The

Curious Doctor
Campbell
 The Curious Doctor Campbell

Pulp Adventure for the City of the Steam Sun

By James Davenport

Credits & Acknowledgements

The City of the Steam Sun By Gleb “Crazy Sage” Igumnov & Vitaliy
“Barahir” Simonov
Cover Art: Alexandr Poda
Internal Art: Igor Savchenko, Arina Tantsyreva, Alexandr Poda
Logo: Alexey Ryabtsev
Cover Design: Arina Tantsyreva
Internal Graphic Design: Alexander Grefenstein
Editing: Mable Friedman
Layout: Pavel Vorontsov

An inexperienced Expeditionary Force squad has been given their biggest as-
signment. They are to dare the treacherous wasteland outside the city to find
and rescue the brilliant scientist and technomage, Dr. Hugo Campbell. Creator
of steam-powered factory automatons, Dr. Campbell is no friend to the com-
mon worker, but he is also on the bad side of City Council. The eccentric went
into self-exile in the wastelands five years ago and might not be too eager to
return. Can our heroes survive hordes of Insect Men, vicious Limbo monsters,
and Dr. Campbell's servants to complete their mission?

The Curious Doctor Campbell is a detailed adventure for the City of the Steam
Sun setting. It is intended for four to six seasoned characters who are either
members of the Expeditionary Force or specialists contracted for this mission.
The adventure will test their wits, their martial skills, their morality and loyalty.

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 qual-
ity, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

Additional materials can be found at www.facebook.com/steamsungames

 Contents

Overview....................................................................... 3

The Story So Far: ........................................................ 6

Open with insect men................................................. 11

Traversing the wasteland............................................ 13

The bridge of anguish................................................. 15

Bring on the horde...................................................... 17

A fine host................................................................... 21

A cordial discussion..................................................... 23

Plan B comes after plan A, if you had a plan A.......... 28

Beyond the iron door.................................................. 32

Through the caves....................................................... 35

Ancient secrets............................................................ 38

All good things............................................................ 41

Bestiary....................................................................... 42
 Overview

The brave members of the Expe- Target Play Length: 6-8 hours
ditionary Force risk all sorts of bi- Theme: Pulp Adventure
zarre dangers when they venture out Our Heroes:
into the wastelands beyond the city. This adventure is written for a
They do this by command of the City squad of Player Characters in the
Council, but their true purpose is to Expeditionary Force. It is suggested
protect the future of this greatest of that they include
• A Seasoned Ranked EF Fighter/
cities and the safety of its citizens.
Officer
Your squad has received the
• EF Technomage
call. Dr. Campbell, a famous • EF Shooter/Limboist (person
dignitary, is living out in the experienced in navigat-
wastelands west of the city ing Limbo with higher
and needs to be rescued. Common Knowledge,
The City Council wants him Science, or Occult)
returned to Council Hall • Doctor/Scientist (po-
tentially a civilian
safe and sound so he can
‘invited’ to join the
continue his good works
squad)
within the protection of • Four additional Ex-
the city itself. It will not peditionary Force
be easy. The wastelands soldiers as Allies.
are always treacherous. (They are new re-
This man went out there cruits and are gen-
for a reason and may not erally referred to as
Charlies). If you have
see the wisdom of return-
more or fewer play-
ing to the city. It is your
ers than four, add or
assignment to convince reduce the number
him and bring him home, of Allies to stay at a
willing or not. squad size of 8.

6 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 The Story
So Far
Doctor Hugo Campbell is a fa-
mous Technomage and an emigrant
to the Web from his native Scotland.
There are rumors that he fled the
University of Edinburgh because of
his inquiries into the occult nature
of brimstone. He is famous for some
of the initial research into brim-
stone that enabled the city to use it
to power all sorts of machines. He
is perhaps infamous for his Camp-
bell Machines: clockwork automa-
tons shaped like animals powered by
brimstone-fueled steam which have
been adopted for use in some facto-
ries in the Web, displacing hundreds
of workers.
Campbell has always been too
independent for the City Council’s
preference though they have been
glad to harness and profit from his
intellect and skill with brimstone
and machines. Naturally, he is
deeply hated by those who see the
dangers in using brimstone, those
want a monopoly on brimstone
knowledge, and those who see his
Automatons putting poor people
out of work. Dr. Campbell was crip-
The Curious Doctor Campbell
pled in an attempt on his life that
he blames on demons opposing his
research into brimstone but others
blame the Clappers.
Five years ago, Campbell discov-
ered the ruins of a huge fortress out
in the treacherous wastelands of
Limbo some forty kilometers west of
the city. He restored the structure in
order to house his laboratories and
allow him to perform experiments
on brimstone beyond the reach of
the City Council and the Iron Embas-
sy. No one knows how a crippled sci-
entist found a fortress in the middle
of nowhere. They say he is alone out
there though ably served by his elab-
orately designed, steam-driven metal
Automatons. The City Council has
decided that his skills are irreplace-
able so he must be “rescued” from
this dangerous place. The squad is
assigned the mission of journeying
to Campbell’s fortress and ensuring
that he returns to the city safely. The
squad leader is also given a sealed
envelope to deliver to Campbell
when they arrive “to make the mis-
sion to bring him home easier.”
7
 What do you know about the good doctor?
Roll the better of Common Knowl-
edge, Research, or Science.
Critical Failure: Dr. Who?
Failure:
• Sounds like this guy the com-
mander said we must rescue.
• His Automatons killed some fac-
tory workers that tried to break
them. (This is somewhat true, the
workers did not actually die but
were hurt by the Automatons).
• They say Campbell is half Au-
tomaton himself, volunteering
to cut off his healthy legs to be
‘more like a machine’. (This is
false though he does have a chair
automaton with chicken legs to
move him around. His legs are
badly injured and barely usable.)
Success: A Technomage, big in
brimstone and making mechanical
workers
No One Knows but They May Discover during
the Adventure:
• A much more experienced squad
was going to get this assign-
ment but last-minute pressure
by Captain Silus Montgomery
got the commander to assign
this less proven squad to re-
trieve and protect the Doctor.
Montgomery is a closet admirer
of Campbell and doesn’t want
his work disrupted. He’s betting
these novices will get them-
selves killed by Insect Men or by
Campbell’s defenses.
• The envelope they carry is from
Montgomery to Campbell warn-
ing him that the squad will at-
8 The Curious Doctor Campbell
Each Raise: (one of the following –
so different people get different
nuggets of information)
• A lot of people don’t like him.
His mechanical workers took a
lot of jobs from people.
• He’s told the newspapers that
brimstone is unnatural and that
the demons are behind it.
• He was almost killed on the city
streets and claims demons at-
tacked him.
• He told the papers that he was
going to make a secure labora-
tory out in the wastes to con-
tinue his vital research without
meddlers.
• A retired EF soldier swears he
saw Campbell walking among
the Insect Men without being
attacked.
tempt to take him back to the
Web. Hmmm, will they open the
envelope before they arrive?
• One of the PCs is being con-
trolled by extremist Clappers.
They have his/her family and
threaten to kill them if the PC
doesn’t kill Campbell before the
squad returns to the city. This
PC has been told that there is
a Clapper loyalist within the
squad ready to kill the PC if they
fail to act. (It is a bluff. There is
no such person.) The coerced
PC might wish to invest in a
concealable weapon.
 Some Key Aspects of the Setting

The City of the Steam Sun setting has many unique and flavorful
aspects to it. Some of them are highlighted in this adventure. We
recommend that you pay special attention to the following sections
in both the Book of the Creator and the Book of Mortals.
• The Expeditionary Force
• Limbo & the Wastelands
• Equipment including Mechanical weapons especially for
the  concepts of Malfunctions and their normal behavior.
• The Clappers
• Homo Odonatus creatures

How it all might play out...

Even if the squad is able to grab
and incapacitate Campbell, they will
likely have to fight their way out of
the fortress through his loyal Au-
tomatons. If they have discovered
the caverns, that is the safest way
back to the city, especially if they
have the Steam Crawler.
Going back overland will be diffi-
cult. If they depart during the storms
and use Campbell’s Pacification Ma-
chine, they can get out of the area
while the horde still focuses on the
fortress. A manageable number of
Insect Men would attack the Steam
Crawler. The rest would keep attack-
ing the fortress, blinded by their ha-
tred of Campbell.
If Campbell gets the upper hand,
he might kill them with his Automa-
tons or send them out of the fortress
to die. If they get him back to the
city alive, he’ll plead with them to
let him go, promising them his in-
ventions or wealth. If they don’t aid
him, he’ll be shackled and impris-
oned to work for the City Council,
never to be seen again.

The Curious Doctor Campbell 9

 Thinking Outside the Box

This a fantastical setting so en- ure trove of available parts or even

courage creative solutions to the
various challenges. The Automa-
tons are a tough fight so remember
to reward good role-playing and
creative thinking with Bennies. To
solve the problems, they might con-
sider fabricating an alternate reason
for coming to the fortress. Enticing
Campbell back to the city with some
story might work if they play on his
weaknesses. “The City Council has
been disbanded and the University
is ruling in the interim. The Univer-
sity sent us here with an invitation
and protection if you wanted to re-
join them in this dark period.” They
could pretend to actually be on his
side using evidence of the superior
squad being taken off the mission.
Strong allies of his are ready for him
to take his rightful place back in the
City and the Expeditionary Force is
behind him. Ruses like that would
take some understanding of the set-
ting so if this is run as a one-shot, be
very liberal in accepting those sorts
of ideas.
In the fortress, they have ample
opportunity for a Technomage to
invent something using the treas-
modify some existing Automatons
to obey her instead of Dr. Campbell.
Someone with a reasonably strong
Science or similar skill might be
able to crack the Click language,
realizing that it is like Morse Code
but more efficient (click groupings
for common words). That could
let them trigger the Automatons
programming when it is to their
own advantage or at least under-
stand what the Automatons and
Campbell are saying to each other.
They could even allow the Insect
Men into the fortress, protecting
themselves with the Pacification
Machine, and keeping the Autom-
atons busy fighting the horde. If
the fortress is lost, they might be
Campbell’s only way to survive.
As to our secret assassin, if the
squad fails to bring Campbell back,
she could convince the others to
stick with a story that Campbell is
dead which would keep her family
alive and make their failure less
onerous to the City Council. If
they bring Campbell back but agree
to help him, a similar “Campbell’s
Dead” story could be used.

The Story Now…

The following scenes and transitions follow a linear pattern to start but
once they are in Campbell’s fortress, the story could go different directions
and in different orders.

10 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 SCENE 1:

OPEN WITH
INSECT MEN

Purpose: Let the players get a feel for their characters and how they can
work together in a fight they should be able to win. It will also give them a
taste of the Limbo wastelands before the stakes get higher.

We begin in media res with the Ex- A gently-sloping, boulder-strewn

peditionary Force squad traversing
Limbo through eerie circumstances.
The light is twilight at best and the
way is not always clear even to the
squad Limboist.
pass through a sharp rise of hills
has become narrower as they’ve got-
ten deeper into it. The Charlies are
winded causing the squad to stop
for a rest. Four Insect Men are set

The Curious Doctor Campbell 11

to ambush the squad while a fifth
has already fled to alert their peo-
ple. (For Insect Men, use the Homo
Odonatus Warriors entry from the
City of the Steam Sun Book of the
Creator).
Anyone specifically keeping
watch deserves the chance to make
a Notice check. A success means
they spot some stones shifting up
one slope and are not personally
surprised. A raise, they spot Insect
Men moving into position, can alert
the squad, and ruin the Insect Men’s
surprise round.
All four of the Insect Men begin
12” away from the squad and will
sling at the nearest squad member
to increase their chances of killing
him. They sling from behind large
rocks in the first round while they
enjoy Heavy Cover (-6). Running
up the slope is difficult terrain. The
Insect Men will continue slinging
12 The Curious Doctor Campbell
until the PCs attempt to close the
distance, run away, or use effective
ranged attacks.
Once slinging is no longer an op-
tion, the Insect Men will charge
down the slope, leaping from boul-
der-top to boulder-top, running to
get 1” away from their targets that
round and use their spears with
Reach and Wild Attack. The Insect
Men will fight to the death as their
existence is nothing compared to
the life of the hive. Fleeing is not an
option as it might lead these invad-
ers back to the hive.
The bodies of the Insect Men car-
ry nothing besides their spear and
a water skin made of some sort of
webbing. The Limboist may make
a common knowledge roll +1 and if
successful can inform the squad that
the Insect Men always operate in
groups of five. Word has gotten out.
 SCENE 2:
TRAVERSING
THE WASTELAND
Purpose: Describe more about the wastelands and what make them dif-
ficult. Not a full scene, more of a montage.
Movement in the wastelands is
an exhausting and dangerous chal-
lenge. Certainly the benefit of the
Expeditionary Force armor and gear
is remarkable in counterbalanc-
ing the effects of the environment
but help the players envision what
their characters are going through.
The squad is two days away from
the Web and it will take two more
arduous days to reach Campbell’s
fortress. During this montage, have
them perform Vigor checks as per
the Wastelands of Limbo section in
the Book of the Mortal. Describe the
haunting, dead landscape in detail.
You can use the following ‘read
aloud’ text to describe the situation.
“You’re beginning to think that
the Limbo wastelands are not fit
for man or beast. Leaning into the
wind constantly is exhausting even
though your EF gear protects you
from the worst effects. There is
no water - at least any that you’d
be foolish enough to drink - so you
are all hauling your water ration
The Curious Doctor Campbell
with you. The last lake you walked
around had fire dancing across its
surface, flames that seemed to track
the progress of the squad with inter-
est. Sometimes smoky gasses hang
in the air, fogging the way forward.
They are unaffected by the winds.
The further away from the city
you get, the stronger the winds be-
come and the incessant noises at
the edge of your hearing become
more like moans or screams. They
don’t pay you enough for this job…”
The squad wakes up because one
of the Charlies is screaming. His EF
suit is covered in centipedes each
the size of a man’s arm. The crea-
tures have changed their body color
to match his EF suit making them
harder to hit. They are tearing at his
suit to get to his flesh.
Run this as a Quick Encounter.
Have everyone state their intent and
roll an appropriate skill: Fighting,
Shooting, Notice, Science, etc. Rolls
should be made at +2 as the squad
greatly outnumbers the monsters.
13
Proceed in whatever order makes
sense among the characters. Who-
ever fails their roll and are near the
creatures gets bitten for a Wound.
Those in close combat who only get
a success also get a level of Fatigue
from Bumps and Bruises which will
disappear after 24 hours. If they col-
lectively get less successes than the
number of people in the squad, the
Charlie dies a horrific death as the
surviving creatures penetrate his
suit and burrow into his body. The
14 The Curious Doctor Campbell
creatures can be killed now with pa-
tience.
The Charlie made the mistake of
bedding down on top of a nest of
these things. As the creatures die
they try to shift color to match the
pale dirt of the ground. One of the
Charlies starts calling them Chame-
leopedes. If they saved the Charlie
who was being attacked, his suit
looked ripped to hell. (Armor down
to only +1, Wasteland Protection
down to only +3).
 SCENE 3:

THE BRIDGE
OF ANGUISH

Purpose: Provide a more dangerous encounter with the wastelands com-

bined with a sense of making progress.

Late on day three, the squad starts
seeing an increasing number of In-
sect Men tracks in the dusty soil as
they approach a chasm so deep that
the bottom is lost to the mists. The
gap to the other side is one hun-
dred yards. This isn’t on any maps
but looks like it extends for miles to
the left and right, cutting them off
from the area of Campbell’s fortress.
The Limboist would predict adding
a couple days to try to go around it
which would exhaust their water ra-
tions but the Insect Men tracks have

The Curious Doctor Campbell 15

led them to a sort of bridge across
the chasm.
The bridge looks exceedingly
fragile, made of semi-transparent
strands of a material kind of like
rope, but there are also countless
Insect Men tracks leading to and
from it, suggesting that they use it
regularly. Testing the bridge over
the deep chasm by sending a Char-
lie first will reveal that the bridge is
strong though unsteady in the high
winds. A man moving normal pace
(6” or 12 yards a round) would take
about 9 rounds to get across.
If the squad crosses the bridge
individually with no more than one
person on the bridge at a time, they
will have no problems. If more than
one attempts the bridge, they will
arouse the bridge’s builder, a Glass
Spider. The squad will be fighting
on an Unstable Platform (-2 to all
ranged attacks) due to the winds.
The Glass Spider itself is semi-trans-
parent making it harder to see clear-
ly and hit (-2 to attacks). A critical
failure in melee requires an Agility
check at -2 or the character will go
flying off the bridge. If they make
an Athletics check, they can grab a
strand of the bridge to be hanging by
a thread.
16 The Curious Doctor Campbell
The Glass Spider’s plan of attack
is to start with a Thunder Bellow at-
tack when a group attempts to cross
the bridge. It then shifts out of its
hiding place and throws its Entan-
gling Strands on the Stunned group
all during the Surprise Round It will
repeat this attack if anyone is free to
act in the first common round. If all
nearby are secured, it will approach
and do a bite attack on the nearest
victim (+2 Wild Attack bonus). If it
takes a Wound or the numbers begin
to go against it, it will scuttle into
the web structure of the bridge (un-
der the walkway) to hide and survive.
When it is hiding in its webs, treat it
as having Heavy Cover (-6).
Once the Glass Spider is defeated,
if the squad takes the time to search
the webbing underneath the walk-
way of the bridge, they will find a
large webbed up cache of bones and
things. There are older version EF
suits (+2 Armor, +4 vs. Limbo ef-
fects) in there as well as Insect Men
bodies and even pieces of brimstone.
The webbing is tough (Hardness 7)
but can be hacked through to get at
the creature’s prized things. (The
Charlie with the damaged armor
can swap it out for an undamaged
though gross set.)
 SCENE 4:

BRING ON
THE HORDE

Purpose: Raise the tension and certainty that staying in the wasteland
will prove fatal to the squad. Launch an attack on them by hundreds of
pursuing Insect Men triggering a chase to reach the fortress in the distance
in time.

As they near the fortress and
move through a plain littered with
rocks and boulders, a noise can be
heard over the howl of the winds.
It is a high-pitched chittering, like
hundreds of large cicadas. These
are the Insect Men massing and get-
ting closer. Just when the sounds
are getting so loud it will drive the
squad mad, they cease, leaving only
the wind.
A moment later, five Insect Men
leap up from their hiding spots be-
hind boulders only a few dozen yards
behind the squad and a true horde of
others appear on a slight rise a hun-
dred yards back. They rush forward
with their spears to catch the squad
over rough terrain. We’ll call them
the Sprinters. The fortress, impos-
ing with perhaps three story walls
but no real gatehouse to be seen, is
a quarter mile ahead of them. There
is a sort of defensive point that they
can aim for.
For the Chase, Athletics is the
Maneuvering Skill. Each round is
a minute. The Range Increment is
about 100 yards. The squad will be-
gin the chase on Card 3 and stay to-
gether unless they make a choice to
split up. There are two Insect Men
groups; The Sprinters and the Horde.
The Horde and the Sprinters each
gain a +1 to their maneuver rolls due
to their superior speed. The Horde
begins on Card 1, while the Sprint-
ers begin on Card 2. If the Sprinters
are on the same card as the squad
during their action, they will attack
in melee with their spears. When
the squad reaches Card 9, they’ve
reached the fortress. If the Horde
reaches the squad’s card, the squad
is overwhelmed and incapacitated.
The Insect Men drag the squad off
for unknown purposes.

The Curious Doctor Campbell 17

 Potential Complications during the Chase:
• A jagged rift in the earth in front • Noxious gasses drift across your
of you appears forcing you to path making you momentarily
leap over it. blind and unsure of your footing.
• The ground underneath your • Glancing to your left and right,
feet is suddenly more like shift- all you see are spectral ghost
ing sands throwing you off bal-
forms of the rest of the squad.
ance.
You are running alone among
• Your feet break through the sur-
face into a nest of Chameleo- the ghosts until you blink and
pedes. your very real allies are restored
• A random gust of very strong to your sight. Needless to say,
wind hits you from a new direc- the shock of it might make you
tion, sending you flying. stumble.

18 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 If things go badly
Being captured by the Insect Men
in this scene or later takes the ad-
venture down a different path. The
squad is disarmed, stripped of their
Expedition suits, and bound well.
They are given water and a sort of
tasteless honey to eat, keeping them
alive. In this particular hive, the In-
sect Men number in the hundreds.
They all serve a Queen who is more
than half insect form. The Queen is
very intelligent, and has kept a hu-
man alive to be able to communicate
with other humans. When she plac-
es her hands on his head, he speaks
her words and he listens for her. She
is seeing how to use the squad as
pawns in her quest for revenge on
Dr. Campbell.
She unleashes a monologue:
Campbell came into the wastelands,
proclaimed himself a friend to her
The Curious Doctor Campbell
people, and then enslaved them to
rebuild the fortress. For two years,
she was helpless to kill him or stop
what he was doing with her drones.
Many died during the process.
She is willing to let most of the
squad go if they pledge to open the
entrance to the fortress for their in-
vasion. Do this and she’ll release
the ones she keeps back as hostag-
es. She’ll warn them that if they at-
tempt to escape the hive, she only
needs one of them alive to use as
a bargaining chip. If they refuse to
make a deal with her, they’ll have to
wait, imprisoned while she leaves
ransom messages for Expedition-
ary Force scouts. In that case the
squad will remain imprisoned until
someone comes to bargain for them
or the Expeditionary Force mounts a
rescue sortie.
19
 When they reach card 8, make it
clear that there is no obvious door,
gatehouse, or other opening in the
50’ high wall of the fortress. That
wall has an unusual sheen to it (a
coating as slick as oil to prevent
climbers). There is no signal that
the fortress will welcome them or
even knows that they are out here.
A raise on a Notice check will spot
hulking creatures under heavy
cloaks moving atop the wall. Two or
more raises will spot just enough to
confirm there are at least three cata-
pult mechanisms on the top of the
wall.
Reaching the fortress itself will
20 The Curious Doctor Campbell
be harrowing. Only when the squad
reaches card 9 will they see a dark
opening in the ground in front of
the unbroken wall of the fortress.
The hulking, cloaked creatures on
top of the wall loose their catapults
sending boulders crashing into the
heart of the horde. Unfortunately
the crashing boulders are barely no-
ticed by the horde. The PC’s only
choice is to run down the ramp into
the darkness or face the horde. If
they run or tumble down the ramp,
it shuts quickly behind them, seal-
ing them in some sort of tunnel in
pitch black darkness. (Cliffhanger
moment)
 SCENE 5:
A FINE HOST
Purpose: They get a look inside the fortress and have a chance to rest and
refresh.
About the Automatons
When the squad encounters the
Automatons, they will see that each
one mimics some kind of animal.
An Automaton that hauls heavy
things might look vaguely like a gi-
ant clockwork ox. One that tends a
library might resemble a spider or
orangutan. Ones built to defend
Dr. Campbell are typically some
variant of a bear or wolf. Each Au-
tomaton has eyes in the form of
red glowing crystals either set in
its body or at the end of flexible
“eye stalks”. They all have hearing
After a few moments, they hear the
creak of metal and the ping of clock-
work gears from all sides. One by
one, seven of Campbell’s Automatons
light lamps on their frames pooling
the squad in light.
Our squad is surrounded by hulk-
ing clockwork Automatons. There are
two Bear-like Automatons and five
The Curious Doctor Campbell
through mesh-grilled openings,
again in their chassis or at the end
of a limb or stalk. Their construc-
tion is wildly ornate as befitting
devices in the Victorian age and
clearly each has been hand-crafted
as a one-of-a-kind.
As long as they do not attack
the Automatons, our heroes will be
watched but otherwise ignored. If
they attack an Automaton out of
sight or hearing of others and hide
the remains, no one else will know
for a week.
oxen-like haulers who happened to
be nearby working on a task when the
ramp opened. While only the Bears
could act in a hostile manner, our he-
roes don’t know that.
A speaking tube in the wall rasps
a few times and then the voice of
an older man comes through, loud
though tinny. “Well, now that you
21
are inside I suppose it is only proper
to offer you rest and invite you to my
table for dinner. My children will show
you to rooms, baths, and closets where
you will select suitable fashion for the
evening. Until then…”
The Automatons do not speak but
can gesture with their odd appendages.
They lead the heroes to several lav-
ish if dusty rooms. The squad can stay
together in one crowded room or split
22 The Curious Doctor Campbell
up, but nothing will bother them. They
can easily replenish their water & food
supplies. For anyone whose Expedi-
tionary Force armor has been degraded,
a large (2’ across) clockwork lady bug
will repeatedly nudge the armor until it
is given to it. (Later it will reappear in
full state of repair). The closets are full
of high fashion for men and women
including outfits suitable for an elite
dinner.
 SCENE 6:

A CORDIAL
DISCUSSION

Purpose: Attend a dinner worthy of the aristocracy and finally meet Dr.
Campbell.

Playing Dr. Campbell.

Campbell left the Web, enslaved the Insect Men, and rebuilt the fortress
for a singular purpose. He wanted time, isolation, and freedom to pursue
what he felt were dangerous questions of the nature. He wanted to un-
derstand Limbo, brimstone, and these demons who embedded themselves
into human society so easily. The location of the fortress was chosen by
the original builders to take advantage of an unusually large nexus of ley
lines allowing him to do research impossible anywhere else. He guards his
place here vigorously through his many Automatons and eyes any visitors
with the highest suspicion. Cordial at first, he is simply trying to discern
their intentions and decide what should be done with them. He has no
hesitancy having them killed but doesn’t want to trigger even more visi-
tors. Campbell is definitely a Mad Scientist unfettered by notions of mo-
rality.

• The Nice Way: If the squad talks as if leaving without him is an option,
he’ll encourage them to do so, even offering them his Steam Crawler
to traverse back overland. He’s willing to give them all the water and
rations they require. He will swear that the Insect Men will disperse
with the coming storms and the Steam Crawler can return them to the
Web in less than a day. (The Insect Men actually won’t disperse for
weeks and if the Steam Crawler ventures out, it will be overwhelmed
and the passengers dragged back to the Hive. The Steam Crawler is
programmed to return to the fortress after a period of inertness. He
prefers this way so if anyone finds them they will have been killed by
Insect Men, not by him or his creations.)

The Curious Doctor Campbell 23

 • The Hard Way: If they are adamant about his return, or he discovers
them searching his fortress, he will attempt to grab some of them
hostage and force the others to leave in the Steam Crawler. If con-
fronted in the dining room, he’ll know he needs to get away from
them so will play upon their civility saying that he understands and
muses aloud that a visit back to the Web might actually be advanta-
geous. He’ll keep up this amiable front until he can get away from
them.
• All Bets are Off: If they try to kill him or forcibly grab him, he will
yell a string of clicks that set the Automatons of the fortress against
them. They can still move around and run into hostile Automatons.

Dr. Campbell is most vulnerable at the dinner when he meets them

in person. After the dinner, they might have luck luring him back into a
discussion if they claim to have a letter for him, more news they failed to
share about demons in the city, or even a break-through discovery by his
rival scientists.
If they get past the Iron Door, they can reach his chambers and find him
there in his mobile chair and protected by Guardians. If the squad is mak-
ing quick work of his defenses, Campbell will retreat via a secret passage
to the Steam Crawler with his Pacification Machine, his command chair,
and a few prized Automatons. The Insect Men will not attack the Steam
Crawler with the Pacification Machine running but he will effectively lead
the horde away from the fortress. When his Pacification Machine runs
out of steam, they will overwhelm him and drag him to the Hive for their
revenge.

When the time for dinner comes,
an Automaton vaguely resembling a
clockwork praying mantis will come
to direct them. The Charlies are not
invited and after our heroes leave
for the dinner they will be ushered
to a holding cell to be used as lever-
age. The evening clothes the heroes
were provided offer no easy way to
take any normal weapons and if they
try, the Automatons will gesture for
the weapons to be left here. Anyone
refusing to leave their weapons be-
hind will not be allowed to come to
the dinner and will be sequestered
with the Charlies.
This dinner is based on the social
norms of the elite of society which
includes an assumed truce among
those who gather. Our squaddies
might not live like the elite back in
the Web but they are aware of what
proper manners are. Anyone that
complies to these social demands
(dressing well, leaving weapons be-
hind) and buys into the artifice of
the dining room scene should re-
ceive a Benny.

24 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 The halls of the fortress are all the
same grey stone and very feature-
less with the exception of patches of
artistic carvings, the work of a very
dedicated Automaton in the shape
of a scarab, Campbell’s first Au-
tomaton. The halls are quite large:
fifty feet tall arched ceilings and
thirty feet wide passages. There are
few doors but many doorways that
range from human-sized to gargan-
tuan (40’ tall by 30’ across). When
there is a door, it appears to be made
of metal and is well-balanced to al-
low an Automaton to push it open or
closed with ease.
There is no security network or
cameras in the fortress. Campbell
can’t see what is going on, just lis-
ten and demand his Automatons act.
An automaton may tap on the ubiq-
uitous speaking tube openings in a
code that Campbell can understand
to communicate with him and he
will click back to them to trigger dif-
ferent programming: (“Herd them
back to their rooms”, “Stop them”,
“Kill them”, etc.)
The dining room is a large, rectan-
gular room covered ceiling to floor
in the engravings of the scarab. The
floor is the same stone as the rest of
the fortress but it has been polished
to a marble-like sheen. Chandeliers
of misshapen natural crystals light
the room. The furnishings would
fit well in the mansion of any aris-
tocrat: all wood, sideboard of liquors,
heavy dining table with high backed
chairs, electric lights in the shape of
old lanterns ringing the walls. The
heroes will be given seats at the ta-
The Curious Doctor Campbell
ble leaving the head of the table un-
occupied. Automatons that move
like monkeys proceed to set the ta-
ble and bring out wine.
Dr. Campbell arrives shortly after
the squad does and he moves very
slowly. His legs are twisted and crip-
pled, evidence of the attack he suf-
fered a few years ago. He walks with
two canes and curtly refuses any
help, if offered. Campbell is in his
forties with greying hair and has the
pallor of someone exposed too long
to the conditions of the wastelands.
He will take his seat at the head
of the table, introduce himself as
Dr. Hugo Campbell, and welcome
them to his home and hospitality.
He toasts their fortitude in making
it this far into the wastelands and
confesses a burning curiosity as to
why they ever made the attempt.
He will be persistent to know who
ordered them to make the attempt
wanting confirmation that it was the
City Council. All the while they are
served several courses of palatable
though not overly good food.
On the topic of the City Council,
Dr. Campbell’s disdain for them is
quite evident in his blustery reac-
tion to hearing of their involvement.
“Brimstone is dangerous, far more
than anyone knows, but the Council
wants to use it any way they can to
maintain their power. Returning my
mind to their clutches would only
accelerate their schemes. Clearly
the Council has been infiltrated by
Demons and their addle-minded
sycophants and they have only dire
plans for our city. Did you know that
25
it was the Council who ordered me
to make the factory Automatons to
replace workers? I get vilified for
doing their dirty work. No, sir, I
do not wish to walk back into their
clutches, thank you very much.”
If asked about his work, he will
explain that the true nature of brim-
stone and its properties can only
be understood far away from the
city. He is performing experiments
to understand it better. “Don’t you
want to know who you’re making a
deal with for this gift?” He won’t be
flattered or goaded into saying any-
thing further but will get annoyed. If
pestered he will respond, “The City
Council will know what they need to
know when I’m ready to tell them.”
If asked about the fortress, he’ll
speak at more length and with more
26 The Curious Doctor Campbell
ease. He found a “way” to make
some of the Insect Men compliant.
(This was done with his Pacification
Machine, a device emitting a com-
bination of frequencies but wants
to keep it secret.) He used them to
rebuild the fortress and laboratories.
The scores of Automatons in the for-
tress take care of any damage from
Limbo storms, carry out his wishes
and tend to his needs for food and
such. If asked he’ll admit that there
are no other people in the fortress.
Dr. Campbell feels perfectly secure
in his home and has no reason to
want to return to the Web. He will
toss an offhand comment that he’ll
visit there soon enough.
Before the players run out of ques-
tions, clicking comes from a tube in
the wall. Dr. Campbell scowls and
 curses in Scots. “I’m being distract-
ed from what is important. This is
why I don’t tolerate visitors to my
home. My attention is needed on
more important things!” He will get
up and finish telling them what he
wishes to tell them before departing.
He is sorry that they are going to
be unable to fulfill their task but he
feels he is a generous man and offers
to give them a machine which will
make their return to the Web much
easier. He calls it his Steam Crawl-
er, an Automaton shaped like a six-
legged ant which can carry ten men
and their belongings for seven days
across the roughest terrain. (Once
they are safely back at the Web, the
Crawler will return to him if it can or
‘take care of itself’, i.e. it will disas-
semble itself so no one else can use
it or learn from it).
“There are storms coming. They’ll
disperse the pests out there but the
winds might give you a rough ride so
you should leave early after you’ve
The Curious Doctor Campbell
had a night’s rest. My children will
take you to the Steam Crawler once
you’ve slept, broken your fast and
prepared. They will show you its
levers… right/left/stop/start/ fast/
slow. It will take care of everything
else. Rest well. I’ll be sure to see you
off in the morning.”
Campbell has no intention of get-
ting close to these heroes again. He
only held the Charlies as bargain-
ing chips in case the heroes tried
to kidnap him or hurt him during
the dinner. Once away from them,
the Charlies will be released with
Campbell explaining through speak-
ing tubes that an error in program-
ming put them there and they have
his deepest regrets for their incon-
venience and worry. The offending
Child has already been disassem-
bled and returned to the source bins.
The Charlies are then led back to
the guest quarters where our heroes
have been returned.
27
 SCENE 7:
PLAN B COMES AFTER
PLAN A, IF YOU HAD
A PLAN A
Purpose: Give the heroes a chance to explore the fortress at night, find
the tunnel, and plot what they will do
Exploring
The rooms our heroes have been
given are all off one hallway. A Bear
Guardian Automaton sentry will
guard that hallway on the end that
leads most directly to the rest of
the fortress to prevent them from
wandering around. The hallway is
not a dead end so someone stealthy
could sneak down the other way and
explore the fortress. Or someone
could lure the sentry into a chase
thus allowing other heroes to get
out and explore. Or they could at-
tack to disable the sentry.
The fortress is comprised of many
different rooms and hallways in a
grid pattern. Most rooms are filled
with mundane things though even
these items might come in handy to
a creative group of players. Read the
following text aloud and follow with
the scenes in the special rooms.
“The fortress is truly gargantuan,
larger than any building in the Web.
Hall after hall and room after room
stretch out for hundreds of yards.
While some chambers are empty wait-
ing for some future use, there are many
that contain things mundane and cu-
28 The Curious Doctor Campbell
rious. Stepping into a room and on to
a simple pressure plate triggers elec-
tric lights in the room.
The predominant rooms are store-
rooms: metal and stone, tools, sacks
of sand, limestone and clay, Old dried
and salted foods, barrels of potable
water, wood, nails and construction
bindings, chisels, rope, and more.
Next most numerous are the work-
shops: smithies to smelt metals, fab-
rication shops for Automatons and
other complex objects, stone cutting
areas. The Automation workshops are
divided into classes: heavy lifter/mov-
er Automatons, nimble/delicate work
Automatons, and crafter Automatons.
These workshops all have worker Au-
tomatons in them, either working on
building more Automatons or inert,
who barely take notice of the squad.
There are many ‘gardens’, some in dim
light growing molds and fungi, others
with miniature “steam suns” growing
vegetables and even some livestock.
There are cisterns of water, libraries
of books, storerooms of furniture and
carpets, and more guest suites.”
Brimstone Supply
One of the few rooms with a door
contains closed crates and work- squad back to where they are sup-
benches with specialized cutting posed to be or attack them if Camp-
tools. If opened, the crates are bell has set the Automatons on alert.
shown to contain nuggets of brim-
stone. There is probably enough
Steam Crawler Room
brimstone in the large room to pow-
This room is near the ramp exit
er the Web for a year.
from the fortress. It contains the
Guardian Automaton on Patrol Steam Crawler along with spare
They encounter 1d4 Guardian Au- parts and brimstone, i.e. everything
tomatons. They will either herd the you need to fire it up and go.

The Steam Crawler

This monstrosity is a brimstone-fired, steam-powered, self-driving

transport vehicle the size of a six-legged ant and with enough room in-
side to carry 10 adults. It is built out of different metals in a reinforced
framework that doesn’t stop air or light (or water) from coming into the
passenger/cargo area. The Crawler is programmed to navigate tough
terrain automatically (treats Difficult Ground as Normal for Pace). Two
heavily reinforced “tusks” are used to lift obstacles out of the path. In-
side, passengers can move levers to request the vehicle to turn right, turn
left, stop, go slow, go fast, and go back and the vehicle will do its best to
comply (Driving d10-1 if in especially difficult situations). The passenger
section contains some hand lanterns, cloaks, and boots.
Size: 8 (Huge), Handling: -1, Top Speed: 6 mph, Toughness: 14, Crew:  0,
Cost: Unique, 5 Wounds. (For the tabletop, go fast is 9 Pace, go slow or go
back are 4 Pace.)
As one of Campbell’s Automatons, it responds to Click language for
commands equivalent to its levers and recognizes Campbell’s clicks as
superseding all other commands. Unlike his other work, he has painstak-
ingly made it waterproof by protecting its key components and seals. This
makes it much more useful out in the weather. Like all of his work, if it is
disassembled, the parts and brimstone are worth a handsome sum. Twice
that if it is still operational.

T-Rex Room ing of the tall room. It is modeled

One room with a very large (30’ x after a Tyrannosaurus Rex: a 30’ tall
30’) opening has a completed Au- bipedal lizard with a big head and a
tomaton whose head nears the ceil- huge tail for balance. If they examine

The Curious Doctor Campbell 29

30 The Curious Doctor Campbell
it more closely they will see that it
has claws the size of a man’s rib cage
and a maw that could crunch the back
half of a horse. It also has an active
boiler so could start to move at any
time. If they were to try disable or
sabotage the T-Rex now it would save
them headaches later when Camp-
bell sends it after them. As soon as
Campbell sounds the alarm in the
fortress, the T-Rex will start up and
hunt them in the fortress or through
the caverns. See the Bestiary for the
T-Rex Automaton information.
Storeroom of Automaton Parts
There is a special storeroom con-
taining large quantities of complex
parts for the creation of Inventions.
If any of the heroes is a Technomage,
they have access to all the parts they
could want to attempt an Invention.
This could come in very handy if they
get cut off from the caves under the
fortress and the Steam Crawler or
they come up with a creative way to
accomplish their mission by creating
just the right invention.
Twenty-five percent of the store-
rooms are lit and have one Automa-
ton with a score of small and large
limbs assembling another Automa-
ton. It will turn to regard them mo-
mentarily but then turn back to its
work which it performs slowly and
methodically. All the Automaton
workshops are filled with clockwork
parts and all kinds of half-finished
machines from as small as a mouse
to as large as a house.
The Curious Doctor Campbell
Unpowered Guardian Automa-
tons
The room has 1d8 of unpowered
Bear and Wolf Automatons. They do
not have brimstone to fire their boil-
ers so can’t move as they are. Careful
study of their forms (Notice -2 or Re-
pair -2) might provide insights that
allow attacks to bypass their armor
(AP2).
Iron Door to Campbell’s private
rooms
In one hallway there is a large Iron
Door with a massive internal key lock.
A ten foot Bear Guardian Automaton
guards the door from anyone touch-
ing it. If commanded by Dr. Campbell,
the Automaton will shift its body to
reveal a six foot iron key hidden in-
side its frame which it will lift out
and use to open the door.
If the Bear is not attacked, it will
not move. Three rounds after the
PCs arrive at the door, two Wolf
Guardians will arrive after patrolling
and attack if Campbell has alerted
them. Otherwise they attempt to
Intimidate and drive the PCs out of
sight of the door. If the Bear sentry
is disabled, the squad will have to re-
move the key from its frame and lift
it to unlock the door. Use a Quick En-
counter to resolve this. Repair would
be used to free the key from the Au-
tomaton’s frame. Athletics (at -2)
would be used to lift and maneuver
the massive key. Other squad mem-
bers might be rolling Fighting to fend
off the Wolf Guardians.
31
 SCENE 8:
BEYOND
THE IRON DOOR
Purpose: They reach the restricted chambers.
The chambers beyond the Iron
Door are where Dr. Campbell keeps
his most highly prized experiments.
The hallways are made of the same
stone as the rest of the fortress but
are adorned with the occasional,
solitary, straight line at an odd angle
to the hallway. Almost as if some-
one had laid a map over the for-
tress, drawn its important lines, and
the fortress simply wasn’t aligned.
(These are indicators of ley lines, a
sign of how powerful the site Camp-
bell chose actually is. A Technom-
age or anyone with Occult can roll
at -2 to recognize this due to minor
markings near the lines.
This area of the fortress is small-
er and they can quickly determine
that there are three main sections.
The first hall sounds like it leads to
a loud engine and boiler, likely the
power generation for the fortress. A
praying mantis-shaped Automaton
like the one in the dining room can
be seen down the second hallway,
possibly tipping them that this leads
32 The Curious Doctor Campbell
to Campbell’s chambers. The third
hallway is remarkable because more
of the lines of the wall are appearing
and potentially converging.
Brimstone Boilers and Steam
Electricity
The first hallway leads to a large
chamber (80 feet a side) filled with
boilers, turbines, and uninsulated
power exchanges. The sound of the
boilers and turbines is almost deaf-
ening. The Automatons working
to stoke the boilers with brimstone
look very strong but don’t even no-
tice the PCs.
Sabotaging the power system
would require a Dramatic Task: At
least one character must use the Re-
pair skill. Others can use Strength
or Notice with direction. As soon as
they get their first success, the brim-
stone stoking Automatons will turn
to a speaking tube on the wall and
click out a call for help. This puts
a limit on the Task of 3 rounds be-
fore they will be caught by the arriv-
ing reinforcements. To succeed in
destroying the power system, they Campbell’s library is priceless
must accumulate (three times the to another Technomage though
number of PCs plus one) Task To- his Pacification Machine are more
kens. To set up a delayed explosion, priceless now.
they must accumulate (four times
the number of PCs) Task Tokens. The Lines Converge
As they explore the third area,
they will be confronted by four
The Master’s Chambers Wolf Guardians who will not hesi-
This wing contains the private tate to try to kill them. Assuming
residence of Dr. Campbell and where the Guardians are taken care of, the
he spends most of his time. Rooms squad will see more of the lines on
include his simple bedroom, a din- the walls converging to a hall, which
ing room, a library with gramophone leads to a series of three chambers.
and various recordings of bagpipes Some lines actually converge in each
and Scottish singers, three small of the three chambers. In the first
laboratories not focused on creating two chambers, they will see what
Automation but other Technomagic appear to be ten foot wide circular
studies, a bath and a lavatory. In pools in the floor each glowing with
almost all cases, Dr. Campbell will bright and flickering lights. If any-
be found in these rooms along with one investigates, they will realize
dozens of his best worker Automa- that they are looking at somewhere
tons and two Bear Guardians for else through the pool. They see
protection. a true sun, bright green meadows,
If encountered, Dr. Campbell will and even hear a gurgling stream.
set his Bear Guardians against the One might think this is someplace
squad doing multi-action wild at- on Earth, but if they make a Notice
tacks to keep the squad occupied check at -2, they will see a creature
while he grabs a backpack-sized de- as large as a rhinoceros but sporting
vice and a map from a table and rides great leathery wings. That place is
his chair walker past a curtain (and not Earth. Touching the water of the
through a secret door) to race down pool will cause it to lose its picture
a hidden passageway to the Steam but once the water is still again, the
Crawler room. The backpack-sized picture reappears.
device is his Pacification Machine. The third chamber is most strik-
If cornered, he will still use the ing. Like the others, several lines in
Bear Guardians to tie up the squad the walls converge here. Instead of
in melee while he uses his Tech- a pool there is rent stone and a hole
nomagic powers to defeat them: De- thirty feet across in the floor. There
flection, Protection, Stun, Blind, and is scaffolding which appears to have
Bolt. Two additional Bear Guardians been made to descend into the hole.
arrive every three rounds. Casting light down there reveals

The Curious Doctor Campbell 33

some sort of natural cavern. If they
climb down, they realize that it is a
series of large caverns and it is clear
that Campbell has been sending Au-
tomatons down here. The caverns
seem to lead away from the fortress
heading east. If they ask, confirm
that the chambers are large enough
for the Steam Crawler to traverse
them.
Planning
Practically, returning overland
without Campbell’s Steam Crawler
would be impossible. The Insect
Men are still swarming around the
fortress even with some of them
going back to their hive due to the
34 The Curious Doctor Campbell
storms. The remaining are so an-
gry they refuse to leave. Campbell
rebuilt the fortress with their slave
labor and hundreds of them are bur-
ied beneath its foundations. They
will never give up trying to get to
him and shred him to bits. If the
heroes can get a hold of Campbell’s
Pacification Machine and use it with
the Steam Crawler, they can make it
back to the Web overland.
The alternative is to try to fol-
low the caves back to the Web. It is
a long journey not without its own
dangers. If they have the Steam
Crawler, it will definitely speed their
journey over walking.
 SCENE 9:
THROUGH
THE CAVES
Purpose: Give them hope of getting back to the city alive and challenge
them with deadly traps.
The caves appear ancient and
are highly irregular without a real
floor. The only thing that marks
them as anything but natural is the
fact that they branch very little and
never for very long. This effectively
creates a rough, natural tunnel un-
derneath the wastelands. This con-
stitutes Difficult Ground for anyone
on foot and will take them at least
eight days to reach the city. With
the Steam Crawler, the journey will
only take eight hours as it traverses
the terrain nimbly without the need
for a pilot, its headlamps illuminat-
ing their journey.
Halfway to the city they find
evidence of a trap which appears
to have been sprung already with
massive stone blocks having fallen
from the ceiling. There is evidence
of Campbell’s automatons under-
neath the blocks. On the walls just
west of the trap are warnings in
English that the caves are not safe.
They warn that opportunists and
speculators must turn back for their
The Curious Doctor Campbell
own safety.
If they slow down out of caution,
they will extend their time in the
caves but not reach another chal-
lenge until they are close to the city.
If Campbell is with them and is
pressed about this he’ll admit that
he’s been sending his Automatons
to explore the caves, suspecting
they might be a safe way to reach
the Web in secret. The last two he
sent never returned. He will deny
writing the messages or creating
traps, appearing shaken that others
have been down here before him.
The Water Trap
With a Raise on a Notice check, a
PC could pick out the sound of large
volumes of rushing water through
the rock. If they slow down and suc-
ceed on another Notice check, they
will notice that the cave is leading
downward and spot two spidery Au-
tomatons, rusted in place. (It will
take a Raise on the Notice if they
haven’t slowed down). If they pro-
35
ceed they will discover that the caves
continue to dip down dramatically
to reach a rocky, sandy, low part. If
Dr. Campbell is with them and is
questioned, he’ll assure them that
the Steam Crawler is waterproof.
If they make a point to avoid step-
ping on the sand, the trap will not
trigger. If they ask Dr. Campbell
to ensure the Steam Crawler does
not step on the sand, he will do so
with click instructions to it and the
Steam Crawler will need to make
three Driving checks to avoid the
sand. If they (or the Steam Crawler)
step on the sand, they will feel rock
under the sand shift under their step,
a booming thunk and the sound of
rushing water rises in volume. After
one round a flood crashes into the
low spot, filling it completely. Only
36 The Curious Doctor Campbell
the low dip in the caves keeps the
water from simply running down the
caverns and being just a nuisance.
As soon as the water hits the
Steam Crawler, its lights will douse
throwing them into darkness and it
will stop (this is a precaution in its
programming). If its lever is moved
from the Stop position it will return
to motion though its lights will not
illuminate until they dry out. If they
fail at the start of the sandy area,
going back out of the water will be
12” and going forward to get out will
be 24”. If they fail in the center of
the sandy area, going back and go-
ing forward will both be 18”. If they
fail at the far end of the sandy area,
going back will be 24” and going for-
ward will be 12”.
If they are riding in the Steam
Crawler they simply need to hold
their breath. (The Expeditionary
Force suits do not provide a means to
breathe under water.) Anyone bark-
ing orders or discussing things in
the round before the water hits must
succeed at an Athletics check or they
will be able to hold their breath for
only half the normal amount. Any-
one who runs out of breath before
making it to the surface becomes In-
capacitated and must be resuscitat-
ed. (See Savage Worlds Core Rules,
Drowning)
If they are moving on their own,
they will have to swim to get back
to air. These are hazardous condi-
tions so they need to roll Athletics
each round to move. How far they
have to go depends on when the trap
was triggered (see above) and their
success depends on how long they
can hold their breath. Have them
roll three times for the Charlies as
a group where each of three suc-
cesses they fail to get is one Char-
lie drowned. If Dr. Campbell is with
them, he cannot swim on his own.
If one person helps him, the helper
suffers a -2 on their Athletics checks.
If two people help him, each helper
only suffers an additional -1 on each
check.
If they are still in the area after
ten minutes they will hear another
deep boom and the flood waters will
begin to drain away, resetting the
trap over the next several days.
The Curious Doctor Campbell
End of the Line
Continuing east through the tun-
nels after the water trap, in less
than an hour they will reach an
area where they might hear skitter-
ing noises (Notice or Notice -2 if in
Steam Crawler). If they have light
and look around they see that the
original caves have a lot of fresh
cracks and fissures. Movement can
be seen in the fissures.
As they continue down the tun-
nel, beetle-like creatures the size of
a hand will begin to drop on them:
first one, then two, then a large
group in a Medium Burst Template.
These are a swarm of Cyanide Bee-
tles.
The Beetles will continue to at-
tack until they are dispersed and the
attacks will continue as the squad
moves down the tunnel. After five
rounds they will reach the end of
the tunnel. The cracks and fissures
are larger here and extend down
the dead end of the tunnel. Those
dead end fissures emit a faint white
glow, as if there was light on the
other side. The Steam Crawler could
smash through the end of the tun-
nel in 1 round (taking 2d10 in dam-
age) or pick its way through over 10
rounds. Without the Steam Crawler,
the squad must break through the
rock wall (See Savage Worlds Core
Rules for Breaking Things). The
Cyanide Beetle attacks will continue
until the swarm has been dispersed
or the squad breaks through.
37
 SCENE 10:
ANCIENT
SECRETS
Purpose: Our heroes will witness wonders and need to make a daring
escape.
The cave wall breaks down to
reveal a large, man-made chamber
with the smooth white walls. The
light of even one lantern seems to
almost multiply in here until the
entire chamber appears well lit (a
property of thousands of small crys-
tals embedded in the walls). The
far end of the room is 300 feet away
under a ceiling 50 feet high while
the walls on either side are 150 feet
apart. The walls of the chamber are
covered in cryptic symbols. Stairs
lead up all four walls to walkways
on multiple levels. Long, narrow
bridges crisscross the chamber at
different levels connecting differ-
ent walkways. It is a chaotic sight
but all the walkways and bridges al-
low one to reach any of the symbols
on the walls.
After entering, a strong tremor
is felt and white dust filters down
from the ceiling of the room. Af-
ter a few rounds, another tremor is
felt and on the far end of the room,
one of the bridges collapses to the
38 The Curious Doctor Campbell
floor. (They are directly below ac-
tive brimstone mines outside the
Web. As bad luck would have it, this
room will soon be lost forever under
collapsing stone from a failed brim-
stone mining tunnel above them.)
Dr. Campbell will take the oppor-
tunity to try to talk to the leader of
the squad. He will barter the fact
that he helped them for their prom-
ise to help him escape if they reach
the Web. “The Council is evil and
will imprison me for the rest of my
life to further their demonic de-
signs. Help me escape them and I
will become a powerful ally for you.”
A Notice check will spot a very
large crack has appeared in the ceil-
ing over one of the bridges.
Anyone examining the crack will
hear the sound of human voices
faintly through it. A Common
Knowledge check can confirm it
is the sound of miners. The crack
widens with the next tremor leav-
ing it passable by people.
Tremors come more often, send-
ing larger pieces of the ceiling to
crash down on the floor of the
cavern. The wall through which
they entered the cavern becomes
blocked off by rubble. The only way
out is to get up through the crack.
The bridge itself is clearly suffering
as well and won’t hold up forever.
Getting everyone out alive is
a multiple person Dramatic Task
which will last for three rounds. Any
reasonable skill can apply though
logically Athletics would make most
sense. There will be up to 9 people
(if they have Campbell and no one
in the squad died). Three tokens
will save a PC. Due to needing help,
5 tokens will save Dr. Campbell.
The Curious Doctor Campbell
1 token will save 1 Charlie. If all
9 people are there assuming 4 PCs
and 4 Charlies, they will need 21 to-
kens to save them all. If they fail to
get all 21, who lives and who dies?
The moment the Dramatic Task
completes, a major tremor hits and
the chamber collapses complete-
ly, bringing down two mine shafts
above it. Any of our heroes who
made it into the crack can crawl up
into a secure mine shaft and be res-
cued by the miners. The squad will
not know who made the chamber
but it is at least a hint that someone
was here before the Web appeared
here.
39
 SCENE 11:
ALL
GOOD THINGS
Purpose: Our heroes must make a difficult choice.
Before they leave the mines,
Campbell begs them to let him go
unless this deal has already been
struck. “The Council will put me
in chains and force me to invent
things for their profits and schemes.
They are in league with the demons
who mean us all evil. There are
dark secrets in the Web and I am
determined to uncover them. Will
you help me?”
If they help Campbell escape
to allies in the city, they will have
gained a powerful patron but ru-
ined their futures with the Expedi-
tionary Force. Perhaps a new line
of work is in order? If they deliver
Campbell to the Council, they will
receive promotions and a pay in-
The Curious Doctor Campbell
crease after watching their charge
be dragged away in chains.
The heroes have learned some
very important secrets during the
adventure. There is a cave system
which would allow safer travel out
into the wastelands and possibly
reach beyond them as people have
wanted to do since the arrival of the
Web in this place. There are tech-
nomagical “windows” in Campbell’s
fortress to someplace beautiful.
The Insect Men can be controlled
using an invention of Dr. Campbell.
Finally, there is at least one ancient
chamber underneath the city, beg-
ging the question of what else is
under there and who made them?
41
 Bestiary

Automated Servants

These steam and clockwork creatures from Campbell appear as purpose-

built machines which often resemble a kind of animal. Most of them are made
with exposed gears inside an outer frame revealing the bronze, iron, and cop-
per of their makeup. Many are the Worker type, low-functioning with a few
simple programs that can be triggered and stopped by an auditory signal.
They focus on the upkeep of the fortress, keeping the fires lit, cleaning the
other automatons, etc. They are not hostile, won’t react to provocation, and
could even be manipulated to do their job in a place or time advantageous to
an adventurer. They can be as small as a mouse or as large as a house. In
the adventure, the Steam Crawler and the Graffiti Slug are examples of this
first type. They see and sense through eyes on stalks capped with rubies and
ears appearing as wire mesh-shaped flowers. They hear and respond only to
commands given by their creator.

Automated Servants (Guardians)

The more dangerous type of Automaton is the Guardian. These still re-
semble animals in their form but have some sort of weapons and combat pro-
gramming. Equipped with higher computing power, the Guardian can inter-
pret situations and change its approach and tactics. It can communicate with
Campbell using clicks through the speaking tubes.

42 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 Bear Guardian
Humanoid Size
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d4, Strength d12+2,
Vigor  d10
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimidation d8, Survival d4.
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 11(2).
Special Abilities:
• Metal Bodies: The body of a servant is made of metal and naturally
harder to harm. Their vital components are shielded by hard cover-
ings. (Armor +2).
• Environmental Weakness: The Automatons are susceptible to water
damage. Water-type damage increased by 4. -4 to resist watery powers.
• Secure Technomagical Voice Control System: Campbell can give them
different commands using click language.
• Tough and Deadly: Reinforced Construction. Grappling arms with
follow-on Crush attack.
• Heavy Claws: (Str+d6).
Gear: A smashed or disassembled Guardian can be picked over for a
pound of brimstone and a heavy sack full of rare parts valuable to Tech-
nomages and artificers.

Wolf Guardian
Humanoid Size
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimidation d8, Survival d4.
Pace: 9; Parry: 9; Toughness: 7.
Special Abilities:
• Metal Bodies: The body of a servant is made of metal and naturally
harder to harm. Their vital components are shielded by hard cover-
ings. (Armor +2).
• Environmental Weakness: The Automatons are susceptible to water
damage. Water-type damage increased by 4. -4 to resist watery powers.
• Secure Technomagical Voice Control System: Campbell can give them
different commands using click language.
• Fast and Deadly: Six legs, bearing joints to increase Pace, gyroscopes
to increase Parry. Prefers to use magnetically boosted raking claws
as it runs by (Str+d6+2).
Gear: A smashed or disassembled Guardian can be picked over for a
pound of brimstone and a heavy sack full of rare parts valuable to Tech-
nomages and artificers.

The Curious Doctor Campbell 43

 Automaton – T Rex
This thirty-foot-tall clockwork monster is Campbell’s biggest combat in-
vention. Inspired by the writings of archaeologist Hiram Mackintosh who un-
earthed a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton a few years back (but never received
recognition), Campbell built the Automaton to wreak havoc on his enemies
should they ever come to harm him and defeat his Guardians.

Giant size
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength d12+4, Vigor
d10
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d12, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Survival
d4.
Pace: 9; Parry: 7; Toughness: 16(2). (Note, if the T-Rex is chasing the
Steam Crawler it will catch it on normal ground but slowly fall behind over
Difficult Ground)
Special Abilities:
• Giant-sized: Size 7, Increased toughness from its heavy-duty body.
• Metal Bodies: The body is made of metal and naturally harder to
harm. Their vital components are shielded by hard coverings. (Ar-
mor +2).
• Environmental Weakness: This Automaton is susceptible to water dam-
age. Water-type damage increased by 4. -4 to resist watery powers.
• Secure Technomagical Voice Control System: Campbell can give them
different commands using click language.
• Bearing Joints: This Automaton’s movements are well synchronized
and its stride is long giving it an increased Pace.
• Crushing Jaws: The Automaton’s fiercest attack is its powerful pneu-
matic jaws lined with sharp, jagged edges. This attack causes 2d8+2
heavy damage. Against human-sized opponents, the attack is at -2
for the scale difference.
• Swat: Ignores up to 4 points of Scale penalties when attacking with
its tail.
• Smashing Tail: The long, thick tail section which counter-balances
the heavy head also acts as a Area of Effect weapon when it swings
to slam into people. This gives it a Strength+d6 blunt attack to any-
one in a Small Burst Template adjacent to the Automaton. It does
not suffer scale penalties due to its Swat ability. May be Evaded.
Gear: If defeated or disassembled, this Automaton can be harvested for
ten pounds of brimstone and a heavy sack full of rare parts valuable to
Technomages and artificers.

44 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 Dr. Hugo Campbell – Human Technomage
and Scientist
A brilliant man, Dr. Campbell was also a socialite back in Edinburgh. Over
time he became more obsessed with his work and the mysteries of Limbo and
the Web. Today he recalls how to act civil when pressed but he lives alone,
talking to an invisible companion and his creations. He has named every
creation and refers to them by their names: Roscoe, Alfred, Alvin, Andrew, Ar-
chibald, Arthur, Bertrand, Calvin, Chester, Cleveland, Clyde, etc. Daft would
be putting it kindly.
Campbell’s legs were crippled in an attempt on his life. He can only move
slowly with crutches unless he’s riding in his chicken-legged mobile chair au-
tomaton. With the automaton, he can move quickly but it doesn’t provide him
any armor protection or other benefits. He depends on his automatons to
provide him defense so he carries no weapons.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d12+2, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d10, Notice d8, Persuasion d8,
Repair d12, Science d12+2, Stealth d4, Technomagic d12+2.
Pace: 3 (d4 running)/10 (with chair, no running die); Parry: 2; Tough-
ness: 5.
Edges: Arcane Background (Technomagic); Boiler Master; Mageme-
chanic
Powers: Blind (Very bright flash of light); Bolt (Electricity); Deflection
(wavering lights surround him making his exact position hard to see); En-
tangle (Spring-loaded, bouncing hand-cuff bombs); Protection (Electro-
magnetic fields repel attacks); Slumber (Sends radio wavelengths at a fre-
quency that induces sleep in humans); Stun (Wave of energy that disrupts
people’s nervous systems)
Gear:
• Technomage Gear
• Level 4 Battery: (50pp)
• Level 3 Programming Unit: +1 Technomagic checks, 5 stored powers
(Blind, Bolt, Entangle, Protection, Stun)
• Level 3 Emitter: +1 to power of the effect of single powers, +1 to du-
ration of long ones
• Level 4 Goggles: Determine nature of easily seen magical traces with
a +2 modifier to the Technomagic checks
• Chicken-legged Chair Walker Automaton: Campbell can sit in a cra-
dle in the chair and control its movement by levers or clicks he
makes with his mouth. His Pace increases to 10 with the chair with
a Running Die of d4. The Chair can walk on walls at half Pace with
Campbell still oriented upright.

The Curious Doctor Campbell 45

 • Tool Bandoliers: He keeps a variety of tools on him at all times in
two crossed bandoliers. They are finely crafted and customized for
his use providing him a +4 to Repair rolls. In another person’s hand,
they provide +2 Repair.

Chameleopedes
Stretching anywhere from two foot to six feet, Chameleopedes are found in
nests of 2-8 individuals. While omnivorous, they much prefer fresh meat and
will swarm a living creature to kill and devour it. If struck before they reach
a victim they disappear into cracks in the ground. They grapple their target
and bite if successful. Once they have attacked a target, they won’t stop until
they are killed or they’ve fed.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Survival d8.
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6(1).
Special Abilities:
• Chameleon Ability: In one round, it can shift the color of their body
to match what they are touching or near. Once shifted, they are -2
to hit properly.
• Hard Segmented Carapace: Gain armor +1 from the thick dorsal shell.
(underbody doesn’t have this same protection)
• Hooked Feet: Once they have grappled their victim, they are very
hard to get off again. They get +2 to Strength checks if someone
tries to pull them off.
• Nasty Bites: Serrated mandibles are very powerful and tear through
things, Bite attack Str+d6.
Gear: None

Cyanide Beetles
A particularly lethal spawn of the wastelands, Cyanide Beetles range from
4” long to some reaching 10”. They have sharp pinchers but more dangerous
is the cyanide gas they emit when they attack.

As per Swarm in Savage Worlds Core Rules in a Medium Burst Tem-

plate.
Additional Special Abilities:
• Cyanide Gas: Once per encounter the swarm will emit a spray of
cyanide gas, forcing Vigor -2 checks for anyone in their Template or
be Stunned.

46 The Curious Doctor Campbell

 Glass Spiders
They appear to be a huge semi-transparent eight-legged anthropods with
fiery jaws and a numbing roar. Generally stretching 7-8’ long and 3’ at the
shoulder, their legs give them great speed and the ability to move in any direc-
tion equally well. They will cast strands of semi-transparent fibers to build
structures that other creatures are attracted to like a bridge or a tower. They
can become semi-transparent themselves waiting until a large enough snack
moves on their structure before they attack. They will attempt to cripple all of
their victims to eliminate the danger and then devour them alive slowly. If the
danger is too great it will roar and then scuttle into the strands of its creation
to hide (-6 to Notice). They are solitary creatures, spawning asexually and
leaving their eggs to survive on their own.
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Survival
d8, Throwing d10.
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7.
Special Abilities:
• Brawny (as per Edge in Savage Worlds Core Rules)
• Burning Bite: The Glass Spider can bite someone in melee combat
doing Str+d6 damage from the bite. If it gets a raise on the attack,
its mouth also erupts in flame adding 2d6 Fire Damage as an auto-
matic second hit.
• Entangling Strands: The same extrusions that create structures can
be flung out (Throwing attack) rapidly to entangle (as per the Pow-
er) everyone in a Large Burst Template. The material is exception-
ally strong (-2 to break free from and Hardness 7).
• Lay Webbing: The Glass Spider can exude strong, semi-transparent
webbing from a sac between its rear legs. The webbing is initially
sticky but that wears off in a few minutes. The webbing strands are
about as strong as wood but too unwieldy to use as an improvised
weapon.
• Semi-Transparency: The bodies of these creatures are semi-trans-
parent, allowing you to see the remains of their latest meal inside
them. It also makes them harder to hit (-2). The blood or body of a
Glass Spider would be very valuable to the right people.
• Thunder Bellow: Used primarily as a way to incapacitate its tar-
gets while hunting, the bellow can also be used to scare off those
who threaten it and give it time to hide or escape. When used the
Glass Spider can unleash a deafening roar. (Vigor Check at -2 or be
Stunned).
Gear: None

The Curious Doctor Campbell 47