Dark Days, Darker Nights

Savage Survival in a Modern Gothic Nightscape

Version 1.0 Collin Terrell

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

Collin Terrell 2010 1

Acknowledgements: Some of the critters in the Monster section were cribbed from Savage Beasts by Butch Curry, so my thanks goes out to him for those ideas. I recommend that you pick up a copy of the Rippers rules because there's a lot of good ideas in there that translate well into this setting.

Setting & Flavor: This setting is an alternate reality modern world where creatures of darkness live among us and a bold few strive to thwart them. Events in this setting occur in the present day.

In this world, myths and legends aren’t -- they’re accounts of historical events. Vampires, werewolves, witches and wizards are all real. In spite of this, the human race has managed to prosper by dint of sheer numbers, but everyone still fears the dark. Strange disappearances and unsolved murders happen so regularly they barely make the news anymore. Most people build walls of ignorance around themselves and pretend that the darkness isn’t real – that it’s just bad people doing bad things – but a select few know better. These few are the monster hunters, the white magicians and the occult researchers who form a thin line of defense against the creatures of nightmare. Much of their good work goes unheralded, but they know it is by their labors that human civilization continues to exist.

This campaign setting is based in the city of Portland, Oregon but can be easily adapted to work in any modern locale the Game Master wishes. The timeframe for this setting is between 2010-2015 AD.

The Elevator Pitch: This world is a contemporary version of the “Rippers” setting and borrows themes from the “World of Darkness” role-playing games as well as popular culture icons such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade and the stories of writers such as H.P. Lovecraft and Jim Butcher.

Character Creation: All characters begin play with two new statistics: Corruption and Sanity. Both of these stats start at zero. See the “Gameplay” section for more details on these attributes.

Races: Human: Humans behave just as they do in the core Savage Worlds rules. They gain one free edge at creation.

Vampire: Not all vampires are soulless killers; some reject their grim curse and seek to destroy those of their brethren who wantonly ruin lives. There are entire covens of vampires represented within the Erebine Coterie who desire to co-exist peacefully with humankind and believe that this is essential to the existence of the vampire race.

Vampires gain the Arcane Background: Vampire edge for free and must take the following Major Hindrances in addition to any other Hindrances they choose to take: Blood Drinker, Vulnerability: Sunlight, Vulnerability: Stake Through Heart.

Vampires cannot be killed by conventional means. A Vampire does not sustain wounds from normal, non- magical weapons, but they can still be Shaken. Silver, magic, sunlight and wooden stakes will injure Vampires normally.

Half-Vampire: A very rare breed, the Half-Vampire, also called Dhampir or Daywalkers share some of the limitations and advantages of their full Vampire cousins but are able to walk in the light of the sun without dying. Since Vampires are incapable of sexual reproduction, the only way one can become a Half-Vampire

Collin Terrell 2010 2 is if a pregnant mother becomes infected with vampirism in her third trimester and manages to successfully give birth before her dying body rejects the child.

Full Vampires express a range of differ