through their windows or squeezing down their chimneys.
He will try to catch victims who are alone, using his dwarves
and wolves to separate victims from their friends.
PCs will swiftly be alerted to the death and destruction, and
may wind up on the naughty list themselves. From then on
the PCs should feel that they are being stalked throughout
the resort, perhaps having a low key encounter with some of
Santas minions before the nale with Santa Claws himself.

End (Tension 10+)

As the number of guests are whittled down Santa Claws will
turn his attention to the PCs. No matter what the PCs throw
at him he will keep on coming. By this time the hunt is fully
on and he will strike frequently and with impunity, stalking
down corridors and across the snow.

Dead of Night
It is entirely possible that several of the PCs will be
dismembered messily in the process. Remember to introduce
their new character as quickly as possible!
The PCs may attempt to escape, eeing down the mountainside. There are a number of options for escape, from snowmobiles and skidoos to skis and bobsleighs, all provided by
the hotel for the use of the guests. Of course, Santa Claws
has his own mode of transport and will give chase on his
sleigh until the PCs escape, or he catches up with them.

Ending the Scenario

The scenario can end in one of three ways the PCs are all
slain, the PCs escape down the mountain, or the PCs manage
to kill/stop Santa Claws.
The rst option is inevitable if the PCs are not imaginative
or proactive, but the least fun of the lot. Some or all of the
PCs should survive, but if they deserve it, by all means nish
them off!
The second option is the most likely outcome for the
adventure, leaving Santa Claws free for the sequel. You should
endeavour to foreshadow the escape by placing the various
escape mechanisms earlier in the adventure. The chase should
be exciting and escape not guaranteed the PCs may think

Dead of Night
they have escaped, only to have Santas sleigh attack them
from a blind angle.
The nal option is the least likely outcome and depends on
the PCs using their surroundings imaginatively. The resort is
made from wood and stone and it is possible to burn it down
and trap Santa within its ruins. A more dramatic end could
involve the PCs setting a trap for Santa, blowing him up using
some of the fuel used in the hotels generators.

STEAMPOWER PUBLISHING LTD

WWW.STEAMPOWERPUBLISHING.CO.UK
Dead of Night is published by SteamPower Publishing Ltd.
5 Jupiter House, Calleva Park, Reading, Berkshire,
RG7 8NN, England
All material is 2005 SteamPower Publishing
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly
forbidden.
Registered in England and Wales, company #04894085

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Dead of Night
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