Wages for the Dead

8 Failed Careers for the Posthumously Inclined

An electric bastionland Supplement by Adam Blumenau

 Writing by Adam Blumenau
email: radmadrpgs@gmail.com - Twitter @AdamBlumenau
Art Courtesy of
oldbookillustrations.com and the British Library

(C) 2020 Adam Blumenau. All rights reserved

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XI. Pale Horse Stablehand
You tended horses for the harvesters
You got a head start when they came for you
Sample Names
Kitsch Benny Moira Able

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
Consortium of Breadlayers
A currently unsuccessful movement to construct edible
buildings. You all know the recipe for breadbricks, mediocre
as meals and masonry.
3
 You Get:
Riding Gear, 3x Apples
What skill were you hired for?
I : Horse Whisperer: You can talk with horses.
2 : Hop to it: You're first to action in noncombat scenarios.
3 : Fastidious: Outmatched when tidying up.
4 : Well Bred: Lords and ladies always assume you are their servant.
5 : Know Your Place: You never hesitate no matter how repugnant the action.
6 : Perfectionist: You take twice as long, but when you succeed, you do so impeccably.

How did you die?

I HP: On your knees: Take the pistol you were killed with (d6) and a hole in your head.
2 HP: Kicked in the head: The pale horse took a liking to you after (5 hp, d8 trample).
3 HP: I woke up like this: To the living you appear alive. To the dead you appear dead.
4 HP: With your boots on: Take a pair of spurs, ride effortlessly.
5 HP: Dealt a bad hand: Lady luck promised to return the favor, once.
6 HP: On your feet: At least you still have your pride. 4
 XII. Ivory Rambler
Wandered into Deep Country to find your fortune
Came back with less than you started with
Sample Names
Husk Audrey Belfast Faust

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
Congregation of Astrophilatelists
Researchers of the postage from the Living Stars. They
provide alien currency required to send packages, with
exorbitant exchange fees.
5
 You Get:
Dusty Clothes, Antique Pistol (d6)
What instrument do you busk with?
I : Rattlin' Bones: Can be played even with both hands occupied.
2 : Diatonic Harmonica: Works even with no lips. A rambler always shows up to listen.
3 : Horn Violin: Can be heard a mile away if you really try.
4 : Mournful Hurdy Gurdy: Listeners are compelled to share sad memories.
5 : Lignum Fiddle: Unbelievably tough. Can be used as a d8 BULKY weapon.
6 : Cypress Guitar: Unremarkable. You can hide an absurd amount of money in the case.

Which of your bones has been replaced?

I HP: Ship of Theseus: With fresh bones you can heal yourself as if resting.
2 HP: Steel Joints: You can use a blacksmith in place of a hospital.
3 HP: Cattle Spine: Strong as three men. You can carry extreme loads.
4 HP: Goat Legs: Unleash a savage kick (d6 unarmed) but will crack without horseshoes.
5 HP: Corvid Skull: You can communicate with birds, but cats hate you.
6 HP: Brass Teeth: Enraptures onlookers when spinning a yarn. 6
XIII. Disgraced Psychopomp
Tasked with guiding souls on their final journey
You had no sense of direction
Sample Names
Mariah Antwerp Elizabeth Sherry

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
The Wirelayers Fellowship
Take shared ownership of a voltmeter. Can determine the
presence of electricity and the charge of batteries.
7
 You Get:
Shepherd's Crook (d8 BULKY)
What familiar assists you?
I : Will-O-Wisp: (IHP, insubstantial), finds hidden things.
2 : White Deer: (4HP, d6 gore), excellent at navigating forests, bad at waiting for you.
3 : Black Dog: (5HP, d6 bite), has a good nose.
4 : Raven: (2HP, d4 bite), irritatingly intelligent.
5 : The Boatman: (6HP), can pilot any ship (still needs a crew)
6 : Grim Reaper: (??HP) No one else notices them. Warns you when death will occur.

What soul have you failed to deliver?

I HP: Drowned Man: Seems to know a bit about anyone with a criminal background.
2 HP: Miserable Lout : You can be sure whatever they suggest is the worst option.
3 HP: Lost Child: The first to know when danger is nearby.
4 HP: Murdered Wife: Can tell you the inner desire of any man.
5 HP: Poisoned Lord. Always correcting your etiquette.
6 HP: An Alien: A bureaucratic error. Has endless arcane knowledge, rarely applicable. 8
XIV. Stuffed Sin Eater
Consumes the sins of the deceased
You didn’t have the stomach for it
Sample Names
Driscoll, Matthew, Isaac, Heathrow

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
Derryk's Glass Eye Emporium
Take shared ownership of a demo case. You are obligated to
pitch your wares to anything missing one or more eyes.
9
 You Get:
Ceremonial Cutlery, Death Shroud/Napkin
What recipe is your specialty?
I : Potter's Fungus Salad : Ingredients are available wherever the dead are buried.
2 : Reminiscent Gazpacho: Made with water and leaves. Seasoned with painful memories.
3 : Funeral Biscuit: A step up from hardtack. Soaks up grease and sins.
4 : Respect for the Dead: Positively extravagant, regardless of the ingredients.
5 : Soul Salt: Makes a unique charcuterie, can preserve just about anything.
6 : Exquisite Vintage: Perfectly aged in a week. Don't tell anyone how it's made.

Which sin got stuck in your throat?

I HP: Guzzler: Alcohol is your only crucial need.
2 HP: Deviant Taste: You can find an uncouth dealer in an hour or less.
3 HP: Foul Mouth: It takes concentration to not constantly drip profanity and invective.
4 HP: Magpie Chatter: Nearby jewelry and coins cause your teeth to vibrate.
5 HP: Twisted Tongue: Lying is more natural than breathing.
6 HP: Bloody Appetite: Fruits and vegetables are unpalatable. 10
XV. Maverick Embalmer
The dead deserve a sublime preservation
The living don’t agree with your methods
Sample Names
Circe, Jackson, Aubrey, Sam

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
Sorority of Sunwatchers
Perpetual surveillance requires constant ocular replacements.
Take shared ownership of a quintuple darkened telescope.
11
 You Get:
Steel Trocar (d4, injects), Rubber Gloves and Apron
What have you prototyped?
I : Alcohest: Dissolves dead matter into chalky powder. What an embarrasment.
2 : Aggressive Disinfectant: Purges the body of all poisons and bacteria (d6).
3 : Instant Mummy Kit: Part plaster, part lacquer. Dries brittle, airtight, and waterproof.
4 : Last Meal: Turns dead flesh into a tough "bread" in a matter of hours.
5 : Pacefaker: Battery powered. Keeps blood pumping, but not to the brain.
6 : Body Backpack: Allows a body-sized object to be carried without being BULKY.

What have you prototyped. ... on yourself?

I HP: Premortem Embalming: Poisons, disease, and sickness have miniscule effect on you.
2 HP: Undertaker's Canvas: Exceptionally easy to apply diguises but unsettling when blank.
3 HP: Severed Nerves: You don't feel pain, for good or for ill.
4 HP: Thanatosensitivity: You understand the twitches of corpses that comprise their speach.
5 HP: Petite Mort: To those without medical training you appear dead. 12
6 HP: Flimflammery: You don't actually know what you're doing, but you sew a tight stitch.
XVI. Extorted Medium
Passed messages from the dearly departed
One made an offer you couldn’t refuse
Sample Names
Zelda, Jack, Jonah, Berry

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
The Undercroft Crime Family
A surprisingly large posthumous network.
13
 You Get:
Blackjack (d6, quiet), Portable Tent
With what tools do you ply your trade?
I : Dead Sight: You see spirits so well it's hard to distinguish them from the living.
2 : Exhumed Pistol: (d6) fires ghost bullets.
3 : Well-Worn Cards: Easy for spirits to manipulate, missing a 2.
4 : Oversized Planchette: Absurd to use, doubles as a shield.
5 : Wrought-Iron Ghost Box: BULKY, works as a vehicle battery when occupied.
6 : Tarnished Crystal Ball: Spirits speak through it, although difficult to understand.

How do the spirits haunt you?

I HP: Ghosts whisper distracting secrets in your ear.
2 HP: Poltergeists push small objects to the ground nearby.
3 HP: Spirits rap on wood to startle you.
4 HP: Phantoms speak through you if ignored.
5 HP: Spectres whisper premonitions of doom.
6 HP: Apparitions can be seen hiding behind curtains and around corners. 14
XviI. Yobbish Coffinshaker
They paid you to check for premature burial
You got too many complaints from the correctly interred
Sample Names
Slim, Shaw, Wallace, Cary

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
Association of Nailsmiths
Take shared ownership of an absurd number of cheap nails.
15
 You Get:
Shaker's Crowbar (d6)
What equipment did you take with you?
I : Gravedigger's Shovel: (d8 BULKY), fearful to those who should be buried.
2 : Smokeblower: Never fails to rouse the unconcious, does not provide any actual healing.
3 : Coffin Bells and Several Yards of Twine: Small and tinkling
4 : Clapper Hammer: Almost useless as a hammer but excellent at making noise.
5 : Startling Pins: Cause no damage but inflict unbearable pain.
6 : Seven Keyless Padlocks: Not possible to unlock, guarunteed ghoul-proof.

What curse has been left by the dead you disturbed?

I HP: A spirit has fallen in love with you. Manifests when you are unconcious.
2 HP: A bad case of Corpse Cough, persistent and smells like death.
3 HP: Light sources always illuminate you no matter how well you hide.
4 HP: Undead, ghosts, and spirits are always aggressive towards you.
5 HP: Food and small bills in your pack go missing every time you sleep. 16
6 HP: You are always aware of and haunted by nearby corpses that were not properly buried.
Xviii. Stoic Moirologist
The rich and the lonely pay others to mourn
You faked it but could never make it
Sample Names
Ophelia, Marjane, Rosemary, Willow

If you are the youngest player the whole group is IOK in debt to...
The Gray Broderers Collective
Textiles pay double their value against your debt.
17
 You Get:
Moiro Veil, Tome of Eulogies (d6)
What have you stolen from your Mourn-Master?
I : Your Mourn-Master's Soul: (IHP, insubstantial), does not tolerate grave robbing.
2 : A Silver Lyre: Somehow can't be tuned.
3 : A Tear-Soaked Handkerchief: Always wet yet able to soak more tears.
4 : A Painted Wooden Clapper: For rousing spirits and attention.
5 : High Ranking Moirologist ID: Fortunately all photos are taken veiled.
6 : Comfy Sandals: Prevent blisters, high maintenance.

How has the grave air changed you?

I HP: Keening Wail: shocks those unaware and stuns those paying attention.
2 HP: Somber Aura: makes everyone think twice before enacting violence.
3 HP: Permanent Tear Stains: people try to ignore you.
4 HP: Familiar Affect: everyone believes you're a distant relative.
5 HP: Cold Blood: Rain, snow, and frost hardly trouble you. 18
6 HP: An Uncontrollable Urge to Mourn: Every death you witness. Dramatic and confusing.