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Sarah and the Skippies

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Players

1

Genre

modern horror

Tone

serious/silly mix

Time

short, less than 1 hour

Text blocks like this are used to provide example gameplay options.

Introduction#

This is a quick one-shot adventure to help GMs and players get familiar with some of the Optional Rules, the following are in effect for this adventure:

This one-shot takes place in a small rural town around the year 1990. Even though this is a horror adventure, it’s more silly and lighthearted than grisly.

Note that while PC genders are specified, they can be changed if desired by the player.

Local Rumors#

All small towns have their secrets. Some are well known and whispered often by residents. Others are more elusive and thought best to be left buried by time. When rumors of one such secret started making the rounds through school, a group of friends decided they couldn’t leave it be.

On this sunny autumn day, a car drives down a seldom used dirt road, dust and leaves billow behind. The friends inside discuss what they think they’ll find.

"Megan said a bunch of kids went missing there back in the 70s, she overheard her mom talking about it", says the driver. "I’ve heard people talk about Hell’s Hollow but it always sounded made up. Like no one had actually been there," responds a passenger. "Guess we’ll find out if it’s real or not", another passenger exclaims from the backseat.

Characters#

Sarah and the Skippies#

PC, group, Digital Character Sheet A group of close friends. Sarah grew up with the older Skipowski brother and often the younger twin brothers would tag along. Collectively, the three brothers are known as "the Skippies", a fitting nickname due to their energetic and bubbly personalities.

Possessions:

  • Lighter

  • Firecrackers

  • Slingshot

  • Car keys

Vigor — Intelligence — Technique — Agility ♥♥ — Luck ♥ — Spirit

Because this is a Group Character, each VP lost results in one of the three Skipowski brothers being whisked away by The Entity. They will return again at the conclusion of the story but they may never be the same.

If all VPs are lost, only Sarah remains due to Last Stand. She risks being whisked away as well unless she can escape.

The Entity#

enemy NPC, creature A mysterious entity that manifests only as powerful gusts of wind. It has no physical shape and looks no different than normal air. Any sound it makes is due to the howling of the wind it controls. As such, it cannot be harmed by any known means.

Possessions: None
Vigor 1d6 — Intelligence 1d6 — Technique 1d6 — Agility 2d6 — Luck 1d6 — Spirit 1d6
Attack 3d6 — Damage 1d6 (melee) — Defense 3d6  — Health invulnerable

Scenes#

Exploring the Hollow#

The car continues down the dirt road. Trees with vibrant autumn leaves line both sides. Suddenly, the road appears to end into the trees ahead. Sarah brings the car to a stop.

Allow the PC to investigate. If they approach the seeming dead end, request an Intelligence no-TN roll to see how quick they realize there is an old gate that has been overgrown with vines and ivy.

Besides the overgrowth, the gate is held shut with a chain and lock. All the metal is old and rusted.

The gate and lock are weather-beaten and can be opened with effort. Allow the PC to decide how they want to approach it. They could Appeal for some tools in the car to help. If they brute force it open, request a Vigor no-TN roll and narrate the result. A low roll might result in one of the Skipowski brothers covered in poison ivy while a high roll might mean the gate hinges break away allowing the lock to be bypassed entirely.

The road beyond the gate is narrow and overgrown. A barely legible sign reads "NO TRESPASSING" while another further along reads "DANGER". Eventually, the road ends with a small clearing, large enough for the car to park and turn around if needed. Exiting the car, the group walks ahead and stands at the edge of an embankment, the terrain sloping down considerably then flattening out again. The ridge of the embankment stretches in either direction. "This must be the hollow", says the older Skipowski. He grabs onto a small tree to help lower himself down the slope. The others follow suit, freshly fallen leaves crunching under foot.

Request an Agility no-TN roll to see how gracefully the group slides down the embankment slope. There are loose leaves and other hazards that could cause a tumble.

The group walks further into the woods. The autumn sun casts a warm glow through the orange and red leaves still clinging to branches, the air is still and calm. One of the twins spots something on the ground as he walks past. Clearing away leaves and dirt, he finds an old hard hat. "Woah, check me out", he says putting it on. The other twin knocks firmly on the hat, testing its sturdiness.

After a few more minutes of walking, the other twin notices something up ahead and runs towards it. The shapes of old heavy equipment stand out against the trees. Sarah and the older Skipowski walk up to a loader while the twins run to a dump truck. "Wonder why all this was just left here", says Sarah. One of the twins lights a firecracker and throws it into the bed of the dump truck. The bang rings out across the woods.

Request an Intelligence TN5 roll. If successful, the group notices there is no wildlife around, in fact they haven’t seen a bird or squirrel since back at the car.

The calm air begins to shift. Leaves rustle about on the ground. Suddenly a howling wind whips through the trees above, leaves drop as branches clatter and shake.

Transition

Transition to The Entity Attacks.

The Entity Attacks#

Near the dump truck, Sarah notices leaves on the ground displace as if something large and menacing were trampling through them. She sees nothing there but something is wrong. The twins are oblivious to whatever is approaching.

Allow the PC to decide how to respond. Sarah and the older brother could call out to them or run over and grab them. Request an appropriate roll based on their actions.

At this point, Sarah and the Skippies can either take cover or begin running. Taking cover will cause the Entity to attack but give the PC an appropriate defense bonus.

When the group begins to run, start a race at distance 5. The Entity does not need to perform race actions, it is automatically able to attack the group at the end of each race round unless they have reached the car. If an attack is successful and the damage dealt results in the loss of a VP, a Skipowski brother is whisked away by a powerful gust of wind. If all three VPs are lost, only Sarah remains who will be whisked away on the next successful attack. During their additional race action, the group can attempt to distract the Entity to avoid its attack. They cannot damage it however.

The race actions for each distance could be the following:

  • Distance 5 - Intelligence TN3 - The group needs to get its bearings and remember the way back to the car.

  • Distance 4 - Agility TN4 - The group dashes back to the car.

  • Distance 3 - Spirit TN4 - The wind blows aside leaves revealing human bones, the group must avoid panicking.

  • Distance 2 - Agility TN4 - The car is close, the group continues to run.

  • Distance 1 - Agility TN5 - The car is at the top of the hill, the leaves and dirt are slippery on the slope.

The TN for a failed race action may be lowered on the next attempt if desired. Once back at the car, the Entity no longer attacks the group, it seems contained to the hollow.

Transition

Transition to Conclusion.

Conclusion#

If all of the characters make it back to the car, they drive away and agree never to tell anyone else about what happened.

If some of the characters make it back to the car, they decide it would be best to go and tell someone what happened. The local police get involved but the story is never reported on the news. The whole ordeal is kept fairly quiet. Those that were whisked away are found by the police wandering aimlessly nearby the hollow. They have a wild look in their eyes and the slightest breeze causes them to scream in terror.

Reference#

This section provides quick reference material that can be used during gameplay.

Acronyms#

The following are commonly used acronyms:

Mini-Reference#

The following is an excerpt from the Mini-Reference:

  • Vital Characteristics (VITALS):

    • Vigor - Physical strength/toughness

    • Intelligence - Mental speed/precision

    • Technique - Trained specialization

    • Agility - Physical speed/precision

    • Luck - Chance and good fortune

    • Spirit - Mental strength/toughness

  • VC Dice - One d6 in each VC plus additional d6 for each VP ♥ assigned to that VC. Use highest single die result for rolls. If a die lands on 6, roll it again and add to current total for that die.

  • Actions - Roll requested VC dice against Target Number (TN), ≥ passes. If target is willing character or not a character, GM picks TN. If target is unwilling character, acting character rolls to set TN, then target character rolls against TN to negate action.

  • Damage - TN is target’s current VPs+1. If weapon/ability has multiple damage dice, treat each separately. Lose VP ♥ if hit.

  • Initiative - Single d6 decides turn order each round, 6 is first. PCs go before NPCs on ties. Each character gets movement and one full action on their turn. GM may allow free actions. Characters may wait on their turn and act later in the round.

  • Chase/Race - Initiative where each character rolls to determine changes in distance at start of round. Turn order is based on distance to target, 6 (far) to 1 (near). Waiting is not allowed.

Roll Type#

The following table summarizes roll types:

Roll Type

To Establish TN

Roll Against TN

Meet or Exceed TN?

Less Than TN?

Appeal

GM establishes based on appeal details.

Acting character rolls Luck VC dice.

Appeal succeeds.

Appeal fails.

Unopposed

GM establishes based on difficulty.

Acting character rolls requested VC dice.

Action succeeds.

Action fails.

Opposed

Acting character rolls requested VC dice.

Target character rolls requested VC dice.

Effect on target character fails.

Effect on target character succeeds.

Attack

Attacking character rolls attack dice.

Target character rolls defense dice.

Attack misses.

Attack hits, roll Damage.

Damage

Target’s current VPs plus one.

Attacker rolls damage dice, treat each die separately.

Damage taken, each die causes target to lose one VP ♥.

No damage taken.

TN Roll Probability#

The following table summarizes the percentage chance of a roll succeeding with a given TN and number of d6:

1d6

2d6

3d6

4d6

5d6

TN2

83

97

99

99

99

TN3

66

88

96

98

99

TN4

50

75

87

93

96

TN5

33

55

70

80

86

TN6|7

16

30

42

51

59

TN8

13

25

36

45

52

TN9

11

20

29

37

44

TN10

8

15

22

29

35

TN16

1

2

4

5

6

TN22

<1

<1

<1

<1

1

Opposed Roll Probability#

The following table summarizes the percentage chance of an acting character succeeding with a given number of dice during an opposed roll against a target with a given number of dice:

Acting→
Target↓

1d6

2d6

3d6

4d6

5d6

1d6

42

60

69

74

78

2d6

27

42

52

60

65

3d6

20

33

42

50

55

4d6

15

27

36

43

48

5d6

13

23

31

38

43

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