Credits Cthulhutech and Framewerk created by MATTHEW GRAU Written by MATTHEW GRAU, FRASER MCKAY intellectual Property developer MATTHEW GRAU Cthulhutech Framewerk Assistance FRASER MCKAY Cthulhutech Magic Framework Assistance ARON ANDERSON editing JEANNE GRAU, MATTHEW GRAU, JIM WONG thanks to Art direction & Logo design Sam Araya, Devin Binger, Lara Dalch, Tim Erickson, Marius Kuyken- MIKE VAILLANCOURT dall, Gaylé Morrison, the Web (conceptart.org, rpg.net, yog-sothoth. com) Cover design & Book Graphic design & Layout MARIA CABARDO special thanks • WildFire, for pulling it all together. Additional Graphic design & Layout • Flaming Cobra & Mongoose Publishing, for finally giving this a home. JASON WALKER • Trevor Claxton & Marco Nelor, for performance beyond the call of duty. Cover Art • EOS Press – Aron Anderson, Hsin Hong Chen, Brad Elliott MIKE VAILLANCOURT (Pencils), TREVOR CLAXTON (Colors) • Dave Arneson, for always being the man. • The Dreaming in Seattle, for being someplace that something like this Concept design can happen. MIKE VAILLANCOURT, TREVOR CLAXTON (Migou Mecha), • J Kovach, for starting the journey with us. LOUIS HOLSTEIN (Monsters), SAM ARAYA (Grave Thing) • Kathy Clark, Dennis Vaillancourt, Rachael Vaillancourt, and the McDonalds for the constant support. interior illustration SRIRAM BHAT (18, 97, 242, 245, 272-273), DAVI BLIGHT (26- 27, 169, 170, 222), WHIT BRACHNA (12-13, 37, 38-39, 40- www.cthulhutech.com 41, 81, 111, 163, 235, 277, 280), TREVOR CLAXTON (3, 20, Forums, Information, & Downloads 30, 85, 172, 173, 174, 175, 205, 209, 212, 215, 271), TROY GALLUZZI (32, 184), JACOB HALLSTROM (12-13, 38-39, 111, WildFire LLC 228), BRANDON LEACH (21, 254), CHRISTIAN MACNEVIN 11700 Marine View Drive (164, 168, 202), JON MCCOY (24, 51, 189, 225), MARCO Edmonds, WA 98026 NELOR (End Papers, 10, 34, 90, 102, 107, 132, 138, 142, 159, www.wildfirellc.com 179, 249), JOE SUITOR (43, 56, 128, 211, 264), ED TADEM (197, 216, 220, 255, 262), MATIAS TAPIA (4, 22), MIKE VAIL- Black Sky LANCOURT (69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 176), CHEE www.blackskystudios.com MING WONG (8-9, 154), YI-PIAO YEOH (150, 155, 158), JEN DISCLAIMER ZEE (16, 19, 71, 93, 121, 236) CthulhuTech is a game. It is a work of fiction intended as entertainment. Everything contained within is a product of imagination. None of it is Playtesters real. Aron Anderson, Devin Binger, Hsin Hong Chen, Alex Chobot, Brad Elliott, Sylvia Erickson, Blake Fabian, J Kovach, Bill Morse, This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters, and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for enter- Tom Norman, Jennifer Roberts, Ean Sager, Jim Wong, the rest tainment purposes only. of the Dreaming Seattle crew (Brian, Chris, Mark, Raven) This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. WildFire Business development ©2003, 2007, Black Sky Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. CthulhuTech and Framewerk are TOM NORMAN trademarks of Black Sky Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. All characters, names, places, and text herein are copyrighted by Black Sky Studios LLC. References to the works of H. P. Lovecraft are from and remain in the public domain. WildFire Operations Management: FRASER MCKAY First Printing (Rev. B) ©2007, WildFire LLC. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents 004 FictioN ................. Mismatched 010 FictioN ................. Aeon War Syndrome 012 Chapter One ................. Welcome 016 Chapter two ................. That Was Then, This Is Now (Setting) 044 FictioN ................. Do Your Part 046 Chapter three .................The Art of the Game (Introduction) 048 Chapter Four .................Framewerk (Game Rules) 058 Chapter Five .................Alter Ego (Characters) 080 Chapter six .................Skillz 093 Chapter seven .................Qualities 106 Chapter eight .................The Way of the Future (Technology) 116 Chapter Nine .................Life, Death, & Madness (Conflict Rules) Table of Contents 142 FictioN .................Reunion 144 Chapter ten .................The New War Machine (Mecha) 176 FictioN .................Questionable Merchandise 178 Chapter eleven .................Blasphemous Whispers (Magic) 202 FictioN .................Dead Things 204 Chapter twelve .................Unspeakable Horrors (Creatures) 222 FictioN .................Seattle Drivers 224 Chapter thirteen .................Vehicular Homicide (Vehicles) 236 FictioN .................Deep Learning 238 Chapter Fourteen .................Parting the Veil (Secrets) 246 Chapter Fifteen .................The Honored Guide (Storyguiding) 254 Chapter sixteen.................The Population (Supporting Cast) 264 FictioN .................Your GNN News Broadcast 266 Chapter seventeen ................. War, Fear, & Vendetta (Stories) 282 Chapter eighteen .................Appendices MISMATCHED Juneau burned. her. The tentacles slithered back under her Engel’s armor plating. Sam screamed into her comm, “Blackjack! Sam didn’t know where she was, what was going on, Ruin! Anybody! Can you hear me?!” and she sure as eff didn’t know how she was going to get out of it. Migou death machines were everywhere. All that came through the static were incoherent Locusts crawled through the ruin that used to be the shouts and muffled screams. arcology. Remiel tensed all around her. They both wanted to get out of this alive. “Oh god... is anybody there?!” The Migou weren’t taking out power centers and waiting A battle spilled out onto the street behind her. Sam to round everyone up like they usually did. They heard the sounds of panicked civilians. A Broadsword were calculatedly and efficiently exterminating every backpedaled futilely as a couple Locusts tore chunks living thing. Sam knew she was dead if she didn’t keep out of it with their gigantic metal mandibles. She moving. Remiel snaked tentacles out of his forearm stared in disbelief. “Oh no...” – Sam tagged a couple Migou battletroops that were a little too close. The Malach kicked up and leaped high into the air, raining down balls of superheated plasma onto the Whipping around the corner, she dove for cover in a Migou. Sam knew she got one of them, but proximity ruined building and hoped they weren’t interested in warning claxons ripped her attention away. Down mismatched through the smoke above her tore a Wasp, stinger down, “Good.” The Eclipse snapped its claws back in. “What deadly rocket pods zeroing in on her. do you have for us?” Sam couldn’t help but scream. She dove to the ground “I’m transmitting,” said Torment. “Dragonfly. Just and rolled away in desperation, hoping that she could sitting there. Discovered it entirely by accident.” use some of the cover to survive. The Wasp let loose its payload and rockets flew everywhere. Everything The squad crept closer to the coastline to get a better around Sam exploded. She screamed so hard she sprayed look. Information rocketed across the inside of her blood onto the inside of her helmet... helmet. Sam briefly remembered what it was like to sit in a mech’s pilot chair, but she preferred the warm ...from dreamland, Lieutenant Samantha Masters bolted fluid of the Engel’s control capsule. Her HUD showed upright in bed, screaming like she screamed when she that Torment had outlined a red square for them, but thought she was dead in Juneau. Her short platinum Sam still couldn’t see it. “This rain isn’t helping.” ‘do was matted to her head like hair product gone bad and sweat soaked her black tank top. Disoriented, but “Scalpel, you flush it out,” ordered CC. Timana coming back to reality, Sam looked around with fading disappeared again. “Crater, Misery, you get ready to panic. Klaxons droned and someone banged on her door. pound it.” “Masters! Masters! What’s wrong?” It sounded like Sam took firing position, aiming on coordinates at Timana. Sam wiped the sweat off her face and shook something that didn’t look like it was there. Jack herself. “Nothing.” followed suit. She asked, “Can you see it?” “Then get moving. We’re up.” “Oh sure. Plain as day.” Jack could always find time for sarcasm. It was like a hobby to him. “I’ll be right there.” Sam rocketed out of bed, grabbing her flightsuit and ripping off her sweat- Meanwhile, Timana slid into the water with barely a soaked underwear. The nightmare was gone already and ripple. The Dragonfly continued doing whatever it she looked like she usually did – cold and determined. was doing. It could see him if it knew where to look But if you really looked, you could see that Sam – unfortunately for it, the Migou didn’t. Timana burst wasn’t quite home. up from underneath and took a chunk out of it with his claws. The thing rippled and was suddenly there for • • • all the world to see. The Nazzadi quickly leaped out of the way. “Now!” In the cold light of dawn, four mecha stalked through the coastal forest on Bainbridge Island – Sam’s Critical surges of energy crackled in Jack’s charge Engel(Callsign: Misery), CC’s Broadsword (Callsign: cannons. “Hello pretty.” Feint), Jack’s Scimitar (Callsign: Crater), and Cevy’s Storm (Callsign: Bloodlock). Winter rain poured down Both Sam and Jack let it fly. The overcharged energy around them, smothering them with white noise. The balls exploded across its side followed by a swarm of CO felt the need to check in. “Keep it tight. Any rockets. It’s hard to tell which did which, but the sign?” Dragonfly flew apart into mess of angry pieces. “This is Bloodlock. Negative.” Until Sam met Cevy, she Jack howled. “We’d like to welcome you to Seattle!” didn’t know Nazzadi could have southern drawls. He decided to punctuate by firing again, blowing the remains even more sky-high. As the ashes settled, Cevy “Crater. Negative.” The charge beams on Jack’s Scimitar drawled over the comm, “You’re an animal! Too bad Miss pulsed with energy. Sunshine here wasn’t much help.” Sam stared intently, ignoring CC’s voice. “Misery?” “Bloodlock, get down there and help Scalpel,” She was almost sure she could... no, that’s not directed CC. it... wait... there was something. The Malach pointed. “There.” “Yes, ma’am.” Cevy took off like a shot, showing off again.