The Ghost of Hong Kong by Steve Miller Pulp Hero and the Trail to San Moros, CA - Very Evil & Very Nice Part III - The Arrival of Fire Fight II

 

The PC's came against a medium enforcer of the The Crimsiki crime family who came in right after The Black Bat was enroute to the crime scene after the kids were saved. Firefight II was a huge pain in the arse for the party. And things got worse as the whole space lit on fire as the plasma bolts of the villain lit the space up. Fire Fight II thinks he's the only one true inheritor of the Fire Fight mantle and the only one who inherited it from the brother's father. The original Fire Fight was a Vietnam era super hero. There's a ton of history here. 

Villain Profile: Firefight II NPC

Real Name: Damian Vance

Archetype: Energy Projector (Fire/Plasma)

Threat Level: Local to Regional Threat

Motivation: Chaos / Mercenary / Vengeance

Biography

Damian Vance was a corrupt combat engineer discharged from a corporate paramilitary group. During an illegal raid on a research facility, a containment breach exposed him to an experimental plasma-fusion reactor. Instead of vaporizing him, the accident bonded the superheated plasma to his cellular structure. Taking the name Firefight, Vance now sells his devastating services to the highest bidder, though he frequently takes detours to burn down anything associated with his former employers. He isn't a criminal mastermind; he is a walking, flying breach of containment who enjoys the roar of a backdraft.

Appearance & Personality

Firefight wears a heavily modified, scorched tactical exo-suit designed to help him regulate his internal temperature—though he often overrides the safety limits. When powering up, his eyes glow like magnesium flares, and superheated plasma arcs across his shoulders. He is loud, arrogant, and treats a battlefield like a sandbox. He has a habit of narrating his own destruction.

Character Sheet (MURS Metrics)

Attributes

• Might: 4 (Enhanced human, boosted by exo-suit)

• Agility: 5 (Quick reflexes, experienced combatant)

• Resilience: 6 (Internally reinforced against extreme pressure/heat)

• Devotion: 3 (Driven by spite and greed, but easily distracted)

• Insight: 4 (Tactical awareness, spots structural weaknesses)

• Resolve: 4 (Stubborn, refuses to back down from a challenge)

Powers & Perks

• Thermal/Plasma Projection (SP 10): Firefight’s primary weapon. He can unleash devastating blasts of superheated plasma.

  • Modifier: Ranged, Area Effect (Cone or Burst).

• Plasma Propulsion / Flight (SP 6): By venting plasma from his hands and boots, he can fly at high speeds (Speed SP 6).

• Thermal Immunity (SP 8): Firefight is completely immune to fire, heat, and environmental plasma damage.

• Thermal Aura (SP 4): When fully active, the air around him shimmers with intense heat, melting incoming conventional projectiles and burning anyone who gets too close in hand-to-hand combat.

• Perk: Demolitions Expert: Firefight gains a +2 bonus to Insight checks when identifying structural weak points in buildings or vehicles to maximize collateral damage.

Combat Tactics & Hooks

Combat Behavior

• Death from Above: Firefight rarely stays on the ground. He prefers to take to the air immediately, using his Flight to maintain a height advantage while raining down Area Effect plasma blasts.

• Collateral King: He actively targets the environment to complicate things for heroes. He will melt the supports of a bridge, detonate gas lines, or trap civilians behind a wall of fire to force heroes to choose between catching him or saving lives.

• Overheating: If backed into a corner, Firefight will deliberately "overload" his exo-suit's regulators, increasing his Plasma Projection damage by +2 SP for 3 rounds, after which he must spend a round cooling down (leaving him vulnerable).

Adventure Hooks

• The Arson Extortion: A string of high-rise fires has hit the city. The fires aren't accidental—corporate executives are receiving extortion letters signed by Firefight. The heroes must stop him before he brings down a skyscraper during business hours.

• The Jailbreak: A powerful villain syndicate has hired Firefight to breach a maximum-security meta-human prison. The heroes arrive just as Firefight is melting through the primary containment walls.

• An Unholy Alliance: Firefight has stolen a shipment of experimental coolant tech. The heroes have to track him down, but they find him fighting another villain group who wants the tech back.

• Here is Firefight tuned to a Medium Challenge Rating for a standard starting team of heroes (around Challenge Rating 5–7).

  In the Ascendant system, this means his Power Points (PP) total sits around 150 to 180 PP, putting him perfectly in line to be a serious threat to a group of street-to-city-level heroes without causing an immediate total party wipe.

  Firefight (Medium CR Version)

  Attributes (Total: 52 PP)

  • Might: 4 (Lifting capacity ~500 lbs)

  • Agility: 5 (Excellent reflexes, fast tracker)

  • Resilience: 5 (Hardened against physical trauma)

  • Devotion: 3 (Driven by greed and vengeance)

  • Insight: 4 (Tactical military background)

  • Resolve: 5 (Willfully stubborn; high mental defense)

  Defenses

  • Physical Defense: 10

  • Mental Defense: 8

  • Health: 10

  • Stamina: 10

  Powers & Perks (Total: 108 PP)

  Plasma Discharge (Thermal Projection) • SP 7 (Basic Blast)

  • Cost: 28 PP

  • Effect: Firefight fires a concentrated bolt of superheated plasma.

  • Modifiers: Ranged (SP 7 range), Lethal.

  • Power Combo (Plasma Burst): By spending 2 Stamina, he can apply the Area Effect modifier to a blast, reducing the SP to 5 but catching everyone in a 30-foot radius.

  Plasma Propulsion (Flight) • SP 5

  • Cost: 15 PP

  • Effect: Jet-assisted flight allowing him to travel at roughly 60 mph. Gives him a +2 bonus to Agility checks made to dodge while airborne.

  Thermal Absorption Shield (Thermal Immunity & Aura) • SP 6

  • Cost: 30 PP

  • Effect: Passive protection against energy.

  • Modifiers: Invulnerability to Fire/Heat/Plasma.

  • Melt Zone: Anyone starting their turn in base-to-base contact with Firefight takes SP 3 Thermal damage automatically from the sheer radiant heat.

  Tactical Exo-Suit Armor • SP 4

  • Cost: 16 PP

  • Effect: Lightweight military-grade plating.

  • Modifiers: Protection (Provides 4 points of damage reduction against physical and kinetic attacks).

  Perks & Skills (Total: 19 PP)

  • Demolitions (Skill): +2 SP to Insight checks involving explosives, structural integrity, and finding weak points in buildings.

  • Military Tactics (Skill): +1 SP to Initiative checks.

  • Perk: Hardboiled: Firefight ignores the penalties of the first minor injury he takes in combat due to adrenaline and military conditioning.

  Combat Strategy for a Medium Encounter

  At this Challenge Rating, Firefight is dangerous but has exploitable weaknesses.

  • Round 1: He will immediately use Plasma Propulsion to get 30–50 feet into the air. He will look for clustered heroes and use his Plasma Burst combo to force them to scatter.

  • Round 2–3: He will single out the squishiest-looking target (like a ranged mentalist or gadgeteer) and target them with his single-target Plasma Discharge SP 7. If a melee hero flies up to engage him, his Melt Zone will start ticking damage against them every turn.

  • The Flaw (How the Heroes Win): His physical armor (SP 4) is much weaker than his energy immunity. If the heroes can ground him (using sonic, cold, or kinetic attacks) or use a grapple to choke out his exo-suit's air intake, his Resilience of 5 makes him susceptible to heavy physical hitters.

A single promethean bullet ended the lives  of The Crimsiki Brothers (Anton & Viktor) shot by the  assassin Mae Ling. She only had three of these rare bullets supplied by the organization behind Death Stroke.  And then Aiden "Flashover" Vance our Fire Fight showed up and combat became a family affair. Danhausen cursed Fire Fight II tripping him and setting a good portion of the warehouse on fire. Mei Ling shot a hose off of Fire Fight II and the Black Bat got the kids out of the space. Joe Hendry kept the kids calm with a song and dance until the Black Bat took control of the kids then got them to the police. The Green Lizard is incharge of the Crimsiki organization and called Fire Fight II back. We stopped here and the we ended the adventure with the party. 

Can The Barrows & Borderlands rpg Fit Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargrave’s Arduin Grimoires Part II

 Yes, Barrows & Borderlands (B&B) fits seamlessly into this mix—in fact, it provides the exact missing piece of the puzzle.This blog post picks right up from Integrating Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargraves Arduin Grimoires

If ACKS II provides the rigid macro-economics (the "Conqueror" and "King" phases) and Arduin provides the gonzo micromanagement (the chaotic races and lethal criticals), Barrows & Borderlands acts as the ideal framework for the low-level, gritty "Dungeon Crawl" phase.
B&B’s streamlined, procedural, and focused design excels at tracking the physical and psychological toll of localized wilderness exploration and dungeon delve mechanics. Here is how to triangulate all three systems into a unified campaign architecture.

1. The Operational Hierarchy (Scale of Play)

To prevent rules bloat, assign each system a specific operational scale. Do not try to run them simultaneously; instead, pass the mechanical baton based on what the players are doing at the table:

• The Local Scale (Barrows & Borderlands): Use B&B when the players are inside a dungeon, clearing hexes in the immediate borderlands, tracking rations, torches, and encumbrance, or dealing with faction tension in the local frontier town.

• The Tactile/Gonzo Scale (Arduin): Inject Arduin when dice hit the table for individual variance—character class mechanics (like the Phraint and Deodanth built previously), custom critical hit/fumble tables, and the bizarre, reality-warping loot found at the bottom of the barrows.

• The Macro Scale (ACKS II): Shift to ACKS II once the players return to civilization to invest their gold, build strongholds, calculate market inflation, hire mercenary companies, or manage dynamic domain populations.

2. Harmonizing the Math

Fortunately, both ACKS II and Barrows & Borderlands are descendants of classic B/X D&D, meaning their core mathematical skeletons are highly compatible.

The Silver Standard

Both ACKS II and B&B run on a Silver Standard economy (where 1 silver piece is the baseline cost of a day's rations, rather than 1 gold piece). This means you do not need to convert item prices, hireling wages, or treasure values when transitioning between a B&B dungeon and an ACKS II marketplace.

• The Arduin Exception: Arduin treasure is traditionally written on an inflated Gold Standard. When dropping Arduin loot into this campaign, convert recorded Arduin GP directly to Silver Pieces (SP) to protect the integrity of the ACKS II economy.

Experience Points (XP)

B&B uses highly streamlined XP requirements, while ACKS II features granular, class-specific XP curves (especially with custom races).

• The Fix: Use the ACKS II XP progression curves for all characters to account for the heavy mechanical advantages of Arduin classes (like the Phraint's exoskeleton). However, use B&B's exploration and milestone rules for awarding XP during play (e.g., XP for silver recovered, hexes mapped, and faction goals achieved).

3. Integrating Procedural Play: The B&B Exploration Engine

B&B’s greatest strength is its procedural loop for handling time and hazard tracking in dangerous territories. You should use its exploration mechanics wholesale while players are out on the frontier:

Dungeon & Wilderness Turns

Use B&B to track time, light sources, and wandering monster checks. If a combat encounter occurs, seamlessly execute it using the ACKS II combat sequence and the Arduin critical tables.

Reaction & Faction Rolls

B&B’s reaction matrices are superb for handling localized tension. If your Phraint Vanguard walks into a frontier human tavern, use the B&B faction reaction rules to determine how local frontiersmen react to an alien insectoid—then use ACKS II’s market rules to determine how heavily the local merchants price-gouge them based on that hostility.

4. The Campaign World Map

Visually and structurally, the campaign naturally maps onto concentric circles of civilization vs. chaos:

[ Outer Chaos: The Arduin Wilds ]
       |
[ The Borderlands: B&B Barrows & Hexes ]
       |
[ Civilized Core: ACKS II Empires & Domains ]

• The Core (ACKS II): A stable, simulationist empire governed by strict feudal law, market values, and supply lines.

• The Borderlands (B&B): The immediate frontier. Dotted with ancient barrows, ruins, and isolated strongholds. The players use B&B rules to clear this territory hex by hex.

• The Deep Wilds / Plane Leaks (Arduin): The deeper the players venture into the borderlands, the more reality unravels. The monsters stop being standard goblins and become multi-dimensional Arduin horrors. The technology shifts from medieval steel to volatile magi-tech.

By using B&B as the mechanical bridge, your campaign transitions beautifully from a gritty, localized survival game about counting torches into a sweeping, high-stakes political and economic simulation—all flavored with unforgettable, high-gonzo science-fantasy weirdness.

Here we sketch out a Barrows & Borderlands style border town that features an ACKS II market economy and a sub-surface enclave of Arduin races.

Settlement Overview: Obelisk-on-the-Moor

• Classification: Borderlands Frontier Town & Planar Trading Post

• Market Class (ACKS II): Class VI Market (Small Settlement / Frontier Post)

• Demographics: ~600 surface residents (mostly human frontiersmen, loggers, and outlaws); ~150 sub-surface residents (Phraints, Deodanths, and planar anomalies).

Built around the colossal, half-buried arm of a shattered, metallic-blue titan (the "Obelisk"), this settlement is the final stop before civilization ends and the chaotic Wilds begin. To the surface world, it is a hardscrabble frontier town of log cabins and mud. Beneath the floorboards, it is a subterranean bazaar where multi-dimensional reality leaks through ancient, basalt barrows.

                       [ THE MOORS / WILDERNESS ]
                                   |
         ===================[ WOODEN PALISADE ]===================
        |                                                         |
        |  [THE RAMSHACKLE]                                       |
        |  Surface Cabins, Mud, Fur Traders, Loggers              |
        |                                                         |
        |         [THE IRON AXE TAVERN]                           |
        |         (Surface Drink / Secret Cellar Trapdoor)        |
        |                      |                                  |
        |                      v                                  |
         ============= [TITAN'S SEAM (CRACK)] ====================
                       |                                          |
                       v (Vertical Chimney Shafts)                |
        |                                                         |
        |  [THE CHITIN VAULTS]                                    |
        |  Sub-surface Enclave, Hexagonal Basalt Cells            |
        |  - Phraint Nest-Pods (Vertical Access Only)             |
        |  - The Twilight Bazaar (Deodanth Reality-Shops)         |
        |                                                         |
         =========================================================

1. The Surface Layer: "The Ramshackle" (Barrows & Borderlands Style)

The surface of Obelisk-on-the-Moor is pure gritty, resource-scarce survival. It is damp, paranoid, and fortified against the terrors of the mist.

• The Vibe: Thick log palisades, smoky peat fires, and an underlying dread of the surrounding barrows. People here count their torches, salt their beef, and lock their doors at sundown.

• Key Location – The Iron Axe Tavern: Run by a scarred veteran named Barnaby. The ale is sour, and the patrons are suspicious of outsiders. However, the large stone hearth in the back hides a heavy iron door leading down into the foundations of the titan's arm—the gateway to the sub-surface world.

• The Law: Enforced by a rotating "Moor-Watch" of local volunteers. They care nothing for cosmic politics; their only goal is ensuring the horrors from the wilds don't burn the wall down.

2. The Sub-Surface Layer: "The Chitin Vaults" (Arduin Enclave)

Dropping down through the vertical fissures of the Titan’s Seam reveals a completely different world. The cold, wet mud gives way to geometric, purple-tinted basalt corridors and zero-gravity vertical shafts.

• The Vibe: Flickering, bio-luminescent fungi cast strange shadows over sleek, multi-faceted architecture. The air smells of ozone, dried musk, and copper.

• The Phraint Nest-Pods: Positioned along the upper sheer walls of the main chasm. There are no stairs or ladders here—only a series of smooth, hexagonal stone shelves spaced exactly 15 feet apart. Human visitors must use ropes and pulleys, but to the resident Phraint Vanguards, it is a highly defensible highway navigated by effortless leaping.

• The Twilight Bazaar: A subterranean market square controlled by a cabal of Deodanths. The architecture here feels slightly out of focus, a side-effect of the time-slip energies bleeding from their shops. Here, cloaked time-cats trade obsidian blades, preserved alien organs, and rare tech-flux components harvested from the deep barrows.

3. The Local Economy: ACKS II Market Mechanics

Despite its weirdness, Obelisk-on-the-Moor obeys the rigorous financial laws of ACKS II. Because it is a Class VI Market, it has specific economic constraints that define how characters must operate:

Market Boundaries

• Monthly Trade Volume: Max 5,000 gold pieces (worth of silver equivalent).

• Item Availability: Only common mundane gear, basic provisions, and low-tier weapons are available on the surface. True plate armor or masterwork steel cannot be purchased here—the local smiths lack the metallurgical infrastructure.

The Black Market Modifier (The Arduin Surge)

While standard medieval goods are scarce, the presence of the sub-surface enclave grants the town a unique custom trait: The Planar Leak.

• Characters can locate specialized, high-tier magical components, tech-relics, or exotic services (like Phraint-bolt reinforcing for armor) that usually require a Class I Metropolis.

• However, because it is an illegal, unregulated market, all Arduin-tier goods purchased here carry a 30% markup over standard ACKS II creation costs, reflecting the immense danger of smuggling items up from the Vaults.

4. Faction Interaction (B&B Reaction Loop)

Navigating the social friction between the two layers requires careful tracking of B&B Faction Reactions:

• The Surface Humans: View the sub-surface enclave as a necessary evil. The Phraints keep the local goblin tribes from overrunning the valley, and the Deodanths bring weird, high-value silver coin into the local economy.

• The Phraints: View the surface town with cold, hive-mind utility. It acts as a biological buffer zone against the chaos of the outer moors. They will not lift a finger to save a human civilian unless it fits their long-term tactical calculation.

• The Deodanths: Treat the entire settlement as a hilarious, tragic petri dish. They actively enjoy baiting human adventurers into taking high-risk contracts to clear nearby barrows, knowing most will never return.

Hook for the PCs

Barnaby at the Iron Axe is looking for a crew willing to descend into the Chitin Vaults to deliver a shipment of salted pork to the Phraint Hive-Sentry. The Phraints pay in raw silver bullion recovered from a nearby barrow—but a local gang of Deodanth outcasts is planning an ambush in the twilight corridors to steal the metal before it hits the surface economy.

A Hidden Refuge Town of monsters called Halloween Town in London for the Victorious rpg by Troll Lord Games & The Red Room's Belle Époque Red Rpg with New Monsters, Artifacts, NPC's, And PC Races

 

The Fog-Shrouded Sanctuary: Halloween Town

Location: Beneath the Abandoned Fleet Ditch Sewers, London

Era: Victorian Steampunk / Supernatural (Victorious RPG)

In the soot-stained heart of Victorian London, where the smog of the Industrial Revolution meets the ancient ley lines of Britain, lies a sanctuary for those deemed "unnatural." Halloween Town is not a myth to the monsters of the Underground; it is a vital necessity—a sovereign refuge hidden behind a veil of permanent, magically-infused fog.

Entering the Gloom

To reach the town, one must find the "Jack-o’-Lantern Grate" near the ruins of the Fleet River. By whispering a secret rhyme and offering a copper penny (or a drop of non-human blood), the heavy iron bars melt into shadow.

The descent leads to a subterranean cavern illuminated by thousands of floating, bioluminescent pumpkins and gas-lamps burning with an eerie violet flame. The architecture is a chaotic blend of Gothic spires, crooked timber-framed houses, and repurposed Roman masonry.

The Ruling Council: The Triumvirate

The town is governed by three "Mayors," ensuring no single faction gains too much power over the refuge:

1. Lord Bramwell (The Vampire): An exiled aristocrat who handles the town's finances and "imports" (blood and luxury goods). He ensures the town remains hidden from the Society for Psychical Research.

2. Mother Marrow (The Hag): An ancient witch who maintains the magical wards. She provides the "Glamour" charms that allow residents to walk London's surface undetected.

3. Iron-Jaw (The Construct): A sentient, steam-powered automaton built from the parts of fallen Penny Dreadful villains. He leads the Night Watch, the town’s ragtag militia.

Notable Districts & Locations

District	Description	Key Landmark
The Ossuary Market	A bustling bazaar where monsters trade artifacts, specialized food, and "human-free" curiosities.	The Black Cauldron Inn (Serving chilled ichor and warm stout).
The Shadow Docks	Where the subterranean river flows. Small, silent skiffs transport goods to the Thames.	The Ferryman’s Toll (A guarded gatehouse).
The Alchemists' Quarter	A smoggy district filled with bubbling vats. Home to rogue scientists and sentient slimes.	The Clockwork Laboratory (Run by a disgraced Royal Society member).

Life in Halloween Town

For a resident of Halloween Town, life is a delicate balance of safety and secrecy.

• The Law of the Veil: No resident may harm a human within three miles of the entrance, lest they draw the attention of the London Metropolitan Police or, worse, the Victorious heroes of the surface.

• The Harvest Festival: Once a year, on October 31st, the wards are at their strongest. The monsters throw a grand masquerade, openly walking the streets of London, hidden in plain sight among the revelers.

Adventure Hooks for Victorious

• The Missing Link: A prominent Victorian scientist has been kidnapped and taken to Halloween Town. Is he a prisoner, or did he flee there to protect a dangerous invention from the government?

• The Fog is Fading: The magical wards maintaining the town's secrecy are failing. The heroes must find a rare component—perhaps a shard of the original "Will-o'-the-Wisp"—before the Army discovers the entrance.

• Internal Coup: A faction of younger, aggressive monsters (The Feral Pack) wants to stop hiding and begin a "Great Harvest" of London. The heroes are approached by Lord Bramwell to stop the coup discreetly.

GM Note: Halloween Town works best as a "neutral" ground. It is not inherently evil, but rather a place of survival. Heroes may find unlikely allies here, or discover that the line between "man" and "monster" is thinner than the London fog.

 In the flickering shadows of the Ossuary Market and the steam-choked corners of the Alchemists' Quarter, a specialized class of merchants operates under the radar of the Triumvirate. Known as The Menagerie Breakers, these dealers specialize in the capture and sale of rare, lethal creatures to London's most dangerous assassins and thrill-seeking murderers.

The Dealers of the Macabre

Unlike the common vendors selling curiosities, these dealers deal in "living weapons" designed for silence, terror, or total destruction.

• Sallow John: A former taxidermist who found more profit in the living than the dead. He operates out of a shop that smells of formaldehyde and raw meat, specializing in Phase-Spiders and Ectoplasmic Leeches perfect for untraceable assassinations.

• The Widow in Wax: A woman who supposedly turned herself into a sentient wax sculpture. She deals in "Beautiful Deaths"—monsters that look like works of art or common household pets until they are triggered to strike.

• "Professor" Pendergast: A disgraced academic obsessed with the prehistoric and the "Dying Earth". He sells primitive, high-aggression beasts like Kanahu Pit-Vipers to those who want their victims to suffer a brutal, primal end.

Rare "Inventory" for Assassins

The following creatures are highly sought after by the Victorian underworld for their specific lethality:

Creature	Specialty	Why Murderers Buy It
The Gaslight Mimic	Stealth	Can take the form of a common street lamp or a parlor chair, striking when the victim is alone.
Clockwork Scarabs	Sabotage	Sentient metallic insects that can chew through brake lines on a carriage or lock a door from the inside.
Screaming Mandrake Hybrids	Distraction	Used to create a localized sonic burst that deafens witnesses while the assassin strikes.
Shadow-Stalkers	Invisibility	Beings from the "Night Land" that are nearly invisible in the London smog.

The Transaction

Buying from a monster dealer in Halloween Town is a high-stakes gamble:

1. The "Live" Demonstration: Dealers often keep a "disposable" street urchin or a rival's snitch in a back room to demonstrate the creature's lethality to the buyer.

2. The Binding: Rare monsters are sold with "Binding Charms" or "Control Collars" manufactured by Mother Marrow or Iron-Jaw’s rogue engineers. If the charm breaks, the monster often eats the buyer first.

3. The Payment: These dealers rarely accept coin. They demand "Service in Kind," "Fresh Memories," or specialized Victorian technology to further their breeding programs.

Adventure Hook: The Escaped "Asset"

A prominent member of the Society for Psychical Research is found dead, but the cause of death is a venom only found in the prehistoric wastes of Kanahu. The heroes must track the "sale" back to Halloween Town and find the dealer before the assassin uses their remaining "inventory" on the rest of the Society.

How would your players react to discovering a "pet shop" where the merchandise is actively trying to pick the lock on its cage?

   To enhance your Victorious campaign, here is a d100 table detailing the chaotic, dangerous, and often illegal inventory found within the stalls of the Menagerie Breakers. These items can serve as plot devices, black-market temptations, or immediate threats if a cage happens to rattle loose.

d100 Inventory of the Menagerie Breakers

d100	The Inventory Item	Description & "Selling Point"
01-05	The Bottled Banshee	A crystal vial containing a swirl of grey smoke. When shattered, it releases a deafening wail that stuns everyone within 30 feet for 1d4 rounds.
06-10	Kanahu Glass-Wasps	A hive of translucent insects that seek out heat. Used by assassins to track victims through walls or thick Victorian curtains.
11-15	The Doorman’s Mimic	Looks like a brass door knocker. If placed on a door, it bites anyone who attempts to use it without whispering the "safe word."
16-20	Ectoplasmic Silk Spool	Harvested from Phase-Spiders. This "thread" is invisible to the human eye and can hold the weight of a grown man—perfect for silent escapes.
21-25	A Crate of 'Night Land' Moss	A parasitic fungi that grows rapidly in the dark. It can choke a room in minutes, leaving victims to suffocate in silence.
26-30	Sentient Steam-Rat	A clockwork rodent infused with a fragment of a criminal’s soul. It can pick locks and scout small spaces, returning with a "recording" of what it heard.
31-35	The Shadow-Blade Parasite	A small, eel-like creature that wraps around a dagger. It makes the blade silent and allows it to strike the "spirit" of a target, ignoring physical armor.
36-40	Jar of Grave-Dust Mites	When tossed, these microscopic undead feast on the structural integrity of iron and wood, causing floors or support beams to collapse instantly.
41-45	The Gaslight Wraith	A minor spirit bound to a specialized lantern. It can be commanded to dim all lights in a 100-yard radius, plunging a street into total darkness.
46-50	Vampiric Ivy Cuttings	Rapid-growth vines that drain blood upon contact. Murderers plant them in a target's garden to make a death look like a "freak gardening accident."
51-55	The Mercury Slime	A metallic, shapeless blob that can flow under doors and into safes. It can "memorize" the shape of a key and reform into it later.
56-60	A Chained 'Gutter-Gorgon'	A stunted, wingless gargoyle that turns anything it bites into brittle stone for one hour.
61-65	A Box of Whispering Beetles	These insects record the last 60 seconds of any conversation they hear before they are "crushed" to replay the sound.
66-70	The Galvanized Hound	A taxidermied dog brought back to life with voltaic batteries. It is relentless, tireless, and smells faintly of ozone and rot.
71-75	The Widow’s Weeping Veil	A lace veil made from the webs of a mourning spider. The wearer becomes invisible to anyone currently experiencing grief or sadness.
76-80	Canned 'London Fog'	A pressurized canister that, when opened, releases a 20-foot cloud of supernatural fog that blocks even magical or thermal vision.
81-85	The Flesh-Stitcher’s Kit	A set of needles and "living thread" that allows an assassin to temporarily assume the face of their victim (lasts 1d6 hours).
86-90	The Clockwork Heart-Plug	A cruel device sold to those who want to "own" a victim. Once inserted, the victim must stay within 50 feet of the controller or the device stops their heart.
91-95	A Baby 'Night Land' Watcher	A small, multi-eyed creature that emits a low hum when a "Hero" or "Lawman" enters the vicinity.
96-100	The Chimera Egg	A pulsating, multi-colored egg. The dealer claims it will hatch into the "ultimate predator," but it requires a pint of the owner's blood every night.

The Dealer's "Warranty"

When a character interacts with these tables, remember the Menagerie Breakers always have a catch. Many of these items require a Presence or Intellect check to control. Failing the check might mean the "Gaslight Wraith" decides your own soul looks more appetizing than the target's, or the "Mercury Slime" decides to fuse your fingers together instead of the lock

For your Victorious campaign, here are the stats for the "living weapons" sold by the Menagerie Breakers. These utilize the standard attributes: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA).

1. The Gaslight Mimic

Medium Construct (Neutral)

These creatures are masterfully crafted to resemble common Victorian street furniture. They remain motionless until a target is within reach, striking with surprise.

• STR: 16 (+2) | DEX: 10 (+0) | CON: 18 (+3)

• INT: 6 (-1) | WIS: 12 (+0) | CHA: 8 (-1)

• Health: 45 | AC: 16 (Iron/Wood Exterior)

• Abilities:

  • False Appearance: While the mimic remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary object (e.g., street lamp, bench, post box).

  • Adhesive Grip: Anything that touches the mimic is grappled (Escape DC 14).

• Attack:

  • Iron Slam: +5 to hit, 2d6+3 damage.

2. Shadow-Stalkers (Night Land Denizen)

Medium Outsider (Evil)

Hailing from the "Night Land," these entities are nearly invisible in the smog and shadows of London, making them the ultimate tools for silent execution.

• STR: 12 (+0) | DEX: 20 (+4) | CON: 12 (+0)

• INT: 10 (+0) | WIS: 14 (+1) | CHA: 10 (+0)

• Health: 28 | AC: 15

• Abilities:

  • Smog Camouflage: In areas of fog, smoke, or dim light, the Shadow-Stalker is considered invisible.

  • Phase Through: Can move through solid objects up to 1 foot thick as if they were difficult terrain.

• Attack:

  • Cold Touch: +7 to hit, 1d10 necrotic damage. Target must succeed on a CON save (DC 13) or have their movement speed halved for 1 minute.

3. Clockwork Scarabs (Swarm)

Small Swarm of Constructs (Neutral)

Often sold in "hives" of 10-20, these mechanical insects are used to sabotage carriages or lock victims in rooms.

• STR: 4 (-3) | DEX: 18 (+3) | CON: 10 (+0)

• INT: 2 (-4) | WIS: 10 (+0) | CHA: 1 (-5)

• Health: 18 (Swarm) | AC: 14

• Abilities:

  • Sabotage: Can dismantle or jam a mechanical device (lock, engine, carriage wheel) in 1 round.

  • Infiltrate: Can fit through any gap larger than a keyhole.

• Attack:

  • Mechanical Nips: +5 to hit, 1d6 piercing damage.

4. The Galvanized Hound

Medium Undead/Construct (Neutral)

A terrifying blend of necromancy and Victorian science, these hounds are relentless trackers that do not tire.

• STR: 15 (+2) | DEX: 14 (+1) | CON: — (Undead)

• INT: 3 (-4) | WIS: 12 (+0) | CHA: 5 (-3)

• Health: 35 | AC: 13

• Abilities:

  • Ozone Scent: Advantage on tracking checks. They can "smell" the electrical or supernatural energy of a target.

  • Voltaic Feedback: Anyone hitting the hound with a metal melee weapon takes 1d4 lightning damage.

• Attack:

  • Electrified Bite: +4 to hit, 1d8+2 piercing + 1d4 lightning damage.

5. Kanahu Pit-Viper

Small Beast (Neutral)

Imported from the prehistoric wastes, these vipers possess a venom that causes agonizing muscular paralysis.

• STR: 6 (-2) | DEX: 16 (+2) | CON: 12 (+0)

• INT: 2 (-4) | WIS: 10 (+0) | CHA: 3 (-4)

• Health: 10 | AC: 13

• Abilities:

  • Primal Aggression: Can strike twice in one round if the target is already poisoned.

• Attack:

  • Paralytic Bite: +5 to hit, 1d4 piercing damage. Target must succeed on a CON save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds.

 

The Briar-Glass Dynasty: The Fey of Halloween Town

While many residents of Halloween Town are monsters of flesh, steam, or shadow, the Briar-Glass Family represents the uncanny influence of the Faerie realms. Unlike the chaotic hags or solitary spirits of the Alchemists' Quarter, the Briar-Glass fey maintain a cold, structured elegance that mirrors the high society of Victorian London, albeit with a terrifying, supernatural twist.

The Family Patriarch: Lord Silas Briar-Glass

Silas is a Sidhe nobleman who fled the Seelie Court after a failed coup. In Halloween Town, he serves as the unofficial "arbiter of taste" and a black-market diplomat.

• Appearance: He resembles a tall, unnervingly thin Victorian gentleman with skin the color of moonlight and hair like spun silver. His eyes are solid obsidian, reflecting no light.

• Role: He manages the "Glamour Trade," providing high-end illusions to the town's elite so they can move through Buckingham Palace or Parliament without causing a riot.

The Matron: Lady Mallow

A fey of the Unseelie persuasion, Mallow is obsessed with the industrial decay of London. She sees the soot and smog as a new kind of "natural" landscape.

• Appearance: She wears gowns constructed from living soot-butterflies and rusted gears. Her fingers are long and needle-like, perfect for weaving "Fate-Threads."

• Role: She runs a boutique in the Ossuary Market that sells "Cursed Finery"—clothing that grants the wearer incredible social influence but slowly drains their physical vitality.

The Prodigal Son: Puck the Riveter

The youngest of the dynasty, Puck has rejected the family's aristocratic pretensions in favor of the burgeoning Steampunk movement within the town.

• Appearance: A small, mischievous figure often covered in grease and copper dust. He has replaced his gossamer wings with folding brass aeronautical sails.

• Role: He works closely with Iron-Jaw in the militia, specializing in "Fey-Tech"—devices that use iron-cold logic to trap spirits or power-up steam engines with captured laughter.

The Briar-Glass Estate: "The Mirror-Thistle Manor"

Located in the highest reach of the subterranean cavern, their manor is built from "Solidified Fog" and reinforced with iron-wood.

• The Hall of Reflections: A corridor lined with mirrors that do not show the present, but rather the viewer's most shameful secret from the previous year.

• The Iron-Rose Garden: A courtyard where the plants are made of rusted metal but still grow, bloom, and bleed when cut.

Adventure Hooks involving the Briar-Glass Family

• The Stolen Breath: A prominent opera singer in London has lost her voice. The trail leads to Lady Mallow, who has "woven" the voice into a scarf for a monster client.

• The Diplomatic Incident: Lord Silas is hosting a secret gala for a member of the British Peerage who is secretly a werewolf. The heroes must infiltrate the gala to prevent a political assassination that would expose Halloween Town to the world.

• Puck’s Prank: Puck has "enhanced" the city’s Big Ben with a fey-clockwork gear that causes time to loop every hour. The heroes must enter Halloween Town to find the "Key of Moments" held by the Briar-Glass family to reset the clock.

Victorious RPG Stats: The Briar-Glass Fey (General)

• Attributes: High DEX and CHA, lower STR.

• Special Ability: The Silver Tongue: Can force a target to tell the truth or perform a minor favor if the target accepts a gift from the fey (WIS save DC 15).

• Vulnerability: Cold Iron. Any weapon made of cold iron deals double damage and ignores their natural AC.

 

In the world of Victorious, the Trow represent a tragic yet resilient bridge between the mundane world of Victorian London and the monstrous refuge of Halloween Town. These human-troll hybrids are often the result of ancient pacts or cursed lineages reaching back to the Neolithic era.

The Trow: Children of Stone and Soot

The Trow are far smaller than their pure-blood troll ancestors, standing roughly between 5 and 6 feet tall, but they possess a dense, unnatural physical weight that belies their frame.

Physical Traits

• Lithic Skin: Their flesh often has a greyish, stony hue and a texture like fine-grit sandpaper.

• Nocturnal Eyes: Large, pale eyes that are highly sensitive to the dim violet gaslight of Halloween Town but squint painfully in the harsh glare of the London sun.

• The Scent of Earth: They naturally smell of damp earth and moss, regardless of how often they bathe.

Trow Society in Halloween Town

While many monsters view them as "watered down," the Trow serve as the backbone of the town's infrastructure.

• The Fleet Street Tunnelers: Most Trow work in the lower levels, maintaining the ancient Roman masonry that keeps London from collapsing into the refuge.

• The Stone-Speakers: A rare few Trow can "listen" to the vibrations of the city above, sensing the movement of police patrols or the approach of a steam-carriage miles away.

• Cultural Isolation: They are often mistrusted by humans for their appearance and looked down upon by "pure" monsters for their human vulnerability to cold iron and logic.

Victorious RPG Stats: The Trow

The Trow are designed for players or NPCs who want a character focused on Strength and Survival, fitting the traditional hit-point systems favored in OSR-adjacent games.

Attribute	Modifier
STR	+2
CON	+2
DEX	-1
CHA	-2

• Health: Trow gain an additional +2 hit points per level due to their dense physiology.

• Natural Armor: Their thick skin provides a natural +2 bonus to AC.

• Stone-Skin Camouflage: Trow gain a +4 bonus to Stealth checks when remaining motionless against stone or brickwork.

• Weakness: Sunlight Sensitivity: In direct sunlight, Trow suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls and perception checks.

The Trow’s Role in the "League"In a high-powered Victorian campaign, a Trow might serve as the "heavy" for a group of investigators. Their ability to navigate the sewers of London undetected makes them perfect for infiltrating high-society manors from the basement up.

GM Note: Unlike the Fey of the Briar-Glass family, who rely on Glamour, the Trow must rely on heavy coats, deep hoods, and the thick London fog to move through the surface world. If their "stony" nature is revealed, they are often mistaken for statues or victims of a terrible industrial disease.

 To align with your preference for high-powered Victorian campaigns and traditional mechanics, here are the expanded rules for the Trow's Supernatural Strength within the Victorious RPG framework.

Supernatural Strength (The Lithic Might)

The Trow do not just possess the muscle of a strong man; their strength is magically reinforced by their troll heritage and their connection to the earth.

• Lifting Capacity: A Trow can lift and carry up to four times the weight of a human with an equivalent Strength score.

• Structural Damage: Their blows are particularly effective against inanimate objects. When attacking doors, stone walls, or iron grates, a Trow doubles their Strength modifier for damage.

• Crushing Grip: If a Trow successfully grapples a target, they deal an automatic 1d6 + STR modifier in crushing damage each round the hold is maintained.

Revised Victorious RPG Stats: The Trow

These stats reflect a character built for the "League" style of high-powered play, emphasizing survival and raw power.

Attribute	Modifier
STR	+4 (Supernatural)
CON	+2
DEX	-1
CHA	-2

• Health: Trow gain an additional +3 hit points per level (increased from +2) to reflect their incredible density.

• Natural Armor: Their stony hide provides a Natural AC of 15 (or a +3 bonus if wearing armor).

• The Stone-Thrower: Due to their heritage, Trow treat any thrown stone or masonry fragment as a specialized weapon dealing 1d8 + STR damage.

• Encumbrance: Trow ignore movement penalties for "Heavy" loads unless they are carrying something truly gargantuan, like a steam-engine boiler.

The "Heavy" of the League

In a campaign utilizing the Victorious system, a Trow acts as the ultimate vanguard. While a Briar-Glass fey might use a "Silver Tongue" to bypass a guard, a Trow simply walks through the brick wall next to the gate. Their supernatural strength makes them one of the few residents of Halloween Town capable of standing toe-to-toe with a high-tier Steam-Automaton in a feat of raw power.

To further distinguish their appearance from common humans and pure-blood trolls, Trow possess decorative horns on their heads. These horns are often used by the Trow as a point of cultural pride and individual identity within the community of Halloween Town.

The Horns of the Trow

The horns are not merely cosmetic; they are an extension of their skeletal structure and often reflect the Trow's specific lineage.

• Material and Texture: The horns are typically made of a dense, keratinous substance that feels more like polished stone or obsidian than bone.

• Variety of Shapes:

  • The Ram’s Curl: Heavy, spiraling horns that sit low on the brow, common among the Fleet Street Tunnelers for protecting the head during cave-ins.

  • The Jagged Spire: Sharp, vertical horns that resemble stalagmites, often seen on the Stone-Speakers.

  • The Nub: Small, rounded protrusions that are easily hidden under the deep hoods of their Victorian coats when traveling the surface.

• Decorative Modification: Many Trow in Halloween Town decorate their horns with etched runes, copper wire, or even small gaslight lanterns to signify their rank or trade.

Mechanical Benefit: The Gore Attack

In the high-powered Victorious RPG setting, these horns provide a secondary offensive option for a Trow who has already utilized their Supernatural Strength.

• Horn Strike: +STR to hit, 1d6 + STR damage. If the Trow moves at least 20 feet in a straight line before hitting a target, the damage increases to 2d6 + STR as they use their unnatural mass and momentum to gash the opponent.

Cultural Significance

Among the Trow, the size and luster of one's horns are often seen as a sign of health and "purity" of the troll bloodline. A Trow with broken or stunted horns is often viewed with pity, as it suggests a lineage that has been too heavily diluted by the human world above.

NPC Profile: Bramble-Horn

Role: Vanguard and Tunnel Scout for hire

Heritage: Trow (Human-Troll Hybrid)

Bramble-Horn is a seasoned resident of Halloween Town who specializes in "Surface-to-Subterranean" navigation. Unlike many Trow who remain in the Fleet Street Tunnels, Bramble-Horn offers his services to adventuring "Leagues" needing raw power and a guide who can survive both the London smog and the monster-filled sewers.

Appearance & Personality

• The Horns: He bears heavy, ram-like horns that spiral around his ears, etched with glowing purple runes that hum faintly in the presence of magic.

• Stony Visage: His skin has the texture of weathered granite, and he often wears a heavy, oil-stained duster to conceal his unnatural bulk from casual observers on the surface.

• Demeanor: Quiet and observant, Bramble-Horn speaks with a voice like grinding gravel. He is intensely loyal to those who treat him with "civilized" respect rather than as a mere beast of burden.

Victorious RPG Stats (High-Powered Tier)

Bramble-Horn is built as a formidable ally or rival, utilizing the traditional hit-point and supernatural strength mechanics.

Attribute	Modifier
STR	+4 (Supernatural Strength)
CON	+2
DEX	-1
INT	+1
WIS	+2
CHA	-2

• Health (Hit Points): 48 (Reflecting Trow density and level-based scaling).

• Armor Class: 17 (Natural stony hide + reinforced leather duster).

• Supernatural Feats: Bramble-Horn can tear iron gates from their hinges or overturn a hansom cab with a successful STR check.

Combat & Gear

• The Sledge: A massive, custom-forged iron hammer that he swings one-handed (Damage: 1d10 + 4).

• Gore Attack: If cornered, he uses his spiraled horns to headbutt opponents (Damage: 1d6 + 4).

• Trow Lantern: A small, brass lantern hanging from his horn that burns "Night Land" phosphorus, revealing invisible spirits or phase-shifting creatures within 20 feet.

Adventure Hook: The Fleet Ditch Collapse

A section of the London Underground has collapsed, revealing a vault filled with prehistoric Kanahu artifacts. The local authorities are baffled, but Bramble-Horn knows the collapse was intentional—sabotage by the Menagerie Breakers to smuggle a "Gaslight Mimic" into the city archives. He is looking for a team to help him seal the breach before the "Society for Psychical Research" discovers the entrance to Halloween Town.

 To help bring this hidden Victorian refuge to life during your Victorious sessions, here is a d100 encounter table. These events range from social oddities to potential combat or investigative hooks.

d100 Halloween Town Encounters

d100	Encounter
01-05	The Fog-Thickener: A group of minor shadows is laboring over a cracked steam pipe, infusing the escaping vapor with magical soot to maintain the town's concealment.
06-10	Lord Bramwell’s Carriage: A black-lacquered carriage pulled by skeletal horses rattles past; a pale hand draws the curtain briefly to inspect the party.
11-15	The Pickpocket Imp: A small, leathery-winged creature attempts to steal a "shiny" from a player's belt—likely a brass button or a gadget.
16-20	Glamour Failure: A resident’s human disguise flickers violently in the violet gaslight, revealing a monstrous visage for a split second.
21-25	The Night Watch: A patrol of clanking steam-automatons led by a gargoyle demands to see the party's "Entry Penny".
26-30	Mother Marrow’s Messenger: A black cat with too many eyes approaches and speaks in the voice of a grandmother, inviting the party for tea (or a quest).
31-35	The Ichor Spill: A barrel of "Grade-A O-Negative" has leaked in the market, attracting a swarm of spectral bats that are now intoxicated and aggressive.
36-40	A Displaced Gentleman: A human explorer who stumbled through the Fleet Ditch is currently being cornered by "The Feral Pack".
41-45	The Clockwork Busker: A sentient music box plays a haunting melody that causes any character with a "Power" to feel a strange, vibrating resonance.
46-50	Sewer Surge: A sudden rush of London’s surface wastewater floods a lower alley, bringing with it a piece of evidence from a recent surface crime.
51-55	Masked Duel: Two vampires are dueling with silver rapiers over a perceived slight; the "blood" being spilled is actually glowing ectoplasm.
56-60	The Street Urchin: A ghost-child offers to sell the party a "Map of the Surface" that includes secret exits into Buckingham Palace.
61-65	Penny Dreadful Sale: A vendor is selling sensationalist human newspapers, laughing hysterically at how "wrong" the humans got a recent monster sighting.
66-70	The Mad Alchemist: A man in a tattered lab coat offers the party a "Steam-Injection Potion" that promises a temporary power boost (with a 50% chance of a mutation).
71-75	Spectral Protest: A group of ghosts is picketing the Ossuary Market, demanding "more consistent hauntings" and better ectoplasm rations.
76-80	The Iron-Jaw Inspection: The leader of the militia personally stops the party to ask if they have seen any "Inquisitors" or "Psychical Researchers" lurking about.
81-85	A Caged Beast: A massive, tentacled creature from the "Dying Earth" is being transported in a reinforced steam-wagon; the cage door looks loose.
86-90	The Black Cauldron Brawl: A fight breaks out at the inn, involving a werewolf, a reanimated corpse, and a very confused clockwork valet.
91-95	Echoes of the Thames: A sudden acoustic anomaly allows the party to overhear a conversation happening directly above them on the London docks.
96-100	The Harvest Herald: A town crier announces that the "Harvest Festival" is approaching and all residents must finalize their masquerade disguises.