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To kick off our Wretched Darkness/Invisible College Rpg campaign, we need to immediately establish that the city’s normalcy is a thin, rotting veil. We pulled into Oakhaven Pennsylvania and got out at the Rusty Nail Diner. Things were off right off the bat.
The following encounter, "The Lavender Hour," is designed to bring your players together through a shared, inexplicable trauma.
The Setup: Midnight at the 'Rusty Nail' Diner
The players are all at a 24-hour diner in The Lows. It’s raining—a greasy, chemical rain.
The Atmosphere: The jukebox is playing a distorted country track. The only other patrons are a tired trucker and a waitress named Barb who has been "quitting" for twelve years.
The Catalyst: At exactly 12:12 AM, every electronic device in the diner (the TV over the bar, the digital register, and the players' phones) emits a low-frequency hum.
Phase 1: The Violet Flicker
The screens don't go black; they turn a deep, vibrating Violet.
The Mechanic: Have everyone roll a Willpower or Sanity check (depending on your specific Wretched Darkness house rules).
Success: They feel a sharp, metallic tang in their mouths and a sense of impending doom.
Failure: They are momentarily stunned, seeing "after-images" of a tall, thin figure standing behind them in the reflection of the diner windows.
Phase 2: The Sleepwalkers
The trucker and Barb the waitress don't scream. Their eyes go glassy. In perfect unison, they stand up, leave their half-eaten food, and walk toward the door. Outside, the street is eerily silent, but figures are emerging from the row houses—dozens of people, all walking with a stiff, rhythmic gait toward the Oakhaven Reservoir.
Phase 3: The "Quality Control"
A black Oakhaven Police cruiser (The Silver Tally) pulls into the diner lot. Two officers get out. They aren't helping the "sleepwalkers"—they are carrying heavy-duty cattle prods and plastic zip-ties.
One officer looks into the diner and sees the players standing there, still conscious. He keys his radio:
"Unit 4 to Central. We have 'Static.' Four individuals in the Lows diner are resisting the signal. Moving to decommission."
The Encounter: Combat/Escape
The players are now trapped between the Silver Tally officers (who want to "scrub" them) and the Sleepwalkers (who will mindlessly trample anyone in their path).
Enemy
Stats / Behavior
Silver Tally Officers (2)
Armed with batons and heavy pistols. They move with clinical, terrifying efficiency. They don't talk; they just breathe heavily through their masks.
The Sleepwalker Mob
Not aggressive, but a "Hazard." Every turn, the players must stay clear of the crowd or be dragged along 20ft toward the Reservoir (Strength check to break free).
The Twist
As the fight escalates, one of the sleepwalkers—a young girl—stops. Her jaw unhinges further than humanly possible, and the Violet Light pours out of her mouth like smoke. She points a trembling finger at one of the players and whispers:
"The Master is hungry for the parts that still remember."
The Aftermath
The officers will retreat if they take significant damage, melting back into the rain. The "Lavender Hour" ends as abruptly as it began; the screens return to normal, and the sleepwalkers collapse in the street, waking up seconds later with no memory of the last ten minutes.
The hook is set: The players are now "Static"—people who can see the truth in a city designed to keep them blind. We ended here.
To capture the "slow-burn" dread of Oakhaven, use this table when the players are exploring, resting, or just walking between districts. These range from eerie atmosphere to immediate hooks.
D100: Something is Off in Oakhaven
D100
The Observation
01-05
The Mirror Lag: Your reflection in a shop window moves a fraction of a second slower than you do.
06-10
Wrong Geometry: You turn three lefts in The Lows, but instead of returning to your start, you find yourself at a dead-end alley that wasn't there before.
11-15
The Static Child: A child sits on a swing set. When they turn to look at you, their face is blurred like a low-resolution video.
16-20
Sweet Decay: The smell of expensive perfume suddenly fills the air, masking the overwhelming scent of rotting meat.
21-25
Radio Ghost: Your phone picks up a voicemail. It’s a recording of the conversation you are currently having, played back with a 30-second delay.
26-30
The Missing Birds: You realize there are no pigeons or crows in this district—only thousands of moths clinging to the underside of every ledge.
31-35
The Tally Mark: You find a fresh "X" carved into your hotel room door. It’s still bleeding sap.
36-40
Gravity Hiccup: For three seconds, rain falls upward. No one else on the street seems to notice.
41-45
The Man in Yellow: You see a man in a yellow slicker across the street. When a bus passes between you, he is gone, but a yellow balloon is tied to a nearby pole.
46-50
Familiar Strangers: Every person you pass on the sidewalk for the next block has the exact same shade of pale blue eyes.
51-55
The Meat Hum: A low-frequency vibration shakes your teeth. It’s coming from the "Good Meat" Deli's refrigeration unit.
56-60
Ink Blood: You scrape your knuckle. The blood that comes out is thick, black, and smells like ozone. It turns red after a minute.
61-65
The Billboard: A digital billboard glitching to violet shows a "Missing Person" poster. The photo is of you, but aged 20 years.
66-70
The Shadow Anchor: Your shadow points toward the Reservoir, regardless of where the sun or streetlights are.
71-75
Muffled Screams: You hear a muffled scream for help coming from a manhole cover. When you look closer, the sound changes to a cat's meow.
76-80
The Watchers: Every cat in the alley stops what it’s doing and stares at you in perfect, eerie silence until you leave the area.
81-85
The Taste of Copper: Your mouth fills with the taste of pennies. A Silver Tally cruiser slowly rolls by, the officer inside not turning his head.
86-90
Architecture Shift: You notice a gargoyle on Saint Jude’s Hospital. Every time you blink, it has moved its hands closer to its eyes.
91-95
The Paper Trail: A gust of wind blows a newspaper against your leg. The date on the paper is tomorrow. The headline describes a fire at your current location.
96-99
The Doorway to Nowhere: You see a door standing alone in a vacant lot. If you look through the keyhole, you see a vast, violet-lit ocean.
100
The Full Reveal: For one heartbeat, the "veil" drops. The sky is gone, replaced by a massive, lidless eye, and the buildings are made of calcified bone. Then, everything returns to normal.
Using the Table
Subtle Clues: Use 01-30 to build tension without immediate danger.
Direct Threats: Use 70-95 to signal that the Silver Tally or the Entities are closing in.
Sanity Checks: Any result over 90 should probably trigger a minor Sanity/Stress check.
"There are those among us who are virtual Immortals. They age slowly, and when they die no matter what the circumstances they are nearly instantly recreated in a new body. Some of them choose to watch the world go by from the sidelines, recording events and sometimes offering guidance to mere mortals through wisdom that is born from the perspective of someone who has been part of history for many centuries."
It is absolutely possible to adapt Nuelow Games: Secrets of the Immortalsto Troll Lord Games: Amazing Adventures. In fact, they are highly compatible because both systems are rooted in the OGL (Open Game License) d20 framework.
Since Secrets of the Immortals was designed for d20 Modern/Future and Amazing Adventures uses the SIEGE Engine (the same system as Castles & Crusades), the conversion is relatively straightforward.1
1. Converting the Immortal Template
In Secrets of the Immortals, the core of the system is a template.2 In Amazing Adventures, you can handle this in two ways:
As a Background/Trait: Since Amazing Adventures uses "Traits," you can treat Immortality as a powerful trait. However, because of its power level (rebirth), it is best balanced by requiring the character to spend Fate Points to trigger their reincarnation or fast-healing abilities.
As a "Multi-Class" or Prestige Path: If you want the character to grow into their immortal powers, you can treat the Immortal abilities as class features that replace standard class features at certain levels.
2. Translating Feats to SIEGE Checks
Secrets of the Immortals relies on d20 feats.3 In the SIEGE Engine, many feats can be converted directly into Attribute Checks (SIEGE Checks):
The Mechanic: Instead of a feat giving a +2 bonus to a specific roll, make that action a Primary Attribute check.
Combat Feats: If a feat provides a special combat maneuver (like "Whirlwind Attack"), you can keep the requirement but change the resolution to a Dexterity or Strength check against a Challenge Class (CC) based on the opponent's level or HD.
3. Handling the "Pool of All"
The "Pool of All" is the mystical source of immortality in the Nuelow book.4
In Amazing Adventures, this fits perfectly into the "Deeper Dark" or "Super Science" lore.
You can treat the Pool as a Site of Power (Nexus). If an Arcanist or Gadgeteer interacts with it, use an Intelligence or Wisdom SIEGE Check to determine if they successfully harness the energy or are overwhelmed by it.
4. Stat Block Conversion
Converting a Nuelow NPC/Monster to Amazing Adventures is a 1:1 process for most stats:
AC: Keep as is (both systems use ascending AC).
Hit Dice: Keep as is.
Saving Throws: This is the biggest change. d20 Modern uses Fort/Ref/Will. Amazing Adventures uses Attribute Saves.
Fortitude becomes a Constitution check.
Reflex becomes a Dexterity check.
Will becomes a Wisdom (or Charisma) check.
Quick Conversion Table
Nuelow (d20 Modern)
Amazing Adventures (SIEGE Engine)
Feat
Attribute Check or Class Ability
Fortitude Save
Constitution Check
Reflex Save
Dexterity Check
Will Save
Wisdom Check
Skills (Ranks)
Attribute Check + Level (if a Prime Attribute)
Action Points
Fate Points
Let's take one of the most iconic concepts from Secrets of the Immortals—the ability to survive what should be a fatal blow—and adapt it into a mechanical Trait for Amazing Adventures.
In the Nuelow book, the core concept is that Immortals don't just have high HP; they have a "Resurrection" mechanic. Here is how you can adapt the "Immortal Rebirth" feat into the SIEGE Engine framework.
Adaptation: The "Immortal Spark" (Trait)
In Amazing Adventures, instead of a feat chain, we convert this into a Trait that interacts with the game's Fate Point system.
The Mechanic
If an Immortal character is reduced to 0 Hit Points or fewer (and would otherwise be dead), the "Immortal Spark" triggers.
The SIEGE Check: The player must immediately make a Constitution (Prime) Check.
The Challenge Class (CC): The CC is equal to the amount of damage taken below zero. (e.g., if you have 2 HP and take 10 damage, you are at -8; the CC is 8).
Success: The character does not die. Instead, they enter a state of "dormant regeneration." They remain unconscious for $1d4$ hours, after which they wake up with 1 HP and all stabilized wounds.
Failure: The character "dies" as a mortal would, but they can spend 2 Fate Points to force a success and begin the regeneration process.
Combat Bonus: "The Quickening Strike"
In Secrets of the Immortals, combatants often gain power by defeating others of their kind. We can adapt this as a combat maneuver:
Action: When an Immortal reduces a supernatural foe to 0 HP.
Effect: The character may make a Charisma Check (CC 15). On a success, they instantly recover $1d8 + \text{Level}$ Hit Points as they absorb the fading energy of their opponent.
Comparing the Systems
Feature
Nuelow (d20)
Amazing Adventures (SIEGE)
Activation
Automatic upon death
Constitution Check + Fate Points
Recovery Time
Variable (often days)
$1d4$ Hours (Pulp-speed)
Resource Cost
Feat Slot
Trait Slot / Fate Point Expenditure
How to Use This in Your Game
Since Amazing Adventures is a "Pulp" genre game, immortality shouldn't make the character invincible. It should make them resilient. I recommend treating this trait as a "Double-Edged Sword"—perhaps other supernatural entities can "scent" the Immortal, increasing the frequency of Random Encounters or targeted hits from the "Deeper Dark."
In Amazing Adventures, the Modern Immortal fits perfectly as a Character Template or a Multi-Class Archetype. This represents someone who has lived through centuries but currently operates in the world of high finance, international espionage, or urban grit.
Here is how to build the Modern Immortal for your TLG campaign.
In Secrets of the Immortals, the Ancient Master represents the archetype of the "Old Soul"—the philosopher-warrior who has spent centuries perfecting a single discipline, often withdrawing from the world until fate (or a pulp adventure) calls them back.
In Amazing Adventures, this translates beautifully into a high-Wisdom character who uses the SIEGE Engine to manipulate the flow of battle rather than just dealing raw damage.
The Ancient Master (Archetype Template)
Core Attributes
Prime Attribute:Wisdom (Representing centuries of insight and spiritual harmony).
Secondary Attribute:Dexterity (For the precision of an ancient martial style).
Class Abilities
1. The Still Mind (Defensive)
The Ancient Master does not rely on modern armor. Their defense comes from anticipating an opponent’s intent before the move is even made.
Unarmored Defense: While wearing no armor and unencumbered, the Ancient Master adds their Wisdom Bonus to their Armor Class.
Mental Fortress: You gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws against Fear, Charm, or Mind-Control effects.
2. Strike the Flow (Combat)
Instead of brute force, you strike pressure points or "Ley Lines" in the body.
When making a melee attack, you may use your Wisdom Modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack roll.
Stunning Touch: By spending 1 Fate Point, a successful hit forces the target to make a Constitution Save (CC = 10 + your Level). On a failure, the target is stunned and loses their next action.
3. Echoes of the Past (Utility)
The Ancient Master has seen empires rise and fall. They possess a "Passive Lore" ability.
Whenever the party encounters an ancient language, a forgotten ruin, or a historical NPC, the Ancient Master may make a Wisdom Check.
Success: You automatically know one "Secret" about the location or person (e.g., the location of a trap, a person's true motivation, or the password to a door).
4. The Transcendent Body (Immortal Ability)
This is the "Nuelow" immortality adapted for the SIEGE Engine.
Aged but Ageless: You are immune to natural diseases and poisons.
Meditation of Recovery: If you spend 1 hour in deep meditation, you can roll a Wisdom Check (CC 12). If successful, you recover hit points as if you had rested for a full 24 hours.
Integration with Amazing Adventures Classes
To play an Ancient Master, apply this template to one of the following base classes:
Base Class
The "Ancient Master" Flavor
Monk
The classic martial arts master; their "Ki" is actually their Immortal life-force.
Arcanist
A "Sage" who uses ancient rituals that modern sorcerers have forgotten.
Hooligan
A "Shadow Master" who uses ancient stealth techniques to move unseen.
The Master’s Burden (Flaw)
To balance the Ancient Master's wisdom, they often suffer from "The Weight of Years." * The Flaw: When faced with modern technology (computers, advanced electronics, complex firearms), the Ancient Master takes a -4 penalty to all related checks. They find the "new world" loud, distracting, and spiritually "thin."
A Sample "Ancient Master" Quote
"I fought beside your great-grandfather in the trenches of Verdun, and I fought his ancestors at Agincourt. Your 'sub-machine gun' is a noisy toy compared to the silence of a well-placed palm."
The Modern Immortal (Archetype)
The Modern Immortal is someone who uses the skills of the 21st century (firearms, technology, modern law) to protect a secret that is thousands of years old.
Core Attributes
Prime Attribute:Constitution (The source of their longevity).
Secondary Attribute:Intelligence or Charisma (Representing centuries of accumulated knowledge or social manipulation).
Class Features / Abilities
1. The Long Memory (Knowledge)
Instead of a standard skill bonus, the Modern Immortal treats all Intelligence-based SIEGE Checks regarding History, Archeology, or Occultism as if they were a Prime Attribute.
In-game fluff: You don't "study" the Fall of Rome or the Great Depression; you remember the smell of the air when it happened.
2. Modern Polymath (Trait)
Due to their long life, the Modern Immortal has mastered many "lives."
Select two additional Backgrounds (e.g., Physician, Soldier, or Pilot). You gain the ability to perform SIEGE checks related to these backgrounds as if you were a specialist, even if your current Class is different (like a Hooligan or Arcanist).
3. The Secret Wealth (Resource)
Centuries of compound interest and hidden caches of gold mean the Modern Immortal is never truly broke.
Once per adventure, the character can make a Charisma Check (CC 12) to "acquire" a necessary piece of high-tech gear, a safe house, or a legal defense team. The character always has access to $Level \times 1,000$ in local currency within 24 hours.
4. Resilience of the Ages (The "Nuelow" Conversion)
This is the direct mechanical port of the Secrets of the Immortals toughness.
The character gains Damage Reduction 2 against all non-magical/non-supernatural weapons (bullets, knives, punches).
Fatal Wound Recovery: If the character is killed by mundane means (anything not involving a "Bane" weapon or ritual decapitation), they will revive at the next sunrise with $1d6$ HP.
The "Bane" (Weakness)
To keep the game balanced for Amazing Adventures, every Modern Immortal must have a weakness:
Decapitation/Vitrification: If the head is removed or the body is completely incinerated, the immortality ends.
The Signature Trace: Using their powers or surviving a fatal blow creates a "Ripple in the Weave." Any Arcanist or supernatural hunter within 5 miles can make a Wisdom Check to track the Immortal’s location.
Recommended Class Combinations
Since Amazing Adventures is class-based, the "Modern Immortal" is usually a layer added onto one of these:
The Hooligan / Raider: For the Immortal who is a "treasure hunter" or international thief.
The Arcanist: For the "Wizard" who has been practicing the same spells for 400 years.
The Gadgeteer: For the Immortal who uses modern tech to hide their ancient nature.
Modern Immortal Stat Block (Quick NPC/PC Base)
HP: Per Class (add +2 per level for Immortal Resilience)
AC: Per Armor (usually High-end Suits or Tactical Vests)
Saves: Physical (Constitution), Mental (Wisdom)
Attacks: Modern Firearms or an Ancient Signature Weapon (e.g., a 15th-century Katana or a Roman Gladius).
In Secrets of the Immortals, many characters carry a blade or relic that has been their companion for centuries. In Amazing Adventures, we can design this as a "Bonded Artifact."
Unlike a standard magic item, a Signature Weapon scales with the character. In the SIEGE Engine, this is handled by tying its bonuses to the wielder’s Level and Fate Points.
The Relic of the Ages
Type: Any Melee Weapon (usually a Sword, Dagger, or Staff) or a Vintage Firearm.
Level 1–4: The Ancestral Bond
At low levels, the weapon is exceptionally well-made but hasn't fully "awakened" its mystical properties.
Masterwork Quality: The weapon grants a +1 bonus to hit.
Indestructible: The weapon cannot be broken, rusted, or damaged by mundane means. If lost, the Immortal can spend 1 Fate Point to have it "coincidentally" reappear in the next scene (found in a pawn shop, recovered by a friend, etc.).
Ancient Echo: Once per day, the wielder can touch the weapon to an ancient ruin or artifact to gain a +5 bonus on a History or Occultism SIEGE check.
Level 5–9: The Quickening Edge
As the Immortal grows in power, the weapon begins to tap into their life force.
The Thirst: The weapon now deals an extra 1d6 damage (Type: Force or Psychic) against other supernatural entities (undead, demons, or fellow Immortals).
Returning Strike: If the weapon is a melee weapon, it can be thrown (Range 20/40) and will fly back to the wielder's hand at the end of the round.
Fate’s Edge: You may spend 1 Fate Point to automatically bypass any non-magical Damage Reduction (DR) for the duration of one encounter.
Level 10+: The Soul-Sunderer
At this stage, the weapon is a legendary artifact capable of ending an Immortal’s cycle.
Finality: When an enemy is reduced to 0 HP by this weapon, they cannot regenerate or be resurrected unless a literal God intervenes.
Attribute Boost: While the weapon is drawn, the wielder gains a +2 bonus to their Prime Attribute (usually Strength or Dexterity).
The Ripple: The wielder can strike the ground to create a shockwave. Every enemy within 10 feet must make a Dexterity Save (CC = 10 + Wielder’s Level) or be knocked prone and take $3d6$ damage.
The "Modern" Twist: The Ghost Gun
If your Modern Immortal prefers a firearm (like a 1911 Colt or a custom sniper rifle), the bonuses adapt:
Ghost Bullets: The gun never runs out of ammo at a "dramatic" moment unless the player rolls a Natural 1.
Spectral Tracking: By looking through the sights, the Immortal can see invisible creatures or magical auras.
Soul-Piercing: The bullets ignore modern body armor and cover bonuses provided by glass or wood.
Usage Tip for Amazing Adventures
Since Amazing Adventures uses Fate Points, I suggest allowing the player to "burn" a Fate Point to give the weapon a temporary +3 bonus to damage for one critical strike. This mirrors the "Power Attack" feats often found in Nuelow’s d20 books but fits the cinematic flow of Troll Lord Games.
