New Material for the Buffy and Angel Unisystem RPGs Angel RPG Monster Smackdown: I did not make these, but I did change them into dandy pdf form. These were originally posts in a forum, and so they have not been proofread for typos and grammatical errors. (It's still easier than doing all of this work yourself, so please no bitching about the entertainment and items you get on the net for free.) You could print them all out and then have your copier place of choice (Kinko's, Target, etc.) turn it into a bound manuscript so you could place it next to the Monster Smackdown. Side note: I do plan to make one for Season Six once that is done. Monstrous Compendium for Angel by Season: Season One. Season Two. Season Three. Season Four. Season Five.
Angel Wolfram and Hart Supplement: There I was completely wasting out of work and down-Judas Priest, "Breaking The Law" Most employees of W&H are scouted for their own personal evils or rotten destinies, and many began their time as normal employees. Some earn promotion through their own willful moral lapses. Most stay loyal to the company out of fear of economic concerns or as a reslult of brainwashing. Others clingers-on are people desperate to be "cured" of incurable conditions and life-threatening diseases. Through rewards, fellowship, and punishment, a bond to W&H is established. Some come from underclasses -- mental hospitals, poor homes, and the streets. Working for W&H means getting a square meal three times a day, gaining access to the company health care plan, living in company apartments or barracks, and having access to entertainment provided by the company. For many people that's benefit significant enough to sign up for. Sometimes special incentives are offered to particularly vital employees or as a reward for an especially well-crafted project. This can include shopping sprees and "conjugal visits" (the guests might not survive the night's festivities). Punishments exist as well. For the military and security divisions, this comes in the form of communal punishment, where the group reprimands a single member. Running the gauntlet here can be very painful but usually isn't fatal. If the crime is particuarly odious, he is sent to Section C, an experimental lab. There demonic energies are coursed through the offender's body, and the results are recorded and cataloged for further study. Such experimentation may yield odd demon/human hybrids, but often being sent to Section C is a death sentence. If the person dies in the experiment, he is ground into mulch and used to poison the earth. Or perhaps even dissolved and ground into Soylence, the nifty ration high in protein with a shelf life of 50 years. Ever wonder what "meat processes" and "meat by-products" are? Rank An obvious sign of the favor of W&H, these awards are given to those who do great things for the megacorp and are rewarded accordinlgy. They get a rank badge, a certificate, and a pay raise. Upper management inspires them to greater deeds, loyalty, and vanity. Officially, advancement at W&H is based on (A) Kills, (B) Cunning, and (C) Corruption.Troops strong and clever enough to defeat lots of goody two-shoes get promoted. The new officers in command are likely to pass on hteir expertise to their underlings, who seek the same praise and recognition. Likewise, crafty people willing to kill their bosses are promoted; the new rank gives them more visibility and makes it easier to watch them. Corruption is a measure of how much they can despoil the world through pollution or unsavory influences. Corporate knows that a way to pony up to the Partners is to back winners. Rank is very important at W&H; its office politics make Macbeth look like Dilbert. If nails that stand up are hammered down, maybe it's time to carry around your own mallet. Have some good friends in Security and Special Projects who'll watch your back. Officers and commanders in the military divisions will surround themselves with loyal "lieutenants". Working for an ambitious boss means you can make a good living by doing the occasional "job" and hanging out "just in case of trouble". What follows is a guide to Rank at Wolfram and Hart. Rank can be purchased as a Quality as per the Angel rulebook.
Rank is a chancy thing; it does not cross over between the three divisions - military, corporate, and scientific. If you're out of your own element, don't push people's buttons. You may kick ass in the corps, but Corporate decides when, and if, you get to eat. Outsiders with high rank do get some props, but arrogant jerks find barriers he never though existed popping up to hassle him when he needs to get things done. Pushy execs might disappear in the night. A sergeant may find himself without reinforcements. A scientists' lab equipment might be rigged to explode. The upper ranks are full of normal humans, supernatural creatures (vampires and other forms of demonic life), and creatures sponsored by the Partners. Many employees have no idea of the otheworldy and supernal nature of the Powers, those that do understandmay embrace the idea with a zeal bordering on the religious, hoping to win favor in the wake of the coming Apocalypse. Those with fervor for the Partners may follow them as a Triat or through one of the Urges or Maeljin Incarnates. Certain beings may even have some mark showing the favor of the partners and are viewed as divine links to fallen gods, and treated accordingly. Military Life For retired soldiers, obvious opportunities exist in W&H's military divisions. Special training, equpment, and priviledges exist within the ranks. It offers prestige, purpose, and the opportunity to vent their frustration on the world in general. Large salaries, health care, and 401K plans are also available. The company does not tell newbies they may have to hunt down demons and monsters, as there is no truth in advertising. As W&H is a corporate entity and not a military concern, most of its corporations keep their forces limited to two first team platoons for secuirty and troubleshooting. Research facilities and large scale law firms may employ small armies of humans and demons. Despite brothers-in-arms behavior, most humans in these groups prefer to give their obviously inhuman comrades a wide berth outside of the battlefield. Acqusitions makes good use of First Teams, but each division can call upon these groups when necessary. PR uses them when persuasion fails. Project Coodination uses them when certain companies threaten the Timetable. Special Projects modifies certain troops and then uses them for surgical strikes or lab security. As Von Hauser in Aesop once said, "it's amazing how quiet those animal-rights demonstrators get once we kill them." Science division needs them to guard labs to keep people from getting in and from monsters getting out. Each team mmebmber is brainwashed to believe that they are the elites, above normal civilian and military units. Even though they are cannon fodder, they believe their unit is the most suited to dealing with emergencies. Team Sizes Basic, Five Soldiers, Commanded by a Sergeant. Platoon, 20 Soldiers (Four Teams), Commanded by a Lieutenant. Company, 80 Soldiers (Four Platoons), Commanded by a Captain. Battalion, 160 Soldiers (Two Companies and a HQ platoon). Commanded by a Colonel. Life on the job depends on the station and purpose. An assault team near a combat zone runs under constant training and hair-trigger readiness. Inner-city Retrieval teams do search-and-seizures or guard duty ("those trespassers are delicious!") All groups live by the same standard: wake up on schedule, eat breakfast, attend a morning speech, train with weapons, study tactics, eat lunch, chores and duties, train and workout some more, eat dinner, enjoy some quiet time in the evening, then go to bed and do the same thing again tomorrow. Assault teams are chosen for their ability to fling ultraviolence at whatever is in front of them. Softies cannot hack it here. Discipline in these groups is very severe; fuckups can compromise objectives and cost lives. To compensate for the rissk, the rewards are also generous. Assault teams get the best gear and get the most leeway when out in the field. Morale is high, but so are casualties. Assault teams are usually stationed in contested areas -- the Amazon rainforest, inner cities, the Balkans, etc. Small fireteams work as guards and enforcers for corporate, but the big guns are sent to battlegrounds. Ranger teams are picked for smarts rather than brawn; they study problematic areas for enemies, hunt down rogues, infiltrate and investigate noew companies, and work as bodyguards. They are often trained in specialized forms of warfare and suvival/tracking, and are familiar with interrogation and other forms of information-gathering. Demons in these brigades have subtler powers than armored hides or acidic projectile vomiting. Teams carry a variety of small arms and have one heavy-firepower guy there as backup. Mortality is low, discipline more forgiving, and camaraderie is more substantial. Corporate likes dealing with rangers more than support or assault personnel. Support mops up contested areas thorugh demonlition, assassination, and sabotage. They also provide cover fire, communication, and supplies for troops in the field. In peacetime they seduce and undermine targets within and without the firm. Support has a variety of duties, some members specialize in infiltration, others manage covert strikes. The lowest ranking members of support clean up after fights, finding places to hide the bodies. Scrub detail is particularly odious. Most support teams operate on their own, with little direct supervision. Morale and survival depends upon the assignments given to particular groups. Often the technicians and specialists here work as go-betweens for Team commanders and their angry comrades. Benefits and status are below that of assault teams, but support staff's survivalbility percentage is much higher. Retriever teams are there to keep the labs full of subjects, and as such are trained in psychology, martial arts, tracking, stealth, and equipped with less-than-lethal weaponry. Their pay rate is low, but their survival chances are relatively high. Even though they have a "soft" duty, and other Military divisions regard them with contempt, they must still deal with insane and dangerous demons, the police/fbi, and get a ringside seat to their own damnation. Handing over prisoners to violence and death doesn't feel right. Science and Mystical Division Freak jokes, hostile gossip, and naked fear are quite common here. If a traitor is detected, he is captured and sent to Section C. Although their job can be dramatic at times, roleplaying research can be boring. Still the scientists here create all manner of useful toys (see the Magic Box supplement for ideas). Their lives are also "enriched" by Section C, wehre tehy may document resilience factors, conduct experiments too horrible to contemplate, mutate subjects, crossbreed and splice dna, vivisect, and do many other things. The finished reports describing these studies go to R&D, Equipment design, and the porn collections of the company's truly sick executives. Executive Branch/Corporate Life in the boardroom may mean sneaking your allies into rival departments to infiltrate and disrupt particular targets. Nobody ever thinks it can happen to them. Demons with mental powers, or subtle physical ones, work best in this branch. Flexes of power can undermine whole companies. Other execs have non-lethal scientist or mystical enforcers for jobs requiring that "special touch". High-ranking executive office positions exist, but can be difficult to obtain. To understand executive office politics means that one must view movies like Wall Street, Greed, and 1984. Books such as The Dilbert Principle are highly recommended. Angel season Five is also full of good ideas. Storytelling Ideas W&H are evil. Ok, we get it, so let's have fun with it. Generate a Military team of vicious bastards and horrible demons, gear up, and send them into maximum carnage. Beer and pretzel time. Paranoid politics. Is the guy you're working for looking out for your interests? Who's doing what to whom and why? Running undercover might turn up another rogue agent, and revealing that intruder might break the pc's cover. Or the last few missions have gone south. Who's trying to fuck your team over and why? Angel RPG: Seasons Four Character Adjustments With Eden Studios' loss of the Buffy and Angel RPG licenses, it seems doubtful that anyone is going to adapt seasons four and five of Angel over to rpg rules. Therefore this section will correct this rather glaring flaw. Suggestions were helpfully provided by Foster Coker, who incorporated ideas from Eden Studios forums along with his own interpretation of the work. When Foster's observations are included the source will be noted by (FC3). Seasonal Adjustments Angel Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Add two to Crime, one to Getting Medieval, one to Knowledge, one to Influence, one to Occultism, and another level of Hard to Kill. Over the course of Season Four his Love (Cordelia) turns into Tragic Love (Cordelia). Though W&H's local branch is severely weakened this season, new and equally if not more powerful enemies show up, so Angel's Adversary level increases to 9. By the end of the season his STR is ten, his Dexterity is nine, his Constitution raises to nine, and he gains another level of Will as his is consistently tested throughout season four. Also tack on another level of Increased Life Points. Stack on a level of Gun-Fu as well. Winifred Burkle Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Fred's Emotional Problems (Dependency) and Emotional Problems (Easily Flustered) disappear as she takes on a leadership role at Angel Inc. Although her relationship with Gunn fizzles, her Love disadvantage remains as her attention slowly shifts to Wesley. Her adventures toughen her up, giving her another two levels of Hard to Kill. Her Adversary level increases greatly over the course of the season (Jasmine and the Beast are worth a heckuva lot) to seven. She gets into her fair share of battles this season, so grant her another level in Kung Fu and Getting Medieval. Her Gun Fu is shown to be pretty decent this season; raise it to three. As she was leading Angel Inc. during their leader's voyage to the bottom of the sea, she also gets another level of Influence to show how she handled Connor and Gunn during their leader's absence. Looking after everyone also grants her another point in Doctor. At the end of the season, frequent use have also increased her Computers and Occultism by one level each. And she also gains a level of Gun Fu to reflect her utilization of a crossbow in some episodes. She gains one level of Crime in the course of breaking into the auction house where the Axis of Pythia is stored and another level of Crime in her attempt to evade Jasmine's detection during the Shiny-Happy-Pod-People phase. Her skills with electronics continue to shine, and so her science also increases by one level. She has toughened up considerably and gains Nerves of Steel. Gunn Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Gunn loses the Love (Winifred) disad as his own bitterness and suppressed anger slowly ruin his life. Violence and fighting continue to be his forte throughout the season, so grant another level to Gunn in Acrobatics, Getting Medieval, and Kung Fu. His Adversary rises this season to eight until the Beast and Jasmine situation is resolved. Sneaking around during the Shiny-Happy-Pod-People phase increases his Crime to five. Being smacked around a good deal also grants him another level of Constitution. His willpower is also increased by their experiences, so grant one more level of that. He also tests his mind, and is rewarded with a level in Knowledge and Influence. Wesley Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Wesley develops situational awareness. Wesley gains the Tragic Love disad as he and Lilah engage in frequent rendezvous. It's hard to say who is ultimately hurt more by their association. His growing darkness becomes more evident as his life worsens. His leading his own independent paranormal investigation and elimination brigade show that he has considerable Contacts in the Supernatural and Criminal areas; increase both to three. As he cleaved a large demon in half Wesley has been working out; increase his STR to four (FC3) and his Getting Medieval by another step. Regular use of firearms becomes his stock and trade. Grant him three levels in Gun Fu. Throughout the Jasmine and Beast events, his Adversary is eight. His focused intelligence needs release, grant that in the form of another level of Mr. Fix-it, another point in Occultism, and another level of Knowledge.He gains one level of Crime when he sneaks through several areas at W&H in order to burn Lilah's Pepetuity Contract. Events throughout this season show that his Bad Luck is not going anywhere anytime soon. Cordelia Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Cordy's really out of the picture as far as this season is concerned. She's present, but a Power that Was has commandeered her body, meaning she won't be much of a help to the Fang Gang this season. More of a hindrance, really. Prior to her reappearance on the earthly plane she is now a divine being; her INT, WILL, and PER are effectively 13 and her Notice is 20. She is able to quietly influence events on earth if she tries hard. To reflect the benefits of having an angel looking over their shoulder, grant the cast a level of Good Luck for free during Cordelia's tenure. After she comes down to our level her stats change to better show her current state of being. On earth, her stats are much the same as they were at the end of Season Three, with the exception of her Mental Problems (Persistant Amnesia), which don't improve until 4.6 Spin the Bottle, and it could probably be argued that her amnesia was preferable to what was to come afterward. After she gets her memories back in Spin the Bottle, Cordelia's own soul and will are suppressed completely; Jasmine's large, in charge, and running the show. Raise Cordelia/Jasmine's STR to six, her DEX to six, her CON to six, her INT to eight, her PER to eight, and her Will to eight. Give her the Secret disadvantage, which persists until 4.17 Players when Cordy's culpability in the Raising of the Beast, Reign of Fire, and City of Darkness events come to light. Until the bun is out of her oven, her Acrobatics are seven, her Crime is seven, her Getting Medieval is seven, her Influence raises to nine (she does a fantastic job of spinning Connor's head around), her Knowledge is twelve, her Notice is eight, and her Occultism is eleven. The Fashion Wild Card skill is reduced by three, as the Jasmine/Cordy combo tends to favor darker and creepier colors. Her Hard to Kill similarly increases to a massive ten. As the Fang Gang effectively is her enemy this season, grant her Adversary five to reflect that. After Cordy gives birth to Jasmine, Cordelia exists in a persistent vegetative state, and her INT, PER, and WILL drop to zero. At the end of the season Angel and the gang place her on life support at a W&H-run clinic in hopes of restoring the catastrophic damage to Cordy's body, soul, and mind. Lorne Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Lorne's combat skills increase a bit this season; grant him a level of DEX and two levels of Gun Fu as proof. His Occultism increases to six and his Getting Medieval raises to four. He also gets to add two more levels of Hard to Kill to the sheet from being spanked by the Beast, but the loss of his club and his debacle in Los Vegas keep his Resources down in the Okay range. His Supernatural Contacts network seems very strong, increase it to five. His work as a detective also increases his Notice to six. His stage presence is improving as additional levels in Art and Influence show. He also gains another level of Will due to how much his heart is tested this season. Connor Adjustments to Season Four Character Sheet: Until Angel is not sleeping with da fishes, Connor has a Secret (Responsible for Angel's Disappearance). Most of his drawbacks worsen, and his paranoia and bitterness reach new heights as his choices decrease the quality of his so-called life. He does continue to increase his skills as a fighter, so give him another level of STR, another level in DEX, another level of CON, and two levels in Getting Medieval and Kung Fu. By the end of the season Connor gains Suicidal Depression as his life completely spirals out of control; to save him, Angel bargains with W&H to alter Connor's mind. After Angel changes Connor's memories, remove his Mental Problems, Outcast, and Screwed-Up Adolescent Flaws but also reduce his combat skills down to zero and remove his Demon Hunter advantage. The skills and advantage do not return until events in season five. Season Four Adjustments to Characters: 4.1 Deep Down - Angel has been sunk to the bottom of the ocean and is reflecting on his life and all the things that have gone wrong with it. Wesley has developed situational awareness, which he uses to keep tabs on Justine while he is busy piloting the boat. Until he feeds from Wesley, treat him as being in a fairly advanced stage of Vampire starvation, with Severe Mental Problems (Hallucinations) to match. After he's rescued his stats are diminished until Angel's had some time for R&R, and his STR, CON, and DEX are reduced to one until that time. Fred's leadership of Angel Inc removes her Emotional Dependency. She dusts some vamps handily, so give her another level in Getting Medieval. Connor's Secret (Responsible for Angel's Disappearance) comes to light this episode, so Connor is effectively kicked off Team Angel. Angel's Influence raises by one level as he effectively shuts Connor's outbursts down (FC3). Cordelia still is in a higher plane. Gunn's adjustments to Kung Fu and Getting Medieval are visible in this episode. 4.2 Ground State - The remainder of the Fang Gang, sans the whiny emotard Connor, break into an auction house in an attempt to find the Axis of Pythia, a magical object that can be used to find lost things. Fred gains a level of Crime, but Gunn and Angel simply use what they already knew. Wesley chops a demon in half with one blow, and his STR is raised to four and his Getting Medieval increases by one step (FC3). Wesley's considerable Contacts also become evident in this episode. Gunn's recklessness allows him to remain unshaken after being killed and then resuscitated, but the event serves as a catalyst for Fred to have a cathartic break. When Angel finds that Cordelia is in a dimension of paradise, he decides to stop trying to bring her back down to earth, believing that she has gained the just reward for her actions. Fred's research has also increased her Occultism by one level (FC3). Her telling Gunn off about how scared she was also shows us that her Flustered disadvantage is gone except for small traces. 4.3 The House Always Wins - Lorne's crappy experiences in Las Vegas keep his resources down into the Okay Range. Until he is freed from captivitiy, his Supernatural Contacts are reduced to two. Lorne's Art increases a level because of his constant performing (FC3). When Angel's future is stolen in a gambling game, his Will is reduced down to zero and he must make INT rolls to take independent action. It is only through Cordelia's intervention that Angel is freed. When they come back to the Hotel they find an amnesiac Cordelia waiting for them. Her stats are much the same as in Season Three except for the addition of Persistent Amnesia which lasts until the Spin the Bottle episode. 4.5 Supersymmetry - Angel's Eidetic Memory is improving. In 4.8 it will become Photographic. (FC3) Fred gains a level of science (FC3). 4.7 Apocalpyse Nowish - Lorne lets loose some arrows and gains Getting Medieval. The Beast stomps on Angel, and Angel's resilience is tested. He gains another level of Hard to Kill and Increased Life Points for his trouble (FC3). Lorne is thrown through a skylight and gets two levels Hard to Kill (FC3). 4.8 Habeas Corpses - The Adversary levels of Gunn, Angel, Fred, Lorne, and Wesley are now reduced by 4 as the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart has been pwned by the Beast. Also Angel's memory is now Photographic (FC3) 4.10 Awakening - Angelus returns. Angel's a fully caffeinated vampire, and his INT is increased by one level until he gets his soul back. He gains Severe Cruelty until his soul is restored. (FC3) 4.13 Salvage - The death of Lilah hardens Wesley. Increase his Will by one rank. 4.14 Release - Maybe Wesley has been teaching him, but Angel shows us that he can handle a gun. Add a level of Gun-Fu. (FC3) 4.15 Orpheus - Angel's resolve has been tested by the ordeals Faith put him through. Increase will by one level. Lorne's network of contacts is shown to be very extensive, so increase it to five. Willow's presence helps calm Wesley somewhat, and reduces his Cruelty back to Mild (FC3). 4.16 Players - Gunn shows he has some diplomatic skills and other hidden talents. Increase his Influence and Knowledge by one point each. 4.17 Inside Out - Wesley's effective use of firearms show his Gun Fu increasing again. 4.19 The Magic Bullet - Fred displays remarkable courage and gains a level in Acrobatics. She also develops Nerves of Steel while fighting to save the world from Jasmine. Add another level of Gun-Fu. (FC3) 4.22 Home - Wesley does a little B&E in order to find and destroy Lilah's Perpetuity Contract. Add a level of Crime. Wolfram and Hart Subsidiaries, Volume I Mortals are not stupid, but they can be deceived. The many companies owned by Wolfram and Hart hide their intentions behind lies while stoking humanity's appetites. Convenience foods, cellular communication technology, fossil fuels -- anything to keep people wasting hte enviornment, working too hard, and never having a moment to reflect upon their choices -- these are progress. These help to represent the corruption of the soul. While many executives and special agents of the various companies are indeed willing servants of the Partners, many mid and lower managers in W&H affiliated concerns don't have clue one. In some way, corporate climbers are worse: they have sold their souls to company policy in exchange for a six-figure salary and a benefits package. The self-respect and individuality of those who come in are slowly but surely eliminated. W&H companies are like metastasized tumors, seeding themselves in healthy souls and ruining them. Wolfram and Hart is but one part of a larger concern made of thousands of corporations, large and small. It has controlling interests in a variety of industries and businesses. How might this work? Foster Coleridge, new Yoyodyne exec, wants to take control of Consolidex. But Foster doesn't just call his broker; instead he uses an alias, using the name of someone who died as a child, who owns a fictitious company. The alias owns the stock, but Foster owns the alias' Swiss bank account. As a result, just how much of the world's economy is controlled by W&H is not reflected in the Dow-Jones or Tokyo Stock Exchanges. Sure W&H buildings exist worldwide, but they're typical corporate structures. Most of the time you wouldn't think to give them a second look. Most people think of the company as an ok place to work. Everyone gets some paid vacation time, a box of chocolates near a holiday they respect, and a birthday card with a small check. Lame "motivational" posters hang ont he walls. The company offers healthcare packages through their own doctors (and secretly offer "special" medical deals to particularly important employees). A suggestion box rests next to executive's offices. But things can and do go wrong. Folks get transferred "out of state". Retirees don't come back. Constructive criticism doesn't go to where it ought to be. Yes folks, that big happy family you heard about when you joined up? It's more like Family than family. While the top executives look like successful and ordinary managers, with tailored suits, cell phones, laptops, and so on, many engage in activities such as pedophilia, cold-blooded murder, cannibalism, and other vices outside of the office. W&H scientists secretly practice many cruel medical experiments and create designer drugs in their own homes. Your Director should create nasty hobbies for W&H key personnel to engage in outside of the office. This doesn't mean that rank and file types know about Special Projects, sacrifices and inhuman demon clients. But there are other problems: supervisors arrange physical space in the company to discourage friendships. Managers discourage the display of photos, cartoons, potted plants, and radios. Naturally the company phones are not for personal use. The company firewall blocks software applications like AIM, MSN and also blocks sites like Livejournal or CNN.com. The job always has to come first. To use a natural model, employees are ants. They get the job done, but if they get uppity, the magnifying lens of management gets pulled out of the drawer. Plenty of replacements exist. This stratified role system applies to managers as well. Aspects of running Wolfram and Hart and their affiliates are divided among particular board members in a structured management plan. While the Executive Director sees everything, other members become directors of subdivisions and divisions, retaining relative automony over their own sections. These sections include PCD (Project Coordination Division), ICS (Information Collection Systems), AQD (Acquisitions Division), OPs (Operations Division), and SPD (Special Projects Division). Subdivisions include PR and FIN (Fiannce). Having created the foundation of the company, they then went to work creating an action plan for the partners, cooking up economic hegemony, ecological disaster, tools for warmongering, and top secret projects. What's Really Going On? As any fan of the show will tell you, W&H have declared open season on the human soul. It's not just following orders out of the semi-atheistic presumption that the supernatural is a bunch of hokum; it's making quota. On behalf of the Senior Partners, both Cardinal and Minor, their SAP (Strategic Action Plan) aims to remove compassion and hope, to foster urban blight, to raise the population above sustainable levels. They want an apathetic, materialistic public without spiritual fortitude. Such a public will welcome the order the company wishes to establish. On the survace, the divisions cooperate with ech other. ICS gives the data to AQD for corporate takeovers and to SPD for targets to eliminate. Yet there are turning wheels within wheels. The Executive Division (EXD) has a group of personal soldiers called Team Prime, which includes commandos, psychics, mutant freaks, demons, agent provocateurs, and technogeek nerds. As a result of psychic surgeries, each member is fanatically loyal to each other and the current EXD members. They would gladly do anything for the EXD, up to and including murder and/or killing themselves. PCD, or the Public Coordination Division, makes sure each employee is aware of what he must do. Organizing all the destructive activities of the company is their given task. These folks also cooperate with PR division to keep the companies out of public eye. PR maintains strong ties with government lobbyists and PACs (Political Action Comittees). Still, PR has difficulty keeping up with the rapid dissemination of information on the Internet. FIN (Finance) keeps the money flowing at W&H. The company has oddly operated in the black ever since it was first founded. Usually any new project which promises a profit or new data can get funding. FIN gives de facto approval to all spending which is then rubberstamped by PCD and EXD. AQD keeps an eye out for companies that would either aid the Partners or hinder them, and buys them out so that they can be controlled. Sometimes SPD has to step up; hostile takeovers at W&H can include murder, assassination, bribes, and demon summoning! ICS, or Information Collection Systems, gets as much data on anyone and everyone through internet searches, satellite surveillance, and psychic scrying. This data is then funeled into the other divisions, in particular AQD and SPD. ICS also uses psychics for random mind readings. Sometimes freaks and demons are used by ICS for jobs such as terrorism, threft, and kidnapping. All data is stored on networked mainframes. Destroying one computer system causes a massive data dump to occur, backing up the information on remote terminals. The ICS corporate mainframe is a powerful distributed computer system constructed on state of the art parts which are further augmented with supernatural and extraterrestrial technologies. The computer is so intelligent that it is self-aware and has its own agenda, though it cooperates with the Senior Partners out of fear and respect. If the computer system could somehow be destroyed or compromised, it would greatly contribute to another Timetable Slowdown. OPs (Operations) oversees mundane running of the companies, from processing purcase requests to delivering the mail. Copy repair and memos are a part of this division as well. While these jobs are repetitive and dullsville, they're extremely important to keeping the company running. HRD, or Human Resources, manages hirings and firings, as well as training and indoctrination. It is the job of this division to keep employees too busy to think and too worried to quit. SPD (Special Projects Division) handles specialized research projects, including biotechnology, animal and human experiementation, mind control, demon summoning and spellcasting, psychic phenomena, and other related tasks. It is the least normal place to work at W&H. Employees here don't see much, but everyone knows better than to talk about what they do see. Project Elysium works to help evil demons and other monstrosities pass as human with as few physiological and psychological hangups as problem. As a result of its business dealings, Elysium also can help the right people find the right things for the right cost. Project Odyssey focuses on the cultivation of sphysic abilities. These people are recruited (read: forced to work there). As a result of having psychic gifts, these unfortunates are especially vulnerable to the spiritual pollution surrounding W&H, and psychic background noise from some of the the Minor Partners (Lethargg, Sykkora, Pseualak, and others) foster their development of paranoia, personality disorders, and delusions. The Directors of the Company all enjoy a benefits package that includes Perpetuity Contracts, Extended Lifespans, Wealth, and so on. What things they've had to do to gain access to this package cannot even begin to be considered. Global Networks and Corporations The effects of encroachment by W&H companies are subtle and insidious. Crime, pollution, and illness often increase around W&H owned factories and business,es, domestic violence and suicides also become more frequent. Children have lower test scores and more absences. Their South American division is making good progress towards eliminating the rain forest, forcing the extinction of plant and animal species. Their work in Antarctica, while seemingly strange on the surface, has great promise as many strange legends exist about lost cities, alien treasure, and strange phantasms. All of these projects are aided by the Top 20 companies. Top 20 Ardus Waste Disposal -- a waste management company that is actually a waste mismanagement company. They carelessly dispose of a wide variety of toxic materials, including radioactive waste. They spend the least amount of money possible to get rid of the hazardous materials, dumping them near watersheds and suburbs. Autumn Health Management -- Health care facilities that run at the bare minimum for standards. These are secretly grounds for testing new medical products. Avalon Incorporated -- A children's toy company that produces many disturbing products, such as Suzi, a doll that screams and cries unless someone picks it up and throws it. Circinius -- a cigarette company dealing in magically altered tobacco that is especially carcinogenic and addictive. Consolidyne -- a mutual funds company offering up the chance to invest in mutual funds for a low level of initial purchase. Said money is then fed into W&H companies, earning interest for the investor and keeping W&H in the black. Endron -- specialized in cheap petroleum and natural gas. All their products are below EPA standards for emissions levels. Endron's deep pockets have helped keep the EPA out of their noses. Endron works very hard to discourage renewable, sustainable energy development and labors to keep people wasting nonrenewable resources. Good House -- makes paper for every paper product, from toilet tissue to books. Said paper is made from rain forest trees. Hallahan -- floods the seafood market with its products, which are gathered through illegal whaling and fishing. Harold Mining, Inc -- mines coal, copper, lead, zinc, and uranium. Strip mining is preferred! It's low cost and destroys the landscape. Herculean Firearms -- cheap handguns that any young criminal can buy and sell. Works together with PACs and lobbies to prevent arms control. Herricks' -- A grocery and retail chain that peddles W&H-associated goods. Because of its intimate connection to W&H, it is able to undersell other retail chains. King Breweries -- inexpensive alcohol drinks that are tainted by warlocks to make them especially addictive. Magadon -- Animal experimentation and production of unhealthy pharmaceuticals. This company works hard to discourage alternative medicines and therapies, encouraging people to use synthetic chemical products instead. Nastrum -- Weapons of Mass Destruction such as missiles, explosives, and stealth equipped aircraft. They make money selling to both sides in wars. O'Tolley's -- Batter-dipped and fried family restaurant fare. Eating here is a good way to put on weight and kill your gall bladder. Not shown to customers are the conditions of their cattle and pig farms. Rainbow -- They produce plastic and rubber products, which do not biodegrade. Tellus Video Entertainment -- sells cheap game consoles that turn kids into lazy and fat game players. Vesuvius -- A publishing concern producing mind-rotting comics, books, and magazines loaded with sexist and violent imagery. A vital branch of W&H PR division, as they can fill their products with advertising and spin articles. Young and Smith -- produces foods laden with preservatives and sodium. Even the packaging, obtained from Good House and Rainbow plastics, is contaminated. Achilles' Heel Though the company is powerful, it suffers from internal strife, outside enemies, and a monolithic bureaucracy. Each faction has its own agenda. The company is often too big to avoid trouble. Even the Maeljin Incarnates each have their own objectives which the directors have difficulty circumnavigating. ----------------- Citations: Heavily based on the info available for Pentex from Book of the Wyrm. Don't sue! Toxic Soup for The Soul As you're the GM, you can feel free to mine other areas for inspiration. The Angel tv series is a good start, but The Prisoner, Millenium, and The Firm offer up good examples of corrupt, sterile, emotionless, and relentless juggernauts that dehumanize and control their employees. |