Preview One

A Roleplaying Game of
Vile Villainy &
Glorious Adventure
 Contents
Introduction 7
Wescot’s Folly 8
The Heresy Engine 15
Black Dice 15
Pool Modifiers 15
Opposition and Failure Numbers 16
Fighting and Combat 16
Initiative 16
Making an Attack 16
Ranged Weapons 17
Damage 17
Multiple Opponents 18
Multiple Actions 18
Firing into Melee 19
Armour 19
Magic and Sorcery 19
Failure and Catastrophe 20

Arthur Wescot and Friends 21

Attributes 21
Holmwood’s spells 21
Medium Abilities 22
Mr Arthur Wescot 23
Mrs Sophia Degrange 24
Mr. Jacob 25
Lusk 25
Mr Lawrence Holmwood 26
Sergeant Jack London 27
Miss Marianne van der Rynn 28

White Wedding 29
The Sequence of Events 29
Option A 29
Option B 29
A Night at the Opera 29
Sir, about my daughter... 30
New Friends 30
Enter the Groom 31
Among the People 33
The Wedding 34
Happy Endings? 34
Cast of Characters 34
Miss Levinia Dempsey 34
Sir Robert Dempsey 35
Uriah Clarence 36
Jed, Ned & Ted - The Grave Robbers 36

Credits 36




Welcome to the world of Victoriana, a place of
magic and mystery, set against the backdrop of
the Victorian age.
It is a time of revolution, despite the seemingly
unstoppable might of the British Empire. Vast
changes are sweeping across the world. Science
creates new and incredible machines on a weekly
basis. New political movements rise and fall,
descrying or even fighting against the current
governments. Sorcery remains in the hands
of a powerful elite, but the dark mysteries of
Necromancy and Demonology are on the rise,
claiming new souls every day.
Your characters stand at the vanguard of this
period of turbulent change. They may come from
any social class; the privileged elite of the upper
class, the enterprising progressives of the middle
class or the oppressed workers of the lower class.
Introduction
We decided to offer you a new introductory story,
characters and starting adventure in the second
edition. That way there is something else new
for those who already have the original version.
However, Arthur Wescot and his friends, Scott’s
excellent story ‘Wescot’s Folly’ and the adventure
‘White Wedding’ were far too good to just cast
aside. So here we offer them, all updated to
second edition and ready to go. If you know the
first edition, you can use this supplement to see
how the new system works in something you are
already familiar with. If the whole thing is new to
you, we can’t think of a better introduction than
the Crime Doctor and his friends.

While not as important as social class, the people

of Victoriana are further divided into several
different races. Humans are the most prevalent
by far, but Eldren, Gnomes, Dwarves, Ogres,
Halflings and the various Beastmen all do their
best to make a living in all parts of society.

This preview supplement is designed to fulfil two

functions. Firstly, we want to offer you a chance
to explore the world of Victoriana and see what
it has to offer. However, it also updates some of
the things we have left out of the new edition.



Wescot’s Folly
Water was dripping from the ancient brick walls
and running through the sluices in the middle of the
tunnel. The stench was unbelievable: a mixture of offal,
chemicals, the reek of dead fish and animals coming
through the catacombs from the Thames. My lantern
was starting to gutter; the oil running low faster than
I’d thought. My companion was a few paces ahead
of me, moving with that curious nervous pace that is
characteristic of his kind.
“Where are we, Lusk? Perhaps we’ve taken a wrong
turn?”
The rat-man snapped around in front of me, his eyes
glinting in the pale light of the gas lamp.
“No wrong turn, Mr. Wescot. I grew up in these ‘ere
tunnels. I think I know me way through ‘em, right?” he
said defensively. “Go it alone, if you don’t trust me.”
The idea of being stranded in the miles of Roman
catacombs and sewage tunnels that span the underworld
beneath the capital was not an engaging one. I motioned
him on with the lamp, the circle of illumination
around us bobbling unsteadily. Was I mad? Entrusting
my security to a rat-man, there were any number of
things that could be waiting for me... not the least the
rumoured bands of rat-people that lay in wait for the
unsuspecting to rob, kill, and worse.
Suddenly, Lusk stopped short and ducked into darkened
side tunnel.
“Kill that light and get in ‘ere!” he hissed.
Before I could react, he lashed out and grabbed me
by the arm, dragging me into the tunnel as well. His
small, wiry frame was deceptively powerful. Fumbling,
I managed to turn the wick down on the light,
extinguishing it. Then I heard it. A light scraping sound,
like bone over stone. Then I smelled it; no wonder Lusk
had reacted so violently. Musty and foul, the odour
reached me. The smell of the grave. I started to whisper
a question, but Lusk slapped a hand over my face. I
could feel the nervous energy of the half-man as he
trembled behind me. I suddenly realized that, in that
position, I would take the brunt of any attack that might
come. Did the dead...or the undead, for that matter...
need light to see? Or could they smell the metallic tang
of my fear?
It was close. I could also feel the cold of its presence.
The scraping stopped and, despite the water flowing,
I fancied it dead quiet. What an excellent adjective; I
nearly laughed from terror. How did I ever get myself
into this predicament?

It began with Mrs. DeGrange, actually. I had been
about my morning routine, up around ten-ish, when
Mrs. Lindsay, my part-time housekeeper, arrived at the
shop below my modest quarters. The bell jangled me
awake and out of bed, and I dressed quickly and took
the spiral metal staircase down onto the ground floor,
where Wescot’s Rare Books & Curios looks out onto
Commerce Street near the Strand. The neighbourhood
is not the best at night, admittedly, but, during the day,
the position is excellent to pull in a fairly steady stream
of clientele. Most come in to view the curios: the line of
pygmy shrunken heads, the esoteric jewellery that may or
may not have the pedigree advertised.
The books run the gambit from light, trashy popular
novels, the like produced by our illustrious Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Mr. Disraeli, to old classics and tomes of
an exotic or erotic nature. There is a kitchen in the back,
through a door at the back of the reading room — really
just a series of tables in the main room, but sectioned
off by the shelves of dusty volumes from the front,
where the curios are kept in a desperate attempt to lure
customers in. Well, their money, at least. Mrs. Lindsay
was already finishing whipping up my usual breakfast
— a few slices of toast and an egg, soft-boiled to chewy
perfection, and a cup of tea. I prefer coffee but, after the
coffee rust in the tropics a few years back, tea is much,
much cheaper.
There was a note on the table I take my breakfast at.
Nice lavender paper with a nice rag texture. A lady’s
hand had scrawled my name on the front: Mr. Arthur
Wescot.
“Found it pushed under the front door, Mr. Wescot,”
said Mrs. Lindsay in a light Irish accent.
She came through the door, moving her respectable bulk
deftly while balancing my breakfast tray. Despite her
disapproval of some of my wares, she has been a loyal
retainer for the past year; she tutted at me reprovingly.
“Not seemly, a woman pushing notes under the door of
a respectable gentleman,” she told me.
Before I could respond, she set down the breakfast tray
and held up a hand to avert any argument on my part,
“No! I’ll not want to be hearing any excuses from you
now, sir. It’s not my concern how you comport yourself,
sir. I’d just as not find a feminine surprise upstairs,
though, mind you.”
I grinned at her teasing of me. My size tends to bring
the mothering out in the ladies. It’s hellish on my love
life, being a gnome. While Mrs. Lindsay retired upstairs
to begin cleaning my quarters, I glanced over the note.

Dear Mr. Wescot,
My name is Mrs. DeGrange
and I need to speak with you
on most urgent business. I
have tried to contact you
this morning, but I fear
you have not yet arrived
for work. I desperately
need the assistance of the
‘Crime Doctor’. A man’s life
may rest in the balance!
You may call on me at my
home...
Signed Sincerely,
Mrs DeGrange
The address was a location in Belgravia — a very fine
neighbourhood. The name DeGrange rang a bell at
the time, and I can honestly say that it would not have
mattered a jot, had I known about her past at the time.
A woman was in distress! A mystery was to be had! I was
hooked in one paragraph.
Once I had finished breakfast, I hung a ‘closed for the
day’ sign, locked the door and set out for the cab ranks,
only a few minutes walk from my door. I found a few
hacks waiting by the curb, relaxing under the awning of
a nearby gin shop. My usual cabbie, young Mack, saw
me coming and immediately dashed to his rig. Mack is
one of the best coachmen I’ve seen, an amazing
feat for a twelve year old boy. I’ve yet to be in
an accident, despite the high speeds at which we
traverse the city.
Belgravia is a twenty to thirty minute trip under
the best of conditions — a straight hike down
the Strand to Charing Cross, then past the
Houses of Parliament and over the wooden
planks that cover the new underground rail
extension being put in between Whitehall and
Kensington Station, then down Victoria Street
into the heart of the expensive neighbourhood,
where all the houses are of a uniform Georgian
character. Even windows and dimensions..
Very picturesque, but also very boring. The
DeGrange home was a nice three-story affair
with a garden in front of the house, fenced in
by wrought-iron. I dismounted the carriage and
took the steps to the door, which opened for
me before I could knock. The butler was a old,
doughty-looking fellow with a voice that flowed
like treacle. When I presented my carte de visite,
he nodded.
“You are expected, Mr. Wescot. Please follow
me.”
Up the steps to the second floor and the sitting
room, bright and airy, where the lady of the
house was waiting. She leapt up at the sight of
me,
“The Crime Doctor?” she inquired.
“Truth be told, madam, I prefer Mr. Wescot.
(by Scott Rhymer)
Wescot’s Folly
The other moniker is a bit... melodramatic, don’t
you think?” I cut off any apologies buy asking,
“Your note suggested this was urgent.”
“Indeed...I believe that there is a great evil in the
city, Mr. Wescot. And I believe it will take the
life of a man, this evening.”
She retreated to the dining table, beckoning
me to follow. On the table was a sketchpad.
The paper was covered with charcoal lines and
curves, describing the face of a man. Dark-
haired, he had a strong jaw and cold eyes. The mouth
was curled up in a slight smirk.
“This is the man I saw in my vision.”
“Your vision?”
I glanced at her. Delicate Eldren features, the
characteristic dark hair, the slight upturn of the ears.
Her kind is usually in tune with the spirit world, so I
didn’t scoff. The other reason was that I knew the man... 
Lord George Mace, heir to the Earl of Inversnaid, and
 a Guild man. Where he went, trouble was rarely far
behind.
Step one seemed fairly simple: try to make contact
with Lord Mace and warn him of impending danger.
There is a way to do these things, though; I sent word
requesting an audience, the letter carried by a young boy
who was walking by for sixpence. Then it was a matter
of waiting, while I got the particulars of the dream from
her. In her vision, Mace had been tied to - of all things
- an Aluminat cross and was being tortured by ‘foul
creatures’, as she called them. He was underground, she
was sure of it. The creatures, which she described as
man-like, but sallow and decayed, were commanded by
another…one she could not picture in the vision. This
caused quite a bit of distress. To her, it suggested the
main villain of the piece was either a sorcerer, or a fell
beast that could block her ‘sight’. When the boy returned
half an hour later (the Inversnaid residence being only
two streets away), he reported that the butler informed
him his lordship was not, and had not been for two
days, at home.
So, step two. Another acquaintance of mine, Lord
Lawrence Holmwood, was loosely connected to the
Guild and was a Mason, like Mace. Perhaps he might
know what Lord Inversnaid was about recently. Mack
raced the carriage through the press of lunch time
traffic. The thick of it was in the area of Trafalgar
Square, where the offices of government had spewed
forth functionaries on their way to their clubs. To make
matters worse, a dray horse drawing an omnibus up and
died. The bus was blocking traffic quite effectively, while
the cads forced their fares off of the vehicle and waited
for a butcher to come and dismember the horse and
cart it away. After extricating ourselves from the clog of
vehicles, we arrived in Holborn - and the Grand Lodge
of the Freemasons. The Freemason Tavern is part of
the building and open to the public and it was here we
found Holmwood.
The third son of Lord Holmwood, Lawrence is a tall
and handsome fellow, in that long-faced aristocratic
way. He certainly seemed to appeal to the willowy Mrs.
DeGrange more than my child-like stature. C’est la vie...
There was some argument about allowing the lady into
the tavern, but Holmwood was able to smooth things
over for us and soon we were stuck into a table and, over
a half pint of porter, I explained the situation.
“Yes, I’ve heard of Mrs. DeGrange. A medium of some
talent, I understand.”
Holmwood regarded her with deceptively sleepy-looking
eyes. “You say you cannot see the leader of these
creatures that are harming his lordship? Interesting.
Mace was investigating a series of murders in the city.
The victims all had their blood drained from them, the
rest is too horrific to be spoken of in the presence of a
lady... He kept coming across a name: Andrei Borozci.”
 I must have reacted, for he asked, “You know of him?”
“The name has been circulating around the city for
the past year or so. Borozci’s supposed to be Eastern
European. He’s been systematically taking over the
criminal enterprises throughout the City and the seedier
parts of the West End. Very few have seen him, and his
people are utterly loyal.”
I shuddered to think of what Mace might have gotten
himself into this time.
“If he’s gone looking for Borozci, there’s one person
he’ll have definitely talked to. Do you know the Raven?”
“No, I don’t. But I believe I’ll be making his
acquaintance.” Holmwood started to stand.
“You’re coming with us?” Mrs. DeGrange asked
hopefully. She was completely smitten with him. Ah, to
be handsome...
We three once again took Mack’s carriage through
the streets, continuing south into the East End. Our
destination was on Commercial at Dorset – the Britannia
Pub. The place is popular with the working class. It
was also a fine place to pick up business in the Raven’s
former (and occasional current) trade. We found her
here, dressed in clothes that emulated the fashionable,
causing her to stand out from the rabble around her like
a queen at her court. The tawdry cut of her clothing
could not disguise the elegance and beauty of her eldren
heritage, however; raven tresses and eyes, pale skin that
was flawless, the Raven radiated charisma and sensuality.
Holmwood’s reaction was predictable. He gaped, then
recovered quickly and became the perfect gentleman.
Mrs. DeGrange said nothing, did not smile, and stewed
jealously.
Raven nodded to me, “Wescot.”
“Raven.” I slid into a chair across from her at her table.
The remains of a large gin and a bowl of stew were
pushed to one side, and she had been packing a pipe
with black, tarry material.
“Riding the dragon again?” I asked.
“Still, actually” she smiled. “What do you want?”
“Lord Mace. He’s gone missing. He was tracking some
murders in the West End..”
“Ah! Important people, then,” she stated coyly. Her
Dutch accent was thicker this evening; she had been into
the opium already. “Not like the murders here...”
“He’s looking for Borozci.”

She nearly choked on the last sip of the gin she was
taking.
“Then he’s dead by now.”
“Not yet,” Mrs. DeGrange spoke up, sharply, “but soon
if we don’t find him.”
“Can you find out where he was last seen for me?”
the district. The door behind us slammed closed and
someone pushed me into the middle of the floor. There
were others here with us, strange misshapen men, their
skin like parchment, faces drooping, eyes fogged over.
They closed in from the four corners of the building,
shark-like teeth glinting in the light of the fire.
“I am truly sorry, Wescot,” I heard Raven say. She was
on the balcony above us. Her eyes flashed, reflecting the
flame of the pit. “There was nothing I could do.”

I fished out a few notes and set them down on the table,
anchoring them with her empty pint glass.
“Give me an hour. I’ll contact you and tell you where to
meet.”
“Ghouls!” Holmwood growled. He pushed me closer
to the fire, putting himself between me and two of the
creatures. They cackled, unafraid of Holmwood. “Keep
the fire between you and the others; it will finish them.”
“But...” I began.

Above, I saw the Raven watching the display with

interest and delight. Holmwood was chanting something,
drawing his sword and waving it in complex patterns
in front of him. His nonsense rose to a crescendo and,
The low street was darkening quickly as the sun was with a stunning blast of light, the two ghouls were
going down. The day, which had been mild, was turning blown back against the wall. Above us, Raven looked
chilly quickly. The note from Raven had come after momentarily pleased, but then quickly jumped onto the
about an hour of waiting at the Britannia, directing us to
meet her in a side street not too far from St. Giles – that
most dangerous of rookeries. Even here, the buildings
were dilapidated, many built before the Hanoverians
had come to power in England. The houses ran one
into another, creating sagging canyons of brick and grey
stone. The few gas lamps here and there were being lit
by the men paid by the city to go around and fire them
up, but their weak gas flames only gave small pools of
light. Why here? I wondered.

(by Scott Rhymer)

Wescot’s Folly
Holmwood seemed equally concerned. “Doesn’t seem
right, does it?” he asked.

“Stay here,” I told Mrs. DeGrange. She started to protest

but Holmwood patted her hand as he followed me out
of the carriage. To Mack, I said, “Any trouble, get out of
here and call the peelers.”

The building we were told to meet Raven at was tucked

in a small cul de sac, through a tight access way between
two crumbling tenements. I could hear the shouted
arguments of the tenants inside. In the small court, we
found an open door, leading into one of the buildings. I
wished I had brought my Adams revolver suddenly and
told Holmwood so. In response, he twisted the bezel
below the handle of his cane and I heard the mechanism
click – a swordcane. With a last exchanged look, we
entered.

The interior of the building had been gutted, with only

a set of steps to the upper story and a small balcony
left intact. In the middle of the floor was a small pit
with a pathetic fire burning in it. Above the balcony, 
there was an hatchway to the roof and most likely a
series of walkways over the roofs of the homes here in
 ladder, climbing dexterously through the hatch onto the
roof.
“She’s getting away!” I cried.
“Go!” Holmwood ordered. He waved his swordcane
again, this time impaling one of he ghouls on the tip.
I ran. The other ghouls had been concentrating on
Holmwood, giving me my chance. I was on the steps in
a flash, racing up to the balcony as fast as my little legs
could carry me. Below, the three ghouls were circling
Holmwood, who was slashing in patterns, holding the
enemy at bay. Another one went up in a flash of light
and the others suddenly retreated, disappearing into the
darkness in the corners. I was almost to the roof when a
thought hit me.
“Mrs. DeGrange!” I shouted. Holmwood nodded once,
and was out the door in a flash.
I finished climbing onto the roof. Up here, the sun was
just on the horizon, brilliant red from the smoke in the
air; the streets below were dark. Raven was moving along
slim wooden boards joining the tops of the buildings.
There were others up here, as well, but none were
between me and my quarry. Without a thought, I dashed
onto the walkway, charging after the Raven. The woman
moved with uncanny grace, dashing from building to
building without a misstep. I charged after her, but the
distance between us increased as her long Eldren legs
carried her beyond my grasp. Suddenly, she stumbled
and went over the side of one of the boards joining the
buildings. For a moment, I thought she was gone, then
I realised she had caught the edge of the board and
was hanging in space, the street obscured by fog some
twenty feet below.
Panting, I caught up to her while she was still trying to
pull herself onto the plank. She stopped, one arm over
the board, legs hanging in space, as I arrived.
“Where?” I demanded. She grinned back at me, but I
had the sense time was running out. “I don’t have time
for this! Where?” I placed my foot against the side of
her head. I couldn’t do it, I knew, but she couldn’t think
that.
“Bayswater. He’s in the catacombs. You can get there
through the sewage tunnels by Whitehall.”
I took my foot away and bent to offer her a hand up.
She arched an eyebrow up at my diminutive form.
“Really Arthur, as if you could” she laughed at me, and
then, keeping my gaze locked with her silver eyes. she let
herself fall, arms outstretched like an angel disappearing
into the fog. My heart stopped for a moment before I
heard the splash of water below where I had assumed
10 there was cobbled street. I suspected that I would be
hearing from the Raven again.
I returned to the site of our altercation. In the building,
there were no more ghouls to be found, and the fire
had nearly gone out. I raced through the space between
the buildings and out onto the street, where I found
Mack, lying cold and very dead in the gutter. A vicious
set of bite marks in his throat revealed the manner of
his death. His carriage was gone. So were Holmwood
and Mrs. DeGrange. Lying in the middle of the street,
Holmwood’s swordcane gleamed in the nearby gas lamp.
Forcing my racing heart to calm, and ordering my
thoughts, I rationalised that there was one man
remaining that I knew could find Borozci’s lair, if any
could. Fortunately for me, Lusk, the rat-man, was a
creature of habit. Finding him was easy enough; he was
warming his usual doorway in the warehouse district by
the St. Katherine Docks. He saw me approaching, his
misshapen nose twitching at the approach.
“Well, well, the mighty ‘crime doctor’,” he sneered by
way of acknowledgement.
“Lusk, I need your help,” I told him. He laughed at me,
shook his head and tossed
away an apple core he’d been nibbling on.
“I guess we’d best get on with it, then...”
Now, after crawling around the sewers of the West End,
I was huddling with a known anarchist and rat-man,
waiting to have my very life snuffed out by some ghoul
or other. Our inhuman friend began shambling away
again, moving in the general direction of the river.
“Come on,” I heard Lusk say. His alcohol-laden breath
was overpowering; how the sentry had missed us I don’t
know. “I can smell humans... Don’t bother with the light.
Just hang onto me.”
We edged forward through the darkness, me trusting to
his well-honed night vision. Occasionally, I stumbled
on something or other and the noise would cause him
to curse me softly. Then I realized that I could see
gradients of light and shadow. Moments later, we had
made a turn that brought us to a section of stone wall
that had been crudely removed, then covered with heavy
tarpaulin. Lusk and I moved to the sides of the tarp,
peering into the room beyond. It was a sort of library,
bookcases, leather-bound armchairs with green baize-
topped tables, lit by ornate brass gas lamp assemblies.
All this tucked underground. Faintly, I could hear people
talking. Glancing at each other, we moved through the
tarp into the library carefully. The sounds were coming
from an adjoining area through an archway to another
section of catacomb.
This ‘room’, however, was not so cosy. Deep shadows
and bright light contrasted and, in the centre, Lord Mace
and Holmwood were tied to a large crucifix. Misshapen
and deathly figures capered about them, anxious to set
on them. It was obvious they had already started on
Mace; his clothes were torn and blood-spattered, his face
bruised and cut by torture. Mrs. DeGrange was a few
steps from them, in a chair.
“You see, I have reputation, yes?” said an Eastern voice.
“I am known for my cruelty. It is what... endears me to
my people. Unfortunately, reputation is not real. It must
be reinforced from time to time. Then, it becomes like…
concrete.”

“And we’re to be your object lessons?” asked

Holmwood.

“Yes...yes! Precisely that, Dr. Holmwood.”

The figure moved into view. He was a small, bent old

man – he might have been someone’s grandfather,
spectacles and all, but for the rows of predator teeth and
the malicious look in his eye.

“I believe we will start with your tongue, doctor... We

would not want you using any of your thaumaturgy,
no?”

Mrs. DeGrange had sat up sharply; she had seen us!

Lusk motioned for her to stay put, while pressing
himself behind the cover of the archway to the torture
chamber. He looked at me questioningly. I know what he
wanted to ask, for I was asking it of myself...

…what are we going to do?

(by Scott Rhymer)

Wescot’s Folly

11
12
 The Heresy Engine
Before you begin reading the adventure, you’ll
need to know a little about our rules system,
The Heresy Engine. We haven’t time to explain
everything here, but you won’t need to know too
much to play our sample adventure. However,
with a few basic rules you’ll get the idea and be
able to use the ready made characters to play our
sample ‘Penny Dreadful’ called ‘White Wedding’.
Heresy Game Engine
Basics
The majority of the game system itself is
generally only necessary when a character is
attempting to accomplish an action, which might
succeed or fail depending on random chance.
Such an action could be almost anything: shooting
a revolver at an enemy, persuading a wealthy mill
owner to invest in a risky venture, climbing a
sheer cliff face, or one of many other possibilities.
Each such action, known as a “task,” is resolved
using the same system. The basic task resolution
process is as follows:
All tasks in game are resolved using a “dice
pool,” whereby the character performing
the task rolls a number of dice equal to
their dice in the relevant skill, plus their
dice in the relevant attribute.
While each character has a variety of
skills, there are only 6 attributes, 3 physical
and 3 mental. The physical attributes are
Strength, Dexterity and Fortitude, the 3
mental attributes are Presence, Wits and
Resolve.
Example: The heroic and renowned
explorer, Edward Applethwaite, is
attempting to leap over an icy mountain
stream. He has 10 dice in Athletics (the
relevant skill) and 2 dice in Dexterity (the
relevant attribute), for a total dice pool
of 12. He rolls 12 dice to see whether he
successfully leaps the stream.
Each roll of “1” or “6” counts as a success.
Add up the total number of successes you
roll.
Example: Mr Applethwaite rolls
the following on his 12 dice:
1,1,1,1,2,2,3,3,5,4,4,6. Thus he has a total
of 5 successes, from the four “1s” and the
single “6” he rolled.
Any roll of a “6” can also be re-rolled, for a
chance at an additional success.
Example: Mr Applethwaite only rolled one
“6,”and so re-rolls that die, getting a 3. He
gets no additional successes, but retains his
originally rolled 5 successes.
Of course, some tasks are inherently more
difficult than others, and sometimes other
conditions or factors work against you or in your
favour. Three additional game mechanics, Black
Dice, Pool Modifiers, and Opposed Rolls, allow
different tasks and situations to be dealt with:
Black Dice
The inherent difficulty of a task is represented
by a number of Black Dice that are rolled by the
player, at the same time as she rolls her regular
dice. Black Dice can be represented by any colour
of dice in practice, so long as they are distinct
in appearance from the player’s regular dice. For
each “1” or “6” that comes up on the Black Dice,
remove one success from those rolled by the
player. Unlike the dice in your dice pool, Black
Dice do not roll again on a “6”.
Example: Mr Applethwaite rolled 5 successes,
but the GM informed him beforehand that the
stream was particularly wide. As this is a Very
Difficult roll, 6 Black Dice are rolled, coming up
2,3,3,5,6,6. For each die that came up a “1” or a
“6” (in this case, two of them coming up as 6s),
Applethwaite’s total successes are reduced by 2,
leaving 3 successes.
Difficulty Black Dice
Very easy Automatic success; no need to roll
Easy No black dice; +5 to dice pool
Average task No Black Dice
Difficult 3 Black Dice
Very difficult 6 Black Dice
Ridiculous 12 Black Dice
Extreme 20 Black Dice
Impossible 40 Black Dice
Pool Modifiers
Other situational modifiers that do not relate to
the inherent difficulty of the task may also apply. 13
These are calculated as “pool modifiers,” adding
 to either the number of dice in the dice pool, or the
number of Black Dice being rolled against the character,
depending on whether these situational factors would
make the character’s task easier or harder. Once all
pool modifiers have been applied, the dice are rolled,
successes are counted up, and the black dice reduce
successes accordingly. Depending on the task, pool
modifiers may be necessary for situations such as: the
character is wounded; the character is affected by a drug
or poison; lighting or another environmental condition
is particularly conducive, or not conducive, to the task;
the character does not have the right tools, or has
particularly effective tools; etc.
Example: Mr Applethwaite later has to leap the same
stream again. The inherent difficulty of the task is as it
was (Very Difficult, for a 6 Black Dice) but now the area
is much more slippy and boggy after a heavy rainfall,
making both the take-off and the landing a lot trickier.
This environmental condition gives a +2 Pool Modifier
to the Black Dice, giving Mr Applethwaite 12 dice to roll
as before but 8 Black Dice against him. He rolls a 1, 2, 2,
3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, for a total of just 3 successes. The re-
roll for the two 6s netted a 2 and a 4, adding no further
successes. The 8 Black Dice come up 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5,
(2 successes) reducing the total to 1 success.
The number of successes remaining, after Black Dice
have been applied, indicates how well the task has been
performed.
Degree of success Successes gained
Just about managed it 1
Task completed methodically 2 However, when everyone involved knows what is
Completed with some flair 3 coming you need to make an initiative check.
A demonstration of mastery 5
A virtuoso performance 8
Awe-inspiring! 12
God-like 16
Example: The first time Mr Applethwaite leapt the
stream, he gained a total of 3 successes, crossing easily
and landing with some flair. The GM rules that he
landed gracefully and made the task look easy. Observers
will have been impressed by his fluid, athletic motion.
Later, when he gained only 1 success, his feet only just
barely connected with the far bank, and he slipped
forward face-first into the mud, very nearly sliding right
off the bank again with his feet.
Opposition and Failure Numbers
When another person or creature is working directly
contrary to the character’s attempt, that other agency
will make their own Skill Roll in opposition. In this case,
the character who scores more successes than his or her
opponent will achieve their desired end. Black Dice are
rolled against both characters as normal, to represent
situational difficulties and the inherent difficulty of the
14 task.
In some cases it will be necessary to know how badly
a task was failed. The Failure Number measures this.
Subtract the number of successes gained from those
that were needed, to determine the Failure Number.
You already know how well you did, as the amount of
successes you gained in total has the same effect as any
other roll.
Example: Mr Applethwaite is facing off against
Montague, a renowned cad and thug who had had
the temerity to insult Mr Applethwaite’s parentage.
Mr Applethwaite attempts to teach Montague some
manners by means of a manly punch to the jaw. Mr
Applethwaite rolls his Brawl skill (7 dice) + his Dexterity
(2 dice) for a total of 9 dice, getting 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5,
6, for 2 successes and 1 re-roll – another 1 (!) giving him
3 successes. Montague rolls his Dodge skill (3 dice) +
his Dexterity (1 die), for a total of 4 dice, getting 2, 3,
5, 6, for a success and a re-roll himself – 4 – still just 1
success. Mr Applethwaite thumped Montague right on
the ‘button’ or point of his chin, with 2 successes.
Fighting and Combat
When things get physical, things can get a little tricky.
Combat can be complicated because there are so many
variables but, in the Heresy Engine, we keep things as
simple as we can to keep the action flowing.
Initiative
The first thing you need to know is who is going to take
the initiative. If you have crept up on a target and they
don’t know you are there, the answer is pretty obvious!
To make an initiative check, simply roll a number of
dice equal to your character’s initiative. Whoever gets
the most successes goes first, then the next highest
amount goes next and so on. If there is a tie, compare
the tied characters’ Dexterity scores. If that result is a tie,
compare the skill ratings for the weapon each character
will be using in the fight. If there is still a tie, compare
the characters’ Wits ratings. If there is still a tie, you go
at the same time. In such a case, you wait until all the
tied parties have made an action before applying the
effects of anyone’s actions.
The person with the highest Initiative gets to decide who
they will be attacking this round, and the others follow
in initiative order. You can only actually attack someone
who is near enough to you. If you are selected as the
target of someone with a higher initiative, you have no
option but to defend yourself. If you choose to engage
a different target, you are opting not to defend yourself,
and become a very easy target.
Making an Attack
Unlike many other games, in Victoriana combat does
not revolve around resolving each blow. We assume that
each combatant is making a flurry of parries, attacks
and dodges during a round, so we only need to
see which fighter manages to land a blow.
Real combat doesn’t allow people to take
turns trying to attack each other.

To hurt someone you must be ready

with a weapon, be it a Sword, Cosh,
Rifle or just your fists. The use of each
weapon is governed by a particular skill. Each
opponent makes a combat roll using Dexterity +
Weapon Skill, and whoever scores the most successes
does damage that round. The more successes they
get beyond whatever their opponent scored, the more
damage they do. If your initiative score was better than
your opponent’s, you also gain +2 dice to your dice
pool for your roll, representing your skill
in taking the
offensive.
However,
while
Initiative grants an advantage,
speed does not equate to skill and the faster
fighter can still lose combat.

If the combat pools are tied, the person with the

highest initiative roll is considered the winner. They
can do damage as long as they scored at least 1
success on their roll, but gain no extra damage from
their successes. If both the
combat pools
and initiative

The Heresy Engine

are tied, then no one
managed to land a blow that round.

If your opponent is unaware of your impending attack,
you can make a ‘surprise attack’. If this case they don’t
get to make a roll themselves, so all you need to do is
score a single success. What your Gamesmaster allows as
a surprise attack may depend on many things. Someone
involved in combat may be wary of other potential
opponents, but could just as easily be concentrating so
much they can’t see their new adversary. A cad might
be slapped in the face by an offended lady but, should
he make a successful empathy roll beforehand, he may
realise what she is about to do.
Ranged Weapons
Firearms are a little easier to deal with. You need only
aim and fire, not try to dodge and parry your opponent’s
attacks. However, your opponent can still defend against
your attack using the skill Dodge. So you make an attack
using Dexterity + Ranged Weapon skill, and they use
their Dexterity + Dodge dice pool. If the defender
manages to beat the attacker, they don’t get to do any
damage; at that distance, they can only hope to evade the
bullet or arrow.
It is also significantly harder to dodge bullets and arrows,
even those from unreliable Victorian weapons. If the
ranged weapon is fired from close range (usually about
6-10 feet away), the defender is only allowed to add half
their dodge skill to their dexterity for their Dice Pool. If
the weapon is fired at point blank range, the defender
can only use their Dexterity to evade it.
Damage
Getting smacked with a weapon hurts rather a lot. Each
weapon has a damage rating, which is the number of
dice you get to roll to see how much damage you do
to your opponent. When you’ve rolled those dice, you
add up the successes you score and that number is the
amount of health pips your opponent must knock off
their character sheet.
You can improve your damage roll in a few ways. Firstly,
in a Melee attack you can add your Strength dice to
the damage dice before you roll. So make a point of
avoiding any Ogres wielding melee weapons. Secondly,
the number of successes you score directly adds to your
damage successes.
There are 2 pips to each Health Die and, for each full
dice worth of damage your opponent takes, he suffers a
penalty of 1 additional Black Dice to all actions until the 15
end of the round. So, if you get hurt first in combat, the
 shock of the attack might make you miss on your turn.
So, putting that together, we get something like this:
Wulf the Ogre bruiser is trying to abduct Lady
Willamina Carstairs on behalf of his employer.
Willamina refuses to be kidnapped so easily and engages
the Ogre, but unfortunately she is no fighter. With only
1 die in Dexterity and 2 points in Fisticuffs, she has a
dice pool of a mere 3. She rolls 3,4,6, rerolling the 6 to
get a 1, so scores 2 successes. Wulf is unimpressed. With
a Dexterity of 2 and a Fisticuffs skill of 4 he rolls 6 dice
and scores 1,1,2,3,5,6 with a 1 on the reroll, a total of 4
successes. He bats aside her best shot and lands a blow
with 2 clear successes.
Wulf rolls his damage dice, which for a fist is 3, but
Wulf ’s strength is 7 for a total of 10 dice. He scores 6
successes on his roll, and adds the 2 successes from his
attack for a total of 8 damage. Lady Willamina has only
2 Health Dice, so taking 4 Health dice of damage places
her squarely on the -6 shaded dice. This may be more
than enough to knock her unconscious.
Multiple Opponents
Rolling against a single target is all very well, and makes
sense, but combat is rarely so organised. Often you will
find yourself facing multiple opponents. In such a case,
you still work out who is fighting who. In a crowded
melee, most people will pick a single target. So, if 3
people are fighting 2 people, the combat consists of one
group of 1 against 1 and another group of 2 against 1.
With less room to move, fighting in large groups offers
fewer chances to hit. If two (or more) people gang up
on 1 person, everyone makes a combat roll as usual.
Whoever gets the highest roll does damage to one of
their opponents as usual. The winner of initiative gets
the +2 bonus as before, but whoever is outnumbered
suffers an additional 3 Black Dice penalty for every
additional person they are fighting.
As there is more opportunity for attacks to be made,
whoever in the group scored the second highest combat
roll gets to count damage on their opponent, if they
managed to beat their roll as well. So an excellent
swordsman outnumbered by 2 opponents might manage
to land a blow despite being struck by one opponent.
However, it is also possible both opponents might
manage to skewer our hero!
Luckily for Willamina, at the sounds of her distress,
her bodyguards Alfred and Charles burst into the
room, swords at the ready. Willamina is unconscious,
but now Wulf now faces 2 opponents. Luckily, Wulf
wins initiative, followed by Alfred and then Charles.
He adds 2 to his dice pool of 6 for 8 dice in total. He
scores 4 successes. Alfred and Charles both have a dice
pool from Dex and Swordplay of 8, but Alfred scores
3 successes and Charles only 2. Although Wulf would
16 like to take advantage of Charles’ low roll, he specified
he was attacking Alfred when he won initiative, so he
rolls damage with 1 clear success rather than 2 and does
4 Health points of damage to Alfred. As this fight has
multiple fighters, Alfred, who scored the second highest
roll, can do damage, but his roll doesn’t beat anyone
else’s and so no damage is scored.
The next round goes less well for Wulf, Alfred beats his
initiative, but Charles does not. Alfred is now rolling 10
dice, and scores 6 successes. Wulf rolls his 6 dice for
4 successes and Charles, dogged by bad luck, manages
only 2 successes with his 8 dice. Alfred does damage
on his foe Wulf; with 4 clear successes, the damage is
nasty. However, Wulf scored the second best roll. He
cannot beat Alfred, but his roll did beat Charles. He does
damage to Charles with 2 clear successes.
The round begins again with everyone rather battered.
Things go well, but then badly for Wulf. He wins
initiative, but his combat roll is appalling, with only 1
success. Alfred score 3 successes, but Charles does very
well with 6. Charles does the damage to Wulf, with 5
clear successes. As Alfred is the second best fighter
this round, and his roll beat his opponent, he can also
damage Wulf, with 2 clear successes. The damage to
Wulf is devastating and he expires under the gentlemen’s
blades.
Multiple Actions
If you get into a lot of trouble, just one action won’t be
enough. Each character can make one attack action in
any given combat round. If they decide to make more
than one action in a round they must halve their dice
pool for each action. If two actions aren’t enough they
can make three actions, but each dice pool is reduced to
a third, and so on. However, they cannot make any more
additional actions than they have Dexterity bonus Dice
(so, the limit is Dexterity + their one basic action for
the round). In this case we’ll allow those with a negative
Dexterity to count their Dexterity as 0. Remember also
that, even though your dice pool may reduce, you roll
just as many Black Dice as you usually would for each
roll! You should also remember that there are plenty of
actions that will take a whole round no matter how many
times you can divide your Dice Pool. If you are going to
pick a lock, you can’t do much else that round!
In combat, taking an additional action allows you to roll
as if you were 2 separate people (albeit with lower dice
pools). You can choose 2 opponents (or the same one
twice as if you were a multiple opponent on your own!)
and get to make 2 combat rolls rather than 1.
Antoine, a master swordsman with a combat pool of 10
dice is fighting 2 thugs. He decides to make an additional
action, halving his dice pool. He is now considered
to be 2 people, each with a dice pool of 5. The thugs
each have dice pools of 4 so Antoine’s chances are
good. He can roll to fight each thug individually. If he
dispatches one, he can keep splitting his pool and attack
the remaining poor thug in the same way as Alfred and
Charles attacked Wulf.
However, no matter how many times you divide your
dice pool, you are still actually only 1 person. You make
1 initiative roll and, after that, you declare whether you
are splitting your dice pool or not. If you win initiative,
the bonus dice are added to your dice pool before you
split your actions, not after! You obviously only have
one set of Health points, and making 2 combat rolls can
mean you get hurt twice instead, so beware!
Firing into Melee
You might choose to really pick on someone in a
fight and shoot at them from a distance while they are
engaged in melee combat. The Gamesmaster might
rule you do not have a clear shot, and that is the end of
that. However, if your attack is possible and your target
is unaware of your attack, you can roll as if you had
surprise. On the other hand, you suffer an additional 3
Black Dice penalty to your roll for each other person
they are fighting. They are likely to get in the way of
your shot and, even if you don’t care if you hit them,
they are not what you are aiming at.
If you target is aware of you,
they can make a dodge roll
against your attack as with
any other ranged weapon,
but using only half their dice
pool. However, this attack
is resolved separately to any
other melee attacks and doesn’t
affect them. On the other hand,
the Gamesmaster might insist on
a Black Dice penalty due to your
attention being in two places.
Armour
If you are wearing something
that might offer you protection, it has
an Armour Value. The Armour Value
reduces the amount of damage you take
from any blow, on a point for point basis. So,
for an attack that does 4 points of damage to someone
protected with an Armour value of 2, the attack does
only 2 points of damage.
Magic and Sorcery
In Victoriana there are several different forms of
magic. The most well known is Thaumaturgy, an almost
scientific discipline where the practitioner forces their
will on reality. The dark arts of Necromancy and
Demonology are further developments of this art,
but harness hellish power and are abhorrent to any
right minded person. Thaumatugical practice is heavily
regulated by The Guild, a magical society descended
from the witch hunters that almost destroyed magic
in the religious wars many years ago. To practice
Thaumaturgy, you must have a permit and licence from
the Guild.
However, despite the Guild’s insistence to the contrary,
Thaumaturgy is not the only worthwhile form of magic.
The old ways of Enchantment (referred to these days
as Petty Magic) remain strong in rural areas, and the
Dwarves and Gnomes keep the art of Runelore alive.
In this new age, one form of magic is on the rise.
While they have always existed, these days there are
more Mediums being born than ever before, suggesting
that humanity may be evolving greater magical power.
However, very few of the people who set themselves
up as spiritual guides actually have any real power at all.
Even so, if you look hard enough, you can find people
with a powerful connection to the spiritual plane. These
people can not only communicate with spirits, but also
entrap and command them, some can read minds and
even predict the future.
The Heresy Engine
We can’t go into the full magic system here, but a cut
down version should suffice for now.
Each form of magic has its own particular
skill, such as Medium or Thaumaturge.
To activate a power or use a spell, you roll
the appropriate magical skill with Presence
(for a medium) or Resolve (for magicians and
sorcerers). If you score at least 2 successes, you
have succeeded and the power or spell takes effect.
Just like any other skill roll, Black Dice still apply.
Each spell has a difficulty rating, which represents
how hard it is to cast. This difficulty rating is a number
of Black Dice which are added to any other Black Dice
the Gamesmaster may assign to the roll. Generally, the
more powerful the forces the spell manipulates, the
more difficult it is.
Spells and powers last according to their duration. Some
are instant, meaning they discharge their effect and are
gone in moments. However, spells that linger do so
in minutes, hours or even days. For each success you
get when casting a spell, it remains for that amount of
whatever the units of duration are. So, if a spell has a
duration of minutes, and you score 4 successes casting
it, it will last for 4 minutes. 17
 Unfortunately, spell casting comes with a price. Each use
of power or spell costs mana energy to cast. This cost is
always 8 mana pips, but is reduced by 1 for every success
you get to cast the spell. So, if you cast a spell and get
3 successes, it costs you 5 mana pips. If you manage 8
successes, the spell is free! This is called the ‘normal’
cost for a spell or power. However, some are more
expensive, and might cost ‘3 + normal’. These extra
points are deducted regardless of success. So if you cast
a 3 + normal spell and got 5 successes it would cost 6
mana points. (3 + (8-5) = 6).
18
Failure and Catastrophe
Magic is dangerous, and you don’t want to mess around
with it. So, there are penalties for failure! If you fail to
get any successes, you fail to cast the spell. It costs you
1 mana point and nothing happens. You got lucky. If
you get 1 success, you are in trouble. You manage to
summon the magic, but fail to focus it. The spell fails
but you pay the full mana cost, which is going to be
expensive with only 1 success.
If you run out of mana, all is not lost. You can still cast
spells but any mana points you owe are removed directly
from your Health score. Each mana pip outstanding
does 1 Health pip of damage regardless of Resolve,
Fortitude and armour.
 Arthur Wescot and Friends
These characters appeared in the first edition
version of Victoriana. However, we hope they will
continue to play a part in your games. They are
offered here to allow you to play ‘White Wedding’
if you don’t already have the new second edition
core rulebook. We’ve given them their complete
statistics, using rules not considered necessary
for playing the adventure here. So, if there are a
few things that don’t make sense, you’ll find the
answers in the new book. This may seem odd,
but this way you can use these characters with no
modification for any Victoriana adventure. They
are all built as starting characters, just as they were
originally.
Attributes
As we’ve mentioned before, there are 6 attributes.
While they don’t rise as high as skills, they are far
more useful given they show a broad aptitude
in an area. The 6 Attributes are divided into the
physical and mental, and represent the power,
agility and resistance of both.
Strength is physical power, and its use should
be pretty obvious. It will apply when brute
force rather than finesse gets the job done.
Dexterity is physical agility, a measure of hand
eye coordination and quickness of movement.
Jumping around, as well as aiming a pistol, relies
on Dexterity. Fortitude is physical resistance; it is a
rating of the body’ses ability to resist damage and
illness. Few skills use Fortitude, but it determines
a character’s Health points.
The mental attributes follow the same pattern.
Presence is mental power, the force of a
character’s personality. It can be used to charm
and intimidate, as well as just get someone’s
attention. Wits is mental agility, not a measure
of education (or quite intelligence); it measures
quickness of thought and the ability to improvise.
Resolve is the character’s mental resistance, used
to stand against attempts to deceive the character
or attack their mind with sorcery.
Other Abilities, Skills and Traits
Health, Mana and Initiative have all been
explained above. You’ll have to wait to find out
exactly what fate Pool and the Special abilities
each race gets are. Movement applies to the
ground a character can cover (in 3 seconds) and is
listed in yards a character can Sneak, Run, Swim,
Leap Horizontally and Jump.
You know all you need about skills. They’ve
been divided into Common skills, Specialties and
Magical skills. The differences aren’t important for
now, as they all work in the same way when you
are attempting a task.
There are finally a few other traits for a character:
Talents, Privileges, Assets and Complications.
Talents are special abilities the character can do,
Privileges are (usually social) advantages they have
that earn them power or position. A character’s
Assets refer to income and possessions, but
Complications are flaws and difficulties in their
character, past and situation. We won’t explain
them all here, as many should give you a good
idea of what they do from just the title, and a
good few offer advantages already counted in
their attributes.
However, we aren’t so mean as to leave you
completely in the dark. So, we add the details of
Holmwood’s Thaumaturgical spells, as well as the
Medium abilities for Sophia and Marianne.
Holmwood’s spells
Darkness of Ages
Difficulty: 1
Cost Normal
Range: 20 yards
Duration: Minutes
This spells creates a billowing black cloud of
absolute darkness. From outside the spell’s 5
yard radius, the cloud appears to be thick roiling
smoke. From within, there is absolute darkness,
with no suggestion of smoke or a gas of any kind.
19
 Etheric Bolt
Difficulty: 2 to see it.
Cost 1+Normal
Range: 20 yards (bolt range)
Duration: Instant
Upon completion of the spell, an etheric bolt of green
energy forms around the caster’s hand, which may then
be thrown at a target using Dexterity + thaumaturgy in
the same manner as mundane ranged attacks. The bolt
does 10 dice of damage. Etheric Bolt is not resisted with
Resolve; instead, the rules for dodging ranged attacks
apply. One casting provides one bolt.
Heal
Difficulty: 4 Gamesmaster may veto any action they feel is based on
Cost 3+Normal
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
This spell knits flesh and dispels infection, healing 1D6
worth of Health pips instantly. The application of this
spell has made the Guild renowned as miracle healers.
Diseases cannot be treated with Heal, they must be
treated with Cure.
However, the medium must know to look for the spirit
Sixth Sense
Difficulty: 3
Cost: 2+Normal
This ability grants an uncanny & instinctive knowledge
of events around the corner. With use of this ability,
a medium may finish the sentences of others, know
what someone is about to ask for and avoid the effects
of a surprise attack. At any time, the medium may
make a casting roll and, if successful, they can claim
to be prepared for anything that the GM has just
announced. Effectively, the player can turn back time a
moment and claim they knew what was coming. So, if
the Gamesmaster tells the medium they are surprised
by a robber, they may make a casting roll. If the roll
is successful, the character can already have a weapon
in hand or be prepared to dodge the attack. However,
the character can only make one action (and warning
the other characters counts as an action). Note that the
medium only gets a hazy picture of what is to come. The
too detailed information. The character cannot change
an action that has already happened, so they must be
quick to use the power.

Medium Abilities
Aura Reading
Difficulty: 3
Cost: Normal
A successful casting roll allows the medium to gauge
the mood, temper and intentions of the observed
person. Aura reading is only applied to individuals, not
to groups. Only one aura reading can be conducted with
one action.

See the Supernatural

Difficulty: 2
Cost: Normal
With this power, the Medium focuses her senses
to see spirits. Possessing demons appear as if fully
manifest, demons between hosts seem to be nebulous
20 clouds. Ghosts and invisible creatures can be seen with
this ability, no matter what ability they have to hide.
 Magical Skills
Mr Arthur Wescot None
‘The Crime Doctor’
Talents
Even as a small child, Arthur possessed a keen Deduction +3, Speed Reader
intellect and a love of logical puzzles. Unfortunately,
his parents could never afford the level of education Privileges
that might have catapulted him into a profession, so Ear of the Street
Arthur contented himself with reading everything he
could, whenever he could, and applying his powers of Assets
observation and reason to the everyday world around Income – middle (5), Shop (antiquarian bookshop)
him. When his parents died of cholera several years
ago, Arthur inherited their small east London shop Contacts & Favours
front, which he speedily reopened as a ‘rare book Dr Fredrick Parsons – Medical Doctor
and curiosity’ shop. Arthur opens the shop Winston Elegan – Gnome Archivist
several days a week, catering to collectors, Inspector Gerald LeGrand – Police
eccentrics and intellectuals alike. He spends Detective
the rest of his time as a private detective,
utilising his amazing intellect to solve crimes 4 Favours owed by various shady underworld

Arthur Wescot and Friends

and conundrums alike. low class personages

Rank: 1 Complications
Race: Gnome Enemy (Criminal Mastermind),
Social Class: Middle Stubborn
Social Ethics: Arthur shares most of the
usual middle class views, but feels the Magical Abilities
church can be a little strict. None
Personality: Cynical; Arthur’s cases have
shown him so much dishonesty and Personal Effects
villainy that he now tends to expect the Lined Waistcoat (AV:1), Adams 0.36
worst of people. revolver (Damage: 8), Grandfather’s
Pocket Watch, Carved Wooden Pipe,
Childhood Experience: Boarding School £1 in cash
Vocation: (Amateur) Detective

Attributes
Strength: -1, Dexterity: 1, Fortitude: 1, Presence:
2, Wits: 5, Resolve: 3, Initiative: 6, Movement: 3
(2/9/3/1/1), Health: 3 (6), Mana: 3 (18), Fate Pool:
8
Special Abilities: Little Legs, Night Creature

Common Skills
Dodge 3, Etiquette 3, Empathy 2, Firearms
2, General Knowledge 3, Perception 4,
Streetwise 2

Specialties
Business 2, Conversation 3, Criminology 3,
21
Cryptography 3, Legal Matters 2, Research 3,
 Attributes
Mrs Sophia Degrange Strength: 0, Dexterity: 2, Fortitude: 0, Presence: 3, Wits: 3,
‘Mrs Degrange’ Resolve: 1, Initiative: 5, Movement: 7 (3/21/7/3/1), Health: 2
(4), Mana: 1 (6), Fate Pool: 8
Born to West Country gentry, Sophia was a private
and troubled youth, plagued by visions and bizarre Special Abilities: Artistic Eccentricity (Proper
dreams. Her parents became frantic, with her frequent Sensibilities), Planar Empathy (See the Supernatural
‘invisible friends’ and night terrors; they despaired of – Channelling)
ever marrying her off. She quickly learned not to try and
explain the apparitions she saw, or the portents she felt. Common Skills
Eventually, her parents found a prospective husband Charm 3, Dance 2, Etiquette 4, General Knowledge 2,
considerate enough to overlook their daughter’s oddities, Horse Riding 4, Perception 2
and the marriage was arranged.
Specialties
Unfortunately, Mr Degrange turned out to be a wife Archery 4, Art (Painting) 2, Conversation 4, Fashion 1,
beater, sadist, and a drunkard. Recently, after several High Society 2, Lore 2
years of desperately unhappy marriage, locked away with
only ghosts and her brutal husband for company, Mr Magical Skills:
Degrange died quite spectacularly. One Friday evening Channelling Medium 2, Sensate Medium 5
he returned from his club, drunk as usual, and proceeded
to beat her, when her ghostly confidants rose up to Talents
protect her and frightened him (quite literally) to death. Channelling Medium (See the Supernatural), Sensate
Medium (Aura Reading, Sixth Sense),
Sophia is now free to live in a manner of her own
choosing, safe in the knowledge that, as Privileges
a widow, she will not be expected None
to remarry, but her new life has
complications of its own. Degrange’s Assets
distant family have begun a law Independent Income, Fashionable City Flat,
suit to reclaim his legacy from her Wardrobe
by claiming that she is insane, and
she still has no idea why the restless Contacts & Favours
spirits chose to answer her screams Matthew Devere – Lawyer
that night, or what they might want in Eleanor Fortescue – Favourite Aunt
return… Timothy Embers – Rejected Suitor
Willamina Murray – Occult Expert
Rank: 1
Race: Eldren Complications
Social Class: Upper Black Sheep, Lawyers! Policy of Truth
Social Ethics: Sophia sympathises with
the chartists, but she hides it well. Magical Abilities
Personality: Loner; Sophia’s distressing Channelling Medium (See the Supernatural),
experiences have made her wary of Sensate Medium (Aura Reading, Sixth Sense),
others.
Personal Effects
Childhood Experience: Private Yew Bow (for archery contests), Painting
Tutor and Sketching Equipment, Sophia’s corset
Vocation: Secret Medium grants her 1 armour point, she begins the
adventure with £1 in cash
22
 Specialties
Mr. Jacob Demolition 3, Politics 2
Lusk Magical Skills
‘Lusk’ None

Jacob is a bitter & twisted creature. Born a rat-man, he Talents

has received the roughest treatment from all around Agility, Inspiration (fighting for the workers!), Point
him, his whole life has been a procession of jibes and Shooter, Rapid Healing,
beatings, until the day he hit back at a squire and made
himself an outlaw. He swore that he’d make his name Privileges
something to be feared by those who beat him and the Blackguard, Pub Regular
helpless masses around him, and took up the beliefs
of extremist bolshevism. Now, Jacob can be found all Assets
over London, organising marches, bombings, smear Barge, Income – Lower class (2)
campaigns, sabotage, jail & workhouse breaks, and
anything else he can do to get back at the establishment Contacts & Favours
that has damned him. Reggie the Snout – Ratman Bruiser

Rank: 1

Arthur Wescot and Friends

Complications
Race: Ratman (Agile Beastman) Rage
Social Class: Lower
Social Ethics: Bolshevik Magical Abilities
Personality: Energetic: Jacob throws everything into None
his plans; once he starts on a course, he will exhaust
himself until an outcome of his choosing is Personal Effects
resolved. Knuckledusters (+2 to fist damage), Mariette 0.36
pepperbox ((Damage:8), 2 sticks of dynamite.
Childhood Experience: Mud Lark Jacob has 1D6 worth of pennies in
Vocation: Revolutionary his pocket in ready cash.

Attributes
Strength: 1, Dexterity: 3,
Fortitude: 3, Presence:
0, Wits: 1, Resolve: 2,
Initiative: 4, Movement: 8
(4/24/8/4/2),
Health: 5 (10), Mana: 2
(12), Fate Pool: 8

Special Abilities: Animal Trait

(Advanced Smell)

Common Skills
Bull 3, Conceal 2, Etiquette 2,
Fisticuffs 2, Firearms 4, Hide &
Sneak 5, Perception 3, Streetwise 4
23
 Specialties
Mr Lawrence Holmwood High Society 4, Lore 2, Research 2, Science (Astronomy)
‘Doctor Holmwood’ 4, Science (Chemistry) 2,

Lawrence is third son to lord Holmwood, and grew up Magical Skills

with the finest private tutors among the family’s estates Thaumaturgy 4
in Kent. His family were dismissive of his acceptance
into the guild university at Cambridge, and unconcerned Talents
with his emergence as an associate. Despite his Thaumaturgist (+2 additional spells)
accomplishments, Lawrence is merely a third son, and
will never inherit the seat of the family fortunes. Privileges
Where others might be happy to idle away Private Club Membership, Thaumaturgical Doctorate.
at the expense of the family, Lawrence is
constantly looking for investments and Assets
adventures that will help him to carve out Fashionable City Flat, Income – upper (5)
a name for himself, and hopefully gain some
respect. Contacts & Favours
Aldwin Manton – Guild Archivist
Rank: 1 Jonathan Cavendish – Old School Friend
Race: Human (Socialite)
Social Class: Upper
Social Ethics: Lawrence had a Complications
traditional upper class upbringing Code of Honour (Gentleman), Glass Jaw
but, nonetheless, he sees great
wisdom in the free traders’ theories. Magical Abilities
Personality: Masochist? Lawrence Thaumaturgy (Spells: Darkness of Ages,
could just sit back and live a life of Etheric Bolt, Heal)
riley, but that’s obviously just too
easy… Personal Effects
Excellently tailored lined great coat (AV: 2),
Childhood Experience: Public School Sword Cane (Damage: 6)
Vocation: Guild Associate

Attributes
Strength: 1, Dexterity: 1, Fortitude: 1,
Presence: 1, Wits: 3, Resolve: 2, Initiative:
4, Movement: 6 (3/18/6/2/1), Health:
3 (6), Mana: 2 (12), Fate Pool: 14

Special Abilities: Adaptability,

Destiny

Common Skills
Athletics 2, Concentration
3, Etiquette 2, General
Knowledge 2, Perception
2, Swordplay 4

24
 Special Abilities: Adaptability, Destiny
Sergeant Jack London
‘Indian Jack’ Common Skills
Athletics 4, Dodge 4, Drive Carriage 2, Etiquette
Jack is a soldier, a veteran rifleman, who served for much 2, General Knowledge 2, Firearms 6, Fisticuffs 3,
of his career in India. He recently returned from active Perception 3, Swordplay 3,
duty in Afghanistan. His early retirement was forced
when he received a jezzail shot in the leg that shattered Specialties
his left shin. One field amputation later, Jack was sailing Culture (India) 3, Language (Hindustani) 2
for home.
Magical Skills
Although from a middle class family, Jack’s None
disability and meagre half-pay has slowly
dragged him down into the slums, the Talents
only accommodation he can afford. Jack Combat Sense (+2), Mere Flesh Wounds
is shocked on a daily basis by the terrible
conditions around him and often assists the Privileges
various charitable ventures and reformists who Local Hero
venture into the area.

Arthur Wescot and Friends

Assets
Jack takes his past vocation seriously, Income – Middle class (2) (half-pay
and considers himself to be a defender from the army, a compensation for his
of the weak. He rarely starts fights, wound), Respectable Boarding House,
but he takes pleasure in finishing them Wardrobe
quickly.
Contacts & Favours
Rank: 1 Colonel Thoroughgood
Race: Human – Jack’s Old Commander
Social Class: Middle Chulan Din – Friend from the
Social Ethics: Jack considers Ghurkha Regiment
himself a good Aluminat and his
ethics are a mixture of Anglican Complications
and Chartist Missing Limb (Peg Leg, Jack’s old war
Personality: Perfectionist; Jack wound).
cannot stand rashness & rushing.
Perhaps he worries he’ll lose his Magical Abilities
other leg. None

Childhood Experience: Boarding Personal Effects

School Soldier’s coat, Musical pocket watch,
Vocation: Soldier (95th Pennine Indian Pipe, Enfield rifled musket
Royal Guard) (Damage: 12), Ghurkha knife (a
vicious souvenir from his colonial
Attributes tours, Damage: 6), 20 rifle cartridges, 30
Strength: 2, Dexterity: 2, Fortitude: percussion caps. Jack starts play with 4
2, Presence: 1, Wits: 1, Resolve: Shillings in ready cash.
2, Initiative: 5, Movement: 7
(3/21/7/3/1),
Health: 4 (8), Mana: 2 (12), Fate
Pool: 14
25
 Specialties:
Miss Marianne van der Rynn Appraisal +2, Bribery +2, Pick Pocket +2,
‘The Raven’
Magical Skills
Marianne is Dutch by birth, but spent her childhood in Sensate Medium 1
London with only vague recollections of her deceased
parents. At the age of six, Marianne was unleashed upon Talents
the streets, where she was swiftly initiated into a circle of Beautiful (+3), Local Expert
pickpockets. Marianne has ever pursued the profitable
currents of crime & vice; she dabbles in theft, blackmail, Privileges
assault, and prostitution. Marianne has become well Pub Regular, Social Anomaly
known across the London rookeries for her Eldren
looks and cold heart. Assets
Bolt Hole, Income – Lower (5), rented court lodgings,
Now, at the age of eighteen, Marianne is cold, without Wardrobe
compassion. Any sense of love or mercy has been
long washed away by the slums during an all too Contacts & Favours
short childhood, leaving her sharp-minded, Reggie the snout – Ratman Bruiser
shrewd and sometimes callous. Mr Spindle – Magic Shop Owner and Fence
Alice Torrington – Rookery Prostitute
Rank: 1 Minton Wayland – Wolfman Footpad
Race: Eldren Charlotte Brinsdown – Dwarven Tosher
Social Class: Lower
Social Ethics: Anarchistic Complications
Personality: Defensively Devious; Addiction (Opium), Distinctive Features
Marianne feels that to trust someone (that high Presence and Beauty really does
makes you vulnerable to them, and so stand out), Police Harassment
doggedly refuses close relationships
Magical Abilities:
Childhood Experience: Pickpocket Sensate Medium (Sixth Sense)
Vocation: Criminatrix
Personal Effects
Attributes 2 Stiletto Knives (Damage: 3), Corset
Strength: 0, Dexterity: 3, Fortitude: 1, (AV: 1), Fur Greatcoat (AV: 1),
Presence: 4, Wits: 2, Resolve: 1, Initiative: 2 doses of opium, Cigarettes,
7, Movement: 8 (4/24/8/4/2), Opera Glasses, Dark Lantern,
Health: 3 (6), Mana: 1 (6), Fate Make-up Kit. Marianne has
Pool: 8 10 pennies in ready cash at
the start of play.
Special Abilities: Artistic
Eccentricity (Personality
Flaw – Cynical), Planar
Empathy (Sixth Sense
– Sensate)

Common Skills
Skills: Bull +2, Conceal +2,
Charm +3, Dodge +2, Hide
& Sneak +3, Perception +2,
26 Streetwise +5, Swordplay +4

This scenario revolves around a common enough
social institution; marriage. However, as can
perhaps be expected in Victoriana, this wedding
isn’t a happy story about blushing brides and
confetti; it is about an arranged marriage from
hell.
Depending on the style of game you are running,
this can be a lighthearted farce, or a gruelling story
of freedom from personal oppression. It can
evolve in several ways, depending on the make up
of your adventuring party. While we expect you to
be using the ready made characters presented later
on, don’t feel you have to. If you already have a
group of player characters ready to go, you can
use them instead just as easily.
If your party contains an upper or middle class
single male, then (little may he know it) he may be
about to get married to a woman called Levinia
Dempsey. If you are using the ready-made
characters, Lawrence Holmwood is the obvious
choice. However, while not the first choice, both
Arthur Wescot and Sergeant Jack London are
not safe from becoming unwitting bridegrooms.
Throughout the rest of this adventure write up,
the bridegroom character will be referred to as
‘the stooge’.
If your party is completely lower class, or if all
the characters are female, then none of them are
likely to get married off to Levinia. However, they
may still end up assisting Levinia escape her social
‘duty’. Encouraging the party to do so may be
more or less difficult, depending on their nature.
Rebels and kindhearted souls might help Levinia
out of kindness; colder characters might want
rewards of a more material nature, which Levinia
might also provide, at first…
The Sequence of Events
The characters are first introduced to Levinia on
a visit to the opera. The Stooge and Levinia end
up being introduced and talking, and (hopefully!)
hit it off. Regardless of the characters’ feelings,
Levinia is taken with them, and reveals a little of
her rebellious side. She also has a little modest
power as a medium, which grants her a little more
gossip than usual. She’ll give the characters the
low down on the latest scandal, as well as the
other society figures, and generally endear herself
to the characters during the course of the evening.
Unbeknownst to the party, the stooge has now
been ear marked for a society wedding. If the
White Wedding
party contains no stooge, then Levinia invites
them to her family home in the city to continue
their discussions and develop their new friendship.
A couple of days later, the stooge will receive
an invitation from Levinia’s father to come and
discuss some pressing business. If the stooge
turns up, Levinia’s father immediately presses for
a marriage between the stooge and his daughter.
If the party has no stooge, then the characters
receive an invitation from Levinia herself to
visit her and, while they are present, the father
introduces Levinia to a new husband to be, a
meeting which does not go well.
At this point, the adventure turns in one of two
different directions.
Option A
If the stooge has gone along with the marriage
plan, he may be disappointed to hear that Levinia
refuses the arrangement. If the stooge accepts
this and steps down, then he has lost his ‘stooge
status’ and Levinia’s father finds another husband
for her, one more inclined to tame her. If this
happens, the story can now follow path B. Of
course, it is possible that the stooge decides to
press the marriage; after all, Levinia is beautiful,
and there is a huge dowry. However, if this
course is chosen, then the stooge has earned
Levinia’s enmity and she runs away. The character
effectively takes Uriah’s position as the villain
of the tale. The characters or the family will
eventually find her and, if the stooge is persistent,
they make it to the wedding, where Levinia reads
her vows at gunpoint. The stooge is then free to
consummate the marriage, over Levinia’s dead
body, naturally.
Option B
If, however, the characters never had a stooge
or if the stooge turned down the marriage, then
Levinia now turns to them for help escaping her
impending marriage to the husband from hell and
starting a new life. Needless to say, this is a goal
that carries more than a few complications.
Let the story begin!
A Night at the Opera
The adventure begins with the characters visiting
the opera. However, it could just as easily be the
theatre, music hall or a concert in the park. Not all
the characters might think such an evening out is 27
much fun. If you have a mixed class or lower class
 group, point out how out of place lower class characters
might feel amongst the opulent environment, and
surrounded by those of a higher station. The clothes
worn by most attendees would cost a working man’s
annual income or more; the clean, groomed crowds are a
different world to the bustling grimy streets outside.
During the socialising before and after the theatre,
the stooge is introduced to the beautiful Miss Levinia
Dempsey. Miss Dempsey makes a dramatic entrance,
and is unescorted (highly irregular). All heads turn as
she enters, but none move to invite her into their group.
During the social mixing before the show, she talks with
the characters, and she might actually take a fancy to the
target character. The character group should present (at
the very least) something different to the usual social
butterflies at the occasion. Whatever her motive, Levinia
will embarrass society bastions by her loud declamation
of capitalism and class distinction, proclaiming the
benefits of a socialist commonwealth, free education
and love. During the conversation, she drinks neat
vodka and smokes Sobraine cigarettes, both fashionable
(and unpopular) activities. To most of the upper class
gathering, a bomb going off would be less shocking and
unsettling than Levinia’s behaviour.
As she and the characters talk, a Wits + Perception (or
Empathy) roll will make the characters aware that others
are staring at them and that they has become a focus of
attention. If asked, Levinia will explain, “It is because
you are talking to me; the Bolshevik disgrace, the
promiscuous whore. That’s what they all call me behind
my back, anyway.” If a character tries to assure her that
no one could think such a thing, she replies, ‘But they
do, sir, they do. They have too little imagination to think
anything else.’ She then changes the subject to question
the character on some hidden aspect of his life that she
has deduced through her medium senses.
Once the evening is over, the characters should feel they
have a new friend in Levinia. She lavishes them with
attention for the whole evening - she is simply delighted
to have found some people who are actually interesting
in comparison to the never-ending procession of
vacuous wallflowers she is usually expected to socialise
with, and she makes sure she has a way of contacting the
characters in the future before they all part company for
the evening.
If the party has a stooge and you are using Option B,
then proceed to ‘Sir, about my Daughter’, otherwise
proceed to ‘New Friends’
Sir, about my daughter...
If you are using story option B (where one of the
characters is interested in becoming the groom for
Levinia) things play out a little differently. Unless your
28 characters are as evil as Uriah (yikes), this story option is
much more lighthearted and inclined to a farce or fairy
tale atmosphere.
Hearing about Levinia’s contact with the character, her
father, Sir Robert Dempsey, calls upon the character at
his home. He informs the character that he has heard
of a friendship with his daughter and asks him, quite
outright, if he will marry her for a dowry of £5000.
A positive response delights Sir Robert, who leaves
immediately to prepare for the wedding. A negative
response will send him flying into play acted outrage
at the character’s harsh and ungentlemanly treatment
of his daughter; after all, she is beautiful, royal Eldren
blood flows in her veins, his dowry and inheritance are
first class, what more could a man want! Sir Robert will
attempt to lure (and if that fails, intimidate) the character
into the marital arrangement.
Eventually, Sir Robert will withdraw if the stooge is
persistent in his refusal, but make the character sweat
before play can pick up and continue with ‘New
Friends’. However, if the character accepts Sir Robert’s
offer, the remainder of the adventure can proceed as
outlined in the sidebar ‘Intimate Strangers’.
New Friends
This part of the story takes place several days after the
characters’ initial meeting with Levinia. One or more of
the characters who got on particularly well with Levinia
receive a message carried by private messenger, inviting
them for afternoon tea at the Dempseys’ townhouse
in Belgravia (a pleasant west end district of London).
The invitation is in Levinia’s own handwriting and she
is obviously extremely enthusiastic about once again
meeting her new friends.
When the characters arrive at the Dempseys’ Belgravia
townhouse, they are greeted at the door by Mr Timms,
the Dempseys’ dour butler, who is expecting them and
escorts them through a hallway and dining room lined
with valuable and exquisite paintings to a parlour at the
rear of the building, which faces onto a well stocked
conservatory. Levinia is waiting for them here and, after
greeting all in turn while Mr Timms lays out the tea
service and departs, she then insists on hearing every
nuance of their lives for the last few days, interspersed
with politics and fashion as only Levinia can.
Levinia makes it clear that she envies the characters
living as they please in the real world, while she
languishes in a gilded cage, a thought which obviously
saddens her a great deal and upon which she doesn’t
dwell, preferring instead to change the subject.
However, as she does so, the door to the parlour opens
and Mr Dempsey enters, accompanied by an older
man who possesses a deathly pallor, cold eyes and an
arrogant sneer.
Intimate Strangers
A character who agrees to the wedding is not
allowed to see Levinia until the happy event. This
is because Levinia has been chained to her bed to
prevent her escape from her father’s arrangements.
The wedding is announced in every London
newspaper and the character starts receiving
telegrams of congratulation from society figures
he doesn’t even know, including a wire from Sir
Robert informing the character of the wedding
date, only a week away.
At the wedding, Levinia makes a break for
freedom at the door, but is apprehended and
ushered into the chapel. Upon seeing the social
gathering, Levinia ceases to struggle in the face
of such colossal social disgrace and the marriage
is conducted.
The Honeymoon
The happy couple have a splendid honeymoon
planned for them, if they both make it. If Levinia
does not like her husband, then the train journey to
their honeymoon destination will be fraught with
escape attempts and loud argumentative assaults.
Assuming that Levinia fails to escape without
murder being committed, she will drink herself
stupid and attempt to offend everyone in the train
buffet as recompense for her treatment. If things
get really out of hand, the characters could find
themselves chasing a drunken Levinia across the
tops of the moving train carriages.
Once at the honeymoon location, the husband
might be eager to consummate the marriage and
start his succession. Such a chain of events will
only take place over Levinia’s dead body. That is,
unless the character has a vast amount of charm
and luck and has managed to win her heart against
all odds.
Of course, Levinia and the character might actually
get on; at least, they might both be oddballs of
society and agree to lead separate lives, maintaining
their marriage to appease social pressure.
Happy Ever After?
The main things to come out of this scenario for
the characters are a change in social perspective for
some and, of course, Levinia Dempsey. Levinia is
undoubtedly a useful person to know, if only for
her medium skills. A party might also value her
knowledge of etiquette and high society. Whether
the characters’ final relationship with Levinia is
marital, intimate, cordial, amicable or loyal is really
up to the players and how they act.
Enter the Groom
Mr Dempsey casts his eye briefly over the
assembled characters with some surprise
(and perhaps distaste if they are lower class
‘riff raff ’). He expresses his apologies for the
intrusion, but he was unaware that Levinia was
entertaining, and asks if they might excuse him
for the intrusion, but he needs to speak to his
daughter in private.
After a moment’s stunned silence (while
characters might already be getting up and
leaving), Levinia expresses her outrage at her
father’s rudeness and asks the characters if they
wouldn’t mind viewing the conservatory for a
few minutes instead. It is a little unconventional,
but we want those (no doubt) nosy characters
to know what’s going on.
Sighing, Mr Dempsey agrees, and waits while
Levinia, apologising profusely, shows the
characters into the adjoining conservatory
before returning to the parlour.
Its’ possible that overly polite characters might
actually leave at Mr Dempsey’s bidding rather
than stay at Levinia’s request, in which case
they soon realise that things aren’t right when
Levinia turns up on a party member’s doorstep
later in the section ‘Among the People’.
For those characters who do stay for the big
event, let them make Wits + Perception and
Dexterity + Hide & Sneak rolls to listen in
or spy into the parlour undetected. Given the
potential rush for a good spot, you should
White Wedding
impose a 3 Black dice penalty to the rolls for
a Difficult skill roll. However, you might want
to be lenient if they are truly hapless; after all
they’re here for the gossip, right?
Once they characters are in the conservatory
and (apparently) out of the way, Levina’s father
introduces his companion, Uriah Clarence. He
is a wealthy stock broker with whom Levinia’s
father has been doing a lot of business, and
who has asked for Levinia’s hand in marriage.
As Levinia looks on, shell shocked, Mr
Dempsey adds that he has considered the
proposal and accepted. The marriage will be
taking place next week and he suggests that the
two spend some time to get acquainted.
Levinia starts to say, ‘How dare you,’ but her
father curtly reminds her that she is a woman
now, not a girl and, as she has so successfully
ostracised herself from the rest of society, she
is lucky to have found a groom at all. There
are to be no ifs, buts, or refusals. With that
29
statement, he nods and smiles at the grim Mr
 Clarence and leaves the room for Levinia and Mr
Clarence to get acquainted.
Levinia slumps onto the divan, obviously still
shocked by the proceedings. Uriah hobbles over,
sits next to her and says, ‘Quite a shock I’m sure,
but you’ll come to appreciate me..’ As he speaks,
Uriah runs his hand across Levinia’s hair, an
action which snaps her out of her shocked state.
Her lip curled in disgust, she tries to slap Uriah
hard across the face but, with an unnatural speed
and strength, Uriah grabs her hand in mid strike
and forces it behind her back. With this show
of power, Levinia’s medium senses allow her to
observe a deathly and unnatural aura surrounding
Uriah; although she doesn’t understand what she
has glimpsed, it terrifies her nonetheless. If one
of the other characters has the Medium abilities
‘Aura Reading’ or ‘Magic Sense’, they may be able
to see the aura too. Observant characters in the
conservatory will notice several of the plants by
the parlour noticeably wilt at the same time.
Uriah, grinning evilly at his power over her,
mashes his withered lips against hers in a feral kiss
before releasing her with the promise, ’I shall enjoy
taming you, Levinia, and tame you I shall.’ Uriah
stands and leaves, pausing only to nod farewell.
‘Until our wedding night, my love,’ he adds
tauntingly as he leaves.
Naturally, some characters may intervene as the
scene turns ugly and, if they do so, Uriah’s clinch
is cut short, and he departs peacefully, offering
his parting comments as he goes. He certainly
has no intention of fighting the characters in the
Dempsey household, but he will mark them as
enemies from now on. If the characters are daft
enough to engage in an all out brawl, the servants
will rush in (led by the butler) to break up the fight
and cast the characters out onto the street.
For those characters who remain discreet spies
while Uriah is present, they are free to attend to
the shocked and distressed Levinia once Uriah has
left. Levinia tearfully relates the disgusting deathly
aura she saw around Uriah. Characters with the
Thaumaturgy skill, or Lore specialty can roll
Wits (+ the skill) to suspect that the aura might
be indicative of necromantic magic. However,
the skill roll is ‘Very Difficult’ (6 Black Dice), as
Necromancy is believed to be a dead and long
forgotten art. The characters won’t have seen
anything like it first hand before.
In Levinia’s mind, the path is clear; she cannot
marry Uriah, she would rather die. If her father is
to insist on being so blind, then she will run away.
30 Her bright eyes reddened with tears, she turns to
the characters and begs, ‘Help me, please?’
Uriah Clarence
Clever characters might want to dig around
in Uriah’s dirty laundry and see just how
dirty it really is, and why not! They have
several reasons to do so. They might be
intrigued by his unnerving display of
power in the Dempseys’ parlour, or they
might simply want to find a reason they
can give Mr Dempsey for the marriage not
to go ahead.
Uriah is a successful stock broker by day,
and spends much of every day in his
London city offices, building the wealth
of the empire and lucratively expanding
his own coffers as he does so. Regrettably,
Uriah does not do anything illegal by day;
his day job as a stock broker is totally
genuine and totally legal. Although it
should be mentioned that it really doesn’t
make him a better person. He’s successful
at his day job because he’s an evil minded
and sadistic tyrant, and because he has no
compunction about disturbing the spirits
of the dead to support and verify his
speculations.
Characters who dig too deep into the
company portfolios Uriah manages
might begin to see all manner of sinister
connections and unpleasant deeds (also
an ideal place for you to drop a lead for a
future adventure) and chasing off after just
such a red herring might provide good fun
in its own right.
Characters looking for dirt on Uriah
find it in spades at his home in London,
where the library is filled with ancient
and proscribed books on death, and the
basement is filled with body parts and
cadavers left over from Uriah’s enthusiastic
experiments.
We won’t dwell on the nature of Uriah’s
experiments; we’ll leave that to you,
the Gamesmaster. Is Uriah creating a
‘Frankenstein’s monster’, is he trying
to animate the dead, or does he simply
have a morbid interest in anatomy? You
decide and, while you’re at it, decide how
successful he’s been!
Escape Plans
In the last couple of sections, the characters have
primarily been observers; now they can spring into
action and hatch the kind of ludicrous, hare brained
scheme that only players can hatch.
However, Levinia is sensible enough to realise that (as
much as she might want to) she cannot simply run out
into the street and disappear right now. She needs to
gather some modest possessions first, but will yield to
characters’ advice on the nature of the breakout. Make
no mistake, this is a breakout. From the moment Uriah
left, Levinia was effectively under house arrest. Servants
dog her every step to prevent just such a dramatic
escape.
So, how will the characters get Levinia to freedom? Will
they return by night and assist Levinia in a stealthy exit
via her bedroom window? Will they invite Levinia out
in the hope that they can lose any chaperones that come
with her and escape that way (unfortunately, that is a bad
plan as Levinia is not going to be let out of the house)?
Will they execute a fake ‘home invasion’ and ‘kidnap’
Levinia? Perhaps they’ll plan to wait until the wedding
day itself and help Levinia escape while she and Uriah
are en route to their honeymoon?
Whatever the characters cook up, bear in mind the
following points:
If the characters call again, they will simply
be told by the butler that Levinia is not taking
visitors.
The only visitors that will be allowed in will be the
seamstresses tasked to create Levinia’s wedding
dress (which will take several sittings to complete).
Levinia will not be allowed out of the house, and
the servants have been instructed to watch the
doors. Within a day, the troublesome Levinia is
locked in her room unless the tailors are in situ.
The servants guarding Levinia are not maniacs or
soldiers; if attacked, they retreat and call for the
law. A party willing to use force to free Levinia
can rescue her easily but, as a result, the police
will call out a manhunt to find the kidnappers.
Once the characters have a plan, think about how to
make it a challenge; for example, a night time breakout
from the bedroom window will by necessity requires a
ladder, so how will the characters get it there quietly?
Once there, make sure the characters are swift and quiet,
to avoid the attention of the police who maintain regular
foot patrols around Belgravia, and will no doubt be
innately suspicious of characters with ladders to upstairs
windows in the middle of the night! In such a plan, a
single failed sneak roll can bring either the police from
outside, or the house occupants to the scene and turn
the escape into a madcap dash through the night time
streets.
Among the People
Whether the players rescue Levinia, or whether she
escapes herself, Levinia is ill equipped for everyday life.
Levinia’s idea of freedom is to join the ranks of the
proletariat and live without the shackles of high society.
Unfortunately, she has little idea of the harsh realities
of working class life, she doesn’t know how to cook for
herself or even repair her clothes. These wouldn’t be
desperate problems but for the fact that, as a woman,
she has no money or property. All the wealth she had
actually belongs to her father. Selling some jewellery
gains her a couple of pounds, which Levinia’s delicate
and sophisticated tastes soon devour. Levinia’s dream of
proletarian existence wasn’t the picture of squalor and
grime that is the reality.
It’s possible of course that the characters don’t break
Levinia out; they might not even know about the
marriage arrangement if they left at Mr Dempsey’s
request earlier on. If this is the case, then they do
hear about Levinia’s marriage when they read an
announcement in the society column of the newspapers.
As if on cue, a bedraggled Levinia turns up on the
characters’ doorstep moments later. She has realised that
her only income as an educated yet unskilled woman will
be through prostitution or marriage, and she’ll relate
the tale of events and explain her dread of the insidious
Uriah.
Whether the characters free her, or whether she turns to
them for a last resort, Levinia’s freedom is short lived.
The characters’ contacts will warn them that some ugly
looking thugs have been asking around for them and a
young Eldren woman matching Levinia’s description.
A little additional questioning will reveal the thugs are
three Weasel Beastmen. It doesn’t take the thugs (Uriah’s
White Wedding
grave robbers) long to locate the characters through
a combination of legwork and séances conducted by
Uriah.
At your convenience, once the characters have had a
chance to see how helpless and vulnerable Levinia is in
the real world, the grave robbers strike and carry Levinia
off to a secret location where she will remain until the
wedding. The Weasel grave robbers work for Uriah,
not the Dempseys and they have no compunctions
about violence to the characters. In fact, they rather
enjoy a fight, as long as it looks like they’ll win. The
grave robbers prefer to strike at night when Levinia
and whichever character she is staying with are asleep.
The grave robbers will break into the home and carry
a screaming Levinia into the night to a waiting coach,
pausing only to knock out any characters who try to
stop them. If the characters plan things too well, Uriah
may be able to provide supernatural help for his thugs in
their kidnapping attempt.
31
 The Wedding
Whether she’s left to stew since day one or whether she
Cast of Characters
tastes freedom for a few days before recapture, Levinia
still has a wedding to go to. On the morning of the
wedding, Levinia is bodily hauled out of the house in
her wedding dress and into the coach that takes her to
the church.
At the church doors, Levinia makes a final break for
freedom, only to be detained by her chaperones and
ushered into the chapel. Once inside, upon seeing the
social gathering, Levinia finally ceases to struggle in the
face of such colossal social disgrace, and the marriage
is conducted. All the while, Levinia tries to think about
how she can escape Uriah before the evening.
Once the ceremony is over, the ‘happy’ couple leave
by coach straight for Uriah’s townhouse, excusing
themselves from the reception on account of poor
health on Uriah’s part.
Characters determined to free Levinia now have a final
chance for closure at Uriah’s townhouse, where they
must face off against the graverobbers before they can
eventually find Uriah and Levinia upstairs, where Levinia
is locked in a valiant and futile struggle to prevent the
eager Uriah from consummating the marriage.
Happy Endings?
If the characters can defeat Uriah and his thugs, there is
a chance for a happy ending. If Uriah is dead, Levinia is
free to remain single (for now).
It’s possible that the characters might see a value to
supporting Levinia as a dependant in exchange for her
medium abilities. Any party intending to investigate for
a living will find her medium senses extremely useful. It
is the best way for her to gain some independence from
her family.
Naturally, it’s possible that the characters might fail,
Uriah might consummate the marriage and, unless
the characters intervene, he’ll make Levinia’s life hell,
degrading her for his own amusement before finally
fulfilling his real objective, the murder of Levinia’s
father. As Levinia’s husband, all of Mr Dempsey’s
wealth and investments will pass to Uriah, not Levinia.
Remember that, if Uriah lives (perhaps due to the
mercy of the characters), he is still legally married to
Levinia. The characters have no legal rights to interfere
in the horrors he is looking forward to visiting on his
new bride. Should the character find a way to defeat
Uriah without killing him, he would make an excellent
recurring villain later on in your campaign. His plan to
secure the Dempsey fortune and get ‘revenge’ on the
characters will become a consuming obsession. Should
32 a character end up marrying Levinia, Uriah will also
appear to do all he can to destroy their happiness.
Miss Levinia Dempsey
Daughter to a master industrialist and society host,
Levinia could have been a popular girl. As an only
child, she is spoilt; with her wealthy father providing
everything she could possibly want. She is highly
intelligent and, wishing an education, she received one.
The finest tutors in Europe attended to the precocious
child’s education in every subject she wished. Now, as a
young woman, her imperial and patriotic father deeply
regrets his generosity. Levinia’s education in politics
and sociology has prompted a fashionable interest in
radical politics, namely Communism with quite strong
verbal Bolshevism. Her past as a spoilt brat has led to an
obsession with breaking rules, primarily social rules.
Levinia, with her promiscuous and political talk,
has become an embarrassment to her father’s social
position. Now, he intends to marry her off, to place the
embarrassment on someone else. Of course Levinia’s
attitude toward others of her social class is highly
defamatory, and not conducive to offers of marriage.
Rank: 1
Race: Eldren
Social Class: Upper
Social Ethics: Levinia makes a show of being Bolshevik
but, at heart, has more in common with the chartists
Personality: Energetic and outspoken
Childhood Experience: Private Tutors
Vocation: Bored Society Debutante
Attributes
Strength: 0, Dexterity: 1, Fortitude: 0, Presence: 4, Wits: 2,
Resolve: 1, Initiative: 3, Movement: 6 (3/18/6/2/1), Health: 2
(4), Mana: 1 (6)
Special Abilities: Artistic Eccentricity (Personality Flaw
-Temper Fits), Planer Empathy (See the Supernatural)
Common Skills
Bull 2, Charm 3, Dodge 2, Etiquette 4, General
Knowledge 3, Perception 2
Specialties
Conversation 2, Fashion 5, High Society 2, Politics 3
Magical Skills
Sensate Medium 4
Talents
Beautiful, Sensate Medium (2 abilities)
Privileges
None
Assets
Income – upper (5) (soon to be cut off), Wardrobe.
Complications
None (but things are going to get very complicated
soon!)
Magical Abilities
Sensate Medium (Aura Reading, See the Supernatural,
Sixth Sense)
Personal Effects
Levinia has never lifted a weapon in her life, and thus
possesses none. Her wardrobe of tailored gowns and
collection of jewellery are both priceless.
Sir Robert Dempsey
Where many of the gentry have fallen upon hard times,
Sir Robert’s fortunes have flourished. He wholeheartedly
embraces the industrial era and is always looking for new
investments and ventures in need of capital. His manner
is more that of a businessman than an aristocrat.
Sir Robert’s statistics shouldn’t be important during the
adventure. Should the characters take him on in combat,
he will likely be beaten after landing a few blows, and
then call the police! However, you can feel free to
give him a dice pool of 6 for most tasks pertaining to
business and society. Robert also has 3 Health dice.
Uriah Clarence
Uriah has always been selfish and power obsessed, but
his recent discovery of Necromancy has driven him
to the point of obsession, so much so that he barely
notices the effects of his corruption.
Rank: 5 Necromancer
Race: Human
Social Class: Upper
Assets
Fashionable City Villa, Income – upper (5)
Complications
Cursed (Aura of Corruption)
Magical Abilities
Necromancer (Death’s Cold Touch, Death’s Lingering
Stench, Dust, Seance)
Personal Effects
Uriah keeps a stout walking cane with him that he
can use to strike servants and passersby. His clothes
are expensive and well tailored, but not especially
fashionable or worn with any style. In case of
emergencies, he also carries a small pistol (damage:8)
Uriah’s Spells
Death’s Cold Touch
Difficulty: 2
Cost 3+Normal
Range: Touch
Duration: Rounds
Once cast, the Necromancer’s hands become
cadaverous, and radiate cold. Anything touched ages;
the extent of the ageing is dependent upon the number
of rounds it remains in contact. With 1 round, cloth
dissolves into dust; with two, wood becomes weak and
fragile. With three, a young man becomes an elderly
cripple. With four, metal devices such as locks, guns and
swords turn to flakes and chunks of rust. Living targets
may spend Mana to resist the effects (2 Mana points
buys them an extra round) but they still take 4 dice of
Health damage.
Death’s Lingering Stench

White Wedding
Social Ethics: He cares nothing for anyone else
Personality: Selfish, twisted and evil Difficulty: 2
Cost 2+Normal
Attributes Range: See description
Strength: 0, Dexterity: 2, Fortitude: 2, Presence: 4, Wits: 3, Duration: Instant
Resolve: 4, Initiative: 5, Movement: 7 (3/21/7/3/1), Health: 4 Creates a poisonous cloud of stinking corpse gas around
(8), Mana: 4 (24) the caster; the gas has a radius of 10 yards plus 5 yards
for each Resolve point of the caster. The gas is also a
Common Skills poison, which does 1 health pip of damage each round
Bull 3, Concentration 3, Dodge 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms to anyone in the cloud, to which the caster is immune
2, General Knowledge 3, Intimidate 4, Perception 2
Dust
Specialties Difficulty: 2
Accounting 4, Business 5, High Society 2, Legal Matters Cost 1+Normal
3, Lore 5, Politics 1, Research 3, Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Magical Skills This showy spell rots inanimate matter to dust at the
Necromancy 6 touch. Each casting rots one cubic foot of matter. Dust
has no effect on living flesh.
Talents
Feign Death, Necromancer Séance
Difficulty: 4
Privileges Cost 4+Normal 33
None Range: Self
Duration: Minutes
 The caster attempts to communicate with specific spirits Rank: 2 Thugs
from the netherworld. With success, the spirit requested Race: Beastmen (Weasel)
is found, but information gleaned may be nebulous, Social Class: Lower
unrelated or meaningless. With a special success, the Social Ethics: Whatever pays
information gleaned is relevant to the questions and Personality: Obedient and loyal
accurate. With failure, nothing useful comes of the
attempt. An especially bad failure calls the attention of Attributes
the void. The dead may only be questioned concerning Strength: 3, Dexterity: 3, Fortitude: 2, Presence: 1, Wits: 0,
matters of the past. Resolve: 2, Initiative: 3, Movement: 8 (4/24/8/4/2),
Health: 4 (8), Mana: 2 (12)
Jed, Ned & Ted - The Grave Robbers
These three Weasel Beastmen are a motley and nefarious Common Skills
crew. However, Uriah pays them well to do his dirty Bull 2, Dodge 3, Firearms 2, Fisticuffs 5, Hide & Sneak
work, and no job is too dirty for them. They are lazy and 3, Perception 2, Swordplay 4
shiftless but know which side their bread is buttered on,
and that no one but Uriah would employ them. Personal Effects
Spade, Ragged Clothes, Cheap Cigarettes, Surly Attitude,
Selection of Knives

Credits
Original Writing by
John Tuckey, Scott Rhymer and Richard Nunn

Second edition Revisions by

Andrew Peregrine

Graphics and Layout by

Gabriel Strange

Cover Art
The Fair Toxophilites (1872)
William Powell Frith (1819-1909)

Heresy Engine design by

Ian Sturrock

Proofreading by
Annie Percik

To find out more about Victoriana visit

www.victorianarpg.com
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